Playlist: All Hallow's Eve

Halloween, that day when all the evil ghouls, goblins, witches, warlocks, and generally scary things come out to haunt the living. As the land is slowly consumed by vampires and zombies for the night, it would be keen to ward of any angry beasts with some equally angry, sardonic, morbid music. This playlist is less about Halloween, and more about grabbing the freaky, scary, spooky, mood that this holiday of demons brings out. Very fast, very loud, with emphasis toward modern emo/post-hardcore bands. If you really want to hear some wild music, well this would be the trick-or-treat you've been looking for.




Song - Artist
[Album]
___________________________________




USA Nails - The Blood Brothers
[...Burn, Piano Island, Burn]

Unholy Confessions - Avenged Sevenfold
[Waking The Fallen]

Advice (Instrumental) - The Pillows
[FLCL OST 1]

Stay On The Ground - Armor For Sleep
[What To Do When You Are Dead]

Negative Creep - Nirvana
[Bleach]

Legends Die - Bleed The Dream
[Built by Blood]

One Day Women Will All Become Monsters - Chiodos
[All's Well That Ends Well]

No Don't Shoot - Foxy Shazam!
[The Flamingo Trigger]

It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door - Underoath
[They're Only Chasing Safety]

World War Me - From First To Last
[Heroine]

Needles - System Of A Down
[Toxicity]

Just A Little - The Used
[Maybe Memories]

The City Sleeps In Flames - Scary Kids Scaring Kids
[The City Sleeps In Flames]

Headlines - Neon Blonde
[Headlines]

Believer - Kill Hannah
[Until Theres Nothing Left Of Us]


On The Brightside, She Could Choke - Fear Before The March Of Flames
[Odd How People Shake]

Vampires Will Never Hurt You - My Chemical Romance
[I Brough You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love]

American Death - Senses Fail
[Let It Enfold You]

Smile In Your Sleep - Silverstein
[Discovering The Waterfront]

Head Club - Taking Back Sunday
[Tell All Your Friends]

The Car In 20 - The Early November
[The Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path]

Young Dudes Release Debut LP

Honestly, I don't know the first thing about the Young Dudes, but they got a name drop from One For The Team, so I checked them out. I can say honestly, I'm pretty impressed. They are releasing their debut, self-titled LP, today. Wander over to Young Dudes' Myspace and give them a listen.

Band of the Week: Organic Groove

[October 29 - November 4]
Organic Groove
Sounds Like: Jam Band
Drinking Buddies: The Allman Brothers Band, The String Cheese Incident
Synopsis: Laid back jamming. Chill brah.
Makes You Want To...: Groove?; Chill out
[Myspace]





One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Organic Groove.



Coming straight out of Fort Worth(less), Texas, the quintet Organic Groove. Formerly under the moniker of Macrolizard, I've been going to OG's shows for quite some time. I'm friends of 3/5 of the members, and easily said, Organic Groove is a fun band.

Taking after the old school style of The Allman Brothers, Phish, etc., Organic Groove provides a laid back style of jamming, with plenty of guitar instrumentals that make you smile. They have an album (sort of), but I'm not sure they're selling it. Want it? I'd suggest you speak with those crazy guys; be sure to check them out on their Myspace. And grab a few of their songs while you're at it - I'd especially suggest Light Up or Leave Me Alone."

Flash Flash Revolution

I'm going out on the bold assumption that just about everyone these days knows about Dance Dance Revolution. It's caused quite big news topic over the years since its creation.

For those of you who may have been living under a rock, DDR is a dance oriented video game where you break down your dance moves to different songs on the game, typically house/dance/techno stuff. Arrows which fly up on the tv screen in front of you, and your job is to match your movements to them respectively, with as much timed accuracy as possible on a dance pad below your feet.

I, frankly, suck at DDR.


It's not the quick reflex part - I'm good with my reflexes. And it's not the essential puzzle system which the combination of directions create; I work wonders at Guitar Hero, which follows essentially the same process. The difference is, I'm very hand-eye coordinated. This is why expert on Guitar Hero is a yawner for me. I am not foot-eye coordinated. My feet just don't respond like that; I can't get them to go to the right places. I just don't have that sort of talent. But I've played DDR, and even though I'm horrible, it's really fun, and quite addicting. What am I to do?



There is a new outlet for me, and the hundreds of people who also suck at DDR but want to participate. It's called FFR, or Flash Flash Revolution.

FFR has all the lovely business that DDR holds, including the addiction, without all that silly dancing rubbish. Using your keyboard arrows, you try to time clicking down to the wire in the same way as DDR. It's great fun, and you get to here some interesting dancey music that you might not here otherwise. I'm not going to lie, Mocha Ocean - Yamajet is a pretty sweet song that I probably would have listened to without the game. And c'mon, you can play to a remix of Legend Of Zelda, why would you deny?


If you happen to get an account, be sure to add me as a friend, and during the sign up process, say I referenced you! I get points or something. =]


http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/

The Scene Aesthetic Launch Texas Tour

Bittersweet news for Scene Aesthetic fans.
As most who follow them will know by now, Eric Bowley, The Scene Aesthetic's other vocalist, has been serving with a mission in Argentina for quite some time now. Since his leaving, the band has been under the control of Andrew de Torres (lead singer of Danger: Radio too!), and they've been doing a couple shows here and there. They also re-realeased their first LP, Building Homes From What We Know.


Now, TSA, minus Eric, plus a guest singer, are launching on a small tour down to Texas (in my area of the state), to appease the masses of folks that like them down here. Sadly, this is going to be the last Scene Aesthetic tour for a good year, as they plan not to do anything until Eric returns from his missionary work.



Oct. 26 - 169 in Wichita Falls
Oct. 27 - Live@Mokah in Dallas
Nov. 2 - The Door in Dallas




They will be doing some filming specifically to send down to Eric on the November 2nd show, to which I hope to be going to! I'm a bit... wary, of their guest singer (who is it? how is he going to sound?) but I've always digged The Scene Aesthetic since before they had much music to play in the first place. I never got the chance to pick up their album, or see them live, but if I do, you'll expect to here about it.

Minus the Bear Live at The Palladium

Minus the Bear has just recently released their latest album, Planet Of Ice, this August, and have now been pursuing their tour for the album. They stopped by Dallas at The Palladium Ballroom to show their fans that their recent surge of popularity hasn't hindered how much fun they can have.

The Palladium, as I'm aware, is a fairly new venue in Dallas. If it is older, then the combo of Granada Theater and Gypsy Tea Room must have overshadowed it. In any case, the closing of Gypsy Tea Room has brought The Palladium into new spotlight. It's nice, no doubts there; fairly large, and has a huge dance floor. It didn't seem to have too many issues with crowding, though granted I got there early. The Palladium also has a second club, The Loft, which !!! played at not too long ago. But I digress.

Minus the Bear was touring with Tiny Vipers and The Helio Sequence. The Tiny Vipers came on first. They're a girl-boy duo of acoustic-bass guitars, respectively. They use a distinct style of minimalism to produce powerfully subtle ambiance. They really remind me of Grizzly Bear with their song structure, except Tiny Viper's songs tend to run longer. Jesy Fortino, the lead singer/guitarist, has a voice that is uncannily like Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane. Essentially, Tiny Vipers are very doctrine in a mix of folk and ambiance. Unfortunately, opening for someone so fast and loud as Minus the Bear, they weren't exactly playing toward their target audience. Most people became restless and impatient while they played through their set. Tiny Vipers is more of the band better heard with place to think, not in a busy live venue.



But then The Helio Sequence took the stage and quickly grabbed everyone's attention. The Helio Sequence is a two man guitar/drum outfit that plays a quick indie rock. Think of them as a skewed version of The White Stripes. THS is quite entertaining, and for being such a small band, they know how to have a strong stage presence, not to mention a lot of fun.





But none could hold a card with Minus the Bear. They demand the attention they get. Erin Tate keeps the beat bouncing and flowing while Snider, Knudson, Murchy, and Rose rock out across the stage blaring their accurately timed notes. They mostly played Planet Of Ice material, which was to be expected, but touch on songs from their other albums a bit. Their encore was lpanned, but they opened the encore with Absinthe Party, so I'm not about to complain. Overall the show was great, and I'm definitely interested in catching them when they aren't touring for a new album.

(Fork and Knife) - Brand New

Brand New fans have been squirming for the past few days after the announcement that the New York natives would be releasing a brand new Brand New track all throughout the internet. After days of frantic waiting, fans have been granted the latest view to the direction Br& Nü is taking with their music after the release of their last studio album, The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me, with their latest endeavor, "(Fork and Knife)."




Honestly, I'd love to give a vivid comparison that you could relate (Fork and Knife) to anythign within Brand New's repertoire. Sadly, this is more difficult than it sounds - it uses a wholly different style (as we should have become accustomed to now, all things considering) than is typical for them.

But do you remember how "Jesus Christ" from The Devil And God... sounded? How about "The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot" from Deja Entendu? Yeah, mix those two together, make both songs upbeat, and you get something that sounds somewhat discernible to (Fork and Knife). The song follows the same sort of vain as both songs, except notably upbeat instead of downbeat. Using strict use of repetition (with a piano?! unheard of!), in an almost minimalistic style in example of "Jesus Christ," but with the full band sound of "The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot." The lyrics are generally conceptual and somewhat introspective as well. It's less moody-sounding than all the songs that pervade on The Devil And God..., and way more upbeat (and almost outwardly romantic sounding? (rather that depreciative, that is to say)) than typically most of Brand New's songs thus far.



Summary: (Fork and Knife) is definitely a treat, and worth the dollar you'll pay for it on iTunes. This isn't to say it's the absolute most mind-blowing thing that Brand New has done in their budding career - it isn't ground breaking, nor is it particularly profound. It sounds like it could have easily been a The Devil And God... b-side that was cut for not meeting the low mood set throughout the album, which is cool thing, granted. What it does show is Brand New's creative juices are still flowing, and they can produce something novel, and the mood they set makes future works intriguing.

(Fork and Knife), as of today, can be found just about everywhere online. If you're still wary, and are particularly cherishing of that single dollar, you'll probably want to check their Myspace, where they're featuring the song. And this may not be the case for everyone, but when I tried searching for it via the iTunes search, it wouldn't locate it. If that's the case, go to Brand New's blog - they offer a link that does work properly.

Band of the Week: J Versus K

[October 22-28]
J Versus K
Sounds Like: Experimental/Indie/Art Rock
Drinking Buddies: Minus the Bear, Bloc Party, Deerhoof
Synopsis: Fast guitar plucking with stop-and-go drumming.
Makes You Want To...: Dance; Drink; Party
[Myspace/Purevolume]





One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is J Versus K.



So I'm kinda still on my kick of Minus the Bear. After seeing them last night (I'll talk about that later), I can still say I'm overly ecstatic. Therefore, it seems only appropriate to introduce one of the best bands in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, J Versus K.

J Versus K comes out of Arlington, TX, and they know how to rock out. Taking after their predecessors, Minus the Bear, J Versus K has produced a sound similar, but totally unique to call their own. They use staccato guitar riffs, as well as quick guitar tapped, plucked, and pulled notes, mixed with sophisticatedly timed stop-and-go percussion.

They quickly have been making a name for themselves. After their original self-titled EP was released, they got called up by Bloc Party, who asked J Versus K to open for them for their Texas section of the tour. Back to present day, J Versus K has just released their debut LP, Who Wants To Fight A Million Bears?, and are selling it via their Myspace and at their shows. They also have a nifty Purevolume site, where they still feature songs from their EP.


Still wary, are you? Then I shall provide. You can stream J Versus K's "Boogie, Man", a song from their EP, via the imeem player. You also get to see a live video recording of their latest song, "Not Here Said The Beer," via the lovely folks at Suited Productions, who filmed it in Austin. Be sure to wander to J Versus K's Myspace and snag that new album.

Playlist: Lazy Sunday

It's Sunday, and I'm procrastinating. It's damp and chilly outside, and I don't want to do anything that requires my physical commitment. What better to do than to compile a playlist? So this is a bunch of songs that fit the laid-back, careless, dreading-the-upcoming-week mood.

Suite Thursday: Zweet Zurzday - Duke Ellington Orchestra (The Great Paris Concert, Vol. 1)

Besaid - Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy X Soundtrack)

In the Morning of the Magicians - The Flaming Lips (At War With the Mystics)

Soma - The Smashing Pumpkins (Siamese Dream)

Visions of Johanna - Bob Dylan (Blonde on Blonde)

Close to the Edge - Yes (Close to the Edge)

Scatterbrain (As Dead As Leaves) - Radiohead (Hail to the Thief)

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills, and Nash (Crosby, Stills, and Nash)

Sunday Morning - The Velvet Underground and Nico (The Velvet Underground and Nico)

I Will - The Beatles (The White Album)

A Lotus on Irish Streams - Mahavishnu Orchestra (The Inner Mounting Flame)

She's Leaving Home - The Beatles (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)

Ballet For a Girl in Buchannon - Chicago (Chicago II)

Gagging Order - Radiohead (Go To Sleep)

San Tropez - Pink Floyd (Meddle)

I Talk to the Wind - King Crimson (In the Court of the Crimson King)

The Cinema Show - Genesis (Selling England by the Pound)

Ask Me Anything - The Strokes (First Impressions of Earth)

Evocations: II. Nigerienne - Brooke Ferris Florence (Tour de Saxophone)

Somebody's Watching You - Sly and the Family Stone (The Essential Sly and the Family Stone)

Infant Eyes - Wayne Shorter (Speak No Evil)

In Limbo - Radiohead (Kid A)

Up From the Skies - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Axis: Bold as Love)

Imagine This - Victor Wooten (Live in America)

Golden Lady - Stevie Wonder (Innervisions)

Jack-ass - Beck (Odelay)

Lilac Wine - Jeff Buckley (Grace)

Body and Soul - John Coltrane (Heavyweight Champion: The Complete Atlantic Recordings)

Firebird Suite: IV. Princesses Round - Boston Symphony Orchestra (Stravinsky)

April in Paris - Charlie Parker (Charlie Parker with Strings)

Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones (Let It Bleed)

Mood For a Day - Yes (Fragile)

Rainy Day, Dream Away - The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Electric Ladyland)

(Nice Dream) - Radiohead (The Bends)

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning - Frank Sinatra (In the Wee Small Hours)

Thirty-Three - The Smashing Pumpkins (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: Twilight to Starlight)

Vein of Stars - The Flaming Lips (At War With the Mystics)

Atoms for Peace - Thom Yorke (The Eraser)

An Aries Evening - Chuck Florence (Home on the Range)

Funky Sea, Funky Dew - The Brecker Brothers (The Brecker Brothers Collection)

Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock (Maiden Voyage)

I Shall Not Be Moved - Stanton Moore (III)

In a Silent Way/It's About That Time - Miles Davis (In a Silent Way)

Ace Enders Launches Solo Tour

A saddening blow came to fans of The Early November, who in March - following their last tour for their epic 3 disc conceptual album explosion, The Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path - announced that they were going to take an indefinite hiatus from music making and touring. With only two full length albums under their belt, and not enough EPs to say they have, "a slew of EPs," this was a disheartening blow, especially after the success of The Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path, which by Jan. 2007 sold nearly 80,000 albums [so says the Pedia of Wiki].


But, it's clear that not all the members are ready to settle down and have a normal life as they detailed would be affable in their blog. It seems Ace Enders is raring to entertain hungry fans, via his new solo act, appropriately entitled Ace Enders and A Million Different People. Playing original material, as well as TEN material and songs from the pseudo-Early November band, I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business. Quite the treat to tide us over until The Early November makes a triumphant comeback.

2008 Radiohead International Tour

From Billboard.com:

Radiohead will embark on a rare international tour starting next spring, Billboard.com can reveal. Although details are still sketchy, expect the British alternative rock band to play multiple markets, in sizeable venues...

"They toured last summer almost for creative reasons, definitely not for financial reasons. And I think they quite enjoyed it," explains Edge. "The next set of touring will be slightly larger-scale venues."


Edge downplayed as "exaggerated" reports that "In Rainbows" had shifted more than 1.2 million copies, but admitted the average price paid was "probably pretty close" to £4 ($8).



Please, guys, please slow down. I can't keep up.
Very good news, and high hopes mounting.

Bright Light Fever Releases New Songs

Now that Bright Light Fever has taken a break from touring out their latest album, The Evening Owl, and are preparing for their next short tour, not to mention their upcoming full-length album, they give us a treat. BLF has released four brand new final-version tracks, which will be re-recorded for their unveiling on the next album. And the best part? All the songs are for free download on their Myspace.


Te Voy a Matar
Norman Bates
Monarch
Welcome To Your Doom



FREE.
If that isn't a big enough hint-hint, wink-wink for you, mosey on over to Bright Light Fever's Myspace, snag their songs, and why not add them while you're there? Let the anticipation build, and be sure to keep an eye out for new shows on their fall-ish/winter tour.

Band of the Week: Minus the Bear

[October 15-21]
Minus the Bear
Sounds Like: Math rock / Indie / Progressive
Drinking Buddies: Bear vs. Shark, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Pedro The Lion
Makes You Want To...: Rock out; Drink; Play guitar hero; Party




One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Minus the Bear.


New by no standards, Minus the Bear has earned their badges for putting out great music over the last six years. Using a modern, twisted version of progressive, usually fast paced indie rock, and an off-brand of math rock (rock music which is very centric to strange rythmic structure, Everything from their first EP in 2001, This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic, to their most acclaimed Menos el Oso, and finally coming to their latest full album, Planet Of Ice, just released in August 2007, their career has been littered with praise.

Minus the Bear is currently touring the hell out of Planet Of Ice with Helio Sequence and Tiny Vipers, and have recently had their latest video for their single "Knights" featured on MTV2 and (if I'm fully aware (I don't personally make a habit of watching MTV)) on MTV. I do know for a fact that they'll be coming through Dallas at The Palladium this coming Sunday, and I'll most likely be there! Be sure to check out Minus the Bear's Myspace, catch them on their Planet Of Ice 2007 tour when they're in a town near you, and definitely be sure to rock out to Dr. L'ling when you hear their stuff. You won't be let down.








Post script: I honestly think that Dr. L'ling would be a great inclusion to Guitar Hero III.

Playlist: When It Rains

It was a'raining and a'stormin in Fort Worth this morning, so much that I decided to skip school; probably a bad move, but I'm easily made VERY nervous by storms. When the rain gathers in puddles outside, I stay in and drown myself in music. This playlist is for those rainy days. Not necessarily songs about the rain, but songs that fit the mood. Near the end, the songs get happier, and lighten up, just like the storms, and you'll be ready to get outside once again and feel the sun.




Song - Artist
[Album]
___________________________________




Feel Like Rain - Motion City Soundtrack
[Commit This to Memory]

Half Dead - The Mountain Goats
[Get Lonely]

Stay Home - American Football
[American Football]

The Eraser - Thom Yorke
[The Eraser]

Let It Rain - OK Go
[Oh No]

When It Rains - Paramore
[Riot!]

Electric Rainbow - Minus the Bear
[Planet Of Ice]

Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie
[Transatlanticism]

It's Natural To Be Afraid - Explosions In The Sky
[All Of A Sudden, I Miss Everyone]

All I Need - Radiohead
[In Rainbows]

Rain - The Seatbelts feat. Steve Conte
[Cowboy Bebop]

Underwater - All-Time Quarterback
[All-Time Quarterback]

My Heart Is an Apple - The Arcade Fire
[Arcade Fire EP]

Sparks - Coldplay
[Parachutes]

Aware, Rust, and Repair - Daphne Loves Derby
[Acoustic EP]

Make It Happen - The Early November
[The Acoustic EP]

Down For The Count, Up For Anything - Ghosts & Liars
[Ghosts & Liars Demos]

Sunset Soon Forgotten - Iron & Wine
[Our Endless Numbered Days]

Every Day Is Like Sunday - Colin Meloy
[Colin Meloy Sings Morrisey]

Slow Moves - Jose Gonzales
[Veneer]

Bukowski - Modest Mouse
[Good News For People Who Love Bad News]

Maybe You Can Owe Me - Architecture In Helsinki
[In Case We Die]

Everything I Try to Do, Nothing Seems to Turn Out Right - The Decemberists
[Billy Liar - EP]

Kreuzberg - Bloc Party
[A Weekend In The City]

Change Your Mind - The Killers
[Hot Fuss]

Brain Damage - Pink Floyd
[Dark Side Of The Moon]

Happiness: We're All In It Together - This Will Destroy You
[Young Mountain]

Feeling Yourself Disentegrate - The Flaming Lips
[The Soft Bulletin]

Tout Doucement - Feist
[Let It Die]

Recycled Air - The Postal Service
[Give Up]

Hospital Beds - Cold War Kids
[Robbers & Cowards]

Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles
[Abbey Road]

NOY Announces ANOTHER Album

When bands generally release EPs, they're filler songs - recent stuff the band has been working on, or B-Sides that didn't make the previous album, or just random songs that simply weren't intended for any other album. Generally though, bands place them between long periods of time spent away from the music scene - a tiny taste for their fans until something big comes around.

But the crazy kids from Nightmare Of You can't waste another moment before beginning production on their next album. That's right, merely a month after their previous release, the Bang EP, Nightmare Of You has announced that they have already begun production on their next album, currently untitled.

It's not all jubilant news from the NOY camp. It comes at a disheartening blow today as Nightmare Of You announces that their anticipated tour through the U.K., where their debut self-titled LP was received with notable acclaim, and where they were said to have a more prominent fan-base until they were featured on FUSE's Steven's Untitled Rock Show, has been limited to only three shows. This is because their of their walk-out from previous record label, EastWest, who aided in poor release of their debut album. No money from a providing record company = no money for international size tours.

But a new album, quite possibly full length this time around, looming in the distance seems to be appropriate consolation. We'll sit back and see how things turn out.

Album Review: In Rainbows - Radiohead

Ever listened to a record that everybody was raving about and right after listening, not quite understanding the hype? Wasn't all you expected? Completely different than you had pictured it? That's a little like how In Rainbows was the first time I listened to it. The overall sound of the album is not what I expected considering the sound of their last release, 2003's Hail to the Thief. However, just as many Radiohead albums before it, this one takes time to grow on you. I was not surprised as this. With Pablo Honey, The Bends, and OK Computer as your only previous knowledge of Radiohead, I would be shocked if you could honestly appreciate and love Kid A on the first listen. The distinguishing attribute about this breaking-in process for In Rainbows, however, is the speed at which it happened. I had a large grin on my face throughout the whole first listen, but it was just so...different. Now, midway through my fifth listen, I am in love with this album. My fondness for this album has grown exponentially with each listen. Anyways, moving on to the album.

Radiohead's sound is both incredibly stripped down and lush at the same time. If you're a dedicated Radiohead fan like me, you know one of their trademarks is their thick, full production, never leaving out something that could add to the experience. Producer Nigel Godrich has been known (not so fondly, by many fans) to tone down the drums and bass in past Radiohead cuts, and for adding effects, from discreet to blatant, to vocalist Thom Yorke's voice. This time around, it's a whole different ball game. Yorke's voice is crisp, up front, and on many songs on the album, completely unrendered. Phil Selway's drumming is, for the most part, completely live and acoustic (as opposed to electronically mixed and tweaked in tone), and is anything but toned down. The true stars of this album, however, are the Greenwood brothers, Colin and Jonny. Colin's bass playing is booming and rhythmic (just when you thought his bass on Airbag from OK Computer was as melodic as it would get for him), and is never in the "background." Jonny's string arrangements, quite frankly, are the best he's ever written. Some are saying this a band at their peak, and that might just be true. Aside from personal preference, it's apparent that Radiohead is showing no signs of slowing down, considering that the album's special discbox release in December includes a second bonus disc of more new tracks; plenty of the creative juices have been flowing in these sessions. Ok, I'll do a review now, for real.

1. 15 Step
What was once a fun, light beat (from the tour version) is now a furious, pounding tantrum, driving the song forward from the very beginning. On the other end of the spectrum, Jonny's guitar riff is still as sweet and infectious as ever. Remember those school kids I mentioned? Well they're not clapping, like I expected. They're cheering! A few times near the end of the song, a fun "Yay!" is let out, bringing back more of the song's friendly nature that it had on tour.

2. Bodysnatchers
Once a rocker, always a rocker. This doesn't deviate from that. It rocks even harder this time around, putting some wicked distortion on that opening guitar riff. It does ease up a bit in the bridge, as opposed to the constant build from the tour version, but the breakdown near the end is as groovy as can be.

3. Nude
What is there to say about Nude? How do you make an endlessly, painfully beautiful song even more heavenly? Jonny Greenwood's genius string arrangements. We knew from a previous Dead Air Space post in February 2006 that there was to be a string quartet on this track, which is partly why this was the most anticipated track on the album for me. There is an intro now, with strings and Thom's voice, leading into the familiar bass line and drum beat. What follows is the most gorgeous four minutes I've heard since "How To Disappear Completely" from Kid A.

4. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The first few seconds of this track surprised me. The tour version started with the guitars of Ed, Thom, and Jonny, leading into the rhythm section's entrance, and the song was off. It now starts with Phil alone, playing the fast-paced beat, completely unrendered. This led into the song, which probably deviated the most from the tour version than any of the songs. The "weird fishes" section is accompanied by some synth pad sounds reminiscent of those on "Worrywort," the b-side from the single "Knives Out." After an added interlude, the song heads out as before.

5. All I Need
Of all of the tour bootlegs, this was honestly my least favorite. Now, it's a complete 180 degree turn from before. This atmospheric ballad is based on Yorke's piano, which is now a distorted synth. This song's climax is perhaps the most glorious of any on the album (and there's plenty of them, too), ending in an explosion of ethereal goodness.

6. Faust Arp
As I expected, this track was the acoustic track we heard on Nigel's Dead Air Space. And boy, is it ear candy. This finger-picked, folk-esque track is complimented by the best Jonny's string arrangements on the album. Think of a cross between The Beatles' "Blackbird" from the White Album and "She's Leaving Home" from Sgt. Pepper's. Already sounds serene, doesn't it?

7. Reckoner
*applauds*
Radiohead has successfully fooled every fan and critic in the world with this one. Expecting to hear the ripping guitar riff and furious opening line ("Feeling pulled apart by horses") of the "Reckoner" I'd grown to love, this was not what we expected. In fact, the title is the only similarity between the two songs. This song, driven by a tambourine and some fabulous drumming from Phil, continues the vibe of Faust Arp. With a soft riff from Jonny, some warm piano chords from Thom (or Jonny, who knows), some more tasty string arrangements, and Thom's most beautiful falsetto to date, this song is all kinds of yummy.

8. House of Cards
Perhaps the most laid-back song Radiohead's ever written, House of Cards is nearly identical to it's tour equivalent, save omitting some of the background vocals heard on the tour. This song is a good example of uber-reverb at work. The booming in the background is reminiscent of "The Amazing Sounds of Orgy," the b-side off of the "Pyramid Song" single. This song will lull you to sleep in a warm, fuzzy way.

9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
This track is a sure standout. Building from the beginning, the intense acoustic guitar drives the track, with some low strings complementing the background vocals. The sound of this song is immensely crisp, with a powerful driving force in Phil's drumming and Colin's staccato bass line.

10. Videotape
Of all the tracks on this album, this one is the most complained about in the Radiohead community (I'm an active member on Mortigi Tempo, a Radiohead message board, so I hear plenty of other fans' opinions). What could have been described as "epic" when played live, this track has been toned down, and is now a dark, minimalistic ballad. Comprised of Yorke's piano and vocals, Colin's bass, and a drum beat that you can't really call a beat, this song exhibits the phrase "more is less." The drum beat stumbles and trips, and gives a sense of instability, which may take away from the experience for some, but for me, it just added another layer of suspense. Nonetheless, this is an undeniably haunting closer.

While In Rainbows might not have flowed as seamlessly as Kid A or OK Computer, it was no doubt very cohesive. Of course, my rating now will inevitably change over time, with more plays. As I will for all Radiohead reviews, I will give a standard star rating and set it in my rankings for Radiohead albums. I do this because Radiohead's albums, in my opinion, are simply brilliant (maybe with the exclusion of Pablo Honey...), and while some are clearly better than the other Radiohead albums, it should not take away from how it is against other music out there today.

FOR NOW: OK Computer* = Kid A > In Rainbows > Amnesiac > Hail to the Thief > The Bends >Pablo Honey

*this might have a slight advantage over Kid A for me due to its sentimental value, but based on the music, I see them equally


In Rainbows: * * * * *

Edit:
P.S. This is impressive: On the first day, In Rainbows sold 1.2 million copies.

Review: In Rainbows - Radiohead

Picture this: you run a small shop that sells vegetables in a market. You're humble, but you're known for your amazing vegetables that you sell - they're simply the best thing anyone's ever tasted. But crime is rampant in the market. Everywhere, people's foods and goods are getting stolen by seedy characters. You know you've been thieved from, but there is little you can do to stop it. Instead of tightening security like all your peers though, you do something different. You open your shop for the day, and leave a note on the desk. It says, "These are my vegetables. People tell me that they are wonderful vegetables. Please take what you need, and pay me as much as you see fit. I value your custom." You leave your vegetables out there, unattended, for the masses to take as they please, possibly for no money.


This is exactly what Radiohead has done. In a shocking endeavour that blows any other recent album release out of the water, Radiohead announced merely a week ago that their new album, In Rainbows, will debut online for download. All you have to do is sign up on the website, and offer a sum of money for the album. That is to say, offer any sum of money of your choosing. $50... 20$... free? Radiohead, in a sense, has given their album away, to the masses of the internet, for no money.

The theory is this: music now adays is littered with people who really don't care about bands. They care about the music, and that's all they want; and they will get this music by any means necessary. Music piracy is at an all-time high, simply because it's so easy. Leaked albums spread like wildfire once they hit the net, and with file sharing rampantly spreading, anyone could share entire albums for no money to thousands of people. It's the new form of bootlegging.

Radiohead understood this. So, they did away with the illegality of stealing and sharing music, and essentially said to everyone, "This is the new album, you can have it if you want. If you feel like donating some money for it, be our guest. If not, that's cool - we hope you like it anyway."


Offering a major production, nay, one of the most anticipated albums in years (especially after their hiatus since 2004) for no money? You may think it too good to be true, but in fact, it is fact. The key is, donations are accepted, by whoever is willing to donate (up to £100). Furthermore, for the oppressively addicted fans that Radiohead easily produces, they offered the oddity of a "discbox," a huge special edition of In Rainbows, containing everything from vinyl copies of the album, an extra disc of entirely new material to acompany the original publicly released album, and a hardcover book, all for the price of £40 (about $80US). With tons of fans drooling upon this revelation, there is sure to be a fair amount of discboxs being sent out by December 3rd.



And what of the downloadable content? Just because the album was released for a possible $0.00 profit doesn't mean it's haphazard by any means. On the contrary, this is possibly one of Radiohead's highest achievements. Using an immense amount of minimalism, foreign to their style, and a new recording style, they've pushed their own boundaries to the brinks. Bodysnatchers squashes the conventional single with ease, bringing out fast paced, blazing instruments to every section of your ears, brining back almost the same quality of noise pop. And without further delay, they launch into a soft, slow, beautifully quiet song like Nude. In Rainbows is characterized like a heartbeat's pulse, up and down, from fast and chaos to quiet harmony, and everywhere in between.

In Rainbows is, needless to say, epic; and with songs like All I Need, Faust Arp, and House of Cards, there is little argument against Radiohead at this point. Furthermore, the revolutionary new, brave way of introducing their album is simply profound, and has for once, in a very long time, made the release date of a cd again significant to everyone who gets the album, and has helped make everyone a little happier in doing so by uniting them. With a truly revolutionary sound after a patiently waited hiatus, and a revolutionary new way of debuting albums, it won't be difficult to proclaim Radiohead's In Rainbows is one of the most profound albums of 2007 as well as the decade.

Album Preview: In Rainbows - Radiohead

Radiohead. What to say about Radiohead? Acclaimed? Undoubtedly. Talented? Hard to deny it. Revolutionary? Some may say so. Revolutionary or not, their latest release, In Rainbows, is bound to change a bit in the music industry. The album, arguably the most anticipated release of the 21st century so far, has been the hot topic in news worldwide, both music-oriented and general (hell, it made CNN). Radiohead told teletext.com, a reliable UK news source, that the album was to be out in 2008, which was a let down for many fans. Speculation for the album's release dated all the way back to an early 2006 release, although it has been confirmed by the band that the album was not completed, mixed, and mastered until August 2007. Nonetheless, Radiohead's dedicated fan base (many would render it the most dedicated to a band today) was restless, to say the least. On Radiohead's blog, Dead Air Space, the section entitled Hodiau Direkton normally features artwork from British artist Stanley Donwood, who creates the art for Radiohead's albums and promotions. In the summer of 2007, Hodiau Direkton was shut down and read "Hodiau Direkton will be back in September." It was not until late in that month that the fans would get an update.

Finally, on September 22, 2007, the fans got something; although it wasn't quite what they expected. It was a collection of boxes, with what amounted to eyes, arms, and mouths. At first it was dismissed for just another odd piece of art from Donwood, but was soon deciphered to be a message in the worm buffet code. The first message read, "YES WEARE STILL ALIVE." While it wasn't much of an update, per se, it was indeed something. In the following week, seven more messages were posted, with the last few referring to a meeting. Since it was assumed that Radiohead was now taking their album to different record labels to sign a deal, all was well and us Radiohead fans were happy knowing that the pursuit of a release was underway. What came next, nobody expected.

Around midnight, GMT, Radiohead lead guitarist and songwriter Jonny Greenwood posted on Dead Air Space:
"Hello everyone.

Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days;

We've called it In Rainbows.

Love from us all."

*heart stops beating*

This is how I discovered the album, but for many others it was not in this way. I have a tab on Firefox for Dead Air Space, which links directly to the blog, instead of the enter page that is reached by only entering radiohead.com (as opposed to radiohead.com/deadairspace). Upon typing in www.radiohead.com, I was redirected to a new website: inrainbows.com. From that point on is history. In shock and awe, I read of the album download that stated that "you choose the price" to pay for the album. And oh yeah, that thing about 2008? Forget it. 10 DAYS. Of course, I also looked into the discbox option, which includes the album, a second disc of more new songs (which was just as important to me seeing the tracklisting, which was full of songs I had known from listening to live bootlegs from the 2006 tour), both discs on vinyl (swoon), digital photos and artwork on the enhanced bonus CD, and all of it is in a hard cover. This is gold. By the way, it costs 80 dollars. But of course, this, to me, is priceless. So I buy it, and order my download for free (hey, I ponied up for the discbox, that's good enough). Now comes the longest 10 days of my life. Now, as I sit at my computer awaiting an email containing my activation code for the free download, I guess I might as well actually write a track-by-track preview.

The songs are linked to youtube videos of live performances

1. 15 Step
This song starts with a simple (well, I say simple, but it's in 5/4, for you music nerds), beat with handclaps. After seeing pictures of Radiohead visiting a children's school with recording equipment and clapping children, some are guessing that we will hear those claps on this track. Add Jonny Greenwood's groovy guitar riff to the beat, and you've got a kickin' opener.

2. Bodysnatchers
In my opinion, the most rockin' song on the album, this song is driven by Yorke's powerful riff throughout the song, and features some of the best supplementary guitar by Jonny of any of the songs on this album.

3. Nude
Once a sullen, organ-lavished ballad from the OK Computer/Kid A sessions in the late 90's, this song has been revamped for their 2006 tour and is now more sparse, trimmed down, and offers what may end up being Thom's (lead vocalist) best performance on the album.

4. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Referred to as only "Arpeggi" during the tour, this song includes some powerful drumming from Phil Selway and some excellent soundscapes from Jonny Greenwood. A personal favorite of mine.

5. All I Need
Perhaps the closest thing to a "ballad" on this album, All I Need features Yorke on the piano, and proves to have the most "epic" climax of any of the new songs. Expect to hear some masterful string arrangements from Jonny on this one.

6. Faust Arp
The lone track on the album that was not played on this tour (at least under this name), many believe this to be the song heard on producer Nigel Godrich's "A Bit of Tape From the Studio" post on Dead Air Space in June '07, which was a one-minute or so long clip of edit parts of miscellaneous songs from the sessions, all of which were identifiable as songs from the tour, save the one clip.

7. Reckoner
This track dates back to the Kid A/Amnesiac sessions, and is undoubtedly the heaviest, grittiest Radiohead track in existence. Driven by a powerful, distorted riff from Greenwood, this song will punch you in the face. In a good way.

8. House of Cards
Contrasting from the previous track, this one will put you in a trance. A simple song, the hallmark of this track is the absolutely angelic singing of Thom Yorke.

9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Referred to on tour as Open Pick, this song is built upon the guitar playing of Yorke, Greenwood, and rhythm guitarist Ed O'Brien. O'Brien's backup vocals have since been replaced by strings (as heard on the aforementioned clip from Nigel), and the guitars have gone acoustic. This song almost has a funky feel to it at times.

10. Videotape
The final cut on the album is lead solely by Yorke's piano. His lyrics are the most haunting and heavy of the whole album, and this epic track is a more than ideal closer for the CD.

The album as a whole has a similar flow as 2000's Kid A, preserves the energy of 2003's Hail to the Thief, and can be expected to exhibit the perfectionism used in the making of the 1997 classic, OK Computer. A formula for success? We will see. To check out the album, visit www.inrainbows.com to order the download for whatever price you'd like, or to purchase the discbox.

Ghosts & Liars - Down For The Count, Up For Anything

The lovely gang of Ghosts & Liars has added another notch upon their achievement belt. After a series of shows in and around the Seattle scene over the past several months, the Washington quintet has released a new song from a live performance.

"Down For The Count, Up For Anything," brings the slower, more deep and introspective side of Ghosts & Liars that one could only have anticipated they would open the lid on eventually. Chris Du Bray lays down the rythme with his acoustic guitar and unwinds the gentle lyrics as if it were second nature, while Rachel Bowman weaves and sews the song together in a beautiful twine of violin that presents a fair rival to someone like Sarah Neufeld or Sophia Trudeau.

"Down For The Count" strongly centers around Du Bray's emotional, though off-kilter brand of lyrics, which is almost monologue-based, sounding as if they were actually introverted, interior thoughts of the mind, or a letter sung to music. And you can detect the strong experience being drawn from previous songs from most of Ghosts & Liars previous musical endeavour, Some By Sea, with subtle references toward songs like "This Song Is Not About You, So Don't Ask," and "The Beginning of the World Often Comes," hiding somewhere in the darkness off-stage, in a way that can only be described as glorious.


Ghosts & Liars still have a few shows for those lucky fans in Kirkland and Centralia, Washington. Be sure to show up and give them tons of support! Can't make it? Support them on their Myspace, and be sure to check out their other songs. With the list of songs under their belt quickly growing, only good things can only be expected.

Pitchfork Music Festival -- a review long overdue.

Take a moment. Move away from your computer only slightly, place your hands in your lap, and picture this:

- Two beautiful days in the great city of Chicago.
- Thousands of people all gathered for the same exact reason as you.
- Three stages with some of the best music you will ever see/hear.
- All different types of food you can imagine.
- Huge areas of shopping, everything is mostly handmade.
- Last but not certainly least, there are over fifty port-a-potties.
(don't worry, their not as bad as you think... ok I lied they really are horrible)




Everything you just imagined took place over two days this past July, and I was there to experience it all. From the mixed up train ride, to the best performance by a band that I had no previous hearing of, but now I adore them greatly! I'll explain it all, from the best of my memory that is. After-all it is October..

July 14th, 2007 (Saturday)
Union Park-- located at the intersection of Lake St. & Ashland Ave.
Sounds simple right? WRONG! It took us over three hours from the time that we arrived in Chicago to make it there. I won't bore you with the details, just know that we ended up at the wrong Ashland stop, on a not so nice part of the city. Can anyone say south-side!? Now I have nothing against the south side, but that is not where I wanted to end up.

Moving right along...
We got off the L (for you non chicagoans: the L is like the subway, but its not underground) only to find a huge line. At first I was bummed, but it moved rather quickly. Once inside, I could not believe my eyes. This festival is so much more then just your typical music festival. Its a social gathering. Like I mentioned above ^^ thousands of people get together for this 2 day festival to hang out and listen to awesome indie bands. Seeing that the first band that my friend Carolyn and I wanted to see didn't play until a later time. We decided it would be best to walk around and experience everything.


There were two main stages out in what seemed to be the grassy area of the park. With plenty of port-a-potties for your using pleasure only a few 20 feet or so away. On the other end of the park was the other stage, quite smaller. But there were still some awesome bands playing there. Next came the many food tents. Anywhere from Vegan Ice Cream (quite tasty), to Watermelon Lemonade (also quite tasty, I enjoyed 3 of them while there :]). And past that were close to a hundred art stands, with beautiful and unique music posters. Oh and did I mention that people were playing
4 SQUARE!! I have not seen, yet played that game since elementary school. Oh the days...

Back on track...
Quickly, 3:00 was approaching us, which meant it was time to check out our first band of the day. Grizzly Bear. (the link takes you to their myspace. do yourself a favor and ch-ch-check it out). As you can see in the picture, that was about as close as we could get. Though my hearing did not disappoint me, they were excellent, and the crowd seemed to agree as well. Did I mention that everyone was extremely friendly!? Grizzly Bear is one of the bands that the moment you hear them you fall in love. Though I must say, every band I saw over the two days I fell in love with, and have been telling people to listen to them ever since. They are certainly a band I feel everyone would enjoy. Their music is soothing but enjoyable all the same. Good right before you go to sleep, you listen to them and fall asleep with smile on your face band. At least that happens when I listen to them. :)

After seeing Grizzly, we headed over to the other stage to check out Fijiya and Miyagi. Again click on the link, don't be scared you'll like what you hear. Especially if you enjoy music that makes you wanna start dancing. Which is exactly what they did for me. I remember standing there, trying to get the best picture of them I could. After finally getting an OK picture, I just started dancing, and didn't stop. It did not matter though, everyone was dancing and having a good time.

Sadly enough, after viewing those bands, we decided to leave and walk around the city being tourists of course. Instead of boring you with details, you can view pictures. Because as the saying goes. A picture is worth a thousand words....



July 15th, 2007 (Sunday)

Second day of the festival. This time though, there were no crazy mix-ups that landed us on the south-side (sorry to disappoint). The only highlight was this crazy pigeon that would not move, even though we kept stomping at it, (yeah I know, I'm cruel, but I wanted to know why it wouldn't move.)
Basically we made it to Union Park with no problems and an hour to spare. This was perfect, because the first band we wanted to see was one of the first bands of the day to perform. And right after was another band that we wanted to see.

We made it through the gates at 12:30 and headed straight for the stage, so we could get a good spot. You think third row is good enough!? :D

First up was Deerhunter. I know what your thinking, "How can a band with that name be so good!?"
Well if you take your mouse and click on the link that took me 2.6 seconds to make. You may just find out. Sarcasm is a beautiful thing, isn't it!?!

Back to Deerhunter, I didn't know what to expect with a name like that. For all I know the lead singer could come out with a deer costume on, (do they even make such a thing?). Wasn't even close, it was creepier to be exact. The lead singer was super skinny, I am almost positive that if he stood next to a pole, you would not be able to see him. To top things off, he wore not ONE but TWO dresses. Think I'm lying, HA let the photos tell you the truth...



Now despite the weird band name, and the dress. They too are an excellent band. I mean how many bands do you know, where their bassist (3rd picture, dude in the blue shirt) not only plays a mean bass, but smokes AND drinks while performing. Not many, don't let that alarm you though. yes the music is a bit eerie, but nonetheless highly enjoyable. Bottom line: if you enjoy Grizzly Bear, check out Deerhunter.

So after standing in the blazing heat for Deerhunter, granted a nice camera guy, handed us his bottle of water. I was minutes away, and this time 2nd row (that means I was only feet away) from one of the best bands of the whole festival in my opinion. Drum roll please... MENOMENA. Amazing, I don't think all the bragging in the world could do them enough justice. I'm gonna tell you again, take your mouse and click on the pretty blue link. You won't be disappointed. Guaranteed, except this time you won't get your money back sorry. They are a three piece band, made of a tall drummer who plays barefoot, (how he does it, I'll never know). One of the lead singers, who plays an assortment of instruments that I don't even think I can remember them all. Let it be known though, he plays the Sax-a-phone beautifully. And last but not certainly least, another singer, (part lead, part backup, same with the drummer dude) who also plays a bunch of instruments, those being the keyboard, guitar, and synthesizer.

Guess what comes next.. MORE PICTURES DUH!!




Overall, despite all the sarcasm, random questions and billions of photos. Pitchfork was one of the best times I have ever experienced. And you can bet your bottom dollar, I'll be there next year, enjoying the sun, people, and of course all the excellent bands Pitchfork simply has to offer.

Photos by Carolyn Marie Umfress.
For more information on Pitchfork Music Festival check out: pitchforkmusicfestival

The Flaming Lips - The Tale Of The Horny Frog

With much anticipation building over The Flaming Lips latest epic film debut, Christmas On Mars, not to mention all the music that's entirely likely to come with it, the Lips have puckered up something really juicy: their new single.

This is the would be fairy tale of "The Tale Of The Horny Frog," for Ben Stiller's latest strut in comedic entertainment, The Heartbreak Kid. I can't say I'm very fond of the movie's potential, but unlike my predictions for success in that respect, The Flaming Lips have once again turned one of the many things they've touched into gold. Released (as far as I can tell) exclusively to Stereogum, The Tale Of The Horny Frog is an upbeat, bouncy piece of randomness that only the Oklahoma natives can seem to ever dream up, which details the heroic journey of a frog! That should be tempting enough to go straight to listening if you know the first thing about The Flaming Lips, but in case your still apprehensive, think of it as Sesame Street as an alcoholic... or just your typical episode of Wonder Showzen, your choice.

Band of the Week: Let's Go Sailing

[October 8-14]
Let's Go Sailing
Sounds Like: Indie Pop
Drinking Buddies: Feist + Regina Spektor + Death Cab for Cutie
Makes You Want To...: Cuddle; Write a poem; Sing



Who wouldn't want to take a trip across the sea? Straight out of the City of Angels on the west coast comes Shana Levy, and her one woman act that she calls Let's Go Sailing. Levy and her outfit bring an excellent brand of indie-pop to the arena. The avid concert-goer may even recognize them - Chris Chandler (known for his production of Modest Mouse and and Elliot Smith) has been featuring Let's Go Sailing as The Flaming Lips house music for years. But it's more than happy guitar/piano combos mixed with jovial lyrics.

Let's Go Sailing brings more than just happiness and glee to the picture of bubbly indie-pop. Levy brings emotional, moving lyrics and powerful thematic elements in her music, and is letting Let's Go Sailing advance the style of modern music to it's apex. It's definitely something you'll want to check out, not to mention snagging Let's Go Sailing's LP, The Chaos and Order, and checking out some songs from the album on their Myspace!

Band of the Week: Brown Recluse Sings

[October 1-7]
Brown Recluse Sings
Sounds Like: Indie Pop
Drinking Buddies: The Shins + Shout Out Louds + Spoon
Makes You Want To...: Ride a bike; talk to friends.






This is a recurring thing I'm going to be attempting to do.
I've been doing it for years on my Myspace, giving credit to four new bands per month. Now I'll actually give them credit in a place where people are interested?! Yay.





Brown Recluse Sings is a quintet of jovial and delightful boys from Philadelphia, Penn. Playing a variety of cheery songs in a style very reminiscent of the bouncy, happy Shins, Brown Recluse Sings have been making a name for themselves with their Black Sunday EP released last year, as well as the prospect of their new album, The Soft Skin, slated to come out sometime in 2007 or 2008. Keeping their songs typically upbeat, Brown Recluse Sings knows how to have fun, bringing out sweet harmony with crisp acoustics in the background, without mentioning the delightful brass instruments backing them up.

There may not have been a more manly way to restate that last sentence, but there is a way you can snag yourself more of Brown Recluse Sings! Mosey on over to their myspace to get a glimpse of their talent, not to mention catch their latest song, Night Train. They also have their songs Western Meadowlark up for download - hurray for mp3 action! You'll also find links to purchase their Black Sunday EP, and a cool shirt that lets you know if you're in dangerous brown recluse country.