I was just recently introduced to this sextet out of Minneapolis. Their album was released in October and it was only by the epic force of their single I got over the summer that they have made this list. Nona Marie Invie is the haunting vocalist and seems to be the driving force of Dark Dark Dark. They are described as a combination of New Orleans jazz, minimalism, Americana, Eastern European folk and pop. I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty incredible. In conjunction with Marshall LaCount, Nona writes songs that tell a story and Wild Go tells an apocalyptic one. They were in Dallas recently and luckily for me they tour a lot. Here's to hoping they come back by OKC soon. I posted a song below and there's a free one at their website just for signing up to their mailing list, but I highly recommend buying this album.
49. School of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire
School of Seven Bells is named after a mythical South American pickpocket training academy. It consists of Alejandra Deheza and Benjamin Curtis. Benjamin used to be in Secret Machines and Tripping Daisy, which is probably why I like this band so much. Their debut was released in 2007 and made my top 50 list then and this one is just as compelling. Many bands fail to live up to the hype of their debut album, but SSB, I feel has done an incredible job. They are an electronic/dream pop band that utilize a unique process of writing the lyrics first and forming the music around them. If you like this, check out 'Alpinisms' as well.
James Murphy is the sole creator of all the groovy disco fed, new wave electro dance pop that you hear here. His music has been nominated for two Grammy's and is used by many pre-concert sound-tech guys and car commercials. An ultra fun concert if you ever get the chance to see live, he will get you dancing as will this album. Like his last two albums, there is a lot of great grooves and I love having this on in the background whether at home or work. Check out the video for the last track 'Home' below and watch a robot get its face raped off and enjoy my favorite song 'I Can Change'.
It is that time again. I really enjoyed putting this together last year, so I thought in my "spare time", I would do it again. As last year, I am ranking these albums based on play counts and longevity, not necessarily what I thought to be the most artistic. What I enjoyed the most is in this list. I listened to a lot more albums this year versus last year and saw a lot more shows (which led to me listening to more albums) and I noticed that this year I listened to a lot less electronic music and a lot more surfer rock. Don't know what to attribute this to, other than Surfer Blood. Lost Mark Linkous this year and that was terrible. He was a great musician and will be greatly missed. (see my tribute post here) Hope you had a great year. This year's potential releases look really exciting. Onto the countdown!!!
I have a about five or six new albums I want to post on, but can't seem to get enough time to do them all, so how about I do a little top ten for the year so far. Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Top 10 for 2010 so far coming your way in the next couple days!!!
This finally has been released the way it should have been. A project between Danger Mouse, Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse and David Lynch. Due to a dispute between Danger Mouse and EMI, the record was never officially released, so Danger Mouse released it for free for a time. Now it will be released together with the 100 page book of photos that accompany it, compiled by David Lynch. I have posted a video trailer with video introductions to each song. Sort of an album preview through videos. The video trailer I thought was eerie given the suicide's of both Mark Linkous and Vic Chestnutt since it's inception. If you're not already aware of this, pick it up. It's got some great collaborative efforts by The Flaming Lips, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Jason Lytle of Grandaddy and Admiral Radley, Iggy Pop and James Mercer of the Shins (sort of a precursor to Broken Bells, the side project of James and Danger Mouse).
I have made no small deal of my love for Yo La Tengo. They have been making music since 1973? and are still rockin' and will probably continue to rock for many more years. What I find amazing about this band is that it is a husband and wife team who write some of the most endearing love songs as well as songs of heartbreak. Their music and lyrics are intelligent and with the release of their last two albums, their music is still relevant and amazingly complex and hip. Why this band has never reached more prominence than they have is baffling to me. Maybe it's because they're not pretty. Maybe it's because you have to think about their music. I'm not sure, but they are the penultimate rock band as far as I'm concerned. They played an incredible show. They had a guy from the audience at one point come up on stage and play drums during one of the songs so Georgia could come out and sing. Ira broke one of the strings on his guitar during one of his guitar freakouts and used the string to create distortion. It was absolutely incredible. I've seen this band one other time, and I will see them live every chance I get. Truly, truly remarkable.
Setlist: Periodically Double or Triple Stockholm Syndrome More Stars Than There Are In Heaven Autumn Sweater Weakest Part Here To Fall If It's True Mr. Tough You Can Have It All (this is the song Todd from the audience played drums) Sugarcube Tom Courtenay Nothing To Hide Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind (this is the song Ira broke his string)
Man it's been a busy few months. Plenty to post, but no free time to do it. Not that now is any different, but I have to post this stuff somewhere. So, I'm going to give this another shot. Thanks for playing.
All I can say is wow. Band of Skulls really tore it up and I love seeing UK bands in Oklahoma. They actually had the floor moving with their enormous sound. The bass player was incredible and I loved their bluesy rock sound. Very classic rock influenced. The crowd was moving and so was I. Great, great show. I recognized one song, but didn't know it was theirs. I love discovering new bands, at least new to me.
BRMC put on an incredible show. As many times as these guys have been to OK, I have never seen them live. I have always heard how good their shows were, though, and was really looking forward to this one. They played for an hour and a half and didn't stop (technically) until the encore. No audience chatter. Just solid playing. Serious endurance. In addition to the incredible music (the bass player, Robert Levon Been played the bass like a guitar at several points in the music, providing the melody), they had a great light show. The strobes nearly put the audience into convulsions, luckily, only the music did that. Fantastic show, I highly recommend putting this band on your 'must see live' list.
Went to the Granada in Dallas for St. Patrick's Day to see one of my musical idols, Jason Lytle, perform live with his new band, Admiral Radley, for their first show. Jason has joined forces with former Grandaddy drummer, Aaron Burtch and former Earlimart members Aaron Espinoza and Arianna Murray. It is the perfect fit between these new bands. I was a little apprehensive of their new sound because they were wedged between two folk acts, The Fox and the Bird and The Low Anthem. However, they did not disappoint and it's nice having a female influence in the group. Jason and Aaron took turns on lead vocals and it's just like having Grandaddy's awesome lo-fi surf rock sound back again. I have missed Grandaddy a lot since they disbanded about five years ago. During The Low Anthem's show, I was able to meet Jason and Aaron out in the lobby and there is nothing like getting to meet your musical hero for the first time. Huge, huge fan!! In addition, the Granada is probably the best music venue I have ever attended. What an outstanding concert site. All my needs were met and I couldn't have been more satisfied. I tried to post my videos to the blog, but blogger wouldn't let me, so you'll have to settle for this stripped down version and some pics. I also can't post a song, because they have not released an album yet. You can follow their shenanigans as they play 'Where's Waldo' before the album is released. There's a link to the website below. Enjoy.
In addition, I also got to witness two remarkable folk bands. The first is The Fox and the Bird. A six piece folk band from Dallas that captivated the hearts of the audience. I hope we get to see them here sometime soon.
The headliner for the night (but not my headliner, obviously) was The Low Anthem. These guys had just been at Rose State opening for The Avett Bros. I was skeptical at first, because The Avett Bros. lean a little too country for me, but I was pleasantly surprised by their Appalachian mountain music. I was even more fascinated by the instruments they were using. Some of the most unusual were the harmonium, a saw, a refurbished WWI pump organ that used to be taken into battle and the crotales, which are a cymbal percussion instrument, but instead were used with a bow to produce a strange feedback sound. Very somber and beautiful music.
Once more, I am unable to take off of life to attend SXSW, but really wish I was there. There are, as always, some amazing shows to be had. However, the benefits of staying behind are the incredible number of good shows that come through OKC, Norman and Tulsa on their way to Austin. I thought I would highlight some of these shows and, while I can't make them all, maybe you can and help support Oklahoma getting better bands to come through here and more often. I would have posted last night's show by Xiu Xiu, but haven't had time at the blog till now. So, unfortunately, that one got missed, but the festivities continue. Check this out.
Friday, March 12th
David Bazan (formerly Pedro the Lion) Headlights @ The Opolis, Norman
David Bazan used to one of the two part project called Pedro the Lion. He's from Washington and very acoustic. He's a very talented songwriter, even with the Christian overtones. Headlights are from Champaign, Illinois. I have loved every LP they have put out. This is their third tour through OKC, and I finally get to see them on this tour. I liken them to Canadian rockers Stars. They just released this new video for 'Secrets'
There is also a Penny Hill CD release party at Speakeasy. I saw Penny Hill a couple weeks ago open for Breathe Owl Breathe. While I will not be able to attend this, I look forward to getting their new CD. I love the direction this band is going.
Saturday, March 13th
Ali Harter CD release at the Conservatory with Samantha Crain there as well....this should be a great show.
Ali Harter is a local girl with a beautiful voice and she always has an incredibly raw performance. I love watching her live. Samantha Crain is also a local girl who has received some moderate national success. I have a couple CD's from both and can tell you that this is a show worth attending.
Jaguar Love, Gentle Ghost and Depth and Current at the Opolis
Don't know much about these bands...Last.fm says Jaguar Love is an experimental, post-core, art-rock band w/ no electronica influences, but I beg to differ. I find a newwave punk/electronica bent and I like it. The other two bands are from Norman and supposed to be really good, but I have yet to hear them play. They will both be at Norman Music Fesitval
MP3: Jaguar Love: Polaroids and Red Wine Not Available
Monday, March 15th
Vivian Girls, Abe Vigoda, Male Bonding, Lovvers, Shitty/Awesome @Opolis...this show will start earlier because of all the bands.
Vivian Girls are part of the Brooklyn music scene and have a strong indie following. Abe Vigoda was here about six months ago, and are an experimental, tropicali punk rock band from LA. Lovvers are a band that escape pigeonholing, so I'm looking forward to seeing them live. I'm not sure about the other two.
MP3: Vivian Girls: Wild Eyes Not Available MP3: Abe Vigoda: Animal Ghosts Not Available MP3: Lovvers: Society Jam Not Available
Sunday, March 21st
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with Pretty Black Chains and Band of Skulls at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa Pretty Black Chains are a local band that consider BRMC as one of their major influences and have had a lot of local success. They put on a great show and consider it an honor to open for their idols. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is originally from San Francisco and now reside in LA. They have gone through some minor lineup changes since their inception in 1998, but still put out classic rock, blues, gospel, garage rock goodness. I've never seen them live before, so I am amped up to see this show, I have heard great things about it.
Love Burns not available
Monday, March 22nd
The Cave Singers @ Opolis
The Cave Singers are a modern folk band from Seattle and while the press considers them to be American folk, I find a lot of British influence in their music. I love the dark melodies of this band and am looking forward to seeing them live as well.
I discovered Sparkelhorse with my penchant love for Grandaddy. Walked into Size one day and told Jim that I loved Grandaddy and Elbow and he recommended Sparklehorse's 'It's a Wonderful Life'. I listened to this album over and over again. My first trip to ACL, I got to see Sparklehorse perform live in the afternoon and bought 'Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain'. What a phenomenal album. Next year I went to Coachella and watched Mark perform at night in one of the canopies in a very intimate performance with red and blue lights as the backdrop. It was a very dark and eerie performance and I will never forget it. 'Don't Take My Sunshine Away' has been one of my favorite songs for years and always gave me hope. His music has always been dark and soulful. I've known he's battled with depression and chemical imbalance for years, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. I was hopeful because he was producing and doing so much collaborative work. Truly sad to see such an incredible artist go. His music has always impacted me either creatively or emotionally. Truly sad.
The debut album from these young kids from West Palm Beach is worth taking a listen. While their name and locale incite memories of Brian Wilson, it is only in the skeleton of their music that this reference even holds true. Incorporating many styles such as, Smashing Pumpkins, Pavement, Vampire Weekend, and Echo and the Bunnymen, this band has it all. A breath of fresh air, it will definitely make you want to 'swim until you reach the end.' They were supposed to play at the Conservatory next week, but cancelled their show for some reason. Really bummed about that, luckily their music picks me up from that gloom. I won't hold it against them.
The cute Quin sisters from Canada just released their new video for 'Alligator' off their recent release 'Sainthood'. They can both play every instrument involved in the music and often switch back and forth. Each sister writes as well and usually whoever wrote the song is the one who sings lead vocals on it. I still haven't made their live show yet, but I love revelling in their cuteness in their new vid.
This new side project of James Mercer (of the Shins) and Danger Mouse (of Gnarls Barkley) is just too good to not talk about. I love Danger Mouse and I love the Shins. The two amazing musicians started working together after the failed David Lynch/Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse project. I say failed, only because Columbia would not let Danger Mouse produce anything with his name on it. I thought the album was amazing...perhaps #51 in my 'Best of' for last year. So, learning from his past mistakes, Broken Bells is released on Columbia. There is a strong possibility the two will continue to work together in the future. So, hopefully this is not a one shot side project like Ugly Casanova or The Postal Service. We want more!!! Here's a vid from their first concert ever just a few nights ago.
There are many great live shows this weekend and I will attempt to briefly clue you in, so maybe you can get out and enjoy some great live music. I enjoy weekends in which I get to attend four concerts of new music to me.
Friday Night
First up is Friday night. Opolis is hosting Magic Kids. Junebug Spade, a great little local band that I haven't had the pleasure of hearing yet, but have heard great things about, will be opening. You can read a great write-up of Magic Kids in the Gazette. They are on the Matador record label, which is responsible for many great bands you know and love (i.e. Belle and Sebastian, Yo La Tengo, The Cave Singers, Sonic Youth, The New Pornographers, A.C. Newman, God Help the Girl, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists to name a few).
Check them out, it should be a great show, well worth the drive to Norman.
At the Conservatory on Saturday night is Bear Hands with Explore We opening. While I don't know anything about the first band (that's the fun of it, right?), Bear in Hand is a band out of the Brooklyn music scene. If you've been reading my blog at all, you know that I think that this scene is currently putting out some of the best acts in music today. They are a post/punk/pop/experimental band. If it's anything like this song, I'm excited, and you should be as well. Check it out!
Two great concerts tonight, both in Norman. The first is at the Santa Fe Depot around 7:00PM. It's a band called 'Elephant Revival'. Described as 'neo-acoustic electric transcendental folk', many of my friends have commented on how good this band is. I will be there on Sunday night, I would advise you to get your tickets in advance to this show, however. After this show concludes, there's another great concert over at Opolis, just a few blocks away. Breathe Owl Breathe with opener, Penny Hill. Penny Hill is a great indie folk-pop band from Norman that I have grown to love. Owl Breathe Owl I have never heard before, but they are a trio from Michigan who put forth dreamy, haunting folk music in the vein of Bowerbirds. I am really looking forward to this show being the climax for an amazing musical weekend. Hope I see you out there.
April Smith and The Great Picture Show-Songs for a Sinking Ship
April Smith and her band The Great Picture Show are, of course, from the Brooklyn music scene. Their new LP comes out in about ten days and I am so excited for it I just had to talk about it now. Folk, cabaret, gospel, rock with biting lyrics, a definite recipe for success. She has an amazingly powerful voice and the band plays traditional instruments as well as an accordion, a ukelele and even an old suitcase used for a bass drum. The song 'Colors' is all over the intraweb, but Daytrotter just released an in-studio live four song set. They are touring with Langhorne Slim right now and then tour with Fanfarlo through Spring. I am hoping to catch one of their shows in the near future as it sounds like a lot of fun. I'm buying this the day of release, I hope you are too.
The Antlers, who you may remember made my top 50 and virtually everyone else's top anything list for 2009, just released a new video for their incredible single, 'Bear' today. This band has been in constant rotation on my iPod for the last several months and the more I listen to this album in particular (although the first album is really, really good as well) the more I am awed by its sheer genius. This is the perfect music for very long winter we're having. I liked the snow on the ground in the video, fits the mood of the song. I'm not sure why the oozing black ball had to be saved, though.
In an unprecedented move, Google decided to shut down some major music blogs today citing violation of copyright laws and therefore of blogger. I lost one of my favorite blogs...Pop Tarts Suck Toasted and Gorilla v. Bear was lost as well. It's a sad, sad day in the world of free speech and for music in general. For a supposedly progessive company, Google, you have sided with a failing, archaic business model, i.e. The mega-record company. To make matters worse, I now have to fear losing my hard work on my own blog because something I post (and you won't tell me what, even though I have asked repeatedly) is deemed illegal. Hopefully, I can figure out how to move my own blog service, which seems a task as daunting as moving my home. Why would an artist not want their music talked about and samples given to listen to? This practice has led to the buying of many albums for me and the promotion of many a new band. Bad form, Google, bad form.
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes - Up From Below
A bunch of hippies from L.A. make up this band. There is actually no Edward Sharpe, only frontman Alex Ebert, former frontman for Ima Robot. Edward Sharpe is Alex's altar ego. After being disgruntled with big record companies, breaking up with his girlfriend and moving to LA and joining AA, Alex went back to his hippy roots and started writing a novel about Edward Sharpe. Edward Sharpe is a messianic figure who comes to save the earth, but keeps getting distracted by falling in love. This ten piece band is a good mix between some gospel folk and Arcade Fire's orchestrated pop, and since I like Arcade Fire so much, you can bet I am loving these guys right now. 'Home' is the release and probably my favorite song right now. However, I also hear some of that haunting Elvis Perkins style gospel noir in there as well. This music is the perfect music for this dreary winter weather that's been happening as of late. I am sorry I missed this last year.
This was just released today by St. Vincent on her Myspace page with Fred Armisen from SNL and Carrie Brownstone from Sleater-Kinney. If you recall, she made my Top 50 for 2009 and for good reason, with songwriting like this, it is no wonder why. So, now she is not only beautiful, tragic, plays guitar, but she has a quirky sense of humor as well. Hmmmm. I may have to start spending more time in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. This is pretty funny. Enjoy.
I found this video today while browsing the web and just had to share it. Perhaps you've seen it, but it highlights one of my favorite bands playing in an elevator and then a live song played through megaphones. Arcade Fire turned the music industry on its head with its orchestrated art rock. They were catapulted through the indie music scene probably faster than any band I've seen come along in a long time. One album and they're playing main stage at festivals by their second. That's serious selling power, and the whole time being a quirky art rock band. Their live performance is one of the most powerful I have ever witnessed and even in this video, you get a sense of their raw, naked quirkyness that washes over you in a tidal wave of good vibes. I don't see how anyone can not like this band. If you ever get the opportunitty to see them live, do it. Austin City Limits filmed them for their television show and it is a spectacular performance as well. They should have a new release coming out this year. I don't think they will ever top their first release, but I still am looking forward to it.
The Temper Trap....is that anything like a Passion Pit? If I learned one thing from last year, it was to at least pay attention to the hype. This band has been getting a lot of hype, so I checked them out, and sure enough, after listening to this a few times, I am very impressed. These guys are from Melbourne, Australia and got produced by Jim Abiss, who produced Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian. Like all music I hear coming out of Australia right now, there is this ever so slight backdrop of 80's new wave, which I love. There's a little electronic edge to their big guitar sound, which helps balance out the music and pushes it close to the dance genre. Guess what I'm trying to say is, check these guys out, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
I don't know...I wish I would have had time to listen to all the music I got in 2009, but there was just no way, so I think, looking back, these LP's would have made my top 50 if perhaps I had only had a little more time. These are in no particular order.
1. Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light
Three beautiful ladies from Brooklyn, NY making mesmerizing, dreamy electronic pop. Their name comes from a character in Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure. One of my favorite bands of all time. I could listen to them for days. They did a video project with David Lynch earlier this year.
Debut album from London trio, their emotive 80's guitar rock mixed with samples and r&b provide a unique sound that is difficult to leave alone. I have really enjoyed this LP the few times I've heard it and am looking forward to listening to it more.
The Juan MacLean is brainchild of one John MacLean from New Hampshire. Formed out of the ashes of Six Finger Satellite, The Juan Maclean fuses genres of post-punk, 70's experimental electronics, euro-disco, house and detroit techno. Great hooks, great lyrics and a funky beat to boot.
God Help the Girl is a movie set to start filming in 2010 written by Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian. There was an open call to pick the vocalists and the winners are featured on this soundtrack. It includes two Belle and Sebastian songs, Funny Little Frog and Acts of the Apostle. Stuart said these songs weren't for Belle and Sebastian...I don't get it, but whatever he thinks, it's still good.
A cute little indie pop band from Champaign, Illinois, Headlights last two LP's have been in constant rotation for the last few years. For whatever reason I haven't picked this up yet, I probably will get it from them when they play in Norman in March, which I am very much looking forward to.
I just discovered this band this year quite by accident. It's fronted by Joel Gibb who describes their music as "gay church folk music". They have a revolving lineup much like their Canadian brethren Broken Social Scene. I was just watching one of their live shows and it looks like a lot of fun, with about twenty people on stage. Their videos, which I posted below, are certainly creative, I'll give them that. I picked up their last LP last year and have worn it out. I look forward to listening to their new one.
Fool's Gold is an Afro-pop influenced band out of Los Angeles and has a revolving lineup as well. The central characters are Luke Top (real name Nativ Top) and Lewis Pesacov. Luke Top often sings in Hebrew and members of bands like Foreign Born and Glasser help fill in as well. No wonder I like this stuff.
8. YACHT - See Mystery Lights
Former male half of The Blow, Jona Bechtolt is from Portland and produces electronic based music. He is also a highly visual person using lots of multimedia in his shows. He just recently signed Claire Evans to the 'band'. 'Psychic City is getting lots of airplay right now. I love the fact that this video has a disclaimer.
Another band from the Brooklyn music scene with ties to the Portland scene as well, this is some killer experimental indie pop. I love what I've heard from this so far and look forward to their show at the Norman Music Festival later this year.
Hockey is a band I don't know much about. They're from the Portland music scene and the few times I've listened to their stuff I like it...I am throwing this in rotation.
I realized I said I wouldn't post anything until I got back, but I'm sitting here in my hotel room and just got sent this and am now really excited for the release. Laura Marling's first video for her upcoming album to be release on March 22. The video is just beautiful and so is her new song. As I've said before, I am completely in love with her and would marry her in a heartbeat. Such beauty, such darkness in so young a soul. Such power and grace in her voice and so completely, unabashedly real. I cannot wait to hear her new album and I just noticed that she might put out another one towards the end of the year. I so wish she would do a more complete tour of the US. I threw on a song from her last album in case you haven't had a chance to check her out before.
I am taking a break from my blog for the next two weeks as I am in France...but look forward to a couple more '09 lists when I return. Thanks for the comments and for following.
Luckily I got a hold of this before the hype started because I listened to their EP last year, therefore I was not biased and was able to enjoy this piece of musical magic since its inception. It has been a long time since a debut from an indie artist has reached this much acclaim this fast. Passion Pit is an electronic band that formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States in 2007. They consist of Michael Angelakos (vocals, keyboards), Ian Hultquist (keyboards, guitar), Ayad Al Adhamy (synth, samples), Jeff Apruzzese (bass, keyboard) and Nate Donmoyer (drums). Passion Pit was a vocab word used in a class Mike took in school. It’s a slang word for a drive-in movie theatre where kids used to go to make out. I have been touting this band all year and think they deserve high marks. Michael released an EP in '08 around his college intended as a valentine for his girlfriend and the rest is history.
2. The Phenomenal Handclap Band-
The Phenomenal Handclap Band
The Phenomenal Handclap Band is a wonderful journey through disco, prog rock, psychedilia, funk, r&b and dance floor electronica. Residing mostly from Brooklyn, the band is at its core is Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand, two ex-underground club DJ's. Their vision is to cull the best in indie and underground talent to form a cohesive vision of electric dance awesomeness. The live show tours with an eight piece, but collaborates with the likes of Lady Tigra, Patrick Wolf, Jon Spencer, Carol C and Bart Davenport to name a few. This LP is a funky, funky good time, with a tremendous South American vibe to it. They have moved into my top ten must see live acts bucket list virtually over night.
Thanks for stopping by. I listen to entirely too much music and love sharing music almost as much as I love listening to it. The purpose of this blog is to do just that and bring you along the journey with me.
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