Questionable Content

What do you think of when you think about Massachusetts? Don't be cliché and say the Salem Witch Trials! Everyone (at least in the United States) has heard about that. Let's dig a little deeper... Maybe you dream of the distant, uncultivated lands of the Pilgrim's Massachusetts - Plymouth Rock and the like. Or maybe we're a bit more contemporary, with an obsession with the Red Sox. Maybe Harvard rings a bell. Or maybe names like the Dropkick Murphys, Harry and the Potters, Sebadoh, or Dinosaur Jr. twinkle in your head.

These and other topics may all be valid, but let's think for a moment. Have you heard of Marten Reed? How about Faye Whitaker? Pintsize? Jeph Jaques? Coffee of Doom? Surely you at least know of Deathmøle?

That's right, we're talking about Questionable Content. QC is a webcomic created, illustrated, and managed by Jeph Jaques, full-time webcomic artist. (If you're already lost, asking, "what the hell is a webcomic?" I shall not digress, so I suggest you read up.) This comical slice-of-life webcomic set in Northampton, Massachusetts follows the story of Marten Reed, indie music buff, who's trying to make his way through life as he works away in an office. After meeting the cute Faye Whitaker in a dive bar, Marten is feeling pretty upbeat... that is, until he learns Faye has burnt down her apartment (in a strange series of events that definitely involve toasters).

Marten takes Faye in and a friendship is born. With that, the plot of Questionable Content sets sail, drifting through zany comedy (usually involving sexual tension between housemates or a strange anthromorphic robot that causes far too much trouble), wild romantic interests, and fun times all around, Questionable Content has one strict focus: this is a webcomic based around indie music.

Often playing off the silly clichés that crop up due to the cultural standing of the genre, Jaques weaves his characters through the weird world of indie music's subculture with some talented, contemporary artwork. Somewhere between dissing Conor Oberst for being whiny, reminicing about the long lost days of Pavement, and rockin' out with the one and only (fictional yet audible) QC band, Deathmøle, Questionable Content takes readers/viewers through the average (if not quirky) life of some cool folks who like music.

Jeph Jaques is a busy man! Not only does Questionable Content publish... well, content, five days a week, but Jaques can be proud that he runs one of the few self-sufficient webcomics out there, supporting himself entirely from QC merchandise. The comic follows a plot, so it is chronological. But Jeph's archives have become quite substantial, as he reached comic number 1150 last Monday! We can't forget to mention his other webcomic creation, Indie Tits... a comic all about tits [birds] who talk all about indie music! If that wasn't enough, Jeph has his own music blog with friends called Yelling About Music, though you'll have to read Questionable Content to find the inside joke about that. Finally, there is this little band of Jeph's/QC's called Deathmøle. I won't go into the details (that's for your reading of QC pleasure), but there is a whole library of music right over here. Questionable Content publishes Monday through Friday at around 10PM-1AM EST. And the following comic is basically what I based this music blog off of.

Daytrotter + The Hush Sound

You heard it! Straight from the horse's mouth! Well, that mischievous Daytrotter horse anyway. The Hush Sound is due in for a recording at the infamous Futureappletree Studio One up in their home state of Illinois. This is obviously after the release of their most recent album, Goodbye Blues, which I read is quite good.

But that only means that this wonderful recording will not be featured for several more weeks! But let's bide our time, shall we? Because if that wasn't enough, Daytrotter has a slew of other bands coming in this week for recordings, including Kate Walsh, Phantom Planet, Frightened Rabbits, and The French Kicks to name a few. And this week, Daytrotter has released articles and recordings from Phonograph AND The Mountain Goats. You spoil us, Daytrotter. You can visit Daytrotter right over the yonder pasture of the internet! And don't forget to hear The Hush Sound's latest on their Myspace.

Band of the Week: Mates of State

[May 25 - June 1]
Mates of State
Sounds Like: Indie-Pop
Drinking Buddies: Au Revoir Simone, Her Space Holiday, Tilly and the Wall
Synopsis: Quietly textured, thoroughly layered pictures of life, magnified, and made audible.
Makes You Want To...: Harmonize; Be in a relationship; Walk in the park.
[Myspace]




One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Mates of State

Do you feel that? That draft in the air. Do you smell that? That fragrant aroma that is absolutely irresistible. Can you hear that? That wonderful, harmonious sound that you can't deny. Whoever said love was in the air during Spring was clearly a botanist and was thinking of the procreation of plants. I, on the other hand, see love blooming all around. Amongst summer reunions with family, parties with young friends meeting for the first time, or all these wonderful summer concerts cropping up all around, there is plenty to fall for this summer.

Mates of State know all about love. This duo from The Great Plains, who has sense lived on both coasts, now residing in Connecticut, has prided themselves on love. They met amongst the midst of the music scene. They moved to San Francisco together. They married, giving up their careers (a schoolteacher and a cancer researcher) to pursue one of music. They moved to the East Coast and had their beautiful daughter, Magnolia.

If anything, these two have helped define love a little more. They sing their beautiful, amorous lyrics in absolutely heartmelting melodies. They follow the beat of their own drum, while humming the playful tune unique in its own like an organ. Their songs are quirky like any relationship, yet their rhythms ebb and flow, and are always progressive, never growing dull. Both sing their hearts out, and harmonize their lyrics as harmoniously as they are together. If that's not love, I don't know what is.

Mates of State has just released their brand new full-length album, Re-Arrange Us, as of last Tuesday. In support of the new album, our daring duo is giving the United States a summer tour to be remembered. If that wasn't enough to wet your whistle, their discography of four full-length albums (including the well touted Bring It Back), as well as the absolutely memorable tunes from their All Day EP will surely ensnare your heart. Of course, Mates of State has a Myspace. If that wasn't enough, Daytrotter featured them; you can't miss their blend of "Like U Crazy" and "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. And if that wasn't enough, they also have an excellent cover of "California" by Phantom Planet featured on their Myspace. So as you drift into the arms of love (or at least lovely music), you should have a very good week, and I shall see more of you lovers later.

xoxo

New Song/New Album by Marry A Theif

In my realization that I tuned all music out during that intense review of Narrow Stairs, I decided it was prudent to hunt for whatever news I had missed in the last few days. Turns out not only did I miss an intriguing event, but also a HUGE event!

The whispers have reached my ears that our lovable friends, Marry A Thief, have released a brand new song, "Falling Out Of Your Dress." Erich Skelton broke out the acoustic guitar for a quiet lamentation involving drunk girls and old relationships in a sweet yet somber song. But since my last visit, I noticed they also have three equally new songs. Fishy, fishy...

New songs have to come from somewhere! So like the sleuth I am, I investigated what I somehow failed to notice when the time was right. Turns out that (much to my own personal frustration) I completely neglected the fact that Marry A Thief just put out their brand new album, I Am Dying To Outlive You, something like three weeks ago! What's more, their album went for sale via iTunes last Sunday. This seven song short-album/long-EP weaves heartfelt lyrics around very well defined and pronounced instrumentation. It seems Marry A Thief is upping the ante with their new, diligently crafted material which would make most other bands blush. Again, how I missed this three weeks ago is beyond me.

On Marry A Thief's Myspace, you can find their latest song, "Falling Out Of Your Dress," as well as three other songs from their latest album, I Am Dying To Outlive You, which is presently available via digital outlets and iTunes. They also have a few other nifty albums, which you can snag off their Myspace as well. And if I lose my mind as thoroughly as I did again, please slap me. I'll need it.

Review: Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie

The marching drum of a career a'drums, a'drums, a'drums in all of us. And we, the people, ever march on so obediently to our faithful callings. From high school, like gazing off a cliff on the west coast out at the endless Pacific Ocean, the world is filled with an endless amount of opportunity. Everyone knows, staring at those western waters, that Japan, China, Australia, Hawaii, Russia, and the rest of the world rests over a few thousand miles of sea. In our lives, our options lay as vast and as open as the Pacific. Where we go, what we do, well that's just up to us.

Musicians face a shoddy, trampled, rough road to trod down. It's not easy to be a rock star in this post-Y2K society, though in essence, it never has been a breeze. Making a name for yourself to record labels, and then gaining street credibility has always been tough; the task is only more cumbersome in our disconnected, intangible superconnection with endless Myspace accounts of would-be troubadours coming and going on a daily basis. Creativity is not a commodity sold at Wal-Mart, and touring is one of the most difficult processes, physically, mentally, and monetarily. To be a successful band is to overcome many, many obstacles that your average desk job won't be dishing out.

But there are veterans amongst the throng of up-and-coming stars, who have influenced music for years; whom are role models for aforementioned would-be's; who's sound has evolved as many times as they have put out an album. Those veterans are Death Cab for Cutie, who put out Something About Airplanes an entire decade ago. The band which has helped bourgeon the talents of Ben Gibbard; the band that has helped develop one of the brightest producers in the music scene, Chris Walla; the band which has slowly defined love with each of their six studio albums. Or maybe they have made love more confusing; one can never tell.

But once again, after all the years, the humble quartet has produced their seventh and latest studio release, Narrow Stairs. Death Cab's music has remained progressive throughout the years of their tenure in the music scene, and the subtle transitions in their sound are audible - almost tangible - in their latest release.

"When we recorded Plans, it was our first major label record, and I think it was a very surgical process," dummer Jason McGerr says on the phone, during Death Cab's documentary, Open Windows, for Current TV. "We really took time to, y'know, groom the whole thing. And this record was a little more like rolling into work with bedhead. If there a little flub, or little twist, or a little turn, or a little bit of a bend here or there in a performance, we signed off on it - we were okay with it... If it feels good, it's good enough to make the record."

Death Cab's style had a prominent shift from Transatlanticism to Plans. Whereas Transatlanticism boasted a more quiet, harmonious, but sociable shift from their previous endeavours on The Photo Album, Plans touted a strange, new Death Cab; a much more matured sound (which says a lot for those who know Death Cab's discography) which leaned toward quiet and sad tunes; toward lamentations rather than explanations. The observance to detail put into Plans was very noticeable, and surely an invigorating change.

But with the release of Narrow Stairs, Death Cab's sound has progressed to a more humbled, personal sound - a quiet, yet pronounced happiness - while retaining a realist perspective that is drifting in the dreams of an idealist. Narrow Stairs opens at a whisper with "Bixby Canyon Bridge," inspired by a very Kerouac style of self-discovery. The song quietly whistles into the ear before it explodes in a vast, heavily layered landscape of sound that nears dream-like status.

"I Will Possess Your Heart," Narrow Stairs' first single, follows as the second track, and by far the best song, which sets the experimental style Death Cab preaches for the rest of the album. The edited versions of this song do it no justice, as the album version launches with a four minute long instrumental intro, slowly building into a deafening, dissonant crescendo, then falling back so close to silence before re-texturing back to a reverberating brilliance. "The song just unfolded as we were playing together," says Ben Gibbard in his interview for Open Windows. "And everybody was kind of just finding themselves in the song... By the time the song turns into this juggernaut, everybody's just moving forward... with this fervour that I feel like we earned as the song keeps building, and building..."

After the buzz of the speakers quiets at the end of track two, the album launches forth into a steady stream of excellently composed songs. "No Sunlight" allows Death Cab for Cutie to flex their muscles with some of their pop tendencies, while the backhanded compliments of "You Can Do Better Than Me" are like an awkward antonym to "What Sarah Said" from Plans. "Grapevine Fires" takes listeners to the west coast, with cultural references of the California grass fires. Nostalgia lingers in songs like "Cath..." which brings reminders of "We Laugh Indoors" from The Photo Album, while the album's finale, "The Ice Is Getting Thinner," takes listeners back to "20th Century Towers" from Death Cab's Stability EP.

The musical composition throughout Narrow Stairs shifts from fast to slow - quiet to loud - soft to heavy - back and forth, throughout the entire length of the album. Ben Gibbard's lyrics play with love, veering away from the clichéd and tweaked view, and instead toying with a realistic, matter-of-fact sort of love. "I've always been interested in lionizing the small moments in life... in my own little way, I've tried to do that," says Gibbard. "The vast majority of life is... not very profound, so you kind of have to try to find find a little profundity in the more mundane elements of life. And I think that tends to be the more interesting."

As these veterans a'drum, a'drum, a'drum away to their musical career, their ingenuity filling our speakers, we can take a deep breath, and hope life will make just a little more sense. Narrow Stairs is now available to in stores and on the internet now, and our favourite minstrels are currently touring stateside, straight through the summer, until August. Death Cab for Cutie's latest album is different; a glorious exclamation of life in its simplest form, expressed in the most complex way one can express such a mind-bogglingly confusing event. Death Cab shows that they don't have a few cards up their sleeve, but a whole deck that they're waiting to deal in an excellent hand.

Band of the Week: The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up

[May 19-25]
The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up
Sounds Like: Indie/Post-Rock
Drinking Buddies: Xiu Xiu, Grizzly Bear, The Album Leaf
Synopsis: Quietly textured, thoroughly layered pictures of life, magnified, and made audible.
Makes You Want To...: Socialize; Stay at home; Introspect.
[Myspace]




One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up.

I don't know about you all, but I'm quickly beginning to miss winter. Here in the Lone Star State, it's SWELTERING. And it's only mid-May. Guess I better get used to it, since it will no doubt be this hot until... mid-November. But it's a good excuse to stay inside and listen to some great music!

But let's talk about a different sort of music. Down tune - I mean really down tune. I mean Yellow House magnified. Somewhere between the lines, where romance meets "just friends," where problems meet solutions, and where music blends; where one can no longer classify the genre of the sound heard.

This is where you'll find The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up. This quintet from Oakland plays a modern style of indie rock hovering somewhere mysteriously between the post-rock This Will Destroy You, classic indie material from bands such as American Football, and 90s college rock by Sunny Day Real Estate. These boys show their musical prowess as they weave, layer, and texture sounds with steady rhythms in their songs. Whether they're blaring through a dissonant, fuzzy, fast-paced tune or a song that slows so much to make you question if it hasn't stopped all together, The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up soothes the soul as they speak all the feelings of the soul for you. And when they aren't sifting through a steady, hypnotizing instrumental, they are singing heartfelt lyrics of parties gone awry and love gone AWOL through the speakers to you, the faithful listener.

The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up are nearing veteran status at the rate they've released albums over the past decade. With a handful of EPs floating around, a few split/albums they share with other arists (the legendary Xiu Xiu being amongst the co-stars), as well as three full length albums, The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up offers plenty of material to indulge in. Camp Jim Yoshii is surprisingly quiet at the moment, as they remain on hiatus until further notice. But obviously they have a Myspace. They also have a neat website which is worth a view or two.

Open Windows: Death Cab Documentary

Recruiting

On a Voilà! related note, I want to remind every reader out there about the way we do things here. Basically, Voilà! is trying to gather as many folks out there who are willing to write about music. Any ol' person will do, and there are no requirements for being a writer (except for having a Blogger account and an interest in music). We want you to join the crew! The more the merrier!

If you've ever been interested in writing for a music blog, or can't think about anything but music every day, feel free to leave a comment or email me, and we can get you hooked up on the Voilà! writing squad. There's absolutely no commitment on how often you write, or how well you write (though fairly good grammar is appreciated!).

If you want to here a somewhat-official way of how this site works, go over here.

If you'd rather just write, email me! But if you don't mind, those wanting to join might want to take a quick gander at the rules that I've mentioned. And I suppose if you're really curious, you could see who's already writing for Voilà!.

Band of the Week: Quruli

[May 12-18]
くるり (Quruli)
Sounds Like: J-Pop/Indie-Pop
Drinking Buddies: The Pillows, Fujifabric
Synopsis: Laid back indie rock from Japan. Where can you go wrong?
Makes You Want To...: Learn Japanese; Walk in the park; Dance.
[Myspace]




One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is くるり (Quruli).

No more classes! Well, for me, anyway. On a whole, school is winding down for college students, and we finally have a nice, long summer break to relax. How better to do that than with some great music?

Quruli is a quaint little duo hailing from Kyoto. These two fun-loving Japanese guys have been pumping out the lovely J-Pop tunes since 1996. Typically playing an upbeat sound, Quruli weaves wondrous music through the airwaves to your eager ears.

We are talking about veterans here. Quruli hasn't been coasting through the music scene in Japan (or internationally) for twelve years. Quruli has an unbelievable 18 EPs and seven full-length albums under their belt, with creativity flowing from every section of their ensemble. They have been ranked 74th best band in Japan by HMV records, have been the first band from Japan to record in Austria by invitation (to record their latest live album, Philharmonic or die), and have successfully organized the first ever outdoor concert in the Kyoto metroplex, the Kyoto Music Festival In Umekoji Koen.

Obviously Quruli has a Myspace, where they are selling more of their albums than I know what to do with. They also have a bunch of neat videos scattered throughout YouTube, which you should definitely check out. As for me, I'll be listening ハイウェイ while I take a nap. Nighty night, readers.

"Hit The Wall" - Broken Social Scene

It was almost as if the excitement in the air over the next Broken Social Scene album was palpable in the air. After Kevin Drew's unprecedented success with Spirit If..., the co-release of the first in the series of Broken Social Scene Presents... albums, fans have been nearly begging for the next album the Social Scene is going to endow upon us avid listeners.

Well the wait is dwindling down as the debut date of July 22nd gets ever closer to the release of the next album in their series, Broken Social Scene Presents Brendan Canning: Something For All Of Us... Broken Social Scene may be wandering like gadabouts in Istanbul on their international tour, but it was as if they could feel the anticipation raising. And thus, they delivered. Now on their Myspace is the first single from the new album, "Hit The Wall." Quick, intense, progressive, and undeniably cool!

Other announcements have been leaking out of the air-tight secret that is Something For All Of Us... include cover art, tracklists, and collaborators. I'll let those eager readers who are so inclined hunt for the tracklisting on their own, but let it be known that we'll be hearing the likes of many amazing Canadian musicians, including: Kevin Drew, Jason Collett, Ohad Benchetrit (Do May Say Think), Amy Millan (Stars), James Shaw (Metric), and many more. You can find "Hit The Wall" on either Brendan Canning's Myspace, or the Myspace for Broken Social Scene. Don't miss it.

I Hear Sirens Releases New Songs

Those inventive post-rockers from Salt Lake City, I Hear Sirens have posted some brand new songs. Titled "The March" and "Intermission," these progressively instrumental can carry listeners to dream-like, guitar and keyboard textured landscapes, as they remain soothing and gentle throughout the song. These new songs follow the release of their debut and self-titled EP, released last year. They are definite gems, and should be heard. You can catch I Hear Sirens' two new songs on their Myspace.

Band of the Week: Thao with The Get Down Stay Down

[May 5-11]
Thao Nguyen with The Get Down Stay Down
Sounds Like: Folk/Singer-Songwriter
Drinking Buddies: Laura Veirs, Jack Johnson, Bishop Allen.
Synopsis: Quoted from Thao's Myspace, "Tangles of guitar, knots of singing, threads of beat and thump make a rope fit for hauling the heavy machinery of your day."
Makes You Want To...: Read a book; Walk in the park; Write poetry.
[Myspace] [imeem]




One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is Thao with The Get Down Stay Down.

Slowly, surely, for college students all around the nation, finals week is decending upon the masses to crush the educational hopes and dreams for many students this semester. Or maybe it's an uplifting event! You never know, but the fact is, for myself and my peers, this week is going to be particularly stressful. Between cramming for tests, waiting in lines to buy Scantrons (which, mind you, are reminiscent of the bank runs in the 20s), and pulling hair out in the silent classroom as right answers are bubbled, essays are written in Blue (or green post-consumer recycled!) Books, we are all just a bit busy. But good music doesn't stop! And I don't know about you, fellow reader, but I say a good band humming tunes into my head while I'm taking a test is quite stress relieving.


One of these handy, catchy, bubbly personalties is Thao Nguyen, a singer-songwriter from east coast Virginia who is working with her latest outfit, The Get Down Stay Down, in west coast San Francisco. Combined, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down is a very talented collective. So talented, that Thao is renowned for her incredible ability to beatbox and hum at the same time!

But I under-exaggerate and digress; Thao with The Get Down Stay Down plays some catchy contemporary folk-rock which bathes your ears in candy-like sound, supressing your senses in a stranglehold of ecstatic joy. Sex, love, relationships, hot boys/girls, family business; all topics are open for the opinionated Thao to sing about, and with her country blues inspired song composition, as well as unprecedented guitar solos, you'll find yourself melting to Thao's tangy voice.

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down are currently on tour in Europe with Anais Mitchell, and tomorrow are no doubt giving Glasgow, Scotland a run for their musical money. Then they are taking the weekend off... hey, don't complain! Thao with The Get Down Stay Down are hitting the road immediately after the short break, kicking off an North American tour with the Sasquatch Festival. Afterwards, they truly embark around the country with "Holy-crap!-I-Can-Not-Believe-We-Are-On-Tour-With-The-One-And-Only" Rilo Kiley.

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down is no doubt touring in support of their latest endeavour, We Brave Bee Stings And All, which was released merely three months ago on Kill Rock Stars. They also have a previous album, Like the Linen, and were featured on Kill Rock Star's compilation album The Sound The Hare Heard, along with the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Colin Meloy, and Laura Veirs. Obviously they have a Myspace with a couple songs for download, but they also have themselves an article on Daytrotter with some great tunes. If you weren't spoiled enough, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down also has an imeem where you can see some like acoustic performances by Thao, as well as hear the entire new album, including personal commentary by Thao herself for each song. Following this article is an aforementioned video from imeem; Thao belts out an amazing cover of "Baby, I Love You" by Aretha Franklin, which I cannot stop watching. Bite our lips, and sing the songs with Ms. Nguyen, and we'll skirt through this ugly week of finals!

Video: "Neon Bible (Elevator Version)" - The Arcade Fire

I found this through Canaddiction, but it's quite neat.
Basically, the crazy collective of Arcade Fire was putting on a show for the French blog, La Blogotheque, at Olympia Hall, Paris. Why yes, they did decide to film a candid performance of "Neon Bible," performed acoustically in the cramped confines of an elevator (while using a magazine as percussion). They also decided to begin their concert with "Wake Up," singing surrounded by the throng of people in the audience. Definitely worth a view by your eager eyes.

So let's run down the list briefly before we watch a nice video. Canaddiction is all about great Canadian bands, and you can read their lovely blog right over here. For you Francophones, La Blogotheque has quite a few interesting articles pour vous plaisir d'écoutez. Allez vous là. Finally, those Montreal minstrels, The Arcade Fire have a Myspace, where you may easily find some beautiful music to listen to.