noise for toaster: this is how it works.

Rogue Wave, St. Vincent, Wilco, Tegan & Sara: shan whips out the mixtape.

2007-08-14T11:49:00.000-04:00

hello my devotees (because i like to pretend i have them),

i'm just twittering off this note to let you know i am not yet in season. it's august, and the tomatoes are doing their thing. i'm doing a lot of traveling in the next couple of weeks and i figure labor day weekend is a good time to come back in full swing.

so until then, here's a little mix tape of my Current Top Recommendations (she whips out the bold and everything) -- because if for some reason you aren't already really, really into them, it's high time that you are.

Rogue Wave - Asleep At Heaven's Gate (preview)
Rogue Wave is a very special thing to me. i mean, very special. in the world of independent music, they may very well be my Favorite Band... as in, they make the very small list of bands in my prefs before i just smash the whole thing with an ellipsis. also, i think i've cried at every live performance i've seen of them (did i really just admit that?).
this is why i have mixed feelings about their album leaking. you're always stoked for music ahead of its release date -- until it happens to you. and that's sort of what this feels like. i feel like going out on September 18th and buying six copies, just to aleviate my guilt.
here's my point: if you haven't been aquainted with the fellows of Rogue Wave, now is the time to do so. their music stitches itself into your little fibers and stays there, changing you. no, it really does. beyond beautiful harmonies, haunting progressions of pure pop euphoria. they are incredible masters of sound.
::::i will only do the right thing and give you their single.
Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan
Rogue Wave - Are You On My Side - from their last album, Descended Like Vultures. in giving you this song i feel like i am giving away a deep secret of mine. this song is beyond description.
myspace, hype machine

St. Vincent - Marry Me
if you haven't already been seduced by the spirited, spritely, spunky being that is St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark), shame on you. all summer this lady carried both my sense of humor about life and my wonder for good, unexplored musical talent. she is refreshing like only a fellow female can be (i do mean that!) and she's fucking brilliant. choral and electronic elements hold hands with grungy, sexy love notes in a marriage (har har) of swanky pop wonder, with bountifully quotable lyrics to boot. it's too late to do the review i'd like to, but suffice to say this gets my Absolutely Tip Top Music Of Summer 2007, Hands Down award. (Rogue Wave isn't out yet!!)
::::exclamation of how much i love this album and this girl goes here.
St. Vincent - Now Now - this song might be everywhere, but i wouldn't be true to Toaster if i didn't make this your sample mp3 today. this is the song i have played and played and played until poor Annie probably didn't want to sing "I'm not" ever again. you will hear this song and you will need more.
myspace, the hype

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
oh, you know. you know. it's Wilco, for crying out loud. Jeff Tweedy. the man knows his music like you and i know the corners of our refigerator -- we open the door, and everything is familiar, everything is ours, everything may not be stitched to our memory banks (when did i buy this jar of capers?) but we can feel it, we have it, it is nourishing and ready for our use or disposal at any time. and if you think the refrigerator analogy is way in left field, it's okay, because no one can stand up to Sky Blue Sky's intensely amazing lyrics (par for the course). i could sit here all day going song by song and telling you my favorite parts. it does that to you -- you want to get into it, dissect everything, then let it wash over you. sing along. the quintessential alt country, and good god, it never disappoints.
::::just keeps getting better.
Wilco - You Are My Face - i have always loved how a single Wilco song can take so many directions in just five+ minutes. this is one of the greatest examples.
myspace, the hype

Tegan and Sara - The Con
no one is more surprised than i am exactly how much i like this album. T & S are an anamoly in my "typical" likes and dislikes -- but i guess they always have been. my love affair with their 2004 release So Jealous was fierce and brief, leaving (like usual) their imprint on an era and a passed time. The Con may very well do the same, but i don't think so -- not this time. something about relating to their upfront angst, their raw emotions, the tell-all lyrics and their inescapably girlish attitudes. yet there's also something about them that renders their music sexless, above that bullshit, on a plane far and well above a hype or a story. it's good. it grabs you. and you can just play it on loop, all day long.
::::take it from the title track.
Tegan & Sara - The Con - this song will bang on your head until it gets stuck in there for a good long glorious time.
myspace, the hype

woo! all done. this is really a list of Most Listened To the last month or few months or however long it's really been. i feel like i've been true to you, dear Readers Of NfT, in getting all of that out (even if you've already heard these songs a hundred times). now i can go on in peace these next few weeks and i'll be back sooner than you'd like (considering i'll be coming in with Labor Day...)

love and work holidays for all,
shan

Maritime and infectious singles

2007-08-03T12:50:00.000-04:00

so this is me..... jumping on the bandwagon. yep. right now, grabbing ahold of the side, hoisting myself up, swinging my legs over. taking off. here we go.

band Maritime (together now: who the hell are these guys?) came out of nowhere to bring up and bang around two of the catchiest tunes i've heard in a while. but not that kind of catchy -- i'm talking sweaty, grumbly, yeah-whatever rock catchy. isn't nonchalance so exciting?

the birth of broken bands The Dismemberment Plan (i so remember them) and The Promise Ring (not so much), indie label darlings Flameshovel Records picked them up, dusted them off and let them create. their first record We, The Vehicles flew well under my radar, but with the stuff dripping out of their forthcoming Heresy And The Hotel Choir, i'm not going to be able to shut them off.

you can get the tunes just about anywhere right now, but why not just get it here? you can jump up right behind me. plenty of room on this here bandwagon. come on now.
::::my favorite is this one, so here you are: Maritime - For Science Fiction

- myspace
- wiki bit
- label page

new Sunset Rubdown mp3s. the real thing.

2007-08-03T08:58:00.000-04:00

fresh.

you have me at first listen, here, which is usually an uncomfortable feeling from this reviewer's perspective. but so far i'll say i'm not only frustratingly impressed with the directions Krug has taken this project, but i'm also really delighted in his influences -- some choral elements, some big-band sounds, some vocal progressions which are (dare i say it?) a little like Sufjan. but that never, ever hurts. in fact, for Krug, it balances something harsh which knocks down a whole bunch of gates and makes him (somehow) even more wonderful than before.

but no more for now. a letter, in true shan-style (i've got swagger), to keep you busy before i've got everything i want to say about Random Spirit Lover.

dear Spencer Krug,

your voice is all of my confusion and desperation rolled into a vitamin-tongue and i take you liberally in order to ensure i will live a good, long life. you have a way with words and music that both delights me and makes me sad, like a fabulous piece of candy that must begin but must also end, ephemeral and vanished. you see, undeniably, it is those moments of NEW SOUND ringing in my ears, clamoring up my neck and into the canals of my brain like so many ferocious children, which make me love you the most. and when those children lay down to rest and i have found every nook and cranny of their daunting newness, that is when i turn them away. and that is when i turned away Shut Up (they were dreaming).

this note, however, is a Thank You. because you are Spencer Krug, and because that vitamin-tongue of yours will not stay put, and you must -- and you have -- keep producing. hello! hello, Random Spirit Lover. i can feel the children climbing again, nipping at my earlobes, hanging on and hoisting themselves in...

you will run rampant for days. and during this time your Newness will supply me with perfect company for that confusion and ripe mayhem. the candy wrapper is only now coming off, and you will have your album review, and you will have my head spinning with your only just-accessible [hush] genius, and we won't worry, for now, about that time when the closing music for "Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns" will play over and over and over and the little sound-children will dizzy themselves into a cyclone of energy and build and build and run and --

stop. and like Shut Up i will give you away to a time period, set you as a soundtrack to a feeling and a place. oh Krug. you are like sea salt caramels. who else will ever say that to you.

again, a Thank You -
the rustling of plastic -
shan.

::::you'll have your "normal review" (all of you picky, logical people) but i need some time, and you must have your song!
~~Sunset Rubdown - The Courtesan Has Sung~~ - instantly loveable -- a newish quality, wouldn't you say?
~~Sunset Rubdown - Stallion~~ - deep, beautiful. twilight zone lives on. lovely build and finish.
(had to take 'em down)

heavy intake:
- sunset in a studio and (other) Free Songs: thank your lucky stars for Daytrotter
- sunset on their label page (yay, Jagjaguwar!)
- anything you can find (surprisingly sparse) on the hype

love me, dears. i'll be back with this one.

Fionn Regan - The End Of History

2007-08-02T14:14:00.000-04:00

i chose this pic because it's what his music sounds like. believe me.

there are artists and lead singers whose lyrics mean more to them than the music they overlap. recently i can think of Voxtrot as being so guilty -- i can also site the vast majority of popular emo bands, perhaps occasionally the almost-infallible matt pond, and Jason Mraz as fellow contenders in this "wordplay." i think an important balance has to be struck between the message and the artwork behind it -- both in terms of the language and, hello, the notes and chords it takes to get there. oh, balance! oh, picky ears! and then, the plight of the outgoing lyricist: will we forgive John Roderick his humor in order to get to his depth, or Conor Oberst his pain in order to get to his quiet serenities? will we let ourselves dig into the bottomless lines Jeff Tweedy laughs in our direction? and then do we, as patient listeners, have to decide between those words and their sound?

so i ruminate after my twentieth listen of Fionn Regan. his work appeared on the scene while i was still disappeared (grammar intentional) -- and so, new to my ears, i have taken a different approach to dissecting what i've heard. regarding the above i can tell you that, at first listen, i am (nearly) always a sound person. yes! i have made that personal distinction, i have decided between those words and their sound. notice you will never read my dissection of "what the lyrics say." notice i usually don't care. notice i usually speak figuratively about sound, the mood it puts me in, the times and places it reminds me of, the pictures it conjures and the inspiration i gather. it's only after many listens -- it's only when i find a record with intense staying power -- that i begin to grab onto the lyrics and say, i can hear what this song is telling me. funny, coming from someone whose whole business is words. or is that to save me from my own high expectations? hmmmm.

but Fionn saves himself, as far as i'm concerned, from walking the fine line between the lane and the gutter with a style that highlights both sound and lyrics. he manages to have his words be heard immediately (no chance for this Sound Girl to ignore Lyrics Boy) but nothing is compromised, nothing is lost. the poor Irishman has the name "Conor Oberst" graffitied all over him before you even get to listen to his record -- and sure, he sounds a little like Bright Eyes, but i have to tell you that i like him more. (gasp.) i think he has enough of Sondre Lerche ("Penny") in him, enough Teitur ("Abacus," "Noah"), enough stuff for me to say -- well! let me just hear that one more time. and i have. and i will.

what this brings up, of course, is still the quality of sound. he is instantly atmospheric in a way that Iron and Wine can be. it's not just that pensive plucking of the guitar, but also a confidence in his pace, an innate sense of himself and his style. he also lacks the desperation that i get when listening to his ever-present Oberst comparison (trust me, or i wouldn't have been able to listen to him the other nineteen times). the fluidity of his voice, the sweet darkness, the slight croon: all of these things say, Oh, I know myself enough to sing. and i say, Oh, sing it just a little more.

::::the net has been all over "the Irish Bright Eyes," so i don't pretend to be the first, but i like his shit a lot.
Fionn Regan - Be Good Or Be Gone - available everywhere, but i want to make it available here just in case you haven't been sold yet -- because this will undoubtedly do the job.
Fionn Regan - The Underwood Typewriter - listen to this with headphones.
Bonus (we're fresh back, might as well give you the most)
Fionn Regan - The End Of History - it is, after all, the title track. stick with this one, again with the headphones, and i promise you'll hear... more.

looking for more? i know you are. that's why you've still got the hype (oh, it feels good to be back!) and Fionn's brave myspace (listening post) where you can explore what it means to be Fionn. remember! i am the Album Girl! and that means you best buy the whole thing if you like the small taste of what you get. and though i'm not happy to do so, it's easiest (as usual) to point you in the direction of itunes for the quick fix.

what a long, strange dream i've had.

2007-07-24T15:30:00.000-04:00

oh, my.

well. imagine me, little me, tapping on a microphone in a loud room. you are all bustling and hustling and moving very fast, talking louder, yelling over the sounds and beats which clash in a cacophony called Headache. ah the noise, the noise(!), the noise the noise the noise

and suddenly, the Noise is now in capitals, and the crowds start to part, and it is the Noise for toaster (for who?) for Toaster, damn it, and it is me at the microphone tap tap tapping AHEM!

hello. welcome back. this is the blog, it is about my great fish (alive and well!) Sir Toaster, and it is my duty to bring him the music which he cannot find for himself. it's been a stormy few months (you wouldn't believe me if i told you the whole story) but the fact is, we're back, and as much as we're treading the ocean, we're still in it for the fish.

come on back. the water's fine.

Feist - The Reminder: Even Cowgirls Get The Blues

2007-03-05T17:50:00.001-05:00

the unmistakable Feist has managed a move i truly didn't think was possible. somehow, in the spirit of both her old fans and her new, she produced a record that wavers, ever and always, between accessible and Feist. her country twangs, jamborees, pop madness, and mastered spunk ties it all up with a ribbon, beckoning: "i didn't pay attention to any of you," she says. fame will come her way regardless - bare shoulders and microphone seduction or no. she will damn well do as she please. thankfully.

her wavering vocals, ever a wave of pressure and relief, stop and go, swing and release, come through as the sensual tie to her somewhat western-prairie sound. her range of capability is always astounding, as she goes from the driving and addictive single to the haunting and moving "The Water," in which a minimalist landscape of instruments drives her sorrowful declarations over wind and plain. album opener "So Sorry" is one of her classically Feist-sounding numbers, which still seem updated and playful, a little dramatic and perfectly sarcastic, especially next to the fireside tune "Sea Lion Woman," complete with claps and soulful echoes, which rises into a perfect guitar jamboree, tambourines and nearly scatting vocals. she certainly drew on wild influences for the feel of this album, which has taken her jazz influences and slid even deeper into a world of alternative country and cowgirl blues. in my constantly moving mind, this is the perfect soundtrack to a trip west, a bumping van, bare feet, passing hours with a guitar and singing true to all the hope and emotion of moving onwards. go, Feist, and your audiences will follow.

::::Even Cowgirls Get The Blues.
Feist - So Sorry
Feist - Past In Present
Feist - One Two Three Four (hidden catchy gem)
[more on the hype machine]

[removed by DMCA request, before anyone really noticed they were there.]

this album drops April 23rd in Europe, and May 1st for silly US and Canada. i know you will have preordered your copy already (i'll be so mad if you don't) and really, i mean it, you're going to swoon.
~~(RIAA/DMCA countdown, anyone?)~~

Field Music repost - bonus video

2007-02-27T08:12:00.000-05:00

with just five minutes to post today, i want to repost on a band that really stood out from almost everything i found last year and has made it to at least six spots on my crazy iTunes "Top 25 Most Played" playlist. whoopee, i know. they're really quite something, these guys, and i hope they make it very big (but not big enough to ruin it, like, oh, The Shins).
[original post]

lovely, jangly, poppy, happy and British, but not the Kooks (by any means). your ears perk, yes? and they should. they are Field Music, and they're back with a new full-length LP (UK readers: "you have it?" US readers: "who?"), called Tones Of Town. this thing is amazing. i'm going to go ahead and tell you it's the best pop i've heard from overseas all year, just to make a point. they take their cue from old giants (Beatles) and the mediocrity of today's Kooks and mix it with a new depth to take much more seriously. they're talented as hell, expertly employing a wide range of sounds (strings!) and producing a complete work of art, often stringing songs together, flowing one into the next almost undetectably (until you try to pick mp3s to share). Tones Of Town has been the perfect remedy to pick me up in the face of this ever-colder city, snapping my steps to a new beat that just won't leave my head. oh, i promise you a good time. you'll be so glad you believed me.

::::take 'em for a spin:
Field Music - Give It Lose It Take It
-- this is the first track of the album. i hadn't heard anything from the album, and i was walking out of my building as this started, and i paid particular attention to the opening. i was so surprised when the music started up after the bells, and was instantly hooked. watch out at 40 seconds in... and just let the beatles influence floor you. a minute:thirty in and you'll see just why they're so fucking good.
Field Music - Working To Work
-- seventh track presents a catchy-as-hell breakdown, a slightly more simplified arrangement, and quite simply a great song. the Brits in them shine through here, and a little Paul McCartney...
BONUS:Field Music - She Can Do What She Wants
-- it was so impossibly hard not to give you this entire album, i'm telling you. instead, i closed off this line-up with their intended closer, which is just such a great song. oh, man. fantastic lead-in, irresistable harmonies, tambourine, strings (keyboard-produced or no) - oh, luscious. and it will be stuck in your head for the next five years.
edit: this is now probably my very favorite song by them.

::::for all of you lovely Field Music fans! i have bonus material, here - a great video of the band playing this very song live, which is a great way to see the band without leaving your chair. i just love videos, don't you?
Field Music - She Can Do What She Wants.mpg

i mean, this whole album is so incredible it almost makes me angry. it's this frustration that i know not every reader will pick up these tracks, that not everyone will believe me, that i'll fail in conveying my honest passion for the music i've found. but that's the gig here, i guess.

the hype will only grow and grow, so check there often for more and more tracks (so you can believe me, really).
also, tell them hi on their myspace, and listen to good songs.

new Kaiser Chiefs - Yours Truly, Angry Mob

2007-02-22T08:19:00.000-05:00

to be perfectly honest, i wasn't a very big fan of Kaiser Chiefs until very recently. their lyrics often made me laugh -- as, yes, they're supposed to -- but i was never quite into their songs. i found nothing more to latch onto than a nudging sense of "aw, aren't these Brits cute," and nothing grabbed me. i had no reason to play Employment over and over until i fell on the floor with it.

but now? i'm pretty sure they've taken lessons in catchiness, grabby tunes, and most of all -- voice. it might be me, but this seems to be the strongest change from their first album to now, what i'm happy to present to you: Yours Truly, Angry Mob.

::::they've really caught on to the addictive tune-making.
Kaiser Chiefs - Heat Dies Down
Kaiser Chiefs - Love Is Not A Competition (But I'm Winning)
Bonus: ~~Kaiser Chiefs - Boxing Champ~~
- a real treat. a little piano ditty that breaks up the speed of the rest of the album.

[removed by DMCA request.]

check out the rest, including the single "Ruby," at the hype

honestly, the more i heard of this album, the more impressed i was with who this band has become. they really know their stuff this time, and they've produced just a terrific record. it's definitely still the same post-punk, Brit-rock style with all of their little art-rock influences jammed in there. but, like all bands that have the spotlight, they've insisted on maturing slightly -- turning up the quality, revising old beats that worked so well for them. this is an extremely successful release, including their demandingly catchy single, "Ruby," which hopefully you snagged from us a couple months ago. all in all, really looking forward to this album and the super-status they'll continue to get, both across the pond and "in the states."

kaiser chiefs on myspace
now - this album comes out next week in the UK and the US and is available for pre-order at this very minute! go get your copy now.

new Kings Of Leon - mp3 tripleblast

2007-02-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

let me first just remind you that, pretty much as always, my Number One Goal is to stress the importance and the significance of the album. that means the whole thing, Track Uno to 10 or 12 or 15 or whatever. this is how, in my opinion, real bands get to prove themselves -- by showing an understanding of a range of styles, a coherent sense of composition and arrangement, and most of all, a commitment. an album is a commitment to a musician's artwork and should uphold whatever expectations they set out for themselves and for their listeners. granted, this is all very subjective, and i should really write up an essay or something sometime, just so i don't have to bore you mid-post.

that said! in relation to the upcoming Kings Of Leon, i can't do anything but rave about "the whole album" until my voice is hoarse (or moreso than it is already) and just continue to make myself out to be That Blogger Who Really, Really Likes Everything She Posts. so, instead of go over just how impressed i am by all of Because Of The Times, i'd rather just give you the first three songs, which i've been playing on repeat.

::::~~Kings Of Leon - Knocked Up~~
- - boy, just when i thought maybe my obsession with opening tracks was dying down a little. i'm so impressed with this song that i played it over three times before i even got to the rest of the album, first time around. first off, it's seven minutes long, and it stays good the entire time. i haven't seen anything like that since, i suppose, Destroyer's "Rubies." this song gently climbs in, rolls along like A Dusty Plain, and in sweeps The Songbird with a lonely, desperate, core-grabbing call (translation: low repetitive guitar, insert stanzas of - well, i think flute - for a real southern-rock thing). not to mention the lyrics - woo.

::::~~Kings Of Leon - Charmer~~
after 7:10 of the above preparation, we get old Kings flair (suggestive of their live performances) with this addictive tear into the rock scenery. man, the sex and swagger in Caleb's voice when he comes reeling in with "she's such a charmer - oh no." the old-time rock riffs mixed with that impending sense of urgency and Trouble Ahead make for one of the very best songs on the whole album.

::::~~Kings Of Leon - On Call~~
ah. the single. you know what i have to say about this song? it's the dog's bollocks. (is that correct? is this something people still say? Eddie, my man, have you made me corny?) i honestly have a tendency to dismiss singles as the band's way of selling themselves, and not necessarily appropriately reflecting their preferences, capabilities, etc. (Modest Mouse - Dashboard? i think yes!) but "On Call" is not just a properly catchy rock tune -- it's so, so well done, and it fits in so seemlessly with its surroundings that i didn't jump up and say "aha! i spotted the single!" the moment i heard it. if you haven't already, this is at least the track to get your hands on.

[removed by DMCA request.]

i will never apologize for being long-winded. at least, not too much. get ready for linkage...
- KOL on wiki, in case you haven't had the pleasure.
- their myspace, with fancy words and noises 'n stuff.
- this awesome fansite, called happy alone, which is awesome mainly because i haven't stumbled on anything like this for bands i deal with in a LONG time. check this out, yo.

lastly, PRE-ORDER. this album will rock your world. yes, just as cheesily as i make it sound.

p.s. those kinds of titles amuse me. i tried it on for size for today, just to see how it looked. i should have used italics somewhere.

limited time offer - NIN leak three

2007-02-20T09:35:00.000-05:00

some of you may think this is just getting out of hand now, and i can understand that. if you have any complaints, you may file them here and i'll take them into consideration before posting about it again, but for now i feel like i'm almost obligated to keep you updated.

for the most comprehensive summary of the web sites, stories, conspiracies, and whatever else is part of this supposed viral marketing campaign, i'd like to direct you to this link: echoing the sound.

if you want the just the basics, another flash drive was found in a bathroom at a Nine Inch Nails show. this time it was Barcelona. it contained two mp3s; one was another track off Year Zero, the other part of this increasingly weirder story. the non-album mp3, simply labeled 2432.mp3, contains only what sounds like a bunch of noise. when viewed in a program that can produce a spectral analysis, this is the result:

[click for full screen view]

it's a very clear phone number. strange? call it and be prepared to be at least a little freaked out: 216.333.1810

::::get it while it's hot
~~NIN - Me, I'm Not~~
~~[NIN] 2432~~

[album track removed upon RIAA request. ~~the static track will stay up in case you're curious.~~ 2432 has been removed upon DMCA request.]

i'm very serious when i say that these will not be up for very long; you probably have about two days to get here and grab them. we were requested to remove My Violent Heart and we don't want it to get to that point.

new The Sea And Cake for 2007

2007-02-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

so far, 2007 is an insane year for music, and especially already-established bands. albums are leaking every which way (Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, Kings Of Leon, Frog Eyes....), "indie" acts are overturning "pop" acts to debut at 12 on the Billboard album charts (Bloc Party, anyone?), and even random bands that i found way back in the day are trying out their careers all over again. look at this! The Sea And Cake. no, no, i'm not even remotely kidding. i guarantee not one person knows this, but i blogged on this band as the fourthish post ever on NfT [...here, cough.] and now here they are, totally unexpected, with a new album for 2007.

even the artists themselves recognize how very instrumentally straight-forward they've become, and i think we're all pretty happy with the result. my favorite release of theirs, Oui (2000), was a very mellow, jazzy endeavor which brought up their Broken Social Scene comparison (especially vocally, think "Looks Just Like The Sun") and started the reputation they have for being an alternative and electronic-elemented shoegaze act. well now, with 2007's efforts, they've come back with all of that same flair, now tightened and peppy, poppy like the sunshine variety and yet still delectably jazzy. i'm so excited about this record, as it's really quite good, and it completely breaks up my wintery day with a brightening little jaunt of melody, but my Chicago-native friends here are just like I am: their pleaded case is for "the album," not for "the single," and therefore they are a band after my own heart/philosophy. i highly recommend you give the whole thing ago -- they've really got something good with Everybody.

::::get down, get groovy, lighten up.
The Sea And Cake - Crossing Line
The Sea And Cake - Middlenight

Bonus: The Sea And Cake - Lightning
catch up with the hype (as it will rise) on none other than the hype itself.

if you're a little unfamiliar with the band (they've been around since 1994), there's an extremely helpful wiki article. their label has a great bio as well. hang on to your hats, though, because the album drops a long ways away, on May 8th - i'm just giving you a taste now, to get you all riled up. remember, it's the album you're waiting for! and this is its tracklist, and you all take a gander, now, and take care.

"Up on Crutches"
"Too Strong"
"Crossing Line"
"Middlenight"
"Coconut"
"Exact to Me"
"Lightning"
"Introducing"
"Left On"
"Transparent"

WESH

2007-02-19T12:23:00.000-05:00

for those of you who have no idea what i'm talking about, you can completely ignore this post.

for those of you involved with the WESH forums, we'd like to thank you for your time and ask that you move on. cleverness and obstinacy are clearly your strong points, and there's nothing wrong with that, but know when to stop.

i would actually be glad to join regular discussion on your forum if you'd like to let this whole thing go, but we can make that call later on.

thanks for your time and referral links, it's been fun.

p.s. this one was me:

p.p.s. noisefartboaster is probably the funniest thing that came out of this. you should all be ashamed of yourselves for letting a fart joke beat your own humor.

more NIN; not the radio rip

2007-02-17T13:12:00.000-05:00

i posted a few days ago [happy valentine's day] when the first song off of Year Zero leaked. it seems to have gotten a lot of people [including myself] excited, so i figured i'd continue the saga here and help you guys out.

if you search the web [and maybe the hype], you might be able to find another song floating around. Survivalism is supposedly the first single off the upcoming album [which drops april 17th, for your information], and somebody ripped it off of a KROQ broadcast. it sounds fine, it gets the point across, but to the discerning ear [and a program that can perform spectral analysis] it can sound flat and compressed because radio signals aren't of the highest quality.

well, we here at NfT only want to give you the best, so we have this to offer:

::::a high quality, 320kbps leak
~~Nine Inch Nails - Survivalism~~

[removed upon RIAA request.]

please do enjoy, and keep the comments coming. this whole thing is still fascinating to me, and i'd love to hear some more input or any updates you guys find out.

Low - Drums and Guns

2007-02-16T11:03:00.000-05:00

i'm way too capable of overdosing. i guess i have that addictive personality thing going, and i'm pretty predictable in that once i find an album i love, i play it non-stop for the next 72 hours and then i'm kind of done with it, unless it's completely epic (Field Music, Annuals, Sondre Lerche, The Bird & The Bee, SoftLightes - still going strong). so it's good to also switch up the genre i'm so prone to obsessing over... and Low, one of Sub Pop's most established, is able to do just that.

Low concentrates heavily on the minimalistic, percussive aspects of their instruments. their great highlight is the beautiful and often moving blend of vocals, sung by Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. these two have created this very different sound (although often comparable to TV On The Radio, to tell you the truth) since 1993 - all throughout the era when bands were supposed to be going grunge. these guys held strong, and have mastered this eerily melodic style to the point when all of us mere "fans" must look up, shake our heads and say - oh, i defer to you, i have no idea what's going on. play, play more.

my favorite moments come out of songs like "Hatchet," when the vocals and music have a specific relationship that's naturally in accord -- or "Dragonfly," when the tension they build is so strong and promising and yet, it drops off to nothing. they're good at leaving you a little shaken, these guys. maybe my favorite is the easiest to compare to TVOTR, "Breaker," which is the most accessible, perhaps, and drags the electric with perfect consideration of the vocals. i mean, it's really interesting stuff. i'm a minimalist everywhere else in my life, and i really appreciate this kind of attention in music.

::::try it out! maybe you'll start moving all the furniture out of your house, too, and whitewash the walls. go minimalism.
Low - Breaker
Low - Hatchet
your best search bet on the hype

if you're not entirely familiar with the Duluth, Minnesota band, there's a great wiki article here. they also don't have a myspace! so don't bother looking for them there (how refreshing, god). lastly, this album here drops in March, and you can pre-order it now.
want more? there's a great review at Harmonium from a bit ago. worth the trip. go to it.

Feist - the latest.

2007-02-15T14:18:00.000-05:00

yeah, okay.

you haven't long to wait. and here's the first bit of it:

::::Feist - My Man, My Moon

it's glam and, admittedly, more accessible than anything she's ever done. irresistable. she plays up that charming swing, the lilt of her voice which is so can't-you-just-stand-it amazing. oh, you know i'm stoked. you know.

Let's Go Sailing - The Chaos In Order

2007-02-15T13:23:00.000-05:00

opening my mail today, i very nearly fell over when, as i ripped open the cushy manila envelope, out tumbled the adorably animated cover of Let's Go Sailing. man, had i completely forgotten about this band! way back in the beginning of NfT, i took a liking to the mp3s that were stumbling 'round the blogosphere, and i never let go of them in my music collection (meaning: they never got archived). that was all the way back in June. [original post here... we've come a long way, kids.]

now i'm very excited to present you their full, final album, The Chaos In Order. while last June i was addicted to the slow, sunshiney, girlish-twee, piano/violin/acoustic folk pop - - now i'm addicted... well, to the exact same thing. i'm such a sucker.

Chaos starts off with a gorgeous and (perhaps deceivingly) moody piano/cello/violin melody, which breaks off into the doubled vocals which sound so twee, but stop short with the serious and contemplative undertones that both the instruments and the lyrics supply. in this way, the whole album is layered with the ebb and flow of sunshine-without-a-care and a very real pensiveness, which gives it a balance between catchy and deep that immediately sparks your interest. they have succeeded in continuing my addictive listening past just "All I Want From You Is Love" (a slower, darker, deeper song made lighter by her wispy, airy vocals, which never quite leave a quiet falsetto, much like the Acid House Kings - listen here) to a full-range, mature, beautiful album which i will keep hooked in my arm for the weeks to come. i highly, highly recommend this album, for both it's wonderful range of pop but also its surprising attention to complex arrangements, instrumentals, and often ironically upbeat vocals. 60's bubblegum? oh yes, yes.

::::what a treat, i'm telling you:
Let's Go Sailing - Sideways - the first track, and as usual, probably my favorite of all.
Let's Go Sailing - Better Off - very happy, maybe the poppiest endeavor on the album. i figured it was a good pick-me-up for anyone in a bad February way. oh you know.
nothing on the hype yet, but maybe by the time you read this...

catch up with LGS at their myspace, and get their album! i love to hear it when you buy what i recommend you. it makes everyone involved very, very happy.
they'll also be playing SXSW, which is the best place ever for independent bands, so be psyched for them, and just wait for the results. the peeps will love them -- as will you! (awwww)

a real Valentine's Day gift - NIN [take 2]

2007-02-14T19:03:00.001-05:00

okay. okay. i told you earlier today that the new layout was going to be a sort of gift for today.

but i think i have better.

i don't know who of you out there are following this thing, but apparently Trent Reznor [you know, the guy that is Nine Inch Nails] has been laying out a huge viral marketing campaign for his upcoming concept album, Year Zero. basically it revolves around a strange future world where everything is ruled by paranoia and biological weaponry and so on and so forth... there's some good information on it all here: i won't even pretend i understand.

seriously, it's crazy. if you have time, you should definitely go through some of those sites and do some reading. the planning behind this thing is incredible. but what i'm trying to say is this:

the first track leaked.

the rumor [i believe] is that it was found on a flash drive in a bathroom in Lisbon during a recent show. brilliant? or crazy? i don't care. fans of Trent and NIN will appreciate this.

[let me note that when i say "leaked" most people believe at this point that Trent released it himself]

::::happy morbid v-day
~~Nine Inch Nails - My Violent Heart~~
[taken down by DMCA request]

give it a listen, put it on repeat, figure out the lyrics, whatever. there are some crazy fans out there who have gone through a lot to get this for you, and i can't claim to have done the work or to even know what the hell is going on.

this is really, really important.

2007-02-14T17:19:00.000-05:00

ahem-hem-hem!

now for an important message from our sponsors (Toaster, obviously):

hip-happy valentine's day, yo. Toaster hearts you, and we do too.

an unconventional Valentine's Day gift

2007-02-14T12:17:00.000-05:00

we here at NfT clearly love all of our adoring readers, and probably far more than you even know. i mean, you're definitely the reason we do this [or at least the reason shan does this, you'll notice i'm not visible on here unless there's some sort of technical issue]. and speaking of such things! take a look around, get settled in, and enjoy: the new layout has finally been tweaked and posted.

yes, that's right, the layout that shan and i spoke about almost a month and a half ago is finally here. sure, it was pretty much completed in under a week after we moved to this domain [remember we're noisefortoaster.com now, right?], but school and travel and blah blah blah it took me until yesterday to make the adjustments necessary and do the testing required to officially put it into use. there were sizing issues and some coloring disagreements here and there, and then firefox and internet explorer decided that they wouldn't interpret the code in the same manner so more adjustments were made and then finally, voila, here we are.

Toaster thinks it's pretty spiffy right now, so it might last us until the summer months. you know goldfish and their attention spans; by summer he'll want a full flash layout. demanding little bugger he is...

anyway, check it out, scroll up and down, get some coffee, change a diaper, do whatever you need to, and then come back here and tell us what you think. let us know if your browser is having problems [according to my testing, firefox and internet explorer both work pretty cleanly], let us know if it's too big for your screen [optimal resolution is 1024x768 or higher], or even if you just don't like it. maybe you miss the giant raspberry-shaped blob at the top of the page, or maybe you miss the orange borders. whatever your question, comment, or complaint, just post it right here. we're open to all forms of inquiry, so take advantage while you have the chance.

and regular posting should resume tomorrow, after the sky in boston stops raining glass shards.

a totally and completely unofficial and unorganized look at the 2007 Grammys.

2007-02-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

i never, ever, ever remember to tune into award shows. actually, i never really remember to tune into any shows, ever. good thing there are ways to illegally obtain ripped tv copies, or i'd never follow a series in my life. i probably would have missed the final episode of M*A*S*H, to be honest.

that said, i was nicely reminded this past sunday that the grammys were on. there are a few moments i witnessed that i'd just like to unofficially review and provide clips of, for anyone that - like me - always misses them the first time.
[full list of winners]

Dixie Chicks.

really? in case you didn't know, they won five. yeah, no kidding. again: really? well, okay. (poor James Blunt, huh?)

The Police

the group reunited for a performance [YouTube] to kick off the night. it was "Roxanne," chosen out of three possible tunes they declared they'd choose from. i hoped for "Message In A Bottle," personally, but i have to admit i got a little girlishly excited when i saw them performing together. if only their egos could contain themselves to actually record a little sumpin' together again, eh? sigh.

Justin Timberlake

possibly my favorite performance of the whole night was this one of Justin performing "What Goes Around (Comes Back Around)." in fact, i loved it so much that i decided to give you the clip, right here on the page. if you missed it, i suggest you see this, and get over your fear of pop (if you still have one by now.)
everyone knows pop is the new indie.:

The Flaming Lips

now to win back my indie cred (cough), we can all rejoice in the recognition of the Lips, who won a whole two grammys. Gnarls won best Alternative Artist, out of the Lips as well as Arctic Monkeys, Thom Yorke, and Yeah Yeah Yeah's. whatever.

my personal awards of the night:
Best hair (by FAR):
Shakira

Rudest awakening:
Imogen Heap

Sweetest thing since Welch's grape juice commercials:
Corinne Bailey Rae

Vocal performance that made me catch flies with my dropped jaw:
Christina Aguilera

Best effort that will surely eventually get them somewhere very big:
Ok Go

Saddest, yet possibly the most hilarious, thing i have ever seen:
Death Cab

(don't look so pissed, Ben, or you'll be the next Rivers Cuomo.)

there are a lot more goodies at the actual Grammy site, and the full list of winners is all right here, linked to again for your convenience. YouTube also has just about every breathing moment of the ceremony in bits and pieces, so go put 'em together if you're into that sort of thing. good luck.

The One AM Radio - This Too Will Pass

2007-02-13T07:43:00.000-05:00

it's one thing to write an album that cuts really deeply into your own psyche and come out with a reeling portrait of yourself. i think it's quite another, however, to come out with one that transcends your own private experiences -- and make that portrait shudderingly universal. this is the feat of the one AM radio, made up primarily of Hrishikesh Hirway from Peabody, Massachusetts (you have no idea how close to my hometown that is).

his accomplishment runs in the form of intricately mixed sounds, a washing and tinkering blend of electronic and organic elements which hold together delicately and yet naturally. i can't help but be impressed by this album on a purely compositional level. violin, cello, upright bass, trumpet -- all hold the hands of a soft voice and sensitive lyrics to bring in a true blend of old and new, of fresh and traditional "indie," of slow but infinitely intriguing. there are moments in almost every song when i look up and say, "wow." something i never thought of. something painstakingly creative. something that just saves me from losing my attention. you can get hopelessly lost in this stuff. it's like nothing i've ever quite heard before, or at least nothing as successful.

two years in the making, This Too Shall Pass bitterly, humorously, submissively holds out its open palms and displays its raw emotion, the scary stuff that makes people people. every note seems to eerily cling to that aspect of human characteristic we're not always willing to give away -- our most hidden attributes, the paths least traveled by our own brains. this is all the great submerged stuff you let flow when you plop on your bed with headphones after One Of Those Days. The One AM Radio is right there.

::::it never quite leaves you.
The One AM Radio - In The Time We've Got
The One AM Radio - Cast Away - the end of this song is absolutely chills-worthy, gorgeous. the whole thing.
look them up on the hype machine, as well.

Eleni Mandell - Miracle Of Five

2007-02-12T08:04:00.000-05:00

one of the most important things to remember about finding new music is that almost every single album i ever run across defies my expectations in some fashion. as humans, we make judgments upon first contact, no matter who we are or how hard we try not to -- and when we look at album art, hear a name, or hear just a few chords of one song, we automatically make assumptions and write a story for something we know nothing about. i did this with Eleni Mandell, along with probably every other artist ever, and want to give you as candid a picture of the singer/songwriter as she would give you -- which is photographically truthful.

eleni mandell has terrific press photos. it's really quite hard to choose just one of them. her official website, linked above, has incredible flash artwork and fun facts (read her bio, find out her first record, the first time she met her band guys, etc. etc.). and even though her "genre" is filled with intense competition, she's already well-established, just like the rest of them -- Feist, Emily Haines, Amy Millan, even Inara George -- and besides, she doesn't really care. her voice is gorgeous, filled with attitude, confidence, and all the know-how of someone much older and wiser than herself. a fifth record, however, calls up comparisons to older material. a fifth record?!, you say. yes, yes, a fifth. she is seductive as all hell, aware of her voice's power, molding the shapes of her musical understanding until a parade of fashioned fancies has danced smokily in and out of your ears, and you are high from the delicious haze. "Miss Me" saunters in, 12th of 12 tracks, soothing your pounding brain with bluesy swagger and brass, sax and horns. nothin' wrong here, my friends. eleni has you just right.

the best part about Miracle Of Five is its upfront marvel at making music. a salute to old, old influences, americana in Roger & Hammerstein, and still the low-lit walk through the bar, bouncy curls, more questions asked than answered -- eleni has no trouble divulging both the details of her second boyfriend ever and just exactly what makes her tick, what makes the beat ring out so quietly and confidently from the (possibly misrepresentative) paper cut-out of her album cover artwork. she's all set. don't you worry about this one.

::::let the jazzy songbird sing you into the stupor:
Eleni Mandell - My Twin - all of her best influences rolled into one catchy tune - jazz, folk, alt country, and sunsets. mmhmmm.
Eleni Mandell - Miss Me - the last track, and possibly the best. piano, blues, "just the birds singin'..."
more available through the hype machine.

more of the delightful press photos are stocked at her myspace, where you can also listen to the songs i had a hard time choosing between. i highly recommend you get your hands on this album, which you can do here, since it came out last week. oh, and she won't let you down. no no.

new music: Five Foot Nine

2007-02-09T08:03:00.000-05:00

not feeling so hot again this morning. so what am i going to give you guys? a nice, heavy dose of folky-power-pop-rock, brought to you by a lovely debut artist five foot nine. their representation and image are pretty different from how they end up sounding, so this isn't a case of being able to look at The Little Ones's Sing Song EP and know immediately that they have to sound at least a little like The Shins. as for their band name, i don't know if they know it, but there's an Urban Dictionary entry on it. apparently it's the ideal male height.

the best comparisons i can make to their music are The New Pornographers and, occasionally, this sort of Lennon-wrote-this-one Beatles feel. certainly their best moments are when they stick to this sound, making the first half of the album infinitely better than the second, where they become a little experimental with keyboards ("Jardin Du Luxembourg") and heavy country ("Sugar"). best of all, by far, is when they keep rock their central concern, playing with power-pop tempos (heavy Pornographers) or highlighting boy/girl vocals in a flawlessly-integrated folky feel, like on their single, "Back To The Tunnels." they manage to weave a feeling of importance and earnestness into a compostition which clearly demonstrates, above all, how much frickin' fun they're having. Five Foot Nine works so well because they work so well with each other, showing off a kind of family-ish aspect which comes clear in every track. always willing to try something new -- be it sitar, cowbell, heavy steel, trumpets, synths -- their debut has a little something for everyone.

::::today was such a good day for alt-country folky pop stuff.
five foot nine - Back To The Tunnels
five foot nine - Where Am I?

please, go say hello to them at their myspace, dance around your home singing, and be really, really cheery today. it's friday.

Matt Wertz - Everything In Between

2007-02-08T08:05:00.000-05:00

i'm always excited to find anything in the way of guilty pleasure music, and though that usually comes in the form of a pop single or Justin Timberlake, every once in a while i get something decently crafted and still independent enough to be considered guilt-free guilty pleasure. ahem! let me introduce you to, or perhaps re-aquaint you with, Matt Wertz.

Matt falls into a category from the very first second you put on his latest album, Everything In Between. he has a gorgeous voice, much in the way of those he's toured with -- we're talking Jamie Cullum, Matt Nathanson, Jason Mraz (guy has a voice, that you can say), Gavin Degraw, and even Ben Folds. Matt takes his cue from pop the way alt-country bands take from country; he has a delicious pop voice, and certainly steals the typical tempo, but his guitar work is something else. i cannot listen to this album without at least comparing it to John Mayer, whom Matt follows in such a way that every Guy And His Guitar does -- modest love lyrics, musings of heartbreak, and baring-soul honesty. the movement of the album reflects the time in which he wrote it, touring out on the road, where every song must go perfectly with the endless passing of dashed white lines... and must also be really fun to sing to in the car. when it comes down to it, this is why Matt Wertz is worth your time. he's fun, every single song is catchy as hell, and his gorgeous voice lends itself as an answer to the endless search for Good Music To Drive To. i highly recommend this as a pop getaway.

::::but see for yourself! my first reaction was a big smile and a tapping foot. let me know what you do.

Matt Wertz - The Way I Feel
- i think this is my favorite. first song on Everything In-Between, and a perfect little jamboree of guitar, organ, and hand claps. and the voice.
Matt Wertz - Heartbreaker
- by far the catchiest fucking song i've heard in months and months and months. good luck getting this one out of your head -- after you're stopped playing it on repeat, of course.
more on the hype machine.
listen to the whole album here.

his best moments are at the beginning of the album, certainly. get your hands on it! buy it!
also, visit him on myspace for access to his tour blog. not really a blog darling (yet) but certainly has a huge fanbase.

buy Sondre Lerche's new album.

2007-02-07T19:04:00.000-05:00

i don't know what kind of what and vinegar i'm full of today, but here's your third post, making you savvy on the thing that makes February so good this year:

as you all should know, Sondre Lerche's new album Phantom Punch hit stores YESTERDAY, and so you officially have no excuse not to go straight out there and buy a copy. not fully motivated? let Amp Camp help you out!

as it's their record of the week (apt choice, might i add), those who order Phantom Punch will get a free, signed CD booklet while supplies last. i imagine those will go very quickly, so if i were you, i would scram on over to the coolest place to buy albums on the web and get my mouse clicking on every button that says "purchase" on anything to do with Sondre Lerche's new album. and if you want to click "purchase" on things to do with other albums, that's totally your call, and it'll probably be a good experience too. a few words from the Camp:

"Mr. Lerche, ah, you press our Prefab Sprout button, and apparently more than that, according to some of our randier interns. And the guitar rock? We approve. The rockist cape fits him quite well, better than to be expected following his more intimate, folkist releases of late. ...And girls could not resist his stare, to quote Monsignor Richman."

don't you just want to be best friends with them?

cozy up to Sondre in the following ways:
- my previous post, which rocks more than anything on this list, obviously. plus the tracks are still up.
- myspace
- wiki, in case you aren't sufficiently Sondre savvy (woo-hoo!)
- the hype machine, because they give you cool stuff, like the dentist. sometimes.