Two Things Real Quick

The Maldives - Listen to the Thunder

Get out your globe - The Maldives are named after an island chain in the Indian Ocean. They play Nashville-inspired country music out of Seattle, WA.

Cold November - The Maldives

MONSTER SLOW!

Bill Fox - Shelter from the Smoke

Shelter from the Smoke sounds like a Lo-Fi homage to Dylan, the Byrds, and Donovan. The scary thing is that Fox manages to outdo his influences on many songs. It's a cruel injustice that no one has heard this album. Thankfully, Shelter from the Smoke was reissued by Scat Records in October. Highly, highly recommended. Buy it

Additionally: Fox is from Cleveland. He's supposedly playing shows in Cleveland after living in anonymity for the past decade. I may have to make a trip to Cleveland for his Feb 28th show at the Beachland Tavern.

Junked Lot Serenade

Junked Lot Serande - Bill Fox

I'm Not Over Loving You

I'm Not Over Loving You - Bill...

Best Songs of 2009

Part One:
50. Akron Family - Everyone is Guilty
49. Atlas Sound - Quick Canal
48. Fool's Gold - Nadine
47. Swan Lake - Spanish Gold, 2044
46. Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
45. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
44. Neko Case - This Tornado Love You
43. Port O'Brien - Oslo Campfire
42. The Veils - Sit Down By The Fire
41. Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros - Carries On

Part Two:
40. Andrew Bird - Tenuousness
39. Small Black - Despicable Dogs
38. The XX - Islands
37. Alasdair Roberts - You Muses Assist
36. Yeasayer - Tightrope
35. Sunset Rubdown - Idiot Heart
34. Deer Tick - Easy
33. Califone - Funeral Singers
32. Animal Collective - Daily Routine
31. Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision

Part Three
30. The Middle East - Blood
29. Wilco - Bull Black Nova
28. Bill Callahan - Eid Ma Clack Shaw
27. Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension
26. Raekwon - House Of Flying Daggers
25. Camera Obscura - French Navy
24. Superchunk - Learned to Surf
23. Karen O And The Kids - Rumpus
22. Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others
21. Dinosaur Jr. - I Don't Wanna Go There

Part Four
20. Cass McCombs - You Saved My Life
19. Arborea - Son of the Moon, Daughter of the Sky
18. Beach House - Norway
17. Miike Snow - Animal
16. James Blackshaw - Cross
15. The Handsome Furs - All We Want Baby Is Everything
14. Bat for Lashes - Moon and Moon
13. Taken by Trees - Watch the Waves
12. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks
11. Jay Z - Already Home

10. Wild Yaks - River May Come

9. Animal Collective - What Would I Want? Sky


8. Magnolia Electric Company - Oh! Grace

O! Grace - Magnolia Electric C...

7. The Handsome Furs - Radio Kaliningrad


6. Phoenix - Listomania


5. The Flaming Lips - Worm Mountain


4. Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love


3. Pictureplane - Goth Star


2. Grizzly Bear - Ready, Able


1. Animal Collective - My Girls

Page France - Chariot

It's hard to sing about the Rapture with a straight face and not seem a little bit nuts. I'm drinking Page France's kool aid on this song though. This should be the soundtrack to the Rapture.

Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox

This star studded tribute album for musician and recent stroke victim Chris Knox features a new song from Jeff Mangum (best known for Neutral Milk Hotel and his JD Salinger-like vanishing act). As of now the Mangum track is up on the youtubes but I'm not sure how long that will last. I've listened to the Mangum jam and the Callahan jam and they're both really solid. You can purchase it digitally from Merge



Tracklist.

Disc 1:
1. Jay Reatard – Pull Down The Shades
2. The Checks – Rebel
3. The Bleeding Allstars – Ain’t It Nice
4. Peter Gutteridge – Don’t Catch Fire
5. The Chills – Luck Or Loveliness
6. David Kilgour – Nothing’s Going To Happen
7. The Crying Wolfs – All My Hollowness To You
8. Stephin Merritt – Beauty
9. Portastatic – Nostalgia’s No Excuse
10. The Mint Chicks – Crush
11. Jay & Sam Clarkson – I’ve Left Memories Behind
12. Sky Green Leopards – Burning Blue
13. Shayne Carter – The Slide
14. Pumice – Grand Mal
15. Hamish Kilgour – Knoxed Out

Disc 2:
1. Boh Runga – Not Given Lightly
2. Red & Zeke (Feat. Bill Doss and Neil Cleary) – Bodies
3. Jeff Mangum – Sign The Dotted Line
4. Bill Callahan – Lapse
5. Genghis Smith – Growth Spurt
6. Yo La Tengo – Coloured
7. AC Newman – Dunno Much About Life But I Know How To Breathe
8. Alec Bathgate – Glide
9. Don McGlashan – Inside Story
10. Sean Donnelly – The Outer Skin
11. Lambchop – What Goes Up
12. The Mountain Goats – Brave
13. The Tokey Tones (and friends) – Round These Walls
14. The Bats – Just Do It
15. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – My Only Friend
16. The Finn Family – It’s Love
17. Jordan Luck – Becoming Something Other
18. The Verlaines – Driftwood
19. Lou Barlow – Song Of The Tall Poppy
20. The Nothing – Napping In Lapland
21. Tall Dwarfs – Sunday Son

Stricken City: Pull the House Down (Skellington RMX)

S8MM/005 - Songs About People I Know Tour from Stricken City on Vimeo.

Super 8 clips are really good at dredging up gooey nostalgia for the good ol' days. Part of me wishes Kevin Arnold's adult voice sang this song. It's a phenomenal song....but still, maybe one Winnie Cooper reference?

Best Songs Of 2009 Pt. 4

Part One 50-41:
50. Akron Family - Everyone is Guilty
49. Atlas Sound - Quick Canal
48. Fool's Gold - Nadine
47. Swan Lake - Spanish Gold, 2044
46. Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
45. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
44. Neko Case - This Tornado Love You
43. Port O'Brien - Oslo Campfire
42. The Veils - Sit Down By The Fire
41. Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros - Carries On

Part Two 40-31:
40. Andrew Bird - Tenuousness
39. Small Black - Despicable Dogs
38. The XX - Islands
37. Alasdair Roberts - You Muses Assist
36. Yeasayer - Tightrope
35. Sunset Rubdown - Idiot Heart
34. Deer Tick - Easy
33. Califone - Funeral Singers
32. Animal Collective - Daily Routine
31. Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision

Part Three 30-21
30. The Middle East - Blood
29. Wilco - Bull Black Nova
28. Bill Callahan - Eid Ma Clack Shaw
27. Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension
26. Raekwon - House Of Flying Daggers
25. Camera Obscura - French Navy
24. Superchunk - Learned to Surf
23. Karen O And The Kids - Rumpus
22. Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others
21. Dinosaur Jr. - I Don't Wanna Go There

20. Cass McCombs - You Saved My Life. I tip my cap to whoever directed this lonely video. It's a simple idea that's perfectly pulled off. Despite the title, the song sounds like a funeral dirge. Sometimes it sounds like it might turn over into a waltz but it never gets there. McComb's narrator isn't exactly thrilled to be alive.


19. Arborea - Son of the Moon, Daughter of the Sky
This gorgeous song comes off Leaves of Life a charity album curated by Aborea's Buck Curran.

Son of the Moon, Daughter of t...

18. Beach House - Norway


17. Miike Snow - Animal


16. James Blackshaw - Cross This is the greatest song Blackshaw has written to date. The buildup of guitar, piano, violin, viola, and otherworldly wordless vocals is jaw dropping.



15. The Handsome Furs - All We Want Baby Is Everything


14. Bat for Lashes - Moon and Moon


13. Taken by Trees - Watch the Waves


12. Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks


11. Jay Z - Already Home

The Sleeptalkers - Falling Apart

Guys! Guys! Here's a dollop of Chicago knowledge - this video kicks off with Chicago rock poet Thax Douglas bringing in a busted guitar. Before moving to Austin Thax used to read poems at shows around Chicago.

Also, I've been thinking about The Jayhawks all day for reasons unknown. Normally all I think about is Hoobastank so it's sort of refreshing. The Sleeptalkers didn't help me take my mind of the Jayhawks because they sound somewhat similar. I was going to to post the video for The Jayhawk's Blue but I just watched it and it's pretty rotten.

Best Songs Of 2009 Pt. 3.

Part One 50-41:
50. Akron Family - Everyone is Guilty
49. Atlas Sound - Quick Canal
48. Fool's Gold - Nadine
47. Swan Lake - Spanish Gold, 2044
46. Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
45. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead
44. Neko Case - This Tornado Love You
43. Port O'Brien - Oslo Campfire
42. The Veils - Sit Down By The Fire
41. Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros - Carries On

Part Two 40-31:
40. Andrew Bird - Tenuousness
39. Small Black - Despicable Dogs
38. The XX - Islands
37. Alasdair Roberts - You Muses Assist
36. Yeasayer - Tightrope
35. Sunset Rubdown - Idiot Heart
34. Deer Tick - Easy
33. Califone - Funeral Singers
32. Animal Collective - Daily Routine
31. Here We Go Magic - Tunnelvision


30. Middle East - Blood


29. Wilco - Bull Black Nova. This murder ballad was a highlight on an album that could have used more blood and gore, or at least a few more Nels Cline guitar solos. Oh I love you Wilco, you know that.


28. Bill Callahan - Eid Ma Clack Shaw. This is Callahan at his best, singing about the saddest shit in the world with a smirk on his face. The song's grieving narrator is trying to get through the death of a loved one. In a dream he comes up the 'perfect song' which happens to contain 'all the answers' to his woes. When he wakes up and writes it all down he finds his song is a bunch of gibberish. No quick fix here, buddy.


27. Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension.


26. Raekwon - House Of Flying Daggers


25. Camera Obscura - French Navy


24. Superchunk - Learned to Surf


23. Karen O And The Kids - Rumpus


22. Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others


21. Dinosaur Jr. - I Don't Wanna Go There. Marshall stack...check, chunky distortion...yep, aging dudes totally killing it....ohhhhh yeah.

The Young Rascals On Ed Sullivan

There are a lot of reasons to love this video. The band manages to look like a paramilitary force, a religious cult, and a group of shameless pedophiles - all at once. Also, the drummer puts on a fucking clinic. He's not of this earth.

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret

Yep, David Cross & Will Arnett have a new show called The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret which is playing in Britain.