Rainy day music This felt much more appropriate during the torrent as i uploaded six hours ago. I fucking love the rain. I love the way it smells and the way my toes squish in my sandals, which i wear through puddles like a true native californian. Ive also grown to enjoy having my vision blurred by the drops on my lenses. Its not as if I ever see very clearly anyhow. I once frolicked in the rain in Central Park. I think i'll put it on my resume. its a moment im extremely fond of, if not quite proud.
cigarette break!
ok so secretly i just wanted to confirm that it had warmed as much as the glance out the window made it appear. bummer

The Jayhawks were one of the first alt-country acts I got into. Immedietly after I started listening to Ryan Adams I began asking for reccomendations of similar character and this Minnesota crew was a pretty universal response. Their album "Rainy Day Music" has been a staple of my rotation since the day it arrived on my hard drive. They've dabbled in different sounds and been through several band members, even so, their entire catalog is fantastic.

The Jayhawks - '85 Demos

The Jayhawks (1986)

Tried and True
Let The Critics Wonder
The Liquor Store Came First
Good Long Time

Blue Earth (1989)

Two Angels
She's Not Alone Anymore
Five Cups of Coffee
I'm Still Dreaming, Now I'm Yours

Hollywood Town Hall (1992)

Waiting for the Sun
Crowded in the Wings
Take Me With You (When You Go)
Settled Down Like Rain

Tomorrow The Green Grass (1995)

Blue
Miss Williams Guitar
Two Hearts
See Him on the Street

Sound of Lies (1997)

The Man Who Loved Life
It's Up To You
Big Star
Sound of Lies

Smile (2000)

Smile
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
What Led Me To This Town
Queen of the World

Rainy Day Music (2003)

Stumbling Through the Dark
Tailspin
All the Right Reasons
You Look So Young

to think i used to answer the question of what music I enjoyed with, "anything but country." now its most anything
another band I discovered at around the same time as i did The Jayhawks, was Wilco. Jeff Tweedy performed solo at the Fonda a couple weeks ago. I heard it was fantastic
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Demos

the Trapper files, part twee
REMOVED

I dont remember whether it was in fifth or fouth grade, but I once got in trouble for coming back from lunch soaked. We hadnt even been allowed out but I stood under a drip on the way back from the auditorium. It was fabulous. I enjoy being wet.
and filthy
tee hee
night.  ¶ 10:03 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  let the healing begin! that was really weird what happened just now.
moving on

I want to marry this guy. Actually, I only want to have about a million of his babies, but hes one of those good Christian boys, so he'd probably insist on marriage. I almost bought a mandolin because of him too. Apparently Chris Thile is one of the premier mandolinists(??) in the world of bluegrass. Im not so much into that scene, but the efforts of Thile, and his band Nickel Creek (who ive begun listening to after falling in love with Chris) really transcend the genre. Not enough for me to escape being questioned about the "hillbilly music" i was listening to (Thiles first three albums were all instrumental) but enough that theyve branched out into a whole new playing field, now known as "progressive" bluegrass. As a group and in their indivdual projects, the members of Nickle Creek (which also includes siblings Sean and Sarah Watkins) have gotten increasingly experimental. Thile's last album was one of my favorites of 2004, blue-grass or not. His writing is great and hes cute as hell
check 'im out

Stealing Second (1997) - His second album at 16!

Stealing Second
A Night in Mos Eisley
Clear the Tracks

Not all Who Wander are Lost (2001)

Song for a Young Queen
Wolfcreek Pass
Riddles in the Dark
Club G.R.O.S.S.

Deceiver (2004)

On Ice
Locking Doors
I'm Nowhere and You're Everything
Ready for Anything


If you've seen the bonus material on Fiona Apples Extraordinary Machine dual disc, you've seen Chris. He guested along with Jon Brion at Largo for the show they pulled the live videos from. If you've not seen it, heres a taste.

Fiona Apple w/ Jon Brion and Chris Thile - Fast as You Can


Speaking of the lovely Ms. Apple... The video for Not About Love is up on youtube and its friggin hilarious. galifianakis makes it
fionas a little nuts (NEWSFLASH!). the fact gives me just a smidge of hope.

and the debut of our danish delight. im a big fan of aliteration! and, of Robin ;), to whom my deep and heartfelt appreciation goes for these
REMOVED  ¶ 5:31 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  Do I look like some kinda beatnik? i'm being lazy. it shouldnt come as any surprise. I just reminded myself of this thing my mom said when we were in the airport last summer. I was checking in ahead of them, as I'd purchased my fare seperately, and trying to manage my guitar, overstuffed duffel bag, and carry-on shoulder bag through the line up to the counter. I heard my mom say "[Alejandra] looks like a hippie (harhar)". I dont recall whether it was my brother or brother in law who responded "well, she kinda is" HURRRRRR
Enough with the unnesscary telling of irrelevent boring anecdotes
.
I dont understand why i dont hear more about Heatmiser. As popular as Elliott Smith is, you'd think people would be gobbling up every last bit of anything he'd had any involvement with. Heatmiser's first couple albums bare very little similarity to Smith's solo work. Its the influence of fellow frontman Neil Gust (who would go on to form another indie super group of sorts, No. 2) that stands out, with the heavy rock tinged arrangements. Their Third release, Mic City Sons, feels much more familiar and Smith takes lead vocal duty much more often on it.
Its all very interesting for an Elliott Smith fan to hear.

Dead Air (1993)


Cop and Speeder (1994)


Yellow no.5 EP (1994)


Mic City Sons (1996)


so i've spent a lot less time listening to awesome music and a lot more time watching some awesome episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm the last couple days. Its my new favorite show. We dont have HBO so I hadnt seen a minute of it until September when one of my new old roommates threw on his DVDs. Hilarity ensued. Part of what made it so funny was listening to Eric, my 6'4" ex-roommate, giggle like a little kid.
it kinda figures that my favorite episode would be one involving the reefer
AND HURLEY!

s4ep6 The Car Pool Lane

one of the reasons ive done less than my usual amount of listening this week is that im in the process of tagging and organizing all my files.I'm half way through R of my main folder woot!!!@3! it'd be a lot worse of a proposition if not for this fantastic application Im using to tag, Musicbrainz. Its fantatsic, though it can cause a lot of problems if used incorrectly. I figured Id do this before I upgraded my storage capacity. I'm also going to be backing everything up, finally. Getting this stuff done makes me feel just a tiny bit better about this downtime.
I think i'll cry when my drive fails. Itd better not be before Ive got everything on dvds.

god bless the interweb
tons of beautiful music and curb
i had a completely fucked up dream yesterday
in it someone told me i coined the term interweb. the fuck?

im not using the little mood indicator thing anymore. some varient of fucking gloomy should be assumed i guess ill use it otherwise.

ive got more today. I mean it this time.

  ¶ 3:58 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  lets move to seattle I like rain. I like greys anatomy. I like Sub Pop records. All these things have strong ties to seattle. Theres one more thing i wanted to list but my little sister might read this. We've been through that anyway.
Sub Pops been delivering the goods for a couple decades. Shit, i just realized its as old as me, established circa 1983! While the label has had some studs , Nirvana comes to mind, I'm not sure they've ever had a roster as deep as what they've got going right now. These cats are pumping out some quality shit.
One Sub Pop rocker that I've only recently discovered is Kelley Stoltz. I was going through some reviews of his latest and the focus of many of them is how derivative his records seem. I've been over my feelings on originality already also. Dude rocks regardless. He did a full album cover of Crocodiles for gods sake. On certain tracks Stoltz's inspirations are very plainly laid out. Others strike me as excellent amalgamations. Either way I had a good time playing spot the influence. Its important to note that most everything you hear was created by Stoltz alone. He produced on his own, plays almost all the instruments, and employs a little bit of the found sound technique that has become ever so popular. Bottomline, these albums make for a fun listening experience.

The Past Was Faster (1999)

Popular Diseases
Perma Frost
Cardinal Body
Vapor Trail

Antique Glow (2001)

Crystal Ball
Underwater's Where The Action Is
Are You Electric?
Please Visit Soon

Crockodials (2005)


The Sun Comes Through EP (2005)

Let's Go Out Tonight
Where You're Going

Below the Branches (2006)

Wave Goodbye
Birdies Singing
Ever Thought of Coming Back
Prank Calls


I almost forgot about that other Chris Whitley album. I got it a couple days ago. Im sleepy so ill add it down there later but for the sake of convenience
Chris Whitley - Din of Ectasy (1995)
O God My Heart Is Ready
New Machine
Guns and Dolls
Ultraglide

that last title reminds me that i've got to clean out my purse.

Seattle is seriously pretty high on mylist of relocation possibilities. Its funny because i havent been to any location other than my house in weeks, I dont see how I'll end up a thousand miles away at this rate.
HIYO!  ¶ 3:23 PM 0 comments links to this post   

  listeners digest v.2.21.06 a very unrandom selection from yesterdays listening

David Gray - Nightblindness
Otis Redding - Try A little Tenderness
Nickel Creek - Jealous of the Moon
Jay-Z - Regrets
Jeff Buckley - Everybody Here Wants You
Ben Kweller - In Other Words
Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinoise

and for your viewing pleasue


Sooooofyan live at the Great American Music Hall
07/17/2005
07/18/2005 - including a performance of the Star Spangled Banner

im debating who to do next. i know ill do this dude eventually but im considering holding out. i have no will power whatsofuckingever
even with shit of absolutely no consequence

im tired and grouchy
goodnight  ¶ 9:26 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  I woke up with an urge to listen to this guy. It was an easy decision to post it, but I've been working on some other transfers. I dont know what inspired it but whatever, today was a Chris Whitley day

from ChrisWhitley.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Whitley 1960-2005
Singer/songwriter and guitarist Chris Whitley passed away of lung cancer on Sunday, Nov. 20, in Houston, Texas, at age 45.

Chris is survived by his daughter, Trixie Whitley, 18, of Belgium, whose voice could occasionally be heard in the background of Chris's records over the years, as well as on stage with him. He is also survived by his brother, singer/guitarist Daniel Whitley (who contributed guitar to several of Chris's albums); his sister, Bridget Whitley Anderson, of Vermont; his ex-wife, Hlne Gevaert, of Belgium; and his father, Jerry Whitley, of New Jersey.

A man of rare poetic honesty, Chris maintained a resolute musical integrity throughout his career. His 12 albums, ranging from raw-boned folk-rock to lush electro-blues, had the thread of intense emotion and constant invention running through them.

Chris's hit debut LP, Living With the Law, came out on Columbia in 1991. His final album, Soft Dangerous Shores, came out in June 2005 via Messenger Records, the independent label he worked with most. The discs now seem like spiritual/aesthetic book-ends. Both mix roots-rock grit with heat-haze atmospherics and were produced/engineered by Malcolm Burn. If his beloved debut still contains some of his best-known songs, Soft Dangerous Shores has the elusive intertwining of organic and synthetic that Chris often held as an ideal.

Christopher Becker Whitley was born Aug. 31, 1960, in Houston, to a restless, artistic couple: His mother was a sculptress and painter; his father worked as an art director in a series of advertising jobs. As a family, they traveled through the Southwest, with many of the images the young boy absorbed finding their way later into songs. He once described his parents' music taste as formed "by race radio in the South." The real deal -- Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf -- seeped into their son's soul, eventually leading to Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix.

Chris's parents divorced when he was 11 years old, and he moved with his mother to a small cabin in Vermont. It was there that he learned to play guitar. Hearing Johnny Winter's "Dallas" was the seed for what would develop as Chris's keening instrumental style. Inspired by the naked, crying sound of the acoustic dobro in "Dallas," Chris bought a National steel dobro and taught himself how to play the blues with a bottleneck slide. He quit high school not long after, moving to New York City.

In Manhattan, Chris worked odd jobs and played on street corners in the West Village. Then, the owner of a travel agency who had long loved his playing offered Chris a free ticket to Belgium. During his sojourn there, he scored some minor success by playing dance music in a group called Oh No Rodeo (with Hlne and Alan Gevaert), even covering Prince tunes. The European experience was seminal in many ways, including his developing an abiding taste for Kraftwerk and other Euro-avatars. Belgium is also where his daughter was born.

Back in New York, Chris Whitley was working in a picture-frame factory when a photographer friend invited him along for an outdoor shoot. It was in a park that Chris was introduced to Daniel Lanois, producer of such top acts as U2 and Peter Gabriel. Lanois was a fellow guitarist, and his eclectic tastes mirrored Chris's own. Lanois helped Chris get his initial deal with Columbia to record his debut in the producer's New Orleans studio with Malcolm Burn (a Lanois protg, who went on to work with Emmylou Harris and the Neville Brothers).

One of the all-time classic debuts, Living With the Law mines romance and regret, beauty and brooding in a vein of archetypal Americana. Cinematically produced, the album features fine detail players from the Lanois circle, but the focus rests firmly on Whitley's fallen-angel falsetto and his rustic virtuosity on National steel. "I Forget You Every Day" and the title song are aching dust-bowl ballads. "Make the Dirt Stick" whines and moans like a forlorn train whistle through the dark woods. "Big Sky Country" is a yearning plea for wider horizons, borne along by the virtual call-and-response of gospel harmonies.

Regarding his state-of-affairs when writing these initial songs, Chris once said: "The songs on Living With the Law were fatalistic, hopeless. My marriage was breaking up. I was working in a factory in my late 20s. But desperation can be a good impetus for writing songs." Those songs struck a chord. Rolling Stone magazine praised Chris as "a visionary. . . a bona-fide poet." Another admirer described Chris's songs as "haunting, like a Robert Frank photograph." Director Ridley Scott chose a song from the album, "Kick the Stones," for the "Thelma and Louise" soundtrack.

A long lull kept Chris from capitalizing completely on the success of his debut. Moreover, the four-year gap between Living With the Law and his sophomore disc sounds more like 40, as he sought to break free of any business-as-usual restrictions. With a psychosexual caterwaul redolent of power trios from Cream to Nirvana, Din of Ecstasy won Chris new hard-rock fans -- even as its mix of existential pain and poetic noise put off some listeners more attuned to the bucolic beauties of "Big Sky Country." The album's brazen masterstroke was to drag urban blues screaming into the late 20th century, conflating the spirits of Elmore James and Kurt Cobain with such riveting standouts as "Narcotic Prayer."

Chris's Sony swansong, Terra Incognita, saw his sound continuing to combust at the crossroads of Hendrixian drama and Delta soul. The album's ghostly psalm "Cool Wooden Crosses" would become a staple of his solo shows. Chris's departure from Sony could've been a defeat, but it ended up the best sort of medicine, as he stepped up to the indie challenge. The little New York label Messenger ended up selling more copies of his next album, 1998's Dirt Floor, than Sony had of Terra Incognita.

The folk-blues songs of Dirt Floor were recorded in a single day at his father's Vermont barn-cum-bike shop with producer Craig Street (known for his work with Cassandra Wilson, for whom Whitley provided studio guitar). Such sepia-toned songs as the title lament and "Scrapyard Lullaby" were powered by just the time-honored tools of voice, guitar, banjo and rhythmic boot. Recorded the next year in Chicago, Live at Martyrs' documents a great night of solo Whitley, including his sharp-edged cover of Kraftwerk's "The Model."

Around the same period, Chris also covered "I Can't Stand Myself" for a James Brown tribute disc, setting off sparks against a beat-box. But he painted a fully evocative picture of his influences with the 2000 all-covers set Perfect Day. Teamed with the earthy, empathetic rhythm duo from groove-jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood, Chris not only beautifully reanimated songs by Muddy Waters ("She's Alright"), Robert Johnson ("Stones in My Pathway") and Bob Dylan ("Fourth Time Around"); he also cut to the poetic heart of the Doors' "Crystal Ship" and Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" in a way that rivals the originals.

Rocket House, a 2001 release on ATO, was perhaps the most ambitious of Chris's career. Tony Mangurian's production opened new sonic vistas, from the buzzing electro-rock of the opener "To Joy (Revolution of the Innocents)" to the aching dreamscape of the closing "Something Shines." A Sony Legacy compilation, Long Way Around: An Anthology 1991-2001, not only traces Chris's Columbia years; it includes the lyrical Rocket House single "Say Goodbye" and highlights from Dirt Floor, as well as previously unreleased demos and alternative mixes.

In recent years, Chris had found romance and inspiration in Dresden, Germany. These days yielded some of his best work, with the albums Hotel Vast Horizon and War Crime Blues, as well as Weed (a set of solo remakes of early songs) and his only film score (for the German film Pigs Will Fly). In particular, War Crime Blues is a solo electric masterpiece of sympathy and antipathy by turns; such emotionally acute song suites are notably few and far between in the post-Iraq invasion era. The heartbroken title track, the raging desert storm of "God Left Town" and the Clash cover "The Call Up" serve as both salt and salve for collective wounds.

Chris recorded Soft Dangerous Shores last year with a supple German rhythm duo, bassist Heiko Schramm and drummer Matthias Macht. The album mixed deep-blues feel and rich jazz harmonies with erotic rhythm beds and electronic ambience. The idiom was the "universal blues," where the spirits of Robert Johnson and Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards and Kraftwerk bond. "The blues sound different in different places," Chris said just prior to the disc's release. "But on a lonely, rainy night -- whether you're in New Orleans or New York or Dresden -- they feel the same."

Like most bluesmen of any era, Chris had his share of hellhounds on his trail. He chased a lot of them down in song and on stage; other times, demons got the best of him. But whether up or down in his career, Chris's sweet, generous nature and pure sensibility earned him lifelong friends and, as he put it, "guardian angels."

Although fully aware of his capabilities as a musician, Chris was a humble man, always cognizant of the standards set by his peers and predecessors. To sit with him backstage at a club or at a street-side caf in the West Village, it was soon apparent that he considered each admirer and well-wisher who came up, known or new, something of a gift.

Chris recorded an a cappella rendition of the pop/jazz standard "Nature Boy" as the haunted close to War Crime Blues. The words may not be his, but his voice reveals wisdom hard-won over his time here: "The greatest thing you'll ever learn/Is just to love and be loved in return."

-- Bradley Bambarger
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I had to choose one artist to emulate...because fuck originality, everyones got to have influences... It would, without question, be Chris Whitley.
I didn't find Whitley until, during the height of my infatuation with the Dave Matthews Band, he signed to ATO records. In 2001 Whitley put out Rocket House a decade after his debut, Living With the Law. It would be his only release for the label Matthews co-founded, and more than enough to make me a fan.

Soft Dangerous Shores (2005)

Fireroad (For two)
As Day is Long
Her Furious Angels

War Crime Blue (2004)

Made from Dirt
I Can't Stand It
White Rider

Hotel Vast Horizon (2003)

Frontier
Assassin Song
Silhouette

Rocket House (2001)

To Joy (Revolution of the Innocents)
Say Goodbye
From a Photograph
Vertical Desert
Something Shines

Perfect Day (2000)

Spanish Harlem Incident
Drifting
Perfect Day

Dirt Floor (1998)

Accordingly
Ballpeen Hammer

Terra Incognita (1997)

Automatic
Clear Blue Sky
Cool Wooden Crosses
Gasket

* Din of Ecstasy (1995) *

O God My Heart Is Ready
New Machine
Guns and Dolls
Ultraglide

Living With The Law (1991)

Living With The Law
Big Sky Country
Kick The Stones
Phonecall From Leavenworth
Look What Love Has Done

Whitley's final work "Reiter In" will be released March 28th.

Im still trying to track down his sophmore release "Din of Ectasy", and will update this post once i have it. Most likely within the next couple days as It seems someone over at the pig will be uploading it soon. *UPDATED*
woot!
By the by, i filled in some of what i was missing of his discog with E-music's free trial a few months ago. 100 unprotected 192 kbps mp3s, not fucking bad. I also grabbed a couple of The Gossip's albums. Im not sure if theyre still doing 100 songs, but the fact that the files are unprotected is the kicker.
No strings as long as you cancel within the month, and they dont make that at all difficult.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think i almost broke the internet today, I made it my bitch slave thats for sure.
but at least I share

Elton John and Ryan Adams - Crossroads FUCKING AWESOME!!!1111TWO!


LOST - S02EP14 THEORIES ABOUND!!!@!4 8 15 16 23 42!!!#@1



speaking of sharing... of everything i have up right now the fucking Curious George soundtrack has gotten the most hits. More than 900 yesterday for some reason.almost 1600 since i put it up
It looks like the vast majority of those were incomplete downloads
im going to get sued.
REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE!
my defense will be that downloading is less wasteful and impactful on the environment. yeah maybe not.
did i make up a word?

holy relatively lengthy shit batman  ¶ 3:48 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  Mark Kozelek feels me Im so transparent. And when i realize what I'm doing I find that laughing is really far more appropriate than crying.
So i havent actually listened to this today, but wanted to. Well to be honest, just the one song on repeat is what i wanted to do. I can be incredibly self destructive, aurally.

Sun Kil Moon - Tiny Cities (2005)

Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
Ocean Breathes Salty yeah, this one

Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts of the Great Highway (2003)

Salvador Sanchez
Pancho Villa

I met myself halfway and threw on a little DA instead.
Come Pick Me Up

Next I think I'll watch some curb, for facilitation of the laughter.
Fuck being home. I know exactly what i need right now.  ¶ 10:28 PM 0 comments links to this post   

  did i mention i <3 a jazzman? he posted this yesterday but i spied it only just now. i figured i ought to post some worthwhile musical analysis, if only just this once.

"

---

  ¶ 3:57 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  how in fucks name has it taken me 11 entries to put up some Jon Brion?
I've been focusing mainly on that overflowing folder sitting on my desktop for listening the last week or so but while going to check on some bitrates spotted my Jon Brion folder and queued it up. Jeebus I've been deprivng the two people that read this.
Brion is well known for his work as a producer, having worked with the likes of Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright, and that Kanye dude to name a few. As an aside, it kinda pisses me off how seldom ive heard Kanye give Brion credit for his contributions to what he seems to think is the greatest single thing brought forth unto human kind. Anyhow, the man (Brion, fuck Kanye) is a fucking genius and his own catalogue of work attests to this even without taking what hes done with/for others into account. Yes, he and Jim O'Rourke need to thumbwrestle.

I <3 a Jazzman


Knock Yourself Out
Didn't Think It Would Turn Out Bad
Revolving Door

Meaningless (2001) - another instance where i had a hell of a time paring things down

Gotta Start Somewhere
I Believe She's Lying
Ruin My Day
Trouble
Her Ghost

word is JB is recording on and off at Abbey Road. Here are some tracks suspected to be in the mix for inclusion on the next album. They're all either from sets he played at Tonic in NYC or from origins unknown (to me anyhow)
Love of my Life So Far
You're Someone Else's Problem Now
I Was Happy
You Made the Girl

and just for kicks
Extraordinary Machine - Brion Sessions  ¶ 10:07 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  soundtrack for the sullen music for days spent clutching your pillow. who ami kidding, how bout months.

I first got into The Good Life under similar circumstances in the winter of aught four. I didnt really catch the irony there until i typed that sentence. Im not very amused. I dont remember how i came upon Tim Kasher. it probably had something to do with all the hype surrounding the saddle creek bunch at the time but i cant recall exactly. How ever it was, his project aside from his main band Cursive (who will have an album out this summer or thereabouts) was perfect accompaniment for my mood. Kasher himself has had some rough times, writing through relationship troubles and uiltimatly divorce. It all made for some damn fine sad bastard tunes.

Album of the Year (2004)

Album of the Year
Under a Honeymoon

Lovers Need Lawyers EP (2004)

Lovers Need Lawyers
For the Love of the Song

Black Out (2002)

Don't Make Love So Hard
Off the Beaten Path  ¶ 11:36 PM 0 comments links to this post   

  some Canadian bands you probably have been and definitely will be hearing about.

The Deadly Snakes - Porcella (2005)

A Bird in the Hand is Worthless
Sissy Blues
By Morning, I'm Gone

Meligrove Band (they've dropped the "the") Planets Conspire (2006)

Grasshopper in Honey
Everyones a Winner
Our Love Will Make the World Go Round

that was my half assed attempt at the promised rocking
now a record that much more closely suits my mood.

Pilate - Caught by the Window

released in 2003 north of the border, will finally see its US release this March, with new art.
Melt Into The Walls
Into Your Hideout
Alright
The Travel Song

i'll probably have more today to make up for yesterdays laziness. Id planned to highlight my two favorite canadian collectives, broken social scene (of which Feist and members of Stars are a part) and the New Pornographers, but instead slept all day.
now
a break from the maple onslaught
Fiona looking and sounding absolutely gorgeous on Leno friday night

Get Him Back

Charley Drayton laying it down on the drums (playing Zildjans blech)
mad love to Jayknob for the HD capture  ¶ 7:11 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  this was an angry myspace post I was nearly done with this entry just now, and hit backspace to fix a link. Rather than deleting the spare character, i was taken back to my blog home page. Now no one will ever see the wonderfully intelligent and insightful comments I made in regards to The Stills and Canadian music in general. bahhaha

Logic Will Break Your Heart (2003)

Love and Death
Animals and Insects
Yesterday never tomorrows


maybe i'll fix this later. right now im going to take my frustrations out on my lungs.

ps. new album Without Feathers out 5/9/06 tour spring-summer in support. Im a sad fucker who wants to have Dave Hamelins babies. that was pretty much the gist  ¶ 4:49 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  Ohhhh Canadaaa maybe thats where i'll move. they rock so fucking hard up there. When i was partying with my aunt at NAMM we met a couple of hot canadians and shared weather stories. maybe they rock so hard to keep warm.
It'll be canucks for the rest of the week kids.
This morning we'll hear Stars.
I first saw these sexy bitches at SXSW in 2003. I helped fit them with some Levis and Chucks and held Torquil Campbell's foot before i knew it'd be appropriate to swoon. I think he was one of the guys we got to try on the leather pants we had too. That was a kick ass time.
They didnt play at our spot til the next day and it was a pretty overwhelming consensus that they were the hit of the week. I was supposed to be taking pictures during their set and completely fucked it up for spending too much time just listening. I managed to get a few choice snaps in though, if/when i find the disc with those shots i'll update this post.
I was thisclose to uploading these albums in their entirety. It was tough choosing highlights, but i did my best.

Set Yourself On Fire (2005)

Your Ex-lover is Dead
Ageless Beauty
What I'm Trying to Say
Soft Revolution

Heart (2003)

Elevator Love Letter
Heart
Romantic Comedy

Nightsongs LP (2001)

My Radio (AM Mix)
This Charming Man
On Peak Hill

Stars - official site
theyre awesome if not exactly rocking. we're easing in.
also theyre making their way through california this week. boofuckinghoo
i've really just got to quit looking at tour dates.  ¶ 2:32 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  CHICKS DUDE! CHICKS! I think after this im going to go on a singer songwriter hiatus. there needs to be more RAWKing.

for today ive got chicks. First up, KT Tunstall. I sat through an otherwise shitty episode of Conan (what the hell is up with Harrison Ford? creepy) to see her play and it was totally worth it. How rad is the tambourine with the foot thing? She does the whole dl-4 bit a la Joseph Arthur , Howie Day et al, and well. Im a little put off by the production of her album, which saw its US release yesterday, but i think shes got potential.
Eye to the Telescope (2006)

Another Place to Fall
Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
Miniature Disasters

I dont have a lot to say about Leslie Feist right now. Im pretty fucking lazy with this shit, but shes awesome. listen. Shes involved in all sorts of Canadian awesomeness. How much does everything coming from the great white north kick ass right now? Her first record was a little spotty in my opinion. When i finally gave Let It Die a spin, I made a concerted effort to kick myself in the ass for writing her off. It was her writing that i didnt really enjoy though and in my defense the best tracks here are covers, but shes still all sorts of fantastic.i lied. well that really wasnt a whole lot was it?

Let it Die - 2004

Let It Die
Secret Heart
Inside Out (today will be a bee gees day thanks to my listening to this all night)


bonus ryan adams tune because my niece is always asking me to sing "the roses song" and shes a bit under the weather.
Cold Roses




i havent really been in the mood for rawking lately
i suck at this

  ¶ 3:56 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  I've got fifteen gb worth of new old music sitting on my desktop waiting to be sorted. Im procrastinating because i dont want to not put any of it on my external but theres not room for all of it. oh the woe.
I blame last.fm. Theres about a dozen different things on my profile you might click that'll take you to this wonderful product of the web 2.0 movement. One of my favorite things to do these days is bitch and complain to the admins over there that my charts aren't updating. Another is to spend hours going through the reccomendations the site spits at me. Reccos based on not just my listening, but also on the listening of others in groups i've joined and whose listening is similar to mine. Listening is really a weird word when you look at it. listeni listenin listening
I lost my train of thought.
anyway
Archer Prewitt is one artist that Ive come upon during my last.fm scavenging whom i've absolutely fallen in love with. He of the Cake and the Sea fame set out on his own to provide lush pop sounds, soothing to the weariest of souls.
His AMG bio likens him to the beach boys but my first though was more love child of mccartney and lennon. maybe they let brian wilson watch.
HOT!.

Wilderness (2005)

Way of the Sun
O, KY (an ode to the state, not the lubricant)
Go Away
Wilderness

Three (2002)

Over the Line
Two Can Play
Gifts of Love

Gerroa Songs (2000)

Another Peace
Gerroa

White Sky (1999)
Motorcycles

Archer is touring now. go see him for me :..

today was bob marleys birthday. i was unable to celebrate appropriately. being home is a drag.

a couple of my favorite Marley songs
Three Little Birds
Trenchtown Rock



i can play a mean c scale  ¶ 11:14 PM 0 comments links to this post   

  I've been playing baseball mogul for like four hours. Made a blockbuster deal for Albert Pujols and then went down in seven games to the Dodgers in a freeway world series. Most excitment ive had in weeks.
I'd queued up a few albums but ended up skipping to this dudes, and decided not to wait to share him.
I saw Rent last summer and for the first act sat next to a cute asian looking guy who I didnt realize was australian until he spoke. Im not sure theres a hotter accent in exisistance. We started talking about how i'd just been to the empire state building. He said "oh, how'd you find it?" I said 'well, there're signs." Feel free to point and laugh. Deciding I'd embarrassed myself enough, I proceeded to read my playbill and learned that Matt Caplan, playing the role of Mark, "spends most of his time writing songs on his guitar." Time well spent, in my opinion.

Overtones (2004)

Change Your Mind
Feedback

and from his eponymous 2001 demo
Divide and Conquer
Sideways

word on the street is he'll be dropping a new one shortly.
stay tuned


heres to badly wanting a drink in a house devoid of alcohol

  ¶ 4:24 AM 0 comments links to this post   

  Felie Frenzy I should have known better than to click open the Indie chat room window in soulseek. really. Its amazing the characters that spend their time there. The first thing I saw as i scanned the screen was something along the lines of "OMG I saw this new band Cat Power on MTV and they are so awesome!!1111!one" I closed the window before I could type anything crass. Cat Power on MTV? More power to Ms. Marshall i suppose. Her latest offering "The Greatest" is a contender, a month in but whatever. for my 06 top ten. Let her be one for yours too. A somewhat random sampling of her catalogue..

The Greatest (2006)

Could We
Where Is My Love?

You Are Free (2003)

Free
Werewolf

Moon Pix (1998)

American Flag
Say

Dear Sir (1993)

Itchyhead
Headlights

She's got a player on her official site Cat Power
and you can get more info from Matador

I've got to pee.

  ¶ 12:32 AM 0 comments links to this post