26 posts tagged “randy.weheartmusic”

Doing All the Things That Wouldn't Make Your Parents Proud The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart 4 comments              The Pains of Being Pure at              Heart at The Depreciation              Guild at Webster Hall, NY              (10/3/09) ♥ photo by Hannah Tour Dates 10/18/09 Artists For Humanity Boston, MA 11/17/09 Bikini Barcelona 11/18/09 Circo Price Madrid 11/19/09 Tinglado 2 Valencia 11/20/09 Santana 27 Bilbao 11/21/09 Confort Moderne Poitiers 11/22/09 Point Ephemere Paris 11/28/09 Reverence @ ICA London 11/30/09 Thekla Bristol 12/01/09 Academy 2 Liverpool 12/02/09 Academy 2 Newcastle 12/03/09 Stereo Glasgow 12/04/09 Academy 2 Manchester 12/05/09 Academy 2 Birmingham Discography [Aug 2007] The Pains of Being Pure at Heart EP [Oct 2008] Everything With You (Single) [Feb 2009] The Pains of Being Pure at Heart [Mar 2009] Young Adult Friction (Single) [Sep 2009] Come Saturday (Single) [Sep 2009] Higher Than the Stars EP Read More The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart http://weheartmus... If you're into noisy indie-pop, you will probably like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. On the s...

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Depreciation Guild at Webster Hall, New York (10/3/09)

Before the show, my astute friend was telling me about an evolved species of “bro” that is quickly infiltrating many concerts. Much like their forefathers, these bros are loud, obnoxious, and harbor a strong fondness for Keystone Light, but these neo-bros diverge from the pack by maintaining a level of enthusiasm for the music that is so fervent – you could even call it “pure.”

With that said, you can imagine the mixed bag that constituted the audience that night at Webster Hall. Opening band, The Depreciation Guild, played to a crowded, eager room even though it was only seven o’clock. Having seen them before, I knew that ear plugs would be handy since their brand of upbeat shoegaze is beautiful – but slightly deafening. Fronted by the Pains’ drummer, Kurt Feldman, the band had most of the audience swaying to their melodic songs, which all melded into one long, pleasantly loud medley. They played in front of a giant set of television screens that flickered technicolored squares the whole time, making their entire set feel like a dreamy music video, circa 1989. Somehow, I think that’s what they were going for.

My ears were still buzzing by the time the Pains took the stage. Fame (or at least, blog fame) has yet to change them, as they seem to have maintained all the buoyant liveliness and low-key charm from their early Cakeshop days. Lead singer Kip Berman and keyboardist Peggy Wang repeatedly thanked the audience in an almost stunned tone, and this awed disbelief of all their success was an endearing theme for most of the night.

Higher Than The Stars 1 comment       The Pains of Being Pure       at Heart at The Depreciation       Guild at Webster Hall, NY      (10/3/09)♥photo by Hannah

Despite the size of the venue, it was a typical Pains show in every way: frenzied dancing, unbridled enthusiasm, and even some lame/awesome jokes (“Why can’t wizards have babies?” “Why?” “They have crystal balls!”) Opening with album favorites “This Love Is Fucking Right” and “Young Adult Friction,” the band had the audience singing along to every word – which is quite an achievement, considering how often indecipherable (in an adorable way!) Kip’s mumble tends to be. They played a few songs from their new EP, with tracks like “Higher Than the Stars” and “103” immediately winning fans over, and they even ended the night with the song that gave the band their infamously wordy name.

Having just finished an extensive tour, the band had all these songs –especially the LP ones—down flat, but at the same time, there was no denying their palpable energy, which easily translated to the crowd. As predicted, the neo-bros were in full force that night, but they were easily tolerated. I mean, it’s hard to hate someone who barks out the entire breakdown of “Young Adult Friction,” even if he does reek of Axe Body Spray.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: creating a world where neo-bros and pop kids can peacefully coexist, one infectious chorus at a time.

 10/05/2009 21:12:48 ♥ kateg () ♥ thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com ♥ myspace.com

Ed Harcourt - Sour Milk, Motheaten Silk

Ed Harcourt

ED HARCOURT
edharcourt.com ♥ myspace ♥ twitter

Ed Harcourt is nothing short of amazing when he's playing live, possibly due to his many years of opening up for REM, Wilco, Beth Orton, Supergrass, etc. An amazing multi-instrumentalist, he mostly relies on his piano and strong vocals.

Recently, he composed the score for the "Donnie Darko" sequel S Darko, which I gave it a good review... despite the critics panning the movie. Russian Roulette EP is the latest release, around or after sxsw.

Like many of his previous songs, these songs on the EP tells little stories. I think sometime his personal life shows through in these songs, for instance the musical roller coaster "Caterpillar" reflects the singer's emotions of highs & lows when his newborn daughter Roxy was placed in an incubator.

It's the first song I've written about her. She was a little ill and we waited for her in the hospital for the chrysalis so we could take her home.

-- Ed Harcourt

These are great piano songs, they sometime sound a bit like old fashion television theme songs (accessible to anyone that hears it). There is one mountain folky-ish song called "Creep Out Of The Woodwork", which may be because of the country-sounding intro.

My favorite is "Sour Milk, Motheaten Silk", whose music was inspired by "Cypress Hill and Japanese children's shows". The violins towards the end by his wife, Gita, added a nice touch to the song.

You can get Russian Roulette EP from Dovecote Records, where you can also purchase his last album, The Beautiful Lie. Although it may sound gimmicky, you can get the EP via USB in the shape of a bullet. It's cool!

Harcourt will next appear in London at Standon Calling on August 2^nd.

VERISMO verismetal.com ♥ myspace Verismo - Failure 1 comment Verismo is a New York-based thrash metal trio, consisting of Stephan (vocals/guitars), Vinny (bass) and Tamas (drums). What I thought was funny is that they puke at the "throes of indie bands, experimental rock outfits, and techno-infused acts continue to battle it out for recognition in the highly-competitive New York City music scene" - all too true regarding New York's indie scene. Well metal's still huge all over the world, but it's a question of taste... and personally it's not my cup of tea. But if you like a bit of a harder (but not ear-punishing as some metal bands I've heard) guitar-noodling of Verismo, you can download their latest EP Greed for (ironically) free, if you sign up on their mailing list: FREE - "GREED" EP Friday, July 10, 2009 We want you to have it, listen to it, import it to your iPod, share it among your friends...etc. Remember a full length coming out at the end of this year! Get the EP absolutely free by signing up to our mailing list, 2 options: - Join our mailing list thru our myspace profile. - Come to www.verismetal.com and click on Mailing List.		THE RADIO DEPT. theradiodept.com ♥ myspace ♥ twitter The Radio Dept. - David The Radio Dept. - Deliverance 5 comments From Sweden and our favorite Swedish label, Labrador comes The Radio Dept.'s David EP, released sometime in late June. We've previously mentioned Radio Dept. before and Randy describes This Past Week as: "it's shoegazey, melancholy, a bit subdued, but also lush and really well-layered between the vocals, guitar, keyboard, samples, and drum machine." I think anytime I read layer and drum machines, I just think of lo-fi, but they aren't. They're definitely dreamy in some chases. The single (4 tracks) are a quick listen. The songs are easy-on-the-ears, a little too relaxing with the mostly-instrumental "The Idle Urban Contemporaries". Obviously the main and title track "David" is the best among the songs. However, I didn't particularly care for the Rice Twins remix of "David", which is too jumpy and that use of vocal autotune drives me nuts, in my opinion. It could've been an interesting song if you haven't heard the original mix. But then again, I've mentioned before that I wasn't keen on remixes either. David EP is available now from Labrador.
BRAIN CHILDREN myspace.com Brain Children - Guts The children are Mikey Young and Max Kohane, based out of Victoria, Australia, who spent their years as punks and releasing DIY punk records (under such acts as Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Agents of Abhorrence). A lightning bolt must've hit the both of them as they are drinking their "Fosters" and they became a fishnet-wearing disco superhero duo called Brain Children, complete with the red Brainsmobile. They've just released a self-titled CD/12" and based on the six tracks, it's pretty much what you would expect out of a disco dance/synth band... ultimately sounding like they're from the 80s. There's definitely some bassy funk elements, especially on the "Guts", which I think there are actual girls-vocals on it. Either way, if you like what you heard, check out more at their myspace. It's easy for Australians to order the Brain Children EP directly from their record label Stained Circles (THEY SELL TAPES! TAPES!!! It's like 1986 again). Outside of ozland, you can only order 7" only, and you must use paypal.		GALA galasound.com ♥ myspace ♥ twitter Gala - Freed From Desire The Un-Remix Italian pop singer, Gala Rizzatto, or simply known as Gala, gained a bit of fame over the UK (appearing on Top of the Pops), as well as playing with Janet Jackson and U2, quite a feat. Not really sure what happened, but she moved to New York, leaving her UK record label behind. Her latest release is an EP called Tough Love. This release is really polished, a very professional produced little six-track. For the most part, I love pop music, and since Gala's background is from Italy, she certainly knows her eurodisco music. If you don't like eurodisco, then turn away now, but if you dig Sophie Ellis-Bextor or Kyle Minogue, then you'll love Gala. Pretty soon, you'll find youself dancing uncontrollably to "Freed From Desire The Un-Remix" and "DKOL (Different Kind Of Love)". Watch out for that distinctive yip-yelp she does on "Tough Love". I see that she'll be heading over to Moscow for a live show at the Forbes Club on September 18th. You can follow her on Twitter, which she will occasional take some pictures on her walkabouts.

 07/17/2009 00:04:12 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com

CACTUS'S myspace.com Cactus's - Where is my Skeleton? Cactus's are a "tropical" punk band from Nashville, Tennessee. I don't know if this is their debut EP called Tropical Terror, but the music playing and singing/screaming suggests they've been doing this for a while. All of their songs are typically punk style, which means they are short songs lasting no more than three minutes, so the whole six songs went by pretty quickly to my ears. The opening song, "Where is my Skeleton?" starts off full of energy and excitement with singer Asher Rogers screaming (what I think) "she was my friend/she was my creation/destroy her! where is my skeleton?". Other songs worth checking out is "Purple Coyote" and "Tiny Teeth", mostly for the guitar-playing on these songs. Like most good punk/metal bands, these guys are really meant to be experience live for their energy. Be sure to check them out on tour (I may check them out at SXSW): 02/28/09 K STREET w/ Born Empty Tullahoma, Tennessee 03/03/09 THE HIDEAWAY w/ Do Not Resuscitate Johnson City, Tennessee 03/04/09 THE RED AND THE BLACK w/ March of Us, Me Monster DC, Washington DC 03/05/09 THE KHYBER w/Parlor Mob, American Buffalo, Heavy Hand, Action Park Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 03/06/09 ALL CALL INN Ewing, New Jersey 03/08/09 THE CHARLESTON w/ Champions of Justice, Backseat Gentlemen, Looking Glass Wars Brooklyn, New York 03/09/09 TBA Albany, New York 03/10/09 LEE’S PALACE - CMW PARTY Toronto, Ontario 03/11/09 HELP! Toronto, Ontario 03/12/09 Bovine Sex Club (Canadian Music Week) Toronto, Ontario 03/13/09 HELP! Toronto, Ontario 03/14/09 THE BELMONT Hamtramck, Michigan 03/15/09 REGGIES ROCK CLUB w/ Asteria Chicago, Illinois 03/16/09 LEMP - MARKS B-DAY PARTY w/ Br’er, Sine Nomine St. Luis, Missouri 03/17/09 HELP!! Little Rock, Arkansas 03/18/09 HELP Dallas, Texas 03/19/09 SPIRO’S SXSW Austin, Texas 03/20/09 SXSW 2009 Austin, Texas 03/21/09 SXSW 2009 Austin, Texas 03/22/09 SXSW 2009 Austin, Texas 03/23/09 HELP Houston, Texas 03/24/09 HELP ????, Louisiana 03/25/09 Meridian Underground Music Meridian, Mississippi		JOSIAH LEMING myspace.com Josiah Leming - To Run 1 comment You may have heard of Josiah Leming via his appearance on American Idol, where the harsh Simon Cowell actually wanted to see Leming advance into the semifinals... but he was out-voted. Still, the brief exposure and endorsement did wonders for Leming, as it got him a record deal with Warner Brothers Music. The first release from Warner is last year's Angels UnderCover, a brief four track EP showcasing some of this very young singer/songer's brand new songs. His singing and music writing reminds me of Coldplay, but with piano. Since these are all original songs, there references to his own life and struggle. For instance on "This Cigar", he sings about his school drop out and straight-edginess: "Cause I'm a man now. I can drive a car, and I'm a drop-out. I'm nobody so far, but I don't mess with cigarettes and alcohol." I thought "To Run" is the best song on this EP. It's not overly produced and really shows off Leming's singing. If Leming is putting out music like this at 17/18 years old, I am interested in seeing what he does when he gets to the prime of his life! I believe Leming's debut album is actually "in the can", as they say, but there seems to be some delay in releasing the album to the world. In the meantime, you can get his EP for $5 with his autograph via WB Store. There's also always iTunes. Hey, also, you can keep track of him via myspace.
KNOX BRONSON knoxbronson.com ♥ myspace.com Knox Bronson - Winter Blue (excerpt) Don't let the four tracks on The Seasons CD by Knox Bronson fool you into thinking this is an EP. I thought it was... Each of the themed four season song titles: "Summer Of '68", "Autumnal Sun", "Winter Blue" and "The Forever Spring" are about fifteen minutes each. From what I've gathered, Knox Bronson is really a collaboration between Andy Crisp and Shoji Kameda. They produce these electronic, relaxing, loungey music. To even break The Seasons into four parts would actually not be fair since I felt that The Seasons is just one long experimental music progression. Yet, at the same time, you can jump into a middle of a song and can still experience it the same way if you start from the beginning. Since, here in Minneapolis, we're undergoing a six-inch snow storm, I thought it would be appropriate to leave you with an excerpt of their Winter song called "Winter Blue"... so if you want to sleep in, these songs would be perfect for your CD player. They are offering some free downloads of their music, and you can pick up The Seasons on iTunes and CD Baby.		SKY PICNIC skypicnicmusic.com ♥ myspace.com Sky Picnic - Tea Break 1 comment Sky Picnic are a trio (Chris Sherman, Leah Cinnamon, and Pete Meriwether), currently based out of New York (who isn't?) and their debut EP Synesthesia is deceptively good. They definitely are influenced by 60s rock with some psychedelia mixed in (particularly Beatles and Birds). The five-track EP, although a few songs, they display some interesting direction. Pop/rock songs like "Half the Queen's Face", features Sherman doing most of the singing with Cinnamon (is that her real name? er, sweet...), harmonizing backup vocals. Songs like "Moons of Jupiter" are mostly showing off Sherman's skilled guitar-playing (and also their mixer who's mixing in some interesting space noise background). The best song on the EP is easily "Tea Break", which Chris Sherman sings on. It's rock music, but what's that sitar doing in the song? Cinnamon also sings on the epic "Sequence IV" which a very long song that takes you on an interesting musical journey. The 60s-sounding Synesthesia EP can be yours for $5 of your earth dollars, more details on the official website.
SUBURBAN KIDS WITH BIBLICAL NAMES labrador.se/skwbn ♥ myspace.com Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - 1999 Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - Rent a Wreck 6 comments I'm not qualify to write this, but I thought I should mention that Suburban Kids With Biblical Names' fourth and latest release is called #4. While the one Swedish-language song "Studenter på flak" is lost on me, the English songs made up for it. The two suburban kids are Peter Gunnarson and Johan Hedberg, but with this EP, they have a guest woman singer on two of the songs ("World Music" and "1999", the latter is available as a free download). I don't know who the guest is, I usually find these things reading liner notes - but this was a digital promo so I have no idea. If you like lo-fi Swedish pop, I reckon you'll like this. Read more about SKWBN on W♥M. Look for a new album (probably called something annoying like #5) sometime this year, according to their record label. Currently I think you can only get the downloads or CD via Labrador Records.		THE NOTEBOOK thenotebookmovie.com ♥ imdb.com Aaron Zigman - Main Title 1 comment The Notebook LIMITED EDITION DVD Giftset With 46 Page Scrapbook, Stationery, Bookmark and Includes B I got this free The Notebook Soundtrack Sampler, featuring five compositions from Aaron Zigman for the movie of the same name. If you haven't seen the movie, it is a "chick flick" based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks, that is guaranteed to make you cry, and cry and cry. The five songs are themes played throughout the movie and will only interest you if you like sweeping orchestras. To be honest, I think they all sound the same to me, with the exception of "Allie Returns" which have different shifts in music directions in the middle. I can't say that I absolutely love the movie, but it's a real tear jerker and I did end up picking up the boxset as I think it's a great deal for what you get: the movie, soundtrack sampler, postcards, pictures, booklets, etc. I'm sure it made loads of money, as it was released just prior to Valentine's to maximize sales.

 02/27/2009 17:27:39 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥podcast.weheartmusic.com♥news.weheartmusic.com 

The Sound Of Arrows - Danger

The Sound Of Arrows

1 comment

A couple of months ago I saw an announcement that my favorite record label, Labrador Records, had signed a new band called The Sound Of Arrows. Since I love just about every band on their roster, I was quite excited about this. At the time, Labrador released an mp3 for the track called "Danger!", which I immediately put into heavy rotation in my playlist.

A few weeks ago the debut release from The Sound Of Arrows was finally made available. They are touting this as an E.P. but it's basically the title track, "Danger!", plus two b-sides, four remixes, and "intro" and "outro" tracks. I'm normally not a fan of remixes, but the ones on this E.P. are not too shabby. Also, the b-sides, "A Very Sad Song" and "Winding Roads" are really quite good.

The Sound Of Arrows is a duo comprised of two Swedish lads, Stefan Storm and Oskar Gullstrand, who now live in Stockholm. Together they have differing backgrounds: house music and classical. I think a bit of each comes across in their music. In Labrador's original press release they said "The Sound of Arrows treat their own songs like remixes and will present their releases almost like mixtapes. Their approach to music bare some similarity to Saint Etienne around 'Foxbase Alpha' or The Avalanches, but they never end up sounding like either." I can't wait to get their full-length album, which is due out later this year.

 May 29, 2008 4:50 AM  Randy my♥posts thesoundofarrows.com myspace

OK, here's something slightly off-topic but still music-related. I first saw this video a few months ago, featuring a bunch of hip young co-workers lip-syncing to Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta". Apparently they decided to have some fun and record this one day after work. It was done in one camera shot, and doesn't appear to be overly choreographed and planned out, which makes it all the better. It turns out this was done in just one take as well.

In case you're wondering, the company is called Connected Ventures, and is comprised of Vimeo, College Humor, and Busted Tees. I'm sure by now this video has gotten millions of views, and apparently it's (inadvertantly) served as a great recruiting tool for the company, as they've received tons of resumes from applicants who want to work there. After all, who wouldn't?

Soon after that video was made, Vimeo founder and the video's director Jakob Lodwick coined the term "Office Lip Dub" to describe their creation. That video alone spawned a whole new genre of do-it-yourself videos, and Vimeo has even created a lip dub channel for this this purpose. I've seen a bunch of lip dubs that other people have created, but none can beat the original, in my opinion. There is, however, this terrific one done to "Friday I'm In Love" by The Cure.

 Feb 27, 2008 10:00 PM  Randy my♥posts Flagpole Sitta Lip Dub

Club 8 - Heaven

Club 8

1 comment

It's been a while since my last post, but I figure it's about time I got back into it. Vu's beat me to the punch on Sambassadeur. I was going to talk about their sophomore album, which was released late last year. It's quite good, so go check it out if you like Swedish pop music.

W♥M has mentioned Club 8 before, but I thought we should re-visit this fine band from Sweden. Their latest album release, "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming", is one of my favorites from 2007. The duo is comprised of Johan Angergård (formerly in Poprace, currently in Acid House Kings[W♥M] and The Legends[W♥M]) and Karolina Komstedt (formerly in Poprace). The combination of Karolina's beautifully delicate vocals and Johan's instrumentation create what i consider to be a masterpiece of pop music. The album drifts back and forth between songs that are light and melancholic, and others that are more upbeat and happy. The band also shows off a variety of influences, including subtle hints of gospel and country in some of their tunes. Their top-notch songwriting and production really shines as well, due in part to the fact that these two are seasoned veterans when it comes to making wonderful pop music. This is, after all, their sixth album... and what a great one it is.

The song I'm including here is "Heaven", the second single to be released from "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Dreaming".

 Feb 4, 2008 8:00 PM  Randy my♥posts club-8.org myspace.com/club8

This is the 6th Top 7, so you know what that means? The 7th and final installment will appear on December 31st, the last day of 2007. I love it when a plan comes together, don't you?

So I had to leave myself off this list because I have written over 387 stories. My goal was to write a story a day, so it's really no surprise that I have over 365+ posts.

Music from troubled minds. View site Ryan View site Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above 6 comments

Coming in at 35 stories is my right-hand-man, The Dharma Blues dude himself, Ryan. Just take a look at some of his stories: We're All Going to Die for Christmas, Music from troubled minds (Mental Health Day), Joanna Newsom @ The Royal Albert Hall, From the trenches of my artificial Glastonbury: Day Two ("Glasto Coverage"), and A song about a man who doesn't have a cat... ("No Pussy Blues" by Nick Cave).

24 stories from Jason, all quality in my opinion! So many of my favorites: Little Boxes (ever wanted to hear 44+ "Little Boxes" covers?????!!?), (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons, Ratatouille / Le FestinHarry Potter and the Phenomenon of Wizard Rock (this article introduced me to "Wizard Rock", who knew?), Tetris Music (a must read!), Night and Day (29 classic covers), and Jaymay. Also check out Jason's free mp3 blog.

Christopher stories are all based around hot women who can play guitars (all Australian) and obscure band names. But don't let me discourage you from checking out Llama Farmers, Little Blue Crunchy Things (see what I was saying about weird names?), Robyn - Konichiwa Bitches, and Nobou Uematsu - Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack (who doesn't love FF?).

For Swedish pop, check out Randy's stories: The Concretes - Chosen One, The Charade - Monday Morning, Acid House Kings - Say Yes If You Love Me, and Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - Rent A Wreck.

Hopefully we'll see the return of Gus in 2008. My favorite Gus stories: Bettie Serveert - "Hell = Other People" (I love Bettie Serveert!), A Group Called Smith (Deathproof), and 23 (Blonde Redhead).

The only lady to make it on the Top 7, is the Cristina. Check out: Soundtrack Maestros: Goblin, Reunion Recap (The Verve, Héroes del Silencio, Soda Stereo, Shed Seven, and Superdrag), and Birthday Beefcake (DANZIG).

Mads have disappeared, but his posts lives on: Jetstream Lovers - Floored, Rhythms del Mundo project, Candie Payne - All I Need To Hear, and Stereolab - Eye Of The Volcano.

I want to let you know that all contributors are very important to me, and although these didn't make it on the Top 7, you should check out their stories: Maggie, Lara, Jennifer, Emelia, WB Mook, Michael, Sally, Em, Dave, Troy, Kristine, inuit66, Valley Girl, Silpa, Alex, Ceji, Kennie, Jessica, Eric, Mel, Minh, Jaime, Marcus, Adina, and Celeste.

Jason http://weheartmus... Here's my contribution for Halloween related music. I had an idea to post songs that were created... Lullaby 2 comments	Halflight - Worship 6 comments Christopher http://weheartmus... By popular request... ok one person mentioned it in a comment to the MoneySavingExpert post, but ...
Randy http://weheartmus... The Legends is a side project of Johan Angergård, who just might be one of the busiest men in the... Weekends Away 2 comments	Four Winds 5 comments Gus http://weheartmus... The Appleseed CastmySpace // websitewritten for weheartmusic by gusWhen I first heard The End of ...
Cristina http://weheartmus... My fascination with Italian Prog-Rock band Goblin (and film scores in general) began right after ... Libitina - Gothic People 2 comments	The Wombats - Backfire @ the Disco 5 comments Mads http://weheartmus... "...The previous year I was writing music with a friend at his beachfront house in a little fishi...

 12/30/2007 10:42:28  vu my♥posts www.weheartmusic.com

The Legends - Darling

The Legends

2 comments

The Legends "Call It Ours" from Up Against The Legends

The Legends is a side project of Johan Angergård, who just might be one of the busiest men in the music industry. A former member of Poprace, he co-founded Summersound Recordings which later merged with Labrador Records, where he currently holds a manager position. Aside from being the sole member of The Legends, he is also one-half of Club 8 [W♥M], and a member of Acid House Kings [W♥M].

Formed in 2003, The Legends have 3 LP releases so far: Up Against The Legends (2004), Public Radio (2005), and most recently, Facts and Figures (2007). Each album features a slightly different style of music, with the first album often described as "garage pop", and the latter two progressing towards "electro pop" or "synth pop" (comparisons with New Order are inevitable). The commonality in all of the releases is Johan's obvious talent for writing catchy pop songs, to go along with his musical and singing abilities.

Interestingly, the early details on the alleged members of The Legends was shrouded in mystery. It was thought that they were a 9-member band, but none of the members' names were ever mentioned. They even made appearances in the music videos from the first album. It was later revealed that The Legends was not a band at all, but was comprised solely of Johan Angergård, who wrote all the songs as well as played all the instruments and did all the singing. What a workhorse!

The song I'm including in this post is "Darling", from the most recent album, Facts and Figures. It's my favorite song off this album, although there are many to choose from. I also love the more down-tempo songs "Closer" and "Nothing on TV", both of which are quite mellow and dreamy. As a bonus I'm also including the video for "Call It Ours", a song off the first album, Up Against The Legends. Enjoy!

 December 18, 2007 8:25 PM  Randy my♥posts official myspace

Doing All the Things That Wouldn't Make Your Parents Proud

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

4 comments

If you're into noisy indie-pop, you will probably like The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. On the surface the loud, fuzzy guitars may remind one of The Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine, but the underlying melodies and vocals are more dreamy and "poppy". The band's influences include The Pastels, The Exploding Hearts, The Ramones, Black Tambourine, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are: Kip Berman (Guitar & Vocals), Peggy Wang (Keyboard & Vocals), Alex Naidus (Bass), and Kurt Feldman (Drums). Kip, Peggy, and Alex are big fans of The Manhattan Love Suicides [W♥M], and got them to play at Peggy's birthday party when they were in the states earlier this year. Before the party, the trio of friends decided to form their own band, which also played at the birthday bash. They have since added a drummer, Kurt, and recorded a limited CD-single on Cloudberry Records and a self-released EP containing 5 outstanding tracks.

The band is playing a few dates in New York and Philadelphia before hopping over to England to play a mini-tour in February.

Thanks to Kip, I have obtained a few nuggets of useless trivia about the band:

1. The band got its name from the title of a book by Charles Augustus Steen III. Mr. Steen claims that his book was plagiarized by Dr. Seuss' estate and published as "Daisy-Head Mayzie" in 1995.

2. "There is another Peggy Wang who lives in California who is friends with the Peggy Wang who is in The Pains. Hence, 'Peggy Wang-West' and 'Peggy Wang-East.'"

3. "Kurt (drums) joined our band after proving his worth by being the only person to best me at the 1980s arcade classic, 'Galaga.' We live together in an apartment called 'The House of Pains.'"

 December 10, 2007 11:59 PM  Randy my♥posts official myspace