Thursday, September 30, 2010

Face of the Sun

Brian Vigilione, the hard charging drummer from the Dresden Dolls, has a new EP out. His group is called Face Of The Sun and you can listen to it and buy it on Bandcamp.

<a href="http://faceofthesun.bandcamp.com/album/face-of-the-sun">Face of the Sun by Face of the Sun</a>

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Octopus Project

Heard a great sound on blip.fm today - a new cut from The Octopus Project's upcoming album, Hexadecagon. It was called Fuguefat and can be found here on blip.fm (follow me here). So off I went to there home page and found some great stuff:

I Saw the Bright Theremins
Spiracle

And here's a video for the song Truck from Hello Avalanche:


TRUCK - The Octopus Project from Zellner Bros. on Vimeo.
Music video for the song "Truck" from the album "Hello Avalanche" by The Octopus Project.



theoctopusproject.com

zellnerbros.com

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Rhett Miller

I remember when I first heard Rhett Miller (frontman for the Old97s). I had the cd player going (yup, an old fashioned 5 disc Sony CD player!) and it changed to a new CD and after a couple songs, I realized I neither knew who this was and I really liked it. Turned out it was a borrowed Rhett Miller CD, The Believer and it just has one great, clever pop tune after another. Singular Girl remains a great favorite of both myself and my girls, but there are lots of other gems on this CD. This quote from the All Music review of the album is perfect:

It's one of those albums that in five years you will pull out of the rack, pop in the deck and be delighted with.
SIngular Girl
Help Me, Suzanne

And here's a cut from the one Rhetter Miller CD I don't have, 2002's The Instigator. It's Come Around:

Friday, September 24, 2010

Girl In A Coma

Cool Bowie cover by Girl In A Coma. This song, from the upcoming album Adventures In Coverland, is As The World Falls Down and is directed by Robert Rodriquez. Good stuff!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Sleigh Bells

The distorted guitars and voices of Sleigh Bells has really been a hit this summer on the indie scene. I wish I had a teacher who looked and sang like Alexis Krauss! Here's a cut from the Coachells Sampler, and is also found on their debut CD, Treats:

Crown On The Ground

And here's their latest video for the song Infinite Guitars:

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Ok Go

Yet Another clever music video from Ok Go. This time the song is White Knuckles from their latest release, Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Miami Horro4

Some really nice electro grooves from this band that is neither from Miami nor very horrific - Miami Horror, an Australian group. Their debut album is called Illumination and here's a cut from it:

Holiday

And here's the latest video from it, for the song Echoplex:

Monday, September 20, 2010

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Listening to the latest All Songs Consider podcast, I find out that OMD has a new album coming out next week, after 10+ years in hibernation. I've heard a couple of cuts from History Of Modern and it is sounding pretty damn good!

Enola Gay
If You Leave

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Split Enz

I was a huge Split Enz fan and my wife is a huge Neil Finn / Crowded House fan - what goes around, comes around?

Fall At Your Feet

Friday, September 17, 2010

Vehement Flame #6: New And Old

Full Show Notes

Download Vehement Flame #6 mp3 (55mb - 1 hour long)
Subscribe To Podcast

Citay, The National, Gorillaz, 28 degrees taurus, Sarah Borges and The Broken Singles, Laura Veirs and the Saltbreakers, Dayna Manning, Richard McGraw, Steve Mason, Faces, Jim Stafford, Neko Case, Jakob Dylan, The Dears

Playlist
00:00:00 Return From Silence - Citay
00:00:54 Lemonworld - The National
00:05:01 Demon Days - Gorillaz
00:09:29 electricity - 28 degrees taurus
00:13:19 Around 9 - Sarah Borges and The Broken Singles
00:17:51 To The Country - Laura Veirs and the Saltbreakers
00:22:54 I Want - Dayna Manning
00:27:39 Grace - Richard McGraw
00:33:37 Lost And Found - Steve Mason
00:39:13 Ooh La La - Faces
00:43:03 Spiders and Snakes - Jim Stafford
00:46:10 Prison Girls - Neko Case
00:52:04 Nothing But The Whole Wide World - Jakob Dylan
00:56:29 Disclaimer - The Dears

Vehement Flame #6 show notes

Vehement Flame #6 podcast show notes

A CD that just keeps getting better with every listen. You can download Bloodbuzz Ohio, a song making the rounds on the 'nets, from Stereogum, for instance.

00:00:54 Lemonworld - The National (High Violet 2010) @The_National

Hard to pick just one song from one of my all time favorite CDs. If you can catch either the DVD (Demon Days Live at Manchester) or the concert from Harlem I recorded on cable, you will get a real feel for Damon Albarn's vision for this "virtual hip-hop group". Both are excellent, and in some ways even better, reproductions of these great sounds.

00:05:01 Demon Days - Gorillaz (Demon Days 2005) @gorillazband

Would have loved to go see them at Deep Heaven Now - Ambient/Psych Rock Festival in Somerville MA, but unfortunately we were out of town.


This is Sarah Borges debut effort from 2007. Slightly more countrified than The Stars Are Out, with some great sounds.

00:13:19 Around 9 - Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles (Diamonds In The Dark 2007) @SBBS

Laura Veirs is a hard working singer who tours constantly. I keep meaning to take in a show but it hasn't happened yet.

00:17:51 To The Country - Laura Veirs & the Saltbreakers (Saltbreakers 2007) @lauraveirs

This Lilith Fair Best Of CD features a ton of great songs from such high caliber singers as Emilou Harris, Sinead O'Connor, Bonnie Raitt and more. But the unkonwn (to me) Dayna Manning took the Best of Best of honors for me with this stirring song.

00:22:54 I Want - Dayna Manning (Best of Lilith Fair 1997 to 1999 2010) @daynamanning

I don't know much about Richard McGraw but I got this via a free download from the late and lamented Amie Street web site and like it a lot.

00:27:39 Grace - Richard McGraw (Burying The Dead 2009) @Richard_McGraw

What a fantastic CD by the Beta Band's frontman, Steve Mason. His first solo effort knocks the ball out of the park with a ton of great songs, including this one, which is a free download from AmieStreet. Get it now, then buy the whole CD!

00:33:37 Lost And Found - Steve Mason (Boys Outside 2010) @SteveMasonKBT

While I'm sure I had heard this song before, it was hearing it on the Rushmore (an otherwise okay movie) that brought it back to mind. Really a lot of fun. The double CD Greatest Hits collection is pretty good too, although this one is by far my favorite song on it.

00:39:13 Ooh La La - The Faces (The Definitive Rock Collection 2007)

Jim Stafford is apparently still singing his novelty hits!

00:43:03 Spiders and Snakes - Jim Stafford (Jim Stafford 1974)

This solo effort by Case (who also sings with The New Pornographers) was one of my top CDs of 2009.

00:46:10 Prison Girls - Neko Case (Middle Cyclone 2009) @neko_case

Yup, his dad's name is Bob. But Jakob has his own style and this is a great CD from from first to last.

00:52:04 Nothing But The Whole Wide World - Jakob Dylan (Women + Country 2010) @jakobdylan

You can find this song on a great free AmazonMP3 sampler, Dangerbird Amazon Sampler.

00:56:29 Disclaimer - The Dears (Missiles 2008) @TheDears

Thursday, September 16, 2010

NoiseTrade sampler

The good folks at NoiseTrade are having a fundraiser, and have a sampler to entice you to donate. Haven't listened in yet, but looks like a good list of artists.

Neil Young

A cut from the upcoming Neil Young album, Le Noise. This is Angry World:

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Superchunk

Here's a new video from the latest Superchunk album, Majesty Shredding. This is a cut called Digging for Something:

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Dears

The Dears are a big (as in there are at least 6 of them) "collective" of Montreal area musicians that make music just as big. I really like their latest album, 2008's Missiles, especially this opening track:

Disclaimer

which will wrap up podcast #6 which is nearly done. You can find it free on the Dangerbird Amazon MP3, which has lots of other great songs on it too.

They are working on a new album and here's a shot of them live playing / working on a cut from it called Omega Dog. It is epic, as can be expected from this group.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Röyksopp

Röyksopp is coming out with a new album called Senior, a followup to their previous effort, last year's Junior. I really liked Melody A.M., including this song:

Royksopp's Night Out

And you can stream Senior via Soundcloud:

Senior by Röyksopp

Sunday, September 12, 2010

The Guild - Game On

I watched Season 1 & 2 of The Guild on Netflix Instant and while it took a bit to grow on me, by the end it was quite funny.

Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?

Here's a great Bollywood-style video, encouraging you to Game On!

 

Tip o' the Flame Hat to W♥M

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Thievery Corporation

There are just so many great sounds out there that I keep discovering, despite the fact it seems I should have known about them forever. Today's example? Thievery Corporation. @TheSexyAtheist mentioned in passing that the Thievery Corporation's Radio Retaliation album just never gets old, so naturally I checked it out. And wow, what a great album! There are song styles from all over the world yet the political overtones make it a very agreeable whole. And this is a group (duo really) that has been making some great sounds for quite some time, yet I've never really listened before. Here's a couple solid songs from this CD:

Sound The Alarm
(The Forgotten People).mp3

And the album wraps up with this lovely song and a very nice video for Sweet Tides:

Friday, September 10, 2010

David Gray / Johnny Cash

I played David Gray the other day, but I've really been digging the title track from his latest, Foundling:

 Foundling

And here's a great cover of Johnny Cash's Long Black Veil:

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

Excellent video for the end of summer here in the US Northeast. Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros with their wonderful song Home:


Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The Morning Benders

The Morning Benders debut CD is Big Echo and here's a cut from it:

Promises

and here's the second video from it, All Day Day Light. They look way too young to be rocking like this!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Arcade Fire

Try this "interactive film" by Chris Milk, which features the Arcade Fire song We Used To Wait.

The Wilderness Downtown

I guess you should have plenty of processing power and it works very well with Chrome.

Deliverance at 40

Deliverance, the novel, just turned 40 and I think I should read it again, having read it many years ago after the movie first came out. I hear the banjo scene is as cool on the page as it is in the movie:

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Raveonettes

The Raveonettes, In And Out Of Control album was one of my favorites of 2009, including this great tune:

Last Dance

Here's their cover of the Stone Roses' I Want To Be Adored:

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Miike Snow

No, that isn't a typo - the band's name is Miike Snow (AMG page) and they have a really interesting sound. This trio from Sweden debut came out last year and you can grab a free MP3 from Amazon or listen to it here:

Animal

They also had a cut on the Coachella 2010 Sampler :

Silvia

 and this is a new video from it called Rabbit:

Friday, September 3, 2010

Blonde Redhead

One of my favorite groups of the past few years is Blonde Redhead. Their 23 album is just chock full of interesting and vastly different sounds. Each song seems like it comes from a different group. Certainly a song from them is destined for a future VF podcast. Here's Silently from 23 (pronounced "two-three"):

Silently

They have an upcoming album called (I think?) 4AD Session. Or maybe it is just a session at 4AD records? I dunno, but the song, Here Sometimes, is just as engaging and unique sounding as all their other songs:

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Elbow

Some smooth, interesting sounds from the English band Elbow. Here's the title cut from an early album, 2005's Leaders Of The Free World:

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Paper Aeroplanes

I've been a huge Sarah Howells fan ever since coming across the song Worship by her previous group Halflife on a WeMusic compilation a few years ago. Worship was on Vehement Flame podcast #4 and here it is again:

Worship

She now works with a new "group", a duo called Paper Aeroplanes and her voice is as clear and strong as ever. Here is a great tune from their album The Day We Ran Into The Sea, called Cliche: