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Monday, May 11, 2009

 

Today's Quick Mention:  Aside from pondering what kind of useless junk that the wife and I can buy to clutter up the much bigger apartment we'll soon be moving to, I spent a lot of the weekend coming to the realization that I'm actually going to see Rent tomorrow night.  The show, which features a couple of the original cast members and will be running for six days this week at the Bass Concert Hall, was always one that I snickered about (thanks Team America), but I have to admit that I'm really interested in finally seeing it.  Grab some tickets and join me.

And now for an EP.  Enjoy.


 

:Trashed On Fiction - Safety Net:  "Worlds Trails Maps is an album not just about growing older, or leaving home, the surreal characters we call friends, or the cavalier hearts of youth. But the contemplative silence between these experiences, and the jubilant debauchery afterward."  At first I thought that quote was another PR person going bizarro, but after I noticed lyrics like "Darling, did I love you?" and the song's nostalgic drenched sound it all started to makes sense.  Good work, PR people.  Words Trails Maps is out now on ESCHE Records.

:Cass McCombs - Jonesy Boy:  The last time that Cass McCombs made an appearance here at SOTO was way back in 2007, so I was happy to see a couple of new songs surface last week.  The guy is just simply one of the best at making low-fi rock tunes - this one is that plus a nice Beatles-esque vibe, which is even better - that are easy to fall in love with.  Domino Records will put out the sure-to-be stellar record Catacombs in July, but the first single Dreams Come True Girl will be out on vinyl/digitally on May 25.

:Moderat - A New Error:  I tend to like my electronically oriented instrumental jams to be in the three to four minute range (after that I tend to just zone out), but for whatever reasons this gem's 6:07 runtime comes off as almost not long enough.  Maybe it's because Moderat is made up of two of Germany's veteran electronic acts, Modeselektor and Apparat, and they just know how to make things stay interesting?  I don't know.  In any case, watch out for the self titled LP tomorrow on Bpitch Records.

:Au Revoir Simone - All Or Nothing:  My opinion on this act has been wishy washy for as long as I can remember, but over the weekend I came across this lovely little number on another blog, decided it was pretty damn good and then promptly decided to share it.  Should you buy their upcoming album Still Night, Still Light?  Yes, but I can't say that I won't change my mind on that before May 19 rolls around.  If you've already heard/have it then feel free to convince me it's great and/or send it over.

:Cause Co-Motion - You Lose:  Here's an act that was mentioned on the site a couple of months back.  At the time it was because of an upbeat retro tune called I Lie Awake, and now it's due to this upbeat retro tune.  OK, so maybe their not going to impress with a wide range of sounds, but they're good at what they do and you have to appreciate the fact that they don't overly fuzz out their sound and/or drown out the vocals like a lot of the vintage-tinged bands these days.  The Because Because Because EP is out on the excellent Slumberland tomorrow.

- John Laird -



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