Sailing through rainbows.

I'm sure I will add little to the ever ubiquitous discussion on the internet about Radiohead's new album In Rainbows. What can be said that has not been said already?

However after listening to the album about six times through I am thoroughly enjoying it. I will say that I was worried after hearing all the live tracks and videos floating around, and nothing (except the original video of Arpeggi) caught my ear. But as uncanny as it may seem, Radiohead continues to release excellent albums one after the other and all my fears have since been quelled. To me it seems that this is a more settled and peaceful Radiohead, or about as much as we could ever expect from the boys.

When the musical world was riding high on optimism during the dot-com bubble that was soon to burst in the late 90's, they released the dark and dreary masterpiece OK Computer, that is almost more pertinent today than when it was released. Now, some ten years later it seems as though the current culture of war and fear has taken its toll on artists and there is an indecipherable tension in artists albums from The Polyphonic Spree to Arcade Fire. But Radiohead have always peered into the future. Let us hope that what they see is as beautiful and as peaceful, as a rainbow is after the storm.

The wait is over...

Before heading off to work this morning I checked my inbox and sure enough, there it was. In rainbows.

I was just starting high school the last time a Radiohead album was released.

Welcome to the beginning of the end. I can't wait to listen.

You can go home.

I am not even going to attempt to write about what is turning out to be the biggest news in the the music industry at the moment, but if by some chance you have not heard about Radiohead's new album, you can read about it here.

Otherwise...



There are experimental bands, and there are pop bands. Sometimes they are mushed together and make super-band-gravy. Chin Up Chin Up are a band from Chicago that fit the aforementioned description well and they also write songs that feel as if they've been with me all of my life. Kind of like a psychedelically colored blanket that your aunt made you when you were little that you loved, then lost. Lo and behold years later when you discover that oddly colored blanket again you delightfully regain some odd childish part of you that was always there but you had somehow forgotten about. A bit like that.
Lead singer Jeremy Bolen's voice is a bit raspy, soulful and delightfully off kilter and often he is backed by the rest of the band in mantra like sing-alongs. The lyrics and song titles are always clever and witty which is sometimes how their music sounds. Sometimes. The guitars and keyboard parts shift and stutter into each other but always groove and are always fun.

Here is a song from their most recent album, This Harness Can't Ride Anything and one from We Should Never Have Lived Like We Were Skyskrapers.

Chin Up Chin Up-This Harness Can't Ride Anything
Chin Up Chin Up-Why is My Sleeping Bag A Ghetto Muppet

Forever turned out to be too long.

There must be something special in the water over in Denmark. For such a small place, it seems that every time I turn around there is another incredible band popping its young head up on Denmark's shores. The Kissaway Trail is no different. Formerly known as Isles, this five piece from Odense is a group to keep an eye on. Their debut self-titled album was released early this year in Europe through Bella Union, and is currently only available as an import. Their sound inhabits the crossroads where hope and beauty meet, and they have crafted an album that will undoubtedly lift hearts and turn heads.

The Kissaway Trail-La La Song
The Kissaway Trail-It's Close Up Far Away

Ba La Na (and Da and Ya)

Well, I have finally done it. The End of Summer BaLaNa compilation that I have promised you readers is finally here. It proved to be more of a laborious undertaking than I originally thought, but in the end it just made it that much more enjoyable to listen to an hour plus of songs with made up words in them. You can download a zip file of the entire compilation from megaupload, and enjoy it as an ode to the preceding season. Bring on the scarf weather.


Also, I thought that a stuffed-animal riding a sailboat was a pretty good way to say "bon voyage" to summer. Just so you know.


The tracks:

1.La La Song-The Kissaway Trail
2.Ya Ya-Lee Dorsey
3.Breathing Rapture-Le Loup
4.The Rebecca Fantasy-The Polyphonic Spree
5.La Breeze-Simian
6.Head Over Heels-Tears For Fears
7.Can't Get You Out of My Head-Kylie Minogue
8.Don't You (Forget About Me)-Simple Minds
9.You Can Have It All-Yo La Tengo
10.Howling At The Moon (Sha-La-La)-The Ramones
11.Cherry Chapstick-Yo La Tengo
12.Time Wont Let Me Go-The Bravery
13.Falling-Ben Kweller
14.Recycled Air-The Postal Service
15.Too Many Pictures-The Sheds
16.Picture Book-The Kinks
17.Nowhere Man-The Beatles
18.Tom Courtenay-Yo La Tengo
19.Bruised-Ben Folds
20.Section 1 (Have A Day/Celebratory)-The Polyphonic Spree
21.A Long December-Counting Crows
22.The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down-The Band
23.Ooh La La-The Faces

The glitter of possibilities

Anathallo is perhaps one of my favorite bands of all time. They hold a very special place in my heart that I think will never be filled by another band just as there aren't really any other bands that sound like them. I have not listened to them in a while but this past week have been on a kick, and seeing as how they are currently in the studio recording a follow up to Floating World, I thought I'd share a couple of goodies. First, here's a nice video them covering The Books' song "Smells Like Content" from their tour about two years ago. Hopefully this song gets recorded at some point in the time space continuum, but until then this video is a nice representation of both the song (which probably has the best lyrics of any song I've ever heard) and Anathallo's unique interpretation.

Here is a new song called Noni's Field

Another new one called Northern Lights

Also, if you have not done so already, you can check out Anathallo's very own blog, Your Happy Makes Me Go Oldies, which is part information, part nonsensical writing and part YouTube video hound.

Roses for you.

So I have been sitting on this one for a while but really wanted to share it with you all because I was reminded yesterday of what peacefully beautiful music it is. Miracle Fortress is the doings of Graham Van Pelt, a Montreal based fellow who is incidentally one of the members in the dance-fuzz three piece Think About Life. Van Pelt's songs are sweet and syrupy but still retain a type of grit to them with little McCartney-esque touches. The production work is trippy, swirly and simply outstanding, especially when you consider it was all handled by Van Pelt himself. A fantastic listen all the way through, especially when enjoyed with some sun or good friends. These tracks are from his most recent album Five Roses.

Miracle Fortress-Maybe Lately
Miracle Fortress-Blasphemy