radiohead - 'lotus flower'

sorry to have been away for so long.

in case you didn't know, we are shortly embracing a new lp or whatever a newspaper album will be for radiohead's new album the king of limbs.

as mounting radiohead hype goes, a cryptic japanese message appeared stating 18:59 in a japanese square. at that moment, it seems the new music video for 'lotus flower' became available on youtube.

about the song, i've heard the live version by atoms for peace (thom's band) and loved the performances. the radiohead version is very jazzy and layered, very reminiscent of trip hop and sneaker pimps. driven by a big synth bass booming and thom's placating wails. the video is quite possibly a homage to thom's crazy dancing; note there is a choreographer. think thom = tom waits = charlie chaplin.

just listen. and believe. shortly we will have a new radiohead record!

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'

take it easy my brother

in the spirit of brasil.
i will be gone for 10 days of awesomeness.

prepare for great stories!

yeasayer - 'ambling alp'

'ambling alp' is the first single from yeasayer's second album odd blood, which is just coming out feb. 9th. i'm completely aware that this track has received more than a little buzz on the interwebs, but my goal is to share gems to the potentially unaware.

the single is crafted with the psychedelic synth lead which quickly bends into the background of the track. a globbing bassline spills over the track with almost with serendipitous nature, bumping and grinding in similar fashion to some drunk's hips on a dancefloor. the true grit of the song is driven by the prevailing vocal line, uttered with wavering emotive tones. the song builds into an odd brass break, then dies down like a campfire to playfully climb back up; touching down aptly with the little psycho-synth lead to stick a gymnast's landing.

following is the psychotropic video, which yields no less than mirror-masked men on horseback, and mulheres menos roupa. don't worry herm, you don't directly work for the gov anymore.

pawel's version of 'videotape'

so, i've been pretty busy recently and haven't been updating my blog.
in an attempt to jump-start things, i'm posting this link to pawel's reworking of radiohead's 'videotape'. it resembles a live version from their 2006 tours and has been kicking around for a bit of time. pawel is a bit of a legend in the radiohead fanatic base, he mostly draws from radiohead's back catalog of songs never completed, sketching and channeling radiohead to record all the instruments but the vocals and sometimes guitars. i hope 2010 is treating everyone well! and i will be more diligent about my posts.

six drummers

this blew my mind

death from above 1979 - 'blood on our hands'

boombastically, death from above 1979 contends to be one of the heaviest bands i've heard in my life. this is huge considering the fact that death from above 1979 was a two piece band.

'blood on our hands' is a dirty jagged example of the grit and depth of the band. it's as though a landslide has been triggered itself by a bass pickslide. sebastien grainger wastes no time flaunting brooding vocal melodies, instead he begins the song with a scream: "i'm leaving!". could it be mindless machismo, indifference, defiance or all three, there is a resolute stance behind his howls. jesse keeler's distorted bass bounces around throwing elbows in a vain attempt to dominate the song. instead it punctuates grainger's vocals and bleets spurring urgency the brutal drums. momentarily a soft synth interjects to oil the bass' tattered syllables, but is promptly pinned to the ground and pummeled as the song climaxes and breaks. from the truly fantastic album, you're a woman, i'm a machine.

spooky

from eric's halloween party.
beware of columbian coffee bean farmers, nutcrackers and ketchup.
apparently they get agitated when cornered.

digitalism - 'pogo'

yes. it has been a while since i've posted. i'm beginning to realize i can't wait for my life to slow down to write, so i'm going to take more initiative from now on.

this song is a little older, as most are from overseas. digitalism is from the great deutchland. i was at eric's halloween party and the moment the song started, i knew i was smitten.

'pogo' begins with a glitchy synth torn between notes by the furious paces of relentless high hats. the bass synthesizer bounces around similar to the device which the song was aptly named. these eventually give way to the chorus, blending mostly synthetic buzzing with a guitar backbone. the quirky lyrics, spliced between "wha-oh!" come out like brad pitt mimicking an italian accent in inglorious basterds, syllables stretched and chewed over. many elements pull references to the 80's electronic / glammish movements. this song promises no great dark twists or lyrical wit; rather it promises a great time dancing on the lights in the city and a fantastic soundtrack as you are racing away from the police car with it's colors flashing. i really enjoy the way the song flows with this "game" called audiosurf.

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.