I wanted to post this on Friday, but have been busy. I hope I haven’t missed the fad.
As an average caucasian, I love Gnarls Barkley, and as a super nerd, I also loved Cee-Lo Green’s small role in the cult classic Mystery Men (look it up bitches), so when I saw that he had a new single, I expected to like it, but I didn’t expect THIS
Never before have I seen such a universal positive response to a song. In the last two days I have had recommendations for this song from 3 extremely different sources, and have been listening to it on a semi-constant loop without even the slightest sign of tiring of it. I only hope that there isn’t a huge backlash against this song now due to its popularity. If so, I will be on the forefront of telling the detractors “Fuck You” (oh man, I am hilarious)
Sorry, friends. He reportedly had a bunch of drafts queued up and everything AND YET….??????
Anyhoo, here’s a song that blew my damn mind when one of the other WWOOFers played it in the barn. I don’t think he expected me to like it as much as I did. I tried listening to another CocoRosie album, but didn’t like it nearly as much as The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn. But that one is super good, if you like the idea of a DJ and an opera singer starting a band together!
If lyrics are anything to go by, I bet hanging out with the Miniature Tigers is a blast; everyone wears costumes and hangs out in lairs like all the time!
So when friend and fellow blogger Aaron Gonsher asked me about going with him to see Steel Train with him on Thursday at the Bowery Ballroom, I figured I would check into them a little deeper than the random few times I had heard them before.
Now, let me tell you people, I don’t know what it is about them, but when I heard them, all I could think of was how awesome they are, and that they remind me of a 90′s band. At first, they sounded like Weezer when they were good, but then it became less specific, and instead I was just reminded of all the greatness that was 90′s music. At the same time though, they didn’t sound dated, instead, their sound fits perfectly in with today’s bands, as if they evolved, like they are the next step after 90′s music.
Mr. Gonsher definitely thought I was crazy when I made that statement, but then I heard their song “Children in the 90′s” and suddenly it seems like even Steel Train is aware of their status as the 2010 90′s band.
So, with that, I officially declare that in 10 years, the kids who are currently in middle school will be getting nostalgic about Steel Train, and how music was so much better when they first started.
I know I am super late with this (over 2 months), but I feel like something has to be said.
Like every teenager from the ’90s, I really loved the Gorillaz, the albums “Gorillaz” and “Demon Days” were on heavy rotation when me and my other super white friends hung out, and I always loved the fact that despite the fact that since the band is fictional, Damon Albarn could do whatever he wanted, he mixed hip-hop, rock, electronica, and whatever else he wanted to throw in, and it worked. Still, even though they had such diverse sounds, you could always tell a song was a Gorillaz song.
Knowing that, the question that has to be asked about their newest album “Plastic Beach” is “Can you call this a Gorillaz album?”
I have discussed the album with different people all who have different overall tastes in music, and all we can say about the album is “It’s different.” It doesn’t feel like a Gorillaz album, it’s too mellow, relies way too much on synth, and it lacks the soul of the other two Gorillaz albums.
As much as we all agree that it isn’t a Gorillaz album, the consensus also remains that it’s a great album and should be praised. I personally love “On Melancholy Hill” and “Rhinestone Eyes,” but they aren’t Gorillaz songs. So, I propose that all the internet stop referring to this as a Gorillaz album, and instead simply call it what it is “Damon Albarn and Friends.” It should still get all its accolades, and nobody should dismiss the album as bad, but at the same time, we can’t keep lying and calling it what it is not.
Woooooo, I return to the blogging world with fantastic news!!!!
So since I have been home in PA for the summer, I have had little reason to blog, since nobody comes here, but on one of my many sojourns into NYC last week, me and my two old roommates Cal and Marcus were able to catch possibly the most exciting surprises of the summer.
Let me just start with the venue, 92Y Tribeca. an off-shoot of the 92nd st YWHA. Now, when I hear YWHA, I think a pool, a gym, maybe some daycare, and maybe a racquetball court. I figured they must be playing in either the gym, or maybe some social area. What we got was a swanky lounge complete with tables, plush seating, and get this A FULL BAR. Not just a full bar, but a nice glass-topped bar with a huge selection and exorbitant prices ($3 for a PBR? Get the fuck out). I also don’t remember there being any age restrictions on the show, so the bar was a double surprise.
We got to the show right as the show was starting, and JtG was opening with perennial show opener “Good Day.” After getting the audience on their side, they dropped a bomb so explosive I was taken aback. They played their entire new album “Everything Under the Sun” in its entirety. I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty effing amazing. The audience was into the show the whole time, from the favorites that they have been hearing for months like “Empire” and “Mistletoe” to the new songs that they just started playing this summer like “Summer Sun”(my personal favorite) and “The Sun” (I see a theme forming here).
Due to my incessant stalking of JtG, the only song I hadn’t heard before was “The Popular Thing” (which apparently was used in the film Diary of a Whimpy Kid, and is a pretty damn solid song) but by hearing them in the album order they gained a new layer of amazingness. I’m also super upset that “Ghosts in Empty Houses” did not make the cut onto the album, despite it being their only song ever about ghosts.
After giving the crowd such a treat, it was almost heartbreaking to know that we won’t get to hear these songs again until September 7th when their album comes out, or even later if like me you are gonna wait to buy it at their album release show (or you can go see them at Lollapalooza, which I am too poor to do but I like speaking for large crowds of people).
Not ones to leave a crowd on such a down note, they came back out with an encore of old classics, including their current terribly awesome 90′s cover in this case “I Love You Always Forever” which really seemed to piss off the asshole in front of me who had no sense of personal space, and really loved dancing like an idiot for the rest of the show. Direct Quote: “I came here to hear their songs, not some shitty 90′s cover” I feel like he kinda missed the point.
To cap off everything, and to make a perfect show even more surreal, before the encore, Jesse whipped some random object into the crowd, only for an Everything Under the Sun themed stress ball to serendipitously come to rest between my feet (insert scene of Katie screaming with jealousy).
I have limited email access while I’m on the farm, so here are two songs that were new on like Thursday and hopefully you haven’t beaten me to hearing them yet.
#1 Stereogum has “Big Wave” from Jenny & Johnny’s upcoming album. I love this one, which is about the economy, postmodern malaise, and other things that are kind of sad but don’t sound so sad to hear the songs.
#2 additional SSLYBY traxxx, oh I’m embarrassed to realize this was also posted on Stereogum… I swear I’m not ripping them off, they just have two great new songs! This one is “Banned (By the Man).” I was listening to Broom yesterday and I’m really curious about Let It Sway now.
Hurrah! See you when I’m back on the interwebs! Maybe!
Ok, here’s someone playing MusicFest NW! I know that because they featured him themselves on their own blog! I’m credible! Anyhoo, I’m obsessed with this song by The Tallest Man On Earth, whom I suspect is not as tall as his name suggests. But he does get me all emotional with that singing. Siiiiiigh…… Anyhoo, take this raspy-voiced Swedish guitar picker and enjoy your weekend!
Try not to think too much about how weird it is for Scandinavians to get that old, tired American folk sound so goddamn perfect. It’ll just make you feel like a terrible American.
(Note: 2007 was an AWESOME year for this festival, apparently! And this is easily the most pretentious commercial I’ve ever seen, but I’m ok with that because they’re playing Bright Eyes in the background and at least they’re not trying to sell me condiments, RIGHT?)
I ordered a wristband to MusicFestNW because what else am I doing with my life out here? There are a buttload of bands playing. Won’t you help me choose a few to see this September?
Apparently, halfway through the year, music bloggers make lists of their favorite songs so far. Judge me for following trends if you must, but at least this isn’t a shitty trend like mixed prints, right LADIEEEES?
I know I’m missing a lot. I hardly listened to Broken Bells, never bought Band of Horses, and can’t begin to list artists whose names start with the other 25 letters of the alphabet and whom I’ve been meaning to listen to. Didn’t Rufus Wainwright have a new album this spring?? See? I’m even behind on singers I love! Anyway, I leave it up to my devoted commentariat (aka Liz and Ange) to tell me what’s worth checking out.
Please note that I also excluded songs from as-yet-unreleased albums, no matter how excited I am for new stuff from Jenny Lewis or Jukebox the Ghost! (But if anyone knows the chords to the bridge of “Half Crazy” and wants to pass them along… I spent a lot of time before I moved figuring out most of the rest! Let’s tradesies!) It also basically broke my heart to leave Josh Ritter off this list, but there’s not a lot of jamzzz in poetic folk-pop. I highly, highly, highly recommend So Runs the World Away if you’re into lyrics, but the rest of this list is… a little fluffier.
Freelance Whales – Kilojoules
I know you were expecting “Generator (First Floor)” but that isn’t really a jam. It’s a wonderful song, but how do I dance to it? I’m dancing to this one.
