
The National I am tempted to set up some kind of automated script that, every couple weeks, posts " Crooked Fingers ' Dignity & Shame is one of my favourite albums ever" to my Twitter , because a) it's true and b) every time I listen to it I feel like I need people to know this and understand it. Eric Bachmann has sang with many female foils over the run of Crooked Fingers but none was more perfect that Lara Meyerratken and nowhere is that better demonstrated than their gorgeously intertwined [...]
![[BETTER WITH TIME] The National](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/2891859_lg.jpg)
I paid attention to The National on the early half of 2007. What a treat was that year, musically speaking. Their album, Boxer , came out that year and introduced me to really good alternative rock. And I didn't like their music because it was all the rage, but it really was great music. Their sound is unique and feel good. And I believe the universe conspired to get me to have a first listen of the group from the best album they ever had [...]

I was more than a little busy Monday so I wasn't able to check up on the mighty Twitter much. Apparently I picked the wrong day to be occupied as everyone and their mother decided to announce that they were coming to the Lou. Obviously I'm still swamped because it took me until Wednesday to actually put together a post, but hey better late than never! Here's a preview of some of the shows coming to town later this year, St. Louis you're blowing up! As always check out the STL Concert Calendar [...]

Welcome to summer. There's tons of albums that I turn to on a seasonal basis once the weather takes a turn in the sunny direction. One of those is Crooked Fingers Dignity & Shame , which pretty much blew my mind when it was released in 2005. Though I'm sure there are dissenters, front-to-back, Dignity & Shame sits atop the band's recorded output to date as far as my ears are concerned. I feel extremely fortunate to be bringing Crooked Fingers to Club Garibaldi in [...]

Perhaps it is because the New'awlin Saint's won the Superbowl, but this particular saint has been on my mind. Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, has been around since for quite a few years. After dropping out of Berkleee School of Music, she was a member of The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens ' touring band. If you ever get a chance to see her live, do it! Her voice and guitar skills are even more superb in person. Her recent album, Actor , is pretty damn good. Below are a couple of [...]
This installment in our Covers Project series is a two-fer. St. Vincent joined up with The National to cover Crooked Fingers ' "Sleep All Summer" for Merge Records ' 20th Anniversary compilation. Despite remaining relatively faithful, the cover still sounds world's apart from Eric Bachmann's original duet with Lara Meyerratken. Annie Clark (Miss St. Vincent) returned the favor recently when she performed a re-imagined version of The National's "Mistaken for Strangers" for Brooklyn Vegan [...]

Talented, gorgeous, plays guitar, great taste in music and a mean sense of humour. What's not to love? I'm a little bit disappointed that I'm seeing Grizzly Bear later this month rather than their October St Vincent supported LSO date. Though I'm sure hearing the original composition of Veckatimest will make up for hearing St Vincent again or any silly orchestra...yeah. Check out her Cemetery Gates performances over on Pitchfork for more Vincenty goodness. [...]

Our noise Lo scrivo qui, e metto pure la bella copertina, così spero di ricordarmelo a settembre quando uscirà. La Merge Records compie vent'anni e sta per pubblicare un libro che ne ripercorre la storia: Our Noise - The indie label that got big and stayed small . Nel sito dedicato si può recuperare qualche interessante anticipazione. Tra le varie iniziative per celebrare la ricorrenza, la settimana prossima si terrà il festival XX Merge , con una line-up e una [...]

In my memory, summers are forever sunny. The grass is a perfect green; the air is clear and dry. Smiling faces are everywhere, though solitude is easily found. There are no tasks, save the pursuit of the wandering spirit. Nature beckons like a beacon. In real life, of course, I awoke to another rainy day on the first day of summer, my body weary and cramped from joyous dancing and stage-shifting in the Clearwater rain. The girls are still asleep as I write [...]
The National/St. Vincent - Sleep All Summer (Crooked Fingers cover) I don't know who the Crooked Fingers are but I have to think this cover does them justice. Beautiful, Beautiful song. I love music. Thanks to captain obvious for compiling a ridiculous amount of covers I'm into.

SIDE A 1. Fort King - Loretta (Townes Van Zandt Cover) 2. Spoon - Set Me Free (Kinks Cover) 3. Damien Jurado - Pink Moon (Nick Drake Cover) 4. Oldham Brothers - Wouldn't It Be Nice (Beach Boys Cover) 5. Scout Niblett feat. Will Oldham - Comfort You (Van Morrison Cover) 6. Bat For Lashes - Use Somebody (Kings Of Leon Cover) 7. Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes) - It Ain't Me Babe [...]
So I think we're gonna start putting together a mixtape at the end of each month. It'll be made up of some of the stuff that's been rocking our cubicle. Here's the first one. mp3: Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele - Meet Me In The Garden mp3: The Henry Clay People - You Can Be Timeless mp3: The Boy Least Likely To - Every Goliath Has Its David mp3: Harlem Shakes - Strictly Game mp3: M. Ward - To Save Me (with Jason Lytle) [...]
Saxon Shore is a post-rock band that's been around since 2001, when the then-duo of Matthew Doty and Josh Tillman released Be a Bright Blue , a great little record on their own label. They've followed up with 2 more full-lengths plus an EP (the stellar Luck Will Not Save Us from a Jackpot of Nothing ) on Burnt Toast Vinyl, an independent label out of Philadelphia. But it's been four years since their last release and the band's members have all been involved in side projects since then. Last summer, though, they finished up a new [...]

Apparently, the sun will come out today at some point post-afternoon. Chelsea will play at 2:45 Eastern Time in Anfield... the hardest possible place to play futbol these days. I'll be negotiating with nature, while at the same time hoping for those away goals. St. Vincent And The National - "Sleep All Summer"
So, I completely forgot about cover day but luckily a reader named Clint reminded me. Hope you guys don't mind it's actually Tuesday! The Ting Tings - Happy Birthday (Altered Images/Yo Gabba Gabba cover) Tori Amos - Losing My Religiion (R.E.M cover) St. Vincent & The National - Sleep All Summer (Crooked Fingers cover) Muse - Can't Take My Eyes off You (Frankie Vali cover) A [...]

6 out of 10 stars St. Vincent has been much-blogged about here lately at PMA, and deservedly so- the first two singles off of her upcoming album, Actor , are both remarkable, memorable tracks. Here, she (Annie Clark) lends her subdued, haunting voice to a cover of "Sleep All Summer," the Crooked Fingers tune, for Merge's upcoming 20-year anniversary album (it drops April 7th, with covers from The Shins, Times New Viking, Ted Leo, and more). And it's a decent, if not very good listen- the National's Matt Birninger and [...]
Merge Records planea celebrar su 20 aniversario por todo lo alto: con un recopilatorio muy especial y un concierto. Lo bueno es que el recopilatorio es de los que más me gustan: versiones a tutiplen de canciones interesantes reinterpretadas por grupos interesantes. Bright Eyes, Bill Callahan o Death Cab For Cutie entre otros versionarán canciones de gente como The Magnetic Fields, Arcade Fire o Robert Pollard. El disco llegará a las tiendas el próximo 7 de abril, en una tirada limitada de 7.500 unidades. Habrá que estudiar como conseguirlo. Además, del 22 [...]
& fill them up with broken things st. vincent & the national // sleep all summer (crooked fingers cover)
As part of their 20th anniversary celebration, Merge Records will be releasing SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: The Covers! SCORE! is twenty tracks by contemporary bands covering songs that span the label's fruitful two decades of existence. This release is limited to 7,500 copies and comes out April 7th. You can pre-order it here . Tracklisting: 01 Quasi: "Beautiful Things" (3 Ds cover) 02 Les Savy Fav : "Precision Auto" ( Superchunk cover) 03 The Shins: "Plenty Is Never Enough" (Tenement Halls cover) 04 [...]