My Many Moods

I just got M.I.A.'s new album, and it's pretty fucking fantastic. It's going on my best of 07 list for sure. I do this a lot, where I go into one mood for part of the day, and then I'm listening to the exact oposite. After I wear myself out by dancing in my room to Kala, I've been getting into Sparklehorse and Damien Jurado again. Especially the Ghost of David by Damien Jurado. That album used to be overlooked by me, for some strange reason. I always listened to it at the wrong times, like when I was reading something I would put a song on in the background and get bored, but when I sat down and actually listened to it with my full attention I got it. It's a really great album, front to back. It's one of the more personal sounding records he's down,, in my oppinion, probably just because it sounds pretty lo-fi. I'm convinced this man can do no wrog. Every album of his is excellent, and every time I listen to him my admiration just grows.
Here are my favorites from Ghost of David:
Desert
Great Today
Parking Lot

Buy The Ghost of David

Now about Kala. I know all the blogs are raving about it and M.I.A. is hot on the town right now, but sometimes you've just gotta forget about all the buzz and really pay the music some attention (I'm not saying that you don't... that's just a bad habit of mine, I get sick of hearing about things so I don't pay it attention). I shrugged it off at first after hearing Boyz and Hit That. I thought Bird Flu was great, but then those two tracks just annoyed me. But Hit That's not even on the album, and Boyz is the only track I don't like. It sounds like a more advanced Arular, there's more depth, but at the same time it's more fun and less serious. This is how sophomore albums should be done.
$20
Bamboo Banger
Hussel

Buy Kala

In other news...
If you read any other music blogs or have a myspace (which qualifies everyone reading this blog I bet) you've got the new Band of Horses track. I think it's really really good. That's pretty much all I can think of to say about it. It's good, and louder and faster than normal BoH. But not by much. Download it at their myspace.

Also, Sage Francis is having a remix contest, if you'd like to take a crack at Hoove Tracks in the Sand. Check it out here.

I bought Know By Heart by the Amaerican Analog Set, and I'm really loving it. I had a few tracks before but I knew i needed to buy some albums, and I don't regret it at all.
Million Young
Aaron & Maria

And I've been listening to lots of Kind of Like Spitting. Expect a blog feature about them soon!


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And I thought I should let you know I won't be blogging for another little while, Bumbershoot is this weekend!!! And this time i will give a full recap of it, with pictures and videos, but as a result it will probably take me aa little while also because school is starting on Wednsday for me. I'm pretty pumped. Hope this post will hold you over.

I'm back... again

Sorry, I should have said I was leaving for a trip for like 2-3 daysfor Lopez Island, in Washington. It was fun, my freind's mom let us use their cabin, and I won monopoly. That was a blast (as you can see by the picture).
Hmm... what to post? This blog is slowly turning into a "what-I'm-listening-to" blog, which is OK I guess. If anything, I think it's pretty cool. Sometimes I'll throw out playlists with themes or lists with MP3's, but trying to run news isn't the best thing for me, cause I just get everything from other blog's, that you probably read also.

So... Here's what I've been listening to:

Pigeon John - Do the Pigeon
At Lopez me and my friend played a ton of hip-hop. This tune was on constant rotation with us. It's so happy and easy going. This album's alright, sometimes it's great, but sometimes it's terrible actually. But seriously, I don't think you can be sad when you listen to this.
Buy The Summertime Pool Party

Dntel - Rock My Boat
This is going high on my best of '07 list for sure. This album is so good track by track. I'ts all real mellow and the electronics on it are genius. Way more adventerous than his last album or his work with Postal Service. This song's one of my favorites, it's got some dark sounding chords at the beginning that make it sound out of place, but definitely in a good way. Then in the chorus the guitar comes in and adds a whole new level to the song. I love it.
Buy Dumb Luck

Sparklehorse - It's Not so Hard
I got back into this album on the car ride back from Lopez. I almost forgot about it for awhile. It was deifnitely my favorite album of last year. It's Sparklehorse at it's happiest and poppiest. There are a few moments where it gets pretty loud, like this song, and I just love that. And the tracks that Danger Mouse produce are amazing.
Buy Dreamt For Lightyears in the Belly of a Mountain

DJ Shadow - Stem/Long Stem
On the drive up, I was tired so I just closed my eyes and listened to Endtroducing andlots of Dntel, which was perfect. Ambient, but lots of little things to peak your interest. I don't really need tot talk about this album a lot, it's already been hailed by so many other blogs probably. It is a classic. But this song especially. It's so epic and huge and different. I really really really recomend you listen if you're not already into this song. It's headphone music.
Buy Endtroducing...

Gorillaz - All Alone
As I got further into Rise of the Ogre, I got into the part about Demon Days, which got me more into the album. It's really cool and progressive. It flows way better than the first album, and it's way more polished. And the guest stars are even better. Roots Manuva just tears through this track and brings it to life.
Buy Demon Days

I'm back

Not really like I was gone. 2-3 days break, I dunno.
One thing I need to say though.

The day of the show MF DOOM called in and said he couldn't make it and cancelled. You have no idea how infuriated I was. DOOM apparently has this kind of reputation though, but it makes me lose a lot of respect for him as a person. So instead they got Redman to do the show, but who would want to see Redman??? I didn't, so hopefully my ticket will be refunded (my friend's mom is working on it).

I'll do a small recap of the KEXP BBQ pretty soon. It was very very good though. But the videos I took this time didn't come out as well... Bummer.

This post will be just a lot of collected things, like random songs and links, no real theme.

Here's a pitchfork interview with Aesop Rock. I don't like Pitchfork Media really (can anybody like their writers???) but I still read it cause they have a lot of important news and sometimes an interview like this comes up and it's really good.

I've been going in and out of music moods really rapidly lately. I get really into lots of acoustic folky stuff and then within an hour I'm listening to the Downward Spiral in it's entirety. So I'm going to try and sum up what I've been doing with my iTunes and iPod these last few days.

Enya - Only Time
Seriously, this song is amazing. I know a lot of people might laugh or scoff, but when you tap into it, it's totally soothing and you can just release everything. That's what Enya's good at, helping you release stuff. I've been checing her out more because of this track and some is pretty good (but some isn't so much).

Nine Inch Nails - Mr. Self Destruct
I said I was really getting into the Downward Spiral, and I really am. It's an amazing album, from front to back. It's so dark and loud, but it has these great really soothing parts that give you a break so it's not all one thing the whole time, and every track's really different. I can confidently say I like every single track, especially the instrumental ones, which NIN fans and reviewrs seem to not like as much.

Feist - I Feel it All
I wasn't so big on the Reminder, but there are a few tracks that I really like, such as this one. One thing I like about this album is her voice is even more luscious and sultry than her past effort's, which seems hard to do. (damn! She totally should have made my vocalist list. I messed that up). My favorite part of this song is the "oh oh oh oh" part. I think you know what I mean.

Cave Singers - Seeds of the Night
They were really great at the BBQ. I've been playing this song all the time lately, and it's the only track of theirs I have. This is what made me dig through iTunes looking for good folky acoustic music stuff. Maybe some Dylan or Elliott Smith or Iron and Wine. I can't wait for the debut. September 25th (I think). Get it!

Johnette Napolitano - Suicide Note
So tragic and heart wrenching. This song just cuts to the core of sadness. I love the drum sounds on here, and the sparse piano is just enough.

Xiu Xiu - Vulture Piano
Also for when I'm feeling dark. Sometime I'll make a post about how much I love Xiu Xiu, because I can't just write about one song, the whole catalouge is amazing.

Cannibal Ox - Pigeon
Lyrically, Vast Aire is unbelievable on this track. It took me awhile to figure out the metephor in the lyrics (I won't give it away, try to figure it out yourself). Plus the beat is flat-out ridiculous.

Hot Chip - The Warning
This whole album is so fresh and amazing. The programming just makes me go crazy, and the vocals are so laid back and easy sounding. Funky and addicting all around. It seems like I've been listening to this CD a lot this whole summer.

And I'm still playing Gorillaz and the new Stars album a ton, but I've posted enough track from those.

On another note, I just found this great blog, Music is Art. The layout and the content is just really cool and original. The writing just comes from the heart it seems, the person's not some indie hipster trying to boost their indie cred by tearing down some bands, they just write about what they really love and as a result you get a really honest blog.

Remember Gorillaz???

I guess it wasn't that long ago, but for me it was. When their first album came out I was pretty young. I think back then I was listening to Sister Hazel, Presidents of the United States of America, Savage Garden and Barenaked Ladies. I dunno, I listened to those bands scattered throughout my childhood, it's hard to remember when. But I do remember I got really into hat Ed Case remix of clint Eastwood when I was little. And my dad burned me the CD cause he was doing a lot of file sharing then. But that stories kinda boring, all that happens is I get into that album as a little kid, which is pretty wierd for me back then, cause it's an amazing album.
The thing I admire most about it is how ecelcic and different it is. Every son is way different than the one's before it. One vibe that kind of stays persistant in almost every track on the first album is there's lots of dub, which isn't there on Demon Days. I'm not a big fan of dub, I think it all starts to sound the same, but Gorillaz really harness it well and make a very different sound every time. The bass is thick and groovey and the keyboards are so catchy and Damon Albarn's voice, or should I say 2D's, sounds wonderful.
And the guestlist is way cooler than I remember. There's Dan the Automator, Kid Koala, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Miho Hatori, Ibrahim Ferrer (of Talking Heads fame), Ibrahim Ferrer, and Junior Dan.
I've been reading that 'Rise of the Ogre' coffee table styl book which is basically the complete story of Gorillaz from beginning to end, and that' what sparked up my interest again. It's very interesting and amazinly drawn. The character's are great, I almost wished they were real, but the idea of a cartoon and is just so cool. Thumbs up Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett!

Gorillaz - Sound Check (Gravity)
Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood (Ed Case Remix)
Gorillaz - M1A1
Gorillaz - Re-Hash
Gorillaz - Punk

Buy Gorillaz


Alright guys, tonight I'm seeing MF DOOM!
And then tomorrow's the KEXP BBQ!
My weekend is looking great. I'll check in with you sometime after Sunday.

Wednsday Rarities

That's a picture I found on google. These are some more MP3's for you.

The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health (Ratatat Remix)

Broken Social Scene - Puff the Magic Dragon

M.I.A. - Galang (Hot Chip Remix)

PJ Harvey - When Under Ether (Live)
This tracks going to be on White Chalk, out September 25th.

Postal Service - We Will Become Sillouhettes (Matthew Dear's Not Scared Mix)

My Favorite Voices

I'm sorry I've been lagging, I think my post quality will increase if I stop trying to post daily. Sorry everyone, but I think it's for the best. Really! Now I'll actually post when I have something to say, instead of trying to find something to say for every post
I felt like highlighting some of my favorite singing voices around in this post. It's pretty fun to go through your music and think about who's voice you really like. Without further ado, my top 10 (I couldn't order them though, that's way too hard and it would be innacurate).


Sia Furler (Zero 7, Sia)
She is definitely my number one voice ever. Her voice could impress anyone with any standards. She could go on American Idol and totally dominate, but luckily she decided to put sing and write good songs. I can't say I listen to her solo work all that much, I appreciate it, but Zero 7 is really her best. She can sing in barely a whisper, or she can belt it out, any way she sings, it's terrific. Even though Zero 7 is my favorite thing she's done, a song that really showcases her voice (IMO) is this one, off her solo album "the Colour and the Shape".
Sia - Numb

Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, Postal Service, All-Time Quarterback)
Where do I begin with Ben Gibbard. Death Cab are probably my favorite band (I can't officially say that cause that's a huge title, but when it comes down to it they most likely are). They basically were the beginning of my introduction to a lot of the music I listen to now. His voice is very stand-out, which appeals to me. Pretty much all of these vocalists, I don't like because of their technical skills but their originality and different sound. The way he pronounces his words is very defined. I don't know why I like it so much, trying to describe why is hard and what I'm saying just sounds dumb. Just appreciate his voice with me.
Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight (DJ Downfall Mix)

Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu, Ten in the Swear Jar, IBPOA)
I love Xiu Xiu so much because they're so one of a kind. That's not the only reason, but the thing is when you get in that mood where you want to listen to Xiu Xiu you can only listen to them, anything else I know doesn't really fit in too well. Jamie's voice is so dark and interesting. When he mutters and sings so quiet it's interesting and captivating, and when he yells and shouts it's liberating just to listen to. His dark lyrics really give him his voice, but he definitely would not be able to deliver those lyrics without his unique voice.
Xiu Xiu - Crank Heart

Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse)
I'm a sucker for the really quiet voices. Mark's voice is really almost a whisper. And he knows what sounds good, he has a mic he likes to use live that gives it a great fuzzed out and distorted sound that works like magic! *sigh* I'm getting burned out on giving so much praise and analyzing all these voices so close, just listen.
Sparklehorse - Homecoming Queen


Elliott Smith
This one's kind of obvious. Who can't love Elliott's voice? His backing harmonies always amaze me. He really knew his stuff about music and theory.
Elliott Smith - I Didn't Understand

Craig Minnowa (Cloud Cult)
His range rests so naturally higher than most singers, yet it sounds strained at the same time. That sort of voice makes Craig's yells and hollers sound way more heartfelt. He has a really charming but wierd kind of accent that is only more prominant when he sings. It makes him seem like a bit of an underdog, trying to do the best he can, especially in songs like Washed Your Car or Breakfast with My Shadow. I have a hard time not falling in love with every song they do, and Craig's voice is definitely one of the biggest reasons.
Cloud Cult - Breakfast With My Shadow

Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle)
But y'all wouldn't have guessed I like Tool or A Perfect Circle, well guess what... I love both! But I'm not here to argue with haters or talk about a whole indie cred thing, I want to show you how much I love Maynard's voice. It's aggressive, but piercingly melodic. Some might say it's a bit over worked, but I personally love it. It doesn't take a lot of listening to hear that he does have quite an impressive voice, and his range is quite exceptional. This Joni Mitchell cover shows what amazing things he can do with his voice. The harmonies are beautiful
A Perfect Circle - The Fiddle and the Drum

Sam Beam (Iron & Wine)
Like Elliott, I always am in awe of the backing vocals and harmonies in almot every song of his. Just by listening you can hear that he knows a thing or two about music and isn't just singing another melody he made up over the top of the main vocal track, he plans it out, and it sounds amazing. It's so calm and soothing, I think it loses a bit of it's charm when it stands against loud music, he projects that quiet voice well but it just doesn't sound the same. But when it's soft and low, it's unbelievable soothing, as most of you are probably aware of.
Iron and Wine - Promising Light

Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse, Ugly Cassanova)
Listening to Modest Mouse's later stuff, you can hear lots of layering that wasn't in their earlier CD's. On songs like Tiny Cities Made of Ashes it sounds like each vocal track is sung by a different person. It's just so odd and unique, I can't help but love it.
Modest Mouse - Bukowski

Thom Yorke (Radiohead)
I must admit, I'm not big on the Bends, or atleast I'm not as big on their poppier stuff as most people. I think their experimental albums and songs are their best because I feel they really make a new niche for Radiohead and I think those are way more influential than the Bends or Pablo Honey. As Yorke's career went on you can hear he started singing in a way more haunting and soft manner than on Radiohead's earlier stuff, which I think sounds way better and fitting.
Radiohead - I Will


Runner Ups:
Bjork, Andrew Kenny (American Analog Set), David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones), Andrea Zollo (Pretty Girls Make Graves), Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Frog Eyes), Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Karin Dreijer (The Knife)

New Jose Gonzalez

Jose Gonzalez's new video for Down the Line is pretty dark. even though I don't really get it I really like it. It's directed by Andreas Nillson, who's also behind many of the Kinfe's wierd videos. From the two songs I've heard it sounds way darker and a bit louder than Veneer was. I'm sure a lot of people were expecting another version of Veneer, but I'm really happy he's growing musically and making tracks like this.
Too bad I can't find out how to attach the video to this post do go here.

And here's the MP3 plus another new song.
Down the Line
Killing for Love
In Our Nature comes out September 25th.


And this recording isn't on the record but there is a cover of Massive Attack's "Teardrop" on there, and here's a bootleg of a performance he did of the song. I can't wait to hear a good recording of this track.
Teardrop (live)