photo by Nichole Canuso Philadelphia's The Mural and the Mint have just released the first single, Ripe , from their upcoming recording, As the Eyes of the Seahorse . At first, I thought it was Cecilia by Simon & Garfunkel, but then a gleeful, "la la la laaaaa lula looo..." let me know I was in for something completely different. Ripe features wonderful rhythmic integration between piano and guitar that's guaranteed to make you want to dance (or at least smile). Check out: The Mural and the Mint - [...]
Traveling with eleven bandmates in a van can get kind of cramped. Everybody STRETCH!!! Last night's Red River show demonstrated the power of live music. As I mentioned last week, their début album, Little Songs About the Big Picture , is a nice first effort ( click here for stream ). It is akin to a folky, lo-fi Postal Service album. That stated, this recording only approximates the sound of the Red River. I think many folks who were at the Tipsy Teapot show last evening experienced a "finding ten dollars [...]
I ranted recently about the plethora of Garage, Chillwave, Electronic, and Shoegazer bands that seem to exist out there in the blogosphere. I am not down on any of these particularly genres of music, per se, but I wish that more people did it well. I think I may have found one, the Sunshine Factory. The Sunshine Factory are (by appearances anyway) a three-piece from Los Angeles. The band plays a heavy drone mixed with a bit of psychedelia for good measure. The result is something that few bands are able to capture-a sound that stands [...]
Via Cakes-n-Tapes Recordings , the Shilohs (Vancouver) offer up six tracks on their latest EP. This is good old-fashioned classic rock. Over the course of two months, I've gone back to this EP several times. It is very accessible, straight forward rock that "pairs well" with hosting a barbecue or playing cornhole at a tailgate. It's funny to say this about a band who plays in such a well-established genre, but I haven't heard anything like the Shiloh's music in a long time. Check out: The Shilohs - Carolina [mp3] Download the [...]
I love the Decemberists. I love Peter Buck from R.E.M. and alternative folk maven, Gillian Welch. This collective went to work this spring on the Decemberists' sixth studio album, The King is Dead (out January 18, 2011). Since learning of the news, my interest in the album has been highly piqued. Well, some of the anticipation is over with the freely available, Down by the Water (just enter your e-mail). It's very much folk influenced, which is also not surprising when considering the collaborators. I think it's going to take [...]
The Red River are coming to the Tipsy Teapot in Greenville on November 8. I first heard The Red River when NPR All Songs Considered host, Bob Boilen, featured it in their fall 2010 preview podcast in September (last track of the podcast). The band just started touring to support their debut album, Little Songs About The Big Picture , which was released on November 2. Although it is an eight piece band, The Red River's music is often far more subtle and nuanced than other bands of comparable size. In other words, they do [...]
A month ago, I was heaping praises upon The Charming Youngsters , who are a local act to Greenville, NC. Led by Nolan Smock, the Charming Youngsters have quickly become one of the more popular bands in the area. Their newest single, Walls , is an up-tempo pop tune with deeper intentions; as it ponders modern existence and the meanings we ascribe to life. I like it, and it was the highlight of the show I attended recently. Give it your ear: The Charming Youngsters - Walls (Demo) [mp3] Check out their EP, [...]
Last night I needed a break from the toil of work, so I took in a Nick Jaina show at the Tipsy Teapot (Greenville's place for indie music). Jaina hails from Portland, OR and is touring to support his 2010 release, A Bird in the Opera House ( Hush Records ). I first became familiar with his brand of jazz inspired indie pop through Daytrotter , and picked up a copy of A Bird... on e-Music a couple of months ago. So you can imagine [...]
Well, it's been awhile! Hey...look what I mixed: Remember to Right Click/Save As on Cover Art to Download So, I grew up a Doug Flutie fan... sue me. He was the big Kahuna when I was in high school, and like many Eastern Massholes, I have a special affinity for our local athletes. What's that you say about Tom Brady? Yeah... suck bilge water, hater! Sorry... that was an unusual lack of decorum on my part. I [...]
Elf Power at The Tipsy Teapot Last Friday marked the start of fall break at East Carolina, which makes Greenville a bit of a ghost town. Fortunately, there were enough folks around to enjoy the show at the Tipsy Teapot that night. It was a real treat as local favorites, the Charming Youngsters and the Gospel Years opened for indie rock icons, Elf Power . I came away that evening feeling good about our local music scene, especially for the Charming Youngsters who [...]
It's been raining for three days here in G-Vegas. This isn't "Seattle spittin' rain for days" kind of rain either. It's the monsoon/rainy season in the South Pacific kind of rain. Oh, I'm friggin' miserable. So is this song... perfect for today: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Crush [mp3] Cheer up!
The Dadada is Freakin' Out! A friend of mine coined the phrase, "Busy Man Syndrome" (aka: BMS), to refer to people who always seemed busy, but used this excuse to avoid everything. We were in graduate school, and a little too aware of people's idiosyncratic behavior. Anyway, the term now describes anyone who cannot commit to anything because they are "too busy" and exhibit primary symptoms of BMS: harried, no time to talk, and frequently complaining there is too much on his or her "to do" lists. I am not complaining, but let's say I've had [...]
My brother... I love my brother, Ken! What a great guy. A few months ago, he sent me an e-mail wanting to know if he could develop something to stream the Blogophilia mixes. I said, "Sure, why not?" I didn't even think twice about it. Then he asked me all kinds of questions that I couldn't answer, and I said, "Just make it the way you want it. What can I say? You're doing it for free." 'Nuff said, and he went about his business. Well, today marks the launch of BlogoRadio [...]
Summer is over... yeah, I know we have about two weeks before it's over on the calendar, but school has started, I am working my tail off, and Labor Day weekend is just about over. Thank goodness for football. Did you see that ECU Hail Mary? Maybe you should: A good weekend for me as an alumnus of Penn State and an employee of East Carolina, I enjoyed my football weekend. Ahhh, but this blog is about music... ARE YOU READY FOR SOME BLOGOPHILIA??? [...]
Sometimes a song gets hold of you, and you can't shake it loose. About three weeks ago , I reviewed the works of the Minneapolis band, The Farewell Circuit. The song, I Am A Ghost still has me in its grips. I can't help mentioning it again, it's just so damn good. Here's a video of the demo recording: And here's the track, The Inexorable March of Time (another track of which I just can't seem to get enough). [...]
I am in "bunker" mode with school starting. I managed to get and listen to the new releases from Ra Ra Riot and Eels . Here's my quick take on Ra Ra Riot's - Orchard-if you liked the last album, you will like this as well. Nothing earth shattering, but remarkably consistent and a little bit of growth since last time. QUICK VERDICT - 3.75/5 Check out: Ra Ra Riot - Boy [mp3] [...]
Out of Tune is the new single from Real Estate. It is scheduled for release on October 12, 2010. Listen: And remember this absolute gem: Real Estate - Beach Comber [mp3] Cheers, and Joyeux anniversaire mon belle fille, Tracey!
New York baseball Giants legend, Bobby Thomson, passed away this past Monday at the age of 86. You can read a nice obituary here . Thomson is much celebrated for having hit the most famous home run in baseball history, "the shot heard 'round the world" hit on October 3, 1951. It capped off a remarkable pennant race that featured a three game playoff to break a season ending tie between the Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. For someone born well after this event, this was always an abstract moment for me; that is until 1999. At that time, [...]
The Harvey Girls are a married duo who formed about seven years ago in Lawrence, KS. Their music favors the experimental, which is no surprise. You'd have to think that living in Lawrence, KS is conducive to abstract, boundary pushing art, because there is not much else to do and let's face it, Kansas is really flat. Well, they recently moved to Portland, Oregon and signed with Circle Into Square . In this year alone, they've had two releases: Prisoners of Candy Island EP , and the full-length, I've Been Watching A Lot of Horror Movies Lately. [...]
Chief Chief's debut LP on Domino Records, Modern Rituals , was officially released today, and if first listen means anything, my interest is piqued. The quartet from Santa Monica combine beautiful harmonies with straightforward rock compositions to produce one of the most enjoyable debuts of the summer. The highlights for me include the folk-inspired, In the Valley , the majestic, Breaking Walls , and the bittersweet, Summer's Day. I hate comparing bands, but the obvious comparison is Fleet Foxes. I loved Fleet Foxes debut, but thought it lack [...]
The Dadada
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