New Blue Scholars video - HI-808

Blue Scholars - HI-808 (Official Music Video) from Blue Scholars on Vimeo.

Best Albums of 2009 June + July Edition

Best Albums of 2009

Rather than compiling a huge list at the end of the year, not having enough time to do a good job, and simply throwing something together really fast, I'm going to start compiling my thoughts on albums over the whole year - month by month. Some of these may have actually been released earlier in the year, but are in this months set because this is when I got my hands on them.


For some weird reason, my June/July post got deleted by blogger. I am too lazy to redo it completely, but here are the albums that were on it.

1.
Mos Def:
The Ecstatic

A huge improvement from his other solo efforts. Not quite Black Star, but very good.



2.
Before Braille:
Spring Cleaning

Dave finished cleaning out his old Before Braille unreleased (or hard to find) catalog. Much is rerecorded and sound diff. than some of the original tracks. A great conclusion to the band's catalog. Here's a sample - Elected to Die [download mp3]

3.
Jonsi and Alex:
Riceboy Sleeps

Project of Sigur Ros frontman. Ethereal. Less cohesive than Sigur Ros' recent (and old) material. Worth listening to though.


Running LP List

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (May)
   
2. J. Tillman - Vacilando Territory Blues (January)
   
3. Shark Speed - Sea Sick Music (April)
4. Say Hi - Oohs & Aahs (February)
5. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast (January)
6. Iron & Wine - Around the Well (May)
7. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love (March)
8. Before Braille - Spring Cleaning (June + July)
9. Art for Starters - Drugs Made / Drugs Ruined (April)
   
10. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Outer South (May)
    
11. Mos Def - The Ecstatic (June + July)
    
12. Jeremy Enigk - OK Bear (May)
13. The Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels (March)
14. Dent May and his Magnificent Ukuele - The Good Feeling Music of Dent May (March)
15. Coconut Records - Davy (January)
16. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity Live (April)
    
17. Iain Archer - To the Pine Roots (April)
    
18. The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha (February)
19. John Vanderslice - Romanian Names (May)
    
20. Peter, Bjorn and John - Living Thing (March)
21. Jonsi and Alex - Rice Boy Sleeps (June + July)
    
22. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (May)
    
23. Lateef the Truth Speaker - Truth is Love Mixtape (April)
    
24. Vetiver - Tight Knit (March)
25. General Elektriks - Good City for Dreamers (February)
26. Dark was the Night compilation (April)
    
27. Ben Kweller - Changing Horses (January)

Running EP List

1. Common Market - The Winter's End (March)
2. Death Cab for Cutie - Open Door (March)
3. Joshua James - Sing Songs (May)
   
4. The Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice - Moon Colony Blood Bath (April)

New Favorite Song and Album? J. Tillman may top by 2009 this year

Folks, I may have found a new favorite song. Well, I'm not sure if I could actually do a top songs list, but this one would be up there on it. It comes off of J. Tillman's upcoming September LP A Year in the Kingdom. It is called "There is no Good in Me."

I can't post it now, but will include it in my September Best of 2009 post. Until then, keep your eyes peeled on Tillman's Myspace in case he posts it as a sample track.

Another related heads up: as I am reviewing his new LP for the future post, I can't get enough. This is going to be a TOP contender for best of the year. Seriously. A

ugust has some strong contenders too though - fun.'s Aim and Ignite, and The Fruit Bats' The Ruminant Band are also sounding great!

Ben Folds & Ben Folds Five Vinyl LPs for sale

I have 2 LPs for sale on Ebay. Happy bidding!

Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen Vinyl LP




Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs Vinyl 2xLP

Missing post?

I just logged in to notice that my June + July edition of the Best Albums of 2009 is missing. Hmmm. I wonder if Blogger took it down and has yet to notify me. Very, very odd . . .

Download new Blue Scholars

New Mountain Goats Album - The Life of the World to Come

Via The Mountain Goats' website:

"Kept busy all spring and I'm here with the news.

1. 1 Samuel 15:23
2. Psalms 40:2
3. Genesis 3:23 [download mp3]
4. Philippians 3:20-21
5. Hebrews 11:40
6. Genesis 30:3
7. Romans 10:9
8. 1 John 4:16
9. Matthew 25:21
10. Deuteronomy 2:10
11. Isaiah 45:23
12. Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace
The Mountain Goats: The Life of the World to Come
release date 6 October 2009

The album was recorded between April and June: first at Electrical Audio with Brandon Eggleston; then at Sonic Ranch with John Congleton; and finally at Baucom Road with Scott Solter. Scott also mixed the entire album at Baucom Road. The band is still Jon Wurster, Peter Hughes, and me; Owen Pallett did string arrangments & played on the Electrical session. The third song in the tracklisting above is a link to the song itself - enjoy!

I guess the obvious question is going to be: "John, have you had some sort of religious awakening?" and while I guess lots of people might want to be coy about answering that, that's never really been my style, so: no. It's not like that. It's not some heavy-narrative-distance deal either, though, and it's not a screed. It's twelve new songs: twelve hard lessons the Bible taught me, kind of. More than that I'd want to wait to say until some people have heard it, which won't be long. Will there be more news soon, quite soon? Like, next week, even? Oh yes there will!"

Sorry for the Delay

A few people have asked what happened to my best of June 2009 post. Well, I'm flattered that people actually noticed.

Here's the deal: I have been very busy writing annd have been on the road quite a bit.

I was planning on doing a joint June-July post.

See you then!

Sigur Ros Hoppipolla & Glosoli Videos

These are 2 of my favorite videos of all time. More than any other band, Sigur Ros always seems to capture something in their music videos. As I don't understand a word of the actual lyrics, my experience with their music is purely based on sounds and the feelings they emote in me. Somehow, these videos seem to perfectly embody what the music makes me feel. These 2 videos are perhaps the best examples.

Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla
by Transsmusic

Sigur Ros - Glosoli
by Transsmusic

Buy this band. Love them.

OLD Sigur live video

Sigur Ros recently posted this very early live video from back in the Agaetis Byrjun days. They look really young!

nýja lagið from sigur-ros.co.uk on Vimeo.

Sunny Day Real Estate Reunion!

From 107.7 The End Seattle

Sunny Day Real Estate Reunion - Confirmed!

It’s official!
The oft rumored Sunny Day Real Estate reunion is happening!
here are the details:
Sunny Day Real Estate
10/16/09 8:00pm
The Paramount
$28.00
Tickets are on sale next week…and are sure to go fast

Selling 2 Saves the Day Vinyl LPs tomorrow

Selling a couple records on ebay if anyone is interested - Saves the Day's first 2 LPs. Auctions end tomorrow evening.

For Sale!!!

Saves the Day - Can't Slow Down vinyl LP


Saves the Day - Through Being Cool vinyl LP

Steve Jobs' new iLiver

Steve Jobs got a liver transplant. I wonder if he got the new 4th gen. iLiver for the trasplant. Read here.

Sigur Ros do some live songs for Spinner.com

Minus the Bear studio update videos

Minus the Bear is currently recording in the studio. Here are some vids they have posted via twitter:

Minus The Bear on iLike - Get updates inside iTunes

Minus The Bear on iLike - Get updates inside iTunes

Minus The Bear on iLike - Get updates inside iTunes

My favorite album EVER??? (re-post)

This is a first for me - I am re-posting an old post. Let me explain why: for quite a while the album discussed below topped my list of favorite albums of all time. Then, for some reason, it fell out of regular rotation on my iPod. Why? Perhaps I had listened to it a bit too much, perhaps I was distracted by other new music, perhaps I had listened to it so much that it was permanently lodged in my sonic-memory, thus obviating the need to actually play it again, because I was all in my head anyway.

In any case, I put it on today while writing and got really excited again about it. I have listened to this album more times than any other in my collection - and I am still not tired of it AT ALL! I love this album! So, without further blabbing - here is my previous blog post (with a few updates and edits) . . .

This is a band that everyone in the world should know: The Player Piano. Before breaking up in 2003, they released on the most musically mature and complex albums that I have ever seen come out of a local college scene. This is an album that I have listened to hundreds of times, and never gotten sick. And, to top it all off, they keep it interesting with almost no vocals. Their demise, prompted by members going to Harvard Law and other such lofty pursuits, was one of the saddest days in the Provo, UT music scene. Honestly, I think people probably held candlelight vigils. And, if they didn't, they should have.

But, good news folks - Friend of Mine Records, Inc., (a Japanese venture) re-released this album. Better yet, the reissue included 2 previously unreleased tracks - Jazz Odyssey and Cottus Carolinae, which had not been mixed in time to be included on the original Sunset Alliance release.

So here is what you do:

1. Download this sample MP3 from their original album (see below)
   
2. Listen to the other sample tracks available on The Player Piano's Myspace page
   
3. Flood their Myspace inbox with messages begging them to reform, record a new album, go on tour and conquer the world (not necessarily in that order)
   
4. Since the original release is LONG out of print (although Dave may have some left . . . I'm not sure), buy the Japanese re-issue. You can purchase it from Stinkweeds online, or perhaps contact Dave at the Sunset Alliance - he might have some copies.

This is an album to play on a long solo road trip or to put on a nice pair of hi-fi headphones and be engulfed by.

Enjoy.

The Player Piano - After the Fact [download mp3]

New Grand Archives song

As previously posted, Grand Archives is releasing their new album, Keep in Mind Frankenstein, on September 15, 2009. Below is a link for the first song to be previewed off the album. Not my favorite GA song, but good to hear that they haven't gone in some horrible direction that I can't stand! I will be very excited fro September!

Grand Archives - Silver Among the Gold [from Keep in Mind Frankenstein]
Download mp3

Sabzi of Blue Scholars & Common Market talks Making Beats

this is part 3 of a 3 part interview, but the most interesting section I think. Sabzi, DJ and Producer of Blue Scholars and Common Market gives a demonstration of how he makes his beats.

This makes me want to get a few thousand dollars worth of computer gear and start a studio.

Add them to your collection!

Stream Bonnaroo LIVE online (right now!)

Stream it all live from AT&T.

Click the link below



Bonnaroo 2009 Live Webcast

Drew Danburry covers Weezer

Well done my fine sir! Well done! I especially like the creepers standing and singing harmonies in the hallway.




Buy some Drew!