music as i see it

Missed Ben Folds Five's UNC Chapel Hill Memorial Hall show reunion show? Watch it HERE!!!

2008-10-23T12:18:00.002-04:00

Here's probably the ONLY time I'll ever thank myspace...

Ben Folds Five - MySpace Front To Back concert

Holy Shit! The new Justice documentary!

2008-10-08T08:19:00.002-04:00

Screening party @ my place November 24

JUSTICE - A CROSS THE UNIVERSE (teaser)
Uploaded by edbangerrecords

New Radiohead video for "Reckoner"

2008-10-01T16:56:00.002-04:00

From Thom:

hello my mind is not functioning at the correct speed at the moment thanks to being in Tokyo but however and here is one of my favourite video things that has ever happened for Reckoner it is, the result of somebody entering a competition to make an animation to one of the tunes on IN RAINbows. on aniboom. you can scroll down dead air space and find all about it.. but anyway
so we asked them whether it was ok to make it the official one we use as it goes with the song so well. they said yes.

and if you're like me and find it hard to find videos on televsion any more, or even turn on the television you can watch right here.

ok now im going to fold some clothes.

Radiohead - Reckoner - by Clement Picon

basia bulat: lil' cutie

2008-10-01T14:55:00.003-04:00

I drove to DC this past weekend to hang out with a friend of mine for a day. While I was there, we stopped into Melody Records in Dupont Circle, where I picked up Brian Eno & David Byrne's first collab., My Life in the Bush of Ghosts and Los Lobos' classic, Kiko. But, most notably for me, I also picked up Basia Bulat's album, Oh, My Darling.
It really snuck up on me. I wasn't expecting to dig it as hard as I'm digging it right now. I haven't really listened to anything else since Saturday. And I know I'm about 9 months late on her, but really, I'm pretty sure the timing was just right for me. I have a weakness in general lately for female Canadian singer-songwriters. And for really emotionally wrought music, so this meshes quite elegantly with my current interests and the coming fall.

Overall, I'd say my favorite part about it is the fact that she completes all of her thoughts. That, or her thoughts line up really well with mine, because I feel like she covers all of her bases really adequately. Oh, and she's also a lil' hottie.

The Tough Alliance broke my heart

2008-09-17T12:16:00.005-04:00

(and clearly don't seem to mind)

The Tough Alliance
"The New School"
2008

terrible
miserable
cheesy
caribbean
bullshit

Damn you, Tough Alliance. I really dug "A New Chance" -- so much that I even gave it the #9 spot on my 2007 Year's Best List. This new disc, however, likely won't even merit another listen. Tough Alliance, you have let me down.

until next time...

-b

Glasvegas: The Killers, version 2.0?

2008-09-17T08:26:00.000-04:00

It seems Glasgow, Scotland has bragging rights to this week's indie darlings, Glasvegas. Barely nudged out of the #1 spot on the UK charts by Metallica's "Death Magnet," (which SUCKS btw) their self-titled disc dropped to HUGE hype last week and, for the most part, the disc does not disappoint. Lead singer, James Allan, claimed the disc was all killer, no filler...and while tracks such as "S.A.D. Light" and "Geraldine" are killer, there are two missteps I would definitely consider filler ("Stabbed" and "Ice Cream Van"). Overall, two tracks out of ten isn't bad--and the remaining 8 tracks are good-at least at what they're trying to be--which is basically big and bombastic...the drums remind me of 80's heavy metal drums. Speaking of 80's metal, James Allan's voice reminds me of Mike Tramp, lead singer of White Lion (you know, "When the Children Cry").Quite strange, yet quite comforting seeing as how I still rock "Pride" even to this day. Recommended.

For those who:
Miss Mr. Brightside,
want a leg-up on who'll be the next big thing on 90210 next week.

Start here:
"Flower and Football Tops"
"Geraldine"
"S.A.D. Light"

BDP [hearts] CWK

2008-09-16T07:49:00.005-04:00

Dear God,

Thank you for the Cold War Kids.
They are great fun.
Although I STILL haven't gotten my hands on a copy of their new disc, "Loyalty to Loyalty" (hint, hint, wink, wink...come on PR machine...hook a brutha up!), thanks to the kind folks over at Stereogum, this morning my Reader inbox was filled with the video for their first single, "Something Is Not Right With Me."

It is good. Really good. Really really good.
Is is Twitchy.
Is is Paranoid.
Is is Manic.
Is is Me if there's even a remote possibility that I won't get that 5th cup of morning coffee.
Is is Really getting me pumped for their October 20 show at the Cat's Cradle.

Enjoy!

Stream the new Rosebuds disc!

2008-09-10T13:28:00.002-04:00

From the kind people over @ Merge Records...you can stream the new Rosebuds disc, "Life Like," in its entirety...here.

"The fourth full-length from this Raleigh, NC band is a return to more organic territory, barely a year after releasing the synth-heavy dance pop of 2007’s Night Of The Furies. Guest appearances by Portastatic’s Matthew McCaughan, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, and Ashley Stove’s Jim Brantley."

--thnx to Jedidiah @ New Raleigh for the head's up

Peter Bjorn & John: Seaside Rock

2008-09-09T22:59:00.005-04:00

Peter Bjorn & John
Seaside Rock
(2008)

Yeah...I wouldn't bother...mostly forgettable instrumental set from the guys with "that song with the whistling" doesn't even work in the background..."vocals" consist of Swedish (?) dialog...I think the young folks would be better off just going back to Amsterdam. Disappointing.

New Music FYI: Royal Bangs

2008-09-09T13:36:00.003-04:00

Royal Bangs Announce Fall Tour w/The Black Keys
Then, back to the Studio

Rolling Stone's "new favorite rockers", Royal Bangs have just announced they'll be heading out on a Fall Tour with The Black Keys, beginning October 3rd. Knoxville's resident laser-fueled, turbo popsters, have been steadily winning over the hearts of fans and writers alike with their recent release of We Breed Champions (Audio Eagle) and chronic touring schedule. Check out "Let's Get Even" and see why William Goodman wrote for SPIN that their Bonnaroo performance "rates as the best show I've yet to see" and why Magnet Magazine labeled them Issue 79's "Band To Watch". And, you'll definitely be hearing more from Royal Bangs in 2009. They've already booked studio time for their next album.

A Few Quotes:

"Let's start off with a bang, specifically the Royal Bangs, our new favorite rockers, whose late-night set featured tracks from the Knoxville quintet's awesome new album, We Breed Champions." - Austin Scaggs, Rolling Stone (July, 08)

"A nerd fantasia, a robo-rhythmic onslaught."- Metro Pulse

"Listening to the atomic rock of Royal Bangs is like slamming a Jolt Cola and letting the explosive formula of fizzy, electro rock 'n' roll pour down your T-shirt." - Cleveland Scene

"Radiohead vs. fifteen bottles of Southern Comfort" - Knoxville Voice

Royal Bangs' Tour Dates:
( * = w/ The Black Keys)
Sep 12 The Exit/In (N.B.N.) Nashville, TN
Sep 19 The Pilot Light Knoxville, TN
*Oct 03 Orange Peel Asheville, NC
*Oct 04 House of Blues Myrtle Beach, SC
*Oct 05 Disco Rodeo Raleigh, NC
*Oct 07 Coyotes at City Block Louisville, KY
*Oct 08 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
*Oct 09 LC Amphitheatre Columbus, OH
*Oct 10 Madison Theatre Covington, KY
*Oct 11 EJ Thomas Hall Akron, OH
Oct 25 The Cake Shop (CMJ) New York, NY

Links:
live review in SPIN
"Let's Get Even" off We Breed Champions
MySpace.com/RoyalBangs
AudioEagleRecords.com

Thanks Meredith over at Pirate!Promotion and Management!

Tonight @ Cat's Cradle: Tokyo Police Club

2008-09-08T20:09:00.003-04:00

Don't forget about the
Tokyo Police Club
show tonight (Tues 9 Sept) at the
Cat's Cradle.
Doors 7pm.
Show 8pm.
$15

TV on the Radio: Dear Science,

2008-09-08T19:41:00.005-04:00

TV on the Radio
Dear Science,
(2008)

"Crying" is worth the download just by itself. Then there's "Stork and Owl." Would have worked nicely in Vanilla Sky (and yes, I did like it). "Family Tree" could make for phat remix fodder (but as it is...it's a bit skipworthy). "Shout Me Out" is going to be be ridiculous live--be sure to stay through the 1:50 mark--if you've got lungs--go ahead and shout me out--yeah, that'll be the one they close the show with. Recommended.

For those who:
too-cool-for-school

Start here:

"Stork and Owl"
"Shout Me Out"
"Crying"
"DLZ"

Kings of Leon: Only By The Night

2008-09-08T19:16:00.008-04:00

Kings of Leon
"Only By The Night"
(2008)

I'm not usually into Kings Of Leon.
I've tried,
God knows I've tried.
They've just never grabbed me.
"Only By The Night"

-- is --

an exception
(to this Rule).
Sure, somewhere in the middle it sags.
But, damnit, this is growing up.

Start Here:
"Sex On Fire"
"Use Somebody"
"Notion"
"Cold Desert"

For those who:
late 70's/early 80's
raising lighters,
drunk surviving

UPDATE:
It seems Stereogum was less impressed. Check out their take...here.

UPDATE#2:
Pitchfork and I might have to break up...they hated this one...3.8?

New Music FYI: Lonnie Walker

2008-09-07T17:10:00.004-04:00

From Lallie over at Terpsikhore Records:

I just wanted to let you know about some upcoming Lonnie Walker shows we are really pumped about. You may be familiar with the band, but to refresh your memory, they are the 5-piece Americana act from Raleigh/Greenville, NC, often accompanied by friend and marker-muralist Jon Graham. The band's set is interpreted through Graham's frantically paced visual renderings.

Lonnie Walker (Terpsikhore) is in the process of recording their debut album, but in the mean time, they will be performing a number of times in the Triangle. I hope you can make it to one the upcoming shows because these guys are really captivating live. Delivering a hybrid of indie rock, folk, and visual art, Lonnie Walker is a truly emotive experience.

Check out Lonnie Walker:

Fri., Sept. 5th- Raleigh Wide Open at the Cherry Bounce Stage @ 3pm

Sat., Sept. 20th- Slims @ 9pm

Thurs., Sept. 25th- Tir Na Nog with Embarrassing Fruits @ 9pm

"The delivery throughout the whole set was some of the best lyricism I've seen from an up and coming band in a long time." -Retrad Music

"On record, Lonnie Walker's slightly nasal vocal style sounds like a late Bob Dylan. Live, it was more Tom Petty, a Southern accent rearing its head within quirky lyrics. The sound was raw, like a fruit that isn't quite ripe, bitter spots oddly complementing sweet, juicy bites." -Indy Week

For more information on Lonnie Walker, please contact
Lallie.terpsikhore@gmail.com

www.myspace.com/lonniewalker
www.terpsikhore.com

shake shake shake

2008-08-22T16:30:00.006-04:00

hey, did you know that i'm a white denim fan? well, they put out a video for "shake shake shake", a standout tune from any of their live shows and from the workout holiday ep they're peddling in europe. what does it make you want to do? you got it.

so let's talk about it. first thought - is that a boy or a girl? because at first it kind of looks like avril levigne, but then it turns out to be a much more attractive androgenous child. come to find out, white denim is playing a gig in a junk yard, which honestly isn't too far off from playing a gig at hell.

come again to find out, this junk yard is filled with very attractive men and women who are really good dancers. the only junk yard i've ever been to was in suffolk, va and it had a distinct lack of hot people, killer rock and roll or burning mattresses with androgenous children jumping on them. though, it may have had a fat woman in a skinny bikini-clad woman teeshirt. though if there was one of those, i'm sure she wouldn't have been as sexy. honestly, the best shot of the whole video is at 1:06. that shit is pure genius.

Stream the new Verve disc!!!

2008-08-21T07:06:00.004-04:00

After hearing their fantastic first single, "Love is Noise," I'm excited to check out the rest of the fellas' first effort since 1997's desert-island-disc, "Urban Hymns."

Hop over to their Myspace page and check it out their new disc, "Forth"...here.

UPDATE:
I'm through track 8 ("Valium Skies"), and my take so far:
It won't replace "Urban Hymns" on my plane crash/shipwreck, but it's pretty good--I'd definitely listen to it again and look forward to spending some quality time w/ it in the near future (ie: not listening to it quietly while working).
If it matters to you, it's quite trippy and retains the Verve's trademark bass grooves.

Standouts so far include:
Love is Noise
Noise Epic
Valium Skies

Live is looking good in the Triangle

2008-08-04T22:34:00.005-04:00

You gotta check out the calendar at the bottom of the page for all the live shows hitting the Triangle in the next few months...you'd think this was a real place or something:

Wilco--The Hold Steady--Smashing Pumpkins--Perpetual Groove--
Tokyo Police Club--Black Kids--Ratatat--O.A.R.--Stereolab--
The Fratellis--The Black Keys--Of Montreal--Galactic--
Girl Talk--Cold War Kids--The Black Crowes

The Rumble Strips: Girls and Weather

2008-08-02T08:45:00.003-04:00

The Rumble Strips
Girls and Weather (2008)

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Squirrel Nut Zip pers, and Joe Strummer make a record that even the 'Boro to 'Burg hipsters might dig.

Start here:
No Soul
Cowboy

canseidesersexy

2008-08-01T09:02:00.003-04:00

cansei de ser sexy (aka: CSS)
Donkey (2008)

sure, all the kool kids knew about them like, YEARS ago, but you're not too late.
Feign interest and you (yes you!) can be the envy of the neighborhood as you rock Sao Paulo's Next Big Thing. Check out the sample from the old school NES game, Ghost n' Goblins, on track 3, "Let's Reggae All Night"

I don't know...it kinda just makes me wanna listen to The Sounds.

Radiohead's "House of Cards" filmed using lasers

2008-07-16T09:04:00.002-04:00

Yeah, I'm not really sure how they come up w/ this stuff, but for their new video for In Rainbows stand-out, "House of Cards," Radiohead have eschewed the conventional film technology in favor of something even OK Computer's Subterranean Homesick Alien might find out of this world.

Apparently, the entire video was "shot" using laser technology that measures the distance from the laser source to the subject and back, and then relays that geometric information to a computer that somehow translates the mathematical "measurements" into an image. Yeah, I don't really understand what I just said either. If you need an official explanation, check out the making of here. UNREAL.

Beck (or "Grasping for Relevance")

2008-07-15T18:17:00.004-04:00

--"hmmm...for some reason I feel like listening to Coldplay..."--

Beck
Modern Guilt
2008
reviewed by: fakeplastic b

You come because it's Beck
You stay because it's Beck
It won't change your Life
It's probably really good Stoned
After all, one of the songs is called "Chemtrails"
And must be what falling in love feels Like

Start here:
"Chemtrails"
"Replica"
"Soul of a Man"
"Profanity Prayers"

-b

Don.t hate--->appreciate

2008-07-15T18:12:00.000-04:00

this is how it should be done

Band of Horses
"The Funeral"
--Everything All of the Time--
(2006)

Coldplay (or "The band that's everyone's dirty little secret")

2008-07-15T17:29:00.010-04:00

Real life has kept me away from what I truly love...so...I...I have decided...at 32 something must change...because I just don't have time these days to wax poetic (read: bore you) with my ramblings, I'm gonna keep these reviews short and sweet for the ADD out there...I'll try to stay on target, but even if I stray, you'll know where I'm coming from...

And...without further ado...

Coldplay
Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
2008
reviewed by: fakeplastic b

So it's been almost two months since last we spoke

One and one-half million lifetimes here in the interwebs

I have no idea how I got from there to here--but I liked it

And have so many stories to share...and so many more that will remain mine

Who would've thought "Viva la vida" would actually be good?

Start here:
"Strawberry Swing"
"Lost"
"Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love"

-b

surprise(!)?

2008-07-10T19:33:00.002-04:00

well, we have been delinquent bloggers, haven't we? to reward your visit, a digital mixed tape:

water aerobic (for kneeback sweat)
download: http://www.mediafire.com/?ymlifwhsy3j
1. four tet - hilarious movie of the 90s (koushik's funny flic)
2. cut copy - so haunted
3. yelle - je veux te voir
4. hercules and love affair - raise me up
5. dj vadim - quand vient la nuit (feat. bunzen, yarah bravo and blu rum)
6. a-trak - wampercycle
7. dizzee rascal - flex
8. stereolab - les yper-sound (four tet mix)
9. lykke li vs. holy ghost - i'm good, i'm ghost
10. beck - walls
11. man man - easy eats or dirty doctor galapagos
12. firewater - bhangra bros

wamp wamp,
aph

Death Cab score the week's #1 disc

2008-05-21T14:43:00.005-04:00

Narrow Stairs, the second major label offering and sixth studio full-length disc overall from the Pacific Northwest behemoth, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 this week, besting the #4 debut of Plans back in 2005.

The set sold a cool 144,000 copies, enough to beat some dead guy (Sinatra) and retire last week's first-time chart-topper Neil Diamond to seventh place status, plus a good 54,000 more than the 90,000 Plans moved in its first week.
source: Pitchfork.com

Also...a major portion of their "Narrow Stairs" track, "The Ice is Getting Thinner," was featured in a pivotal scene during last week's season finale of Gossip Girl. (You know, not that I watched it...I totally found out about it on Stereogum...damn you bad t.v.!!!)

-b