Arcade Fire Show Afterthought

Holy crap.

Today is Officially ARCADE FIRE Day in the Land O' Worthy

Ok, ok, ok, I know I said I had more discs in my queue to review. Problem is, I can't think about anything else music related today except the fact that I'm going to the Arcade Fire show tonight in Carrboro! Woohoo! I'm so freakin' excited. Their album keeps getting better and better for me with each listen (yes, still in heavy rotation for me 4 months after release... which is a big deal for me). Lately, in preparation for this show, I've been scouring the web for info about their live shows and have come upon some great stuff. I don't think I've ever been this hyped for show, so they'd better be as good as everyone says! For those who want to live vicariously through me (I feel truly sorry for you if you do!), here are some links to the info I've found. First, here is the link to their live performance on Nic Harcourt's "Morning Becomes Eclectic." This is a live in the studio performance that shows just how great a band they are. This set has a new song called "Intervention" that thankfully gives a sense of "there's more where that came from." Always worried when a band starts out this strong that they won't be able to follow it up with anything... Great cover of a Magnetic Fields song too... Secondly, here is a link to a interview and live performance montage for a show called The Turnpike that shows up on the Lawrence.com site. Apparently Lawrence, Kansas is a pretty cool town. I performed there back in the early 90's but pretty much only saw the KU campus... so I guess I missed out. Anyway, while the interview part of this one is pretty hokey (the interviewer is no Nic Harcourt), the live show clips show their incredible energy which I am so looking forward to tonight. Finally, here's a list of links of people talking about the live performances. The first link has MP3's of the live show recorded by a simple clip-on mic. Listen to Rebellion (Lies) for the "Holy Shit" proclamation referred to by the author. The others are reviews of the live shows: Bradley's Almanac Blog Critics Tiny Mix Tapes #1 Tiny Mix Tapes #2 Tiny Mix Tapes #3 I'll post my post-concert thoughts either tomorrow morning or early next week as I am headed to Charleston, SC this weekend to catch the Keane show on Sunday night! Woohoo! More excitement! Enjoy! I know I will!

Better on Rhapsody, But Still Just Not Into It ...Yet

Lemon Jelly - '64-'95 Ok, why do artists put crappy quality versions of their music online? I just don't see the point. Music recorded at crappy low-bit rates sounds just that... crappy. Doesn't matter how good the songs are, hearing them through what sounds like an AM radio will always destroy them. I know they are just trying to keep away the music pirates and preserve bandwidth as well, but come on... Case in point, this new Lemon Jelly album. Just the other day I posted a link to an early-listening stream of this CD ... which was a crappy quality stream... and I did not like the album at all. If I didn't have Rhapsody, I'd probably never given the disc another listen. Luckily, I do have Rhapsody so I was able to give it a proper listen and while I am enjoying it MUCH more than the stream, I'm just not feeling it yet. Just seems too detached, too cold... but I'm going to give it a few more listens just to see. I do still really like the last track... which brings up an oopsie in Rhapsody. They have the track order wrong. The track they have in the #1 position is actually the last track of the disc and I believe on the print copy it is a hidden track, but haven't confirmed that yet. So, rather than just posting a link to the album, I've posted a playlist with the tracks in the correct order so you can experience the awesomely strong finish of this disc. Enjoy!

Look! He Can Count With His Hoof!

M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us Woohoo! The day is finally here! Let the floodgates open and awash us in new music! I've got 6 new discs in my queue to listen to and review so I should be posting pretty regularly this week. Plus, I'm sure to find a few more throughout the week. First up is the release I have been most anticipating this week. I loved last year's album from this band (#25 on my Most worthyMUSIC 2004 list), but was curious what direction they would take with the new one. To me it seems that electronic bands are often one-trick ponies. Well, from the first few bars of music on Before the Dawn Heals Us, it is easy to realize that M83 has more to offer. While the "wall of music" sound is still present, still moving, and still beautiful, we now have wide-ranging variations of texture. This is mostly due to the introduction of new instrumentation into the mix like guitars and piano. The opening track, "Moonchild," starts off sounding like a lead-in track to a Boston CDand I'd swear the song "*" was Mars Volta and kept waiting to hear Cedric Bixler's high-pitched shrieking voice chime in. There are still downtempo, lush tracks to be found, but the further development of their themes and moods have truly made this a more exciting and entrancing album than their last. Enjoy!

The Anticipation Builds... Sorta

Ok, unfortunately, no new playlists with this post. Just an update on a couple of discs headed our way. First of all, Lemon Jelly's new CD is either coming out this Tuesday or the next. I've seen conflicting dates on the XL Recordings website and the Beggars Group USA website... which is interesting since the Beggars Group owns XL... Anyway, if you go to the Beggars Group USA site for Lemon Jelly, there is a link to listen to the new album in its entirety. I've listened twice now, and while the sound quality of this music stream isn't great, I'd have to say that I'm a little disappointed. It's a lot more distant and soulless than I like throughout much of the disc. The last track is quite powerful and moving, but up until then I just wasn't ever really pulled in. Now, of course, I will give it a good listen if and when it hits Rhapsody as I am sure there are nuances I am missing so far... Also, on the Glen Phillips front, thanks to Rob Holloway for letting me listen to a couple of tracks recorded for the upcoming CD. I gotta tell you that I think this is going to be one of the truly great albums of 2005. I just hope to God (or god, or whatever) that he gets the kind of recognition he deserves. Hearing him fully utilize the "full band" and "full studio" setting again is such a thrill. For music that is still pretty accessible, I'd say he's one of the most creative and exciting songwriters of today. Fingers crossed for the Trail of Dead and the M83 discs to show up in Rhapsody this Tuesday.

Water... water... water... water...

Woohoo! I finally found something I want to write about! Man, this dry spell is killing me. I'm starting to feel like a junkie desperate for my next hit... Anyway, for those of you following along, you'll remember that I bought my wonderful wife an XM receiver and subscription for Christmas since she spends so much time in her car. I totally expected to hate it but have been *totally* proven wrong. I love it. Their music selection is amazing and they actually have a "new music" station that really does play only new music and even introduces me to new stuff. If only Rhapsody's radio was anywhere near as good as that... sigh... Well, anyway, the new music station (XMU) has played a few tracks from this band and I really like them! I was pleasantly surprised to find them on Rhapsody. Turns out their first LP came out in the UK on a homegrown label last March. Warner Bros. has since picked them up in some capacity and released an EP, their first release of any sort over here. Not sure if and when their debut LP will be released over here. They fall loosely into the whole indie/post-grunge world, but their songs are loose and infectious. "Baby Boom" is fantastic, inspiring, beautiful, soaring while still rough edged and unsure. I love it. Good thing I didn't do a "Best Songs of 2004" countdown for I'd surely have to be rearranging things now. (And luckily this is just an EP so I don't have to rearrange my Best Albums of 2004 list). Hope you fall in love with this music like I have. Enjoy!

Preparing For Upcoming Releases

I am getting very excited about some upcoming releases. Its always fun this time of year to move beyond the holiday new release lull and check out what's headed towards us in the pipeline. In preparation for some of those releases, I've pulled out some of the previous albums of the performers with new stuff coming soon. Let's all keep our fingers crosses that all the new discs hit Rhapsody on release date!

Doves Upcoming Release: Some Cities Expected Release Date: March 1, 2005 (U.S.) Notes: I love, love, love the Doves. Been looking forward to this one for a long time. In Preparation:

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Upcoming Release: Worlds Apart Expected Release Date: January 25, 2005 Notes: I've enjoyed the Trail of Dead's previous releases and this one already seems to be polarizing.... which is cool... In Preparation: M83 Upcoming Release: Before the Dawn Heals Us Expected Release Date: January 25, 2005 Notes: Supposedly adds some more organic acoustic sounds into the mix. Love their last release. Check out their website. It's cool as hell. In Preparation:

Glen Phillips Upcoming Release: Winter Pays for Summer Expected Release Date: March 29, 2005 Notes: Been awaiting this one for a long time. Glen is the former lead singer for Toad the Wet Sprocket and one of the truly great songwriters of my generation. He's finally landed a label deal for his solo stuff and will be releasing this one on Lost Highway Records, home to Tift Merritt, Ryan Adams, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, and others. In Preparation: Lemon Jelly Upcoming Release: '64-'95 Expected Release Date: January 25, 2005 Notes: Really enjoyed their last release, but don't really know much about them. Hoping this one has some similar mellow grooves with, of course, a few surprises thrown in to keep it fresh. In Preparation: Ok, that's enough to chew on for now. Certainly plenty more exciting releases coming. I'll post another batch sometime soon. Enjoy!

When Does Extended Mean Long?

Ok, I know this makes me insane in most indie circles, I never really got into last year's Fiery Furnaces release, "Blueberry Boat." It was just too difficult to listen to... and for me that's important. Of course, each of us have a different tolerance level for eclectic music and I generally think of mine as being pretty good. But, I just never warmed to it. Thus, my surprise when I actually made it through their new B-sides and outtakes release, "EP," and even really enjoyed it! Not really a traditional EP in length with 9 tracks, perhaps this is the Furnaces' definition of an EP with the overall song length average being considerably shorter. Maybe I can just handle their schizophrenic sounds better in small doses. Who knows... All I know is that for a collection of B-sides and outtakes, this is one very coherent album. For songs at a time it doesn't sound like they even paused between songs and just kept rolling... Whether or not you like this stuff, you have to admit they are pretty original... Enjoy!

Doot... Doo Doo Doot... Doo Doo Doot, Bwah Bwah Bwah Bwah Bop

Not sure if I am the last to notice this, but the most recent Belle and Sebastian album was added to Rhapsody. I have been checking for this one every so often and just noticed it for the first time yesterday. I have no idea why I never bought this CD as I love it... guess this is just one that I was subbornly waiting to be added to Rhapsody as the rest of their albums are out there. Anyway, while this album does retain some of the fragility that has always made B&S special, they definitely amped it up on this one. Now, keep in mind, B&S amped up is still not too amped, but the toe tapping from their previous releases is now actual getting up and dancing... know what I mean? I love it. Love to see bands progress and change (so long as they don't completely sell out...). Enjoy!

Kinda like Jersey without Newark... and maybe Trenton

Besides being a complete music nut, I love movies. Netflix is my movie Rhapsody. I rented and watched about 80 movies this year from Netflix alone. On the Netflix site, I have rated 787 movies so far. That's a lot of freakin' time. Add that to the time I spend listening to music and its amazing I have any time to do anything else. Anyway, we just watched this movie the other day and loved it. I think Zach Braff is truly amazing. He has such incredible comedic timing... I'm an avid Scrubs fan (oh yeah, I like TV too) and am amazed that he has already ventured into the movie writer/director realm. He did a great job with this movie. Its a beautiful little love/life story that really spoke to me. Plus, it has great music. The soundtrack has been nominated for a Grammy. Unfortunately, it is not available in its entirety on Rhapsody... but I was able to piece together 10 of the 13 tracks into this playlist. Plus, if you want, you can add The Postal Service's original version of "Some Great Heights" rather than the Iron and Wine acoustic cover of the song that appears on the soundtrack. Enjoy!

Most worthyMUSIC 2004

Ok, so there you have it. My Top 30 of 2004. For your enjoyment, I've compiled a playlist with 2 songs from each album that both appears on my list and is available in Rhapsody. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite have the climax I would have liked as the top 3 are not available on Rhapsody. Oh well. Still a great listen anyway. Just click on the graphic below. In early 2005, I am really looking forward to the new Trail of Dead CD out in a few weeks. In late Feb/early March comes the new Doves CD, which I am sooooo excited about. I already have the first single and it is very good, very Last Broadcast, but I'm guessing the full album will have some surprises... We'll see. Enjoy!

1 - The Arcade Fire - Funeral

To any of my regular readers (I think I might be up to 4 of you now), this one is not a surprise. I've been ranting about this album for a while now. A true classic that will, for me, be a defining element of 2004. Its one of those albums where you stop thinking about how "cool" it is compared to other things out there and you don't really even think about what other things it may sound like. To me, its one of those albums that sort of has its own spot in the genre world. Kind of the way "In the Aeroplane Over The Sea" did for me a few years back as well... To understand just how astounding this album his, ponder this... the band didn't even form until the summer of 2003. They released an EP in 2003, and then in 2004 they signed to Merge Records (who had an amazing year...), recorded this album, and then released it on September 14th. And now they sit atop a large majority of the Best of 2004 lists out there, especially the indie-focused ones. How amazing is all of that? Plus, add in that the lead singers, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, got married along the way and the band had 3 close relatives die within the year... well, you can see that this album was built on a whole boatload of emotion, which is exactly how it comes across. And for those of you who have been following along, this is band #3 for which I have tickets in my hands to see. They are playing at the Cat's Cradle on the 28th of this month. I luckily was reading the Independent a couple of weeks ago and saw that they were listed in the Cradle's schedule and I jumped at buying the tickets. Amazing since just the week or so before I checked the Arcade Fire's website and the closest they were coming was Asheville. The show is now sold out so I was really lucky... For the few of you who have not heard this album, I have to warn you that you might have to give it a few listens. It is not immediately easy to process and get into. Took me a few listens before I got that "aha!" and was hooked. I keep taking this one out of my CD player and then it finds its way back within a day or two...

2 - Monarch - The Grandeur That Was Rome

Our alarm clock is set to 88.1 WKNC here in Raleigh, NC so every morning I wake up to fairly decent college radio programming (thankfully they don't have the metal hour or bluegrass hour scheduled on weekday mornings... not that there's anything wrong with metal or bluegrass, just not my choice for pulling me out of a deep sleep). I can't remember the DJ's name, but for a while there they had a really good guy who had a show from 6-8AM and his music tastes aligned farily closely with mine. Well anyway, I remember hearing the song "Wasteful" from this album as I woke up one morning and immediately being drawn to it. Well as is custom on a lot of college radios, they announce songs in big groups so I somehow missed what the song was. But, my research skills are pretty good in this area and 99.9% of the time I can use Google or other internet tools and find the songs. This was not the case with this one... Couldn't find a single thing. So, I resorted to posting on WKNC's forums and it turns out that this DJ doesn't only play good music, but also soes a good job with the rest of his responsibilities and responded immediately. Turns out Monarch is a widely unknown and very young band out of Pittsburgh, PA. I bought the album immediately and was blown away by the whole thing once I got it. It has been a regular listen of mine ever since. And everyone I have played it for loves it too. Perhaps part of my love for the album is because of its obscurity and the fact that I cannot believe this music is not being heard by exponentially more people than it currently is. But mostly, I love this album because it completely moves me. It is very passionate, very spiritual (yes, the band seems to have a Christian leaning, but the songs are universal to me), and, simply, beautiful. There is definitely some British influence here, but remove the tongue from the cheek and add in earnest emotion. And the lead singer's voice is gorgeous. Pure, soaring tenor. I know very little about this band as they seem to enjoy their obscurity or something. Their website is up and down and not very updated when it IS up. I know they played SXSW last year and then got in a car wreck on the way back (minor injuries, I think) but that's about it. Would be tragic as hell if they fade away. Actually, I did just hear one of the songs on XM Radio the other day (got it for my wife for Christmas knowing she would love it, but I expected to be personally underwhelmed... which I have not been at all... but I will write about that later once I finish this poll) so hopefully they are still alive and well. Whatever the case, this one will go down in my collection as a true favorite and I am sure I will listen to it for a long time to come. Enjoy!

3 - All Things Bright And Beautiful - Love & Affection

Ok, all you Rhapsody users looking for things to listen to on our beloved Rhapsody, you can tune out for the rest of the countdown. The top three are unfortunately not available in Rhapsody... sigh... All Things Bright And Beautiful is the name of the solo project of Lee Bozeman. Who is Lee Bozeman? Well, he's in the band Luxury. Who is Luxury? Well, they are... still under the radar. This album hit me like a ton of bricks. I really wasn't expecting too much since it is so far below the radar, but it is truly special. The first song I heard was on a Paste Music sampler that Justin Rosolino was on. I remember liking the song, but not being blown away. Well, I came upon ATBB again soon after and decided to go ahead and buy the new album.... so so so so happy I did. The first full length song on the album, "Speaking in Tongues" is enough alone to garner this #3 spot, but the rest of the album amazes over and over and over again. I cannot understand why this disc is not getting more attention. I've noticed a little groundswell backing this band, but still not what it deserves at all. Fully recommended and loved.

4 - Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous

I didn't expect this one, for sure. To be honest, I didn't know much about Rilo Kiley before this one came out. And my first impression was "Nice storytelling, tongue-in-cheek" songs but that's about it. But then it started to grow on me and suck me in. I know this sounds strange, but to me they are kinda like the cynical, indie version of Tift Merritt. I say this because somewhere in my brain is a little link between the two albums. Probably partially affected by the proximity of their release dates and the slight country twang at times on this Rilo Kiley album, I think the reason for the link is that Rilo Kiley also varies their sounds and influences from track to track. A wonderful, spunky, emotional, honest album. I love it.

5 - Keane - Hopes and Fears

Ok, for those of you who have been following along, this is band #2 for which I have tickets to see in the next two months. My friend and I will be headed down to Charleston, SC for the Keane show on the 30th and I am very excited. And while we're talking about Coldplay comparisons (because I know that's what you're already thinking about), my friend and I are making a trip for this show because we opted not to make a similar trip years ago when we could still see Coldplay in a small venue. We've been kicking ourselves ever since so we're not letting this one slip by. I love this band, I love their sound, No I don't think they are Coldplay redux. The near epitome of British melody, I find this entire album inspiring and moving. And the lead singer's voice is so crystal clear. I heard them perform on Nic Harcourt's radio show and he really does sound like that. Very much looking forward to the live show. I'll report back after.

6 - Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand

Near impossible for this one to not be in just about everyone's top 10 for 2004 (love double negatives, don't you?), Franz Ferdinand seemed to come out of nowhere. And what a perfect first single was "Take Me Out?" I mean, I remember hearing it for the first time thinking in the first 10 seconds, "Geez, how boringly British can you get?" Of course no more than a minute later, the Ferdinands abrupty slapped me across the face for having such a thought and started to beat me with a swagger that I am sure is illegal in most of the US. Strong, ethralling, entertaining, and surprising throughout the album.

7 - Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days

The most fragile, intimate release of the year. Its interesting too... as the production on his albums gets better, his music gets even more bare and raw to me... its delicateness is more exposed than ever. To me, a very listenable, repeatable album that still hasn't lost its power with me after almost a year listening to it. Beautiful.

8 - Magnet - On Your Side

This is a beautiful album. Truly beautiful. Even Johansen is Magnet and he is amazing. Think ethereal, electronic brit pop as the base and then add in an amazing mix of instrumentation which not only adds immensely interesting complexities, but also an organic quality which helps to root the entire thing. The first song is bittersweet and gorgeous, and when I read he plays all the instruments himself, including the horns... I was speechless. My insides hurt everytime I listen to this.

9 - Justin Rosolino - Wonderlust

Ok, this one is hard for me to place. I consider Justin such a good friend of mine that I have a hard time taking a step back and taking an objective viewpoint towards his music. Every time I listen to it I find myself thinking about Justin the person and his live performances and the joy of performing with him back in college and so on and so on. Part of me just wants to push it up to #1 because I want everyone to hear it. But, I struggled a bit and fit it in where I best could. A very melodic, very creative, very musically dorkish, very entertaining disc. Not mainstream, not indie, not folk, not pop, but a little of each. An amazing singer and even more amazing guitarist, I definitely recommend this one to other musicians. And if you're not a believer after listening to the listed tracks, just wait until you get to "29," the instrumental solo guitar hidden track. Awe inspiring.

10 - Tift Merritt - Tambourine

Ok, I am embarrassed to admit it... but I am going to be strong and just come out with it. Here goes. Iamatiftmerrittfanandiliveinraleighandihaveneverseenherlive. Horrible, isn't it? Makes me nauseous. Luckily the problem will be remedied February 19th when my wife and I catch her show at the Cat's Cradle. Thank goodness. I always make a New Year's resolution to see more live shows but you know how resolutions go. This year, though, I am hitting the ground running with tickets to 3 awesome shows already in my grubby hands. The other two besides Tift are coming up in the countdown so pay attention! This album has a mainstream production and confidence about it which is usually a problem for me, but her songs are so good and her delivery is so incredible that I easily get over my "indie" disease. Genre defying, generation defying, this one should hit the history books. Maybe the Grammy nomination will help.