You must be an illusion.

Well, I must confess I have never been a huge Minus the Bear fan, but there are songs of theirs that I thoroughly enjoy so I decided to give their newest album Planet of Ice a listen. The only comparable way I feel I can describe it is when someone stands on a high dive and attempts a back flip. Sometimes they stick it and land feet first and everyone is amazed; sometimes they land squarely on their belly and all close enough to see/hear the spectacle wince. Either way you have to hand it to the person for having the balls to try. On Minus the Bear's new album , I applaud them for taking risks and not recording the same album four times in a row, but it is not entirely spectacular. The album fits somewhere between a belly-flop and a 10 point, jaw-dropping, double gainer. Sonically the group sounds much more mature and developed which is reflected in the mood of the album and the brevity of the song titles, compared to songs in their back catalog such as, "You're Some Sort of Big, Fat, Smart-Bug, Aren't You?" and "This Ain't A Surfin' Movie", "Knights" is a lot fewer syllables. The sound itself could be summed up in a simple equation:

the moodiness of Radiohead's Kid A + funk - the danciness of old Minus the Bear = Planet of Ice

Here's one of the standout tracks:

Minus the Bear-When We Escape

Buzzzz, buzzzz, buzzzz.

Nick Cave's new project Grinderman is one tough, feedback-chip cookie. But it sure is sweet. Their debut album is shaping up to be one of my favorite releases of 2007. If the songs themselves don't convince you that Cave and the boys can still rock after all these years then the abundace of facial hair on stage should.

Gentlemen on the rocks.

Barreling out of Omaha, Nebraska, brace yourselves for Coyote Bones. Delivering a brand of chill and mellow whiskey drenched tunes for your next party but also handy for cheering you up as you clean house/remove stains afterwards. They remind me a bit of Annuals, but perhaps that's just the "confetti-beer-and-acoustic-guitar" vibe that exudes forth from their songs. Either way, their album is grossly catchy and on sale now at Coco Art.


Coyote Bones-39 Forever
Coyote Bones-Lightwieghts Drinking

Happy Happy, Joy Joy.

If there is one thing I am a sucker for it is a big, gnarly post-rock song. Lately it seems that the genre has been getting a teeny bit crowded and it is becoming a little more of a challenge to find artists that are truly striving for their own sound. Joy Wants Eternity is a five-piece from Seattle, Washinton that eschews bass and opts for guitars, Rhodes piano and drums. The song posted here is from their new album due out May 22 entitled You Who Pretend to Sleep. It captures the very essence of all that I love about the post-rock sound. Spacious and epic with moments that make you want to cry and/or watch a thousand sunsets in a row. The wall of distortion and huge guitars are there but the drums are what set this song apart. They push and pull the song towards its peaks and valleys but they remain sparse and calculated leaving a sort of methodical hole in the middle of the song--and it sounds great.

Joy Wants Eternity-Above the Clouds Lies Eternal Sun

Daniel Johnston @ the Southgate House

I was fortunate enough to see the legendary songwriter Daniel Johnston perform a week or so ago, and now I feel my life is complete. I had heard of him many times but it has been only within the past year or so that I have listened to his music and subsequently seen the documentary film about his life, The Devil and Daniel Johnston. The more I've listened to his songs the more I have grown to love them. I wasn't quite sure what to expect going to see him live other than this could quite possibly be the last chance I get to see a living legend. Johnston began by slowly coming out on stage with his guitar strapped on his shoulder and a small binder in one hand that serves as one of his many songbooks. He proceeded to play four songs by himself that did justice to the feeling of most of his recordings: rough around the edges, short and straight to the heart. In such a large setting and in front of several hundred eager listeners Johnston did not fail to captivate with no other accompaniment than a small nylon-string guitar and his songs.

After this, Johnston put aside his guitar and took on the lead singer role while a host of local musicians came on stage to act as Johnston's backing band for the remainder of the evening. The songs felt ackward and sloppy and at times felt as if they would almost fall apart, but some of Johnston's early recordings feel this way too, so it wasn't entirely out of place. The band ripped through favorites such as "Speeding Motorcycle", "Life in Vain", and "True Love Will Find You in the End". The most impressive thing the entire evening, in my mind, was the way in which Daniel would gaze at his songbook throughout the entirety of each song. His eyes were so intense and focused as if he was gazing through the joy and pain of his entire life encapsulated in the words that he had written so long ago on one of those sheets kept in that little red notebook. The evening, and Mr. Johnston's songs, will always hold a special place in my heart :)


Some of my all time Daniel Johnston favorites:

Wish
Syrup of Tears

Little tiny voices.

Today, I would like to introduce to you a wonderful and endearing group from the windy city of Chicago, Arwin. They have been around for a little longer than a year and in that time have managed to craft a majestic and spacious sound that is reminiscent of all that is good about 60's pop music and record an EP entitled Bright Outside. Lead singer Neil DeGuia's voice sounds like a more confident, direct and less warbly Wayne Coyne. As a whole, Bright Outside shimmers and sparkles like a lawn in the morning covered in dew, and this EP would be the perfect accompaniment for a picnic on that same lawn later on in the afternoon. The EP's title track starts with a piano and string arrangement that would make Brian Wilson smile, then proceeds into a glorious four and a half minutes of melancholic liquid sunshine that at times is almost reminiscent of a spaghetti western soundtrack. Enjoy this song and be sure to check Arwin out on tour later this summer, too.

Arwin-Bright Outside

The crown of string quartet love.

There comes a time in the course of every bands life when they must decide how, as a group, they define success. It would be safe to say that after Arcade Fire released one of the most critically acclaimed debut albums of the past decade that they could feel pretty accomplished and secure, and rightly so. However, when it rains it pours, and when acclaim and buzz abound you end up with the sometimes undesired side-effects of notoriety and fame. Sometimes this cripples a band paralyzing them from moving forward or backward artiscically. But other times it pushes them in far better directions (think Radiohead's Kid A). Occasionally fans can feel as if the special secret that they shared with a select few friends is no longer private and they accuse said artists of "selling out." But for others they discover their new favorite band or artist through some magazine cover or late-night talk show. Whatever the case may be you can ascertain that you have entered into the lexicon of modern pop culture as a band when one thing happens: a String Quartet Tribute album. When that happens, you have made it and there is nothing you can do about it.

Lucky for us, late-night appearances and magazine covers have not stopped Arcade Fire from doing what they do best, and that is make magestically moving pop songs for the masses, no matter how long you've kept the secret. So lets all be happy and share a secret together.

This track comes from the String Quartet tribute to Arcade Fire's Funeral:

Rebellion (Lies)

To all the moms out there...

To all the mothers out there. You are appreciated. A big round of applause goes out to you.

This is one of the few pictures I have on my computer of my mom and I together and we both look more than a little crazy.

Kaki King-Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers
No idea why this song is named as such because there are absolutely no lyrics; it's a pretty song with the word "mother" in the title so why not? Happy Mothers Day.

Jackson Pollock listening to Black Sabbath.

So, to sort-of continue with yesterdays post I will talk about another group that has a similar name but totally different sound....

Colour Revolt hails from the state that every kindergartener loves to spell: Mississippi. They have a very driving intense, rock sound but that does not quite do it justice. There is almost a post-blues vibe with sparse piano thrown in and the occasional harmonica courtesy of lead-singer Jesse Copenbarger. They supported Brand New for several weeks last year and are soon to hit the road with them again in about two weeks with friends Anathallo. About half of these shows are already sold out, but they are playing this years Lollapalooza; and they are definately worth the effort to catch live.

Be sure to pick up their CD! About a month ago their van and all their gear was stolen and they are still in the recovery process! Read more about that here.

A New Family

Blueberry.

Everyone loves Japanese pop duos, so today I give you Color Filter. Quite possibly my favorite export from the land of the rising sun since Samurai Pizza Cats. The duo has a peaceful and psychedelic sound that is slightly reminiscent of Juana Molina, perhaps that's because the lyrics of both are whispery female vocals that are in sung in another language. Yuki Nishimura's vocals have a distinct tenderness to them that blends well with Ryuji Tsuneyoshi's ever so delicate and subtle production work and I can tell this will be one of my favorite albums this summer. These two tracks come from their most recent release entitled Blueberry.

Track 1
A North Song