Listening Time

[pence]

Originally Posted by ScrambledGregs

No Age- Nouns: 2008 is slowly becoming the year when noise rock comes to roost.

If these albums were Ninja Turtles, No Age would be Leonardo, and Ponytail - Ice Cream Spiritual would be Michelangelo. It's so fun that the word 'ebullient' popped into my head without the aid of a thesaurus. For some unknown reason they remind me of personal favorite Les Georges Leningrad, but prettier, with the sense to cut the parts that aren't working.

[ScrambledGregs]

Originally Posted by Shinji-Fox

I'm always currently listening to Random Spirit Lover from Sunset Rubdown and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse. Those two are probably my favorite albums of all time; Random Spirit Lover's songs are just so incredibly awesome and there's some nice piano in it as well . WWDBTSES just feels nautical to me with all the brass and "Spitting Venom" has some of the best, if minimal, trumpet toots in a song that I've heard.

Oh, also listening to At Mount Zoomer by Wolf Parade. "Kissing the Beehive" is like, 10 minutes long and an awesome finale to a great album.

Between Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and that Swan Lake album, Spencer Krug is probably my favorite songwriter of this generation. I don't think At Mount Zoomer gets nearly the love it deserves because everyone went into it expecting another pop album packed with songs like 'Shine A Light', 'Fancy Claps', and 'I'll Believe In Anything.' Instead it's more like that Sunset Rubdown album you mentioned: more complex and nuanced, with the best bits hidden inside sections of the album rather than as the chorus centerpieces of songs.

[KCar]

Originally Posted by mopinks

I've been listening to this an awful lot

On the video: who the hell made it the mid-90s again? Did they recruit the director for Metallica's "Until it Bleeds?"

And why is AFI Japanese now? WHAT'S GOING ON?

At Mount Zoomer is a shelf album. Give it time, and it's pleasures unfold. Sort of like the National.

Everyone should love the National.

[ajr82]

Originally Posted by ScrambledGregs

Between Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and that Swan Lake album, Spencer Krug is probably my favorite songwriter of this generation. I don't think At Mount Zoomer gets nearly the love it deserves because everyone went into it expecting another pop album packed with songs like 'Shine A Light', 'Fancy Claps', and 'I'll Believe In Anything.' Instead it's more like that Sunset Rubdown album you mentioned: more complex and nuanced, with the best bits hidden inside sections of the album rather than as the chorus centerpieces of songs.

I really liked Shut Up I Am Dreaming, and both Wolf Parade albums, but I just couldn't get into Random Spirit Lover. I think it may just have been too cacaphonous and sprawling for me. Anyway, I think Krug's at his best when he has someone more straightforward like Boeckner to play off of, I think the tension between their approaches is really what powers the best Wolf Parade stuff.

I still don't think that any of the various albums produced by the Wolf Parade extended family have any song to top 'Sons And Daughters of Hungry Ghosts', though 'Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings' is pretty damn close.

[mopinks]

Originally Posted by KCar

On the video: who the hell made it the mid-90s again? Did they recruit the director for Metallica's "Until it Bleeds?"

time travel

they just got back from the mid-80s

[blitzchamp]

I've been listening to a lot of Jan Wayne songs such as Only You. I like it when they go ba da da da.

I found his songs when I was looking up Mad World by Gary Jules.

[DemoWeasel]

Originally Posted by ajr82

stuff

I liked Shut Up I Am Dreaming a whole lot, and Apologies to the Queen Mary as well. Plague Park is a good listen, but not one of my favorite albums. One big problem I had with At Mount Zoomer though is that 'Kissing the Beehive' is the only song where I feel Boeckner and Krug worked together in perfect harmony. Maybe that's why it's my favorite song off the album.

oh, and 'The Mending of the Gown' and 'The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life' from Random Spirit Lover are aweeeeeeeeeeesome.

[ScrambledGregs]

Originally Posted by ajr82

I really liked Shut Up I Am Dreaming, and both Wolf Parade albums, but I just couldn't get into Random Spirit Lover. I think it may just have been too cacaphonous and sprawling for me. Anyway, I think Krug's at his best when he has someone more straightforward like Boeckner to play off of, I think the tension between their approaches is really what powers the best Wolf Parade stuff.

I still don't think that any of the various albums produced by the Wolf Parade extended family have any song to top 'Sons And Daughters of Hungry Ghosts', though 'Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings' is pretty damn close.

I see where you're coming from. The Swan Lake album is a great example of this; he's got a more pop/classicist singer/songwriter like Dan Bejar to play off of, and it results in one of his best songs in 'Are You Swimming In Her Pools?' That said, I also wish he would make more of his appearances on Frog Eyes albums. I mean, I love Frog Eyes, and that band is Carey Mercer's show, but if all you're going to do with Krug is have him play keyboards and maybe some back-up singing, it's kind of a waste.

@Shinji: I'm hoping in the future that Krug and Boeckner do more stuff like 'Kissing The Beehive.' Not in an epic song kind of way, but in a "trading off on verses, writing a song together, and/or dueting" fashion. Their voices and styles are distinctive and yet sympathetic enough to work really well together.

[Phat]

The last album I listened to was Anthony Green's solo-ish deal, which I was told was an acoustic album. It is mostly acoustic, but he is backed by a full band on the far-and-away best song on the album.

The actual acoustic songs are okay.

[ravinoff]

The past two or three days I have been obsessively listening to Love's Forever Changes (as I tend to every month or two). Love is a slightly folky '60s psychdelic rock band and Forever Changes is their masterpiece. The only psych rock that I feel surpasses this album is the Beatles, but really comparing to the Beatles is almost cheating. One interesting thing to note is while the album has an upbeat feel overall if you actually listen to the lyrics they are paranoid and actually quite doomy.

Love live (fairly recently (not sure how recently) performing material from Forever changes):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKIdYrHyC0w (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGQMfNTW9zM& (part 2)

[wumpwoast]

I just grabbed Estradasphere - Palace of Mirrors and Supergrass - In It For The Money. And this might just be the luckiest record-buying trip I make all year -- two albums that I can't find hardly anything to bitch about.

[ravinoff]

Originally Posted by wumpwoast

I just grabbed Estradasphere - Palace of Mirrors and Supergrass - In It For The Money. And this might just be the luckiest record-buying trip I make all year -- two albums that I can't find hardly anything to bitch about.

Palace of Mirrors is wonderful, I mean, I love all of Estradasphere's stuff, but that album is a standout even for them. They also have a really good live DVD of Palace of Mirrors material (sample of said on youtube).

[Ganietzsche]

Originally Posted by ravinoff

Love - Forever Changes

I'd rank this among essential 60s albums and essential albums period. Something about the arrangements is so unique. It's catchy, it's melancholy. You're forced to return to it.

[ajr82]

Guys, the new American Music Club album is great. I'd highly recommend it, particularly to anyone who loved The National's Boxer. It's more laid-back and less intense than that one, but it also swings a bit more.

[TheSL]

So I got to hear one of Metallica's new songs at Ozzfest ("Cyanide") and while its definitely leagues better than St. Anger its still far from being Master of Puppets. Its interesting to see how much different bass feels with a song Rob actually had any input on.

[KCar]

Originally Posted by ScrambledGregs

I mean, I love Frog Eyes, and that band is Carey Mercer's show, but if all you're going to do with Krug is have him play keyboards and maybe some back-up singing, it's kind of a waste.

True story: Carey Mercer worked the till at a Salvation Army down the road from where I lived in Victoria. One time I left my mp3 player at a friend's while travelling, so I had to buy some tapes for my car; he was working that day, and I was a little worried he was silently judging me.

The tapes were the first Crash Test Dummies album and the Reality Bites sdtk. Judge away.

I think the sad thing here is what it says about the feasibility of living off of a semi-successful indie band.

[Ample Vigour]

Originally Posted by KCar

True story: Carey Mercer worked the till at a Salvation Army down the road from where I lived in Victoria. One time I left my mp3 player at a friend's while travelling, so I had to buy some tapes for my car; he was working that day, and I was a little worried he was silently judging me.

The tapes were the first Crash Test Dummies album and the Reality Bites sdtk. Judge away.

I cannot judge such concentrated early 90s; I am battered back by waves of pure Doc Marten.

Originally Posted by KCar

I think the sad thing here is what it says about the feasibility of living off of a semi-successful indie band.

Poor indie rockers. =(

[KCar]

Originally Posted by Ample Vigour

I cannot judge such concentrated early 90s; I am battered back by waves of pure Doc Marten.

You say... I only hear what I want to...

And you say... I talk so all the time... so...

The question is: do I love Lisa Loeb despite her craziness, or do I love her because she's crazy? Perhaps WoW Spambot will show me the way.

[Jeanie]

Originally Posted by TheSL

So I got to hear one of Metallica's new songs at Ozzfest ("Cyanide") and while its definitely leagues better than St. Anger its still far from being Master of Puppets. Its interesting to see how much different bass feels with a song Rob actually had any input on.

Well that's good then but I'll wait until I hear it first. St. Anger had some ok songs (let me finish first before you get mad), just none that were on the St. Anger disc. It sounded like it was recorded by two monkeys with a trash can.

[standing8]

I was driving in my car and had it tuned to the local oldies(of the Soul and R&B variety) station and heard this song and completely flipped out. I had to find out who sang it. I wished really, really hard that the DJ's would say who it was when the song ended but to no avail. I had to resort to memorizing a few lines of the chorus and try my luck online. Through a little googlekata(or google-fu?) and not much time at all, I found out the song was “Magic” by Robin Thicke. Man who would’ve thought that Alan Thickes son would be an R&B singer who could’ve doubled for a younger Pierce Brosnan?

I like Robin Thicke over Pharrell but I think type of beat fits him much better. As far as soul singing white boys go, Robin Thicke is definitely making his way up that ladder. I don’t think he’s quite at Jon B’s level yet but he easily surpasses Justin Timberlake in my eyes. Oh and I haven’t done any sort of research on it but I’m gonna take a guess that this song samples Curtis Mayfield. The horns sound very Mayfield-esque. Can anyone confirm?

[Matchstick]

Originally Posted by ajr82

Guys, the new American Music Club album is great. I'd highly recommend it, particularly to anyone who loved The National's Boxer. It's more laid-back and less intense than that one, but it also swings a bit more.

Are you talking about The Golden Age or is there a newer one than that?

[DemoWeasel]

Sharpen Your Teeth - Ugly Casanova - I love this album because the sounds are so odd, and it actually sounds different from the usual Modest Mouse stuff. "Things I Don't Remember" is my favorite song on the album.

Neon Bible - The Arcade Fire - I heard that a lot of other fans argue about which Arcade Fire album is better, Funeral or Neon Bible, but I can safely say that both albums are equally excellent for their own reasons. Neon Bible's overall "darkness" is what made me love it; "My Body Is a Cage" and "Ocean of Noise" are my favorites here, with "Black Mirror" coming up close behind those two.

[ajr82]

Originally Posted by Matchstick

Are you talking about The Golden Age or is there a newer one than that?

Yeah, I was talking about The Golden Age. It's new to me, but looking into it more I guess it came out back in February.

[ScrambledGregs]

*Greg casts Regen on the thread*


Fleet Foxes- s/t
What if the dude from My Morning Jacket led a band that had the vocal harmonies of bands like CSNY, the Beach Boys, and Animal Collective?? The answer is Fleet Foxes. Not every song is a vocal harmony orgy, so suffice it to say that I was determined to hate this album because of the ridiculous praise its gotten, but it's really damn good. This band has a real gift for intricate arrangements and soaring, memorable hooks.
'White Winter Hymnal'



Bon Iver- For Emma, Forever Ago
Imagine you retreated to the northern expanses of Wisconsin for a few months, your heart full of doubt, loss, heartbreak, pain, and longing. During that time, you record an album alone. Instead of it being incredibly bleak, there's a winter's beauty about it, with equal parts snow landscape chill and fireside drinkin' and wound nursin'. The result of all of this would sound a lot like For Emma, Forever Ago.
'Blindsided' (note: you might have to turn this up, since it's mixed pretty quietly)


Shearwater- Rook
While I like this album a lot, I knew it sounded really similar to another band, but I couldn't remember who. No, it's not Okkervil River, who the main dude of this band used to belong to. It took a Tiny Mix Tapes review to point out how similar this album sounds to Talk Talk, specifically their Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden albums. It really is startling how close they sound; even the dude's voice is really similar. Regardless, I'm not sure how to feel about this, other than I like Laughing Stock a lot, and if you're going to borrow from any album, there are many, many worse choices.
'Rooks' (note: couldn't find any YouTube videos from the new album, so this's a live bit with semi-decent sound)

[mr_bungle700]

Next week's playlist includes Omodaka album Cantata No. 147, which is named for the Bach piece and features a pretty fun arrangement of it. You can check that out here. This song is a lot more in line with what the rest of the album sounds like though.

Recommended for, uh...people who like the melding of house music, 8-bit instrumentation and traditional Japanese vocals, I guess. I get a Daft Punk vibe from some of these songs, so Daft Punk fans might like it too.

[KCar]

Gregs - I think I love you. Let's have musical babies.

[ScrambledGregs]

Originally Posted by KCar

Gregs - I think I love you. Let's have musical babies.

Only if I get to be the woman in the relationship.

Wait, no...!!

[Ganietzsche]

Wow, thanks for the link to the Fleet Foxes video. Just whoa. I really wish I would bother searching YouTube for videos of the bands I like...

[Matchstick]

The Bon Iver video reminds me of Mark Kozelek's work. Is the rest of the album in a similar vein?

[KCar]

Originally Posted by Matchstick

The Bon Iver video reminds me of Mark Kozelek's work. Is the rest of the album in a similar vein?

The Bon Iver album is one of the most seamless and atmospheric listening experiences I've had in a long time. I'd be hard pressed to think of an album from last year that I liked more, honestly. If you like sad, country tinged navel gazing (and who doesn't!), you owe it to yourself to own the album.

My only regret is not owning it on vinyl. I think it's an album that would benefit from that scritch-scratchy format.