sigur ros - untitled 3

yep, it's been a long month. yet short at the same time.
i'm feeling mixed up and listening to a sigur ros track, "untitled 3" off the album (); reminding me to slow down and take everything in. the simple and melodic piano draws deeper breaths, like a slow lapswimmer training to span the atlantic ocean. waves of ebow'ed strings and synths build slower than any squall imaginable. rather than throw the dedicated swimmer off, the swells build the speed and seem to even stretch time itself in the same sense as a flipbook effect triggers our persistence of vision.

slow, delicate and breathtaking.

say hi - one, two... one

say hi continues to amaze me with his relevance and sincerity; even through sarcasm. add these to his other claims to fame: he can write an albums worth of material about vampires; signature self deprecating humor and his blend of poppy, upbeat and goth-esque at the same time.

this is a track off his newest oohs and aahs entitled 'one, two... one'. it's bluesy rooted guitar hooks in front of the mashed keys and pep band drums, (which for the record are done with reason and still sound damn live). on the new album eric's vocals have this ghostly reverb presence which almost appears before he sings.

this should be his next single (hint, hint)

youtube won't embed, so check out the album version here

or below for a live performance

beck - lost cause

my favorite track off 2002's sea change, beck tosses aside his silly side to craft a seriously thematic, country-esque track. this testimonial references so many of those who have been in a failing relationship despite the best of their efforts. 'lost cause' is the wake of calm felt after the fighting; a deep understanding that further actions are useless and surprising enough, the collapse is much more alluring than imagined.

pieced together by clips of vocal snippets, the brilliance of simple plucked acoustic guitar strings and laid back vocals, 'lost cause' reiterates the fragility and beauty in relationships.

the national - brainy

it's friday and i feel upbeat, optimistic and a little silly. in that light i'm going to post about a song which shines in my current mood and sticks out in a dark and sarcastic album (i'm not putting the album down).

as many other bands i'm in love with, the national still practices the lost art of creating albums. yes, an album used to be a collection of songs which fit together in a holistic sense to craft a story, sentiment or just a theme. currently the music industry is shying away from albums since the popularity of singles has risen during the current digital age.

the national's boxer from two years ago was from start to finish a complete album. backed by a dark canvas, boxer has moments of seriousness, silliness, optimism, pessimism, honesty, sarcasm and overall drunkenness. the track i'm posting 'brainy' is possibly just an inner dialogue of a boyfriend trying to impress his lady with booksmarts. the persistent upbeat drum work is the spine of the main character, the churping guitar falling like streetlights onto him. horns envelop this picture, distinct but only from an arm's length.

happy friday

working for a nuclear free city - je suis le vent

working for a nuclear free city is a band that i randomly came upon while perusing a sonic boom records store. their texture, complexity and diversity within their music is astounding. businessmen and ghosts is an inexpensive and gigantic catalog of their style which blends most elements of modern alt rock with techno and even club music at times.

the song which translates to 'i am the wind' in french, immediately invokes aerial imagery of scattered city lights at night, sparkling and winking while cold wind holds the aircraft in place. the feeling of isolation starkly contrasted with an inner warmth and comforting nature.

enjoy

modeselektor - happy birthday

in recognition of my friend adam's birthday today, i'm putting up a song entitled 'happy birthday' off modeselektor's incredible album happy birthday. the song progresses from an airy lead which builds and builds until you are swept off your feet with a warbling synth. the commotion is finally brought back down to earth with kraftwerk-esque bleeps.

happy birthday, my figga

mother mother - hayloft

very excited about this band from vancouver b.c. they just released their second album in two years. this track comes off o my ♥, an eclectic, thoroughly layered and youthful record. the album, is fantastic from start to finish and their live show leaves nothing more to desire.

both o my ♥ and their previous touch up are amazing and can be replayed for hours, do yourself a favor and check them out.

shearwater - 'rooks'

so, i've had a new idea, which i'm going to post songs from bands i believe to be excellent discoveries and see what you think.

shearwater is a band from austin, texas which found two members from okkervil river collaborating. there recent album rook blended jonathan meiburg's knowledge of ornithology, haunting vocals and guitars and dulcimers.

i hope you like it

here is my favorite from rook entitled rooks