You can step outside and see the sites

Hey there, I have more shit for y'all to click. Dig.

Piebald -- We Are The Only Friends We Have link review

Leak Bros. (Cage & Tame One) -- Waterworld link review

Top Albums of 2005

Well, I guess this is starting back up again, so I figured I'd come back in style. It being the end of the year and all I'm posting my top 14 albums of the year. Some of the files I found on the SkaFunkRastaPunk Forum, and the passwords for them are noted. Password for all other files is "graphic" without the quotes. And if you want the two albums I didn't provide for free, look for them elsewhere. Those are two artists I don't feel right providing for you guys, sorry. Enjoy.

1. The National -- Alligator link alternate link
2. The Decemberists -- Picaresque link
3. Tame One -- OG Bobby Johnson link
4. The Books -- Lost and Safe link
5. Antony And The Johnsons -- I Am A Bird Now link
6. Broken Social Scene -- Broken Social Scene link (pass=www.mp3bre.com)
7. Blockhead -- Downtown Science link
8. Sigur Ros -- Takk link
9. Stellastarr* -- Harmonies For The Haunted link
10. The Long Winters -- Ultimatum [EP] link
11. White Stripes -- Get Behind Me Satan link
12. Quasimoto -- The Further Adventure of Lord Quas link
13. Say Hi To Your Mom -- Ferocious Mopes link
14. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah -- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah link | 2 (pass=libbera)

I declare this officially a waste of my time that is no longer necessary. I may start this back up after the semester, but I have too much else to do. If someone wants to take over, leave a comment or something. This was fun for awhile, thanks to everyone else who read this. There are plenty of other places to get music on the web, try checking out regnyouth.com or the SFRP Forums, to get you started. Peace, all.

I'm seeing objects

It's been a while since my own last post, and I've broken down and given you all a full album (mostly in part because you can't buy it new on CD anymore). So, here it is, DJ Spooky's "Riddim Warfare."



DJ Spooky
Riddim Warfare
Outpost Recordings

This is probably the first real DJ album I ever encountered, back in 1998, and I still love it. Though it's nearly eight years old (doesn't it seem like 1998 wasn't all that long ago?), it doesn't sound the least bit dated. This is Spooky's second album, after "Songs of a Dead Dreamer," and like that one, it can only really be listened to as a full album. Tracks blend into one another, sounds and beats keep coming back throughout, and even MCs return in the album. Which is another thing: the album features the amazing talents of Kool Keith, Sir Menelik, Organized Konfusion, and even the Wu-Tang's Killah Priest. If that isn't enough to sell you on this album, then consider the talent, intelligence, and creativity of DJ Spooky, not only an accomplished DJ but also an artist and essayist. He recently re-edited and re-scored the silent film classic "Birth of a Nation," a racist film about the Ku Klux Klan, and gave it new, modern meanings as well as making it completely tripped out. He's also recently published a book about the social and artistic philosophies and meanings of DJing and Hip Hop. This man is brilliant. For those with turntables, buy the album.

I guess that's how the future's done

Sorry, not in the mood/don't have the time to write a bunch, but this is one of my favorite albums of late. Very good stuff.



Feist -- Let it Die

I first heard Feist on a couple tracks from Kings Of Convenience, and later I saw her on tour with them. This is her recent release.

Pitchfork Says:

"Anyone who has ever seen Broken Social Scene perform in their A1 configuration knows that Leslie Feist (singer of You Forgot It in People's "Almost Crimes") has roughly six backrooms worth of charisma stockpiled in her lighter pocket alone. Yet, despite that her tenure in the scene-stealing department extends back to her days with the middling indie rock outfit By Divine Right, Feist has always approached her solo career with agonizing apprehension. Her solo debut, Monarch, appeared in 1999, and while a serviceable indie rock record, it did little to communicate the swaggery gleam of her stage persona.

Nearly five years removed from that debut, Let It Die finds Feist in a radically different state of mind, completely abandoning her guitars-and-strings indie rock shorthand in favor of folk, jazz, French pop, and disco accoutrements. While her propensity for serial genre-hopping makes it difficult for the album to congeal into a whole (Let It Die's scattered closing trilogy comprises covers of songs by Ron Sexsmith, The Bee Gees and 1940s vocalist Dick Haymes), it is nonetheless held together by her wistful song selection and an airy, summery aesthetic."

Still just a little shit in a world that's just a big shithole.

So, school is eating my soul, and I have increasingly fewer chances to post, and for that I am sorry.

Password for all files is "graphic"



Ted Leo & The Pharmacists -- Treble In Trouble

Today is Ted Leo day because, well, that is what I have felt like listening to today. Now, some prefacing. I am not a punk. I don't listen to hardcore. I've had plenty of good friends over the years who are, but I just never got into it. Now, there are some exceptions, Ted Leo being a very notable one. Now, I am not the first or the second person to be a Ted Leo fan in my family. My older sister has long been a big fan (in fact, I stole Hearts of Oak from her), and my Mom is also a Ted Leo fan. But, in time I got into him too, and how can you not? His songs are infectious. His lyrics are some of the smartest and inspired in the world today. He is always dead on and never pretentious. This is an EP of his from 2000, and is one of my favorite TL/RX releases.



Ted Leo & The Pharmacists -- Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead (Plus Solo)

This is another Ted Leo EP that I like quite a lot. This has a great solo version on "The High Party" and one of my favorites, "Six Months In A Leaky Boat." Solid album through and through, all music fans should recognize.

afternoon there's always something happening

Hey there dudes and dudettes, sorry for my egregious lack of updates lately. Massive schoolwork+social life=no time for updates. But I'm trying.

Hey, all you hipsters and scenesters, if you want to know a little more about yours truly and help boost my ego, you should myspace me. Because I have recently decided to revive my long-dead profile.

Password for all files is "graphic"



And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead -- Worlds Apart

Stylus Magazine's words:

"The tracks that do dip into new musical waters—not necessarily uncharted by modern music but not yet explored specifically by Trail of Dead- are the better executed, more laudable sections of the album. “Overture” introduces the band’s many new facets, beginning with a syncopated, low-octave piano riff before climaxing into what my roommate understandably mistook as a classical piece from an epic blockbuster adventure (“are you listening to The Patriot soundtrack?”). Other songs, such as the piano-driven “Summer of ’91,” which favorably recalls Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed,” the multiple movements of “Will You Smile Again,” and the closer, “City of Refuge,” a jazzy, upbeat number fully equipped with electric piano and “I am the Walrus” string sweeps, are quite removed from past Trail of Dead, yet are well-played and produced, and, most importantly, enjoyable.

It’s the tracks that sit closest to the old Trail of Dead that make up a majority of Worlds Apart’s uninspiring moments and also ruin any cohesion that could have otherwise been attained through the heart of the album. While Trail of Dead has always appeared to be a musical force that could, someday, bridge indie (post-)punk and mall pop-punk, leading single “Worlds Apart,” “Classic Art Showcase,” and, to a lesser extent, “Rest Will Follow” abandon any common ground and cross over to the dark side of modern radio punk. In these tracks, Conrad Keely ignores his subdued vocal delivery, often opting for straining, sometimes whiny melodies that have only a degree of separation from those other corporate label (literal) punks who, in the past two years, decided avant-garde black attire is the new Jinco-Hurley t-shirt tandem.

The amazing guitar acrobatics that spanned much of Trail of Dead’s previous material are also sorely missed. Whereas before, Reese and Keely’s chiseled guitar dueling sounded like Lee Ranaldo’s take on Tom Verlaine licks, much of the guitar work in Worlds Apart is replaced by undefined, Turbo Rat-overdriven sludge. Perhaps, the emphasis on guitar prowess was displaced by the additional focus on wall-of-sound production which—although often nicely executed in some songs (“Overture” and “Summer of ‘91”)— also, unfortunately, includes gimmicky overdubs of a wailing women and Keely cussing out laughing children.

But despite the overall disappointment of the album, fans of the ‘Dead ought not be alarmed. The Austin, Texans have been on an upward climb since their debut and there’s no reason to believe Worlds Apart isn’t merely the awkward adolescent of their musical lives. They seem tired of running solely in post-punk tennis shoes and are trying now trying on a pair of progressive penny loafers on for size. In the next couple years, it is safe to say Trail of Dead will continue to work hard, strive for new ideas, and, hopefully, hone in on a sound that will add another amazing album to their impressive catalogue. This one isn’t it."

I really don't mind

Jesus, I've been neglecting the shit outa this blog. Sorry guys, but school has really picked up, so I haven't had tons of time.

Password for all files is "graphic"



Broken Social Scene -- Feel Good Lost

The debut LP from everyone's favorite indie group, Broken Social Scene, is a lot different from their most popular labum, You Forgot It In People. This album is as post-rock as it gets, with very little lyrics and lots of wayward orchestration. You have to be able to handle this kinda stuff, but if you like it, this is a masterwork.



Opio -- Triangulation Station

This album I heard from my good friend Wilder. Really, the strength of the album lies in the song "Talk Dirty," with a beat and samples so infectous, you'll spend weeks trying to get it out of your head. The album is overall fairly strong as well, and is a good listen for hip-hop fans of all kinds.

convert you to papyrus

Sorry for the sparse updates lately.

Password for all files is "graphic"



Deltron 3030 -- Deltron 3030

Post-apocalyptic hip hop. Hooray.

Also, check out www.indieinterviews.com for some cool interviews with bands. They have a nice Colin Meloy one, and my sources tell me a Long Winters interview is forthcoming. I'll be looking forward to it.

The Best Damn Rap Show




so ive given it some consideration... and this album is actually kinda sick.

In comes the two

Ah, wednesday. One step closer to friday. Where does all this time go? Today is a very sad anniversary, because one year ago today, Nov. 2 2004, my heart was broken. Sigh. As Ted Leo once said "I'm sorry for my tired country." In lighter news, though, my hometown, Denver, Colorado, passed an innitiative making it legal fro adults to carry up to one ounce of marijuana. Denver, you rule.

Password for all files is "graphic"



Theivery Corporation -- The Cosmic Game

PopMatters:

"What makes a great collaboration? At its worst, the collabo is a marketing tool and predictable, at its best, a creative detour and a catalyst for inspiration. For Thievery Corporation's fourth full-length of original material, the group turns increasingly to the aid of some handsome strangers to distill their prime influences of African diaspora music into a modern beat dub. The Corporation, the duo of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, draws up an eclectic guest list and merges it into a characteristic chill-out collage. While the Flaming Lips, South Asian superstar Gunjan, and David Byrne anticipate a meeting of major minds, the results are admittedly subdued and subtle. Similar to how recent celeb-fest Handsome Boy Modeling School wrapped odd orgies in the loveage of Paul and Dan, the Corporation weaves each artist into its recognizable patchwork. Each contribution blends neatly together, and creates a cohesive whole.

The Cosmic Game unfolds in a steady and consistent manner, much like a mixtape segmented neatly by mood and theme. "Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun)" opens the album with a notable appearance from an Air-headed Wayne Coyne. Like Yoshimi sipping Virgin Suicides, the Corporation crafts hollow atmospheres, lonely guitar leads, and twinkling keyboards. The peaceful backing provides a counterpoint to the confrontational title and upfront lyrics: "Let's start by, making it clear / Who is the enemy here / And we'll show them / That it's not them / Who is superior." The song's chorus continues on to dream an abstract Armageddon for the negative ones, a bold statement from a group associated more with chill-outs and sessions. Given the current political rhetoric, the schism in social discourse, and the group's base in Washington, D.C., the tension is more appropriate than out-of-place. However, the Corporation sticks to its tried and true moves, and bathes Coyne's critique in such cozy warmth that the assault feels more like a well-oiled Trojan Horse. "

wind so strong it's blowing us all around

I went to Greenwich Village last night for Halloween. CRAZY!!!!!! Since Etchells posted some rap today, I'm posting something pretty far from it.

Password for all files is "graphic"



David Byrne -- Grown Backwards

David Byrne, illustrius former lead singer of Talking Heads, has built a pretty formidable solo career. Nothing he does may ever match his work with Talking Heads, but this album is pretty damn good. His most recent LP, Grown Backwards has some brilliant songs. It kicks off with the brilliant "Glass, Concrete, and Stone," and the highlight of the album is the impossibly catchy "Tiny Apocalypse." The album gets a little weird at times, but Byrne is clearly one of the best musicians of the last 30 years, and it shows on this stellar CD.

Big Shots

So Halloween was awesome... but since it's been awhile I thought I'd give you an update. So here it is, one of my all time favorites: Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf's "Big Shots". REcorded in '91-93, and released in 2003 on the peoples choice label Stones Throw. So cop the old school:




-------------------------------------------------------->Big Shots

I'm thinking maybe I'll cut out to Florida

Happy Halloween, everyone.

Password for all files is "graphic"



RJD2 -- Deadringer

One of the best instrumental hip-hop albums available. RJD2 has long been one of my personal favorites of the hip-hop world, starting with this amazing album. One listen to "Ghostwriter" and I don't know how you can doubt it. It's really pretty awesome.

I don't do too much talking these days

Midterms are over!!!!!!!!! Hooray.

Password is "graphic"



Royal Tenenbaums -- Original Sountrack

This has long been one of my favorite movies of all time, and the soundtrack is quite good, too. It has most of the songs featured in the film, including the GREAT Nico songs. It also has the amazing orchestrations from Mark Mothersbaugh and the Mutato Musika Orchestra. This is not the exact released version, because it also has the great instrumental version of Hey Jude on it, which isn't on the soundtrack. It also has Me and Julio, too. Wes Anderson makes soundtracks like nobody else in modern film. One of these days I'll post The Life Aquatic soundtrack, too.