The New Deal

The New Deal incorporates electronic influences into their jam band approach to recorded and live music. Rather than using loops or DJ’s, they play their instruments live. Gone Gone Gone, released in 2003, exemplifies their ability to draw from a variety of genres and assemble a coherent collection of songs. The record delivers melodies and tempo changes at all the right times, keeping it from getting stale. It also boasts vocal work by Leslie Feist and bassist Dan Kurtz’s wife, Martina Sobara, who performs with him in the band Dragonette.

The real magic with these guys seems to be in the live show. They go back and forth between rocking out and lulling a diverse crowd, and they have fun doing it. Sampling the band’s live sound shouldn’t be too difficult as they helped distribute bootlegs of their early tours, with many shows still available online.

The New Deal MySpace

Stellastarr* - Civilized

It took several listens for Civilized, the new album from Stellastarr*, to grow on me. At first the whole thing seemed emotionally thinner than their previous two albums for a couple of reasons. After anxiety problems tightened vocalist Shawn Christensen’s throat, he restricted his voice to a higher register. Also, the band wanted to make a faster record with more intensity, so there aren’t any of the slow or spacey moments that have worked for them in the past. Fortunately, even without the range in vocals and tempos it still sounds like Stellastarr*. The tracks Numbers and Warchild could fit right in with their debut album, while Sonja Cries sounds like a lighter moment from Harmonies for the Haunted. Graffiti Eyes and Prom Zombie are fun moments that help this record maintain energy while offering mixtape friendly pop. Civilized supplements the Stellastarr* back catalogue by not completely mirroring or deviating from it, resulting in an album that provides accessibility for new listeners without turning away current fans.

Stellastarr* MySpace

Two Weeks

About a month ago, Cory sent me a text claiming Grizzly Bear’s Two Weeks gives to 2009 what Fleet Foxes’ Mykonos gave to 2008. At first I agreed. Both songs are structured well, feature stunning harmonies, and despite the fact that the year is barely half over, it’s safe to say that Two Weeks, like Mykonos, should be considered one of the best songs on one of the best albums of the year in which it was released.
After Veckatimest was leaked online, Fleet Foxes' front man, Robin Pecknold, used his now defunct twitter account to say that it was the album of the decade. I don’t know whether or not anyone would be willing to stand behind that statement, as I'm sure that it was a boast made in a moment of excitement after listening to a very good record for the first time.
I asked myself what I thought these songs meant to me in the context of, both the last two years in music, and my personal experiences and biases. What criteria can be used to determine how much better one song is than another?

Grizzly Bear MySpace
Fleet Foxes MySpace

I Brought You a Jukebox

Music is many things to many people. It can be a reflection of a mood. It can be a hobby or a career path. It can be background noise. It can simply be good or bad. We’re starting this blog as a medium to discuss what some specific music means to us and to find out what it means to you. There is no way to write about everything we hear and there’s no way to hear everything that is released. With that in mind, we’ll try to relay what we can with the hope of striking your interests and/or stirring constructive debates.