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.

i feel like the mother of the world

smog has sealed his mark in pop music over the past decade with his brand of country-folk and with his poetic sensibilities and voice to match the great leonard cohen. here is a video from his last album called i feel like the mother of the world that features chloe sevigny. click the pic to watch.


mp3: smog- i feel like the mother of the world

welcome the guillemots

first, i was hesitant to post this video since pitchfork reviewed the song today but whatever. trains to brazil has been on constant rotation on my winamp and ipod and should be on yours as well. it has all the elements of a great single, with those being tremedously infectious and full of energy. i am positive that the guillemots will be the new buzz band for 06, so jump on board the train to brazil. ejoy the video!

(click pic to watch)

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