UPDATE!

So this guy Tom asked me to keep posting, so I will. But no one reads this. After 2008 I'm shutting this down (I just want to do my best of 07 post!) so get the best out of this as you can. So here's some more of the stuff I've been listening to (again).


The Blow - Fists Up
I've been coming back to this track for around a month now. It's just so good! Every once in awhile a pop song comes aroud and the melody tickles me just right. Certain notes Khaela hits give me a special feeling... haha. I can't really describe it. I just get so happy when it breaks down in the end.

Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
I'm pretty new to Neil Youg, and I'm sure this is his song that you've heard over and over, but that doesn't make it bad. Rarely can I listen to a song more than 3 times in a day, and in this case I have been for the last few days. Other songs are good to. But just so I'm not posting something you've already heard and have here's Thome Yorke's cover also:
Thom Yorke - After the Gold Rush

The Microphones - I Felt Your Shape
The Glow Pt. 2 is quickly becoming one of my all-time favorite albums. It flows so weirdly but perfectly. The lo-fi production works incredibly through out and I just can't resist Phil's voice. Can you? I didn't think so.

Nick Drake - Which Will
Another household name I've been meaning to get into for awhile. This albums so chill. I played this album waking up in the morning before everyone else is up and taking the bus before sunrise, it was perfect.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Hyperballad (Bjork Cover Acoustic)
Why is this cover so good? At first listen the bootleg soud of it sort of takes away from it, but now I think it gives it a real intimate feeling. The words and melodies are tweaked just a bit and the guitar is so simple, but it just clicks. A lot of YYY songs do that. I started getting into Show Your Bones more, I wasn't so big on it when it came out but now I'm really tapping into their more mellow side (if you could call it that).
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fancy

Elliott Smith - Bottle Up and Explode!
I was never as into XO as everyone else I feel like, but now I am. I've listened to it all the way through at least 3 times in the last 3 days now. I don't know if you guys do that often but I don't.

Jose Gonzalez - How Low
Just got this CD from the library. Wasn't sure if I should buy it, I didn't think it would be as good as Veneer, but I think it's up there. Too early for me to tell for sure but he's really grown and his songs are gaining a lot more depth now. Not so stark. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.

Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love - Mayfly
What a lame band name, but what an incredible song! It's a little cheesy but it's one of those songs where you get into it and the cheesiness seems totally honest and real. It's just so nice, especially in this season.I need to keep an eye out for more of these guys. I think they're one of those it bands that are on the rise (I sure hope so, it'd be nice to see more oft hem).

Oh yeah, and that picture represents me... sort of. It's just hard to get motivated when I feel like I have no readers. Expect posts with more than just songs though, soon. These have been sort of boring to read.


In other news, Ghostface Killah announced some more album details on the Big Doe Rehab, due on the same day as 8 Diagrams (!!). Loks like he's staying the route of many classic hip-hop artists and putting a really terrible cover out. Look:
Not to say it will be bad by any means, so many great albums have some of the worst album covers possible (that might be a fun post!). Fishscale was probably one of the best hip-hop releases of last year. But I just had to note on the cover, and how much these kinds of covers really bug me. But you can now buy a doll of the one and only Killah.

And if you didn't hear about Radiohead's web broadcasting... well too bad I'm not going to retype what everyone's everyone else has already said, but I will re-post that Bjork cover they did. Oooh it's good.
Radiohead - Unravel

And I hate to link to Pitchfork but they have all the videos there. There's lots. Just skip over the annoying pretentious comments.
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/forkcast/47014-radiohead-omg-another-webcast

Happy Halloween

I'm not a big fan of Halloween but this year I've got a killer Flava Flav costume and I couldn't pass up posting songs with this theme. So...

Xiu Xiu - Brian the Vampire
Wolf Parade - Same Ghost Every Night
Cocorosie - Werewolf
Sound Team - Sound Monster
Cursive - Bloody Murderer
Antony and the Johnsons - Frankenstein
the Decemberists - Shankhill Butchers
TV On the Radio - Wolf Like Me (Live at KEXP)

Rid of Me

This song has been stuck in my head all the time these last few days. But it's OK.
PJ Harvey - Rid of Me

Feral Children

These guys just popped up on my radar after hearing them a few times on KEXP, and I got a copy of their debut CD which just came out and it's pretty awesome. I've read a lot of reviews that talk about how they sound a lot like Modest Mouse and are constantly compared to them, which kinda makes me mad. They are similar in some ways but I feel these guys are darker and have a more channeled and direct sound that's more well-kept than Modest Mouse. They deserve to be recognized as original artists who have their own sound, not just the next MM. Maybe it's just cause they're also from Seattle. I dunno. But they're noisy and dark and crazy and I really like these two tracks a lot:


Spy/Glass House
Jaundice Giraffe

Check them out on Myspace and buy some songs for sure.

Dance...?

So I've been kinda swamped this last week, sorry I didn't post. I had a lot of homework, plus I had been recruited to co-DJ our school dance, which took up a lot of time, which was also last night... I feel kinda wierd about it.
DJing is hard!!! People won't let you do your own thing. We got a million requests for stuff we didn't have... we need to burn more CD's, haha.
Also I'm not much of a big dance person (well this dance was tiny actually. My school is small. The room was small and we still didn't fill it up. Maybe under 100). Dancing alone in my room is way different than dancing with and in front of people. I'd be more comfortable if there was a bigger crowd, but I just stayed behind the table the whole time looking awkward and tapping my foot. Not really the first impression I wanted to make at my new school. I don't think I'll do that sort of thing again.
But it was kind funny to watch people grind to Busdriver and Dizzee Rascal (they went over surprisingly well). Things that didn't go over so well: Go! Team, CSS... stuff like that. People kept wanting hip-hop, and we kinda ran out. I thought people would dig the more dancey club music, but everyone just wanted to grind, so we did our best.

Busdriver - Kill Your Employer (Recreational Paranoia is the Sport of Now)
Dizzee Rascal - Fix Up, Look Sharp
Ratatat - Party and Bullshit (Notorious B.I.G.)
Simian Mobile Disco - Love
E-40 - Tell Me When to Go (We ended up playing this twice, due to popular request)
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Spank Rock - Bump (I Think this was the best all night. Everyone seemed to like it)

Someone you might not know

While we're in that folky morose vein of music I thought it would be ideal to bring up Bill Patton, a surprisingly unknown Northwest musician.
I was introduced to him by hearing the song Lifelike on KEXP one night, and it was one of those cheesy moments where everything just clicked and I sat down and totally vibed out. I got a few free songs from his myspace but I had forgot about him for a few months. But recently I got a new job at KEXP (I volunteer there for those who don't know. And it's not really a job, but a position cause I'm still going unpayed). I get to review some CD"s so when DJ's pull out the CD they can read a little about their history and what it sounds like and recommended tracks. Pretty big deal right? Right! I think i'ts pretty cool.
Well back on track, I got Bill Patton's "Get's it On" to review and I was really happy to get his full length in my hands It did not disappoint me, I'm amazed he's not better known, at least in his home town. He's played with J Tillman, Band of Horses and tons of other great acts. So here's what I wrote for the review:

"Seattle guitarist Bill Patton’s debut album is packed with beautiful soulful folksy/indie gems throughout the CD. Patton fingerpicks his way gracefully through each wonderfully produced track, including a few very original and unexpected covers including songs by the Beatles, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Prince and the Cars. The instrumentation for songs are often very stark and simplistic, consisting of an acoustic guitar and an occasional drum tap, pedal steel, or vibraphone in the background, which perfectly compliments Patton’s charming and gruff voice. "

I know it's a little cheesy but that's how the other ones look. Anywaysm here are some really good songs you should check out.

Faries Wear Boots (Black Sabbath Cover)
Lifelike
The Devil Went Down to Georgetown
A Crime Fighter who pities Fools
She Loves You (Beatles Cover)

Fall/Rainy

I'm really excited about this post. This has some really good songs, some of my favorite songs, and this is my favorite time to listen to music. So it's like, my favorite post? Maybe?
Summer's been gone for awhile now, and the rain really just started coming down on Seattle (On and off. It was the windiest ever today!). While it sucks if you're not prepared or if it comes down really hard, but I actually like the rain a lot. I take real nice long walks around my neighborhood with headphones on, and it's really serene and nice, I feel totally at peace. Something about the sky with grey rolling clouds and the wet ground and cold temperature I really like. And the right music really makes a great fall season. Come Fall I really get into quiet sad and moving songs. Lots of acoustic stuff or singer-songwriter. It's actually almost all I listen to in Fall and Winter. So here's some songs/albums I really really like in the fall. You should listen to them when it rains and when orange leaves start falling.

Iron & Wine - Upward Over the Mountain (The Creek Drank the Cradle)
This album really is the key of all fall albums. The songs hit you extra hard and they're almost like a best friend. I really can't describe it, but I'm really attached to this album, and any other time of the year it's way harder to get into it, like Summer (Our Endless Numbered Days is a perfect Summer CD though). I really recommend you take the whole album for a spin in the rain with your headphones on, or go buy it if you don't own it.

Damien Jurado - Ghost of David (Ghost of David)
Just about everything Damien does fits so well with the Fall. All his songs are so moody and fit for walking in the rain. His music is like an escape for me, his lyrics are straight to the point and he tells stories so well. Everything off this album is worth spinning in the rain. Well almost everything he's done is like that.

Sparklehorse - Apple Bed (It's a Wonderful Life)
This album is so depressing, but it's in such a beautiful and good way, it's a bit hard to describe. Awhile ago I wrote about how great it is and if you didn't believe me then and didn't download those tracks or just haven't heard it yet here's your chance.This is one of my favorite songs Mark Linkous has ever written.

The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers - Lisa (Redux EP)
There was a week where I could not get enough of this song. This was initially the reason I made this post. It's so incredible, the way it builds. The lyrics are heartbreaking. It's written about an imaginary friend, but it can be applied to so much more I think.

Death Cab for Cutie - Stability (Stability EP)
This EP is often overlooked I think. 3 incredible songs and this one is quite possibly my favorite Death Cab song ever (that's a big statement!). The chords and dynamics are just so much more interesting and engaging on this version, more so than Stable Song (off Plans). It's way darker and the long instrumental at the end just makes me lose myself in my thoughts. I get into this state without realizing it. When it ends I'm totally at peace, it's really incredible.

Fionn Regan - Snowy Atlas Mountains (The End of History)
Oh man, when the drums kick in on this song. It's produced so perfectly, his voice sounds just right. I've seen him play it live and it doesn't really reach the same level. It really speaks for itself though.

Elliott Smith - Coming Up Roses (Elliott Smith)
Kinda self explanatory. I don't think it's fit to go through Fall without Elliott. I love lo-fi stuff like this album.

These are really good in the winter time also, actually.