Nov

23

Stuffed Post

Filed Under Music Mix Up | 13 Comments

Last night I saw Tom Morello and friends play a benefit show at the Hotel Cafe for the Axis of Justice/Food Not Bombs program. But I have to be honest although the Axis of Justice is a fantastic program, which I fully support…And of course hearing Tom Morello acoustic style was awesome as well…The main attraction for me was Alexi Murdoch. He is no stranger to the Hotel Cafe, a small intimate bar for acoustic performances, the ideal setting to see Alexi in.
He was quite honestly just amazing…If people didn’t know of him before the show, they knew of him after and you could just tell that he quickly became the main act. This was the second of three shows they are doing at the Hotel Cafe within a 3 week span. I couldn’t make the first one but I am going again next week for their final performance.
I think what impresses me the most about his music is the attention given to each chord, each note and every lyric. He is so meticulous, such a perfectionist…An artist indeed.
And if you didn’t catch the other 5 times I suggested picking up his new album then hopefully you will hear me now because Time Without Consequence sits at the very top of my “Best of 2006” it is #1. There is no doubt…It appeals to all and you can listen to every single track from beginning to end and then listen to it all over again.
And just in case you are still not convinced here is a track from the album for you to sample also one of the songs from his set last night:

Breathe (mp3 expired) – Alexi Murdoch
BUY Time Without Consequence

In other news all I do is work…In fact tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the US (America stuff your face day and then spend, consume and spend some more day) and remember when I said I got 4 glorious days off….Yeah that’s not going to happen…I am going to have to go in. But I did get the raise! :) Thank you for your words of encouragement and advice, I don’t think I would have spoken up if it wasn’t for all of your support…So a thousand thank yous.

And now on to this weeks releases…Three tracks from three stand out albums. Enjoy. Support the artists!!!!

All Fires (mp3 expired) – Swan Lake
Buy Beast Moans

The Matrimony Vine (mp3 expired) – Dave Fischoff
Buy Crawl

This last one is kind of the odd one out…But I think Jay Z is actually an extremely talented, smart businessman and musician. And the fact that he is open to expanding outside his rap/hip-hop style up and is why he is so good at what he does. Also I chose this track because I have a serious soft spot for Coldplay and not only does Chris Martin collaborate with Jay here, he produced it (put together the beats, which was originally going to be handed to Dr. Dre to do but Chris jumped in head first…It is a good fucking song. As for the album? Well…I think I am still digesting it so I can’t really say as of yet but did I mention the song Beach Chair? That is a good song…

Get my drift? Link available for a limited time.

Beach Chair (mp3 expired)- Jay-Z (feat. Chris Martin)
Kingdom Come

Nov

21

Battle

Filed Under Music Mix Up | 5 Comments

*Edit*
So after I tried at least a 100 times I finally got the songs uploaded onto File Lodge. After the last couple of days I have decided to invest in a server. So as soon as I have a moment I am going to go ahead and check out Dreamhost…If anyone else has any suggestions on a server I always love options. :)A lot is going on…But right now I am out the door to a show…I will post later or tomorrow about it. I leave you with these….

New music on my headphones:

Plain Pieces (mp3 expired) – Audrey
Visible Forms

When I Am Gone (mp3 expired)- Sparrow House
(jared van fleet solo project, also the keyboardist for voxtrot)
Fall EP

I want to wish Richard a very happy birthday over at to die by your side. I hope you have a wonderful day and nothing but happiness in the upcoming year.

Nov

20

Rough Edges

Filed Under Music Mix Up | 8 Comments


I just lost a fucking entire post that was quite long…Man that pisses me off. I don’t learn from my past mistakes…How long have I been blogging? Since 2004? Holy shit! And I can’t take the necessary precautions to prevent this exact thing from happening?

I am all huffy puffy…

Deep breath…Turn on Alexi Murdoch…

That is better…This has been a yucky weekend, I basically worked all weekend (even today) but that is alright because next weekend makes up for it…4 days off! It will be marvelous.

I was originally going to post a rock mix to kick the week off right…But I am afraid that will have to wait till tomorrow evening because my mood had darkened a bit due to some recent events here.

I was going into the garage to put in a laundry (which is usually a happy time because I don’t mind doing laundry, I love the smell of clean clothes and linens so…as weird as that may be to some)

But unfortunately this laundry excursion to the garage would soon be tainted…A little background info: I inhabited a family of black widow spiders that eventually grew into a few little families of black widow spiders in this shed right outside the garage…So I have been on the look out for any widows that have survived thus far and as I bent down there was a little black widow all stretched out in a little web showing off it’s red spotted stomach…Well I don’t really like killing insects…anything for that matter (except mosquitoes) but unfortunately I am allergic to bees, wasps and hornets (I get quite sick) so I really don’t want to see what a widow would do to me…I probably wouldn’t be able to see much of anything because I would die and I think I have a good 25 more years or so before that happens (aside from an accident)

So bug spray in hand I was ready to be strong and brave…I sprayed. The widow fell to the ground and curled into a little ball…After a couple of seconds it opened up and started squirming around slowly…As the poison began to take affect he became slower and slower…And I became quite sad and before I knew it tears were welling up in my eyes…Why was I crying over a potentially deadly insect? I have a real hard time watching any living creature slowly meet the end of it’s life, that slow drawn out suffering I wouldn’t wish on anything…But it is more the slow long drawn out process that I find hard to take not so much the death itself. Because if possible I would have much rather just been able to kill that widow with one swift smack if possible but this widow was not in a position where I could end this poor widow’s life that way.

All of this lead to questions but one main question: Why do we as human beings inflict so much pain and death on other living creatures even our own species?

I don’t get it…For a species who is conscious of itself and who is constantly living in denial of the inevitable end of our own lives we tend to be pretty sadistic creatures…It is a little disturbing.

Anyways on to the music a little instrumental mini-mix from some recent releases all of which I highly recommend.


The Dead Tree Gives No Shelter (mp3 expired) – Blue Sky Black Death
Buy A Heap of Broken Images


The Long Spring (mp3 expired) – Explosions In The Sky
Buy Thank You


And the last one will have to wait because I am tired of messing with File Fuck.

*Coming Soon – “An Ode To Beck”

 

Nov

18

All Time Favorite #3

Filed Under All Time Favorite | 9 Comments

I am in a blah mood…Very blah.This movie was good, well done I think. Although many critics thought Baz Luhrmann’s eccentric modern setting was too much paired with the original Elizabethan dialogue (for 1996) but I think it was just right. I got more out of this movie then when I read the play or saw the 1968 version…Of course there are 52 million other versions of this classic but still.

And then there is of course the song…*sigh* Just there are no words…Seriously definitely another Radiohead song that is at the top of my all time favorite list. There are three different versions of this song, this one being the Nellee Hooper remix, which has far less guitar than the original, I think this version is a bit darker, it is fantastic. Enjoy.

Talk Show Host (mp3 expired)- Radiohead
Romeo + Juliet Soundtrack

Tags:, ,

Nov

15

Long Awaited EP

Filed Under Album Picks | 8 Comments

Photo by Tyler Shields

Looks as if I am on a bit of singer songwriter folk kick…What can I say I just can’t seem to get enough of that damn acoustic guitar…But after a long wait, Priscilla Ahn’s EP has finally been made available online at iTunes and I guess iTunes UK is doing a special feature on her as well. Well deserved, about time she got noticed, her voice is just beautiful. I urge you to support her if you like what you hear, she is a true “Indie” artist. :) Also if you live in the Los Angeles area, she is performing at the Hotel Cafe through February. If you do happen to get curious and click that Hotel Cafe link and go to their calendar you will see something that I have been waiting for…And you probably know by now when I start getting this excited it usually has something to do with Alexi Murdoch

And I have to add what a pain in the ass it was to convert these tracks to mp3…Sheesh. It is worth it though.

Rain (mp3 expired)- Priscilla Ahn

Dream (mp3 expired)- Priscilla Ahn
Self Titled EP

I am exhausted and I am not feeling all that hot…A bit of a sore throat, I think I just need sleep…Glorious sleep. Can I just hibernate like the bears? That would be awesome. Snuggled and warm.

Nov

12

Mellow Brew

Filed Under Music Mix Up | 8 Comments


I thought we would wind down the day with a mix…Some tracks off of a few new releases of those lesser known singer/songwriters.
It has been a rough Monday, but that’s alright because it can only ease off from here…Right?
I have been putting together some rough drafts of my favorite 2006 picks…Oh my! It is going to be so hard to put together the best of 2006 lists. I think I may have you all help me out with some voting…Possibly a competition…I am just thinking out loud right now. Ok so sit back and listen, all tracks are highly recommended…I will return later.

She’s So Far Away (mp3 expired)- 4th Ave.
Every Single Way

The Inevitable (mp3 expired)- Jack Adaptor
Road Rail River

From The Interests Of Few (mp3 expired)- Norfolk & Western
The Unsung Colony

Driving Song (mp3 expired)- Roger Tarry
Last Time I Was There

Anna Lee (mp3 expired)- Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Broom

Nov

11

Weekly Rewind Mini-Mix

Filed Under Music Mix Up | 5 Comments

What a week it was…

The week started off with a bang here in the U.S. with the 2006 elections where the Democrats took control of the House and the Senate for the first time in a little over a decade. (NPR) :)
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld resigns. (NPR)

Bloc Party kick off tour and announce UK dates on Tuesday and then Matt Tong (drummer) ends up in the hospital after his lung collapsed after their show on Thursday night. (Pitchfork) Yikes, I wish him a speedy and healthy recovery. And without Tong drumming his heart out they have postponed 3 shows thus far.

These two annoying human beings call it quits…That is really a shame, I mean I didn’t see that coming at all (sarcasm, lots and lots of sarcasm) But really I could care less about their split/divorce/parting what have you, but it does tie into what I really wanted to say:
Why is this guy even showing up on any “Top Song” list? I saw his name pop up a couple of times this week at the Hype Machine and iTunes (not that iTunes says much) but still why are people downloading anything from him and WHY are people actually posting his stuff on blogs? Just stop it. I mean can’t you put your money to better use?
Call me a snob, I care not. If I’m a snob because I don’t think he has any sort of talent then that is just fine with me. Snob city next stop, ding ding.

And as for new music well here are some of my selections from this weeks releases:

Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up (mp3 expired) – Pascal

Buy Dear Sir

We Dance (mp3 expired) – Pavement

Buy Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition
Review: Stylus A+ Approval

Window Seat (mp3 expired) – Librarians

Buy Alright Easy Candy Stranger

Voxtrot released a single, Your Biggest Fan. But since it is a single and there are probably 1001 mp3s floating around the net I will point you to their website where you can check out the band and purchase the CD single for only $3.99 (that’s less than a cup of terrible tasting coffee from Starsucks) or you could also go to their myspace to hear all the songs as they stream.
;)

Okie dokie time for bedums good night and good morning to those who are waking up and good evening to those who are just kicking off their Saturday night.

Nov

9

All Time Favorite #2

Filed Under All Time Favorite | 6 Comments

Another all time favorite film of mine, Amelie, it is in my top 10. If you have seen this film you may know that Yann Tiersen is the genius behind the original score…Nothing compares, he is an amazing musician. He is actually coming out with a live rock album and DVD on November 13th, which is exciting news to me, I can’t wait.

I have decided to make this favorite film/track a weekly feature…

I didn’t have a very good day at all…Work sucked, I won’t bore you with the details…My mom said a terrible ridiculous comment to me today that really hurt, I was telling her about my car and how much all the repairs cost (because she asked) I told her (approx. $600) So she responds with, “how come brakes were…blah blah blah blah blah blah…blah” Then I told her all that was done to my car…And that’s when she said, “Well you shouldn’t have allowed it to get that bad.”

WTF?

I told her BEFORE I drove for three fucking hours there and back to that retreat just to be with her that my brakes were going bad!!!!
We went back and forth but I realized my voice was beginning to raise uncontrollably so I quickly ended the conversation and hung up the phone.

I just feel so defeated…Not just with my mom, with everything.

Like Amelie I need to take some risks but I am so scared…One of these risks is approaching my boss about a raise. I am quite confident usually in my work setting, I am an extremely hard worker yet I can’t march my ass into that office and stand up for myself…

If anyone has any advice on how I should go about approaching this, I am all ears. But for now I point you in the direction of Sur Le Fil off the 2001 Amelie Soundtrack . This song has brought me to tears on more than one occasion just because it is so beautiful. Enjoy. :)

Yann Tiersen – Sur Le Fil (mp3 expired)

Amelie Soundtrack

Nov

7

Emma McGlynn Radio FM4 Session

Filed Under Music Mix Up | 8 Comments

Not that this comic from Toothpaste For Dinner has anything to do with Emma McGlynn but since it is Election day in the U.S. I thought it was appropriate. It certainly sums up how I feel about this election, although I did vote none the less.

And the excitement around these parts is really enthralling, calm yourselves people!!! Really the chatter is too much, settle down…I need some peace and quiet…I like sarcasm. Hopefully you all do too…Because that was my way of saying that I am a bit lonely around here…

Blah sums up my day yesterday and today quite nicely. I did come across some amazing tracks of an FM4 session of Emma McGlynn (March 2006). Just beautiful really, a little girlie but you know sometimes it is inevitable being a girl and all.

Also a highly recommended track off of her first album Kamikaze Birdie (2001)

This is quite befitting of my mood…Have a great rest of your day!

My War (Live) (mp3 expired)- Emma McGlynn

Forget You (Live) (mp3 expired)- Emma McGlynn

Emma McGlynn & The Monorails – Murder Set
New album available for download in advance at emusic

Lovesong (mp3 expired)- Emma McGlynn

Kamikaze Birdie

CP #32, do check it out. I plan to conjure something up for next weeks Contrast Podcast. But go listen to what the armadillos have selected for this weeks “When?” theme: Songs with ‘When’ in the title.

Nov

6

2006 Mini Indie-Rock Mix

Filed Under Music Mix Up | 5 Comments

Because it’s Monday. Cheers!

Moving Gaza (mp3 expired)- Exit Clov

Respond, Respond

You Don’t Love Me (mp3 expired)- Kooks (3rd recommendation off this album, BUY IT)

Inside In/Inside Out

I’m Thirsty (mp3 expired)- The Broken Family Band

Balls

Your Unknown (mp3 expired)- Le Firm

Flugsport EP

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    Click the tag to listen, right click the song title to save. If you find that an mp3 is not playing chances are it has expired.

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