Saturday, March 22, 2008
 

Hello, hello, hello, my name is Noah Sanders and the swarthy purveyor of this fine site, one John Laird, had decided to throw caution to the wind and allow me to voice my musical opinion once a week.   Thus, here I am, taking on the arduous task of sifting through an ever mounting pile of music, to bring to you the newest and freshest gems. Before I start, a little bit about myself.  I'm born, raised, and currently reside in the original home of grunge, Seattle.  I barely survive working two jobs, one as a barista (read: coffee bitch), the other as an employee within the New Media department (read: internet bitch) for burgeoning record label, Light In The Attic.  It's a meager existence, but in between my stale bread and spoonfuls of gruel, you can almost always find me checking out some new cut or some dazzling reissue. I wish I could condense my listening tastes in to one easy to recognize genre, but I can't, so deal with it.  My musical coverage is rarely going to be cohesive or similar, but I promise you it'll be 100 percent entertaining, 65 percent of the time.  On that note, John Laird, sweet sweet John Laird, has asked me to compile a Side One: Track One EP to expose you fellows and ladies to my, er, musical taste.  After much deliberation, I've picked these five tracks.  Don't judge me too harshly, 'cause either way I'm not going anywhere.

:The Explorer's Club - Do You Love Me?:  I'm probably the one music critic out there who'll cop to not being a huge fan of The Beach Boy's Pet Sounds.  I blame it on over-exposure to ten episodes of Full House and Home Improvement they appeared on in the mid-nineties.  I can never hear "Sloop John B." without thinking of Tim The Toolman and his infernal children.  Strangely enough, South Carolina's The Explorer's Club absolutely blew me away both times I caught them at SXSW.  Somehow they take these cheesy California 5-part harmonies, and turn them in to these absolutely energetic little blasts of pop perfection.  This is the first single off their debut album Freedom Wind, which hits stores on May 20th from Dead Oceans.

:Bon Iver - Skinny Love:  Everyone's been chitter-chattering about this foreignly named artist and as usual I've been mired in blissful ignorance.  After catching a mind-blowing three songs at SXSW though, the fog as lifted.  Bon Iver has a voice the defines definition, and a way of composing songs that will actually reach in to your chest and pull out two of your heart valves.  And you will cry and cry.  Truth be told,  I haven't scoured my way through this entire album yet, but the "ma ma ma mas" on "Skinny Love" were the most recognizable from the short set I was lucky enough to catch, so that's what you get.  Bon Iver's debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, came out recently on Jagjaguwar.  Do not sleep on this.

:Fleet Foxes - Meadowlarks:  These boys from Sea-town got up on stage, surprisingly right after Bon Iver, and just blew me away with these crystal clean harmonies seemingly produced on command.  Sure, they look like a rag-tag bunch of gypsy hippies, but man if these NW natives can't hit a note or five.  It's probably best to first listen to this little five-piece after ingesting acid, taking off all your clothes, and dancing in the woods.  They're first Sub Pop EP, Sun Giants dropped earlier this month and a full length is forthcoming.

:Cedric I.M. Brooks - Sabasi:  I'm new to this whole reggae thing.  Except for a few, er, "mind-altering" experiences with Bob Marley in college, I always wrote this shit off as fodder for my white friends with dreads.  Which I had very very few.  Recently I was passed a copy of Honest Jon's (a great little British reissue label) new edition of Cedric I.M. Brooks and The Light of Sabu's Light of Sabu.  Blew me out of my seat.  This is what reggae is?  It's got intensity, it's got ass-shaking rhythm, it's got six minute songs rife with melody and the sweet vocals of Brooks.  Good lord, somebody get me some beeswax, an eighth of weed, and bong.  It's reggae time.

:Dungen - Panda:  You usually associate Swedes with pop, or some sub-genre of pop.  Thus when someone told me that Dungen was more of a metal-ly psych group I scoffed.  Maybe I've been rocking out to Jens Lekman a little too hard (if you can describe me baking cookies and crying as "rocking out") but I was shocked by the sounds this little foursome can produce.  Yes, it still has a flavor of pop lingering on the edges, but these guys have some six minute face melters that'll do Black Mountain proud.  Hell, you could describe these guys as Black Mountain meets Sweden and you'd be pretty correct.  And who doesn't like Black Mountain and Sweden?  Heathens, goddamn dirty heathens.  This track is off one of their many old albums, but their new one Tio Bitar is the best I've heard.

- Noah Sanders -

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