worst album of 2k5

the worst album that i listened to was cocorosie. tres horrible!! antony of antony and the johnsons makes me sick to my stomach and not even devendra could save the album. it was crap.

if you are thinking of buying this, i would highly recommend going against any instincts that tell you yes and follow my advice and just say no to noah's ark.



second worst would be the strokes new one whateveritwascalled. i couldn't listen past song three because it, too, made me nauseous. when will the strokes do something different? they really only have one song, you know. just thirty odd variations on it.

2K5

here it is. some of my favorite songs released in 2005.

MIX!

1. the beast and dragon, adored - spoon
one of the best opening songs of all time, and rowan's favorite song evah.

2. notorious lightning - destroyer
yes, it's 9 minutes and 51 seconds long. but, yes, it's fantastic.

3. wolfie - scout niblett
this song haunts me.

4. sovay - andrew bird
though i find his album to be, overall, just okay, i really really like this song.

5. let the cool goddess rust away - clap your hands say yeah
this band was one of my favorite surprises from 2005. they're fun. they're catchy. they're good.

6. this modern love - bloc party
when i first listened to this album, i really loved it, but it kind of faded from memory after a while. however, this song is really good.

7. rollercoaster - sleater-kinney
SK rock! need i say more?

8. stoner jam - blood on the wall
kk introduced me to this band, and though they're a bit sonic youth tributey, they're still pretty good. their album awesomer is pretty awesome, i must say.

9. man on a string - arizona amp and alternator
i love howe gelb. i love scout niblett. put those two together?! magic. pure magic.

10. long haired child - devendra banhart
devendra is like the now version of a sixties hippie. he works it.

11. holding back the year - lou barlow
oh, lou. how could i not put lou on here? one of the standouts from EMOH.

12. punks in the beerlight - the silver jews
I LOVE IT TO THE MAX.

13. intermission - nine black alps
little band from manchester, england makes good.

14. i summon you - spoon
yes, i have broken my rule and put two spoon songs on here. however, spoon are awesome and thus deserve two songs on a mix. this is probably my favorite track from "gimme fiction". i think it's because i'm a romantic at heart.

15. no more shoes - stephen malkmus and the jicks
i probably could have chosen a different song, however, there is something about this eight minute rock out session that i really like. maybe it's just because i really just love malky.

16. baby man - bobby conn and the glass gypsies
live version of one of my favorite bobby conn songs from "rise up".

17. baby man refrain - bobby conn and the glass gypsies
i actually like this one more, but i can't have the refrain without the song and i can't have the song without the refrain. these two go hand in hand.

18. the bleeding heart show - the new pornographers
perhaps not the best way to close a cd, but this is my favorite track from "twin cinema" and i love neko and i quite like the new pornographers, so it's on here and it's the closer...just because.


i'm sure that there are many more that could have been put on here, and maybe next year i'll figure out some hidden 2k5 gems and put those on a revised and updated best of mix. but, for now, this will do.

i forgot some albums for honorable mentions.

the silver jews - tanglewood numbers
devendra banhart - cripple crow (though, in all fairness, i probably have not listened to that enough to give it h.m., but i know that it's good, so it goes up there. for goodness sake.)
blood on the wall - awesomer


the mix is made, but not quite ready to go. i like to quality control these things. once it's had the run through, i'll post it here with notes and the like. so, be prepared for that.

top of the pops

or, alternately, the bad arts gives a rundown on the year 2k5.

album of the year
hands down, this has to go to spoon for their fantastic album, "gimme fiction".




hands down.
i was hooked upon first listen. well, that is a slight exaggeration, as i really enjoyed it as of the first listen but was a bit taken aback by what i thought was the abrupt end to the album. it just.....ends. suddenly. anyhow, by the second listen, i was hooked. from the opening measures of the beast and dragon, adored to the still somewhat abrupt ending of merchants of soul, everything is pure quality. there is not one bad track on this album. in fact, this album pushed spoon into the stratosphere of obsession and britt into the status of ROCKSTARGOD. in my opinion. of course.

any album that can hold my attention span for months and months after repeated listening and wear and tear (this was the only album played in my car for about three months), is a good album. not every album gets that privelege, but gimme fiction does.

spoon rocks.
plus, britt is really hot.




best album of the year and probably in my top five albums of all time, were i to revisit that list.

honorable mentions:
destroyer - notorious lightning and other works (ep)
bobby conn and the glass gypsies: live classics vol. 1
clap your hands say yeah - clap your hands say yeah
arizona amp and alternator: arizona amp and alternator
stephen malkmus and the jicks: face the truth
sleater-kinney: the woods
the new pornographers: twin cinema
scout niblett - kidnapped by the neptune

there surely are more, but those are the standouts at the moment. spoon just was leagues above everyone else and thus my vision is a bit clouded by that.

i would like to give a special shout out to the british band nine black alps and their debut album "everything is". while i enjoyed the album quite a lot and would recommend it to people who like good british rock, that is not why i am giving the shout out. once upon a time, i traded mix tapes with sam forrest, the main man behind the band, and he makes a mean mix and makes a good album, and thus, the shout out. so, that was a debut in 2k5 that is quite good. okay? okay.


concert of the year
this one is a little bit less clear-cut, and thus, i am giving the honors to two bands.

1A. HARRY AND THE POTTERS in the park, july 19, 2005.
i love wizard rock. perhaps people know this? i love harry potter. i love harry and the potters. i love everything about this band. they rocked it out in the minneapolis park on a lovely, sunny, but not too hot summer day. it was fantastic. super fun. super energetic.



they showed heart. they showed soul. they showed pure awesomeness (but not pure-blood. oh no.).

1B. SPOON, 400 bar, december 8, 2005.
again, the awesomeness of britt and his voice and his fantastic songs and the sound of spoon overshadow most everyone else. most. i was very close to britt (front row at a small venue with a low stage) and i think it made all the difference in the world. see, i saw them play in june at a larger venue, but, due to the day of three concerts, we had to stand in the balcony and though it was awesome (they sounded incredible), it was not the same as being RIGHTTHERE in a small, sweaty crowd, knowing that you're witnessing rock godness in the making.

so, yeah, spoon rocked. read my review of this for further details on the show.



honorable mentions:
sleater-kinney, first avenue, june 15, 2005.
neko case, first avenue, june 7, 2005.
lou barlow, 400 bar, march 15, 2005.
ted leo and the pharmacists, first avenue, june 14, 2005.
stephen malkmus, electric fetus, june 12, 2005.

i did not go to as many concerts this year as i have in years past, and some of the concerts that i should have seen were cancelled (destroyer! bobby conn!) and others (scout niblett! grr...) i just could not attend. alas, the ones i did see were pretty quality, so that is good. not really a bad one in the bunch, though i did leave some off the list. i couldn't list everything, right?


random weird music thing of the year
my mom knows more about the hip hop world than i do. it's weird.


musical discoveries of the year
one album that came out in 2k4 that i quite like is the arcade fire's funeral. i was a bit anti-buying this because sometimes i don't like to follow the hype, but, i must say that that is an album that i have enjoyed thoroughly since its purchase one year after its release. that's not necessarily a "discovery", but it would be my album of the year not released in the year.

jim guthrie. he's pretty fantastic. i was sent an edited version of his first album, a thousand songs this fall? or late summer? anyhow, regardless of when it was, i found that album to be kind of....just okay. however, after listening to morning noon night repeatedly later this fall, i realized that i really liked him. a lot. that album was one of my favorite new to me albums of 2005, though it came out in 2002. i would also recommend now, more than ever (2003) as a solid pick.


new band alert
my brother has a band called mise en place. they're pretty good. i've seen them live and heard rough cuts of their demo, and i'd say, (with just an ever so slightly biased opinion) that they could do good things. i'll let you know if/when they explode beyond the local circuit. they just played st. paul for the first time the other day, so they are expanding beyond minneapolis. fifteen minutes beyond, but still.

other random weird music thing
how did the emancipation of mimi score eight grammy nods? granted, i have never listened to it, but eight? that's kind of a lot.

tomorrow, if i remember, i'll have a best of 2005 mix ready for you. it should be pretty mixtastic.

wizard rock, part deux. . .

(. . .or the post where i blether about wizard rock with no real point and no real direction, as per usual for the bad arts)

wizard rock is taking over the world, and i'm not entirely sure that this is a good thing.

yes, once upon a time, i would have been pretty excited to see my favorite band about books, harry and the potters, leading what is apparently a world-wide trend in writing music about the harry potter books. well, scratch that. i am still excited that harry and the potters seem to be a phenomenon and are pretty much considered the kings of wizard rock and are written about in entertainment weekly, on mtv.com, and (with their indie cred, perhaps?) pitchfork.com...to name a few. they're really all over. this bothers me not one bit except that paul and joe aren't nearly as quick with responding to queries as they once were as i'm pretty sure that their fanbase has grown tenfold or more since the release of voldemort can't stop the rock.

no, harry and the potters success has bothered me not one bit. however, i am a bit dismayed at the sheer number of bands that have since popped up who attempt to rock in the same vein, but come up pretty short.

for example, recently, a livejournal community has been dedicated to the genre of wizard rock (check it out here), and with some investigation into the matter i was able to see just how much this has grown as a genre. apparently, wizard rock is the new black, and writing songs about harry potter and life in the world of magic guarantees you legions of fans.

(you don't even necessarily have to be good, as some of those bands most definitely are not.)

maybe i wouldn't mind if i didn't just really love harry and the potters so so much. i hold bands that i love near and dear in my heart and i don't want H&tPs success to be infringed upon by other bands such as draco and the malfoys (who are actually quite good, i must begrudgingly say) or the remus lupins or the whomping willows, or the whole list of wizard rock bands that can be found in the info section of the wizard rock community. i mean, is it necessary to have a band for every character that appears in the harry potter books? and, at what point does originality cease to exist? harry and the potters were the first wizard rock band (well, first harry potter wizard rock band, as there definitely have been wizard rock bands in the past, as people are apt to point out...) and though the other bands are writing their own songs with their own takes on the harry potter mythology, it's not very original to cop the idea when someone else did it first and has done it better and has started this genre of harry potter wizard rock?!

though the brothers degeorge do not seem to mind this, it still bothers ME (and here, as i've said before, my opinion is what counts). they even recently organized and performed at what appears to be a very successful rendition of the yule ball. (which i wish that i had been able to attend, however, boston is kind of far from minneapolis)

maybe it was inevitable, though. harry potter has taken over the world in so many ways that perhaps the music world was the next logical choice and if H&tPs hadn't started it then someone else would have. so, perhaps, i shouldn't be so judgmental and i should just go with the flow. if something is going to take over the world, i'd rather it be wizard rock than something horrible. after all, almost all of these bands are anti-voldemort (grrr, draco and the malfoys. grrr....), and thus, anti-evil, so that must be a good thing. it really could be worse.

so, in conclusion, i have no point. just that the number of wizard rock bands is overwhelming. and, if you're looking to start your own, i have some ideas:

the severus snapes
the potion masters
the golden snitches
the gryffindor lions
the squibs
the dementors
the basilisks
the half blood prince
the death eaters
the order of the phoenix
the prophecies (perhaps you could sing about all of madame trelawney's predictions? just an idea!)
gilderoy lockhart and the obliviators
professor quirrell and the turban of doom
wormtail and the silver hands
the flying cars
the muggles
dudley and the dursleys
the fleur delacours
viktor krum and the wronski feints
the veelas
the room of requirement
the tom riddles

and so on...

wizard rock, part une

currently, in my post settings at the bad arts, i have a post in which i rant about wizard rock. well, that is where it will go eventually, because i really feel that there are far too many bands out there writing songs about harry potter books when really there should only be one (the fabulous brothers degeorge and their band, harry and the potters). however, today, i got the best cd ever in the mail (from H&tPs) and it has made me laugh so much and so, in the spirit of christmas and wizardry everywhere, i present to you a downloadable link to "a magical christmas of magic" featuring many wizard rock bands. this is probably very bad of me to do, so please, dear reader, don't share all over the place (i'd rather you support the fine art of wizard rock - at least until i tell you not to), but here you go: a magical christmas of magic -- zipped all nice and pretty for you.

happy holidays! enjoy the gift of music!
(at least until this link expires)

and now for something completely different....

now, we at the bad arts do not like to write about things that do not pertain to music or what we like, as, well, this was set up to be a music blog of sorts, even if the writing is juvenile at times and gushy at others and not always entirely sensical. however, we at the bad arts do have other interests aside from music. we love books! and knitting (it's true!)! and movies! and, maybe more than other things, television! we love television. not the band, mind you, but the medium. television shows are awesome.

it seems that ever since dawson's creek, television has been a way for musicians to expose a larger audience to their work. musicians and songs that fans would never expect to appear on television shows are suddenly popping up on fairly popular shows. the o.c. has become a show for bands to actually showcase their work by performing live at the teenage drama's music venue "the bait shop" as background for the storylines. some even say that this show is what helped put the band death cab for cutie on the map, as it were, due to seth cohen's obsession with the band. i am convinced, by the way, that all people secretly love this show. it's a theory that i won't go into now, but was developed after seeing stephen malkmus and the jicks in june and them playing a snippet of the theme song (california by phantom planet) during the encore while they were being jickish and laissez-faire in their performance.

moving on, though we do love the o.c.and the fact that we've heard such acts as elliott smith, lou barlow, spoon, bloc party, and so on on the show, there is another teenage drama that we love even more: veronica mars. today, pitchfork media released a great little write-up about spoon and we find out that, OHMYGOD, britt daniel is performing on our favorite show!! even though britt has not watched it (or so he says), it's still pretty cool that he's performing on it.

television sometimes really does rock.

and on that note, we're out.

spoon at the 400 bar, minneapolis, 12.8.05

what can i say about this most fantastic show?

that britt rocked? that the band sounded awesome? that every song they played was great? (even paper tiger, which is probably my least favorite spoon song) that if i had missed it, i probably would have cried just a little bit? that, overall, this might have been my favorite concert of 2005 (though harry and the potters is still high up on the list) and one of my favorite concerts at the 400 bar ever?

though i am still not quite sure what prompted this sponsored show or how we were lucky enough to host it or how it was free or any of the details regarding that, i have decided that that doesn't matter and that, since i was in attendance, it was a great idea. (thanks to: schell's beer, the onion, and the current. for real! and thanks to the nice lady from an accounting firm who works with schell's who sent me free tickets after i missed out at the giveaways that one could attend to try to obtain free tickets!)

so, to set the stage, as it were, the 400 bar is a very small venue with a very low stage (hits me just around mid-thigh, and, granted, i am very tall, but that should give you some idea as to what kind of place we were dealing with) and very bad sound if you are not in the front. we arrived in the neighborhood shortly after seven, hit an african restaurant for coffee and a quick bite to eat, and then headed to the 400 bar around 7:57 as doors were at eight. we waited for a bit in the minneapolis cold and eventually, a little late, the doors opened and we were the first in the door (even though we were not the first to start waiting outside and not the only people there, either). i made a beeline for the front and lodged myself in my favorite spot on the left (our left) side of the stage. and thus, we waited.

the opening bands were.... well, i thought that they were both pretty crap, but i know that some people thought that the first band was okay. both acts were local and neither was great. beau kinstler and the somethings was the first band and kind of sounded like a typical bar band, if you ask me. but, that's just my opinion. michael morris, the second act, sounded like a discount clem snide. really crap. and boring. they were really boring.

and then, spoon.

spoon really rocked it. britt was hot. the band was tight. they played for about an hour and a half, including the encore. britt got a little hoarse towards the end, but it didn't interfere with the show, as his voice sounds cool no matter what. there were a few moments of annoying fandom in the crowd, but, overall, it was fantastic. and, i grabbed the setlist at the end of the show. not britt's, but still... pretty cool.

the set was:

the beast and dragon, adored
me and the bean
someone something
lines in the suit
the fitted shirt
the delicate place
i turn my camera on
sister jack
anything you want
paper tiger
small stakes
vittorio e
they never got you
i summon you
the two sides of monsieur valentine
the way we get by
thirty gallon tank
the infinite pet
my mathematical mind

-encore-
everything hits at once
car radio
jonathan fisk


it was great.

tonight, mise en place.
thursday, spoon.


this girl is excited.
especially about spoon. holy crap. could britt be any hotter?

for the record

the origins of the newly invented word mixtastic come from me and my head.

JUST SO YOU KNOW.

the idea for a spoon promotional show where one must win tickets is the worst idea ever. particularly because i seem to not be winning.

also, bobby conn broke his arm or something and so that show, too, got cancelled.

my concert luck is just.... it's just not good right now.

stuff

did i ever mention that the new pornographers and destroyer were cancelled in minneapolis? because that show was and it broke my little hahhhhhhht. a little bit. though, this way, at least my previous concert experiences of both bands (which were pretty awesome) were not marred, so that is quite good.

bobby conn is playing here in two days and i cannae wait. that was me being fake scottish. for a minute. anyhow, a preview of his weirdness could be found here at the following link: never get ahead video

(hopefully that works)

2 days. let's hope that doesn't get cancelled, either. because that would be crappy. really really crappy.

tanglewood numbers

the awesomeness just hit me.
it's superb.

because i am lazy, and do not feel like uploading anything for you, i am going to send you to drag city to download "how can i love you if you won't lie down" (video)(apparently). because, well, i am lazy and that song is just as good as any other. this album is good.


in unrelated content: the new pornographers and destroyer cancelled their minneapolis date. it's as if the concert gods were cursing me....or, it's as if one of the members was ill or something.

i learned some very interesting information tonight. bobby conn, the bobby conn who is so weird and yet so wonderful, is playing minneapolis on november 5th. as i will be in town and not busy, i am so there.

bobby conn is like the... hmm. bobby conn is not the anti-christ, though i thought he might be for a while. bobby conn is not normal. bobby conn is glam. bobby conn is awesome.

november 5th.

mark your calendars, kids.


in other news, i have been completely obsessed with jim guthrie as of late, which is neat but kind of odd, since i've never much cared for royal city and thought that, to be honest, they were kind of crap. but jim? jim = good.

and, also, i cleaned out my random cd storage area and found numerous cds that need to be listened to, up to and including a copy of red apple falls by smog (which probably belongs to my brother, but he doesn't need to know about that unless he stumbles across this in which case, i will give it back to you if it is yours, drew), two unlabeled pavement random downloads discs (once again, these do not belong to me....drew), and too many elliott smith random albums to even count. i also found a live disc of the jam, random burned copies of albums that i love that i must have intended on giving away at some point, loads of classical music (this is what actually prompted me to search in the area, as i was looking for something for rowan to listen to), tons of mix cds that were made for me from a long time ago, an up records sampler, and a vhs copy of the fellowship of the ring - which is clearly not music, but kind of funny all the same. there was more, too, but the inventory would be too long and boring to continue to tell, so just take my word for it that there were lots of surprises and some things made me happy and some things made me just a little bit sad.

the new pornographers play in less than 48 hours. though i am excited for them and love twin cinema, i am definitely more excited for destroyer. destroyerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

rock.

mise en place revisited

last saturday night, i had the pleasure of seeing the second official debut of the local band mise en place. kids, they're going to do great things and i'm not just saying that because my brother is involved in the band. they're actually really good**. trust me. i have excellent taste in music and my opinions should be trusted.

they played a lengthy set of material that i had previously only heard in demo format (with just drew patrick playing various parts on a four track recording) or at solo drew patrick shows, of which there have been like 5 in history or something like that. maybe more, maybe a few less.

but, as pre-usual, i digress. mise en place was the band of the hour and they seriously rocked. i was very impressed with their performance, given that they've existed as a band for about two months or less and all work various full-time jobs and have real lives that take up a lot of time and they still managed to sound goooood. real good.

for videos and photos and their own write up of their performance, i highly recommend that you check out the mise en place blog found here: mise en place

this site also has some linkage to a photobucket and putmefile space for the band. i'd link myself, but really, why do that when it's already been done for me?

so, in conclusion, mise en place are good. they're from "edina" (but really not.). they rock. my brother is in the band. and, that is probably all you need to know right now.

just wait for more big news as it happens.



**(see, i was kind of worried that i would have to lie about them and say that they were good when really i wasn't impressed at all, but, luckily for all parties involved, no lying was necessary because they sounded fantastic. and i mean that from the bottom of my little hahhhhhhht.)

and now for something completely different...

if, for some reason, on this gray and rainy and gloomy day (in minneapolis town, at least), you feel the need to listen to something kind of gangsta, give this (link!) a try. it's quite good. 48ish minutes of stuff that is completely different from typical bad arts fare, but good all the same. except for the last three minutes, but we don't need to talk about that now.

some time ago, rowan and her father made a mix together. apparently, rowan has not read my rules on how to make a mix cd and what to put on it, for she (being the one who picked the songs) broke many of my rules. her dad should have known better.

there is no need to put donovan on twice. the beatles on SIX times. no need to ever put the grateful dead on any mix. no need for ... actually, i can't really criticize too much beyond that.

it is apparent, however, that i need to do some active parenting when it comes to the art of the mix.

that said, i do appreciate that at her young age (three), she is already interested in making mixes to fit her mood (this was a dance mix, apparently) and that she knows that it's her mix and that it starts with an R and that it's music she likes. i also appreciate the fact that her father helped with this, though, as i said, i do need to teach her the rules to this and hopefully help her out for future mixing efforts.

...

in other news related to music, i have recently been given the gift of pavement rarities and i cannot stop listening to them, even though i was also given the gift of many other albums at the same time. the gift of music is fantastic and it is even better when it is the gift of hard to find songs by one's favorite all-time band ever...it's like new music from a long dead band! it has been a terrific few days of all-out pavement looooove.

with the occasional mix of other things, of course. occasional.

my recent summation of indie rock in 4000 words or less was this:

pavement rocked.
the end.

i'm not sure that that is good and i'm not sure if anyone else will think that that is good, but i do know that it sums it up pour moi, and that is the most important thing here. please remember that at the bad arts, only my opinion counts.


:-*,
me

more music

in other music news: thanks to a certain gangsta, i have been enjoying the sounds of pre-pavement malkmus with the legendary lakespeed demos? album? i am not certain what to call it.

all the i know is that it's good.

if you want to read what rabid fans have to say about this, then please click this link (<--link!) and you can see for yerself. they're legendary. apparently.

mise en place

apparently, this should be good.

Location:	Java Jack's Coffee Cafe (Basement) 818 46th Street W., Minneapolis, MN
When:	Saturday, October 15, 7:30pm
Phone:	612.825.2183
Your presence is humbly requested at a special evening performance of music by Mise en Place, a recently formed quartet from Edina. If you have received this invitation, then either (1) the band thinks favorably of you, or (2) the band is using you. It is equally possible that Mise en Place collectively feel "obligated" to ask you. In any case, come take part in history and witness Mise en Place's debut performance in the basement of Java Jack's in South Minnie. DISCLAIMER: This is not for the meek-hearted (or minded), i.e., some of you may want to bring earplugs. Feel free to bring your requests, and Mise en Place will feel free not to play them. Join the band after the show at the Bryant Lake Bowl for a post party. Post-post party location yet to be determined. M Forrester - guitar Drew Patrick - guitar, vocals Cory Rath - bass, vocals Shaun Westphal - drums “Mise en Place is an overly melodic noise outfit from the notorious post-prior Edina scene. Think of a blank canvas marked by a red X, a black X, and some other stuff.”

then again, it could be crap. i'm just trying to be a good sister here. you know?

u.s. maple - talker

last night, as i took an inventory of all my albums, i remembered that i own and quite like all of u.s maple's albums. they're kind of weird. not my normal "thing" (i.e. they're not pretty), but they're good. i think that partially the reason that i like them is because once upon a time at a david grubbs show in chicago, my brother and i had an hour or so long conversation with one of their guitarists and he was really nice. so, i like to give nice people a chance... i did, and i started to actually like their deconstructive rock.

here is their third album talker, for you to try to enjoy.

1. bumps and guys
2. running from kabob
3. go to bruises
4. more horror
5. apollo, don't you crust
6. breeze, it's your high school
7. stupid deep indoors
8. [untitled]
9. so long bonus

for what it's worth, breeze, it's your high school is probably my favorite track.

music overload

dear fans of the bad arts (all two or so of you):

i have been operating on music overload the past few weeks. probably, and more accurately, i should say past month or so. this is both a good and a bad thing. good in that i am trying and searching and scouring the wide world of music to find rare gems to pass along to you, my loyal reader(s). bad in that, in all my searching and scouring and listening and buying and acquiring, i have found myself in that rare position of too much music to listen to to even make sense of any of it.

there have been some standouts in the recent acquisitions. oh, just fantastic stuff in general. however, i have not had time to properly digest and dissect any of the albums enough to even attempt to give one of my craptastic reviews. i mean, let's face it here, my reviews are a bit craptastic, even when i have listened to an album numerous times. but i couldn't even attempt one of those at this moment. i'm still absorbing everything and need to revisit at least twelve albums before i can pass along anything to you.

in the meantime, there is one song that has stood out more than most and that is the song "man on a string" (<--link!) by arizona amp and amplifier, which is really just howe gelb. oh, silly howe. and the only reason that i even feel okay in passing that along is because i have found myself listening to it on repeat over and over and over again (oh wait, that is the definition of repeat, isn't it?) in car rides here and there in my meanderings in greater minneapolis.

so, i give you that. for now. chew on it. think it over. hopefully, love it. if not, then that's fine, too. to each his own, as they say.

i will work on overcoming my music overload problem. and, someday, have some proper recommendations and reviews to dish out.

love,
erin

we'll build them a golden bridge

because i'm super nice and just uploaded this whole incredibly rare album for a destroyer community, i thought that i would be super super nice and share the love with any and all of you.

so, i give you "we'll build them a golden bridge" by destroyer. this album is super hard to find. but, because i am awesome, i have a copy of it. (of course!)


1. revolution
2. j. tailor
3. smith
4. i, as mccarthy
5. mending song
6. leave little fiddler (alone)
7. the pornographers
8. war on jazz
9. islands in the stream
10. saddestroyer
11. streets of fire
12. rose fleched this
13. breakin' the law
14. whistilin' dixie (she shoots)
15. riota
16. knowing when to leave (slang mix)

acoustic guitar

how do you feel about acoustic music? the other night, my fake brother was telling me that acoustic music is the worst thing in the whole wide world, and is actually a killer of rock music. i like acoustic music done properly. i mean, elliott smith? uh. some others? his stance was that people like frank black can put an acoustic guitar in a song and make it sound good, but that the whole MTV unplugged phenomenon was the worst thing to happen to music. ever.

but, anyhow, without boring you with random stupid details, during the whole debate, the following song was going through my head and i would have started singing it except that i don't think that fake brother knows this song.

so, here you go:
acoustic guitar - the magnetic fields

this is from disc three of 69 love songs, and though the file name may say something like "how to say goodbye" it's NOT. my computer sometimes is stupid and misreads and misnames files or whatever, so, you know, just know that it is the song i intended for it to be. regardless of name.

and then, tell me how you feel about acoustic music. i'd really like to know.

we have arrived....

the more and more i listen to twin cinema, the more and more i like it. in fact, it's actually taken the place of the newest flavor of the month, "clap your hands say yeah" as the album that is most likely to be listened to in my car. this is kind of a huge honor. probably not, actually.

a large part of the liking has been the song the bleeding heart show, which could be and often is listened to on repeat, over and over and over again. there is just something about it...

so, i give you the bleeding heart show by the new pornographers; maybe you will love it as much as i do.

naked, if i want to

2 versions.

naked, if i want to - moby grape

naked, if i want to - cat power


this is always a good song. doubly so, now!



if there are linkage problems, let me know. somehow. they always work for me, but that might not mean anything.
[/technodolt]

unofficial canada day

yesterday, the new pornographers, in conjunction with matador records (US), released twin cinema.

now, i have to confess, i was not anxiously anticipating this album. not even a little bit. however, my loyalty to dan bejar of destroyer and neko case of neko case was too strong to not buy this album. and, you know what? after one listen, it's quite good. i still don't think that AC newman is all he's cracked up to be, but this is a far better album than their last album, electric version, which up until this morning, i had not listened to since shortly after its release in 2003.

in celebration of the new new pornographers and all things interconnected in that tangled little web those indie musicians weave, i have decided that i am going to celebrate an unofficial canada day and will only listen to canadian stuff, namely stuff involving neko case (an unofficial canadian herself), dan bejar, and the new pornographers peops.

the most exciting part of the day is that i stumbled across a destroyer rarities compilation and downloaded it and finally, finally have the version of "the music lovers" on CD that i previously only had on a 7" single that i could not play since i have no record player.

so, here you go...
the music lovers - destroyer (alternate version, of course!)

if i get 'round to it, i'll post more fantastic canadian tracks. but for now, this will do.

carry on.

rarity

new monkey - elliott smith

from the either/or sessions. maybe someday, when i'm feeling super nice, i'll post the whole lot. well, at least disc one of the lot, since i don't have the second disc or whatevz.

(the sound quality is not the best, mind you, but that is just something you will have to deal with.)

home, vol. 4

i'm feeling nice.

here you go, the one time that i will ever ever ever willingly and ablingly listen to conor oberst, and that is only because he is playing with [my fake rock star boyfriend who doesn't actually know that i exist but who i brushed shoulders with once] britt daniel.



spent on rainy days
you get yours
southern state
let the distance bring us together

now, mind you, i still can't handle conor even a little bit, but i'll tolerate him for britt.

fake autobiographical

south dakota - liz phair

call me mommy - make up



and, just because i like this song:
the loneliest duet - the secrets

this. and a little bit of that.

wow. my last post was so fantastic that i don't even know that i can top it. ever.

riiiiiiiight.

today, i rediscovered the magic of pavement (did i ever really undiscover it? nope, don't think so.) and am slowly working on turning my daughter into the world's largest little pavement fan. though, her favorite song still is "the beast and dragon and dog" (aka the best and dragon, adored, by spoon). i'm working on it. spoon are great, but pavement are greater.

and yes, i know i refer to bands in the plural. i'm a fake brit. have i never mentioned this before? when your daughter's father hails from scotland, then these things tend to infiltrate the vocabulary.

no songs today, as, once again, i am at home and on dial-up, but tomorrow there should be more. should be being the operative words there. there is a fantastic old giant sand song that i may post and i need to expand my horizons and find some new things for all you lovelies to listen to, because i still am pretty certain that my taste in music is tops. it just needs to be expanded.

and, if you can't get sarcasm in writing, then there may be no hope for you.

photo journey

today is a day off, so there are limitations as to what i can post. a girl can only do so much with dial-up, y'see? so, today is a day for random photographs and, also, a very sad tale, indeed.

first. the everchanging cast of the magnet band. forgive me if you've seen these pictures before, or if you are one of the lucky few who have seen these fantastic creations in person. as i said, i have my limitations today, so do what you will with that.





i have some more. i have some on my fridge here at home, too. in fact, with the magic of digital photography and instantaneous upload, i present you with this:



please ignore non-rock star magnets, as, i have quite a little soft spot in my hahhht for magnets. i like them. they're fun. this, however, is NOT the magnet blog (if it were, though...oh, if it *were*!), so focus instead on the rock star magnets. steve albini! kim deal! neko case! elliott smith! stephen malkmus! jesus! oh, wait, not jesus.

and now, for my tales of sadness and woe.

firstly, i present you with the following cleverly doctored photograph (i am very clever.):



my aforementioned copy of hisser, that, indeed, i scoured the stores of glasgow, edinburgh, dundee, stirling, and other places in scotland for before finally obtaining in one fantastic record store in london whose name now escapes me. oh, london.

but, to the point, as you can see from my mad paint skillz, he spelled erin with an A. that is just not right. as much as i love you, howe (and i do i do i do!), this is incorrect. however, his high fives are solid and he's still a nice man. and, though the new giant sand pretty much blows, his old work with john convertino and joey burns (oh, those pesky calexicans) is pretty fantastic. it truly is. and his solo work ain't too shaggy, either.

also, i took a photo of a photo the other day as i do not have a scanner and i wanted to show how howe kind of does resemble joey fatone (and, plus, i quite liked this picture of me). unfortunately, my photography skillz are not as good as my paint ones, at least in terms of figuring out how to avoid flash, but here you go anyhow. see the resemblance? i do!



unfortunately, this original photograph, along with a book that i truly love, were accidentally released into the universe at a random stop at a convenient store yesterday afternoon; the purpose of which was to pick up the new issue of entertainment weekly, which has a snippet about my favorite band about books, harry and the potters, in it. this is a sad, sad, sad, but true story and i am very sorry to know that some random person has probably one of my favorite photographs ever along with my copy of "half asleep in frog pajamas" by tom robbins.

this is a far more personal bad arts post than normal, as you may have noticed. cherish it. i'll be back to my old tricks tomorrow, or, at the least, soon enough.

long songs

notorious lightning - destroyer
9 min. 51 sec. from notorious lightning and other works ep, 2005, merge records.
this is far superior to the version of notorious lightning that opens up 2004's your blues. far superior.

have i ever mentioned that i love destroyer?



from her to eternity - nick cave and the bad seeds
5 min. 33. sec. from from her to eternity, originally released 1984.

not my favorite nick cave song, but pretty fantastic nonetheless. he's great.



oh comely - neutral milk hotel
8 min. 18 sec. from in the aeroplane over the sea, 1998, merge records.

long song. i love this album.



shangri-la - the kinks
5 min. 20 sec. from arthur, or the decline and fall of the british empire, originally released 1969.

the kinks are the best british band of the sixties, and possibly, in my opinion, ever. EVER.




that should do.

(apologies for the random picture sizes. and apologies, too, because two of those are not even that long and i was too lazy to upload any more.)

edit: okay, how could i not put another nick cave song on this post? i couldn't not, so here you go. bonus!

the mercy seat - nick cave and the bad seeds
7 min. 17 sec. from tender prey, released 1988.

this is actually one of my favorite albums of all time.

rainy day song

it's not raining!

4 door maverick - howe gelb


that should work. i've been having the worst experiences with my protected media content and my technological ineptness.

but, howe gelb = fantastico!

apparently, according to some, he looks like joey fatone's long lost dad. i've seen joey fatone's dad on the other half and howe gelb is not even remotely a look-alike. though, i do see an odd resemblance to joey fatone. i guess. whatevz.

howe is also really nice. and he likes scotch. and if you go to him with your rare copy of "hisser" that you scoured the UK for, he will appreciate your stories about this and sign it for you and even give you a high five. it's true.

he may, however, spell your name wrong.

word is out on the street....

this is probably my third favorite song ever, if i were the type who rates these things, of course.

rise up - bobby conn

i love bobby conn. he's so weird.

song of the day

pretty eyes - the silver jews

in keeping with my pretty theme of the past two days, i am presenting you with probably my favorite silver jews song. i love it. it's PRETTY.

lyrics:

Everybody wants perspective from a hill
but everybody's wants can't make it past the window sill
I can see you in yourt room at night
the pictures on your walls
little forest scenes and high school halloweens
but they don't come to you
they don't come to you at all

All houses dream in blueprints
our house dreams so hard
Outside you can see my shoeprints
I've been dreaming in your yard

One of these days these days will end
Thru the kitchen window the light will bend
You'll be carving a pumpkin with a knife
when someone at the table says
"that's not what I call a life!"

The elephants are so ashamed of their size
hosing down I tell them "you got pretty eyes"
Out in the backyard I used to make like I was a cowboy
I'd set my dog before a hoop and say "now boy, now boy!"

When the governer's heart fails
the state bird falls from its branch
Icicles on hell's higher hills
Meanwhile back home at the ranch
I still get up early in the morning
and I never knew a better place

I believe the stars are the headlights of angels
driving from heaven to save us
to save us
Won't you look at the sky?
They're driving from heaven into our eyes
and though final words are so hard to devise
I promise that I'll always remember your pretty eyes
your pretty eyes

(lyrics janked from the corduroy suit)
d.c. berman is a genius.

i am anxiously anticipating tanglewood numbers' release in october. i actually have already downloaded this album, but, you know, i like to wait until i get the complete package. i'm a bit of a "needs the actual object" type of girl.

enjoy the song. it's......pretty. of course!

songs that are good

today is a day for pretty songs.

pretty ballerina - the left banke
i first heard this song on a mix tape that the father of my daughter gave me many many years ago. i still love this song, even though i no longer love him.

ventricle - ponies in the surf
this is a brother/sister duo from boston whom i am quite enamored of, even though they only have one short ep out and have never played here and sound a bit unpolished at times. they're still quite good. i like pretty music. what more can i say?


i wanted to treat you to more songs, but yousendit is being a bit of a pain, so i will leave you, instead, with really truly wonderful descriptions of pretty songs and why i like them. and maybe, someday, yousendit will stop being a balginey and will actually start uploading tracks and i can make these into pretty little mp3s for you, too.

edit: two more songs uploaded. excellent.
waterloo sunset - the kinks
I LOVE THE KINKS. LOVE THEM. LOVE THEM, even. they're fantastic. this song is really beautiful and sometimes, on somedays, it can even make me cry. though this is not my favorite song of theirs, it is fantastic and everyone should listen to it.

clam, crab, cockle, cowrie - joanna newsom
another lovely song. when joanna played this live last summer, i almost cried. that was a lie. i did cry. it's a really beautiful song and the lyrics are fantasticly fantastic.

all her favorite fruit - camper van beethoven
okay, i know that cvb are maybe a bit out of date. but, dude, this song is so good. the first time i heard it was when my brothers first learned to play guitars and started a little band and played covers at my small town moonlight madness in 1994. we still have the video tape. and their performance is still pretty awesome. but, i digress...this song? super good.



pretty!

second edit: yousendit is fantastic today. just so you all know.

excellent news

destroyer/new pornographers tour has finally been extended to minneapolis.

this might be the best news ever.

october 22. first ave.

(big. thumbs. up.)

rock star high fives

elliott smith (x2)
steve albini (+ hug)
dan bejar
kim deal (+ wristband?)
howe gelb (x2)
joe pernice (x like a million)
thom monahan
neko case (x2)
sam coomes
janet weiss
stephen malkmus (x2)
lou barlow
harry and the potters

oh wow. i think that's all. i thought for sure that it was more than that.

clap your hands

say yeah!



after 1.5 listens, i quite like this album. we will see if it stands my test of time (i.e. will i be bored with it tomorrow?).

random thoughts on this and that

yesterday, i made my friend brian a birthday mix. brian, who used to make fun of me and my "snobby, indie taste" (i am NOT a music snob. well, mostly not.), has since come around and realized that, hey, i *do* have good taste in music. this is largely in part to the fact that he has a girlfriend who likes almost the exact same stuff as i do, as girlfriends may be more convincing than best friends in some aspects. you know?

the mix is another erin standard, or else i would post the tracklisting. i really need to get out of the "standard mix" and start experimenting with all those ideas that i had not too far back here. or some others. or something. i still want to make a long song mix, and probably will do that (longer than seven minutes, or six, if i can't find enough tracks that i like), and, in the same spirit, i should probably make a short songs mix filled with 90 second or less ditties.

ooh. that would be kind of fun.

further ideas for mixes:

80s mix.
songs that make us think of the 80s, but in fact, are not 80s.
songs that hearken us to our youth.
music for letter writing.
music for studying (yes, school is starting sooooon)
trail mix (ha)
bear songs


and stuff.

CocoRosie

i bought la maison de mon reve (which i think translates to "the house of my dreams", but since it has been some years since i last took french and i did not verify this, please don't take my word on that) by cocorosie a few weeks ago. i don't know that much about this band, since i no longer make it a point to research as much background information on bands/artists the way that i once did. apparently, they fall into the new "folk movement" that includes people like devendra banhart, joanna newsom, and antony and the johnsons. as i really adore both devendra and joanna (but have never listened to antony, since his picture on billions scares me quite a bit), i figured that it would perhaps be worth my time to check this band out.

and, i'm glad that i did.

while i do not think that this will ever be one of my favorite albums, it is different and enjoyable. upon first listen, i was taken aback. i believe that it is two sisters (and perhaps this is a lesson i can utilize on my next proper review: research the artist!) with strange voices singing slow folky songs over random electronic beats and noises. it was weird and i was unsure what to make of it.

however, upon further listens, i found that there was something almost charming in the oddity of composition, and i've since realized that i liked it. i like the odd songs. they're entrancing and memorable, which is not often the case with music these days (oh the decline of a genre, if bright eyes is your shining star....). they stand out without trying so obviously hard to stand out that the uniqueness overwhelms the actual music. [aside: if there is one thing that i cannot stand, it is forced uniqueness; let your individuality speak for itself, as one does not need to try to make oneself an individual. this, however, would perhaps be better suited to a different sort of blog which i have not yet created and will probably not create.] in addition, the music is relaxing, without being complete fare for falling asleep.

plus, anyone who sings about wanting to be a housewife is pretty cool in my books.

the opening song, "terrible angels", was, to me, reminiscent of the opener on sparklehorse's Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, with its use of animalesque noises and slow guitars on the intro. that said, it has been about three years since i last listened to that sparklehorse album, so i might be completely offbase, there. we move slowly into songs about housewifery and jesus and butterscotch and end up with a song that is, in a way, about yugoslavia.

in all, la maison de mon reve is quite good and i would recommend it. especially if you are a fan of either devendra banhart or joanna newsom. while i would not put CocoRosie into the same league with those two, i would say that i can understand how if you're a fan of one, you might like......

that said, i guess maybe it is time to get past the scary billions picture and give antony and the johnsons a chance.

[cocorosie, la maison de mon reve, touch and go 2004]


edit: i have since listened to as much antony and the johnsons as i think i can possibly bear. i think i hate him.

holy crap. how many songs has bob pollard written? another suitcase?

oh my.

ratings system

from this moment forth, ratings for things that i choose to rate will be as follows (from worst to best):

crap
just okay
quite good
fantastic

in other words, a four star system.


examples:

the pernice brothers newest album = crap
sleater-kinney "the woods" = quite good
spoon "gimme fiction" = fantastic

now, there will be special cases where something is so tremendously tremendous that it will supercede my ratings system, and for that, there is the special category of "best ever".

case in point:

harry and the potters live = best ever!

best ever should be used sparingly, however, i have never been known to follow my own rules, so we shall see what transpires.

up next? writing actual reviews that make sense.

harry and the potters

wizard rock did, indeed, invade minneapolis on july 19 and i was so overwhelmed that it has taken me up until now to compose my thoughts and write a brief review.

let me begin by saying that i was looking forward to this show lots and lots and had been for months and months. i had emailed the brothers degeorge about a possible gig in minneapolis and though i did not organize this show, i feel that i played a slight part in helping to express interest and enthusiasm about their show here. okay, that is kind of me kidding myself, but whatever. the show took place in kenwood park, a large park near one of the lakes in minneapolis (otherwise known as the city of lakes). it was a lovely evening - not too hot and not humid at all (kind of a blessing in minneapolis).

i got there early. 6ish or so. i saw the boys sitting on a grassy knoll near the stage, but didn't want to bug them since i didn't want to seem fanatical. plus, my entourage had yet to arrive, so i sat patiently, waiting for the show to begin. once 1/2 of my entourage had arrived, we mosied towards the stage and looked at the merchandise. now, these boys got fairly creative with their merch and had the standard tshirts, posters, and buttons, along with pillowcases (!!) and toothbrushes (!!!!!!)(which said "brush away evil with harry and the potters". pretty awesome.).

then, it was time to sit and wait for the show to begin. the other 1/2 of my crew arrived, and we waited. the boys started with an enthusiastic version of "voldemort can't stop the rock" and continued to rock the stage for about an hour. mostly, they played stuff from their first (self-titled) album, with some stuff from their second and amazing album (voldemort can't stop the rock). they were witty on stage, with remarks about their muggle instruments and how they were used to playing in the room of requirement and the fact that their drummer was under an invisibility cloak and other such awesome things.

i can honestly say that i don't know that i've ever had more fun at a show and they definitely definitely lived up to my oh so high expectations. they were amazing, and satisfied both the music and the harry potter fan in me.

afterwards, i had a chance to briefly talk with them. my conversation with paul was pretty short, but nice. it went something like:

me: can you please sign this?
paul: sure. who should i make it out to?
me: erin.
paul: are you the erin that i emailed?
me: yup! (super excited, but trying to contain it)
me: also, could i get a high five?
*high five*
me: wow. that was a really awesome high five.
paul: thanks.
me: even better than stephen malkmus! (okay, so i name dropped a little. i need to act cool, you know?)
paul: you high fived stephen malkmus?!
me: yup. i high five *all* the rock stars.

okay, and that was about it. i also spoke with joe and got another really awesome high five from him. not only can these boys ROCK, but they give just about the best high fives ever. for real!
















i think i love them.

yup. i think i do.

upcoming shows

harry and the potters - july 19
pernice brothers - july 23 (their new album is kind of crap. their last three new albums have been kind of crap.)
smog - august 23 (?)
devendra banhart - october 25

not as many as i would like. i'm still crossing my fingers that destroyer will come through with the new pornographers..... or else, maybe, road trip to chicago?

KINKY

i love the kinks, and they are, in this girl's humble opinion, the best british band of the 60's.

that said, ray davies did have a tendency to re-write the same song in their early work. it is a good thing he got better at writing new melodies sans guitar riff.

if you were smart, you would go out and buy this album right away. this version of it, too. the three disc special collectors edition. because, if you were smart, you would know that you would not be disappointed because you would trust that i know what i am talking about and this is THE kinks album to own (there are about 8, though, that one should own; this one, you MUST).




so go out and buy this! if you live in minneapolis, the electric fetus has it for $27.99. ;)

i need to make a mix of cover songs. i have some ideas floating in my head. with the recent acquisition of cat power's covers album or whatever it is called, i have even more ideas. though, even in cover mixes, one can only use the artist once. that is the rule, after all.

harry and the potters, who might be the best band ever (and are for certain the best band about books ever) , are coming to minneapolis in one week. i am eagerly awaiting their arrival. minneapolis has been warned to be prepared for wizard rock. rock!


i cannot wait.

(that performance and the new HP book make this coming week the best week ever)(not the vh1 show)(though harry potter fans will for surely have the best week ever - right?)

goodbye mix tape

side A:
the beast and dragon, adored - spoon
strange - built to spill
car and driver - the rock*a*teens
panic - the smiths
4 door maverick - howe gelb
the charles c. leary - devendra banhart
speeding motorcycle - yo la tengo
i figured you out - mary lou lord
drivin' on 9 - the breeders
shangri-la - kinks
counting down the hours - ted leo and the pharmacists
i love the unknown - clem snide
memory lane - elliott smith

side B:
seems so - the apples in stereo
baby c'mon - stephen malkmus and the jicks
call me mommy - make-up
is she weird - pixies
modern girl - sleater-kinney
don't be crushed - hawksley workman
intermission - nine black alps
the garden - mirah
sea shanty - quasi
rise up - bobb conn
where you'll find me now - neutral milk hotel
holding back the year - lou barlow
clam, crab, cockle, cowrie - joanna newsom
skyway - the replacements

mix-y

introduction II - the silver jews
ventricle - ponies in the surf
don't die in me - mirah
english music - destroyer
strange - built to spill
home sweet home - bobby conn and the glass gypsies
holding back the year - lou barlow
harness your hopes - pavement
rollercoaster - sleater-kinney
safari - the breeders
i summon you - spoon
i am a scientist - guided by voices
call me mommy - make-up
counting down the hours - ted leo and the pharmacists
i'm sorry i love you - the magnetic fields
master and dog - quasi
this beard is for siobhan - devendra banhart
alcohol - the kinks
baby c'mon - stephen malkmus and the jicks
silver morning after - beachwood sparks
achin' to be - the replacements
sunrise - the who
clam, crab, cockle, cowrie - joanna newsom

s-k

you are forgiven. the woods is fantastic. you are all fantastic. everything is fantastic.

shows shows shows

june 12, 2005.
first, malkmus at the fetus. setlist, from the stephenmalkmus.com board:

1. Pink India
2. Phantasies
3. Vanessa From Queens
4. It Kills
5. Freeze the Saints
6. Loud Cloud Crowd




(i accidentally wrote over one of the photos, so that's all i have. :'( )


we then headed to downtown to get some food and see spoon. we missed clientele (well, saw the last song, but does that even count?), but got pretty decent spots to see spoon. they were SOOOOOO good. just simply amazing. played most of the new album, and a good mix of stuff off their old albums. some songs played (in no particular order), include:

the beast and dragon, adored
monsieur valentine
i turn my camera on
my mathematical mind
the delicate place
sister jack
i summon you
the way we get by
jonathan fisk
paper tiger
someone something
everything hits at once
me and the bean
the fitted shirt
utilitarian

and some more. it was super SUPER good. just really one of the best shows ever, i think. seriously. if you have the chance to see spoon, GO! GO! GO! GO! britt daniel is really cute, too, just so you all know. i almost had a chance to talk to him, but i chickened out because it was during the late malkmus show and i didn't want to disrupt his viewing pleasure. i totally wish i had, though. oh well. next time....next time. we did brush shoulders. does that count for anything?

then, we cleared out and saw malkmus outside and i talked to him and got a photo (of course) and had another brief conversation (i high fived him and had him sign my "face the truth" after the fetus show).

and then we went back in, heard the sound check, and malkmus played. he was good, but probably not as good as spoon live. that's just a fact. i think that if i hadn't just seen spoon, i would have loved his set, but it was kind of laissez-faire (typical malkmus) and also there were some drunkies that were kind of distracting from the show. and then the whole "do i talk to britt? DO I?" dilemma, that kind of marred the encore. the setlist, again, according to the sm.com board was:

Pencil Rot
Dynamic
(Do not Feed the) Oyster
Loud Cloud Crowd
Wow Ass
Post-Paint Boy
It Kills
Malediction
I've Hardly Been
No More Shoes (which was really excellent)
Baby C'mon (thus making my prediction that they would close the set with that wrong)
Church on White
Freeze the Saints
Water and a Seat
--------------
Jo Jo's Jacket
Incense
Carl the Clod

ghostly pics!





in all, it was a fantastic night.

---
june 14, 2005
ted leo and the pharmacists at first ave.

another excellent show! though i maybe only knew 60-70% of the songs, it was still quite good and ted leo was really energetic and fantastic and guitarry and melodic and funny. and stuff. plus, he covered the boss, and you can hardly go wrong with that.

more ghostly/blurry pics.






tonight? sleater-kinney.
i'm going to be so tired. i already am. :'(

neko case - first avenue, minneapolis, mn 6.7.05

neko case played minneapolis last night for the first time since october 2002. and, as always, it was amazing.



since i do not have an amazing memory for tracklists and since it is not too cool to write them down as musicians are playing, i'll just say that she played many old and new songs and played for a considerable amount of time. some of the songs played were, in no particular order: favorite (opened the set with that), deep red bells, intro with bees, if you knew, soulful shade of blue, the tigers have spoken, blacklisted, i wish i was the moon, twist the knife, set out running (opened the encore with this one), wayfaring stranger, furnace room lullaby (closed the set), look for me [i'll be around], three or four new songs, a few old gospel songs, hex, buckets of rain, and alone and forsaken (closed the encore).

in all, it was really excellent. it was the first time neko played first avenue and the first time that i had seen her at a venue with a capacity of over 500 people, but that didn't hamper the performance at all.

noticeable observations:
neko now also rocks a six string guitar! who knew?
john rauhouse, as always, rocked the pedal steel and the banjo. it made me think that more people should rock banjos and perhaps if s-k had had an eleven minute banjo song, i might have forgiven them.
was her guitar player amish?
has neko lost weight?
what kind of shampoo/conditioner does she use? her hair is so pretty.
neko's voice is one of those voices that sounds just as good or better live. i just love that.
the opening band really sucked. a lot. but, at least neko was good!



(no "no cease fires" and i've still only heard "thrice all american" once live, last night not being that time.)

more on the jicks: a bit of a rant

i'm at a loss here. real confusion over stephen malkmus and whatnot. it seems that, for the most part, people either like pavement or they like sm+jicks; they seem unable to like both bodies of work.

sm gets a lot of hate. i can only assume it is because people are still mourning the death of pavement and cannot understand that if pavement had continued, with the artistic differences between malkmus and spiral stairs, that the band probably would have gone to shit and turned into one of those bands that used to be good and whose albums you only buy out of loyalty, but end up sitting on shelves never listened to because they are crap. on the flip side, pavement gets hate from people who listen to the jicks but could never get into the 'ment.

aye!

i stand in both camps. i like 'em both. lots. and lots and lots, even. pavement is my all-time favorite band. ever. ever. i've loved them since 1994 when i stole my brother's copy of crooked rain, crooked rain (which, incidentally, i still have. sorry drew!)(i did make it up to him by buying him the reissue of CRCR upon its release last october). i mourned the death of pavement something badly upon hearing news of their break-up; or, rather, hearing rumors and eventually noting that pavement ceased to exist as a band. i was living in a dorm at the time, and even wrote an epitaph on my marker board for the band. oh so very sad...

malkmus was the primary reason i loved that band. his lyrics are clever, his melodies are catchy, and he's awfully cute. i could do without spiral stairs (and have never, for this reason, been too huge of a fan of "preston school of industry") and when i heard that malkmus was putting out a new album with a band called the jicks (sm's definition, according to stephenmalkmus.com bios and thus probably not entirely true since i'm never sure what to believe with him, "J from Jagger plus Mick minus M"), i was delighted. i downloaded it as soon as possible and listened to it and liked it. didn't love it. his jicks work will never hold for me the charms of those first three pavement albums, but, overall, it was good. and definitely better than terror twilight, which, as a last album, is a bit of a letdown, though there are some amazing songs on there.

pig lib, too, gets a lot of hate, which i also do not understand. malkmus is progressing as an artist and shouldn't his sound progress, too? face the truth is yet another step in new directions and i love it. i don't understand why people are so quick to dismiss the jicks albums as being "sub-par" just as i don't understand people who like the jicks and dismiss pavement as being too weird or something.

artists change.
sounds change.
people change.

is it so odd to think that after, what, fifteen years or whatever, recording albums, that possibly, stephen malkmus does not want to sound the same? i don't think so. in fact, i'd hate it if a jicks album sounded exactly like wowee zowee, because that, to me, would signal that malkmus was no longer growing as a musician and was afraid of branching out to unexplored territory. this is not to say that every single album he puts out i am automatically going to love, but i will have way more respect for him for trying new things (think bob dylan - not all his albums are gems now, are they?) than i would were he to regress to his pavement days. (okay, i'm actually lying a little bit here, since i probably would love one more "wowee zowee" type album, but if he KEPT doing that and all his albums started to sound like that, then i'd be pissed.)

this is a bit ranty. nonsensical. typical me type rant on the music industry at large, so apologies if it is not as coherent as a real music writer's opinions would be. but still, overall, malkmus is just movin' on, doing his thing, and staying true to himself, and i completely and totally respect that.

plus, i really love face the truth. it's great.


and, my friends, that is all she wrote.
for now....