11-13-12 - "We Are 1980" ~ Said The Whale

Friends, I'm incredibly excited.  One of my favorite bands (OF ALL TIME), Said The Whale, are coming back to Pittsburgh tomorrow!  As in Wednesday, November 14, at Howler's.  You should probably be there, unless you have a really good excuse, because it's going to be a blast.

My pals over at Draw Us Lines were kind enough to post my big wet sloppy kiss of an article raving about the band; have a read if you like.

It's always tough to pick just one song to feature when I like a band this much, but since it seems I've gone with STW's more folksy / sentimental tunes (like such as The Light Is You, Black Day In December, and False Creek Change) in the past, and they've released a brand new album this year that I've yet to mention here, I'd go with one of the pop/rock leaning new tunes, and the leadoff from April's "Little Mountain" fits the bill:

(by the way, the band made music videos - and not weak, lame ones - for all 15 tracks from the album.  You can find them on saidthewhale.com)

Methinks you'll find some intriguing and thought-provoking social commentary here...

"We’ve got Mandarax and loveless sex 

And information passing right through our skin and bones..."

5-8-12 - "Kids+Poker Face" ~ Weezer

I honestly thought this mashup was my own idea, and I pitched it to my buddy Mike last weekend, who burst my bubble by mentioning the Weezer cover.  Perhaps I'd heard this before but blocked it from my consciousness, perhaps I legitimately came up with the same idea as Rivers Cuomo & Co.  Let it be known, however, that in my head, the "can't read my, can't read my, no he can't read my poker face..." part was directly over the hook from Kids; whereas Weezer just segues from one song into the other.

Let it be known that it's unlikely I'll ever post Gaga other than this cover - just not really what I'm into these days.  Let it also be known, however, that she's a musical genius, but also a savvy businesswoman who figured out that she could achieve much greater fame and fortune by going the extravagant pop diva route than playing classical music or just being a girl with a piano.

While we're on covers, who can forget this gem?

At any rate, the original MGMT song rocks, but this does as well:

"No time to think of consequences..."

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..."

12-30-11 - "Skeletons" ~ Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr

Catchy indie pop tune from Detroit duo with witty name.  Heard this on the radio the other day, and it's pretty swell.  Light and fluffy music and vocals with some hints of darker things creeping around the edges...

And because we can, here's a live acoustic performance:

"Anything you say has already been said a million times..."

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..."

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…"

9-28-11 - "O.C. Supertones" ~ The O.C. Supertones

Some days, no matter how important your project is at work, no matter how "disrespectful" it may be considered to those around you, you just gotta crank some ska.  Today was one of those days.  


Ska's prime was a while ago, to be sure; can't say I listen to the genre frequently these days, but if you're in the right mood it's still great.  And yes, when I said "crank", I meant "go one click higher than normal on the computer volume button", so I wasn't really sticking it to the man.  But man, hearing this album (and especially this song) just made me happy.


Give it a try and just try to stay angry or depressed or whatever unpleasant mood you may be in right now.  And if you're already feeling good, this will only expound upon your good feelings.  I promise.


"O.C. Supertones" ~ The Orange County Supertones (grooveshark link)


"Orange County, huh?"

9-24-11 - "Such Great Heights" ~ The Postal Service

Stayed home sick from a concert I was really looking forward to attending.  Watched "Garden State" instead, and was reminded of some good tunes from the soundtrack.  The film uses the Iron & Wine cover of this song (which is also awesome); I'm focusing on the original.

The Postal Service is (was?) a side project of Ben Gibbard (of DCFC fame) and Jimmy Tamborello.  The name was derived from the fact that they recorded tracks for songs and mailed them to each other to build the songs.  Kinda cool, eh?

The song is upbeat, electronic, and catchy, with lyrics celebrating finding one's soulmate... a bit cliched, perhaps, but still fun.  

Here's the Iron & Wine cover, too:

"And I have to speculate

That God himself did make us

Into corresponding shapes

Like puzzle pieces from the clay..."

9-22-11 - "Chase This Light" ~ Jimmy Eat World

I rocked some of my slightly older albums today at work (nice and quiet-like, so as not to disturb the other cube monkeys...)  Jimmy Eat World is always good for a pick-me-up.  This track oozes hope and joy - joy taken in the little things in life, hope that red-letter moments currently experienced with a lover will last forever.


There's more to the song, but I'll let you decipher the nuances for yourself:

"Confetti rainfall in the quiet streets

the beauty is in what you make it

so get up on your feet…"

8-25-11 - "Work" ~ 1,2,3

Despite the un-googleable name, 1,2,3 are a pretty cool band.  They hail from Pittsburgh, though you'd never guess it from the glamour shots of the city in this video.  The opening shots of the bridges and PNC Park look like models - almost a Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood feel.  Then the guitars kick in, and you're hooked.  The video is a cross-section of the personalities of the various blue-collar neighborhoods of the city and the residents therein.


I haven't actually heard these guys live yet, but it's definitely on the agenda.  If this track is any indication, seeing them play in person would be tons of fun.  Oh yea, and you can totally see this building from my bedroom window AND at 2:43 of the music video:

You can even download a few tracks for just the price of an e-mail, if you're so inclined:

"God knows how I go and take it so hard..."


EDIT 1-9-12:  Found some sweet performance videos.  Check 'em.

(not sure whether to trust the free download from this Baeble site - some questionable comments below the video. don't blame me if you try it and get spammed.)

8-15-11 - "Hung On You" ~ New Shouts

I've been waiting with bated breath for a day like today.  A day when Pittsburgh-based rockers New Shouts put out some new songs so I could blog about them.  And all of a sudden, it's here - a brand new 7-song EP!  These boys caught my ear the moment I found out about them back in January, and seeing them at the Warhol in March and again at the Three Rivers Arts Festival only served to enhance their awesomeness in my eyes...er, ears.


You know a band who describes themselves by saying "we wanted to be a 60's r&b girl group, but couldn't get to the 60's and couldn't find the girls so we decided to be a rock n' roll band of dudes" likes to have fun, and it's evident in their songwriting and live set.  Every track will make you want to dance, so use caution if you listen at work... unless you're in an industry that looks kindly upon dancing on the job!


This one is a celebration of the girl next door; the one you want to get to know and hide from the world, because once the rest of the guys find out, she might get snatched up...


Here's the track on bandcamp:

 "Hung On You" 

EDIT 1-29-12 The boys just released a sweet music video for the song; catch it over on Draw Us Lines, or watch here:

"I'm hung on you
and I love how you don't have a clue

from your curls down to your dancing shoes..."

_______________________________________


You can listen to the whole EP plus 4 earlier New Shouts tracks for free on their bandcamp, and can download the older songs for free and the EP for cheap.  I highly recommend having all 11 songs on your ipod post haste; summer days are growing short!

8-4-11 - "Pressing On" ~ Relient K

Ten years.  Used to seem like forever, but now it seems like it went by in a blur.  Yea, this song is from ten summers ago.  At the time, I was rocking this disc every day on the way to soccer conditioning with mi hermano, not a care in the world.  Well, probably I was starting to care about college, but looking back, I'm really not sure why...


So yeah, here's a song about perseverance and keeping your head up through tough times, from the early years of one of my favorite bands, Relient K.  Masters of witty pop-culture references and infectious pop-punk tunes, these boys broke free of the oppression of growing up in Ohio and have gone on to make tons of great music.  My favorite part of following a band is when they broaden their horizons and hone their talents while still putting out music I want to hear.  RK has done that over the years, adding more piano and other instruments along with more intricate harmonies while shedding some of the wit in exchange for more frequent lyrical depth.  Still, sometimes it's nice to go back to the relative simplicity of their early works:

And for you indie types, here's a more mellow "back porch acoustic" version (complete with lawnmower):

"Adversity - we get around it,
searched for joy, in you I found it."

7-7-11 - "Breakfast At Tiffany's" ~ Deep Blue Something

I've been on a bit of a '90s kick lately, so here's another sweet song you probably heard on the radio back then.  Deep Blue Something might qualify as a one hit wonder, but man it was a good one.  Supremely catchy tune, and I never got sick of it.  Probably ought to watch the movie sometime...

"I see you, the only one who knew me
but now your eyes see through me
I guess I was wrong..."

6-28-11 - "Fun, Fun, Fun" ~ The Beach Boys

So it's officially summer as of last week, and tonight we're going to just enjoy a fun summer song (see what I did there)?  The Beach Boys were kings of summery tunes that embodied the spirit of American youth and adventure.  Sometimes they sang about surfing, sometimes cars, sometimes girls... sometimes all three. This one's mostly about the latter two, and kicks off with a sweet little tribute to Chuck Berry and "Johnny B. Goode"...

(OK, so maybe Brian Wilson got a little lazy, rhyming "now" with "now" with "now" here, but I think we can forgive that in light of the awesome harmonies and fun story... woops, did it again!)


"Well the girls can't stand her
'Cause she walks looks and drives like an ace now
She makes the Indy 500 look like a Roman chariot race now
A lotta guys try to catch her
But she leads them on a wild goose chase now..."

6-11-11 - "Rococo" ~ Arcade Fire

Just had an enjoyable evening watching Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire's performances at Bonnaroo from the comfort of my own home, thanks to the miracle of modern technology.  Here's one of my favorites from Arcade Fire.  "Rococo" was a style of art in 18th century France which involved ornate and often embellished stylings.  The term is used in modern vernacular to describe something that's overdone in order to draw attention.


I like the driving bass line, and the haunting repetitive chorus and vocals; they create an eerie sensation that helps convey the unsettling message.  This song probably has something to do with the culture of trying to stay ahead of the curve, trying to be something you're not, or trying to fit in with the cool crowd.  Also seems to be criticizing the culture of The Next Big Thing, and the hipster mentality of "I liked <insert band here> when they were still underground, but now they've 'sold out' (made it big/started earning some money to pay back years of sacrifice) and I just don't like them any more..."  So much of our culture these days is thrust upon us, and people just eat it up.  Learn to think for yourself and make your own decisions.  


(sorry for the Vevo, but it's a pretty sweet vid of a live performance:)

(album version:)

"they build it up just to burn it back down...


they seem wild but they are so tame..."

3-18-11 - "Brittney Lane Don't Care" ~ Meeting Of Important People

Went with a couple of my buddies to the Andy Warhol Museum tonight for the Pittsburgh Garage Pop Revue, a well-conceived concert styled like a 60's TV show (think Ed Sullivan).  My primary goal was to see the New Shouts, whose music was introduced to me a few months ago by my friend Jake.  Turns out the other two bands were tons of fun, too.  Here's a pretty catchy, enjoyable song from one of them, Meeting Of Important People.  It fit well with the vibe of the show, and they had a number of tunes that had that dancy jangly 60s pop feel, but they have some diversity to their sound as well - perhaps we'll explore it in the future.

"The cure ain't taking,
i'll tell you what you oughta do;
why give it all up
if no one's giving up for you?"

2-8-11 - "I Get Around" ~ The Beach Boys

Some winter days make me feel like posting a nice, mellow wintry song.  But tonight I'm feeling like some surf rock.  So here's a classic:

And the audio isn't as good on this live performance, but it's well worth watching as well:


I Get Around - live performance (sorry, video won't embed)




I love the fact that one of the coolest bands of the 60s was actually really nerdy (look at the head bobbing and clapping, and the matching striped shirts) - my kind of guys.  Not a lot of the Beach Boys' material is very deep, but they were masters of light, fun songs and (up to) five-part harmonies.  Great music for a road trip, a summer's day, a winter's day, or any day that just hasn't been going your way.


"oooo
Wah wa ooo
Wah wa ooo
Wah wa ooo..."

1-19-11 - "This Too Shall Pass" ~ OK Go

OK Go are possibly more famous for their music videos than for the songs themselves, but they have some pretty good stuff musically too.  This one's tons of fun.  (oh btw, it just occurred to me tonight that I can slap YouTube videos right into posts, rather than linking.  how about that.  booyah.)

"You can't stop these kids from dancing, and why would you want to,
especially when when you are already getting yours?
'Cause if your mind don't move, and your knees don't bend,
well don't start blaming the kids again..."


BONUS:


Rube Goldberg Music Video:

AND


Band Music Video:

What fun. (these versions have their own audio which is different from the studio cut.  each is spiffy in its own right.)