It's been pretty quiet around here for awhile (so quiet that we're pretty sure just our mom's are checking this thing at this point) (hi moms!), but even though we haven't been writing all that much, we promise we've still been listening to loads of good music. So putting this list together has been a good chance for us to finally put down how we feel about some of the great stuff we've heard this year. We just hope it's as fun for you to browse through as it was for us to pull together! Before reading on, [...]
LINK: R.E.M. Breaks Up Monster by R.E.M. was one of the first albums I ever listened to start to finish. Out of Time was one of the first CDs I ever owned. (And probably the only one I purchased in Jr. High school that I'm not now ashamed of.) Good thing R.E.M. provided us with the perfect anthem to deal with the emotions we're all dealing with right now. Thanks guys.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm good friends with everyone in Mad Diving Barons . In fact we used to play in sundry bands together in college, and I've even covered bass for them once in recent years. Because of all that I've never written about them here, even though they're making some pretty great music. Maybe it's because it feels like some kind of music-blogging nepotism or something. I don't know. But you know what? These two songs they just posted as impromptu music videos to promote a local show are too good not to post. Friends or no, [...]
Reptar is a band you need to be listening to. That's it. That's all you need to know. They're bouncy brand of synth-pop has been bringing the good summer vibes to my Blazer all month - and I don't expect to be tiring of their big hooks and booty-shakin' breakdowns anytime soon. They sound like some sort of cross between Talking Heads and Passion Pit, with a little Isaac Brock and MGMT thrown in, all delivered with a wink and a cockeyed grin. They're debut EP, Oblangle Fizz Y'all, is out now, and should be listened to [...]
Well that was a fantastic summer. I don't know about you, but I feel refreshed and ready to blog again! And to prove it, we're giving away 2 tickets to see Matt & Kim open for Blink-182 this Saturday night at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Noblesville, Indiana. So if you feel like watching the soundtrack to Community's commercials open for the soundtrack to my junior high years, then this is definitely for you! To enter to win, leave us a comment below with the following: a) you're email address, and b) [...]
Whoa everyone. Long time no see, am I right? After so long most blogs and bloggers launch into some sort of contrite and conciliatory explanation as to why they have failed to post. Not us, we just each had an awesome summer and didn't feel like we had the time or patience to post. I mean, don't get me wrong, we love you, our regular readers...but we also love summer hiatuses. Without further ado, I'll go ahead and let Fanfarlo welcome you all back with their newest single "Replicate" set to appear on a [...]
MOKB Presents recently brought Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. to Indy's White Rabbit Cabaret , and it was hands-down one of the funnest shows we've been to in recent memory - so much love from the band, so much love from the crowd, so much "Higher Love" from Steve Winwood. I've been meaning to write a summary of the show, but this video sums it up much better than I could ever hope to, so here you go: (thanks MOKB !) Did you see me and Kristin in there anywhere? [...]
You'll find some pretty great reviews of Bon Iver's Bon Iver, Bon Iver online. I just don't think I'm up to throwing my hat into the ring by giving you a full blown review of Justin Vernon's latest. Instead I thought I'd float something a little more creative and outside the box to tell you what I think of Bon Iver, Bon Iver . This little graph shows the play counts for each individual track off of Bon Iver. Now I'll [...]
Last Saturday night we had the great pleasure of finally seeing The Head & the Heart perform live at the Madison Theater in Covington, KY. I say "great pleasure" because there's really no better two words to describe it than GREAT (def: remarkable in magnitude, degree, or effectiveness ) and PLEASURE (def: a source of delight or joy ). We drove all the way down to Covington to see them open for Iron & Wine , since the show here in Indianapolis sold out quicker than I'd anticipated, and we weren't about to [...]
I'm actually really looking forward to this little compilation of Buddy Holly covers due out June 28th. Look at that lineup. The Black Keys, Sir Paul McCartney, Modest Mouse, and yes, Kid Rock (!!!) Buddy Holly was one of the artists I knew as a child. I'm not talking teenage years or even my tweenage years, Buddy Holly goes back to those endless car rides to northern Wyoming to visit my mother's family. Crammed into a mini-van along with my four other siblings while my parents listened to a steady stream of Buddy Holly, The Everly [...]
So I'm still not quite out of my forced finals isolation. Soon though, so very soon. But until then, check out this video by Yellowbirds . They'll be touring with Josh Ritter in late July. So if you like this video and Josh Ritter, well I think I've just planned a fun summertime activity for you.
My Friday just got a whole lot better. Coldplay just released a new single- "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall". It's upbeat and catchy, and I dig it. The word is that it will be part of an album produced (again) by Brian Eno, and will be released this Fall. Have a listen . For kicks, here's something that just popped up on my radar- Chris Martin singing with Faultline (David Kosten). It's dark and haunting, and I dig it too. It sort of brings balance to the force [...]
Last Saturday night we were lucky enough to catch Band of Horses at a semi-secret show at the Indianapolis Museum of Art that was part of the IZOD Indy 500 kick-off party (obvs – dreamy alt-country indie-rock and Indy-car racing are basically synonymous). They played outdoors in the IMA's smallish open-air amphitheater, and the warm spring night couldn't have been more perfect for it - honestly it was one of the most relaxed and pleasant shows we've been to in awhile. (I understand "pleasant" isn't the most sought-after adjective for a rock 'n roll show review, but it [...]
Here's a short playlist I made a few weeks back after seeing The National open for Arcade Fire in Chicago (I promise to write something about that soon). It seems like there's been a slew of one-off songs lately featuring the unearthly baritone of one of my favorite leading men, Matt Berninger, so I decided to throw all the ones I could find together. They're all varying degrees of awesome, but some stand out a titch more than others. The Forms song, for example, is hands-down one of my favorite songs of [...]
Last Friday me and a friend made the short jaunt down to Cincinnati for the first night of their annual MusicNOW festival , featuring ymusic, Shara Worden, and a resurrected performance of "Sounds of the South" by Megafaun, Fight The Big Bull, Justin Vernon and Sharon Van Etten. For those who aren't familiar with the festival, it's curated every year by The National's Bryce Dessner, and is dedicated to unique collaborations between various artists – and usually consists of new or original music, sometimes never even having been performed before. In fact, in introducing the night's itinerary, Bryce said [...]
When did Alberta become so hip? Between Bon Iver's new track "Calgary", the fantastic track Chris just posted from Calgary-native Chad VanGaalen , and everything about The Rural Alberta Advantage I find myself longing for the cold expanses of our northern neighbor. Let just all agree right now to pre-order the new Bon Iver album and meet back here June 21st to discuss. Deal? Link : Download Bon Iver - "Calgary"
Oh hello there! Nice to see you again! Why thank you, I did cut my hair! You're so sweet for noticing! It's been a couple months since I've carried my weight around here, and that is unacceptable. (Sorry Logan.) But my semester's wrapping up in the next week or so, so I'll soon be able to come out of my cocoon and e-shine on the i-webs again! But seriously, I have so much great music to write about it's ridiculous. For now, here's something newish from one of my lo-fi favorites, Chad VanGaalen . It's [...]
If The Antlers' Hospice elicited tears and heartache, Burst Apart elicits muted utterances of, "Holy crap." (or more creative expletives) Burst Apart appears to be the story of two people involved in an absolutely bitter (and very possibly abusive) relationship. Each song deals with this crumbling relationship and is largely presented in a one-sided conversational tone. "I Don't Want Love" and its opening line " You wanna climb up the stairs, I wanna push you back down " is your first introduction to what you're going to be experiencing [...]
Bear with me through this first part cause the last half is on awesome Persian pop music from before 1979. You don't want to miss that. I think deep down I'm trying to be a music snob. To be that guy I hate. The one who looks down on his less-informed friends with a dickish sneer and says things like, "I'm into music that you've probably never heard of." I said that almost exact phrase on a recent date (sorry Rita) and immediately regretted it. Sometimes I can be prick. I'm sure there are times I [...]
I think I speak for all of us when I ask Chris, "Where is the review for the Arcade Fire / The National show you went to this weekend?" While we all wait for that, enjoy some video samples from a forthcoming Portugal. The Man album due out sometime near the close of summer. I wish more of my favorite bands put out music with the frequency that Portugal. The Man does it.
Whale in a Cubicle
![Fanfarlo - Replicate [OFFICIAL]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/youtube/iZT2M3YM3PA_130.jpg)
First Aid Kit – Emmylou
Childish Gambino - "Heartbeat" (Official Music Video)
James Blake – Live Album
Mux Mool
