January Indie Mashup Wallpaper

All week I've been thinking about doing some type of January retrospective. But then I realized that that would be a lot of writing. So last night I fired up GIMP and threw this together. It's just a mashup-wallpaper of some of the albums that I listened to the most during January. They didn't necessarily come out in January, but they did chew up a good chunk of my time. Even though it makes me a little dizzy if I look at it too fast, I'm pretty happy with the end result. The wallpaper is optimized for my screen (1440x900), but if there's a demand, I'll try to make it in other sizes. I've listed the albums I used for this below, along with their grade and an mp3.



Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Windowsill.mp3


Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity (A-)
Believe E.S.P.mp3


Apostle Of Hustle - National Anthem Of Nowhere
NoNoNo.mp3


Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (B+)
Gronlandic Edit.mp3


Menomena - Friend Or Foe (A-)
Wet And Rusting.mp3


The Shins - Wincing The Night Away (B+)
Red Rabbits.mp3


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder (B-)
Love Song No. 7.mp3


Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Take Pills.mp3


Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
Hunting For Witches.mp3


Loney Dear - Loney Noir
I Am The Odd One.mp3


Well that's it for January. I don't know if I'll do another one of these for February, but I doubt it.



Technorati Tags: Arcade Fire, Neon Bible, Deerhoof, Friend Opportunity, Apostle Of Hustle, National Anthem Of Nowhere, Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?, Menomena, Friend Or Foe, The Shins, Wincing The Night Away, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Some Loud Thunder, Panda Bear, Person Pitch, Bloc Party, A Weekend In The City, Loney Dear, Loney Noir, mp3s, mashup, wallpaper

Franz Ferdinand: Hallam Foe Dandelion

Yesterday, Franz Ferdinand posted a new song on their myspace page, called Hallam Foe Dandelion. It was written for a movie, Hallam Foe. It's much slower than your average Franz song, and a whole lot less witty. Although you ca tell it's by Franz Ferdinand, it doesn't really sound like one of their songs. They just sound uncomfortable going in this new direction.

Hallam Foe Dandelion (Stream)


Technorati Tags: Franz Ferdinand

Person Pitch Leaks

I suppose it was only a matter of time before it happened. As of 2:32 PM today, Panda Bear's new album, set for a March 20th release, was leaked onto the internet. All of the usual applies here; I won't give you a link, if you download this, then buy the album, etc. I would just like to point out that this album actually has me excited. That doesn't happen too often anymore, so this must be one hell of an album.


Technorati Tags: Panda Bear, Person Pitch, Leaks

Gruff Rhys To Release New Candylion Single

Gruff Rhys, Super Furry Animals frontman, has announced that he'll release a new single,Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru, from his second solo album Canydylion, which was released earlier this month. The single will also include a brand new song, Y Cradur. Yay for the album that got most of us through the beginning-of-the-year-drought!

Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru.mp3


Technorati Tags: Gruff Rhys, Super Furry Animals, Candylion, Singles, mp3s

Apostle Of Hustle: The Naked And Alone

Here's another track from National Anthem of Nowhere, Apostle Of Hustle's upcoming album. This one is called The Naked and Alone. Enjoy!

The Naked and Alone.mp3


Technorati Tags: Apostle Of Hustle, National Anthem of Nowhere. mp3s, albums

Loney, Noir: I Will Call You Lover Again

I know that Sub Pop releases other genres of music than super-mellow indie pop. I just haven't heard much of it lately. So forgive me if I'm starting to stereotype them that way. Their latest offering comes in the form of the Swedish Loney, Dear, whose melancholic falsetto, at it's highest, could make even Ben Gibbard fans vomit a little in their mouth. Luckily, Loney, Dear stays within a safe range for much of his upcoming album, the aptly titled Loney, Noir. With it's dreamy, sugary sweet pop beats, and Loney, Dear's aforementioned falsetto, Noir, is very likable. Just make sure you don't fall asleep while you listen to it.

I Will Call You Lover Again.mp3


Technorati Tags: Loney Dear, Loney Noir, mp3s, Sub Pop

Apostle Of Hustle: iRafaga!

No, I haven't lost my mind and created my own made-up space language; iRafaga is the title of one of the tracks from Apostle Of Hustle's new album, National Anthem Of Nowhere. It's very much unlike anything else on album, sung entirely in Spanish, and far more beat-oriented than any other songs on the album. It also features a very sexy Spanish-style guitar part throughout the whole song. Enjoy!

iRafaga!.mp3


Technorati Tags: Apostle Of Hustle, National Anthem Of Nowhere, mp3s

Out Today: Jan 30

Welcome to the second edition of Out Today, where I get to pick apart this weeks releases in a paragraph or less. This was a pretty decent week for music, with Lily Allen's blockbuster finally coming stateside, a new Busdriver album, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's follow-up to their 2005 mega-hit. And just when I was worried about all my good reviews, along came a little band that I just couldn't bring myself to like. Enjoy!


Alright, Still
Lily Allen
To tell you the truth, I've been listening to my import of this album for a few months now, and I'm sure that a lot of other people have been too. But, of course, there are those certain people that just decided to wait for the US release. Well now you have no reason not to have this album. It's brilliant, sharp, witty, sarcastic, easy to dance to, and nearly every track has single potential. There's a reason Lily Allen is so hyped. She deserves it.
Grade: A-



RoadKillOvercoat
Busdriver
Busdriver is quite possibly the most skilled rapper you'll ever have the honor of hearing. His lithe staccato drops lightning-fast rhymes that could run circles around most of his peers. So why isn't he as popular as them? Because his music is incredibly abrasive. Fast, acerbic, and intelligent, most listeners will be put off by how far beyond his peers Busdriver is gone. RoadKillOverCoat is no different. At it's best, Busdiver's biting rhymes fly by as a massive beat pumps in the background. The very end of the album really nails this quality. Sure he slows down sometimes, and for the most part he handles it well. However, every now and then, the speed trips him up. He's truly best suited to speed; I only wish he could slip into that high gear more often.
Grade: B



Some Loud Thunder
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
This is a hopelessly uneven album. Some Loud Thunder is home to some truly great songs, some middling ones, and a few atrocious ones. There's little continuity between songs, and the whole album feels like it's about to be torn apart by the different direction each song takes. Still, I can't hate this album; the band clearly loves, and more importantly, respects music. They fall victim to the sophomore curse, but only because of their debut success. Ironic, no? I had high expectations for this album. We all did. Which is exactly why it falls flat on it's face.
Grade: B-



There's No 666 in Outer Space
Hella
If you asked me to, I doubt I could differentiate one track from another on this album. They all sound the same to me; incessant guitar and drums, drowned out vocals, and headache-inducing repetitiveness. What makes this album jump from merely repetitive to downright annoying, is that it actually has the nerve to be long-winded. An hour of the same noise over and over again? No thanks.
Grade: D+


Technorati Tags: Album Reviews, Album Releases, Lily Allen, Alright Still, Busdriver, RoadKillOverCoat, Clap You Hands Say Yeah, Some Loud Thunder, Hella, There's No 666 In Outer Space

What Do The Shins And Deerhoof Have In Common?

I have live videos of both of them for you! The Deerhoof video is a performance of The Perfect Me at Metro last Saturday night, and the Shins video is a performance of Turn On Me from Letterman last Tuesday. Enjoy.

The Shins - Turn On Me



Deerhoof - The Perfect Me

We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank Details Revealed

Modest Mouse have revealed new details about their new album, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, due out on March 20th. The Shins James Mercer will sings on three tracks, and ex-Smiths guitarist is now a member of the band. The tracklisitng is as follows:


'March Into the Sea'
'Dashboard'
'Fire It Up'
'Florida'
'Parting of the Sensory'
'Missed the Boat'
'We've Got Everything'
'Fly Trapped in a Jar'
'Education'
'Little Motel'
'Steam Engenius'
'Spitting Venom'
'People As Places As People'
'Invisible'

Neon Bible Leaked

Apparently Neon Bible was leaked onto the internet over the weekend. As usual, I won't give you a link, so you'll have to hunt it down yourself if you want it. Also, if you do end up downloading it, please remember to actually buy it when it comes out. Arcade Fire is a great band, and they deserve your money. Here's a sneak peek of the title track.

Neon Bible.mp3

Review: Some Loud Thunder

Some Loud Thunder
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Everyone knows the story of the original Clap Your Hands Say Yeah album. Five kids from Brooklyn and Philly come together to make their own album, release it without a record label, and go on to become one of the most popular indie acts of 2005. However, just like most indie acts that become popular, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was better suited to obscurity, to an existence without expectations. That's not to say that CLHSY's debut didn't deserve the attention it garnered; it most certainly did.

However, with that attention came astronomical expectations, that no band could ever hope of meeting. And of course, CLHSY tried to meet those expectations. The result is a hopelessly uneven album. Some Loud Thunder is home to some truly great songs, some middling ones, and a few atrocious ones. There's little continuity between songs, and the whole album feels like it's about to be torn apart by the distance between neighboring songs.

Listening to Some Loud Thunder is a great experience, but at the same time, an excruciating one. The good songs are just too good to be broken up by the bad ones, which seem to meander on forever, without reaching any real conclusion. They just end, and another track begins, completely unaffected by what preceded it. There's no cohesion, no reason to listen to the album as a whole.

The skip button is your friend here. Still, I can't hate this album; the band clearly loves, and more importantly, respects music. They fall victim to the sophomore curse, but only because of their debut success. Ironic, huh? I had high expectations for this album; we all did. Which is exactly why it falls flat on it's face.
Grade: B-



Songs To Download:

Emily Jean Stock

Mama, Won't You Keep Them Castles in the Air and Burning

Love Song No. 7.mp3

Satan Said Dance

Yankee Go Home