Hold Steady Live on KEXP

And on to bands that certifiably rock. Here's a live performance that the Hold Steady laid to tape for KEXP in Seattle.

Even better, there's talk of a new album in the Spring or Summer of 2008. Hells yes. In the meantime, Meg and I have tickets to go see them a week from today on, you said man, Halloween. It's on.

LINK: Hold Steady Live on KEXP

Kevin Drew: Spirit If

Here's the new solo joint from Broken Social Scene's (frontman?) Kevin Drew. Most the reviews say it sounds like a BSS album, which is accurate. Honestly, I think he could have cut out a couple of the tracks and gone EP instead of full-length. If I had it my way, I'd rather see the better tracks make their way on to the next BSS album, especially since the band is playing on them anyway. Alas this album is still pretty solid anyway. Favorites are "Farewell to the Pressure Kids", "Lucky Ones", and hard rock-gone-dance stylings of "Backed Out On the..."

Link: Kevin Drew: Spirit If

Here's the video for "Backed Out On the...":

Love Is All: Nine Times The Same Song

A good portion of the most interesting music coming out of Europe in the last few years seems to have one thing in common: it all sounds really dirty. Take for example Dizzy Rascal, Justice, The Go Team, and this group: Love Is All.

Unlike the others, Love Is All play dirty inside the confines of a classic guitar/bass/drums/vox rock band. The songs here have a lo-fi, overdriven quality that makes the entire album sound like you're listening to it through a stereo system with a couple of blown speakers, and that somehow, that's a good thing.

As for style, they're really quite difficult to describe. I would say they are equal parts: The Rapture, The Mamas & the Papas, Cyndi Lauper and Husker Du. I know that sounds crazy, but you'll see what I mean.

This was one of my Top 3 of 2006. Hopefully you'll like it just the same.

LINK: Love Is All: Nine Times The Same Song

First Thougths on In Rainbows... after 2 listens

I'm not going try to tie these all together, so here we go with the list:

1. They're dont' seem to be any huge stylistic left turns -- the bands sounds like they've settled in a little bit -- but you can tell here that Thom's songwriting continues down the path of abstract and experimental. The best thing about listening to a Radiohead album for the first time is trying to predict which direction a feel or melody will go in. So far, I'm zero for, like, 500 on that. You cannot predict how Thom will write a line or how the band will fall in behind it, and that's what makes this group so artistically significant (and so commercially negligible).
   
2. I love that the album is only 10 tracks because that really helps the sequencing and flow of this disc tremendously. There are strong juxtapositions from one song to the next, but nothing sounds out of place.
   
3. When things do sound off -- for instance the way the drums and piano fight against each other on the final track, "Videotape" -- they're off in a way that seems original, organic and I don't know... intellectual?
   
4. Thom really hits some high notes on this record.
   
5. These songs are in no way whatsoever "catchy", even by Radiohead standards. The writing seems to wander quite a bit, but usually builds toward some kind of peak. This will probably change as the album soaks in. Kid A felt the same way the first time (and still does kinda).
   
6. As usual, Nigel Godrich has done amazing things with the drum and bass production. They sound more crisp than ever on this record.
   
7. And speaking of production, thank you for the strings, they make some of the more simple tracks sound absolutely huge. I wonder who wrote these arrangements.

There's more, but those are just a few of thoughts I had while listening last night. Those who've heard it, chime in with your impressions.

New Radiohead Comes out Today

Just a reminder that the new Radiohead album, In Rainbows, is available for download as of today. Yes, you can still pay whatever you want for it. To access the tracks, sign up for Radiohead's W.A.S.T.E. email list to receive a link to the download site (I don't have mine yet, so I guess that means be patient).

Early buzz is that it's more OK Computer than Kid A, and of course, great. (Though I wouldn't expect bad reviews to come from anyone over at Stereogum.) Happy listening.

UPDATE: It looks like you might be able to go to www.InRainbows.com to download it, but I can't even get the page to load, so I can't verify. Maybe the server activity will cool down tonight long enough for me to jump on and get that mother.

In the meantime, I'm shitting myself with excitement to listen to this. Unfortunately I have to go play in my euchre league so it's going to be at least 10pm before I get back, track it down and listen.

Los Campesinos - Sticking Fingers in to Sockets

This is their new EP. Their stuff seems a combination of a punky Architecture in Helsinki and the chick that sings the chorus in Len's "Steal My Sunshine." Seriously though, did that girl resurface in this band?

This disc is a shorty but a goody. You can tell this is their first real recorded material because the songs have a shitload of energy, excitement and straight up youth. Quick changes, and a lot of ideas crammed in to small spaces. I'm curious to hear what some of you guys think of this band (play the video below and comment).

LINK:
Los Campesinos - Sticking Fingers in to Sockets

Blitzen Trapper: Wild Mountain Nation

The first word that comes to mind when I hear this disc -- and specifically in the case of the first few songs -- is "blistering." Maybe it's a B-L-I thing, or maybe because it's just dirty, raw, down-home rock that sounds like it was recorded with a bunch of shitty microphones. It's not down-home in a Skynard sense, but more like the noise that comes from the basement of so many suburban homes in this country. It's just a bunch of kids having a good time, and being really loud. It's also a little country-fied. It's like a country-fied version of Slanted & Enchanted pretty much.

LINK:
Blitzen Trapper: Wild Mountain Nation

The Replacements: Don't You Know Who I Think I Was

I'm headed to Minneapolis in a couple of weeks, and what better way to celebrate then to throw out a post from the quintessential Minny band, The 'placements. That is unless you prefer Husker Du, or Soul Asylum, or Prince, or the Jayhawks. Was there ever a cooler music scene than Minny in the 80s and early 90s?

LINK:
The Replacements: Don't You Know Who I Think I Was

It's a best-of, but I think this record should be on the list of best-of, best-ofs.

Okkervil River: The Stage Names

Don't judge a book by it's cover, because let's face it, covers don't get much worse than that. Here's the question -- are we viewing the palm or the back of that hand?

Thanks to Dick Darlington for hunting this one down. First listen: not blown away, but pretty happy with the results.

Soooo many highly-anticipated records leaking lately. I'll be on the lookout for links to other new ones, and get those up when and if I can. New jams from the New Pornographers, Interpol and Iron & Wine are all on the loose this week.

LINK:
Okkervil River: The Stage Names

The Wrens: Meadowlands

LINK:
The Wrens: The Meadowlands

Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther

Very good album from last year. Sounds like Fleetwood Mac they say.

LINK:
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther

Sufjan Stevens: Michigan

If you love Illinois, you're gonna like Michigan, Ole Suf-boy's home state and initial foray in to the much-discussed 50 states project. Though it is stylistically similar to it's follower, the album is little less dense and melodically developed, with fewer ensemble-oriented tunes and more of a solo and rock-band feel.

Highlights:

• "Flint" -- one of Suf's better solo piano ballads
  
• "For the Widows..." -- Banjo!
  
• "The Upper Peninsula" -- excellent vocal harmonies, and great band feel
  
• "Detroit, Lift Up..." -- Poly-rhythm madness you know and love

LINK:
Sufjan Stevens: Michigan

Ryan Adams: Easy Tiger

When it comes to Ryan Adams, two things are certain: The man is a total self-absorbed douchebag, and also happens to be one of the most talented -- not to mention prolific -- songwriters of our time. I don't really mind the guy's personality, because let's face it, it's interesting. Rock'n Roll needs more loose mouths, and fewer poster boys.

Here, in it's entirety, is probably one of the more memorable answering machine messages in music history. Ryan drops in on Chicago Sun-Times critic Jim DeRogatis, with a few choice words concerning his review of a recent show. This is what I mean by interesting.

Fans are saying this new release, Easy Tiger, is the best since his debut Heartbreaker. The Grateful Dead tendencies continue on tracks like the excellent opener, "Goodnight Rose," but overall we see a pretty wide breadth of styles explored on this disc. Ryan's voice makes a welcome return back to Nashville, with the wavering yowl in full effect.

And just to spice things up for the haters, here's Ryan covering my favorite Alice In Chains tune, "Down In a Hole." Tell me who in the Alt-Country community covers Alice In Chains? Props.

Ryan Adams - "Down In a Hole"

LINK:
Ryan Adams: Easy Tiger

A couple quickies

It's been a few days, so here's a couple of quickies to keep you busy, including Andrew Bird as requested. I also found new ones from White Rabbit, Battles (hot), Elliott Smith, Spoon and the long-dormant Greyboy Allstars.

This self-titled release from Besnard Lakes is also one of the more interesting rock listens of the year. BL might have actually one-upped My Morning Jacket in terms of heaviest vocal reverb ever used on a single release.

LINKS:
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
The Besnard Lakes - (s/t)
Greyboy Allstars - What Happened to TV?
Mastodon - Blood Mountain
White Rabbit - Fort Nightly
Battles - Mirrored
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Elliott Smith - New Moon

Destroyer's Rubies

One of my Top 3 albums from 2006, Rubies can be a very rewarding listen if you don't mind (1) a lead singer who voice is unconventional enough that it warrants comparison (inaccurately, IMO) to Bob Dylan in the mid 1970s, (2) lyrics that might seem abstract and meaningless, but also completely smack you in the face with a brilliant line or two on occasion, (3) a stream-of-consciousness approach to song writing. Plus, there are some truly gorgeous melodies to be found in all this mess. I love it, but Destroyer is not a band for everyone.

LINK:
Destroyer: Destroyer's Rubies

New Okkervil River - "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe"

Once Stage Names, the new Okkervil album coming August hits I'll have a few hundred more plays piled on to the old Last.fm tracker (which, by the way, you should get).

Here's the opening cut from the album, and it's predictably mega. Even better it shows that Okkervil River continue to explore some new directions while refining everything that made their last album Black Sheep Boy the best release of 2005 (IMHO of course). Will Sheff comes even closer to blowing out his voice on this track -- and in fact may have.

LISTEN:
Okkervil River - "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe"

Peter, Bjorn & John - Writer's Block

It's true, this dude (Peter) sounds exactly like John Lennon sometimes. That might be enough for some, but it's not even the best part of this album. There's a reason people everywhere are falling in love with this band. First, they're one of the largest-sounding power trios I've heard in some time (check that wall of guitars on the 2nd track, "Objects of my affection"), but beyond that PB&J know how to utilize all available resources (double-tracking, percussion, guest vocalists, etc) to realize their sound.

This album is an instant classic. So get it now.

DOWNLOAD:
Peter, Bjorn & John - Writer's Block

HIGHLIGHTS:
Objects of My Affection
Young Folks
Up Against the Wall
Paris 2004
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

Field Music - Tones of Town

This new record from Field Music is an excellent breather from the "Angular" styles that have dominated (indie) rock over the last few years. Plenty of luscious vocal harmonies and crisp syncopation, with the occasional '70s guitar lick (see the 0:50 mark of opener, "Give it, lose it, take it") thrown in for good measure. One of 2007's best so far, and a great soundtrack for the sunny days ahead.

DOWNLOAD: Field Music - Tones of Town

Highlights:
Give it, Lose It, Take it
Working to Work
In Context
A Gap Has Appeard -> Closer at Hand
She Can Do What She Wants

Info on Field Music from All Music Guide

Similar artists:
Apples in Stereo, New Pornographers, Futureheads, The Police