My Boys

Sweedish songwriter Victoria Bergsman's solo project Taken By Trees covered Animal Collective's My Girls for her latest release, East Of Eden due September 8 on Rough Trade.

My Boys (Animal Collective Cover) on You Tube
Taken By Trees MySpace

Throw Me The Statue

Creaturesque, the full-length follow up to Throw Me The Statue's 2007 release Moonbeams, takes steps toward maturing the band's sound without straying from their poppy low-fi foundation. Songs like Hi-Fi Goon and Waving At The Shore employ the band's familiar upbeat vibe and the drum machine is in full effect for Tag and Snowshoes.
Like Moonbeans, Creaturesque has catchy songs as well as quiet low key moments. Both are fun and easy to listen to, but the latter comes off as an album that is more experienced and aware of it's surroundings than its predecessor.

Throw Me The Statue MySpace

Ambulance LTD

The only remaining original member of Ambulence LTD, Marcus Congleton, has endured a couple of lineup changes and fought legal battles for two years with a bankrupt label to keep the band going. In the meantime, he has been recording new material with John Cale (The Velvet Underground) assmebling a new band, playing live and looking for a new label. Their debut self-titled LP is approachable and poppy without being sugary or thin. The demos on MySpace show promise for the future of the band.

Ambulance LTD MySpace

James Tamborello

James Tamborello might be better known as Dntel, James Figurine, or "the other guy from The Postal Service." While you may be more familiar with his work with the The Postal Service, his other projects revolve around the same glitchy downtempo style and have helped blur the lines dividing electronic music with popular genres. Aside from collaborating with Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard, Tamborello has worked artists including Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis, Rachel Haden, and Grizzly Bear.

Dntel MySpace
Figurine MySpace
James Figurine MySpace

Everest.

I caught Everest opening for Neil Young last fall and couldn't help but fall for the layered reverb and the surprising spin they put on traditional rock. They offered up a good slice of Americana that I won't soon forget. I dig these guys and I think you will too.

Grab a quick listen to a live version of "Trees" below. The guitar riff at 2:34 gets me every time.

Everest - Trees - Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.

For more info check out their beautiful website | everestband.com (This is what a band website should look like)

Les Paul

Legendary guitarist Les Paul passed away today. Most people are familiar with the guitar bearing his signature, but I ask you to take a moment to learn a little more about the innovator that we lost today.

Les Paul on YouTube

The Swell Season | Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova Return

If you were taken aback by the simplicity and spirit of the songs Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (who go under the moniker The Swell Season) put together for the film "Once," then you have probably been wondering what they've been doing with their time. It seems the pair has been quietly working on a follow-up called "Strict Joy" which is due for release on October 27th.

NPR Music has posted a few live performances of these new songs from their Tiny Desk Concert Series. The tunes, in their stripped down form, are humble yet give way to a sense of urgency that digs right to the soul. You can feel the generosity spill from these songs and their banter in between each performance. Beautiful stuff.

Feel free to take these songs for a test drive here: The Swell Season NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

For more information on their upcoming record visit: theswellseason.com

Is Classic Rock Evolving or Dying?

Classic rock seems to blast its way out of radios everywhere I go. It's at bars and restaurants, department stores, offices, and even on phone calls while I'm on hold. It's familiar, reliable and unoffensive, which makes it perfect for advertising automobiles. But it appears to be a dying genre. Even with the amount of rock music that was released in the 60's and 70's, most classic rock stations limit themselves to a handful of artists and rarely deviate from the most popular songs.
There's no question that satellite / internet radio have forced terrestrial classic rock stations to adapt by adding music from the 80's and even 90's to playlists. Aside from the economic interests of the radio stations that force them to cater to a wide audience, rather than the niche markets served by satellite radio, how will classic rock stations stay competitive?
Will some classic rock stations rebrand themselves as classic alternative or will they continue to integrate modern music into their broadcasts? Are we ten years away from hearing Dashboard sandwiched in between Hotel California and How You Remind Me?

The Big Pink

Armed with catchy songs, thick fuzzy guitars, and snappy electronic drums, The Big Pink are set to release A Brief History of Love next month on 4AD The track Velvet potentially gives the band its mainstream breakthrough. The drums get a little more electronic on Too Young to Love, and Dominos is more of a straight forward rock song with a repetitive hook. Based on their work so far, this album looks like it's worth the excitement.

The Big Pink MySpace

Lollapalooza

Friday: Rain. Mud. Music. Dear Chicago, you are really something else. (Cory)

After watching one of the biggest storms of the year roll through Chicago I grabbed a poncho, a sport bottle of wine (yes, this was something they sold…and no, I did not drink it alone, a few good friends helped) and headed for Bon Iver. The lo-fi yet epic sounds of Bon Iver’s music became even more ambitious live. “Blood Bank” off the latest EP sped to a frenzied pace and the “Wolves (Act I and II)” crowd sing along seemed to come off perfectly in the rain. Act II’s “what might have been lost” moment has never felt more hopeful. Ben Folds gave a rowdy and humorous performance mixing both old and new (I prefer the “Five” but the newer material sounded great live). Hearing his low-key rendition of “Bitches Ain’t Shit” was all right with me. I think the crowd felt the same way.

The frantic electro Gameboy shuffle of Crystal Castles was a nice departure and front woman Alice Glass’s chaotic movements made for an entertaining time. The rain let up as the Decemberists worked through a good portion of their new record “Hazards of Love.” I’ve definitely dropped the ball on not giving these guys enough credit. The songs were beautiful, expansive, and rocking all at the same time. The female leads stole the show (forgive me for not knowing the names of the songs here). I’ll be giving this record a closer listen for certain. The Chicago skyline lit up as the clouds gave way and muddy concertgoers bottlenecked to get to the Kings of Leon headline show. I followed suit and joined around 30,000 or so people at the north main stage. The Kings continue to bend their Southern garage rock tones to meet the demands of mainstream ears. Its safe to say they do it well and old favorites like “California Waiting” and “Four Kicks” wove seamlessly into the more radio-friendly fare of “Use Somebody.” I wish they still had mustaches though. I left tired, wet, muddy and fulfilled.

Friday's links: Bon Iver, Ben Folds, Crystal Castles, The Decemberists, Kings of Leon

Saturday: Hot Hot Sun. Hot Hot Tunes. (Ryan)

Unfortunately I was unable to attend all three days of Lollapolooza, but I met up with Cory for day two. We caught various amounts of 15 acts, chilled, danced, napped, and tried to stay hydrated.

Despite all of the advice I've received from a couple of friends over the years, I never got into Langhorne Slim. As Cory put it, "Big mistake." His set was as sincere as it was entertaining. Los Campesinos! sounded tighter as a band than I've ever heard them. We caught a quick Band Of Horses set at the kids' stage before we bathed in the reverb of Chairlift. Yeah Yeah Yeahs were incredible headliners. It seemed strangely natural to see them on the big stage.

Our Saturday (links):

Band Of Skulls, Monneypenny, Delta Spirit, Langhorne Slim, Los Campesinos!, Joe Pug, Band Of Horses, Chairlift, Perry Farrell, Hercules & Love Affair (DJ set), Santigold, TV On The Radio, Lykke Li, Animal Collective, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Sunday: Heat. Sweat. More heat. Music. Warm whiskey. Dear Chicago, can I see you soon? (Cory)

The heat settled in early on day three and I found myself constantly searching for any type of makeshift shade and/or hydration. Friendly Fires kicked out an energetic performance despite the crippling temperature. The Kaiser Chiefs took to the stage next and surprised me with both their performance and song craft. I’ve dismissed these guys on occasion but they earned a new place in my heart after this. “Ruby” stood out as a great sing along. I couldn’t help but think…why do we get Nickelback for radio-ready rock and the UK gets these guys? Not fair. In the end, some good straightforward rock went well with the (now) warm whiskey I had snuck in to the festival.

Gang Gang Dance and Dan Deacon put on eclectic shows. Deacon orchestrated a crowd-wide dance off at one point and on the third day of an exhausting festival those in attendance happily obliged without complaint. Amazing. The man was making people groove. Vampire Weekend burst through a good part of their first record and according to Pop Candy’s Whitney Matheson even gave a shout out the unfortunate loss of director John Hughes. Uplifting, fun music is what they do best. Passion Pit was a sweaty dance party. The songs translated well to the live outdoor environment and I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face as they ran through “The Reeling,” and “Let Your Love Grow Tall.” They were simply one of the most enjoyable performances of the weekend. The sounds of Snoop Dogg filled my ears as I exited the festival for the weekend. Gin and juice never sounded as good or as necessary a beverage choice. I left the weekend smiling, sun-kissed, and weary.

Sunday's links: Friendly Fires, Kaiser Chiefs, Gang Gang Dance, Dan Deacon, Passion Pit, Snoop Dogg

Legacy, what legacy? (Cory)

Lollapalooza has always been a marker for what music is in a particular moment. In the mid-90’s it represented the alternative movement as bands like Pearl Jam and Jane’s Addiction gained mainstream ground. The eclectic line-up this year doesn’t seem to echo one solid movement as much as it does a transitional period for popular music. In this transitional period “cross-pollination” between genres and artists continues to increase. Never before has electronic and organic music been situated so close to one another. Bands like Friendly Fires and Passion Pit dip into both musical textures and do so without disrupting either. Indie rock, singer-songwriters, and DJ’s are all borrowing from the theatrics of the arena. This is not your typical AAA radio but it could be…it has the potential to create more a meaningful mainstream. Or is it mainstream already?

Lollapolooza Saturday Pictures

Animal Collective

Chairlift

Langhorne Slime

Delta Spirit

Moneypenny

South Skyline

The XX

There has been a well-deserved buzz on the internet building around The XX. Simplicity is their appeal and a welcome change of pace from the intricacies that are prevalent in most of this year's best music. The song Teardrops demonstrates their ability to approach their craft with a deliberate naivety by juxtaposing emotional vocals and melody with simple technique and lo-fi recording. Their debut album is out August 18th on Rough Trade.

The XX MySpace

Take My Breath Away

Gui Boratto's Take My Breath Away might not show up on many critics' best of 2009 lists, but it is an album with artistic execution on par with any other this year. Each track seamlessly gives and takes melody and rhythm while flirting with minimalist styled repetition. It might not be the record that pushes progressive electronic music into the mainstream, but it does a wonderful job representing a genre that influences modern pop.

Gui Boratto MySpace

Matt Sharp

Weezer hasn't been the same since founding member and bassist, Matt Sharp, left in 1998. While the quality of Weezer's recent work is debatable, Sharp seems to keep growing as an artist. He started The Rentals, a revolving door of talent, and released two records before retreating to Tennessee. That recess from the west coast music scene yeilded a solo EP in 2003 and a full length album the following year. Matt is once again working with The Rentals on a year-long multimedia project called Songs About Time, consisting of music, photographs and film.

How To Feel Cool | JJ Grey & MOFRO

There's something about listening to the Rolling Stones (my go to is Exile on Main St.) while scrambling eggs, folding laundry, balancing my checkbook, doing a number of boring tasks (or in most cases getting ready to go out for the evening) that makes everything seem...well...cooler. Not many bands have perfected this seamless power over the mundane like they have.

Every now and then I get the same "I'm cooler for listening to this" feeling from other artists/bands. The latest is JJ Grey & MOFRO. JJ Grey's music transports me to a Southern juke joint where whiskey shakes hips and people groove well into the smokey hours. The tunes smolder and when they slow things down you really get a sense that this band knows soul music. This soul spills from JJ's cigarette smoked voice while the sparse movement of the music serves up a strong cocktail of blues, southern rock, and funk. I can't help but feel "cool" while listening to these bourbon soaked jams. They make everything seem ok. Even if it is mundane.

Check out JJ Grey & MOFRO's latest CD "Orange Blossoms"

Elbow

I can’t figure out why Elbow has struggled to gain commercial success in the United States. Two of their albums have made it into the top ten on the UK Singles Chart, while keeping clear of the top 100 records on the Billboard 200. Their latest effort, The Seldom Seen Kid, beat out some stiff competition to win the 2008 Mercury Prize. A band this consistently good that could draw comparisons to popular groups in the States should have a higher profile.

Elbow MySpace