Rockets Fall On Rocket Falls - Godspeed You! Black Emperor

In my amblings across the interweb, I come across about a zillion things that are really interesting to me.
Keep in mind, that just about anything can interest me, and a zillion is a lot.

Anyway, I came across this some time ago and thought I would share it. It is a video set to Rockets Fall On Rocket Falls by Godspeed You! Black Emperor.


Now for those who aren't savvy in indie rock, Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a post-rock/avant-garde group hailing from Montreal, Canada. They play a supremely unique style of post-rock that not only sets them apart from basically everyone in the genre, but also distances themselves from basically everyone in modern music in general. They play at a near orchestral scale, choosing to compose their songs in movements rather than the typical Verse-Chorus-etc. format. In lamest terms, they make their music in the same fashion as classical music. Their shortest song (on cd) is 6 minutes or so, and that was just the continuation of another song anyway. Their average song will keep you listening for about 15+ minutes.

If you're not the type for older stuff, don't let the notions of classical music scare you. GY!BE is renowned in their experimental field as one of the best in the business. Their style is emulated by insurmountable amounts of post-rock bands. GY!BE formed back in the 90s, and have only released three albums (and an EP), but for now are on an indefinite hiatus.


And for personal reference, many of the GY!BE members are anarchists, and it really shows with political undertones in their music. They're very anti-mainstream, and it shows. This it the first half of Rockets Fall On Rocket Falls, with a brief introduction. I think video captures the song PERFECTLY! Hope you like it.

Band of the Week: Marry a Thief

[November 26 - December 2]
Marry A Thief
Sounds Like: Indie/Singer-Songwriter
Drinking Buddies: Obadiah Parker, Ryan Adams, Coldplay
Synopsis: Emotionally driven acoustic music, with a electric twang at times.
Makes You Want To...: Sing; Write poetry; Love
[Myspace]






One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is the Marry a Thief.


Lonely ol' November is winding up for its last swing at bat. Next week all the leaves will have departed from their trees, the department stores will be even more crowded, all the leftover turkey will have been eaten, and any remnants of Halloween will be discarded in favor of pine trees with lights all over them. But it's not all chilly and sad out there, we're entering one of the most joyous seasons around! Let's give November it's due and proper, one last time.

Marry a Thief is a trio hailing from Columbia, South Carolina. Formerly the solo act of Eric Skelton (you listened to him, right?!), a couple extra band members materialized out nowhere to make a little band with a beautiful brand of music. Taking Skelton's already sweet, soothing lyrical prowess and sensitive acoustic guitar-jamming, and giving it a pick-me-up that only the sound a full band can produce, Marry a Thief brings a luscious brand of original music to your ears!


Frankly, it was hard for me to say what kind of music they DO play. Their style encompasses a lot of different sounds; a little country, and little folky, a little indie, and much more. Don't let my wavering explanations change your mind, go check them out! Eric Skelton has his own record, Some Other City, for sale still, as well as Marry a Thief's more recent release, One More Smile, Fake As the Night is Blue, both for sale on their Myspace. They'd love it if you checked out the site and maybe left them a comment!

Turkeys! LOL, OMG!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

FROM VOILA!

Band of the Week: Math and Physics Club

[November 19-25]
Math and Physics Club
Sounds Like: Indie-Pop
Drinking Buddies: Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, The Lucksmiths, Tullycraft
Synopsis: Wittily wordy indie-pop with catchy tunes.
Makes You Want To...: Ride a bike; Smile; Tell a joke
[Myspace]





One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is the Math and Physics Club.


Thanksgiving - a time to give thanks to what we love most. Friends, family, and great food! If that can't get you smiling for the week, I have a hunch there's a certain quintet out there that can do the job swimmingly.

Math and Physics Club. The name recalls that nerdy group of kids (in high school) who would spend their lunch huddled in a classroom talking about numbers. The group translates perfectly to the science department at your local university. Math and Physics Club almost harbors the same mood. Using witty, intellectually driven lyrics, mixed with head-nodding indie-pop, and very feel good vibes, it's hard to come up with any criticism for these folks.

MAPC have been around for nearing on four years now, and have a delightfully substantial album collection under their belt. You must be sure to give thanks for the delightful melodies by visiting their Myspace, and maybe even their personal website, where you'll undoubtedly come across the sale of their delicious albums! Get those turkey's ready for Thursday!

Bell Orchestre's Unreleased Album

Hardly believable, and what a find. While randomly surfing the interweb, I came across a blag called The Torture Garden. I've only glanced at the site briefly, and they have some interesting articles, so check them out.

That's not the point.

The point is, they had an article up back in May releasing a crazy find: the unreleased demo, studio produced (or at least convincingly recorded), self titled album by Bell Orchestre.

For those not in the know, Bell Orchestre is a group of crazy Canadian post-rockers, a good amount of which use it as a side project to the one and only Arcade Fire. They had a nice quick bit of success of with the release of their previous album, Recording A Tape the Colour of Light, but as most members were consumed with Arcade Fire festivities as well as other activities, they've been somewhat out of the musical loop for the last three or so years.

But apparently, instead of simply recording colour and light on a tape, they previously recorded, yet neglected to release, a self titled endeavor which is every bit as epic as their officially released content. I've only given it a quick listen, but from what I've heard, it is an easy rival to Recording A Tape! Definitely winning most notable song is "Noviembre." But The Torture Garden supplies the entire album in zip format. So check it!

Download the entire Bell Orchestre Demo

"The Men Who Live Upstairs" - The Most Serene Republic

New video by the Arts & Crafts cohorts The Most Serene Republic for their song, "The Men Who Live Upstairs," off their new album, Population. They've got a church room filled with a charming group of prominent, pompous individuals all dressed in Victorian outfits. I think the concept is similar to The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe. After a little while, the snooty people watchign MSR get fussy about the wall of sound that hits them (though you can't blame them there). Then they start keeling off for no readily apparent reason, though the title to the video mentions "The Plague of Eminence."

Draw your own conclusions. Regardless, this is a great song and a good bearing for Population.

The Hogwarts Tonsil Hockey Team - Harry and the Potters

Since one article about Harry and the Potters didn't seem to be enough to quell me for the week, I decided to feature a song. "The Hogwarts Tonsil Hockey Team" is from Harry and the Potters' split 7" with The Zambonis, and is bundles are fun. If you want a download, sneak to their Virb, where they have lots of songs for download.

Band of the Week: Harry and the Potters

[November 12-18]
Harry and the Potters
Sounds Like: Wizard Rock
Drinking Buddies: Mates Of State, They Might Be Giants, Led Zeppelin
Synopsis: Dork rock that makes you dance and can help you cast a patronus charm.
Makes You Want To...: Read; dance; crash a Gryffindor common room party.
[Myspace]





One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Harry and the Potters.

So the Deathly Hallows came out already, and even if you haven't read how the whole Harry Potter series comes to a conclusion, you've probably heard from all the talk going about. Between lawsuits with Rowling, Daniel Radcliff showing up on the theatre stage naked with horses, Dumbledore being gay, and the Half-Blood Prince movie not coming to the big screen until next November, where could a Harry Potter addict possibly find more sojourn?

Wizard rock, for those who didn't know, is modern day filk. No, filk isn't an obscenity; it merely speaks of science-fiction based music. And the resurgence of the sub-genre with a Harry Potter angle is all thanks to the boys of Harry and the Potters.

These boys have been rocking the Hogwarts uniforms for quite a while now, and haven't slowed down any. Just recently releasing The Enchanted Ceiling for a special Wizard Rock organization that promotes literacy, not to mention having an upcoming Christmas song on Jingle Spells (mentioned a few entries ago), they know how to have fun. Singing Harry Potter inspired lyrics with a somewhat minimalist style of music, Harry and the Potters are perfect for any Harry Potter fan. You've got to check out their Myspace. You can find out more about Jingle Bells right here. Also, The Enchanted Ceiling is almost sold out, but if you sign up for the wizard rock monthly now, you'll get the entire year's worth of albums by all sorts of wizard rock bands, with The Enchanted Ceiling included.


Also, for those lucky folks who might be in Massachusetts, you'll definitely want to attend Yule Ball 2007. They have some of the best wizard rock bands around going there for a real Christmas party, WIZARD STYLE! Find out more here. For the rest of us, we can dream right?

Worries On My Chest - Cullen Rollins

That silly Cullen Rollins has himself a new song, "Worries On My Chest." Using catchy acoustic guitar riffs, nifty vocals and lyrics, cymbals, and great musical thematics, could this possibly be a taste of the full-band Cullen's been thinking of starting? We'll soon see. Check out Cullen's Myspace, download some of his songs, add him, and give him a holler. He'd love it.

As a post-script, you should also run over to Cullens' side-project, Action Blaster Kid. He has a lot of trippy techno-esque beats, including one Powerpuff Girls orriented one.

Jingle Spells For Christmas 2007

Okay, granted, it's only the second week in November. Who wants to think about Christmas now? Thanksgiving hasn't even passed, and even though everyone and their mother knows that Christmas is right around the corner, and after we've had all our post-turkey naps we'll have to struggle our way waste deep in muggles to get into the Christmas shopping.

Well he's a good sign of the coming Christmas that you can take advantage of now. And yes, I did say muggles, because this year you can spend your Christmas with wizards. The Leaky Cauldron, notorious blog-anthology-thing for Harry Potter nerds, is doing their yearly act of charity. Every year, they hold of sale with the intention of giving away all proceeds to Book Aid, a foundation which promotes literacy. Nice eh?

This year, they're doing something a tad different. They're presenting Jingle Spells: Leaky's Rocking Christmas 2007 as their fund raiser. Jingle Spells is a compilation of your favorite Wizard Rock artists singing joyous Potter-related Christmas songs.

If you've been missing out on the fun, there's his whole new genre of music known as Wizard Rock, which specializes in music strictly about wizards, unicorns, and the Harry Potter universe. It's a pretty big deal, and about as independent as music gets these days.

Jingle Spells is essentially Sufjan Stevens' Songs For Christmas without the long song titles and banjos. Bouncy, eclectic wizard rock from the best in the genre (including Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, and Ginny and the Heartbreakers (I'm not making these names up)). And I must say, I can't WAIT for the Gred and Forge's song "The Twelve Days Of Wizard Christmas" and The Moaning Myrtles "Wrocking Around The Bathroom."

Why tell you all this pre-Thanksgiving then? Because The Leaky Cauldron is selling this only for limited release. You have to put your orders in before December 10th. Sure, you have a lot of time, but you definitely don't want to miss your chance to grab this limited album. Be sure to mosey on over to The Leaky Cauldron and place your order, not to mention check out the playlist with previews of the songs.

Album Review: Punch Your Lights Out EP - Danger: Radio

It has been long time waiting, but FINALLY, after many months of being forced to refresh their Myspace page, Danger: Radio is releasing their EP, Punch Your Lights Out, on iTunes. Before now, Danger: Radio had only been selling at their shows, a sure let down to fans who hadn't been able to see them. No longer!

I've been crazy for Danger: Radio for longer than I care to remember. I picked on them along with Andrew De Torres' exploits with The Scene Aesthetic, way back before D:R somehow got their original Myspace deleted. Since then, I've been able to see their style of music grow and evolve in ways that I'd be forced to use adjectives that are synonymous to "good."

Danger: Radio is a crazy little quintet out of Washington who's forte is for the wild and dancey. With an eccentric, and truly unique form of dance rock, mixing classic 80s vibes and funk, with modern rock and alt.-indie vibes and their fun/singable lyrics, these guys just have the need to party coming out of every section of your speakers. I have never failed in showing Danger: Radio to a friend and not see them desperately hide the embarrassment when they realized their body naturally had started moving to the groove.

D:R's style for Punch Your Lights Out is refined from their completely original sound, previously heard on their limited released album, The Difference Between Love and Envy; but their new material is perfected, mastered, and a real treat. Essentially, this is a compilation of all the demos they've produced over the past year or so, but ever so worth the measly 5$ it will cost you. All 5 songs on the EP keep the mood, and keep your body moving the entire time. Party Foul gets funky down to a science, while you get a taste of the latest D:R offers with two of their more recent works, Sparkle Baby Shine and Keep It Up.

The Punch Your Lights Out EP is a huge break and relief from the serious and introspective mumbo-jumbo that music sometimes gets dragged down in. This will stretch out you limbs and get you on your feet! Warning: Side effects may be random dance parties and fun times. In some severe cases, extreme euphoria has been noted in listeners. In the event that happiness continues for longer than the length of the album, please be sure to contact your local physicians at Danger: Radio's Myspace to catch some of their latest material.

Band of the Week: Pants Yell!

[November 5-11]
Pants Yell!
Sounds Like: Indie Pop
Drinking Buddies: Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Math and Physics Club
Synopsis: Smile!
Makes You Want To...: Play catch; Walk through the park.
[Myspace]





One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Pants Yell!


Pants Yell! are some silly boys out of Cambridge, Massachusetts who are keeping things bouncy with their eccentric blend of indie pop with intelligent lyrics. But mostly they want to have fun, which they achieve admirably. They've been getting a bit of spotlight with the release of their latest album, Alison Staton. But I'd suggest, if you can play vinyl, grabbing their 7" EP, Paper Cities, which sounds most delightful.

They have all their albums for sale on their Myspace, which I suggest you wander over to check them out. And before you push Pants Yell! as just another random indie pop band with comedic use of exclamation marks in their name, listen to Not So City Life. It'll have you dancing in no time.

Brown Recluse Sings Releases New EP

As mentioned several weeks ago when I featured them for the week, Brown Recluse Sings has gotten together to put out their latest EP, The Soft Skin. Four delightful tracks that will have you smiling like no other. You'll definitely want to snag it when it comes out next week, on the 13th. Check out their Myspace, or their blog, for further info.

This Will Destroy You Unleashes New Album Onslaught

Yesterday, the boys from This Will Destroy You made a huge announcement.

First off their new album, a self-titled LP, has been announced for pre-order, starting now. Second, they're releasing two versions, a double LP in vinyl, as well as the packaged cd release, all of which has been recorded by John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, Modest Mouse, et. al).

As if this wasn't enough, they are continuing with their fall/winter tour of America. AND, they released two songs from the new album, which are both great. This Will Destroy You is really spoiling us!

If you want to grab the new album for pre-order (why not? they give free shirts?!), step right up here (but be aware, you have to use PayPal). Need tour dates and new songs? Their Myspace has that covered from top to bottom.

Retread Sessions: "A Tender History In Rust" - Do Make Say Think

So I'm wandering around the internet and obviously eventually landed myself at Pitchfork, where I found myself following an interesting article.


KUT, college radio for the lovely folks down in Austin, Texas, have this new program they've started called Retread Sessions. The idea is to film the artist performing live, in a new and strange way that provides ingenuity for the artist in their performance, and a sweet/weird/interesting form of live video performance.

They've filmed a few artists, most of which are somewhat obscure and I don't know much about (Shearwater, Black Before Red, Yacht).

But the latest Retread Sessions video is of none other than the crazy Canadian post-rockers, Do Make Say Think. Filmed in a lonely golden field of tall grass somewhere around Austin, the sensitive instrumental almost sounds country considering the locale. It's a beautiful performance, check it out.