'Song of the Week" : Lissie-"Little Lovin"

Just last month, young folk singer, Lissie released her debut EP, Why You Runnin', which featured the track "Little Lovin" which has grown on me with every listen.
She had help on the five-song EP from some of her friends like, Tyler Ramsey and Bill Reynolds from Band of Horses, the latter of which produced and played bass on the record, and also Ed Harcourt who worked on the track "Oh Mississippi." The songs were recorded at her home in Ojai, CA, and at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC, and range from hand-clapping, foot-stomping numbers like the aforementioned, "Little Lovin" to country and soulful '60s pop-esque ballads, centered around her powerful and haunting raw vocals.

She'll be appearing tonight solo at The Mercury Lounge in NYC, with more tour dates scheduled opening up for Ray LaMontagne (check all the dates below).

Lissie-"Little Lovin"

Lissie tour schedule:
Nov 9 Mercury Lounge NYC, New York
Nov 10 Why You Runnin’Release show Oxford
Nov 11 Daytrotter Presents Rock Island, Ill.
Nov 12 The Auditorim Theater Chicago, Ill #
Nov 13 State Theatre Minneapolis, Minn #
Nov 15 Nob Hill Masonic Center San Francisco,CA #
Nov 17 Ellie Caulkin Opera House Denver, Co #
Nov 18 Ellie Caulkin Opera House Denver, Co #
Nov 20 Orpheum Los Angeles, California #
Nov 21 Orpheum Los Angeles, California #
Nov 22 Orpheum Los Angeles, California #
Nov 24 KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic Santa Monica, Ca
Nov 24 Bootleg Theater Los Angeles, Ca
Nov 27 Slowdown Jr. w/ A.A. Bondy Omaha, Neb
Nov 28 Mojo’s w/ A. A. Bondy Columbia, Missouri
Dec 2 Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen London
Dec 3 Lock Tavern London
Dec 4 Wilmington Arms London
Feb 21 Cayamo 2010: A Journey Through Song Miami, Florida

# w/ Ray LaMontagne

Yeasayer new single: "Ambling Alp" (free download)

Brooklyn band, Yeasayer are set to unveil the highly-anticipated follow up to 2007’s All Hour Cymbals. The band have signed on with Secretly Canadian for the release of the new album, Odd Blood, which hits stores on February 9, 2010. In advance of the new LP, yeasayer released the discs first single, "Ambling Alp," which is available for a free download over at their website HERE, and was also released digitally and on a limited edition 12" vinyl. "Ambling Alp" is the groups first new recording since their acclaimed contribution "Tightrope" that appeared on the 'Dark Was The Night' benefit compilation earlier this year.

visit Yeasayer.net

new video: Great Bloomers- "This Ain't You"

Getting in the Fall spirit of things, the Great Bloomers new video for "This Ain't You." sees the band playing in a field on a hillside in their homeland of Canada. The video was directed by Bob Lyte and edited by two members of the group, Lowell Sostomi (vocals/guitar) and Shawn Dell (keys), and is taken from their full length debut album, Speak Of Trouble.



check out Great Bloomers on myspace.

Are you a man or are you a bag of sand?- 'Wednesday in Words' w/ Frightened Rabbit

After unveiling their new single recently, "Swim Until You Can't See Land", Frightened Rabbit have also just announced the title and release date for their next and 3rd studio LP, The Winter of Mixed Drinks. The new disc will be out this March on FatCat Records, and follows up the bands utterly brilliant, 'The Midnight Organ Fight.' which nabbed our '08 album of the year honors.
Whereras the last album dealt in vivid detail of a break-up of a relationship, frontman/guitarist Scott Hutchinson say's that this album needed a fresh direction ... "Thematically, this record had to be different from the last," "Nobody wanted to hear more break-up songs, and thankfully, I no longer had any in me." The LP's lead single, "Swim Until You Can't See Land," is streaming now via FatCat's website and will be out digitally this Nov.17 with the additional track "Fun Stuff."

Frightened Rabbit-"Swim Until You Can't See Land"
We salute at the threshold of the North Sea
in my mind
And the nautical board-man that drove me here
to face the tide and swim
(Whoaaaa) I swim (Whoaaa) swim (Whoaaa)

Dip the toe in the ocean. Oh how it hardens and it numbs.
And the rest of me is a burgeoned man
built to collapse into crumbs
And if I hadn’t come down
To the coast to disappear
I may have died in a land-slide
Of the rocks, the hopes and fears.

So swim until you can’t see land.
Swim until you can’t see land.
Swim until you can’t see land
Are you a man or are you a bag of sand?
Swim until you can’t see land
Swim until you can’t see land
Swim until you can’t see land
Are you a man or are you a bag of sand?

Up to my knees now, do I wait? Do I dive?
The sea has seen my like before though it’s my first
And perhaps last time.
Let’s call me a baptist, call this the drowning of the past
She’s there on the shoreline
Throwing stones at my back

So swim until you can’t see land
Swim until you can’t see land
Swim until you can’t see land
Are you a man or are you a bag of sand?
Swim until you can’t see land
Swim until you can’t see land
Swim until you can’t see land
Are you a man or are you a bag of sand?

Now the water’s taller than me
And the land is a marker line
All I am is a body adrift in water, salt and sky

So swim until you can’t see land
Swim until you can’t see land
Swim until you can’t see land
Are you a man or are you a bag of sand?
Swim until you can’t see land
Swim until you can’t see land
Swim until you can’t see land
Are you a man or are you a bag of sand?

follow Frightened Rabbit on myspace.

Paste lists Top 50 albums of the decade

It's that time of year again where magazines and the like start compiling their year end lists. But as 2009 rolls to a close we not only have the usual year end lists but we are also closing out the first decade of the 21st century, so it's time to go way back in your collection and see what still grabs your attention from the 00's. The latest site to weigh in with their thoughts on the decade in music is Paste Magazine, here's what they came up with.

50 Björk - Vespertine (Elektra, 2001)
49 Libertines - Up The Bracket (Rough Trade, 2002)
48 Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (Interscope, 2004)
47 Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Domino, 2006)
46 Once - Music From The Motion Picture (Columbia, 2007)
45 Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released, 2007)
44 The Jayhawks - Rainy Day Music (Lost Highway, 2003)
43 Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian, 2007)
42 Jay-Z - The Blueprint (Roc-A-Fella, 2001)
41 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol, 2007)
40 TV on the Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain (Interscope, 2006)
39 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge, 2007)
38 Gentleman Jesse - Introducing Gentleman Jesse (Douchemaster, 2008)
37 Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days (Sub Pop, 2004)
36 Pedro The Lion - Control (Jade Tree, 2002)
35 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino, 2009)
34 Various artists - O Brother Where Art Thou? (Mercury, 2001)
33 Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head (Capitol, 2002)
32 The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (Warner Bros., 2002)
31 Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism (Barsuk, 2003)
30 Damien Rice - O (Vector, 2003)
29 Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar, 2008)
28 Paul Westerberg - Folker (Vagrant, 2004)
27 Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day (New West, 2003)
26 Over the Rhine - Ohio (2004)
25 Sigur Rós - Med ud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL, 2008)
24 The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop, 2003)
23 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (Bloodshot, 2000)
22 The Decemberists - The Crane Wife (Capitol, 2006)
21 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL, 2008)
20 The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet, 2007)
19 Beck - Sea Change (Interscope, 2002)
18 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (Universal Republic, 2007)
17 Kanye West - The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella, 2004)
16 Rufus Wainwright - Want One (Dreamworks, 2003)
15 Patty Griffin - 1000 Kisses (ATO, 2002)
14 The Strokes - Is This It (RCA, 2001)
13 Josh Ritter - The Animal Years (V2, 2006)
12 Spoon - Kill the Moonlight (Merge, 2002)
11 The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant, 2006)
10 M.I.A. - Arular (Interscope, 2005)
09 The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You (Columbia/American, 2009)
08 OutKast - Stankonia (Arista/LaFace, 2000)
07 Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator) (Acony, 2001)
06 The White Stripes - Elephant (V2, 2003)
05 Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning (Saddle Creek, 2005)
04 Radiohead - Kid A (Capitol, 2000)
03 Arcade Fire - Funeral (Merge, 2004)
02 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch, 2002)
01 Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty, 2005)

get familiar w/ Portland Cello Project

There's a ton of great music coming out of the Portland area these days, and the community of musicians there are known to be quite tight knit. One of the more interesting projects to hail from the area, the indie orchestral collective, Portland Cello Project have collaborated with more than a few local acts, like Weinland, Laura Gibson, Horse Feathers and most recently a session with Thao w/ the Get Down Stay Down. The PCP is actually out on the road right now, touring with Thao as the opening act, and the collective rolls into NYC tom. night at the Bowery Ballroom, where they will also be joined by Justin Power.
You can check all the dates below.


PCP out on tour:
Nov 3 Middle East Downstairs Cambridge, Mass
Nov 4 The Bowery Ballroom NYC, New York
Nov 5 The First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, Penn
Nov 6 Black Cat Washington, DC
Nov 7 The Canal Club Downstairs Lounge Richmond, Virginia
Nov 9 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia
Nov 11 Warehouse Live Houston, Texas
Nov 12 The Mohawk Austin, Texas
Nov 13 Lola’s Fort Worth, Texas
Nov 14 Jake’s Lubbock, Texas
Nov 16 Santa Fe Brewing Company Santa Fe, New Mexico
Nov 17 Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
Nov 18 Plush Tucson, Arizona
Nov 19 Casbah San Diego, California
Nov 20 The Glass House Pomona, California
Nov 21 The Independent San Fran, California

visit portlandcelloproject.com

new video: Robert Francis-"Nightfall"

A few weeks ago we were talking about Robert Francis' new LP, Before Nightfall , and the throwback nature of his vocals and music. The best example of his old school ways is on the album single, "Nightfall" that evokes some classic Dylan, and which he just released a new video for.
Francis is currently touring with Noah and the Whale. You can watch the video and check all the dates below.



Robert Francis upcoming tour dates:
Oct 28--Majestic Live-Madison, WI
Oct 29--Lakeshore Theater-Chicago, IL
Oct 30--Crofoot's Pike Room-Pontiac, MI
Oct 31--The Horseshoe Tavern-Toronto, ON
Nov 2--Mercury Lounge-New York, NY
Nov 3--Mercury Lounge-New York, NY
Nov 4--Mercury Lounge-New York, NY
Nov 9--The Fly-LONDON, United Kingdom
Nov 10--Camden Enterprise-London, England
Nov 11--L'Etage-Paris, France
Nov 16--Rams Head Live!-Baltimore, MD
Nov 17--9:30 Club-Washington, DC
Nov 21--The Trocadero-Philadelphia, PA
Dec 12--The Wiltern-Los Angeles, CA

Robert Francis' official site.

Serena Ryder covers Band of Horses, "Funeral"

This is a cover that's been around since the Spring, but I just recently discovered through the very good, I Am Fuel You Are Friends blog , run by Heather Browne. Toronto singer Serena Ryder is known for her powerful vocal range, but here on this cover of Band Of Horses, "Funeral" shows patience and restraint on the explosive choruses that give her version a more haunting vibe.
The song appeared on a four song covers EP that also included, "Slow" by Kylie Minogue and "Ramblin Man" by Hank Williams. Most recently Ryder worked as a lead vocalist on Great Lake Swimmers, Lost Channels, and put out her latest album, Is It O.K. earlier this year, with a physical release slated for this Tuesd, Nov 3rd.

Serena Ryder-"Funeral"

visit Serena Ryder.com

Midlake: New album due in early 2010

I first discovered these guys back in 2006 when they appeared on a Paste magazine CD sampler, with the track, "Roscoe." Little did I know at the time that the band and their album, The Trials of Van Occupanther had been a critical darling, earning spots across many year end lists. Well it's been more than three years since 'Van Occupanther' came out, and now the Texas band are finally putting the finishing touches on their third and newest album called, The Courage of Others. The new disc will hit stores this February 2 in the U.S. and February 1 in the UK and Europe, and according to a press release from Bella Union, the album will feature a more traditional folk influence.

The Courage of Others track listing:
01 Acts of Man
02 Winter Dies
03 Small Mountain
04 Core of Nature
05 Fortune
06 Rulers, Ruling All Things
07 Children of the Grounds
08 Bring Down
09 The Horn
10 The Courage of Others
11 In the Ground

Roscoe - Midlake
visit Midlake.net

new video: Land of Talk-"It's Okay"

Even though their album Some Are Lakes came out back in 2008, Montreal band, Land Of Talk just dropped a new video for the album track, "It's Okay", that was directed by WeWereMonkeys.
The band also just recently released a new EP, titled, Fun and Laughter on Saddle Creek records, which includes 4 new tracks and 3 videos from the band, all taken from 'Some Are Lakes'. In addition to the new "It's Okay" video you can also preview one of the aforementioned videos off the EP for the song, "The Man Who Breaks Things (Dark Shuffle)", which was directed by Joseph Yarmush, with Petros Kolyvas producing.
check them both out below.



Fun and Laughter EP track listing:
Sixteen Asterisk
May You Never (1996)
As Me
A Series Of Small Flames
The Man Who Breaks Things (Dark Shuffle) (Video)
Troubled (Video)
Some Are Lakes (Video)

Fall dates:
10/26 - Encinitas, CA, Lou's Records (free in-store at 5pm)
10/27 – San Diego, CA, Casbah
10/29 – Los Angeles, CA, Spaceland
10/30 – Visalia , CA, Cellar Door
11/2 – San Francisco, CA, Café DuNord
11/4 – Portland, OR, Doug Fir
11/5 – Seattle, WA, High Dive
11/6 – Bellingham, WA, The Nightlight
11/7 – Vancouver at the Biltmore Caberet 11/12 - Montreal, QC, Segal Centre
11/18 - Cambridge, MA, Middle East
11/19 - Burlington, VT, Club Metronome
11/20 - Northampton, MA, Iron Horse
11/21 - New York, NY, Mercury Lounge

follow Land of Talk on myspace.

'Wednesday In Words' : The Rural Alberta Advantage-"The Ballad of the RAA"

This week on one of our new features, 'Weds. in Words' we take a look at the band The Rural Alberta Advantage and the track, "The Ballad of the RAA." The Rural Alberta Advantage were born out of Canadian singer/songwriter Nils Edenloff's exodus from Edmonton, Alberta to Toronto, Ontario in 2003 that not only inspired the band's name, but also became the meat of his subject matter on the bands debut disc, as Edenloff's lyrics documented his feelings of loneliness and of being homesick after the move. Give it a listen and read along below.

The Rural Alberta Advantage-"The Ballad of the RAA"
We invariably left the prairies
In my heart
Since we never moved an inch
Does the love grow home with the wild rose?
now somethings moving out here

We invariably left the prairies
In my heart
Since we never moved an inch
Then you found me alone on a Friday,
now somethings moving out here

Swap Garneau for Dundas
My parents for your dad
The Rockies for the Great Lakes
And my heart pounds as you say

Swap Garneau for Dundas
My parents for your dad
Rockies or the Great Lakes
And my heart pounds as you say

And all these things will past
It's the good ones that will last
And right here what we've had
Is a good thing, it will last

And all these things will past
It's the good ones that will last
And right here what we've had
Is a good thing, it will last

The RAA on myspace.

'Song of the Week': Matthew Ryan- "We Are Snowmen"

An old favorite of mine who never seems to disappoint me after all these years is Nashville artist, Matthew Ryan. Not to say that Ryan is old but he's been delivering great album after great album since back in '97, and I've been hooked on his music ever since. Today Ryan releases his 12th studio album, Dear Lover, which is available digitally, and it will be in-stores on Feb. 16, 2010 via CIMS/Junket Boy. The album features this standout, the passionate new track, "We Are Snowmen."
Right now if you head on over to Blurt Online you can get an exclusive stream of Dear Lover. And stay tuned in the next week or so for a new 'Field Recordings' session we shot with Matthew while he was in NYC recently.



'We Are Snowmen'
.....The cathedrals and the banks
The stones we throw at tanks
The endless war of man vs himself
The traffic night and day
The things we try and say
The growing din of human wreckage....

For more info on Matthew Ryan
visit ormatthewryanonline.com

Fanfarlo: New Headlining tour

Fresh off two successful short stints barnstorming across the U.S., including just last week at CMJ, UK group Fanfarlo have announced a full on headlining tour in the States. The band has been generating a steady buzz all year ever since they self released their debut, Reservoir which resulted in them getting signed by Atlantic/Canvasback and getting access to the masses.
The headlining dates kick off in Chicago on Nov. 9th and wraps up in NYC on Dec 18th, hitting the West coast and Toronto, Canada in between.

See our review of their last show in NYC here.

Drowning Men (Album Version) - Fanfarlo

Fanfarlo U.S. Headlining Tour:
Nov 9th*Chicago, IL*Schubas
Nov 11th*Minneapolis, MN*Triple Rock Social Club
Nov 13th*Denver, CO*Moe’s
Nov 14th*Salt Lake City, UT*State Room
Nov 16th*Boise, ID*Knitting Factory
Nov 17th*Seattle, WA*Crocodile Cafe
Nov 18th*Vancouver, BC*Media Club
Nov 19th*Portland, OR*Doug Fir Lounge
Nov 20th*Sparks, NV*Great Basin Brewing Company
Nov 22nd*San Francisco, CA*Rickshaw Stop
Nov 23rd*Los Angeles, CA*Echo
Nov 24th*San Diego, CA*Casbah
Nov 27th*Santa Barbara, CA*Soho Restrnt & Music Club
Nov 29th*Tucson, AZ*Club Congress
Nov 30th*Santa Fe, NM*Santa Fe Brewing Co
Dec 2nd*Austin, TX*Independent
Dec 3rd*Dallas, TX*The Loft
Dec 4th*Houston, TX*Walter's on Washington
Dec 6th*Birmingham, AL*Bottletree
Dec 9th*Baltimore, MD*Metro Gallery
Dec 10th*Philadelphia, PA*Johnny Brendas
Dec 13th*Arlington, VA*Iota
Dec 12th*Pittsburgh, PA*Brillobox
Dec 14th*Detroit, MI*Majestic Cafe
Dec 15th*Toronto, ONT*El Mocambo
Dec 16th*Montreal, QUE*Il Motore
Dec 17th*Boston, MA*T.T. The Bear's
Dec 18th*New York, NY*Webster Hall

fanfarlo.com

Friday Freebies

Another new feature we started up on the site a few weeks back to highlight some of the new music (mp3's) we've received in our inbox over the course of the week. These are the ones that maybe we didn't have time to spotlight, but we still thought were interesting enough to pass along and share with you guys.

Grooms-"Dreamsucker"
The Brooklyn band (formerly known as Muggabears) came out with Rejoicer this Oct. 20th on Death By Audio.

Capgun Coup- "Bad Bands"
The garage rocking first single off of the band's upcoming album Maudlin, which comes out Nov. 3rd on Team Love.

Real Estate-"Beach Comber"
This indie-pop Jersey quartet release their new self titled LP on Woodsist this Nov. 17th.

Midnight Masses- "Walk on Water"
The band’s new EP, Rapture Ready will be released Nov 10th via Collect Records, and features appearances by members of TVOTR and Here We Go Magic.

Tape Deck Mountain-"Ghost Colony"
Debut album Ghost from Tape Deck Mountain, project of San Diego native Travis Trevisan. Out Nov. 17 on Lefse.

Seven Saturdays- "Beautiful Day"
New ambient instrumental project from Jonathan D. Haskell (FIRS), new EP out soon.

Google to launch 'One Box' music service

Thought this was interesting for all music lovers and iTunes users out there. Google is going to be launching a new music service called 'One Box' that is designed to take on and compete with iTunes. Not all the details are in on the new service, but what's been leaked so far is that 'One Box', will be a collaboration between streaming music sites such as Lala, Imeem, and iLike, where users can stream 30-second clips, and whole songs in some instances. The service is also said to be able to give fans a more interactive experience than iTunes, giving more access to things like, album art, band info and, lyrics. No solid launch date has been set for the service as of yet, stay tuned for more info.

get to know: Tim Williams

Singer-songwriter Tim Williams new album, Careful Love literally chronicles his scary battle of life and death. Following the release of his last LP and tour, Williams required intensive heart surgery that required his left pulmonary valve be replaced. Williams underwent the procedure in the summer of '08, and left him a long recovery and plenty of time to think, inevitably finding a way into his writing. One such track to be influenced was, “I Hit Another Wall,” of which Williams says ... “I wrote the song as a reminder of how lucky I was to make it through,” .... “It was physically the most painful experience in my life.” Don't be scared though, it's not all gloom and doom for Williams on the new LP. His newfound love for California also served as a major inspiration, so much so that 3 weeks before the record's release Tim picked up and moved to LA from Brooklyn, NY.

'Careful Love' hit stores this past week on Dovecote Records (Ed Harcourt, Mason Proper, Trevor Guiliani).

Tim Williams- "Murderous Air"mp3
Tim Williams-"I Hit Another Wall"mp3

new video- El Perro Del Mar-"Change of Heart"

El Perro Del Mar's new album, Love Is Not Pop, dropped earlier this week via The Control Group, now she's out with a new video for the sleek and sexy track, "Change of Heart." The slightly disturbing and uncomfortable new video was directed by Filip Nilsson and features flexible pair, Sandor Vlah and Gyula Takaes, a k a The Golden Power, from Budapest, Hungary.
Next month EPDM will be heading out on tour with Peter Bjorn & John, with a few select headlining shows mixed in (see all the dates below).



upcoming tour schedule:
11.07 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC*
11.08 – Theater of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA*
11.09 – Webster Hall – New York, NY*
11.11 – Phoenix Theatre – Toronto, ON*
11.12 – Metro – Chicago, IL*
11.13 – Gargoyle Club – St. Louis, MO*
11.14 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX*
11.15– La Zona Rosa – Austin, TX*
11.17 – Rialto Theater – Tuscon, AZ*
11.18 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA*
11.19– Great American Music Hall – San Fran, CA*
11.20– Great American Music Hall – San Fran, CA*
11.21– Club Nokia – Los Angeles, CA*
11.23 – Hotel Cafe – Los Angeles, CA***
***Headlining show
* w/ Peter Bjorn & John

El Perro Del Mar-'Change of Heart"mp3

Wednesday In Words (#6): Los Campesinos- "The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future"

Here's pt. 6 in our ongoing new feature, 'Weds. In Words', spotlighting songs and lyrics that have gotten stuck in our heads. This week we take a look at the upbeat Welsh septet, Los Campesinos and the song, "The Sea Is a Good Place To Think of the Future." The band leaked the track a few months back, as they were in the middle of recording their upcoming sophomore LP, which they've been working on in Stamford, Conn. with producer John Goodmanson (Sleater-Kinney). The upcoming CD is said to be slated for a release sometime next year, but no word as of yet if this track will make the final cut.

Los Campesinos-"The Sea Is a Good Place To Think of the Future"
"I grabbed hold of her wrist and my hand
Closed from tip to tip
I said “you’ve taken the diet too far
You have got to let it slip”
But she’s not eating again, she’s not eating again
She’s not eating again, she’s not eating again
I ask her to speak French
And then I need her to translate
I get the feeling she makes the meaning more significant
She was always far too pretty for me to believe
In a single word she said, believe a word she said

At fourteen her mother died in a routine operation
from allergic reaction to a general anesthetic.
She spent the rest of her teens
Experimenting with prescriptions
in a futile attempt to know more than the doctors

She said one day to leave her
sand up to her shoulders
Waiting for the tide
To drag her to the ocean, to another sea’s shore
This thing hurts like hell
But what did you expect?

(chorus) And all you can hear is the sound of your own heart
And all you can feel is your lungs flood
And the blood course
But oh I can see five hundred years
Dead set ahead of me
Five hundred behind
A thousand years in perfect symmetry

Best known left wrist right finger
through all the Southern States
on every video games machine
They call her triple A.
There were racists on the radio
trying to give up smoking
the chat show host he joked
“you have to wait for the government program”.
You talk about your politics
and I wonder if you could be one of them
but you could never kiss a Tory boy
without wanting to cut off your tongue again.

A good place to look to the future
is when you are sat at the sea
with the salt up to your ankles
and a view of the end of the pier
you may look down at your model’s feet
and wish that you’d just float away
and the weather here is overcast
and the sea is the same shade of grey
so the landscape before you
looks just like the edge of the world
but to the left side and the right side
either way is a crazy golf course

The sea is a good place to think of the future.
(repeat chorus)

Elephant Parade- "For You"

While doing my usual routine of perusing various music sites the other day, I stumbled on this great track from a band called Elephant Parade (courtesy of the site A Certain Romance). The two piece Brooklyn band (Estelle and Ido) have been around since 2005, and in '06 they released the album, Bedroom Recordings, a home made LP, which is a dreamy lo-fi pop gem, in the lines of a Gregory & the Hawk.
A little background on the band, they met at a bad eighties party in New York, where they found a lot of common grounds when trying to compose a list of music they would play if they could take over the DJ booth. Estelle came from the Gainesville, FL indie pop scene, where she released two albums with Brittle Stars (ShelfLife records) and also recording and performing with New York rock group, Human Television. Ido, was a video artist from Israel, who was composing experimental soundtracks in his bedroom, and playing with a few local bands. Before long the pair were playing shows around NYC with acts like Beirut, Chris Garneau, and Gregory & the Hawk. The band is currently mastering their new upcoming CD, but in the meantime you can get familiar with the band and their track "For You" below.

Elephant Parade- "For You" mp3

Elephant Parade covering Counting Crows, "Color Blind"


elephantparade on myspace.

The Wooden Sky: New documentary Pt's (1&2)

Just a few months ago this Toronto band released what could be my favorite album of the year, with their sophomore effort, If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone. The band who has been on the road for much of the Summer prior to and after the albums release, just released the first two parts of a 10 part documentary by director Scott Cudmore, that captured the group during a portion of that tour, which was entitled 'Bedrooms and Backstreets.' The short films titled, “A Documentary in Pieces” takes a closer look into the group’s interaction with each other and fans, as well as intimate performances from throughout the tour.
The band are on the road now touring with Elliot Brood, with select dates in the U.S. (see all the dates below).

The Wooden Sky - A Documentary in Pieces - PART ONE (HD) from Black Box Vimeo on Vimeo.

The Wooden Sky - A Documentary in Pieces PART TWO (HD) from Black Box Vimeo on Vimeo.

The Wooden Sky-"Something Hiding For Us In the Night"

tour schedule:
Oct 19 Off Broadway- St. Louis, Missouri
Oct 20 Schubas - Chicago, Illinois
Oct 21 Beachland - Cleveland, Ohio
Oct 23 CMJ- New York, New York
Oct 24 CMJ- New York, New York
Nov 7 Phog Lounge - Windsor, Ontario
Nov 13 Lee’s Palace- Toronto, Ontario
Nov 15 Merchant Ale House - St. Catherines, Ontario
Nov 20 The Albion Hotel - Guelph, Ontario
Nov 21 The Montreal House - Peterborough, Ontario
Nov 24 Call The Office - London, Ontario
Nov 26 L’Agitee - Quebec City, Quebec
Nov 27 The Blacksheep Inn - Wakefield, Quebec
Nov 28 Club L’Ambi - Montreal, Quebec

The Wooden Sky on myspace.

'Song of the Week': Noah and the Whale-"Slow Glass"

We've been talking a lot about the heartbreakingly beautiful new disc from Noah and the Whale, The First Days of Spring. The melancholy new work which evolves around a post relationship situation and trying to start over again, is a personal one from frontman and singer Charlie Finks. Finks not only penned the album but he also made a film that accompanies and chronicles the entire disc.
This week we wanted to highlight the slow building track "Slow Glass."

Slow Glass - Noah and the Whale

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