Friday, January 22, 2010

Music Video Alert

Music videos whisper sweet nothings to my brain - and have for years. When I was a kid my parents had the Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads) VHS and I watched it like 349596049382 times. I still cant get enough of the band's live ensemble and David Byrne's rockin moves and outfit. Each friday I am going to try to review/suggest a few music videos. It was a pretty stellar week for my eye-ear communication - best one in a while.

Dan Deacon - Woof Woof - 11 minutes of spectacular entertainment. The video chronicles the adventures of a blues-clues esque man monster and his new cat turned sinister super villain. Dont worry, it will all make sense. This changed my life.

Animal Collective - Brother Sport - The word for this video is synesthesia - what you see you taste - and what you hear you smell. Animal Collective has a knack to make me feel there music in my body - this video adds to that potency. Plus there is some really cool animation blended in with the ultracolorful sensory overload. This made the news of animal collectives impending feature length visual album all the more exciting.

Toy Dolls - Nellie the Ellie - Just watch this. you will thank god for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eti21PVHXrg

MMM enjoy

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Fear death by water - but put on some soothing music.

What of the rain I ask myself. California rain is different from Seattle rain because here in so call water falling from the sky is clearly a traumatizing catastrophic event. Yesterday my girlfriend and I were paralyzed by fear while traveling north on the 5 freeway from San Diego - desperately in need of some soothing/motivating/anxiety quelling music. Well I survived thanks to my lady's driving and I will be making arts and crafts in the safety of my own cave all day.

Leonard Cohen - Sisters of Mercy - I found the beautiful acoustic guitar, bell percussion and Leonard's sweet sweet deep enunciating voice deeply soothing. Especially when the song is about some "not departed" Sisters who are there to make it right. It was a perfect song for the horrifying endeavor of moist freeway travel in california.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfAyWq3q01I

Creedence Clearwater Revival- Have You Ever Seen the Rain - I know a few people who would say this is "obvi" a touchstone for rain music. Well they are right. I fucking love Creedence. John Fogerty belts so damn hard that I cant stop myself from feebly rocking out the moment John asks that question. The answer is that yes John Fogerty I have definitely seen the rain coming down on a well - rainy day. This song pumped me full of life when death by freeway seemed eminent. Thanks Creedence you dirty dirty southern rockers you.
(to see just how dirty they are check out the link)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS9_ipu9GKw

Beirut - No Dice - Nothing soothes my fragile psyche like a Zach Condon instrumental track. I always sing along with the instrumental - and I am not so talented as a one man synth so I always miss the point at which this song's awesome melody kicks in. This one took my mind off of impending doom and took me on a trip through a synthpopindie dream forest jungle desert ice cap in imagination land.
youtube listen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3M1YsGKgHXc

These were all on the playlist in the car yesterday and they really helped both my girlfriend and I through the trauma.
on another note.
A listen to the Panda Bear live @ HAU 15-01-2010 Recording is really worth your while.

There is a new XX video I havent watched yet but will.






Monday, January 18, 2010

Sobriety and Reflections

Its been 365 days since I have taken, drank or smoked anything to alter my consciousness. I was having a really hard time living before I got sober but there are some songs that have really helped me when I felt down.
Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come : when I kicked a pretty serious opiate habit I alternated between Ralph Ellison's invisible man on tape - Confederacy of Dunces - Sam Cooke's The Man and His Music and Ken Burn's civil war documentary from my sick bed in destroyed Seattle apartment. I had just told my parents I had a drug problem, and new I would soon be on my way home. A Change Is Gonna Come brought my mood out from under the doom rock. The song's lyrics compelled resounded with me and brought me a glimmer of hope when I was as sick as I had ever been. Well the change did come and I still listen to Sam Cooke all of the time.
Passion Pit - Better Things. A girl I love told me to give passion pit a shot when I had been sober a little while. Passion Pit reminds me of her, and reminds me how fucking lucky I am to have her as a part of my life. I am also damn grateful for passion pit's Cuddle Fuddle EP that is just inspirational. Passion Pit still gets me off my ass.
Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen - this instrumental track has bumped me out of shitty moods over and over and over again. Its morning music, and it helped me move from depression to felicity. When I hadn't slept lovely allen was my first cup of coffee and an extra two hours of sleep.
Andrew Jackson Jihad - Rejoice : frantic acoustic folk pump about being young and fucked up in the head. The whole People Who Can Eat People Are The Luckiest People In The World Album made it okay for me to be alone and made me think about how lucky I am to live in a place like "California is a garden of Eden A paradise to live in or see but believe it or not you will find it so hot if you aint got that dough re mi" great woody guthrie rip. Just a prime cut of music.

Music is a big part of my happiness today - and over the past year it has been so fucking good to me. I have gotten much more in to music this year than I did when I was using and getting loaded. What a gift.THANKS GOD AND THANK GOD.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

First Post 1/17/10. Bittersweet Week


For a few months I have been thinking about making a blog and thinking "Writing about stuff you like seems really vain, and you self are more vain than vanity fair." So I made a blog. This week has been about as bittersweet as I can imagine a week being. Contra finally came out (sweet!) Jay Reatard Died (super fucking bitter) and Owen Pallett is not final fantasy any longer, instead he is Owen Pallett and his new album Heartland dropped this weak (SWEET). Contra is about as poptacular as I could imagine, and I watched a semi indie band shoot to the top of the itunes store's most purchased list. Maybe thats a sign that its time to abandon accessible music before my nephew, sister and mother are all playing it in there cars and homes so I can no longer tolerate it. Jay Reatard was introduced to me this summer, and I clung on to his young punk sound - I am a recovering dope fiend and the frantic and sharp fast lyrics and power punk guitar really caught my ear and my fancy. I suspect that the alchohol and drugs got Jay, and that sucks. I hope that some of my friends out there will be sobered by the sobering news so they don't have to die at 29. Heartland is a phenomenally textured cd with more pop appeal than some of the stuff Pallett did as Final Fantasy. I really cant get enough of it right now. I need to note that I am afraid of becoming a pitchfork zombie because that would/will suck. here are some links to videos of all three artists.
Owen Pallett - Lewis Takes off His Shirt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7WxTP3ger8
Vampire Weekend - Giving up the Gun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJQpvGYJnYw
Jay Reatard - It Aint Gonna Save Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG65eqfg6bc