Tuesday, June 19, 2007
10000 hits
Great job guys, looks like there is actually something like a readership developing on this blog :)
To celebrate, next upload will be some Velvet Underground, hands down my favorite rock band ever, and the creators of some of the most creative and interesting music ever made. I've been waiting till I was in a VU state of mind to do a writeup on them justice, recently I have been getting back into them, so now is the time.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Vetiver
Just like how it is really hard to find a contemporary bluesman more authentic then Alvin "Youngblood" Heart, its just as hard to find a more authentic contemporary classic rock and roll band then Vetiver.
If you are like me, and believe rock died in the very early 70s, you will immediately fall in love with these guys. Vetiver really captures that innocent, authentic spirit that got lost when rock and roll became rock. There was a warmth in music back then that got lost to the pretentious electric guitar solos of the 70s, and then totally buried in the synthetics of the 80s. Thank God we are past that now, but nowadays music is all about production values, and in the quest for getting that perfect, pure tone, much of the life gets strangled out of music.
For those of you with sharp eyes, yes, that dude on the far right is Devendra Banhart. He was pretty much a member of the band for the first two albums, and still will often play with them if they are touring together (which regularily happens). Listening to their music is always a real pleasure; full of warm, pleasent tones, backed by etherial, introspective vocals.
Ironically, these guys remind me alot of the Velvet Underground, although they have an incredably different sound. I think what it is is a true authenticity, and a love of the 60s that shines through in everything they do. I highly recommend this album to pretty much anyone. I uploaded the Between E.P because of the variety of songs, and the first and last songs are two of my favorites by the band.
Enjoy
Download
Thursday, June 07, 2007
New Banner
One of the things that has been keeping me busy is that I have been learning flash, because of a new job opportunity opening up in the next few months. Since the best way to see if you know something is to try and apply the knowledge you have gained, I decided to throw together a little banner for the blog. Nothing extravagant (I have a fairly zen view of web design, I like things simple and subtle.). It starts off with a picture of a dude playing a national with a slide, I tween the saturation down, and tint it to match the color of the header used in the template. Then there is a fade in of the title text, and about a quarter of a second of blur animation as the caption comes in. The only thing kind of heavy is the background music, (backwards blues, by bob brozman), but that can be controlled with the play/pause buttons in the lower right hand corner.
Anyways, let me know what you think. And for those who enjoy classic rock, I just uploaded the Between ep by Vetiver. Gotta run now, but expect a new post tomorrow, or super late tonight.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Guy Davis: Legacy
Friday, April 13, 2007
Alvin "Youngblood" Heart: Big Mama's Door
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Downloading Problems
Beirut: Gulag Orkestar
Thank you to everyone who wrote in support of this blogs eclectic (sometimes schizophrenic) format. Its nice to knowthat your work is actually being appreciated by people out there.It wasnt until I stopped listening to the radio and started downloading stuff that I actually learned to love music, and anything I can do to help people along in their own journey of musical appreciation, I consider to be time well spent.
Now, on to the show. Beirut is a delightful little gem I ran accross about six months ago. For those of you who are elephant6 fans, they have that wonderful, eastern bloc folk/ marching band sound that NMH managed on their instramentals. For those who don't have any idea what I am talking about, just think the aimelee soundtrack, with a bit more intensity. While the lyrics arent really anything to write home about, the vocals will propel you into a different place and time. The lead singer is just a kid, but as one reviewer put it, he sounds like "a sixty-year-old man, on a porch sipping vodka." While his lyrics fall very far short of the genius that is Jeff Mangum (NMH), his voice is at least as good, if not better.
Beirut is everything that I love about indie music, people taking music to unexpected places, blending old and new sounds, or just making everything up as they go along. I highly recommend this download to pretty much anybody, I guarentee it will end up on your playlist more and more as time goes on.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Six Organs Of Admittance: School of the Flowers
There is quite a bit of what you would expect, but with the haunting acoustic lead runs, and the mix of gentle vocals and sweeping soundscapes make this a band that will end up on your playlist more often then you may think on first listen.
There are times when I really sit down, and listen to music. At those times, I need some seriously complex, in-your-face lyrics and/or musicianship. Other times, I'm working, or talking, or doing something that requires my almost complete attention. At those times, I don't want Dylan, I want something like these guys. Their sound really fades into the background and creates a pleasant vibe that everyone can enjoy.
Anyways, these guys aren't a group that I am seriously on fire about. They are a group that is relatively obscure, but that I heartily enjoy. So if you are looking for some nice, mellow, trippy ambient sounds, give these guys a listen. You won't be disappointed.
Download
Wow....
What I have been doing so far is just posting what I am listening to at the moment. I tend to go through phases. I start by really getting into a genre, I listen to alot of different stuff. Then I start getting the urge for something new, and start looking for cool new stuff. The music from the previous genre starts getting pruned off of my iPod until I have only a handful of albums that I really love, and those tend to stay with me for whenever I happen to be in the mood for them. This is what has lead to my exceptionally eclectic listening habits, and is why the music choices on this blog tend to be fairly schizophrenic (I mean, theres a BIG difference between Joanna Newsom and Mississippi John Hurt).
I know alot of my page hits are people looking for something specific, and that's OK, but I also know I do have regular readers. To develop an audience, typically you need to focus on one kind of music, and I really haven't been doing that. So folks, what do you say? I could probably go on and on for a long time about, say, folk blues and bluegrass, and that would bring a specific kind of audience. I could also continue as I have been, and give people the opportunity to expand their horizons. If you don't dig something now, doesn't mean you wont in a year from now. A big part of finding good music that you aren't into yet is trust, and if you can trust that I won't post garbage, then you will have the opportunity to broaden your taste in music with me.