8 posts tagged “death cab for cutie”

Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart Death Cab For Cutie 7 comments Tour Dates 04/17/09 Aragon Ballroom (SOLD OUT) Chicago, Illinois 04/18/09 Breslin Events Center East Lansing, Michigan 04/19/09 Van Male Fieldhouse (SOLD OUT) Waukesha, Wisconsin 04/22/09 Mount Baker Theatre (SOLD OUT) Bellingham, Washington 04/24/09 McCarthey Athletic Center Spokane, Washington 04/25/09 The Morrison Center (SOLD OUT) Boise, Idaho 04/27/09 Memorial Auditorium Sacramento, California 04/29/09 RIMAC Arena (SOLD OUT) La Jolla, California 05/01/09 Austin Music Hall (SOLD OUT) Ausitn, Texas 05/02/09 Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans, Louisiana 05/03/09 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, Tennessee 05/04/09 Ryman Auditorium (SOLD OUT) Nashville, Tennessee 05/05/09 BJCC Concert Hall Birmingham, Alabama 05/06/09 Fox Theatre (SOLD OUT) Atlanta, Georgia 05/07/09 Hard Rock Live (SOLD OUT) Orlando, Florida 07/05/09 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, California 07/11/09 Greek Theatre Berkeley Berkeley, California 07/13/09 Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre Salt Lake City, Utah 07/14/09 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Morrison, Colorado 07/16/09 Pacific Coliseum Vancouver, British Columbia 07/17/09 Edgefield Amphitheatre Troutdale 07/18/09 Marymoor Park (SOLD OUT) Redmond, Washington 07/19/09 Marymoor Park Redmond, Washington Read More Death Cab for Cutie http://weheartmus... Death Cab for Cutie I know, I know, Death Cab is a serious, important band. Forgive me. By the...

Blame rush hour traffic, but the drive to St Paul took me nearly an hour to get to the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. I got there a little late, but was very impressed at the sheer size of the venue. My floor ticket was just great, I never understood those people that pay for the balcony seated tickets, but there were plenty of people up there.

Ra Ra Riot started the show exactly at seven and went off the stage by 7:20pm. What a brief set list.

Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up To Dry

Cold War Kids came on around 8 and did about forty-five minutes of music. They did their big hit songs ("Hang Me Up To Dry", "Hospital Beds") early in their set, but failed to get the audience to move along. I suspect this has more to do with the youth crowd to be mad Death Cab fans, because when Cold War are in their elements (headlining with their fan base), they perform exceptionally well.

I am speaking from experience because I recently saw them headline and the audience loved and the energy they gave off, fed into Cold War Kids and they sweated and teared through their setlist. Watch the video! Unfortunately, not tonight. Tonight mostly saw the band singing songs and heading right into the next without so much as pauses for applauses.

The last three songs, singer Nathan Willett snuck behind his piano and did three piano-type songs and basically away from center stage view.

Also, whoever was working the lights, they must've really had it in for Cold War Kids.  The lights was either white, yellow-ish, or none at all.  This is in huge contrast to Death Cab, who enjoyed a variety of reds, blues, and smoke machine...  The lighting really made a huge difference, if you ask me.

Anyroad, before we get to Death Cab for Cutie, I have to explain that I've seen the band before in 2001 at the 7th Street Entry for $5. People who live in Minnesota knows that the 7th Street is a tiny venue. We reckon it can only hold about 200 people without choking itself. So that was then, a very nice and smokey and not to mention intimate setting to see Death Cab.

How far they've come! They are now doing 5,000 capacity sized venue. And although it didn't sell out, I would hazard at least 60% of tickets was sold, based on my asian math perception skills (that didn't even make sense, it's 1:30am as I'm writing this). Anyway, floor tickets are the cheapest - at a whopping $49-ish a ticket. The guy next to me said with all the fees involved (this is why I hate ticketmaster), he paid $98 for two tickets online!

For the fans, it was worth every penny... they sang (yes, they all sang along) to every song. HUGE reception to "I Will Possess Your Heart" with its 300-minute epic music intro. This is followed by everyone's favorite acoustic-only song, "I Will Follow You into the Dark", followed by "Cath...", followed by the ba-ba song of "The Sound of Settling". Ben Gibbard had the audience eating out of his hands.

For the encore, they did three songs, I'm sure one of them was brand new from their new EP and the other was "Transatlanticism".

It looks like they're continuing on their very successful, mostly sold-out tour. So even if you wanted to see them, you're probably already out of luck - but of course, if you're a huge fan, you probably have your tickets in advance.

Cold War Kids' latest album is called Loyalty to Loyalty from Downtown Music (get a copy at amazon) and the very popular Death Cab's latest is called Narrow Stairs from Atlantic Records. Not sure what their current relationship is with Barsuk, but Ra Ra Riot is on it and it's still one of my favorite record label :)

PS, no photos for this show, because of the strict anti-camera from the security people.

 04/16/2009 01:40:42 ♥ vu () ♥ deathcabforcutie.com/myspace.com ♥ coldwarkids.com/myspace.com 

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Isis Unveiled

And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

While trying to build a list of terrible band names I came to the following conclusions:

1.  Musicians are stupid-smart.  Meaning, they are probably not literally mentally retarded, but they often make decisions based on retarded logic (and I apologize in advance:  there is no better synonym for ‘retarded’; I will be using it repeatedly).  A band name is a precious life, like a baby, and should be treated as such (i.e. would you name a kid ‘Hoobastank?’).

2.  Musicians are pretentious.  They have to be, otherwise the world would be filled with songs about getting audited or checking Facebook 1,735 times a day, and nobody wants to hear that.  We need talented, attractive artists to take our boring feelings and interpret them as beautiful bastions of verbal bliss.

3.  Musicians have a sense of humor.  It’s possible. 

What follows is by no means an extensive list.  I’m sure that somewhere there exists a band with a truly horrific name like Diarrhea Jiz Baby Eaters or something, but I tried to select at least moderately reputable/notorious artists (it’s more fun to ridicule someone who could legitimately sue me for “character defamation”).

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Vu brought to my attention (and a quick perusal of the entire Internet confirmed his claim) that the band originally called themselves…(sigh)…The Clouds That Fondle Jagged Crags and Raging Storms Conspire and You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.  It physically hurts, doesn’t it.  According to Wikipedia, the name started as an inside joke; unfortunately, this doesn’t justify anything.  It’s like getting a vanity plate that says “BIRDLUV” because you actually hate birds and enjoy irony, but everyone else just thinks you’re a homely bird enthusiast.

I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness

What’s surprising about ILYBICD is that they are not high school Hot Topic employees. 

Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart

7 comments

Death Cab for Cutie

I know, I know, Death Cab is a serious, important band.  Forgive me.  By the way, have I told you about my new musical project:  Deceased Taxi for Sexycheeks?  (Let’s christen this the Thesaurus Test.  Death Cab for Cutie: 0, the English Language: 1.)

Echo and the Bunnymen

Will Sergeant once mentioned that they chose Echo and the Bunnymen because it was the least shit name from a list of shit names (even though they all agreed that the name was still a shit name).  This is retarded logic (see #1).  I wonder what happened between “we need a name” and “I hate this name, but I suppose it will do.”  Did they simply give up?  Is Echo and the Bunnymen the band name equivalent of stretch pants and an oversized embroidered sweater?

Butthole Surfers

Sometimes having a really, really dumb name doesn’t prevent a band from major success.  Take Butthole Surfers, which sounds like an elementary school insult (and also a euphemism for anal sex)—dumb name.  And yet, loved by Dead Kennedys, Sonic Youth, Kurt Cobain, and regular people (sold records).  The problem is maturity:  do you want that Mickey Mouse tattoo for the rest of your life?  Do you want to be the Butthole Surfers for the rest of your life?  Do you want young, nubile hot chicks saying “hey, there’s that Butthole Surfer dude.  Isn’t it sad that he’s totally old now and still trying to be gross and funny and talk about balls or whatever?  Let’s not fuck him, it’s too sad.”

Gay Witch Abortion

I know what they’re trying to do.  I know it, and I can do it better:  Fat Wizard Pedophilia.  We can all play this game, it’s easy.  Step 1: think of a non-offensive word that when used in a specific context becomes offensive; Step 2: witch, wizard, sorcerer, dragon, bear, turnip, it doesn’t matter; Step 3: ‘Gay Witch’ alone is kind of funny, kind of gay, but add a mildly taboo/generically topical issue, and voila! a mirage:  seems shocking, but upon further inspection is actually a harmless rock formation.

!!! / Sunn O))) / 00|00

Guide to pronunciation:

!!!: “…Pronounced 'Chk Chk Chk' or any three repetitive sounds” (from Official Website).  I pronounce it ‘… … …,’ which is the sound of rolling eyes.

Sunn O))):  Pronounced ‘sun’; the ‘O)))’ is supposed to mimic the logo for the amp brand Sunn, the band’s namesake, and roughly translates as “lifetime supply of free amps.”

00|00:  Pronounced “oh-oh-eye-oh-oh.”  They’re Japanese.

If a band requires instruction to talk about, I don’t want to talk about it.  So I won’t.

 02/10/2009 18:07:44 ♥ lara (/lara206.vox.com) ♥weheartmusic.com ♥ news.weheartmusic.com 

 12/08/2008 01:57:06  ♥ written by vu ()

The Smiths-There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

The Smiths

3 comments

Cover Lover presents: "There is a Light that Never Goes Out"

Inspirational Place wrote: Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 11:07 PM

[this is good] Sounds a little bit like Morrisey...which is good, real good ;o)

Inspirational Place's comment above, er, inspired me to write about "There is a Light that Never Goes Out" covers. I realized that there's already been several website doing coverage on this song (and its covers), but their articles are ugly! Ok! As a long time Morrissey/Smiths collector, I have also extended my collection to tribute CDs and bootlegs, so most of these songs are already in my little Moz shrine.

A little introduction on Morrissey's obsession on super long song titles. Here's some examples:

• "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me"
• "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want"
• "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"
• "Please Help the Cause Against Lonliness" (written by Morrissey, recorded by Sandie Shaw)
• "Such a Little Thing Makes Such a Big Difference"
• "We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful"
• "The Last of the Famous International Playboys"
• "There is a Place for Me and My Friends in Hell"
• "The More you Ignore me, the Closer I Get"

Undoubtedly, one of my favorite long-titled song is "There is a Light that Never Goes Out". This is a really sweet, but sad song. Every time I hear Morrissey sings "and if a double-decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die", ah, well it just makes me cry a little inside.

Obviously the song's been a major influence on a lot of bands (we'll get to that later), but I was surprise to see it in Irvine Welsh's book Trainspotting the first time I read it after seeing the movie (incidentally, one of my favorite top 10 movies of all time):

Trainspotting

Irvine Welsh

Spud wanted to never get to that party, wishing that they could just go on walking and talking. They went down into the underpass and Spud thought that he should try to put his arm around Nicola. Then a passage from a Smiths' song, one he'd always liked called: 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out', came into his head:
and in the darkened underpass
I thought Oh God my chance has come at last
but then a strange fear gripped me
and I just couldn't ask
Morrissey's sad voice summed up his feelings.

He didn't put his arm around Nicola, and his attempts to chat her up were half–arsed after that.

So below are some covers of "There is a Light". This is by no means a definitive list, but it's a pretty good list by diverse artist. Plus many of these covers were released in one format or another with the exception of the Death Cab's version as that was a live radio broadcast. I have several videos also (notably Noel Gallagher's rendition of "There is a Light" that's worth looking up on youtube if you get a chance), but I'm mainly sticking with CD releases.

ANBERLIN schneidertm.net ♥ myspace.com Anberlin-There Is A Light That Never Goes Out 2 comments When I spoke with Stephen Christian of Anberlin earlier this year on W♥M Radio #24 (incidentally one of our most downloaded show!), I was happy to learn what a big anglophile he was. I suppose I should've seen the writing on the wall as the band's covered some of Britain's best songs.... including The Smiths' "There is a Light that Never Goes out" which appeared on their 2007 album, Cities (The Special Edition version). They're currently on tour in support of their major-label album, New Surrender: 12/10 - The Night the Buzz Stole Christmas @ The Midland - Kansas City, MO 12/12 - The Great Salt Air - Magna, UT 12/15 - Toad's Place - Richmond, VA 01/07 - Nashville, TN @ Rocketown 01/08 - Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel 01/09 - Harrisonburg, VA @ The Alethia 01/10 - Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club 01/11 - Providence, RI @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel 01/13 - Montreal, QC @ Studio JPR 01/14 - Ottawa, ON @ Babylon 01/15 - London, ON @ Cowboy's Ranch 01/16 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Calvin College Fine Arts Center 01/17 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Club 01/18 - Des Moines, IO @ People's Court 01/19 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown 01/21 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue 01/22 - Fargo, ND @ The Venue 01/23 - Winnipeg, MB @ Garrick Centre **VENUE CHANGE** 01/24 - Regina, SK @ The Exchange 01/25 - Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room 01/26 - Calgary, AB @ The Warehouse 01/28 - Vancouver, BC @ Richard's on Richards Cabaret 01/30 - Billings, MT @ Shrine Auditorium 01/31 - Pocatello, ID @ Icon	DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE deathcabforcutie.com ♥ myspace.com Death Cab For Cutie-There's a Light That Never Goes Out 1 comment As mentioned above, I don't have this on CD, this was strictly a download via morrissey-solo. We've previously mentioned Death Cab a few times on W♥M because we like Barsuk Records, so be sure to read some of our articles on Death Cab. This is an acoustic version, pretty faithful with Ben Gibbard only messing up slightly (but not noticable) for Philadelphia's Radio 104.5. I've seen the band live before, and I sure wish they'd play this song as I would've gone nuts for it. The band's recently been in the news because their "classic" 1998's debut album Something About Airplanes was re-issued as a limited edition deluxe 10-year anniversary 2-disc set. The bonus disc contains "recently-unearthed recording of the band’s first-ever Seattle show, a February 1998 set at the legendary venue The Crocodile Café". Apparently on this live recording also includes Sean Nelson on vocals for Death Cab's version of yet-another The Smiths' song, "Sweet and Tender Hooligan"! Since I actually own their first album and didn't get a review copy for this release, I probably won't pick up the album (sorry Death Cab!).... Although it's very tempting at such a reasonable price of $12. Oh, hey, they're on tour. 12/09/08 WaMu Theater Seattle, Washington 12/11/08 Oracle Arena Oakland, California 12/13/08 Tucson Convention Center Tucson, Arizona 12/14/08 Gibson Amphitheatre Los Angeles, California 12/12/09 Club Quattro Naka-nu Nagoya 12/14/09 Shinkiba Studio Coast Koto-ku, Tokyo 12/16/09 Big Cat Chuo-ku, Osaka
THE LUCKSMITHS thelucksmiths.com.au ♥ myspace.com The Lucksmiths-There is A Light that Never Goes Out This is one of my favorite cover - as it's also a duet. Originally appeared on the Smiths tribute CD called Romantic and Square is Hip and Aware (the cover art appears to have been taken from the Smiths' "Ask" video), I picked this up way back in 2003. The song recently made its way back on The Luckies' two-disc compilation CD, Spring a Leak released last year. What makes this an invaluable item in your collection will be that it contains songs from their debut 7" single The Macintyre 7 inch which has a very surprisingly country-esque song "Are You Having A Good Time!!". This is rock n roll so everything rhymes! I love it.	THE DIVINE COMEDY thedivinecomedy.com ♥ myspace.com The Divine Comedy-There Is A Light That Never Goes Out 10 years after the release of The Queen is Dead, French Magazine Les Inrockuptibles compiled this wonderful little tribute album consisting of then-famous British rockers doing song-for-song of The Queen is Dead. Although I can't agree with some of the direction of the songs, overall it was a decent effort. Some of the highlight of this album for me is Placebo's fast-paced, yet whiny, version of "Bigmouth Strikes Again" and Supergrass' dope version of "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" Neil Hannon's approach to "There is a Light" is very orchestral - which is basically what The Divine Comedy is known for. Hannon's operatic vocals lends itself to feel more epic.
YO-YO MUNDI yoyomundi.it Yo-Yo Mundi -There is a Light that Never Goes Out Yo-Yo Mundi is an Italian band and that's all I really know about the band. Their cover of "There is a Light" appeared on the Italian Smiths Tribute CD called There is a Light that Never Goes Out. It was released in 2000, limited to 1,000 pressing (it may have been re-issued due to demands). What I love about this release is that the cover artwork is the full print of "The Enchanted Desna" (unknown actors). The picture previously was cropped only showing the baby for "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore".... and in addition, unseen photographs of The Smiths were used. The price is kind of steep if you're on a budget at $20, but hey, if you're a Smiths fan (and generally like covers), this is a great package - if not for the limited run.	WALLEYE myspace.com/walleyemusic Walleye-There Is a Light I'm not sure if that's actually their myspace, but I picked up this Smiths tribute CD called The World Still Won't Listen, which is a hardcore punkified version of Smiths song. I suppose I am more of a fan of melodic punk/pop punk, as these songs on this album is much too much for me. The sound volume on the CD is loud and louder. I can't bring myself to listening to, but it was a nice try, at least a very different take on Smiths songs - which are known for their sensitive side. I don't know any of the bands that made it on The World Still Won't Listen, so there's not much to write here, sorry :/ PS, one thing I liked was that the cover artwork, mimicking The Smiths' compilation album, The World Won't Listen, only with mohawked kids on the cover.
SCHNEIDER TM schneidertm.net ♥ myspace.com Schneider TM - The Light 3000 (There is a Light that Never Goes Out) Possibly the most interesting and inventive cover version of "There is a Light" by electronic artist Dirk Dresselhaus, or better known as Schneider TM. The song originally appeared as a b-side on his Binokular EP (2000) with collaborator KPT.michi.gan. I couldn't find proof of this on wire.com (Wire: please have better search features, please?), but according to wikipedia, the song was voted as "best cover versions ever recorded" by Wire Magazine.	THE OCEAN BLUE theoceanblue.com The Ocean Blue-There is a Light that Never Goes Out 3 comments The Ocean Blue's cover of "There is a Light" originally appeared as a b-side on their EP, Peace and Light. Way back in high school, trendsetter Dan Davis (we all admired this guy in high school) was really into The Ocean Blue. At the time, I think he was really into Echo & The Bunnymen and Candy Flip (remember their cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever"?) So, that was early 90s, so I was really surprise to see that they're still around - on Sally's review of Blue Skies Daisy Days.
BRAID polyvinylrecords.com Braid-There is a Light That Never Goes Out 1 comment I thought this punk-ish band's version of "There is a Light" is pretty good. It has a, I don't know, a power-pop to the song - which clearly is not what the song is missing. It's a good take on the song though. The band broke up before I had discovered them, but you can find their greatest hits/compilation Movie Music volume 1 and 2 in used bins at most record store.	NEIL FINN finnbros.com ♥ myspace.com/neilfinn Neil Finn - There is A Light that Never Goes out Probably best known for being in Crowded House (wow, remember those guys?), Neil Finn teamed up with a bunch of superstar rockers, Lisa Germano, Sebastian Steinberg, Ed & Phil of Radiohead (I interviewed Phil Selway for KFSR 90.7FM a long time ago), Eddie Vedder, and of course Johnny Marr. For Marr's appearance, they covered The Smiths' "There is a Light that Never Goes Out" - which sounded fantastic live!

So, a funny thing about the title "There is a Light" was I bought this stupid keychain flashlight at a Smiths convention a while back with the text clearly written on the side: "There is a light that never goes out". You know what? A year into owning this dumb thing, the flashlight stopped functioning. I guess the light went out for me :/

Links: www.weheartmusic.com podcast.weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com

 08/28/2008 02:28:40  ♥ written by vu ()

Birds, what is up with that? It seems lately that we're getting album artwork that features birds on the cover artwork (especially owls). Can someone explain this to me? Seriously.

Below are a ton of bird-album artwork.

AVIARY GHOST aviaryghost.com ♥ myspace.com Aviary Ghost - Somewhere Else 1 comment Fom Illinois is Aviary Ghost, a band that seems to be headed by Charlie Crimando and Stephen Kemsley. Reading their biography, it would seem that they spent a lot of time recording music in a one-room apartment in Michigan. One of my favorite song on their album, Memory Is A Hallway (featuring cut-out birds over a scenic location), is the most fast-moving song is "Windowlight", which seems to be about the light through the window - sung in an old-fashion cabaret-style song, which I will say works very well for the song. I thought "Somewhere Else" was also pretty good. The song is described as "catchy Swedish pop", which I'll have to agree with. The lyrics are pretty detailed too, I especially liked the chorus: "we're laughing, 'cause laughing is much better than a scream". You can get their album, Memory Is A Hallway (recently released July 15th), on iTunes or CD Baby. Aviary Ghost	MORE TEETH more-teeth.com ♥ myspace.com More Teeth - Electricity (Remix) I think someone in the W♥M group have this album, One Bird a Day, for review, so I won't go into too much details about it. Surfice to say that it's a compilation of three or four bands in the electro-genre. Based on what I've heard, I really dig Sparkydog (sounds like new wave) and More Teeth (which sounds like very experimental noise art). I've decided to go with More Teeth because of their snazzy drums and electroclashesque vocals of Mindy Abovitz. JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD jessicaleamayfield.com ♥ myspace.com Jessica Lea Mayfield-Kiss Me Again We're not really promoting Jessica Lea Mayfield (I don't think her PR company knows my address, which I will confess is fine as I have too much music to handle), but I couldn't resist the owl-art on her soon-to-be release album With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt out on September 16th on Polymer Sounds on her press release. What's there to say based on this one song, "Kiss Me Again"? She has a very nice voice, and sounds like Thao Nguyen.
PUTOIS citizensofcontraryknowledge.com ♥ myspace.com Putois-No More Dancing 1 comment Yet another Chicago, Illinois band - man, they really love their animals! I believe "putois" is actually a ferret or something. Anyway, on their second album, Problem Is Not a Problem Anymore, we see a crane with some ducks (while their debut album, The Thinking Fireplace features a cartoon bird dressed as a gentleman). It would seem that these introspective songs are written and sung by its creator, one Bob Mason since 1995. Most of this album is acoustic, mostly folky and the song "No More Dancing" would best represent what currently Putois sounds like. There are a few highlights on the record. For instance, I liked what he was trying to do with "Cta". This had a weird bass and quirky noises and beeps. Even his singing style is different here (although I think this might be a guest-vocalist? It just sounds very different). The other song that isn't so acoustic is "The Lonely Traveler" with its arrangement of piano and harmonica. If you like bands like Minnesota's Low, Putois might be right up your alley. Problem Is Not a Problem Anymore is out now, you can get it from CD Baby.	PLUSHGUN plushgun.com ♥ myspace.com Plushgun-Just Impolite 1 comment I love Tommy Boy Records. One of my first CD was a Tommy Boy and I just remember how big they were in the early 90s, especially with the b-boys and girls. Well, I guess the record label is still around and I have one of their latest release by one-man-band, Plushgun. Daniel Ingala's vocals sounds like he has a British accent, reminiscent of early 80s new wave pop bands. His latest self-titled EP has a cute drawing of a bird with an old SNES controller in a cassette-tape-style mess in the sky. All the songs were available for download on August 19th (iTunes). The four songs on the EP is a very easy listen. I love all the songs actually, with the exception of the semi-sappy "14 Candles". Although it was nice to hear a woman singing backup on this song, but I didn't think this song belong on the EP. Maybe I just don't like love songs. His other songs are more upbeat and sounds more like obsessive/stalker feel to them. There are some great lyrics on "Just Impolite" ("I walk the line, like Johnny Cash" and "I'm not upset, just impolite"). A physical copy of Plushgun will be available on September 9th via Amazon and other retailers for $9.99, but if you can't wait the download is sold now for 60% cheaper ($3.98)
BRICE WOODALL AND THE POSITRONS bricewoodall.com ♥ myspace.com Brice Woodall-This, There, Where Check out Brice Woodall and the Positrons with their album, Sine Wave Sea. The artwork on the cover is a flying bird block with a hole in its stomach. I know it's a bird because if you visit the artist's website (trevorbittinger.com), his all-flash website features these same block birds flying around. Brice Woodall is currently based out of Chicago, Illinois, according to his myspace. Woodall's vocals has a woman quality to them, but not in a falsetto way (and not as a put down). His voice is very interesting, it definitely pulls you in. I think my favorite songs off this album is easily "This, There, Where", a pop song with some interesting mix. I also dug the experiment on "Winter/Break/Down/Away". Well, it looks like they are currently on tour, be sure to check them out. 08/29/08 Quenchers Chicago, Illinois 09/12/08 Double Door- Kittypalooza Chicago, IL 09/24/08 Rapture Charlottesville, Virginia 09/25/08 Lucky Buddha Richmond, Virginia 09/26/08 Trash Bar Brooklyn, New York 09/27/08 Murky (upstairs) Arlington/DC area, VA 11/08/08 Art*Bar Riverwest Milwaukee, Wisconsin 11/19/08 Madison, Wisconsin 11/20/08 Chicago, Illinois 11/21/08 Detroit, Michigan 11/22/08 Indianapolis, Indiana You can pick up Sine Wave Sea from InSound.	CITIZENS OF CONTRARY KNOWLEDGE citizensofcontraryknowledge.com ♥ myspace.com Citizens of Contrary Knowledge-Complicated Featuring a drawing of a chicken on the cover of Citizens of Contrary Knowledge's You're What You Wish You Are. Upon closer inspection, is that a cock? They do sound a bit southern cock rock... Reading their biography, it would seem most of the band members are residing in Harlem, New York. Their singer/frontsman, Chris Barczynski, sounds like he doesn't take his biography too seriously (he writes that he was in the Witness Protection Program, etc). This is also a problem when he lists that he's appeared on stage with Green Day, Sugar Ray and Hootie - should you believe him? I'm leaning to 'no'. I was drawn to the faster/rock song and my favorite is "Complicated" and "Lonely Hearts Society", which is driven by a muscular guitar playing (with some neat tricks). Despite as I have said about their music being rock, they do lean to the sensitive/slow side with "House of Cards", "Unless You Do", "Real Love", and "Wrong Side of the World". I think listening to them that they might fare better as a live act, perhaps jamming their songs at a longer length at a dive bar. You're What You Wish You Are is out now, available on CD Baby. They just finished playing Arlene's Grocery, which is apparently a bar?

Here is the bonus segment, some bird-bands we've previously covered: Tinkture, Birdflu, Story of the Year, The Alarmists, The Notwist, Loquat, El Perro Del Mar, Ben Sollee, Peter Bradley Adams (Owl), Death Valley Sleepers, Death Cab For Cutie, Patrick Wolf, Deadbird, Jeff Hanson (Owl), They Might be Giants (Owl), Eels, Biography Of Ferns, Computer Vs. Banjo (Owl), Ash, Susan Krebs

Bands we haven't covered, but I'm sure we'll get around to them. These features birds on the cover: The Great Northwest (Experimental Folk), Nebraska (Folk), Foals (British Rock), The Black Keys (Southern Rock), KYTE (Ambient Pop), and the talented Graeme K (Experimental/Old-time/Dance). Honorable worth mention is Abigail Washburn with her tiny birds on the cover.

Graeme K-And Rattle 3 comments	They Might Be Giants-Number Two	Jeff Hanson - The Hills 1 comment	Peter Bradley Adams-So Are You to Me	Computer Vs Banjo - Give Up On Ghosts 7 comments
Tristan 1 comment	Susan Krebs & The Soaring Sextet-Medley- I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry-Dink's Blues-Three Little Birds	Birdflu - Bird Flu	Eels - Dog Faced Boy [Alternate Version][#]	Death Valley Sleepers - In The Valley
Story of the Year - Wake Up	Biography Of Ferns - Not a Magician	Tinkture - Pyrotechnics 1 comment	It's Not Impossible 1 comment	The Notwist - Hands On Us 1 comment
Feral Flame	The Lucksmiths - Frisbee	Nebraska-The Great Divide (Radio Edit)	Loquat - Swingset Chain	El Perro Del Mar-Dog
Death Cab For Cutie - The New Year	Haste the Day-Pressure the Hinges	Nostalgia 77-Knee Deep (Nostalgia 77 Remix)	The Great Northwest-Know What I Mean	Foals - Mathletics
The Black Keys-Your Touch	KYTE - Home	Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet - Sugar & Pie 2 comments	Ash - Teenage Kicks 1 comment	Collections of Colonies of Bees - Flocks I (excerpt) 1 comment

Links: weheartmusic.com myspace.com/weheartmusik

The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely

The Raconteurs

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This week's news involves very well-known acts, so there's no need for introduction on any of these bands. I will add my own personal insights on the news, however.

The Raconteurs release their sophomore album Consolers Of The Lonely through Third Man Records/Warner Bros Records on today (March 25th).

I do like The White Stripes and based on some quick listen of this new album, I think I'm going to like this new album. It's very guitars and Jack White does a lot of singing on this album.

Excerpt from the press release:

Back in Nashville in May 2007 they made their first venture into the studio, putting a plethora of ideas down on 16 track tape; a method that gave them the freedom to try out arrangement and editing ideas they’d come up with during the writing process. When they came back to the ideas in the fall, following a brief hiatus where they all worked on other projects, they were able to turn them into a rich 14 song masterpiece, a far more bombastic and inventive album than their debut. Consolers Of The Lonely, with all of its twists and turns, is a spirited, dynamic and endlessly impressive album.

Death Cab for Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart

Death Cab For Cutie

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Death Cab For Cutie, another huge band, have a new single called "I Will Possess Your Heart" from their forthcoming album Narrow Stairs, which was produced and mixed by Chris Walla^[W♥M].

Details of the album, due out on May 13th, and tour dates are available on their press release.

I've listened to the song a few times now and I can tell you that it's a slow-building song. The bass is really good at the intro, and the lyrics doesn't kick in until 80% of the way in. I suspect they may have to edit down to 3 minutes and cut out the epic intro, if they are to promote this to radio.

The song definitely has that Chris Walla touch, read Ceji's review on Field Manual.

The Dresden Dolls - Backstabber The Dresden Dolls THE DRESDEN DOLLS Release New LP This May! http://weheartmus... The Dresden Dolls - Backstabber from weheartmusic.com “ ”the music she [Amanda Palmer] and drumme...

The Dresden Dolls are back with No, Virginia on May 20th, and it looks like it's a weird collection of new songs and some old, demos, and b-sides. It's not a greatest hits, it just looks like a companion album to Yes, Virginia (2006).

Excerpt from the press release:

Having spent nearly two years solid on the road since the release of Yes, Virginia, including tours with Panic! at the Disco, the True Colors tour with Cyndi Lauper and The Gossip, and their own sold-out headlining shows across the country, The Dresden Dolls are proud to put their newest collection of songs into your hands very soon. Due for release on Roadrunner Records on May 20th, 2008, the band’s new album, entitled No, Virginia, is made up of new songs, old demos and b-sides from the Yes, Virginia sessions. A startling companion album to an old fan favorite, No, Virginia is ripe with the incredible songwriting by which the Dolls are defined, and presents some of their best playing yet: Amanda’s piano may literally be turning to dust from the strength she’s using to bang on it, while Brian’s drums carry every melody on their sturdy snare snaps and chaotic cymbal crashes. Topped by Amanda’s uncontainable, multi-dimensional voice, No, Virginia contains some of the best songs in their repertoire.

Read more about The Dresden Doll from Silpa.

 03/25/2008 12:06:00  vu my♥posts press.weheartmusic.com

The Mars Volta - Birthday

The Mars Volta

There are a ton of album releases today! Here are the ones that might interest you:

The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath
From the ashes of At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta releases their fourth album, The Bedlam in Goliath, today.

There's a bunch of "exclusives", so for die-hard fans, you will have a very tough time tracking down all the extra bonus tracks.

I know that Best Buy have an exclusive 2nd live disc and if you got your CD from Japan, it comes with a DVD and a cover song of The Sugarcubes' "Birthday".

Their version is very... er.. very strange. I have to say "good try" though.

Chris Walla - Everyone Needs A Home

Chris Walla - Field Manual
Ceji previously wrote the review for this album, I suggest you read it if you're at all interested in Death Cab for Cutie.

There's not much to add, except that there is a limited edition (with a bonus CD) and as pointed out by Dale, you also get a couple of extra songs for downloads.

Description from Barsuk:

Available in two versions: Standard digipak cd package, or limited-edition deluxe clothbound cd package. Both come with a 32-page booklet featuring Chris' original photography.

SPECIAL LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Order by February 4th and get 3 non-album MP3 bonus tracks!

Shelby Lynne - I Only Want to be With You

Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin'
There's a few country albums released today, but since I don't have Willie Nelson's A Moment of Forever, I'm just going to talk about Grammy-Winner Shelby Lynne's Just a Little Lovin'.

Her 10th album is an all Dusty Springfield cover album. I take it back, there is one original song on here, it's called "Pretend". This song is written by Shelby Lynne and is mostly acoustic... in the same vein as her Dusty covers.

I love the album artwork, I think it may have been inspired by the live album Dusty in Memphis.

If you get the Best Buy digipack version as it comes with a bonus DVD with two live songs.

Louis XIV - Tina

Louis XIV - Slick Dogs and Ponies
The only thing I know about Louis XIV is that all their songs are about drugs and sex. Right?

I'm glad to see that their latest release does not feature old porno images, instead you get darken green pictures of the band (I think).

Anyway, according to wikipedia: There's a Traitor in This Room is the lead single for the album, but I couldn't find evidence of this anywhere. It's not even available on the US iTunes store. By all accounts, it looks like Guilt by Association is the single.

Xiu Xiu - Under Pressure (Feat. Michael Gira)

Xiu Xiu - Women As Lovers
You may have remember seeing the disturbing album artwork for A Promise. Trust me, it's an image you cannot unsee.

Their cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" is also equally as disturbing.

Anyway, I haven't listen to Women as Lovers, but I noticed that they did another cover on the new album. This time it's Queen's "Under Pressure".

This version is actually pretty good, I wish it would utilize more of that awesome bass that Vanilla Ice took advantage of.

Joe Jackson - Invisible Man

Joe Jackson

2 comments

Joe Jackson - Rain
Don't forget that the CD/DVD combo album Rain by Joe Jackson is released today! It looks like I may have to review the album as Ryan is computerless.

Besides from from the awesome DVD (please see my review), the album is reminiscence of his popular Night and Day album. Joe Jackson returns to his piano-driven music, which I'm calling the Joe Jackson Trio (all jazz trios are named after their pianist).

Listening to the album, I was drawn to "Rush Across The Road", a song about seeing a complete stranger and wanting to rush over to her to get to know her. It's very easy-listening reminds me of a more optimistic version of the very bitter Positively 4th Street.

Jackson's ability to tell stories in short pop/jazz songs can also be heard on "Invisible Man" which I think is about a famous person slowly fading into obscurity.

Like most of his songs, it's open for interpretation.

 01/29/2008 17:24:35  vu my♥posts www.weheartmusic.com

I wanted to post this entire album up here. I really did. field manual is actually Chris Walla's second solo album, and I was more than happy to see it. After a report of the hard drive actually being confiscated at the US/Canada border, I was even a little worried that it would be delayed. Thank God for external hard drives!

If Chris Walla's name sounds familiar, I should probably tell you he's the guitarist/producer in Death Cab for Cutie. He's also done work with The Decemberists  and Tegan and Sara. If you're a fan of any of these bands, you're already quite familiar with Chris' sound and field manual doesn't disappoint.

Two-Fifty

Chris Walla

The opening song "Two-Fifty" is full of the harmonies that we are so used to hearing with DCFC.  This was my favorite song, not only because it reminded me of those harmonies, but there was something more stripped down and ethereal to them that I really liked. The simple drum beat in the background keeps a simple time and it's really easy to focus on the song and the meaning.

By the time I had gotten to the track 6 titled "Everyone Needs a Home", I was ready for something a little more lush and fuller in sound. This is another favorite. Despite the lovely arrangement, Walla's voice never gets lost among the shuffle. It's nice to not have dig and search for the singer's voice. 

Chris Walla - Everyone Needs A Home

Chris Walla

I tried not to make too many comparisons to that other band that Chris is in, but I'm such a big fan that I couldn't help it. I thoroughly enjoyed this album, and I'm on the hunt for more Chris Walla. In fact, Chris has more downloads available at his website Hall of Justice. You can also stream more tracks on his official MySpace page, or pre-order field manual in the Barsuk Shop and enjoy!

field manual is released January 29th, 2008.

Little Boxes

Malvina Reynolds

Weeds Season 2

01 Elvis Costello
02 Death Cab For Cutie
03 Engelbert Humperdinck [Full]
04 Kate and Anna McGarrigle [Full]
05 Charles Barnett
06 Aidan Hawken
07 Ozomatli [Full]
08 The Submarines
09 Tim DeLaughter
10 Regina Spektor
11 Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice
12 Malvina Reynolds [Full]

Weeds Season 3

01 Randy Newman
02 Angelique Kidjo
03 Kinky
04 Donovan
05 Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters [Full]
06 The Shins [Full]
07 The Individuals

others will be added as the season progresses

English Covers:

Pete Seeger - Little Boxes

Pete Seeger - Little Boxes

Pete Seeger - Little Boxes (Live)

Pete Seeger - Little Boxes (Live)

The Womenfolk - Little Boxes

Nina & Frederik - Little Boxes

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Keith Carradine - Little Boxes

2 comments

Roger Scimé - Little Boxes

Kris Gruen - Little Boxes [Clean]

Kris Gruen - Little Boxes [Dirty]

Christopher O'Riley - Little Boxes

Devendra Banhart - Little Boxes

Abby Lappen - Little Boxes

The C.R.S. Players - Little Boxes

The Global Stage Orchestra - Little Boxes

Dogwelder - Little Boxes

Full Versions (of the 50 second long edits used on the show):

Engelbert Humperdinck - Little Boxes

Kate and Anna McGarrigle - Petites Boites

Ozomatli - Little Boxes

1 comment

Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters - Little Boxes

The Shins - Little Boxes

Covers in Other Languages:

Graeme Allwright - Petites Boîtes

Nara Leão - Little Boxes

Victor Jara - Las Casitas del Barrio Alto

Parodies:

Tom Tuerff - Little Star Treks

2 comments

Links: Music from Weeds (Showtime Site) | Wikipedia (Little Boxes) | List of Covers

Posted by Jason

bellawilfer wrote: Sep 17, 2007 at 1:43 PM

Fantastic job, but it would be great if you could note that Pete Seeger did more than just cover the song. Malvina Reynolds wrote it, but it definitely was Pete who made Little Boxes famous. I think his first recording of the song was on the live album of a 1963 concert at Carnegie Hall, We Shall Overcome, but there was a later studio version that was pretty successful as a single. There's what looks like quite a good discography on the Pete Seeger Appreciation Page.

Sixbucksamonkey wrote: Sep 17, 2007 at 7:04 PM

[ciò è buono] NICE! Decemberists version here.