21 posts tagged “france”
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09/21/09 BOTTLENECK* Lawrence, KS 09/23/09 GRANADA THEATER* Dallas, TX 09/24/09 EMO’S* Austin, TX 09/25/09 WAREHOUSE LIVE* Houston, TX 09/26/09 Spanish Moon* Baton Rouge, LA 09/27/09 Bottle Tree* Birmingham, AL 09/29/09 MASQUERADE* Atlanta, GA 09/30/09 CAT’S CRADLE* Carrboro, NC 10/01/09 9:30 CLUB* Washington DC 10/02/09 Trocadero* Philadelphia, PA 10/03/09 Paradise Rock* Boston, MA 10/04/09 KNITTING FACTORY Brooklyn, NY 10/08/09 TERRACE CLUB Princeton, NJ 10/09/09 Twisted Branch Charlottesville, VA 10/10/09 Duke Coffee Durham, NC 10/21/09 CMJ @ PIANO’S NY 10/21/09 CMJ @ CAKE SHOP NY 10/24/09 CMJ @ THE DELANCEY NY * with Ra Ra Riot Discography
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Their sound is formulaic Sarah Records indiepop, you know, music designed for you either close your eyes or look at your feet while you sway slowly under a non-aggressive 80s modern rock vocals. Sometime there's even a break and the song goes from sleepy dreamy to catchy upbeat (see: "Show Some Love, When Your Man Gets Home" and "I Left My Love in Nagasaki").
While many songwriters write about themselves, I don't get that feeling with this band as their subjects are all over the place: Asians (Korea, Japan), small-town love stories ("Sadie & Andy"), suburban couple in Germany ("Martina and Clive Krantz"), and Dear John letters ("Sylvie"). Story-wise, it's very diverse and interesting, and I also get the impression that the songwriters, Jesse & Matt Kivel, are also well-read and well-traveled, collecting little stories for their songs.
So, while "Shout it Out", the preceding single, is pretty much a love song, I felt "Sadie & Andy" is a better love song. Actually, the love song is on Andy's part, who longs for Sadie. Sadie, on the other hand, evolved and moved on, while Andy is stuck as a grocery stockboy. The same theme is recycled on "Sylvie", about said-girl who went away, although on this song, there's a hint of humor on the song, especially about the gift of "socks".
While these are sad songs, but I think this song would be great to be heard life - especially with surprise female guest vocalist - such as Amy from Ice Palace (the studio version features Meredith Metcalf on girl-vocals).
If you see the band live, yes, they are touring with Ra Ra Riot, you may get confused about the band members - that's because singer Jesse Kivel is a twin brother of bassist Matt. I am assuming you can pick up their album at one of their shows, if not, you'll have to wait until September 29th to get Cocoon of Love.
09/20/2009 17:28:08 ♥ vu (
) ♥princeton-band.com ♥ myspace.com/princetonmusic
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09/23/09 Ooh La La Festival LA, CA
Discography
09/25/09 Joe’s Pub New York 09/26/09 Maison Française Washington 09/29/09 Empty Bottle Chicago 10/13/09 Club 106 Rouen 10/21/09 Espace Culturel Six Fours 11/25/09 Prince Bandroom Melbourne 11/26/09 Powerhouse Brisbane 11/27/09 Factory Theatre Sidney 11/28/09 Festival Centre Adelaide
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So what's interesting, right off the top, is that the folk-ish band writes and sings in English. I believe most of the songs are written by Daumail, so he also sings on most of the song. His voice is very unique, almost nasally, but you get used to it after a few songs. There are some vocals from Imbeaud, which often sounds very melodic, but unfortunately she's mostly used as backup.
Daumail seems very obsessed with flying - particularly birds (owls, hummingbirds, and vultures). He later sings, "I hate birds" on "Tell Me". Even their poppiest, and I think their best song, is about queen "Owl". The song doesn't really make sense to me, but I know at some point there is a missing treasure in the forest and a bear hunter.
If you like that LSD-ness, combined with what people are comparing the band to other artists like Sufjan Stevens and Nick Drake, then you definitely need to check out Cocoon. Apparently, they have a huge buzz in the UK, having selling out shows across Europe. They are playing some tiny venues in the US, so if you're lucky enough to live in those major cities, check them out.
If you can get around the flash-y Minty Fresh website, I'm sure there are instructions on how to buy My Friends All Died In A Plane Crash. Looking at amazon, I see that it's priced ridiculously at import cost of $38 (hint: used is only $12).
09/20/2009 17:28:08 ♥ vu () ♥ frompandamountains.com ♥ myspace.com/listentococoon
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Sticks is an all-instrumental album (there are vocals harmonies by Cosmika, but it's rare and mostly used as backdrops). The album takes us on a journey back in time to that 60s/70s era and I never felt listening to the album that it took me into the future. All the instruments sounds very organic, with emphasis on percussions and drums (as noted in the album title) and especially the sitar which happens to appear on several tracks ("Melisma Mercury","Rififi Rococo","Little Nature"), giving it a distinct Indian/Asian sound.
Besides from taking and keeping us in the past, I also felt that Sticks did a wonderful job on mixing between music genres. For instance, the sixties-sounding go-go dancing of "Danger Buds" is paired next to funk-sounding "Rififi Rococo" (which actually sounds strangely like Russian folk music), then back to 60s with a Farfisa organ (?) of "Night Scare", then back to 70s funk with "Root Juice".
What I love is that you're always looking forward to where Joss takes you, at least I was never bored at any given point... Although I will admit the atmospheric song of "Tune Down" was a bit too loungey and way heavy on the bass for my taste.
If you're a vocals/singing fan, I don't recommend this album to you. If you like non-vocals DJ-style type of music, such as Thievery Corporation (they are one my top 10 bands on lastfm), U.N.K.L.E., and those Verve Remixed albums, you'll find Chris Joss right up your musical alley.
Sticks was released last Tuesday, March 10th, you can purchase it at most retailers, however you might have the best luck via the US record label, ESL Music.
03/12/2009 21:13:32 ♥ vu ()
♥ chrisjoss.free.fr ♥ myspace.com/chrisjoss
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10/08/08 Cate St. Pub Hammond, LA
10/09/08 Alabama Music Box Mobile, AL 10/10/08 N World Brewery Ybor City, FL 10/11/08 Rollins College Orlando, FL 10/13/08 Tin Roof Charleston, SC 10/14/08 New Brookland Columbia, SC 10/15/08 Spazzitorium Greenville, NC 10/16/08 Cave w/ Nathan Oliver Chapel Hill, North Carolina 10/17/08 Black Cat Washington DC, Washington DC 10/18/08 Rudy’s New Haven, Connecticut 10/21/08 Bog Scranton, PA 10/22/08 Space Hamden, CT 10/23/08 Knitting Factory (CMJ Fanatic Showcase) New York, New York 10/24/08 PA’s Lounge Boston, Massachusetts 10/25/08 Metro Gallery Baltimore, Maryland 10/28/08 Basement Nashville,TN 10/29/08 The Nick Birmingham,AL 10/30/08 Tasty World Athens,GA 11/14/08 Blue Moon Saloon Lafayette, Louisiana 11/21/08 Spanish Moon w/Man Plus Building Baton Rouge, Louisiana 
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softtargetsmusic.com ♥ myspace.com
Jesse Corry, on the road, talking to us about:
- The Chicago Soft Targets
- "Frequent Flyer" is like an ex-gf and new album, "Heavy Rainbows"
- Cover artist, Jared Olsen
- Tour highlights
mybigbrass.com ♥ myspace.com
Christiaan Mader on his weekend off:
- Preparing for new tour and CMJ onslaught
- The secret origin of Brass Bed
- live vs studio
- Bassist Jacques keeps a food/tour blog, imhungryihavetopee
- Writing process
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weheartmusic.com
I love April March and France Gall.
Episode #26 used/mentioned these bands: Stormy Monday, Holdin Caufield, Soft Targets, Brass Bed, Serge Gainsbourg (W♥M, Charlotte Gainsbourg (W♥M), April March (W♥M), and France Gall (W♥M).
Here is another collection of random EPs:
trevamusic.com ♥ myspace.com
Let me stress that this is a Summer EP (released in late June of this year), so it's full of warmth and happy feelings.
Treva Blomquist is a singer/songwriter, and apparently a vagabond (she's currently somewhere around Tennessee and Washington). If you like pop music, with some folk (this includes banjos & fiddles), then you'll love Blomquist's latest EP.
Looking at the track listing on her debut album, Plain Vanilla Me, from 2005, I see that two of those songs ("Home" & "I Could Get Used to This") appear on the EP. This isn't a surprise to me, as I think whenever bands re-use songs - that they are great songs.
Of the six songs, "Fire With Fire", I feel is the best. This song is more upbeat and the lyrics seem to be from someone with a devil-may-care attitude.
Be sure to see her on tour:
 [2005] Plain Vanilla Me |
 [2008] As It Should Be - EP |
09/28/08 Roland Bland Park (Treva & The Suits) Bowling Green, Kentucky
09/30/08 French Quarter Nashville, Tennessee
10/02/08 Durango Songwriters Expo Colorado Springs, Colorado
10/03/08 Durango Songwriters Expo Colorado Springs, Colorado
10/04/08 Durango Songwriters Expo Colorado Springs, Colorado
10/05/08 Durango Songwriters Expo Colorado Springs, Colorado
10/18/08 Private Event Sewanee, Tennessee
11/06/08 Bluebird Cafe Nashville, Tennessee
11/23/08 Chattanooga Market Chattanooga, Tennessee
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WOODFISH woodfishmusic.com ♥ myspace.com It would seem, based on their track listing for their 2006 album, Bamm Diddely, that this new 2008 EP, Breathe, that there is only one new track: "In My Eyes". I suspect these same-titled songs might have been updated for the EP, lots of sax used on these songs. Like most jam bands, this music is really meant to be experienced live. The band sounds like they are having a great time playing the funky bass and wild guitar. I would hazard a guess that any party or outdoor concert would love to have these guys as entertainment. So, I listened to the EP on my iPod with headphones and I noticed myself head-bopping to "Bamm Diddely" (I'm not sure if that title is an homage to Bo Diddley, but I hope it is), "Losing My Mind" and "Love Another". Tour Dates 09/27/08 Long Island Walk to Defeat ALS West Hempstead, New York 10/08/08 The Stone Pony with Buckethead asbury Park, New Jersey 10/10/08 Buffstone’s Hamilton, New Jersey 10/11/08 Paul"s Tavern Lake Como 10/15/08 Mexicali Blues Live Teaneck, New Jersey 10/18/08 La Boca Middletown, Connecticut |
CAW! CAW! cawcawmusic.com ♥ myspace.com The seven tracks are a quick listen, it's been on repeat in my car for a while. The problem I have about listening to music in my car is that I couldn't take notes on the songs I liked. I remember two key songs that I liked: Tracks two and five. As it turns out, two is "Organisms", which is available as a free download. The good thing about this song is that there are a ton of lyrics, with these standing out: "tigers, panthers, little trees, bumblebees". The other is "Work", which shows off more of an experimental side and their punk origins. Wait Outside was released September 23rd on Slanty Shanty Records. Tour Dates 09/27/08 Bela Dubby Lakewood, Ohio 09/29/08 Arlene’s Grocery (21+) New York, New York 09/30/08 Pianos NYC New York, New York 10/01/08 Corey Dubya’s House Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 10/04/08 Bennington College Bennington, Vermont 10/11/08 The Sitting Dutchman Madison, Wisconsin 10/16/08 Mixtape Records East Moline, Illinois 10/18/08 The Loft Macomb, Illinois 10/21/08 FANATIC Showcase Original Sessions Art House New York, New York 10/22/08 Wesleyan University Middletown, Connecticut 10/24/08 424 Clark St (w/ Mose Giganticus) Morgantown, West Virginia 11/19/08 Beauty Bar Austin Austin, Texas 12/12/08 The Mill Iowa City, Iowa 12/13/08 The Blue Fugue Columbia, Missouri |
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TIGER! SHIT! TIGER! TIGER! trevamusic.com ♥ myspace.com This 8-track EP comes from a New York trio. It has a very garagey/DIY punk feel to it. What comes across is that they are fun, fun, fun! You shouldn't take them too seriously - I mean, just look at their name! Spin magazine agrees with me, they recently put a blurb about them in their September issue. Like typical punk music, these eight songs are all very short, practically all under three minutes each. The most interesting song on the EP is "Insert Disco Beat Here", which seems to have some sort of synth or keys in there. I reckon the best song is the introduction song: "Crime Wave". This is a high-energy song, complete with Superchunk-ish singing. If you enjoy brand new raw/unpolished punk, you should check these guys out. They are going to be playing with the legendary The Slits on October 22nd! Tour Dates 09/26/08 Urban Club w Ex-Otago dj set by Fab. Perugia 09/27/08 tba 10/04/08 WHITE OUT c/o Suono Club w/ The Banshee, Scuola Furano, Peedoo / Polaroid djset Ferrara 10/21/08 NY ny 10/22/08 w/ The SLITS, MADEINMEXICO, MANIQUI LAZER @ Lit Lounge, Blueghost PR /Poni Republic CMJ 2008 New York 10/23/08 per le strade di jersey city nj 10/25/08 nyc ny 10/25/08 NY NYC 10/26/08 NYC NY 10/27/08 56° strada - NY NYC |
NELSON. nelsonrock.com ♥ myspace.com/nelsonrock Released last Monday in the UK was Nelson.'s The (Over) Song Remixes EP - just prior to their album Revolving Doors to be released on September 29th on Ctrl Alt Del Records. I'm not sure if the album will be available domestically in the US - please check with the label if you are interested. The title track (and best song) is the album version of "The (Over) Song". JB Devay, I think, is the singer (?). Well, his accent doesn't sound particularly Frenchy as I had hoped when I saw that Nelson is based out of Paris. It's still cute though. On the EP is four different mixes for "Chicken Lips", two instrumental mixes with one dub version. Each of the four versions are very long, clocking in at 9 minutes each. They're very electronica/disco-y, so I felt it had a very slow build, until the lyrics kick in: "this is not over, this is not over..." The (Over) Song Remixes EP is available now, look for Revolving Doors next week. Tour Dates 09/29/08 REVOLVING DOORS - ALBUM UK RELEASE! UK 11/25/08 LE TRABENDO + WOLF PARADE PARIS |
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One thing before we begin on another very diverse set of 6-EP pack: you can download Matthew Perryman Jones's first album for free or a mere $1 via noisetrade.com. I will admit that I could not get noisetrade to work (it was only offering Kate York and I could not browse through their artist), but maybe you'll have better luck.
Noisetrade looks interesting, you can pay $1 or tell three of your friend for a free download. It's a great idea, and I've been trying to saying for a while now: make download free or cheap and it will encourage people from seeing you on tour and/or buy merchandise from you.
This promotion is due to his upcoming album, Swallow the Sea to be released on Thirty Tigers on August 19th. You can even preview Swallow the Sea album on breakingoutthewindows.com, although it does require you to register.
Also, for more downloads, check out free downloads on site.w♥m.
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FALLOUT 3
fallout.bethsoft.com ♥ gamestop.com
I'm a longtime Fallout fan, and I recently put down some preorder money for the Deluxe Edition because Gamestop was offering a free 5-track CD. The Fallout 3 Soundtrack features their theme song of The Ink Spots' "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire". I might try and dig up the first two Fallout games and replay them in anticipation to the third game, revisit the classic Louis Armstrong's "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" as that was heavily used in the second game. Anyway, if you were intending on getting Fallout 3, you might want to get a bonus EP out of by going to Gamestop. PS, my character of choice was a sharpshooter with lots of strength to wear the Brotherhood of Steel's armor and to shoot those heavy guns. |
MtO
mr-mto.com ♥ myspace.com
I had a pretty hard time locating mister MtO, as there is a rapper crew from California, also called MTO. This MtO is a DJ from Paris, France. This latest release is Bring it On Now, a three-track EP with three different version of the same song. At first listen, all three sounds basically the same, but the Remote mix seems to be slowed down a bit (this is evident on the vocals "bring it on now"). I thought the Original mix is pretty accessible/poppy, complete with backup "oy" sound. It ends up that Hatchmatik stood out here, I think mostly because I like the clapping used on the mix. Like all remix/DJ releases, I think that the real talent is actually live mixing and I don't know if that translate well on a recorded medium. If you're a fan trance and beats, definitely give this a spin, you can get the record from Coco Machete Records. |
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MIDDLE CLASS RUT
reverbnation.com/middleclassrut ♥ myspace.com
The "MC" in MC Rut does not stand for Master of Ceremony, but "Middle Class". Another misconception you might have is that this "EP" contains nine songs (officially 8 songs, but there is a not-so-hidden 9th called "Start To Run"), clocking over 40 minutes - longer than many punk albums I own! Apparently this band consists of only two members, guitarist Zack Lopez and drummer Sean Stockham, both of whom were on a major label band called Leisure when they were only in their teens. By default, I usually think the first song on a single or EP is the most important, but I'll have to say that I will pass that up for "New Low" - which contains a catchy line "I got a new low, all fifty-two cards in a row". Middle Class Rut is playing one show at the end of the month (August 31st) with The Force at Anaheim, California. Be sure to pick up their latest EP, MC Rut EP from their myspace. |
THE JEFF MICHAEL BAND
thejeffmichaelband.com ♥ myspace.com
Despite what you may think, I actually really like Country music, and the Jeff Michael Band does have a little bit of a country twang to them. Check out "When Will I See You Again", their lead song on The Other Side EP. Although it looks like he does have a full band backing up mister Michael, you never really see them in photographs on his myspace or official website. All the photos shows off a handsome Jeff Michael. The Other Side is the second EP from this talented young musician, whose influences includes classics like The Beatles (especially on "Let Her Go") to John Mayer, but I do get a sense of a little Dylan (on "Enjoy the Ride"). He's playing one date (Sep 24th) at the M Bar in Hollywood, California. Be sure to grab his latest EP at CD Baby. |
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ETERNAL DESCENT
eternaldescent.com ♥ myspace.com
We previously mentioned Eternal Descent before, and I said they reminded me of Evanescence. As a cover lover, when I got their latest EP, The Phantom of the Opera, I instantly needed to hear their cover version of this Andrew Lloyd Webber classic. Wow, it didn't disappoint me, this song is an industrial metal with a "duet" of a demonic-sounding Phantom. The b-sides consists of only two mostly-instrumental songs "Legends" and "Fallen", both are good, but I felt was overshadowed by the first track, "Phantom". I think they were really designed as background music, as you're reading the comic book (you can see a preview of it on their myspace, I couldn't find any details on how to actually get a copy of the book). With Losing Faith, I previously mentioned looks kind of anime, but this new cover art by Jason Metcalf feels more superhero. The art reminds me of Michael Turner, who unexpectedly died this year. Anyway, you can pick up the latest EP from cdbaby, be sure to read about Losing Faith. |
SPiN
spinrocks.com ♥ myspace.com
This is SPiN, a Philadelphia band with their 2007 EP called, er, what else? EP. In a recent discussion with cranky, she pointed out that Music Exchange was cross-promoting Philadelphia and Minneapolis bands. This is kind of interesting, because previously, I wouldn't associate these two cities together, you know? Plague with a common moniker, searching for SPiN's website was really hard. I eventually found it, but if I had trouble... then there's a problem for fans to find you. Apparently the band is sponsored by their drink of choice, Jagermeister, an interesting choice, since I get the impression that they sponsor more harder music such as Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica. If you listen to them, they sound more like powerpop/rock. Check out their burst of energy song, "Not In Love". You know, the more I hear "I'm not in love, I'm not in love, no no, not in love with you", the more I get the feeling that he's actually in love with her. Still the chorus is pretty catchy. Be sure to check out these live dates:
08/28/08 The National Underground New York, New York
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Read more Attack of the EPs.
Links:
www.weheartmusic.com
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Benjamin Løzninger is an extremely interesting fellow who makes extremely interesting music. He began his present project, Løzninger, in 2004, when his daughter (who appears sampled on many of his tracks) was born. Before that, according to his bio, "An unverified rumor claims he is an active member of the cult french mysterious-masked collective Oslø Telescopic, famous for their crazy musical debut and graphic trilogy, for having kidnapped the famous French indie singer Dominique A and for their hysterical shows in Europe." I haven't a clue who or what that is, but he may have been a part of it. Regardless, his current music is neither crazy nor hysterical, but beautifully-crafted folk-rock with a bit of a strange edge to it.
His latest work, the Crossweek EP, available in an extremely limited edition of 100 copies from Spain's Moonpalace Records, is a deft album of lovely lyrics coveyed in Løzninger's soft, deep shuffle of a voice over music that is primarily composed and driven by acoustic guitar in traditional singer/songwriter style...but lying beneath and around that simple combination of vocals and guitar are all manner of interesting beats, synth samples, and odd little bits of audiosculpture that give the EP a very unique style. This is most definitely not an example of that clumsy attempt at combining indie-rock with electronic elements called "indietronica," but clearly a singer/songwriter-style EP given a slightly-tilted edge by Løzninger's looped acoustic beats, electric guitar flourishes, occasional samples, and expert production. Løzninger is a genius with panning, arranging musical elements in his tracks so that the complete sonic space defined by two stereo speakers is filled with sharp, clean elements that balance beautifully. You really don't see that much in music these days, especially this type of music.
For example, track 6, "October's Back," is a deceptively simple arrangement composed mostly of Løzninger's voice and acoustic guitar. Your basic singer/songwriter type of track, right? But then you noticed the looped static that introduces it creeping from one speaker to the next, the arpeggiated electric guitar softly sparking in your right speakers, the banjo plucking that fills the entire stereo field, the light cymbal percussion in the left, and finally the layered vocals that give the song a depth unheard of in folk music. The EP is short, clocking in at only 25 minutes, but substantial. The production is amazing, and the lyrics catchy and memorable (especially "Timeback," with its odd "hypnotized by your underwear" hook). Best of all, the tracks are all very varied in composition: all built around the straightforward voice-plus-acoustic-guitar-accompaniment formula, but expanded beyond that with all manner of neat little sound samples, percussion, and other instrumentation.
If you're lucky enough to live in Spain or have a lot more money than I do, you can check out Benjamin Løzninger at the following dates:
- Jul 24 2008 11:45P Universal Exhibition 2008 / Zaragoza
Jul 25 2008 11:45P Universal Exhibition 2008 / Zaragoza
Jul 26 2008 11:45P Universal Exhibition 2008 / Zaragoza
Aug 28 2008 7:00P Hotel de Vogüe / DIJON
Here are the last couple of weeks in music news. You may remember Ryan's post about Pitchfork Music Festival 2007, well it looks like 2008 will be another great year for this Chicago, Illinois-based organization. The Pitchfork Festival 2008 will take place July 18-20th and will feature over forty bands.
I think this Festival is shaping up quite well, and who knows? Maybe in a few years it will rival some of England's more famous Festivals like Glastonbury and Reading.
For a limited time, Pitchfork and eMusic are giving away 25 tracks for free. Since we have covered many of these bands, I have included links to our previous articles below. Grab it now because last year's 2007 Sampler is no longer available.
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01 Mission of Burma: "Academy Fight Song"
02 Boris: "Ibitsu" 03 Cut Copy: "Lights & Music" 04 Jarvis Cocker: "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" 05 Spiritualized: "Soul on Fire" 06 Extra Golden: "OK-Oyot System" 07 The Dodos: "Jodi" 08 High Places: "Sandy Feat" (7" Version) 09 Mahjongg: "Those Birds Are Bats" 10 Atlas Sound: "River Card" 11 Bon Iver: "For Emma" 12 No Age: "Neck Escaper" 13 Times New Viking: "Drop-Out" |
14 The King Khan & BBQ Show: "I'll Never Belong" 15 Jay Reatard: "My Shadow" 16 Dizzee Rascal: "Sirens" 17 Fuck Buttons: "Bright Tomorrow" 18 HEALTH: "Glitter Pills" 19 Animal Collective: "Grass" 20 Boban Markovic Orkestar: "Balkan Fest" 21 A Hawk and a Hacksaw and the Hun Hangar Ensemble: "Serbian Cocek" 22 Les Savy Fav: "The Equestrian" 23 Elf Power: "Never Believe" 24 The Apples in Stereo: "Energy" 25 Dinosaur Jr.: "Almost Ready" |
All I have to say is: Dinosaur Jr are still together? Far out.
Other news should really come as no surprise: France is banning pirates, Duffy got some mojo, LeAnn Rimes makes her very own "My Little Pony", Beatles song making it onto Rock Band, insanely expensive gasoline prices are causing indie bands to stop touring, and how to make your very own Daft Punk suit. That last story inspired me to actually want to buy these inexpensive neon lights to design my own "Sleeper" logo shirt or something? Weekend project, anyone?
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Links:
www.weheartmusic.com
I may be doing more of these "quick" snippets, usually in three's. Nothing fancy, just news and notes:
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Tour Dates
06/13/08 Varsity Theater Minneapolis
06/14/08 Empty Bottle Chicago, IL 06/16/08 Drake Hotel Toronto, Ontario 06/18/08 Sound Fix In-Store Performance Brooklyn, NY 06/18/08 Union Pool Brooklyn, NY 06/19/08 IOTA Club & Cafe Arlington, VA 06/20/08 Millcreek Tavern Philadelphia, PA 06/21/08 Arts Center Carrboro, NC |
Item #1: Hey, I'll be attending Annuals' live show tomorrow (June 13th) at the Varsity Theater. I think it's all ages, which means the show will start pretty early (5-6pm). Look for me if you're going to this show also.
Check out their other dates, you can sign up at Canvasback Music for a chance to attend the concert of your choice, runner up receive a free Wet Zoo EP. In addition, if you're in the Minneapolis area, the grand winner will also receive a pair of tickets to the Underwater Adventures Aquarium (I think it's in the Mall of America).
It doesn't cost anything to enter in the contest, so you might as well enter. The worst you can do is not win.
I will write a little more about the Annuals on my concert review, so that's scheduled for Saturday morning.
PS, I just entered into their contest.
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Item #2: Remember Prototypes? You guys love them. It looks like their song "L'Amour, L'Amour, L'Amour", from their third album, Synthetique (out on Minty Fresh), have been recently used in various commercials (iPod and Mitsubishi) and television shows (The L Word).
I got the chance to listen to the said song and it's very cute. Obviously, I still cannot speak French, but it doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of complicated lyrics here... but still, there is something about the French accent that gets me everytime.
My question is, why weren't they on Eurovision 2008?
Item #3: I got this press release about Prince Fatty. I am only mentioning this because I laughed at just his name, as well as his album Survival Of The Fattest.
I listened to the MP3 that sometime comes with these things and it wasn't what I was expecting: it's reggae! Very interesting, I've decided to include the song here as well as mention his two dates he'll be playing:
July 16 Los Angeles The Dub Club
July 18 New York Hudson Terrace
After doing more reading, it becomes clear to me that 'fat' might be in reference to pot (smoke a fatty) because the fatty himself, Mike Pelanconi, is a skinny white dude.
Mike and Fatboy Slim should have a duel. That's right, Survival Of The Fattest.
Links:
www.annualsmusic.com
www.prototypes.org
myspace.com/princefatty
Yup, that time of year again. Europe collectively moans, and the rest of you stare on in disbelief. So I missed the first half (oh, no, how could i...) and the Irish chicken never made it anyway. Still, here's a best of, and it's still going on so expect one or more new ones later...
France
Sebastien Tellier's Divine sounds a bit like Pulp crossed with the Beach Boys. How can he win lose ... win? Lose. Be positive Pepsi... France weren't quite so impressed and got in a right huff that he sung in English. Personally I'd be more worried about all the beards. Check out the Sexuality album it's from for a retro hit.
The first stand out track I saw, Diana Gurtskaya's "Peace Will Come" ain't so good in video form, but along with being one of many trying to goth it up this year, they were much better live. Maybe not those white headed twa... err... but how the hell'd they get changed so fast?
Just caught this on the catch-up. If I didn't know any better I'd say it's the reformed Moldy Peaches. Lord knows they have enough press for it... anyway, it's actually just one guy, Elvir Laković aka. Laka, the song is Pokušaj, and it's damn good once you get past 1.30. Epic in a Baywatch titles kinda way.
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| Cat wrote: Sat, May 24, 2008 at 5:24 PM |
I love the woman who is co hosting. She's like a villian in some bad movie. And a classic moment when they bought out the old girl who won the first Eurovision.
And I can't remember who was singing but the dancers wearing white. The guys in long white shorts and long white socks. Too much. It's always like watching a school concert.
 | daljian wrote: Sun, May 25, 2008 at 3:45 AM |
Björn Gustafsson is his name.
He is an upcoming swedish comedian (Done only swedish stuff I think)
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"Seasons in the Sun" is one of those songs that is massively popular in Asia, especially where I'm from originally in Vietnam. I found out that the song is actually a 1961 Belgian French song called "Le Moribond" (The Dying Man) by folk singer Jacques Brel.
Brel lived in Belgium and moved to Paris in the 70s, and most of his body of work (from 1954 to 1977), was mostly composed and sung exclusively in French.
The song was translated into English and recorded as a song by Rod McKuen, which sounds kind of like Leonard Nimoy's acting/singing... especially at the end, where it gets a little exaggerated. I found the recording on imeem, so hopefully the embedding feature will work out.
Prior to Terry Jacks hit recording, there were several attempts by The Kingston Trio (1963) and The Fortunes (1968), and Pearls Before Swine (1970), but none of them ever got as popular as Jacks' version in 1974.
A couple of notes, about the Fortunes, they are still active (and playing live) and have the "Seasons in the Sun" song available for download on their website, although from listening to it, it sounds like, perhaps it's a re-recording(?). Anyway, some tour dates:
05/24/08 California Cliffs, Great Yarmouth.
06/06/08 Keswick Rugby Club, Cumbria
06/08/08 Whitby Pavillion
06/13/08 Memorial Social Center, Wickhambrook, Newmarket.
06/28/08 Theatre on the Steps, Bridgnorth, Shropshire
07/05/08 Spa Pavilion, Felixstowe
07/13/08 Pavilion Theatre, Cromer
07/19/08 Alvaston Hall, Nantwich (Warners)
07/25/08 Purley Chase Golf Club. Nr Nuneaton.
07/26/08 Artrix Theater Bromsgrove
07/31/08 Canterbury (CUTG)
More tour dates on thefortunes.co.uk
So the story behind the #1 hit song by Canadian singer Terry Jacks, was that Jacks had proposed to The Beach Boys to record "Seasons in the Sun", but The Beach Boys abandoned the project. Jacks decided to record and release the song himself, and to this day have sold over six million copies.
The main difference in Jacks' version and previous versions, was that his version is a little happier, including removing the 'cheating wife' part.
Speaking of happy, Westlife's version is ... let's just say quite interesting. Their singing and upbeat song doesn't really carry across the message of a dying man. At all. Still the song did well for them, although it was eventually left off their Greatest Hits CD in 2002, possibly due to licensing/royalities rights.
A vast contrast to Westlife's poppy version is from Nirvana, who seems to stumble through the song. It's also interesting to note that you see Kurt Cobain playing the drums, instead of Dave Grohl (who looks like he's playing bass in the video).
Also interesting to note is that the song is vastly popular with punk bands such as Bad Religion, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and Blink 182.
I am including a few other covers below, my favorite is Black Box Recorder, who I've previously mentioned. Their version sounds like a French film soundtrack :).
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Links: www.weheartmusic.com
| Papi Chulo wrote: Tue, May 20, 2008 at 7:04 PM |
Don't forget the awesome version by Too Much Joy (click the Play link next to the track on that page. You can listen to 25 tracks per month free on Rhapsody). They were one of my favorites back in the day, and they still do the best version that I've ever heard. Even better live.
