Mar 31 2009

New Music

I am so digging on The French Miami right now! They are picking up the torch from late 90s Trans Am in the best way, ditching the cool for peace/love vibes, but not at all, for one minute, dropping THE ROCK. Also, they use a Juno 60, which I carted around for many, many moons, and earns mad nostalgia points. This is how I know I am an aging hipster:

1)    I am awarding nostalgia points

2)    When I saw this band, on accident, at Rontom’s last Sunday, I really couldn’t remember being so pleasantly surprised by a live band.

On another note. Olympia’s Lake were a sure sign of the return of Yacht Rock!


Feb 18 2009

Goodbye Muzak!

More good recession news! Muzak has filed for Chapter 11! You will not be missed, suckers! From The Onion: “Some people might see this as a bad thing, but I think we’re about to enter a new golden age of humming.” Unfortunately, reports say that the company will be able to continue operating through the bancruptcy, but I have high hopes….


Feb 10 2009

Advance Battery Life


I loves me some Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, I have since he was living here back in like 2001. One great thing about long-time listening to artists like Owen (solo, and using {basically} one instrument {thrift store keyboards and drum machines}) is that over time you get to hear their growth not only in terms of song writing, but in terms of gear. On Advance Battery Life, for example, a new collection of rarities and b-sides (White Corolla!!!!!) it looks like at some point in time someone bought a vocoder. As someone who went through their own vocoder phase, this is both a cringe-worthy and heartwarming moment!


Nov 21 2008

This Is Why I Listen to Podcasts

Because on You Look Nice Today, the crew, upon learning that they were in the same recording studio where humpty dance was recorded, start doing the “beeerroooow beeeerrooow” bass line and then one of them does the “d.do me ba’by” and then one of them reads poetry from Jewel’s A Night Without Armor.
Pretty.
Amazing.


Sep 15 2008

Submarines


I’m slightly in love with the Submarines. They were a couple, and then they broke up, and then they got back together, and then they formed a band. Their first album was about their break up. Their second album is about being happy.
They don’t suck and they are cute.
also, the boy’s last name is Dragonetti, which I think makes him an honorary NYC detective, and the girl’s first name is Blake, and she is a direct descendant of F Scott Fitzgerald.
best of all:
An instrumental version of “You, Me and the Bourgeoisie” is being used in an apple ad, which gets mad irony points as the lyrics are:

” Everyday we wake up
We choose Love
We choose light
And we try, it’s too easy just to fall apart

Love can free us from all excess
From our deepest debts
Cause when our hearts are full we need much less”

holla back, and way to be a coward, apple.


Jun 30 2008

Punk Rock Show

I went to my little brother’s punk rock show tonight. He’s 16 already. damn. The show was amazing. A little punk rock cafe with vegan food and a skinny hard core guy walking around asking for gas money for the bands. It was a trip, like watching quantum leap. There was a little me, and little versions of some of the people I knew and know. I watched them awkwardly gossip, slam dance, and watch themselves as my little brother busted hardcore guitar solos. And there I was, invisible like Dr. Sam. The show ended, and after I told my brother how proud I was and that I loved him, and as I gunned out of the parking lot, I thought, if that was quantum leap, then what must I change, how can I fix things. There are things to fix. Right? I’m not so sure. I hit all greens and gunned the engine to 50, and I felt like actually they were ok, that all those kids will be just fine.


Jun 18 2008

shitty pop punk

I just loaded some wonderfully awful pop punk into iTunes. This is the stuff I was embarrassed to listen to in High School, and it’s just as great now. I can’t wait to take this stuff to the gym.


Apr 18 2008

escape!

ballet

grass
the new M83
getting out alive through the snowy mountains
being greeted by friends


Mar 13 2008

pizza + songs

Ate pizza with my band mate and worked on some songs


Mar 1 2008

It came from across the hall….

I woke up this morning with my entire right arm asleep under the pillow. It is such a scary feeling, especially when you are coming out of a dream and open to notions of being paraplegic. I turned over and lay there a bit, and noticed the sound of my neighbor practicing flute.
My neighbor is very talented, he can play the flute and other things, and it is always pleasing to hear him practice. He lives with his wife across the hall, and they are good people, I think.
In any case I lay there and listened to his flute and the patter of a slight drizzle against my bedroom window, and all was quite good.