Songs of the Day: Relax

Untitled

Hey everyone. Here’s a short, relaxing mini-mix for the stressful winter season. Doty and I put this one together, enjoy!

1. Sexy. From their new album, Up Here. We got a chance to see ’em in Vermont a few weeks ago, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. This track is a sultry, soulful ballad that’s more like a warm blanket than a jam. Enjoy

MP3: Soulive – “PJ’s”

2. Two world famous UK DJ’s making awesome music. From 1999’s Epv, I really think this track was destined to find me. I’m not really sure I can vouch for the rest of their music, but this song is pretty much as cool as they come. Ambient lounge grooves, with vocals from Yvonne Webbley.

MP3: Amalagamation of Soundz – “Enchant Me”

3. This album is still shrouded in mystery to me. Although these guys have come out into the public eye, relatively speaking, their music is both personal and universal. There’s something about a pounding beat and dreamy guitar tones that really does it for me. Perfect for early in the morning, or late, late at night. Their debut album came out quite recently, but if you are keen enough, you can track down all sorts of demos, b-sides and side-projects from these guys. Start at We’re Tapes.

MP3: Memory Tapes – “Swimming Field”

4. Her first album in 8 years, Hope Sandoval’s Through The Devil Softly breaks new ground as well as staying true to the idea that was born in Mazzy Star and was realized on Hope’s album Bavarian Fruit Bread. This song, the third track, winds its way into the listeners subconscious and finds a dark place to hide. I’m always haunted by Hope Sandoval’s angelic voice and amazingly intimate lyrics.

MP3: Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions – “For the Rest of Your Life”

5. If you haven’t taken the time to put on your headphones and listen to The Flaming Lips new record Embryonic, do it. It’s an amazing journey from start to finish. In my opinion, this album is not meant to be split up into “singles” and stand-alone tracks, but for the sake of relaxation, here’s a track that features the percussion of a lit match and the psychedelic awesomeness of vocoders, mellotrons and harps. I love The Flaming Lips.

MP3: The Flaming Lips – “The Impulse”

6. I used to listen to Tarika’s album, Son Egal, as a kid. It came out in 1997, and I rediscovered it almost 10 years later. Apparently, in 2001, TIME magazine listed Tarika (Along with Radiohead, U2, Portishead, Sigur Ros and Ziggy Marley, among others) as one of the “10 Best Bands on Planet Earth.” Yeah. Pick up Son Egal or any of their other work if you can.

MP3: Tarika – Sonegaly

7. This 10 minute 20 second masterpiece comes from The Cinematic Orchestra’s unbelievable soundtrack to Dziga Vertov’s 1929 experimental documentary Man With A Movie Camera.  You can see it in part’s on YouTube, but the soundtrack is amazing enough to stand on its own. This song is just a bite of one of the many extreme moods expressed in the score. Check it out.

MP3: The Cinematic Orchestra – “The Awakening of a Woman (Burnout)”

Bears – ‘Who Knows’

bears

If you are a fan of Beulah (like myself), and cry yourself to sleep every night over their break up (like myself), then I highly recommend you check out the song below by the band Bears called “Who Knows.” Pretty much everything about the song brings to mind Beulah, from the instruments, to the catchy vocals… even the lyrics are Beulahesque. It’s really great.

Bears are based out of Cleveland, Ohio and band members include Craig Ramsey and Charlie McArthur (Pat McNulty, Devon Coffee, and Sean Sullivan help out live). These guys have some solid music and I also really appreciate their senses of humor from the little bit I’ve seen roaming their site. You’ll be seeing more Bears on IndieMuse soon, but in the meantime, check out their Myspace.

(mp3) Bears – “Who Knows”

Here’s an acoustic video version of the song they just posted today:

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/6407657[/vimeo]

myspace | site | itunes

On an unrelated note: Sorry that we have been on an unannounced hiatus recently. A long story short, IndieMuse was hacked into by a spammer, and it’s been a huge headache to clean up. Between cleaning the site up and other projects keeping us busy (more on this soon), we’ve had a hard time updating IndieMuse. We finally have the site spam free (I think), so we are now back in business. Thanks for all your support!

Song of the Day – 6/23/09

snapshot-2009-06-22-18-27-12

I’m on my way out the door, but I just heard a song I’d love to share with you. A short song by Philadelphia’s Grubstake. From what I understand, these guys are just about to release their fifth album and have a serious local following. Grubstake are huge proponents of dirty, folky blues. I can hear Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Woodie Guthrie, Lou Reed and the White Stripes all at once, just from their MySpace. They are certainly unattended on the edges, but no song has made me want to drive a truck so badly. No bullshit.

MP3: Grubstake – “Recession Blues 2001”

Alright, here are a few more, at random.

MP3: Grubstake – “Whispering Blues”

MP3: Grubstake – “Musicians”

Let me know what you think, or if you know anything about these guys that I don’t. PEACE.

Modest Mouse – Custom Concern [SotD]

This song is neither new nor any type of obscure, but today it’s my (sad, sappy) jam. I woke up, just about noon, with the melody stuck in my head. “Custom Concern” always resonated on some basic level, outlying a creative pitfall that every one hits every so often. The song is universal in its defeat, but comforting in that someone as brilliant as Isaac Brock can get down on his art. And then put it into one of the better songs Modest Mouse ever wrote. So if these past few rainy days have anyone else dragging their feet, throw This is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to Think About on for a spin and relax.

From This is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to Think About:

Modest Mouse – Custom Concern

And the buoyant, upbeat instrumental version, a bonus on The Moon and Antarctica:

Modest Mouse – Custom Concern (instrumental)

Song of the Day – 3/14/09

Hey everyone. Just wanted to quickly share some sweeeeet music with y’all.

champ

I don’t really watch anime, but in terms of soundtracks, some of the most thoughtful arranging and composition can be heard in shows like Cowboy Bebop, for example. A friend of mine recently gave me the soundtrack to Samurai Champloo, a Shinichirō Watanabe creation. It features work by producers, musicians and artists: Nujabes, Fat Jon, MINMI, Force Of Nature, Tsutchie. It’s amazing. Once again, I don’t know much about the show, but the use of sampling, sequencing and fusion makes for an unbelievably smooth, Eastern-influenced compilation spanning four discs and 79 tracks–if you like what you hear, you will not be disappointed. It is a tasteful balance of trip-hop beats, jazz and the underground Japanese hip-hop movement that feels new and comfortable all at once. For your weekend chillout:

MP3: Samurai Champloo OST – “Aurarian Dance”

MP3: Samurai Champloo OST – “Dead Session”

MP3: Samurai Champloo OST – “Sanctuary Ship”

MP3: Samurai Champloo OST – “Sneak Chamber”

REMIX!

MP3: Nujabes – “Aurarian Dance!” (Tae K Remix)

And just because it’s only appropriate to mashup a perfectly beautiful beat with Jay-Z:

MP3: Nujabes & Jay-Z – “Aurarian Encore” (Tae K Mashup)

Samurai Champloo OST: Amazon

Opening Credits: I need to watch this show, don’t I.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OuRajFzMYI[/youtube]

Song of the Day – 2/25/09

foxhole5

It came to me as a pretty big surprise that the Bowling Green, KY’s Foxhole is frequently grouped in with the Christian genre. There is a certain level of quality we are used to with music of the “Christian” variety, and objectively, it has definitely been a limiting factor for some bands, who are immediately dismissed (for whatever reason) simply due to the fact that their music has a spiritual side. My experience with Foxhole’s 2004 LP (Reisued: Burnt Toast 2008), We The Wintering Tree, has led me to believe they are an intelligent and multi-faceted group of individuals with the ability to create well-layered rock music–in any scene. Moreover, almost all of the songs on the LP are, for the most part, vocal-free. Perhaps it’s just their prerogative.

Whatever connotations you associate with the Christian scene or otherwise, there are great moments to be had. Channeling epic sounds that remind me of Explosions in the Sky, Maps or I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness, Foxhole has a firm grasp on moving a song along and getting the most out of a particular motif or concept. There is a good deal to find in their music, although it can feel dry or played out at times. Most of the pleasure I’ve found in this album is rooted in its production and harmony. The album feels like it has glue holding it together. That is to say, the album is coherent. As an instrumental endeavor, guitarist and co-foudner Adam Moore has helped create a polyrhythmic sound–through use of horns, strings, sequencers and delay–that is as formidable as it is ethereal, as tasteful as it is an overload. Check it out:

MP3: Foxhole – “A Children’s Canto”

MP3: Foxhole – “The End of Dying”

MP3: Foxhole – “Dead Rimes”

MP3: Foxhole – “Forgiving Monarch” from the new Push/Pull EP

Home | Wiki | MySpace | AllMusic

Support Foxhole: Burnt Toast Vinyl | iTunes | Amazon | InSound

Foxhole are currently working on a new album, slated to drop Summer ’09.

National Zoo’s Baby Gorilla is a Girl

gorilla

Photo courtesy of dcmandrill

We can officially score one for the females, as The National Zoo announced today that the zoo’s 3 week old baby gorilla is a girl! Apparently, it can take a while for humans to know the sex of a gorilla, which is why we are only finding out today. In terms of family lineage, the zoo was hoping it would be a girl, so it’s a good day for gorillas and zookeepers everywhere.

It’s also good to see that the zoo prefers mother-rearing over hand-rearing, meaning the baby girl will be able to stay with her mother, Mandara.  Be sure to check out the video below of them together!

Video of Mandara and baby courtesy of RoxandaBear.

Song Mandara and boyfriend probably listened to on dates:

Animal Collective – Grass

Song by Gorillaz for humans:

Gorillaz – Last Living Souls

Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)

animalcollective

In 2007, Animal Collective released what I consider to be one of the best albums of the decade, Strawberry Jam. Met with opposition from some fans, Strawberry Jam saw the band bidding farewell to the tribal shouts and bursts of noise that had made some tracks on early albums Sung Tongs and Here Comes The Indian sound like they were dancing on the line between insanity and genius.  Yet at the same time, the album reaffirmed the strange flirtations with pop music that the band had begun integrating into their sonic weirdness on Feels and Sung Tongs.  Strawberry Jam was simpler instrumentally, relying on samples or repetitive guitar progressions, and more lyrically focused, displaying vocalist Avey Tare’s best work to date.  Animal Collective’s 2009 effort Merriweather Post Pavilion once again asserts the bands groundbreaking ability to combine pop with a mess of psychedelia and electronic music.

The album draws influence from Animal Collective member Panda Bear’s 2007 release Person Pitch, which had Panda Bear utilizing minimalist samples under lush vocal layering and harmonies reminiscent of the Beach Boys.  Panda Bear takes a much larger role on Merriweather Post Pavilion than he did on Strawberry Jam, playing main vocalist for most of the songs on the album.  Avey Tare has his solo vocal performances also, but the vocal harmonies between the two members is where the album finds its beauty and strength.  Songs like  “Also Frightened” and “Bluish” feature the vocalists perfectly weaving their voices into one spine-tingling wail.  Gone also are the cacophonous screams and screeches that Avey used on tracks like “Grass” or “For Reverend Green.”  The instrumentation is once again minimalist in its approach, employing simplistic ethereal keyboard lines, steady rhythms, strange samples and thumping bass.  The recording is heavy on reverb, which accentuates the soaring vocals and catchy rhythms and is certainly reminiscent of many of the tracks on Person Pitch.  Though a bit less varied than Strawberry Jam, the album flows perfectly while managing to change both the tempo and mood from song to song.  The opener, “In The Flowers,” begins as an intimate combination of Avey’s cryptic whispers and quiet piano before exploding into a intense mix of heavy drums and accented keys.  “No More Runnin” is based off of a bouncy piano line while the rhythms on “Taste” vaguely resemble reggae.  “My Girls” is easily both the album’s most accessible and best track.  “I don’t mean to seem like I care about material things, like a social status!  I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls!” cries Panda Bear at the end of the song, backed by an infectious bass line and triumphant drums.  “Summertime Clothes” is Avey’s highlight, with him delivering verses full of cryptic lyrics and then exploding into a beautifully catchy chorus with Panda Bear.  The album’s closer, “Brothersport,” is a wild mix of “Comfy In Nautica” sounding samples, animal noises and Panda Bear’s poppy melodies.

Merriweather Post Pavilion is a near perfect execution of a psychedelic pop album.  It seems as if the band has abandoned the stranger elements of their past work and focused on creating an easy to listen to, cohesive album. Like I said, I believe that Strawberry Jam is the group’s best execution and combination of the older strange psychedelic influence with their ever-improving ability to write pop songs, but I would not be surprised if Merriweather Post Pavilion is eventually regarded as Animal Collective’s best work. It is a truly breathtaking album and a fantastic way to start off the year.  Animal Collective have now proved that not only can they create some of the strangest genre-bending music of the past decade, but also that they are superb songwriters.  And their unique take on pop has created an album that will be remembered for years to come.  Check out Merriweather Post Pavilion, out now on Domino, and catch the band on tour this spring-summer.

Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009):

(mp3) Animal Collective – My Girls
(mp3) Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes

Animal Collective World Tour
01-21 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
01-22 Chicago, IL – Metro
01-23 Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theatre
01-24 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
03-04 Oslo, Norway – Rockerfeller
03-05 Lund, Sweden – Mejeriet
03-06 Copenhagen, Denmark – Amager Bio
03-08 Cologne, Germany – Gloria
03-09 Heidelberg, Germany – Karistorbahnof
03-10 Fribourg, Switzerland – Fri-Son
03-11 Luzern, Switzerland – Konzerthaus Schurr
03-12 Florence, Italy – Viper Room
03-13 Rome, Italy – Teatro Studio
03-14 Milan, Italy – Rolling Stone
03-16 Strasbourg, France – La Laiterie
03-17 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
03-18 Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique
03-19 Lille, France – Aeronef
03-20 Nantes, France – L’Olympic
03-22 Bristol, England – Trinity Centre
03-23 Nottingham, England – Rescue Rooms
03-24 London, England – The Forum
03-25 Leeds, England – TJ’s Woodhouse Club
03-26 Liverpool, England – Static Gallery
03-27 Dublin, Ireland – Tripod
03-28 Belfast, Ireland – Stiff Kitten
05-11 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
05-12 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
05-13 New York, NY – Terminal 5
05-14 Boston, MA – House of Blues
05-15 Montreal, Quebec – Metropolis
05-16 Toronto, Ontario – Sound Academy
05-18 Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Hall
05-19 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
05-20 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
05-24 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
05-25 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
05-26 Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre
05-27 Big Sur, CA – Henry Miller Memorial Library
05-29 Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern
05-30 Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
05-31 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theater
06-01 Albuquerque, MN – Sunshine Theater
06-02 Boulder, CO – Boulder Theatre
06-04 Dallas, TX – House of Blues
06-05 Austin, TX – Stubbs
06-06 Oxford, MS – The Library
06-08 St. Petersburg, FL – State Theatre
06-09 Fort Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
06-10 Orlando, FL – Club Firestone
09-12 Monticello, NY – All Tomorrow’s Parties

Department of Eagles – Phantom Other

Akhil mentioned Department of Eagles briefly in one of his brilliant song of the day collections (check them out here and here for oh-so-much music), but this song, and the album In Ear Park, totally deserve a post of their own.

Department of Eagles is the product of Daniel Rosen and Fred Nicolaus, who met at NYU in 2000. Rosen joined Grizzly Bear in 2004, just in time to contribute to it’s masterpiece, Yellow House and enlisted the help of his band mates for the recording of In Ear Park. The past few days have found me stuck in a compulsory cycle between the two albums; they call to each other, near perfect compliments. As a result, I’m so sappy and romantic right now I don’t know what to do with myself.

“Phantom Other” opens in defeat: “Alright, we’ll do this your way” Rosen croons over vaguely classical, utterly haunting arpegios before unleashing an inexplicably devastating chord change, unexpected and visceral. One key note, a down instead of an up, struck with force – his bitter conviction – and my gut is roiling (1:03).The song now sounds like a sunny day in the sixties gone wrong; something sinister in the harmonies, one note gone awry, one rain cloud beckoning the impending storm. And that’s the attraction. The song explodes, “My god in heaven/what were we thinking?” cast toward the clouds by a frantic pedal-steel, a twenty-second divergence into a kaleidoscopic bar-room cabaret, and it’s over.

The storm has passed. “Look out/Look Out/We gotta get out now.”

From In Ear Park:

Department of Eagles – Phantom Other

Department of Eagles – Teenagers

From Grizzly Bear’s Yellow House:

Grizzly Bear – Knife

|MySpace|Amazon|Label|

Songs of the Day II

I’ll start, as I always do, with an apology for not writing in some time. Being in school and at work and trying to scrape and find and explore new music is a job that is a lot tougher than I thought. So this past week I swore to devote my time to pick out my recent favorites and share them with you (sorry if I totally missed the boat on some, it’s the thought that counts, right?) I apologize for the layout too, WordPress is being a lameass. Dig deep, there’s quite a bit to be had here.

First off is an awesome track from one of my favorite bands today, Moscow Olympics. Honestly, the production alone on their new album, Cut the World, is worth mention. It is a lesson in tasteful, atmospheric rock the likes of which not only hail to MBV but wholeheartedly attempt to evoke the same amount of emotion… and that’s fuckin rad.

MP3: Moscow Olympics – “No Winter, No Autumn”

MP3: Moscow Olympics – “Still” from the Still 7″ on Fraction Discs.

This next band, Weird Tapes, is infectious (Thanks GvB!). Grab the Get Religion EP for free! And a bunch more tracks at the We’re Tapes blog. These seriously are the jams. I don’t really know too much about these guys, check out Gorilla vs. Bear for that scoop. For now, listen.

MP3: Weird Tapes – “The Heavens”

MP3: Weird Tapes – “TV Romance” from Nightstalking

Arsenal have been popping up around a lot lately. Mostly for their rollicking electronic, pop-rock tune, “Estupendo.” And rightfully so, that song is amazing. Not less than perfect for going on a run, going out or jumping on all the furniture in your house. Their new album, Lotuk, is an eclectic mix of Electropop, downtempo jams, garage rock and blah blah blah… It’s hard to get you a few tracks and fully describe these Belgian dudes, so here are some of my favorites. “Selvagem” it badass, at least. That crunchy lead line is perfect when coupled with their European, indie genius. Also, check out the chillout, spoken word bombs on “The Letter,” if you can. What do you think?

MP3: Arsenal – “Estupendo”

MP3: Arsenal – “Selvagem”

If not simply for his part on The Flaming Lips, Hit To Death In The Future Head, Johnathan Donahue has constantly brought something new and interesting to my table. Mercury Rev have been consistently enigmatic from 1991’s Yerself is Steam all the way to their newest, Snowflake Midnight (You should definitely get this). The title could not be more indicative of the chilled, ethereal concepts behind this album. Take a listen to the first track, “Snowflake in a Hot World,” then jump on the awesome Fujiya & Miyagi remix of “Sense on Fire.” Finally, there’s my all-time favorite ‘Rev song, “Car Wash Hair,” from their first album, written about the Lips and possibly one of my favorite songs of all time.

MP3: Mercury Rev – “Snowflake in a Hot World”

MP3: Mercury Rev – “Sense on Fire (Fujiya & Miyagi Remix)”

MP3: Mercury Rev – “Car Wash Hair” from Lego My Ego EP (1991)?

My favorite underground hip-hop artist today is none other than Cadence Weapon (a Canadian!!!). With truly raw beats and panned out production, this guy is a real person. The character he embodies is actually a reflection of something real and he’s not afraid to be smart, something that I look for in the art of poetics. That said, CW kicks you hard in your teeth and ankles… a blow of truth. Check out these bomb tracks and dig more at Hype.

MP3: Cadence Weapon – “Limited Edition OJ Slammer”

Mp3: Cadence Weapon – “Real Estate” (which has an awesome video)

Department of Eagles are doing pretty well these days, from what I see. That’s definitely a good thing. I haven’t heard too much, but their album, In Ear Park is full of great, reverb-ey swamp rock and I like it a whole lot. Especially that song that everyone loves, “No One Does It Like You.” Here are three versions, each awesome in it’s own way. These guys are good.

MP3: Department of Eagles – “No One Does It Like You” from In Ear Park

MP3: Department of Eagles – “No One Does It Like You” live 10/6/08

MP3  Department of Eagles – “No One Does It Like You” alternate take at Don’t Look Down.

I’ve said it before, but we should all be even more interested in Rogue Wave. These guys are always at the top of my list of musical recommendation. They’re brilliant. Recently they did a MySpace session and the intimate nature of the performace not only gave me new insight into some of their more orchestrated songs, but also displayed a desire to never set a song in stone and always strive to perfect them. So, it’s okay to cancel a few shows. Great job guys, you are the shit! Few are better.

MP3: Rogue Wave – “Eyes” live on MySpace

MP3: Rogue Wave – “What Difference Does It Make (The Smiths Cover)” live on MySpace

MP3: Rogue Wave – “I’m Only Sleeping (Beatles Cover)” live on… somewhere.

In terms of classics, I’ve been listening to the Rolling Stones a bit lately and thought I would remind myself of the total awesomeness of this band.

MP3: The Rolling Stones – “She’s Like A Rainbow”

MP3: The Rolling Stones – “Street Fighting Man”

Finally, it’s election time, and for seriously counscious artists this means there is a great duty to fill. Wilco and Fleet Foxes recorded a cover of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released,” as an incentive download if you pledge to vote in November. Just a simple, honest gesture of incentive in activism from one of my new favorite bands and one of my favorite bands ever. I’ll post a super LO-fi version here, but you gotta get the real deal for the full effect.

MP3: Wilco & Fleet Foxes – “I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan Cover)”

MP3: Jeff Tweedy – “Simple Twist of Fate (Bob Dylan Cover)” from the I’m Not There OST

MP3: Jeff Tweedy -  “I’m Into Something Good” (Herman’s Hermits Cover)

MP3: Wilco – “Nothing Up My Sleeve” YHF b-side

I hope you’re all doing well. Thanks to everyone who supports and reads our site. We love you very much. Stay connected, keep your eyes/ears peeled for MusicFloss.com and SUPPORT GREAT MUSIC!