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Lady Miyomi
Holy Chocobo


Member 796

Level 33.08

Mar 2006


Old Jan 16, 2008, 06:55 PM #101 of 201

DJ Krush - Zen
Release: 2001
Label: Red Ink Records
Genre: trip hop / electronic


TRACKLIST
01 Song 1
02 Zen Approach
03 Danger Of Love
04 Sonic Traveler
05 Duck Chase
06 Vision Of Art
07 Day's End
08 With Grace
09 Candle Chant (A Tribute)
10 Endless Railway
11 Whut'z Da Solution

REVIEW (source)
Following up on his masterpiece studio album Kakusei, and mix album CODE4109, DJ Krush is back with his much-anticipated 6th studio album entitled ZEN. Spending over 6 months for recording in Tokyo, NY, LA and Philadelphia, Krush wanted to express the changing atmosphere and tides towards the new millennium in various forms of sound. Featured guests include: Zap Mama whose over-dubbed soul-healing voice stunned Krush in studio, MC Black Thought and drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson from The Roots, Nigerian percussion genius Tunde Ayanyemi , and Company Flow which recently announced that they are breaking up. The track on this album is one of Company Flow's last recordings. Kazufumi Kodama who met Krush for the first time 6 years ago in studio since their collaboration on a track called "On The Dub-blue" from Krush's first album. BOSS THE MC Emerging rapper/rylicist of a popular Japanese hip hop group THA BLUE HERB among others.

DOWNLOAD LINK

I was speaking idiomatically.
Little Shithead
prettiest miku


Member 90

Level 33.52

Mar 2006


Old Feb 17, 2008, 03:04 PM #102 of 201
Here, have some music.

The Hush Sound - Live Vines
Genre: Indie Pop/Rock
Year: 2006
Label: Fueled By Ramen



Track List
01. We Intertwined
02. A Dark Congregation
03. Sweet Tangerine
04. Lion's Roar
05. Lighthouse
06. Don't Wake Me Up
07. Where We Went Wrong
08. Magnolia
09. Wine Red
10. Out Through the Curtain
11. You Are the Moon

Originally Posted by AMG Review
Not yet in their current lineup for two full years, the Hush Sound is remarkably already on album number two (as in full-lengths, not EPs). Though their debut, So Sudden, aptly laid the foundation for the band's melodic piano tinkering, it was still only recorded a month after their lineup solidified. Consequently, it comes as no real surprise that their sophomore effort, Like Vines, is a much more fully realized and mature sounding album. Issued through Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen, the album is a wonderful change of pace for emo-punk-saturated ears; the Hush Sound produces bouncy, fun, and sweetly melodic songs based around warm instrumentation and a playful delivery. Though initial spins may find tracks sounding slightly interchangeable amid all the exuberance, listeners are rewarded with the distinct personality each eventually claims. All members technically share vocal duties, but the focus mainly lies in the tradeoff between guitarist Bob Morris and pianist Greta Salpeter. Morris has a strong and controlled voice that steers each song effortlessly, while perfectly complementing the sassy sweetness of Salpeter, whose vocals are often suggestive of Straylight Run's Michelle Nolan. From the effervescent "We Intertwined" to the breezy, bango-tinged "Where We Went Wrong" to the sparse "Lighthouse," the Chicago quartet explores the pop spectrum without losing their footing or making the music sound forced. After all, "Lions Roar" begins with the popcorn-fueled urgency of a circus before fading out near the end to reveal a lonely and austere trumpet -- and it works quite well. The triumphant "Don't Wake Me Up" and "Wine Red" are other notable highlights on a summery, unpretentious offering that shines thanks to a confident band very much full of life.
Discovered the song "We Intertwined" through a songpack someone made for Audiosurf, and I liked it enough to find the whole album to listen to. Turns out it was pretty good and something I felt was worth sharing.

Download

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?
NovaX
๏o๏o๏o๏


Member 603

Level 25.61

Mar 2006


Old Feb 19, 2008, 10:11 AM Local time: Feb 20, 2008, 01:41 AM 1 #103 of 201
Ataxia is a "supergroup" consisting of John Frusciante (of the RHCP), Josh Klinghoffer, and Joe Lally (of Fugazi). Ataxia wrote and recorded songs for two weeks, and played two live shows before disbanding. This is the result of the recording sessions, two albums released 2 and a half years apart.

Ataxia - Automatic Writing
Label: Record Collection
Released: 2004
Genre: Experimental/Progressive




Track Listing
1. Dust
2. Another
3. The Sides
4. Addition
5. Montreal

REVIEW
Spoiler:
The sound of Ataxia is mighty.

I’ve never really followed John Frusciante too closely. I respect him from a distance mainly, but Ataxia may well have written the album that bridges the divide for me. Of course, it helps that the trio is completed by Josh Klinghoffer (he of the current pulverizing PJ Harvey live band), and Joe Lally of Fugazi. So, yeah, together they be mighty.

Maybe it’s worrying when you look at the track-listing and see only five songs on there. It did seem a little unusual at first glance. Then you realize the running time is almost 45 minutes and you have to prepare yourself for the long haul of each track. But it’s honestly not a punishment. In fact, the length of the tracks is even a bonus once you learn to dread the thought of them ever ending.

Firstly, the bass lines are pounding. Looping hypnotically in precise patterns, they are completely unrelenting. You can definitely hear shards of that familiar Fugazi sound just from the processing alone, but there is new magic here too. It drives every single song, creating a solid backbone for the guitar arpeggios to menacingly interlace themselves around like blood-stained fingers.

The guitar work is impressive too. Solid rhythms and unexpected hooks rule the space, and then every so often Frusciante explodes into his familiar solo territory. It never sounds contrived or misplaced, though. Praise be for guitar solos that actually work. Jesus, even Frusciante’s voice starts to become appealing as you lose yourself in these jams. These songs may be dark and unhappy, but together they make up one of the most satisfying rock albums of the year. Think black. Think Ataxia.

DOWNLOAD LINK


================================================== ===============
Ataxia - AW II
Label: Record Collection
Released: 2007
Genre: Experimental/Progressive




Track Listing
1. Attention
2. Union
3. Hands
4. The Soldier
5. The Empty's Response

REVIEW
Spoiler:
It's easy to see why any of these tracks weren't included on the first disc, because they have less of a stylistic connection to each other than the five cuts released back in 2004. The similarities pretty much stop after Joe's relentless basslines and John's choppy, squealing and soaring guitar work. The band aren't afraid to throw themselves at different types of rhythm and see what happens, and at least two tracks on 'AWII' sound distinctly post-punk, even a bit new wave pop, compared with the slow-release, grinding tempos on 'old' songs like 'Addition' or 'Montreal'. 'The Soldier' is a highlight - it pounds along at a fair pace for ten minutes, gradually ascending through careful variations along with John's vocals, which start clean and eventually become screamed and manipulated by the trio's remarkable collection of analogue sound effects.

Elsewhere, 'Attention' is the closest to the first album in terms of tempo, and the closing track 'The Empty's Response' is a beautiful chord progression, loosely arranged and with Josh's unique voice floating along with it. It's a little undercooked, but the nature of the Ataxia project explains that. Still though, an extra day or two on that one could have made it an absolute gem.

But such qualms don't detract much. 'AWII' is short, but it's a more varied collection than its predecessor and is certainly worthy of many listens. Its grooves are as good as before, and its (perhaps superimposed) arrangements keep the listener guessing. I suppose it's SHARPER than the spaced-out, loose, wailing jams of its predecessor. If I didn't know that all ten songs had been recorded in the same week, I would have been saying 'AWII' is a "pleasing development of the ideas on their debut".

DOWNLOAD LINK

FELIPE NO
Audiophile
Surrealist


Member 16745

Level 22.01

Dec 2006


Old Feb 22, 2008, 12:03 AM Local time: Feb 21, 2008, 11:03 PM #104 of 201
Stabilizer - A Fuse Slowly Burning
Genre: Mostly Alt. Rock with various other influences
Year: 2007
Label: Nonexistent Recordings




Track List
1 - Place Your Bets
2 - Needless
3 - False Start
4 - Tequila
5 - Sonata in the Key of Jade
6 - A Beginning
7 - Tarantulas
8 - Face the Music
9 - Sea of Strangers
10 - We, Conquistadors
11 - Wake Up Already
12 - Faceless Greed
13 - WWRDADS - What Would Robot Do - A Drum Solo
14 - Sold to the Devil
15 - The Old Timey Legend of Stabilizer
16 - So Long
17 - Flashed
18 - Reaching Down
19 - Slam
20 - Smile
21 - Inside a Prayer
22 - The Hidden Joke Track 2 - Booty Breaks


Review
Spoiler:

What's interesting about this band is that they've never met in real life. Just on the internet. What they do is they record a section of song, send it to the next person, who adds their part, and so on. Despite the fact that this might sound like a bad idea, they make it work, and very well. They start with a mostly alt. rock base sound, but they careen off into acoustic, electronic, heavy metal, bubblegum pop, and basically any other genre you can think of, while still retaining a unique, high energy sound. If you have eclectic tastes, you should definitely check it out.

For those interested the band's myspace is here, and contains full lyrics.

Here's a professional review:
Originally Posted by flawedLogic
Recently I was asked to review a CD by Stabilizer, the group who put out “A Project Called Red” which I reviewed here some time ago. Up to their old tricks again, the two original “Stabilizers” Ian Siegert and Brad Podray plus new member Dan Dolan put forth another quality release on Nonexistant Recordings. Combining elements of rock, IDM, glitch, salsa, and even (though they may deny it) some pop, they seem to enjoy breaking down definitions of musical genres for their own pleasure.

This is all made even more amazing when you realize that the three members have never even met.

“What the hell are you talking about, Justin,” I can hear you asking your lifeless computer monitor. That’s right, the three bandmates have never shared a stage, or a green room, or even a pizza. Brought together through a subforum of the Something Awful website, they have collaborated on two albums with only the internet as their communication medium. They each record a part (like a drum track or guitar riff), send it to the other, where the other member would lay down another track (like a vocal or bass line) and then pass it along to the final member who would do the same. After everything was all said and done, they’d mix and master it together in the same way. It’s really amazing when you think about how much extra work would be required for something like this, but they pulled it off brilliantly. [Editor’s Note: Their story is quite aptly described on track 15: “The Old Timey Legend of Stabilizer”]

The second track on the sophomore called “Needless” features singer Emily Rose whose voice reminds me of Sarah McLachlan at times (this is definitely a good thing). She sings about her own confusion about her perceived individuality, and whether she should grow up and end the “needless rebellion” that she’s been putting people through. It is almost a “coming of age” message, where young adult becomes adult, and realizes that trying to do the polar opposite of everything society says you should isn’t going to further any cause you might be fighting for. Really beautiful song.

[...]

“Inside a Prayer”, the album’s only completely acoustic song, is another blissfully melodic piece that tugs at your heart strings at every corner. Simply a vocalist with his guitar (both vocals and guitar are by Siegert), the song strays quite far off the beaten path, even for Stabilizer, yet they manage to knock it out of the park, proving that there is no genre they can’t attack, no style they can’t master.

All in all, A Fuse Slowly Burning is a great disc with only a few moments that I was less than excited about. They are experimental, they are expressive, but most of all, they are entertaining. Bringing together just the perfect bits and pieces from many different kinds of music, they’re able to blend them all together into a form that has something for everyone. They combine musical experience with incredible lyric writing to create 22 listenable songs that absolutely destroy their last release, and shows that a little effort can go a long way.

>>>DOWNLOAD<<<

Most amazing jew boots
Ayos
Veritas


Member 12774

Level 31.07

Sep 2006


Old Feb 22, 2008, 02:08 PM Local time: Feb 22, 2008, 01:08 PM #105 of 201
Dave Tate - The Solitude of Here
Genre: Folk
Label: None
Year: 2006



Tracklist
01. Evensong
02. Left a Mark
03. Maria
04. The Faucon
05. Light was Low
06. Harmony
07. Rose
08. Like Water
09. In to Mercy
10. The Solitude of Here
11. Surely

The first of two albums released in quick succession by independent artist Dave Tate, it combines heartfelt lyrics with soaring harmonies, gentle acoustic guitar, and emotionally grabbing string and wind instruments used sparsely enough that they never quite lose their effect. Definitely one of my favorite folk albums.

Review
Spoiler:
Every now and again you may find that words are inadequate to describe the beauty of an album, which makes, to use a paraphrase of one of Frank Zappa's quotations, writing about music as awkward as dancing about architecture. Nevertheless I'll make an attempt to do so.

You rarely come across a CD of such exquisite quality that you are entirely enthralled by it. A CD which is always close to your sound system so you can play it daily. A CD which keeps you awake because you cant seem to get some of its passages out of your head and which, when played in company, will immediately stop all conversation and make people ask you about its artist and title. In short, a CD which will make your heart beat faster and which will dominate your musical life for a longer period of time.

The brilliant singer/songwriter who made such an album is Dave Tate. My attention was drawn to his CD, "The Solitude of Here," by a review in Haven magazine, in which he was given high praise: "He possesses the special kind of talent you only see come along once a decennium. If you're lucky." Which still seems like an understatement after you've heard the album. "The Solitude of Here" makes you feel nostalgic because it takes you back to the time of the great singer/songwriters. In some songs, such as "In to Mercy" or "Rose," Tate sounds somewhat like a young Paul Simon, while comparisons of his voice to those of David Gates and Don McLean are obvious when he smoothly glides into the higher pitches. In addition to that, "The Solitude of Here," has the introspective, intimate quality of a Nick Drake album.

All of these musicians have made important contributions to music in the past and I am much mistaken if Dave Tate's name wont be added to this list, in time. Still he is not an epigone of the examples I mentioned above. This is due to Dave's talent to revive old times without wanting to sound or sounding old fashioned. Dave Tate's themes are universal but his approach is anything but that. This can already be heard in the opening track, "Evensong." After you've just recovered from hearing Tates marvellous voice and virtuoso guitar-playing, a bassoon joins in to give the track an additional emotional overtone. You know you've come across something special from that moment on. The next track, "Left a Mark," is a breathtakingly beautiful composition which is a perfect synthesis between vocals/guitar music and chamber music. The trio of classically trained musicians, consisting of Anne Marshall (violin), Ryan Kratsch (cello) and Joe Jones (bassoon), adds depth and dynamics to several tracks through subtle contributions. The vocal climax in "Harmony," which in itself is no small feat, is intensified by superb string music by Marshall and Kratsch and in "Light was Low" the polyphonic cello and violin music pull right at your heartstrings.

But the elements which make this album into a true listening experience are Dave Tate's voice and guitar playing. This can be heard in songs such as "The Faucon" or "Rose." All songs are sung, or to put it more aptly, experienced by Tate with great intensity, which makes them get under my skin permanently. The tracks on this CD are characterised by vulnerable poignancy instead of cheap sentiment or melodrama.

Dave Tate has released this album on his own, dubbing and mastering it himself. The recordings are either unbelievably clear, or they've been made in an exceptionally good recording studio. This masterpiece is worthy of a place in the singer/songwriter Hall of Fame. I discovered that "The Solitude of Here" is not a nine days wonder when I got hold of Tate's second album "Home is in the Stars," on which he validates his exceptional talent.
-Paul van de Wiel, HOME - www.folkforum.nl

>>>DOWNLOAD<<<


Dave Tate - Home is in the Stars
Genre: Folk
Label: None
Year: 2006



Tracklist
01. Undone
02. The Beauty of You
03. Everone
04. Alchemy
05. I'm a Stone
06. Trust Your Nature
07. Heat in the Noble Soul
08. Cool Blue River
09. You Move Me
10. Rocks and Shoals
11. Forever Burn
12. Moonchild

Second release by Dave Tate that's commercially available through iTunes or CDBaby, and the stronger of the two albums in my opinion. "Undone" is still my favorite track of all time. In contrast to "The Solitude of Here," this album is purely acoustic guitar and solo vocal work by Dave, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that virtuosos are not dead and he can hold his own for twelve tracks straight.

Review
Spoiler:
This is by far the most grabbing male folk album to come through our doors in months. It's hard not to make comparisons to Paul Simon's more sensitive folk writing with a similar mix of warmth, open space, breathy vocals, innocence and a dewy, green clarity of intention. His songs have a way of stealing your breath away and removing you momentarily from the passing of time, suspending you in full-body harmonies. While he has a knack for open-hearted, reflective songs, there is the slightest echo of acoustic jam band writing, giving this album a well-balanced emotional scope. Bravo.
-CDBaby

>>>DOWNLOAD<<<

Much of his newer material, which will be released in a new album called "The Final Hour" on March 1st, is available for preview or even full-song download at his website, DaveTateMusic.com

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Last edited by Ayos; Feb 22, 2008 at 02:20 PM.
nanaman
BASKETSLASH


Member 25298

Level 18.44

Oct 2007


Old Feb 24, 2008, 04:59 PM Local time: Feb 24, 2008, 11:59 PM #106 of 201
Morten Schantz - Segment
Genre: Jazz Fusion/Funk
Label: Cope Records
Year: 2004



Morten Schantz is a keyboardist from Denmark whose album I found just recently. This album is one of the most awesome new albums I've heard in a long while, and ever since I had my first listen on this album it's been frequently played here at home. I don't know too much about him and his band on his CD, so you'll just have to check out his website if you want to know more about him.

Anyways, this album is truly awesomely awesome, it's got a bit of everything really, from (a few) slow "balladesque" songs to funky and high paced fusion. Some tracks are instrumental and some have vocals too, and everything feels very well executed. Simply everything added onto this album just feels so right, and it certainly has the sound of Morten Schantz, which you will notice even if you've never heard the guy before, his music feels fresh and interesting, and it really never ceases to amaze me no matter how many times I listen to it. A must listen.

>>Download here<<

There's nowhere I can't reach.
Will
Good Chocobo


Member 4221

Level 18.81

Mar 2006


Old Feb 24, 2008, 11:45 PM 1 #107 of 201
Chick Corea and Bela Fleck - The Enchantment
Genre: Jazz Fusion, Bluegrass
Year: 2007
Label: Concord Records




Track List
1. Señorita
2. Spectacle
3. Joban Dna Nopia
4. Mountain
5. Children's Song #6
6. A Strangle Romance
7. Menagerie
8. Waltse For Abby
9. Brazil
10. The Enchantment
11. Sunset Road


Review
Spoiler:

It is not obvious that music is always musical. Formulaic repetition of past innovations quickly become recognizably trite and, to most ears, off-putting. The duo setting presses a brutal honesty between musicians that has historically not only kept curdled tendencies at bay but has also pushed forth innovation. Jazz musicians of the finest reputation, including guitarists Jim Hall, Joe Pass and Pat Metheny, and pianists Bill Evans and Brad Mehldau, have forged platinum grails of the jazz tradition in this setting. Pianist Chick Corea and banjoist Béla Fleck’s The Enchantment is certainly no aberration.

Like the most successful duo pairings, Corea and Fleck burnish their well-deserved credentials through sensitivity. The careful inter-instrumental echoes of the melody on Corea’s “Joban Dna Nopia” is an impressive example of the musical relationship rather than what the album could have been—a mere amalgamation of two musical giants stomping through tunes together but separately.

And yet, much to the album’s benefit, the pair stretches past mere harmonious collaboration to make this record an arresting success. From Appalachan tip-toeing to ponderous laments and striding sambas, The Enchantment’s stylistic variety is scintillating and harmonically titillating. The album possesses a wider reach and accessibility than it otherwise would have as an esoteric product of musical brilliance. The record is immensely listenable while also being immeasurably intriguing.

While the album’s most laudable merits are earned collectively, Corea and Fleck’s individual playing is just stunning. Corea shines forth in his proclivity to drift convincingly between jazz accompaniment, Brazilian musings, and fluttering improvisation. Fleck’s right-hand alacrity is as mesmerizing as his gargantuan melodic presence.

As is the case with the most magnificent duo performances, each musician brings a career’s worth of experience and innovation to these eleven tracks. The fusion of these two luminaries on this one disc is just as fascinating a result as it is an idea. Anyone with a musical palate—a sense for the beauty of consummate musical expression—will find this record, in many ways, a perfect synthesis of two of the greatest American musical traditions. One could not ask for a more shining and worthy project. -Stephen Wood

The Enchantment

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.
Skexis
Beyond


Member 770

Level 34.03

Mar 2006


Old Feb 26, 2008, 04:22 AM Local time: Feb 26, 2008, 04:22 AM 2 #108 of 201
A new album for you hopeless romantics out there.

Stacey Kent - Dreamsville
Label: Blue Note
Release: 2000
Genre: Nightclub Jazz




1. I've Got A Crush On You
2. When Your Lover Has Gone
3. Isn't It A Pity?
4. You Are There
5. Under A Blanket Of Blue
6. Dreamsville
7. Polka Dots & Moonbeams
8. Hushabye Mountain
9. Little Girl Blue
10. You're Looking At Me
11. Violets For Your Furs
12. Thanks For The Memory



The 30's and 40's are alive and well thanks in part to Stacey Kent. A throwback to the dance nightclubs and glitter gowns, this album contains many of the golden standards of the same period. Ms. Kent is fortunate enough to have modern recording equipment at her disposal, so this album comes out sounding crystal clear, and enchanting anyone that takes the time to listen.

This album is soft...so soft, in fact, that I'd say if you're doing something else while listening to it, you're not really doing it justice. Listen to this if you're relaxing, or if you're having dinner with a special someone, or if you just want to think the world is a little bit better place for a while.

Favorites: You Are There, I've Got a Crush on You, Isn't it a Pity, Violets For Your Furs

...And feel the petal soft and sweet against my nose.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?
i am good at jokes
LUCKY!!!


Member 25652

Level 30.58

Oct 2007


Old Feb 26, 2008, 04:03 PM Local time: Feb 26, 2008, 05:03 PM 1 #109 of 201
The Dinner is Ruined - Elevator Music For Non-Claustrophobic People
Genre: Electro/experimental rock
Release Oct 28, 1997



1. House Of Defeat
2. Shower In Elevator
3. I Ain't No Neal Cassidy
4. Lod Foot Gives The Finger
5. Johnny Firetalker
6. You Are Not A Number
7. Airplanes Are O-K-
8. Whirly Beat, The
9. E.Muz4N. - (with C. People)
10. Valentine
11. Key Parts
12. Swallows Pt. 2

As far as a review goes,

I think this guy says it best:

Spoiler:


Review By: Darren Kerr, 1997

About five years ago, this totally bizarre band (i.e. The Dinner is Ruined) played the Hungry Eye in front of 11 people. Yep. And the ratio of people who "get" T.D.I.R. to people who think them talentless geek weirdos is probably... 11 to 7,936.

But now that (1) the Butthole Surfers are being influenced by Beck and (2) Ween are normal rulers of whatever genre kingdom they plant the freak flag on, it's up to bands like the Dinner is Ruined and Six Finger Satellite to make our relatives and loved ones scream, "What the hell are you listening to?!?!?"

No two pieces on this disc are alike. I'm not even sure I can describe what anything on this disc even sounds like. Batman sounds effect. THWAP! KLONK! URRRRK! Wine and bug juice. Vinegar and grape nuts... and the machine that goes ping. You bought it, you name it. I don't recommend this as a home game.

Q: How many surrealists does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: The fish.

File under: Whaaa??!?!


Enjoy.

Download Link

I was speaking idiomatically.

Juggle dammit
Paco
????


Member 175

Level 58.82

Mar 2006


Old Feb 27, 2008, 02:56 PM Local time: Feb 27, 2008, 12:56 PM #110 of 201
The Builders and The Butchers - The Builders and The Butchers
Year: 2007
Label: Bladen County Records
Genre: Folk/Roots Rock/Bluegrass




1. The Night Pt. 1
2. Red Hands
3. Spanish Death
4. Black Dresses
5. Bottom of the Lake
6. The Gallows
7. Bringing Home the Rain
8. The Coal Mine Fall
9. Slowed Down Trip to Hell
10. The Night Pt. 2
11. Ten Miles Wide
12. Find Me in the Air

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I first heard The Builders and The Butchers on Monday night on our usual night out at a live show here in Visalia. I was originally only going because of my fierce loyalty to a band who I'd seen there before called The Helio Sequence, whom this band opened for. A five-strong chorus with a slew of instruments that hails out of Portland, OR, this band completely blew me away with their raw energy and sheer stage charisma. Audience participation wasn't confined to clapping either: These cats were handing off random percussive instruments to the lucky few who were at the very front of the rock-starved pack of humans.

Generally, I would probably put them in the folk genre but they really lack a whole classification. They have, however, been heavily drawing parallels to another well-known Portland act The Decemberists. Their music hearkens back to a time of great wide open western coastal state expansion. There's more of a gospel/Tom Waits feel to it all though and under the dark folk stories, there's lots of banjo, washboard, fiddle and trumpet flair. It all coagulates to create very earthy and gothic Americana-folk-rock with a lot more "oomph!" than your average Decemberists song. Definitely pick this one up if you're a fan of Portland's indie scene.

FIND ME AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?
Wall Feces
Holy Cow! What Happened!


Member 493

Level 46.34

Mar 2006


Old Feb 28, 2008, 12:29 PM 1 #111 of 201
Dream Theater - Master of Puppets
Label: YtseJam Records
Release: 2002
Genre: Thrash/Speed Metal




Track Listing:

1. Battery
2. Master of Puppets
3. The Thing That Should Not Be
4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
5. Leper Messiah
6. Disposable Heroes
7. Orion
8. Damage Inc.

This is another Dream Theater cover album. During very special nights of their Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence tour, they encored by covering entire albums, this being one of them. I uploaded Number of the Beast a few months ago, and figured now is a good time to get this one uploaded.

They are extremely faithful to the source material as one would expect. The only weak link, really, is James LaBree on vocals. But on the same token, it's so different from James Hetfield that its pretty refreshing to hear someone else bat out these lyrics. Overall a worthwhile listen for fans of both Dream Theater and Metallica.

GET IT NYAH

FELIPE NO
guyinrubbersuit
The Lotus Eater


Member 628

Level 30.15

Mar 2006


Old Mar 4, 2008, 12:39 AM Local time: Mar 3, 2008, 10:39 PM #112 of 201
Road Vodana - Road Vodana
Label: Unknown
Release: 2005
Genre: Pop/Folk




Track Listing:

1. Road Vodana
2. Varyazhskaya
3. Singing Rivers
4. Virgo Lakes
5. Muza Sad Love (Theatre)
6. Reka
7. Beglec
8. Tire-on-Nogt
9. Black Stone
10. The road to Eshafot

I stumbled upon this band while looking for metal albums to download. I found a Russian site that had hundreds of metal albums for download and I noticed some bands on there were in the Cyrillic alphabet and it was labeled as folk, which I thought meant folk metal. Intrigued I downloaded it. Upon listening to it I was struck by the vocals and the instrumentation. I guess the closest description I can give about this band is if Joni Mitchell was Russian, her music might sound a bit like this. The reason for the pop moniker next to folk is because it is pretty uptempo and utilizes many modern instruments such as drums and bass. If you're looking for something different, musical and in a foreign language, you can't do no wrong here.

Get it here.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?
knkwzrd
you know i'm ready to party because my pants have a picture of ice cream cake on them


Member 482

Level 45.24

Mar 2006


Old Mar 5, 2008, 02:04 PM Local time: Mar 5, 2008, 01:04 PM #113 of 201
This might be an early shoe-in for my favorite album of 2008.

Jeffrey Lewis - 12 Crass Songs
Label: Rough Trade
Year: Officially released last year in October, but only actually saw distribution about a month ago.
Genre: Lots of critics call this "anti-folk", but I think that's a bullshit term. It's acoustic pop music.



While in the minds of many punk rock was supposed to be about upending the rules and assumptions that had come to govern rock & roll in the mid-'70s, punk also helped revive the ranting spirit that had informed the best political music and art through the 20th century, from the Situationalists to the Fugs. Among the first wave of British punks, none ranted with greater ferocity and sense of purpose than Crass, who actually were the anarchist firebrands the Sex Pistols pretended to be, though the brutal report of their music was rarely as impressive or as intelligent as their lyrics. Crass were massively influential during their 1977-1984 lifespan and beyond, both as musicians and as activists, and Jeffrey Lewis' 12 Crass Songs is a surprising example of just how far their ideas have reached. Best known for his witty anti-folk tunes, musician and cartoonist Lewis first heard Crass while he was a college freshman in 1993, and the blunt wit and angry idealism of their songs made a powerful impression on him. As he began performing, Lewis began looking for ways to merge the fury of Crass' broadsides with his acoustic-based music and he recorded some lo-fi interpretations of some of their tunes in his bedroom. A few years later, Lewis' efforts have grown into 12 Crass Songs, in which Lewis and a handful of friends (most notably vocalist Helen Schreiner) have taken a dozen tunes by Crass and married them to arrangements that give them a far more melodic spin than they revealed in their original form. While electric guitars pop up here and there (and take center stage on "Big A, Little A"), most of 12 Crass Songs is dominated by acoustic guitar and Lewis' sweet, slightly nasal vocals, but while he has succeeded in making these songs sound pretty and playful in a way they never were before, he's also managed to carry forth their message with a surprising accuracy. It was often difficult to understand what Crass were bellowing about on The Feeding of the 5000 or Stations of the Crass, but Lewis' performances are clear and carefully enunciated, and the backing tracks add a simple but eager tunefulness that amplifies the all-together-now power of the lyrics. Lewis' interpretations are a 180 degree turn from the originals, but they ring forth with honest belief and passion, and the occasional shifts from the original lyrics don't betray the original intent of the songs. 12 Crass Songs may turn these anarchist hymns into campfire singalongs, but at heart that isn't terribly far from their original intent, and "I Ain't Thick, It's Just a Trick" and "Do They Owe Us a Living" remain anthems of empowerment and righteous rage in Lewis' hands. Lewis' 12 Crass Songs shines the work of a legendary punk band into a fun house mirror, but their message and philosophy is still remarkably coherent for being twisted about, and this album is fun, bracing, and thought-provoking stuff.

Tracks:
1. End Result
2. I Ain't Thick, It's Just A Trick
3. Systematic Death
4. The Gasman Cometh
5. Banned From The Roxy
6. Where Next Columbus?
7. Do They Owe Us A Living?
8. Securicor
9. Demoncrats
10. Big A, Little A
11. Punk Is Dead
12. Walls (Fun In The Oven)

Get It

Jam it back in, in the dark.
Wall Feces
Holy Cow! What Happened!


Member 493

Level 46.34

Mar 2006


Old Mar 8, 2008, 06:53 PM 1 #114 of 201
Yellow Matter Custard - One Night in New York
Label: Radiant Records
Release: 2003
Genre: Pop/Rock




Track Listing:

Disc 1
1. Intro
2. Magical Mystery Tour
3. Dear Prudence
4. Dig a Pony
5. She Said She Said
6. I Call Your Name
7. You Can't Do That
8. When I Get Home
9. Nowhere Man
10. Rain
11. Free As a Bird
12. Come Together
13. I Am the Walrus
14. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Disc 2
1. Baby's in Black
2. I'll Be Back
3. No Reply
4. The Night Before
5. You're Gonna Lose That Girl
6. Ticket to Ride
7. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey
8. Oh! Darling
9. Think for Yourself
10. Wait
11. Revolution
12. I Want You (She's So Heavy)
13. You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)
14. Lovely Rita
15. Good Morning Good Morning
16. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
17. A Day in the Life

This is one of the rarest Dream Theater-related works out there. This highly sought after disc finally came into my possession today and of course, I needed to share it with you guys. Yellow Matter Custard is Mike Portnoy's Beatles cover project.

From Wiki:

Quote:
Yellow Matter Custard is a Beatles cover band consisting of Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Transatlantic, OSI, Liquid Tension Experiment, Liquid Trio Experiment), Neal Morse (Transatlantic, Spock's Beard), Paul Gilbert (Racer X, Mr. Big) and Matt Bissonette (Mustard Seeds, Jughead, The Squirts, Joe Satriani, ELO). They take their name from a lyric in "I Am the Walrus": "Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog's eye".

More a project than a band, they performed only twice: on May 17, 2003 at Upper Montclair, New Jersey and May 18, 2003 at BB King's Blues Club, New York. The latter performance was recorded and released as the double CD One Night in New York City later that year, on the Radiant Records label.
This is a dream team of musicians playing music from the greatest band ever. It's extremely good stuff. Neal Morse is a phenomenal vocalist and he shines while batting out songs from the Beatles. It's always been Portnoy's dream to be in a Beatles cover band, and he got his wish with this. It's very very cool, and a must-have for Beatles and Dream Theater fans. Enjoy!

I WANT YOU SO BAD IT'S DRIVIN ME MAD

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Last edited by Wall Feces; Apr 14, 2008 at 11:53 PM.
Little Shithead
prettiest miku


Member 90

Level 33.52

Mar 2006


Old Mar 20, 2008, 06:56 PM #115 of 201
The Hush Sound - Goodbye Blues
Genre: Indie Pop/Rock
Year: 2008
Label: Fueled By Ramen



Track List
01 - Intro
02 - Honey
03 - Medicine Man
04 - Boys Are Too Refined
05 - Hurricane
06 - As You Cry
07 - Six (Interlude)
08 - Molasses
09 - That's Okay
10 - Not Your Concern
11 - Love You Much Better
12 - Hospital Bed Crawl
13 - Break the Sky

Originally Posted by allmusic.com
The Hush Sound's emphasis on mature, piano-driven pop makes them a rarity on the Fueled by Ramen roster, where the punk-pop sounds of Fall Out Boy and Panic at the Disco reign supreme. With songs like "Medicine Man" and "Honey," Goodbye Blues distances the band even further from their Ramen brethren, adding shades of old-timey swing music and torch song balladry to their catalog. Returning fans will still take comfort in the Hush Sound's usual mix of co-ed vocals and jaunty songcraft, but the group also shows a willingness to experiment that few of their labelmates possess. With pianist/vocalist Greta Salpeter at the wheel, Goodbye Blues opens with the aptly-named "Intro," an early morning ballad that sounds destined for playback on a Victrola, before launching into the snappy "Honey." The bouncing piano chords and semi-jazzy harmonies evoke a sense of 1930s Americana, and while that feeling has mostly waned by the album's second half, it gives the album enough momentum to sustain the weaker moments on Side B. Most of those limitations show up in the songs helmed by guitarist Robert Morris, whose vocals are certainly competent -- particularly when flanked by the harmonies of his three bandmates, all of whom sing -- but can't claim to be as unique or as endearing as Salpeter's throaty alto. The songwriting duties on Goodbye Blues were split, a result of the group's short-lived decision to disband, and Morris' contributions can't quite rival those of his bandmate. With a breakup looming on the horizon in 2006, Morris and Salpeter scrambled to write their own songs, intending to use that material to launch their respective solo careers. The Hush Sound ultimately stayed together, however, and those solo tunes became the building blocks of their third album. So while Goodbye Blues is one of the most mature releases in recent Ramen history, it's not altogether cohesive, with Morris' songs all but banishing Salpeter's piano in favor of guitar-based progressions (and, by extension, banishing the one thing that helps the band truly stand out). But when the bandmates are on -- when Greta Salpeter leads her boys through the sexy stomp of "The Boys Are Too Refined" and the poppy big band strains of "Medicine Man" -- they come across as the co-ed equivalent of Jack's Mannequin, which is worlds away from being the sibling band to Straylight Run.
A bunch of people liked Like Vines, so I thought it only appropriate to post their new album, which just came out this week.

Download

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.
NovaX
๏o๏o๏o๏


Member 603

Level 25.61

Mar 2006


Old Mar 24, 2008, 08:01 AM Local time: Mar 24, 2008, 11:31 PM #116 of 201
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Label: Mute
Released: 2008
Genre: Post-Punk/Garage




Track Listing
1. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
2. Today's Lesson
3. Moonland
4. Night of the Lotus Eaters
5. Albert Goes West
6. We Call Upon the Author
7. Hold on to Yourself
8. Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl)
9. Jesus of the Moon
10. Midnight Man
11. More News from Nowhere

REVIEW
Spoiler:
It seems almost inconceivable to think that after 24 years and 14 albums, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds are still going strong, remarkably intoxicating, immensely persuasive and fundamentally valid. ‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!’ is not only testament to that but to the 50 year old front-man famed not only for The Bad Seeds, but also The Birthday Party and several notable collaborations. For those with no time or inclination for the seminal antipodean, his music will remain dark, brooding and mysterious; those who know better will see it as all of the above coupled with an intense and insightful energy. In his own words it’s “A haemorrhaging of words and ideas”.

First to bear the albums cross is the title track; Cave has described Lazarus as being the best escape artist to walk the earth “He was the second greatest escapologist, Harry (Houdini) was, Lazarus, of course, being the greatest”. Affectionately referred to as Larry, the biblical death cheat has relocated from New Testament Bethany to 21st Century America, and travels through New York, San Francisco and LA, only to realise that the modern day detritus that surrounds him is too much and that he’s better off where he was. As Cave sermonizes like a rabid preacher, his wisdom is backed up with the refrain “Dig yourself, Lazarus dig yourself back in that hole”. ‘Today’s Lesson’ follows on where the opener left off while ‘Moonland’ and ‘Night Of The Lotus Eaters’ employ varying degrees of sinister menace, compounding cold sexual temptation and squalid loneliness with isolated industrial sparseness and hypnotically evocative atmospherics; undoubtedly tracks to shiver along with and turn your collar up to, but not turn away from.

Up to now the album is devastatingly compelling and then The Bad Seeds harvest a purple patch of standout tracks. The up beat garage rock and low rent backing vocals of ‘Albert Goes West’; fast paced, heavily rampaging narrative of ‘We Call Upon The Author’ and the subtle abrasive orchestration of ‘Hold On To Yourself’ which is pitched against a stunning acoustic guitar amidst an arid modern day wild-west landscape, form a stunning clutch of tracks. If that wasn’t enough to get excited about, ‘Lie Down Here’ is and conveys an authoritative urgency that with the help of a well placed piano, unconsciously acquires unstoppable momentum.

At this point it’s painfully obvious that Cave’s music isn’t throwaway in any sense but a complete yet never-ending journey, where you ultimately decide if and when to get off; to say that these songs are emotionally infectious is an understatement. This is again underlined through the ballad ‘Jesus Of The Moon’ and ‘Midnight Man’ which drags you, the listener, face to face with Cave’s conversational outpourings, building and changing with enviable ease. The album closes on ‘More News From Nowhere’; concentrated with a dream drug fuzz, the evocative imagery that has featured throughout is once again highlighted. The track might last seven minutes but isn’t drawn out and allows you to sit back, tentatively relax and appreciate the album in its entirety.

Cave uses his vocal as an instrument, to full effect, emphasising his lyrical density and combining the fervent styling’s of Bobby Gillespie with the appeal of the Doors and the form of The Modern Lovers, ‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!’ creates an emotionally expansive, irresistibly abstract hybrid of rock, country and post punk, illustrating Cave’s fascination with religion, death, violence and Americana… its a staggering combination and a staggering album.

DOWNLOAD LINK

================================================== ===============
The Mess Hall - Devil's Elbow
Label: Ivy League Records
Released: 2007
Genre: Rock/Blues




Track Listing
1. Keep Walking
2. Pulse
3. City Of Roses
4. Load Left
5. Lorelei
6. Cookie
7. Part 1
8. Betty
9. Buddy
10. Be Not A Man

REVIEW
Spoiler:
The Mess Hall return with a second album ‘Devil’s Elbow’ which was produced by Gerling’s Burke Reid. For the unitiated The Mess Hall is a noisy little Sydney based two piece consisting of Jed Curzel on guitar/vocals and Cec Condon on drums.

The album was made over a fairly harrowing time for Kurzel whose father passed away, his aunty committed suicide and his dog also died. Whilst this is very tragic, I have always believed that artists work best in hard times and this spills out onto Devil’s Elbow.

The thing that stands out on Devil’s Elbow is how much depth, diversity and maturity there is in the songwriting here. Previously The Mess Hall were in danger of becoming a one trick pony with only one sound – a stomping swampy blues rock, which was great but it was a sound that might have turned stale should they have revisited it for another full length release.

Devil’s Elbow opens with a corker of a track ‘Keep Walking’, with heavy riffing more akin to stoner rock than the swampy blues most would remember The Mess Hall for. ‘City of Roses’ is the closest this album gets to their roots with its rawkus riffs, punchy drums and wailing vocals. They wander into quieter alt-country territory with ‘Load Left’, ‘Lorelei’ and ‘Betty’. One of the standouts of this release is ‘Cookie’, a song that creeps along with a repetitive groove and soft vocals before launching into an aural explosion that will no doubt become a live favourite. The album ends with another surprise, a ballad titled ‘Be Not A Man’ that has an Irish sing-along feel to it when it kicks in.

Devil’s Elbow may disappoint fans expecting another full throttle blues rock assault but those willing to give it a chance will be rewarded with an album of far more depth than anyone could have expected from The Mess Hall.

DOWNLOAD LINK

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?
el jacko
nobody knows


Member 838

Level 18.30

Mar 2006


Old Mar 24, 2008, 10:26 PM Local time: Mar 25, 2008, 12:26 PM #117 of 201
Bruce Cockburn - Stealing Fire
1984 :: Columbia :: Rock



1. Lovers in a Dangerous Time
2. Maybe the Poet
3. Sahara Gold
4. Making Contact
5. Peggy's Kitchen Wall
6. To Raise the Morning Star
7. Nicaragua
8. If I Had a Rocket Launcher
9. Dust and Diesel

Download Here

There's something very '80s about this album, that for me, works really nicely. He's put a lot of energy into the album, and you can feel it. The track "If I had a Rocket Launcher" is probably one of the best songs I've heard in a long time.

AMG:
After visiting Central America, Bruce Cockburn recorded Stealing Fire, part of which passionately and eloquently details what he'd seen while in Nicaragua and Guatemala. With the opening track, the terse rocker "Lovers in a Dangerous Time," Cockburn conveys both a sense of urgency and uncertainty. There's a brief calm as the second half begins, before a triad of songs written about his time spent in Central America brings the record to a sober conclusion. These three tunes, which, like the majority of the album, sport a tight, worldbeat, folk and rock flavor, are the true highlights of Stealing Fire, and Cockburn at his very best. The first, "Nicaragua," is part observation, part commentary, and part tribute to the Sandinista-led revolution in that country. "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" follows, and is arguably Cockburn's most powerful merging of personal and political feelings. Written after witnessing Guatemalan refugees being chased across the border by gun-wielding helicopters, "Rocket Launcher" evokes not only the pain and suffering of the people, but the conflict between Cockburn's pacifist leanings, and the vengeful anger and hatred incited by such a horrific sight. The Nicaraguan, road-inspired "Dust and Diesel" closes the record with a portrait of a country whose daily contrast of beauty and violence is summed up by the images of people who are proud, hopeful, passionate, afraid, and tired. Stealing Fire, despite a few less than compelling tracks, is the work of an artist at his peak. It also contains some of the most intensely significant material by a singer/songwriter in the 1980s.

I was speaking idiomatically.
NovaX
๏o๏o๏o๏


Member 603

Level 25.61

Mar 2006


Old Mar 25, 2008, 02:42 AM Local time: Mar 25, 2008, 06:12 PM #118 of 201
I was asked to upload this, so I figure I'd drop it here too for good measure.

The Mess Hall - Notes From A Ceiling
Label: Shock Records
Released: 2005
Genre: Rock/Blues




Track Listing
1. Diddley
2. Pills
3. Call It Black
4. Disco 1
5. Skyline
6. Shaky Ground
7. Metal And Hair
8. Disco 2
9. Holes
10. Red Eyes And Sunshine

REVIEW (sorta)
Spoiler:
According to The Mess Hall’s singer songwriter Jed Kurzel, his only recollection of recording their forth coming album is that drummer Cec Condon nearly set fire to the studio whilst barbecuing, and that whilst suffering a bout of vertigo, the attending doctor was more interested in whether the band were touring on the next Big Day Out than curing his ailment.

Regardless, the band emerged from their Byron Bay hide away with no visible burns and a record – “Notes From A Ceiling”, one of the more hotly anticipated Australian albums to be released in 2005..

‘We approached the recording of this album as honestly as we could, and hope that the final results reflect that when people listen to it. It may surprise people that this is a Mess Hall record, which is what we wanted to do.” – Jed Kurzel

There is always going to be a certain amount of expectation for a band’s first album, especially when the band has so teasingly drawn out their EP releases and toured so relentlessly. “There’s always that doubt when you finish a record”, Condon admits.

Condon adds, “It’s a very raw record”. Rather than modifying the gritty, rough-aroundthe-edges blues sound characteristic of the band, Condon explains that the new album exploits the style further. He describes Notes From A Ceiling as more suited to the “patient Mess Hall fan” as opposed to radio fodder.

Now free from the generalisations of the two-piece band craze, Condon feels confident that the new album will further put these myths to rest.

“Definitely, I think the album should stop [the comparisons]. It doesn’t sound like any typical two piece album. It’s a lot different. And we’re all different bands [anyway].”

DOWNLOAD LINK

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?
i am good at jokes
LUCKY!!!


Member 25652

Level 30.58

Oct 2007


Old Mar 31, 2008, 09:20 PM Local time: Mar 31, 2008, 10:20 PM #119 of 201
Robert Fripp & The League of Crafty Guitarists - Show of Hands

Label: Plan 9/Caroline
Year: 1991
Genre: Minimalist/Progressive Rock




Track List
1. Listen
2. Eye of the Needle
3. Askesis
4. Bicycling to Afghanistan
5. Here Comes My Sweetie
6. Easy Way
7. Scaling the Whales
8. Moving Force
9. Connecticut Yankee in the Court of King Arthur
10. This Yes
11. Are You Abel? (Ready and Able to Rock & Roll)
12. Spasm for Juanita
13. Hard Times
14. Burning Siesta
15. Empty Magazine
16. Circulation
17. Chiara
18. Asturias
19. Ease God's Sorrow

A really cool album I felt some here might enjoy, masterminded by King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp. It is quite reminiscent of King Crimson's Discipline album. It is a very introspective yet intense record, so if your up for that, give it a listen. My personal favorite track was Connecticut Yankee in the Court of King Arthur probably because it was one of the wackiest tunes on the album, along with Spasm for Juanita.

A word to the wise: if you don't like accoustic guitars, stay away from this album. To all others, enjoy!



And for those who like a longer review, here's one I found that described the album a bit more in detail:

Spoiler:
Guitar wizard Robert Fripp joins forces with some of the finest six-string pickers around, offering up a truly intricate variety of music on Show of Hands. With 17 guitarists contributing to 19 tracks, the likes of Trey Gunn, Paul Richards, and Curt Golden (just to name a few) decorate the album with elaborate string arrangements that range from avant-garde to classical in nature. Anyone who is a guitar enthusiast will be astonished at how tight Fripp comes across with his unique style. From time to time, vocalist Patricia Leavitt displays her beautiful falsetto voice a cappella for a fresh change of pace. The music is shaped, bent, and twisted with guitar atop guitar to culminate thick layers of movements, suites, and passages. Some of the songs have a Latin flavor to them, some African, and some are just plain bewildering, representing a progressive rock angle. While no two songs sound the same, the onslaught of guitars may be a bit too much for some. Listening to each track as a whole results in some stunning mood music, and the pleasant addition of a viola and textured keyboards adds to the beauty.

- Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide




Download Link

How ya doing, buddy?

Juggle dammit

Last edited by i am good at jokes; Apr 1, 2008 at 06:11 PM.
Ballpark Frank
Regressing Since 1988


Member 3605

Level 25.37

Mar 2006


Old Apr 6, 2008, 06:49 PM #120 of 201
Black Lips - Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo
Label: Vice Records
Released: 2007
Genre: Rock




Track Listing
1. M.I.A.
2. Boomerang
3. Sea Of Blasphemy
4. Stranger
5. Not A Problem
6. Hippie, Hippie, Hoorah
7. Boone
8. Everybody's Doing It
9. Fairy Stories
10. Dirty Hands
11. Buried Alive
12. Juvenile

Simply put, they rock.

Review:
Atlanta rockabilly punks the Black Lips are one of the best live bands in America, a fact they prove on their debut for Vice Records, Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo. This twelve-song sonic apocalypse -- recorded live, as the story goes, at a mariachi club in Tijuana -- serves as an excellent introduction to these debauched rockers, who already have three albums out on various small labels. Tracks like "Dirty Hands" and "Stranger," with their elegantly layered vocal harmonies and deranged sock-hop vibe, showcase the Black Lips' classic pop sensibility. Rougher, messier inclusions like the terrifically catchy "Boomerang" and the frenetic, naughty "Fairy Stories" (on which the band members collectively coo, "My daddy has a gun/It's not a toy but it's loads of fun") remind listeners that the Black Lips are one disturbed collection of twenty-two-year-old dudes. Unlike an actual Black Lips show, Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo won't leave you covered in any bodily fluids, but otherwise it's just as good.

ELIZABETH GOODMAN
(Posted: Feb 20, 2007)


DOWNLOAD LINK

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Last edited by Ballpark Frank; Apr 6, 2008 at 06:50 PM. Reason: :frankgonk:
Cataclysm
A One and a Two


Member 794

Level 16.35

Mar 2006


Old Apr 10, 2008, 09:29 PM #121 of 201
Miriam Makeba - Africa
Label: Jive/Novus
Released: 1991, recorded 1965
Genre: World, African Folk




Track List

1. Mbube
2. Nomeva
3. Olilili
4. Suliram
5. The Retreat Song
6. The Click Song
7. Saduva
8. Iya Guduza
9. Lakutshn Ilanga
10. Umhome
11. Amampondo
12. Dubula
13. Kwendini
14. Umhome
15. Pole Mze
16. Le Flueve
17. Qhude
18. Mayibuye
19. Maduna
20. Kilimanjaro
21. Kwazulu, In Th Land Of Zulus
22. Nongqongqo, To Those We Love
23. Khawuleza, Hurry Mama Hurry!
24. Ndodemnyama

Review:
This collection features recordings made by Mariam Makeba from 1960 to 1965 in the USA. These recordings were responsible for the introduction of South African music to a larger international audience. Makeba's amazing personality shines through all of these songs, affirming her position as the queen of South Africa music. Later Makeba married one of the leaders of the Black Panthers, which caused the Authorities to deport her to Europe. Previous reviews mentioned "the retreat song" and "the click song" as outstanding. I love these songs but for me the second part of the CD (songs 12-24) is even more spectacular. A song of praise for Kenyan leader Jomo Kenyatta ("Pole Mze"), a song of love to the leading quatert of South African revolution - Subukwe, Lutuli, Mandela and Sisulu ("Nogqongqo" from 1965) and the everlasting "Kwazulu". Makeba delivers these with the utmost love that radiates straight into the heart. Through these songs I started to love South African music.

review from amazon


download delicious sauce




Värttinä - Ilmatar
Label: NorthSide
Released: 2001
Genre: World, Finnish Folk




Track List

1. Itkin
2. Kappee
3. Laiska
4. Liiqua
5. Milja
6. Aijo
7. Kivutar
8. Linnunmieli
9. Lieto Listen
10. Sanat
11. Meri

Review:
Following the demise of Wicklow Records in 2000, it looked for a while as if this album would never see the light of day in the U.S. But Northside stepped in, a very apt home as it is a label that specializes in Nordic music, and it's well worth the wait. Stripped-down, lean, and mean, Värttinä have come up with a concept album of sorts, dedicated to the sun goddess of Finnish myth. Their trademark runo songs have largely given way to original compositions, although they're not afraid to delve back into the tradition when necessary, updating it with electronic touches and bits of studio wizardry. Given its subject matter, it's not too surprising that it's an album of magic -- even down to the spell incantation on "Aijo," while the keening voices and harmonies of the four singers tear through the air like lovely witches. Musically they stick very much to acoustic instruments (as they have in the past), without creating a backdrop that feels like folk music -- long-time fiddler Kari Reiman and the rest of the crew are simply too good for that. The arrangements they create are complex, but with ample space for the voices that are the band's hallmark. Earthy and airy, Värttinä are a perfect mix of the elements. Producer Hughes de Courson coaxes more from them than others have managed in the studio, pushing them out of the comfort zone they appeared to have established, and, in doing so, giving them a path for the future. Their 1998 release, Vihma, had seemed a good step forward after a period of treading water and going pop. In comparison, the energy, melodies, and singing are a quantum leap. Their very best to date.

review from AMG


download delicious sauce


Hay guys, hope you enjoy these.

How ya doing, buddy?
knkwzrd
you know i'm ready to party because my pants have a picture of ice cream cake on them


Member 482

Level 45.24

Mar 2006


Old Apr 11, 2008, 05:06 PM Local time: Apr 11, 2008, 04:06 PM 2 #122 of 201
Amoebic Ensemble - Limbic Rage
Year: 1995
Label: Stupeur Et Trompette
Genre: accordion based experimental rock




Tracks:
1. Chapter 11
2. Birdfight
3. Limbic Rage
4. The Circus Has Been Cancelled
5. Tango
6. Gimme ABuck Or I'll Touch You
7. Boilermaker
8. Repetitive Motion Sickness
9. Three-Ring Bathtub
10. What I Did Last Summer
11. Scratch
12. Owls Are Actually Very Stupid
13. Tertullian Dance
14. Mayday In The Tunnel
15. Waxing Neuralgic

Review:
Providence, Rhode Island's instrumental Amoebic Ensemble is a peculiar beast — a huge group (usually eight people) playing mostly acoustic instruments (except for electric violin and mandolin) and assorted metal detritus to create something of a bizarre old-time Weimar clinkety-clonk. Accordionist and main songwriter Alec K. Redfearn is one of the greatest song-titlers alive (Limbic Rage offers, among others, "Owls Are Actually Very Stupid," "Waxing Neuralgic" and "Gimme a Buck or I'll Touch You"), and his themes are pretty great, too: "Repetitive Motion Sickness" is a twisted Brecht-Weill-ish tango for people with an unusual number of feet. Instrumentally, on "Boilermaker," Redfearn's accordion parts knit neatly with Laura Gulley's violin lines.

Excellent accordion oriented avant-prog band ,blending naiveness behind complex structured compositions . Chamber rock music mixed with plink plonky circus sounds and an excellent accordion on the background!


Get It


Ewan MacColl & A.L. Lloyd - Blow Boys, Blow
Year: 1960
Label: Tradition
Genre: Folk




Tracks:
1. Row Bullies Row
2. Paddy Doyle
3. Wild Goose Shanty
4. While Cruising Around Yarmouth
5. Old Billy Riley Listen
6. Handsome Cabin Boy
7. South Australia
8. Blow Boys Blow
9. Whup! Jamboree
10. Banks of Newfoundland
11. Whiskey Johnny
12. Do Me Ama
13. Jack Tar
14. Paddy West
15. Haul on the Bowline
16. Hundred Years Ago

Review:
A phenomenal collection of sea shanties and sailing songs performed by two of Great Britain's most outstanding musicologists. MacColl recorded a great deal during his career, which is fortunate, though he might well be best remembered by some for writing "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Lloyd performed a great deal and was highly regarded for his research and his attention to old, almost-lost songs, but his recordings are sadly few in number, and mostly unavailable -- there are a few songs on CD via a Riverside reissue, a cut on a Rhino compilation, and this Tradition reissue. Some of the songs included in this recording are familiar; "The Handsome Cabin Boy" has been recorded many a time, with notable performances including one by Kate Bush. Many songs are less familiar, however, and are quite deserving of attention. MacColl and Lloyd's performances have enthusiasm and vigor, and are given able support from a small ensemble. The CD reissue has been cleaned up nicely, with no obvious artifacts or loss of musical quality. If you can find it, Blow Boys Blow is a worthy album to have in hand.


Captain Beefheart said this was his favorite album of all time. That warrants it an initial listen in my mind.

Get It


Mississippi Fred McDowell - I Do Not Play No Rock 'N' Roll
Year: 1969
Label: Capitol
Genre: Blues




Tracks:
1. Baby Please Don't Go
2. Good Morning Little School Girl
3. Kokomo Me Baby
4. That's All Right Baby
5. Red Cross Store
6. Everybody's Down On Me
7. 61 Highway
8. Glory Hallelujah
9. Jesus Is On The Mainline
10. My Baby She Gonna Jump And Shout
11. Long Line Skinner
12. You Got To Move
13. The Train I Ride
14. You Ain't Gonna Worry My Life Anymore

Review:
By the time acoustic-blues master Mississippi Fred McDowell finally plugged in for the first time--something I Do Not Play No Rock 'N Roll captures--his songs were already a major part of the emerging blues-rock scene of the late 1960s. The slide-guitar genius was a Delta blues purist of the first degree who ignored all else, even while serving as a significant influence on a new generation of blues players. His influence endures and his music, in its original form, remains riveting. The best example is the timeless classic "You Got to Move", covered by the Rolling Stones in a surprisingly faithful rendition on 1971's Sticky Fingers and radically reconfigured by adventurous jazz diva Cassandra Wilson three decades later on Belly of the Sun. Both versions are excellent, but McDowell's original, saturated with searing sincerity and electrifying licks, is better. In similar style McDowell demonstrates the inspiration behind "Kokomo Me Baby" (popularised by his protegé Bonnie Raitt), "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and "Baby Please Don't Go", all core material of the modern blues-rock repertoire. All have since been done in different styles, but none have been done better. If you're looking for the real roots of modern blues and you haven't explored McDowell's ragged but righteous creations, you need to immediately redefine your search and hear his inspirational source music firsthand.


tl;dr version: The tone McDowell pulls out of his guitar on this record is amazing. It's the best blues-guitar I've ever heard.

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Natural Snow Buildings - Slayer Of The King Of Hell
Year: 2008
Label: Digitalis Ltd.
Genre: Folk/Drone/Experimental




Tracks:
1. Four Armed Protector
2. I, Slayer Of The King Of Hell
3. Broken Sword

Record Label Press Release:
the fall of civilization never sounded so sweet to these ears, but french duo natural snow buildings have soundtracked the end days in a way that has me crossing my fingers and hoping for the worst. "slayer of the king of hell" is epic in every way. these 90 minutes are filled to the fucken gills, with steam sneaking out through the cracks of this pressure cooker. it's dense, and at times beautiful. but it's always cohesive and cathartic and pushed to the limit.

natural snow buildings seem mythic in their approach and their output. they exist on an island in rural france, seemingly basking in the glow of a world of music and art. but "slayer of the king of hell" is down and dirty, as real as it gets. this is the best kind of sucker punch, straight to the gut. limited to 95 total copies


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Farmers Market - Surfin' USSR
Year: 2008
Label: Ipecac
Genre: bizarre bulgarian folk music




Tracks:
1 Surfin' USSR
2 Surfin' USSR Part 2 (Top Marx From the Serf Board)
3 Lodtschitze Mini Maritza (Ferry Cross the Mersey)
4 Anyone Who Remembers Vladiwoodstock Wasn't There
5 Dissident Harmony Sisters Camel Call
6 To Hell and Baku
7 Traktor Tracks Across the Tundra
8 From Prussia With Love
9 Red Square Dance
10 The Dismantling of the Soviet Onion Made Us Cry...
11 Kalashnikov Wedding
12 Steroid Train
13 Meanwhile Back at the Agricultural Workers Collective
14 Ladyboy's Night At The Cultural Relativism Saloon
15 One Day, Son, All I Own Will Still Belong to the State
16 Yagoda

Review:
The music of Farmers Market is a mixture of Bulgarian folk music, jazz standards, popular music and humor. Farmers Market has become one of Norway's most popular live bands, playing at all kinds of venues and festivals: jazz, folk and rock. Farmers Market has been releasing music in Norway sporadically over the past decade but their releases have been generally hard to find on U.S. shores. Those who have been lucky enough to hear the outfit have been instantly won over by the unbelievable musicianship and oddball mixture of styles. The groups last release came in 2000 and according to the band the title was never release, a secret amongst them and the label. Jazziz said of the outfit and the secretly-titled release, Balkan-jazz crossover may be well-established by now, especially on this side of the Atlantic. But seemingly from out of nowhere comes the Norwegian/Bulgarian quintet Farmers Market with a self-titled album that kicks the burgeoning genre sideways a notch or three.


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Groundhogs - Thank Christ For The Bomb
Year: 1970
Label: BGO
Genre: Rock




Tracks:
1. Strange Town
2. Darkness Is No Friend
3. Soldier
4. Thank Christ for the Bomb
5. Ship on the Ocean
6. Garden
7. Status People
8. Rich Man, Poor Man
9. Eccentric Man
10. Garden [BBC Radio I Session]
11. Eccentric Man [BBC Radio I Session]
12. Soldier [BBC in Concert]

Review:
Thank Christ for the Bomb was the first Groundhogs album to indicate that the group had a lifespan longer than the already-fading British blues boom suggested. It was also the first in the sequence of semi-conceptual masterpieces that the group cut following their decision to abandon the mellow blues of their earlier works and pursue the socially aware, prog-inflected bent that culminated with 1972's seminal Who Will Save the World? album. They were rewarded with their first ever Top Ten hit and purchasers were rewarded with an album that still packs a visceral punch in and around Tony McPhee's dark, doom-laden lyrics. With the exception of the truly magisterial title track, the nine tracks err on the side of brevity. Only one song, the semi-acoustic "Garden," strays over the five-minute mark, while four more barely touch three-and-one-half minutes. Yet the overall sense of the album is almost bulldozing, and it is surely no coincidence that, engineering alongside McPhee's self-production, Martin Birch came to the Groundhogs fresh from Deep Purple in Rock and wore that experience firmly on his sleeve. Volume and dynamics aside, there are few points of comparison between the two albums -- if the Groundhogs have any direct kin, it would have to be either the similarly three-piece Budgie or a better-organized Edgar Broughton Band. But, just as Deep Purple was advancing the cause of heavy rock by proving that you didn't need to be heavy all the time, so Thank Christ for the Bomb shifts between light and dark, introspection and outspokenness, loud and, well, louder. Even the acoustic guitars can make your ears bleed when they feel like it and, although the anti-war sentiments of "Thank Christ for the Bomb" seem an over-wordy echo of Purple's similarly themed "Child in Time," it is no less effective for it. Elements of Thank Christ for the Bomb do seem overdone today, not the least of which is the title track's opening recitation (a history of 20th century war, would you believe?). But it still has the ability to chill, thrill, and kill any doubts that such long-windiness might evoke, while the truths that were evident to McPhee in 1970 aren't too far from reality today.


Get It

There's nowhere I can't reach.
NovaX
๏o๏o๏o๏


Member 603

Level 25.61

Mar 2006


Old Apr 13, 2008, 10:36 AM Local time: Apr 14, 2008, 02:06 AM 1 #123 of 201
Angus & Julia Stone - A Book Like This
Label: EMI
Released: 2007
Genre: Acoustic/Folk




Track Listing
1. The Beast
2. Here We Go Again
3. Wasted
4. Just a Boy
5. Bella
6. Hollywood
7. A Book Like This
8. Silver Coin
9. Stranger
10. Soldier
11. Jewels and Gold
12. Another Day
13. Horse and Cart

REVIEW
Spoiler:
‘A Book Like This’ should be an early contender for album of the year based purely on the instantly loveable, child-like innocence of the way in which it is packaged (the CD/DVD version anyway). It is itself a hardback book, the lyrics glued and sewn to the spine like an 8-year-old’s bedtime storybook complete with illustrations and lyrics that give the impression that each copy was made by hand. Somehow it creates a tangible understanding of the love and affection that went into this record. It feels special, even if it is mass produced.

Better yet, the contents of this magical case, recorded in part in Fran Healy’s living room and also in their mother’s basement, are equally delightful.

In fact it’s beautiful, beautiful in the truest sense of the word. With each listen it becomes more utterly wonderful, more delightful, and more blissful. The way the two complement each other vocally is reminiscent of the quality of Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan’s work together on the Irishman’s landmark album ‘O’. Julia’s voice, fragile and painful but laced with an inherent joy, Angus’ prouder, filled with a larger confidence but still retaining some modesty and a control of delicacy that few possess.

Such is the quality of this record it is almost impossible to pick out highlights as trying to do so would almost certainly result in an often scribbled out and reconsidered list, eventually ending up with the title of pretty much every track being scrawled down on the paper.

‘The Beast’,’ Here We Go Again’, 'Wasted’, ‘Just A Boy’, ‘Hollywood’ and ‘Bella’, the first six tracks are all brilliant. Just as it begins to feel that a slight lull in form, albeit a lull from stunning to good, is approaching as title track ‘A Book Like This’ starts and builds to what hints at an explosive release (in as far as this scrumptiously laid back folk could ever be explosive) that never happens, the next number ‘A Silver Coin’ begins, and normal service is resumed over the remaining five songs.

The music relaxing, the harmonies uplifting, the vocals angelic and the lyrics intelligent and romantic; vague enough to be applicable to the listener, personal enough to feel significant information is being shared, be it deepest secrets, emotions or advice, and with enough narrative qualities to allow the listener to live the stories, it’s almost perfect.

Actually, sod that, it is.

DOWNLOAD LINK

================================================== ===============
The Fumes - Guns of Gold
Label: Inertia
Released: 2006
Genre: Blues/Alternative




Track Listing
1. Altanta Rising
2. Automobile
3. Run To The Mother
4. Grocery Store
5. Oh My Babylon
6. The Dogs
7. The Postman's Inn
8. Kingboy
9. Tell Ya Story Walking
10. Spaceload
11. Mystery Bell
12. Slippin'
13. Down River
14. Johnny The Lion Slayer

REVIEW
Spoiler:
LISTENING to the attack of this Australian drums-and-guitar duo, you start to think that maybe some trios might have one member too many. They cannily open the set with an understated, shuffling guitar and vocal-only blues, Atlanta Rising, that would do John Lee Hooker proud.

From there though, The Fumes seek to asphyxiate all around them with a relentless, muscular contribution to the rocking blues genre that continues to gain aficionados. Automobile and Run to the Mother are delivered at blistering speed, raising concerns that all that follows might be a deathless onslaught of distorted slide guitar and heavy blues. However, there are enough shades of blue throughout the remainder to prevent this twosome being cast as a one-trick wonder. They also play mighty tightly.

The challenge for The Fumes from here of course is to continue making driving, engaging music as a duo. If they can manage that, they'll deserve significant praise. Being a two-piece hasn't stopped an act such as The White Stripes from consistently making an impression and headlines, and The Fumes are well on track to do likewise.

DOWNLOAD LINK

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.
Wall Feces
Holy Cow! What Happened!


Member 493

Level 46.34

Mar 2006


Old Apr 14, 2008, 11:48 PM #124 of 201
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Label: Atlantic
Release: 2007
Genre: Post Rock/Progressive Rock




Track Listing:

1. Fear of a Blank Planet
2. My Ashes
3. Anesthetize
4. Sentimental
5. Way Out of Here
6. Sleep Together

This is one of my all time favorite albums. Porcupine Tree came back in 2007 with a triumphant return to form in Fear of a Blank Planet. The content of this album focuses on our growing dependence on TV, video games, and mood-enhancing drugs to stay happy. It's a haunting, chilling, and sometimes challenging listen. It paints a bleak picture of the world, but its emotional melodies are as endearing as anything you've ever heard.

The highlights of this album are the 17-minute monster Anesthetize, and the somber Sentimental that follows it directly. But honestly, there is no bad song on this album. Everything is as good as it gets. This is one album you don't want to miss.

DOWNLOAD HERE

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?
nabhan
Good Chocobo


Member 679

Level 17.09

Mar 2006


Old Apr 15, 2008, 11:15 PM Local time: Apr 16, 2008, 12:15 AM 2 #125 of 201
Transplanted from my journal

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Year: 1991
Label: Sire
Genre: Shoegaze


review:

One of the greatest albums I've ever heard. Definitely defines the "shoegaze" genre and has influenced a lot of modern music. One of the few albums I own a physical copy of. For all the weaboo's / film junkies out there, half the Lost in Translation score was done by Kevin Shields, who is the frontman of the group. He hasn't released much material since Loveless since he never felt he could release something that would match the perfection of this album. Highly, highly recommended.


Tracklist
1. Only Shallow
2. Loomer
3. Touched
4. To Here Knows When
5. When You Sleep
6. I Only Said
7. Come in ALone
8. Sometimes
9. Blown a Wish
10. What You Want
11. Soon

download

M83 - Saturdays = Youth
Year: 2008
Label: Mute Records
Genre: Shoegazing / Pop / Electronic


review:
Originally Posted by pitchfork
Saturdays=Youth-- the new album from French musician M83 (aka Anthony Gonzalez)-- opens with a stately piano phrase. Synths gradually overtake the piano and Gonzalez sings concise lyrics in falsetto-- "It's your face/ Where are we?/ Save me"-- amid billowing harmonies. It's the sort of big, beatless slow-burn he often uses to dramatize an impending pivot, a moment when the percussion gallops in and the song takes off for the stratosphere. But on this track, "You, Appearing", that pivot never arrives. Instead, the music tapers off into the booming overture of "Kim & Jessie".
Saturdays=Youth is still huge music, with three players in addition to Gonzalez-- but it has a different kind of heft from previous M83 records. On Before the Dawn Heals Us, M83 was all about the vertical push-- layer after layer of synths and drums piled up in a vertiginous tower. But these new songs disperse in all directions: Producers Ewan Pearson and Ken Thomas spread the melodies and beats into a sound world of uncommon vibrancy and pristine clarity, mounted on a massive yet now more proportionate scale.

Not only does the music move differently, it offers a different take on M83's favorite decade, the 1980s. Where previous albums saluted the doomed grandeur of the Cure and the retro-futurism of Blade Runner, Saturdays=Youth pays homage to Cocteau Twins (whom Thomas has also produced) and the teen dramas of filmmaker John Hughes. It's dense with new wave tropes: the chrome-plated guitars and aqueous keyboards on "Kim & Jessie", the decadent synthetic toms on the otherwise cloudy "Skin of the Night", the funk guitars and shivering cymbals of the masterful "Couleurs". Many modern bands have appropriated these iconic touchstones with a wink, a revision, or both. M83's reverent take is less common, bringing to mind Lansing-Dreiden's underappreciated 80s throwback The Dividing Island.

The album has the same nostalgic sparkle as Hughes' films, a soft-focused mythology of eternal summers and young love. In the liner notes, Gonzalez dedicates it to "all the friends, music, movies, joints, and crazy teachers that made my teenage years so great!" At 26, Gonzalez is just the right age to look back on this era with rose-tinted glasses, forgetting the alienation and anxiety, remembering only the sweetness. Whenever the darker side of teenhood rears its head, it's heroically battled back: On the shoegaze-thick "Dark Moves of Love", "everything is wrecked and grey," but the song ends on a poignant note: "I will fight the time and bring you back!" On the album's cover, heartbreakingly radiant youths (one of them a dead ringer for Molly Ringwald) strike poses in a gold and russet pasture-- the same kind of beautiful misfits that Hughes arranged in after-school detention. In lyrics filled with lusty eruptions ("They are Gods! They are lightning!"), archetypal teens invent themselves with innocent fervor: A love-struck young couple in "Kim & Jessie"; a goth with a crown of black roses and a heart of bubblegum in "Graveyard Girl".

In the context of teen drama, how perfect is it that Gonzalez met Morgan Kibby, whose dovelike vocals enrich "Skin of the Night" and "Up!", on MySpace? In the context of a band whose music is both literally and metaphorically cinematic, how perfect is it that Kibby has done voiceover work on the trailers for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water? These symmetries make Saturdays=Youth feel like an unaccountably alive, complete album. While some fans might be disappointed by the lack of a "Don't Save Us From the Flames"-style anthem, the change in M83's sound arrives just as Gonzalez has pushed the maximal thing to its limits and risks diminishing returns. On its first two studio albums, M83 did one thing very, very well: create compact doses of tension and adrenaline. Saturdays=Youth meaningfully diversifies M83's catalog while retaining Gonzalez's indelible fingerprint. Like his recent ambient foray, Digital Shades Vol. 1, it finds a guy who's known for painting gigantic horizons figuring out how to broaden them even more.

-Brian Howe, April 15, 2008


Basically an 80's inspired electronic album that has some great ambient tracks and awesome pop songs. I love it.

Tracklist
1. You Appearing
2. Kim & Jessie
3. Skin of the Night
4. Graveyard Girl
5. Couleurs
6. Up!
7. We Own the Sky
8. Highway of Endless Dreams
9. Too Late
10. Dark Moves of Love
11. Midnight Souls Still Remain
download


Ruby Suns - Sea Lion (2008)
Year: 2008
Label: Lil Chief Records
Genre: indie


review:
Originally Posted by pitchfork
The cover art for the Ruby Suns' sophomore disc, Sea Lion, is a fitting allegory for head Sun Ryan McPhun: A boy on an island takes pains to try to costume himself, tangling himself in lights and string, and wearing a feather in his hair and a crown on his head. McPhun's work as the Ruby Suns functions in much the same way: Stationed on New Zealand's North Island, the California native dresses his work in global music, nibbling at the edges of unfamiliar sounds but, ultimately, skillfully creating sunny psych-pop.

The result is an album of environments, both natural and imagined, hinted at by the cover art's pastel Candyland, the collage of African wildlife on the CD insert, and McPhun's tributes to his home state's Mojave desert and Joshua Trees ("Oh, Mojave"). The album's title refers to the colony of animals that sun in the ocean off of California's Highway 1, and on "There Are Birds", co-vocalist Amee Robinson pines for a world where "there are birds and it is calm." A host of animal references doesn't equate to an environmentally conscious album, but Sea Lion takes to heart quaint state park signage: take only pictures, leave only footprints. The Ruby Suns visit the world via an array of global signifiers-- pinging conga drums, field recordings of animals, slight, sunny harmonies-- but as they do, the band sounds genuinely curious and respectfully adoptive rather than calculating or opportunistic.

Sea Lion, therefore, has a fair amount of clutter-- expect comparisons to musically busy peers like Panda Bear or the Russian Futurists, and to the jumbled orchestral experimentation of Olivia Tremor Control-- but the album's building blocks ooze with a homespun grace. Opener "Blue Penguin" rubs the sleep out of its eyes before grinding a dirty acoustic guitar into overdriven tape. The tender horns on "Remember" are reminiscent of the gentle indie rock of Beulah before introducing a coda of warm, looped sighing. "Adventure Tour"'s high-pitched, descending choruses recall Avey Tare. "Tane Mahuta", sung in indigenous Maori, provides the sole link to McPhun's adopted home, but the song's furious strumming and dewy harmonies are straight from power- and African- (think Tabu Ley) pop.

Sea Lion likely will be pegged a great guitar-pop album, but it's more sonically complex than that suggests. Intriguingly, some of its stylistic conceits-- the 4AD hum of "There Are Birds" or the New Order-via-Graceland second half of "Morning Sun"-- are found on both their most straightforward and best pop moments. Meanwhile, the unfortunately titled "It's Mwangi in Front of Me", and the even worse "Kenya Dig It?", provide the record its most abstract, collage-inspired moments. Sea Lion's one constant is its hard-charging positivity; even songs that begin with a slow drizzle ("Ole Rinka") or hesitant atmospherics ("Blue Penguin") end up as paeans to suns or birds or-- most traditionally-- love. Sea Lion's artwork, song titles, and McPhun's background all suggest something pan-global and yet the album shines brightest when it stays closest to its indie rock roots-- a reminder that despite their escapist charms, exploration and travel work best as an accent to the familiarity and comfort of home.
-Andrew Gaerig, March 07, 2008


I don't know how I'd describe this. Some African inspired tracks, some with muffled voices. It fits the modern definition of "indie" basically.

Tracklist
1. Blue Penguin
2. Oh, Mojave
3. Tane Mahuta
4. There are Birds
5. It's Mwangi in Front of Me
6. Remember
7. Ole Rinka
8. Adventure Tour
9. Kenya Dig It?
10. Morning Sun

download

Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant (2008)
Year: 2008
Label: Sub Pop
Genre: indie folkrock



review:
Originally Posted by pitchfork
The opening track on Fleet Foxes' debut EP is the perfect introduction to this Seattle band, whose carefully fashioned songs reward more active listening than your typical indie-roots outfit. "Sun Giant" begins with their soft harmonies reverberating in what sounds like a cathedral space. With no accompaniment, their sustained a cappella notes fade slowly, adding gravity to this hymn of contentment: "What a life I lead in the summer/ What a life I lead in the spring." The only other instrument is Skyler Skjelset's mandolin, which enters late in the song playing a delicate theme as singer Robin Pecknold hums quietly.

The Sun Giant EP-- sold on tour and digitally through Sub Pop, with a proper release forthcoming-- contains familiar sounds, but Fleet Foxes make something new and special with them, following their own musical whims as closely as they follow tradition. (Maybe more closely.) These five songs-- modest but never spare, atmospheric but never as an end in itself-- change shape constantly, taking in elements of classic rock, church music, old-timey folk, and soundtrack flourishes. Already mistaken for Southern rock (there's not enough boogie in Nicholas Peterson's drums for that), Fleet Foxes will bear repeated comparisons, both praising and disparaging, to groups like My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses, but those connections are based on superficial similarities like geography or the heavy use of reverb. In fact, Fleet Foxes' touchstones are much more diverse than that-- and not necessarily so contemporary. Until recently, their MySpace page listed Judee Sill, Crosby Stills & Nash, and Fairport Convention as influences, although now it reads "not much of a rock band." That's not especially true. You could also make a case that Fleet Foxes' demonstrative harmonies recall Fleetwood Mac; that their rearrangement and recombination of traditional styles hints at the Band or, more recently, Grizzly Bear; that their short, evocative instrumental phrasing bears similarities to Pinetop Seven.

Such comparisons accompany the arrival of most young bands, but Fleet Foxes' songs inhabit a very specific, very rural space that's as much a product of how these songs are assembled as it is of how they sound. Like a novelist writing intricately winding sentences, the band craft hummable melodies that never quite go where you expect, but sound neither manipulated nor directed. After the quiet title track comes "Drops in the River", which builds gradually as the band patiently add instruments-- strange ambient clattering in the background and simple floor toms in place of a drum kit, accentuated with tambourine and a snaky electric guitar. Halfway through the song, Fleet Foxes reach a dramatic peak, and their next move is surprising: The music ebbs momentarily, as if to build anew through a second verse, but then picks up at that same dramatic level. Like the rest of the EP, "Drops in the River" possesses an intriguingly blunt concision, as though Fleet Foxes have no time for the luxury of long, slow crescendos or meandering jams. They focus their arrangements finely, emphasizing Pecknold's rustically impressionistic lyrics as much as their organic and inventive sound.

"English House" and "Mykonos", the longest and most obviously "rock" songs, comprise the EP's rising action and reveal more of Fleet Foxes' range. The former is a graceful downward rush of guitars and percussion, with a falsetto chorus trimming the music like Christmas lights in the rafters. "Mykonos" doesn't travel as far as its title suggests, but thrives on the tension between Pecknold's wordless vocal intro and the band's intricate harmonies. Of course, it careens off in new directions. "Brother, you don't need to turn me away," Pecknold pleads, bringing the song to a dramatic standstill. Then the band just runs away with the song again.

The Sun Giant EP ends with Pecknold alone once more, singing "Innocent Son" with only a few brusque strums as accompaniment. With only the sparsest elements, he turns the song into a sort of rough county-road soul, his voice unceremoniously fading out on the final words. This song, and the others here, reinforce the impression that Sun Giant is more than a tour souvenir or a promotional teaser for a proper release. It's a sovereign work: a statement EP, supremely crafted and confident.


Tracklist
1. Sun Giant
2. Drops in the River
3. English House
4. Mykonos
5. Innocent Son

download


Fleet Foxes - s/t
Year: 2008
Label: Sub Pop
Genre: indie folkrock



Leaked ST. doubly excellent.

Tracklist
1. Red Squirrel / Sun Rises
2. White Winter Hymnal
3. Ragged Wood
4. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
5. Quiet Houses
6. He Doesn't Know Why
7. Heard Them Stirring
8. Your Protector
9. Meadowlark
10. Blue Ridge Mountains

download

I was speaking idiomatically.

Last edited by nabhan; Apr 15, 2008 at 11:22 PM.
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