• Indie

    Get ready for it

    Something is definitely up in Montreal. I recently posted The Arcade Fire, and tonight it’s Montreal-based The Stills. This is an example of a tune where the whole atmosphere changes mid-song, and you find yourself entranced and drawn into it. You know, like the piano /guitar-instrumental last half of “Layla”. There’s beauty here…

    The Stills: Ready for It (mp3)

  • Indie

    Once Again Hitting you in The Shins

    I’m going to blog about the Shins. You see, I’m relatively new to the Shins. I discovered them in April, when I heard “Gone for Good”, and promptly posted it, proclaiming my love for it. I could still listen to that song on repeat for an entire week and never tire of it. Well I picked up their first album, ‘Oh, Inverted World’ recently, AND I saw the movie Garden State, both which feature the great and also infectious tune “New Slang”. James Mercer’s smooth voice and intelligently entertaining lyrics are right up my alley.

    So yeah, the Shins are nothing new to a lot of folks and “New Slang” is the most well known off the album, but for those of you who haven’t heard them, check ’em out.

    The Shins: New Slang (mp3) from Oh, Inverted World || Gone for Good (mp3) live at Austin City Limits)

    • The Shins Official Site
    • Do you like these tunes? Well leave a comment for chrissake! Let’s up the interactivity of this sumbitch. Sometimes I feel like I’m bloggin’ to a brick wall.
  • Folk,  Indie,  Old School

    Sunday Grab Bag

    A trio of tunes that sum up my mood this Sunday in the 115 degree Arizona desert.

    Morning: A Tribe Called Quest – Mr. Muhammad A cup of coffee, the Sunday paper, and “Mr. Muhammad” piping through the household. Heads a bobbin’ courtesy of the Tribe, from their awesome debut album – deep breath – People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.

    Afternoon:Kaiser Chiefs – I Predict a Riot – This is hands down one of the best take-no-prisoners rock n roll song I’ve heard all year. If you’re not jumping up and down when the choruses kick in on this one, you have no soul. You should check out the video of the K. Chiefs performing this tune to open up Philly’s Live 8 concerts a couple weeks ago. I never thought I’d say this, but thank you AOL for showing VH-1 and MTV how it’s done. From Employment.

    Evening: Tom Waits – Kentucky Avenue – Well it’s evening time in Arizona… only 101 degrees, and it’s time to wind down with Tom Waits, smoothly croaking out this great ballad from 1978’s Blue Valentine.

  • Acoustic,  Indie

    Et tu, Mr. Earle?

    I don’t know quite what to think. In the midst of the MLB All Star Game last night, I hear the bad-ass sounds of Steve Earle permeating the airwaves… IN A CHEVY COMMERCIAL. Yes, “The Revolution Starts Now” has gone from the battlecry of those not entirely please with the current administration to the trumpeting of the new Chevy truck revolution or whatever. I – as I said, not quite sure how to feel here. Sure tons of artists have contributed music to commercials, and who’s to say I wouldn’t for that sweet almighty U.S. dollar? So who am I to really judge? But it just feels weird to think Steve Earle took a song so near and dear to his heart like that, and gave it to Chevy. BUT, by the same token, it is possible to discover cool music through commericals. Like Richard Buckner‘s “Ariel Ramirez”.

    Richard Buckner: Ariel Ramirez (mp3) from Since

  • Folk,  Indie

    Crazy Mother%# Named Nina

    Oddity of the Day: Nina Gordon was one of the members of Veruca Salt. N.W.A were the pioneers of west coast gangsta rap. Nina Gordon straps on her acoustic, seats herself on a stool, and softly sings her take on an N.W.A. classic.

    Nina Gordon: Straight Outta Compton (mp3) – explicit lyrics

  • Indie,  Rock

    Imagine This

    I just got done watching ‘Imagine: John Lennon’ on HBO. I saw it in the theater back when it came out in 1988, and hadn’t see it since. Really a powerful film since it’s basically entirely narrated by John with audio and video clips taken from his entire career. No need to expound on the genius of John Lennon and the Beatles, but suffice it to say once the film is over, you feel emotionally drained as you’re left with the reality of his tragic death. Blah. Blech.

    Here’s a contemporary take on a Beatles classic…

    Grandaddy: Revolution (mp3) – from the I Am Sam Soundtrack, which features 17 different Beatles covers.

  • Indie

    Buzz like a Chicken


    image grab from the Bees site. hey, I have that Zapp album on the mantle!

    Well I hadn’t heard the Bees until today, when Radio Paradise played “Chicken Payback”. Straight out of UK’s Isle of Wight, the Bees lay down some old school rock, some r&b… definitely a late 60’s vibe coming through here. It’s a feel good, entertaining trip.

    So then I checked out the video for “Chicken Payback” on their web site, and was even more entertained. The scene is a Japanese video arcade, and one of those interactive dance machine console thingamajigs. Check it out.

    The Bees Official Web Site (click the, you guessed it, Video link.)

  • Indie

    Obscurity of the Week

    Well, obscure to me anyway. Are you in the mood for two minutes and forty-one seconds of weirdness? I came across the dynamically odd duo Call Florence Pow a few weeks back, once again courtesy of Radio Paradise. Based out of NYC, they’re made up of two fellows: Brian Jacobs and David Tobias. You can read their bio on All Music.

    Odd. And a great name to boot.

    Call Florence Pow: Preparation for Battle (mp3)

    Check out their only release on Amazon.

  • Indie,  Rock

    Howlin at the Apple Tree

    Okay, I’m admittedly way too mellow lately. So let’s kick the weekend off with a barnstormin’ aggressive number from Wolfmother [buy their EP]. Play this one a few times, then praise and curse it at the same time as it sticks in your head for the entire weekend.

    Take that.

    Wolfmother: Apple Tree (mp3)