Welcome to my side of the 'net. I ruminate over music, books, movies, places, or people that have somehow made me what I am or continue to influence me to this day. I usually post links to mp3s of songs I find interesting.
ATTENTION:
The mp3s linked to this site are for evaluation and sample purposes only. The files are only hosted temporarily, so if they're unavailable, it's gone for good. If possible, some of these links are sourced back to the musicians's official website. Please make sure to support the musicians featured herein by buying their records, going to their shows, and purchasing their merch.
One other band that I was glad to see that performed at last month's Terno Inferno gig was Sleepwalk Circus. The band has added math rock influences to their music apart from the messy but gorgeous shoegaze that they've already easily pulled off the last time I saw them play.
Today's featured track will not be included in what's called Great Secret Show. According to the band, this song never made it because there already was enough material to fit the set and they couldn't possibly cram any more in. As a reward to the loyal fans, they decided to give it away online. BTW, I think this track features the distinctive vocals of Taken By Cars' Sarah Marco (who are also in the middle of bashing out their second album in the studio). You could say that it's the appetizer before the meal as the record gets a formal release party on March 27.
We Might Be Strangers, However Close We Get Sometimes
Alright...this has got to be my favorite Wilco song right now. I guess because it partly speaks about a turn (or in this case, non-turn) of events on the personal end.
One of my favorite albums right now is Baltimore-based duo Beach House's Teen Dream. I'd venture to say this early that this will go down as one of the best records to drop in 2010.
I really came across the band by sampling a guest vocal spot by Victoria Legrand on a live performance by Grizzly Bear on late-night television. She added a new layer of pretty harmonies as The Grizzly's Two Weeks breezed through my tinny idiot box speakers.
It was then that the conclusion was made to check on the newrecord. Long-time fans claim that this is much different from their previous efforts. This time around, they maintain, the focus was on the song-writing more than the vocal and guitar textures. Think Cocteau Twins with hooks fronted by Nico.
To reward those who have bought the album, Legrand and co-member/instrumentalist Alex Scally assembled some filmmakers to create music videos for each track off Teen Dream. The best bet to cover all your bases is to get the vinyl version which also includes the CD and the DVD of videos.
Now go ahead and listen to my favorite song off the record, Norway.
One of the best things I did while on vacation was to...what else?...see bands, of course.
Two weekends ago, I had the pleasure of again attending one of Terno Recordings' artist showcase evenings at Saguijo Cafe in the city of Makati. Most acts from the label roster came in full force. One that caught my attention was Musical O. This outfit sounds so much like a less technical Minus The Bear or a more emotionally manic Versus. They just released their first album, debutante. It was a bit difficult to find this at stores in Manila but I managed to score a copy at the Music One over at Greenbelt.
Today's feature isn't characteristic of Musical O's sound. Hey Sandy! is more upbeat than most of the other minor-key tracks. I'd still encourage everyone to delve into the other songs off debutante no matter what.
The mind has been somewhat cluttered with a lot of distractions over the past few...wait, what? We hadn't posted anything since November? Why, we've got to change all that. Yeah, I know. The thought of the holiday season then getting shit together for a trip to the other side of the world for a high school reunion-slash-vacation were priorities since then--mea culpa.
I was also playing with the idea for a while to switch this long-form blog into something more digestible...like a tumblr site or something. Bah, who knows?
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Anyway, today's feature after a long time is Tracey Thorn. The other half of Everything But The Girl is set to release her third solo album this spring. To tide everyone over, she's made one song off the new album Love And It's Opposite available through her site. The song is called Oh, The Divorces!You can get your download at Tracey's site.
REM have become one of rock's elder statesmen. The Georgians that used to look up to Springsteen and The Byrds have now become beacons of inspiration for their musical children in The White Stripes and Radiohead.
The testament to this longevity can be seen and heard in Live At The Olympia. The band did a five-night residency in Dublin's own venue, acting as a sort of warm-up before heading out for a world tour in support of the Accelerate album. Why would anyone want to listen to 39 songs spread over two CDs (and 1 DVD if you picked up the special edition set), one might ask? It's because the track-list in this collection is geared toward fans who remember the band not for their songs like The One I Love or Everybody Hurts. This set is geared to those who have stood by their side picking up every single--on vinyl. You know the kind: devoted and loyal. So if you'd rather hear Sitting Still over Stand, this is for you.
If you've got an iTunes account, head on over to pick up the free Them Crooked Vultures track, Mind Eraser, No Chaser. The band is also embarking on a short US tour right after the release of their self-titled debut record on November 17. The band hits Seattle's Paramount Theater on November 21.
What better way to feature the occasion than to have director Dario Argento's film soundtrack collaborators Goblin? The band did the Dawn Of The Dead theme from George Romero's classic 70's shocker.
Asobi Seksu has seen quite a change in lineup over the years. What remains consistent though in both the studio and onstage would be Yuki Chikudate on vocals and keyboards and James Hanna on guitars and vocals. For those unfamiliar, Yuki sings in both English and Japanese. I love how singing in a different language seems to bring about a sort of newness to the way lyrics would roll out. The unfamiliar nature of having to listen to a foreign language set to music can bring about a new layer of mystique.
What the core duo explored for a new album release is the experiment of reworking their psychedelic shoegazey pop into a more stripped-down affair. Thus the Acoustic At Olympic Studios album. Peeling away the layers of distortion and heavy drums would reveal the delicate nakedness of the arrangements on steel-string guitar and piano. Yuki's vocals also shine with brilliance as a result of the sparse sonic backdrop.
Compare and contrast today's feature, New Years, between the audio from the record and the clip. The differences stand out. Check out the Citrus album for the original studio version.
The band will be on tour outside of the US over the next few weeks.
