I finally got off my ass!!! Sorry to those who listen, I got distracted and lazy. However, maybe this will re-new my inspiration as well as yours. Since it had been so damn long, some of these songs are not that new, hopefully some are new to you. This is a damn good podcast, one of the better ones for sure. Hope you like it, spread the word, share it with your friends. Let me know what you think
Setlist: The Naked and Famous - Young Blood TV on the Radio - Caffeinated Consciousness Starfucker - Rawnald Gregory Erickson The Second We Are Augustines - Chapel Song Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill The Rural Alberta Advantage - Stamp King Charles - Love Lust The Vaccines - All in White Yuck - Get Away Foster the People - Helena Beat Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi (Rome) - Two Against One (ft. Jack White) Beastie Boys - Make Some Noise Middle Brother - Blue Eyes The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness
Band of Horses, who's third album recently came out, have been on tour opening for Pearl Jam. Need I say more? No. Let's go on a mental journey, shall we? It's Friday night and your at Madison Square Garden; you saw Band of Horses and you're 30+ songs into Pearl Jam's show, when all of a sudden, (and predictable, in retrospect) Ben Bridwell steps out onto the stage and he and the band rip through a killer version of "hunger Strike" with Ben singing the Chris Cornell parts. You die and go to heaven. The End.
This is what it looked and sounded like. ba da bop ba ba...... I'm lovin' it.
1. Two Door Cinema Club - What you know 2. Bear Hands - What a drag 3. Bear Hands - Long Lean Queen 4. Frightened Rabbit - The Wrestle 5. Fang Island - Daisy 6. Peter Wolf Crier - Crutch & Cane 7. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio 8. Band of Horses - Compliments 9. Sleigh Bells - Crown on the Ground 10. Dawes - When My time comes 11. Mike Doughty - Year of the dog 12. Memphis Sleek - Alright (Ratatat remix)
This song has been out and available for some time. In fact it was the first song off the new album that I heard. But, there is something about this video that gets me going. From the people over at PitchfrokTV. This fucking rocks. Do your self and listen with headphones on at a loud volume.
"I think we've all had odd, lonely, fallow periods in life, where you find yourself detached from everything, drifting and lost. That's what [the title] means to me, but most importantly, it's the moments of joy afterwards, during recovery, that defines the dark period." - Scott Hutchison (lead singer/rhythm guitar) on the title of The Winter of Mixed Drinks
After months of endless touring in support of Frightened Rabbit's previous album The Midnight Organ Fight. Scott Hutchison escaped to the small Scottish town of Crail to "get healthy and sane". It's a familiar story really, artist retreats to a secluded post to get away and ends up inspired and renewed. The result is the Scottish bands third album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks. I'm not sure if it's self-fulfilling that this album feels like it was created on the desolate shores of a seaside town or because I know that it was, that's what I envision when I listen to it. Either way, what an amazing accomplishment of an album. It would have been easy to completely drop the ball in an attempt to follow up The Midnight Organ Fight, an album with strong stand out tracks (Poke, Old Old Fashioned, The Twist, etc) Instead the band made an album of self discovery and we are all better for it.
The first track on the album, "things", is a crescendo of sounds that highlights the recording process and the production of Peter Katis (The National, Fanfarlo). The albums first single "swim until you can't see land", which came out late last year sounds better here in the context of the album then it did to me when I first heard it. Another stand out track is "the wrestle" which is highlighted by an interesting harmony and a build up, break down structure. Hutchison calls it "one of the most oblique songs I've ever written".
There are those that will hold this album up to the light of Midnight Organ Fight and see through it. Which is a shame because The Winter of Mixed Drinks certainly blazes its own trail. I, for one will be happy to walk on the Scottish shores and throw salt covered rocks into the sea.
Alright, just a quick update. The new Morning Benders album I referenced in my last post is only a few days away from release. Leading up to the release date, they've been streaming the album for free. They have also posted a really cool video of the recording of one of their singles, "Excuses", in which they get by with a little help from (about 25 or 30) their friends. In addition to numerous John Vanderslice appearances on the video, I also spotted a heavily-bearded Gram LeBron, the guitarist from Rogue Wave. Check out the video below and also click the link to their website to download an MP3 of the track for free (at least for now).
Since I'm clearly guilty of overhyping the Morning Benders, let me also offer up another newish release to check out, just in case you're a hater of Big Echo. Mumford & Sons is an interesting Brit-Folk band that is just starting to break into the North American scene with their new album - Sigh No More. At first listen, this album definitely seems like a fairly ordinary folk offering. BUT ... if you let these songs play through (i.e. beyond just a 30-second iTunes sample track), they start to get really interesting. They usually set things up with a really nice vocal harmony (ala Fleet Foxes or Avett Brothers) and then all of sudden, BAM - rocking out vocals, cocaine-crazed banjo solos and enough energy to make you question whether you're still listening to the same album. In the end, they are somehow able to pull off a pretty unique album within a genre where homogeny is king. Start with the single "Little Lion Man" and I think you'll be back for more.
Sometimes all you need are some good friends, a ride to the airport and a reason to talk some shit. Also, music helps. Here's to all things good. Thanks to Capt. Safety for sitting in and helping with this. Enjoy.
Lineup: 1. Cold War Kids - Audience of One 2. Yeasayer - Ambling Amp 3. Maritime - Parade of Punk Rock T-shirts 4. Washed Out - Feel it all around ( Toro Y Moi remix) 5. Tigers Can Bite You - Opener 6. Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes 7. Telekinesis - Coast of Carolina 8. Kid Dakota - Ten Thousand Lakes 9. Atmosphere - The Things that hate us 10. Spoon - The Mystery Zone 11. Built to Spill - Life's a dream
