Girls In Hawaii may be the most misleading band name ever. First, there are no girls in this band. Second, look at those coats and hats. Nobody in Hawaii dresses like that. These fakers are Belgian! On the other hand, they look like they wish they were in Hawaii. I first heard Girls In Hawaii when they were guests on KCRW 's Morning Becomes Eclectic while I was painting my house prior to moving. Host Nick Harcourt had seen them at South by Southwest [...]
Indie Mom and I are as happy as lottery winners that we have many new visitors to Speed of Dark due to our recent addition to the blog list at Hype Machine . What new readers may not realize is that we were publishing five to six posts a week for a couple of months previously, and many of our archived posts and MP3s do not appear on the Hype roster. We are proud of our work and of our goal [...]
Matthew Sweet remains one of my all-time favorite guitar heroes although I've felt that some of his work in the last several years has been under-inspired. Girlfriend (1991) holds the record as the quintessiontial, must-have early alternative rock album, making Sweet the king of 90's jangle-rock. Sweet is well-known to play cover songs, some of which are unusual choices. I heard once, but do not have, his cover of the theme of the marine-mammal TV show, "Flipper." He [...]
I have been listening to my collection of Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade songs, rejoicing in the yelps and yodels of Spencer Krug. Is there anything Spencer Krug touches that isn't gold? Oh yeah...Frog Eyes. But other than that, Mr. Krug has been blessing the world with soul crushingly good music from bands such as Swan Lake, Sunset Rubdown, and of course, Wolf Parade . Sample some of the strange wonderments below. sunset rubdown: stadiums and shrines from shut up i am dreaming [...]
Borat , on the left. Beirut , on the right. Don't confuse the two! My husband and I went to see the Borat movie today, largely on the recommendation of my step-daughter who texted her dad with the message, "Drop everything you're doing and go see this movie." She is smart and hip and generally knows what she's talking about, so we went. Is it funny? Well, yes. Sometimes in a raw way. For example, a hairy, bare bottom in your face is both sort [...]
Last year at this time, I saw Death Cab for Cutie in concert at the Wiltern, all by myself. I'd never attended a show alone before, and I'm not sure it will be something that I'll do again. alt-gramma used to attend shows by herself all the time when I was in high school, and she wasn't going to see any classical or jazz fests either. She went to see punk hardcore bands and early alternative rock bands. She was/is awesome. I first heard "405" off [...]
While Indie Mom is the bigger Decemberists fan of us two, I do like many of their songs, and I think Colin Meloy is a tremendous songwriter. I'm just kind of lukewarm on The Crane Wife . I enjoyed the concert we attended on October 21, but I was disappointed that my very favorite Decemberists' songs, Red Right Ankle, was not performed. I have asked myself, what do I especially like about this song that makes it stand out from the others? Maybe that [...]
I finally broke down and joined my space . Yeah, I know, I've been a myspace snob since forever. I had envisioned all myspace users as tween airheads with nothing interesting to say. But it turned out to be a wonderland of new bands who I never would have heard of if it hadn't been for myspace. Plastic Shapes is one of those up and coming bands who I'm sure you'll be listening to in the very near future. Matt Czygan is Plastic Shapes, a one-man band from Rochester, Michigan, [...]
I have been neglecting this blog, I know, but I'm glad alt-gramma's been here to pick up my slack. I really enjoyed her Halloween mix and the Oingo Boingo post, because I have some fond memories of attending that concert with her - it was my first concert and Oingo Boingo's last, and they knew how to put on an outstanding show. Oompa Loompas are scary as all hell. Enjoy. the arcade fire: cold wind from everything ends: six feet under soundtrack [...]
Nobody loves Halloween the way Danny Elfman , former lead singer and songwriter of legendary, long-dead Oingo Boingo , does. I read that he collects that Mexican Day of the Dead skulls and skeleton art. He insisted on being the singing voice of Jack Skellington in Nightmare Before Christmas . I'm sure he didn't have to argue too hard with director Tim Burton. Those two goulie-groupies have a long and dark association. Time was when [...]
Here's my non-standard Halloween mix. Most of these aren't here just for the holiday atmosphere--I REALLY like them. Matt Pond PA: Halloween Of Montreal: Chrissie Kiss the Corpse There is humor in necrophilia after all. Broadcast: Black Cat This was one of my favorites of 2005. I love the crackly static, a sonic image of the hairs rising on [...]
I almost missed one of the best shows I've had the opportunity to attend last night. We had a communication snafu which caused us to leave later than planned and placed us at the end of a very long line to see The Decemberists at the Wiltern Theatre on Saturday night. I guess being late was better than not going at all, and I'm no longer angry at the dummy who almost squelched our plans. Still, we managed to get somewhat decent standing positions, right dead center, but I stood behind a couple who seemed [...]
Hi, Gramma-- Here we are in Amsterdam. We're having a great time. J Dear Josh, Your parents did give you a first name--why don't you use it? Thanks for the postcard you sent via your MySpace page. I see all your European tour dates are listed there. If I weren't the oldest person on MySpace, I'd never know where you are. It was a good idea to have your bio translated into French, but now I can't read it. [...]
I should know better than to stay up late when I cannot sleep, because when I see something I want for sale online, I buy it. But this is a great purchase, since I am working on having my own little gallery of music-related art. (My husband isn't pleased) I bought some new posters based on songs by The Decemberists by a wonderful artist named Chris Turnham . There are other posters he has created for The Bagman's Gambit and The Legionnaire's Lament, among others. Check out the posters I bought, [...]
During high school, I started working in a music store, which I see as a major turning point in my musical development. Prior to this, I listened to the same trash that everyone else liked, never realizing what else was out there. Over time, I developed an appreciation for all genres of music, although I'm still not much of a jazz or country music aficionado. My manager was a great person and terrific boss, and always encouraged her teenage employees to learn more about other kinds of music. She woulg give us an artist's name, and [...]
I just got back from Las Vegas, which was quite eventful, to say the least. First, when I was in the airport waiting for my flight to Vegas, the small aircraft piloted by Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle , crashed into a building in New York. At the time, no one knew what kind of situation this was, only that a plane crashed into a building and it was October 11 . I don't want to make light of this tragedy. I think the worst part was that Lidle's wife found out after everyone else in [...]
I love music that churns my blood up and gets me energized. But sometimes I want quiet, contemplative music for late at night or for a rainy day. My thanks to @indiechristoph@ for recently posting a song by Logh, of Lund, Sweden, a band that specializes in dark, rainy day music. This is the finest kind of lo-fi, with whispered vocals, sinuous guitars, and lots of texture. Another good thing is that the songs don't sound all the same. Many are instrumentals. In that, and in their overall sound, they resemble [...]
My brother, Indie Mom's Uncle T , should be writing his own music blog. He likes a broader range of music than I do, and he can write about it like a professional music reviewer. Over the years he has turned me on to several artists I would not have discovered on my own. Last Christmas he gave me Stairs and Elevators by the Heartless Bastards . Although this set of songs did not particularly grab me, I could tell he was onto some genuine talent. [...]
The winner of the award for longest and strangest band name goes to The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers . This collective of members posted amusing and not very informative bios on their site, but they have also posted a free and legal download of their latest EP, Redux, a collection of b-sides and rarities. Their latest album, also with a long and strange title, The Mother of Love Emulates the Shapes of Cynthia can be purchased by clicking the link. Enjoy the following tracks that have been collecting dust in [...]
First off, let me say that I met two people at last night's Dears concert at the Troubadour who go to more concerts in a month than I am able to attend in four years. I was in line with two guys (hi Ed!) who regaled me with tales of the shows they have seen recently and those they plan to attend in the near future. I am horribly, terribly jealous, but since I still can't hear out of my left ear, it's probably for the best that I don't go to more shows. [...]
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Check Out: d’Eon – “Transparency pt. II”
the Weekender ::: New music from Catcall // the National // Summer Camp
KNIFE PARTY – RAGE VALLEY EP
