el guincho, alex dupree

right now is the perfect time for looking over discs from 2007 that either went underappreciated or unheard by yours truly.

el guincho, the spanish panda bear.

alex dupree & the trapdoor band's las meridanzas: a gentle blend of chamber pop and folk with some pretty killer riffs.

john maus, which i'm still not sure on.

scout niblett: some meditative female vocals

LOW DISK SPACE: note to self - please figure out how your external hard drive works asap.

also check out this week's discs:
here

new year, hopefully renewed vigor

i'm a bit disappointed in my lack of live music experiences in 2007. sure, i saw some great local bands, and i saw a few great larger acts. it was nowhere near the amount to which i'm accustomed. maybe if the people in charge of getting my show admissions werent such slack half-asses, i'd be more inclined to pursue something. also, even though there is a larger venue attracting more and more larger acts, i've only wanted to check out a handful or so of them. am i getting too picky with how i spend my time? perhaps i'm a bit jaded when it comes to a positive live music experience, and i'm also spoiled. if you've ever been to a show with me, you may have been privy to my show rituals. maybe i'm spoiled by the hotdamns shows. gotta save that money for willie nelson in march....
regardless, i want to make 2008 a better year for live music. even though i have to miss out on my girl sharon j on friday, i'll make up for it in february:
the wiyos
the great white jenkins and nat baldwin (of the dirty projectors) thanks elliott for the headsup
hackensaw boys (bryan hoffa benefit!!!)
mermaid skeletons
cass mccombs (band of horses)
anais mitchell
and probably some punk/hardcore/metal shows.

2008 is great

the new MMW disc: let's go everywhere

for the most part, it's a thumbs downer. this is mostly because i hate children, and children are jampacked on that shit. don't they realize that a child yelling is one of the most horrifying sounds ever made? i guess they are sort of out of ideas.

cat power - jukebox

at least she didnt use that old man perv keyboardist on this one, but this time i don't have a chan-handwritten copy. nevertheless, i'm into it, especially "new york."

the mountain goats: heretic pride

i very much liked this on the first and second listens. i still need to hear their other stuff (which i've been meaning to do)- i mean, besides the few tracks i'd heard previously. however, the title track is already a tad annoying, but we'll have to see after a few more listens.


m. ward and zooey deschanel:
i'm very much looking forward to their album she and him: volume one, especially if her myspaceis any indication. gotta love chicks with ukes. which leads me to...practicing my uke.

sad day in music history

this tidbit of news about elvis' dethroning by garth brooks. while i may endorse country music, and although the music industry's expansion is a good thing and inevitable, i'm not sure garth brooks is the best successive candidate. oh well, people love their pop country.

ps i want the louis vuitton luggage from the darjeeling limited, which, for some crazy reason, is getting bad reviews amidst its brilliance.

go see the movie, and listen to jason schwartzman's npr interview in which he describes the process of filming - that filming itself was set out to be an experience.

new stints, listening this week...

just got a freelance position with style weekly, so i'm rightly stoked about that.

THIS WEEK:

can't get enough of animal collective's strawberry jam

tunng

king wilkie - low country suite

reviwers:

spokane: little hours

christopher blue: room tones

the gena rowlands band: flesh and spirits

josh small: tall

david schultz and the skyline: sinner's gold

femi kuti: the definitive collection

tiny vipers: hands across the void

the brunettes: structure & cosmetics

ben + vesper: all this could kill you

patrick sweany: every hour is a dollar gone

more to come.

SHOWS coming up:

buddy guy? muse?

the hotdamns

neko case

king wilkie/sam bush

charlie louvin

chocolate drops?

souvenirs young america?

other media


flight of the conchords
tenacious d meets mr show.

weeds season 2 on dvd

bravo's top chef. hate it but love it.

i should probably work on making this more consistent

but i barely have time between my day job, my article writing, and my social life. in the last few weeks i've gone to a wedding in the country, attended and wrote about FloydFest, and gone to a few local shows. first:

the hotdamns played a private wedding:


then my friend's band, the high street lowlifes, played a show at the edgar allan poe museum's "unhappy hour:"

they are a retro 1930's band with originals and covers. family fare with some racy lines if you pay attention. they also cover a retired laylons song.

onto floydFEST:

beautiful scenery, beautiful weather, beautiful music....


the carolina chocolate drops were the festival favorites, with all of their performances packed way past capacity:



the hackensaw boys also put on a great show, and some of them aren't too bad to look at....

also loved the the wiyos.


so many more but will have to wait for my article to be published to go any further...

listening this week....

the ladybug transistor - can't wait another day

radiohead - kid 17 (the phenomenon of starting two different kid a discs 17 seconds apart creates crazy harmonies and echoing.

animal collective - strawberry jam

thurston moore - trees outside the academy

reviewers:

the val papadins - no one wants to move the piano

cary brothers - who you are

ilad - national flags

upcoming shows:

the high street lowlifes

mermaid skeletons

hackensaw boys

ilad & the great white jenkins OR ralph stanley

the hotdamns

FloydFest!