I forgot about Christmas…

I’m sure this will end with me being accused of treason of some kind, but just to settle… I really do love Christmas and I love you all.

Aside from being the time of the year where fantastic deals heavenly praises flood  suburban malls Earth–other than being a time to look to the age-old decorations of pine and tinsel to remind us of desire generosity–Christmas has some economical historical significance too. It recalls a very special time…

You don’t hate Christmas, do you? Sing along if you know the words!

The day that Capitalism Jesus Christ wasn’t was born is one we can never forget. Or can we? Now, I’m a Hindu… but I grew up in rural Wisconsin, so I know my sacred holidays. This year, however, something is different. While everyone was blasting their Christmas music as soon as the turkey was finished, I didn’t. Maybe living on my own secludes me… maybe the unforgiving Boston winter has abused my ductile heart… or maybe the bullshit is just too much to take this time… all I know is that it’s been business as usual. So here’s my playlist for all of you suffering from the inability to get psyched for this year’s commercial fuckshow Holiday Season.

It’s full of great songs that I’ve been keeping on rotation lately. Good for any season. There’s honestly not an obvious theme here, but if you make a little playlist I’m sure one of these songs will be perfect for the time… and that time is anytime, by the way. Check em out. Some I’m sure you’ve never heard… some are just great.

  1. El Ten Eleven – “My Only Swerving”
  2. The Four Hundred – “Marionettes”
  3. Liam Finn – “Second Chance”
  4. Brazillian Girls – “Homme”
  5. Andrew Bird – “A breaks B”
  6. Jeff Tweedy – “Simple Twist of Fate (Bob Dylan Cover)”
  7. Pseudosix – “Treacherous Ways”
  8. Nas – “Surviving the Times”
  9. Phosphorescent – “A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise”
  10. Galactic w/ Gift of Gab – “The Corner”
  11. Old Crow Medicine Show – “Cocaine Habit”
  12. frYars – “happY”
  13. Wax Fang – “Avant Guardian Angel Dust”
  14. The Flaming Lips – “Nobody Told Me (John Lennon Cover) – Live”
  15. The Bowerbirds – “Human Hands”

Now, there is something special about people around the end of the year, and it’s a good thing. Good hearted people are good no matter how you spin it. When I was younger, I would get excited for presents holidays because I was a greedy little bastard for what would seem like no reason. Instead of hating the way things are, I think it’s time for me (and the rest) to love it the right way. The problem is… they just don’t make McDonalds French Fries and 6-Piece McNuggets Christmas like they used to…

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA[/youtube]

Song of the Day – 12/12/07

Hey everyone. Real quick one here.

nm

Who loves Rogue Wave… I mean really LOVES the music of Rogue Wave? It seems to me like every time I hear a new Rogue Wave song, I produce the exact same level of interest. There is something special about the way they create. Here’s a gem I stumbled on. B-Sides from the Vultures days. Sweetness! Appears on the 10:1 EP.

MP3: Rogue Wave – “Crush The Camera”

Rogue Wave | MySpace | iTunes | Amazon | Sub-Pop

Song of the Day – 12/6/07

“They’re tryin’a graduate from school, Lu…”

lupe

I’m gonna keep it short.

I have this conversation with pretty much every hip-hop fan I ever meet. You know the one. The one about the state of the genre, the message it sends and the general deterioration of role-model image that it contributes to… Enter, once again, Lupe Fiasco.

His debut, Food & Liquor, was one of the best mainstream hip-hop albums of the past few years for sure. Not afraid to be honest, Lupe is a beacon of light in an otherwise dreary landscape. Now, he’s ready to hit us with the always important sophomore album… and from what I’ve heard, Lupe Fiasco’s: The Cool is the sickness.

And I mean the good kind of sickness. One of his tracks, “Dumb It Down” is a perfect response to everything our mainstream, MTV society asks for. Not to mention, Lupe’s skills are honestly among the best. Beat’s nasty too. Check it out.

MP3: Lupe Fiasco – “Dumb It Down” from The Cool

VIDEO: Lupe Fiasco – Dumb It Down”

PRE-ORDER IT NOW: iTunes | Atlantic

BONUS The Cool Tracks:

MP3: Lupe Fiasco – ‘The Coolest”

MP3: Lupe Fiasco – “Superstar”

Stream the entire Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool: MySpace

Electric Hearsay: The Gilded Splinters

Josh Buckley is a close friend.

Or at least that’s how he sings it. To the listener, he and his band, The Gilded Splinters go for intimacy. Having the pleasure of getting to listen to January, there is something concrete about The Gilded Splinters. Headed up by Josh Buckley, the band isn’t playing on any fad. Heartland rock, in the vein of early Wilco or The Band, is interspersed with cool vocal ballads. JP Bowersock, producer of The Strokes and Ryan Adams took to their work and really made the album kick. An extremely pleasurable mix. Buckley’s voice, admittedly, is surprising at first, but comes to be a realization of becoming unconstrained. This is how it is. Period.

But it is more than just songwriting. The Gilded Splinters aren’t on shaky foundations. They don’t rely on an obsessively complex chord structure or “what the hell?” instrumentation. They tell it as honestly as possible, and they’re rewarded. If anything is a lesson learned, January reminds us that there is nothing trite or shameful about a 3-chord progression and traditional configuration… if you do it right. So many bands today try it and just blend in. What The Gilded Splinters have is genuine emotion. You can get lost in Buckley’s wordplay and it doesn’t demand anything of itself. The listener is just as much a part of the music as the band.

Enjoy my selection:

MP3: The Gilded Splinters – “All Over Again”

MP3: The Gilded Splinters – “Haunted Child”

Buy January: iTunes Music Store | JoshBuckley.com

Create a long lasting friendship with The Gilded Splinters: MySpace

Song of the Day – 12/5/07

Wow… very few posts on my part lately. For that I apologize.

meowskers

Let me just hit you with it. A band I heard for the first time sometime early this year (March?) just made me happy all over. I refer, of course to Brooklyn’s Meowskers. A musical supergroup of sorts. These guys have a sound that seems to make it into every mix and “best new” list I’ve made for a while. It really calls upon a Flaming Lips style song with great rock vocals to add. These guys surprise me with every song and their debut, Fake Orange EP is stunning. They weave melodic stylings seamlessly with powerful, raw rock that just shakes your fucking head off. This is my new theme song for walking out of the subway station… that’s refreshing!

MP3: Meowskers – “Colors That Lie!”

Now, if it seems like these dudes couldn’t get any better, I just took a little trip to their MySpace and saw that they have their whole EP for download in 192 kbps. FOR FREE. Nasty.

Here it is (absolutely CANNOT wait for the album):

Oh Meowskers, will you ever stop giving? No, and this is the best part. A site that I know, love and hold so dear to my heart, Daytrotter, has an exclusive session with these guys and its OFF THE CHARTS. This is a group I’m dying to see live, at this point. Writing this post makes me want to see them right now. Check out the Daytrotter Session and especially “Dead or Awake,” thats just more proof of the musicality of an already fun band.

MP3’s and MORE: Meowskers – Daytrotter Sessions

Sub Pop’s MP3 Store

 

sub pop banner

Hey everyone, just a little news for all of you legally enthusiastic rebels. For everyone who loves the idea of online music but hates the idea of ponying over money to a big corporation… this is for you. Well, technically, this is exactly the same thing–Sub Pop being part of Warner Bros.–but you can feel just a little better from the “corner-store” style shop.

They have over TWO-HUNDRED (that’s 200) DRM-free albums available for standard album prices at 192 kbps, and they’re looking to bring that up. They also have a slew of Sub-Pop ep’s. Today I found a great Rogue Wave 10:1 EP with some previously unreleased tracks… awesome! Give it a visit and try to feel the imitation of that good old record store emotion. It’s not the same, but it’s nice to see an indie label with forward thinking.

The Sub Pop Online Store

A little Wilco

If you haven’t seen Wilco live, then it is your duty as a human being to do so.

If you have… I hope this brightens your day.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMVEX3Cqk-A[/youtube]

Song of the day – 11/7/07

Hey everyone. This is my first post… enjoy.

Early Kinks

To our generation, the Kinks exist as something outside of the realm of a band. Like many of the mainstay names coming from the 60’s and early 70’s, they’re image is mostly a conglomeration of years and albums as opposed to a group of growing people benchmarking themselves with records. Keeping this in mind, I don’t think that people really see the Kinks second major release, Kinda Kinks, as a statement at all.The album, released in 1965, is often regarded as a poor collection of decent songs… in other words, commercial independent singles with some filler. While this is a justified critique, I don’t think it opens us up to look at the true brilliance and birth of Ray Davies songwriting. From hits to fan favorites, the Kinks start at Kinda Kinks. The musical aspect of the band was picking up, surely, but we wouldn’t hear Dave Davies true genius for another year or two.

My pick for the song of the day exists as a cover to a Kinks song by the lovely Leslie Feist. One of the more famous tunes they “cranked out” was “Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worrying ‘Bout That Girl.” I like to listen to covers just because the spin can be so sincere even if it’s another persons song. Am I really off base here? Let me know. Check it out.

MP3: Feist – “Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worrying ‘Bout That Girl”

Here’s the original

MP3: The Kinks – “Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worrying ‘Bout That Girl”