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I've been picking apart the blog Acquiesce To because whoever is writing it seems to have taste similar to mine.*
There's an interesting and unexpected interplay between Mook E's urgent and passionate accent (similar to Matisyahu's) against the smooth Kenny G. background music.
Read more about the Israeli rapper here.
Mook E Elohim was here.
Gotta say that I'm pretty pleased with the take of favorite songs over the past month. It had more win more than Madison Cowan. Per usual some songs are old and all will be deleted within a few days:
++Shenandoah Davis' song is moving and has crystal clear production values. It's at the top of the heap.: Shenandoah Davis: We Camera.mp3 was here.
++This Orb song was made for a dark Fincher flick. It takes some work to listen to; the payoff comes at minutes 2:00 and again at 4:00. It's then that you start to hear the novel things they're doing with sound and electronica. The Orb SALT mp3 was here.
++2AM Club is cotton candy concentrate but how I am a sucker for good harmony in most any form.:
2AM Club Worry About You mp3 was here.
++Videos: Quadron ran the game videowise and it was hard for me to choose between this one and the whispery MJ cover; I'm so enamored of the depth in Coco's voice even when doing pop. And DOM was just plain fun.
DOM Living in America mp3 was here.
The inbox has pulled up a barstool and wants to buy you a drink:
++So happy to hear that New Folkster Johnny Flynn is back to the grindstone. One of my favorite newcomer songwriters will release Been Listening here in North America on October 26th. The album will include a duet with Laura Marling. Flynn will be at Hotel Cafe on November 6th. (See you there!) Johnny Flynn Kentucky Pill mp3
++Here's something a little different: Female driven Brooklyn quartet Victoire join with Bryce Dressner of The National on a song off their new album Cathedral City.
A song for mick kelly mp3 was here
++This song Sunny Day by Film School is neither Sunny Day Real Estate nor Viral Video Film School, discuss among yourselves.
It is however, evocative of summer & youth in the same way DOM's Living in America was the other day. The quartet play the Echo with Love Like Fire on October 21st.
Film School Heart full of pentagons was here.
++And finally, if you're in New York this coming Sunday, check out Battleship Potemkin, part of the Unsilent Film Series at Le Poisson Rouge. The Unsilent Film Series takes a classic silent film and brings the score to life again, in this case, with the help of Matt Dariau's Paradox Trio and (this is the important part) a variety of cocktails.
++From the inbox: Hailing from Asbury Park New Jersey, the 7 piece band Montagna & The Mouth to Mouth find an interesting order in the chaos and peace in the cacophony. NPR has taken them into 'consideration.': Montagna and the mouth to mouth ultrapolyamorous mp3 was here
++You know times have changed when Ice Cube is starting beef with Philip Michael Thomas.
++Dang, Elmo's name has been in the news so much in the past few weeks. What's next, Elmo, TMZ?
++Kathy Chitty sure did sleep a lot.
++All these articles about Blonde Redhead's album Penny Sparkle did their job in making me look up what the fuss about the record was all about. I can't figure out what needs changing about this song, they've got a real subdued groove going (..maybe it takes a genius).:
++Some countries just throw around the phrase 'national treasure' but in the UK they give their national treasures actual duties. Unlike say, the Kennedy Center Honors.*
The British National Trust has appointed Jarvis Cocker to produce an album that can be downloaded in its entirety on their website. The album is a series of soundscapes recorded at various historic locations including the Ham House, which is said to be haunted. Cocker says that he hopes the sounds will inspire people to go visit these locations.
I've written about how I wish more artists would incorporate more mundane and realistic sounds into their music, even in small measure, perhaps as samples, such as this music box at Lanhydrock.
Lanhyrock Music box mp3 was here.
*I would talk more smack but Dave Brubeck and his gang of hooligans look like they've been working out.
++I know this observation is from 2006, but I can never figure out why secret shows are called secret shows if they're announced ahead of time. It's puzzling; like Meredith Vieira's media dominance. Oh well, at least this Franz Ferdinand Malaga incident will make for a good Kin commercial in the future.
++This just in from the inbox: The Counting Crows will play the John Anson Amphitheater on October 1st at 8:00 p.m. and I have two tickets to give away! If you're in L.A. and want the tix send an email to stop_okay_go@yahoo.com with "Counting Crows" in the subject line. The band will play with sketch comedy troupe Broken Lizard from Beerfest. Email now; your chances of winning are *very* good.
++Here's that 2AM Club song from the other night via Arjan Writes:
2am club worry about you mp3 was here.
++The 5-10-15-20 interview construct on Pitchfork is the neatest idea. Interviews are hard; it's probably easier for the artist to have a framework by which to answer. What a cool Mom Marnie Stern had. Also from Pitchfork..hey, why stop at homemade machines, why not make your own kind of record?
++Oooh wee, there's so much Quadron(!) in the news right now....nerd out with me on the other side of the jump, won't you?:
Got this smoothie by Clubfeet from KEXP. Really there are only a few words in the world; and a glance at the newest band names will show that there aren't even all that many original ways to combine those few words. So why not take a word and mess with its pronunciation, i.e., the way he says "on the edge ex-tremes"(or is that simply the Australian way??).
Clubfeet also have a song called Teenage Suicide. The word "teenage", like balloons and homemade machines...was so hot this year.: Clubfeet Edge of Extremes mp3 was here.
Danish popster Oh Land performs with a homemade music box topped with balloon video projections, like the one above. Balloons and homemade instruments ...so hot this year.
Oh Land's self-titled EP is out in October and she plays Boston's Paradise Rock Club on 9/26.
Oh Land Sun of A Gun mp3 was here.
Fans of The Weakerthans' John K. Samson will be as pleased as the Yum Yum Donuts logo to hear that he's got a new album coming that's available for pre-order on Anti- called Provincial Road 222. The new album finds Samson (who is also the manager of a small publishing house) once again examining his hometown.
(via)
The Weakerthans Left and Leaving mp3 was here.
These two videos don't have anything to do with each other but I like the roughness of them both, how they're black and white, stylish and a little sinister.(Bonus reverb points if you play them at the same time!)
Chapter Sweetheart:
From the inbox: Seattle's Shenandoah Davis is doing the Kickstarter thing. She's halfway to her goal of making a new record, so do hit that. I love the idea of Kickstarter but if I wuz them I'd put a biggole Paypal button on the artist's splash page and not make the person donating have to sign up.
This song is sublime; antique and modern at the same time. Listening to it makes me nostalgic for things I've never known. The yellowing piano notes hit the Neutral Milk Hotel lobes of the brain. Just wish it were a touch longer. She'll also get comparisons to Zooey D and Nico for sure.
Davis plays The Crocodile in Seattle on September 22nd and New York's Rockwood Music Hall on October 11th. Thanks to Ms.Valerie Park Distro for the headsup. Shenandoah We Camera mp3 was here.
Some meandering thoughts on Internet "based" sensation Lil B after the jumpity..........
This video by Midnight Juggernauts has inspired a lot of random thoughts that I will later post (here). In the meantime, please to enjoy this song of theirs via Shattered Satellite. I've become obsessed with anything MJ related over the past few months because Tame Impala's cover of their song Vital Signs is one of my favorites of the year for sheer simplicity's sake. Midnight Juggernauts This New Technology mp3 was here.
++The Awl has a comfy feelin' video of Justin Townes Earle, son of Steve, who will no doubt be dropping the pesky 'son of Steve' label very soon, with all this talent. In the video he discusses the mathematics of Bourbon.
++Alison Moyet and her full bodied pipes are back. Yaz (or Yazoo depending on who you're talking to and which meal it will accompany) will release Reconnected Live on 9/28. The double CD package will include Get Set, the theme song for the BBC show Get Set For Summer. Great song but it's no Brum (~LuvN U, middle guy in the overalls~!).
++Fountains of Wayne will play the Troub on October 1st.
++Tim Rice and Jesse Oxley from Keane have taken on a new alt country project called Mt. Desolation. Mt. Desolation's new album is also out October 1st. Pretty!
++Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship sure does get on well with the luscious ladies of TV.
++If you are in NY, Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield play the Mercury Lounge on September 30th. Here's a sample of their new stuff:
I got invited to see 2AM Club at the House of Blues last night. Not to get all Yelp, but have I ever written about how friendly everyone is at the House of Blues? From the lighting guys, to security, to the parking valets... errybody's awesome.
ANYWAY! 2AM Club! They opened for Mike Posner and had the female-heavy crowd pumped.
There are two lead singers, Marc and Tyler (up at the top and below), who blend rapping and blue-eyed soul with a little rock. The songs are party-friendly but there's some good musicianship happening, too.
They generate an intense, natural feeling energy. Not like some bands that bark at you to enjoy yourself.
:
Look at all those ladyhands!
2AM Club's album What Did You Think Was Going To Happen came out yesterday. Hear more here:
Time to play catchup with some old faves:
++Ava Luna will be teaming up with Garotas Suecas, a Tropicalia-infused Brazilian garage band, on 9/22 to open a knitting factory. Between Ava Luna's seven members and Garota's 6 members...that's a whole lotta mittens.
++Step into Coco Sumner's wardrobe closet. (Where, sadly, there are no talking rodentia.)
++Chiddy Bang's mini-album, The Review, won't drop til *next* year. (Which seems like a long time away until you consider it's 3 months from now.) Chiddy Bang Pass Out and the good life mp3s were here.
Via ONTD, here's a video from a band that I posted on several months back: Hurts. They are making Spandau Ballet, Robert Palmer, Tom Ford (and let's go ahead and throw in Nicky and Paris Hilton) proud with all the different elements happening in this video. It's not a spectacular song but these days I get excited about things that are understated.
Tis the season of Little Red Riding Hood, I guess? Via Nialler9, a mesmerizing video by Irishwoman Cathy Davey for the song Little Red off her album The Nameless. Read Torture Garden, who has been following Davey from the start, for more info.Cathy Davey Little Red mp3 was here.
++An old La Roux Tigerlily dubbsmix? Hey, why not.: LA ROUX Tigerlily mp3 was here.
++I've written this before, but one of my favorite things is when an article has an unrelated accompanying picture that appears to be the reaction shot from the celebrity, i.e., Crystal Bowersox's "WTF? They were checkin' my filez?" expression (in a picture taken several months earlier.)
++The tapes.
From the inbox:
++ Here's Clare and the Reasons (and Van Dyke Parks) doing the Harry Nilsson song He Needs Me. Play compare and contrast with Shelley Duvall's version from Popeye.
Clare and the Reasons He Needs Me mp3 was here.
++Hayley Williams treated Paramore fans to a little Loretta Lynn the other night. She's also addressed the whole Paramore Paradox thing head-on... Paramore Careful mp3 was here.
