'autumn story' | firekites
sorry for the lack of updates lately. what with christmas, family in town, my new 46" samsung lcd and playstation 3, i've been rather occupied the last week. i've been shopping that tv for the better part of six months and i finally pulled the trigger on my birthday, so happy birthday to me from me with best regards. you're a swell fellow, matt.
here's some nice new music from down unduh! i knew there was more to aussie music besides midnight oil, inxs, and men at work [i'm kidding, i'm kidding]. i don't know that much about firekites, but a friend of mine suggest i check them out and so i did. and i have to say, i was pleasantly surprised. not that i thought they'd be lousy or anything like that, but with the gajillions of bands out there these days, it's always nice to find a little nugget that warms the heart. i particularly like listening to these guys on headphones because you can really here all the little nuances floating throughout the songs. and i also like that it sounds like it was recorded in a warehouse. that's not to say it's lousy recording quality, but rather you can here the faint traces of echos. it gives the songs a really nice quality that seems lacking from a lot of studio produced stuff. good stuff.
you can find out more about firekites here and here, so go check 'em out.
final thought for the day: is it just me or is anyone else wondering where the bleep 2008 went?
→ firekites: autumn story
→ firekites: same suburb different park
SONG OF THE DAY [#399]
SONG OF THE DAY [#398]
'the end of summer on bookbinder road' | cocoanut grove
'i was born to tell the story...' begins the lead track from cocoanut grove's album, 'madeleine street.' well, first of all, dood looks like he's fourteen, so i was a bit suspect at exactly what kind of a story someone so young could possibly tell. and after having listened to 'madeleine street' a number of times this week, the story mr. grove has told is this: this might be the best debut album of the year! [imagine had the clientele grown up in sweden instead of the uk and you'll have an idea of the sound. yeah, i don't make clientele references lightly because they are one of my favorite bands of all-time, so it's heady praise, indeed!]
as per usual, when i find something i really like i do a little internet research. and yeah, you know exactly where this is going. i don't even have to say it because you already know. he's from a place that rhymes with wedon and starts with 's.' that's really all you need to know because we all know by now that sweden has a disproportionate number of quality musicians. so add 'cocoanut grove' to the list. if he keeps this up, i'm only sure it's a matter of time before he's at the top.
trust me, kids, this is one album that you'll be glad you spent a couple of kronas on.
→ cocoanut grove: the end of the summer on bookbinder road
→ cocoanut grove: the castle
SONG OF THE DAY [#397]
'once is not enough' | the bicycles
i knew my pepsi points would come in handy sooner or later. actually, since they expire at the end of the year, i had to use them or lose them. so, i checked the amazon.com pepsi points website and the only 'goodies' i could still get was a pepsi tote bag, which if you figure each pepsi point equals approximately 1 dollar, cost me about 50 bucks. but there was nothing else to get, so i'm now the proud owner of a striped pepsi tote bag. great.
well, i still had some pepsi points, so i cruised on over to amazon.com to see what mp3s i could buy with all my pepsi points. i had happened to hear that the bicycles new album, 'oh no it's love!' had been released digitally. lucky for me, i was available via pepsi points. here's how it works--you get 1 mp3 point for five pepsi points. remembering our ratios, and given that 'oh no, it's love!' cost me about 95 bucks. awesome. that's a lot of pepsi for one album, but it was either that or spend 50 pepsi points to get a jump drive that you can buy on amazon for three bucks. hm, three bucks vs. fifty bucks. is it me or are pepsi points a rip off? i love me the diet pepsi [it is the nectar of the gods and i drink far more than i should, but c'mon]. ok, now i'm just getting angry. i refuse to support pepsi points from this day forward, but i will still drink the diet pepsi for it is very tasty.
at any rate, i loved the bicycles first album, 'the good the bad and the cuddly,' and i happy to report that 'oh no, it's love!' is just as great. its 19 songs come in at a mere 39 minutes [all but two songs come in under three minutes], but each song is a little treasure of feel-good pop. i highly recommend it you check it out. digital downloads are available now and the hard copy comes out tuesday.
→ the bicycles: once is not enough
→ the bicycles: i'll wait for you
SONG OF THE DAY [#396]
'the shoe that fits [thomas white mix]' | the pipettes
i guess this is the current pipettes lineup. honestly, keeping track of that revolving door lineup is a bit like...keeping track of something that changes a lot. i was trying to come up with a clever metaphor there like 'elizabeth taylor's husbands' or 'sybil's personalties' but i got nuthin'. blame it on the 12-hour work day and 2.5 hour commute this snowy morning. ugh.
anyway, the pipettes. yeah, in what may be the most egregious example of self-indulgence in these many years, the pipettes have recently released a remix album containing twenty remixes of the same song. you know, it actually doesn't bother me as much as it should. if it were like five for fighting or some crap band like that, i'd probably feel different. but this, after all, is the pipettes, purveyors of all things retro-cute, so hey, more power to 'em, right? what's more, it's interesting to see how the same song can be interpreted twenty different ways.
my favorite of said twenty mixes is thomas white's remix. i think because a) it's the truest to the pipettes sound, b) it's very, very saint etienne-esque [and y'all know how much i love saint etienne. favorite. band. ever]. it's got such a great chorus -- could this be it? the shoe that fits. i've been waiting in this queue for a while...[queue, for we yanks, is the same as 'line.'] oh, you clever pipettes, use a shoe as a metaphor for love. or is it a metaphor something else entirely? hmmm....
→ the pipettes: the shoe that fits [thomas white mix]
→ the pipettes: the shoe that fits [actress hands mix]
→ the pipettes: pull shapes [rac remix] | video
SONG OF THE DAY [#395]
'try telling that to my baby' | the heavy blinkers
this is another one of those songs i sent out when this was an e-mail list, but it's such a great song [and even greater video], that i decided to post it again in hopes that if you haven't already beheld the heavy blinkers greatness, that you would now have the chance.
the heavy blinkers--from halifax, nova scotia--released four albums between 1998-2004, but have been relatively quiet ever since. jason, apparently, has been working on the fourth long player ['health'] for the last couple of years, but two founding band members have left since 'the night and i are still so young,' so maybe that has something to do with. here's hoping 'health' sees the light of day sooner rather than later because the world desperately needs a new heavy blinkers album--at least i do. the three tracks below are all from their most recent album, 'the night and i are still so young,' which is an amazing album. go buy it.
and here's the vid for 'try telling that to my baby.' it's genius, i tell you.
you simply can't beat a cupcake surfing down a river a syrup. trust me, i've tried and it was a spectacular failure.
→ the heavy blinkers: try telling that to my baby | video
→ the heavy blinkers: the night and i are still so young | video
→ the heavy blinkers: gentle strength
SONG OF THE DAY [#394]
'winter wonderland' | goldfrapp
i can't believe christmas is only two weeks away. where the bleep did the last year go? i tell you, the older i get [and i'm getting old], the faster time flies and it's kind of alarming, to tell you the truth.
you know, for some reason i haven't felt the spirit of the ye olde christmas season too much. i think that it's partly due to the fact i got a massive head cold my last day in l.a. and here i am a week later and it's still hanging around. maybe because work's so busy that i've been working late every night [not complaining though--i'm very fortunate to have one of the most secure jobs in the country these days]. my goal for today is to feel some christmas season. maybe i just need to eat a candy cane and watch 'a christmas story 14 times on tbs. yeah, that's what i'll do.
→ goldfrapp: winter wonderland
SONG OF THE DAY [#393]
'come saturday' | the pains of being young at heart
so, imagine, if you will, bob wratten joined my bloody valentine or the jesus and mary chain circa 1990. yeaaaaah. that's right kids, the pains of being young at heart are so very mighty and kick copious amounts of backside. i was super impressed with their earlier e.p. [i think i might've posted a song or two off it before], and i relieved to report the album surpasses all expectations. it really does!
their self-titled [i've put a moratorium on 'eponymous'] debut l.p. doesn't officially drop until february 3, but i'm glad i got to give it a listen this year 'cos it's definitely making my top 10 favorite albums--and maybe the top 5--of 2008. who knows, it might even make next years list, too! oh, such fortuitous timing, pains of being pure at heart. and durn you for being so very awesome.
now check out these songs and prepare yourself for joining the, ahem, ranks of the pure at heart.
→ the pains of being pure at heart: come saturday
→ the pains of being pure at heart: young adult friction
SONG OF THE DAY [#392]
'fool for you' | duffy
i made it back to utah this afternoon after ten glorious days in the land of my birth. it's always hard coming back to utah, especially when henry and kate are back in l.a.. seriously the cutest kids ever. i know everyone says that, but they really are. if you don't agree, i will fight you. and i will win. consider yourselves warned.
so, duffy is going to release a 'deluxe' version of 'rockferry' here in the states on 12/23. that sounds like a mighty nice christmas present, if you ask me. the deluxe version comes with a bonus disc of b-sides and such, and wow, those are some great songs. it's another one of those cases of 'how did these songs not make the final cut?' not only is it a testament to duffy's prodigious vocal talents, but bernard butler's knob-twiddling skills as well. i think it's safe to assume the former suede axe-man will be in even more demand than he currently is. good on ya, bernie.
my favorite track on the 2nd disc is 'fool for you.' it's got a pretty sweet bee gees-esque vibe going on. duffy has repeatedly said she's not the next dusty, but good grief woman, you are! and i mean that as a compliment! embrace it. and for the rest of you, be sure to hit your local shop on the 23rd for more duffy--deluxe style.
as for the trip, it was awesome. my first saturday there we drove down to torrance and took a picture of me in front of buffy summer's house. this is that picture:
yep, it's true. i'm about the most un-photogenic person that's ever lived, but who cares. the house itself is actually a really beautiful home. i would be more than happy with a home like that! i can see why the joss whedon and co. used this house. in case you're ever down that way, the actual address is 1313 cota street, torrance, ca. it's super easy to find. just take the crenshaw exit off the 405 and you'll run right into cota. and if you just head south down the street, you'll run into torrance high school which doubled as sunnydale high. i didn't know that until after we got back to my sister's house, but i will definitely check it out next time.
the other best part of the trip, aside from spending time with the family, of course, was a tour of dodger stadium. they do tours every day of the offseason at 10 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. turns out that chris, henry and i were the only folks who showed up for the 11.3o tour the day we went, so we had the tour guide all to ourselves. it was pretty neat to see all the places you never get to see as regular fan -- the training room, the press box, the organ, the umpires clubhouse, the martini lounge, the suites, the two world series trophies, and coolest of all -- the dugout! here's a picture of the boys in the dodgers dugout. very cool, indeed. right here i was just about to get on the phone and make a call to the bullpen and tell jonathan broxton to start warming up. ;)
i tell you, i could have stayed there all day. since we were the only three on the tour [which will run you $15], we got to spend an extra little time on the field. it was great. seriously, i love the dodgers almost more than i love music. it's my first love. i've been bleeding dodger blue since i was about five years old. i can so vividly remember listening to vin scully call dodger games during the summer on my little white radio with the radial dial. there wasn't a night that went by where vin scully didn't talk me to sleep. they are very sweet memories and can't help but get a little misty eyed every time i hear vin scully's voice. i think next year will be his 59th year calling dodger games. i hope he lives to be 300 years old. i bloody love that man.
anyway, i'll probably post some more photos later in the week. until then, enjoy some duffy.
→ duffy: fool for you
→ duffy: enough love
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