SONG OF THE DAY [#379]

'half asleep' | school of seven bells

i totally got rear-ended today while on my lunch break. i was sitting in stopped traffic when this girl slammed in to the back of me. thankfully, my car was unscathed. there are a few scuff marks, but nothing i can polish out myself pretty quickly. no need to get insurance companies involved. even the police officer who came over was very nice. all in all, it was a very pleasant accident.

let me just add that when ford says 'ford tough,' man, they are not kidding. my ford focus handed that honda's rear end on plate with a side of cookies and a glass of strawberry quick. i had a few scuffs and honda's hood was bent pretty badly. i could see the engine just by tilting my head. so eat it, honda.

this has nothing to do with the school of seven bells, but it was part of my day, so i thought i'd share. not that anyone really cares or anything [my own family doesn't read this blog], but hey, the three of you who do might be interested. or not.

anyway, school of seven bells is the new project from former secret machines member benjamin curtis and twins alejandra and claudia deheza, formerly of on! air! radio! i've never heard of on! air! radio!, but now i wish i had because i really enjoy their voices. 'half asleep' is another song i heard on the xm radio the other day and you guessed it, it was sitting in the itunes and i didn't even know it. but i'm glad it is. it is very excellent!

here's something for your gee-whiz collection: the band is named for the legendary pickpocket academy. 1] i didn't know there was ever a pickpocket academy; 2] ok, i only have one. i thought i might've had two, but i got ahead of myself.

school of seven bells is opening for M83 down in LA at the end of november. i will down there on the day they play. i might have to go.

the school of seven bells debut, 'alpinisms,' is out now.

→ school of seven bells: half asleep
→ school of seven bells: chain

SONG OF THE DAY [#378]

'sleepyhead' | passion pit

so i was driving home from work this afternoon, er, evening, and i heard this groovy song on the xm radio. the cool thing about the xm is that they show you the artist and song title on the little display. i caught this song about halfway home that i found a pen in my driver's side pocket-thingy and wrote 'passion pit' on my hand. thankfully i had a pen handy! [i usually have to repeat to myself a band's name i see on the xm ten times in attempt to commit it to memory only to forget it the second i get home and start thinking about food].

so, with 'passion pit' on my hand i sat down at the computer after watching the phillies down the rays in game 5 [i fully expect to wake up, turn on the news, and discover philadelphia has burned to the ground] and watching the last half of 'modern marvels' on the history channel and learning that bees wax, after going through some processes i can't remember for the life of me [nor could i understand them even if i did remember them], can actually absorb oil spills, grime, grease, etc, and make it disappear completely. it was truly fascinating. this discovery, for me, is right up there with the guy or gal who sat down one day and thought, 'i wonder what will happen if i sit down and whip some egg whites really fast.' voila! meringue! [not to be confused with merengue, the spicy dance, which i often do.] brilliant, that.

anyway, i started searching online to see what i could find out about passion pit [they're from beantown --chowdah!--and they are very awesome. then i decided i should check my itunes 'cos i've always got hidden gems on there that i never knew i had. well, lo and behold, there it was--passion pit's debut e.p., 'chunk of change.' more like 'chunk of awesome!' sure, they owe more than a small debt to acts like MGMT and the postal service, but who cares?

check it out. now.

→ passion pit: sleepyhead | video
→ passion pit: sleepyhead [landau walk-up remix]

SONG OF THE DAY [#377]

'better by far' | ofrin

i like american idol as much as the next person i suppose. the tryouts/auditions are always good for a laugh even though i'd guess about half of 'em are intentionally bad and are just trying to get on the television. hey, i don't begrudge anyone his or her five minutes of fame, even if comes via making a horses a** out of yourself.

the one problem i DO have with american idol is that it seems to have created a new genre of singer: the screaming vibrato singer. this is curious evolutionary development in music! i think it's mostly christina aguilera's fault. i can see christina sitting in front of mirror and saying, 'i look like an oompa loompa, i vibrato scream when i sing, and i sell millions of recahds!' actually, you're just a tramp. deal with it. but i digress. my big question is this: since when did wailing like a banshee qualify as singing? jumping from note to note like you've bit hit with a bolt of lightning while singing does not equate to good singing. you're not a 'vocalist' if you force your vibrato like you're forcing out a turd. just take some metamucil and relax. know what i mean?

what does this have to do with ofrin? well, it's always refreshing when i hear a natural vibrato that's not overstated and forced [nina persson also comes to mind!]. i don't know the first thing about ofrin. i think she/they are from berlin. i could be wrong. i'm too lazy and tired to look it up. [sorry, ofrin. i expended too much energy talking about the oompa loompa]. what i do know the new album, 'on shore remain,' hits the UK on november 11. dunno about a US release date yet. for the sake of reference, imagine a bit jazzier and minimalistic the bird and the bee. that's about the best i can come up with right now, but i think it is sufficient. and listen up, class, this is a good example of a properly utilized vibrato. good on ya, ofrin.

→ ofrin: better by now
→ ofrin: nothing comes to mind

i heart asobi seksu

so the asobi seksu show last was a-may-zing! it was just as great as i hoped it would be. not only did they rock mightily, but they also unveiled some new tracks, as well as the new album title ['hush']. they played pretty much everything i hoped to hear [strawberries, thursday, new years, pink cloud tracing tiger, i'm happy but you don't like me, me & mary], but highlight was definitely 'red sea.' as expected, it was the set closer before the encore and it was downright euphoric. now i knew yuki was freaking rad already, but about five minutes into the song, she ditched the keyboards, jumped on the drum kit, and proceeded to beat holy craps out it for the next three minutes. i swear, it was the hottest thing i've experienced up to this point in my life. i nearly passed out on the spot.

the best part, however, was after the show when my friend kevin asked he could take a picture of me and yuki [this was after a i gloriously failed to ask myself]. naturally, i was super nervous so i pulled my friend chris into the picture with me. chris speaks japanese so he rapped a little bit with yuki while i was dry-heaving in the background. chris, being the cool cat his is, casually threw up the thumbs up while i stood in the background with a goofy smile and tried, unsuccessfully, not to look like a five-star clod. oh well. hopefully they will come back and i can actually drum up conversation with them.

now, i know it looks like yuki was superimposed in the photograph, i can assure you she is really that little. she can't weigh more than 90 lbs in steel-toed boots. girl is tiny! but you kind of have to to hit the notes on the upper register!

i don't know that i've fully come down from the asobi seksu high, and that's quite all right with me. thankfully i have a new album to look forward to. when it's due for release i don't know. but i do know this: asobi seksu has permanently cracked my 'favorite bands of all-time' list.

amazing stuff. thanks, gang!

SONG OF THE DAY [#376]

'me & mary' | asobi seksu

DAYUM! yuki, you are smokin'! i can't wait to see you [and the band] on saturday night.

yes, yes, here's the new asobi seksu single [along with its b-side!!]. it is, as expected, very mighty and excellent. hopefully we'll be getting a new album before too much longer!

if anyone is going to the show @ kilby saturday night, give me a holler.

→ asobi seksu: me & mary
→ asobi seksu: breathe into glass

also, sorry for the lack of posts this last week. my sister is in town from l.a. with nephew henry and my niece kate. henry and i have been getting plenty of thomas the tank engine time in and kate has a grand old time stuffing anything she can get into her mouth. they're both little champs and we love them to pieces. i'll be sad when they leave on sunday. it was fun having you here!!

SONG OF THE DAY [#375]

'enjoy the silence [live in mexico, 2006]' | depeche mode

as i'm sitting here wallowing in my own depression over the dodgers losing the NLCS in five games to the f'ing phillies, i'm comforted by the news that depeche mode is currently in the studio with uber-producer ben hillier [the man responsible for the tremendous 'playing the angel'] working on their latest album, scheduled for release in the spring and to be followed by another worldwide tour appropriately titled, 'tour of the universe.'
if you want to watch the press conference, you can check out the highlights here.

you know, little could i imagine as a kid of fourteen, seriously infatuated with depeche begging his grandma to take him to tower records in west covina to buy the 'construction time again' cassette tape in 1987, that they would still be churning out quality tunes and be universally regarded as one of the biggest bands on the planet. man, i used to take so much crap in high school before 'enjoy the silence' turned the football team into depeche fans. i clearly remember wearing the depeche t-shirt i bought at the violator gig to a high school football [i think it was the only one i went too] and i swear on all that is holy that some stupid girl saw me walking up the stairs and said, 'oh, depeche mode! i love them! have you heard that song 'enjoy the silence?' i LOVE that song.' i almost punched her in the face right then and there. idiot.

anyway, i thing 'enjoy the silence' will definitely go down as depeche's greatest moment. and well it should. what a lot people don't seem to realize is that 'enjoy the silence' was originally written as a ballad. it was only when floor and alan wilder got the crazy idea to turn it into a dance floor stomper during the violator sessions that depeche mode's fortunes would be irrevocably changed. i, too, remember hearing it only little portable radio late one sunday night on a radio show called 'rock over london,' or something to that effect. i had a blank tape in the player and i the second i heard 'new depeche mode' i hit the record button. needless to say, i played it over and over and over and a couple of months later, depeche was the biggest band in the world. what a great memory. i once even try to do the martin gore hairdo. thankfully no photographic of said hairdo exists.

at any rate, i've got something like 45 different version/remixes of the song in my itunes. one of my favorites is the live in mexico version. there's so much raw energy and emotion. it gives me goosebumps every time i listen to it. it makes me excited to see depeche again next fall. and special thanks to the folks over at T.U.B.E. for collecting all that great stuff and making it available to the masses. hats off to you.

→ depeche mode: enjoy the silence [live in mexico] | promo video
→ depeche mode: home [live in mexico] | promo video
→ depeche mode: enjoy the silence [reinterpreted by mike shinoda]
→ depeche mode: enjoy the silence [live acoustic/ballad version]
→ depeche mode: enjoy the silence [original home demo]

SONG OF THE DAY [#374]

'walking on a dream' | empire of the sun

just when i wondered what luke steele [the sleepy jackson] was up to these days, i happened to accidentally stumble upon his new project, empire of the sun, with nick littlemore from pnau.

i hadn't heard of empire of the sun before i heard this song, but as soon as i heard the vocals i knew it was luke steele. he's got a pretty identifiable voice, after all. and in empire of the sun, he's sporting some highly awesome eye makeup!

i really dig this song. it's got some nice, slightly 80s action going on. add to it luke's golden falsetto and you have the recipe for audio ecstasy. for real. y'all know i'm a sucker for dance/pop music and this is as good as i've heard all year. it makes me with i had smooth dance moves. if i did, i would utilize them to this song.

empire of the sun's debut album, 'walking on a dream,' drops either today or tomorrow in various parts of the world. i dunno about a US release date [amazon.com is showing it as an import-only], but hopefully we'll get some info soon. in the meantime, check out these awesome tunes! [i didn't even know how this pnau song with ladyhawke. it must be fate, for she and i are destined to be together].

→ empire of the sun: walking on a dream | video
→ empire of the sun: walking on a dream [van she remix]
→ the sleepy jackson: i understand what you want but i just don't agree | video
→ pnau f. ladyhawke: embrace [fred falke & miami horror mix]

SONG OF THE DAY [#373]

'the new kid revival' | xoxo, panda

when i heard 'the new kid revival' the other day i was so certain it was some lost beulah song that i went directly to my copy of 'the coast is never clear' looking for confirmation of some king that xoxo, panda guy was the same guy as beulah singer guy, miles kurosky. that might be the most confusing sentence i've ever written. if that made sense, good for you. you're smarter than i.

anyway, turns out xoxo, panda guy is marc bianchi, who, incidentally, is also in the great band, her space holiday. tell me, where do these guys get off fronting multiple bands that rock? it's so not fair. then again, you've got that whole 'i need another creative outlet because i can write multiple genres of music.' yeah, must be nice. so, marc bianchi formed xoxo, panda [i'm still not entirely sold it's not miles kurosky doing an emotionally stable isaac brock shtick] and released a highly excellent album on october 7th. though you might have to search for it under 'her space holiday' [at least amazon.com has under 'her space holiday.'] kind of confusing. at least for me.

in the meantime, check out a couple of choice tracks by xoxo, panda and one by her space holiday.

→ xoxo, panda: the new kid revival | video
→ xoxo, panda: the heartbreak moment
→ her space holiday: you and me

SONG OF THE DAY [#372]

'questions' | dark captain light captain

i can barely keep my eyes open right now [rough night's sleep, or rather lack of sleep, last night], so i apologize for the brevity of this post. and i apologize to whoever took this picture i stole from someone's flickr account.

i really like these guys. it's surprising 'cos i don't normally dig this kind of music; but 'questions' is such a beautiful song that i could help but love it. i also don't know much about these kids except that their album, 'miracle kicker,' hits stores at the end of the month. it's really quite a remarkable and beautiful album. i highly recommend it!

oh, and just by way of disclosure, there are a couple of potty words in the song, just in case, you know, you have an aversion to potty words. ;)

→ dark captain: questions
→ dark captain: jealous enemies

by the way, you can find a great remix of 'questions' here. it's part of a free 4-part compilation with songs approved by the bands themselves. kudos to eardrummusic.com for making it happen.

SONG OF THE DAY [#371]

'i adore you' | melpo mene

they're from sweden. yeah, i know. i know.

i dunno about you, but this song makes we want to wear a burberry and dive into a pile of leaves on a brisk october evening. yeah. watch this. and this.

→ melpo mene: i adore you |
→ melpo mene: don't save me
→ melpo mene: jedi

SONG OF THE DAY [#370]

'thursday [the twelves remix]' | asobi seksu

dateline october 25. asobi seksu finally plays salt lake city! about two years ago the band was supposed to play here, but the day of the show they couldn't reach the promoter, didn't know where they were supposed to be playing, where they were supposed to be going, so they had to cancel. can't really 'em, but boy was i bummed! after all, their second album, 'citrus,' remains one of my all-time favorites. man, it's so good it's just plain stupid.

i first heard 'thursday' on the xm radio while driving to work one day. my ears immediately perked up when i heard the swirly guitars and angelic voice [and the obvious shoegazy atmospheres]. 'what is this mighty song!?' i wondered. i wrote down the bands name with the first thing i could find, which was probably an old tube of chapstick or a crayon or something. anyway, i got to work, looked 'em up, and beheld the glory that is ms. yuki [to your left]. 'man,' i said. 'mighty tunes and a stone cold fox at the helm!' that was a good, good day. [check out this video, too]

that night i went home, bought 'citrus' off itunes, and fell head over heels. i still listen to it on an almost weekly basis. and they're finally coming. the only bummer is that they're playing kilby court, which is probably the single worst venue in salt lake city [i know, my band played there twice. it's a dive]. it's only redeeming quality is the proximity to the band. at the high violets show i was about 3 feet from the band and got to speak with them afterwards. yes, i'm taking a camera and sharpie. hopefully i can snag some pics of me and my future wife and get a john hancock or two. mighty.

→ asobi seksu: thursday [the twelves remix]
→ asobi seksu: strawberries [cassettes won't listen remix]
→ asobi seksu: all through the day [bonus track off UK version of 'citrus']

SONG OF THE DAY [#369]

'ghost' | gregory & the hawk

here's some lovely stuff for you on this first october eve. ladies and gents, gregory and the hawk. [i guess she's the hawk 'cos dood has to be gregory, right?]

i don't know much about these kiddos, but after hearing their new album, 'moenie and kitchi,' [october 9] i'm finding myself searching out all sorts of info. i'm kind of obsessive-compulsive like that sometimes. ok, all the time.

i really like them 'cos instead of taking the easy, weepie guitar approach that y'all know by now drives me bat crap crazy, gregory and the hawk manage to inject just the right amount of mayhem to keep the music interesting. 'hey, hawk, let's throw some thunderous percussion on this weepy guitar track.' 'right-o, gregory!' i'm sure it went down just like that.

so, kudos to you, gregory and the hawk for making groovy music. may you forever soar blue skies and dive bomb at defenseless prairie critters at mach 3.

→ gregory and the hawk: ghost
→ gregory and the hawk: wild west