Entertaining Lions

More Like Close! Hah.

2009-05-10T21:45:00.006-04:00

Why?

Well.

The new Regina Spektor album, Far, drops Tuesday, June 23rd.

You can check out her very Regina-esque blog post about the tracklisting and the album in general right here. OR you could skip the reading and just listen to the album's first single, "Laughing With", on her MySpace page. OR you could preserve your strength for greater feats [lion-taming? weeding your garden?] and just download her song on this very page:

Laughing With by Regina Spektor

For the most part I think this song is great. It's already stuck in my head and I only just learned about it and the new album less than an hour ago, thanks to a friend. I say for the most part because these lyrics are less crazy than usual, they're a bit too... easy? Is that the word I'm looking for? Maybe what I mean is that the lyrics are just very obvious and most of them could have been written by someone else with far less originality than the beloved miss Regina.

But! I still can't stop listening to it. It's very easy to hear. Which is alright for a single, but I certainly hope she delves into her eccentric brilliance on other songs.

To end on a positive note, there are some pretty promising titles i.e. "Eet", "Human of the Year", "Genius Next Door" and "One More Time With Feeling", so I'm optimistic.

Turrah!

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Wolfe Island Music Festival 2009

2009-05-07T10:48:00.004-04:00

Initial lineup. Announced. FINALLY.

More bands to be added. But. Here is the list thusfar...

Holy Fuck, Busdriver, Rural Alberta Advantage, P.S. I Love U, The D'Urbervilles, Ohbijou, Attack in Black, Woodhands, Apostle of Hustle and Julie Fader.

This year it's going down Friday, August 7th and Saturday, August 8th. Mark your calendars.

I think I'm most excited to see Holy Fuck again. The Wolfie Fest was amazing last year, but did feel a little incomplete without those crazy Fuckers. I'm also rather jazzed to at last witness the live, breathy beauty of Ohbijou. I hope they get a night time set, because how lovely would that be? Answer: very. Who are you most excited to see?

I'm not too familiar with some of these bands i.e. Busdriver, D'Urbervilles and Julie Fader, but I'll do a little scavenging and post a get-to-know-the-tunes thing once the lineup is finalized. And maybe I'll finally put up my notes/review from last year's Wolfie fest... if anybody even remembers it at this point.

For more info check out the official WIMF site, and the Radio 3 bloggy post.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Awesome, Totally Genius

2009-03-31T23:23:00.004-04:00

Image Credit: s7409651 of deviantART

From The National's Matt Berniger:

"It's a beautiful neighborhood that feels more like Savannah, Georgia than Brooklyn," he said. "The houses are all free-standing with nice yards and wrap-around porches. I was sitting outside one night watching a bunch of kids running up and down Beverly setting off car alarms. The song is theirs."

The Geese of Beverly Road by The National

We'll take ourselves out in the street
And wear the blood in our cheeks
Like red roses
We'll go from car to sleeping car
And whisper in their sleeping ears
We were here, we were here
We'll set off the geese of Beverly Road

Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome, totally genius
Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome

We won't be disappointed
We'll fight like girls for our place at the table
Our room on the floor
We'll set off the geese of Beverly Road

Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome, totally genius
Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome

We're the heirs to the glimmering world
[repeat]

We're drunk and sparking, our legs are open
Our hands are covered in cake
But I swear we didn't have any
I swear we didn't have any

Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome, totally genius
Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome

We're the heirs to the glimmering world
[repeat]

Oh, come, come be my waitress and serve me tonight
Serve me the sky tonight
Oh, come, come be my waitress and serve me tonight
serve me the sky with a big slice of lemon

We're the heirs to the glimmering world
[repeat]

Oh, come, come be my waitress and serve me tonight
Serve me the sky tonight
Oh, come, come be my waitress and serve me tonight
serve me the sky with a big slice of lemon

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Canadian Popsicles

2009-03-28T17:25:00.018-04:00

Whoa. I was doing so well with the whole not abandoning this blog thing. And here I am again. Well over a month since my last post.

C'est ma vie.

But! I return with oodles of music to unleash onto the internets.

Let's start with a post I've been meaning to write up for a couple months now. A post of great, Canadian poppy bands who warm my heart with their melodic sounds. Onward.

THE SUPERFANTASTICS

The Superfantastics are from Halifax, Nova Scotia. And they sound like it. They're totally Sloan-ish with a slightly less epic New Pornographers sound. Your summer is begging for this band to be a part of it. They're on tour. Check them out.

MySpace, website and Facebook
mp3's: Turn On Me and Vantastic (Eastern Canadian Roadtrip Blues)

ANGELSHAKES

Two guys and a lady from St. John's, Newfoundland. This is a band with some ridiculously lovely melodies that you will be humming for days. They play the male and female voices so well off of each other and are the perfect soundtrack for washing dishes. Try it. You'll see.

MySpace
mp3's: That Was Hong Kong and An Honest Man

HOODED FANG

Torontonians, they are. I saw this wonderful band play (alongside Urban Aesthetics and The Rural Alberta Advantage) in January and they were a happyhappyjoyjoy to watch. They are composed of a cornucopia of uber-skilled lads and lasses. And so many instruments. And they all seem to play at least three different instruments and kept switching between songs. It was really great to watch.

They've also got a sweet male/female dynamic happening and do a great job of highlighting everybody's respective talents. But I must say I'm probably most enamoured with the lead male's voice (I believe his name is Daniel.) It has a really unique tone--kind of lazy and conversational. Overall, a really fun and playful band.

They're making the rounds right now, too. They're playing at Zaphod's with the Whitsundays on Wednesday, April 15th and I'm definitely hitting that up. So give yourself a little break from exam studying and come join the fun.

MySpace and Facebook
mp3's: Train Station and Fall Leaves

RAH RAH

Regina, Saskatchew-ians. I just came across these guys last week but I've been listening to their marvelous album Going Steady pretty much all the times.

Their sound reminds me of a less taking-ourselves-too-seriously Arcade Fire and a less frantic Winks. Once again, they have the male/female aspect to their vocals... is this becoming the thing to do for Canadian indie bands? Maybe. These voices are less polished than their other Can-counterparts, though. And it works so well. These wavering, genuine, untrained voices spinning you 'round for a good old fashioned frolic.

Anyway. They use scratchy, slightly out of tune string instruments. The percussion is always executed to its full potential. They play around with cutesy, hand-clappy acoustic numbers ("My Guarentee") but can pull off a slightly darker, gallavanting sound ("Fuck NAFTA") with total ease and zero awkwardness. They're not tied to any one style which makes for a fun and interesting listen. Unfortunately they're not currently road warrior-ing, but keep checking for tour dates. I have a feeling they'd make for a great live show.

MySpace and Facebook
mp3's: (I couldn't narrow it down to just two songs. These guys are really stellar. Please go buy Going Steady, if not for the band than for your ears.) My Guarantee, Duet for Emmylou and the Grievous Angel**, Fuck NAFTA and Cuba/Peru

Happy listening!

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

** This is currently my favourite Rah Rah song. The girl's voice is just so soulful and real. Listen for the 2:20 mark, and the off-kilter rhythmic way she sings "These are the most desirable traits to be found in a man, I hear." You'll know what I mean. And the stomping chorus ("It is fashionable to be single / In big cities, but not in small towns / In Regina, Saskatchewan / I fell in love with her frown.") that slides into this great, creaky violin, jangle-guitar'd mini-instrumental bit... it's pretty damn amazing. And, like, sonically satisfying. True say.

Arms Make Music

2009-02-16T21:26:00.007-04:00

Arm: a human upper limb; especially: the part between the shoulder and the wrist

Arms: a band; originally: composed only of Todd Goldstein (a Brooklyn-based mid-20s-type): adittionally: guitarist/vocalist in the band Harlem Shakes.

I think I'm in a revisiting spirit lately. Arms are another band who've more or less been on my radar for a couple years now, but I only had three songs and never thought to see what they'd been up to as of late.

"Jon the Escalator" is one of those songs that always gets stuck in my head because of its interesting harmonies, so when it popped in the ol' noggin today, I decided to check into the band and see what was new and fresh. And I was pleased as punch.

They've still got a delightfully poppy, natural, summer-excited, guitar-ish, uke-tastic, and totally hummable sound. This is a group to tuck into your go-to-bands pocket.

For the most part I try and only have three songs available for download, but with Arms I just couldn't pare it down to a measly three. So instead, I bring you SEVEN. Buuut, if you're overwhelmed by the prospect of such an onslaught of fantastic tuneage, my two favourites are "Tiger Tamer" and "The Frozen Lake." You really should just download all of them, though. You really should.

Tiger Tamer, Gunsmoke Legend, Neighbors, Shitty Little Disco, The Frozen Lake, Jon the Escalator and Whirring

And here are some Arms-y links: website, MySpace, Last.fm, Facebook, music video for "Kids Aflame", live video of "Kids Aflame" being played in a tunnel, and buy Arms' music

Lastly, here's a bonus mp3 from the Harlem Shakes:

Carpetbaggers

Happy listening.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Guided By Voices... and More Spillage

2009-02-14T15:08:00.005-04:00

Happy love day! So far mine has been pretty great. I was in the [wrong] line-up for my bus home when I saw one of my All Time Favourite People, who was marvelously heading back to our place of residence on the very same bus as me. So we spent the past couple hours being rocked about, catching up on the past month and a half, and eating the Valentine's chocolate my mom sent me. As if I don't already love Greyhound trips enough.

So now I'm home. And there is MILK in the fridge. Milk. Luxurious.

And in my cozy, contented state, I felt that it would be a nice gesture to toss a little handful of fantastic Guided By Voices songs out into the interweb.

This is another band that was vaguely on my musical horizons before, but that I never really delved into for one reason or another. But I guess this is a good time for me to bring fuzzed out nineties nostalgia glow bands into my life, considering all the Built to Spill adoration I'm having lately.

Here's some Guided By Voices:

Tractor Rape Chain
Gonna Never Have to Die
As We Go Up We Go Down

And a couple Built to Spill tracks off of the lovely Ancient Melodies of the Future, because I'm just so enamoured with these chaps:

The Weather
Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss

Lastly, some Guided By Voices links: MySpace and imeem

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

P.S. This is totally unrelated, but on my voyage with one of my All Time Favourite People, I was reminded how much I love the way she says things like "I haven't been on the MSN much lately" and "I don't speak the French." I just think people should start talking like that. It could start with you.

Them Girls and Their Skirts

2009-02-14T02:19:00.006-04:00

This sector of Canada just had a bit of lovely weather. It's over now, of course, but on Thursday I saw several folks walking around outside in t-shirts. This was a bit excessive.

But the point is they COULD do it without risking their lives. So let's just focus on that, okay?

What I'm leading up to is that the Pseudo Spring for South-East Ontario Good Weather Times (or PSSEOGWT, if you like kajumbled acronyms) got me thinking about springy clothes. And then when I was hardXcore procrastinating on an essay that was due two days before, I saw some delicious skirts on Urban Outfitters.

So here we are.

I am not able to pontificate** on the merits or stylistic qualities of these skirts, other than to say that are lovely and oh-so-pretty and I want to welcome each one to my wardrobe family. Observe, and bask in their beautaciousness:

Yes, I realize there is a dress in the above collection of fo-tos. I also realize that a dress is not a skirt. A dress has a skirt component. But it is not a skirt unto itself.

Since this is a music blog, let's have a song that superficially relates to my yammering!

Ghost in Summer Clothes by Department of Eagles

The end.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

** I know this is an incorrect use of the word "pontificate." But doesn't it sound like it could mean something along the lines of ruminate or ponder? Maybe?

Built to Spill

2009-02-11T12:11:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the postless week. Life [a.k.a. procrastination] caught up with me.

I have to run off to an exam post haste, so this is a real quickie. I've been listening to lots of Built to Spill lately and I think these guys are one Stephen Malkmus away from being Pavement fantastic.

It's such a heartwarming sound. So guitar-y. So hook-y. So... rad. I'll come back and post something real later.

Enjoy the BtS.

Time Trap
Conventional Wisdom
Distopian Dream Girl

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

P.S. I've received my copy of Hungry Bird. Album review coming up within the week.

Train Tracks

2009-02-02T22:00:00.004-04:00

Image Credit: 石.ⓎaⓌen of Flickr

Trains! Three covers of a song! Three covers of a song about trains!

1. Freight Train by Laura Veirs

It's a little slow. It's a little long afternoon. Her voice is a lot pretty.

2. Freight Train by Simone White

Off-kilter timing. Two guitars. Pleasantly throaty voice.

3. Freight Train by Le Volume Courbe

A washboard. A harmonica. A banjo. A lo-fi voice that sings "fweight twain." A low percussive backbeat that sounds like the palm of a large hand hitting the exposed, overhead ducts while this song is being jangled out in the basement of a roarin' backwoods house party.

Listen to Elizabeth Cotten's warbling, hillbilly original here.

Which version do you like the best? Or do you not like any of them?

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

P.S. Download Train of Thought by Mother Mother because it's so obviously great.

Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink[s]

2009-02-01T12:22:00.006-04:00

Montreal's The Winks are totally a baroque punk band.

I came across these lads and lady and couple years back and seeing as how I'm on some kind of chamber pop kick right now, I thought I'd sharesies.

This is exuberant music for people:
a] who enjoy unique blends of orchestral sounds AND/OR
b] who might have a strange liking for casually worn cummerbunds or hats with peacock feather arrangements.

Other than that, this is a talented group of Canadians who, at different points, remind me of Mother Mother and a sprightlier, sillier, less psychedelic-er Spiral Beach.

So here are some Winks-p3's.

Snakes [Revisited]
Ohio
Seasons

Also check out their MySpace and website.

And if you're in Montreal this Friday, February 6th, they're playing at the Green Room with Ryland Bouchard [an Oregonian!] and Emperor X-- all for the low, low price of $8.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Clem Snide Tourdates

2009-01-29T16:21:00.008-04:00

I got sidetracked with posting other bloggy things last night and forgot to put up the promised Clem-y tourdates. So here they are:

Mar 11, 2009 8:00 PM - The Earl
448 Flat Schoals Ave, Atlanta, Georgia 30307 - $10

Mar 12, 2009 8:00 PM - Local 506
506 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, North Carolina - $8

Mar 13, 2009 8:00 PM- Grey Eagle
Asheville, North Carolina - $8

Mar 14, 2009 8:00 PM- IOTA club & cafe
Arlington, Virginia - $14

Mar 15, 2009 8:00 PM - Club Cafe
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - $10

Mar 16, 2009 8:00 PM - World Cafe Live
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - $12

Mar 18, 2009 8:00 PM - Bowery Ballroom
6 Delancy St., New York, New York

Mar 19, 2009 8:00 PM - Middle East (upstairs)
Cambridge, Massachusetts - $12

Mar 21, 2009 8:00 PM - El Mocambo
464 Spadina Ave, Toronto, - $12 *

Mar 22, 2009 8:00 PM - Beachland Ballroom
Cleveland, Ohio - $12

Mar 23, 2009 8:00 PM - The Tiger Room @Calhoun St.
Fort Wayne, Indiana - $5

Mar 24, 2009 8:00 PM - Schubas Tavern
Chicago, Illinois

Mar 25, 2009 8:00 PM - 400 Bar
Minneapolis, Minnesota - $10

Mar 26, 2009 8:00 PM - High Noon
Madison, Wisconsin - $10

Mar 27, 2009 8:00 PM - The House Cafe
Dekalb, Illinois - $10

Mar 28, 2009 8:00 PM - Off Broadway
St. Louis, Missouri - $10

If you're Last.fm-er and are able to make it to one of these shows, make sure to add it to your events. Check out the site's show listings for Clem Snide here.

And I forgot to mention this the other day, but there's a bonus EP available with Hungry Bird when the LP is purchased through an independent retailer.

Tracklist for bonus EP:

1] Ure Gent
2] I Need You Now
3] Death of Silvertone **
4] Close the Door
5] South American Lullaby

You could have fifteen new Clem Snide songs to add to your collection. And that would be pretty great. So check your local independent music store in the coming weeks.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

* I'll be at this show!
** You can hear this track and "Beard of Bees" [off of Hungry Bird on Clem's MySpace page.

BK Baby Saddles Up

2009-01-29T03:07:00.011-04:00

This is a personal bloggin' record. Three in one day. Well... I guess this is a new day seeing as how it's 2:07 in the morn. But. I haven't gone to sleep yet, so I still consider it yesterday.

Suck on that, time!

I thought I'd inform you [hopefully] entertained lions about the album preview that's available exclusively on Last.fm for Ben Kweller's upcoming record Changing Horses, set to be released on February 3rd in Canada and the U.S.

I will admit that I was sad an kind of terrified at first by the rumour of the new and countrified sound that's been buzzing around Kweller's new release. Think slide guitars and a romantic relationship with acoustic guitars inset with desert rose motifs.

And then don't think about that.

I'm only two songs into the album and I'm kind of really digging it. Yes it's different and much more... I don't know adult-contemporary friendly. But let's face it.

Okay let me face it: Ben isn't seventeen anymore, writing songs about hedgehogs and a drawer that he knows in a house up the road. But really. I was expecting that he'd continue down this more mellow road given the nature of his last, decidedly less amplified album.

So I think it's going to be okay. I'm four songs in now and even though I recall hearing the word "Jesus" used in a Southern fist-pumping kind of way in the previous song ["Fight"], I can see myself cozying up to this sound. I can see myself taking this record under my wing and having it turn into something gold.

Check out the album. Give me your thoughts.

It's just different is all. Right?

Changing Horses preview on Last.fm

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

P.S. Don't worry Sha Sha. No album could ever replace you.

P.P.S. I'm tooootally seeing Ben Kweller at the Mod Club in Toronto on March 22 a.k.a. I will be able to cross off a life goal from my bucket list.

P.P.P.S. Whoa. "Wantin' Her Again" is on this album. I had this song at some point before one of my many computer crashes. It's been re-worked... But still. It's nice to hear it.

Dead Man's Bones

2009-01-29T02:25:00.008-04:00

So thanks to a lovely blog called The Singing Lamb, I am now in the know about a fantastic up and coming band called Dead Man's Bones.

Here are the things you need to know. Their MySpace page accurately describes their sound as gothic/gospel/showtunes. They feature a children's choir. The band includes Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling. Yeah. I'm talking about that Ryan Gosling.

Did I just blow your mind?

But let's get real. Because I really don't want to be all jazzed about this band just because it's got an extremely talented and fantastic-looking fellow in the lineup. So let's pro/con it.

PROS

- This is really cool music, guys. Seriously. "In the Room Where You Sleep" is catchy and thumping and ghoulish. "For Weddings and Funerals", with its accordion and wavering vocals, sounds like a mix of Gogol Bordello and Islands.
- It's exciting music and it sounds like they had good times writing and recording it.
- Judging by the three songs I've heard, they're not one-trick ponies. Yes they can do the bass-vocalish chamber pop stuff, but they've also got a song like "Paper Ships" that is stripped down and adorable and full of warm-breath "ba-ba-da-da"s [it reminds me a lot of lo-fi, sunshiney Beulah goodness].

CONS

- On his website [link below], Ryan Gosling posted a song he wrote himself ["Put Me in the Car"] aaand... his voice is completely different than it sounds in Dead Man's Bones. I knew he was affecting his voice somewhat when I listened to "In the Room", but... it's a big difference from "Put Me in the Car." So I don't know how I feel about his vocal wishy-washyness. I most certainly prefer his DMB style, though.
- The whole thing is -kinda- gimmicky. Children's choir. Animal face masks. You know.

THE VERDICT

I have recognized and reconciled with the vocal incongruities and gimmicks.

Because when it comes down to it I really do enjoy what I've heard from this band so far and am anxious to hear the rest. But, for all I know they could only have three great songs and the rest of the album will be total crap.

However. I'm choosing to be optimistic. I think Dead Man's Bones show a lot of promise. And they're just fun to listen to. So if you've got any hang-ups about actors-come-musicians or gothic motifs in popular song, just let them go and give your ears something nice.

mp3: In the Room Where You Sleep by Dead Man's Bones

other links: MySpace, website, download two more DMB songs from Ryan Gosling Online, and check out this great live video of Shields, Gosling and a bunch o' kids performing "In the Room Where You Sleep."

And then let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Food for Fine-Feathered Friends

2009-01-28T16:05:00.006-04:00

Alliteration!

Anywho. I just felt like being moderately clever. I shall now proceed to explain what this silly title is all about. Y'see, a couple days ago I got a message from a nice production manager named Bruce, asking if I'd like to help with the word-of-mouth campaign for an upcoming album, to which I say would I LIKE TO?!

Needless to say I'm very excited because 1] this kind of makes this blog shtick seem a little bit legitimate? Maybe? Yes? but mostly because 2] I really, genuinely dig the sound of this really genuine band.

From the press release:

"Hungry Bird, the sixth full-length recording by indie rock semi-legends Clem Snide, will finally see the light of day on February 24th courtesy of 429 Records. Completed in the spring of 2006 it was produced by Clem Snide founder Eef Barzelay and recorded and mixed by Mark Nevers (Lambchop, Silver Jews—he also worked on the 2005 Clem Snide release "End of Love"). Throughout 2006, a series of painful and bitter breakups both within the band and with their longtime manager and booking agent occurred and the future of Clem Snide seemed uncertain at best. With the release of “Hungry Bird,” Barzelay is hoping to put an end to any and all rumors he may have started regarding the death of Clem Snide. In fact, come the spring of 2009, Eef and Clem Snide will valiantly attempt to bring these songs and other fan favorites to clubs and theatres all over Europe and the United States [...]

Hungry Bird features Eef Barzelay on vocals and guitar, Pete Fitzpatrick on guitar and banjo, Brendan Fitzpatrick on bass, Ben Martin on drums and percussion, Tony Hamel on piano, organ and accordion, Roy Agee on trombone and a special spoken word performance by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Franz Wright (on 'Encounter at 3AM')."

The tracklisting is as follows:

1] Me No
2] Born A Man
3] Hum
4] Burn the Light
5] Encounter at 3AM
6] The Endless Endings
7] Our Time Will Come
8] Beard of Bees
9] Pray
10] With All My Heart

In the spirit of not having this post take up 100% of this page, I'll wait to share the upcoming tour dates until later tonight, but rest assured I will be attending the March 21st show at El Mocambo in Toronto.

So. That's all for now. But do expect more about the upcoming Hungry Bird and Clem/Eef in general in the coming days. Because I am quite excited for what, based on past experience, I expect to be some variation on a vox-twangin'/nineties fuzzin'/acoustic bumblin' good romp of an album.

Some links, before you go:

Clem Snide on website and on MySpace
429 Records on website
Eef Barzelay on

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Small, Soft Weather

2009-01-17T13:33:00.010-04:00

Image Credit: ricetactics of deviantART

woke up to january gray clouds
leaning 'gainst my window

so i took you

took the car

took a drive

to the shoreline
with cold sand stickin' to our boots

as you squinted out and said,
"there's snow over the ocean today."

Left click.

Sons of Levi by Samamidon

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

you be the one and i'll be the two

2009-01-14T01:33:00.005-04:00

Image Credit: 47electric of deviantART

A little rise and shine, old school love.

[Left clicks for song links, starry eyes.]

Our Mouths Were Wet by Oh No! Oh My!
Sweepstakes Prize by Mirah
Sweet Darlin' by She & Him

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Eulogies

2009-01-09T16:53:00.011-04:00

This isn't the kind of music that will make you fall over yourself or make you mutter something under your breath like "Oh my god. This is fucking incredible." **

But. This is easy music; subtly catchy, quietly hummable and an ideal sonic accompaniment for anything casual. These songs are laid back like a mid-afternoon Sunday spent reading and wandering around your house to the rooms with the best sunlight. And sometimes that's all you really need from a band.

Left clicks for mp3 links.

Life Boat
Under the Knife
Bad Connection

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

**Do you/have you ever done this when you're by yourself? When you see/hear/feel something so profoundly wonderful that you have to verbalize it? It doesn't even need to be profound, just something nice enough to make you say it out loud.

It happened to me today. I was heading down a stairwell, alone, after class and I passed [someone who I assumed was] a professor. He gave me this lovely, genuinely friendly smile and I returned it. Once I got up to the next flight of stars I said very quietly, but out loud, "He seems like a really nice guy."

I suppose that's kind of silly to do as I didn't really accomplish anything... But sometimes I just feel like I have to say it. So... Ever happened to you?

Tiny Jubilees: Slop-Pop

2009-01-06T15:46:00.019-04:00

Maybe I'm spending too much time inside and am consequently lacking the essential vitamin D. Maybe I'm spending too much time thinking about aimlessly fantastic road trips. Maybe it's all the Roald Dahl books I've been reading lately.

Whatever it is, I'm in the mood for breezy summer songs with slightly out of tune guitars, hand claps, silly lyrics and the perfect combination of childish bashfulness/total disregard.

So here are four artists who are sloppy, poppy, and fall under the polka-dotted parasol that I've [lovingly] dubbed... Slop-Pop.

[Left click on mp3 links]

THAT GHOST

Ryan Schmale is an eighteen-year-old crafter of lo-fi gems that are a foot-tappers dream. His more up-tempo songs jump!crackle!spark while the slower acoustic numbers breathe warm and sway around on tippy-toes. Overall: homegrown and intoxicating.

MySpace
mp3's: I Crossed Out the Options, Going Out When it's Warm at Night and Top Shelf

SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN

According to Wikipedia, Boris Yeltsin "was the first President of the Russian Federation from 1991 - 99 [...] Yeltsin never recovered his popularity after a series of economic and political crises in Russia in the 1990s. The Yeltsin era was marked by widespread corruption, economic collapse, and enormous political and social problems."

And you know what? SSLYBY seem like just the kind of fellows who would forgive ol' Yeltsy for his screw-ups. Maybe it's the way they craft rather intelligently structured pop songs that still manage to sound impromptu-Saturday-night-jam-on-the-back-porch genuine. It's this polite, humble, ramblin' sort of sound that leads me to believe they wouldn't think twice about slapping a former president on the back, forgiving him for crumbling an economy [whatever it was he did], and inviting him over for sandwiches and lemonade.

And if you weren't already charmed enough, they sound like a blissful combo of Beulah and Rogue Wave. Pretty grand.

MySpace
mp3's: Tin Floor 51, Anne Elephant and Gwyneth

DREW DANBURRY

He has some very long song titles. He has lyrics like "Let's have some drum rolls for drunkenness." He's prone to using little flutes and whistles. His hands can't seem to stay apart--he's just gotta clap. His voice reminds me of lead singer of David & the Citizens and also of Dent May's voice. His songs are loopy and carefree, like a montage of all your favourite Julys.

MySpace
mp3's: Residents in Orange County Live in a Bland Republican Paradise and Don't Know What it Really Means to Jam Econo..., Lynette I Love You and I'm Pretty Sure This Is Someone Else's Song But I Couldn't Figure Out Whose So I'm Keeping It!

FRANÇOIS VIROT

What a jolly little French man!

It sounds like François was raised by a forest: he grew up as a free spirit meadow runner, a climber of mountains and a jump off-er of cliffs. One day he happened upon a guitar in a threadbare case and he picked it up. He slapped its body and poked at the strings and found that a strangled, garbled voice was singing out from his throat that was so unused to speaking at all.

He decided to go.

So he took his guitar and ran all the way to France, galloping across countrysides and whizzing through tiny villages where he would knock on the doors of strangers and play through the untamed joys he had written. His lyrics were almost unintelligible, broken up with whoops and high notes so far out of his vocal range he could scarcely squeak them out. But he stamped his feet on the front step and pawed at the guitar until he felt the song was over. And then he would smile at the stun'd, amaze'd new friend. Then he would take a bow.

And then he would move on.

MySpace
mp3's: Not the One, Where O Where A** and Island

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

** I know that the file name for this song says it's called "Young Sand", but I assure you that I checked and the title is Where O Where A.

Mellowdia Mix: Old Year Nostalgia, New Year Anticipation

2009-01-03T21:23:00.002-04:00

Image Credit: melissalibra of deviantART

"This year went by in the usual way,
Some friends were lost, some friends were made.
Money was spent, money was saved,
And in the end we're all OK.
In the end we're all OK."

Cheesy? Yes! Oh well? Yes!

Here is a carefully-arranged mix that serves a dual soundtracking purpose:

a] to be listened to whilst thinking back on your past year with nostalgia and/or satisfaction and/or sadness and/or regret and/or et cetera. I can only hope your back-thinking is more of a smiling affair than a frowning one...

and/or

b] to be listened to whilst thinking about the oncoming year with anticipation and/or fearlessness and/or peace of mind and any other positive outlook.

Enjoy these low-key tunes, and I hope this year treats you nicer than cookies treat taste buds.

Left clicks for mp3 links.

Gold World by Aloha
Song for Morrie by Forest City Lovers
Liar by Built to Spill
Rabid Bits of Time by Chad VanGaalen
Photo Booth by Ola Podrida
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song [Fleet Foxes cover] by First Aid Kid
This is the Dream of Win and Regine by Final Fantasy
Going Out Tonight by Andrew Vincent
Julie's Song by Angelshakes
Week Off by Malcolm Middleton
Green Gloves by The National
Dummies by François Virot
Apocalyptic Friend by Eef Barzelay
Dead Letter & the Infinite Yes by Wintersleep
The Year in Review by Her Space Holiday *
Atlantic City [Bruce Springsteen cover] by Tom Thumb and the Latter Day Saints
Floating in the Forth by Frightened Rabbit **

* The lyrics at the beginning of the post are from this little dittybop.
** I realize this seems like a fairly depressing note to end on given that the last sentence has the word "suicide" in it, but there's quite a bit of hope in this song--especially within the context of the whole, smashing success that is The Midnight Organ Fight. Bright sides and all that.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

P.S. Two of these songs are in WMA format, so if you're a Mac user or somesuch and that format just ain't cutting it for you and you REALLY want to have one of those Window-y songs, let me know and I'll try and get an mp3 version for you.

picture's worth a melody: ornaments

2008-12-21T01:25:00.006-04:00

image credit: wakemeupinlondon of deviantart

sugared and shining,
she takes the warm hand of
a sleeping christmas eve.

13 months in 6 minutes by the wrens

thanks for stopping by,
alie

In Which I Come Crawling Back

2008-12-15T11:38:00.008-04:00

Image Credit: BurlapZack of DeviantART

Me: I know we haven't talked in a while. But don't think I've been avoiding you. Please don't think that. I've just been really busy and life started to get complicated, you know?

You: ...

Me: You're right. I'm sorry. No more excuses. You deserve better than that. I can be better. For you. For us.

You: [Eye roll]

Me: Okay okay that sounded better when I practiced it in front of the mirror. Listen. I think we have something really good here, and I don't want to mess that up. Please. Give me another shot.

You: ...

Me: You don't have to say anything right now. But... I made you a mix. It's raining today and I thought you'd like a weather-appropriate mix. For tonight when you go driving. I know you like driving in the rain at night. So. Take it. Please.

You: ...

Me: I love you, blog. You'll see me again real soon, okay? We've got a lot to talk about, so this isn't over.

You: Um. Left clicks, right?

Me: Yeah! Yes! Absolutely! Hah! Yes. Left clicks. Just like always, baby.

You: Yeah. Just like always.

The Escapist by The Streets
We Rule the School by Belle & Sebastian
Hurtin' 4 Certain by Russian Futurists
Last Night by Julie Doiron
You've Done it Again, Virginia by The National
Post Script by Thunder Power
Rowboat by Emily Haines
Hottub by David Wingo & Michael Linnen
Until We Bleed by Kleerup feat. Lykke Li

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

The Kaleidoscopic Stampede

2008-10-12T16:47:00.007-04:00

number 2 by Winston Chmielinski. Part of his Plastic End series.
Things that come to mind: Cataclysms. Light-fogged eyes. One sharp inhale followed by a soft, "Oh."

Chmielinski poeticized it best himself with this series description:

"DEATH wasn’t what happened; it was more of a transformation, from flesh to plastic, from something gruesome to a candy coated explosion. Where gasps were intentioned came only the silence of innocent awe. There I was, watching them fall and hit and ripple out in greens then blues then reds and purples...

Their faces were the first to disappear (or rather expand and contort like decorated birthday balloons). It seemed painless, comical even—their inflated frowns, smirks, and pursed lips stretched into exaggerated smiles, eyes grew wide with animé wonder and ears and noses turned caricatural—before all gave way to a mess of runny colors and viscous swirls.

I wonder how it feels; I wonder at what point the Plastic transformation occurs. Can Plastic really be the end? Is it that simple? And will the same happen to me?

Spotlights and nude patches and body shells. And the colors that fumbled over and squeezed past one another--where were they going? if I were to, with a trembling arm, reach out (eyes averted heart pounding) and run my fingers through the kaleidoscopic stampede, what would I feel, and how would it change me?"

Left click for mp3 download links.

Glynis by Smashing Pumpkins
Mount St. Helens by Mirah
Charlatan by Monster

Visit the artist's website, deviantART, then do yourself and your walls a favour by bringing home something stunning up from his print account.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Critters/Snowflakes!/Laziness

2008-10-02T15:53:00.004-04:00

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's, an unfairly talented orchestral indie/folk group based out of Indiana are simultaneously releasing their new albums Animal! and Not Animal** this Tuesday, October the 7th.

And, because they're hip to the power of internet publicity / are nice folks, they are inviting kids to pre-dig:

Head over to Margot's MySpace Page any time today or tomorrow and listen to Margot's new albums Animal! and Not Animal all the way through!"

So do it!

MySpace: Ka-
Website: Blammo

And also give your ears a treat with some older Margot tunes [left clicks for the links]:

Waking Up and Walking Out
Vampires in Blue Dresses

**I guess those first six songs are Animal! and the last six are Not Animal. But who really knows.

IN OTHER NEWS

A lovely ladyfriend and I are hitting up the now sold out Wintersleep show at Barrymore's this Saturday.

This will be my fourth time seeing them, but my FIRST time seeing them as a show unto themselves... and my first 19+ show. Hollerrr.

Oh, and check out this bonus track from the Japanese release of Welcome to the Night Sky. It's addictive.

The Kids Are Ultra-Violent

I was hoping that Brian Borcherdt would open for the East Coast marvels at the Barrymore's show, given that he was the opener at last night's Toronto show. Alas, according to his his MySpace, it is not to be. Oh well. Dude's also releasing a new album next Tuesday, the 7th, called Coyotes, so here's a twin-named mp3 from the sooncoming release:

Coyotes

AND FINALLY

I forgot about my Wolfe Island Fest review... I know nobody's waiting with bated breath but it makes me feel productive when I take on a big review like that. So maybe I'll get it all done up over Thanksgiving weekend.

I know the anticipation is going to kill you.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Sandra Day O'Connor is Not Afraid of You and She Will Beat Your Ass

2008-09-17T21:47:00.003-04:00

I've been borrowing my roomie's 30 Rock DVD's:

Jack: You are both a disgrace to the Donaghy name!
Jack's Dad: It's pronounced "Don-a-fee," you lace-curtain half-an-Englishman!
Jack: When I think of all the things that I've been holding inside me that I wanted to say to you... [raises fists] Well now I'm gonna let "Saint Patrick" and "Saint Michael" DO MY TALKING FOR ME!
Jack's Dad: [raises fists] You'll have to get through "Tip O'Neill" and "Bobby Sands" first!
Eddie Donaghy: You call those fist names?! [raises fists] Say hello to "Bono" and "Sandra Day O'Connor!"
Jack: Those are the stupidest fist names I've ever heard.

'Nuff said.

Jazz Fight by Brendan Small [of Home Movies fame]
Fight Test by Flaming Lips
Fighting in a Sack by The Shins

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Every Day is Getting Awesomer and Awesomer and Awesomer and Awesomer

2008-08-15T15:51:00.008-04:00

Image Credit: Complexo of deviantART.com

Even though there are only a measly two weeks left of summer, I'm trying to stay positive. So, until I stop being lazy and post my mix of songs to carry you through the rest of August, here are a few artists and songs that'll make you forget a case of the end-of-summer-sads, if you are in fact afflicted with the aforementioned condition.

PHOEBE KREUTZ

All Summer Long

I just wish I'd found this song at the beginning of the July. It's perfect: "'Cause every day is getting awesomer and awesomer and awesomer and awesomer / And every night is getting awesomer and awesomer and awesomer and awesomer / And it'll keep on getting awesomer and awesomer and awesomer and awesomer all summer long."

[MySpace and Website]

OLD CANES

Blue Eleanor
Both Falling Bright

This is infectious, excitable folk pop with horns, harmonicas and plenty of stamp-yer-foot acoustic guitar from the lead singer of Appleseed Cast. Makes me want to gather some friends and kazoos and tambourines and take a run through a forest. And that is a compliment.

[MySpace and Website where you can stream Early Morning Hymns in its rather pleasant entirety]

THROW ME THE STATUE

About to Walk
Written in Heart Signs, Faintly

About to Walk sounds like a long-lost Neutral Milk Hotel song with it's buzzy background drone, nasal voice and simple guitar/drums. And, in true NMH fashion, the simple parts work together to create a wonderful whole. I heard Written in Heart Signs, Faintly in Urban Outfitters yesterday and had to stop my woeful browsing [woeful because I am lacking in expendable clothes dollars] to chicken scratch a few lyrics down so I could find the song later, "I want to fall through the clouds to someplace where the kissing never ever stops / I want to spew little lightnings from my hands / so this shield that I got might explode." And it's really nice.

[MySpace and Website]

CHAD VANGAALEN

Echo Train
Willow Tree

This hazy Albertan has it going on. I'm sure the shuffling, grunge-tinged Echo Train would gladly be covered by Pavement, while Willow Tree in all its gentle, dreamy, floaty, banjo-y, understated melodic glory should be played beneath a willow tree. Preferably beneath a willow tree that was alongside a slow river. Preferably beneath a willow tree that was alongside a slow river where Chad VanGaalen was holding an impromptu, late afternoon sit-down concert with members of Hidden Cameras providing some quietly lush orchestral background sounds and somebody was really nice and a really good cook and had brought along a picnic lunch with enough delicious food to feed the crowd of roughly twenty.

Or you could just creatively visualize it.

[MySpace and Website]

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

A Million Miles to Go: Wanderlust

2008-08-06T13:39:00.006-04:00

Image Credit: Derek Vincent of the website and the deviantART

Yesterday a creatively-frustrated friend remarked that it would be slightly incredible to be a musician full-time. And I replied that yes, it would be; the never-ending roadtrip, the meeting of [literally?] insane people, the playing of soul-fulfilling music with friends, the crashing on living room floors of half-friends and waking up the next morning to eat their unfamiliar food.

And uhm... did I mention the never-ending roadtrip part?

I have got a huge, galavanting case of wanderlust, and I haven't done nearly enough travelling this summer to remedy it. So instead, I've been listening to a recently rediscovered song that's doing nothing to help.

If anything, "Where Happiness Lives" just makes me more yearn-y for rolled down windows on the highway, with rushing wind that makes eardrums pop in an uncomfortable but totally necessary way, because rolled up windows are for chumps. And suckas. Foolish suckas.

Anyway. If you
a] are going on a long drive somewhere, or
b] are in the same, immobile boat as I am, then here's a song for both occasions.

Where Happiness Lives by Magnet

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Wolfe Island Music Fest 2008: LET'S GET INTRODUCT'D

2008-08-06T13:08:00.008-04:00

Friends, Canadians, countrymen, lend your ears – not to me – but to the Wolfe Island Music Festival… 2008 style.

Quite possibly the most marvellous and musical days that Kingston has to offer are going down August 8th and 9th this year. A.K.A. real soon. So if you don’t have your ticket yet, head over to Brian’s Record Option or Windmill’s or some other building where the kindly people inside will sell you as many vomit-green tickets as your heart desires, assuming you’re buying a Saturday ticket. You can buy tickets at the gate on the day of the fest, though, if you’re just too damn busy.

ANYway, I thought it’d be nice to do an overview of the line-up, post some mp3’s and get myself and others acquainted with this MOST EXCELLENT bevy of musicians that shall be gracing the elegant Marysville Baseball Diamond in a few day’s time.

I present to you, in order, the line-up for the Saturday portion of the 2008 Wolfe Island Music Festival. [NOTE: Left click for mp3 links. And I'm feeling kind of lazy, so for the bands that had downloadable songs either on their MySpace or their website, I just linked to that and didn't put any mp3's in here. So there.]

P.S. I LOVE YOU

Despite my most searchiest efforts, I came up with diddily crap. All I found were a bunch of MySpace profiles, Facebook pages and websites pertaining to the movie, P.S. I Love You. All very well and good. But not so good when I’m trying to find out what these cats sound like. I have a few predictions, though.

1] They'll be Canadian,
2] There will be instruments involved in their act,
3] They'll be human [?]
And who knows, maybe they’ll pull a Spiral Beach, come out of nowhere, and shoot everybody up with awesome bullets.

MUSIC MAUL

FROM: Kingston, ON
SOUNDS LIKE: Nasal-voiced, lo-fi, slightly electric pop ditties. As of right now I'm a little confused by Music Maul. I can't quite figure them out. It'll be interesting to see how their live show compares to the studio stuff.
MYSPACE: Bang
WEBSITE: Boom
MP3's: You can listen to and download both albums from the website.

RUBY COAST

FROM: Aurora, ON
SOUNDS LIKE: Sing-songy, boppy, happydancey songs with poppier tinges of Born Ruffians and Tokyo Police Club. [NOTE: The D'Urbervilles, who were set to perform in this time slot, had to pull out due to an illness in the band, just in case anyone's confused as to where these Ruby Coast kids came from. But for all I know, this is old news, and I'm just slow on the uptake.]
MYSPACE: Bang
MP3's: More Than Television and Neighbourhood

THE ACORN

FROM: Ottawa, ON
SOUNDS LIKE: Superbly melodic, wonderfully percussed slices of mellow, folk pie. The older tunes aren't as hand-clappy, multi-instrumental or as expansive as the newer ones, but honestly, you really cannot go wrong with these guys. I'm just surprised that they're on so early in the day. They're a pretty well-known band. But, I'll takes what I can gets.
MYSPACE: Bang
WEBSITE: Boom
MP3's: Crooked Legs and Blankets

TONY SCHERR

FROM: Brooklyn, NY [WHAT?! A non-Canadian perfomer at the Wolfie fest? Isn't that like... sacreligious?]
SOUNDS LIKE: Easygoing, summer bluesy-rocky-folksy fare, well-suited to an easygoing, outdoor summer music festival. He's got a Ryan Adams thing to him, too, which is very cool. Plus, he's got a song on the upcoming Hottest State soundtrack. And that is a killer soundtrack. I think we're in for an enjoyable set.
MYSPACE: Bang
WEBSITE: Boom
MP3's: Come Around

PLANTS AND ANIMALS

FROM: Montreal, QU
SOUNDS LIKE: Road trip-worthy, big, happy, sixties/seventies rockness that I am hoping and thinking will set the stage on fire. Everybody will just eat this up. Plants and Animals have a really inviting sound that'll bring out the inner [or not so inner] hippie in all of us. I'm expecting to grin throughout the whole set. I'm expecting to feel a little restless and childish, in a good way. I'm expecting to see people spinning out in the field with their arms outstretched. I'm expecting lots of platonic love to be flowing around. I'm expecting good things, good times, and excellent stage banter.
MYSPACE: Bang
WEBSITE: Boom
MP3's: Bye Bye Bye and Feedback in the Field

JASON COLLETT

FROM: Ontario
SOUNDS LIKE: Summer! Chill, laidback, very singable folk-pop-rock Americana [Canadiana?]. And he's part of that crazy Arts&Crafts label, so you know he's good. This will be awesome.
MYSPACE: Bang
WEBSITE: Boom
MP3's: Out of Time and Pavement Puddle Stars

LAND OF TALK

FROM: Montreal, QU
SOUNDS LIKE: Really cool, hip stuff. Assuming the sun is down by this point, kids'll be dancing in really cool, hip ways. I just hope that Land of Talk don't take themselves too seriously or think they're too hot. I like their music, but that kind of pretentious stuff gets in the way of a band being awesome live. So, here's to hoping they're just really nice people who make cool songs. [And yay! The singular female performer! Unless there are one or two kicking around in the very mysterious P.S. I Love You...]
MYSPACE: Bang
WEBSITE: Boom
MP3's: Young Bridge and Street Wheels

CADENCE WEAPON

FROM: Edmonton, AB
SOUNDS LIKE: Really fresh hip-hop that's weird and charismatic. I'm counting on a personality-packed performance. And while my friends and I are quite bummed that Holy Fuck doesn't have their seemingly annual slot in the line-up, I think Cadence Weapon is a pretty sweet replacement. We'll dance. There's some inventive electronic stuff going on here. So it's alllllll okay.
MYSPACE: Bang
WEBSITE: Boom
MP3's: In Search of the Youth Crew and Sharks

WINTERSLEEP

FROM: Halifax, NS
SOUNDS LIKE: A whole lot of dark-ish, macabre-ish, catchy, downtrodden, poetic, full-on rock powerhouses and softies. I haven't seen Wintersleep live for about two years now and I am stokeified to see how their Welcome to the Night Sky material has taken on new life since its release. What else... oh! Right. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
MYSPACE: Bang
WEBSITE: Boom
MP3's: Dead Letter & the Infinite Yes and Nerves Normal, Breath Normal

And there you have it, the 2008 line-up for the Wolfie fest. I'm super looking forward to hearing some awesome music, dancing around like a foo' with buddies, and hopefully seeing some new-to-the-festival-but-familiar faces. And that's from me until the epic review post.

Soooo... see you there?

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

P.S. For more information, check out the official WIMF website.

You Go On Ahead for a Road Trip With Your STEREO!

2008-08-04T14:21:00.005-04:00

Brand new, unreleased song from Sunset Rubdown. Played in the backseat of a moving cab somewhere in the UK. Left click for mp3's.

mp3: You Go On Ahead [Black Cab Session] by Sunset Rubdown
MySpace: Blam

This young female lady's name is Molly and she's the wittiest, prettiest, ukulele-ist chick you've eva seen or heard.

mp3: Road Trip by Molly aka sweetafton23
MySpace: Jam
Website: Tam
YouTube: Ram
Molly's Sing-A-Long Club: Wham [For rules and better explanation than I could give, go here]

Another backseat music sesh, but this time without instruments... or adults. This is a kids-only zone. Namely, rad kids in karate outfits singing, screaming, and staring off into space through a marvelous rendition of Pavement's "Stereo." I can only hope that if I bring a little critter or two into this world, they, too, will know the words to Pavement songs better than I do.

mp3: Stereo by Pavement
Website: Fram

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

P.S. Thanks to Emily for ripping the audio for "You Go On Ahead" and "Road Trip."

Take a Nightwalk

2008-07-23T22:28:00.004-04:00

Image Credit: Transmission

take a nightwalk through a strange neighborhood after heavy rainfall

when pollution-laced drops spatter, soft, against the sidewalk
and a sparkling haze hangs over suburban rooftops
and all the streetlights seem to say "i'll show you the way home,

if that's where you want to go."

Backyard by Guster

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Acoustic Joys vs. Ramblin' Fruit

2008-07-12T14:30:00.004-04:00

I'm talking, of course, about Sun-Rype's shinyhappy commercials. And it's all very cool because it's done in stop-motion.

WITH FRUIT.

Coo-hoo-hoo-ool.

Anyway, commercial one features a fruit-made girl on a fruit-made swing, set to "Sleepy Tigers" by Her Space Holiday. Commercial two features a fruit-made hermaphrodite tying his/her fruit-made shoes, soundtracked by [Canadian!] Said the Whale's "The Light is You."

Sleepy Tigers
The Light is You

And just to round out this post, I thought I'd share three more songs that I think would work well with this whole Sun-Rype motif.

Momentary Drowning by Young Coyotes
The Party Punch by Oh No! Oh My!
Me and You by Slow Club

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

P.S. These things are amazing.

Picture's Worth a Melody: An Ending

2008-07-06T21:19:00.004-04:00

Image Credit: SmithSC of deviantART.com

What she remembers:

In the distance someone wailed, defiant -- an exodus battle cry.

And there, miles over our heads, an orange explosion stretched out across the sky.

It was a hot promise shining on the surfaces of our eyes.

It was an ending.

The Nights After Fiction by Mice Parade

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

What is... how can they... it's so...

2008-06-25T12:10:00.005-04:00

I just... I don't even... craddle robbers... silhouetted dance sequence... who gave them the money to make...

Apocalypse. Now.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

But you'll tell me, "It's okay, Chris."

2008-06-08T21:08:00.007-04:00

Image Credit: nanako of Polanoid.net

A simple, childish, softpluck waltz.

Watch for the 1:44 mark -- the way he says "to do and say, like."

Perfection.

Blue Suede Shoes by Chris Garneau

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Everybody Daylight

2008-06-07T16:23:00.003-04:00

Image Credits: [L-R] PoppyCox & Mystery Photographer

It is a fucking incredible day outside.

Yet, I am inside.

I must FIX THIS.

Everybody Daylight by Brightblack Morning Light
Black Rice by Women

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Read Book, Change You Life

2008-06-04T17:32:00.002-04:00

Bigfoot here say this best book ever. You read and laugh until orange juice squirt out nose. This hurt because orange juice have high level of acidity. Bigfoot sorry for this, but think book worth these pain. Hope you thinking same thing.

Here some song about one they call Bigfoot.

[I am Bigfoot in case you has forget.]

Left click, literate.

Bigfoot by Galactic Heroes
Bigfoot! by The Weakerthans

Thank for stop by,
Bigfoot & girl name Alie who Bigfoot maybe eat when girl was distract

Your Smart Mouth & Your Killer Hands

2008-05-12T19:48:00.004-04:00

Image Credit: Derek Vincent

Fact: Kings of Leon are great.

Fact: They have a song called True Love Way, which is off their latest album Because of the Times.

Fact: The afore mentioned song is great.

Fact: I can't exactly explain what emotion this song makes me emote, but I'm certain that there is a very happy and excited little man inside my belly jumping up and down and saying "Fuck yes!" every time he hears the opening harmonics of True Love Way.

Fact: This one's for all the belly men out there.

True Love Way by Kings of Leon

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

It's Friday! Here's Some Music!

2008-05-09T12:25:00.010-04:00

The following bands have a few things in common: all the members are male, they all have some sort of retro sound to them and they are all somewhat underrated. These commonalities are purely coincidence, though... Enjoy!

THE HUGS

They're young. They come from Portland, Oregon -- thus making them instantly ten percent more awesome than anyone else. I call it the Oregonian Advantage. They play uptempo summer anthems that alternately remind me of The Kooks and Narrator. They aren't doing anything new, but they're doing it very well.

Links: MySpace, official website, Frozen Frogs video
mp3's: High School Lovers, Go Wild and Frozen Frogs

BUCKY

They're not so young. They come from the UK -- thus making them from the UK. There are only two members. The drummer has no right hand, but is super badass about it and uses his lack-o'-hand in lieu of a drumstick. Upbeat and short happypunk stuff about saving whales and childhood dreams of punk-dom.

Links: MySpace, official website, Last .fm profile, videos
mp3's: I Used to Love the Punx, O Miranda and Rockin' Bat

FLASHING LIGHTS**

They're not a band anymore. But I can't seem to find out exactly when they broke up... ANYway they CAME from Halifax, Nova Scotia. It's shiny, retro, catchy, jangly, perfect & classic pop rock-y, melodic 60's fare. It's kinda cozy on the ears.

Links: CBC Radio 3 page, Last.fm artist page, Friends You Learn to Hate video
mp3's: Same Old Life, Friends You Learn to Hate and Too Delightful

LAWRENCE ARABIA

He's stationed out of the UK and New Zealand. Why leave New Zealand, I ask? Why not stay there forever and play this lovely, also retro, music on top of those pretty New Zealand mountains? Why not do a collaboration with Flight of the Conchords? It's gentle, it's genuine, it's real nice.

Links: MySpace, Last.fm artist page, Talk About Good Times video
mp3's: Talk About Good Times, The Joke is in Your Hands and The Beautiful Young Crew

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

** This is seriously the biggest picture I could find.

My City's Still Breathing: A Bittersweet Night

2008-04-27T00:20:00.008-04:00

Image Credits [L-R]: Rio and loulou of Polanoid.net

There was this one night where we ached for the city streets.

We all had places to be and parts of our lives that needed to be packed into boxes and labelled with black permanent markers, but we needed company more than cardboard. So we went out.

The street lights stared down at us. Someone brought whiskey and our stupid voices and soft drunk laughs bounced around the alleyways we shuffled through. We passed the bottle around, burning our lips that planted alcohol kisses on the warm cheeks of whoever happened to stand beside us. And we went on in this way; lipstick like loving warpaint smeared across our faces.

And sometimes when we had nothing to say, we made music. Humming. Running sticks along chainlink fences. Rapping the tops of metal garbage cans. Other times we merely fell into an agreed silence, listening to the sloppy footfalls around us.

We crossed paths with other night wanderers and shook their hands because we had all sunk into the same spacious midnight. We were all leaving trails behind us of bruised pavement and glowing breath.

But eventually the horizon began to show milky blue and the stars were slowly being erased by the oncoming day, so we started home.

People stumbled up porch steps, reduced to hands waving from inside doorways, breaking off like I was the shore and they were small, ebbing tides. I buried my face into the rough suede of a last friend's jacket and then released; watched the spark of yellowing room lights as he made his way through his house; then the last sparking in his bedroom window.

And I set off, alone, in the direction of my house -- hands deep in my pockets against the morning cold, the fresh ghost of a bittersweet night lost in the air above my head.

Left clicks, night wanderers.

Talking in Code by Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
Cindy by Ola Podrida
Where Gravity is Dead by Laura Veirs
Black Flowers by Yo La Tengo
Twilight by Elliott Smith
Saw You in the Wild by Great Lake Swimmers
NYC by Interpol
Echo Park by Joseph Arthur
Lay Lady Lay [Bob Dylan cover] by Magnet
Bright End of Nowhere by Matt Good
See You Soon by Coldplay
Have to Explode by Mountain Goats
Gold World by Aloha
The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel
Boys of Melody by Hidden Cameras **
I Go to the Barn Because I Like The by Band of Horses
Poke by Frightened Rabbit
Moments of Protest by The Remains of Brian Borcherdt
Capsized by Sarah Harmer
Left and Leaving by The Weakerthans

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

** Check out the amazing take away show of this song which follows the gorgeous procession of the band and a crowd of hand-clapping, candle-holding luckies as they music their way along the Canal Saint Martin in Paris.

What a Folkin' Morning

2008-04-18T10:21:00.006-04:00

Image Credit: SteveTilbury of Polanoid.net

This is a completely different feel than yesterday's post, but today I woke up and was in one of those phantom summer morning moods where I could lay in bed for hours, watching the soft light split itself into shafts through my blinds; where the oscillating fan at the end of my bed breathes through my thin August sheets; where the air is cool, but the scant layer of sweat across my forehead hints at a grass-burning, shimmering pavement kind of afternoon heat.

And on these mornings I always wish that I have a mix of quiet, lilting, mainly acoustic songs to accompany me as I waste time stretching and yawning languorously. So I made myself such a mix, to share with you.

Left clicks, sleepyheads.

Break of Dawn by The Wuffs
Pilgrim by The Long Goodbye
Place to Be by Nick Drake
Starting to Show by Jill Barber
At the Hop by Devendra Banhart
Keep it Clean by Camera Obscura
Rhythm by Page France
Star Mile by Joshua Radin
For the Widows in Paradise by Sufjan Stevens
Amory by Tom Brosseau

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

In Which I Trip the Light Fantastic

2008-04-17T22:01:00.008-04:00

I'm not sure if it's because a] I've finally succumbed to the bombastic bass-ladden pressures of hipshits, b] my friends and I have been having basement danceterias more often than usual, c] MGMT has opened my musical peepers or d] this particular genre has been sneaking vitamin Awesome shots, but over the past week I have developed a strange affliction, throwing me into a foreign land of re-whatevers, sunglasses at night and songs with brackets.

In short, Alie like dance music.

Left clicks, hipshits.

Vuvuvu by MSTRKRFT
Little Bit [Diego Chavex remix] by Lykke Li
Revolte at 22h10 by Danger
Skitzo Dancer [Justice remix] by Scenario Rock
Yeah Yeah [feat. Luciana] by Bodyrox
Dance With You [Twelves remix] by Black Kids
One More Time to Pretend [Immuzikation remix] MGMT vs. Daft Punk
Woman [MSTRKRFT remix] by Wolfmother
Haircutz by Pony Pants
D.A.N.C.E. [MSTRKRFT remix] by Jusice

And here's a couple from the lads that I suspected started me on this whole shaking-tail-feather-spin...

Kids
Of Moons, Birds and Monsters

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

What the Mux, Mate?

2008-04-13T13:03:00.006-04:00

This is probably old news, but I just happened across a cool website by the name of Muxtape.com.

So here's the basic idea in four sentences:

1] It's essentially a file hosting website that's formatted like an electronic mixtape,
2] There's a twelve song limit,
3] You can place the songs in whatever order you please, delete, and upload new songs as many times as you like, and
4] This isn't a downloading service; you can play the songs in the browser, but they will not be taking up residence in your computer.

It's super easy to make an account and the upload time is schpeedy.

That being said, I decided to make my own Muxtape, figuring that I'll probably change the tracklist every couple weeks or so. Mostly, the playlist will cover all the songs that I've been listening to a lot but don't necessarily feel like writing full posts about 'cuz I'm lazy.

RIDE OFF INTO THE MUXSET

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

A Lazy Afternoon for Tired Roadtrippers

2008-03-29T15:03:00.016-04:00

Image Credit: Uhh... someone on Polanoid.net

So I've got this really romanticized and innocent idea about roadtrips.

I disregard the fact that after a certain amount of time spent in a confined space, people start to exude interesting scents that seep into the soft fabrics of cars. I metally gloss over the very human reaction to, after a while, be annoyed by the generally unannoying habits of others i.e. occasional throat clearing or off-tune humming.

Instead, I choose to focus on the [imagined] cinematics -- the small, tender moments; stretching out tightened muscles and yawning roadside; afternoon light filtering itself through the mud-speckled windshield in vintage tones; the soft hiss of a carefully selected mixtape; glancing into the rearview to point out an amusing chuch sign, and finding that your friend has quietly fallen asleep, long eyelashes resting on their soft cheeks.

Problem here is that I've never been on a roadtrip. Not since I was younger, anyway, and my parents did a marathon drive from Asheville, North Carolina to Disney World and then back into South-Eastern Ontario. I spent a lot of my childhood in cars and to this day I think I sleep better in a moving vehicle than in any bed.

ANYway, I was feeling roadtrippish this morning, so I indulged my licence-less self with a ten track playlist.

Here's the scenario: it's day five of a two-week long roadtrip. End location isn't important here. What is important is that it's a cloudless, summer mid-afternoon and everyone in the car has settled into a state of cozy lethargy. You've got the phantom taste of a mystery flavour red popsicle embedded in your cheeks and you've finally given up on keeping your dirty hair out of your eyes. It falls across your face as you feel the weighty pull of sleep.

Someone slips in a mixtape of low-key, vibish music that's lullabying you further away from conciousness. The road is a monotone drone beneath the car's wheels. The sun has warmed your headrest. And the afternoon slips on.

Left clicks, passengers.

Lorge by El Ten Eleven
Little Garçon by Born Ruffians
Pacific Theme by Broken Social Scene
Into the Stream by The Tallest Man on Earth
Born in the 70's by Ed Harcourt
Social Competence by Peter Morén
Black Out by Pavement
Libraries by Seabear
Oregon Girl by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Poney Honey Money by CSS

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Man Walks Into a Song

2008-03-26T17:54:00.027-04:00

Image Credit: timide_ch of Polanoid.net
Yesterday I finished reading Man Walks Into a Room by Nicole Krauss -- a wonderfully pulsing and poetic novel. While a few of the Amazon customer reviewers thought the book had 'wasted potential' and 'strained metaphors', I found it refreshing in that it was beautifully written and insightful, but didn't strand itself in a field of flowery, 2-D words. There's depth here.

ANYway**, some parts of this novel were just so striking that I felt the need to mark them with the teensiest brackets possible [I did check it out from the library, after all] so that I could later soundtrack each passage with a song be-fitting of the mood. And this is precisely what I have done.

I really tried to figure out how to get one of those "Read On" links, but it's hugely confusing. I even wrangled the help of my computer genius brother, to no avail. So, uh... this'll just be mondo long. But fear not! For, aside from the mp3 links, the following is solely made up of passages from the book. Really great passages. Written by a professional author. So it's solid.

Left clicks, kids.

1. "It was the vivid colour of the memory that startled him, a luminous blue. It was all around him, warm and smooth, and moving through it toward the glow of light he could hear the muted sounds that seemed to come from a great, impassable distance. There was a felicity despite the slow pressure on his lungs that finally pushed him upward. He remembered that when his head broke through the surface of the water he'd been surprised by the chill of the air and thee world that stood in perfect, microscopoic clarity: the blades of grass, the night sky, the dripping faces of the two boys illuminated by the pool lights. "Forty-three seconds!" one shouted, looking at his watch, then barreled down the diving board, leaped into the air, and clutched his knees, dropping into the water with a lucid splash." [p. 17]

Under the Water it Glowed by Eluvium

2. "The hairline cracks of a sugar bowl on the kitchen table. The sun falling through the leaves casting shadows on his fingers. His mother's eyelashes." [p. 18]

Hottub by David Wingo & Michael Linnen

3. "Frost forms between the plane's double windows, each geometric crystal an argument for the stillborn beauty of pure math." [p. 79]

Imagination of a Watermelon by The Matinee Orchestra

4. "The first grid is the strangest, the geometry of better living etched onto the desert floor: identical houses of a planned community pleated around the nucleus of a swimming pool. One and then another, until the desert is paved under streets and scattered with countless pools like a deck of blue cards." [p. 79]

Future Perfect by Autolux

5. "It was beautiful, the ambition of it, the freehand interpretation of a city. From such a height, the knowledge of the small, simultaneous, faraway was comforting: people dialing the operator, swallowing pills, breaking off romances, signing their names. Twelve million people inhabiting one of the most volatile places on earth, naturally disastrous, prone to flood and fire. Sharing wavelengths." [p. 83]

Mirror by Michael Andrews

6. "Maybe they had taken drives out of the city, crossing delicate bridges whose steel fibres hummed and swayed imperceptibly in the wind. They traveled north into the country where they imagined a future, passing through small towns with steeples and weather vanes. Anna would take off her shoes and draw her feet up under her. December, a faint snow of the ground, they would come to a crossroads and the dying yellow light would glow under the sky's dark hem. She would be silent, her head tipped against the glass. Then suddenly she would look up,her mouth open, her face changed by an expression he'd never seen before and that made her seem unrecognizable." [p. 207]

I Think I'll Be a Good Ghost by Say Hi to Your Mom

7. "He began to notice the small details she was made up of: the way she made a small popping noise with her lips when she was about to say something difficult, or played with the ends of her hair when she was watching TV, or drank her coffee with the spoon still in the mug, and so on. Eventually he found he could only see her as a collection of such fragments." [p. 219 - 220]

I've Got You and You've Got Me [Broken Social Scene remix] by New Buffalo

8. "'I mean, how many someone elses can one claim to be in a lifetime? It's not very long a life, is it, Max? You're a kid, it's summer, you blink your eyes and years--years--have passed. And you realize that you've become someone else, but that your heart is still caught in that lost kid. That what you're left with beating in your chest is a diminished thing, a shadow of what it was when you were a boy and running under the night sky you felt it was filled to bursting.'" [p. 227]

Stay, Son by A Classic Education

9. "Samson's cheek was pressed against the grass as if he had fallen from the sky. The idea of ever getting up again seemed absurd. The flashlight lying at his side was still on, a dim ray of accidental light grazing Max's bare foot. It was like a little devotional scene, a tragedy happened and passed and the quiet setting in now, lit up by the flashlight used to rescue." [p. 237]

Stay Golden by Au Revoir Simone

10. "He closed his eyes. Sounds that had only been at the furthest margin of his consciousness, the pinpricks of each moving leaf and the ocean rush of a distant car, made a point of themselves, each a tiny argument against nothingness." [p. 227]

Sons of Light and Darkness by Helios

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

** I stole ANYway from Chuck Klosterman. I stoled it real good.

Picture's Worth a Melody: By the Window

2008-03-22T14:19:00.001-04:00

Photo Credit: amaliachimera of Polanoid.net
To me, this photo looks like it was taken by a grandmother who has not been visited in so long that she hardly recognizes the faces smiling at her from the photos scattered around her cluttered apartment.

You can't see it, but there's a cup of cold tea that the old woman keeps bringing to her lips and taking small sips from. It was warm when she sat down to write the letter to her daughter, but the words are coming slow and with difficulty.

So she looks up at her living room window, at the useless artifacts hung on and placed around the pane; the whiskey bottle come vase and the threadbare curtains.

This is her Saturday morning.

Phone Call by Jon Brion
Blackout by Chris Garneau
Junk by The Beatles

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

Jealous, See?

2008-03-20T12:54:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I wish that I could have a friends-with-benefits relationship with the States. Y'know. I could still keep my Canadian status and use the word toque in public without fear of mockery. But then, when nobody was looking, I would have access to some Uhmerican goodies, too. Mainly their concerts... Because check this:

John Vanderslice and Stephen Malkmus are heading out on tour. Together. If that's not a dream team, I don't know what is.

I first heard about Vanderslice in the October 2005 reviews section of Harp magazine, where a mister Steven Rosen described JV's Pixel Revolt as a record that conjured "images of a young man of privelege afloat and day-dreaming in a backyard pool on a sunny day." **

So I was intrigued by one reviewer's descriptioon of John Vanderslice, and I checked him out. And I kind of loved his music in a big, real way. And it's been good times ever since.

Stephen Malkmus took a while to get to, though. I used to watch that Family show Radio Free Roscoe when it was on, and there was one episode where Lily [alias "Shady Lane"] talked about how the Pavement song [quelle supris!] "Shady Lane" is what made her want to learn to play guitar. Cool. So I got a hold of that song. And dug it. And then kinda forgot about it.

I don't know exactly when my fascination with Pavement kicked up, but at some point I guess I heard some more Pavement songs and finally it clicked: they are awesome. So that brings us to a couple months ago. I was now the owner of two Pavement records: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain and Terror Twilight. Then I started tuning into the eltronic drone of internet buzz shrouding Malkmus' upcoming album, Real Emotional Trash. And once again stuff just clicked. Teh end.

So if you're lucky enough to be near one of the venues that will be opening their unworthy doors for the Vanderslice / Malkmus powerhaus, please do attend and allow me to live vicariously through you, you lucky bastard.

Left clicks, kids.

mp3's

JOHN VANDERSLICE

Me and My 424
The Mansion - The Life and Death of An American Fourtracker - 2002
Pale Horse - Cellar Door - 2004
Winter Light - MGM Endings: Cellar Door Remixes - 2004
Time to Go - Emerald City - 2007

STEPHEN MALKMUS

Jo Jo's Jacket
Jenny & The Ess-Dog - Stephen Malkmus - 2001
Dynamic Calories - Dark Wave - 2003
Mama - Face the Truth - 2005
Out of Reaches - Real Emotional Trash - 2008

Links etc.

JV's official site [full tour schedule]
A crapload of free and legal Vanderslice mp3's
Go buy some CD's.
SM's official site
And then buy some more.

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie

** I searched through the review sections of my music magazines for a good half an hour to find this. I wish I was a more honourable music geek and could just cite this kind stuff off the top of my head, but alas I am not. I have shamed you, Rob Gordon.

Welcome to the Pride

2008-03-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

My name is Alie, and I am a chronic blog abandoner. I have come to terms with this and am now on the long road to recovery. The first step? Yr reading it.

This is: a music blog, an honest to blog blog and an et cetera blog.

But, instead of rambling on in increasingly fragmented sentences, I'd much rather just plug in a few downloadable, lion-related mp3's.

Left clicks, kids.

Lion's Mane by Iron & Wine
Lions by Headlights
Lion Rip by Duke Spirit
Sea Lion Woman by Feist

Thanks for stopping by,
Alie