Today is apparently the day for me to see new music videos. Here is the latest from m83, "We Own the Sky." The song is pretty sweet, but I got bored after about 30 seconds and wondered off into the Internets with the song still playing, and came back in time for an ending that looks cool but which makes no sense because I skipped the rest of the vid. Will try again later, hope you have better luck with your attention span.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
(Possibly) New Music Vid for 'Young Adult Friction'
This was posted to Pitchfork.tv yesterday, and it seems that it might be something like the official music video for the Pains of Being Pure at Heart single "Young Adult Friction." This song is catchy as hell and certainly sounds like spring to my ears.
The video starts out with main lady Peggy reading a copy of "Ghosts Among Us," and takes on a true Brooklyn-ite house show feel--playing with toy dinosaurs, sitting on couches, apartment lighting, fuzziness, the whole thing screams "hipster." Which I love. There's the vague look of an Arcade Fire video, but the sound is a new pop-punk-lo fi beast and the actual video is much less theatrical. All around, this video seems to really capture the playful at heart vibe that you get from listening to this actual song with only audio to guide you. The video hints randomly at childhood subjects, like toy animals, reading library books, tons of friends cramming onto one couch, and how awkward it was when you first started hanging out with boys AND girls.
Enjoy!
The video starts out with main lady Peggy reading a copy of "Ghosts Among Us," and takes on a true Brooklyn-ite house show feel--playing with toy dinosaurs, sitting on couches, apartment lighting, fuzziness, the whole thing screams "hipster." Which I love. There's the vague look of an Arcade Fire video, but the sound is a new pop-punk-lo fi beast and the actual video is much less theatrical. All around, this video seems to really capture the playful at heart vibe that you get from listening to this actual song with only audio to guide you. The video hints randomly at childhood subjects, like toy animals, reading library books, tons of friends cramming onto one couch, and how awkward it was when you first started hanging out with boys AND girls.
Enjoy!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Yeah Yeah Yeahs update
According to ticketmaster.com, tickets for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs show at the Newport in Columbus,Ohio, on May 28 will go on sale at 10:00a.m. this Saturday, May 2, for $23.00.
There was only one price posted on the ticketmaster.com site, so I assume this means it's general admission. You can probably skip the Ticketmaster fees if you get to the Newport, but I would get there early- a lot of people in this city are already excited, and want to save a buck or two.
Heck Yeah!
This just in: CD101 presents the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in Columbus, Ohio, at the Newport Music Hall May 28. Tickets on sale Saturday, May 2.
Oh man! I want to be there. Will post prices as soon as I hear about them. Till then watch the latest video for "Zero."
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Sounds like Summer
The other day a friend and I were discussing how a piece of music can take on a whole new life when listened to during the transition from winter to spring. It's really a magical experience- listening to songs you loved in the cold months, wearing sweaters, and then one day you've got the windows open, the curtains are billowing, the music is bumping, and it hits you--"ooooh man, THIS is what this is supposed to sound like!"
There are also those albums that make me instantly think of summer, probably because they were first a part of my life during warm times. Both are cool, and lately I've been making a mental note of such bands/songs/albums. To continue with my list post tradition of late, here is my list of Songs that Sound Better During Warm Weather.
John Mayer- "Why Georgia"
To be honest, now adays I don't give John Mayer much time out of my day. But last night I heard "Why Georgia" played somewhere randomly and I was instantly flashed back to the summer when I was 15 and my girlfriends and I first got Room for Squares. One of them got a new Dodge Neon that summer, and it was a big "ironic thing" for us to drive around listening to track 5, "Neon." Yeah, we were cool. We were 15, we were girls, and we went to see John Mayer. Actually, we met his band while we were having lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cleveland before the show at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a part of this MTV2 summer concert series- I think we're on TV somewhere. And, my escalator (going up) took me immediately past John Mayer (going down the opposite escalator), where I took a picture this picture:
Anyways, I heard "Why Georgia" last night and it was the first really warm night of the season, and life just felt like it was all in place.
"Everybody is just a stranger
But that's the danger
In going my own way,
I guess that's the price I'm going to pay every day."
Band of Horses- "Island on the Coast"
This song is great for summer road trips, especially with the windows rolled down. I think it really explains itself and it's summeriness, just give it a listen:
Vampire Weekend- "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"
Really, any song from their debut self-titled album is summer-ific. However, something about "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" just makes me want to sit around with hipsters in striped bathing suits on a beach drinking PBR. With beach balls and bikes. This song also captures the friskiness of spring in a very...honest way. You'll see what I mean:
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- "Gentle Sons"
There's just something epic going on here, reminds me of the same building intensity of waves and of my home watering hole, Lake Erie.
Led Zeppelin- "Gallows Pole"
I got Led Zeppelin III in my freshman year of college at Ohio University. I immediately connected with this Zeppelin album more than others, but then spring time hit, and let me tell you, it hit hard. I remember drinking a lot, studying a lot, all while being in the sun a lot, and being dehydrated at frequent intervals. All the while Zeppelin III was playing in any way I could make it play, whether over real audio or just constantly in my head. This album as a whole is really great when listened to outdoors, especially "Gallows Pole," which has a crazy mystical and almost western/southern film sense to it, and all around sounds heartwarming. Check out this video of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page playing it, with Robert giving a brief telling of the history of the song at the beginning:
Peter Bjorn and John- "Up Against the Wall"
This song is connected to another college memory, this time a not so optimistic one, but one that is certainly reflective of how instrospective and emotional I tend to become when the warm weather of May hits. In "Up Against the Wall" the melancholy, repeated melody is met by the ultimate match of equally melancholy and repeated lyrics, emphasizing the sensual violence often felt in the discontent between two lovers. It seems to be the great embodiment of spring's sexual tension- with utter abandoment and cyclical masochism, "Up Against the Wall" is the perfect song to follow the track immediately before it, "Start to Melt." Someone on YouTube was kind enough to host a video of both songs playing back to back, check it here:
Happy springtimes everybody!
D.
There are also those albums that make me instantly think of summer, probably because they were first a part of my life during warm times. Both are cool, and lately I've been making a mental note of such bands/songs/albums. To continue with my list post tradition of late, here is my list of Songs that Sound Better During Warm Weather.
John Mayer- "Why Georgia"
To be honest, now adays I don't give John Mayer much time out of my day. But last night I heard "Why Georgia" played somewhere randomly and I was instantly flashed back to the summer when I was 15 and my girlfriends and I first got Room for Squares. One of them got a new Dodge Neon that summer, and it was a big "ironic thing" for us to drive around listening to track 5, "Neon." Yeah, we were cool. We were 15, we were girls, and we went to see John Mayer. Actually, we met his band while we were having lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cleveland before the show at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a part of this MTV2 summer concert series- I think we're on TV somewhere. And, my escalator (going up) took me immediately past John Mayer (going down the opposite escalator), where I took a picture this picture:
Anyways, I heard "Why Georgia" last night and it was the first really warm night of the season, and life just felt like it was all in place.
"Everybody is just a stranger
But that's the danger
In going my own way,
I guess that's the price I'm going to pay every day."
Band of Horses- "Island on the Coast"
This song is great for summer road trips, especially with the windows rolled down. I think it really explains itself and it's summeriness, just give it a listen:
Vampire Weekend- "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"
Really, any song from their debut self-titled album is summer-ific. However, something about "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" just makes me want to sit around with hipsters in striped bathing suits on a beach drinking PBR. With beach balls and bikes. This song also captures the friskiness of spring in a very...honest way. You'll see what I mean:
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart- "Gentle Sons"
There's just something epic going on here, reminds me of the same building intensity of waves and of my home watering hole, Lake Erie.
Led Zeppelin- "Gallows Pole"
I got Led Zeppelin III in my freshman year of college at Ohio University. I immediately connected with this Zeppelin album more than others, but then spring time hit, and let me tell you, it hit hard. I remember drinking a lot, studying a lot, all while being in the sun a lot, and being dehydrated at frequent intervals. All the while Zeppelin III was playing in any way I could make it play, whether over real audio or just constantly in my head. This album as a whole is really great when listened to outdoors, especially "Gallows Pole," which has a crazy mystical and almost western/southern film sense to it, and all around sounds heartwarming. Check out this video of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page playing it, with Robert giving a brief telling of the history of the song at the beginning:
Peter Bjorn and John- "Up Against the Wall"
This song is connected to another college memory, this time a not so optimistic one, but one that is certainly reflective of how instrospective and emotional I tend to become when the warm weather of May hits. In "Up Against the Wall" the melancholy, repeated melody is met by the ultimate match of equally melancholy and repeated lyrics, emphasizing the sensual violence often felt in the discontent between two lovers. It seems to be the great embodiment of spring's sexual tension- with utter abandoment and cyclical masochism, "Up Against the Wall" is the perfect song to follow the track immediately before it, "Start to Melt." Someone on YouTube was kind enough to host a video of both songs playing back to back, check it here:
Happy springtimes everybody!
D.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
What? That came out last year?!
Even the biggest music connoisseurs miss things, and I will be the first to admit that there are a few bands/albums/songs from 2008 that I have only stumbled across so far in 2009. I'm as shocked as you are that I hadn't heard some of this stuff until now, but it's never too late to discover the music, and I hope you find something of your own to discover in this list of Things Dana Didn't Hear Until 2009 (and is now in love with). (Part 1)
Department of Eagles.
This video for "No One Does It Like You" is the first for the sophomore release from Daniel Rossen's (Grizzly Bear) side project.
The album In Ear Park came out on October 7, 2008, but it didn't grace my ears until late January 2009. I owe this discovery in large part to my Metromix Columbus producer, Justin Powell, who tried and tried to talk me into seeing DOE when they passed through Cbus in January, but I thought the name of the band sounded contrived so I resisted giving it the time of day. And then I was bored and thought I'd check it out, some MySpacing happened, and I fell in love. Hard. Seriously--I only have one DoE album in my library and already the band has shot up to my 4th most listened to band slot on Last.fm, out of 31572 songs played. Yikes.
The music is a lot like Grizzly Bear, but for me it seems to be what I most love about GB times one million. All of my favorite parts from Yellow House, like Rossen's soothing voice on "On a Neck, On a Spit," are found in an amplified fashion on In Ear Park, especially in songs like my favorite, "Phantom Other."
Passion Pit
I heard about Passion Pit for the first time from Paper Magazine's new blogger spotlight sometime in January or February 2009 and then somehow the band name kept popping up EVERYWHERE. This was in large part due to the fact that Passion Pit was playing an upcoming show in Columbus with Paper Route, and Metromix did a nice front page display of both bands, where I discovered that Passion Pit started originally with one guy's project to make a Valentine's Day gift for his girlfriend. I had a listen and, damn--if I got this EP as a Valentine's Day gift, the guy would get so lucky.
Well, Michael Angelakos (lead singer/keyboardist, aka "the guy who gifted uniquely") sure did fall into some luck, as he was signed to French Kiss and the original gift was released as the Chunk of Change EP on Sept. 16, 2008. The album is full of what might be considered ballads, hidden under a disguise of good dance grooves, electronic beats and Angelakos' falceto, that apparently has no limit as to how high it can go. "Sleepyhead" is the peak of the album, closing it out as the last track, and is the one that I continue to listen to on repeat a few months after I first heard it. Passion Pit was just announced as a part of the Lollapalooza line up for 2009, and there is a full-length set to be released May 19, 2009- this time I'll be waiting for it.
Los Campesinos!
I feel like I really did myself a great disservice by not knowing about Los Campesinos! at all in 2008, when they had a busy year releasing two full-lengths: the debut Hold on Now, Youngster... in February 2008 and their second album, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, on October 27, 2008. That's a lot of music to put out, and the best part is that both albums are extremely solid.
Hold On Now, Youngster... has a slightly more upbeat sense to it lyrically than We Are Beautiful... does, but both albums have at heart a disillusioned perception of reality that I equally respect and identify with. They follow the guide of their band name, which means "The Peasants," and have a shitload of people on the stage (7 members), with as many instruments as people, including a fiddle in true peasant style. The product is anthem rock for the indie kids, and it rocks. Compare: "You! Me! Dancing!" from Hold On Now Youngster... to "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed" from album of same name:
You! Me! Dancing!
We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
That's all for now, but I'll probably have a "Part 2" to this series coming soon...stay tuned, and happy listening!
Department of Eagles.
This video for "No One Does It Like You" is the first for the sophomore release from Daniel Rossen's (Grizzly Bear) side project.
The album In Ear Park came out on October 7, 2008, but it didn't grace my ears until late January 2009. I owe this discovery in large part to my Metromix Columbus producer, Justin Powell, who tried and tried to talk me into seeing DOE when they passed through Cbus in January, but I thought the name of the band sounded contrived so I resisted giving it the time of day. And then I was bored and thought I'd check it out, some MySpacing happened, and I fell in love. Hard. Seriously--I only have one DoE album in my library and already the band has shot up to my 4th most listened to band slot on Last.fm, out of 31572 songs played. Yikes.
The music is a lot like Grizzly Bear, but for me it seems to be what I most love about GB times one million. All of my favorite parts from Yellow House, like Rossen's soothing voice on "On a Neck, On a Spit," are found in an amplified fashion on In Ear Park, especially in songs like my favorite, "Phantom Other."
Passion Pit
I heard about Passion Pit for the first time from Paper Magazine's new blogger spotlight sometime in January or February 2009 and then somehow the band name kept popping up EVERYWHERE. This was in large part due to the fact that Passion Pit was playing an upcoming show in Columbus with Paper Route, and Metromix did a nice front page display of both bands, where I discovered that Passion Pit started originally with one guy's project to make a Valentine's Day gift for his girlfriend. I had a listen and, damn--if I got this EP as a Valentine's Day gift, the guy would get so lucky.
Well, Michael Angelakos (lead singer/keyboardist, aka "the guy who gifted uniquely") sure did fall into some luck, as he was signed to French Kiss and the original gift was released as the Chunk of Change EP on Sept. 16, 2008. The album is full of what might be considered ballads, hidden under a disguise of good dance grooves, electronic beats and Angelakos' falceto, that apparently has no limit as to how high it can go. "Sleepyhead" is the peak of the album, closing it out as the last track, and is the one that I continue to listen to on repeat a few months after I first heard it. Passion Pit was just announced as a part of the Lollapalooza line up for 2009, and there is a full-length set to be released May 19, 2009- this time I'll be waiting for it.
Los Campesinos!
I feel like I really did myself a great disservice by not knowing about Los Campesinos! at all in 2008, when they had a busy year releasing two full-lengths: the debut Hold on Now, Youngster... in February 2008 and their second album, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, on October 27, 2008. That's a lot of music to put out, and the best part is that both albums are extremely solid.
Hold On Now, Youngster... has a slightly more upbeat sense to it lyrically than We Are Beautiful... does, but both albums have at heart a disillusioned perception of reality that I equally respect and identify with. They follow the guide of their band name, which means "The Peasants," and have a shitload of people on the stage (7 members), with as many instruments as people, including a fiddle in true peasant style. The product is anthem rock for the indie kids, and it rocks. Compare: "You! Me! Dancing!" from Hold On Now Youngster... to "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed" from album of same name:
You! Me! Dancing!
We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
That's all for now, but I'll probably have a "Part 2" to this series coming soon...stay tuned, and happy listening!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Papercuts
Today's discovery: San Francisco-based band Papercuts. Very Beach Boys meets Beach House. Check out this video until I have time to do a proper write up:
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