I'm going to try to start doing this on a weekly basis-here are the cds I've been playing alot lately in the past week. Grant Lee Phillips's new one was played to prepare me for his show Thursday. Papercuts "Can't Go Back" is one I have been playing constantly for about the last three or four weeks. It's catchy but also some of it is 60s folk influenced reminding me of Dylan a bit. The Good, The Bad & The Queen because I tell you I can never get enough Damon Albarn (When Blur broke up it was a sad day in my life, I tell you.) Robert Gomez is from the same area as Midlake and has some really catchy and melodic songs that I find undeniably addicting. The Innocence Mission is of course, as always, soft and wonderful and I do hope they tour again. Last, Cat Power...despite Chan's insanity, I always find her more recent material undeniably wholesome. It's like the cinnamon raisin oatmeal of breakfast.

Tags:   cds albums short cd reviews now playing

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I was so lucky while in Austin to find Gérard Manset’s 1968 at End of an Ear. Up until now, the only other album I’ve had by him is La Mort D’Orion which basically has the same effect on me that reading Conrad’s Heart of Darkness does. It makes you sink deep into a darkness you can’t avoid of which emerging from seems to require too much of you. 1968 is no upbeat pop album but it is a little less devastating overall I feel. You can definitely tell from this given the orchestration how he progressed into the musician he’s become. Definitely worth getting if you can ever find it, as are I’m sure all of Manset’s albums (trust me, I’m always looking. I just ordered Revivre for the wopping new price of thirty bucks…if anyone has any specific suggestions, let me know!)

Fiery Furnaces Bitter Tea took a long while to grow on me…mainly because it basically feels like schizophrenic meandering…a musical version of a postmodern Virgina Woolf. An arty indier Kate Bush also comes to mind, like way back when in albums like The Dreaming and Hounds of Love she was really experimental. I’m going to be seeing Fiery Furnaces for the second time soon and I can’t wait. For awhile I strayed from them and when this album came out, I rejected and hated it. Now…I fear I really can’t lie without it.

I’ve been listening to the very catchy Peter, Bjorn, and John albums Falling Out and Writer’s Block for the past week, mainly because though I repeatedly listened to them when I first purchased them, I wanted to revive my interest before their set Tuesday. After hearing them live (their second set at the Empty Bottle was the best), I have gotten into these songs even more and found myself listening to them throughout the time I was editing photos for their set.

Pretty Girls Make Graves is an interesting band and in some ways, the female lead singer Andrea Zollo reminds me a bit of Penelope Houston-the lead singer of The Avengers) in terms of her stage presence and punk rock-ness. I’ve been listening to all of their albums the past couple of days to prepare for seeing them Sat. night. I find the albums really catchy and tight but I have to say I wish Andrea’s vocals were a little less nasal.

If there’s one album I’ve been playing more and more these past two weeks it is Damon Albarn’s post-Blur side project The Good, The Bad & The Queen. I just love how much character and honesty Albarn is still able to demonstrate, his disenchantment with war and the troubling events of this decade. It touches me on a basic emotional level. Because of this, I also pulled out Blur’s self titled album of which I swear I’ve spent days on end listening to “Beetlebum,” “Strange News From Another Star” and “Death of a Party.”

Tags:   records reviews record reviews cds

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I realize I have been going on and on about Gérard Manset lately but here's some more...though La Mort D'Orion is dark and it doesn't really motivate you to do anything besides hide within your own shell or cave and not really face the world for awhile, it's also brilliant and worth hearing many times. At the same time that I find it almost unbearably beautiful, I can't live without it anymore. It's inspiring...wholly original and flawless. Yes, flawless. And rarely can you say that about an album, can you?

I had been listening to this Mice Parade and the new one (s/t) to prepare myself for last night's show, which ended up being wonderful. For those who don't know Mice Parade, think of an even more organic sounding Animal Collective with alot of layered instrumentals, some vocals with the lead singer Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir from Múm for some of them (note: it was unfortunately a different female lead last night. A couple of years ago, I saw Mice Parade with Kristin) and just a real wholesome texture. I still don't understand why thia band is so under-rated.

Dungen's Tio Bitar surprised me. I had seen them play Chicago's Intonation festival almost two years ago and though they presented themselves visually as a Swedish version of T-Rex, the music failed to impress me in any way shape or form. I found it too heavy and male frankly and I went and sought out some water to relieve my thirst after a few songs and photos. Tio Bitar is definitely more melodic and psychedelic and as Cinchel pointed out, it reminds you a bit of Welsh musician Gruff Rhys's (of Super Furry Animals fame) material a bit. I've only had a chance to listen to it once but I expect I will really enjoy it even more as time goes on.

Low's Things We Lost in the Fire is definitely still my very favorite Low album even though I adore everything they have ever done. This one to me has a special place in my heart from when I found solace within its chord progressions while at university. It's sense of desolation at times is almost frightening but it touches on a real delicate vulnerability. In some ways, even though I feel at times a despair from it, the melodies esp. those provided by Mimi Parker herself are very soothing. This is an album that lulls me into an acceptable solitude and even into at times a peaceful slumber as there is a real comfort in the familiar.

Lavendar Diamond's Imagine Our Love is one I picked up Saturday before Sloan at Reckless Records and I have to say I find the arrangements super lush and melodic. At times, it even takes on a religious tone. The female vocals are absolutely breathtaking at points. I'm really looking forward to seeing them play next Monday at The Empty Bottle.

The Fratelli's Costello Music is one I also picked up Sat. though after I did I remembered having heard "Flathead" in a commercial and being instantly drawn to the catchy Scottish riffs. The album overall is very solid though I prefer the faster songs to the ballads where there are barely any consonants pronounced...sentimentality has it's place afterall in any album and Scotland's Idlewild tries to find this balance as well. Sometimes it succeeds and at other times, you just frankly would rather rock out. (unless you're under fifteen blankets listening to Low)

I'm sure most people would not argue that Jean-Claude Vannier's L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches is a classic...it's another one of those flawless albums mainly because of the arrangements of the pieces and because so many other musicians have drawn inspiration from it, it's worth returning to for that reason alone. It has it's reservation in a special place of music history and it makes you appreciate what power music in general has.

Last but definitely not least is Dominique A's L'Horizon.....oh how I love my French lyrics and though Dominique A does not have what Manset or Philippe Crab or Orouni or Dutronc or Biolay or...well, I could go on forever really but he's on his own just great. You really just sense the greatness of his songs. This could be a desert island album for me and at times I am drawn to it immensely..I love the way the songs just build at times and the sound of his voice.

Tags:   now playing record reviews I only slept five hours last night and I feel like my stomach is on the fritz. L'Horizon Tio Bitar La Mort D'Orion Things We Lost in the Fire Costello Music Obrigado Saudade Imagine Our Love L'Enfant Assassin Des Mouches

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It's always really difficult to get both vinyl and cds in the picture to be focused and readable but alas...

vinyl:

This week I've been playing Tears of the Valedictorian by Frog Eyes to get ready for their show last night, which was fantastic, and similar to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, there is a very frantic and almost disjointed postmodern sense to it. Only, instead of the lead singer sounding reminiscent to David Byrne, I'd say more of Bruce Springsteen oddly enough, though the style is so different that it feels jarring to think of it in that context. This Canadian band seems to be on the rise though-happy to say there was a great showing for them last night.

Meg Baird's Dear Companion is an album you won't go wrong with if you like old school feminine folk which is stripped down to the bare essentials with a nostalgic sense not unlike Joni Mitchell or Vashti Bunyan. In fact, it may be hard to imagine that it was actually recorded in 2007 and on Drag City by the lead singer of Espers. Very soft and gentle stuff.

cds:

Stereolab is definitely one of my favorite bands even though it is always bitter sweet now that Mary Hansen has passed away. It's just filled with such great melodies and a structure that lends itself to be both something you could at times lose yourself in and t other times dance to depending on the song. Though Margerine Eclipse isn't my favorite Stereolab album (Peng! is) and though I am more often than putting on their BBC sessions, this album has some great songs in it that grew on me the past few times I listened.

Orange Juice's The Glasgow School seems to be a really underrated album but a band that isn't too well known here at least in the states. In fact, I didn't know about it until recently finding out about it through The Big Takeover. Though alot of these songs were released in the early 80s their sound still holds up well and if you can escape the quirkiness of the lead singer's voice (no more idiosyncratic than that of Mark E. Smith (of The Fall) then you are sure to find some love in your music collection for this one.

The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society. The Kinks are one of my all time favorite bands though I'm only really into their early material but this album as well as Arthur, Face to Face, and Something Else are all especially perfect. They've had several hits throughout their career like "All Day and All of the Night" and "You Really Got Me" but enjoyed nowhere near the success of The Beatles obviously even though I find their music far more enjoyable (and I'm a big Beatles fan!) I'm not alone either, as Jon Brion often covers "Waterloo Sunset." (Unfortunately not on this album but I still say it's flawless...it's hard to pick favorites when all of the tracks are so so good but being a photographer, I more often get the song "People Take Pictures of Each Other" stuck in my head.

The Go-Betweens 16 Lovers Lane is just one of those pivotal albums by a band though I like many of the Go-Betweens albums (Bright Yellow Bright Orange is another favorite) But this one I put on rather frequently as if it's the comfort food of music for me-not to mention I think it has one of the best openings of an album ever with "Love Goes On!" I've listened to that song alone on repeat for days on end. I feel a little bereft that I never was able to hear any of these songs played live (or take photos) RIP Grant McLellan you are definitely missed.

Cyann & Ben are just mesmerizing and create these just hauntingly beautiful melodies that you can really let surround you. Alas, another band who is not on my external hard drive. Hopefully they will tour the states eventually.

Tags:   now playing Tears of the Valedictorian Dear Companion Margerine Eclipse Glasgow School The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society Happy Like an Autumn Tree record reviews cds vinyl albums

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It may look like a pretty slim stack this week but that's only because of two reasons: The first is that I've been relatively busy trying to follow up with various friends and also going out quite a bit (Tues. was the only night last week I stayed in). The second reason is just that when I have been home (mainly to sleep and edit photos) I have been playing many of the previous albums I've already talked about (Lavender Diamond's Imagine Our Love) or the ones here on repeat. It's really not uncommon for me to develop a real passion for a song or an entire album so intensely that I crave it more than....chocolate!


But let's get started. I'm not really the type of person that loves collections of songs of a band (with perhaps the exception of the BBC sessions of quite a few bands) but Belle and Sebastian's Push Barman to Open Old Wounds is a really fantastic collection of deeper album cuts and b-sides throughout their career and I would highly recommend it both as a place to start if you are just getting into the band and as someone who already owns a few albums. I remember the very first time I heard Belle and Sebastian was when they just came out with Tigermilk and my friend Josh at university was dating some fabulous British boy who gave him a copy. He in turn made us a copy and I fell in love with the songs quite intensely and ate up everything they did afterwards with glee. I am not at all one of those people who thinks Tigermilk was their best...they've merely progressed and grown. As far as albums go, my favorite would have to be If You're Feeling Sinister with Boy With the Arab Strap and (believe it or not) Fold Your Hands Child, Walk Like a Peasant being close behind it. The collection has so many perfect songs on it with favorites being "The State I Am In" "I Love My Car" (though, I always change the lyric from car to bike when I sing it) "I'm Waking Up To Us" and "Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie."


Entrance's "Prayer of Death" is an album I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND for anyone who likes psych rock and is fans of bands like The Black Angels. I'll be posting pictures of their set opening for Lavender Diamond last monday later on today. Their set at the Empty Bottle was phenomenal and though I would suggest seeing them if at all possible, I would also say buy the album because there is the added component of a violin that really enhances some of these songs even further. When you listen to the album, you think revolution. Go listen to this band on myspace: www.myspace.com/entrancerecords


The Last Broadcast is an album I really need to hear on some days...I find songs like "There Goes the Fear" perfectly uplifting and "Friday's Dust" have that beautiful lushness that falls all around you like a heavy curtain. There are times when I'd rather hear their first album Lost Souls or their more recent Some Cities but at other times The Last Broadcast just feels right. I'd also like to say that Doves are a band that puts on a great live set and, though I've unfortunately never been able to get photos of them (I wasn't taking photos of bands unfortunately when I saw them the last couple of times), I hope to rectify that at some point in the future.

Tags:   now playing album reviews Push Barman to Open Old Wounds The Last Broadcast Prayer of Death

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