50. Super Tarantas- Gogol Bordello
WonderlustKing

49. Return to cookie mountain- TV on the Radio

48. Pixel Revolt- John Vanderslice

TranceManual

47. Beirut – The Flying Club Cup
Nantes

46. Emotionalism- Avett Brothers

45. Sung Tongs- Animal Collective
LeafHouse

44. Vespertine- Bjork

43. Andrew Bird and the mysterious production of eggs- Andrew Bird
TablesAndChairs

42. Quiet is the new loud- Kings of Convenience
IDon’tKnowWhatICanSaveYouFrom

41. Michigan- Sufjan Stevens

40. ( )- Sigur Ros

39. Yellow House- Grizzly Bear
Easier

38. Hazards of love- Decemberists

37.Extraordinary Machine- Fiona Apple

NotAboutLove

36 Broken Social Scene- Broken Social Scene
7/4Shoreline

35. Antics- Interpol
NextExit

34. Eraser- Thom yorke

33. Lifted orthe story is in the soil- Bright eyes
LoverIDon’tHaveToLove

32. Boxer- The National

31. Everything all the time- Band of Horses
TheFuneral

30. Visitor- Dodos
RedAndPurple

29. Illinois- Sufjan Stevens
Chicago

28.Apologies to the queen mary- Wolf Parade
YouAreARunner

27. Plans- Death Cab for Cutie

26. You forgot it in people- Broken Social Scene
AnthemForASeventeenYearOldGirl

25. Neon Bible- Arcade Fire
AntiChristTelevisionBlues

24. Sea Changes- Beck

23. Feels- Animal Collective
PurpleBottle

22. Mignonette- Avett Brothers

21. Is this it?- Strokes
Someday

20. 3 rounds and a sound- Blind Pilot
OneRedThread

19. Hissing fauna, are you the destroyer?- Of Montreal
HeimdalsgateLikeAPrometheanCurse

18. Fold your hands child, you walk like a peasant- Belle and Sebastian
There’sTooMuchLove

17. Alligator – The National
AllTheWine

16. Dear Science- TV on the Radio

15. Armchair Apocryphia- Andrew Bird

14. Chutes too narrow- The Shins
KissingTheLipless

13. Kid A- Radiohead
NationalAnthem

12. Sharpen your teeth- Ugly Casanova
ThingsIDon’tRemember

11. Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
WhiteWinterHymnal

10. Turn on the bright lights- Interpol
NYC

9. Hail to the thief- Radiohead

8. Give up – Postal Service
SuchGreatHeights

7. Takk- Sigur ros
Hoppipolla

6. Yoshimi battles the pink robots- Flaming Lips
FightTest

5. In rainbows- Radiohead
HouseOfCards

4. Moon in Antarctica- Modest mouse
3rdPlanet

3. Funeral- Arcade fire
RebellionLies

2. For emma, forever ago- Bon Iver
ForEmma

1. I’m wide awake, it’s morning- Bright Eyes
FirstDayOfMyLife

Dodos‘ “Fables” is the best free 7-inch I’ve ever received, and it came amid an avalanche of promotional crap, up to and including:

• A two-song platter by David Gray;
• A no-doubt insipid Jack Johnson 45;
• Some dude named Gary Go, rappin’ at me from a free 7-inch;
• the Jay Farrar/Ben Gibbard collab (big, yaaaawning chasm), in seven-inch form;
• a Love Is All tune from the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack (ok, that one actually sounds good) 

And it was all worth it, thanks to “Fables” and, to a lesser extent, “Company,” the b-side. 

Dodos’ formula is pretty simple. They take tom-tom thumping indie-rock circa Ruby Suns and Animal Collective and meld it together with an odd brand of acoustica that reminds me of Mock Orange, Annuals (but good), Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys and a host of others.

It’s all formula, but it works (plus, between you and me, I’ve heard their live show is effing intense). It’s catchy, never redundant; memorable, never tossed-off. You can set your watch to the floor-tom-hugging drums and the clean guitars make more ruckus than they have any business making.

“Fables” is a relatively laid-back jaunt with a brain-bating chorus, while “Company” is all over the place like old Incubus or Transistor-era 311 — believe it or not, this isn’t a bad thing. The tribal, Aa-style drums — propped up by an elusive xylophone — dominate, at least until a little distortion seeps into the guitars and the whole arrangement POPs like a butter batch of O. Redenbacher’s special-edition puff-up kernels.

If you’re looking for big-time poppery (and who isn’t in these uncertain times?) to accompany the big-time hype, Dodos might just fit the bill. Interesting birds, them …

Before Sam Francisco three piece The Dodos played, North Carolinian three piece MEGAFAUN played (no reason for the shouty caps other than it makes their name even cooler than it all ready is).

They all had good facial hair and their music was just as great. They were cheerful, endearing, energetic… I would most certainly recommend catching them if you can. They have the harmonies of Fleet Foxes but with some real foot stomping fun. For one song they departed from the stage (all three of them!) and did a little dance. It was brilliant. Check them out here.

Then it was time for The Dodos. I had to miss them at End of the Road due to a clash with Neko Case (who was incredible) and in early September because I was at The Antlers (who were incredible) but I had seen them a year earlier supporting Okkervil River. I really enjoyed this particular show at Scala; Meric Long, the singer, puts so much energy into his performance and drummer Logan Kroeber, was fantastic. There was a especially lovely introduction to Fools using bows against the vibraphone. The crowd loved it and they returned for two encores… the place looked pretty sold out. My only complaint reflects my general feeling about most of the Dodos’ material, sometimes their songs just feel like they go on a bit long without developing. But that’s not to say I think they’re very talented and put on a brilliant live performance. A good band more than worth checking out. They are touring in support of their 2009 release Time To Die. Here is their Myspace.

the ruby suns, rock and roll hotel. october 2009.

the ruby suns, rock and roll hotel. october 2009.

crowd, rock and roll hotel. october 2009.

the dodos, rock and roll hotel. october 2009.

 This past weekend was Halloween, as most of you were aware.  As previously mentioned, I went as the Utz Girl. I was pretty happy with how my costume turned out, but I failed to take any pictures of it (or anyone else’s for that matter).  I am hoping that someone, somewhere, snapped a picture of me.  It was definitly one of my better Halloween costumes but certainly not one of my better nights.

This past weekend was a 3 day weekend for me and a pretty low-key one at that.  I’ll just say that nothing makes me more happy than going to the farmer’s market on Saturdays.  I grab a cup of coffee and a croissant and walk around with the yuppies/hippies/hipsters.  It’s nice. 

I finished my part of the Dodo’s piece.  It will be sent off to Steph this week.  I also worked a bit with some of the frames I bought last week.  Hoping to launch an etsy store before the holiday rush.  Anyone use Etsy and have any tips for me?

My girlfriend got me to download this album and it’s rad. It’s just a good listen to when your cruising and just want somewhat mellow music to jam too. Time to Die by The Dodos.

Alas, I have already failed myself and have not posted an entry every weekday as I promised to myself. Yesterday was a very busy day at work and then I was not by my computer’s side all Friday evening. So, I’ve tried to make myself feel better and have downloaded the wordpress app for my iPhone, and am now blogging on my way to New York City. Tonight I am attending an event at the New Yorker festival. Neko Case will be having a conversation (with music!) with the New Yorker’s Sasha Frere-Jones. I’ll write about that on Monday.

In the meantime, I woke up to an email from Steph, my collaborater with the Dodos poster. I am excited for how it’s looking so far, so I’ll show it off:

the-dodos

Some music has the ability to erase extraneous distractions, to take you in and let you focus on the music or something else.  Seems to me most of these songs have prolonged periods of instrumentation, which allows words to get out of the way.

However, if an artist is talented enough, and especially when the voice never feels out of place, always fits precisely with the music, the vocals only serve to draw listeners further in and add a captivating trance-like quality.

The Dodos have those traits.  Plus, the lead singer/guitarist Meric Logan has ridiculously long fingernails to aid his play (and they do), but they’re also very creepy.

The vocals are sometimes drowned, darkened, and a bit echo-laden, which adds a dreamlike dimension to the songs.  That strange implementation fits with the uncharacteristic approach to an acoustic-drum duo–uncharacteristic in both sound and intensity.

In an interview with rockremedy.com, the drummer, Jared, mentions that he has a history playing heavy metal (he lists Pantera among his top five), and “brings that energy,” as he says, to his performances.

That energy emerges especially in those aforementioned lengthy spans of instrumentation, where Jared’s drumming can play a bigger role.  According to jambase.com’s bio, Meric sought a drummer who could “be a center role and help bring out the syncopated rhythms coming out of the acoustic guitar.”

With the 2009 release of Time To Die, they added another member, Keaton Snyder. Meric claims in his label’s profile of the band that Snyder is “a better musician than Logan and I combined. I don’t even know what’s going on with his music theory ideas half the time.”

Snyder plays the vibraphone, but not in a traditional manner.  “It still has that element of something you’re hitting, though, which is central to how Logan and I play our instruments,” says Logan.

Music for when you need to zone out with an acoustic guitar and deep vocals, but be dramatically ripped back in when the music gets intense, check out The Dodos.

Mando Diao

Dia: Dimarts 1 de Desembre
Hora: 19.45 obertura de portes + 20.15 teloners + 21.30 Mando Diao
Lloc: Sala Razzmatazz 1
Venda d’entrades a ticketmaster.es
Preu: 25€ [+4€ per despeses de distribució]

Franz Ferdinand

Dia: divendres 4 de Desembre
Hora: 19.00 obertura de portes + 20.15 teloners + 21.30 Franz Ferdinand
Lloc: Pavelló Olímpic de Badalona
Venda d’entrades a ticketmaster.es
Preu: 35€ [+5€ per despeses de distribució]

Editors + The Maccabees + Wintersleep

Dia: dimarts 8 de Desembre
Hora:  19.00 obertura de portes
Lloc: Sala Razzmatazz
Venda d’entrades a ticketmaster.es
Preu: 25€ [+2.20€ per despeses de distribució]

The Dodos

Dia: diumenge 20 de Desembre
Hora: 21.00
Lloc: sala BeCool
Venda d’entrades a codetickets.com
Preu: 18€

Yo La Tengo on Blogotheque.

Battles’ Tyondai Braxton was in an Onion article.

Listen to Lou Barlow’s new record in its entirety at NPR.

Monsters of Folk played “Say Please” on Conan.

New Dodos video, for “Fables.”

They aren’t new listens, but rather just the things to go along with. Andrew Bird and St. Vincent are touring together, and we plan on being there. Here’s “Oh No” from Noble Beast and “The Strangers” from Actor.

Andrew Bird’s “Oh No,” from Noble Beast.

St. Vincent’s “The Strangers,” from Actor.

Brendan Benson „Don’t Want to Talk” / My Old, Familiar Friend

Brendan Benson “Feel Like Taking You Home” / My Old, Familiar Friend

Zoot Woman “Just a Friend of Mine” / Things Are What They Used to Be

Zoot Woman “Saturation” / Things Are What They Used to Be

Fanfarlo “The Walls Are Coming Down” / Reservoir

Dodos “Time to Die” / Time to Die

Dodos “Fables”  / Time to Die

The Big Pink “Dominos” / The Brief History of Love

The Big Pink “Velvet” / The Brief History of Love

The XX “VCR” / The xx

The XX “Basic Space” / The xx

—

Dużo nowych dobrych płyt. O nich w kolejnych wpisach na blogu.

Dziś znów napięty harmonogram: nowe płyty Dodos, Zoot Woman, Brendana Bensona i debiutu kolejnych młodych zdolnych z Wielkiej Brytanii: The Big Pink oraz The XX. W przeciwieństwie do innych, ci są zdolni bez wątpienia.

Już dziś o 21.00 w Kampusie (97.1 FM – Warszawa, www.radiokampus.waw.pl – reszta świata).

Zapraszam,

Autor.

The Dodos are pretty high up there on my list. I am a huge fan of their first record ‘Visiter’ and I’m catching onto their latest ‘Time to Die’. It’s not nearly as percussion heavy as Visiter, but I’m getting used to it…  TheyShootMusic filmed an offstage session of “Acorn Factory” (from ‘Time to Die’) with the band in Greifswalder Straße in Berlin.

The Dodos play at El Rey this Sunday, September 27, with The Ruby Suns and Sian Alice Group. {More information}

Below is the music video for “Fools” from Visiter. I love this video.

The Dodos – Acorn Factory [mp3]

Here are this week’s new music releases:

Air Supply – The Singer and the Song
All-4-One – No Regrets
The Band of Heathens – One Foor in the Ether
The Best is Yet to Come: The Songs of Cy Coleman
Big Scoop – Tech N9ne Presents Big Scoop Monsterifik
The Black Dahlia Murder – Deflorate
Bring it On: Fight to the Finish soundtrack album
Butterfly Boucher – Scary Fragile
Cain’s Offering – Gather the Faithful
Dada Life – Just Do the Dada
Dappled Cities – Zounds
Marié Digby – Breathing Underwater
Dodos – Time to Die
The Elms – The Great American Midrange
Every Time I Die – New Junk Aesthetic
Renée Fleming – Verismo
Ace Frehley – Anomaly
Gary Go – Gary Go
The Grates – Teeth Lost, Hearts Won
Honor Society – Fashionably Late
Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers – Levitate
Infected Mushroom – Legend of the Black Shawarma
Mason Jennings – Blood of Man
Jupiter One – Sunshower
Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon: The End of Day
Kittie – In the Black
Mark Knopfler – Get Lucky
Living Colour – The Chair in the Doorway
The Lovemakers – Let’s Be Friends
Manic Street Preachers – Journal for Plague Lovers
John Mayall – Tough
Megadeth – Endgame
Moneen – The World I Want to Leave Behind
Muse – The Resistance
Orange – Phoenix
Outloud! – Outloud!
Passafire – Everyone on Everynight
Porcupine Tree – The Incident
Q-Tip – Kamaal the Abstract
The Rifles – Great Escape
Royal Bangs – Let It Beep
Rubik – Dada Bandits
Tom Russell – Blood and Candle Smoke
Shadows Fall – Retribution
The 69 Eyes – Back In Blood
Shudder to Think – Live From Home
Simian Mobile Disco – Temporary Pleasure
Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats – Meet the Meatbats
Sonos – SonoSings
Stars of Track and Field – A Time for Lions
Super 400 – Sweet Fist
David Sylvian – Manafon
Thrice – Beggars
Trick Daddy – Finally Famous: Born a Thug, Still a Thug
Uncle Kracker – Happy Hour
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Break Up

Welcome back to my multiple part series on how to make money as a musician:  Volume 2, Licensing.

No point dwelling on the past, making money selling records has gone the way of the 8 track, the ferbie and the Hummer SUV.  The antiquated system of big advances and platinum record sales has died (or is at least on life support) along with the major labels.  So while it is harder to make money the old fashion way, there are new and, more importantly, more ways of making money as a musician.

Performing live at concerts is still the best way to make money.  It used to be that bands would perform to sell albums, now the musicians give away their music to sell concert tickets.   However, not everyone can sell out stadiums, concert halls, or even high school proms.  So, what is another great way for musicians to make significant income or supplement their concert income?  Licensing!

Think of how many commercials you heard or saw today?  Consumer Reports estimates that the average American is exposed to 247 commercial messages a day.  The vast majority of the radio and television ads, as well as a growing number of internet and new media ads, are accompanied by music.  Whether its Budweiser, which spends approximately $90 million a year on advertisements, playing the newest Dodo’s or Santigold (See Above) song or Apple promoting the newest IPhone with Feist, music is an integral part of advertising all over the world.  Musicians can lay their claim to the billions of dollars spent on advertisements each year.

Licensing does not end with advertisements.  One of the most common terms of art used in license agreements drafted by folks like me is describing the use of a song in “any medium now know or hereafter discovered”.  This industry phrase means that a song can be used or synched to movies, television shows, internet programming, video games, radio programs, or any other programming or format which hasn’t even been discovered yet.  Think about, when is the last time you watched a movie that didn’t have a sound track, a television show that didn’t have a theme song, or a video game that didn’t have background music?  Watching old silent movies does not count.

As satellite and cable television expands and internet programming continues to grow the opportunities for music licensing grow proportionally.  Budgets may vary, but mechanical royalties (the statutory rate that must be paid every time a song is broadcasted) must be paid.  Licensing music can be a quick substantial pay day or a long term and consistent money maker.

Music Licensing Avenue

The dollar figures for global music licensing are staggering.  According to a 2007 report by eMarketer, the projected budget for music licensing in 2010 will reach $4.4 billion!  How many artists would be happy with just a teeny tiny percentage of that huge pot?

Just knowing that the licensing money is out there does not make it a reality for most independent artists (I’m anticipating your questions).  For independent artists who are not signed to a publisher, it is still difficult to get your music in front of the licensing decision makers.  There are several services out there via the web which offer solutions:  Pump Audio, Taxi and my favorite (bias added) Music Dealers.  These sites allow artists to upload their music to catalogs with the hope that a music supervisor seeking independent music visits the site and selects their song.  Some sites are non-exclusive, meaning you can upload your music to more than one, while other require exclusivity.  Always read the contract (even the click through contracts)!

Other options for getting your music licensed is to attend music seminars, panels, events, conventions.  Research where the industry people are going to be.  Buy a badge to CMJ, SXSW, Midem, etc.  Music supervisors and a&r types are always at these types of events networking and trying to find the right sound for their project.  If you don’t run into the right folks there you can start networking on your own to find managers, lawyers or other independent licensing reps of music.  A lot of times these types have the inside track (which is usually a coveted list of contact info for music supervisors in all types of media like movies, tv, and video games) to the decision makers.  For a split on the fee, independent reps will submit your music for your.  While there is no guaranty, your chances of having a supervisor actually listen to your music is much higher when it is submitted by someone like this.

Just like everything else in your career as a musician, you will only go as far as you and your talent take you.  Having great music alone is not enough.  You have to treat it like a business.  Licensing opportunities will not just come to you.  Go out there and sell it.  Network, meet the right people, create a buzz and capitalize on every opportunity (no matter how small) that is presented to you.

A little bit of polish can oftentimes be a good thing, but it can also rob a band of the raw energy that allows it to stand out, sacrificing what made previous efforts so intriguing; such is the case with Time to Die.  That’s not to say that Time to Die is a bad album, but after last year’s critically acclaimed release Visiter, it can only be considered a disappointment.  With Visiter, The Dodos brought a unique sound to the table full of percussion based, complex acoustic guitar tracks probably best exemplified in album standout “Fools” (the folks at Miller took notice and featured the song in a Miller Chill commercial).  The refreshing African inspired drum beats created an urgency to the music that really put a whole new spin on this whole indie-folk genre popping up all over the place.  Unfortunately for Time to Die, the percussion seems to be an afterthought, never really being featured, and the songs suffer for it.  The former duo has added a third member since Visiter, bringing in a full time vibraphone player who adds to the sound creating more lush tunes, but for the most part the songs on Time to Die just seem to lose their edge.

There is something to be said for maturation, which I do think Time to Die certainly can attest to.  The first three songs, including lead single “Fables” indeed show how the group has grown as songwriters, but overproduction and a loss of enthusiasm just seems to plague the disc.  The group brought on Phil Ek (The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Built to Spill) to produce Time to Die, but it just doesn’t seem to be the right fit for the San Francisco trio.  The group had already perfected their sound to create a uniqueness that really could have been exploited, but Ek seems to have missed out on that and fired a rare miss.  When it comes down to it, Time to Die is the results of a lo-fi band evolving into the next stage of their careers, which ultimately might be a fine thing.  But after releasing one brilliant album in Visiter, I guess I was just hoping a little more gradual shift, if a shift at all.

["Fables" - Time to Die]