SONG OF THE DAY [#403]

'dare' | the mary onettes

hi, kids. the mary onettes have a new e.p. coming out next month called 'dare.' this is the title track. it's rocks mightily. therefore you should buy the e.p. when it comes out. if you don't, you will die a horrible and unpleasant death.

→ the mary onettes: dare
→ the mary onettes: make me last

SONG OF THE DAY [#402]

'a change of heart' | el perro del mar

today's good news is brought to you by sarah assbring, a.k.a. el perro del mar: el perro del mar's new album, 'love is not pop,' is set to drop on april 1 in the scandinavian territories. no release date for the US, so far as i can tell. but given the usual delays in releasing stuff stateside, you'll probably be able to buy your own copy about the time the sixth and final season of 'lost' wraps up about a year from now. until then, enjoy 'a change of heart,' probably the best song she's done yet. remarkable stuff, this.

→ el perro del mar: a change of heart
→ el perro del mar: a change of heart [what kind of breeze do you blow? remix] -- link corrected

SONG OF THE DAY [#400]

'hysteric' | yeah yeah yeahs

i'm back! but i don't know for how long. at least long enough to heap tons of praise on the yeah yeah yeahs new album, 'it's blitz!'

holy &%$@! i'm so completely blown away by this album. funny thing is that i never really listened to them before because i instinctively reject so-called 'art rock.' [at least i admit to my biases, right?] it drives me nuts because it's usually just code for really crappy and really, really pretentious--or in other words, no talent. i'm just sayin'.

so imagine complete and utter joy to find 'it's blitz!' so blindingly and undeniably brilliant. trust me, the 'critics' are going to peeing themselves over this one. and you know what, they should. i'll spare you the play-by-play and excessive superlatives because i want you to listen to it and find out for yourself.

congrats, yeah yeah yeahs, the album of the year award is yours to lose. for real.

→ yeah yeah yeahs: hysteric [link fixed!]
→ yeah yeah yeahs: heads will roll

SONG OF THE DAY [#399]

'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 [#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 [#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 [#391]

'around the bend' | asteroids galaxy tour

hey! it's that new ipod song! it's a pretty great song, too.

sorry for the lack of updates lately. i flew down to my sister/brother-in-law's house on thanksgiving morning and i've been doing pretty much nothing but playing trains with my three year old nephew, henry. during the course of the trip, however, we did make it down to torrance to pay a visit to the buffy the vampire slayer house. it was pretty cool. i snapped some photos that i'll probably post here when i get back to utah. we're going to hit disneyland on wednesday, do a dodger stadium tour on monday or thursday [super stoked about that] and maybe hit some local comic shops. but mostly it's about spending time with the family. it's a lot of fun to have nieces and nephews. i highly recommend it!

in the meantime, enjoy asteroid's galaxy tour latest and greatest...

→ asteroids galaxy tour: around the bend | video
→ asteroids galaxy tour: the sun ain't shining no more

SONG OF THE DAY [#389]

'nothing good about this goodbye' | rachel stevens

for as much as i like britney and mandy, rachel will mop the floor with both of them [well, you know, when britney has hair. otherwise it might be kind of squeaky...and difficult]. of all the pop royalty, i think only kylie minogue could take rachel--but it'd be a good fight. i dunno about you, but i'd pay top dollar for a front row seat to that donnybrook.

it's pretty amazing that here 2005 album, 'come and get it,' [her 2nd solo album] didn't catapult her into superstardom. it's a mystery right up there with where's amelia earhart, who built the sphinx, who killed laura palmer, who's behind the dharma initiative, and why can't i get a date. but that's another story.

i say this in all seriousness: 'come and get it' is one of the best, if not the best, pure pop albums released this century. it's quite remarkable, really. no s club 7 alumnus has any right making a record this impeccable. but she did. and we're all very grateful. hey, i'll be honest. i need some more rachel stevens in my life. and so do you, for life is exponentially better when rachel's involved. that's a true story.

'come and get it' was never officially released stateside, but you can find import copies pretty readily and inexpensively. i think i paid about 16 clams for my copy.

now, ms. stevens, about that 3rd album...

→ rachel stevens: nothing good about this goodbye | video
→ rachel stevens: negotiate with love | video
→ rachel stevens: some girls | video
→ rachel stevens: dumb dumb [album bonus track]

SONG OF THE DAY [#388]

'unusual you' | britney spears

so the new britney spears hits december 2nd. confession: i like britney. always have. sure, she's a complete disaster, but she's done some brilliant pop songs in her day. it seems like just yesterday that '...baby one more time' and 'oops...i did it again' were everywhere. was that really ten years ago? wow.

so i gave the new album, 'circus,' a couple of spins this week and i have to confess again: it ain't half bad. in fact, it's pretty darn good. for someone who's life has had more ups and downs than a game of whack-a-mole, it's amazing she's even managed to record a new album.

the song that struck me most first time through was this one, 'unusual you.' it's actually a really, really sad song and perfectly captures what it must be like to be britney spears. to wit: 'hey baby, you're so unusual. didn't anyone tell you you're supposed to break my heart? i expect you to. so why haven't you? maybe you're not even human 'cos only a angel could be so unusual. a sweet surprise i could get used to. unusual you.' man, that's just sad. but i also love it musically. most britney songs fall into one of two categories: syrupy ballad or hi-nrg dance floor stomper. 'unusual you,' on the other hand is a much more mature recording. surprisingly enough, it's mid-tempo track, neither aggressive, bombastic or sentimental, and appropriately subdued [and very under-produced for a britney song, and it's all the better for it. in fact, it reminded me of the stuff off mandy moore's excellent debut]. it's a fine example of when the music matches the sentiment. i haven't seen the liner notes yet, so i don't know who produced it, but hats off to you, mr./mrs. producer. nice job.

people can say what they want about britney, and i'll be the first to admit she hasn't done herself a lot of favors, but who among us, put in her situation, wouldn't have jumped on the turnip truck about five years ago? hats off to you, ms spears.

→ britney spears: unusual you
→ britney spears: out from under
→ travis: ...baby one more time [live acoustic]

SONG OF THE DAY [#386]

'm23' | starflyer 59

coming in at no. 2 in my useless favorite albums of the year list [at least for right now], is starflyer 59's latest, 'dial m.' [is that as in 'dial martin?' is this an open invitation to join the good ship starflyer?] and with its release, i pose this question: is jason martin the single most underrated songwriter in america? answer: yes.

how did i arrive at that conclusion, you ask? well, the consistent quality of starflyer 59 albums is mind-boggling and staggering. what's even more staggering, is that jason doesn't wait 3-4 years between albums. since 1993, he's released 12 albums. 12 albums in 15 years. this doesn't even take into account side projects with his brother [the brothers martin] or his wife [bon voyage]. adding it all up, i count 16 albums in 15 years. six-freaking-teen. that's just stupid silly [not bad for a guy who still drives a truck for his late father's company]. yet, for all his accomplishments, how many people actually know who you are talking about when you mention starflyer 59? not too many.

well, amigos, if you've not heard starflyer 59 yet, here's your chance to discover their majesty. whether its the thick and heavy shoegaze-inspired guitar of the first two albums, the brian wilson-esque pop of 'leave here a stranger,' or the instantly addictive melodies of 'dial m,' starflyer 59, it seems can do no wrong. bands aren't supposed to last this long and they certainly aren't supposed to make their best album after releasing 11 previous albums. yep, i said it.

jason martin, i salute you! way to represent the 909 area code.

now go buy 'dial m.' it'll be the best ten clams you spend all week. i guarantee it.

→ starflyer 59: m23
→ starflyer 59: minor keys
→ starflyer 59: i drive a lot
→ starflyer 59: no new kind of story

SONG OF THE DAY [#383]

'black metallic' | catherine wheel

i love, love, love, love catherine wheel. if i could pick one band to get back together, i had have a hard time choosing between catherine wheel and pulp. can i choose both?

at any rate, i dated this girl many years ago who loved catherine wheel, and while i enjoyed several songs ['black metallic,' 'i want to touch you'], i couldn't, for reasons now unknown, fully embrace the band. it all seems silly now, but looking back most of 20's seem pretty silly.

it was their 4th l.p., 'adam & eve' that the lights went on and i began to fully understand and appreciate catherine wheel for what they really were: one helluva rock and roll band fronted by rob dickinson--easily one of the most dynamic frontmen in the history of rock. after three albums that ranged from fizzy shoegazing to 'siamese dream'-inspired rock, 'adam & eve' found catherine wheel finally comfortable in their own skins, delicately balancing chest-thumping power chords and a new-found inclination to the pastoral. from beginning to end, its consistency is almost alarming and it should have, by right, catapulted catherine wheel into the mainstream. alas, it was not be and after one more studio album, the unfairly maligned 'wishville,' catherine wheel disbanded in 2000. rob dickinson later released a solo album called 'fresh wine for the horses,' which is very mighty.

'adam & eve' is now out of print, unfortunately; but click here and you'll get a little treat. oh, the glory of the internet. i highly suggest you also seek out 'ferment,' 'chrome,' and 'happy days,' too. they rock so hard and whenever i want to listen to them i want to plug my guitar and turn up amp up to eleven.

and here's something for you gee whiz collection: rob dicknson is cousin to, yes, the bruce dickinson. rob did more than simply follow in his cousin's footprints. just like bruce's iron maiden, rob, too named his band after a medieval torture device. you just don't learn that kind of the stuff on the t.v.

→ catherine wheel: black metallic | video
→ catherine wheel: i want to touch you | video
→ catherine wheel: waydown | video
→ catherine wheel: judy staring at the sun | video
→ catherine wheel: sparks are gonna fly | video
→ catherine wheel: wish you were here [pink floyd cover]

SONG OF THE DAY [#382]

'telegraph' | orchestral manoeuvres in the dark

i got my new omd compilation, 'messages,' in the mail today [darn those import prices!]. of all the omd compilations out there ['the best of omd,' 'omd: the singles,' etc], i think 'messages' probably represents the band best because it's not limited to singles [those most of them were--in fact, as i look at the track list, i think they all were] or the most popular omd songs. case in point--'messages' contains what are, in my opinion, two of the band's better songs: 'telegraph' and 'genetic engineering,' both from the criminally underrated album, 'dazzle ships.' it's puzzling that those two songs were left off the original 'best of omd' that came out back in 1988. holy craps, i just realized that was 20 years ago. what happened to my life?

'dazzle ships' was, and still kind of is, something of enigma in the band's outstanding career. it was very experimental, very techy, and very mechanical with its use of sonar blips, old radio broadcasts, looped vocals, and all manner of weirdness. consequently, a lot of folks balked at it, and to a degree i get it. up to that point, omd had fashioned themselves a pop band. sure they utilized still-emerging technology, but at their core, andy mcclusky and paul humphries were classic pop songwriters. they had an uncanny knack of churning out quality pop songs with memorable synthlines and instantly memorable sing along choruses.

omd, of course, had a pretty expansive catalogue before they ever broke big in the US of A with 'if you leave.' i think it's a shame more people don't know about their early stuff, albums like the aforementioned 'dazzle ships,' 'architecture and morality,' 'organization,' 'omd,' and 'junk culture.' you could probably even throw in 'the pacific age' and 'crush' [these two, while boasting some of omd's finest moments, simply don't match the overall consistency of the earlier work]. they were all incredible albums. i encourage you search them out, particularly 'junk culture' and 'architecture and morality.' i think they are probably omd's two consistently great albums.

at any rate, the main reason i bought 'messages' was for the bonus disc of 27 videos! i'd seen quite a few omd videos in my day, but there were plenty i'd never seen, and well, let's face it, a few i don't want to see again. andy mcclusky, i love you, but dood, you cannot dance. you write a mean tune, but you cannot dance. thankfully there were only a few awful vids. in fact, most of the videos were quite good. omd actually tried to tell a story and there's definitely a narrative thread holding a lot of the videos together. so good job, omd.

i'm in a bit omd mood right now, so be expecting some lesser known and rare omd tracks here in the near future. i also read in the 'messages' liner notes that the band is planning a new album soon. hopefully a tour will follow. i saw them back in 1990 at kingsbury hall during the 'sugar tax' tour and it was a blast. paul had left the band by that point, but they are back together and i, for one, am stoked.

on a personal note, i can't listen to omd without remembering how i used to listen to them on my walkman during those long drives from utah to california or vice-versa. i can't listen to 'so in love' or 'secret' and not picture the nevada desert or the california high desert; and 'hold on' is still the soundtrack to my summer of a thousand broken hearts circa 1992. of course there are dozens more, but those stand out. thanks guys! hope to see you stateside soon.

→ orchestral manoeuvres in the dark: telegraph | video
→ orchestral manoeuvres in the dark: genetic engineering | video
→ orchestral manoeveres in the dark: of all the things we've made [also from 'dazzle ships']

SONG OF THE DAY [#381]

'glitter song' | a band called quinn

i'm not really sure why quinn changed their name to a band called quinn. quinn seems like a perfectly suitable name, but what do i know? i'm just a kid.

i mentioned before that this blog used to be an email list. when people started emailed about some hot new song they wanted me to hear--a song that i had previously sent out via the email list--i knew it was time to ditch the list because it was pretty clear they were just hitting 'delete' upon getting the email in their inbox. but it's all good. i get it. i figure it's better to let the people come to me if they so desire instead of sending them something they didn't necessarily want.

at any rate, quinn [as i once knew them], where one of the first bands i sent out via that list. there were two songs from their first album, 'luss,' that i fell for head-over-heels: 'dressed like a girl' [the best song-from-a-john-hughes'-film-to-never-appear-in-a-john-hughes'-film] and 'astronauts.' i thought they were both really outstanding pop songs! but then i really didn't hear much more from them for awhile. oh, mighty quinn--where had you gone?

it wasn't until a friend of mine over on the other side of the pond tipped me off that quinn, now 'a band called quinn,' had released their second, 'sun moon stars,' back in may. i guess the real question is 'where i have i been, oh, mighty matt?' [yes, i am mighty. might at what, i don't really know, but mighty nonetheless.] the good news is that the new album is every bit as enjoyable as the previous. they got some production assistance from the very mighty kid loco and some dood who worked with echo & the bunnymen. that's always a good thing.

'glitter song' is a great intro to the band -- louise invokes a little bit of the alison goldfrapp, but as someone who worships at the alter of goldfrapp, i don't really care. that's not to say, however, that louise is a goldfrapp wannabee. hardly. she's great in her own right. as is the band. here's hoping they make some bigger waves because i really enjoy them. i think you will too. aside from the songs below, you can check out another video here -- 'the light night i saw,' which is also on the new album.

you can find more on a band called quinn here and here.

→ a band called quinn: the glitter song
→ a band called quinn: dressed like a girl
→ a band called quinn: astronauts | video

SONG OF THE DAY [#380]

'my delirium' | ladyhawke

weeeeee! a new ladyhawke single! i have to admit, i was a bit surprised that 'my delirium' is to follow 'back of the van,' 'paris is burning,' and 'dusk till dawn.' i thought the 4th [4th! who releases four singles off the same album anymore?] single would be 'better than sunday' [or even 'another runaway'], which has moved up right behind 'dusk till dawn' as my favorite ladyhawke song. but hey, i'll take anything. hopefully the single will some killer b-sides, too. of course they'll be awesome. she's frakkin' ladyhawke.

the great thing is about new singles, of course, is new videos. other than sophie ellis-bextor or rachel stevens, i don't know i get more excited for new videos by anyone else these days. the only thing better, of course, would be a tour, and since the album is being released stateside on november 18th, i've got my fingers crossed that she'll be playing some dates over here. if she doesn't come to SLC, i propose renting a fun bus and taking everyone down to vegas or l.a. to see the show. who's in?

check the video for 'my delirium':



→ ladyhawke: my delirium [fan death remix]
→ ladyhawke: my delirium [chateau marmont remix]

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 [#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]