was the sun outside? yes

Beautiful weather is to be cherished. All animosity is meant to dissipate in the face of sunshine. Does it? Sometimes, but not always. It's a bit of a silly idea if you actually think about it. It's a typically Irish way of thinking, but it works. Anyway, I was at the beach today think I probably got a tan [though it hasn't shown up yet] playing football tennis and lying down and this was all either before or after forgetting the meaning of punctuaction [fullstop] It's a tough life I have [irony?].

To keep a long story short: the sunshine has brought out my inherent "emo" characteristics. Y'see, summer reminds me of a certain time in my life [two years ago now I believe] where I would listen to sort of emo/screamo stuff alot, like MCR when they were actually making interesting music, TBS [ditto] and others, and it's now sort of traditional to listen to the music, and thusly make myself think of that time [it was a happy time.] It's all about the memories for me, not the music.



Alternative, emo/screamo, post-hardcore sort of thing

Emery - Walls
Anberlin - Ready Fuels
Spoken - Promise

So, waddya think? Bit not for you? Well, if that's the case, here's some nice songs I've also been listening to. These actually are nice, floaty acoustic numbers full of love and promise and hope and sadness, and that's the way I am come summer.




Acoustic, floaty, pleasant music

Dirty on Purpose - Girls and Sunshine
The Weepies - World Spins Madly Around

The title Girls and Sunshine evokes [well, duh George!] sunny weather, and ice creams, and lots of pretty young things running across sand past water, shimmering with perspiration and the spray of the sea, people lying on a beach reading the latest bestselling novels, ignoring you and you them, you've got your sights elsewhere. You're happy; more than content. You're jogging along trying to keep up with everything you see sometimes double-glancing sometimes fighting the urge to stare, sometimes at people, sometimes at nature. Or else you're kicking a football about, it's just a laugh and you're smiling - ha ha ha, amazing, etc - and you're thinking this is Heaven.

However, sometimes if you're stuck in a rut, or you've just broken up, or... well whatever... just sometimes, the title Girls and Sunshine will make you slightly down-hearted, knock the wind out of your metaphorical sails, and so forth. Sometimes it will be a morose happiness, a wry smile, etc. And sometimes it will be a comforting sadness. But in any case, the best way I can think to describe this feeling, and why it appears is this: the constant human yearning, a longing for something else, something better, nicer, prettier, sunnier, happier etc. Quite simply put, in this scenario, you still haven't found what you're looking for.

this story-book has only just started...

Someday I'm going to have to clear out my e-mail inbox. I do it every now and then - say every three months - and it feels good to put all that writing into folders, delete the random stuff that isn't relevant and tidy up. It's like tidying a messy bedroom and looking around and thinking "lovely" - then promptly exiting the room before your very presence disrupts the tidiness. It's something like that anyway.



But the point is, I'm not doing it today. And you know why? Because my inbox holds magic in it today. What magic? The magic of winning two tickets to go and see My Latest Novel in Dublin, after entering a simple competition just for the sheer "why not?" of it all. Now, since I'm an idiot I think I may have entered for the wrong one [Dublin] 'cause Belfast is closer, and on a date when I have just finished two exams, instead of on a date when I should be revising for two exams. However, if I'd entered for Belfast, I may not have won, so I should just get over it and go. I can't wait. Assuming I'm allowed to go. Will. Be. Amazing.

If you would like to share in my joy, listen to the fantastic Glaswegian band with me. They "are an astonishing Scottish five-piece whose gorgeous songs are complemented by violins, xylophones and undulating percussion."** So yea, the easiest way to explain my love of My Latest Novel is to explain when it started.

I was at the caravan, down to enjoy a bit of free time, a day off work, the pleasant-ness of being beside the sea. It was sunny, but windy - really windy - and I was sick. I was watching waves - nearly feeled awed but then feeling nothing. I went back to bed, and decided to make myself a CD of the sort of songs you can either ignore or be amazed by. The Nov featured twice. That's like a record, since I have a rule that only one song per artist is allowed on mixtapes. But every rule has its exception, and all that jazz. What made it even more impressive was that since downloading the songs I had from various blogs and the official website, I had never even listened to them until that moment in time.

I love the violin and drums and everything that's going on in Sister Sneaker, Sister Soul. I've listened to the lyrics a few times [everytime actually] but I've only caught odd words, like flipping the pages of a scrapbook and seeing something that looks cool, before thumbing past it onto the other pages, delving deeper and skimming through the book like a pebble across water. This is the sort of music that somedays will appear to be floating past you, but if you grab it and tug it down, it will stay with you and be your friend. Other times it just wants to be mysterious and magical and sound beautiful, and I'm not complaining. I'll let it.



My Latest Novel

Sister Sneaker, Sister Soul
The Hope Edition

There's lots of photos 'cause I think they look cool... Sorry if it takes forever for your browser to open. If you get a chance to hear "The Job Mr Kurtz Done" by them, do, because its spoken word verses and personal tone along with the Scottish accent make the song delicately delightful. Anyway; I'm going to drink my tea now before I forget. Then I think I'll head outside, 'cause the sun is still shining. Do you think it's shining in Glasgow? Hopefully I'll head there next year and see My Latest Novel [hopefully, again], and also other cool bands like Sabrepulse and... possibilities are endless.

**Source: official website

Les Angles Morts

I could make yet another post about some big well known band, that's been done before. Well, this one's about those guys in Arcade Fire. No wait, sorry; who were in Arcade Fire as, *according to Chris Taylor from AIDs Wolf,

"What a lot of people don't know is that individually each one of them has had some sort of time spent with Arcade Fire, playing in their band. They were part of the lineup at one point or another. So they're all musicians who have played really well and cut their teeth on the Montreal scene in the last four or five years. And they've played all over the place."
Myles Broscoe and Brendan Reed featured on Arcade Fire's s/t debut EP, before leaving to create **Les Angles Morts, a chaotic art-rock band. However, much like Frog Eyes, Les Angles Morts are never likely to get the attention they deserve, despite a heavy cult following and many fans from Montreal. That said, they do have an album out, titled "What's Real?" which was released under Blue Skies Turn Black. The tracks are chaoticly addictive, and the album is a quite eclectic collection which maintains a certain psychedelia throughout - a listening experience comparable to walking through a computer at times.

MP3's from "What's Real?"
Huge Antlers
Whats Real summer
Portals

The music is apparently all scores for films they make, and they are apparently as obsessed with video at their gigs as they are with music. Their website shows how truly arty/insane they are, and once you're in there you won't be able to get out until you feel you ***understand it. The website includes material from other bands like Noh Cars Go which is another of Brendan Reeds project. A lot of the music doesn't even make sense and seems unfinished but tracks like Reform Forrest and Sel Keys make it worthwhile to give it a look.

*This interview is actually where I first heard about Les Angles Morts, while searching for information on AIDs Wolf, this quote originates here also.
**Translation : The Dead Angles
***You will never understand it.

Of Montreal

Of Montreal may not actually be from Montreal [like a LOT of the other bands I like] but we won't hold that against them. Hailing from Athens, Georgia, they remind me a lot of Clap Your Hands Say yeah, wih similar style of vocals and with a laid back, floaty feel to their music. On the CYHSY note, I both missed them in Belfast earlier this year along with the Oxegen concert which I will be missing in the future, where is the *Justice? Of Montreal are another one of those bands in the Electric 6 Collective along with bands like Neutral Milk Hotel who were featured in an earlier post, there's plenty of other live mp3's and such in the Of Montreal mp3 section of the site.

Lysergic Bliss is one MP3 I highly recommend as I'm amazed every time 2:30 into the song with the accappella-esque vocal parts come in. Its unbelievable, and if you say it isn't, your wrong. Disconnect the Dots shows a more electonic side to the band, which differed to the more lo-fi stylings of earlier recordings. The Velvet Underground cover features on the tribute album "Rabid Chords". Other recommended songs are Rapture Rapes the Muses and My British Tour Diary off Satanic Panic in the Attic.

MP3's
Lysergic Bliss
Disconnect the Dots
She's my best friend [Velvet Underground Cover]

*Justice are an dance outfit from Paris in France, I LOVE them. And yes I missed them when they played here too, I miss **EVERYTHING!
**Yes EVERYTHING!

Something else to check out if you have time is the Les Angles Morts site. It's confusing as anything but if you look hard enough you can find some real good music, like this little song, clean up pulpit, a bit like Neutral Milk Hotel.

Si a todo

Danny meets Marc. Everyone loves Marc and thinks he's a brilliant guy. The happiest guy they've ever met. Marc's motto is "Si a todo" - "Yes to Everything". Danny only met Marc, because he had already been following this motto for a while. Before Danny started out on his little mission, he had been staying in most nights, finding excuses, and just wasting time. He was missing out on friendships, connections, promotions, opportunities and life, all because he was saying "No" too much. When a stranger on a bus told Danny that he should, "say yes more" he realised that this was the solution to all his problems. Say yes more, he thought. Genius.

Change-over, and counterpoint.

Elliott Smith is dead. Sometimes I forget this. Everyone knows it, but somehow I still forget it. I think it's 'cause his voice is so heartfelt, his lyrics so immediate. Everything about his life and his music cuts through the skin, the flesh and blood, and gets straight to the heart. I used to know a good deal about his life [gleaned from interviews and biographies] but I've forgotten most of it now, though I do know that he didn't like to talk about it much, and he often pushed friends away without realising it, due to his rumoured drug addictions. Many believe that he stabbed himself in the heart to prove a point - that it wasn't the drugs that were killing him, but life itself. The knife through the chest silently screaming, "this is it, I've had enough, I can't take it anymore - life has broken my heart".



Notes on the song I'm going to post: Elliott Smith said in an interview with Nic Harcourt - on a Morning Becomes Eclectic live session - that he picked this song to close his best [in my opinion] album, Either/Or, "'cause it was kinda happy". Nic suggests that it has a positive name, and Elliott laughs and says "oh yea, say yes".

Change-over, and counterpoint.

In case you didn't realise, the start of this post is the basic story behind the book, Yes Man by Danny Wallace and it's really funny. Comedic is that way that enlightened humour is; wit with a backbone of truth. It's also uplifting. To explain further: Danny decides that for about six months he will say "Yes" to every favour, request, opportunity, advert or question that comes his way. It's all about losing control [much like The Dice Man] and opening yourself up to risks and opportunities. And by the end of it he has become a much more positive person, who feels enlightened by his travels [Singapore, Barcelona, Melbourne, to name a few] and also ends up with a class wife [if i read between the lines correctly - may be just a girlfriend] by the end of it, who he probably wouldn't have had if he hadn't've said Yes.

Therefore this post, is in celebration of that book, and the idea of just throwing yourself at life and everything it offers - nevermind the risks. Danny's girl was "still around the morning after". This post is also a tribute to Elliott Smith, and the fact that the music he made during his life was beautiful, and has meant alot to many, including me. Three years is a long time. It feels like a lot less.

Elliott Smith

Say Yes (live)

There you have it, one of my favourite Elliott Smith songs. I hope you like it. You also have my post on enlightenment: self-help 101, #1: Believe in yourself. You are a unique and beautiful snowflake. Or should that be star?

Bonus:

The Frames - Star Star*

I love that song. [Star, your every word I'm heeding. Can you help me to see? 'cause I'm lost in the dark... yea]



Follow the lead of the innocent and the childish and jump at life, just like the dolphins jump at opportunities, and jump for joy.

*Additional notes for the curious: The Dice Man is a novel by Luke Rhinehart. It was a bit of a cult-hit in its day. The general plot was that this guy would assign an option to every number on the die and then roll the die. Whatever number was rolled this was what he had to do. It gets a bit crazy from what I remember... a particular scene that stands out is when he has sex with his best friend's wife just because the die told him to. However, as far as I know, The Dice Man was purely fictional, whereas Yes Man isn't. And Yes Man is amazing.

Sufjan Stevens and stuff

In "To Be Alone With You" by Sufjan Stevens, you can hear the squeaks as his fingers slight across the acoustic guitar. Raw, lovely, beautiful [? ? ?] Yes. Yes. Yes. And authentic. Following a complaint [thanks Kyle] that it's impossible to get into an artist after only hearing one song [fairly true, except for when I heard one song by Anathallo and fell in love], I decided to post some more. These are all I could find hosted by the two record labels that he has belonged to [he may have belonged to more, but am I prepared to find out? not right now, no]...



Sufjan Stevens

Year of the Dog
All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace
Holland
Jason
Sister
*Note: right-click and save target as, if having difficulty.

Sufjan is good music to be listening to at the minute, since it's nice and sunny and it's been a pleasant day and I can't take anything all that seriously otherwise I'd go insane. Pretty much. So instead, let's all smile, and enjoy Sufjan's pretty voice. I like that idea. Do you? If so, I recommend going onto either elbows or the hype machine and searching for Sufjan Stevens. There are bound to be about a million posts [with a million songs], since last year every blogger fell in love with his album Illinois [and it topped many a best-album-of-2005 chart]. And now there's many a blogger gearing up to give his "new" album of outtakes from Illinois [called The Avalanche] the coveted title of album of the year. As it stands, these songs I've posted are not representations of why I love his music. But get searching...

Here's the tracklist for that new album:

1. The Avalanche
2. Dear Mr Supercomputer
3. Adlai Stevenson
4. The Vivian Girls Are Visited In the Night by Saint Dargarius and his Squadron of Benevolent Butterflies
5. Chicago (acoustic version)
6. The Henney Buggy Band
7. Saul Bellow
8. Carlyle Lake
9. Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in his Hair
10. The Mistress Witch from McClure (or, The Mind That Knows Itself)
11. Kaskaskia River
12. Chicago (adult contemporary easy listening version)
13. Inaugural Pop Music for Jane Margaret Byrne
14. No Man's Land
15. The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake
16. The Pick-up
17. The Perpetual Self, or "What Would Saul Alinsky Do?"
18. For Clyde Tombaugh
19. Chicago (Multiple Personality Disorder version)
20. Pittsfield
21. The Undivided Self (for Eppie and Popo)

The moon is a tiny crescent

...when I look at it from my bed, in my room, out of the window.

Friday's have always been the best night for me. Everything happens on a Friday. Saturday's are slow days. But, last Saturday? Amazing. Dan's birthday was amazing... drunkness was amazing.. and it was preceded by The Frames... Glen [Hansard - lead singer of The Frames] is mental. Officially.

The Frames

I like this song quite a lot: People Get Ready

Glen Hansard and Mic Christopher

And I would like to add that the first line [including the title] of this post is true. Thus, making this song relevant: The Whole of the Moon
[I saw the crescent, but you saw the whole of the moon]

I'll do a proper post at somestage, but this one is to keep you happy in the meantime, and stuff. After all: We have all the time in the world... to get it right.

Ok, I've thought about it [life that is]

So I'm going to see The Frames tonight. I'm drinking Hennessy now. Dan's celebrating his 18th birthday tonight. I just finished stock-take there now in Long's. I don't have to work again 'til Thursday. I have money. Is life sweet? Yes.

Sufjan Stevens

No one knows how I feel about Sufjan Stevens [except for Thom] 'cause I've never featured him on the blog, and now is not the time to get fully into it. But, to keep this short:

I love his music. It's incredibly lovely. I associate it with love, affection, tenderness, memories, hard decisions, moving on, changing scenery [remember that lake in Stirling? It was beautiful. The sun was out, it was a nice day. I think it started raining. No matter - the memory sifts through and selects the gems]. This is music for falling apart to but also for restoring your faith in whatever it is you believe in. I've connected with the music. Enough gayness.

The fact that he does/did/does? do shows in funny costumes? How do I feel about that? I'm not sure, since it adds a joky nature to the music which I've only had glimpses of but never really seen in all its undoubtedly brilliant glory. Like a flash of light. Like a blind spot on your vision. He is amazing. That's all... here's a track that Pitchfork featured. And then head over here to get another. The always fantastic Good Weather For Airstrikes did have two others, but the label requested their removal. Pity.



Sufjan Stevens

Dear Mr Supercomputer

Time to think about life

I had typed up a post [didn't take long, four lines] where I explained I was going to post soon. Turns out I'd nothing better to do so soon equals now. How soon is now? [As Morrissey asked]... well for me, it's right now. But anyway, point of the story? I changed my mind when I saw that Think About Life were getting popular and I decided to get in on the game. I like the song "What the future might be" alot. Not too fussed on everything else I've heard so far, reminds me too much of The Unicorns [who I've seen hyped as the band that all cool people like now and liked before their dismemberment, but who I've never really seen as anything other than average. 'cause I'm boring I guess... or just haven't given them the time of day. I'm lazy like that] So anyway, I hope you like these tracks I'm going to post after I ramble - they're those songs you stick on at a party when you're drunk as hell and think a bit of madness might brighten up the room and stop everyone from taking so many breaths before they speak; intended to kick the party off again, or just make people laugh and joke and go "what the fuck's going on?". Pretty much.

So my thoughts on Think About Life's actual sound? A swarming mess of synths and keyboards, [and other instruments, of course] lo-fi production and vocals just thrown around the mix. Hailing from Montreal, perceived hip capital of the indie world, they were personally invited by Wolf Parade to be their support act during last year’s autumn tour. So they've got all the street-cred they'll ever need in the world... listen to them and their wacky brand of post-punk electronica hazy drunken chemically enhanced music.



Think About Life

Paul Cries
Serious Chords
Snowee Caterpillar

I think the artwork is stunning. The song "Paul Cries" reminds me of a Derry band called Farrago. A lot. Mainly 'cause of the ascending harmonising.

Edit [five minutes later]: I might retract my "not fussed" statement soon. 'cause I'm starting to really like "Paul Cries". Although it reeeeally reminds me of some other band as well. I wish I could work it out.

Hey, what's going on?

Here's something quick just to tide you over. See it's reaching midnight. And when it hits midnight a new day starts. And if a new day starts then I didn't post today. I'm trying to avoid incidents like this. When they happen they will happen in isolation. Anyway, like I say, just a quick one, tomorrow's will be all weird again I'd imagine. Most of it's in my head already from today's: feelings / moods / experiences / visions / sadness. So it's just a matter of finding the time and writing it up, dragging myself to wear the old heart on the old metaphorical sleeve [which probably won't happen since I like to talk in a cloudy haze of vague poetic imagery] and making it fit to whatever music I feature.



In order to play shows and go on tour as much as she could, Melanie Valera of Garrison Rocks, created a solo project: Tender Forever was born. “emotional pop” or “lo-fi R&B” are unusual definitions, but do not give the complexity of it at all. In the first place, Tender Forever is a girl performing alone with her DIY crafty sounds, a cardboard laptop, a very personal body language, tears, cut-outs, spasms…and more. Tender Forever also means countless people, feelings and emotions living through her music. Tender Forever plays guitar and calls you into play. Tender Forever sings, dances, gets stirred, excited, worn-out, falls on the floor and affects us. Tender Forever is something very, very fragile! And at the same time, it is a great ball of fire dragging along everything in its way, which might wake up intense things that are buried deep in each one of us...

Tender Forever

Then If I'm Weird

This song's a bit of a strange one to be honest, in that I'm not sure what to make of it. I think I like it. It seems kind of jokey but it's still fairly sad. Confused the old brain, to be honest. Although I'm featuring this song, it should be noted that there's a better one called, "Take it off", which I couldn't find hosted somewhere that wasn't a blog. Go search for it though. It's good. But still this post filled its purpose in that in gave you a fairly good song to listen to, some biographical information about an artist, and filled a gap. Think of this as a bridge. From one day to the next to the next to the next. A steady stream of information, updated daily [*note: preferably - not always though...] This is the Domino Effect in practice. You have to set them up to knock them down.

Set.

Up.

So say you want it

I'm tired. Not really. I'm just lazy. I think that's it anyway. My brain isn't quite functioning, right now, and I'm looking at a leaflet on Uni accomodation for next year. Freak out? Gettin' there. But I still have a couple of maths papers to do [sic: 'couple' denotes 'two'. The word 'five' does not denote 'two'] so there's still plenty of time for that. There shall be an onslaught of depression tonight, or boredom, I'm sure of it. So to get us in the mood let's listen to some Jens Lekman style stuff not by Jens Lekman. Oh, intrigued are we? Well, then, maybe you would actually like to listen to Jacob Borshard. He has two albums on the internet. Why? Beats me.

Hey, you, do you like free music?

I'm going to feel the static crackle, waiting for the hum to disappear, the mental lethargy to rumble slow-motion style into kinetic moments and I shall be back, like a bird, flying away and around and boomeranging back into place. Soon. Soon, I will return and finish this post. Where am I going? Outside to breathe freshly poisoned air [by my own hand, no less... clicky clicky on the lighter] and watch the sun descend.

I'm afraid to say that I know next to nothing about Jacob Borshard, as I discovered him on Catbirdseat and didn't really read, just downloaded [I'm playing catch-up, blog-wise, starting tonight over about two weeks worth on content on every blog... hmm...] What can I tell you then, to make you interested? Well, aside from the Jens Lekman comparison, there is also the fact that Catbirdseat described his music as "ukelele bedroom pop". And that I think it's good. So I think you should all listen. Closely too, for there are some very noteworthy lyrics in the mix. Like this:

I've been thinking all day about this dream I had where I never lost you
But the only mermaid that's flesh and blood is a bad tattoo
The stars are out and the moon is new; how long do I have to stand here praying?

from the song, Grass Stains.



Jacob Borshard

6,000,000 Dead Punks Can't Be Wrong
My Sweet Skyline
Grass Stains
Brains, Brains
Sarah

Music for those tired afternoons. Anyway, I boomeranged back into place, into shape, and then lost all hope. I've been grappling with the merits of actually doing this maths and I'm coming up short. Reasons against: I'm incompetent, it's too hard, i'm too lazy, it's boring, i'm fed up, it's pointless, pointless, pointless. Reasons for: teacher, oh el profesor, won't have a reason to lecture me. I won't have to avoid class. I think the reasons against are winning but I'm not too sure. Who knows? Well, basically... as far as this blog is concerned...

I'm back. Goodbye.

The static is crackling

For a Sunday evening stroll that was really quite unusually eventful. The mass of people roaming the streets, seemed strange and incongruent - well, not really. I guess it's the nice, lovely, sunlit weather that brings them out in force, finding the opportunity to step outside and seizing their skins, Rizlas, or whatever brand is preferable and making and subsequently lighting up a joint - y'know, just to celebrate. And what are they all celebrating? The fact that they're not dead yet, I guess. Down to the shop and inside, grabbing what I want, paying and walking out. On the way back my synapses and nerve endings triggering to attention at the smell of dope - and I would experience a sweet rush of dopamine, if it wasn't for the negating thoughts of impending maths, crushing down on my skull - bypassing the guards that stand at The Pearly Gates, leading to my brain - and making my head a treasure chest of misery and incompetence.

Seeing blue carrier bags - off-license licensed - and pondering the virtue of my relatively long-term sobriety. Sentences cascading and falling, being constantly written and re-written, within my photographic memory. Syntax gets muddled, and confused, rephrased to make more or less sense depending on context and circumstance. A literary etch-a-sketch forever - for this moment only - transfixed in my mind, words losing meaning and taking shape when dragged begrudgingly, reluctantly out of their dictionary definitions and transposed to mean something else entirely, muddling irony with contradiction and paradoxes be damned.

Walking back from the shop and suddenly a child starts following like some sort of long abandoned puppy - Where do you live? - lingering on like a particularly noticeable perfume - Do you know me and my big brother? - a puppy that has just learned to bark - boo! - and taking the opportunity to inexplicably fire off statements disguised as inquisitions - Do you know you're much faster than me? - and taunts disguised as facts - Well, I'm faster when I run - criss-crossing across tripwires and inevitably further fragmenting my already fragmented brain - Why do you smoke? - before getting bored at my monosyllabic, disinterested replies and giving up the chase.

Well, what can I give you to help you understand this mildly amused, abstract, fragmented state-of-mind? The endless walking - a pacing of the room if indoors; walking up and then down the street pretending that I actually want something from the shop if outdoors. It all must add up to something, surely? Surely? Here's the closest I've come to describing it today, in the form of Beirut. I hope you enjoy them. Understanding is something. You can decide what. I'm off to the long put-off maths I've been going on about.



Beirut

Postcards From Italy
Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)
Interior of a Dutch house

Here's a short, extracted bio, courtesy of the site. Since I've done enough writing. You can tell I've been reading recently.

"While it may sound like an entire Balkan gypsy orchestra playing modern songs as mournful ballads and upbeat marches, Beirut's first album, Gulag Orkestar, is largely the work of one 19-year-old Albuquerque native, Zach Condon, with assistance by Jeremy Barnes (Neutral Milk Hotel, A Hawk and a Hacksaw) and Heather Trost (A Hawk and a Hacksaw). Horns, violins, cellos, ukuleles, mandolins, glockenspiels, drums, tambourines, congas, organs, pianos, clarinets and accordions (no guitars on this album!) all build and break the melodies under Condon's deep-voiced crooner vocals, swaying to the Eastern European beats like a drunken 12-member ensemble that has fallen in love with The Magnetic Fields, Talking Heads and Neutral Milk Hotel"

Listen to the songs and then shuffle, skip, dance, walk, walk, walk... keep walking. Can you hear your heartbeat within the percussion? Well, in the interior of a Dutch house, I can. The static is crackling, the room is upbeat and distracted and the music is pulsating from speaker to speaker, and it feels like you're in love. That is Beirut. Like it? Buy it.

*Note: all of this post is factual, with literary license. However, none of the italicised quotations from the kid are made up. They were all said, word for word.

Voxtrot

What to say what to say what to say whattosay...

It's a tough life and it takes everything you got just to keep yourself happy. Sometimes you just have to do what you feel like doing. And vice versa. Don't feel like doing something? Don't do it. And poverty... well, despite what people say about money and how it doesn't... BLAH... well, poverty might make you unhappy. So try and stay upbeat, work hard, make money, do everything you've gotta do, save your soul save your soul save your soul, keep your heart strong. Dip in and dip out of various pursuits, find the right activity for you. Sometimes it takes a good night of getting pissed. Fair enough. Sometimes it takes a night in listening to silly music and watching silly tv and giggling. Life. Is. All. That. You. Make. It.



So tonight's post is a bit ad-libbed [read: completely]. Guess who I'm listening to? Voxtrot. Yes, that band that everyone who has a blog has already talked about. And it's not like I'm late in coming forward. I heard them at the same time everyone else did, I just waited for the right time to post about them. And I feel it's probably now. Now that everyone is probably forgetting about them for the next scene band of the moment. Now that I'm enjoying the lovely, beautiful, Smiths inspired pop/indie-rock. Everyone loves Morrissey. LIES. But he has been very influential, and his influence is definitely upon the lyrics of these guys.

Two years of touching only teaches you to fight

What with the clever word-play, [or a simple sentiment thinly veiled as word-play... is it, isn't it? Don't think. Don't think. Thinking is conducive to depression. Not always? Not always, but sometimes]. Definitely seems like a Morrissey influenced lyric to me...

Well, here you have it, Voxtrot. Hey, look at that. There's a plane flying out my window. No, I'm not joking. Sometimes it's nice living in close proximity to an airport. There's always the illusion of possibility of getting away at any...

given

moment.



Voxtrot

The Start of Something
Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives

I find The Start of Something to be a delightfully delicate love song. I find Mothers, Sisters, and co, also very very charming. Think what you will of this post, and its non-sensical ramblings - slash - lack of punctuaction and proper grammar, but you can't deny that Voxtrot do make quite brilliant music sometimes. I'm not bringing anything new to the table, just sharing old [old? not really old... say... half-new] favourites with you.

On another note: soberness ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Begin to hope...

I managed to get straight through from Tuesday 'til today without making a post. Some might say I'm slacking off; others might say I'm dying. I've been a tad sick and for the past while have either been in my bed at the caravan, or in my bed at the house. Right now I'm in my bed at the house, so I can ly back and afford to make another post without too much effort. All before breakfast, which I have to make for myself, since I'm all alone right now.

Everyone knows I love Regina Spektor. It's common knowledge. I mean, who doesn't love Regina Spektor? Her voice is pretty much adorable and her eclectism/eccentricism is part of what makes her so fascinating/enjoyable to listen to. Well, she has a new album coming out sometime soon (June 13th), called Begin to Hope, and three tracks from the album have been released on all digital service providers. Those three tracks are:

* Fidelity
* Better
* Summer in the City

...and I've heard the first two, which was definitely worth buying. Haven't heard the third however. If you still need more convincing about Regina's brilliance, [she's been featured on this blog twice already], then I'll include a link to a stream of Fidelity. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm away to pass out. Then get breakfast.



Regina Spektor

Fidelity (128 kbps)

Cacoy

For those of you who don't know, Rumraket is a label run by the extremely brilliant, experimental band, Efterklang. Well, Cacoy are one of the select few that are on this fantastic label.

"Cacoy are Saya and Ueno from Tenniscoats and DJ Klock. Their album "Human is Music" is a sparkling beauty of strange pop. It takes you from processed sounds and cut-up guitar pieces, to almost trippy underwater hip-hop played with found sounds in a very personal, melodic and organic way.

The album was originally released in Japan in 2003 (on Clockwise Records), and it is now available in Europe via Rumraket." - courtesy of Rumraket.

So Cacoy have a new video online, to promote themselves, and now you can see it.



Cacoy

Mo ma W Maw - the new video
Yoko Majikick Ono - MP3

Hailing from Copenhagen, UFX are the talented guys behind the video.

If you'd like to support this artist, and buy their music, then click here.

Discovery. Joy. [Invention]

No, this post isn't about Biffy Clyro. If you scroll down this little blog even slightly, you'll see a rather mammoth post on The Poets of Rhythm. Well, if you read it, you can tell I was very excited about their live show. Now you can see why I loved their music.



The Poets of Rhythm

More Mess On My Things
Funky Runthrough Part 1 & 2
*Note: only MP3 clips. Not full songs.

Brilliant saxophone use? Brilliant funk? Brilliant soul? I think so. Brilliant.

"Arguably the pioneers of the new heavy funk movement, Munich's own, Poets of Rhythm, recorded this debut album in 1993, years before Desco, Daptone, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, or any of the rest of us ever got covered in the filth of raw funk. However, Practice What You Preach can be measured beyond the modern scene and stands tall as one of the great full length Funk-Soul albums of all time." - Daptone Records

Note the DJ Shadow mention, all scenesters. Buy their debut album, here.

Mates of State

So it's been a few days since the last post, thus I thought it was time to make a new one, no matter how awful I feel. My throat is killing me. I have back-pain. It's been an eventful few days. I chose sleep over drinking last night, too. I'm rather proud of myself. Well, I'll be headin' into town later as in now soon, so this post is short. Mates of State are a husband and wife duo who apparently write for between 4-6 hours everyday. Impressive. Their music music seems like throwaway pop to me, and it's good for the sunny days. I looked out the window there now - and the sky's blue. Class.



Mates of State

Hoarding it for home
Proofs
Ha Ha
Goods
Fraud In The 80's

I love the break-down in Goods. The intro to Proofs is a bit happy.
Read an interview with them here. More effort will be made when I can stand up without pain, and breathe without choking.

Straight From Our Hearts To Yours...

So tonight was a weird night. The title of this post is something close to a song title by The Poets of Rhythm. I bought their CD at the end of the night, and I was scared to put it on there now. See, the whole live thing made it sooo much better. I was worried it wouldn't work at all on CD. That, and the fact that the CD in question [Practice What You Preach] is 13 years old, culminated in worry. I guess there was no need to fear. I'm on track one... exactly three minutes and twenty-three seconds in, and it's funky. So how would I class The Poets of Rhythm? Well, visually I would say their live performance is a mixture of Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire. In fact, for the first hour or so I was wondering why the xylophonist wasn't in Arcade Fire. He was going mental. Actually. I spent the next hour wondering why he wasn't the drummer. The passion and rhythm with which he was hitting the xylophone was to be admired.

So, yea. I went out feeling lonely, bored, tired, fed up. I'm at home now - kinda buzzing, alone but feeling like I own the world or at least belong in it, and happy. The redemptive power of music? I think so. My friends buggered off to the Metro. I've been there too many times this week so I didn't go. I thought I'd finish my drink and then head on away from Sandino's but... nah. Just wasn't happening. Last night I was dancing to Westlife. Tonight I was skankin' to The Poets of Rhythm. Pure sweet. Diversity is definitely a blessing.

The track that's on right now is one that they played. Sweeeeeeeet. Anyway, there was 8 people on stage... bongo/flute [or something?] player, xylophonist/singer, singer/drummer [it was a special, maybe Indian, drum which I know not the name of], drummer, bassist, flute/maracas player, saxophonist, and... I can't remember what the other guy played. Jeez this is goin' to annoy me now... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Uhm. I can't remember at all, sorry.

But their music... I heard a fan [and the xylophonist] call it breakbeat. So, I would say. It was funk, breakbeat, world music, jazz, soul, and alot of other things which I'm not in touch with. It was amazing. Actually.



"There's the whole funk scene going on everywhere in the world". So said, the xylophonist, who also mentioned that the band were playing here, then London, then Belgium, then Germany... et cetera. You get the picture. An amazing band if ever I saw one. But if I just listened to the CD I probably wouldn't get it. Alot of bands are like that. For example, Broken Social Scene, although amazing on CD, make much much more sense on stage. It's easy to understand what's going on. You see the heart, the passion, the soul, within everything they play. And suddenly it clicks. You feel it. In your heart.

On another note, I'm developing my politeness. It's working. Tonight: "shocking... finally a decent guy and not some fuckin' stupid arsehole"

The other night: "wow, you're polite, here you can have your food straight away since you're so nice".

And on another note, I'm working tomorrow, so I'm going to sleep now. I won't be hungover. I barely drank anything. And it's just a job. It keeps me living. I'm happy. The world is a nice place. It's twenty to four. AM. Night night.. x

The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

So. In the last few days nothing but Tom Waits has been coming out of my speakers. I first heard him was a few years back in my Dad's car, on an old cassette that he had gotten a lend of from one of his friends, and I haven't looked back since. Waits has one of the most distinctive voices in the business. It was once descibed by a fan as 'like how you'd sound if you drank a quart of bourbon, smoked a pack of cigarettes and swallowed a pack of razor blades... Late at night. After not sleeping for three days.'' And I pretty much agree with this. His trademark gravelly singing voice/growl has, in my opinion, given him a unique edge and it's always nice to hear something out-of-the-ordinary once in a while, and he certainly delivers. He listened to Bob Dylan as a youth, and has certainly got the less than typical singing voice that Dylan has.

His songs are mainly blues and jazz with an experimental inclination. His lyrics usually touch on the wierd and rare side of things with a dark and depressing tone that make you think of all those characters you would find in an alleyway out the back of an old pub beside a dumpster. Interesting life story, but totally out of it.

His third album, "Small Change", which was released in 1976 is my favourite so far, and I think it is the quintessential Waits album. It has been described by others as "his transition from jazzy lounge singer to experimental, rhythm driven growler." It captures Waits at the peak of his changeover. I recommend that if you do not have this album, go purchase it as soon as you can as it would be money very well spent.

Here are some of the tracks off "Small Change" that I think you should really take the time to listen to.. and enjoy.

Tom Waits - Pasties & A G-String

Tom Waits - The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me)

Tom Waits - Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets To The Wind In Copenhagen)

Tom Waits - Invitation To The Blues