tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88179203415992334122024-03-13T20:19:30.685-04:00Cosmonaut FarmTo those who have freely received, freely give.Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-91638981075895433122011-07-21T10:17:00.002-04:002011-07-21T11:06:51.331-04:00Laurie Anderson- Homeland (2010)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fv1wd0oXLP4/TigznWXpdQI/AAAAAAAABbk/gvHdVdAigPU/s1600/homeland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fv1wd0oXLP4/TigznWXpdQI/AAAAAAAABbk/gvHdVdAigPU/s200/homeland.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?o81psbwqdxsozvd">http://www.mediafire.com/?o81psbwqdxsozvd</a><br />
<br />
As an artist and a violinist, I am unabashedly infatuated with<b> Laurie Anderson</b>. And if you are reading this, I don't need to talk about how awesome she is.<br />
<br />
<b>"Homeland"</b> is interesting in that it is a document of a performance that she performed on tour for awhile. I love that idea--the "tour" first with the album later. And Homeland is also interesting because it's just weirdly dark, but also really accessible. It's clearly about the entire 9/11 paranoia.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HEYioQ9WeO0/Tig0r-kd_hI/AAAAAAAABbs/5P5jVXk2F6I/s1600/laurie_anderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HEYioQ9WeO0/Tig0r-kd_hI/AAAAAAAABbs/5P5jVXk2F6I/s400/laurie_anderson.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Musically, it has songs that could allllmost end up on the radio, though most of it is pretty atmospheric. At times it feels like an "Americana" soundtrack, with lots of lonesome fiddles playing together and against each other. And the awesome voicebox is back, which makes at least one song in particular feel wonderfully creepy.<br />
<br />
"In America, we like solutions. We like solutions to problems. Companies with experts ready to solve these problems. Only an expert can solve these problems."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kLsoglYWvv4/Tig0mOr82LI/AAAAAAAABbo/lXZt9ptaTgc/s1600/01_portraits_laurie_anderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a>Can you comprehend that she's married to Lou Reed? That still seems so strange to me. Also kind of funny that Art21 just featured her. Hey Laurie, thanks for being an amazing artist for 30 years. It's cool if we throw you a bone now, right?<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-81545951741267861332011-07-13T13:51:00.000-04:002011-07-13T13:51:54.882-04:00Leif Fairfield- The Infamous Sun Drips Extended Play Disc Written by The Sleeping Sea (2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4KwcYIKD1HY/Th3VfoiwCJI/AAAAAAAABM8/ZBoMhnzPAlQ/s1600/outisde_sun_drips+front.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4KwcYIKD1HY/Th3VfoiwCJI/AAAAAAAABM8/ZBoMhnzPAlQ/s200/outisde_sun_drips+front.png" width="193" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?bj1716o1mh71jow">http://www.mediafire.com/?bj1716o1mh71jow</a><br />
<br />
Cincinnati-based <b>Leif Fairfield</b> plays as a member of the band The Sleeping Sea. When he joined, he was given an EP of songs that were to be recorded "in the future," but being impatient, he created his own versions of these songs before the whole band could do it.<br />
<br />
<b>Sun Drips EP </b>sounds like a cross between his solo recordings and his alias <b>I Do</b>. The disc features the usual violin and layers of voice, but with plenty of internet found sound, dub music leanings, and video game references. In true Fairfield fashion, it goes from ridiculous to pretty in a matter of minutes, and his covers range from respectful to complete re-interpretations (including his "cover" of "Rain Drips" that posits David Bowie-like vocals over the opening theme for the Nintendo game The Adventure of Link). It flows together as a single disc, and songs have multiple versions.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wlZDMtMR0TM/Th3XPCrWXuI/AAAAAAAABNA/6ixa6Ug26vo/s1600/band+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wlZDMtMR0TM/Th3XPCrWXuI/AAAAAAAABNA/6ixa6Ug26vo/s200/band+photo.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the band photo!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Also a graphic designer, he created the album artwork. Yay!Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-73045298334833485342011-06-27T15:59:00.001-04:002011-06-27T16:01:15.408-04:00The Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders (1968)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hbhz_9hqyJ8/TgjbgeUne8I/AAAAAAAABLQ/5si3Z0-Eg8I/s200/morayeels.jpg" width="200" /></span><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?koe1rj053pabwi8">http://www.mediafire.com/?koe1rj053pabwi8 </a><br />
<br />
<i>From the linear notes:</i></div><br />
"There was an article in the LA hippie paper about a confrontation between two local guru types in MacArthur Park. Their followers--by this time, there were tens of thousands of young and not-so-young people following hundreds of self-styled gurs <i>du jou</i>r, from Mei Lyman to Charles Manson--were looking for a peace and love-style version of the old west shoutout on Main Street. Both would-be avatars were about thirty. One was swaddled head to toe in robes, diffraction gradings, body paint, beads and peacock feathers. The other one was completely naked, except for an incense-on-a-stick-thingie that he had stuck up his asshole and lit. It had gone out. <br />
The two avatars faced each other, smiling.<br />
<br />
'You're beautiful, man,' said one.<br />
'No, man,' said the other. 'You're beautiful.'<br />
'No, I'm not,' came the reply. 'You're beautiful.'<br />
'No, brother. You're the one who's beautiful.'<br />
'I think I'm going to throw up,' said one of the cops.<br />
<br />
Doomed as doomed can be."<br />
-Peter Stampfel</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-14717356407851295812011-06-27T15:57:00.000-04:002011-06-27T15:57:42.577-04:00Nina Simone- Wild is the Wind (1963)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VmkxqbxGFKI/TgjfZjJ_pqI/AAAAAAAABLY/QMfZcpPsfUA/s200/nina.jpg" width="200" /></div><br />
<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?ow7qbz9fqwrppu6"><br />
http://www.mediafire.com/?ow7qbz9fqwrppu6</a><br />
<br />
<b>Nina Simone</b>: a marketing nightmare.<br />
<br />
Jazz/Soul/Blues/Broadway singer, both vulnerable and abrasive. Outspoken against discriminatory practices and against African-Americans who seemed to fall into stereotypes. Outspoken agains the white audiences that supported her career. A classically-trained pianist who could improvise with the best jazz trios and pound a piano like she was trying to kill it. Contradictory, brash, and powerful. Beautiful and ugly.<br />
<br />
I was in love with Jeff Buckley before i ever heard Nina Simon's earlier version of <b>Lilac Wine</b> (neither of them wrote it). I far prefer her version. It's one thing for a person with a lilting, beautiful voice to make a lilting, beautiful song. But Simone--whose voice was deep, resonant, and brassy--sang this song with such vulnerability and tenderness that I don't think Buckley's version can touch it.<br />
<br />
Also recommended: Nina Simone Sings the Blues.<br />
<br />
</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-3277138462499317232011-06-27T15:20:00.002-04:002011-06-27T15:20:47.899-04:00Yamaguchi Goro- A Bell Ringing in the Empty Sky (1967)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VMAbJ6IGW-c/TgjV--5nxiI/AAAAAAAABLI/in4pDhEFwwo/s1600/bell-ringing-in-the-empty-sky.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VMAbJ6IGW-c/TgjV--5nxiI/AAAAAAAABLI/in4pDhEFwwo/s320/bell-ringing-in-the-empty-sky.jpeg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original cover. Fussy, but still stunning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?9wdvz4j30ng6zit">http://www.mediafire.com/?9wdvz4j30ng6zit</a><br />
<br />
Remember the 1960s, when people would release records just because they were interesting?<br />
<br />
Japan's designated Living National Treasure, Yamaguchi Goro, played the shakuhachi (bamboo flute) on a series of lps throughout his life, though this one was picked up by the massively exotic Nonesuch Records Explorer Series in the 1960s. It's one of the few LPs to have been rereleased on cd in the early 2000s.<br />
<br />
If you've ever wondered what a solo bamboo flute sounds like, you don't have to imagine too much. It sounds empty, plaintive, sad, lonesome, faraway, and fragile. And lovely.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1u3oQy2j5CY/TgjXz_KgK4I/AAAAAAAABLM/lWhyb5j9ptk/s1600/bell+ringing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1u3oQy2j5CY/TgjXz_KgK4I/AAAAAAAABLM/lWhyb5j9ptk/s320/bell+ringing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New artwork. Actually matches the music better.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
This is a perfect album to play while you're doing something seemingly unrelated. For instance, i love to listen to it while gardening. It makes picking tomatoes seem so fleeting and sad. Totally recommended.<br />
<br />
</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-53797042435080654352011-06-27T13:25:00.001-04:002011-06-27T14:26:30.583-04:00Abbess Hildegard von Bingen- A Feather on the Breath of God (1993)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sTlilXV-5Bg/Tgi5DhAjQYI/AAAAAAAABK8/pK8xyq5ml48/s1600/bingen_feather.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sTlilXV-5Bg/Tgi5DhAjQYI/AAAAAAAABK8/pK8xyq5ml48/s1600/bingen_feather.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?s1e9eno35w5a51m">http://www.mediafire.com/?s1e9eno35w5a51m</a><br />
<br />
Let me introduce you to another CD that i purchased based on visual interest: <b>Abbess Hildegard of Bingen</b>.<br />
<br />
Hildegard von Bingen was a self-taught Christian mystic who created music, poems, visual art (iconography), and religious texts during the 12th century. Her music is amazing--serene, surreal, haunting, evocative, and blissful. The title of this collection, <b>A Feather on the Breath of God</b>, is meant to convey the role of mankind in the earth-- floating at the whim of the supernatural. It's also a perfect description of this music.<br />
<br />
Her artwork/iconography is also unbelievable. I hate to add to the piles of internet knowledge, so i'll refrain and just say how incredible the music is. I think of cds like this when i think of Michael Stipe's quote that "Music is proof that god exists."<br />
<br />
Please just download it and listen to it.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W2kKZhnGYuI/Tgi6FCjerqI/AAAAAAAABLA/nn4scoEguBQ/s1600/Hildegard+of+Bingen-892577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W2kKZhnGYuI/Tgi6FCjerqI/AAAAAAAABLA/nn4scoEguBQ/s1600/Hildegard+of+Bingen-892577.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of Bingen's sensational--and academically neglected-- visual artwork. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2nIwUpqtA6Q/Tgi6cMaZaMI/AAAAAAAABLE/uDBWd58zk4k/s1600/hildegard-praise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2nIwUpqtA6Q/Tgi6cMaZaMI/AAAAAAAABLE/uDBWd58zk4k/s1600/hildegard-praise.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful self-commissioned holy icon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com87tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-25532293801765473772011-06-27T12:58:00.001-04:002011-06-27T12:59:19.463-04:00R. Crumb- Hot Women: Women Singers from the Torrid Regions of the World (2003)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--VwyXDXRm-c/TgizjHZDRZI/AAAAAAAABK0/a0Xv9N3xbUU/s1600/hot+women1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--VwyXDXRm-c/TgizjHZDRZI/AAAAAAAABK0/a0Xv9N3xbUU/s320/hot+women1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?b54hzi52x8dshtr">http://www.mediafire.com/?b54hzi52x8dshtr</a><br />
or<br />
<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?nj3r6d9neneeq49">http://www.mediafire.com/?nj3r6d9neneeq49</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There have been a few times that I have purchased an album based on the sheer promise of the artwork and song names on the back cover. <b>HOT WOMEN</b> was a very memorable one.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was compiled by illustrator <b>R. Crumb</b> (and his under-credited wife Aline Kominsky-Crumb<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">) from an impressive group of 78s.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;">The music is all "traditional," as iTunes calls it. Women, sometimes with their children, all singing around the mic, hisses and all. After being bombarded by Rebecca Blacks and Lady Gagas, i love to hear the flawed crackle of outdated recording technology and the additional talent that performers had in order to adapte to the medium. As a result, the album is beautiful and diverse.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rlhFV3l5Hq4/Tgi1a1cXcCI/AAAAAAAABK4/lIdGbzkgGCw/s1600/hot+women3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rlhFV3l5Hq4/Tgi1a1cXcCI/AAAAAAAABK4/lIdGbzkgGCw/s320/hot+women3.jpg" width="319" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">The main reason to purchase the cd is to hold the fantastic artwork in your hand. But the music is good, too.<br />
<br />
Complaint: A few of the titles are listed as "Title in Hindustanese" or something similarly lazy. If you're going to put out a compilation, why not bother to ask someone who reads a language to translate it for you?? <br />
Big pet peeve. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">Crumb probably thinks it's part of the charm, but i call it lazy at best (and culturally arrogant at worst). Your call. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br />
<br />
</span></span></div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-86561745509353147412011-06-23T15:40:00.000-04:002011-06-23T15:40:46.592-04:00Alice Coltrane- A Monastic Trio (1968)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_kXKZVA-Ql4/TgOVXLzGT-I/AAAAAAAABKw/vKolM5847FM/s200/Alice+Coltrane+-+A+Monastic+Trio.jpg" width="200" /></div><br />
<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?ywr1c5gv4r4236r">http://www.mediafire.com/?ywr1c5gv4r4236r</a><br />
<br />
I know nothing about Jazz. Nothing. Really, honestly, nothing.<br />
<br />
It's tough to write about jazz, inquire about jazz, and sometimes listen to jazz. It's just hard to do. I understand it to be a vast universe that exists inside a little box. Most people--like myself--don't really venture to open that box, instead happy to stay inside their little land of pop/experimental/choral/opera or whatever music.<br />
<br />
I found out about Alice Coltraine through MC Schmidt and Drew Daniels from Matmos, who played one of her cassettes for me on the way to Salvadorean food. I didn't look her up for many years, but recognized it off the bat.<br />
<br />
What to say--she leads a jazz group both on piano and harp. She plays with precision, as Nina Simone can, but ventures off into strange and beautiful territory. She became very interested in meditation, and her latter albums (i am told) veer off into this territory even more.<br />
<br />
</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-10521982850136646832011-06-23T15:28:00.001-04:002011-06-23T15:51:58.630-04:00Slowdive- Pygmalion (1995) and Pygmalon Demos (1994)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GxKRD9LJB5c/TgORNFyzHxI/AAAAAAAABKs/FnIZu16j5nw/s1600/Pygmalion_album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GxKRD9LJB5c/TgORNFyzHxI/AAAAAAAABKs/FnIZu16j5nw/s200/Pygmalion_album.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?gzyknf2nmjy">http://www.mediafire.com/?gzyknf2nmjy</a><br />
<br />
While i listened to a lot of embarrassingly bad music in high school (inevitable, but especially so growing up in an isolated small town), i managed to make friends with a gal in--ironically--east Ohio who turned me on to brit pop, shoegazer, and noise rock.<br />
<br />
One of my favorite high school bands, believe it or not, was <b>Slowdive</b>. I heard their UK-only final release <b>Pygmaleon</b> early on in college. I paid $18 for it on a whim and it was one of the best musical finds of the year. Their signature album "Souvlaki" is pretty cool and it has that seminal shoegazer sound--dreamy, reverby, epic, melancholic. But Pygmaleon was different--sparse, uncomfortable, disjointed, and eerily pretty.</div><br />
This is the kind of album that happens as a band breaks up. Some members want to go in a new direction, the others don't like it, so you get an incomplete band making a record in pieces without the same commercial enthusiasm or backing of the label. Sometimes great things happen in that space (see Big Star: 3rd).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Fifteen years later, and it still stands out as an interesting listen. Might i also add that i would take this CD over any Mojave 3 record. </div><br />
If you find yourself especially smitten, or a bigger-than-average Slowdive fan, listen to the <b>Pygmalion Demos:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?um1ms1lcuri">http://www.mediafire.com/?um1ms1lcuri</a></div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-67572570743110441882011-06-23T14:32:00.000-04:002011-06-23T14:32:08.733-04:00Aaron Martin- Worried About the Fire (2010)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IrZRs0BHQ7E/TgOF58w1dWI/AAAAAAAABKo/0H7MI9qTTfE/s1600/aaronmartin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IrZRs0BHQ7E/TgOF58w1dWI/AAAAAAAABKo/0H7MI9qTTfE/s320/aaronmartin.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?lwqyrhy8nzt3bbr">http://www.mediafire.com/?lwqyrhy8nzt3bbr</a><br />
<br />
Aaron Martin made one of those records that i wish i had made. It's moody, airy, deep, creepy, breathy, and beautiful. Very sparse instrumentation that somehow feels both ethereal and Appalachian. Think of bowed saws, looped violins, nebulous electronics, and sparseness. Or, imagine "Brian Eno: Music for Tall Forests in The Snow."<br />
<br />
This is one of those amazing albums that can be listened to actively or passively, as background music or meditation music.<br />
<br />
Highly recommended. I need to check out more of his stuff.</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-42602167140581883432011-06-22T15:24:00.000-04:002011-06-22T15:24:32.927-04:00Kawai Kenji- Ghost in the Shell OST (1995)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tgi4hXqaPFE/TgJBSrIkVeI/AAAAAAAABKk/Df656p4jQl4/s1600/ghost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tgi4hXqaPFE/TgJBSrIkVeI/AAAAAAAABKk/Df656p4jQl4/s200/ghost.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?tc5sbmauak88o1t">http://www.mediafire.com/?tc5sbmauak88o1t</a><br />
<br />
Soundtracks are tricky because they often don't stand on their own, without the images and dialog that they are supposed to support. I'm a bit dubious of soundtracks that play like entire albums-- they should be more evocative, leaving you wanting for a little bit more.<br />
<br />
I recently re-watched this film and was struck by the music. It feels like the soundtrack to Blade Runner--both minimal and completely essential to the film's noir feeling, tinged with philosophy, sadness, indifference, anxiety, and wonder. </div><br />
<br />
The soundtrack is always somehow "empty" even in the fullest numbers (the title credits, which repeats periodically). The idea is to convey the ghost, or the spirit, that is somehow present in the materials that it shouldn't be--namely technology.<br />
<br />
It's made me want to view the rest of this series. Plus, it's a killer soundtrack to a bike ride home. Wow.<br />
<br />
An incredible live performance of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvwhnmUxDA&feature=related">opening credit song ("Reincarnation"): </a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wipKZbkRu8U/TgI_k1kMpVI/AAAAAAAABKg/NaiLVZE3A1k/s1600/kenji_kawai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wipKZbkRu8U/TgI_k1kMpVI/AAAAAAAABKg/NaiLVZE3A1k/s320/kenji_kawai.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kawai Kenji in the studio, in a knit sweater and mullet. <br />
I don't know if this makes him more awesome or just cringe-y.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-28752584007440387282011-06-22T15:10:00.000-04:002011-06-22T15:10:58.602-04:00jj- No.3 (2010)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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</div>jj are a Swedish pop group, and if you can mentally squish together your notions of the singer <b>Lykki Li</b> with the stellar vampire movie <b>Let the Right One In</b>, you could come up with something like jj.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I know, right? What the f*** kind of band name is jj, in lowercase letters? Grr. Those swedes (writes the guy named after a viking).<br />
<br />
No.3 is their third (!!!) album that sounds shimmery and perfect. It's cheeky and cheesy and classy and catchy. Sometimes high schoolers can really nail that "heartbreak" thing right on the head.<br />
<br />
If you're up for something poppy and youthful, but somehow tasteful, give it a try.<br />
<br />
</div></div></div><br />
</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-85534777577302835162011-06-22T14:40:00.000-04:002011-06-22T14:40:29.720-04:00Langley Schools Music Project- Innocence and Despair (1976, 2001)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UGZgYah5ZmA/TgI1H8dJqiI/AAAAAAAABKU/cCz2IuELec4/s1600/langley.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UGZgYah5ZmA/TgI1H8dJqiI/AAAAAAAABKU/cCz2IuELec4/s200/langley.bmp" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?3qecz24bk6p63ya">http://www.mediafire.com/?3qecz24bk6p63ya</a><br />
<br />
Imagine a gymnasium full of elementary school kids singing and playing songs by The Eagles, Beach Boys, David Bowie, the Carpenters, Paul McCartney, Neil Diamond, etc in the 1970s. It'd be off-key and peppy. But you might not guess at the level of pathos that they'd also strike, by singing words and melodies written by adults who think they have experienced heartache.<br />
<br />
That's what this album is: an inexperienced music teacher who taught his elementary school classes a bunch of contemporary pop songs and recorded them in a giant gymnasium. There has been much mythologizing around this double-LP-turned-cd compilation, but I can honestly say that there's a good reason for it. <b>The Langley Schools Music Project</b> still hovers in my top five albums of all time. One of the saltiest men i have ever known told me that when he listened to this version of "Desparado," it was so devastating that all he could do was lay on the floor. That's how the album is.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UGZgYah5ZmA/TgI1H8dJqiI/AAAAAAAABKU/cCz2IuELec4/s1600/langley.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHE7cbo73Is/TgI1CYiiY5I/AAAAAAAABKQ/3hq_mz2jWeo/s1600/langleyweb1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WHE7cbo73Is/TgI1CYiiY5I/AAAAAAAABKQ/3hq_mz2jWeo/s1600/langleyweb1.png" /></a>The best review I have read of this record comes from Frieze Magazine:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/the_kids_are_alright/">http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/the_kids_are_alright/</a><br />
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</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-46301599900183357332011-06-22T13:54:00.002-04:002011-06-23T15:30:45.937-04:00New Pornographers- Together (2010)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strike style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-80oPg3i9_FI/TgIp1k1-ZlI/AAAAAAAABKI/HbcFp56Ku2w/s200/together.jpg" width="200" /></strike><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?m9a8x1uz1cif5av">http://www.mediafire.com/?m9a8x1uz1cif5av</a></div><br />
Wouldn't it be annoying to be part of a "supergroup" that was a bunch of bands that most people didn't know of? And to always have to explain to people why your band was so super and who you were?<br />
<br />
Anyway... in a nutshell: New Pornographers make very, very good power pop/rock music with rock instruments. Nothing fancy. But they consist of (now) seven incredible musicians, including 2 songwriters/ guitarists, bass, drums, and four lead vocalists. That might sound overwhelming to have four singers, but they make you wish that every band did the same thing.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This disc won't surprise you or make you cry at midnight with a belly full of gin. What it makes you want to do is dance or drive really fast along Columbia Parkway with the windows down. Great, great, great summer record. Also, one of the coolest videos I have ever seen that is both badass and ridiculous. I'm not kidding. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxMCaU83QKs">Please watch this.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All New Pornographers records are good, but this their latest and my favorite. I'm also posting it because my three year-old son has rediscovered it and wants to hear it every day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/bxMCaU83QKs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-32490906832652873292011-06-14T13:21:00.000-04:002011-06-14T13:21:11.993-04:00Thao and Mirah (2011)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2om5NsX_nt4/TfeH2nhUS7I/AAAAAAAABJw/LI8vUBhKpyo/s1600/thao+and+mirah+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2om5NsX_nt4/TfeH2nhUS7I/AAAAAAAABJw/LI8vUBhKpyo/s200/thao+and+mirah+cover.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?t3beltd62y1onp3">http://www.mediafire.com/?t3beltd62y1onp3</a><br />
<br />
Estrogen overload? or TALENT MADNESS!!!<br />
<br />
I was greatly looking forward to <b>Thao & Mirah</b>, a collaboration of two totally talented, quirky, innovative, experimental, and versatile singer/ songwriters who defy that categorization. Gone are the days--at least I hope so--of the Sarah McLaughlan/Sheryl Crow Lillith Fair aesthetic. <i>*shudder*</i> Welcome to the new generation of women who make great music. In fact, how about this slogan-- <i>GIRLS DON'T JUST MAKE MUSIC FOR GIRLS ANYMORE.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">TM .</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r6jVub_SdAs/TfeH465YaqI/AAAAAAAABJ0/B-4rcRDWU5w/s1600/thao+and+mirah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r6jVub_SdAs/TfeH465YaqI/AAAAAAAABJ0/B-4rcRDWU5w/s200/thao+and+mirah.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r6jVub_SdAs/TfeH465YaqI/AAAAAAAABJ0/B-4rcRDWU5w/s1600/thao+and+mirah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span class="Apple-style-span">The album is pretty all over the place. Ended up being a bit dancier than I would have expected, which maybe came from their ridiculously wild producer <b>Tuneyards</b>. I'm not sure yet if it's an instant classic, but I'll say it's one of the coolest records I've heard in the last month or two. </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
Besides the range of styles, my absolute favorite part is how Thao and Mirah trade off the lead in the middle of the song. I love LOVE LOVE groups that do this. It's not exactly a new trick (See the Beach Boys, circa 1960) but it's so effective when it's employed well. Also love how the songs really defy any easy categorization. Not only is it hard to tell what genre each song is, but it's hard to tell who is writing which song. Not a lot of ego involved. <br />
<br />
My one critique: The only Tuneyards-written piece, <i>Eleven</i>, appears first and it KILLS. The rest of the cd doesn't quite reach that level of sheer adrenaline.<br />
<br />
Listening to this album makes me feel that young indie women are finding a great niche in music--some kind of a dance/indie/quirky/songwriter space that was blazed by weirdo alt-divas like Bjork Sinead O'Connor decades ago. When I was younger, women were always either the singers, the keyboard players, or the bassists. And they were either sexy and quiet or sexy and brash. It's so nice now to see more women stepping forward who are much more complex, diverse, and physically "honest." It makes me so elated to watch someone perform with weird makeup and flowers in their hair, or cowboy boots. Why the hell not!<br />
<br />
I wonder if this last generation's work didn't directly allow this new wave of subtle and interesting female artists, whose music i generally prefer to their male counterparts (Andrew Bird, Bon Iver). ? I also wonder if the ladies don't feel a little more freedom to be as bizarre, eccentric, and wild as they want to be?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shut the f*ck up, men! I'm awesome!</td></tr>
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</div></div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-6129199727107119902011-05-24T13:16:00.000-04:002011-05-24T13:16:31.793-04:00Laurie Anderson- Big Science (1980)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tf0AUy7uRsQ/TdvjHaBeffI/AAAAAAAABJQ/DH1cBh8MICE/s1600/album-big-science.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tf0AUy7uRsQ/TdvjHaBeffI/AAAAAAAABJQ/DH1cBh8MICE/s200/album-big-science.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?gnb19beaxav3v91">http://www.mediafire.com/?gnb19beaxav3v91</a><br />
<br />
I am starting to prefer artists who straddle different genres, ideas, or modes of expression. Sometimes, the result is a very fabulous aesthetic that leaves all parties feeling a little bit awkward. And that is fantastic.<br />
<br />
It's hard to describe what <b>Laurie Anderson </b><i>does</i>, exactly. One of her earliest musical performances was her playing violin on a street corner wearing ice skates embedded in giant blocks of ice. When the ice had completely melted, she stopped playing violin <i>(see an amazing continuation of that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SGRvhseH6I">here</a>).</i><br />
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She might be the only artist/violinist you have ever experienced. You might say her main language is performance, but when she started putting out albums, it demolished that idea. <b>Big Science</b> is a strange collection that mashes together violin parts, vocoder, pop hooks, spoken word, singing, poetry, sound... they're not really "songs" per se, perhaps not even music, really... but what to call them?<br />
<br />
<b>Big Science</b>--surprisingly--had a massive radio hit, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd7XnOnSkkA">"O Superman (For Massanet)."</a> That has to be the strangest "song" that ever landed in the top 5 (and a surreal-beautiful video). Yet more evidence that the 80s were a far superior decade for music.</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-87131930184336211322011-05-04T13:07:00.000-04:002011-05-04T13:07:16.108-04:00tune yards: Bird Brains (2009)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8HTHl5UkNws/TcGG-l5ypRI/AAAAAAAABF4/MNAxrWEWBlg/s1600/birdbrains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8HTHl5UkNws/TcGG-l5ypRI/AAAAAAAABF4/MNAxrWEWBlg/s1600/birdbrains.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?z16ee0eeu42mwvn">http://www.mediafire.com/?z16ee0eeu42mwvn</a><br />
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When you have a woman singing really well, playing ukulele, and looping things like nobody's business and recording the entire cd into a one-track digital player... well, what's not to love?<br />
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Since signing onto 4AD, she is poised to be the next quirky-female-singer-songwriter-producer, to tour the world with St. Vincent and Dirty Projectors.<br />
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You know, in typing all this, i realize how much people rely heavily on myth that surrounds records. You know what? It sounds really bizarre and fresh and the homemade quality really hits the spot after reading about Beyonce and Lady Gaga. I love to hear someone make music that actually sounds like they were making music live. And when people only make music with loops (aka Juana Molina, Imogene Heap, Andrew Bird) i get really excited because of the limitations as well as the possibilities.<br />
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So there! I like it.</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-76829267339351241132011-05-04T10:00:00.003-04:002011-05-04T10:04:00.274-04:00The Lassie Foundation- Jet Stream, Three Wheels EP (2010)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a strange musical childhood, with two parents who listened to those irritating Christian Church worship tapes every week. That was their definition of music, and because of that hideous weekly routine (**shudder**), we kids were expected to listen to "christian music." How can music be a Christian?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the few things that came out of that ridiculous musical wasteland was a band called The Prayer Chain, who later split into <b>The Lassie Foundation</b>. TLF was obsessed with The Beach Boys, Yo la Tengo, Built to Spill, Lilys, Medicine, and 60s garage rock like The Kinks and The Who. I couldn't get enough of that combination of sugar-sweet pop falsetto and make-your-ears-bleed loud noise rock.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alas, the band did not age well. The Schlock Factor hit pretty hard. They were incredibly inconsistent and distracted, and seemed to have an "All or Nothing" approach, rotating band members with each new release.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Jet Stream, Three Wheels EP</b> really surprised me because it's fantastic. The first song is negligible, but the two last songs are fantastic. I can't tell if it makes me forgive them of all the pedantic releases or hold it against them more...hmmmm?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">--</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just noticed this amazing link: on their website, you can download "fancy" <a href="http://www.lassiefoundation.com/news.php">PowerPoint presentations</a> to accompany their songs in order to "Impress your teachers, professors, and office colleagues." I have to give them credit for these ludicrous extras. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-71386601560955617372011-04-21T10:07:00.003-04:002011-05-04T13:08:23.058-04:00L0W- Come on (2O11) / The Internet Police Strike<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fjc_TnNb-zg/TbA6BXkxtrI/AAAAAAAABE8/-NBjIKtc12o/s1600/Low-Cmon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fjc_TnNb-zg/TbA6BXkxtrI/AAAAAAAABE8/-NBjIKtc12o/s200/Low-Cmon1.jpg" width="200" /></a>The administrators at Cosmonaut Farm had their first official <b>Cease and Desist</b> order from Blogger. Apparently, it came straight from a larger record label which used to be known as a small record company (whose name rhymes with Subb P0pp). This record label used to be "indie" but now apparently likes to bully blogs like this one.<br />
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Fine. Sorry to say that anyone looking for L0w's C'M0n (2011) will have to look elsewhere. Or, just get it here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?z3xo3qq4iky3jv0">http://www.mediafire.com/?z3xo3qq4iky3jv0</a><br />
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In the future, i'm afraid that i will have to consider brand new main label cds differently, or just omit them entirely. I'm more inclined to do the latter and let others take the hit. It's not a giant deal, but at the end of the day, i don't want to have to deal with some tight-assed record execs who can't deal with the fact that the internet is basically Napster version 5.0, and that file sharing will only become MORE pervasive.</div><br />
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</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-8696985883441667952011-04-20T13:36:00.002-04:002011-04-20T13:40:50.385-04:00TV on The R(a)dio- Nine Types of L(i)ght (2012)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LK-uEExkuQ0/Ta8X2XftprI/AAAAAAAABE4/qSDDXTCxM0U/s1600/Nine-Types-of-Light.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LK-uEExkuQ0/Ta8X2XftprI/AAAAAAAABE4/qSDDXTCxM0U/s200/Nine-Types-of-Light.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?li1bbefvpzzbvc1">http://www.mediafire.com/?li1bbefvpzzbvc1</a><br />
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I've been a big TVOTR fan since i first heard Young Liars, and it's been great to watch the band expand, change, and grow since.<br />
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NTOL might be my favorite, if for no other reason than the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B5GP0AiQMc">full length movie</a> that was created alongside the album by singer Tunde Adebimpe, my man crush and ridiculously cool person. Do yourself a favor: find an hour, and watch this. Then feel awesome.<br />
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One of my favorite things of this cd is the feeling of letting go for the band, of enjoying themselves and letting the music be much looser. Love, love, LOVE hearing the meaty baritone on some songs! It's like James Earl Jones stepped in to croon. Plus, did anyone else notice what an awful guitarist David Sitek is??? The term "Robbie Robertson" comes to mind... Just saying.<br />
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Following my previous post, I love seeing black folks playing rock music, not because it seems like a crossing over boundaries, but that it is a resituation of black presence within a black medium (rock music) that was taken by white people from black folk musicians and early rockers like Chuck Berry. People forget that Elvis was playing the "Devil's Music" (meaning, black music). It's a reminder that rock, like so much else in this country, was early stolen and rebranded by white people as white culture.<br />
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Anyway, kudos to you fellas. You go, boys. Way to rock.</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-58740125089242669872011-04-20T13:07:00.002-04:002011-04-20T13:07:40.162-04:00Happy 4-20!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Whether you celebrate National Pot Day, Hitler's Birthday, or whatever the hell else seems appropriate... today yields a massive amount of new music at Cosmonaut Farm.<br />
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Please enjoy!</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-58508701641875718682011-04-20T13:02:00.001-04:002011-04-20T13:06:07.119-04:00Panda Bear- Tomboy (2011)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S7bNeLd76hY/Ta8Ra7G0TwI/AAAAAAAABEw/5Fr-AREYp7I/s1600/PANDA-BEAR-TOMBOY2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S7bNeLd76hY/Ta8Ra7G0TwI/AAAAAAAABEw/5Fr-AREYp7I/s200/PANDA-BEAR-TOMBOY2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?91eg2vds6mqxx3d">http://www.mediafire.com/?91eg2vds6mqxx3d</a><br />
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I'd like to suggest that you know you have made it as a one man band when you are able to have an awful screen printed t shirt as your cover art, and hundreds of thousands of wide-eyed hipsters will buy your cd.<br />
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Congratulations, Noah.</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-52907033036096213732011-04-20T12:29:00.003-04:002011-04-20T13:08:25.598-04:00Carolina Chocolate Drops- Genuine Negro Jig (2010)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MkqGT48I8z0/Ta8IN20OnOI/AAAAAAAABEs/wh4UHgkijpQ/s1600/genuine-negro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MkqGT48I8z0/Ta8IN20OnOI/AAAAAAAABEs/wh4UHgkijpQ/s200/genuine-negro.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?1u2i0wcccphlg45">http://www.mediafire.com/?1u2i0wcccphlg45</a><br />
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Nothing defines Knoxville, Tennessee like folk music, specifically bluegrass and old timey music. When i first moved to Knoxville, i was blown away by the attention that people paid to folk music-- live, on the radio, in record stores, on tour, etc.<br />
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For a west coast kid who equated old time music with the "O Brother Where Art Thou" soundtrack (and don't laugh-- a lot of us did), it was a revelation to find out that young hipsters in the South liked folk music, and that young kids were MAKING folk music.<br />
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The Carolina Chocolate Drops are pretty badass in that they are probably the only African American group doing folk music right now. They're not only great, they're finally getting a lot of commercial and critical attention (they won a Grammy for this cd). I actually feel a bit guilty about putting this up-- i love this cd, but i also want them to continue to make music!<br />
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Americans forget that folk music is an umbrella term that brought in music from different backgrounds (since America is a country founded by immigrants [oh, and forcibly taken from the native inhabitants. Had to add that!}). So musical traditions from French, the Caribbean, Africa, Latin America, Ireland, Scotland, etc all got lumped up into the limp category "Folk" music.<br />
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As Margaret Kilgallen loved to point out, the banjo was an African instrument. People nowadays associate the banjo with uber-white musicians, but traditionally, this sucka came from Africa! Percussion instrument, bitches!!</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-23461716365500056132011-04-18T10:41:00.000-04:002011-04-18T10:41:42.123-04:00Miho Hatori- My First Time (mixtape) 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vjC-G4t5840/TaxM12Y0g3I/AAAAAAAABEo/ZQO1PAHF4dc/s1600/First+Time+Closeshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vjC-G4t5840/TaxM12Y0g3I/AAAAAAAABEo/ZQO1PAHF4dc/s200/First+Time+Closeshot.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><a href="http://mihohatori.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-first-time-mix-tape-vol1-on-dossier_15.html">http://mihohatori.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-first-time-mix-tape-vol1-on-dossier_15.html</a><br />
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Miho Hatori is one of my first musical crushes, from the glory days of Cibo Matto, through Smokey and Miho, to her solo stuff. It's a weird collision of naivety and badass tendencies, though it's waaaaay closer to the former. She is interested in hip hop but is a total outsider, and her experimental nature always comes through.<br />
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This mix tape was created with the theme "My First Time," and is supposed to have a mixture of excitement and confusion. I love when people have themes that sound absolutely NOTHING like the way they probably hear them. It made me think of my latest request for people to send me recommendations for what they thought were the saddest songs ever. It's interesting to hear what people think of as sad... emotions are tricky!<br />
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Hear it before it's gone on Miho's blog.</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8817920341599233412.post-11839299559002069432011-04-13T12:26:00.001-04:002011-04-20T13:09:07.549-04:00Michael Hurley, the Unholy Modal Rounders, Jeffery Fredrick and the Clamtones- Have Moicy! (1976)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-euJ3Ub433hk/TaXNce36JVI/AAAAAAAABEk/UPs1rpuIFvU/s1600/have+moicy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-euJ3Ub433hk/TaXNce36JVI/AAAAAAAABEk/UPs1rpuIFvU/s1600/have+moicy.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?oguumtfftdt">http://www.mediafire.com/?oguumtfftdt</a><br />
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Do you like songs about stealing hamburgers, robbing banks, getting it on by the moonlight, washing dishes, and taking shits?<br />
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OF COURSE YOU DO!!!!<br />
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That is why you want to hear the most amazing and certainly most unique country/bluegrass/folk/pop cd of the entire 1970s.<br />
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This is what you get when a rubbertramp, psychadelic bluegrass musicans, and depressed folk singers get together and make an album. This is absolutely the most interesting record I heard during my year in Knoxville, TN. Which is saying a lot!<br />
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Have Moicy continues to be one of the most influential albums of the 70s and have given props up and down and all over. Yo la Tengo covered "Grizelda" and blah blah blah. I think you just might really love it.<br />
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</div>Leiflethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08316153810618950672noreply@blogger.com0