It's hard to figure out just how seriously we are supposed to take Alvin Band, the solo project of Miniature Tiger's Rick Alvin Schaier. Mantis Preying was an album that was entirely acapella, and now Schaier's newest adventure, Rainbow Road , is chockfull of references to Mario Kart. But if you're able to ignore or embrace the gimmicks and antics, Alvin Band is able to pull off a wildly fun and rewarding Animal Collective inspired dream-pop sound on songs like "Transcendental M.M.N.T." bowser's castle.
Did you know that there is a pretty big deal show going on tonight at The Rhythm Room? Well there is. Just look at that gosh dang poster! That picture that all the words are on top of up there... I took that picture. Anywho... The Miniature Tigers are back in town to play a show. Alvin Band, Pepper Rabbit, Gospel Claws and ROAR are also playing. That would be a show you wouldn't want to miss even without Mini T's.
Every boring white is made up from all the colours you can think of. Every boring grey is made up big multi-coloured balloons that make a little bubble-pop noise when you squash them. When the edges blur, we're probably all having a better time. When the grey leaves exist; even the most jubilant autumn frenzy of colours become more relevant than the conventional order of routine, dazed-daisy, daisy-dazed. Wake up, get the bus to college, get bored, come home, go to sleep. Wake up, put your eyebrows in the orange juice, swing like a chimp on the bus rails, splash [...]
These are songs or albums that we thought deserved a mention, even though they didn't quite make our Best Albums list. Noah and the Whale - The First Days of Spring Diana fought hard to get this album on our Best Albums list, as it was one of her favorites of the year, but there weren't quite enough votes for it, so we're giving it an honorable mention. Here's what she had to say about the album
Alvin Band - "Temple Pressure" After going on a 'rant' on my blog about how much I love this band, I just knew I had to introduce the Tuneage community to Alvin Band as well. This is the side project of the drummer from Miniature Tigers and this track is off the album Mantis Preying , which came out this past September. If Animal Collective + Of Montreal is what you dig, you should head on over to MySpace and stream a whole lot [...]
Alvin Band - "Tijuana" "The beach is the most vulnerable place, but it's the place of most access. It's horrible to think about attacking a beach, about war on a beach. About all those people with their hot dogs and portable stereos and colourful towels and suits, and sunglasses and lotion and near-nakedness, getting attacked. Do people bring portable stereos to the beach anymore, or maybe did they ever? But I suppose that attacking that part of the land makes the most sense, it's the softest place. Like they know the dark truth of the matter, and they [...]
Nov 17, 2009, 1:57pm
MBV
image source Alvin Band - "Tijuana" "The beach is the most vulnerable place, but it's the place of most access. It's horrible to think about attacking a beach, about war on a beach. About all those people with their hot dogs and portable stereos and colourful towels and suits, and sunglasses and lotion and near-nakedness, getting attacked. Do people bring portable stereos to the beach anymore, or maybe did they ever? But I suppose that attacking that part of the land makes the most sense, it's [...]
We're coming closer and closer to the end of 2009, and I'm worried about making a proper list of the year's best music videos.Even if it isn't the best thing you've seen all year, this vid still put a grin on my face that couldn't be broken. The absurdity, instead of being alienating, is warm and welcoming. I wish all this stuff would happen to me in one day--even the cranial explosion!Alvin
Oct 14, 2009, 12:00am
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Die Wunderkinder scheinen durchzustarten. Sei es frYars oder Deastro, sie werden immer jünger und immer besser. Alvin Band alias Rick Alvin Schaier macht dabei keine Ausnahme. Er ist 21 Jahre alt und macht als Einmann-Orchester Animal Collective und Panda Bear Konkurrenz. Rick Alvin Schaier ist ein Stimmen-Magier. Rick singt Mehrspurig, legt zwar noch Akkore, Basslinien und [...]
<a href=" http://onethirtybpm.com/2009/1 0/06/alvin-band-mantis-preying /" Alvin Band Mantis Preying [Intelligent Noise; 2009] Links: Alvin Band | Intelligent Noise | Purchase on Insound Posted by Adam Clair on 06 October 2009 Alvin Band (né Rick Alvin Schaier) doesn't try to disguise how heavily he cribs from Animal Collective and its disciples. From [...]
Three more under the radar bands for you to know and love: ------------------------------ -------- Real Ones - Real Ones are a psychedelically-inclined indie pop quintet hailing from Bergen, Norway, which may not be a likely place to find a band that - according to their bio - incorporates styles from influences such as The Flaming Lips, Wilco, and The Band. Their folky Americana sound WAS a bit surprising to my ears given its origin, but the group make legitimately great rock 'n' roll music [...]
This week, Simon Joyner does, makes, says, and thinks.Simon Joyner is a heckuva songwriter, and he's still sounding like a champ on his 12th album, Out In the Snow. We've got tracks from that, plus, new cuts from Washed Out, the Black Hollies, and Kurt Vile.It's a troublesome podcast.The Needle Drop: 09-19-09Subscribe via iTunesPlaylist:A Place to Bury Strangers- "In Your Heart"The Black Hollies-
What a week, eh? Kanye , Pavement , Pavement , Pavement , Pavement , Vampire Weekend , and Beatlemania ! The only thing that can cap off a week such as this would be our Friday Mixtape! As always, below you'll find the week's best new mix of singles, remixes, and covers, along with mp3s from some up-and-comers you might want to check out. NEW Singles: "Gold Rush" by Basia Bulat "Dominos" by The Big [...]
When he's not being the drummer for Miniature Tigers , Rick Alvin Shaier is a one man show called Alvin Band . Here's his brand new video Stanley Kubrick
Track: Alvin Band- "Lord of the Fly" (7)MP3: Alvin Band- "Temple Pressure"Alviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiin: myspace.com/alvinband
Alvin Band "Temple Pressure" from Travis Schneider on Vimeo . Rick Alvin Shaier of Miniature Tigers has just finished his solo debut titled 'Mantis Preying' under the name Alvin Band . A true testament of 'unadulterated stream-of-consciousness musical exploration and an impressive investigation of bedroom recording', these songs have many interesting parts that we've taken notice of. Dense layers and complicated arrangements made from the constraints of 'vocals only' recording sessions. Its kind of all over the place and completely together at the same time. ' Mantis Preying , [...]
Thirty seconds into the song I had to ask myself, "wait...are there no instruments whatsoever?" and thirty more seconds brought the question, "wait...is this just one guy?"Rick Alvin Schaier is the man behind the Alvin Band, and he does everything - bass, melody, percussion - everything, all by his onesie. Categorizing his music as simply a cappella would be an insult to Schaier, as his upcoming
If you think the vocals are your favorite part of a song, just wait for the Alvin Band to test your threshold.Rick Alvin Schaier is the persona behind the one-man band, and not only is he on vocals; but he's on vocals, vocals, and vocals, too. Let me explain: Yeah, Rick sings, but he also lays down chords, bass lines, and percussion using nothing but his mouth. It's like an irresistible gospel
Rick Shaier is the mustachioed, polyester shorts-wearing drummer of Phoenix band Miniature Tigers . He's also the brains behind Alvin Band , a solo project he's been working on for the past five years. On Sept. 22, his work will see a national release with the debut album Mantis Preying coming out on Intelligent Noise Records . Part of the official press release reads thusly: "Rick holed up in a friend's bathroom with a microphone and a Powerbook and went to town. The end result is the 9 song 'vocal composition' coined [...]
Rick Alvin Shaier, the drummer for the Phoenix, Az. band Miniature Tigers, is releasing a solo record as the Alvin Band . The debut, titled Mantis Preying , is due out September 22nd and includes the playful and harmony-laden bedroom-produced electronic track "Temple Pressure." Check out the equally whimsical video for the single above. Alvin Band - "Temple Pressure" (from Mantis Preying ) The Blakes , named after the English Romantic poet William Blake and comprsied [...]
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The Needle Drop
One Thirty BPM
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Indie Music Filter
So Much Silence
Everybody Taste
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Someone remixed 'Aerodynamic' by Daft Punk on Google's Moog Doodle
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