kozakas!

in the tradition of "you hear it first" pop on parade is pround to present the kozakas. i was sent a three song demo and found it to be quite charming. party is a simple twee folk number with toy instruments and a guitar, and the second song sculpture is a moody piece the sounds like the united states of america for the 21st century. lastly, kazoo is one of those songs that is a joy to listen to when one can hear the joy the band is playing with so just listen and smile. i wouldn't be surprised if you hear a lot from this band in the future.

-kazoo
-the party
-sculpture

lost classics: blonder tounge audio baton

meet the swirlies-

sonic youth is great, but not a lot of fun to listen to. they are like a meal of indie-rock wheat germ, while the vaselines are a fluffy dessert. the swirlies sound can be lumped somewhere between the two. in the early 90's the swirlies followed the blueprint layed out by my bloody valentine and crafted some fine dreamy fuzzed out tunes. pancake, the album's centerpiece, features bursts childlike vocals of seana carmody that loom between the distorted guitars and keyboards that rivals my bloody valentine's to hear knows when as best single to come out of the shoegazing scene. lastly, like any of the great shoegazing bands it is best to play as loud as possible to allow yourself to get lost amongst the chaos of the noise. enjoy!
- pancake
- wrong tube
- jeremy parker
- vigilant always

(can't find a good upload site so i am going back to you send it in the meantime. sorry for the inconvenience.)

*bonus*
oh no! oh my!- i have no sister (courtesy of gorrilavsbear for posting another song by pop on parade's favorite new band.)

welcome to the world of benji cossa

he writes, plays music and draws comics; this is benji cossa. cossa, of magic marker records, plays music with an incredibly amateurish production, but that is the appeal of it. this is the guy that you know with a 4-track recorder that creates pop nuggets that will never see the light of day. this is your friend. enjoy his song knockout and i dare you not to smile.

- knockout

cossa's website is also filled with charming comics that range from corny to warped. think of what a jonathan richman song turned into a comic would look like and there you have cossa's drawings.

http://bejicossa.com

what happened to claudia malibu?

the claudia malibu have existed in the world of music since 1997 to very little interest. how did i discover them? well, i bought the album we'll find you in a bargain bin at a used record store due to the cover art. luck seems about the only way to discover this band in part because of terrible distribution deals and obviously a lack of mainstream appeal. the claudia malibu play the kind of music one expects to hear after hearing their name. we'll find you is an album of sloppy 60's pop that is as reminiscent of curt boettcher as it is early weezer. in 2000 this one slipped through the cracks so here are some tracks in an attempt to resurrect the claudia malibu.

- big white lie
- take me out
- i love the way

(my apologies for the change in download host. both work but i am trying to find another site that you can directly download from without having to leave my site.)

ohh that's jazzy!

if there is one genre of music that is the hardest for me to review it would have to be jazz. recently i read an article on marsalis and i was overwhelmed with the knowledge the reviewer had about the musicians but also the technical aspect of the music, which i lack. despite this i am going to post two tracks from a little known coltrane album, stardust. the album came out in '59 and features a top-shelf backing band in part because they were miles davis' band. stardust illustrates that while coltrane was known for his powerful playing that he could in fact play tender ballads better than just about anyone. this is music made for the setting of the sun as you crack open a bottle of wine, so get classy and check out some examples as to why coltrane is one the best musicians ever.

- stardust
- then i'll be tired of you

you are about to feel the rock! (of the cocker spaniels)

indie-rock has become fractured in the last several years. the rise of bands like the shins, death cab, the decemberists and modest mouse leave one to wonder what truly defines indie-bands. in its truest sense the definition is a band on an independent label, but that becomes tricky considering how many of the labels deemed indie are subsidies of the soul sucking major labels. another definition that could be tagged to indie rock is the way that the music is recorded. indie rock kids love the word lo-fi, as much as, dick cheney like to shoot 78 year old men in the face with a shotgun (had to get that in there somehow). the cocker spaniels are the vehicle for the truly independent artist, sean padilla. his music follows in the legacy of his idols, those being robert pollard, lou barlow, pavement and the happiest band in the world, sonic youth. musically, padilla is a hodgepodge of the aforementioned singers or groups but his lyrics resonate the snarky sincerity of stephen malkmus. malkmus had the ability to lift the mundane into something epic and hilarious at the same time. padilla might not quite be there, yet he is certainly one of the most unique voices to come along to an indie-scene that has become borderline formulaic as of late. please enjoy padilla and the cocker spaniels and visit the website for more info- http://www.cspaniels.com/

- the only black guy at the indie rock show
- weekend girl
- why do i bother
- final season
- my blessing

audio love for valentine's day

to make up for my spotty effort with updates i bring to you a valentine's day mix because i love you.

audio love-

1. the beach boys- add some music to your day
2. the replacements- skyway
3. koop- waltz for koop
4. stephen malkmus- for you
5. polaris- she is staggering
6. de la soul- jenifa taught me
7. bonnie prince billy- raining in darling
8. manitoba- jacknuggeted
9. the knife- heartbeats
10.the innocence mission- i have not seen this day before
11. tom vek- c-c (you set the fire in me)
12. the arcade fire- old flame
13. the organ- love, love, love
14. archer prewitt- i'll be waiting
15. telepopmusik- breathe
16. pulp- common people
17. richard hell- love comes in spurts
18. tom waits- time
19. the animal collective- winter's love
20. the flamin' groovies- you tore me down
21. neko case- star witness

the jolly rogers/oh no! oh my!

i stumbled upon this band back in november and have continually played the songs from their website. the band recorded one album under the jolly rogers, then became oh no! oh my! before releasing their follow-up. regardless of the name the band uses the skeleton of a traditional pop songs and fleshes them out into something that at times is reminiscent of the animal collective, the vaselines or even beulah. i know very little about the band so i cannot prattle on about the members in any fashion, so i'll just leave you with the songs to speak themselves. lastly, both albums are priced at a mere $1.50 on their website so purchase them if you dig the songs.

- jane is fat
- a pirate's anthem
- walk in the park
- party punch
- oh be one

note- the picture has nothing to do with the band. i just felt like posting it.

the boy least likely to

i've posted this song before and now there is a video for be gentle with me. it's great, so click the picture to watch.

in case you missed the song when i last posted- be gentle with me

*bonus

- i'm glad i hitched my apple wagon to your star

detroit rock in honor of super bowl xl

in the words of my good buddy buddha, "the dirtbombs are what the stooges would sound like if they were fronted by clarence carter." mick collins, formerly of the gories, brings his soulful voice to the dirtbombs. this is raw rock infused with the perfect amount of soul that creates some excellent party music. i dare anyone to listen and not have the urge to want to chug beer and jump around like a jackass. these tracks come from ultraglide in black, which is an album primarily of covers of classic funk and soul tracks from the 60's and 70's. what is remarkable about this album is that the tracks, even if not changed, get revitalized for the 21st century. so without further adeau, here are some songs to get you going for the weekend.

- the thing
- ode to a black man
- your love belongs under a rock

andrew morgan is the new elliott smith

elliott smith's death was bad. i think that was a bit redundant to say but whatever. in the wake of a rock star's death the typical critic cliche of crowning the next whoever always happens. i will use that cliche and run with it. andrew morgan is the new elliott smith. this comparison works for several reasons: the two were friends, morgan's voice sound eerily reminiscent of smith, and the guitar and instrumentation are spot on. the difference between the two to lies in the grander scale the music is created. morgan creates a vortex of brian wilson pop instrumentation, whereas smith opted for the more subdued pop of the beatles. misadventures in radiology is morgan's debut album, and is available online at sonic boom records. please support him.

- supine on the covers
- aligned on the steps
- misadventures in radiology
- the awful room

dance christ dance!

click the pic to watch cat power's new video. more posts will come shortly and i apologize for my lack of frequent updates.