Saturday, July 5, 2008
 

Man, it's the Fourth of July and I'm just about as sick as a dog, thus forget me for the less than usual amount of rambling you're about to partake in. Hopefully by next week, I'll be phlegm free and (upon John's request) cheerier, 'till then, snark and sickness just for you. Thanks for reading!

America, Sweet 'Merica

As I've grown older, and as my interest in "patriotism" has slowly dwindled, the Fourth of July has certainly lost a fair bit of it's "patriotic" charm.  Nonetheless, it's time for a change, and I can't imagine a better candidate to pull that off, than soon-to-be Democratic Presidential Nominee, Barack Obama.  Thus, as I'm writing this on the Fourth of July, I've decided to include a couple tracks that both beautifully, and somewhat hilariously, express my strong feelings that Mr. Obama is going to change the shit out of this here country.

:Extra Golden - Obama:  For some reason, in the midst of Obama pretty much securing the nomination, and the first heat waves of summer finally beating down here in gloomy old Seattle, Extra Golden's Obama always puts a smile on my face.  I have no idea what they're saying, but I know that this Kenyan/American co-op, is certainly spreading the love of Barack.  It might be my bias, but I certainly can't imagine that "Bones" McCain has anyone in his corner willing, or able, to spread his message in such a cheery manner.  Seven minutes of sunshine bloated Obama-love, peeeeeeer-fect.  Extra Golden recently released an album entitled Hera Ma Nono on Thrill Jockey.

:Cody ChestnuTT - Afrobama:  Cody ChestnuTT is such a strangely hidden gem.  He released an amazing album five years ago while I was still killing brain cells in college, and then all but dropped off the map.  Rumors are that he owns a small house somewhere in the rural south, completely cut off from the rest off the world, and only makes music when something strikes him - such as the presidential campaign of Barack Obama.  I love that Barack's words inspire such a broad swath of Afrobeat, and here ChestnuTT actually mixes the speech with a back-alley chorus with amazing results.  Again, another summer time jam to put a huge shit-eating smile on your face.  By the way, Afrobama?  I can barely contain my titters.

- Noah Sanders -

Thursday, July 3, 2008
 

Originally, my plan was to treat this holiday weekend like any other, but after some thought I decided that I wouldn't mind take a little mini-break.  You should do the same, but not before you check out my five favorite albums so far this year. Posting will probably resume Sunday.  Enjoy.

#5)  Shearwater - Rook This slot was a hard one to make a decision for (hence the runner up list below), but after I thought about it I realized that I really love what Jonathan Meiburg did with this album.  It's a beautiful, sweeping effort that you can't help but find enthralling, and I find honestly catch myself wanting to revisit it quite often just to hear how good it sounds. :Shearwater - Rooks:

#4) Black Mountain - In The Future I slap this album on my record player a lot, but I can't deny how well these songs really work live.  I think I've seen the band three or four times so far this year, and after every show I like this disc more and more.  It's very highly recommended, but just know that before you start to adore it you might need to catch one of their stellar performances first. :Black Mountain - Stormy High:

#3)  Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight This album really came out of nowhere and punched me in the stomach with its lush folk pop sound and charming songwriting.  I literally haven't been able to stop listening to it for a few months, and I'm pretty certain that I'll keep it on repeat for the rest of the year.  You should definitely seek this gem out if you haven't already done so. :Frightened Rabbit - Good Arms Vs Bad Arms:

#2)  Why? - Alopecia I think a lot of people believe that the reason anyone likes Why? is because they're "different."  Maybe that's true for some, but for me I simply can't get over how brilliant of a lyricist that Yoni Wolf is.  I mean, the music is good as well, but when I hear that guy's voice I immediately zone out and focus in on him to make sure that I miss nothing.  Incredible would be an understatement. :Why? - The Vowels Part 2:

#1)  Thao Nguyen And The Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings And All This shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you who have visited SOTO regularly or talked to me in person over the last six months.  What can I say?  Thao's voice melds together everything there is to like about songbirds and she is an excellent songwriter.  I'll be lucky if I can stop listening to the album before this time next year, as there just isn't a bad song on it. :Thao Nguyen And The Get Down Stay Down - Travel:

15 Albums That Are Great And Worth Mentioning

 - In No Particular Order -
The Lovely Sparrows - Bury The Cynics
Cassettes Won't Listen - Small-Time Machine EP
Santogold - Self Titled
The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost
Mates Of State - Re-Arrange Us
Bodies Of Water - A Certain Feeling
Ponytail - Ice Cream Spiritual
Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts
Times New Viking - Rip It Off
King Kahn And The Shrines - The Supreme Genius Of King Kahn And The Shrines
Dead Meadow - Old Growth
Be Your Own Pet - Get Awkward
Portishead - Third
Quiet Village - Silent Movie
Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster

- John Laird -

Wednesday, July 2, 2008
 

So, yesterday I received a message that said my press request for the Austin City Limits Music Festival had been denied.  In the almost two years that SOTO has been up I've covered a lot of shows and just about every major event in Austin  (well, at least the ones that have happened in the 14 months since I moved here), so I can't figure out why they wouldn't at least give me a camera pass.  Lame.  What do you guys recommend?  Should I just not bother going now?  Discuss!  Now, while you let that brew in the back of your mind I advise that you give Takka Takka a listen.  The Brooklyn-based group has a new record titled Migrate that's set to come out July 29, and it seems like it should be a good one that's full of all sorts of snazzy experimental pop tunes.  Enjoy.

:Takka Takka - Everybody Say:  Their sounds aren't even remotely close, but the warmth that Takka Takka exudes in their overall sound really reminds me of the Lovely Sparrows.  I honestly feel as if I've heard this song a hundred times before, so it becomes a comfortable listen that allows me to casually take in sharp lyrics like: "She is a lion amongst all the jackals I've known."  You should still have your headphones sitting close by from Monday's recommendation, so go ahead and slap them on again.  This gem deserves all your attention.

After yesterday's lack of quality when it came to the video, I'm really happy that today is a really good one.  The song is called We Feel Safer At Night, and it's the title track off of their debut.

- John Laird -

Tuesday, July 1, 2008
 

I don't know if you guys have noticed, but things seem to be really slow on the music front.  I normally get a ton of emails and see stuff everywhere that I can't wait to share, but this week it's like everyone is off watching TV or playing in the park.  Somebody find me something awesome!  At any rate, after hours of searching yesterday I did manage to stumble across a track from Vivian Girls that I thought might be worth your time.  I vaguely remember hearing about them a month or so ago, but I didn't pay much attention then.  Of course, as it turns out, I should have.  Their self titled debut pretty much sold out the instant it was released in May, and they've been blogged about all over.  Keep an eye out for another run of the LP on In The Red later this year.  Enjoy.

:Vivian Girls - Where Do You Run To?:  This gem pretty much falls into that category of music that in no way can be called original, but that certainly isn't a bad thing.  In fact, you won't mind at all.  Nope, you'll be too busy thinking that if you could manage to put Times New Viking and Vivian Girls on the same bill together then you would have the two best noise pop bands to grace ears in 2008.  No wonder their album instantly disappeared from vendors.

In my browsing of Youtube I found out two things.  One is that there is another group called the Vivian Girls (who seem sort of annoying), and the second is that the trio have nothing good uploaded.  It'll be OK if you decide to skip this semi-poor live recording of My Baby Wants Me Dead.

- John Laird -

Monday, June 30, 2008
 

Have you guys seen the new version of Austin Sound?  SOTO's very own John Michael Cassetta had a big hand in the redesign (he'll be helping me in the same capacity as well), so because of that you should at least jump over there and check it out.  I think it looks awesome.  On another positive note, I was sent a new Dark Romantic's over the weekend, and I really liked it.  Way back when I actually did some new media PR for the band, so they hold a special place in my heart.  Plus, they're pretty damn good.  And stuff.  In any case, they've readied a new release titled Heartbreaker, which will hit store shelves on September 9, and a 7" known as Lonely/Roads that will have the song below and a Portishead cover.  I expect it all to be snazzy.  Enjoy.

:The Dark Romantics - Lonely Alone:  Since I've known of the Dark Romantics the one thing that has constantly impressed me the most about them is their knack for creating songs that really do everything possible to make you want to pay attention, and this number is no different.  The music, the vocals and the songwriting - all of it is drenched with a thick atmosphere that is not easily ignored.  Headphones are highly recommended!

I absolutely love the gem that is Another Song For Another Night, but the video that was made for it is undeniably cheesy and slightly lame.  Still, take a moment to watch so that you can at least hear the song.

- John Laird -

Sunday, June 29, 2008
 

I hope you all read Noah’s post yesterday, which drove to the heart of some of the worse qualities of the blogosphere concept.  While I might not completely agree with him (do I ever?), I think he makes a great point.  When, as a pseudo-journalist, I’m searching for the next big thing to blog about, I shy away from things that have already been heard, sometimes even at the expense of the quality of music.  In times past (times I barely remember) we had established media outlets, handing down the Goods from on high; the symbol of true, lasting(ish) fame was having your picture plastered on thousands of copies of Rolling Stone.  Now it’s being a "Most Blogged About" artist on Hype (and Hype won’t even take your picture). The problem then, as Noah said, there is an emphasis on "breaking" the newest bunch of Brooklynites, even at the expense of making sure that they’re good.  Last week’s music is last last week’s music, and don’t even think about posting it here, no matter how much you like it. So today, feeling a little inspired as it were, we’ll do a little piece called "That Was The Week That Was," a collection of songs that still get me all excited, even though the collective taste making machine could care less.  Of course, there’s no emphasis on the tracks being a week old, the name just conveniently references a little bit of old pop-culture.

Bodies Of Water

Okay, Bodies of Water are semi-current, but I think everyone shat their pants enough a few weeks back when this track from the new album came out.  The new album is great and all (we might talk about that more in the future), but for me, Bodies of Water cemented themselves as "good" in my mind when I saw them for the first time playing SXSW this past year.  Talk about powerful!  Even when I wasn’t seeing Bodies of Water, I was seeing Bodies of Water: waiting around at the Mohawk for some band to come on, I could hear Bodies of Water playing outside next door almost as perfect as I could being right in front.  Speaking of up front, their live shows were absolutely stellar - all the complexities of their music shone through, including the multi-part male/female harmonies that still blow me away.  When the new album comes out, I think we’ll all get pretty excited again, but try this song on for size, if you haven’t already.

:Bodies Of Water - Under The Pines:

Graham Weber and Leatherbag

This past year, my two favorite local performers came out with new albums, and are now touring their way up the United States in support of them.

Graham Weber’s album, The Door To The Morning (which was produced by Leatherbag, actually), is the album the Jawhawks never made (and really should have).  It’s dripping in alt-country twang and the lyrics are some of the best I’ve heard in a while, local or national.  I’m not sure which one to quote for you, so just listen closely to this track, After The Boulevard (which I think I’ve posted here before, but that’s the nature of the game).

:Graham Weber - After The Boulevard:

Leatherbag’s new album, Love & Harm, wears on its sleeve all the influences that went into making it.  Some songs scream "Velvet Underground," others are brutally honest interpretations of the "Wilco" sound, but through it all Leatherbag manages to sway the album in his own direction, due mostly to the outright confrontation with aging that catches the attention of nearly every lyric. That’s no more true than on this song, It’s Over (I Ain’t Young Anymore).

:Leatherbag - It's Over (I Ain't Young Anymore):

Radiohead

Radiohead?  In Rainbows is so yesteryear.  Yes, true, but I want to make a confession: I can’t get into Radiohead.

Still reading?  Good, because when I try to talk to people about this topic, most immediately turn and leave.  The problem for me isn’t the music, I think most Radiohead albums are great, I’ve really have listened to all of them.  But I can never reach the same levels of obsession that everyone else has.

The problem for me I think is that Radiohead fans are like an exclusive club, and the only way to join is to fake having been obsessed with Radiohead since before OK Computer.  Well guess what, I didn’t know who Radiohead were before OK Computer, at least I didn’t know them as "Radiohead, Greatest Band Of All Time," just as "Radiohead, That Band Who Wrote Creep."  Now anytime that I mention that I’m "trying to get into Radiohead," people scoff like I forgot the required reading for Music 101.  But then, half the people who scoff at me were asking Santa for Now 2 for Christmas when Ok Computer came out...

The other problem is the Radiohead culture I’m afraid of joining.  As Noah said yesterday, bands try hard to make sure new music gets out because, realistically, if you don’t put out a new song every week, your spotlight moves on before you had a chance to even bow.  Radiohead aren’t a band who I find vying for the spotlight every week, but somehow half a million blogs find a reason to post something about them constantly.  Oh thanks Pitchfork News Department, I’m glad to know you blew your load today when you found out that Thom Yorke took a dump this morning.  That’s just so "relevant."

In sum: Radiohead music = good. Radiohead culture = daunting, and shameless.

Anyway, here’s a video now that I got you all worked up.

- John Michael Cassetta -

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Tilly And The Wall are a very interesting act to see live, and this new video for Pot Kettle Black touches a little on what I'm talking about.  You really should take a moment to watch this.

:SOTO - Episode 60:  This week's musical endeavor includes tunes from the Plagarists, Pop Levi, Shugo Tokumaru, Pacific, Huey Lewis, Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings and Blitzen Trapper.  Enjoy.

BTW, if you would like to subscribe to this podcast in iTunes then you can do so here.

- John Laird -
 

Saturday, June 28, 2008
 

I can’t really put a finger on it, but, for whatever reason my brain this week has been nearly inactive.  By week’s end I’m usually bristling at the chance to sit down at the old keyboard and pound out a few quick thoughts for your reading pleasure. This week though, I sat down, put on my aluminum thinking device, and waited for the ideas to start crackling from fingers to keyboard to screen... And waited... And waited... Who knows what it is - a weeklong drinking binge, a years of music and photography lost to a faulty hard drive (back it up children!), a nauseating glumness - but the juices just weren’t pumping. Until I headed over to Pitchfork for daily dose of indie "credibility."  And then it struck me like a lightning bolt: I’ll voice some of my many beefs with the state of indie criticism and its effect on my writing and my thought process. Phew, for a second there I thought I was going to blank page you guys, and try to pull it off as "art." Enjoy!

How We Listen

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but working as PR bitch at a small record label has given me a certain amount of knowledge about the way the music industry works.  It has certainly been a love-hate relationship, but if anything its exposed me to what I like to think of as the "Pitchfork Generation," a way of thinking about music that is both extremely exciting and somewhat damaging to the fate of both new and old artists.

Sadly, it almost starts and ends with the concept of the blogosphere.  With the ability to post whenever and without worries about publication costs, we, as a society, music or otherwise, have created the much discussed concept of the 24 hour news cycle.  Everything can be covered all the time.  Anyone can have any opinion anytime they want, and with a click of a button, the entire world is privy to it.

The effect on the world of news has been dramatic, what with the tabloid news becoming a multimedia fascination, but I believe the blogosphere has had the greatest effect on music.  There’s a million bands in the world, but never before in the history of music have so many gotten so much press.

Why?

Because of all sudden the legions of diehard music fans bursting with opinion have been given a worldwide megaphone and the semblance of a fanbase.  Suddenly there are a lot more critics and a lot more varying tastes, thus a lot more bands are getting noticed.  Which is a great thing for ardent music fans...to a degree.

It’s amazing to be swamped with choice, to have so many folk with good (alright, decent) taste sifting through the shit, so we don’t have to.  There’s a ridiculous amount of bands that I, nor anyone else wouldn’t have ever heard a lick of, if not for the rampant music world we live in.  Everyone wants to find a new band and help them blow up -  it’s just the way it is.  I want to spread the love of a good band, and if that love is enough to get someone else talking about it, then hell, I’m even happier.

The problem begins when everyone starts thinking this way, when every music writer is plowing along seeking out what’s hot and what’s new.  Sure, a lot of amazing bands get a little face time they might not have seen without the blogosphere, but the issue is how long that face time lasts.  With an entire generation of music critics searching for what’s new, most acts can only get so much of a push.  All of sudden, bands are faced with one glaring fact: if you’re not producing music near constantly, you’re chances of a continued existence at the forefront of the new music world is slim.  It’s why remixes have become so popular, instead of spending time making new music that you could be spending touring in support of the album, you drop your song in to the lap of some hot new producer, and voila, you just kicked up your fame moment a minute longer.

I, as much as anyone, am entirely guilty of searching for that new thing.  I don’t want to be repetitive, I don’t want to hype the same bands every other site is hyping.  I want to bring new, fresh original content to the masses and this unfortunate way of thinking affects the way I listen to music.  I dig less these days, older music falls to the wayside, because I’m going to have less to say.  I want music with a news story attached, something relevant that will give me reason to want to hype it up.  If band is pre-exploded, I’ll be honest, it’ll probably fall to the bottom of my CD stack.  Sure, it’ll get a listen in due time, but I’m less excited, merely because it’s already been heard.

It’s a terrible way of listening to music, and I feel guilty every time I realize what I’m doing.  It’s an amazing and a difficult time to be a musician.  Your chances of being heard, by someone, are much bigger, but your competition is absolutely massive.  And even if you ascend past the other million bands scrabbling to reach the top, you’re put in to a position where you have to keep yourself fresh or people are going to forget, and fast.

I’m not arguing that this occurs with every band.  There a plenty of bands who strike it big on the internet, get signed to a label, and succeed beautifully, no matter what they do.  I’m just saying that the culture of music criticism that has risen in the past ten years is not the easiest one to succeed in.

- Noah Sanders -

Friday, June 27, 2008
 

Look at that!  We managed to make it to another weekend.  I have to work all day tomorrow and part of Sunday, but it's all good as long as I get to catch a showing of Wall-E.  A large number of early reviews have called it one of Pixar's best, which is really high praise.  Alright, to end the week I'm going to share the Notwist, who are easily more low-key and accessible than each of those raucous-heavy acts that were rambled about Monday through Thursday.  As seems to be the case with me a lot recently, I didn't know who they were until an email arrived in the inbox, but it didn't take me too long to start digging The Devil, You + Me.  The album was just released, so check it out if you haven't done so already.  Enjoy.

:The Notwist - Good Lies:  The more I listen to this the less I'm able to believe that when these guys started up in the early-90s they did so as a metal act.  I mean, I guess it's possible that I'm being swayed by the fact that the arrangement in this gem is headphone music at its best and Markus Archer's almost-whisper-but-not-really vocal style is great, but you try imagining them doing anything else.  Clearly, they were meant to do this style of electronica, and I'm glad they ended up coming around to it.

This is a somber video for the somber tune that is Pick Up The Phone, but at least it has a bear and a bunny.  You know, because cute being sad is way easier to take.  Or whatever.

- John Laird -

Thursday, June 26, 2008
 

Today is an artist that I'm not sure all of you are going to dig, but with it being the day before Friday I'm feeling adventurous, so we're going to see what happens.  The act that I speak of is Duchess Says, and the email about them that arrived in my inbox yesterday immediately caught my attention.  Apparently, they're pretty well known in Montreal and have played a lot of major festivals, toured with cool people and have done the whole SXSW thing.  Sure, a lot of bands are in that same boat, but most of them haven't done it without a real official release.  This quartet has pretty much just been getting by over the years with positive word of mouth, and that's impressive.  The long awaited debut, Anthologie Des 3 Perchoirs, will be available starting September 2.  Enjoy.

:Duchess Says - Ccut Up:  After repeated listens of this song I've come to realize that I don't even know where to start when it comes to probably describing it or giving it a genre.  The music is just crazy with wild synths, crunching guitars and a relentless pace that will probably leave most of you standing in a distorted sonic storm of confusion.  And Annie-Claude Deschene's wail?  Yeah, to me it sounds like a mature Be Your Own Pet's Jemina Pearl after an eternity of touring and who knows what else.  If you're ready for this then you'll know immediately.  If not, save it for later.  Once it makes sense you'll be thoroughly impressed, trust me.

I'd never heard In Serial until I saw this little artsy video on Youtube, but even with the song above as a reference point I was still caught off guard on how aggressive and weird it is.  Check it out.

- John Laird -

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
 

I finally got around to catching the Lovely Sparrows last night.  They played as a six-piece over at the Salvage Vanguard Theater here in town, and it was pretty great.  You all really need to remind yourselves that the very good (trust me, I've been listening to it a lot) Bury The Cynics will be out in September.  Now, onto the fun that is the Mae Shi.  I've thought that the band was pretty awesome since I saw them kill at SXSW with an insane set at Emo's, but it wasn't until Pitchfork posted up something new yesterday that I realized I needed to actually mention how much I like them.  Oops.  You won't find the track below on HLLLYH, but it does give an nice indicator of what you can expect if you decide to go out and pick it up.  Enjoy.

:The Mae Shi - See U Again (Miley Cirus Cover):  I knew I was in trouble with this song when I listened to it the first time, laughed and then promptly felt the need to put it on repeat for a while.  Is it the humor of covering a Miley Cirus song that gets me?  Maybe it's the wide range of electronic sounds?  The pulsing beat?  Or is it just simply one of the more catchy songs I've come across lately?  I really don't know, but I get the feeling that I don't really want to.  This is guilty pleasure at its best.

This isn't any necessary live footage of the the guys performing, but the way it's shot does a good job in cluing you in on how kinetic they can be onstage.  The song is called Run To Your Grave.

- John Laird -

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
 

Why is that artists don't just go ahead and release the first single for free?  I mean, I'm looking and so far this week I'm seeing new pieces from the Faint, the Verve and Bill Callahan - all available for streaming only.  It's ridiculous.  Get with the times people!  If Coldplay can do it, so can you.  Anyhow, today we'll be carrying on yesterday's summer rock ways with the help of the Shys.  The band had a fairly successful debut a few years back for Sire Records that garnered some praise from the Rolling Stone, Spin and Filter, so I suppose you could say that the upcoming You'll Never Understand This Band The Way That I Do is an anticipated one.  Expect to see it on store shelves on July 22 courtesy of Aeronaut Records (home of Robert Francis).  Enjoy.

:The Shys - Hangman:  I've only heard the new album and whatever cuts from the old one that are on the band's Myspace, but it's pretty clear that they've taken a leap forward as far as sound and songwriting are concerned, which is nice.  More importantly though, they're still having fun.  I think it's great how the guitar riffs are as big and loud and possible and I really love the way the guys revert to the number's sing-a-long worthy chorus as much as possible in its three-minute runtime.  Grab a beverage and turn this baby up so the neighbors can hear it.

This is probably one of the more poorly made "official" videos I've ever seen, but Call In The Calvary was the hit off of the debut, Astoria, and I wanted you to hear and see it in all of its dirty rock glory.

- John Laird -

Monday, June 23, 2008
 

Despite rain and work I was able to make it to the First Day Of Summer Festival on Saturday.  It was only for the Boxing Lesson (who put on a great set), but I did go!  Anyone else get around to getting down at Guero's?  If you couldn't then that's OK, because I still love you.  Although, if you did go then you're now a preferred reader.  Or something.  In any case, let's discuss Sam Champion.  I could of swore that the last time I mentioned them they were on the verge of releasing their sophomore effort, but after all this time I just realized that the disc still isn't out.  Who teases an album with singles and videos for almost a year!?  It's crazy.  Thank whoever that North Street Records is finally going to put out Heavenly Bender on September 2.  Enjoy.

:Sam Champion - Be Mine Everyone:  I know that it's usually a better idea to ease into the new week with something a little more calm, but for the sake of the weekend past let's bounce around and get crazy to this raucous rock track from the band that I thought just made catchy pop tunes.  Actually, while you get acquainted with your new favorite summer jam I'm going to look up tour dates so that I can figure out how soon I can willingly get my ears blown out.

Here is a video for the song Dead Moon (which is on the new album) that features one continuous shot and a bunch of hung-over people at a rooftop party.  You should watch it.

- John Laird -

Sunday, June 22, 2008
 

Well, I’m on vacation this week, at the beach actually, so that means it’s time for a quick EP.  It’s not that I can’t force my lazy self to write something worthwhile (and I will grant you that these past few days I’ve found new lengths of laziness), it’s just that vacations, or at least traveling, has always been for me a chance to take a break from writing and analyzing and just listen to some new music for the simple joys of it. In Noah’s post yesterday, in which he lined up his favorite albums of the year, he mentioned how great the Bon Iver album is. I couldn’t agree more - by far, one of my favorite releases of the year.  But just as he was reluctant to actually describe it, I’ve found it difficult to put into words what I like about it, and usually resort to telling an inquirer that I’ve never had such a uniquely satisfying experience listening to an album as I had when I first heard For Emma, Forever Ago. Any critic of any medium will tell you, sometimes critically analyzing a work of art can render it devoid of all the enjoyable parts that as a critic you try to parse out in the first place.  So these past few days, I took a vacation from thinking too hard, and instead let my On-The-Go playlist amass hundreds of new songs I hadn’t really listened to for fun yet.  Here’s what I’ve been listening to while basking in the sun, lounging by the pool, sipping from a variety of tropical flavored beverages, and generally having a better time than you are right now.

:The Submarines - You Me And The Bourgeoisie:  "We’re not living the good life, unless we’re fighting the good fight."  There’s something so great about this lyric, but I’ll figure it out next week.  They were on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic not too long ago, check it out if you’re into that kind of live thing.

:War On Drugs - Taking The Farm:  I’m supposed to be reviewing this album, Wagonwheel Blues. I’ve been listening to it way too much to start writing though, especially this song.  I mean, how do you put "woo-ooh-ooh" into words?

:The Whitsundays - It Must Be Me:  Basically, this is a Zombie’s knockoff band.  It’s a good thing we all love the Zombies as much as I do.

:Silver Jews - Strange Victory, Strange Defeat:  I don’t think the new album (Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea) can stand up on its own to the rest of the Jews’ catalog, but I am confident that it will hold up over time, maybe even grow on me.  That being said, this song is awesome.  Just awesome.  According to my iTunes, I’ve listened to it an unhealthy 24 times.

:The Lord Dog Bird - The Gift Of Song In The Lion's Den:  It took this song to keep me from listening to Shearwater’s Rooks everyday for the rest of the year.  A lot of people have posted this song, I know, but that’s because it’s really, really good.  The Lord Dog Bird is Colin McCann’s project while Wilderness is on break, though I hear they’re recording or mixing right now.  I can’t wait to hear the rest of this album (hopefully it'll be waiting for me when I get home).

- John Michael Cassetta -




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