wall of ice

so, undoubtedly radiohead has either generated a lot of buzz for a fictitious site and all these rumors about an ep coming out today. now, the site has a track with some words about not publishing fabricated facts to get hits and not believing people's tweets. the music on the site could / could not be radiohead.

but, if you go to waste, they now have 'these are my twisted words' for free...

okkervil river - 'for real'

this song imagines our inner darkest thoughts. i remember my dad setting me aside and lecturing me that all of us have dark ideas, but it's really important to never let the dark side of us come out. i don't know if i agree with the sentiment to never let it out, but i do agree that all of us have sinister thoughts, whether it be considering how an airplane crash would feel if we were aboard in row F with the window view or some crazy perverted thought you would never explain to someone.

okkervil river was a band i really never had looked into. one night at a friend of a friend's house, i was played this song and it immediately reminded me of the speech i had from my father. 'for real' understands the suppression behind the emotions and moreover realizes the release when we acknowledge our darkest depths. the stark contrast between the soft verses and the rough, jagged prechorus sent chills down my spine indicating the songs powerful pull. find your darkest spots and don't be afraid. as the song labors, "you can't hide".

creepy video...

thom yorke - 'the present tense' (live at latitude)

if i could count the amount of times i've wondered if radiohead are angels/aliens, i'd be able to count myself to sleep for many nights. thom yorke, et al, have such dynamic musical abilities, i find it challenging to not sit in wonder if this will be the greatest band i will ever experience in my lifetime. this recording is from this year's altitude festival and thom plays a new song entitled 'the present tense' all by his lonesome.

breaking down the elements of the song, the guitar is something quite similar to 'reckoner', fingerpicked loosely in lopsided succession. yorke's vocals are restrained in the beginning, singing lightly of weapons and self-defense. implicitly, his soft vocals mirror the folky nature of the song and lyrics ("don't get heavy, keep it light, keep it moving"). following the second verse, he shifts into jeff buckley's vocal range with a fervent, yet calm demeanor. briefly, there is a definite feel of 'you and whose army' mixed with the break from 'reckoner' as the chord progression changes in a familiar sense. as the guitar shifts back, the bossa nova roots becoming more evident, as he coos, "in you i'm lost;" leaving just enough time to breathe deeply and it abruptly ends.

elbow - 'some riot'

i'm so fortunate to have a wonderful twin who shares so much with me. i'm not always into his music suggestions, but sometimes he recommends music which it takes a while to digest but is amazing. he recommended i relisten to elbow recently and i'm surprised they didn't catch my ear the first time.

elbow is a seasoned group out of england who has been around for over 15 years i believe. 'some riot' is off their most recent album the seldom seen kid.

this particular riot is built on a tinker piano which sounds like it should be in a music box. a cello, (i believe), shifts like a top nearing the end of it's dance. the piano and the cello shift back and forth, as if in a slow waltz, swelling and ebbing. the vocals are soft and gentle, but grow to a strained, saddened call. as things progress, an church organ creeps up and looms heavily in the air, framing the song. there is also a spectacular live version with the bbc orchestra on youtube if you want to check it out. (by the way i think he says 'booze' rather than bruise)

i'm ready for some fireworks

kent - 'things she said'

kent is another band from sweden.
fairly obscure in reference until rock band came out with 'vinternoll2' on it.

this song is off their classic isola back from the year 1998.
the back beat is driven by a hollow tom sound from behind a thick curtain of acoustic guitars reminiscent of the flaming lips. the bass guitar shifts underneath the rhythm and joakim berg's vocals stretch vowels in an unnatural way. guitar harmonics float above berg's falsettos at the crescendo, where it fades away. fitting that kent was formed to try and emulate my bloody valentine.

sneaker pimps - 'bloodsport'

i've loved the sneaker pimps since becoming x, which sadly is their only recognizable album to most folks. followed by the more complex and acoustic feel of splinter, which is probably my favorite album by them. when bloodsport was scheduled for release, i was anxious to get my hands on it. there was a debacle and tommy boy records cut the british band off the label, although i was lucky to get my hands on a cd, (i would have waited over 6 months if i wasn't able to grab that copy).

the title track immediately drew me in with the complex, dancey rhythms and squawking synthesizers, (the sexiness of the female moans probably didn't hurt). the song grinds like a stripclub anthem, but still has that edge which comes with the lead singer, chris corner, who is very likely to pick up a guitar on even some of the most techno sounding tracks, (although he doesn't pick one up for 'bloodsport'). he feigns an innocent boyish charm, ensnared in some complex and kinky sex act, but you can be sure it was his idea all along.

this is the song i can put on late at a party and even though i've got no energy left, (or dance moves for that matter), i will go strong to this song.

tv on the radio - staring at the sun

beginning with an urban hymnal feel, synths boil to churn out the bass line. 'staring at the sun' has always been bone chilling due to the stark contrast between the howling of the backup vocals and the choppy bass; the vocals being smooth and polished opposed to the grinding of the synthesizer. the lyrics are poetic and deliberate, not stopping due to breathing, but exaggerating the depth of field. the twittling guitar buzzes with energy, but rather than sprinting towards a refrain or chorus, it jogs in place idly. a standard high hat emerges from the ruckus in synthetic fashion, very close to a typical trance high hat. subsequently, the guitar dies down in spastic nature, picking a random cluster of notes on the way down to pick itself back up. the instrumentation fades away as the song shifts into an anthemic dance.

"note the trees because the dirt is temporary"

deerhunter - agoraphobia

cryptograms was a fascinating record, but deerhunter's microcastle, just blows it out of the water. when nick gave me the record, he told me he wanted 'agoraphobia' to be played on his retrospective video... it's that good.

remember that hippie girl in high school, who would always request grateful dead songs at the dances? you know, the one who would bust out the 60's snorkel and throw scarves around in faux slow mo to half the tempo? deerhunter has apparently channeled that ora on microcastle; it's the beach boys without the beach. with heavily saturated guitars and bradford cox's dreamy vocals, 'agoraphobia' is layered comparably to the six socks the hippie girl wore to make rainbows dance around her ankles. i'm puzzled as to how the song sounds so spotlessly clean in production, even though i'm positive i hear a tremolo'ed guitar in the back. when i play it back, i can never actually find the guitar; maybe it's only present in spirit, not totally unlike the girl from high school. i love the placating nature of the song despite the fact that i believe cox is asking to be thrown in jail in a solitary confinement chamber... so that's where all the hippies go?

and if the song wasn't erie enough, then they had to go and do a video with slow motion tango dancers?

radiohead - gagging order

so i'm another year wiser, akin to this track.
'gagging order' is one of my favorite bsides by radiohead.
so simple for a band of such complexity.

in this one take miracle, a lone acoustic tinkers in a country style hammering technique. perhaps it's slightly off in timing because thom yorke didn't want any remixes. the vocals are slow, meditated, and reassuringly disarming. yorke's vocal presence marks him a worn out performer, maybe a magician whose 'illusions' have all been torn apart and discovered; yet for unknown reasons passers by continue to prod him for an song/act he performed years ago. instead of spitting in their faces, as he did in younger years, he only musters enough force to raise a hand and wave them away. while coursing through his routine self-administering medication 'just to take the edge off' his normal day, he assures them, he is 'just a body, there's nothing left to see.' the most powerful thing to me about this song is despite his exhausted tone, you can still literally feel the much larger capacity and depth just below the surface.

apologies for the lack of posting, if you are reading

brand new - jesus christ

this track means a lot to me right now. i was honored when my guitar played this song on stage in front of me. thank you, jesse.

beginning with the solidarity of constant chords being plucked like worn out stairs, walked up and down in an almost death march pace. a hopeful lead emerges and gives the feel of the sun emerging from torrential rain. jesse lacey's vocals are almost uttered in poetic rhythm, somber and alone. as harmonic shards fade in and out of the song, nothing can break the momentum of the seemingly canned drums. this is the feel when you've lost control on the unfamiliar dark road you are speeding down. the look of your eyes straining to find where you will fall eventually as everything slows in a fatal slow motion blur. as the music builds, lacey's screams haunt you like the smell of the dust off the airbag. did you evade death or have you changed from the first person to the third?

where's my phoenix now?

van she - here with you

'here with you' is an electro-psych-surf-shoegaze track from the aussie band van she named after, (surprise!), the lead singer matt van schie.

a dark bass riff ala 'lust for life' beat emerges and gives way to a sprinkling of light percussion, akin to wind dancing upon roofs of grass huts. the vocals on the verses, begin with a robert plant bouncing technique and play on the surf rock guitars bending with phasers. invoking imagery of a lazy rave on a beach in the middle of the night; the sole illumination of the moon, comprised of thousands of glow sticks burning out and in, piercing the darkness. the movement stopping for a brief break before returning, the bass slopping like waves on the shore in a futile effort to tear the sand away. is the tide only unmasking what lies beneath?

"running out naked in the truth of you, only know the seas through the seasons of change, it will never be this good with you, it will never be this good again"

thee more shallows - cloisterphobia

in one of those moods where i'm so overwhelmed things begin to slow down.
somehow 'cloisterphobia' by thee more shallows comes on and although it may not muster enough to soothe me, it calms me in the same vein as exhaling one of those long breaths to hear your ribcage pop.

'cloisterphobia' demonstrates thee more shallows ability to accent percussion in all of their instrumentation. all three of thee shallows are experienced drummers, by the way. from the interwoven softly plucked guitar, to the delicately whispered dialogue and the incessant tapping of a snare, everything is about timing. the swaying organic synth swoons over the already momentous moodiness, drafting this feeling that even though everything is put together so scrupulously, there is a clear undertone of laziness which encapsulates the whole thing. as songwriter dee kesler sings "to celebrate..." (bejeweled with sarcasm) the rhythm changes and a chorale with never ending vocal capacities strikes a hymnal tone until the choir faints and the song fades to fragmentation.

sardonic, in every sense of the word.

advance apologies about the video, it's probably a high school project.

phoenix - wolfgang amadeus phoenix

there has been a good deal of internet buzz about phoenix's new album wolfgang amadeus phoenix. the title of the album and track 'lisztomania' tongue in cheek throwbacks to classical composers. a stab at the pomp behind classical composers, or nod back towards classical compositions?

wolfgang amadeus phoenix doesn't blaze new territories with the french quartet's signature blend of funk/pop/alt vibes, but they do employ some deep resonating synths to channel a darker shadow on their playful image. despite the dark texture, thomas mars' vocals remain unsinkable with syncopation, youth and naivety.

while many tracks dangle usual phoenix pop hooks, jangly guitar rhythms and skipping bass lines akin to sounds of united, wolfgang amadeus phoenix finds the band more spatially aware. '1901' and 'lisztomania' will find you uncontrollably bobbing your head to tunes which could totally have been remixed off the band's first album with added guttural, buzzing synths. this new found sense of space will surely draw comparisons to another distant french cousin (air) with synthmospheric tracks like 'love like a sunset part 1' and the break near mid 'rome.' of course it goes without saying they will continue to be likened to the strokes, (although i hear more albert hammond jr).

wolfgang amadeus phoenix finds phoenix darker; but only for a moment like the short boy who walks into house of mirrors to make himself taller. phoenix's texture and imagination are what really adds to the depth.

menomena - my my

'my my' is late track on menomena's friend or foe, a mixed up, yet cohesive and collective album.

starting with a warbling organ, twisted together with plinky acoustic guitar and swooping bass, the quirky nature of the song battles between the constant pull of the organ and cut/paste punch-ins. this spawns the spontaneity of shifting guitar parts and other random instruments including glockenspiels, synths and wood blocks. the song really has two crescendos relying on hushed campfire vocals to construct the climax. as the song fades, toy pianos shimmer, as if to reassure you it's just a dream. my favorite part though, is the distorted guitar sample which continually tries, (unsuccessfully), to offset the elements of the song.

no album version on youtube so here's a live version followed by a last.fm link for the album version.

Here is the last.fm link

kid loco - tracy (remix)

it's the beginning of the week and i'm really sick. i could barely think yesterday and i was surprised i was able to complete basic functions at work. today i've been sweating it out at home.

'tracy' was written mogwai and this interpretation by kid loco has always held me hostage. not in the bank robbery way with the gun to the back of your head, but in an eerie, calming manner. beginning with tribal congas and spacy synth sounds, the steady bass lead emerges, embroidered with twinkling piano arpeggios and what could be a phased out guitar. everything dissolves into one big swirling sound as the main drums kick in, with occasional unearthly synthesized whale calls. it's easy to find comfort in this ocean of noise.

torche - healer

in honor of alex's show at the showbox at the market, i'm going to post something a little more heavy.

torche is out of florida and despite the associations usually indicative of a florida band, they are a bulldozer. add 1 droning sympathetic string squeal, a pumpkins-like rhythm guitar with aggressive drumming ala dave grohl bringing me back to nirvana's glory days. as guttural and raw as 'healer' comes across, it still manages to sheen with gunmetal finish; you know, like that guy's car in high school with the hand painted skull.

happy friday

the cinematics - keep forgetting

the cinematics are out of scotland. there are a number of reminders of their origin, whether it be a franz ferdinand-esque riff, bubbly bass or simple synths. 'keep forgetting' is off their arguably great lp a strange education, which blends spacey guitars ala u2, poppy vocals and mostly upbeat tracks.

if you want an idea of their sound, take a franz ferdinand verse guitar riff, add a chorus in the vein of dandy worhols and overlay vocals from kele from bloc party. the result isn't a sound you've never heard, but it's polished and constructed solidly. and i would be shocked if you don't have "there's something i keep forgetting..." stuck in your head.

rilo kiley - the good that won't come out

another wave of melancholy and i'm listening to rilo kiley.

a canned beat, with a dancy guitar lead open up 'the good that won't come out,' a testimonial to lost potential. being a child star, jenny lewis doesn't sing with empathy, (no one ever said stars were always happy). add a slide guitar and throw down a rambling rhythm section in the end; you've got a hard hitting, passionate and honest song.

muse - new born

muse is a band out of britain, who routinely sells out stadiums in other countries and has only recently blown up in the u s of a. 'knights of cydonia' crafted muse's sound as futuristic surf rock, while 'super massive black hole' found likeness in britney spears, but, come on, their sound is much more complex than either of those comparisons.

'new born' is off the origin of symmetry, muse's second album, which finds them pulling from a broader range of influences.

beginning melodically with chiming piano and bubbly bass; the song finally gives into it's more brutal dark side with a dirty guitar mirrored by the bass. the guitar flavourings ranging from hard rock riffage, to skanky chicken scratching, then to full blown open chords; this song blends all these stylings together flawlessly. matt bellamy's vocal range is incredible, bordering on the operatic level.

logh - yellow lights mean slow down, not speed up

logh is a band out of sweden. pretty much unheard of west of the atlantic. my friend jason, passed this track to me; i'm not quite sure how he found them.

'yellow lights mean slow down, not speed up' is off their album everytime a bell rings an angel gets his wings'. the track opens with a soft lullaby guitar lead while a saturated rhythm guitar sheds single strums. as the song picks up a slide guitar gently sweeps into the frame and it carries the thematic melody until the distorted outro. the vocals remain hushed mutterings about neon lights and what quite possibly could be the future. difficult to understand, but then again the whole concept is abstract.