The other day I came across one of the most instantly satisfying pieces of music I've heard in a while: Tribute To by Yim Yames . Yim Yames is really Jim James of My Morning Jacket . On Tribute To , he's busy covering songs by the late great George Harrison (you know, that super talented but often overlooked member of the Beatles ). More often sounding like he's channeling M. Ward than George Harrison (and definitely taking a step back from the ultra-jammy [...]
Strangely enough, it seems that I've gotten completely worn down on music these days. I'm just frustrated with the state of it, I suppose. No, I'm not worn down with the financial state of the industry. I'm frustrated by the means bands are getting publicity. A band - I won't name - gets bumped from their performance on "Letterman" for the unveiling of a freakin' electric car (!), and the internet is abuzz with "oh my god, its so unfair!"s and "they were bumped for a 5 minute 'car commercial'!?!? Laaaame"s. Why? Think about it. I love music, but [...]
While I've been meaning to write about ANNI ROSSI since I saw her at Schuba's a couple weeks ago, I've been enjoying the record too much to put it down to write a proper review. Viola-weilding, Chicago-transplant Rossi takes the lead in my still-early list of 2009 records with the 4AD-released Rockwell . Do you like instruments often mistaken for violins (violas are bigger, alright! bigger!)? Do you enjoy tap dancing being used as percussion? Do you enjoy songs about manifest destiny? You're in luck. With the exception of electro-lounge pop number "Ecology", Rossi sticks [...]
Rainy Day Music After losing an hour of sleep due to Daylight Savings Time, I'm sitting here at 6:00pm drinking coffee, soaking wet from venturing out into the rain earlier today. As it seems to suit today's Chicago weather perfectly, I've made my way to THE JAYHAWKS ' 2003 record Rainy Day Music . For those unfamiliar, The Jayhawks were mainstays of the St. Paul/Minneapolis folk/country scene from the mid-80s to the early 00s, centered around singer-songwriter GARY LOURIS . Rainy Day Music , the last (and most commercially successful) full length [...]
CURSIVE 's follow up to 2006's Happy Hollow , Mama, I'm Swollen hits hard, hits fast, but loses some steam on the back end. Starting strong with "In the Now", a stellar return to their pre- Domestica era "rockness," the record steadily slips into the same comfortable formula that essentially was Happy Hollow, making it exceedingly harder to tell the difference between Cursive and THE GOOD LIFE . To me, Cursive has always excelled in the loud, shout-y, dissonant, post-punk end of the spectrum. For about half of the record, they are truly [...]
Maybe I'm just getting old, but THE APPLESEED CAST 's latest output, Sagarmatha , features some of the most unintelligible vocals I've ever heard on record. This is not to say that I don't enjoy the said mouth-filled-with-marbles vocal stylings, but I think I prefer the off-key yelping of The End of the Ring Wars or the emo-tastic output that was Low Level Owl Vol. 1 & 2 (which, by the way, is an absolutely FANTASTIC 4 disc vinyl set... but I digress). Apparently, Sagarmatha was meant to be an entirely instrumental EP only [...]
In what I can only describe as a "weird" year for music, it's been extremely difficult getting a "top" list in order. None of my usual heavy hitters were releasing records this year, and any record I had been anticipating, I had the good fortune of being involved in the process (publicity, assisting management, label work, etc.). At first I was thinking of completely banning these from the list. However, after much thought, I decided that I might have a tough time coming up with an honest top list if I did that. For the record, I will not be [...]
Olympia, Washington's KICKBALL have done what so many others have have done before them: create jangly/poppy/catchy/abstract music. Despite the emergence of bands like LOS CAMPESINOS! and JOHNNY FOREIGNER , it still seems like things remain slow in the band's camp. Sure, they've gotten some good press (most notably, being featured on KEXP in Seattle), but they're nowhere as well known as their skill warrants. I've chosen to take a look back at the abcdefghijkickball record from 2006. The album opens with "Little Thing", a infectiously catchy tune that sets the tone for the [...]
While I'm no expert on Chicago-based, mostly-instrumental trio (2xbass, 1xdrums) DIANOGAH , I recently came across a few songs of theirs. Intrigued, I picked up their newest record, qhnnnl (I have no clue how to even begin to pronounce that). What I found was a record that satisfied every musical inclination I possess. From the noisy ("Qhnnl", "Snowpants") to the math-y ("You Might Go Off", "Mongrel") to the beautiful ("Andrew Jackson", "Sprinter"). For the record, they've paired up with a fine set of guest musicians, including the likes of ANDREW BIRD , STEPHANIE MORRIS , [...]
So we all know John Darnielle as that vocally-challenged, lyrically-brilliant one man show known as THE MOUNTAIN GOATS , but how many of us have taken the time to look into KOTTKE -esque, percussive guitarist KAKI KING ? Luckily for me, in my short time as a classical guitar major (believe me, there's no career in that, you'd also drop out), I was exposed to Ms. King's music in late-2004 ( Legs to Make Us Longer , to be precise. Go. Check it out. It's grand.). Knowing what I do about both the Mountain Goats and Kaki [...]
From the singing/drumming half of Death from Above 1979 , we get Sebastien Grainger's first solo output. When first hearing he had a solo project in the works, skeptics (including myself) were worried that he'd be stripped of everything that made DFA1979 so fun. They were a band that lent themselves equally appropriate for morning jogs and drunken dance parties. This, with the exception of the recently-departed The Faint , is not the M.O. for Saddle Creek. Calming my fears, Grainger's solo outing does not find him with an acoustic guitar, quietly strumming sappy songs of love, loss, [...]
Rumor has it that the guys in MARGOT AND THE NUCLEAR SO AND SO'S and their new (and gigantic) label (Epic) had a bit of a falling out when it came to the production of their new record. Keeping with their indie roots, the band threatened to withhold/leak/say nasty things about their new record. Fearing losing their new act, Epic conceded and allowed the band to put out their preferred version of the record ( Animal! ) in limited formats (vinyl + digital) while the label would be free to put out their preferred version ( Not Animal [...]
Emanuel Lundgren and the other 4,386 members of I'm From Barcelona are back with a new album and a new label (Mute), the follow up to 2006's Let Me Introduce My Friends . Unfortunately, it seems as if their goal on Houdini is to alienate all those twee pop-loving, gang vocal-enthusiast friends. Where the over-the-top cuteness and songs about chicken pox, sleeping in on Mondays/pretending it was Sunday, and building treehouses was their bread and butter on Friends; Houdini functions as the angry parent calling for their kids to stop playing and wash up before [...]
![OKKERVIL RIVER - THE STAND INS [JAGJAGUWAR]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/1432865_lg.jpg)
While I never quite got into OKKERVIL RIVER as much as my friend Patrick , I've always been able to appreciate the music Will Sheff and Co. has made over the years. For those curious, The Stand Ins is meant to be the companion piece to last year's The Stage Names . While there are moments where the two seem to be mirror versions of each other ( The Stage Names ends with the slow-building-Beach-Boys-sort- of-covering "John Allyn Smith Sails" while The Stand Ins ends with the slow-building-in-the-same-awes ome-sense "Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed [...]
While I'm a little behind on this one ( Pitchfork beat me to it, darn), I've been meaning to post a couple tracks from the young, Minnesota-based, singer-songwriter Haley Bonar . She's 24, on her third record, and has a bigger sound than ever. Past releases have been stripped down tales of dissatisfaction, and while her most recent release, this year's Big Star , keeps the same themes, there's a fuller sound to the record as a whole. Her overall sound/songwriting style can be closest compared to Neko Case or Jenny Lewis. [...]
![CONOR OBERST - S/T [MERGE]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/1432867_lg.jpg)
Whether known as BRIGHT EYES , COMMANDER VENUS , DESAPARECIDOS , or simply his own name, you know CONOR OBERST 's voice from the second you hear it. Taking a departure from Bright Eyes' over-produced (but commercially successful) Cassadega [Saddle Creek], we see the return of the true Conor Oberst, the oft-compared to DYLAN , singer-songwriter. Formerly known for what some may consider to be a slightly-too-whiny-for-the-ave rage-listener lo-fi basement yelp, it's more than welcome to see his vocal abilities to finally match his studio budget (without the "Cassadega-effect", that being the suspicious computer-y, [...]
Aural Enjoyment
Lana Del Rey - Without You (Kill Paris Remix) [Dubstep]
Download: James Blake Live Album (Unofficial)
Miike Snow - “Paddling Out” Jacques Lu Cont Remix (MP3 Stream)
Iron & Wine and Patty Griffin
New single from Gemini Club
