October 23, 2007 Playlist - O&E

Download, um, this, uh, show, um...

01. The Field Mice - Fabulous Friend - Snowball (Sarah 1989)
02. Paddington Distortion Combo - Humming Lost Song - Songs in D-struction (actionpop! 2006)
03. Blank Dogs - It Was - The Doorbell Fire (Sweet Rot 2007)
04. Tar...Feathers - Mother of Three - Rumours Travel Fast (Release the Bats 2007)
05. Blockhead - Insomniac Olympics - Music By Cavelight (Ninja Tune 2004)
06. Pre - Scenes from a 1963 Los Angeles Love-in - Epic Fits (Skin Graft 2007)
07. Coachwhips - Thee Alarm - Bangers vs Fuckers (Narnack Records 2003)
08. Six Finger Satellite - Dark Companion - Severe Exposure (Sub Pop 1995)
09. This Moment in Black History - Tape Don't Lie - It Takes a Nation of Assholes to Hold Us Back (Cold Sweat 2006)
10. Burning Star Core - Operator Dead...Post Abandoned - Operator Dead...Post Abandoned (No Quarter 2007)
11. Growing - Lightfoot - Vision Swim (Troubleman Unlimited 2007)
12. Tim Hecker - Aerial Light-Pollution Orange - Mirages (Alien8 2004)
13. Heller - St. Jean - Soundtrack for Variable Fiction (Ytterbium 2006)
14. Anne Laplantine - Pour - Nordheim (Gooom 2000)
15. cLOUDDEAD - 3 Twenty - Ten (Mush 2004)
16. Bohren & der Club of Gore - Crimson Ways - Black Earth (Ipecac 2004)
17. Sublux - Trail Guide to the Soul - Becoming Innocuous EP (Selective Focus 2005)
18. The Robot Ate Me - We Ate Each Other - They Ate Themselves (Swim Slowly 2002)
19. ES - Sateenkaarisuudelma II - Sateenkaarisuudelma (K-RAA-K 2005)
20. Lau Nau - Kivi Murenee Jolla Kavelee - Kuutarha (Locust 2005)
21. Hala Strana - Wedding of the Blind - Heave the Gambrel Roof (Music Fellowship 2007)
22. The North Sea - Take It From Me Brother Moses - Exquisite Idols (Type 2007)
23. Area C - Outside the Flaming Body - Haunt (Last Visible Dog 2007)
24. Paavoharju - Tavataan 12-7-2004 - Tuote Akatemia/Unien Savonlinna EP (Miasmah 2006)
25. Aidan Baker - I - I Will Always and Forever Hold You in My Heart and Mind (Small Doses 2007)

October 16, 2007 Playlist - O&E

01. Lungfish - Organ Harvest - Indivisible (Dischord 1997)
02. Echo is Your Love - Peace Song - Humansize (If-Society 2006)
03. Milemarker - Virtual Sex - Ominosity (Eyeball 2005)
04. Cinemechanica - Bruckheimer - The Martial Arts (Hello Sir 2006)
05. Wooden Shjips - We Ask You to Ride - Self-Titled (Holy Mountain 2007)
06. Death Chants - For Good - Self-Titled (Time-Lag 2006)
07. Six Organs of Admittance - Attar - The Sun Awakens (Drag City 2006)
08. The Durutti Column - Birthday Present - Sporadic Three (Kooky 2007)
09. Ecstatic Sunshine - Tuscan - Freckle Wars (Carpark 2006)
10. Tar... Feathers - Build Me a Wreck - Make Way for the Ocean Floor to Fall to the Surface (Adagio830 2006)
11. Odawas - Beware - Raven and the White Night (Jagjaguwar 2007)
12. Espers - Mansfield and Cyclops - II (Drag City 2006)
13. Letters Letters - We'll Make Our Home - Self-Titled (Type 2007)
14. Arve Henriksen - Black Mountain - Strjon (Rune Grammofon 2007)
15. Badgerlore - Duet - We Are All Hopeful Farmers, We Are All Scared Rabbits (Xeric 2007)
16. Fennesz + Sakamoto - Mono - Cendre (Touch 2007)
17. Odd Nosdam - Hollow Me - Untitled Three (Anticon 2005)
18. White Rainbow - Warm Clicked Fruit - Prism of the Eternal Now (Kranky 2007)
19. Zaimph - Jeweled Hand - Mirage of the Other (Gipsy Sphinx 2007)
20. Stars of the Lid - Another Ballad for Heavy Lids - And Their Refinement of the Decline (Kranky 2007)
21. The Skull Defekts - The Secret - Blood Spirits and Drums Are Singing (Conspiracy 2007)
22. Psychic Ills - Vice - Early Violence (The Social Registry 2006)
23. Mouthus - Armies Between - Saw a Halo (Ecstatic Peace! 2007)
24. GHQ - Untitled 1 - Seven Sisters (Arbitrary Signs 2007)
25. Shearing Pinx - Blood Corridor - Poison Hands (Gilgongo 2007)

Wildebeest

It seems like every day more and more punk rock kids are picking up acoustic guitars and writing folk songs. I see 2007 as a sort of culmination of this since it's had some pretty major releases from Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music and Tim Barry of Avail. Of course, there's always Plan-It-X Records for all your folk punk needs and the kids down in Gainesville who used to be in hardcore bands.

Matthew Winn (Wildebeest) is a musician who started out in Athens, GA and moved up to Brooklyn. I first came across his music thanks to another singer-songwriter who's also familiar with the quaint, southern town. A lot of his music borders the folk punk lines, but the gems are his more understated songs like "Tractors" where the real folk influence takes over even when it's played live with his band. Don't get me wrong, the trumpet, drums, and feedback are wonderful and deafeningly pleasing, but there's a more intimate feeling to his solo songs. So far he's released a full-length and a couple very limited EPs that you'd be lucky to get your hands on. His upcoming album Dead Pets was recorded in a cabin in the Catskill mountains, but until that is let loose, we're going to have to settle for some awesome live performances.

"Host and Hostage"
"Tractors"
"Tractors" (Solo)
"Animals"

From If You Make It:


By the way, do you hear some Unwound in that or is it just me?

Review

Alaska the Tiger
The Truth About Earthquakes
RIYL: Slint, Unwound, Shellac, Lungfish
"Hater, Lover, Fucker"

Alaska the Tiger are a recently defunct band from Columbia, South Carolina. Hopefully you got around to seeing them play because otherwise you missed out. Big time. Columbia has a long history of being bashed for lack of a good rock scene, but the truth is that the city has always had incredible bands. Of course, my word is only as good as far back as the mid 90s go with bands like Assfactor 4 (All right, Tonka and Unherd. Anyone remember Marion?) because that's about as far back as I'm familiar with the music scene here. But living in California, names like In/Humanity still stuck out among our Drive Like Jehus and Antioch Arrows. And still today, Columbia continues to be rewarded and adorned by bands like Alaska the Tiger (to the ignorance of most it sometimes seems).

The Truth About Earthquakes is a 3-song EP that sounds like a whole bunch of my favorite bands, and that always puts a smile on my face. Slint and Unwound are no doubt the inspiration for the band's gloomy sort of indie rock sound. Alaska the Tiger are one of the more unique bands I've heard from Columbia, but in way of bands with their influences stemming from Unwound (as well as bands whose members write for the Free Times), I treat you to Death Becomes Even the Maiden, another Columbia great with a lot of history behind it.

3 songs may not be much to discuss, but it's plenty of room for a band to let out anything they want. The overwhelming clutter of buzz and feedback, the quiet-but-tense vocals and loud-but-melodic high energy music recalls this history. It really doesn't matter if Alaska the Tiger don't play something we’ve never heard before. It’s people playing what they want to play, and it’s really fucking good. Alaska the Tiger are another proud Columbia memoir, and The Truth About Earthquakes is a conspiracy to make you smile.

October 09, 2007 Playlist - O&E

01. Efterklang - Mirador - Parades (The Leaf Label 2007)
02. Mom - The Gradual Instant - Little Brite (Pancakes for Mattie 2007)
03. Woods - How To Survive In - How To Survive In/In The Woods (Release the Bats 2006)
04. Kattoo - Place 8 - Places (Hymen 2004)
05. Khonnor - An Ape Is Loose - Handwriting (Type 2004)
06. Mahogany - Mantissa - Connectivity! (Darla 2006)
07. Chihei Hatakeyama - Towards a Tranquil Marsh - Minima Moralia (Kranky 2006)
08. Howl On, Despicable Wolves - I Just Want Us To Be Clean - Self Titled EP (Makeshift Origami 2006)
09. The Deep and Holy Sea - The Warning Light of the Moon - Demo (Self Released 2006)
10. Hop Along, Queen Ansleis - Bride & Groom Hot Air Balloon - Freshman Year (Self Released 2005)
11. Jason Choi and the Sea - What'd Ya Call Me - Sampilation (Team Grizzly 2007)
12. Aphid Ant Constructions - Rest Assured - Demo (Self Released 2005)
13. Flower Travellin' Band - Satori Part II - Satori (Atlantic 1971)
14. Raccoo-oo-oon - Antler Mask - Behold Secret Kingdom (Release the Bats 2007)
15. Watchers - S.I.S.I.A.I. - Vampire Driver (Gern Blandsten 2007)
16. Pivot - Incidental Backcloth - Make Me Love You (Sensory Projects 2005)
17. Dirty Three - This Night - Cinder (Touch & Go 2005)
18. Egypt Is The Magick # - The Astronomer's Stone - How Many Pieces Of The Puzzle Can The Mind Go Without? (Sound@1 2000)
19. La Rumeur - A Minuit L'égorgeur - Nous sommes les premiers... (EMI 2003)
20. Mindflayer - Azaglians Troupe Hat Ribbons Fite Dance - It's Always 1999 (Load 2004)
21. No Neck Blues Band - Boreal Gluts - Qvaris (5RC 2005)
22. Luck of Aleia - Burning Bridges - Six Songs (Caulfield 1999)
23. Mainspring - Primrose - Discography (Cass 1998?)
24. Honeywell - It's a Wonderful Life - Industry (Mollycoddle 1994)
25. Antioch Arrow - Space Age - In Love With the Jetts (Gravity 1994)
26. Pre - I Met Her in the Bin - Epic Fits (Skin Graft 2007)
27. Health - Crimewave - Self Titled (Lovepump United 2007)
28. Letters Letters - Between the Seams - Self Titled (Type 2007)

Reviews

A few more mini-reviews.



Moving Units
Hexes for Exes
RIYL: The Rapture, The Faint, You Are The Drum, Death From Above 1979
"Blood Beats"

A mix of post-punk and dancy indie rock, Hexes for Exes is the next logical step for the band. While it no longer relies on a minimalist charm and is more The Faint than ever, the album still fits right along with everything Moving Units have released since their ThreeOneG debut. To put it bluntly, they're one of the few “dance punk” bands who don't immediately stand out as garbage. Compared to bands like VHS or Beta or Death From Above 1979, Moving Units avoid rock star ripoff status because they aren't a carbon-copy of their influences. That, and they just have so many of them. Sure, there's Gang of Four, ESG, Pixies, The Cure, Daft Punk ad nauseum, but listen closely enough and you can hear a little bit of Can, Wire, and even Captain Beefheart. Moving Units have been a long time favorite of the Southern California scene, but then again Palatka's "The Truth About San Diego" sums it up pretty well.



Jens Lekman
Night Falls Over Kortedala
RIYL: El Perro Del Mar, Belle and Sebastian, Architecture in Helsinki, Morrissey
"The Opposite Of Hallelujah"

Either you like him or you don't, and I doubt that will ever change. Night Falls Over Kortedala is all and more that we've come to expect from Jens Lekman, and like his previous albums, there are small shimmers I can only describe as incredible whereas everything else tries desperately to remain a complete bore. There's some appeal in that, though. It's why people like Belle and Sebastian probably. The difference is that Night Falls Over Kortedala is playful with its depression. Piano, ukulele, wordsmithing—dig it.



Chicago Afrobeat Project
(A) Move to Silent Unrest
RIYL: Fela Kuti, Antibalas, The Budos Band, Nomo
"Superstar Pt. 7"

Afrobeat is working its way closer into the mainstream every year, and 2007 is no exception having seen so many releases. CAbP keep a bright spotlight on their influences while dancing around a lot of obscure genres. Jeff Parker from Tortoise is noted as working with the band frequently, but since they're from Chicago, it's pretty much a given that a Tortoise member is somehow involved. Silly me, thinking that the similarities were a coincidence. Most of the songs have long runtimes, but they transition so much that you'll never feel worn out. (A) Move to Silent Unrest is simply the best orchestrated Afrobeat album of the year.

October 02, 2007 Playlist - O&E

Not a whole lot in the way of "oddities" this time, but hopefully I snuck in a few things you've never heard before.

01. Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain - Ocean Rain (Korova 1984)
02. Fursaxa - Alone in the Dark Wood - Alone in the Dark Wood (Eclipse 2007)
03. Hrvatski - Paint it Black - Swarm & Dither (Planet Mu 2002)
04. Islaja - Muukalai-silma - Ulual YYY (Fonal 2007)
05. 13th Floor Elevators - You're Gonna Miss Me - The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators (International Artists 1966)
06. Dead Moon - Running Scared - Echoes of the Past (Sub Pop 2006)
07. The Boggs - Forts - Forts (Gigantic 2007)
08. Shotmaker - Shortwave Radio - The Complete Discography 1993-1996 (Troubleman Unlimited 2000)
09. By the End of Tonight - If That Diamond Ring Don't Sing - The Imaginary EP (Temporary Residence Limited 2006)
10. Lullatone - Sleepytime Samba - Plays Pajama Pop Pour Vous (Audio Dregs 2006)
11. You Are The Drum - Take Out the Trash (My Friend) - Step In, Step Out (Self-Released 2000?)
12. The Appleseed Cast - Ring Out the Warning Bell - Low Level Owl Vol. 2 (Deep Elm 2001)
13. When Clouds Attack - Ebb and Flow - Self-Titled EP (Infidel 2007)
14. Múm - Moon Pulls - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy (Fat Cat 2007)
15. Picastro - Friend of Mine - Whore Luck (Polyvinyl 2007)
16. Skallander - Haala - Self-Titled (Type 2007)
17. Caribou - After Hours - Andorra (Merge 2007)
18. Ghastly City Sleep - Ice Creaks - Self-Titled (Robotic Empire 2007)
19. Alaska the Tiger - Self-Portrait of a Drinker - The Truth About Earthquakes (Self-Released 2007)
20. American Football - The One WIth the Tambourine - Self-Titled EP (Polyvinyl 1998)
21. Heart Monster - Communities - Discography (Self-Released 2007)
22. Tiny Masters of Today - Radio Riot - Bang Bang Boom Cake (Great Society 2007)
23. M83 - By The Kiss - Digital Shades Vol. 1 (Mute 2007)
24. Dälek - Trampled Brethren - From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots (Ipecac 2002)
25. El-P - The Day After Yesterday - Collecting the Kid (Definitive Jux 2004)
26. Shape of Broad Minds - Buddafly Away - Craft of the Lost Art (Lex 2007)
27. Mono - Memorie Dal Futuro - A Collection of EPs: 2000-2007 (Temporary Residence Limited 2007)

Reviews

Jason Anderson
Tonight
RIYL: The Hold Steady, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Bruce Springsteen
"Jonesboro"

Jason Anderson is a man who you may know from his 2005 The Wreath or, more likely, his work in the band Wolf Colonel. Forget about him. The lo-fi Jason Anderson who threw in a catchy song here and there as a pleasantry? This ain't it. This is a Jason Anderson you've never heard. Sure, you can still experience his high energy shows, his dedicated fan following, and his general avoidance of playing on a stage, but these new songs are indeed just that. Sort of. They're a different sound with the same feeling. The writhing gist of an old acquaintance. A new familiarity. Is Tonight borderline second-rate blue-collar rock? Maybe. But is it still fun as hell? You bet.



M83
Digital Shades Vol. 1
RIYL: Brian Eno, Fennesz, Boards of Canada, Air, Múm
"Coloring the Void"

Hippiegazer extraordinaire Anthony Gonzalez is probably the most namedropped artist when it comes to present-day shoegaze, and let's face it: It's because he's really awesome. New or old, fresh or stale, Digital Shades Vol. 1 is the return-to-form album for M83. Where Before The Dawn Heals Us radiated anthemic charisma, Digital Shades Vol. 1 might as well be the new replacement soundtrack for the upcoming final cut edition of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. With this album, we're returning to what some noise bands wish they could still do with field recordings and formless song structures where the inherent appeal of fuzzy, percussionless noise as music creates some kind of dense, dramatic lull you'd only experience from nighttime hypoglycemia. No, I'm not a doctor, but I did listen to M83 last night.



Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew
Spirit If...
RIYL: Stars, Menomena, Do Make Say Think, Sunset Rubdown, Metric
"Aging Faces/Losing Places"

A solo album? I don't get it. Even though it still has members of both Broken Social Scene and friends (Feist, Stars, Emily Haines), the new-but-not-so-different title is the first in the series of "Broken Social Scene Presents" albums. Low key songs are really what define this pseudo-solo release. By striking a balance between indie pop, singer-songwriter, and post-rock, the album has a sort of high-production, but lo-fi charm. I'm a sucker for texture added into songs, whether it's a ship creaking as it goes down, number stations, or even samples as breakdowns. Especially samples as breakdowns. Now, for two big complaints about the album: 1) It's too contrived. The distraught vocals, the moody, emotional storytelling—you're not falling for this are you? 2) It's too self-indulgent. Does Kevin Drew really need the backup of Feist and Emily Haines? How can you even call this a solo effort? And remember, this is going to be a series of albums. What if the sequels suck? Oh, god. What if they don't?