Last night I saw Big Troubles video for “Bite Yr Tongue” for the first time, and all I could do was smile. These boys are adorable, and the video represents everything that is Big Troubles and New Jersey…car rides, food (PIZZA and HOT DOGs), soda, great pop music, and more. One of my favorite music videos of 2010.
If you haven’t see this yet, watch it and have a great weekend.
Big Troubles also released the video for “Modern Intimacy” today! This one is all about skydiving…I’m not into adventure sports, but the LP version of this song is super rad.
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Big Troubles WFMU set has been rocking my world (since May!)…if you don’t already have it check it out the live mp3s of the songs above, and then snag the whole thing:
On July 5th I tagged along with my friend Leah to see Unrest at the Bell House for the big Teen Beat party. I am still fairly new to their music (I know…how many years behind am I?), but have been catching up fast.
Above is a photo I shot at that show with my Diana Mini, and I’m pretty stoked about it (actually lots of band photos are going to be popping up on this site. I just got a bunch back, and I’m finally learning the ins and outs of double/extended exposure). Unrest really brought the hits back in July at the Bell House, and even though I didn’t know all the songs the crowd was friendly and all were in good spirits (and I was one of the youngest people at the show, and that is a rarity now that I’m 27)…actually one of the most chill crowds I’ve been around in a super long time.
While Unrest was in NY/NJ they played a live set on the Brian Turner Show on WFMU, and whether you are a super fan, or a novice like me I think it’s a great introduction…and it’s all available on the Free Music Archive! Leah introduced me to “West Coast Love Affair,” and there was a really wonderful version of it performed on Brian Turner’s show. I’d like to share that with you now as a soundtrack to the photo above:
This photo is from the White Lodge. If you would like to use this photo please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge. More posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.
more posts featuring music from WFMU’s Free Music Archive can be found here.
On Tuesday morning Big Troubles had an amazing live session air on WFMU‘s always wonderful Talk’s Cheap with Jason Sigal. Big Troubles currently only have two 7″s out (and one is only kind of out), and now they have made this wonderful eight song live session with WFMU available for free download from the Free Music Archive.
Big Troubles’ slightly fuzzed out shoegaze glazed pop comes through in this session just as you would experience it live. In this session Alex Craig and Ian Drennen are joined by Sam Franklin (Fluffy Lumbers) and Luka Usmani (No Demons Here), and bring us a handful of new Big Troubles tracks. I can’t express how excited I am about this live set, and all of the songs that I already love sound pretty much perfect in their live conception (“Drastic and Difficult” and “Freudian Slips” sound better than ever!), but what I’m really dying over are the new tracks. ”Modern Intimacy” starts off the set, and shows from the beginning of the song that Big Troubles not only create awesome pop songs, but can shred on the guitar. And “Bite Your Tongue” has a beautiful guitar solo toward the end. Check out these two tracks and then make your way over to the Free Music Archive and download the whole set!
Buy the Freudian Slips 7″ from Black Burn Recordings here
Buy the Drastic and Difficult 7″ from OESB, eventually, here .
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If you are looking for something to do this evening, and happen to be in the NYC area….I highly recommend this (maybe after you hit up Harpoon Night at Barcade?):
Not only will you get to see big troubles, but Knight School and My Teenage Stride are both a please to watch.
Karl Blau is one busy man… whether he is making his own records, putting endless hours into the creation of KELP!, or spending time recording/producing or performing with other bands….and recently there have been a couple new development for this man with oh so many talents.
Ambient Doom Metal band EARTH has just announced that Karl Blau will be playing bass with them on their upcoming West Coast tour where they will be performing new material! EARTH’s line up for this tour will be Dylan Carlson on Guitar, Adrienne Davies on Drums, Karl Blau on Bass, and Lori Goldston on Cello.
Go see Karl Blau perform with EARTH!
04.14.10 – Eugene, OR – The Oak Street Speakeasy
04.15.10 – Eureka, CA – Noctrum
04.16.10 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
04.16.10 – Santa Cruz, CA – Brookdale Lodge
04.17.10 – San Diego,CA – Ché Café
04.19.10 – Los Angeles, CA – The EchoPlex
04.22.10 – Portland, OR – Rotture
04.23.10 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
04.24.10 – Olympia, WA – Capital Theatre *
all dates with Wolves In the Throne Room
* Mount Eerie and Ô Paon
Even more exciting than Karl Blau playing with EARTH is the fact that he is co-producing EARTH’s next record for the Southern Lord, the follow up to The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull, with Stewart Hallerman at AVAST studios in Seattle, Washington this Spring. The album is due out early 2011. (all the bolding is because I’m super excited about this!)
Karl Blau also recently signed on and made a large sampling of his recordings available though the WFMU’sFREE MUSIC ARCHIVE! Karl Blau has such an extensive catalog and this is a great way to get familiar with his work. I’m excited to present to you a song from the FMA…his cover of The Microphones’ “The Blow.” Karl Blau’s version of this song is a 12 minute experimental adventure in music. While not indicative of his other works it is a true treat:
buy Karl Blau’s cover album It was Hot We Stayed In The Waterhere.
buy the Microphones’ It Was Hot We Stayed In the Waterhere.
“The Blow” by Karl Blau features Adrian Orange
Check out Karl’s other submission to the FMA here!
Last but not least is a split collaboration EP between Karl, Madeline Adams, and Your Heart Breaks that is coming out on Orange Twin Records this month. Madeline Adams is a part of the Elephant Six collective, Your Heart Breaks is an indie band from Seattle, WA, and this collaboration features six tracks recorded at the Department of Safety in Anacordes, Washington. Phil Elverum (Mt. Eerie) and Gus Franklin (Architecture in Helsinki) both contributed to the recording by playing various instruments. The recording is a unique collection of songs, and a coming together of creative minds. Each song features a different arrangement of musicians, and my favorite of the bunch is a cover of Richmond Fontaine‘s “Post To Wire” performed by Madeline and Karl:
For those of you who haven’t already decided which So Cow show you are going to on their 2010 North American tour I thought I would remind you of those dates one last time before it starts. Tomorrow is the first day of their almost three month long American tour! Starting at Asbury Lanes in Asbury park (I’m guessing the Asbury Park and Philly shows are tentative due to the blizzard, but those are just my thoughts) . So Cow is playing pretty much the entire country so there is no excuse to miss them this time around:
Feb 11 Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, New Jersey
Feb 12 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 13 Monster Island Basement Brooklyn, New York %
Feb 14 Cake Shop New York, New York +
Feb 17 O’Brien’s Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 19 AS220 Providence, Rhode Island
Feb 20 Casa Del Popolo Montreal, Quebec
Feb 21 Rancho Relaxo Toronto, Ontario
Feb 22 The Casbah Lounge W Hamilton, Ontario
Feb 23 The Bug Jar Rochester, New York
Feb 24 Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, Ohio
Feb 25 Cafe Bourbon Street Columbus, Ohio
Feb 26 Lager House Detroit, Michigan
Feb 28 Eagle’s Nest Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mar 01 7th St. Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 03 Badlander Missoula, Montana
Mar 04 Empyrean Spokane, Washington
Mar 05 East End Portland, Oregon
Mar 06 Comet Tavern Seattle, Washington
Mar 08 Mama Buzz Cafe Oakland, California
Mar 09 The Crepe Place Santa Cruz, California
Mar 10 The Hemlock Tavern San Francisco, California
Mar 11 The Smell Los Angeles, California
Mar 12 Bar Pink Elephant San Diego, California
Mar 13 Trunk Space Phoenix, Arizona *
Mar 14 El Paso Block Party El Paso, Texas
Mar 16 The Mohawk Austin, Texas
Mar 17 – Mar 20 SXSW Austin, Texas
Mar 22 The Conservatory Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Mar 23 Record Bar Kansas City, Missouri
Mar 25 Hi-Tone Cafe Memphis, Tennessee
Mar 26 The Belafonte Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Mar 27 529 Atlanta, Georgia
Mar 30 Snug Harbor Charlotte, North Carolina
Mar 31 2702 Lawndale Durham, North Carolina
Apr 01 Black Cat Washington DC #
Apr 02 Ruintown Baltimore, Maryland
Apr 03 Terrace Club Princeton, New Jersey
% = w/ Blank Dogs, Frankie Rose and the Outs, Sisters
+ = w/ Preacher and the Knife, White Blue Yellow and Clouds, Babies
* = w/ Nobunny
# = w/ Smith Westerns
I’m looking forward to catching these guys at Cake Shop, one of Manhattan’s finest venues. If you are in the city is a great way to spend Valentines Day.
So Cow has also announced that their second LP Meaningless Friendly this year on Tic Tac Totally and it is due out sometime in the next couple weeks! I can’t wait to hear it…and if you haven’t heard So Cow’s So Cow yet I highly recommend picking it up…it was my favorite album of 2009. Here is another one of my favorite tracks from last year’s amazing LP…just one of the many reasons you should be catching this tour:
Last year I did a list of twenty five albums, and I began to think that the rank ordering no longer meant anything once I hit a certain number. This year I thought I was going to do a top ten with a not so short list of other albums, but then I decided that would be the same thing as a top twenty five.
I feel like I settled in the middle. I was able to narrow 2009 down to fifteen albums, and no short list. These are my favorites. If you haven’t heard them check out the mp3, and if you like it buy the album…you won’t be disappointed. Cheers.
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The Great Pumpkin’s favorite albums of 2009.
15.) Screaming Females- Power Move
Hearing this record for the first time was like the first time I heard Dinosaur Jr. Power Move was released by Don Geovanni Records.
13.) Alex Bleeker and the Freaks- Alex Bleeker and the Freaks
Classic Rock for my generation. This record gets more powerful with each listen. Released via the wonderful Underwater Peoples Records. Their cover of “Animal Tracks” is just as good as the original.
Sonny and the Sunsets made the perfect warm weather pop album that it transcends seasons. I find that even on a morning as cold as today Tomorrow is Alright can make me feel warm inside. Sonny is part of the Endless Nest Collective, and if you know what is good for you should have your eye on the nest…so many great records came out of this group in 2009. Tomorrow is Alright was released by Soft Abuse Records.
This is an album of psychedelic dance jams and not necessarily the dance music you would hear in a club, but more what you want to chill out with at the end of the night. This record was released by Human Ear Music / Gloriette Records.
9.) Julie Doiron- I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day
While she is known for her sad songs this album shows her lighter side, and that is something that I really enjoy…and she can totally wail on that guitar too. Released by Jagjaguwar Records.
As far as I’m concerned these two should have been a double album. I have a hard time thinking about them separately. Ducktails in a sense gave birth to Real Estate, and possibly this whole thing chillwave thing. Ducktails came out via Not Not Fun and Lanscapes via Olde English Spelling Bee.
This man is a constant inspiration to me. This record is just one of three albums that he made this year that I fell in love with. Released by K Records.
The first full length form this Sacramento band, and it was pretty much perfect. The LP was released by Weird Forest and CD by Woodsist (who will be repressing the LP).
4.) TOM: WFMU’s the Best Show’s Tribute to Paul McCartney’s RAM (various artists)
The Best Show put together the best tribute album ever. If you are unfamiliar with RAM it is the only album I have ever heard of by Paul McCartney refered to as dirty (and that is a very good thing). Released as a DJ Premium for donating to WFMU… Sad that it was so exclusive. The moral of this story is…DONATE TO WFMU!
I haven’t really listened to Danielson over the past couple albums, but this cover makes me want to rethink that…one of my favorite tracks from this album, and one of the best covers I have heard in a long time.
Oh and if you don’t already have it…buy Paul McCartney’s Ramhere (or used on LP here).
3.) Mount Eerie- Wind’s Poem
I am a long time fan of Phil Elverum, and on this album he took me to a place I never imagined I’d go. Dark and beautiful…seeing it performed live gave me the best halloween I’ve had in years.
After this record I will be on the look out for anything Julian Lynch ever releases. Orange You Glad has moved me. Released on Olde English Spelling Bee.
more on Julian Lynch (mp3s, video, pictures, reviews, more) can be found here.
1.) So Cow- So Cow
By far the record I listened to most this past year. The pop catches you, but the guitar and lyrics keep you. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to Tic Tac Totally Records. If you didn’t catch So Cow when they were in the states last year their 2010 American Tour starts in less than two week! Tour dates can be found here.
more on So Cow (reviews, posters, mp3s, pictures)can be found here.
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Thanks for reading my best of lists. I’m pretty sure this is the end of it…my goal was to get it up by February 1st, but I ended up one day late…I’m ok with that.
You can find more of mine, and some of my special guests, best of lists here.
It starts today. One of the most wonderful events in the world for the record dork (yep I’m included in that).
The WFMU Record Fair will be going all weekend starting this afternoon. It is an exciting time…performances, live broadcasts, and more records than you can wrap your head around.
The fair runs Friday 10/23 from 7-10pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10/24 & 10/25 from 10am to 7pm. Admission is $7 (per day). Earlybirds can get in on Friday at 4pm for $25, which includes readmission all weekend.
I hate to say it, but last year was my first time going to this wonderful event…and I plan to go every year until I leave this city.
While there are tons of records you have to be selective or you will go broke very fast (I recommend setting a spending limit for yourself). Last year I only purchased three records…Brian Eno’s Before and After Science, a Mommyheads’ 7″, and the grand prize… Talulah Gosh’s They’ve Scoffed the Lot put out by Sara Records! And I can definitely say that my couple hours of browsing were worth it!
I tried to have a game plan last year, but I realized it’s pretty useless…I think it’s good to have a couple tables in mind that you want to shop (for me it is Michael Goodstein’s table and Gern Blandsten Records) and just kinda browse the rest of it… you know pretty fast if you have found a table that you like.
I’ve been mentally preparing for this event for a couple weeks now, and I can’t believe it’s finally here. Record shopping is pretty meditative for me so I’m looking forward to a relaxing Sunday afternoon at the the fair.
The WFMU Record Fair happens at Metropolitan Pavilion located at 125 West 18th Street in New York City.
In honor of my wonderful find last year…here are two tracks from Talulah Gosh’s They’ve Scoffed The Lot:
It’s so nice to have some of my favorite twee on wax. I love it. Now only if I can find some Field Mice this year (most likely not).
They’ve Scoffed the Lot is out of print, but you can get these tracks and a whole lot more on Talulah Gosh’s collection titled Backwash! Buy Backwash here!!!
Since I initially heard Liechtenstein I have been craving more, and back in June, as a surprise, klk brought back a copy of their new 10″ Survival Strategies in the Modern Worldthat she picked up at Aquarius (I’m still so jealous that I’ve never been to that store). I absolutely love this record, it gives me the same satisfaction that I get while listening to Tiger Trap and Talulah Gosh, but with a slightly updated sound. Liechtenstein also refuses to get lost in the fuzziness that is so popular these days, and I now have very little motivation to put on albums by Pens and Vivian Girls when I know that I will be much more satisfied by Liechtenstein (or Talulah Gosh for that matter).
Liechtenstein’s 10″ while wonderful is pretty short, a mini LP of nine songs, and in my searching of the internet I came across another amazing offering from the Free Music Archive. When Liechtenstein was in the states back in June they stopped byWFMU and recorded a set for one of my favorite radio shows,Michael Goodstein’s Choking on Cufflinks. The set is up in it’s entirety for free download from the FMA…and I’ve been particularly into these two:
Here is why Slumberland does Searching for the Now:
We here at Slumberland have always believed in the 7″ single as the greatest medium for pop music. 7″s are cheap and portable, a great way to hear new bands without spending too much cash, and similarly a great way for bands to get their music out there without going broke. Add in a cool sleeve, maybe some color vinyl and the odd sticker or badge and you have an unbeatable little package.
The last few years have seen a real resurgence of great pop, and we find ourselves with a favorite new band almost every week. Or at least a few favorite new songs. We’ve puzzled over how to make more of this terrific music available, and our solution is our new split single series Searching For The Now. Our plan is to release two limited-edition split 7″ singles every ten weeks or so, then compile every eight singles onto CDs to keep them available. Note that this is not a subscription series — while we are limiting each single to one pressing, they’ll be available from your favorite indie record retailers and mail orders, and of course directly from Slumberland. All singles will be pressed on color vinyl and packaged in special sleeves — full-color, letterpress, silkscreen or something else cool. (more info here).
I fully agree with Slumberland’s vision with this series, and I feel like it speaks to me as a record buyer. They are 100% correct in thinking that the 7″ is a great medium (both affordable, and digestible) for checking out new bands, and Slumberland is able to keep these records inexpensive ($5), and I am more likely to invest time in something that I buy for a couple of dollars than something I get off the internet for free. Slumberland also has been kind enough to give us Liechtenstein’s new studio track “This Must Be Heaven” as a free downloadable sample.
“This Must be Heaven” is pretty much a perfect pop song in my mind, and again like the 10″ it leaves me wanting more.
Liechtenstein recently lost Naemi, but they have found Ulrika to take over playing bass in the band. And back in August they spent a couple days in a Gotland studio recording some new songs…I can’t wait for these to see the light of day. Any news is good news if it’s coming from these ladies.
In the mean time…here is their video for “Security By Design”
the white lodge is a photography collaboration between klk and myself. We specialize in analog photography using both 35mm and medium format film. Please check out our flickr.
i occasionally post mp3s and videos on this blog for the sole purpose of promoting artists that I believe deserve attention. all songs are for sampling purposes only, if you like it there will be a link to buy music from the artist (or tour dates...go see them!). if by chance I post an mp3 or video with audio that you own, and you would like me to take it down please let me know. you can reach me at:
(tom at gprecs.com)
in this instance i am very sorry.
it's a slippery slope. RT: @mattlemay: This whole "hit the 'like' button to access this content" thing on Facebook is incredibly obnoxious.about 14 hours agofrom Echofon
