after a long and cold winter [although judging from the five inches of snow we got last night], spring is finally here. that means that tomorrow afternoon we'll hear the two most magical words in the english language: play ball!
i really wish i had the day off tomorrow. i would love nothing more than to get a piping hot plate of nachos and tune into ESPN tomorrow at 2pm local time to watch the hated giants travel to chavez ravine to take on the blue. thankfully, i have my xm radio at work and i'll be able to listen to the the games of my choice while i slave away at my cubicle. maybe i'll get some piping hot nachos and bring them back to my desk. that'll show 'em! [i don't know, exactly, what it'll show, but it'll show 'em something!]
as you can see, i'm a huge dodger fan. whenever i give blood the phlebotomist kind of freaks out 'cos my blood is blue. i'm not making that up. i have blue blood! it's part of being a dodger fan. the other part of being a dodger fan is suffering through our post-season ineptitude. since the dodgers won the 1988 world series, we've been to the playoffs a few times and we've only managed to win ONE game. just one. the dodgers are one of the five most storied franchises in baseball history and we've won one playoff game in twenty years. will we do it this year? i dunno, but i have high hopes. after years of hearing about the exemplary dodger farm system, the kids are finally getting a chance to play every day. james loney will finally get a full season at first. matt kemp and andre ethier will get full seasons in the outfield. andy laroche was primed to start the season at third before tearing a few ligaments in his thumb in a freak accident a couple of weeks ago. he'll be back by the end of april, hopefully. the starting rotation looks really, really solid. penny, lowe, kuroda, billingsly and loaiza. loaiza is the only one i'm concerned about. it's only a matter of time, though, until clayton kershaw gets the call from AAA. i've heard scout after scout froth out the mouth about this kid. the dodgers AAA farm team, the las vegas 51's, will be in town week after next for a three game series and i hope i get to see kershaw pitch. in today's exhibition against the red sox, kershaw threw four scoreless innings and struck out five. my money says he'll be in the starting rotation by the all-star game.
so how will the dodgers do? i'm hesitant to say. the dodgers have been a bit schizophrenic the last five years, alternating between good and not-so-good. but the beauty of baseball is the same beauty of spring, for on opening day hope truly does spring eternal.
so, having said that, here are my annual predictions for the upcoming season:
NL West:
1. Dodgers
2. D-Backs*
3. Rockies
4. Padres
5. Giants
NL Central:
1. Cubs
2. Brewers
3. Astros
4. Reds
5. Cardinals
6. Pirates
NL East:
1. Phillies
2. Mets
3. Braves
4. Marlins
5. Nationals
*wildcard
NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy
NL MVP: Chase Utley
NL ROY: Geovany Soto
AL West
1. Mariners
2. Angels
3. A's
4. Rangers
AL Central:
1. Indians
2. Tigers*
3. Twins
4. White Sox
5. Royals
AL East
1. Red Sox
2. Blue Jays
3. Yankees
4. Orioles
4. Rays
*wildcard
AL Cy Young: CC Sabathia
AL MVP: Grady Sizemore
AL ROY: Adam Jones
World Series:
Indians over Cubbies in 6!
you heard it here first. it's the indians' year. i've been a huge indians' fan for years, mostly because of travis hafner. that guy is paul frakkin' bunyan. i love that guy so much i want to marry him. but anyway, when you see all the frontrunners and bandwagoners start wearing cleveland indians gear in november, know that they're a bunch of phony bolognas [just like sox 'fans' who suddenly became 'fans' as soon as the sox won the world series in '04. trust me, they aren't 'fans.']
so there you have it. how will my predictions pan out? check back at the end of the season and find out. until then, kick off your shows, get your hot dog, nachos, and frosty beverage and let the shout go out through out the land: play ball!
LET'S PLAY SOME FRAKKIN' HARDBALL
SONG OF THE DAY [#293]
'hearts on fire' | cut copy
in this day and age where music seems to be influenced by technology more than anything else, is there a more appropriately named band that australia's cut copy? i think not.
i admit that their new album, 'in ghost colours,' is one i've been waiting the last three years for. it was totally worth the wait. it's pretty clear they've worship at the altar of new order [as do i], as there's a hint of good, old-fashioned 80s techno in the sound. i, of course, love that stuff and you should do because, hey, it's rad. so do yourself a favor and check 'em out. oh, and by the way, they'll be rolling through salt lake city may 2. hope to see you there.
'in ghost colours' drops april 8 and can be yours for $7.99 on amazon.com.
→ cut copy: hearts on fire | video
→ cut copy: feel the love
→ cut copy: saturday | video [from the debut, 'bright like neon love']
SONG OF THE DAY [#292]
'make me last' | the mary onettes
so here's their second appearance on the not-very-prestigious song of the day list. it's late and i'm tired so i'll spare you all commentary and just refer you to this post if you want some more info on this tremendous band.
'make me last' is another great mary onettes song that gleefully apes all the best parts of 80's post-punk/new wave. it's the lead track from the new 'make me last' e.p. enjoy.
→ the mary onettes: make me last
CANCIONES DEL DIA [#290]
'vuela, vuela' | magneto
it's been almost fifteen years since i headed of to spain for my two-year lds mission. looking back, i can hardly believe it's been that long. i still have very vivid memories of la madre tierra. i think about spain a lot. i loved that place. i've yet to make it back, but some day i will.
one of the memories i have is of magneto's supremely awesome hit, 'vuela, vuela.' i couldn't go anywhere the summer of 1993 without hearing this song somewhere. the bus, the grocery store, kids singing it on the street. it was un exito tremendo! the other day i looked up the video on youtube, and sure enough, there it was. awesome. it was everything i hoped it would be and more: terrible clothes, terrible hair, terrible choreography, terrible dancing. any time a video begins with the band dancing on top of a building in the middle of the night, you know you're in for a high-quality viewing experience. it's perfect. my favorite part, though, is the guy unleashing some truly ungodly dance moves on the fire escape at the 1:44. seriously. wtf? dood looks like he's having a seizure. so bad it's good. i'm tellin' ya. but in all honestly, i gotta say, i really like the song. cheesy? absolutely. snappy? oh yeah. so check out the video and i think you'll agree:
magnificent.
in addition to magneto, here are some more of spain's favorite sons and daughters:
→ magneto: vuela, vuela | video
→ miguel bose: gota a gota
→ obk: dejame comerte [spain's answer to dm, and not a very good one at that]
→ mikel erentxun: a un minuto de ti | video [the spanish moz]
→ mecano: el 7 de septiembre | video
→ mecano: un ano mas | video
i love all these songs, otherwise i wouldn't put 'em here. maybe you'll dig 'em, too...
SONG OF THE DAY [#290]
'young love' | mystery jets
take a look at the picture to your left and sing to yourself, 'one of these guys is doing his own thing.' [anyone else remember that song from sesame street? was it sesame street? scrum, i don't remember. i just remember a bunch of kids all engaged in synchronized jumping while one kid was like juggling or something. anyway.] so which person in the picture doesn't belong? oh, i don't know, the old man? yep, i guess when you're the lead singer and you want you pops to play rhythm guitar in your band, you can do that. and they say drummers are usually a bit off. actually, it's kind of cool. if your dad is a good axeman, who care, right? [ok, i don't know if he's still in the band, but he was definitely in tow for the debut]. also, from judging from the video, it looks as though they enlisted edward scissorhands to play guitar, too.
check out the mystery jets new single, 'young love,' from their newest album, '21,' which, incidentally, might be the average age of the band's member [excluding dad, of course]. someone needs to count the commas in the last sentence and cite me for comma abuse. geez.
→ mystery jets: young love | video
→ mystery jets: young love [shoes mix]
SONG OF THE DAY [#289]
'cockateels' | guillemots
time to wrap up guillemots here and spitcake. i finally got to hear the album in it's entirety today...and it's brilliant! it's definitely a more raucous album than 'through the windowpant.' that's not to same they've abandoned their blueprint, but rather they've expanded ye olde sonic palette. they've incorporated lot's more 'world music' sounds and beats, and given that the four members of the band come from four different countries, it seems fitting, doesn't it?
so, like i said, 'red' hits UK shelves on monday. it's supposed to drop stateside sometime this fall. keep your fingers crossed with me that they'll tour the US. when they do, let's all form a caravan and follow them 'cross country. i mean, shoot, if sir ian mckellan wanted to be in the new video, hey...
here's another track from 'red.'
→ guillemots: cockateels
SONG OF THE DAY [#288]
'crazy man' | chapman and brocker
this is, as they say, the good shiz. i don't know much about these fellows, but i know they make some very magnificent music! i guess they are brothers. they pop is a filmmaker. they begged their pop to include of their songs in one of his films. one thing led to another and well, you get the picture.
i suppose i could write more, but i think you should just listen to the songs for yourselves and then go buy the album. they are a couple of prodigiously talented siblings who, in a just world, would already be household names. it's even more impressive you learn they wrote, recorded, and produced the album by themselves. good on them. i said it before, i'll say it again: where was I when God was passing out talents? i must have cut class that day. at any rate, i really hate to 'compare' them, but imagine wayne coyne was in tow for the 'pet sounds' recording sessions and you have a slight idea. harmonies, glorious harmonies.
between chapman and brocker, white shoes and the couples company, and m83, it's a three-way race for my favorite album of the first quarter of 2008. brilliant stuff, this. go to their website and buy the album. you'll be glad you did.
→ chapman & brocker: crazy man
→ chapman & brocker: when the lights go down
SONG OF THE DAY [#287]
'graveyard girl' | m83
we'll take a little break from guillemots week to bring some new m83! word, that.
i've been listening to the new m83, 'saturday = youth,' for the last 15 minutes or so, and i gotta say, HOLY CRAPS, G! it's so bloody brilliant! only something this great could interrupt guillemots week. and that's really saying something right there. in the past i've really liked m83 ['teen angst is all-timer for me], but i wouldn't say i worship at their alter. until now, that is. after listening to the first three or four tracks off this new ablum, i will definitely be rockin' out at the church of hypnotic synthesizer.
could it be this year's 'sound of silver?' maybe. probably. definitely! just don't be surprised when snooty fishwraps starting hailing it as such. i willing to put down some serious coin that they do. i'm telling you now, this is some pretty remarkable stuff!
'saturdays = youth' drops 4/14 in the UK and 4/15 in the US. buy it. that's an order.
→ m83: graveyard girl
→ m83: teen angst | video
SONG OF THE DAY [#286]
'made up love song #43' | guillemots
yes, indeed, folks. my favorite song of 2006 is making a repeat appearance on this here guillemots week. it's still my favorite guillemots song, in case you were wondering. i really don't even know how many times i've listened to it. too many to count, i'm sure. it's just such a beautiful song. it's about as fine a melody you're ever likely to hear. and that outro just gets me every time: 'yes, i believe you. yes, i believe you. yes, i believe you.' i believe in the guillemots! so say we all. [and props to fyfe for poofy hair in the beach scenes. high marks for that! it is truly magnificent.]
check out the video:
here are few more guillemots tracks for your enjoyment...so enjoy!
→ guillemots: made up love song #43
→ guillemots: made up love song #43 [live]
→ guillemots: who left the lights off, baby [from the 'from the cliffs' e.p.']
SONG OF THE DAY [#285]
'kriss kross' | guillemots
this'll make you jump, jump. guillemots week continues as i anxiously count down the days to the new album. that'd be 7 if you're at home keeping score with me.
today you get the lead track from 'red,' the mysteriously titled 'kris kross.' i don't know if it's an homage to those legendary pint-sized rappers of yesteryear who wore the shirts and jeans backwards or what [daddy mack'll make ya, mack daddy'll make ya jump jump!]. knowing fyfe dangerfield, i'm sure the title isn't entirely coincidental. whoa! look, fyfe is even jumping in the picture. i just realized that. that's freaky! strange things are afoot at the circle k, for sure...
'kriss kross,' wow, is it ever a corker. i don't really even know how to describe. crazy orchestra hits, thundering bass, a random swipe at the sitar, fyfe shouting. nutty stuff. it's a complete 180 from the glorious, pastoral 'little bear' off 'from the windowpane.' but then the chorus erupts and the song shifts gears into something truly guillemotian: epic, glorious, volcanic and soul-edifying. if you don't get out of your chair and do the jig of reckless abandon, you're (a) dead or (b) in a wheelchair. if you are neither of those two things, then you have no excuse.
they better play the states this fall or there will be hell to pay.
→ guillemots: kriss kross
→ guillemots: never went to church [the streets cover]
→ guillemots: throw me a sun ['get over it' b-side]
SONG OF THE DAY [#284]
'get over it' | guillemots
march 24 is going to be a great day. why, you ask? 'cos the new guillemots album, 'red,' finally drops. my gosh i love this band. you have no idea. y'all know their debut, 'through the windowpane,' was my favorite album of 2006 and i've been waiting anxiously, as have many of you, for new material. well, the wait is almost over. thank the maker.
the first single is the deliriously wonderful 'get over it.' if it's a precursor of things to come, 'red' is going to rule the scene. check out this video:
and yes, aristazabel hawkes is still smokin' hot. she can drive me anywhere anytime. 8 days to go. the countdown in on...
→ guillemots: get over it [radio edit]
→ guillemots: get over it [album version]
→ guillemots: by the water [from the 'of the night' e.p.]
→ guillemots: the rising tide [from the 'of the night' e.p.]
SONG OF THE DAY [#283]
'big ideas' | lcd soundsystem
in case you don't already have it, here's lcd soundsystem's contribution to the soundtrack to the new movie '21,' in which a group of impossible hot, abercrombie & fitch models count cards in vegas.
→ lcd soundsystem: big ideas
SONG OF THE DAY [#282]
'lyra' | kate bush
maybe this picture of kate bush was the inspiration behind asking her to sing a song for 'the golden compass' soundtrack. she looks like she might have been the model for those really terrible airbrushed fantasy t-shirts you see the guys with unfortunate facial hair patterns wearing as they cruise through the mall on their way to the game shop to pick up the latest RPG. rock on. it's not a knock on kate--she's a stunning woman--but seriously, what's the with the wreath on your melon? maybe she was trying out for a role opposite james mcavoy in the 'chronicles of narnia' [more on that later] or something. i dunno. she looks like she could live in a forest with a bloke named puck. am i right or am i right?
i never saw the 'the golden compass' [i found the book painfully slow and plodding], so i don't know how this song, from the soundtrack, fits into the film. i imagine it plays over the end credits, which i'm starting to believe is a requirement of the modern-day score. i don't know why, but in almost every score, there's a vocal in the closing credit music. seriously. and they're usually really, really, really terrible songs with overblown vocals and bombastic productions. thankfully, kate bush knows how to sing and exercises restraint instead of cutting loose like all the kids on american idol. it's not the greatest song in the world, but it is a pretty nice little ditty and a worthy collection to her impressive catalogue. way to go, kate.
'can't take it in' | imogen heap
second up to the plate it the always awesome imogen heap. i just barely heard this song for the first time today.
it sounds like every other imogen heap song, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it? i don't remember this song playing over the end credits of 'the chronicles of narnia,' but i'm sure it did. it has to. it's the rules. i can't really imagine it playing during the movie, since, you know, it takes place during world war ii. i suppose overdubbed vocals could have existed in the 40s, but probably not. know what i'm saying?
i remember the first time imogen heap came to salt lake city. she played at borders. it was nutty. there were like, oh, i dunno, 15 people there? this was like 2002, i think. she was making serious eyes at my friend nathan. he denies it to this day, but i have witnesses. and reliable ones at that. but that's another story and i'm going to bed so you don't get to hear the rest. actually, there isn't anymore, so i don't know why i even bothered to write that and continue writing...must...stop...now.
→ kate bush: lyra [from 'the golden compass']
→ imogen heap: can't take it in [from 'the chronicles of narnia']
SONG OF THE DAY [#281]
'bad days' | the charlatans
i refuse to add 'UK' to the end of the band's name like the lawyers made them do. it just doesn't seem right.
so, here's another band that was big around the lohrke household back in the day. i still remember when 'some friendly' came out and seeing the video for 'the only one i know.' i instantly loved it! timmy burgess' funny little head swing was right up there with ian browne's king of the monkeys dance [tim might be the only one who knows what i'm talking about!]. and check out that sweet bowl cut. nice!
as far as tragedies go, the charlatans are right up there with the manics. to start it all, keyboardist rob collins was jailed for armed robbery for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and later was killed in car accident. the band's accountant stole hundreds of thousands of pounds. new keyboardist tony rogers would later be diagnosed with testicular cancer. that's enough to wipe out the average band, but the charlies are not your average band. after rob's death [and with him the trademark hammond organ sound he helped developed] and when they were teetering on the brink of obscurity and cut out bins, they released 'tellin' stories' in 1998. it was a MASSIVE album spawning a slew of top singles. seriously, it's every bit as good as the 'urban hymns.' now that's good.
ten years and who knows how many albums later, the charlies soldier on. their newest album, 'you cross my path,' was available for free download a while back. i dunno know if it still and i'm too lazy to look it up for you. so you're on your own there. at any rate, the new album is great. 'you cross my path' is the first single and i gotta believe 'bad days' will be right on its heels. word.
→ the charlatans: bad days
→ the charlatans: you cross my path | video [from the new album]
→ the charlatans: how high | video [from 'tellin' stories']
→ the charlatans: the only one i know | video [from 'some friendly']
→ the charlatans: weirdo | video [from 'between 10th and 11th]
→ the charlatans: jesus hairdo | video [from 'up to our hips]
SONG OF THE DAY [#280]
'do you know how to feel?' | the bell
i know it'll probably sound like i'm making this up, but here's another amazing swedish band. this time it's the bell. instead of quieter vibe of loney, noir and blokes like that, the bell are closer kins to the mary onettes. it's all about the dizzy, swirling guitars that editors used on their debut and that joy division used all the time. after a twelve hour day, i'm kind of too tired to do a write up, so i'm going to leave it up to you to you to do your homework. you can start here. the bell's debut, 'make some quiet,' dropped last fall. you can pick it up at your usual outlets. and make sure you do!
→ the bell: do you know how to feel?
→ the bell: i am history | video
→ the bell: celebrate the good times
SONG OF THE DAY [#279]
'grounds for divorce' | elbow
elbow is one of the few bands out there these day truly blows me away. i remember the first time i heard their sophomore album, 'a cast of thousands,' and being literally gobsmacked by the intensity of its beauty. it's definitely one of my desert island discs. to this day 'switching off' and 'not a job' are two of my favorite songs of all-time. 'switching off,' for my money, is right up there with 'god only knows' as one of the most beautiful songs ever written. i'll stand by that assertion until the end of time. it's just that good.
a couple of years have passed since their third album, 'leaders of the free world,' but elbow is finally back with their fourth long player, the cheekily-titled, 'the seldom seen kid.' as is to be expected, it's fantastic. guy garvey retains his place as one of the preeminent vocalists and lyricists working today, and you just get the feeling that the band are simply some of the finest musicians out there. there songs are so unconventional, but so immediate and wonderful. sure, radiohead gets most of the pub as the headiest band out there, but screw them. i'll take elbow anyday. 'the seldom seen kid' drops 3/18 in the U.K and 4/22 in the U.S. of A.
→ elbow: grounds for divorce | video
→ elbow: switching off | video
→ elbow: not a job | video
SONG OF THE DAY (#278)
'for love' | lush
so here's a funny story. about a dozen years ago or so i got sick. really, really sick. probably the sickest i'd been in a long time. i was in bed for days, i had the shakes, the fever, the total body ache. it was pretty bad and i was in pretty bad shape. so i was laying there in bed, drifting in and out of consciousness, and listening to lush's album, 'spooky,' over and over. my stereo [the one i still own and use daily -- props to j.v.c. for a killer stereo!] had a repeat function, so when a tape came to the end, it automatically flipped sides and continued. i guess that call that the 'continuous play' function and not 'repeat.' anyway.
i'd gotten a copy of lush's 'spooky' on cassette tape from my place of employment about a week or two earlier. i would have rather had it on CD, but for $1.99 [it was a cut out], i couldn't pass it up -- and besides, i didn't have a CD player in my car, so a tape was just fine. i was just discovering lush and the whole shoegazer scene, so i was listening to it a lot. and miki, the lead vocalist, is really hot, so that was added bonus. i think just about every dood who listened to this kind of music was in love with her. that red hair was just off-the-charts hot and she really knows how to rock that rickenbaker.
so anyway, as i said, i was drifting in and out of consciousness, totally coked up out of my mind on nyquil or whatever it was i took, and having really, really, really bizarre dreams. i remember my mom coming in at one point and asking me how i was doing. i distinctly remember telling her that i was playing in a women's singles match at wimbledon and that i was having problems with my skirt. i don't know if my skirt kept flying up, or if it was the wrong color, or something else. i just knew i was having problems with it and i wasn't happy about it. at one point my little sister, megan, poked her head in the door and started busting up at my medically-induced psychosis. that only made me madder, of course, because i was 100% certain i was playing a women's match at wimbledon and no one could convince me otherwise. the more she laughed, the more upset i got. i guess i finally just crashed out and fell back to sleep.
the moral of the story: don't listen to shoegazer music while coked up on nyquil. it will give you a serious trip. i've never tripped on anything, but i imagine it was similar to my lush/nyquil/flu experience. freaky stuff, man. freaky stuff. it was kind of that flight of the conchords episode in which brett deams about david bowie. 'am i freaking you out, brett? is this a freaky dream?'
lush was a great, great band. i really miss them. but after drummer chris ackland's suicide, i think the prospect of going on was just too much for them. i'm just thankful i got to see them live before the went splitsville.
→ lush: for love | video
→ lush: hypocrite | video
→ lush: ciao! [duet w/jarvis cocker]
SONG OF THE DAY [#277]
'portrait of a young man' | ginger ale
i think ginger ale is my favorite non-diet pepsi soft drink. whenever i fly and the air waitresses come around and ask me what i want to drink i always say, 'ginger ale, please.' when i did a websearch for ginger ale after my friend sent me this ablum, i came across directions for making homemade ginger ale. you mean you can make it on your own? this is brilliant news. i'm gonna try that out. although i'm afraid of having a mitch hedberg sprite moment: 'they say the recipe for sprite is lemon and lime, but i tried to make it at home and there's more to it than that.'
anyway, i started listening to ginger ale [some groovy, french electropop]. and i thought, 'man that voice sounds sooo familiar.' it took me about 30 seconds to realize it was my girl, angele from klima! if you don't know klima, you need to check 'em out 'cos they're great. so i thought ginger ale might be a new band, but it turns out the album was released back in 2006, as if that's so very long ago. actually, it kind of feels like a really long time ago. but that's another story so just enjoy some ginger ale and come over to my house this weekend for some of the home made variety.
→ ginger ale: i want to see the sea
→ ginger ale: portrait of a young man
SONG OF THE DAY [#276]
'umbrella' | the manic street preachers
of all the bands to appear during the last twenty years, i don't think there's another band who's been through more than the manic street preachers. i've been meaning to write about them for awhile because their story has a really profound impact on my life. but i'm still fighting this flu and feel like crap, i'll leave it for another day.
but i will tell you that the manics are the latest to cover rhianna's hit. it's a great version, i think, and again speaks to the song's broad appeal. james dean bradfield really lets it rip with his vocals and the rhythm section really cranks up the wattage. amazing stuff. man, i love the manics. you can find this version on the last NME giveaway cd. it's gotta loads of other top covers, too. and i gotta say, james dean bradfield is one of the few doods who truly looks awesome while playing the guiter. dood is all kinds of cool.
as far as the other songs, 'if you tolerate this then your children will be next' is one of my top 5 favorite songs of all-time. i adore it. it's as gorgeous a song i've ever heard. 'your love alone is not enough,' is from the manics' triumphant album, 'send away the tigers,' released last year and features guest vocals from everyone's favorite cardigan, nina persson. [nina is a skirt = awesome!] i think it was a top ten single in the uk [i'm too lazy to look it up right now]. be sure to check out the video, too. it's brilliant. then again anything with nina persson is brilliant. it's just the way it is.
→ the manic street preachers: umbrella
→ the manic street preachers: your love along is not enough | video
→ the manic street preachers: if you tolerate this, your children will be next | video
SONG OF THE DAY [#275]
'torn blue foam couch' | grand archives
sorry i've been a bit sporadic on the posts of late. i started a new job two weeks ago and i've been sick every single day since. i spent the weekend in bed, but i'm feeling a bit better today, so on with the music.
here's some great stuff for you today. from one of the guys who brought you band of horses comes grand archives. i dunno about you, but that conjures of visions of the dewey decimal system. is there anyone under the age of 25 who even knows what the dewey decimal system is? man, i feel like an old fart. i wanted to post my favorite song from the album, 'sleepdriving,' but it was too big to upload. that song alone is worth the price of admission, so seek it out.
anyway, this is some good dag right here, friends. to me it sounds like what mojave 3 would've sounded like had neal halstead been born in the flannel-land instead of gloomy england. the overseer of the grand archives, mat brooke, knows his way around a sunny, heartwarming, and snappy melody. the three of you who regularly read this blog know i love me a good melody, so, you know, this is good news. i also really like that there's a real lack of pretense in brooke's songs. sure, they use some unusual instruments, but they never sound like they're used so they can say, 'i really like the way the hurdy gurdy sounds on that track.' heck, i don't even know if they use a hurdy gurdy in any of their songs or not, but if they do it's because it belongs, not to score points with the elitist snobs. it's all organic and real. what a treat. i'm sure seth cohen would have approved whole-heartedly.
the grand archives are on tour now, so check your local listings. their self-titled debut dropped via subpop february 18. go buy it.
→ the grand archives: torn blue foam couch
→ the grand archives: miniature birds
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