And now it really is! Maybe titles alone aren't a great indication, but the tracklist to Stars ' In Our Bedroom After the War [ info ] suggests the album may bring something other than the heavily orchestral pop of Set Yourself On Fire [ buy ]. It wouldn't be a big surprise, given the diversity of their past releases. The Beginning After The End The Night Starts Here Take Me To The Riot My Favourite Book Midnight Coward The Ghost Of Genova Heights Personal Barricade Window Bird Bitches In Tokyo [...]
Have you heard the recording of "Somewhere Down the Road" over on Stereogum ? It's "new Feist ," but not really, as many of you have probably heard it already in the Trabendo Session recording. The new studio version, which will be used in the soundtrack for some movie called The Hottest State , is nonetheless gorgeous. No download available yet, but here's the version from 2005 to hold you over. Somewhere Down the Road (Live) - Feist
With Boxer [ buy ] firmly established as my favourite album of 2007 thus far, The National have consumed my music-playing in recent weeks. The group is currently in the middle of a sold-out national tour. They completed a full five shows at the Bowery Ballroom in New York and, this past Wednesday, they made a stop in Washington at the 9:30 Club . I wasn't fortunate enough to go, but as mentioned earlier, NPR broadcast the entire show. Here are a few selections from the night, [...]
Why are all the cool kids from Canada? This constitutes the second artist or group I've somehow discovered through their relation to Flickr 's wardrobe_remix pool. I actually first found The Little Death , a small band from Toronto that caught my attention with its choice of name (particularly its similarity to a certain Stars song). There used to be a video cover of Justin Timberlake 's "Sexyback" on their page--oh wait, here it is: [...]
After growing excited over the prospect of another Arcade Fire visit later this year , this made me laugh myself to death. I'm speaking posthumously. I will also be seeing Arcade Fire this way.
Broken Social Scene 's frontman Kevin Drew will release Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew's Spirit If [ info ] this upcoming September, but you can download a track from the album now, thanks to Arts&Crafts . TBTF - Kevin Drew Also download a live version of another album track, "Safety Bricks," which Kevin performed with Feist on KCRW 's Morning Becomes Eclectic [...]
I love NPR. + Feist interview . From the 9:30 Club last Wednesday. It's a (not so) delightfully awkward interview. [ Feist's site .] + The National broadcast . The National 's set will be broadcast this upcoming Wednesday, June 20.
Artist: Feist ------ Grizzly Bear Date: June 13, 2007 Location: 9:30 Club, Washington DC *MP3s after the jump. This year is turning out to be about quality over quantity-- Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton and The Dears suggested 2007 would prove to be full of good shows and everything since then has supported that same conclusion. Feist's gig at 9:30 Club last night continued the streak, presenting attendees with a satisfying and relatively intimate set from one of the strongest voices in music. [...]
I just posted about A Fine Frenzy /Alison Sudol a few weeks ago, but here I am mentioning her again. About fifteen minutes ago, I was sitting at the computer with "Rangers" stuck in my head. It was then that I decided I'd really like to see her this Friday, when she'll be playing Black Cat in Washington, DC. Unfortunately, this new thing I have--I think it's called "a real job"--will not allow me to make the show. In a cruel and coincidental twist of fate, I just checked my blog email for the first [...]
Kevin Drew Preps LP for Broken Social Scene Series Head on over to Pitchfork for news on Kevin Drew's (of Broken Social Scene ) September 18 solo release, Spirit If . Apparently it's part of a series of Broken Social Scene Presents albums, which will feature Brendan Canning in its second edition. Expect a tour to promote the series sometime later in the year.
Every once in a while I get the urge to write about things other than music, so I've decided to get all my rambling out in one (not very) concise entry. Skip ahead if you're not interested. To keep this entry from being completely pointless, check out the recently updated blog list in the sidebar. You'll always be able to find something there when I'm offline (which is often lately). My Old Kentucky Blog just posted about Basia Bulat yesterday; I'd been meaning to cover her, but it seems he's already done all the [...]
Neko Case isn't the only artist joining Rufus Wainwright on his upcoming North American tour. Someone recently called my attention to A Fine Frenzy , the musical project of 22 year-old Los Angeles resident Alison Sudol. Signed to Virgin Records here in the US, Sodul thankfully uses her voice for purposes other than the Ashlee Simpson-style pop that constitutes many of the major labels. (Virgin seems relatively unoffensive in comparison to some of the others.) There's still something very finished about her music--chalk it up to high production value--but the rich melodies [...]
Among the many online music sites to which I am forever indebted are La Blogotheque --have you seen their takeaway shows?--and the ever fabulous Daytrotter . The first brings readers live performances from some of the most blogged bands at the moment, often in irregular situations. (Think My Brightest Diamond lounging by the water or The National around the dinner table. Oh yeah, and Arcade Fire in an elevator.) If you catch them quick, you can download these videos in high quality; smaller, iPod-ready versions remain up indefinitely. Daytrotter is [...]
So, it's arrived: May 22, the release date for The National 's much anticipated Boxer . I've been raving about the group since seeing them earlier in the month, so I'll try to keep this short. The band was featured in MTV 's Death From Above 1979 over-intro'd Human Giant marathon last week. They performed both "Mistaken for Strangers" and "Apartment Story." You can see the videos here . Boxer is getting great reviews so far. [...]
Counting Stars on the Ceiling
Monday Music – 28 May 2012
Bison - Quill
