Monday, August 28, 2006

"Paul Cries" Think About Life

Okay, Montreal. You win. Relax. Eat a piece of fruit.

"Paul Cries" Think About Life

Monday, August 21, 2006

"Dancing Girls and Dancing Men" Robert Pollard

I already posted this fucking song. Way back in the beginning when no one read this thing. But then I discovered a free download and I couldn't deny my new readers this gem from the aging King Shit himself. Bob Pollard was the front man and back bone of the greatest band of all time. Now he's fifty-something and trying to nurse his liver back to health while recording weird little pop songs in Dayton, Ohio. If you're a GBV fan it's worth checking the sounds page on his website. There's a bunch of early demos of great songs like Things That I Will Keep and Official Ironmen Rally Song.

"Dancing Girls And Dancing Men" Robert Pollard

Saturday, August 12, 2006

"In The Morning" Junior Boys

When did skinny, sensitive, Canadians start making all the dope beats? If I’m Timbaland or Pharrell, I’m getting nervous. Junior Boys definitely have a way with the drum machine but their song writing isn’t too shabby neither. Their first full length, Last Exit, drew on influences as disparate as Prince, Depeche Mode and Christian Fennesz to build a complex but oddly smooth pop opus. This is the first single from their highly anticipated second LP, So This is Goodbye. Turn it up.

"In The Morning" Junior Boys

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Largo

Largo is a dinner club on Fairfax Ave in Hollywood. Five years ago, my good friend John W dragged me along to see a young film composer named Jon Brion who played, and still plays, a weekly residency there. He performed the entire show on his own, with a scattering of instruments, a sequencer, and a microphone. He would build these towering walls of looped sounds and then sing beautiful melodies that cut right through them. If it ever was, Brion's talent isn't a secret anymore, having written some of the most inspired film scores of the decade (see: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I Heart Huckabees and Punch Drunk Love) Now that he's mastered that form, he's moving into more original songwriting with his new CD, Meaningless. All this is to preface my recommendation of Largo's website, which has a plethora of really nicely recorded performances by artist like Elliot Smith, Aimee Mann, Grant Lee Phillips, Tenacious D and, of course, Jon Brion. I suggest starting with his song from the Punch Drunk Love soundtrack, Here We Go.

Follow this link and click on "Audio - Video":

Largo Website

Monday, August 07, 2006

"Funeral" Band of Horses

A relationship is a two-way street. And yes, over the years, we've supported the music of our sister city to to the south. But what have we done for them lately? They listen to Black Mountain and The New Pornographers, so it's only fair that we should pay close attention to Band of Horses. This song, from their debut, Everything All The Time, is another goosebumper. I guess that's my steez these days. If you like it, they have more free downloads on their website. And my friend Nathaniel knows what bar they hang out at.

"Funeral" Band of Horses

Friday, August 04, 2006

Media Update

I've been catching a lot of flak about all the dead links on my blog. If someone knows of some free hosting for me to post mp3s more permanently, do tell. But in the meantime, I'm gonna link to existing free downloads on label sites whenever possible so the tracks will be available indefinitely. I went through the last 20 or so entries and either fixed the links, added new links to another song or video by the artist, or labelled them dead. So, I encourage you to go back and explore, but if you get to Michael Andrews, you've gone too far.

Hope everyone's summer is going swimmingly.

PS If you haven't met the grape lady, say hello to fucking hilarious...

Grape Lady (video)

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

"Lowlife" Scanners

This song is killing me. Killing me. I've had goose pimples for three days straight. Downloader beware. You may experience sprawling whimsy, tingling daydreaminess and severe melancholly while listening. Thanks to Tony P for hipping me. I get the one in the blue dress.

"Lowlife" Scanners