A pequena história que Jason Lytle conta é a história é sobre o grupo que não podia dizer. Juntos eles descobriram as maravilhas de um dia fora de casa.

Toda a música é envolvida por um keyboard muito sinistro – aquele mesmo presente em grande parte das músicas do Grandaddy, é verdade – e pelo também convencional violão e voz doce do Jason. A letra conta a história de várias pessoas.

Depois de Holly ver um pássaro, Darryl tentar entender como algumas árvores são assim tão altas e Becky ficou espantada por nunca ter reparado num dragonfly (eu conheço isso como helicóptero). Esses três personagens parecem ter entendido a essência da vida em pequenas formas da natureza. É o jeito de Jason Lytle nos mostrar o quão incrível nossa vida é, o quão majestoso é tudo por mais insignificante, por menos atenção que damos a certas coisas.

A música faz parte de Sumday, um puta álbum, lançado em 2003. Ouça.

The NME got in on the act early. This Sunday the Observer Music Monthly publishes its top 50. So I thought I might as well have a go. I wanted to get mine done first and see how much common ground I’ve got with the OMM seeing as its my favourite music mag. It’s harder than you’d think to select just 50 albums that span 2000-2009. I’ve had to leave out some records I really like. But here we go… Please comment as you feel necessary!

50 – Daft Punk: Discovery.

49 – Bob Dylan: Modern Times.

48 – Camille: Le Fil.

47 – Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.

46 – The Blue Nile: High.

45 – New Order: Get Ready.

44 – Mercury Rev: All Is Dream.

43 – R.E.M.: Accelerate.

42 – Fionn Regan: The End Of History.

41 – The Beatles: Love.

40 – The Avalanches: Since I Met You.

39 – Badly Drawn Boy: The Hour Of Bewilderbeast.

38 – Roots Manuva: Awfully Deep.

37 – Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever ago.

36 – Mark B & Blade: The Unknown.

35 – Coldplay: Parachutes.

34 – Malcolm Middleton: Into The Woods.

33 – Seafood: When Do We Start Fighting…

32 – Doves: The Last Broadcast.

31 – Duke Special: Songs From The Deep Forest.

30 – Morrissey: You Are The Quarry.

29 – Guillemots: Through The Windowpane.

28 – Bruce Springsteen: The Rising.

27 – The Gaslight Anthem: The ‘59 Sound.

26 – Billy Bragg & Wilco: Mermaid Avenue Vol. II

25 – Richard Hawley: Coles Corner.

24 – Fleet Foxes:  Fleet Foxes.

23 – Athlete: Vehicles & Animals.

22 – Spin Doctors: Nice Talking To Me.

21 – Sigur Ros: Takk…

20 – Goldfrapp: Felt Mountain.

19 – Maxïmo Park: A Certain Trigger.

18 – Delirious?: Glo.

17 – The Shins: Wincing The night Away.

16 – Ben Folds: Rockin’ The Suburbs.

15 – Green Day: American Idiot.

14 – Neil Young: Living With War.

13 – Ray Lamontagne: Til The Sun Turns Black.

12 – Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs.

11 – Idlewild: The Remote Part.

10 – Johnny Cash: American IV: The Man Comes Around

An extraordinary achievement for a man in his final year. Johnny Cash’s last ‘proper’ album has the power to bring me to the edge of tears. I bought it the week he died in 2003 and played it a lot. A mixture of originals and covers, Rick Rubin’s brilliant production means there’s pathos dripping from every track. ‘Hurt’ is one of the songs of the decade which couldn’t even be ruined by that dire Nike advert. When I first heard ‘I Hung My Head’ it stopped me dead in my tracks. Just like most of the rest of this awesome album.

9 - Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights.

I think there’s a good case to be made for Interpol as the band of the decade. To my shame I’m yet to see them live but their three dark, brooding and melodic albums demand that I get round to it soon. I think their debut is the pick of the bunch. Starting with ‘Untitled’ which takes its cues from the shoegazing bands of the early 90’s, the album goes onto channel the best of My Bloody Valentine, Joy Division and classic Krautrock. I suppose it can be said about all the records in the list but I can’t listen to this album too many times. It sends me to sleep, it wakes me up and generally soundtracks my life.

8 – Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend.

The drums alone deserve some kind of award. Chris Tomson is, for my money, the best drummer in a rock band at the moment. But this isn’t Keith Moon fury, or John Bonham theatrics. He sees the drum kit as a melodic and harmonic instrument. The kit is a lead instrument here and when allied to fantastic songwriting, it’s a winning combination. The African influence if overstated (this isn’t even the noughties’ Graceland, let alone Fela Kuti or Ali Farka Touré). However, the hints of afrobeat are enough to make this stand out from the crowd. Walcott is a great track – but there aren’t any duds here.

7 – Grandaddy: The Sophtware Slump.

This outstanding record is often compared favourably with ‘OK Computer’. Well, I’ll put my cards on the table. There’s only one winner; and it isn’t Radiohead. Grandaddy are impossible to categorise, but this record combines the best bits of alt-country, electronica and post-rock. The audacity of a 9 minute opening track has been matched by many bands. The difference is they’ve not made a song as arresting as ‘He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot’. ‘The Crystal Lake’ is among the best songs of the decade while ‘Undreneath The Weeping Willow’ showcases a brilliant knack for melancholy. Released at the start of the decade, very few records have got anywhere near matching Grandaddy’s Magnum Opus.

6 – The Hold Steady: Boys And Girls in America.

‘Best bar band in the world blah… blah… blah’ said the music press. Talk about damning with faint praise. The Hold Steady are one of the greatest bands of the 21st Century, full stop. And though their earlier albums are packed with gems, this breakthrough album sees their manifesto fulfilled. How many bands could start a record quoting Jack Kerouac but never fail to be fun? The sound was compared to classic E Street Band and that’s probably as close as you can get to describing this joyous racket. Craig Finn’s lyrics are always interesting and frequently brilliant. So looking at our checklist we’ve got superb music, superb lyrics and some guys that seem delighted just to be playing rock and roll. It’ll do for me.

5 – Elbow: The Seldom Seen Kid.

I suppose too much has already been written about this album. It’d be easy to include ‘Asleep In The Back’ to prove I’ve liked Elbow since I used to play them on student radio in 2000. But that would miss the point: for once, the awards committees, journalists and hype-merchants got it right. This is an amazing album. There’s not an average track in sight in an hour’s running time. Picking highlights almost seems crazy, but ‘Grounds For Divorce’ and ‘On A Day Like This’ have deservedly grabbed the headlines and soundtracked a million daytime DIY programmes. But some of the less well know tracks contain stunning music and lyrics. When Guy Garvey croons ”We kiss like we invented it” on ‘Mirrorball’ it’s enough to melt your heart.  We await their next move with eager anticipation.

4 - Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther.

Take a moderately successful Texan indie band and give them a copy of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’. Stand well back and light the blue touch-paper. Doesn’t sound promising does it? How wrong could we be??? This was THE album of 2006. Inventive harmonies, layered synths and lyrics pining for the antebellum South came together to produce a stunning record. The guitar solo that comes halfway through ‘Head Home’ is one of my favourite musical moments of the decade, but this album contains several contenders for that title. The real genius of ‘…Van Occupanther’ is its ability to keep you on your toes. Just when you think it may slip into mid 70’s FM rock pastiche, the band pulls out a track like ‘Young Bride’ which forces you to admit this is a record which is far more than the sum of its considerable parts.

3 – Damien Rice: O.

David Gray is a perfectly decent singer songwriter. The same can’t be said for the likes of James Morrison and James Blunt. But how any of them came to be spoken of in the same breath as Damien Rice is beyond me. The irishman deserves to be in far better company (Jeff Buckley for example). This debut album was a slow-burning word-of-mouth behemoth that managed to retain artistic dignity while being offered on 2-for-1 deals in Tesco. Its strengths have been repeated endlessly, but any blogger who can’t find room for Lisa Hannigan’s beautiful vocals, the stunning string arrangements or the strange re-working of Silent Night is a fool. If this album has a flaw, I’m yet to find it. I can’t pick one track as a highlight because the others simply look at me reproachfully and say ‘actually we’re all rather lovely’. And they truly are.

2 – My Morning Jacket: It Still Moves.

This album sounds like the best party you’ve ever been to. If you want to label it I suppose it’s alt-country. But what on earth does that matter when the music is as much fun as this? Don’t get the idea this is some kind of comedy record though. Howling vocals, squealing guitars and pounding drums fuse together to create a brilliant racket. ‘One Big Holiday’ has a guitar hook to die for, but this isn’t an album of simple pleasures. The genius of the songs reveals itself slowly. The first time you hear it, it sounds like these are well crafted and edited jams. But like Led Zep at their peak, the tracks are more cunningly moulded than that. Crazy Horse are another reference point and when talking about a rock and roll band there are fewer bigger compliments than that. It’s a long record (71 minutes) but unusually for an album of that length, it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Superb.

1 – Stephen Fretwell: Magpie.

I’m annoyed I couldn’t find a decent picture of this album without the parental advisory sticker on it. Ok, maybe it doesn’t make an ideal present for a toddler, but any parent who’s doing their job properly should be investing in this if their child shows any kind of serious interest in music. It’s as close to a perfect record as its possible to get. At the start of the decade, Scunthorpe’s Stephen Fretwell found himself in Manchester as a promising singer-songwriter. A little while later, he was in a recording studio creating some of the most beautiful music that great city has ever produced. By 2004 it was ready for release. In reality, the Manchester thing is a bit of a red herring. Fretwell owes little to the genius of the Smiths and Joy Division or the more prosaic talents of Oasis. He’s just a good old-fashioned acoustic troubadour. So who are the key influences here? I’d guess Neil Young, Bob Dylan et al. But that doesn’t tell you much about this record’s greatest strength. Fretwell’s gift for melody is astounding. Songs like ‘Emily’, ‘New York’ and ‘Rose’ are beautifully crafted and sung. But there isn’t a track here which leaves you cold. You may know ’Run’ as the Theme of ‘Gavin and Stacey’ but don’t stop there. Investigate it immediately. Buy it and love it. There’s only one album of the decade after all; whatever the Observer says!

CB=Cara’s Birthday. We managed the stretch the celebration out for the better part of a week!

On the day of, our little family of four drove over Disneyland way. We couldn’t stay (Todd had to work), but as Annual Passholders, we wanted to pick up the gift card that Cara was eligible for as part of their birthday offering this year.

I was SO proud of my big girl. She and I went into the park, and I told her in advance that she’d be able to pick one small gift to spend her $62 on, and with the rest of the money, we were going to buy some toys to donate to needy families this Christmas. She picked up a little wallet and brush, asked if she could have both of those little tokens (how could I say no to that?) and then happily selected two really nice toys that are now awaiting donation in our garage.

After that, it was the ultimate breakfast treat–pancakes at the IHOP across the street. That’s usually a daddy-only treat, but I was lucky enough to tag along.

After Todd dropped us off at home, we spent the day playing with her new toy (the nifty princess castle above!) and then had some dinner with Grandma and Grandaddy. A lovely, low-key day!

I remember the first Veterans Day that actually meant anything to me.  I was 8 years old and my Grandaddy had died in December the year before, he was buried in Arlington the following January, and it occurred to me that particular November 11th that he wouldn’t be there to fire off his little cannon in the front yard like we did every year in salute to the Veterans.

He was British and my Great Grandma had scorned him for leaving his home to become an American, but he loved her and America just the same. He fought for our country as a pilot in WWII and again in Korea. He finally retired from the Air Force as a Colonel, shot down during combat over Vietnam, wounded and missing in action for several days. He received the Purple Heart and recognition for being one of very few three-time War Veterans, but was still ready and willing to fight for our country.

He spent his time after he retired as an Instructor to the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base and as a consultant to NASA’s pilot training program at Kennedy Space Center.  He loved his family, all his family, in and out of the services and I miss him just as much this Veterans day as I did 25 years ago.

Please take a moment to remember all our Veterans this November 11th the ones that fought years ago to defend the world, the ones who have spent their days and nights in the desert defending us, as well as the women and men that died on American soil while their fellow service men and women defended them at Ft. Hood.

Thank you for all you do with all my love and admiration.

Indie rock de alta qualidade e viajante, o som acalma e te intriga ao mesmo tempo.

Faixas do álbum:

1. Roscoe

2. Bandits

3. Head Home

4. Van Occupanther

5. Young Bride

6. Branches

7. In This Camp

8. We Gathered in Spring

9. It Covers the Hillsides

10. Chasing After Deer

11. You Never Arrived

LINK – The Trials of Van Occupanther

Parece com? Dr. Dog, Grandaddy.

Clipe da música Roscoe.

Enjoy o/

Godínez se lleva de la ferretería el candado más grande que el dinero puede comprar, con una dotación de sardinas y chicharitos Herdez le pone cerrojo a su casa, desconecta el teléfono y arroja el móvil a la taza del baño. El que los Ángeles negros chilenos anuncien su regreso triunfal le da la certeza que todos esos librajos del Sanborns están equivocados, es posible vivir en la melancolía.

Deje de fingir que le agradan sus colegas y acompañe a Godínez en este encierro voluntario con las grabaciones completas del río Delta.

Duración: 72 minutos 52 segundos / 33.3 MB

Canciones:

• José José / El Triste
• Grandaddy / Jed’s other poem (Beatiful ground)
• Fito Paez / Las Tardes del Sol, las Noches del Agua
• Sufjan Stevens / John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
• Ugly Kid Joe / Cats In The Cradle
• Youth Group / Someone else´s dream
• The Animals /  The House Of The Rising Sun
• Manic Street Preachers / I live to fall asleep
• Ayo / Down on my Kness
• Love / Always see your face
• Soda Stereo / Té Para Tres
• David Bowie / And I Say To Myself
• Tears for Fears / Mad World
• The Smiths / Please, please, let me get what I want

Arte: Folder para tu Pc / imprime, recorta y arma el empaque.

Descarga: Godínez y la cebolla electrónica. 14 canciones que le harán desear no haber nacido.

Escucha en línea:

Nada melhor que ouvir aquele grandaddy e sua bateria bem marcada, não é mesmo? Sim, é sim! Com uma musicalidade bastante simples – o que é uma certa característica bastante notável na banda – a música when i’m anymore pode passar despercebida sem nenhum problema. Mas ela não passa. Impossível uma música onde o vocalista canta “miau, miau miau miau miau” – sim, ele mia (ou ao menos faz algo muito parecido com um miado) 5 vezes – passar despercebida.

A música faz parte do último álbum do grandaddy, Just Like the Fambly Cat, aquele um que não teve uma tour. Pena. Mas você pode ouví-la aqui.

Wow. Whole lot of news this week: First of all congratulations to you! Because of your votes a’tris won the first round of the Indie Show Contest! I’ve seriously lost count of how many of these we’ve won thanks to you. This win will allow us to advance to The Indie Show’s finals round, so as soon as we have more information about that I’ll post it here. Thanks again!

Yeah… I think I need to have this looked at. It’s a four hour drive to the show tomorrow too so, if I’m to fit this into my schedule (and I believe that would probably fall into the good idea category) I have some work to do! Hopefully I’ll be able to update this post with a before and after. For the moment here’s the before:

Warning: the following photographs are graphic and may offend some viewers – who are musicians – who play keyboards.

-Mason

I’ll take my time as I explain this:

I have big ears. Yes, this story will begin with the statement that I have big ears.
Now, there are (at least) two ways in which ears can be big: internally or externally. With externally I mean the exterior of the ear; the part you actually see; the part sticking out from the head. With internally I mean the inside of the ear; the part you clean with a cotton tip, get water in etc. (Technically this is also an exterior part of the ear but since I’ve made it clear on how I make the internal/external ear distinction I will dwell on it no further!)

To qualify my initial statement, with the distinction above, I have big ears internally. (Just to be clear, it may also be the case that I have big ears externally but that is, for this post, irrelevant.) This had led me to not listening to music, while on the go, and this has, in its turn, led to me having a duller city experience. Or so I learned today.

I have, until today, not been listening much to my iPod (or, to be completely truthful, the iPod functionality in my iPhone). And before the days of the iPod, Mp3-Player’s, Walkman’s or freestyle’s did not get my attention either.
To sum up, I haven’t been listening to music on any form of portable music device (ever really). And this is because of the ear thing… and vanity and laziness.

When I was young(er) my hair had to be just right. All the time. Traditional headphones, hairstyle destroyers as the are, were then out of the question. The in-ears of the time never fitted my ears, they just popped out all the time. Now, the in-ears of now aren’t much better. Not the ones you get when you buy an iPhone. Same pop-out style.

So, a couple of days ago I dragged my lazy ass down to the store and bought some new ones. The fitted kind, with a little soft plastic tip. You know the kind: You press them in to your ear and the stay there, fitted. Man, the town has never looked better!

I walked around town today, I rode a tram today, listening to Grandaddy, Burial and Little Dragon. They, those artists and groups, became the soundtrack to my walking and riding. Oh, what a soundtrack. One would think that the one provided by the city itself would be the most suitable. The people, the traffic, the music, constructions and even the weather sounding: rain, wind and so on. It isn’t. My soundtrack was a whole lot better. At best altering my whole perspective on things, the things I saw.

I’ve many times questioned why so many people walk around, listening to music. I still do. I now, though, know why I will walk around, listening to music.

It’s like smelling an orange and at the same time eating chocolate.

Good music is hard enough to find, but it’s even harder sifting through the malaise of more recent, over-hyped offerings of current artists whose reviews and exposure usually have nothing to do with how good their records are. If you’re like me, you probably stick to new releases from those you know will deliver (Dylan, Beck, Ryan Adams, etc.), and perhaps only download single mp3’s of songs you have heard that you liked. But buying single mp3’s of an artist is limiting in that it only gives you a slice of what the album really encompasses, and taken out of context can leave the listener short of the full experience they deserve and crave. It’s like getting to second base with someone really hot, and never finding out what they’re like in bed. I want the whole enchilada!

That being said, I would like to offer my most recent discoveries in new(er) music, and since I am a musician and serious music-lover who is very skeptical of anything new, I hope you will appreciate the fact that I am not easily swayed by public opinion and advertisements that too easily cry, ”the Next Big Thing”. My inspiration for finding new music comes from my local public library and a blog called dk presents, and am much indebted to dk for opening my mind to contemporary music that doesn’t make my ears bleed. And so now I am passing my findings along in hopes of inspiring someone else to revise their stale music collection. Without further ado, here’s a list of albums I think you will like (and ones to avoid):

*Disclaimer* – This list is not intended for people who read Blender and/or  are avid followers of the current music scene. Most of these records have come out in the past 2-3 years. It is more intended for the person who is admittedly unaware of modern culture and probably hasn’t bought a new CD in the past couple years (but wants t0).

1. Madeleine Peyroux – Half the Perfect World

Peyroux croons like Billie Holiday and this album delivers with great modern song selections, stylish session players, and wonderful engineering/production. Just when you think jazz is dead, along comes a new surprise…

2. Iron and Wine – Our Endless Numbered Days

Apparently, folk is coming back in a big way, and it’s partly due to Sam Beam, the wizard behind Iron & Wine. Soft vocals with female harmonies create a great subtle mood throughout the album, but it is the songwriting that ultimately carries this record, with clear and introspective lyrics that evoke visceral images of children and the South. This is your lazy morning chillout record.

3. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

This one is idiosyncratic because no one will be able to replicate the atmosphere and conditions under which it was recorded. Not even Justin Vernon, who did most of it himself on a home recording setup in the woods, and it’s a miracle that it turned out as well as it did. Whiny singing and meager drumming over acoustic guitars never sounded so good. I wouldn’t expect the follow-up to be close to this, but you never know. A great listen, especially if you are going through a breakup.

4. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

SubPop is a great record label, probably the best around today (with the exception of ATO). They continue to discover great underground acts and give them enough exposure to become successful. This album is on most music critics’ list of greatest records in 2008, and it does sound great, mostly because the reverb on the vocals is so moody and entrancing, and the playing is so tastefully complementary to that. The songwriting isn’t so important as the ambience, which makes it a great listen from start to finish.

5. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

Funeral was a wonderfully inspired and solid first record from this Canadian indie band , and I was thoroughly impressed when I heard the equally solid followup. Win Butler clearly shines as the main songwriter, and his passionate singing about religion and loss perfectly complement his mostly positive, and sometimes sentimental, dirges. Beautiful melodies throughout make this a great hum-along disc. As a band, Arcade Fire rocks kind of like Crazy Horse with violins and humming girl backup singers.

6. Calexico – Carried to Dust

Ok, at first I was skeptical. When someone tells me to listen to a band from Arizona that blends Mexican folk music with American pop, I am immediately thinking this is going to be a cheesy train wreck, like a cross between Sublime and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, or something like that. Not so. White people canwrite songs with Mariachi horns behind them, and the results are definitely cinematic. This album offers a lot more than just the aformentioned desctiption entails, and I think it’s to the band’s credit that they can cover so many styles without seeming unfocused. Probably the best goup you’ve never heard of that’s been doing it for 10+ years, they just keep cutting their little niche in modern music deeper and deeper. You’ll have to pay attention sooner or later, why not start now? (By the way, Feast of Wire isn’t as good as this record is).

7. Cold War Kids – Loyalty to Loyalty

With a name like this I expected something between Dashboard Confessional and Bright Eyes. Instead I got a cd full of great songs (some are better than others, admittedly), with interesting arrangements over singing that conjures thoughts of Jeff Buckley. There is a soulfulness to the record that is vacant on most of the “indie” discs I’ve listened to, and I’m looking forward to checking out their debut album as well.

8. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

I’m still kind of on the fence about this one to be honest. On one hand, you have really great arrangements featuring awesome musicians (everybody loves Garth Hudson from the Band), and unique songwriting that is more Victorian than anything else. The words and concept of the album are a little inaccessible and pretentious, although ornate and beautiful, and Neko’s voice, while sultry, at times sounds a little sharp and dissonant to my ears. I keep listening hard to see if the songs will start to make sense. The main reason I put it on this list is because it’s so unique and at random moments will catch me off guard with bursts of eloquenence, which leads me to believe that the music will continue to grow on me.

9. The Black Crowes – Warpaint

I’m an old-school Black Crowes fan from their very first single (Atlanta represent!), but most people probably thought this band was way past its prime, especially after Marc Ford quit forever ago. I myself had kind of swept them under the sentimental rug, along with the likes of Pearl Jam and Portishead, but this album seriously blew my mind upon first listen. Seriously, folks, you really owe it to yourself to check it out. The Crowes sound like a well-worn version of themselves that doesn’t try too hard, and the album is so comfortable to listen to that I made it all the way through without stopping the first time I heard it. It really gets great around the sixth song, and I felt like I was listening to Pink Floyd, the vibe was so heady. Admittedly, Luther Dickenson isn’t the virtuoso that Marc Ford is, but he plays the hell out of the slide guitar and actually fits in with the band’s sound better than Ford. I’m thoroughly impressed by this effort, and am looking forward to the day I can afford their newest double-length with Levon Helm, entitled Before the Frost/Until the Freeze.

10. Elliot Smith - New Moon

Not much needs to be said here if you already know who Elliot Smith is. If you don’t like him, you won’t like this, because he’s at his most whiny and softest acoustic peaks here, ala Elliot Smith and XOXO. But man, this guy could write wonderfully acerbic pop songs, and this double-disc posthumous release just proves that he had so much more left to give . If you like Smith, you won’t be disappointed by this one. If you aren’t sure, check out Figure 8 and Either/Or first.

11. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger

This was my first record of Ryan Adam’s, and I admittedly had never really listened to any of his music before a couple of years ago. As a songwriter, it’s ridiculous that I discovered this guy right before he decided to call it quits and marry Mandy Moore (he’ll be back, I just know it). This is his first album recorded after his alleged sobriety, and many of the songs have to do with him grappling inner demons and recovery. There are some great tunes on here, and proves that you don’t have to be on high on speedballs to be the greatest songwriter of your generation (you were sober when you wrote those songs, weren’t you Ryan?). And trust me, Adams is undoubtedly the greatest songwriter of the 2000’s, just like I think Elliot Smith was in the 90’s and Dylan was in the 60’s and 70’s. The Boss gets stuck with the 80’s. Anyway, check this album out, and if you’re really brave and want to have your life changed, go out and buy Heartbreaker. I dare you.

12. Wilco – Sky Blue Sky

It seems like everybody knows and loves Wilco these days, so it’s not a surprise that I picked this album as a winner. I just would like to say that while it’s not as good as A Ghost is Born, it has some shining moments, and Nels Cline continues to be tasteful and creative without stealing the show. My only complaint is that Jeff Tweedy still sounds pharmaceutical, for lack of a better word, and any songwriting he does that isn’t explaining why he’s such a grumpy old man doesn’t really mean much to an ordinary guy like me. That being said, there are songs on here that touch just slightly upon fusion and stay away from the experimental wastleland of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. “Impossible Germany” is possibly the best song to listen to while taking off in an airplane

13. Lucinda Williams – West

Lucinda Williams is a godsend to country music. I know she’s not straight country, but the subject matter of the songs on West is so earthy and personal, that you can’t help but feel like this woman is the sole inheritor of the Hank Williams legacy. Written shortly after her mother’s death, this album features songs that call to Momma throughout, and the mournful lonesomeness in her voice is like a coyote in the desert, sending chills down my spine every time. By far some of her most sophisticated and deepest songwriting yet, Lucinda elucidates souls of dead poets throughout, and for the most part avoids the man-hating sludge rock that she’s never really pulled off that well on past efforts. Also, the cheesy Nashville production and distorted guitars that showed up on World Without Tears have been toned down in favor of sonic layers that really complement the music. I think this is her finest record yet - be prepared to weep.

 14. Kelley Stoltz – Below the Branches

Kelley Stoltz is a San Francisco songwriter I have been following for many years. He’s not really well-known outside of the City, but is clearly a very gifted musician. I chose this record to share, even though it came out in 2006, over the more recent Circular Sounds, simply because it’s better. Stoltz always self-records with an eight-track tape machine, which creates the loose psychedelic warble that gives his records a well-worn glow. By far the best album I have ever heard by anyone from the Bay Area in the last 10 years, Below the Branches collects influences and jumbles them up into original music, courtesy of Stoltz’s ability to conjure the sounds and atmospheres of classic records. The songs are simple and fun, the music cheerful and effortless. In fact, Stoltz should put more effort into his music, because he has such a wonderful voice and an endless supply of talent to draw from that everyone should know about. This is a great summer album, my friends.

15. Alejandro Escovedo – The Boxing Mirror

Lots of people have probably thought to themselves, “I see his name everywhere, I wonder if that guy is any good”. Well, I can assure you that he is great, and once you become accustomed to his unique style, you will find yourself entranced by the moody and spiritual presence that shape-shifts throughout this record. The closest influence I can name is Teachings of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda, and hallucinations of animals in the desert appear often throughout songs that vary from folk rock to 80’s electro pop in instrumentation and feel. Escovedo sounds like no one you have heard before, and the indigenous loping of his enchanting lyrics will cast a spell on your soul and leave you wanting more. Oh yeah, and it’s produced by VU legend John Cale, if that helps.

CD’s that really didn’t do it for me:

1. Prince – Planet Earth

Just in case you are a Prince fan and thought that since he rocked “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and the Superbowl so hard that his most recent album must be a winner as well, I’m here to let you know that it’s not. Sorry, Prince, please don’t sue me.

2. My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges

I’ve really liked this band ever since I heard It Still Moves. Since then they have moved further away from the reverb drenched Neil Young sound and more towards the Prince and whiteboy reggae sound. Ewww. Admittedly, there are some great moments on this record, and it’s worth buying some mp3’s, but please, for the love of God, stay away from “Highly Suspicious”. Z is a much better album, buy that instead.

3. The Black Keys – Catch and Release

Is it just me, or this band highly overrated? And is it just me, or is Dangermouse in that same category? Well, it makes perfect sense then that these two should be paired together to make what I consider to be a true dud of an album. Why buy the Black Keys when I can have the White Stripes? I caught and released this album as quickly as I could. Dan Auerbach’s solo effort is looking much more promising.

5. Grandaddy – Just Like the Fambly Cat

I really like Jackpot, and I thought this would kind of be in the same vein. It was, just not in a good way. If the synthesis of obnoxious synths and repetitive loops over folky acoustic guitars is your thing, check out Beck instead. I wanted to like it. I really did.

6. LCD Sound System – Sound of Silver

 I am guessing that James Murphy took all the money he made from his first record and blew it on coke, then decided to make something “genius”. In any case, I can’t get into this disc because I keep thinking that my CD player is skipping. After getting rid of this record, I am relieved to discover that my CD player is just fine.

Singles I’m Diggin’

1. The National – “Mistaken for Strangers”

3. Slaid Cleaves – “I Feel the Blues Moving In”

4. Flight of the Conchords – “Bowie” & “Hiphopapotamus vs. Rhymenocerous”

5. Black Lips – “It Feels Alright”

6. Dan Auerbach – “My Last Mistake”

Deuses.

Desde que criei o recomenda-se, essa talvez seja a primeira vez que eu quero muito, muito mesmo, que você aceite minha recomendação. Quero muito que você deixe um pouco seu gosto musical de lado, reserve um tempo para procurar e baixar a discografia – sim, a discografia inteira – da banda que eu quero te apresentar. E muito mais do que ter as músicas, eu quero que você reserve o seu tempo e ouça as músicas. Não apenas ouça enquanto bate papo no msn, tuíta, joga sudoku ou paciencia, minha vontade é que você ouça com tudo sem preconceitos e com atenção – se possível ou necessário mais de uma vez.

Hoje eu falo sobre Grandaddy.

Acho extremamente difícil de se falar de uma banda tão completa e tão impressionante. A banda é tão significativa que é complicado achar o ponto ideal para começar a te cativar.

Bom, o grandaddy nasceu em 92 na California. E morreu – sim, pode começar a chorar – em 2006. Nesse tempo lançaram exatos 4 álbuns impecáveis de estúdio e várias outras coleções.

Outra grande dificuldade em falar da banda é comentar sobre o seu estilo. É uma coisa diferente. Batidas muitas vezes simples, repetitivas, bonitas e suaves. Soa como um country-rock indie com sintetizador. Eu sei que é difícil imaginar, por isso pedi encarecidamente no começo do post que você ouça o que eles fizeram, palavras sempre serão pouco.

Jason Lytle, o guitarrista, tecladista, compositor e vocalista de voz extremamente fofa, é um ser incrível. Suas músicas – vale lembrar que ele é o único, pelo menos que eu saiba, compositor da banda – criticam o crescimento desenfreado da tecnologia, nos levam para futuros não-tão distantes onde o caos tecnológico faz as pessoas aspirarem por paz e sossego, bosques e menos telefones e carros. Suas letras falam sobre como a simplicidade da vida é boa. Falam, também, sobre skate.

Muitas músicas são bastante psicodélicas. Fentry, He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s the Pilot e Everything Beautiful Is Far Away mais do que provam isso. Além, é claro, das clássicas – me refiro às músicas que melhor representam a banda e não das que mais sucesso fizeram – Rear View the Mirror, Now It’s On, I’m On Stand By, Levitz, Hewlett’s Daughter e Summer Here Kids.

Dos álbuns lançados também é de uma dificuldade extrema categorizar e classificar o melhor. Pessoalmente acho o melhor álbum o Sumday, o The Sophtware Slump e o The Broken Down Comforter Collection. Ok, eu sei que preciso escolher apenas um, por isso meu voto é de Sumday. Esse é incrível. Se você quer começar a ouvir grandaddy, vá por Sumday e The Broken Down Comforter. Garanto satisfação total ou seu dinheiro será devolvido.

Tenho noção de que falei pouco e não muito bem. Mas a dica seria a mesma se o texto fosse impecável ou um tweet de 140 caracteres. Agora que acabou, vá lá e conheça o trabalho do grandaddy. Não perca mais tempo.

Let’s get this truth out of the way first: I love Jason Lytle. Unabashedly and completely. What’s not to adore? His songwriting is orignal and fantastic, he’s a funny assed dude, and a sweetpea. He is just super dupes.

We got to see Jason Lytle play a live set as the opening act for Neko Case while touring in support of his first and incredibly good solo record (Yours Truly, The Commuter) this summer at possibly the weirdest venue that Pittsburgh has yet managed to pull out of thin air: a swampy downslope on the Monongahela River next to a water slide park. It was a warm and muggy night full of folding chairs, teenaged ushers with no real idea where one’s seat were, and the slow roll of Jason Lytle’s music weaving magic. I can’t say it was ideal, but it was perfect, if you get me. Thanks for being so nice too after the show sir, I love my poster and doodley postcards.

With all of the work and travel that I’ve done in September this year, I’m a little behind on some things, and this NPR’s excellent All Songs Considered recorded show of Mr. Lytle’s at The Bowery Ballroom in NYC this past July, but posted by All Songs Considered on 7/11/09 is one of them. Just listen and fall in love.

You can listen and stream or download his set here or click on the photo below.

Jason Lytle, live in concert at The Bowery Ballroom in NYC on 7/11/09. (Photo courtesy of All Songs Considered.)

Loweasleydore:

If you haven’t had the chance to go see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, GO DO IT NOW. Actually do. Now. And 3D if you can. It’s so good! I’m the oldest of four and I was actually the most excited go and see it. Though mostly I was laughing at my sister who was laughing at it. She has a funny laugh. Oooh and go on www.thisisphotobomb.com, my friend Vikki just told me about it and it will help you in wasting time when there is precious precious homework to be done.

This is Vikki:

She’s marvy, and we have many a reminiscing moments when we talk about custard yum-yums and such

Anyway, where was I?

Nowhere, that’s where.

Well I was somewhere otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this.

Actually I’d finished, so I’m going to tell you about how I was gluing things to my desk. I was gluing things to my desk, because I was allowed and I have time to spare because I’ve unconciously twice in a row done all my homework before it’s due in. I haven’t got very far, because I’ve yet to perfect the technique. All the pictures have got bubbles under them now, but using an HMV giftcard I’ve been spreading the glue about instead of using a paintbrush. Works quite well. All I have on there so far is 6 Elliot Minor promo leaflets (I may use them for wallpaper ), a little interview with Russell Howard and Eddie Izzard from NME, the NME logo thing, “MY MUSIC”, and “Green Day: The Musical”. My glue isn’t very good either. And I’m listening to Michael Jackson and I feel quite mean to say that I’ve become so much more interested in him since he died. It’s so sad I was really really not a fan of him before hand, but I listen to him almost every day now. Well I haven’t for a while now, as the playlist on my iPod the last week has been Elliot Minor (surprised?), Miley Cyrus and the soundtrack from O Brother, Where Art Thou? and OMG if you haven’t seen it YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO.

I love my ringtone. I actually do. Was sitting here, at my desk, writing this when I hear a chorus of Electric High:

(he’s wearing my bracelet in that too though it’s not the one on his left, it’s his right. And he only wears it in half the video which I’m a bit confused about. Alex, if you’re by some miracle reading this, please explain because it makes me sad inside – omg had a horrible dream he had swapped it for this stupid little red and yellow thing made of that stuff baskets are, I woke up like hahahahah fool.)

Yeah, ringtone! Obviously someone was calling me. It was my Daddy – I get along better with him now which is good – asking me if I wanted to go to the party thing they are throwing for a cousin I’ve never heard of. I said yeah, AND I’M SO EXCITED because it means I can see my Grandad and I haven’t seen him IN SO LONG. Since my Grandma’s funeral over a year and a half ago Missed him so much it’s unreal, and he doesn’t even live that far away. Anyway, it’s now afternoon and I have no excuse to be sitting here writing to you people whilst I’m still in my jammies.

S’laterrsss x

We’re finally getting the respect we deserve from the Canadian Art world.  A presumably awesome gallery called 107 Shaw, is curating an exhibit of music videos called “They Shoot Videos Don’t They?” and will be featuring our Jason Lytle “I Am Lost (And The Moment Cannot Last)” video.  If you’re one of our many, many fans in the greater Ontario area, you should go check it out in 2 days on Sept. 25th!

Many thanks to Scott Cudmore and the people at 107 Shaw for thinking of us and including our work.  Wish we could be there, it sounds awesome.

http://1zero7.com/home/category/current/

Thanks again to everyone for your votes! Our appearance on Fame Games was a big success. Check out what the judges had to say after the break.

By the way, if anyone else wondered what “tickle my tittler” meant urban dictionary gives us the following definition:

1. Tittler – A small alcoholic beverage that is intended to stop after just one. Usually followed by many other tittlers. Usually consumed by people on shift in the restaurant business. tit-ler

“Hey Cypress, is it time for a tittler yet”?

So apparently one of the judges did not believe that our music tickled his small alcoholic beverage.

If you feel that you can’t stop after voting for just one a’tris song there’s good news! Thanks to your support, “Chasing Rabbits” will make its Fame Games debut this coming Monday, 28 September! I can’t tell you how excited I am to see that one getting this type of exposure.

Some songs take days to write, some take weeks; “Chasing Rabbits” took months. My writing partner, Michael Kreher, came up with the foundation for this tune and I knew he was on to something the moment he first shared it with me. Even in its early form, CR held a lot of potential; but I didn’t know where it wanted to go until I watched a speech that Sam Harris, the author of The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation, gave at AAI 07. If you would like to get some more insight into the source material for this song please visit samharris.org.

To help “Chasing Rabbits” advance please use the following links to vote and review for it!

More news to come!

-Mason

So, I will be honest rather than trying to pass this off as realtime. I smoked this pot before I had a chance to sit down and review it! So, this is from memory… and you know how mine is.

This bud has a really good green color. Like a dark green. And it smells pretty nice, especially when breaking it open.

The high is good, and the only thing no up to par was the taste. It had a tingy taste, but other than that was very smokeable.

Worth a try, I am gonna get more than a gram next time.

7 Stars! *******

Last time I blogged I asked you guys if you’d like to help us get another tune of ours back on Fame Games by voting for your favorite song. Thanks for responding in a big way! “Black Bird’s Song” is now going to be receiving some major exposure as, thanks to you, it will be appearing on Monday’s Q show! I’m so glad to see that you like “Black Bird Song”; it’s a personal favorite of mine.

For those of you who aren’t on Twitter, the guys and I have been tweeting about some really great news this week and I wanted to share some of that with you here. Currently “Automatic Doors” is #1 on Ourstage’s Alternative Channel for the second week in a row! There are all kinds of cool prizes to be had for monthly winners so thanks for helping us hold steady at the top Two more weeks to go, w00t!

In other cool news, a’tris is currently Globally ranked #71 on ReverbNation’s Alternative chart. Just to give you some perspective, over 250,000 bands use ReverbNation to promote their work so we feel really good about that

Thanks again for your support!

-Mason

Not much time tonight so just a small post featuring tracks from 5 random films that i enjoy.

Pulp Fiction
MP3: Dick Dale – Misirlou

The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys
MP3: Josh Homme – All The Same

Hackers
MP3: Leftfield (feat John Lydon) – Open Up

The Lost Boys
MP3: Tim Cappello – I Still Believe

28 Days Later
MP3: Grandaddy – Am 180

S.I.T Wolf  X

Grandaddy The sophtware slump (2000, V2)

Grandaddy se forme au début des années 1990 autour du cerveau fragile et génial de Jason Lytle. Le groupe cherche un certain temps la bonne formule avant de finalement produire un premier album en 1997, Under the western freeway, remarqué notamment par la grâce de l’épatant “AM 180″. Trois ans plus tard, ce combo californien (en provenance de Modesto – “une sale ville, tant pour l’esprit que pour le corps” dixit Lytle) s’affirme encore davantage avec ce formidable Sophtware slump.

Au verso du livret intérieur, on voit un cowboy seul, tout de blanc vêtu, un clavier sous le bras et en train de regarder vers la lune brillant dans la nuit noire. Cette photo résume à elle seule la musique du groupe: ses influences folk, sa fascination rétro-futuriste pour l’espace, son goût pour les claviers et les envolées planantes. Grandaddy se situe en effet à un drôle de carrefour, à l’improbable point de jonction entre Neil Young pour les mélodies déchirantes, Pink Floyd pour les odyssées au long cours en mode intergalactique, Pavement pour la façon de présenter des chefs-d’oeuvres pop dans un écrin rouillé et une certaine électro-pop à la ELO. Par-dessus tout cela vient se poser la voix d’enfant blessé de Jason Lytle, chantant avec cette innocence bouleversante des paroles d’une tristesse profonde.

Grandaddy pose d’entrée le grand oeuvre du disque avec l’extraordinaire odyssée “He’s simple, he’s dumb, he’s the pilot”, sorte de “Space oddity” du nouveau siècle, la modestie et la mélancolie venant remplacer la flamboyance grandiose du classique de Bowie. Après ces huit minutes époustouflantes, le groupe ne s’essouffle pas pour autant et aligne une poignée de morceaux remarquables, de la bouleversante complainte “Jed the humanoid” au tourbillon stellaire de “The crystal lake”. En fin de disque, Lytle vient déposer deux merveilles en apesanteur, “Miner at the dial-a-view” qui évoque le somptueux “Clouds across the moon” du Rah Band et “So you’ll aim toward the sky”, véritable rêve éveillé en provenance des sphères célestes.

En 2003, Grandaddy allait à mon sens progresser encore d’un niveau avec l’exceptionnel Sumday. S’ensuivra un dernier album, Just like the fambly cat, que je ne connais pas, mais qui marquera l’implosion du groupe miné par la déprime pesante de Lytle. Ce dernier nous est revenu cette année avec un premier disque solo, Yours truly, the commuter.