Songbird
Jul
31
The Ghost Is Dancing, The Darkest Spark
Filed Under Album Picks | 2 Comments
I have featured this 8 member band from Toronto before, which you can find HERE. Now their new album The Darkest Spark is out and once again I have been captivated by this bands energetic indie-pop-rock, their music just makes you feel good and happy! Enjoy!
mp3 Expired: We’ll Make It
mp3 Expired: Arrivals (Are Never Enough)
The Ghost Is Dancing on myspace
The Darkest Spark 2007 (Sonic Unyon Records)
Get the new album HERE or HERE
Jul
27
A Hot and Sticky Mix
Filed Under Music Mix Up | 3 Comments
It’s hot, and not just hot but sticky hot, the kind of hot that hits you right out of the shower when you realize that you are sweating as you towel off. Yuck! So I thought I would post a mix of some new songs I have been enjoying these last few days in hopes that it will take my mind off this humidity and heat. Enjoy and stay cool my fine feathered friends.
mp3: Stop and Go – White Swan Black Swan
White Swan Black Swan EP 2007 (Arch Hill Records) GET IT
mp3 Expired: Your English Is Good – Tokyo Police Club
Your English Is Good 2007 (Memphis Industries) GET IT
mp3 Expired: Rain – Bishop Allen
The Broken String 2007 (Dead Oceans) GET IT
mp3 Expired: Serpentine – Chris Bathgate
A Cork Tale Wake 2007 (Quite Scientific Records) GET IT
Jul
25
Wes Anderson, The Darjeeling Limited
Filed Under Film Box | 9 Comments
Directed by Wes Anderson
Written by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola & Jason Schwartzman
Pip sent this trailer via e-mail today thought I would pass the love so others can possibly share in the anticipation and excitement of this September 29th release.
Jul
23
Lights Out Asia, Tanks and Recognizers
Filed Under Album Picks | 6 Comments
The wedding was fabulous and a lot of fun. It felt good to reconnect with family and friends and everything was beautiful; I think all the guests were filled with love after the event, it was really quite lovely. And I was their witness for their marriage license, I felt quite special. :-)
I thought we would ease into the week with some electronic ambient sounds from Lights Out Asia. Their new album has captivated my soul with it’s magical shoe-gaze electronica and ravishing multi-layered arrangements. This Wisconsin group has certainly won me over with this sophomore release and I highly recommend checking out other songs on this album like, March Against The Savages and Art Divided By Science that were just too long to post but gorgeous indeed. Enjoy!
mp3 Expired: Ring Of Stars
mp3 Expired: Oh! Toronto
Lights Out Asia on myspace
Tanks and Recognizers 2007 (n5MD)
Jul
19
Stars, In Our Bedroom After The War
Filed Under Album Picks | 8 Comments
Stars and their record label Arts & Crafts have been the first to release the full length album digitally to combat against the Internet leak of the album, the album doesn’t hit stores until September 25th. This is a bold but very smart move and I just wanted to acknowledge it plus the entire album is fantastic. Filled with majestic alternative pop-rock that is really quite brilliant. I won’t be posting any mp3’s right now but you can stream samples of all the songs from their fourth album at the Arts & Crafts website. Support them please and raise your glass to toast to progress.Tomorrow is my birthday so I am putting together a little birthday mix, check back soon and for now go download the new Stars!
____________________ EDIT _____________________
So I was sitting here listening to music and I was preparing a belated birthday post and then this song off Star’s new album came on…I have been listening to the album for the last week and half now but in intervals so basically I stopped dead in my tracks when this song came on this evening. It is beautiful.
mp3: Personal* (mp3 expired)
Stars, In Our Bedroom After The War 2007
Download the new album HERE or HERE
*This file will only be available for 48 hours and then it will self destruct
Jul
14
Broken English
Filed Under Film Box | 3 Comments
Broken English:
Director: Zoe Cassavetes
Players:
Although the film isn’t quite fresh in my mind (saw it over a week ago – I know I’m lazy), I can still see all the details that grow around the edges of the frame. It wasn’t exactly revolutionary as far as plot and whatnot, but it still has a unique enough voice to stand out from even the other indies surrounding it. I really liked this one. I think a good one word review for Broken English would be: Quaint. Sounds manly enough, no?
Parker Posie is a hopeless romantic to the extreme well past her “prime”. She envisioned a world in her youth, I’m sure, that closely resembled a Disneyesque fairy tale. Reality, of course, has plagued upon her all of the dastardly tricks it could muster. She’s quite high strung, depressed and pill-popping just to handle her day to day life. We get to know her, her friends and family as if the film wasn’t in a rush to move things forward. We experience her in and out of her element and see how much of a failure she is in both. Failure might be a strong word, but she’s trying a bit too hard. As the film does move along, it does so with very little exposition which is a nice breath of fresh air. I like a film that just plops you down in this new reality and does a good enough job of explaining everything without explaining. Savvy? Now when I say the film doesn’t rush, it’s not like some three hour epic, but I would be lying if I didn’t say scenes by themselves seem to unfold in close to real time in between the cuts. It pushes that a little, to the point that you know a long time has passed, but I didn’t feel anything was prolonged or unnecessary. Much unlike this last paragraph.
So as we follow the wound up Posie around her non-romantic life, look who shows up: a cute and cuddly French guy with obligatory stubble and conversation inducing hat. I’m not jealous of the “yummy” (ahem, and I quote) Frenchie, but couldn’t a romantic swoon you off your feet kind of fellow have come from somewhere less stereotypical? Idaho, perhaps… or Texas even – that way you wouldn’t have to change the title!
In all seriousness, I did find their chemistry quite genuine and even if he was “yummy” at least I can see why. Posie has a consistent character all the way through the film and never seems to break away from herself just because she found this head-turning guy, this is due to some fine character development, acting, and all the stuff behind the camera, so bravo. Maybe it’s the hopeless romantic in me, but all the cynics out there that would never in a billion years run off to some foreign country chasing some person you might fall in love with leaving behind everything you know and love, you’ve obviously never felt the same way… maybe you never will.
Jul
12
Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Filed Under Album Picks | 10 Comments
That’s right all my fine feathered friends Spoon’s highly anticipated follow up to Gimme Fiction, their sixth album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was finally released this week. And although this is old news around the blog-o-sphere I am sure there are some of you out there who held out as long as I to experience this release.
So what do I think of this album? Well for one thing I don’t think the title is stupid, it’s crazy! And my oh my I do love crazy. As for the music? I really wasn’t expecting much but this 10 track album has kind of knocked my socks off…Rarely do I enjoy an entire album all the way through but this set of songs seem to pull me right in with all of their toe tapping energetic rock and apparently “it can all be wedding cake” ;-). It is hard to keep a frown listening to these guys rock that’s all I’m saying.
And not to sound all cliché or anything but this is a must have album…It has certainly quickly climbed up my favorite albums of 2007 list. They come to LA in September to the Henry Fonda Theater.
Check to see when they are coming to you!
mp3 Expired: The Underdog
mp3 Expired: Black Like Me
Spoon on myspace
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 2007 (Merge Records)
The new album is available HERE and HERE
Jul
10
The Yarrows, Plum
Filed Under Album Picks | 2 Comments
Sorry for the hiatus life has been busy and the summer heat has left me quite lazy I must confess and I think some of you know how much I hate the heat. But I have so much new music I seriously am not sure where to begin…So let us back up a bit, rewind, reverse, what have you.
The Yarrows hail from New Jersey and according to their website
The Yarrows are a band started in a house in a 200 acre woods in New Jersey in 2002.
Four guys from Jersey who make mellow indie folk rock. Their debut album Plum was released through Empyrean Records on June 19th. An inspiring debut from this group of guys from Jersey indeed, their tour dates have yet to be determined but hopefully they can make it out West eventually, for now I recommend tracking them down if you live in the Jersey/Philadelphia area and I will keep you posted on tour dates. A couple tracks I hope tickle your fancy as much as they tickled mine.
mp3 Expired: Cellophane
mp3 Expired: Impossible One
The Yarrows on myspace
Plum 2007 (Empyrean Records) available HERE and HERE
Jul
5
Ray’s Vast Basement
Filed Under Album Picks | 6 Comments
Starvation Under Orange Trees is the new album by Ray’s Vast Basement. An album which lifts your spirits with it’s acoustic folk melodies and gentle poetic lyrics. The songs that make up Starvation Under Orange Trees are from a score Jon (lead singer) wrote for a John Steinbeck play; the band performed it live in the theater for 16 weeks. I would have loved to see this because the album is really a delight song after song.
Ray’s Vast Basement hails from San Francisco and although most of their shows are currently in the SF area they set sail in August for a few shows on the East Coast. I highly recommend checking them out.
mp3 Expired: California’s Gone (Grapes of Wrath)
mp3 Expired: Palace Flophouse (Cannery Row)
Ray’s Vast Basement on myspace
Starvation Under Orange Trees 2007 (Howells Transmitter)
Get the new album HERE or download it HERE
Jul
2
The Lovetones, Axiom
Filed Under Album Picks | 5 Comments
The Lovetones hail from Melbourne Australia and have just released their third full length album through Tee Pee Records on June 19th. The Lovetones have toured extensively all over Australia and Europe and have even supported Morrissey on his first ever Australian tour.
Their new album Axiom is filled with polished dreamy indie rock that is enjoyable indeed.
mp3 Expired: Navigator
mp3 Expired: Wintertime In Hollywood
The Lovetones on myspace
Axiom 2007 (Tee Pee Records) GET IT
Disclaimer
Music found on this blog is for sampling only. If you like what you hear then support the artist. Buy their music, attend a show and spread the word. If you own the rights to any of the music featured here and you would like me to remove it contact me and I will remove the link immediately.
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Rachel - Music, FilmAggregator Love
