"Kids These Days" ~ Fur Trade

You guys.  I know next to nothing about this band.  It seems to be the rebirth of Hot Hot Heat, a Canadian group (yep, another one from B.C., just like Said The Whale, The Zolas, Hey Ocean!, and Mother Mother, all bands with whom I am slightly obsessed...) who I must confess I've never gotten around to, but may have to check out after this.  I've listened to this track at least twenty times today... maybe thirty.  Yeah, probably at least thirty.  I can't even put my finger on what it is that makes it so awesome... sweet little funky guitar riff, the dirty piano counter-riff, a brilliant line or two, or maybe the girl dancing in the video - speaking of things I can't explain, this girl's moves... she just exudes confidence.  Blends some raggedy ballet with street moves, and it just... works.  I wish I had that kind of confidence when I was thirteen (I'm guessing that's about how old she was at filming)...

Anyway, check out the track, and tell me what you think:

Ridiculously simple, yet amazing, music video:

Soundcloud:


"There's a melody I hone that no one wrote..."

6-10-12 - "Everything" ~ There There

You guys.  I've missed you.  Probably more than you've missed me.  I haven't posted much because I've been too busy going to awesome shows n'at, ya dig?


Anyway, it's high time I introduced you to There There.  These PGH rockers brought the noise and the funk to Brillobox on Wednesday night.  I was pretty well mesmerized by this bass-tastic glowing rig:

I got some grainy videos, but the audio isn't too shabby (all things considered).  While the band blends elements of hip hop and reggae on some tracks, this particular tune is pretty straight up rock.  Check out "Everything":

And here's the album version, resplendent in its plastic flamingo glory:





You can totally get this track (and the rest of the EP) for free on Bandcamp or Noisetrade.  I recommend you do so, if you like what you're hearing.  And if you still like it after spinning it on your iPod for a few weeks, go back and tip the band - we here at ASOD are staunch believers in exploring music, but also in taking care of the artists we love so they can continue to make music.


"Is it me, or is it you
tell me whatever, what do I have to lose
to find this piece and keep it close to my chest
I feel inside me for all of my unrest..."

2-25-12 - "Downtown Sugar" ~ The Long Time Darlings

Pittsburgh rockers The Long Time Darlings have been on the fringe of my consciousness for a while now, though I've yet to catch a show.  I picked up a freebie track ("Baby Doll") a while back and it comes up on the ol' iPod from time to time, and I enjoy it every time.  Then, I found out from my boss that guitarist Brian Sproul and his folks are long time* family friends of he and his wife.  Said boss forwarded me the link to this video, and you know what?  It's a pretty great song and a pretty great video.


* - totally unintentional, I swear.


You have to love a band whose info page on facebook includes such gems as "Record Label: Ha-ha! That's hilarious!" and "Band Interests: Beer, vinyl, hockey, whiskey, sex."  Rock bands just wanna have fun, you know.  And hockey is just plain awesome, eh?


So on to the video:

[per Brian, it's "a little risqué".  But only a little. Consider yourselves forewarned.]

"Don't bet against yourself, darling…

push your way to the front."

And you can get both Downtown Sugar and Baby Doll on Bandcamp for FREE.  So yeah, do that.  And  if you like these two tracks, then go buy their album, so they can afford to record more rockin' rock songs.  (Okay, that one was intentional, and I apologize.)

2-15-12 - "Prophets" ~ A.C. Newman

Here's a pretty sweet song I heard on a rerun of How I Met Your Mother.  I'm not too snobbish to discover tunes through TV shows, so if you're that kind of hipster, deal with it.


A.C. (Carl) Newman may or may not be a familiar name to you (he wasn't to me, but that's just because I hadn't done my research until tonight).  This guy is a founding member of The New Pornographers (hmm, I can tell from listening to this song, now that I know...) and what's more, he's CANADIAN.  Just like Robin in the show, eh?


Anyway, I like the song.  It's catchy, but not too catchy; has pretty solid / motivational lyrics, and anchors a poignant scene in the show (but definitely stands up without the show... just sayin', it's one of those songs... like how "Rivers and Roads" was used in the final scene of the show Chuck.)

"I was a silent partner, I know
the part of the forest where you shouldn't go..."

2-5-12 - "Serpents" ~ Sharon Van Etten

This one has caught my ear on 91.3 WYEP a few times lately.  For some reason, it reminds me of Florence + The Machine, but that may just be me.  The song is a driving folk rock tune about snakes, and who doesn't love that?


But seriously, the serpents are a metaphor for the poisonous thoughts left over from a traumatic relationship.  Van Etten's lyrics are a maelstrom of resentment and conciliatory efforts as she tries to come to grips with these emotions.  The harmonies dance a tightrope on the edge of catastrophe, evoking the mental turmoil and dragging the listener along for the ride.

"you hold the mirror well 

to everybody else..."

1-8-12 - "Innocents Abroad" ~ Meeting Of Important People

If you live in Pittsburgh and missed last night's Brillobox lineup, you should be ashamed.  Or at least saddened.  My first time seeing Whiskey Holler, a fun little outfit with some steel guitar, mini organ, and a hint of banjo.  1,2,3 closed out the night with a bang.  But I was most stoked for Meeting Of Important People's set, and they delivered as usual.


I snagged a couple of concert videos, including I Know Every Street (from their eponymous debut LP), a brand new track extolling the virtues of getting up and dancing (on the proverbial "floor"), and this one - a nod to Mark Twain, and according to the band, their "Pitchfork song."  


Here's my video from last night:

And here's the Draw Us Lines Echo Chamber video - you may recall (but likely don't) that last July, I typed out my internal debate as to whether to post this track or "Oh, Will You Finally Go?" Guess it worked out that I can now post my own concert vid plus this gem:

EDIT (3-2-12):  Here's a link to a video of Josh performing the song solo, which I filmed at the AIR gallery show on 2-18-12:

"and now I'm - I'm runnin' scared
my kitchen cabinets are bare..."

1-4-12 - "Into The Sun" ~ The Parlor Mob

I'm going to admit that I found out about this band/song from a commercial.  But in my defense, it's a Pittsburgh Penguins commercial, and they're pretty awesome, so I feel like whatever hipster cred I may have had remains intact.  They're not an obscure indie band, anyway... they're a quickly-becoming-less-obscure rock band.


The Parlor Mob is named after a New York City gang which was one of many famous gangs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries - I give them points for a sweet historical nod there.  The song itself is blistering rock and speaks of clawing and fighting to make one's way in a challenging world.  

"Out of the darkness

and into the light of love

though for now it seems this struggle has only begun

I'm still believing

our day is gonna come

when we step out of the shadows and into the sun…"

12-29-11 - "Answers and Questions" ~ Earlimart

Here's a song from a few years back that I'm pretty sure I discovered just by clicking on some "related videos" on YouTube after watching some other band's song... sometimes you strike out doing that but sometimes you find a good one.  I like this song, so there you go.


Not entirely sure of the precise meaning, but it's got that wistful, melancholy vibe going on.  Kind of seems like a breakup song, only more complicated than that...

"I'm wide awake I'm watching you

all of my lies they tell the truth..."

12-27-11 - "Fixin' To Die" ~ G Love

I've been remiss for the bulk of this year in not posting this song.  I first heard it around this time last year, and was spinning it frequently throughout last winter, but apparently never whilst I was pondering which song to select for the day's blog post.  So here you go.

G Love teamed with The Avett Brothers (acting as producers, among other things) on his latest album, and since TAB are pretty swell in my opinion, odds were good that I'd like the collaborative effort as well.  This track is old-fashioned foot-stompin' bluegrassy rock, crying out to the good Lord as he ponders his final days and the fate of his poor children if'n he passes...

(Scott and Seth appear courtesy of their being awesome...)

"Well, I don't mind dyin',
but I hate to leave my children cryin'.."

_____________________________

PS - poke around on philadelphonic.com for some free stuff, if you so desire...

12-26-11 - "The Way I Will" ~ The Elms

Here's a little ditty by one of my all-time favorite bands, The Elms.  These guys rocked hard for the last decade, and this one was one of my favorites from their 2006 release, The Chess Hotel. It's just a little love song, with the slight twist that it's to a girl who's apparently...eh... otherwise engaged... but I'm sure she'll come around after hearing this:

From the band's final performance in their home state of Indiana:

Album version: The Way I Will (grooveshark)

"No, he won't bring you summer like the way I will
And he won't make you shiver like the way I will
And he won't love your mother like the way I will
And he won't last forever like the way I will..."

12-20-11 - "Crash Years" ~ The New Pornographers

It's been precisely 11 months since I last posted a New Pornographers song.  Not sure how that happened, but here's a fun one for you.  Maybe not their most original, stretch-your-limits track, but quite entertaining and catchy, with a visually enjoyable video.


Beyond the hook, there is some fodder for introspection here, which might explain why I like the song so much.  Accompanying the catchy tune are some fairly deep and somewhat obscure lyrics.  I'm sure there are a plethora of valid interpretations, so I'll leave you to consider the following and draw your own conclusions:

"The skirts go up before the war

among the madding crowds

they're ruined like the rest of us ruined..."

12-11-11 - "Roosevelt Room" ~ Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band

Do you ever get fed up and frustrated with the world?  Happens to me on a fairly regular basis, and it's probably no surprise that it often happens at this time of year.  November means elections, and then Thanksgiving, and then of course comes Christmas (although given that the TV commercials and department stores start on Christmas in October these days, maybe I have the order wrong.)  These annual events bring to a focus the things that make me sick to my stomach - corruption in politics, gluttonous consumerism, and the disparity between the American populace and that of numerous other countries.


This year, Occupy Wall Street has added fuel to that fire.  Do I agree 100% with the OWS movement?  Probably not, although to be honest I haven't read up enough to know all the details.  But do they have a point that the government and big corporations have been pulling a fast one on the "99%"...?  Conversely, if you take the American "99%" and compare their wealth to that of the rest of the world's population... who's the 1% now?  I'm not going into more detail because this blog is ultimately about the music, but these are things that grind my gears, when I let my mind ponder them.


This song is pretty clearly the result of Conor Oberst ruminating on the state of the world today.  Again - I'm not trying to promote any political views, and I probably don't agree with everything Oberst thinks about the government, but clearly there are things broken in the system and if people don't stand for their beliefs, nothing's going to change.


You'll certainly feel the emotion behind the lyrics and the angry guitar riffs in the song, and hopefully it will inspire you to evaluate your life and the world around you, decide what's important, and make sure you're fighting for it.


Live at Battery Park, Manhattan, Independence Day 2009:

Studio Recording:

"You give death as a consolation

you know only hate and rage

you paid a dowry for your child's rights

now she's living like a slave..."

12-10-11 - "God And Money" ~ The Ike Reilly Assassination

One I heard on the radio today.  It's nothing groundbreaking musically, though it is catchy enough and pleasant in your aural cavities.  The lyrics are what grabbed me, though.  A son questions his mother's ethical teachings, wondering whether her current lifestyle belies a sordid past.  Despite his suspicions of a "do as I say, not as I have done" upbringing, he seems apologetic for times he's failed to live up to her wishes for him.  Or maybe I'm getting it wrong.  Let me know what you think:

"Do the darkest dance and puke upon your memory

and trample on your evil ways

stand up to your darkest days

twist around the things you say

stomp upon your gazing face

spit into your fading gaze..."

12-09-11 - "Heinrich Maneuver" ~ Interpol

A little late tonight, but only here on the East Coast... 


My favorite Interpol song was always Obstacle 1, but I heard this one on the radio today so it's in my head.  As much as I love living in Pittsburgh, I always love visiting the West Coast, so whenever I'm not there, I'm asking the same question as the band does in this song.


Anyway, without further rambling, here's some rock from the Big Apple:

" 'cause I've got a chance for a sweet saint life..."

12-08-11 - "Heavy" ~ Collective Soul

When I decided to post a Collective Soul song tonight, I could have gotten cute again and picked "December"... but I didn't.  This song is pretty heavy (sorry, had to be done), dealing with an overbearing relationship.  Pretty straightforward lyrically; you won't get much exposition from me tonight.


The song is a great example of late '90s / early '00s rock, and sounds excellent through a good set of speakers where the stereo effects can fully hit you.  Also, here's a kinda cool acoustic version performed in the desert in Morocco:

(look for other tracks performed similarly in Morocco... good stuff!)

And here's the studio recording:

"Hold me up to those whom you've deceived

promises you break you still believe…"

11-23-11 - "Matador" ~ Maria Taylor

Oh, just one I heard on the radio several times... it has an interesting blend of instrumentation, including marimbas (or some such instrument) and guitar, creating a bit of a haunting feel.  Seems she's crushing on a contract killer, or maybe he's a literal bullfighter, not quite sure...


After several years with other bands, Taylor has been putting out solo albums lately.  Seems Miss Taylor has also been involved in some Bright Eyes recordings and concerts, so that's kinda cool...


Oh, and she kinda looks like Carrie-Anne Moss (Trinity from The Matrix...)

"Watch it disappear in the red sky

keep it here and watch it die..."

11-19-11 - "Bartender" ~ Dave Matthews Band

Inspiration for blog posts can come in many ways.  Tonight's was from the lyric (see below) that a friend posted on Facebook.  Here's a song with some very intriguing imagery... rather than throw my own thoughts out there, I'll leave it to you to interpret and digest.


Check this "Abbey Road Session":

And here's an album version:

"Bartender please

fill my glass for me

with the wine you gave Jesus

that set him free

after three days in the ground..."

11-14-11 - "Lonely Boy" ~ The Black Keys

Here's a fun new track from the upcoming album by The Black Keys.  As a bonus, the video is simple, lacks pretense, and is quite entertaining.  


Pretty simple premise here; I won't insult you by explaining it...

"Well I'm so above you

and it's plain to see

but I came to love you anyway

so you tore my heart out

and I don't mind bleeding

any old time you keep me waiting…"

11-12-11 - "Sequestered In Memphis" ~ The Hold Steady

In honor of a show I didn't attend in Pittsburgh tonight, here's a track about, well, falling in with the wrong kind of girl, getting picked up by the cops for questioning, and... you'll catch on pretty quick, I'd imagine.  Some of my friends really love The Hold Steady, and I went to see them a while back last time they were in town, and they're not bad, but not my personal favorite style of music either.  Enjoyable performance, just not quite in my wheelhouse.  This one was my favorite song they performed.  Catchy rock tune with humorous lyrics and a nice background piano riff.  Check it:

"In bar light she looked all right

In daylight she looked desperate

That's all right, I was desperate too

I'm getting pretty sick of this interview…"

11-11-11 - "Bohemian Like You" ~ The Dandy Warhols

Being a bit of a nerd, I considered a post related to the date (11/11/11), but nothing fitting came to mind, except for "Konstantine" by Something Corporate... "I always catch the clock, it's 11:11 and now you wanna talk..." but I already posted that one.


So you're getting a tune that doesn't really have anything to do with math nerdery, or veterans for that matter. (Side note: if you live in America, hug a veteran today!  No, our country isn't perfect, and no, our wars aren't necessarily always just, but there are a lot of things we enjoy today that were protected by the efforts of folks like my grandfathers, or someone you know that served.)


Here's a fairly sardonic take on the hipster / hippie lifestyle, with a heavy dose of tongue-in-cheek wit. Or maybe they're completely serious; I'm really not sure.  Either way, it's a great one to blast with the windows down, or up if it's chilly and there are snow flurries like today in Pittsburgh.  


(WARNING: music video is rated PG-13; think Titanic level.  If you have sensitive eyes, use the second "video", which is just the lyrics)

"so what do you do?

oh yea i wait tables too

no i haven't heard your band

'cause you guys are pretty new

but if you dig on vegan food

well come over to my work

i'll have 'em cook you something

that you really love..."