Tired Starlings

gracias amigos

2006-08-18T19:22:00.000-07:00

I got so many birthday well-wishes yesterday and I wish I had the time to respond to each individually.
In place of that, here's a musical present / party favor for yall:

Shuggie Otis: Inspiration Information
My Morning Jacket: Take My Breath Away (Berlin cover)
The Flying Burrito Brothers: Hot Burrito #1
The Flying Burrito Brothers: Hot Burrito #2
Frank Zappa: Peaches En Regalia

Some 70s soul, a soulful cover of an 80s classic, some classic country-rock, and some rockin' jazz-funk licks.

Enjoy!

just listen

2006-02-19T09:58:00.000-08:00

Tortoise - TNT
Crazy Horse - Look at All the Things
My Morning Jacket - I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man

Post-rock can a complex music yet Tortoise transmogrifies any such tension into a lulling stilness on "TNT" from the 1998 album of the same name. Purchase TNT.

Pandora led me to theis Crazy Horse track a couple of weeks ago when I was looking for songs that were "similar" to Dire Straits' "Wild West End." The song is from their first album and showcases the band's talents when they didn't have Neil Young at the helm and remain musically (albeit not commercially) successful. Purchase Crazy Horse (1971).

I first heard My Morning Jacket do this Prince cover in Athens last summer while I was studying for the Bar Exam. The 40 watt club was electrified that night and My Morning Jacket has continued to have a knack for finding really interesting songs to cover, like Erykah Badu's "Tyrone" and The Zombies' "Time of the Season." This version comes from the Live at Bonnaroo 2005 series. Purchase the show here.

easing into saturday

2006-02-18T09:06:00.000-08:00

Just checking in with a few easy listening tracks.

Dire Straits - Wild West End
Neil Young - Motion Pictures
LCD Soundsystem - never as tired as when i'm waking up

The first track is from the same album that featured "Sultans of Swing", a staple of classic rock radio, but on any given day I'd rather hear Wild West End. There's been a deserved resurgance of interest lately in middle-period Neil Young albums like Zuma and On The Beach. Notice the stylistic similarities to James Murphy's song and the Beatles' Dear Prudence. Enjoy.

Purchase Dire Straits' self-titled debut, Neil Young's "On The Beach," or LCD Soundsystem's self-titled debut.

it's in the way that you fly

2006-02-10T21:12:00.000-08:00

I'm doing this post due to a large amount of envy with regards to the fantastic blog Aquarium Drunkard. Over the last few weeks as I've been swamped with the pressures of being a new lawyer, he's been posting way to many tracks and bands that I've been "planning" to post. So, I'm posting now so that I get 'first dibs' between the two of us on one of the greatest songwriters in rock music today - Jerry Joseph. I've had the pleasure of seeing him and his current band (the Jackmormons) play in a variety of settings - from amphitheatres to bars to friends' backyards. If you've not heard of Jerry directly but you've enjoyed the roots rock / jam band posts at AD in recent weeks, Joseph's music should continue to whet your appetite. Thanks to ickmusic for the pic.

One of my favorite "Jerry moments" was at a show in Atlanta in 2003 where he and Sam Holt, a tremendous fan of Widespread Panic who went on to become their guitar tech and a ring leader in his own band Outformation, played one of my favorite songs that Jerry has written: Three Mile Island. The intensity and longing in Jerry's playing and singing is ever present - a consistent blend of sexuality and spirituality. For more music of Jerry, et al. Click here.

Download: Jerry Joseph - Three Mile Island (Live - Hard Corr Studios - 2/1/03)

Note to AD: I'm claiming some of the Mississippi bands of my college era - Kudzu Kings, Taylor Grocery Band, Nickel & Cheese, etc. You'll have to consult with me first before posting ;). This post was brought to you by the following "sponsor."

mr.trebek's perfect from now on

2006-01-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

75 or less had a review up for the following EP and the references stuck out - Built to Spill and The Jayhawks. Turns outall their recent output is available for download. Enjoy!

Spanish for 100 - Metric EP (2005) and Newborn Driving LP (2003).

New Built to Spill

New Shins

(Old) music from The Adventures of Pete & Pete - from Stylus.

(Old) funk covers of The Beatles' White Album classics.

i had six white russians tonight, and two of them were people

2006-01-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

You like REM. You like Wilco. Without hearing a note, you like The Minus 5 or at least of idea of any sort collaboration between the aforementioned bands. Former Young Fresh Fellow Scott McCaughey has brought folks like Peter Buck of REM and Jeff Tweedy from Wilco into his fold over the last several Minus 5 records with some critical and commercial success.

Their newest album is being released soon and there's some leaked tunes available. Songs:Illinois posted the Colin Meloy guest track: "Cemetery Row" as well as the album opener "Rifle Called Goodbye." Stream "Twilight Distlery" from the Yep Roc Records site.

It was a bit prophetic of the All Music Guide to say that several tracks from its previous effort, the At the Organ EP, should fill out an actual album - it looks like "Hotel Senator" will be on this new album as well.

From the great northwest, Three Imaginary Girls said,"the album is mostly a jaw-dropping juggernaut of brilliant lyrics, ridiculously good melodies, and sublimely soulful electrified busker rock that never fails to charm." I'd agree. These folks know how to fashion a great pop tune. It's deceptively "simple" with new twinkling music and lyrical ideas appearing with repeated listens. The title of this post comes from the opening lines of the new song, "Out There On The Maroon." It's irreverant words like these and a balance of the jangley and twangy elements that makes music FUN. Download another new track, "With A Gun."

Find tracks from previous albums, Down With Wilco and In Rock, here. (I'd definitely recommend "Groove Supply")

Pre-order The Minus 5's new self-titled album, which will "lock and load" on 2/7/06. (and get a free CD-R in the process).

the colorful hills

2006-01-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

The Black Mountain eponymous album with its single "Druganaut" was one of my most enjoyed LPs of 2005. They also seemed an unlikely opener for Coldplay.

From wikipedia: Leader Stephen McBean also heads another similarly-named band, Pink Mountaintops, who are the more experimental side of McBean's musical abilities.By day, McBean works in a needle-exchange facility for drug addicts, near Vancouver's infamous Main & Hastings intersection, widely considered to be the heroin capital of Canada, if not North America.

Pink Mountaintops will be releasing "Axis of Evol" in March but the label already has an mp3 up for mass consumption - "New Drug Queens." Another track, one that's considerably more stripped-down like the predominant amount of their output, is "Plastic Man, You're The Devil".

The first record "reworked" a Joy Division track - "Atmosphere." Their label, Jagjaguwar, has two other tracks from the self-titled debut: "Rock & Roll Fantasy" and "Can You Do That Dance?"

So, Pink Mountaintops = an occasionally more electrified New Wierd America band? That's a lazy comparision. The synths like those "New Drug Queens" rarely rear their heads in Joanna Newsome or Devandra Barnhardt records. Yet the totality of both records fits more within those confines of slightly fuzzed folk, but McBean or at least his label refuses to fit into boxes.

Enjoyable? Yes, but I really just wanted to post a cover of a Joy Division song that wasn't "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

Purchase Black Mountain and Pink Mountaintops music from Jagjaguwar.

new truckers song for christmas

2005-12-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

While "A Blessing And A Curse" doesn't come out til April, the Drive-By Truckers have decided to leak one of their songs during the holiday season.

"Feb. 14" discusses another holiday - Valentine's Day - with the same lyric fervor and musical intensity that the band has become famous for with its past several albums: The Dirty South, Decoration Day, and Southern Rock Opera.

From the looks of the record site, Wes Freed did the artwork for the album again.
Thanks to Jenn and the Truckers for making our Christmas dreams of new music come true.

top 10 tracks of 2005

2005-12-21T16:43:00.000-08:00

As a way to recap the bands and albums and songs that I most enjoyed in 2005, here's links and downloads of ten of the songs released this year - the ones that stayed in the playlists and made it on several mix cds.

Enjoy.

1. Black Mountain - Druganaut on their self-titled record.
[from Jagjaguwar Records]

-- sludgy, psychedelic music rarely sounded as good as this in 2005.

2. Broken Social Scene - Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day) on their self-titled release. [from the blog Can You See The Sunset From the Southside?]

-- Totally Mind Blowing. Even Better Live. The first time I heard this was from Said the Gramaphone (which happened a lot this year).

3. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away from their self-titled debut (there's a pattern developing there)

-- after the carnival craziness of the opening track, the tamborine/bass churn up the real beginning to their fantastic first collection of songs.

4. Fruit Bats - Lives of Crime from the album, Spelled In Bones.
[SubPop's link to the download is broken. I've got it hosted now.]

--perfect pop.

5. My Morning Jacket - Off The Record off of Z.
[from the blog Hug Robot Radio (scroll down/YouSendIt link)]

-- this may not always be my favorite song from "Z" (that seems to change weekly) but it was one of the first new songs that I'd heard live (in concert in Athens) and recorded (when some tracks started leaking). A departure from the band that changed the ways I enjoyed jam rock and 'alternative' country music.

6. Spoon - I Summon You on their new record, Gimme Fiction.
[from the blog Unfinished Novellas]

-- The first time I really LISTENED to this song was on a great Pop77 mix about Annie Hall. I can't say enough good thing about Pop77. Always such great mix cds.

7. Okkervil River - Black from the album, Black Sheep Boy.
[from Jagjaguwar Records]

-- I think I heard this track before I heard "For Real" (.mov). Both are stunning. While that song sounds more dire and this one more up-beat, the lyrics here continue with the album's sordid tales.

8. Stars - Ageless Beauty (Most Serene Republic Remix) from their single, Ageless Beauty.

-- Listen to the original track first, then listen to the remix (keep reading for the link). Completely different from the original and both are just excellent. (scroll down to Music for Kids Who Can't Read Good's #7). Thanks again to saidthegramophone for the original download!

9. Stephen Malkmus - Baby C'mon on his record, Face the Truth.
[from Matador Records]

-- Tight, Loose, Good.

10. Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel The Illinoise from his LP, Illinois.
[from the blog The Big Ticket]

-- This is epic, lush, and other more grandeous adjectives. The record is one of the most blogged and loved and hated.

BONUS
11. The Black Angels - Black Grease from their new self-titled EP. ($4!!!!!)
[from the band's website; the DJs at KEXP led me to this one]

-- Not a whole lot of press about the band, but when they release a full-length, beware the onslaught on bandwidth....The EP's tracks deliver freight-train level intensity.

Also check out You Ain't No Picasso's 12 Days of Mixmas. It's nice.

Thanks also to Aquarium Drunkard for the plug last week.

finding meaning in physics

2005-12-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

The Chapel Hill music scene brings thoughts of Ben Folds or superchunk or Merge Records. However, there's an increasing popularity (at least in the minutae of the indie-blogosphere) for bands associated with bu hanan records. The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers (he wrote 156 episodes, Dude, bulk of the series) and now The Physics of Meaning (from Go Machine's Daniel Hart).

Said the Gramophone had a mini review and two tracks up on Monday. ("Down at Columbia and Cameron" & "Manhattan Is An Island") Bu Hanan has some more tracks ("Small Towns and Invisible People" & "Oregon, My Only True Friend").

After checking out there one-sheet, they also have as recommended listening "Bigger Cities, Thicker Doors". It starts in Death Cab land but moves into Arcade Fire territory. Fans of the Sufjan Stevens, Final Fantasy and the aforementioned groups should enjoy this. Stringed Instruments abound...Its all warm and deliciously pleasing. Download it now.

The last track on the album, "A Slowly Tilting Planet," is a bit more experimental and noisy in the vein of Grandaddy or the new album by The Fiery Furnaces (for the grandma-esque bit). The lyrics are very interpersonal and introspective but the music is moving towards the far-out + a xylophone. Download it now.

Vinyl Mine and The Oak Room were one of the first to talk about this band. (The later has some demos of the album available too). Somewhere Cold has a great recent review of the album. There's also some hot and heavy Myspace streaming action.

"So, what makes the Physics of Meaning's self-titled debut such a great album? Could it be the appearances of such friends as Dale Baker (Sixpence None the Richer), Heather McEntire (Bellafea), Anne Polesnak (Utah!), Wendy Spitzer (Eyes to Space), labelmate David Karsten Daniels, Wes Phillips (The Rosebuds, Ticonderoga) and the superb mastering abilities of Chris Colbert (Pedro the Lion, Summer Hymns, Elf Power)?" - from Phony Nowhere.

The next big thing? We can only hope... (Arcade Fire > Wolf Parade > Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! > The Light Footwork > The Physics of Meaning)?!?!

Purchase the Album from Bu Hanan records. ENJOY!

zombie. whiskey. rock.

2005-12-07T18:27:00.000-08:00

Those words seem to pop up in most any review for The Drones, an Australian band that makes really intense records - like wailing and gnashing of teeth but in a good way.

The band was nominated for The J Award (Australian album of the year) this year. (They did not win...)

The last track on this album "This Time" is a booze-fueled train of musicthat picks up speed and takes the listener on an epic journey of sound. Download "This Time."

Pitchfork reviewed the album "Wait Long By the River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By" today. They gave it an 8.3 and a Recommended Music endorsement.

Also online - Download the first track from the album, Shark Fin Blues, from Moebius Rex's blog. Several live tracks and radio sessions are available from the band's site. There's also a video (.wmv) of Shark Fin Blues.

Purchase The Drones' music.

Recommended If You Like (RIYL): Exile on Main St., Gun Club, The Drive By-Truckers, drunk guitar sex, not eating at Outback.

new order in athens

2005-12-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Vigilantes of Love's early songs were a large part of my highschool experience. I picked up a compilation of their first albums in early 1997, V.O.L. They had a kind of rootsy jangle to their music (r.e.m.-esque) and vivid, heart-felt lyrics. Also, slightly fuzzy and country - this was sort of my version of Uncle Tupelo in the early/mid-90s.

The following tracks are from the V.O.L. compilation of their first four albums and four previously unreleased songs recorded at John Keane's studios. Struggleville is from the 1994 album "Welcome to Struggleville". And You Drown is one of the unreleased tracks.

Bill Mallonee was the Jeff Tweedy of the band (well, there was never much of a Jay Farrar to compete with/play off of). Bill continues to perform and record. Although I'm less familiar with his more recent work, its more informed by the Beatles than say Neil Young.

Pastemusic has several of these current songs available for download and his more recent albums for purchase.

Two of group's concerts are available at the Internet Archive.

japanimated

2005-11-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

An "alt-country tinged, instrumental group," Japancakes takes drone, chamber pop, and lilting country riffs to new heights. I came to their music through hearing John Neff (man-about-town in Athens: See: DBT, Bloodkin, The Chasers, etc., etc.) who plays pedal steel in the group.
How far can you take one chord? That's the question that this collective of musicians asks with each piece - creating a tapestry of sound everytime. Short Mile is a track from their first album, "If I Could See Dallas". The pedal steel is up front in the mix here, although its not always so highly featured in their tunes.

Released in 2001, their atmostpheric album "The Sleepy Strange" got me through studying for my first year in law school. No one should have to endure hour after hour of the Rule against Perpituities or the Fertile Octagenarian without listening to music....and that was just Real Property.

Although Kindercore Records had released most of their earlier records, that label fell on some hard times. That label's output could/should be the subject of a future post. Darla released Belmondo in 2002, while 2004 saw the release of Japancakes' "Waking Hours" on Warm Records.

Emusic has several of their albums for download.
They have a live track from Austin, TX's KVRX streaming on their myspace page.
Buy Japancakes records from amazon.com.

On a sidenote, more folks should be (and are) blogging about athens' music. See also: athensmusic.com

things to be grateful for: indie-rock darlings

2005-11-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

Cat Power is great. Memphis is great. Chan Marshall's new record made in Memphis is great.
Folks have been talking about the first song and title track of the album;it is great. Here's last song on the album; it's also great.

Download Cat Power - "The Greatest"
Download Cat Power - "Love & Communication"

Pre-order an import of the new record. Matador has the new single on sale for a buck.

Enjoy.
Now it's time to talk turkey....

lovin' the natch'l bluez

2005-11-18T19:16:00.000-08:00

It's early 2001 and I've decided to shop at the only record shop in Americus. (Music Mart for those playing the home game). I've heard the bluegrass stylings of Leftover Salmon before. They're a Colorado jam-band and/but they've got some significant musical abilities....and apparently they know how to "pick" cover songs. I'd enjoyed their high-energy take on traditional tunes and when I saw a copy of their album they'd done a few years prior in Nashville with some significant guests. I plunk down the cash for the cd. Little did I know how much this cd and at least one song would be a constant fixture in my life.

The cd was "The Nashville Sessions" and it's just a fanatastic example of what acoustic music can be. Very Power, Happy, and Jubilent. Some of the bluegrass greats are on this record. Sam Bush, The McCoury family (Del and Ronnie), Sally Van Meter, Jerry Douglas and Bela Fleck. Also Lucinda Williams, Waylon Jennings, and Taj Mahal .

The song "Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes" was the second song on the Nashville cd. It starts with Taj's directions to Leftover on how to treat the song, its rhythm and its rhyme. The picking is up-beat and consistent and Taj sings it in a positive tone. He's got the girl and he's reflecting on that and sharing his love. Singing her praises to the world. The rest of the cd is fantastic and well worth tracking down. Download Leftover Salmon with Taj Mahal - "Lovin' in My Baby's Eyes". Buy The Nashville Sessions from Leftover or Amazon.com.

The original track by Taj was on his Phantom Blues cd and its somewhat different from the later cover version. It's slower. More methodical. It's like he hasn't got the girl yet but he's singing, dreaming, like he has, like he WILL get it. More yearning. MORE powerful. Perhaps, he knows her. He has pictures. There's some sort of relationship, but they're apart....for now, if there's ever been a connection, but he believes in a lasting 'thing' between them that he's gonna reminence upon. Download Taj Mahal's "Lovin' in My Baby's Eyes". Buy Phantom Blues from Amazon.

Taj's record company(s) thinks just as highly as I do about the track because it's featured on several recent "greatest hits" type compilations which can and probably should be sought out. It was also used cinematically, a topic which will be covered in the near future (hopefully).

In 2004, Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon used some downtime from his regular gig and made a trek down south to play some solo shows with Georgia band Moonshine Still, out of Maconga. Vince played the song once during the tour and played it with the full band in Athens at the Georgia Theatre (a spot where one should never buy draft beer unless horrific hangovers are exactly what's desired - note to the bar/theater owners - Clean the Taps!) Download Moonshine Still w/ Vince Herman - Lovin' In My Baby's Eyes (11/13/04).

There's a site on the interweb that has concert records for lots of independent rock and jam bands and a recording of the entire MSS/VH show is available there.

Taj Mahal is a fantastic philanthropist and real supporter of roots music. He can also cook better than your mother. He deserves to be heard. Enjoy.

fledgling indie-rock

2005-11-13T13:08:00.000-08:00

The band Joe Christmas came out of the Atlanta-area and signed to Tooth and Nail records in the mid-90s to get some exposure - which their record "North to the Future" deserves. They toured with a lot of the Elephant 6 crew (Neutral Milk Hotel, et al.)

Some in the band later became Summer Hymns, an Athens-based outfit, who hasn't put out a proper record since 2003. Summer Hymns does have some mp3s available from their record label, Misra, who hosts several talented bands, like the most recently heavily-blogged-about Great Lake Swimmers and The Mendoza Line.

But back to the original intention of this post -Joe Christmas. They had a song on a T&N Compilation that I bought for $5 in 1996. The song "I'll Bet You Do" was worth the price of admission. Catchy hooks from fuzzy guitars and a slightly cocky attitude with the lyrics - total teenage fun. It's Pavement-esque.

Download Joe Christmas - I'll Bet You Do.

Buy North to the Future from T&N records (a steal at $3).

the gospel

2005-11-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

The setup: I didn't listen to much music until this song. I had finished 8th grade and went to some church-related mega-conference Jesus-extravaganza concert-experience of the early 1990s. I got a tape compilation of some of the bands and musicians who played. This song was on that tape. I don't know what else was on that tape, and I really don't care. This song started my love affair with "pop music." This song mixes the Beatles and Motown and just the best of pop music. Half of it is a cover....it's just good.

The payoff: PFR - Wait for the Sun. from the 1993 album "Goldie's Last Day".

obligatory test post

2005-11-11T18:01:00.000-08:00

if it wasn't this, it would be something else.