click on player on the right to listen

Belle and Sebastian – “I Didn’t See it Coming” “Expectations”

You may recognize this indie pop group from their contribution to the oh-so-loved Juno soundtrack. Their sound is upbeat, tween, but always paired with darker, sadder undertones. “Expectations” is from the Juno soundtrack whereas “I Didn’t See it Coming” if from their 2010 released album, Write About Love.

.

Twin Shadow –  “Castles in the Snow”, “Shooting Holes”

Twin Shadow is a new group that just recently released their first album Forget, produced by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, and manages to keep all Grizzly Bear influence away from their final product. “Shooting Holes” is a disco song and “Castles in the Snow” is explained by P4K, “Tracks like these create a mood that is nostalgic, regretful, and even sinister.”

School of Seven Bells – “Iamundernodisguise”, “Heart is Strange (active child remix)”

Active Child will be doing a show with School of Seven Bells tonight at Otto Bar. Coming across this remix makes me think they might get on stage together to collaborate. “Iamundernodisguise” is a new age choir with tribal drums and electronic layering. It’s all about pleasure, mysticism and echoes of the past.

As you know, we’ve been dormant for the majority of the summer. Regardless of, and perhaps in spite of our inactivity the world of music kept spinning (those bastards). On Monday’s post, Larissa already pointed out several albums that came out that you most definitely should not have missed. All this week we’re posting and we have a surprise for you on Friday. But right here, right now, I’m letting you know what I happened to catch as the last several months flew by…
KANYE WEST:
He’s at the top of his game. He’s putting out a new song every Friday (the last several of which have been absolutely fantastic) and he has a whole album coming out in late November. He also performed on SNL not too long ago. It was one of the most sensational and elaborate live performances the skit show has ever seen. Watch below.

DEERHUNTER:
I had never really been that huge of a fan Deerhunter but when I stumbled across this video, I fell in love with this song and now band. Doesn’t Bradford Cox’s performance in front of the camera remind you of Thom Yorke circa Pablo Honey? He sings so sweetly, “No one cares for me/ I keep no company.” It’s a sweet sentimentality and excessive self deprecation that reminds us of how chillingly pleasurable it can feel sometimes to wallow in our own miserable corners: “Cuz I’m a creep/ I’m a weirdo.”

MAJOR LAZERRRRRRRRRRR:
“Hold the Line” is his newest pseudodubstep HOT OFF THA PREZZ sounding track. Guaranteed to make your go ooooooooooh. DL it here and watch the video below.

GORILLAZ:
I was considering going to see these guys two months ago for a concert the day before my birthday. It was going to be a birthday present to myself but those prices were WAAAAY too steep. 75 bucks just to sit  in the back of the crowded UIC Pavilion? No thanks, but I did enjoy this brand new track of theirs!

Forgive me for maybe having mislead you a bit about the nature of this post. Yeah sure, a lot of time has passed since we were last consistently posting and this is definitely not an accurate representation of all good things that have passed since then. However, I still feel like being a little timely with what I’m showing you, and besides, I can hardly remember all the good things that happened this summer. So enjoy what I’ve given you anyway and see you again tomorrow!

“Impossible Soul”, the final song of The Age of Adz, takes me back to watching the chorus line of my high school’s production of West Side Story. In my memory, that day, the Sharks joined hands with the Jets (the dead ones revived, their shirts stained with prosthetic red blood) to sing the finale of the musical. They danced, they sang, and they bowed together.  A scene like this forces the audience to wake up and cross that blurry line that separates fiction from reality. I remember the end of a show, rubbing my eyes, standing up, gaining my balance and commenting on the production to the person next to me – my smile felt stiff and fake because moments earlier I was watching Tony die, absorbed in that fictional reality. Like walking out of any sad movie, it’s hard to shake that feeling that something really terrible just happened.

And thus, “Impossible Soul”, is full of enough absurdities (autotune, 25 min long, a really cheesy interlude…) that it functions like the joining of hands between the Sharks and the Jets. These idiosyncrasies break your engagement with the fictional production. Yet, just as the finale of a musical runs through every leitmotif and theme, “Impossible Soul” repeats enough lyrics and melodies from throughout the album that you are ultimately called back into the emotional roller coaster that is Age of Adz.

My notes from my first listen (three songs in):
First song was like old Sufjan, then “Too Much” kicked too much ass. Now I’m listening to Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet”? ["Age of Adz"] is really weird.

In all seriousness. Sufjan doesn’t even throw a fucking curveball. He’s not even playing baseball. Jacked up electronics. Choirs here and there. Orchestras up the wazoo. A sonic style unlike anything on this planet. Songwriting as complicated as… Well the songs aren’t hard to follow but there’s no way to see around the corner with where he’s going in most of the songs. At least he didn’t drop us in the middle of a maze. The songs aren’t immediately catchy either but the album has really good flow so it’s not like I’m not sitting here waiting on the next good hook to catch my attention. And despite how over the top the production seems, it’s actually really refreshing. Age of Adz is a pretty album; as pretty as…

As pretty as Kid A? Apples and Oranges. However, it’s already been likened to Kid A by many reviewers. Fun Fact: Kid A isn’t perfect? Despite this, in my book it gets a perfect ten and Pitchfork thinks similarly. Some people think it’s shit but I think those people are full of it; my concurring opinion with Pitchfork gives me the highground. It also gives my review credibility. Why am I writing this review? I just want you to read my review so that you know how cool I am cuz I blog and I’m egocentric and I’m always right. BTW Sufjan made a really good album.

More notes from my first listen:
I’m halfway through the album all I can think about is the earlier songs. Just realized I’m not even paying attention to the current song. Okay I just tuned back into the NPR stream. I hear Sufjan singing about not getting distracted by something. Shit, I missed the line. This album is going to take several listens… Time to go take a pee break and restore my concentration.

I listened to the album several times through last night on NPR as they were streaming the album. While you’re reading now I’ve probably already biked to Reckless Records to pick up my copy on CD. I already have romantic visions of myself holding the physical disc. There’s going to be 75 minutes of music in my hands. Is this Sufjan’s Kid A? Kid A was 66% as long LOL. What does it mean for an artist “to write a Kid A“? It might signify a vast departure from a style present in previous work. Could it mean the album is perfect? Is it the result of the artist asking “Where do I go from here?” It could be a little of that. I can just say that the effect for me is that everything seems to be in its right place. *wink*

Notes from first listen (at “I Want to Be Well”):
Sufjan says, “I’m not fucking around.” Sounds like a Radiohead song. Talking to sis on gchat. She says it reminded her of Thom Yorke. LOL.

Apparently Sufjan asked the question, “What’s the point?” earlier this year. He was suffering an artistic breakdown. There are such remnants of an overcome sadness in this album: almost a nostalgia for a bygone and depressed emotional state. Be strong Sufjan. I think you’re onto something.

Notes from first listen (from first 10 minutes of “Impossible Soul”)
Again the line “Don’t be distracted.” Recurring sonic themes from earlier in the album. Aura is reminiscent of something from Cosmogramma.

For me, Cosmogramma was Flying Lotus watching the stars and imagining the crazy kinds of “cosmic dramas” (to use his words) that go on beyond our atmosphere. For Sufjan Stevens it’s a different story. I picture Age of Adz as Stevens’s anti E.T.; he’s stuck in space trying to find his way back home, to earth. This album is a deconstruction/reconstruction. But hey, enough of the BS. I wrote this review in an effort to entertain you, not to get stuck in the proverbial analytic sludge. Wait no, I wrote this to let you know how awesome my taste in music is.

Notes from first time through (from around the 14 minute mark of “Impossible Soul”)
“The Final Countdown”?

Notes from first time through (end of album)
Perfect.

Click on the player on the left to Listen

Tamaryn –  The Waves

At first, you may feel outraged – how dare someone try to sing like Victoria Legrand? But then you realize just how wonderful it is that there isn’t only one of her. Someone else out there can sound  innocent, yet so sultry.

Tamaryn sounds like Teen Dream’s evil twin. Just as dreamy but on the dark side of the moon.
.

The Naked and Famous – Passive me, Aggressive you

Ever since MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular, it seems everyone is trying to recreate “Kids”. The Naked and Famous may have succeeded. And although “Young Blood” is the anthem of this album, there is no reason to ignore more somber songs such as “The Sun”. These give depth to what would otherwise be your typical 80s revival album with a “Kids” remake.
.
.

Wintersleep – Welcome to the Night Sky

Not their most recent album, however, it manages to stay green. Acoustic and emotional, these guys are a weepier version of R.E.M. I’m also really partial to the piano in “Dead Letter and the Infinite Yes”.
.
.
.
.
.

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

The subject: glorifying hipsters still living at home in the suburbs. The substance: really good music composed of unfinished cadences, traditional big band instrumentation and story unfolding in the music not just the words.

Apologeeeez

all around for the long break in posts. I guess it proves how reliant I am on my sister’s incredible and tasteful prolificity.

Anyway, because I’m really busy with finals and truthfully not too good at this, here’s a post to keep things going and to keep us rolling: Let’s Go!

I hope you’ve been enjoying “Power” by Kanye. It’s pretty hot. However, there’s a new band that P4k’s picked up on, giving them the prestigious “Best New Music” title a week ago. The band is Tame Impala and I’ll be damned if you don’t think they sound like the Beatles. (Zach Kelly at P4k says, “Frontman Kevin Parker shares an eerie vocal similarity with John Lennon, both in tone and in the way he allows his voice to soar with each melodic turn or rhythmic surge.” Quite true.) I’ve added their track “It’s Not Meant to Be” to the player so check it out. (Wait that’s not Lennon!?) They’re not a ripoff but just as my friend Tom said, “It’s like the Beatles kept making songs, but didn’t age.”

Next, I’d like to show you this kickass video for the Jaydiohead mashup that was made not long ago (Radiohead + Jay Z = Jaydiohead… derp). The mashup is brilliant and if nothing else, be impressed by this CLASS-A dancing in this video.

Also, Radiohead’s Phil Selway released information and cover art for his new solo album, titled Familial, which is set to come out August 30. Yay? (I don’t think it’ll upset.)

Phil's album cover. Looks promising!

Thanks guys for bearing with us.

George

I can’t even bring myself to read p4k and PMA, or comb through my twitter feed for music updates. I can’t even dare myself to begin on the 3 gigs of new music I just added to my library.

Phantogram – uhhh I’m at a complete standstill right now. I’ve listened to the album probably 50 times over and it’s still playing.

I had it on in the car the other day when driving my friend to an appointment. She commented, “What is this? It sounds kind of new age-y.”

Yeah it does, or something like that. It’s really hard to put your finger on it. Is it dance music or emotionally wrenching indie music? Is it traditional or super weird? You listen to a song like, “Futuristic Casket” and you think, hmm sounds like an R&B sampling or something. You think you have the song figured out until the vocals come in all glo-fi – all of the sudden the genre seems to change completely. But to what? I don’t know. If I had to compare them to someone, it would probably be TV on the Radio – but even that’s not quite right.

I don’t feel like describing anything in more detail because the music is still washing over me. I don’t want to figure it out yet, but just mindlessly enjoy it. Hey, it’s still senior week.

But, who knows how long this is going to last! Phantogram is a puzzle or a riddle I’m just really stuck on. Seriously, I was once on the subway from Columbia to Soho with my best friend and my boyfriend at the time. To entertain ourselves, my boyfriend told us a riddle. We spent the whole hour ride on it and were so consumed we barely realized that we finally made it to our destination, this jazz club called Fat Cat. We continued to annoy him with theories until out of frustration he finally just gave away the answer. But to the Phantogram riddle, the answer will not be given away by someone. I’m going to be all consumed until I figure it out. Until then, goodluck Aphera.

Well it’s actually mostly sampling,

The Samps: They don't really sound as weird as they look. And so what!?

but the Samps create classic 80′s sounds that hold their own even when disregarding nostalgia; they successfully steer clear of kitsch. They’re gonna drop a pretty bangin’ EP sometime this month on Mexican Summer and I’d suggest you check it out.

I added a song of theirs called “Magnetic Thys” to the playlist (link in sidebar) for you to check out but I also suggest you check out their myspace page to get a better idea of their musical madness (check out their single, “F.X.N.C.”).

click on player to the right to play

White Rabbits – Percussion Gun 2009

Telegraph Canyon – Into the Woods 2009

Holly Miranda – No One Just Is 2010

Discovery – Slang Tang 2009

Enjoy these gems. Gossip Girl gave us a great musical line-up this past episode. I had never heard of Telegraph Canyon and they are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands. The annoying thing is, a completely different song called “Lost Faith” was played on the show and I cannot find it anywhere. Artists probably send Josh Schwartz tons of new work that doesn’t yet exist for the rest of us to enjoy. So frustrating! Dear, Josh Schwartz, if you are going to wet our appetite with new stuff please provide some way for us to access it. By the time the songs do come out, I will probably have forgotten about them and they will forever be lost in the infinite blogosphere of music.

“Into the Woods” is off of Telegraph Canyon’s 2009 album The Tide and The Current. They are currently in Eindhoven, Netherlands playing at the Effenaar Queensday Festival.

“The High Road” – Broken Bells

As much as I rip on Broken Bells, I have to admit that this track is a diamond in the rough. It’s the only track that captures both Danger Mouse’s production talent as well as whatever substance he and Mercer could muster up. But what places it in the “best of 2010 so far” is its intro – that lost sounding synth can’t be found anywhere but here.

“And the World Laughs With You” – Flying Lotus Featuring Thom Yorke

Having streamed flying lotus’s album off my space, I’ve decided this is the strongest track on his album and one of the strongest tracks of 2010 so far. George and I were biased getting into this track because of Thom, naturally. We were thinking, “oh Thom must just be so excited to be part of this stuff. This is like the music he’s been trying to create solo since the Eraser. It probably makes him feel good.” The great thing about this song is its entire buildup to Thom’s voice. The beginning is this canon of melodies each piling on top of each other. Like a more kickass version of Canon in D. Then finally, Thoms voice comes in at a serious tonal change. FlyLo used it as both instrumentation and vocals. It’s hauntingly beautiful.

“Super Fast Jellyfish” – Gorillaz

I can go on and on about how this song is perfection. It’s relevant, original, carefully crafted, catchy and it starts with the words “Yo, pretty packages of frosted delights, enjoy the gritty crunch that tastes just like chicken.” I’ve had a recent appreciation for the use of vocal sounds as instrumentation. What this song does is use the line “Don’t Waste Time!” as an instrumental quirk by making it sound cartoonish and placing it in a specific beat or moment. It’s similar to how Oos and Ahhs work in music. But this is done with vocals that contain lyrics, and through the use of caricature voices and pitch modulation. Finally, as mentioned in George’s review, this piece is made to sound like an old television advertisement for fast food (how appropriate these days!).

“Excuses” – Morning Benders

For this song, I will exonerate the Morning Benders of their plagiarism. It’s an incredible opener to an album, and, it’s probably one of the least Grizzly Bear sounding songs on Big Echo. There is a lot of movement created with percussion (including piano) that supports the slow vocal melody. And the vocal harmony in the middle is adorable – bringing a little bop into indie music. I always love the addition of new influences.

“Truth” – Chiddy Bang

Passion Pit + Chiddy Bang enough said?

“Sun Hands” – Local Natives

Not gonna lie, I did not understand the hype circulating this song back in December when it was appearing all over the blogosphere. Once Gorilla Manor came out though, hearing “Sun Hands” in context of the rest of the Fleet Fox resembling songs made it stand out. Not because it sounds different from Fleet Foxes, but because it’s Fleet Foxes at their never attained best. This is what makes Local Natives so amazing – they surpassed the Fleet Foxes with “Sun Hands” – that’s tough stuff. And, if you’ve never seen them live, go to p4k and watch immediately. Here’s a particularly mind blowing performance – is that one guy playing like 3 instruments at once and the washboard?!

“Madder Red” – Yeasayer

Yeasayer is all about the feeling that accompanies their music. It’s joyous, easy, smooth and liquid. Madder Red is my favorite off their new album even more so than “O.N.E.” (although ONE is the best break up song ever). I think it’s the bursts of guitar over the drum bass interplay. I know I said it’s about the feeling, so forget the specifics and just go with it.