jim o'rourke - 'there's hell in hello but more in goodbye'

beautiful and raw

ramona falls - 'spore'

'spore' is the first single off brent knopf's solo project ramona falls which had a great record in intuit. i'm happy to say if this track is any indicator, i will be very pleased. i appreciate the cut and paste technique knopf employs and all the little melodic threads tied together. the beginning sounds similar to something like we'd hear of thom yorke's solo stuff, (akin to 'hearing damage' perhaps?) and it builds to a synth/bassy bridge that piqued my ears. let's hope for more like this on may 1st.

starfucker - 'bury us alive'

big hat tip to my friend jacob for letting me know starfucker had a new album. ever since i saw them in austin just before austin city limits, i've been a big fan. their tight traps, bouncing bass lines, and shoegaze vocals. this is a favorite of mine off their newest release reptilians called 'bury us alive'. it manages to pull what seems to be a sample from my past, it reminds me of the music right after you beat a boss in the castle. short, sweet and poppy. enjoy.

hélène grimaud plays rachmaninov piano concerto no.2 in c minor (1/3)

i came across this really moving version of one of my favorite classical performances of all time. rachmaninov was a master of crafting haunting dissonance while still resolving these progressions in a romantic manner. when i was sailing in the caribbean, we always listened to rachmaninov while raising the sails and i have so many fond memories of this piece. for muse fans, if you wanted to know where matthew belamy got inspiration for 'space dimentia' from, just listen in to about 1 min 32 seconds in :)

beautiful.

radiohead - all i need

this song is like an open plane ticket. i'm never sure where it's going to take me, but it moves me. jay and i were talking about music at dimsum and this song came up.

sigur ros - lúppulagið

a new track just surfaced. delicate keys blend over a contorting melody; ambient, complex and beautiful.

modeselektor - new tracks with thom yorke

some new modeselektor tracks from their new album monkeytown have surfaced. they sound very clubby, but still maintain some real bassy grooves with thom's falsetto drifting like a lazy rowboat in the tide. i think, 'this' is better, swiveling on a synthesized bass line giving eventually to a 'kill bill 4' chopped up percussion. hopefully these tracks indicate more good stuff coming on the modeselektor album.

com truise - brokendate

Com Truise - "Brokendate" from stereogum on Vimeo.

grizzly bear - shift (live)

cant - rises silent

cant is chris taylor, who occasionally plays bass with a band called grizzly bear.

his new album, dreams come true, just came out. it's a erratic electronic ride. the song 'rises silent' is a favorite moment off it for me. it begins sounding like working for a nuclear free city or a mix of autechre with hushed vocals from my bloody valentine. jumpy percussion pads the smooth bass sliding until semi-pantomiming piano plucks minor bass chords while shards of synthesizers scatter.

peter, bjorn and john - 'tomorrow has to wait'

again, thanks to guru nick for the recommendation. peter, bjorn and john are a power trio from sweden, who you've undoubtedly heard from before even if their name brings back childhood memories of a certain savior of a sandwich. their song 'young folks' was scattered across the internets, television and even videogames. i would whistle the theme and you would recognize it immediately. anyway, they have released a slew of albums in the millennium and their most recent one titled gimme some is gold. the first 6 tracks or will have you bobbing your head and even humming leads akin to 'young folks'. i'm picking to highlight a track which drove me on most of my trip through vietnam/thailand called 'tomorrow has to wait'.

the lead track begins on a droning guitar note and a high falsetto as the grinding bass grittily chugs along. 'i don't think you're sorry for what you did' peter blankly spits out. i can imagine a stadium of fists pumping along with the bass drum as it slams into your skull. the droning verse gives way as heavily distorted guitars swarm enmasse ,(ala nick zinner style). peter/tyler durden declares, 'if you control yourself and give up before you break, well, it's too late'. accusingly caustic of procrastination, this song swept me and i recommend you let it do the same for you.

other lives - 'for 12'

other lives is a band from oklahoma. their self titled debut reminded me of a bluegrassy south, with big melancholic strings and was produced by joey waronker.

their upcoming album is entitled tamer animals. although they never sounded like an unbridled beast to me, they seem to have woven their music tighter. 'for 12' is a great step for them, enveloped the reverb, melting plinking upright pianos, a galloping rhythm, wyatt earp leads and haunting cello sounds. i enjoy that i didn't have an easy time guessing the direction of the chord progression and melodies. it even has a break that made me think of the good, the bad and the ugly. even though it doesn't truly have a climax, it's a great playlist starter on a cloudy day.

digitalism - 'blitz'

digitalism was lauded after their 2007 album, idealism and has announced they have a new package coming out called i love you dude (they are german, so please forgive punctuation).

they have a single off the new one called 'blitz' and i'm sharing the video with you. no quirky lyrics run through this song and it's more of a dark grinder itself.

after a beaten up introduction akin to a chewed up and spit out chariots of fire synthesizer, digitalism locks the bass and the bass drum and the beast of the song stirs: this beast being an infectious, repetitive dance track with glitchy percussion. then there is a brief dreamy build with a synth lead and the song promptly picks back up. 'blitz' has a dark edge built into it's poppy architecture and around 2:38 it gives way for just a moment and fades into a daft'y exit very similar to the entrance.

arcade fire - 'ready to start'

much. anticipated. would be how i would describe the new arcade fire album the suburbs.

as some tracks have leaked, i decided to write up the track 'ready to start'.

first of all, this album sheds some of the dark, apocalyptic vibe of neon bible, but by no means does this mean the edginess has disappeared. what i've heard reverts to the old school dancy, toe-tapping funeral days. 'ready to start' is an excellent example of this, from the looped dissident notes to the droning drop 'd'ed bass/guitar lines struck intermittently by win's dreamy/exhausted delivery. i've noticed on some of the songs off suburbs, you can hear beach boys type surf rock sounds, which partially manifests itself on this track through chiming synth lines atop the mix. (i really enjoy the emperor's new clothes references.) as the song rambles and builds, churning into a techno synth line towards very similar build to the famous 3/4 to 4/4 'crown of love' transition, although it flips back into the gouging bass/guitar drone line.

very. excited.

wolf parade - 'ghost pressure'

delay delay delay. no apologies, life doesn't stop and makes no apologies for it's crash course speed.

this is a new one from wolf parade being streamed over at pitchfork. it blends boeckner's hoarse groans with wobbly synths and gritty guitars. i do adore the space invader keys; i know you hear it too.

the beatles - 'no reply'

sorry for the lack of posts recently.

i'm reading here, there and everywhere and the book is absolutely engrossing from a more technical point of view. it still has a great deal of information about how the beatles crafted their signature sounds and a snippet of their songwriting process, but from an engineering standpoint, it's absolutely spellbinding.

here is one song which gives me chills, (it hasn't been talked about in the book, not yet). the big open chords during the chorus give me goosebumps.

it's amazing that the beatles still have such relevance and power... although i doubt they will ever lose it, no matter what year it may be.

grandaddy - 'the crystal lake'

so this is an oldie/yet goodie.

grandaddy is out of california and ever since i first heard the sophtware slump, i was intrigued at the complexity despite the simplicity. as gritty as the song remains, there is something liquid, flowing and crystal clear in the arpeggiated synth. in 'the crystal lake,' jason lytle's placating pleas saunter casually, yet authentic and his truckerhat adorning disposition shines through.

check out the sophtware slump if you have a chance.

phantogram - 'when i'm small'

jay tossed this link my way yesterday:

phantogram is a duo out of seratoga springs, who specialize in "street beat, psych pop" although their sound would closer to portishead with hip-hop beat stylings and the occasional clunking/chiming of guitars. eyelid movies is the title of their record released this year, and it is truly an eclectic mix, with guy/girl vocals, big beats, and neatly wrapped synths. 'when i'm small' is a 2 toned track, with a clunky james bond/surf guitar lead, a big cyclical beat and plunking casio keys overlayed by sarah barthel's coos. yet another score from barsuk... a damn good label.

download the track here:

white hinterland - 'icarus'

first of all: this day is for my friend ian, who passed away. you were far too optimistic and kind to live such a short life. i hope you rest in peace, my friend.

in the midst of all the chaos and misery surrounding my day today, my dear friend jackie passed this track on to me and it helped me cope. white hinterland is casey dienel's shoegaze project based in portland, or. on 'icarus' she draws feist-esque falsettos over a new wavy synth bassline. adding vocal harmonies and guitar noodles, the song progresses with a simple rimshot and kick driving; churning at a slow and steady rate, flickering and dancing akin to shadows from a dying fire on my living room wall. with all it's comfort and swelling tones, it has managed to soothe me on a day where every strand was falling apart and fraying.

i wish i could have shared this with you, ian. rip

miike snow - 'cult logic'

first of all- thanks to my musical guru nick, who always helps me find bands or uncover great bands which i have passed over...

so. like so many i wrote off this band. i listened to 'animal' and thought to myself, "that's catchy, but what the hell is with the intentional double 'i's?" 'animal' is only a brief glance into the depth and multifaceted sound of miike snow, which isn't one but three dudes from sweden who just happen to produce a lot of electronic music. even for some big names, which i will let you find out on your own accord in hopes to avoid prejudice.

'cult logic' is a ping pong electro song, bouncing around only to submit for grinding choruses and breaks. andrew wyatt's falsetto dances over the electric pond of melody below. wyatt sings in a bee gee key, flouishing with 'ooh's'; matching the razor sharp beats with smooth syllables and coos. 'cult logic' caters occasionally to swaying trance sounds, bending in velocity and resolution and briefly skipping down a couple of flights on the scale.

'but at least there's something beating inside my chest'