If any of my close friends or family heard me singing "The Kingdom is near / Christmas is here", I'd earn more than a few raised eyebrows. Christmas music doesn't ring from my speakers very often … and never as devotional folkpop. And never ever on repeat. What can I say? Jonas H. Petersens is impressive, and he'd have my support whether singing about Jesus or Captain Crunch. All he has to do is deliver each song with the same sincerity as "So Mournful the Elegy, So Comforting the Hymn" or with the same joyfulness as [...]
There is a cool new company called Sound Supply , that is giving us a new way to purchase music. 10 albums for $15. This bundled deal is a fun way to get cheap music and to give some new sounds a chance. Their first bundle includes several artists that have been previously featured here on IHYEB, including Coconut Records (Jason Schwartzman), Colour Revolt, Sophie Madelein, and Andrew Dost (Anathallo, Fun.). If they can continue to get quality artists to contribute, this project could be a big deal. Supply Drop #1 Trailer [...]
The recent trends in psychedelia gravitate more toward the sprawling trebly end of things, beds of sound instead of pointed guitar attacks. This can sometimes lead to an almost complete lack of definition, a sense of sea-sickness from being left on waves of sound for too long, the only percussion sounding like someone tapping a [...]
fun. know how to do things right. What else would you expect from a roster featuring members of the Format, Steel Train and Anathallo. The latest from the trio is "We Are Young," the first single off their yet-to-be-titled sophomore album. The track features a sweet but brief cameo from R&B songtress and Grammy nominee Janelle Monae . Strangely, though, this song is the closest the band has come to making a mainstream pop hit. Don't let the Aim and Ignite -esque intro fool you; once the chorus rolls around with its pounding [...]
While it's fun to hate on Pitchfork , the truth is that most of the time they get it right. There is that rare occasion though, when they'll put up a review that I find to be way off the mark. The most recent example being the review one of my favorite albums of the year, Patrick Wolf's Lupercailia . The reviewer's argument seems to be solely focused on an admittedly pompous quote from Wolf himself and the overly-kitschy lyrics. There's even an admission that "if you strip away the unctuous lyrical [...]
Just reading the story of Anathallo had me taking a brief nap. A band with lots of members and a penchant for touring until most of the joy of the experience had drained away. Probably the story for lots of acts but in the case of Anathallo it seems really heartbreaking given their ingenuous craft. Success came in the form of several TV commercials which sustained the group throughout the recording of their final LP 'Canopy Glow'. The album was recorded in a church in Chicago and is blessed with inclusion of lots of bells which were uncovered, quite by [...]
Ryan Adams - "Damn Sam" "Damn, Sam. I love a woman that rains" The Magnetic Fields - "The Book of Love" "The Book of Love is long and boring / no one can lift the damn thing" The Mountain Goats - "International Small Arms Traffic" "Our love is like the boarder between Greece and Albania" Okkervil River - "A Stone" "You love the hallowest tone / you love a stone" [...]
Ben Talmi wants to fuck with your ears. He does not want you to know that his instrument collection is limited, or that his recordings rarely extend beyond his bedroom. In an age where popular music is bursting with superfluous production it is hard to blame him. Talmi recorded his debut EP, For the Dreamers, [...]
It's time for another edition of Commercial Watch, where I highlight the songs that play during those annoying parts that you never watch in between LOST and The Daily Show. Click the links to watch the commercials / download the MP3s. Apple: What is iPad? The first iPad commercial was soundtracked by Danish indie rock band The Blue Van, this one by another slightly more well-known indie rockers, Yeah Yeahs Yeahs. If you thought Apple was going to stop using indie music now that it's surpassed Microsoft as the #1 [...]
:: Austin City Limits has announced its lineup for 2010 . The Eagles and Phish . Oh boy, oh boy... :: The New York Times doesn't seem too keen on LCD Soundsystem 's new record. Preach. :: Yim Yames , Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore are heading out on tour together in July , and a portion of the proceeds will go to Appalachian Voices. :: Not sure about the last time I saw a promo shot this lame [...]
My favorite songs are the ones you feel in your bones, the ones that bubble up effervescently with that passion which has to explode out your extremities in the form of claps, stomps, and other forms of bodily percussion. A few months ago, fellow blogger Adrian and I started knocking around the idea of a Stomp/Clap mix with all the best samples of these songs. This has been an absolute joy to assemble (with suggestions from you guys) and is the perfect late-Spring soundtrack. While everything outside is coming back to life, these songs [...]
Illustration by Mike Are you having fun yet? I know I am! nobleybones mixtape yesterday & an itty ari interwebs today, but whoa-ho-ho-ho, we ain't done yet! Not even remotely! We got more mixtapes coming at you. I sure hope you cleared off a little room on your iPod, iPhone, iTouch, or, to be more topical iPad! Speaking of the iPad. I saw a photo yesterday, a photo from Saturday's launch of the iPad that struck me as so powerful, so telling, [...]
![[3.14 : A Pi Day Mix]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/2407764_lg.jpg)
3.14 Pi Day Mix Apparently the United States is the only one that formats its dates as Month.Day.Year, so for most of you out there, this is going to be pretty irrelevant. Considering the international date line, this was always going to be pretty irrelevant to all of you out there in the future. Regardless! Today is 3.14, and for the nerds in the United States, that number only means one thing - Pi. Happy Pi Day, nerds! 3.14 Pi Day Mix (artist name leads to [...]
Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News , New Music , Exclusive It wouldn't be a mistake to describe the music of Fun as theatrical in nature. Given that the trio's multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dost once penned an entire musical loosely based on the tale of Christopher Columbus (titled, of course, 'Columbus!'), the band's penchant for show-tune-influenced indie rock makes a little more sense. "I started writing it in college, and returned to it after leaving [former band] Anathallo," Dost tells Spinner of the musical, which [...]
On June 6, 2006, FensePost went live. Since its inception, I've written more than 1,000 album reviews and countless features, track reviews, live reviews, and video reviews. My collection has grown exponentially. I have a room in my house devoted entirely to records. CDs go in the living room and I'm out of shelving space. To say FensePost has become a big part of my life would be an understatement. It's as much a second job as it is a hobby. Above photo of [...]
Did you know that Stark is two years old? I mean, none of us really know exactly when the blog's true birthday is, so sometimes we have to fudge some forms here and there. Plus, we know a sweet fake ID guy. But I think we can all agree on an official start season of late fall 2007. That's when Vince and I bonded over indie rock music and became BFF's, and then Matt came in the picture, and the rest is history, as they say. (They say that, right?) It's important that you understand this background. [...]
Say hello to the happiest band in the world. My mourning period for the Format is officially over with the release of fun. 's video for "All the Pretty Girls." This is the first video and single off of the band's wonderful debut album, Aim and Ignite , and hopefully it will be the first of many to come. MP3 : fun. - "All the Pretty Girls" Love, Adrian
Nate Ruess, former frontman for The Format, one of the best pop/rock duos of the decade, has finally given us a new album to listen to. He has teamed up with former Anathallo bandmember Andrew Dost. For the most part the album is a lot of what you would expect from those two. Just like with Dog Problems, Ruess is quick to throw out the traditional verse/chorus/verse rules for some more ornate and rather obtuse arrangements. The sound created on Aim & Ignite is very reminiscent of 70's pop music, more specifically it reminds me a lot of something Queen [...]
I've been hyping Fun since I first got wind of it from my boy Andy Dost. And I'm still riding this bandwagon, because their debut, Aim and Ignite is pure pop bliss. While I'd be lying if I said there were no weak moments, they are few and far between. You're met with the kind of bouncy, thoughtful pop music you'd expect from members of Anathallo , The Format and Steel Train - and then some. Fun - All the [...]
The Muse In Music
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Stark Online![fun. - "All The Pretty Girls" [music video]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/youtube/AIoaiTwLk6I_130.jpg)
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Whitney! ♥
Video: Paul McCartney’s MusiCares tribute concert
