I admit, I was never a huge White Stripes fan before this year. I didn't know much besides "Seven Nation Army", which I hated , and refused to believe they could be worthy of the hype. Needless to say, I was very wrong. The reunion of Jack and Meg White on June 19th's Icky Thump might have been the most anticipated album of 2007. And it certainly lived up to its promises. The entire album is incredible, but one of the most exciting is second cut You Don't Know [...]
The New Pornographers are a relatively recent discovery of mine, despite the fact that they've been charmingly power-popping their way through hipsters' hearts for seven years. True, I haven't actually bought an album yet, so I'm forced to resign myself to year-old Matador samplers and promo downloads. Still, that's enough for me to realize that the New Pornographers might be the most important force in post-2000 indie pop. Sing Me Spanish Techno perfectly encapsulates this. Coming in at a radio-ready 3:59, and featuring quite possibly the loveliest hooks in North America, [...]
I'm notoriously a big fan of bootlegs (although definitely not on a jam-band level) and one that's been getting a lot of airplay around here is Robyn Hitchcock (& Heavy Friends)' tribute to Syd Barrett . The concert, much like their earlier tribute to the White Album, was a one-off gig in London - only this time exhaustively celebrating the works of Mr. Barrett. It's no surprise that this was especially splendid, as Robyn has been vocal about his love for Syd for years . One of my favorites is Love You [...]
(Someday I'll start posting these things on a regular basis, I promise.) Today's pick comes from a Sheffield band who, although I've been hearing their name whispered reverently amidst stacks of Rough Trade 45s for seemingly years, only just released their debut in November. I knew I was going to discover The Long Blondes somehow, and there isn't a better way to do so than through this track: Once and Never Again Rolling Stone might be proclaiming (as of last week) Amy Winehouse (paraphrased) 'the [...]
Once again, proving myself to be a bit behind the times - although I don't believe I ever posted about Cassadaga in the first place, so I guess this is OK. I started listening to Bright Eyes in 2003, pressed on by hearing "Drunk Kids & Catholics", "Trees Get Wheeled Away", and "Method Acting" on the local college station - I didn't really have any idea of his reputation at the time, or even that his home was so near mine; merely that, wow, this guy was kinda crazy - but I bought Lifted... [...]
Summer's back and so am I! Finally. I'm glad to have so much free time, though - not that much of it is being spent on anything other than obsessively organizing my iTunes and watching Scrubs reruns. Lately I've been listening to almost nothing but Editors . Now I realize that by saying this I've firmly placed myself approximately two years behind the rest of the world, but in my defense, I attempted to be skeptical of them at first. The last band I'd heard such relentless "RIYL The Smiths and The Cure" [...]
PUNCHDRUNK HISTORY IS ON HIATUS FOR THE TIME BEING.
Just a few links today. *Sixeyes lists new releases for May - I'm looking forward to this week's Dinosaur Jr and Frog Eyes and, later, of course Sky Blue Sky and Voxtrot. Can you see the sunset from the southside? gets featured in the Chicago Tribune . It's actually a very lovely article on the MP3-blog phenomenon - one of only a thousand, anyway. Stylus gives us A Guided Tour of Sarah Records' First 50 Singles . [...]
Sorry for the long delay - I've been writing a paper. Anyway, links: EachNoteSecure reviews Pela 's new LP, Anytown Graffiti . I've been a fan of theirs since I heard "Episodes (Diphenhydramine) " from their debut EP, All in Time , so I'm very excited about what they sound like on a full-length. Doubtless it's fantastic - I'll definitely be picking it up once I have a bit more money. I was completely unaware that Greg Norton of Hüsker Dü [...]
At the tender age of approximately twelve, I received a battered VHS tape of MTV's 120 Minutes from my brother. All videos were taped sometime in 1989, and watching it for the first time sincerely changed my life. I was a little college rock fan, crushing on Tommy Stinson and enamored of anything left-of-the-dial; here, then, was a goldmine. I tend to revisit that tape every summer or so, and a few of those videos have stuck with me ever since. Cartoon from Soul Asylum ( Hang Time , 1988) See [...]
mp3: Teenage Fanclub - Star Sign [Buy: Bandwagonesque ] This came on a mix CD I'd made a few summers ago and dug out again today and I'm still impressed at how much I continue to love it almost five years after originally hearing it. (Sixteen years after its original release, no less!) This is a great great summer song (to follow the trend, I guess) and it's basically brilliant. This is the cut-down version with a shorter intro. Perfect harmonies with enough noisy guitar and charming bass to remind [...]
Awww, spring. Today reached a high of 75 degrees, which was very much welcomed. Around this house warm weather is generally acknowledged by Doctor Who reruns and ice cream, but I also tend to stick something cheerful on the old turntable and open the window. Today (doubtless prompted by the single release and their appearance on the Tonight Show ) it's been mp3: The Shins - Australia [Buy: Wincing the Night Away ] This song is becoming the new definition of summer (last [...]
No mp3 tonight, since I'm ridiculously tired, but here are some quick links: The Independent gives Bright Eyes ' Cassadaga 5 stars. Still haven't picked that up - I'll get it tomorrow, I guess. Looking forward to it, anyway; I love the Four Winds EP (I think I mentioned that earlier) so I'm hoping for similar quality on the full record. Rolling Stone (really) gets excited about the Springsteen tribute show. It sounds amazing - particularly: [...]
First and foremost, I have to apologize for not posting in several days - illness and papers tend to do that to you. Whatever, I'm sorry, and I won't be around during Easter weekend either! mp3: Old 97's - Designs on You Buy: Old 97's - Satellite Rides I just recently rediscovered this track and I'm as in love with it now as I was three years ago when I first heard it. The Old 97's are masters of sweet power pop and 'charming' could be [...]
mp3: Thrushes - Heartbeats Let me tell you a little story about about Thrushes . I came home one day to find a MySpace friend request from them in my inbox (doubtless due to our mutual friends A Sunny Day in Glasgow and the Sky Drops ) and, curious, listened to a few tracks - including this one. So, I ordered the album and was first surprised to receive a personal email from guitarist Casey Harvey thanking me for my order. I waited a few days, and then the [...]
Yep, it's official - I'll be seeing Morrissey on Friday, May 11 at the Orpheum in Omaha. Pretty sweet. I also managed (somehow) to score presale tickets to the Hold Steady a week later... which I'm also looking forward to. May is definitely shaping up. Now I just have to figure out how to spend April. More 'tidbits': The Independent lusts after Conor Oberst - honestly, I'm kind of in love with this article. It gets a bit adoring at times (my god, the [...]
Nothing much today, but here are some lovely links: ABC News speaks to the Shins. Not a lot of new info, but it's a good article. (I'm particularly fond of now being known as a member of a "quirky, dedicated legion.") Meanwhile, the Patriot-News discusses the Decemberists . This isn't the greatest, though I'm pleased to see them getting coverage nevertheless. My favorite link of the day: Mike Watt as summarized by Exclaim! [...]
I'm sick of 29-piece family bands. Sure, the Arcade Fire might be cute when they mutter "Pass the bread, s'il vous plait " around the table, but all this "gang membership" mentality (I'm From Barcelona, I'm looking at you!) tends to leave me with a toothache and sugarplum visions of the Polyphonic Spree. That is, until I met We All Have Hooks for Hands . For this South Dakota collective making their long-player debut ("The Pretender" - not Jackson Browne) on Afternoon Records next week, the Arcade Fire comparisons would seem to [...]
Punchdrunk History
