Guilty as charged. When it comes to fresh electro-rhythms and synth-laden jams, I'm not typically looking right in my own hood. Let's be honest. Cleveland is rust belt, and that provides the best kind of blue-collar rock n' roll ethos - in fact, I'd argue that Cleveland has always had its own distinct sound, typically driven by its early roots rock n' roll and lush punk history. Nonetheless, Cleveland native Ryan Sheridan's outfit, Gossip Culture , is set to drop its debut EP, People Talk via [...]
There's a strong chance that I've had a heat stroke; I did a poor job of hydrating while The Kid ran me through the paces this afternoon (walk to the library, splashing about in the water table, throwing balls, throwing more balls, building stuff with blocks, and so forth). I'm on my second liter (litre for our international readers) of water in the last fifteen minutes and I still feel like shit. Remixes make me feel better. This one's a winner, all smooth 80s deedly-doots over the first track from the most recent Belle and [...]
I'm not sure if it's my aging bones or that I've been restless in Cleveland, but spending time this past week with my family was fabulous. Each year that goes by I feel a slight tug back toward the town of my childhood, and any time spent in Cincinnati is usually restful and fulfilling. After a quick visit in Porkopolis and a jaunt down to the rolling hills of Tennessee, I'm officially back in Cleveland and enjoying the sauna....sort of. This post is to serve as a quick catch-up with some things I've missed over the last [...]
Coming back from my vaca has left me with quite a pile of emails, and this one comes from a week ago today. Fresh off the successful (and sonically killer) side-project Moon Duo LP, Mazes , Wooden Shjips is releasing their newest full-length on August 16th via Thrill Jockey . The opening track, "Lazy Bones" is straight out of the psychedelic mouth of the 60's and covers familiar territory for long-time Wooden Shjips fans. It's sticky with heavy reverb and pulsing with a rolling guitar [...]
It's hot where we live. If you're in the northern hemisphere, it's probably hot where you live. I you live in New Zealand, it's probably cool and breezy, but there are Hobbits where you live, so we still kind of win. Heat like we're getting in Cleveland makes me want to listen to two very specific kinds of music: 1.) Understated guitar music with lots of fuzz (real or imagined) and (preferably) a lady singer. The best single example of this kind of hot weather music is probably that one Mazzy Star [...]
We've already established our level of excitement for the new Megafaun record . You can imagine our pleasure when news of the first single from the album found its way to the internet. If I had to boil down what I like about Megafaun into something that would fit into a fortune cookie, I'd wind up with this: Megafaun manage to make music that is simultaneously weird and beautiful. A song like "Drains," for instance, puts soaring vocals next to out-there sound collage. "These Words" manages the same trick. At first blush, it sounds [...]
Portland's Jackie-O Motherfucker has been making records for a long time; they released their fifteenth, Earth Sound System , yesterday. (Note: they're from the Oregon Portland, not the Maine one. Do you think the residents of those cities have a visceral hate for each other? If there was another Cleveland Heights someplace, I'd be pissed.) To once again illustrate that I am a slightly inept (but totally honest) music blogger I have the following confession: the song below is the first song that I've heard from the band. I've had fifteen years [...]
It is a very distinct possibility that S.E. Hinton's characterization of Ponyboy inspired me to become an English teacher. I can still visualize the font on the pages, the wrinkles in the worn out paperback cover. The book was placed on my desk by one of my favorite teachers, probably to serve as a pacifier for my restless classroom attention span; this gift (thank god), propelled me into a love of reading. The Outsiders simply has the ability to do this for teenage boys. I currently teach 12th graders and most young men (much [...]
As you scarf down a few dogs and burgs this afternoon, and light off gunpowder into the wee hours of the morning, I found it fitting (or sardonically witty in a lot of ways), to post the video for Bill Callahan's killer track, "America," on this celebratory day. Enveloped in heavy satiric wit and irony, this track is one of my favorites this year. Additionally, the video (it hit the webs a couple of days ago), is one of the best I've seen all year, as well. So go watch some David Letterman, even if you're not [...]
This track came to me in a turntable.fm chat room from a band member in Yalls , the oakland-based outfit we've been posting about recently. This track is a stellar remix of ABADABAD's "Park Slope (I'm Sorry)." I post it to make your ears happy today. Additionally, make sure to check out the Yalls double-cassette that is being officially released on July 4th. Each track I've heard is glorious. [...]
Kanine Records is releasing the sophomore effort by avant-rock trio, Grooms , on July 15th. One spin through Prom and I've got a lot to chew on. It's ambient but wrapped in a dark and sludgy package. The title track of the album (posted below) begins as a cavernous indie pop jam and wanders into angry territory by its close. The press release mentioned something about Sonic Youth, and I can get behind that, at least in regards to the angles and shifts the tracks take on [...]
Found this track in my email this morning, and it's fun, also a bit appropriate because last night was a long one. Cookouts, lifting a gigantic swingset contraption at 7:30 in the morning, and way too many vanilla porters, and I'm waking up wondering if something was put in my drink last night. I'm literally sore in places I didn't know existed. This track is a blast, with a killer guitar riff singing right through from beginning to end. Straightforward, bouncy rhythms make this incredibly easy for me to digest this morning. It's also got a [...]
With 36 hours wasted over the last three days, I've been clicking around the interwebs quite a bit. I learned of Wyla via The Decibel Tolls , and I've been awaiting the June 25th release of Dulcet since. I probably would have posted earlier if I could pried myself out of the turntable rooms over the last few days.. The sludgy quintet hails from Asheville, NC, a state that is a quantifiable hot-spring of talent over the last several years. The bandcamp page [...]
Megafaun from Hometapes on Vimeo . This is all very good news. Our long-time heroes and North Carolinian pals, Megafaun , have firmly set the date for their upcoming album for 9/20 (via Hometapes ). Described as their most "ambitious, eclectic album yet," I'm replaying scenarios in my brain on what that might mean. Their initial EP, Bury The Square was on our best of 2008 list, primarily because of it's intricate use of tape-manipulation, wizardry in mastering and [...]
Click here to view the embedded video. One million, forty-two thousand, five hundred and sixty-one persons were aware that Jimmy Page is a "Dazed and Confused" bigamist. I was not. It feels like a betrayal. I'm on vacation (as far as you know) and was made aware of this clip by the erstwhile Chuck Klosterman, writing in his new capacity as the zeitgeist-toucher-in-charge over there at Grantland. (I'm not douchey enough to throw a footnote at you, so you get this parenthetical. Klosterman knocked it out of [...]
This woke me up this morning. Dead Oceans posted this at their site, and I've been enjoying this. Almost makes me feel as though I'm in the sweat-drenched and disgustingly malodorous throng. Phosphorescent is an unbelievable band, though, and this footage is divine. Phosphorescent - It's Hard to be Humble (When You're from Alabama)
Just picked up the upcoming release from Pure X , and this is absolutely an album worth your time. The single, "Dry Ice" has made its way across the blogosphere a little, and we pick it up via our rocking neighbor I Rock Cleveland , who posted it yesterday. The track is a hazy gem with equal parts shoegaze, pop, and straightforward guitar reverb, all blended into a thrilling and lush sonic gem. I get chills up my spine during the last forty seconds, and unless you [...]
Sub Pop's little curveball this year comes by way of Shabazz Palaces and, Black Up, out today. You can read a stellar review of the album from Zach at We Listen For You - HERE . You can also stream the entire record HERE to get a feel before you click 'buy.' Although, this is probably one should just go ahead and take the gamble on. If [...]
One of the grandest things about turntable.fm is the dialogue that goes on in those rooms. I've been spending most of my summer teaching vacation trolling these rooms and meeting great music minds from all over the country. A new pal at Flashlight Tag turned me onto the great things going on over at Stadiums and Shrines . Over there, they posted a track from Mathemagic , and I reblog it delightfully here. The Toronto trio is comprised of brothers Evan [...]
Another band I stumbled upon prior to the NXNE festival was Austin trio, Cowboy and Indian , who just got the Stereogum bump on their new video for "Troubled Tracks." This is roots-based Americana that lacks that forced quality that's pretty typical of these types of outfits. Pair up this video track with the first track I heard from the band, "Ledbellies," and you've got a pretty good folk-rock soundtrack for the daily grind this week. The band is made up of Jazz Mills (T-bird and the Breaks), Jesse Plemons (Actor [...]
Citizen Dick
Avicii – Two Million
Scissor Sisters’ “Baby Come Home” Video: Watch The Band Get Animated
Yellow Magic Orchestra edit from Chrome Canyon
Beck – I Just Started Hating Some People Today
