Yuck - Coconut Bible With time and hindsight, a band like Yuck can cherry pick the best elements of the last 20 years (and really only the last 20 years) of alternative music to make this incredible, modern pastiche. But let's be clear: '90s cosplay this is not....
She's back! tUnE-yArDs - Bizness. Man, I'm so glad to hear Merrill Garbus again. I realize the whole "The record's okay but you've gotta see 'em live, man!!" thing is the hoariest of rock cliches, but sometimes it's true. I was aware of tUnE-yArDs when I saw them (her? Not sure how that works) open for the Dirty Projectors a couple years ago, but I had no idea what I was in for. Garbus and her bassist ripped the doors off the tiny venue, thumping, wailing, and moaning these amazing songs. I felt lucky to see them in such...
Wreck Of The Zephyr - The Rolling Over Process - Live at the Hobbyshop. My friends have been doing some interesting work here in LA lately. Some of them are in the band, others are filming. It's all happening at the Hobby Shop which is a recording studio / performance space, which is why the sound quality is so good. It's been a minute since I was excited about the local LA scene, and this is really a breath of fresh, fun air....
I understand that these fellas will never be everyone's cup of tea, but I can't help it. They scratch a particular itch for me, musically speaking. This is one of their stronger compositions, less overtly-indebted to the midwestern emo of the late '90s and more... current. I like pretty much everything they do, and this is no exception. We all have our bands that we like, bands that don't necessarily push things forward or blow minds but rather hit that emotional sweet spot within, something so hard to put your finger on. Hot Club de Paris is that band...
Full disclosure: Zach Sherwin, alias MC Mr. Napkins, is a good friend of mine. I've known the dude since my improv comedy days, which also involved Robot Mark. Weird, right? Improv! Now let's never speak of it again. MC Mr. Napkins - Geography Trivia and F-Bombs. At the time, let's call them "the early 2000s," Napkins was in an excellent sketch group called The Late Night Players. Those dudes have since amicably disbanded, but that group's grounded yet absurdist style has clearly stuck with Sherwin. These tracks are from Napkins' new album on Comedy Central Records titled The Album....
The ACB's - Boy Like Me. Look, I'm not making excuses. But there's so much going these days - I've got a kid on the way, and January has been one big snowstorm - that listening to new music seems like big challenge. I've been falling back on the classics lately: The Sunset Tree, Excitable Boy, Every Picture Tells A Story. Comfort food. That's why it's nice to hear bands like Kansas City's ACB's, bands that already sound like comfort food. You don't hear much about bands like this, people who aren't breaking any molds or finding new time...
Like always, I am super, super late to the party. Like a slow motion Afghan Whigs, or a Mogwai that got laid once in a while, this will all sound familiar to you. Dredging the absolute bottom of the murky waters of the '90s they come up covered in beautiful indie sludge and remind us what we loved about discovery, about riding around in cars at night, about having our tiny hearts broken by the weight of expectation, about the frustration of having our whole lives in front of us and the power to do very little about it....
As everyone braces their bodies for the quiet padding of snow on the east coast, and the sun sets in the west on a blandly cool day, and the folks in the middle snap and crack with frost, we all --together in this business despite our weather-- continue to sleep on the Family Band...
Apex Manor - Under the Gun. I was sorry to hear that The Broken West broke up. They were one of those bands that didn't do anything flashy or innovative, they just played well-written songs, and played them very well. They didn't get the attention they deserved. I Can't Go On I'll Go On from 2007 is an especially good example of their abilities (specifically, the track "Down In The Valley," which will burrow its way into your subconscious for a month or so). Broken West guitarist and singer Ross Flournoy is the frontman for his new project, Apex...
Thao needs a shower curtain. Thao - Gift Card. One last Christmas song before we head off to see our families, open some presents, and drink some alcohol. This one is very practical, and gets to a very important point: things have gotten very impersonal. I actually love receiving gift cards for certain places (Dunkin' Donuts, especially), but I understand why many people don't like it. Thao seems rather undecided on the topic. Merry Christmas, everybody. See you in 2011....
Christmas music. Megafaun - I Saw Three Ships. Despite my excitement in the previous post, I have not done my musical job this Christmas season. I've listened to A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector a handful of times, and tried to keep up with the many Christmas songs released by indie bands this year, but it's proved difficult, for whatever reason. Enter Megafaun. I was listening to Sufjan Stevens' version of this song recently, and my wife commented that she loves that track, but that he messes with the time signature too much. It's a fair point...
Christmas music! I'm glad it's that time of year again. I always make myself wait until the day after Thanksgiving to delve into the "Holiday" genre on my iPod, because of the risk of overexposure. What if it's December 24, and I can't stand to hear Ronnie Spector sing "Sleigh Ride"?? Oh, the things I worry about. Even for the non-Christmas fans among us, it would be hard to get sick of the songs on The Holidays Don't Have To Be So Rotten, and most of them don't sound like Christmas at first. The best tracks here are more...
Another entry from the I'm Really Behind file. Fourth of July put out a record called Before Our Hearts Explode! back in August, and I'm finally catching up with it. These guys have been putting out solid releases for a few years now; they write dependably hummable, toe-tapping songs about relationships, driving around, and what it means to not be a kid anymore. "Tan Lines" is no exception. Fourth of July - Tan Lines. This is a personal story drawing from universal themes. We've all been afraid of losing someone, and we've all had to adjust our lives and...
There is something incredibly satisfying about watching talented people gracefully and earnestly grow up. The women here rock hard and with enough unforced urgency that we don't wish for what used to be but instead focus on the beauty and energy in the room. In other words: I'm fucking psyched for the Wild Flag album....
While we were gone, stuff piled up. A lot of stuff. And with no relaunch date in sight, it was very hard to be motivated enough to check out the new music coming my way. But there are some bands I love hearing from, so when I got an e-mail from Mike of Boston's Faces on Film, I was eager to listen. Faces on Film - Harlem Roses. You can find this track on Faces on Film's new record Some Weather which, true to its title, is full of Massachusetts climates. The album changes from warm to chilly at...
Watch my old friends Kristian and Tim splash around in the surf in slo-mo. Subversive comment on bullshit chill wave or just convenient because they live in SoCal? Either way I'm glad they're still at it....
On second thought, you should probably call it a comeback. Oh brother! Sorry for the extremely long delay, loyal Robots readers. We had some major server issues that we couldn't figure out. And after we spent a few weeks trying to figure them out, we got frustrated and took a break. And then! Robot Mark took it upon himself to fix it, for which I am eternally grateful. Nice work, Mark. We're back, and we're glad to see you. Now let's do this....
It's rare that we here at Robots get to write about a band from the beginning to the end. Of course, we'd rather bands we like don't break up, but I love the fact that I've been enjoying Spaghetti Western String Co. since they released their debut Do Right By People in 2004. They were called just Spaghetti Western then; they added "String Co." for their next one, the Quiet Mob EP in 2005. There have been a couple more since then - 2008's Lull and Clatter, and this year's Final Verse, which is indeed the last work by...
Wolf People - Tiny Circle It's not every day that we're blasted in the face with a flute solo. The jazz flute, once the powerhouse backbone in many a funk/psych band's arsenal has been relegated to ren-faire mockery (thanks jethro tull) or outright lunatic derision (ron burgandy!). So here the sweaty fingers of Wolf People have wrested the reigns back and stuck a flute front and center in their new single. So there. And the rest of the song is great too, riding a strong riff and a classic psych vocal. These folks are right at home on the...
music (for robots)
M.I.A. - Bad Girls (Official Video)
The Shins: “September” (b-side of “Simple Song” 7”)
St. Vincent - 'Cheerleader'
Jay-Z & Kanye West - Ni**as In Paris (Explicit)
OK Go - Needing/Getting - Official Video
No Doubt & Beyoncè: "Undone" ed "End Of Time" saranno i nuovi singoli
Just Because
Debut LP From Irish Garage Rockers Cheap Freaks Out Now!
Radar Eyes – Radar Eyes
