speed of dark

It's Sunday, April 29, the last day of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. I didn't go this year. If you didn't either, and you're feeling depressed about it, I'm going to attempt to make you feel a little better. Yeah, yeah, the people who did go are getting to hear and see some probably fantastic performances, no doubt about that--but there ARE down sides.

Mainly, it's HOT. Not only have I been to the Coachella (2004), but I lived in Indio for over 20 years. People say, "You must get used to the heat." No. You don't. You learn strategies to cope with it, which mostly involves staying in air-conditioned places throughout the day.

The people who bought those tickets have additionally paid exorbitant prices for hotels with air-conditioning and swimming pools, and they're not getting any use of those things during exactly the part of the day they should. Instead, they are standing packed in a hot crowd, in the hot sun, sweating and sunburned and far from the bands they'd like to be close to.

They won't even get to attend all the shows they'd like to. They'll have to leave Band A's show 15 minutes before the end and trek a quarter-mile across the polo grounds to be in the back of the crowd under a hot tent for the last 20 minutes of Band B's show.

The worst part is leaving, unless they happen to be camping on the grounds. If they arrived by early afternoon and stayed until the last show is over, now they get to sit in the car for hours and hours while they and 30,000 other people try to exit the parking area at the same time on two one-lane dirt roads. The year Indie Mom and I were there for Radiohead (how could we miss that?), we finally parked again and slept for four hours until most of the cars had gone, and it was about an hour before we got back to the house which under normal circumstances would be about 20 minutes away.

So don't feel too bad for not being able to go. Think of all the discomfort you don't have to put up with. We'll get to see and hear everything later, I promise. Enjoy your Sunday. Those grouchy, sunburned people are going to be hard to put up with tomorrow.

The Shins: The Gloating Sun from When I Goose-Step (2000)

The Infadels: Sunday from We Are Not The Infadels (2006)

Mouthful of Bees: Sunny from The End (2007)

The Delays: You Wear The Sun from Faded Seaside Glamour (2004)

J. Tillman: Under the Sun from Cancer and Delirium (2007)
(Yes, there IS a police or fire siren in this song)

Belle and Sebastian: Another Sunny Day from The Life Pursuit (2006)

Blonde Redhead -- click for larger picture.

First, allow me a small rant. If you're going to answer your cell phone during a concert, have the courtesy to go somewhere else to take the call. Don't stand in the crowd like the guy who was right next to me, yelling, "I can't HEAR you!" into your phone while everyone around you is trying to enjoy the music.

The Glass House in Pomona, CA is a former department store on a corner in the refurbished old downtown of the city. The name comes from the large glass windows in the front that once displayed the store goods. The room is good-sized, but the stage is not very high. That means shorter people (like myself) cannot see the performers when tall people stand in front of them unless they go to the far back wall of the venue to watch from the mezzanine. I was very happy that so many of these pictures came out fairly well because I did not see very much of the performance with my own eyes even though we were fairly close to the stage. I was holding my camera up at arm's length and had very little idea what was in the shot.

The Annuals opened the show, and unfortunately for them I was preoccupied for most of their set trying to find a setting on my camera that would allow me to take a decent picture without the flash. At the right is the best example of the results, and I finally gave up and turned the flash back on. I am not familiar with the Annuals, and I could not hear their vocals at all, so it wouldn't be fair of me to critique their part of the show.

While I am familiar with Blonde Redhead's current CD (see my album review), I'm less familiar with older songs, so please set me straight where I'm off. As with the Annuals, the vocals were not very clear so I had to rely mostly on melody to recognize them. The stage was unornamented except for a large, black (and therefore unphotographable) horse chair where Kazu sat while playing her keyboards.

They opened their set with "Elephant Woman" from their 2004 CD Misery Is a Butterfly then played four songs from 23: "SW," "23," "Publisher," and my favorite "Heroine." These were all very faithful to the CD versions--no surprises and little variation. Next there were three older songs that I didn't know so I hesitate to guess, but one may have been "Equus" and another "Messenger."



After this was an absolutely amazing version "Falling Man" that is longer than the CD version and somehow even spookier and sadder than the original. After one more song, they left the stage but returned shortly for a short encore consisting of "Misery Is a Butterfly" and "The Dress" from 23. This seems like a short set, but the songs are very long, ranging from six minutes to ten or more.

During one number Amadeo bent over his guitar and rocked back and forth, Kazu draped herself over his shoulder, and they rocked together to the music while she sang. Unfortunately, I just missed that in this photo. You'll have to take my word that it was a very endearing moment.
Click photo for larger image.

In my opinion, anyone who is already a Blonde Redhead fan will enjoy seeing them live, but their performance is not likely to make a new fan out of someone who feels only lukewarm about them. I am basing this on my and Indie Mom's reactions to this show. Although I'm a new fan of this group, Blonde Redhead fits neatly into the niche occupied in my taste by Mew, Husky Rescue, Stars, Lush, maybe Psapp, and the Cardigans. Indie Mom doesn't like any of those bands.

Although band members Kazu Makino and brothers Amadeo and Simone Pace clearly enjoy playing together, they do not draw the audience into the performance. We observe only; we are not made a part of the show. This lack of engagement will not convert a non-fan into a fan. So while I enjoyed the music very much, Indie Mom thought it was just OK.

This is not the "Falling Man" that I heard Wednesday night, but this KCRW performance from 2004 is close. Go to Uberdrivel blog for more live Blonde Redhead from that show.

Falling Man (live)

The Dress

Click thumbnails for larger pictures:



Comments are appreciated.

It feels like we are waiting forever for the follow-up to Wolf Parade's brilliant 2005 CD, Apologies To the Queen Mary. Keyboardist Spencer Krug seems to be everywhere except with his band mates getting that new album finished. I've never seen anyone with so many side projects: Swan Lake, Sunset Rubdown, and Frog Eyes. Did I miss any?

Although Indie Mom is a fan of Sunset Rubdown, I haven't found the appeal. We saw Frog Eyes open for Wolf Parade last year, and while I don't like to give negative reviews...frankly, I could hardly wait until the set was over. It's just that I don't think screaming a torrent of words into a microphone is singing. Even Spencer Krug can't make a silk purse out of that sow's ear, in my opinion.

Maybe that inspired Wolf Parade's other vocalist and songwriter Dan Boeckner to start his own side project with fiancee Alexei Perry last winter. Their group, the Handsome Furs, has a much more appealing sound for me than Krug's other projects because it's very Wolf-ish, mostly because of Boeckner's ragged vocals and the echo-room effect in the guitars and percussion. It has melody. It has depth and heart.

Handsome Furs: What We Had from Plague Park, release date May 22, 2007

Handsome Furs' myspace
Order Plague Park from Subpop Records.

I don't have much information about this Wolf Parade song. Indie Mom says it is an old song that has never been released on an album. Krug's whirlpool keyboards and Boeckner's barked vocals have helped me hang on while I wait for the new stuff. Wolf Parade is definitely their best side project.

Wolf Parade: Secret Knives

Hurry over to You Ain't No Picasso for some new Sunset Rubdown and some brand-new, juicy, live Wolf Parade songs.

Wolf Parade's myspace


We saw Blonde Redhead last night at a sold-out show. I'll have a review and pictures and stuff soon.

Once again, it's that time of year for the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in my home town of Indio, California. And once again, just like last year, I look at the lineup early in the year and look at the lack of money in my wallet and my busy schedule and think, "meh....I don't need to go." And then I get to about a month before the concert and I think, "why aren't I going???" Ah well, another year, another missed opportunity to go to Coachella.

Enjoy this round up of bands you'll see at Coachella, and if you're not going, maybe you'll listen to this mixtape and vow, "next year in Coachella!"




kings of leon: california waiting
arcade fire: no cars go
crowded house: distant sun
tapes n' tapes: cowbell
amy winehouse: wake up alone
interpol: public pervert
the good, the bad & the queen: northern whale
placebo: infra-red
silversun pickups: lazy eye [live]
the decemberists: here i dreamt i was an architect
dj shadow: midnight in a perfect world

Once upon a time I'd spend hours in a couple of favorite used CD stores. On one occasion the store had a listening station for customers to listen to albums by new, unknown artists. That's how I fell in love at first listen to the debut album Betty Pickup by the Seattle band Muzzle. I bought the CD immediately and listened to nothing else for weeks.

I also had a habit of checking the Calendar section of the L.A. Times for appearances at small clubs. Lo and behold, two weeks after I bought that CD, Muzzle were scheduled to play at some little bar in the south coast area along with three other unknown bands. Hot damn!

I arrived in front of the place the afternoon of the date to find four guys unloading their equipment from a van. "Which band are you?" I inquired. "We're Muzzle," they answered. Their eyes popped when I told them I'd just driven 150 miles to see THEM.

After the equipment was set up inside, we hung out at the bar while the other bands played. I met Wesley Nelson (vocals, guitar) and Ryan Maxwell (lead guitar, vocals), who led the band and wrote the songs.

I saw Muzzle one other time a few months later when they appeared at the Viper Room, opening for some band I can't remember. As I walked up to the club, I saw Wesley sitting on the curb, dejected because they couldn't get in until the other band had finished their sound check. He glanced my way, then did a double-take. "I know you!" he said. Yup! And we had another fun discussion before the show. I still have my green T-shirt with "Muzzle" in white on the front.

I was so into punk at that time, and Muzzle's music has all the excitement and energy of that music without any of the anger or angst. No grunge-y gloom here; it's happy music that makes you want to pogo around the living room from the joy of being alive. Musically they owe more to Bob Mould and Weezer than to fellow Seattlites Kurt Cobain or Screaming Trees. Betty Pickup is chock-full of deliciously melodious power pop with just enough spice to make you thirst for more.

As I listen to it even now, the tight harmonies and hummable hooks give me goosebumps the same way they used to. There just is not a bad song on this CD. To top it off, the lyrics are good too, reflecting a consistent good humor.

Listen to that Beatle-esque guitar and harmony on "What A Bore."
You're such a dirty little girl/You bit your tongue again/You shouldn't talk like that!

"Glug" recounts Wesley staying the night in his old bedroom at home, and his mother trying to wake him up in the morning:
I could tell by the way she called me 'asshole' she'd given up on me.

The words to "Shatterproof" only seem simple. Most lyrics you hear don't make nearly as much sense:
All I need/Is my favorite ring--I won it/And this dirty old chair I'm living in/Someone to help me find my keys/And the way to get home.

"Bleed On" was always my favorite. When Wes sings that descending note near the end, I just melt.
Bleed on me/Only if it matters/My little star, I'd give you all/I'd give you all I have.

From Betty Pickup (1996):
Muzzle: What A Bore
Muzzle: Shatterproof
Muzzle: Bleed On

Proof of its staying power, this CD is still available both new and used at amazon.com and itunes. If you are in the mood for some peppy power-pop, this is a must-have CD.

As I thought about writing this post, I wondered what Wes and Ryan were doing now and started searching the Internet for them. To my delight, they are still making music, and it still sounds great. Their new band is the Young Sportsmen. Listen to this song from their first EP The Familiar Glow of Colliding Particles, and you'll see they haven't lost any of their talent for pop riffs and melodies. They have just released a second EP.

The Young Sportsmen: Nickel For Lucy from The Familiar Glow of Colliding Particles (2005)

Young Sportsmen myspace | website
Buy here: not lame records | itunes | emusic.

The e-mail box has yielded some particularly tasty music lately. Give these young bands a listen--I think you'll like them too.

Kinetic Stereokids

"Four frantic minds" from Flint, Michigan combine hip-hop influences and loops with Elliot Smith-type emo into an unconventional rock sound. This song has an unnerving repetition of a child's laughter threaded around the vocals. Verrrrry interesting.

Kinetic Stereokids: Explosions Were Heard

Stream Basement Kids CD here

myspace | website | Buy | emusic | itunes
Label: Overdraft Recordings



Motocade

Motocade, from Aukland, New Zealand, have just released their second EP, called Into the Fall. The jangly guitars and driving beats create a package reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand, and I mean that in a very complimentary way.

Motocade: Bomb Squad
Motocade: My Friends

myspace | Buy




Sir Salvatore

What, do I have Franz Ferdinand on the brain? Because there are elements in this San Francisco band that also remind me of FF, particularly the jaunty beats and the vocals-through-a-megaphone delivery. The release party for their brand new EP is today! at The Knockout in SF.

Sir Salvatore: Hooray This Projector
Sir Salvatore: Public Key

myspace | website
Label: Allegheny Records




Coyote Bones

This first CD from Coyote Bones' David Matysiak and Mason Brown was actually recorded over months in many towns with the assistance of various musician friends, including members of Azure Ray and Tilly and the Wall. These two songs were recorded in sessions in Athens and Atlanta, GA.

Coyote Bones: 39 Forever
Coyote Bones: Grand Eclipse

Stream Gentlemen On the Rocks here. The CD will be released in May.

myspace | Label: Coco Art

Coyote Bones On Tour! Check their MySpace page for more dates and venues.
May 5 2007 - CD release PARTY! @ The Waiting Room, Omaha, NE)
May 12 2007 - The Note w/Arwin, Chicago, IL
May 15 2007 - Mohawks, Buffalo, NY
May 16 2007 - Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge, MA
May 17 2007 - Pianos, New York City, NY
May 18 2007 - Sonar, Baltimore, MD
May 19 2007 - Johnny Brendas, Philadelphia, PA

David, Steven, and Chris of July Fourth

"I write music and sing because I have to, not because I have a choice. I started realizing that when I was most upset or excited, the feeling was made better after writing songs about it."

These are the words David Azizinamini wrote to me when I asked him for background about himself and his band July Fourth because I have been hooked on "Curtain of Stars" ever since I first heard the first notes. David is the songwriter and voice of July Fourth. From the age of seven, he wrote songs and made tapes and still writes almost every day.

Speaking of the voice--what a voice! It might fool you at first, but think of Greg Gilbert of the Delays, or Brian Molko of Placebo. That should put you in the mood to thoroughly enjoy the unique beauty of David's vocals. He takes voice lessons now to learn to use and protect it properly.

Today marks the official release of July Fourth's new EP Curtain of Stars with a concert and party at the Doubledoor in Chicago. The album artwork was done by MatAlgorithm, who has also designed artwork for San Francisco band Film School. July Fourth also released an EP in 2005 called If Dinosaurs Could See Us Now with a different lineup.

About the current band, David calls bassist Steven one of his best friends. Their drummer Chris joined them last year, and David says that despite other differences in their lives, the three of them are completely aligned musically.

David says, "I feel music so deeply that it moves me everyday. Sincerely, every day I get goosebumps over other people's work or the work we're doing. We love the music we make, we think its special, and we hope we get the opportunity some day to show the world."

I think their music is special too, and I just want to tell everyone, Listen to THIS!

July Fourth: Curtain of Stars from Curtain of Stars EP (2007) | lyrics
July Fourth: Phoenix from If Dinosaurs Could See Us Now EP (2005)

Stream "Medication" and the gorgeous "Trapped On the Tarmac" at their MySpace site.

Chicagoans can look for another live performance on May 17 at the Elbo Room.

official website | myspace

If Dinosaurs Could See Us Now EP available on itunes, and hopefully Curtain of Stars will be available there soon too.

If you've been seeing that four-legged tennis girl all over the place and thinking it is the sign of just another hot-air media blitz about some blah band, think again because this time the attention is well-deserved. This odd picture is the cover art for Blonde Redhead's new release 23, which carries on and refines the direction they began to take with Misery Is a Butterfly (2004). That album completed their move away from their discordant Sonic Youth-inspired roots and has been their best-seller to date. My bet is that this one will surpass that. Vocalist Kazu Makino's lucky number is 23, and 23 looks like a lucky number for Blonde Redhead as well.

I have reviewed two albums of synth-rich bands with high-pitched female vocalists in the past six months: Mew and Husky Rescue, and I cannot deny that I like this sound but I admit I have to overcome some amount of sugar overload with both of them. Not so with BR because their style, although drenched in synthesizer and electronics, it also includes plenty of rock guitar and percussion elements although not as much as Earlimart, another favorite.

I like this album especially because the band sticks confidently to one style, which gives it a solid, cohesive feel. There is no sudden change in tone or rhythm to jar the listener's experience. I don't find myself skipping a weird, arty track or a contrived hip-hop track or some other crap that breaks the mood. The danger in such consistency is that all the tracks might end up sounding too much alike, but BR counter that by balancing the songwriting and vocals between Kazu and Amadeo Pace, much like vollying the ball in a tennis match. Is that maybe how the tennis girl came to be on the cover?

The overall mood is simultaneously soothing and haunting yet surging with energy. The lyrics convey sadness but not hopelessness. The first three songs--"23," "Dr. Strange Love," and "The Dress"--make a smoothly flowing suite belonging to Kazu, repeating a theme of loss. Then Amadeo takes over with "SW" and "Spring and By Summer Fall," the stronger beat reflecting hope and resolve.

"Silently" returns the focus to Kazu, but at this point she too is more upbeat and cheerful, the lyrics speak of forgiveness for past wrongs: I realize now you're not to be blamed at all/You didn't choose your name my love/You die a little in my arm/I realize now you're not to be blamed at all.

The album moves smoothly between the perspectives of the two vocalists while keeping within its overall theme. "Publisher" brings both sides, as well as Kazu and Pace's vocals, together in a brilliant, unifying piece. Then comes "Heroine," which begins with an eerie blend of Kazu's voice and synthesizer. Even my husband, a hard-core, old-school folkie, was impressed with it.

Kazu's vocals on the "Top Ranking" remind me of Nina Persson of the Cardigans, another band with a strong female lead and a long-time favorite of mine. The album ends with the sweet and hopeful "My Impure Hair": Whatever lost I won't forget about you. I'm not doubting the title, but I could swear that she sings "heart" instead of "hair."

Although I fell in love with "Heroine" first, the more I listen, the harder it is for me to distinguish one song as a favorite. 23 is beginning to turn itself into one long, luscious song in my head. I'm putting this one among my top albums for 2007.

And my recommendation is, if you like one song from this album, you will like it all. Don't hestitate to buy it. Take advantage of the iTunes download of this album that includes "Signs Along the Path" and "Harry and I," the B-sides of the single release of "Silently."

Heroine from 23 (2007)
Pink Love from Misery Is A Butterfly (2004)
Hated Because Of Great Qualities from Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons (1997)

Blonde Redhead has a sold-out show at the Glass House in Pomona next Wednesday, and will be appearing at the coachella on Saturday, April 28. They will then play dates in the U.S. and Canada before heading to the U.K. and Europe. Check their MySpace page for the schedule so you can purchase your ticket early--I predict more sold-out shows.

Official sites: myspace | website
Band biography and lyrics: alwaysontherun.net | fan website | fan myspace
Buy: itunes, 4ad music

In honor of fantabulous Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien's 39th birthday on Sunday, I am presenting some older live Radiohead tracks as well as a special birthday surprise. Ed, in case you didn't know, is the tall drink of water who was reportedly asked to join Radiohead due to his resemblance to Morrissey. No offense to Mozz, but Ed is much sexier. During the recording sessions that produced the works of art Kid A and Amnesiac, Ed provided the outside world information on the inner workings of the band, by publishing his diaries about the sessions online. These diaries are facinating, especially now that we know what came of that time. You can access those diaries here. Also check out the official band website and ultimate fansite at ease. You can also purchase Radiohead albums here.


from 1996:
radiohead: the national anthem [live, 1996]
radiohead: street spirit (fade out) [live, 1996]

from 1997:
radiohead: anyone can play guitar [live, 1997]
radiohead: lurgee [live, 1997]

from 2000:
radiohead: packt like sardines in a crushed tin box [live, 2000]

from 2001:
radiohead: like spinning plates [live, 2001]
radiohead: true love waits [live, 2001]


Ed's birthday surprise to you is...acoustic versions of Radiohead songs by Thom and Jonny from the KROQ Breakfast in 2004!

thom yorke & jonny greenwood: sail to the moon [acoustic, live 2004]
thom yorke & jonny greenwood: a punchup at a wedding [acoustic, live 2004]
thom yorke & jonny greenwood: scatterbrain [acoustic, live 2004]

We've had several nice comments on our new banner picture, so here is a little something about its significance to us. The silhouettes of palm trees and the outlines of those mountains are a familiar site in Palm Desert, California, near where I lived for over 20 years and where Indie Mom grew up. While southern California is often represented by palm trees, the two near the center of the picture are date palms, which the area is famous for. This picture holds a lot of memories for us and feels representative of who we are. I'm really proud of the work Indie Mom did on the redesign of our page.

Palm Desert is also the home of Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and where he formed his first band, Kyuss. Not like we lived next door to him or anything; I just need to make a musical connection here. We did see him playing a Desert Session at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival (website) in 2004. Below are two tracks from the Queens' 2003 album, Songs for the Deaf, and the news is that a new CD called Era Vulgaris will be released in June.

Queens of the Stone Age: No One Knows
Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth

QOTSA website | myspace | Buy

Homme lives in Palm Desert with his wife, Brody Dalle who founded the Aussie punk band the Distillers, and their little girl. The Distillers have broken up, and Dalle now heads Spinnerette, based in California, with several members of the Distillers. No songs have yet been released, but you can stream some very nice samples at Spinnerette's website.

The Distillers: The Hunger from Coral Fang (2003)

More recently, Homme contributed guitar to this interesting cover of Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me" by the Strokes, which was the B-side of the 2006 single, "You Only Live Once."

The Strokes: Mercy Mercy Me

Also in 2006, the Strokes were included on the soundtrack of the Sofia Coppola movie Marie Antoinette (website) with this re-release from 2003's Room On Fire.

The Strokes: What Ever Happened?

The Strokes' myspace | website

It was totally a mistake and I didn't mean to mislead people yesterday about the mixup of Death Cab for Cutie covering the Cure. I'm not sure who that is covering the Cure - it was in my iPod, I didn't bother to listen to it before posting, and yes, I was wrong.

So, since I screwed up with my not-a-Death Cab for Cutie cover, I will make amends with some other Death Cab live tracks.

death cab for cutie: title and registration [live]
death cab for cutie: 405 [live, 2002]
death cab for cutie: broken yoke in western sky [live, unreleased, one of my favorites]
death cab for cutie: world shut your mouth [live julian cope cover, 2004]

The following track was from the Japanese import of Plans. You can watch the video for this song or get the Directions DVD which contains videos for all of the songs from Plans.

death cab for cutie: jealousy rides with me

find more on hype machine

It's Friday and if you're like me, you're living for the weekend. Enjoy these live covers from some of our favorite artists and enjoy your weekend!

the decemberists: i've changed my plea to guilty [live Morrissey cover]
elliott smith: harvest moon [live Neil Young cover]
death cab for cutie mystery band: friday i'm in love [live Cure cover]
wilco: (don't fear) the reaper [live Blue Oyster Cult cover]
david gray: smile like you mean it [live Killers cover]
elliott smith: my sweet lord [live George Harrison cover]

While you're at it, check out some of our fellow bloggers:

• indiechristoph has some rare Hot Chip tracks for download.


• Aquarium Drunkard, one of the music blogs that inspired me to start this blog in the first place, has tracks from the debut of new band The Shaky Hands.


• Blogs are for Dogs has Sunset Rubdown covering Xiu Xiu, plus info on the new Blonde Redhead album that Alt-Gramma is into.


• Can You See the Sunset from the Southside? has the 2007 Lollapalooza lineup and a contest...check it out.


• DIY Rockstar has a couple of views on Bright Eyes' new album, Cassadega.


• For The Records has a review of The Russian Futurists live, a band I've been meaning to spotlight here.


• Good Weather for Airstrikes calls Ricky Wilson from The Kaiser Chiefs a douchebag and has some great covers from BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge (including the Killers cover I have above, but oh well).


• Ha Ha Music celebrates 100 posts and shares some brilliant covers.


• I Guess I'm Floating has yet more covers (WTF?! did I miss a memo?) and a review of Andrew Bird's latest solo effort.


• Lonesome Music has Speed of Dark favorite Mark Kozelek and Rachel Goswell covering John Denver.


• Music for Kids Who Can't Read Good has new music from Dear and the Headlights, with a great song title: "I'm Bored, You're Amorous", which makes me want to hear it.


• Music is Art has a tribute to Kurt Cobain, who would be 40 this year, and tracks from a Nirvana show from 1990.


• Muzzle of Bees has tracks from new band Parts and Labor, whose debut album Mapmaker will be released in May.


• My Old Kentucky Blog features some of his radio sessions, including live performances by our favorites Birdmonster and The Broken West, among others.


• The Yellow Stereo has a live video of Andrew Bird's performance on Letterman, and talks about his interview with Blog Fresh Radio I hope he doesn't sound as bad as I did.

I was recently interviewed by Blog Fresh Radio, a streaming radio show. The host, Alex, interviews music bloggers on the latest new music and she asked me to provide some information about Seattle's Siberian. For this week's episode, she also interviewed our friends at Music for Kids Who Can't Read Good and some other music bloggers.

If you want to hear me sounding nervous, mostly due to the fact that I wasn't able to dig up too much information about Siberian, check out the streaming radio show at Blog Fresh or download it here. We wrote about Siberian back in March.

The stream features two Siberian songs, "Paper Birds" and "Soft Rains", from their Hey Celestial! EP. Check out Blog Fresh Radio and Siberian!

siberian: heavy hands

myspace | official website | buy the EP on iTunes

Saturna, whose ...All Night EP I reviewed in November, are a Portland-based band who are on the make. Their first full-length album, Some Delicious Enemy, will be released in June and is already attracting a bit of buzz in the music blog universe.

Saturna's sound is a mixture of Catherine Wheel and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, both big favorites of this blog. The album opener, "Roll Down", with its slow start and explosion into a wall of sound could easily fit in on a CW album, while "Pop Rocks" with its gangly sound and plenty of cowbell, wouldn't be out of place on the first BRMC album. However, the boys put their own twist on the psychadelic, dreamy, shoegazey type-rock on Some Delicious Enemy, and the whole album is excellent.

Check out these tracks from the upcoming album Some Delicious Enemy and look out for Saturna.

saturna: roll down

saturna: pop rocks

saturna: much more

official website | band blog | myspace | buy the EP

find more on hype machine

A few weeks back, after spending the night at Indie Mom's because we had gone to a concert the night before, I was watching Saturday morning kiddie shows with my grandson, He Might Be Giant. He had made and brought me coffee (he is so going to make someone a good husband one day), and we were staring at Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. A familiar-looking music teacher was telling the main character, a middle-school student, why it is important to practice scales.

"Holy cow, that's Art Alexakis!" I said.

"He says he was a rock star," said HMBG.

"He was! Look..." I rummaged quickly through Indie Mom's CDs and managed to come up with Sparkle and Fade. I showed him a picture of Alexakis from before HMBG was born.

Just then, the music teacher on screen loosened his tie, rolled up his dress shirt sleeves to reveal tattooed arms, and leaped into the wide-legged crouch of a rock god. His fingers peeled sizzling licks off an electric guitar.

I was immediately whisked back in time to March 22, 1996. I was at the front of the crowd at the Roxy, a tiny club in L.A., a few months after the release of that album but before the song "Santa Monica" became a radio hit and pop anthem that turned the album platinum and launched Everclear into mainstream pop.

Everclear gave one of the most energetic and engaging performances I've ever seen. Alexakis played with such fire that he broke two guitar strings during one song--and just grinned and kept on playing. Afterwards, Alexakis, bassist Craig Montoya, and drummer Greg Eklund all came out into the crowd to meet and greet the audience and sign autographs. I remember that Alexakis actually looked at me when he signed the CD insert I had brought. I am glad that I got to see them in that moment, when they were fresh and glowing from their first success, and the golden carrot of fame had not yet lured Alexakis to write blandness like "Volvo Driving Soccer Mom."

The Everclear of the early 90's had a different character from the band it devolved to beginning with 1997's So Much For the Afterglow. I went back from Sparkle and Fade and bought 1993's World of Noise. This was a much rawer and more painful album, and I came to like it even better than Sparkle and Fade. Compare the drug-drenched paranoia of these lyrics from "Nervous and Weird" to "I Will Buy You a New Life" and "Father of Mine" that would follow only four years later:

I remember you back in '83

You were dressing insane

You were my everything

You were so different then

From all the other girls

A blind Electra in drag

So cool and casually lame...

I sit alone when you're not around

I read aloud just to hear a friendly noise

I see your scary dolls

They always look at me

From the corner of my eye

I see them shake their heads

The desperation of being close to the edge in "Sick and Tired:" I am livin' cause I keep it all, keep it all inside.

The effort to stay clean from "The Twistinside:" Breathin' fire doesn't look good on a resume; neither does anything else we do.

The poignancy of not being able to keep private matters private from "My Sexual Life:"
Buried in the heavy water/Buried in the sand/Happy hearts fall from my shaky hands/I can't hide my sexual life.

It doesn't take a Proust scholar to know that nothing prompts musical creativity like personal pain, so when the pain faded I imagine it was harder to write striking music about middle-class comfort. Maybe it got too hard to make money on the overdose deaths of his brother ("Fire Maple Song") and girlfriend ("Heroine Girl"). Maybe songs about backsliding into addiction ("Strawberry") were no longer relevant. Ironically, "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore" on Sparkle and Fade is about selling out.

Alexakis was ambitious, ten years older than most of his punk peers, and probably something of a media chameleon, like Madonna. He has reinvented himself several times over the past two decades, from punk druggie to clean pop rocker to MTV moderator to television actor. Maybe that is what he has always been--an actor. On one hand, that looks like selling out. On the other, it's simply survival.

From World of Noise (1993):
Sick and Tired
Nervous and Weird

From Sparkle and Fade (1995):
You Make Me Feel Like a Whore
Heroin Girl
My Sexual Life

The other two former members of Everclear are also surviving just fine. Craig Montoya traded his bass for vocal duties with his band Tri-Polar. Former drummer Greg Ecklund also took a new musical route, providing guitar and vocals for the up-and-coming L.A. band the oohlas.

Sources: Answers.com

Buy albums at amazon
Find "Fire Maple Song," "Santa Monica," and "Strawberry" on The Best of Everclear on itunes

Back in January, I showcased an EP by an Illinois-based band called The Graduate. The Horror Show EP was a quick little introduction to the band, one that I enjoyed very much. The Graduate's first full-length album, Anhedonia will be released on April 10, and the growth and maturity in sound from The Horror Show EP is immediately evident.

While The Graduate has created their own sound, I can best describe them as a more rock, less pop Jimmy Eat World. The band is primarily guitar-driven, but Anhedonia features some nice synths as well (see "Interlude"). I was pleased to see that two of the best songs from The Horror Show EP were included on Anhedonia, ("Sit & Sink", "Justified") re-recorded with very minor tinkering. I think that the band is poised to hit the big time - the music is excellent and the lyrics are insightful and deal with the universal themes of love, growing up and moving on.

Check out these tracks from Anhedonia and buy their album when it comes out tomorrow! The band has an extensive tour schedule, so check them out when they're near your town.

the graduate: justified

the graduate: better company

the graduate: sing

buy the album | buy on itunes | myspace | tour schedule

A few folks still have spring break coming, and others may be getting ready for road trips for other purposes. It's also fun for me to just put some songs out that I enjoy listening to when I'm driving or exercising, in this case, songs that were released last year or the year before.

While "Let's Go" by the Feelies came out on a movie soundtrack last year, it was originally released on The Good Earth in 1986. It has a wonderful wide-open feel to it that makes you want to get up and move.

I just discovered Hudson Bell recently, and I'm just sorry I haven't spent the last two years enjoying When The Sun Is The Moon. It probably would have been a favorite of 2005 if I had known about it. This song, with its line about "driving through the mountains listening to a song" is a perfect road trip addition.

So have some good, clean fun, don't take that bridge to nowhere, and remember to always keep it amazed. Let's go!

The Feelies: Let's Go from The Squid and the Whale soundtrack (2006)
website

Clearlake: Good Clean Fun from Amber (2006)
myspace

The French Kicks: Keep It Amazed from Two Thousand (2006)
myspace

Lousy Robot: Gone from The Strange and True Story of Your Life (2005)
myspace

Sam Roberts Band: Bridge To Nowhere from Chemical City (2006)
myspace

Hudson Bell: The Falls from When The Sun Is The Moon (2005)
myspace


Postscript: Sam Roberts Band's equipment, about $18K in value, was stolen from their recording studio on April 2, according to their MySpace blog page. If you like their music, please support them now by purchasing songs and albums.
itunes | amazon.com

I'm celebrating Easter weekend by presenting two opposing views in a single post: silly and serious.

For the silly side, we have Easter as an excuse to gobble candy, as exemplified by the photo of Easter peeps above in all their colorful, cloned glory. Any self-respecting Easter basket must contain peeps. But wait before you pop one of those marshmallow confections into your mouth, and ask yourself..."What is this stuff, anyway?" That's a good question, and a fair question, and I'm glad you asked that question.

You probably suppose peeps are nothing but sugar, but you might be wrong. Because there are scientists who have been working to determine the true nature of peeps. Are you aware that peeps cannot be dissolved in either hot or cold water, acetone, sulfuric acid, or sodium hydroxide? That's right--substances that can do harm to people have no effect on peeps. And nothing, not even the noxious solvent phenol, dissolves their beady little off-kilter eyes. Read here if you don't believe me.

Now the serious side. Although I listen to it in all seasons, this song seems perfect for the celebration of mankind's most inspiring and enduring idea: resurrection of hope, triumph over death, and everlasting life. Most cultures, no matter what their religious preference, celebrate this idea, usually as a springtime custom.

The Christian celebration inspired what is in my opinion one of the most wonderful pieces of music ever written for the human voice; and Terre, Suzzy, and Maggie Roche have three of the most perfect voices (and certainly phenomenal timing and pitch) for singing it. I first heard it live when they performed it on a Saturday Night Live Christmas show, and I was stunned, not only by their skill but by their joy in singing. The sheer beauty of it rarely fails to bring tears to my eyes.

Enjoy--from Handel's Messiah:

The Roches: The Hallelujah Chorus

Click here for lyrics to The Hallelujah Chorus and history of Handel's Messiah.

The Roches: website

Back in December, I posted in my Best of 2006 Songs about Now It's Overhead. Now, I've become aware of a side project of Now It's Overhead guitarists Brad Register and Curtis Brown called Summerbirds in the Cellar. SITC first took shape in Florida, but is now a Athens-based band that has not one but two drummers, Tyson Bodiford and Yardley. Register, the lead vocalist, and Brown both provide the guitar and piano.

Summerbirds in the Cellar released With the Hands of the Hunter It All Becomes Dead in 2005, an excellent album that I have just discovered and have been listening to constantly over the last week. During 2006, Summerbirds in the Cellar were on tour with Now It's Overhead, with Register and Brown performing in both bands. Somehow, they managed to put together their upcoming album Druids, which will be released sometime in 2007.

The songs that I have been able to get my hands on from Druids are superb. Three of the songs from this album will feature a 30-piece children's choir and similar production of epic proportions. It is difficult to describe what the band sounds like, but I can definitely hear the influence of Radiohead, mixed with Interpol, if you can imagine that. The band truly does have a sound of its own, not blatantly stealing another bands' sound or techniques.

Fellow blogger My Old Kentucky Blog reviewed Summerbirds' first album way back in 2005, and described their sound as a cross between "Phil Collins/Genesis" and "current new wave pop/rock". Other reviews compare the band to R.E.M. Besides Now It's Overhead, the band has played with Hard-Fi, The Bravery, Rilo Kiley, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, among others.

All tracks below are highly recommended!

from 2005's With the Hands of the Hunter It All Becomes Dead:
summerbirds in the cellar: behold the wolf

from the upcoming 2007's Druids:
summerbirds in the cellar: the night thief [demo]
summerbirds in the cellar: wicked world (move softly) [demo]
summerbirds in the cellar: the hero boys, the folding [demo]

Edit: Please note that the songs above from the upcoming album Druids are rough demos and will probably see some changes before the album comes out. However, I love "The Night Thief" and I hope the band doesn't change it too much. Thanks Curtis!

official website | myspace | buy the first album

Summerbirds in the Cellar are supposed to be spectacular live, and if you're lucky enough to live in the area where there upcoming shows are, check them out:

w/ Dear & Glorious Physician
Tues Apr 17- Tallahassee, FL @ Beta Bar
Wed Apr 18- Jacksonville, FL @ Jackrabbits
Thurs Apr 19 - Ybor, Florida @ Crowbar
Sat Apr 21 - Gainesville FL @ 1982

w/ Cinemechanica
Fri Apr 20 - Orlando, FL @ The Social
Fri Apr 27 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
Sat Apr 28 - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club

Fri Apr 22 - Lakeland, FL @ Lillian's w/ Joon
Sun Apr 29 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 w/ Solillaquists of Sound
Mon Apr 30 - Washington, DC @ DC9 w/ Alphabetical Order
Tues May 1 - Philadelphia, PA @ Khyber
Wed May 2 - Boston, MA @ TT bear's w/ Televangelist and the Architect
Thurs May 3 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
Sat May 5 - NYC, NY @ Piano's
Sun May 6 - Baltimore, MD @ Lo Fi Social Club w/ The Fallen One
Tues May 8 - Greenville, NC @ Spazzatorium
Wed May 9 - Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone w/ Via
Thurs May 10 - Atlanta, GA @ Smith's Olde Bar (500 Songs for Kids)
Fri May 11 - Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge w/ Dead Confederate

The electronic mailbox is another rich source of new music for blogging. Each e-mail about a band comes with its own exuberant promo kit, but, dear readers, you are never going to see that here. Although it takes me awhile to listen to stuff and make my own evaluation, that's how I do it. Just for you.

The Sammies

Two brothers from Charlotte, NC taught themselves to play guitars as high-schoolers and then picked up two other friends to form the Sammies. It's fun to hear the southern accents come through on "Falling Out," which otherwise seems inspired by both the Stones and Echo and the Bunnymen. The Sammies are clearly forging their own sound from a myriad of good influences.

The Sammies: Falling Out

myspace | website | Buy: itunes, amazon


Machine Go Boom


The word "energy" comes up frequently in descriptions of Cleveland's Machine Go Boom due to the furious pace that drives ringleader Mikey Machine's songs. Further description might be: bastard sons of the Flaming Lips and Ween. There's always room for more fun rock and roll in this world.

Machine Go Boom: Build Me a Ladder

myspace | website | Stream CD Music For Parents here


Bodi Bill


Berliners Alex Amoon and Fabian Fenk tinker with electronic toys and dance beats on their debut CD No More Wars, released March 9. On their MySpace page, find available for download their cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares to You" and a tasty little smorgasbord called "10 in 1," literally ten short songs rolled into one goody pack.

Bodi Bill: Willem

myspace | Buy


Ela


Real Blood on Fake Trees is the second album by Minneapolis-based Ela (pronounced EE-La), and it seems like good, solid effort in the alt-rock mode of Tapes n Tapes and Spoon.

Ela: Checks Getting Cashed

myspace | website | Buy: itunes

In 1987, my best friend lived across the street from us. She always seemed to know what was cool in music before anyone else, and the day she ran across the street with a cassette in her hand that year, she introduced me to Depeche Mode.

From the first sound of the album Music for the Masses, I was hooked. The driving bass and powerful voice of Dave Gahan, combined with the melodies of keyboards, provided a sound combination I had never heard before. Sheltered in a small town, I'd never even heard of Depeche Mode, much less any Brit-rock outisde of Pink Floyd or, of course, the Beatles. This album was the beginning of a change in my music tastes, away from Top-40 and the sludge that I heard on the radio.

The opening track on Music for the Masses, the first one I ever heard, is probably still my favorite DM song. It's difficult to choose, but "Never Let Me Down Again" is an awesome song, and gives a first time listener a good idea of what the sound of Depeche Mode is. The song begins with a build-up to an explosion of keys, piano, and drums, and Martin Gore's drug-themed lyrics as growled by Gahan.

This entire album is excellent, although it didn't do as well commercially as its follow-up, Violator. While Violator is in itself a masterpiece and is considered DM's "breakout" album, the breakout wouldn't have been possible without MftM. This album established a wildly obsessive fan base in America, and Violator just confirmed what we already knew. The overwhelming success of the 101 tour in 1988-89 which inspired a documentary and double album of its own and culminated in a sold-out show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, preceded the release and success of Violator.

I became a teensy bit obsessed with DM for a while, buying everything DM that I could get my hands on, including subscribing to the BONG magazine and buying the original single boxed sets that were re-released in 2004. I didn't get to see them in concert until a few years ago at the Staples Center (horrible acoustics, had to use binoculars to see the stage, otherwise an impressive show). After seeing them live, I ended up moving and decided that I didn't want to drag all of the memorabilia that I had collected over the years around with me anymore. I sold almost every Depeche Mode item that I owned (except the CDs, of course) on eBay, and so much of the stuff I sold went to L.A...sometimes when I drive around, I wonder if the DM sticker I see on the car in front of me used to be mine.

Enjoy this assortment of Depeche Mode tracks from 1987-1990, and do yourself a favor and buy Music for the Masses, 101 and Violator. Someday soon I'll do a Depeche Mode retrospective, from beginning to now, complete with solo efforts including founding member Vince Clarke.

from 1987's Music for the Masses:
depeche mode: never let me down again
depeche mode: strangelove (single version)

from 1989's 101 (album versions available on MtfM):
depeche mode: pleasure little treasure [live]
depeche mode: nothing [live]

from 1990's Violator:
depeche mode: clean
depeche mode: halo

buy Depeche Mode albums | official website | semi-official myspace