A Boy And His Blog

Citay

2006-03-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

So one of the albums I've been listening to a lot lately, is the self titled debut of Citay. If you haven't heard of them, Citay is a collaboration between Ezra Feinberg (Piano Magic) and Tim Green (The Fucking Champs). They regard their project as unclassifiable, but to me it sounds like folk with the occasional medieval flourish, but you know, with some electric guitars thrown in and the occasional nod to classic rock. So yeah, pretty much unclassifiable...

Anyways, the album is definitely worth checking out if you're in the mood for something a little bit different. Check out the mp3's posted below, and then, if you inclined, buy the album by clicking here.

Seasons Don't Fear the Year (MP3)
Shalom Of Safed (MP3)

R.U.O.K.

2006-03-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

R.U.O.K. are a Brooklyn based band whose latest self-released album is titled Arctic Warmth. They've received some favorable press lately, including being "Band of the Week" in The Gothamist back in February. To be honest, I can see some people giving the band a bit of a hard time, since they're from New York, and kind of have a bit of an Interpol vibe to their music (at least in my opinion) but it's not to the point that it's derivative, and they've actually been around longer anyway.

Here's a couple of tracks to check out off their latest. When you're done, feel free to buy the album

Arctic Warmth (MP3)
The Architect (MP3)

Worst Blogger Ever??

2006-03-02T15:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, I've been extremely negligent when it comes to this little piece of webspace lately, but it's not by choice. Between midterms and a slew up writing assignments, I just haven't had any free time at all. Given the choice between sleep and blogging, I'm goign to choose the former; I'm a selfish bastard, I know.

Seems like I've missed out on tons of great blog fodder in the last week or so (YYY's and TVotR leaking, shakeup at SPIN, etc. etc.) but that's what I get I suppose. What I do have for you guys, is a couple of songs off the new Espers album Espers II due out in May on Drag City Hope you guys enjoy them:

Widow's Weed (MP3)
Cruel Storm (MP3)

Animal Collective @ La Tulipe

2006-02-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

Just a so-so night at La Tulipe unfortunately. I wasn't super familiar with either of the opening acts, and was hoping for a nice little surprise. Didn't quite turn out that way.

The first act, Barr, was a vaguely effeminate guy doing spastic spoken word stuff over programmed tracks. Either he didn't know what he was doing, or his machine kept fucking up on him, because it kept switching tracks on him. Dude seemed really nervous, and it showed. Could have potentially been interesting, but instead it ended up being kind of a train wreck.

The second act, First Nation had some technical problems of their own. Their electric congo drums or whatever they were weren't working at first, which caused a bit of a delay. Once they finally got started, the band put on a decent performance; kind of psychedelic, meditative stuff. The real problem was the fact that the band had ZERO stage presence. They hardly said a word to the audience throughout their set, and just never seemed to be the least bit comfortable. I'm not sure how used they are to playing in front of large groups of people, but they need to work on engaging the audience.

The pressure was really on Animal Collective at this point to put on a solid performance and salvage the evening. Thankfully they didn't disappoint. The guys put on a solid, well-paced performance. The transitions from one song to the next were perfect; the intensity slowly rising until it would reach a breaking point, only to subside before starting over. Aside from an unfortunate minor technical problem during Grass, the band put on a pretty much flawless performance, and the crowd was really into it.

On the whole, Animal Collective is more than worth the price of admission, but I'd like to see them bring some better people along for the ride. Like a double bill with Akron/Family or something. *drools*

The Fiery Furnaces: Bitter Tea

2006-02-22T10:40:00.000-08:00

So, the new Fiery Furnaces album is making its way accross the internet as we speak. I'm not really sure what to make of it so far, but here's the title track for you to check out. The album is out April 18th on Fat Possum.

Bitter Tea (M4A)

People In Planes

2006-02-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

I know, I haven't updated in what seems like forever, but I've been alternately very busy and very sick.

Anyone reading this who plans on going to SXSW might want to check out People in Planes. These South Wales natives will be playing at the Billboard magazine showcase, in support of their forthcoming debut, As Far As The Eye Can See.. due out March 28th on Wind Up Records(Whom we can also thank for that awesome Scott Stapp solo album)

Here's a couple of tracks:

Moth (Acoustic Demo)
If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)

Morning Runner

2006-02-16T13:08:00.000-08:00

In case you don't follow the music scene on the other side of the pond, Morning Runner are becoming kind of a big deal in the UK. Sure, your grandmother could strap on a guitar and be hyped as bigger than the Beatles in the UK, but that's besides the point.

Anyways, the band has built up a buzz recently by touring with Bloc Party, and well...Coldplay. Don't hold the latter against them though; cred can't buy you groceries. The band's debut album, Wilderness is Paradise Now is due out March 6th in the UK on Parlophone. Here's a couple of tracks:

Punching Walls (MP3)
Work (MP3)

Cleaning Out the Backlog

2006-02-15T12:55:00.000-08:00

Being sick sucks. Back to the grind today though. I've received a ton of promo's lately, and have had a hard time keeping up with everything, so here's a quick look at some of the better stuff I've received of late that I just haven't been able to get to yet:

Jed And Lucia are an interesting pair: Jed who hails from the Pacific Northwest, and Lucia, originally from Sweden, are now situated in Southern California, where they play a warm and inviting variety of folk. Their debut album Candles in Daylight is definitely worth checking out.

World on Fire (M4A)

Another California band worth checking out, is Division Day. These guys have a really great lush, textured sound to them. Their debut EP The Mean Way In showed a ton of promise, and the band just posted four new tracks on their website yesterday that I assume will be on the full length Bear Trap Island to be released in March. You can check out the four songs here.

Finally, there's The Judas Bull. According to their MySpace profile, they cite Jane's Addiction and Ween as influences, and I suppose I can kind of see where they're coming from on that. The band doesn't take themseles too seriously as the Myspace page shows, but that's not a bad thing. Click on the link above to check out a bunch of tracks.

Flaming Lips

2006-02-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Might want to grab this quickly since it's only a matter of tome before I get sued/beaten up by the mob for posting this. To be honest, I'm not all that impressed with the new album, but Whatevs. Enjoy

Haven't Got A Clue (MP3)

Guitar: Tokyo

2006-02-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm going to give you guys something completely different to check out today. The project Guitar, is all about, surprise, guitars. The groups mastermind, Michael Lückner, takes a different genre or sound, and electronically recreates it. Here's a possibly better explanation:

Lückner is cutting out original guitar sounds, duplicates them, modifies them and gives them a new shape. The result is surprising yet obvious: Not only does Lückner move sound samples to his own music, doing so he is also able to catch the mood of the genre without having to duplicate all of it's attitude. Picking out the raisins you may call it!

The first album, Sunkissed was meant to be a sequel to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, duplicating the band's layered sound. Honeysky was bluegrass and country. The new album is a homage to Tokyo, and relies heavily on the sound of Kyoto and Pipa guitars. It's due out February 20th on Onitor in Europe. I'd forward you to their website, but it's in German, so that's pretty useless.

Sakura Coming (MP3)

The Dresden Dolls: Yes Virginia

2006-02-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

So I have to admit, I wasn't that high on The Dresden Dolls until recently. Their shtick(Kabuki makeup, tendency to get naked on stage etc.) seemed to overshadow their music, and I didn't give them much of a chance. Ok, maybe they kind of frightened me a little too.

Nevertheless, I got my hands on their upcoming album Yes Virginia a couple of days ago, and thus far I have to say that I'm pretty impressed. It's different, that's for sure, but that's kind of refreshing. Check it out when it hits stores in April.

Dirty Business (MP3)

Drive-By Truckers: A Blessing And A Curse

2006-02-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile, you have to scratch that itch, and get down to some dirty southern rock. Well, maybe that's just me, but I doubt it. Either way, I'm thankful there's bands like Drive-By Truckers out there to give me my fix. The band's latest album, A Blessing And A Curse is due out April 18th. I've given it a couple of spins so far, and it's really growing on me. And how badass is that cover?

The Impossible Shapes: Tum

2006-02-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

Couldn't let a day go by without posting about another Secretly Canadian band (these guys aren't paying me off I swear). The Impossible Shapes, if you don't already know them, are a Bloomington, Indiana outfit with a great throwback, pop-folk sound.

Last year's effort, Horus got the band coverage in a bunch of publications, including Spin and Magnet. A few months before that though, the band released Tum, a quickly slapped together, vinyl only demo album with a scant 300 copy pressing. Despite the rough edges, there was an undeniable quality to the work, and when Secretly Canadian made the album available on their website for six weeks, it was downloaded 45,000 times. Well, Secretly Canadian, business savvy as they are, did the no-brainer and decided to give the mastered version of the songs a proper CD release. The album drops March 7th, and here's a little preview:

Florida Silver Springs (MP3)
Our Love Lives (MP3)

Grandaddy: Just Like The Fambly Cat

2006-02-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

As I'm sure you're all aware by now, Grandaddy recently announced their decision to call it quits after almost 14 years together. This effectively makes their upcoming album Just Like The Fambly Cat (not a typo) the bands' swan song. Frontman Jason Lytle has said in interviews that the split was amicable, but that it was just time for everyone to move on to other projects. There's no plans to tour behind this album though, so you can forget about having a chance to say goodbye during some massive farewell tour.

The album doesn't come out until May 9th, but here's a track to keep you busy until then:

Rear View Mirror (MP3)

Prefuse 73:Security Screenings

2006-02-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

Pitchfork decided to give the album just a so-so score today, but I thought the album was pretty fun (even though Guillermo Scott Herren insists it isn't an album per se, but I digress)

Anyways, here's a track fom the album. Enjoy.

Weight Watching (MP3)

Artist Profile: Alan Semerdjian

2006-02-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

Alan Semerdjian's website describes his music as "semipop indierock acousticfolk", which is about as accurate a description as you can ask for. Formerly the frontman of alt-pop act Surreal, Semerdjian's solo work is a much quieter, more reflective affair.

When There Was Something Wrong With You collects songs that span from 2002-2005, and features the production work of Michael Bloom (Rilo Kiley, The Elected). The album shows Semerdjian to be an extremely gifted singer-songwriter, as he channels both loss and hope, weaving them together into intricate lyrical compositions. Highly recommended.

Over the next few months, Semerdjian has some scattered tour dates, mostly in the New York Area. Click here to see the tour dates. After listening to the songs, I urge you to Buy the album at CD Baby.

When There Was Something Wrong With You (M4A)
Siren Song (M4A)

Danielson: Ship

2006-02-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

So when I read my boy Austin's article in Billboard about Sufjan Stevens and members of Deerhoof contributing to the new Daniel Smith album I was pretty excited to hear it. Well, I got to hear it last night, and it didn't disappoint.

Smith decided to drop the "famile" from the name for this recording, since there were more outside contributors than ever before. The album is due out May 9th on Secretly Canadian, who I would marry at this point if that sort of thing were possible. That's how good their year is shaping up to be. I'd settle for working for them in a pinch. Call me.

Ship The Majestic Suffix (MP3)

As Chris pointed out, there's also another new track available on the band's MySpace Page

Also:
How bout them Steelers?? Didn't look great doing it, but they got the job done.

More Morrissey Goodness

2006-02-05T10:24:00.000-08:00

It's Super Bowl Sunday, so I'm gonna make this short and sweet. I got my hands on another track from the forthcoming Morrissey album Ringleader of the Tormentors, and felt the need to share. Some people didn't seem to like the Aladdin vibe of the first song to surface, so maybe they'll prefer this one, which has more of a traditional Morrissey vibe. Enjoy.

Dear God, Please Help Me (MP3)

Some By Sea: On Fire! (Igloo)

2006-02-03T00:30:00.000-08:00

On February 21st, Seattle's Some By Sea is set to release their sophomore album, On Fire! (Igloo). If you're unfamiliar with the band, I guess the easiest point of reference would be Death Cab For Cutie (the band would probably hate that, but I mean it in a good way, as in Something About Airplanes Death Cab)

The band actually has a couple of really good deals for preorders. Ten bucks gets you the album, a tour poster a button and a sticker. Twenty bucks gets you all that and a T-Shirt.

Click here for the regular package, and here for the package and the T-Shirt.

The Things We All Carry Around (MP3)
The Beginning Of The World Often Comes (MP3)

New Morrissey Track Boys And Girls

2006-02-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

Just got ahold of this now, so I figured I would share. This is getting me really excited for the new album. God I feel like such a fan boy. Whatevs. Enjoy everyone.

I Will See You In Far Off Places (MP3)

Wilderness: Vessel States

2006-02-02T09:28:00.000-08:00

The people in the Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguwar family are really solidifying themselves as two of my favorite labels of late. Last last year saw gems from Antony & The Johnsons, Okkervil River, Black Mountain and Jens Lekman, and you guys already know about my love for Pink Mountaintops and I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness this year.

Another one of their bands that put out a solid album last year, was Wilderness. Their debut album garnered them comparisons to bands like Joy Division, The Fall, and Public Image Limited, which really can't be construed as anything but a good thing. The band didn't rest on their laurels though, they got right back to work recording. The product of that Vessel States will be available on April 11th. Here's a track to get you psyched:

Beautiful Alarms (MP3).

A Boy And His Blog Is Open For Business:

I just signed up to BlogAds, and am now ready and willing to promote your band/label/website/clothing company/grandmothers secret recipes/etc.
So come on, Click on the right and advertise with your boy.

Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice

2006-02-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone's in the mood for something a little different today, because if nothing else, Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice are different. The group fits into the whole freak folk movement I guess, although they're probably a bit more out there if that's even possible. Anyways, They have a new album,Gipsy Freedom due out February 21st on 5RC. The album probably isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. It's pretty dense stuff, that takes some getting used to. Still, if you have the patience give it a try,it can be pretty rewarding. Here's one of the more "accessible" tracks to ease you in:

Dread Effigy (M4A)

On A Personal Note:
Just so everyone knows, my update schedule might have to change for the next little while. My laptop completely crashed on me last night, and until it gets fixed/I get a new one, I'm going to have much less access to a computer. I should still be able to update regularly, although it will most likely be in the late afternoon/evening as opposed to the morning/early afternoon.

Secret Machines: Ten Silver Drops

2006-01-31T12:30:00.000-08:00

So I had the chance to listen to the new Secret Machines album yesterday, and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. I saw them open for Interpol a few years back and they put on a really interesting (by which I mean crazy) live show. I just couldn't get into their first two albums, September 000 (2002) and Now Here is Nowhere (2004) all that much though. Ten Silver Drops due out in April is settling a little better though so far. Here's a track for your listening pleasure:

Alone Jealous & Stoned (MP3)

Some Xiu Xiu Tracks

2006-01-30T01:19:00.000-08:00

Don't have time for an extensive post today, so I'll just keep it short and sweet. I'll be the first to admit, that I'm not really a big fan of Xiu Xiu. However, there's a ton of people out there who do seem to like the band just fine, so this post is for them.

The band released a couple of new tracks recently on 7". The first one, "Juarez" is off a 7" with Dead Science, and features vocals by Eugene Robinson of Oxbow. The second one "Red Croissant" is off a 7" with Kill me tomorrow. Matt over at Skatterbrain posted these a couple days ago, so if you like what you hear, give him credit. If not, well I tried to warn you...

Juarez (MP3)
Red Croissant (MP3)

Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

2006-01-28T18:45:00.000-08:00

So, normally I don't post much on the weekends, because I'm too busy catching up on my much needed sleep/goofing off that I can't squeeze in during the week. When the new Neko Case album ended up on the A Boy And His Blog desk last night though, I figured this was a big enough reason to make an exception.

I'm not going to get into a long-winded assessment here, or try and sell you on why you should check this out. Everyone's been creaming their jeans waiting for this album as it is, so that would be pointless. All I'm going to say is that it meets the expectations, and that Neko Case's voice is absolutely gorgeous on this record. There's already one track floating around the net, so I'll post that, plus another one:

Star Witness (MP3)
Hold On, Hold On (MP3)