we walked in song

the innocence mission means a lot of different things to every member of their dedicated following. to me they mean peace, hope and the belief that tomorrow will be better than the day prior. we walked in song, out march 13th, finds the band gracefully aging into a territory rarely achieved today in the realm of disposable indie buzz bands. intricate guitar patterns weave in and out of karen peris' heartbreaking lyrics that span from the hopeful naivety of existence to the grave realizations that only occur with the passage of time. the juxtaposition between the lullabies to don and karen's children with the tracks that deal with the recent passing karen's father create an album that spans a lifetime carrying all the baggage with tenderness and beauty. the album speaks to those who sit quietly hushed in the background watching life as if it were an amusement park ride and in a world where the anna nicole smith death is more important than a war the innocence misssion plant the seed of hope that humanity might just be on the right track toward finding that ever out of reach utopia that comes only at the end of hollywood films. if you long for a soundtrack to gaze wide-eyed out the window of an automobile or a subway train and wonder why life is so bittersweet then please support the innocence mission and purchase their record available at this website www.theinnocencemission.com

-into brooklyn, early in the morning

do the human death dance if you know what is good for you

human death dance: out may 8th on epitah records

sage francis has grown a cult following for his spit-fire poetics and in may sage is adding another album to his lyrically dense discography. human death dance finds francis in prime form with a production to match his heady lyrics. the evolution of his albums has steadily grown and come may 8th be prepared to hear vignettes on death and the dark nature of humanity. sage has never been a sunny artist lyrically but this new outing proves to be his darkest yet making personal journals sound like a brian wilson vehicle. sit back and enjoy some samples from the brand new chapter in the cult of sage francis. and for the record sage should be huge so help make him and tell your friends.

-hoofprints in the sands
-civil disobedience

wilco album preview!

on may 15th, wilco will add another chapter to the band's illustrious career. during the interim period three album tracks have appeared on the internet and provided below are the tracks available for download. as a set the songs hint that the direction of the new album will be an extension from a ghost is born and sadly not much in the way of summerteeth, which was a personal favorite. seriously, what happened to crafting tunes like i'm always in love or a shot in the arm? i know this sounds as though i don't like these new crop of wilco offerings but i do enjoy them. either way isn't what made me fall in love with the band's music but it is by far the best track thus far. if a ghost is born was your favorite wilco album then this could be your new favorite.

you are my face begins as a ballad before plodding along as a mid-tempo rocker complete with organ flourishes that replicate the mid-sixties dylan sound.

-you are my face

walken starts with a classic am radio feel that could easily fit on a harry nilsson album that turns into a guitar jam.

-walken

either way has proved to be my early favorite. it is a perfectly executed ballad featuring tweedy in prime songwriter mode and features the best guitar solo in wilco history.

-either way

Sky Blue Sky:

Either Way
You Are My Face
Impossible Germany
Sky Blue Sky
Side with the Seeds
Shake it Off
Please Be Patient With Me
Hate it Here
Leave Me (Like You Found Me)
Walken
What Light
On and On and On

DUE: May 15th

math and physics club

anyone that wishes belle and sebastian continued making records in the vein of if your feeling sinister and tigermilk should look no further for the torchbearers. 2006 was dominated by everything opposite of this band. People lusted for dance ready tracks and one of many band that fell by the wayside was this self-titled release from math and physics club. i can't stress how much this sounds like belle and sebastian but the one thing that differs and adds to effect of the album is the jangly delay soaked electric guitar. please enjoy some tracks that should have made more of an impact on 2006.

-darling, please come home
-la la la lisa
-i know what i want

seabear

seabear is from iceland and write pretty pop songs. go buy seabear's the ghost that carried us away coming to stores soon.

-cat piano
-summer bird diamond

blonde redhead?

with two months before the release of 23, the new blonde redhead fell into my lap. the week prior to receiving the leaked album i was in a sonic youth mood but didn't want to listen to sonic youth so i put in the debut from blonde redhead. everything about the self-titled release echoes thurston and company, but as blonde redhead's discography grew so did the slant toward more melodic and lush production.

enter 23, the upcoming release that will no doubt usher in new fans and spawn the loss of some, which would be unfortunate. upon initial listen the album sounds tailored for a sophia coppola film by combining the hazy dissonance of my bloody valentine, the synth heavy dance music of new order and the sex sounds of air. enjoy these two previews of the new blonde redhead and don't forget to purchase on april 10th.

-23
-the dress

remember the beta band?

they are back! resurfacing as the aliens, the former beta band members are releasing their first full legnth lp called the astronomy of dogs in the spring. upon the initial listen i can say that this what the beta band always promised. their albums balanced experimentalism with traditional song structures but the beta's releases, all of which are strong, usually collapsed under the bands ambition. the alien's album on the otherhand launches into tightly wound pysch-rock that never loses focus until the 16 minute epic closer caravan. with the arcade fire, andrew bird and countless other releases in 2007 this proves to be a benchmark year for music. here is a video for the albums first single called setting sun and preview of another track from astronomy of dogs that calls to mind the best of primal scream's club tunes.

-rox

the meaning of 8

cloud cult- chemicals collide
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hey! did you love the way the postal service made you feel all warm inside? if the answer is yes then you should embrace this band. personally, i don't like the postal service but the single from cloud cult will service the drunken situation where a fringe emo-kid wants to seduce an awkward foxy co-ed. ok, so perhaps that puts this band in a bad light but chemicals collide is a charming pop song. and as for the rest of the album, it has a hand in the dirge-laden ragged folk of the neutral milk hotel and the skewed pop canvas that the unicorns created. regardless this band is worth your time. enjoy them before they become the bullshit score to a zach braff film and go buy the album on april 10th.

-chemicals collide
-pretty voice

love songs of the hanging gardens

kelley polar, a classically trained violinist, first dipped his toe into the world of pop music when featured on metro area's left-field house self-titled album. this time around polar flew alone creating 2005's highly underrated love songs of the hanging gardens. below are several tracks that can be compared to the junior boys but remain very distinct due to his musical background. enjoy!



-my beauty in the moon
-black hole
-here in the night

the jam

the jam were always one step beyond the typical '77 punk styling courtesy of band leader paul weller. weller and cohorts were poorly received in america and probably sold records on par with that of the underground darlings television, but in england they almost reached the height of the beatles. their songs, save for the debut album, always carried a heavy hand for power-pop melodies led by relatively complex structures with the punk a mentality. in the annals of punk history the jam should be the other band that mattered (reference to the clash). please enjoy a band that the mention in america means nothing but in britain their name defines a golden era in rock history. the first track, english rose, ranks amongst the best love songs recorded and the songs that follow should build on my premise that the are jam one of the best punk bands ever.

-english rose
-set the house ablaze
-moday
-that's entertainment

frequent updates starting once again

in the long absence i moved a new city and heard an overwhelming amount of new music and to help with the winter blues here is a mix of some excellent music. (picture from modernhumorist.com)

howie b- i can sing but i don't want to
cornelius- the micro disneycal world tour
billy childish- pretty baby
lilys- dimes make dollars
the bicycles- b-b-bicycles
the greenhornes- hard times
robert pollard- death of the party
luscious jackson- satellite (they were actually great for one e.p.)
sparks- equator
the mighty lemon drops- rollercoaster
the brunettes- end of the runway
talulah gosh- talulah gosh
zumpano- brocca's way
the apples in stereo- 7 stars
francoise hardy- je n'attends plus personne

lali puna- come on home
the concretes- warm night

cornelius- thank you for the music

Crimes And Misdemeanors

i am sorry for not posting but please enjoy the end to one of the best woody allen allen films.