Music Monday || 4 May 2009

An impressive bunch today, mainly from people that I know personally on one level or another.

NOMO first grabbed me when I went to see some friends perform at Schuba's last fall. The most succinct way to describe them is "hot horns." A mixture of jazz, funk and Caribbean rhythms, NOMO kicks you in the eardrums and you like it. Their new album, Invisible Cities, Pitchfork gives an 8. It's some impressive beats, so don't miss them.

This is a long live session, so put your earphones, click play and get to work.

NOMO Live session from Svetlana legetic on Vimeo.

My buddies that were performing at Schuba's? Cains and Abels. They put out a new album recently and it sounds really good. In fact, their so impressive, David's dog, Simon, sings right along with them–even when David's voice is just an mp3 on iTunes. I can't find anything of theirs to post up here, but you can listen to them over at MySpace.

Bob Dylan. Well, so I don't know him personally–on any level–but I picked up his new album Together Through Life. Pitchfork gave it a mediocre 5.4, but it's a good blues-based album from an essential American artist.



Finally, someone else I have had no personal interaction with ever, William Basinski. However, I was reading this morning about his album The Disentegration Loops. Tape recordings of Muzak made back in the 80s, he decided to transfer them to the digital format on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. As he was doing so, two things happened. First, as the tape passed over the head, flakes began to fill the air as the tapes had decomposed during their time on the shelf. Second, and more notably, Basinski starred out the window of his loft to see the Twin Towers crumble before his eyes, filling the NYC skyline with flakes of itself. He was supposed to have a job interview in the Towers later that day. You'll have to go to Pitchfork to hear this one too, but it's so worth the trip.

Don't forget about Steve McCoy's Music Monday; he always brings something good to the table.

Music Monday || 27 April 2009

I'm a little light today, but check this out:

Nearly every time I turn the radio on and hear a great band and am unsure of who it is, 80% of the time it's Passion Pit.

Rockville CA: Passion Pit - Better Things
Uploaded by The_WB

Back in October, Tallest Man on Earth opened up for the Fleet Foxes at the Metro. Now he's got his own Take Away show at La Blogotheque.


Tallest man on earth - These Days (Nico Cover) - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Don't forget to head over to Steve McCoy's blog for his Music Monday post. It's always good.

My Life || My iPhone

I'm only doing this because she tagged me, and it'll give me something to do.

I'm adding MySpace links. A lot of the songs are actually there too.

And my tagging is done on Facebook, not out here in the World Wide Web. That would just be weird.

And I would never use the above headphones for actually listening to music. For that they're crap. That would make me want to use them around my neck.
____

If you got tagged for this note, you need to copy/paste this into your own facebook note, delete my answers, and answer the questions using your own ipod.
2. put the ipod on shuffle
3. use it to answer the question
4. hit “next”
5. try not to cheat
6. tag some of your friends so they'll do the same

____


1. How am I feeling today
Flume - Bon Iver (Daytrotter Session)

2. How far will I get in life?
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine - The Killers

3. What is my best friend’s theme song?
Everything's Not Lost - Coldplay

4. What was high school like?
Greet Death - Explosions in the Sky

5. How will today be?
Mercy - Duffy (Where the crap did this come from? But I'm sure it's what I need.)

6. What is in store for me this weekend?
Leave Your Effects Where They're Easily Seen - Spoon

7. What is the best thing about me?
Love, Reign O'er Me - Pearl Jam

8. What song is about my parents?
Midnight Souls Still Remain - M83

9. How is my life going?
Nous Tombons Dans Elle - Dominique Leone

10. What song will they play at my funeral?
Free Fallin' - John Mayer

11. How does the world see me?
Opposite Day - Andrew Bird

12. What do my friends think of me?
Not Myself - John Mayer (Acoustic)

13. Do people secretly think I’m good looking?
Look After You - The Fray

14. How can I make myself happy?
Blue Ridge Mountains - Fleet Foxes

15. What should I do with my life?
Everybody's Changing - Keane

16. What is some good advice?
Violet Hill - Coldplay

17. Will I get married?
Pressed In A Book - The Shins

18. Where will I go in life?
Peace Beneath the City - Iron and Wine

19. Will I have kids?
Why Georgia - John Mayer (Live)

20. What is my current theme song?
Chicago (acoustic version) - Sufjan Stevens

For You

I don't know if was the screaming guitar, or the lyrics. I'll let you make that decision.

A. Bird

[For those who are wondering, this is not turning into a music blog. This post is as much of a thanks to Stephanie and Micall as it is an appreciation for Andrew Bird and his great musical talent.]

After Thursday night's awesome Bon Iver show, I didn't think my weekend would get too much more musical. But I was wrong.

At approximately 5 pm on Friday, I got an email from Stephanie, stating that she got some information from a friend of hers that Andrew Bird was playing a secret show at Ronny's in Logan Square. She couldn't verify the info, but her source seemed credible.

If any of you know me, I mean really know me, then you would know that many months ago, when I thought I would have to be leaving Chicago due to the lack of a job, my target date to leave this great city was the 4th of September. A Thursday. Who leaves on a Thursday? Well, it wasn't a randomly selected Thursday, but rather it was the Thursday after Andrew Bird played a free concert at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millenium Park. One of the more anticipated concerts that I had waited to see. It was the first and only time I had seen him.

However, this particular Friday Micall and I had planned to have our Christmas, go see the Lincoln Park Zoo Lights and have some time together. Alas, I would not see this show.

But upon mentioning this to Micall, she exclaimed, "Well, let's go! We can see the Zoo lights anytime."

YES!

Ronny's is a dive. A serious dive. One that sells PBR for $3 in cans (MSRP: $0.50). But as we waited through the sound check and starred through the glass door. Andrew Bird was sound checking his violin and whistle (his mouth). He played about an hour, mostly new stuff, and an old song that I hadn't heard before. It was great. And I was this close to him... Yeah that close. At one point, he couldn't find his shoulder pad thingy for his violin and I pointed it out to him. He head-nodded in gratitude. Yeah, I got a head-nod.

He has a new album coming out in January. Keep an eye out for it. And he's touring the US. He'll be in a city near you soon enough. Even Tulsa.

Listening to...

I'm really enjoying me some Greg Laswell right now. A [swallow] friend pointed me to him. I'm a big fan of David Grey and he has a similar sound to him. He was recently featured on Grey's Anatomy with his song What a Day.

I'm really digging Comes and Goes:


And How the Day Sounds:


And my [swallow] friend really likes his version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun:


I'm looking forward to seeing him at Schuba's tonight with my [swallow] friend.

When Love Comes to Town

I was sitting eating my granola and trying to find something to watch on the TV and the only thing I could find was U2's Rattle and Hum from 1988. It was shot all in black and white and documents their Rattle and Hum tour.

During that tour they encountered a lot of music over here in the States. One of the musicians they saw was B. B. King. After seeing him, Bono went back and wrote a song to play with BB. That song is "When Love Comes to Town." Phenomenal lyrics about what happens when Love comes to town.





I was a sailor, I was lost at sea
I was under the waves
Before love rescued me
I was a fighter, I could turn on a thread
Now I stand accused of the things I've said

Love comes to town I'm gonna jump on that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town

I used to make love under a red sunset
I was making promises I would soon forget
She was pale as the lace of her wedding gown
But I left her standing before love came to town

I ran into a juke joint when I heard a guitar scream
The notes were turning blue, I was dazing in a dream
As the music played I saw my life turn around
That was the day before love came to town

When love comes to town I'm gonna jump on that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town

When love comes to town I'm gonna jump on that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town

I was there when they crucified my Lord
I held the scabbard when the soldier drew his sword
I threw the dice when they pierced his side
But I've seen love conquer the great divide

When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that train
When love comes to town I'm gonna catch that flame
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to town

Heima means Home

Storytellers: Pearl Jam

Just last night I was recounting the story of how I got into rock music back in middle school. I can remember going over to Michael's house one afternoon after school and him telling me that he found some new music. He put it in his Aiwa and turned it up. The CD was Pearl Jam's Ten. Songs like "Even Flow," "Jeremy," "Once" moved me to be a lover of the guitar and rock. Pearl Jam is on Storyteller's this afternoon and Vedder tells the story of the song "Alive." Of how the autobiographical song and the phrase "I'm still alive" was redefined.

Music: José Gonzalez

I posted the following about a month ago, but was reminded of José Gonzalez's musical genius by last night's Scrubs. He has a new CD out In Our Nature. Below is the old post and the video that accompanied it-- Heatbeats-- the song that was featured last night, a Sony Bravia commercial, and the original version by The Knife.

I ran into Jose Gonzalez via my roommate, Wired and the web. Amazing stuff, especially if you like soft acoustics-- Ray LaMontagne and Andrew Bird. Ah, and Gonzalez's new CD comes out tomorrow.

Vintage Sights and Sounds

I find it interesting to see what people collect, catalog, and build a website to display their glorious collection. In that interest I have two sites I've been to and found interesting:

The first one comes from my dad and is dedicated to Penny Postcards. The post card was patented in 1861 by John P. Charlton of Philadelphia and for a while only the USPS could produce them. Wikipedia says the above, but then says that the first postcards in the US were made to advertise for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Soon, though, the cards were able to be produced by anyone and this gave rise to the versions that we see today, although then the sold for only a penny-- thus, penny postcards. The site is arranged by state and has a pretty thorough collection. One of my favorites.

Our second site is Midwest 45s. Scott Harlow is a friend of mine at Grace and every Saturday morning he heads South to the old pawn shops on the South-side and digs around for Soul, Funk and Gospel 45s from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. After he finds them he digitizes them onto his computer, puts up their album art and lets your ears pulsate to the long forgotten beats. He has quite a collection going on but of all that I've listened to, I really dig this one.

Music Tomorrow

I ran into Jose Gonzalez via my roommate, Wired and the web. Amazing stuff, especially if you like soft acoustics-- Ray LaMontagne and Andrew Bird. Ah, and Gonzalez's new CD comes out tomorrow.

The Soundtrack

I spent the day, and I mean, the whole day in the car driving the 11 hours home to Tulsa to spend a couple weeks with my dog family before school starts. Here's a taste of what I listened to:

The Old:

Sufjan Stevens, Avalanche-- I can't stop listening to it.


Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrapha


The New:

Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga-- Great new CD.


Wilco, Sky Blue Sky-- Freakin' Phenomenal!

Music Tuesday

My Flickr friend and blogging buddy Steve McCoy, the Reformissionary, always has some great posts up on his Music Mondays postings. Lately my music preferences have gone to the more alternative side of life, so I thought I share some of my recent buys and those for which I am still jonesing.

Midlake has a great album Bamnan and Slivercork. Steve introduced me to this one and I'm still enjoying it. Very alternative. Very good. My personal favorite is "Balloon Maker."

To feed both my Jazz and Electronic sides at once, I picked up The Jazz Influence: Electronic Jazz compiled by Kevin Yost. It's pretty good, some weaker tracks ("Do you like Jazz?" good beat, annoying lyric), but overall a regular listen. Along these lines is the single that iTunes gave away a few weeks ago now by Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra "Kiss the Sky." It's great.

Those for which I haven't dropped the cash yet are: LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver ; Chicago's own Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrypha; and everyone's current favorite, Arcade Fire, Neon Bible.

LCD and Andrew were on Dave last week to which I now leave you: