Don’t Wake Me

There is something to be said about sleeping in. I didn’t have an early class this morning, so I decided to do myself a favor by missing my second. I had two more excused absences remaining and today was just a review day, so rather than dragging myself through the halls of the wonderful institution of higher learning that I am currently enrolled in … I slept.

Thursdays are twelve hour days for me, so I felt like it would be nice to prepare for tonight, especially since I’ll be out late seeing Menomena! You should try it sometime.

[mp3] Postal Service – Sleeping In | Buy
[mp3] Radiohead – Go To Sleep | Buy
[mp3] The Shins – Sleeping Lessons | Buy

Porter Wagoner 1927-2007

Country and gospel music legend Porter Wagoner died today of lung cancer. “Mr. Grand Ole Opry” was an amazing country singer who should be studied by all, and is largely responsible for the success of several country mega-stars, including Dolly Parton. Porter was a Country Music Hall of Fame member and winner of countless awards, including two Country Music Association awards and three grammys.

He released an amazing album this year, which would be his last: Wagonmaster. I can’t recommend it enough.

[mp3] Porter Wagoner – I’ll Go Down Swinging

I’m Sorry Anybody Dies

I never gave Sunset Rubdown a fair chance to be liked. Not because they didn’t deserve one, but simply because the band’s frontman is Spencer Krug, co-frontman of Wolf Parade, and the thought of the members of that fantastic band having other things on their mind than a follow up to Apologies To the Queen Mary was heartbreaking.

On a more fair and balanced note though, I recently delved into the band’s two LP’s, Shut Up I am Dreaming, and Random Spirit Lover, and found the fix I had been looking for. I don’t have much time to write about these wonderful tracks right now, so I suggest you just trust me when I say they’re worth their weight in megabytes. I will say that I hope Krug’s dabbling in bigger arrangements; more explosive guitars; and more awesome fake strings spills over a bit into the next Wolf Parade LP. Heck, maybe we should just combine Wolf Parade, Sunset, Frog Eyes, and every other WP side-band and form Montreal’s answer to Broken Social Scene!

[mp3] Sunset Rubdown – Stadiums and Shrines II
[mp3] Sunset Rubdown – Winged/Wicked Things

Buy Sunset Rubdown records
Sunset Rubdown Tour Dates

These Friends of Mine

There are certain records which were made for the colder months. Their songs are insulated with an indescribable warmth: When the air gets cold and the world around is dying, they give life, and you feel like the songs themselves are old friends. Fewer records have ever fit this mold as precisely as Rosie Thomas‘ latest release These Friends of Mine.

As the title suggests, the record keeps its thumb on issues of friends and relationships, and what good company Ms. Thomas keeps here. The songs were recorded in a Brooklyn apartment by Sufjan Stevens and Denison Witmer; the two also played banjo and guitar, and even share vocal duties throughout the record (see the track I have posted for your previewing pleasure). An impressive list of contributions continues to unwind as you scan the credits, with appearances by David Bazan, Damien Jurado, Jeremy Enigk, and T.W. Walsh.

Of course, none of this means anything without great songs, and luckily there are plenty to be found. The entire disc is a mere thirty-three minutes, and is full of intimate but dynamic bedroom folk — Rosie and Denison’s guitars, Suf’s banjo, someone’s strings, and usually several voices in unison. Rosie obviously fell in love with New York during her stay, as themes of Winter and Christmas in New York run rampant — walks through central park, train rides to Brooklyn Heights, and other general Big Apple-centric lyrics fit nicely between wonderful Fleetwood Mac and REM covers, the former just Rosie and a guitar, the latter a duet with Sufjan. Seriously, if there was a better album for the winter months released this year, please let me know.

Oh, did I mention Rosie is contributing her rendition of Chistmas Time Is Here to Peace on Earth? Well she is, and you may stream it HERE, and buy it November 13.

[mp3] Rosie Thomas – Why Waste More Time?

Buy These Friends of Mine.
Rosie Thomas tour dates
Buy Sufjan Stevens records at insound
Buy Denison Witmer records at insound

The OiNK Factor

The OiNK story has yielded countless opinions, arguments, counter-arguments, accusations, and analogies, most of which have been completely useless. However, the venerable Godfather, Stereogum, took a break from its musings on pop culture and outraging hipsters to write this really really really good article on the situation; a bit lengthy, but completely worth it.

[mp3] Weezer – Pig

Buy Weezer records at insound

15 Step

So I guess I’m totally on the same frequency as the gods, or some stars aligned, or the universe is creating a path for me or … ya know, whatever. As per a ridiculous project unrelated to music mostly that I’m working on in my music class, I was counting my steps from the car to the door on the way to class this morning (105 – a multiple of 15). This was after I listened to 15 Step — the last song before I got out of the car — then I counted steps from the door to my seat — 15 steps — then I counted steps from my seat to the door (15 again obviously) and from the door to the cafe in the building in which my class is held (30 – another mutiple of 15), and finally the number of steps from there to the bathroom … 15!!!

I gotta go light a candle to Saint Whoever and look at the sun or whatever now.

[mp3] Radiohead – 15 step

Buy In Rainbows.

Missed the Last Bus Home

Last night I started watching the NBC show, Heroes, with my friend, roommate, and confidant Ethan, on my brother’s tip that it might fill the need for quality TV (on DVD) in between seasons of Lost. I did NOT, in fact, find this to be the case at all, but rather found the show kind of boring and completely uninspired from my impressions of episode one.

What it DID do for me, though, is re-introduce me to a song I loved all too briefly then forgot about: Eyes, by Rogue Wave. I haven’t enjoyed the Wave’s newest record, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate, that much, mostly because it’s lost the band’s signature sound, which is primarily built around (and rightfully so) the timbre of Zach Rogue’s wonderful voice pitted against some form of transposed, and detuned, acoustic instrumentation. The formula worked — Why ya gotta mess with it?

[mp3] Rogue Wave – Eyes

Buy the Eyes single on itunes.
Buy Rogue Wave records at insound.

Peace on Earth – Three Weeks!

Hello friends! A mere three weeks from now, Tuesday, November 13, 2007, you will be able to purchase Peace on Earth. I don’t think I can quite express how excited I am about this project, and I hope a fair amount of you are and will tell your friends! All the money this album raises is going to Toys for Tots, and its small price tag (7 bucks – sixteen songs) will hopefully be enough incentive for you to contribute 7 dollars to this wonderful charity rather than burning your friend’s copy or stealing it off the Internets somewhere or whatever you kids are doing nowadays.

In case you missed it, Michael Nau, frontman of Page France, will be contributing a song as well, under the name Cotton Jones Basket Ride (his new side-project).

Again, the sheer level of excitement stemming from my body as I think about this project could … kill a … something or whatever. There is something I’d like to address though. Peace on Earth is a very commonly and overused phrase around this time of year, found on greeting cards, lawn signs, and anything else one can sell, and I hate that because it’s such a beautiful thought. Soooo, I’d like to leave you with the verse that I chose this title from; it comes from the Christmas hymn, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote those words 143 years ago, and they’re still true today; if you too find that a bit disturbing, you could start at home, by writing your senators and representatives, and asking them to work on resolutions for ending the war.

Caleb

Here are some mp3’s to lighten the mood and get you refreshed or introduced to some of the artists on Peace on Earth.

[mp3] Someone still loves you Boris Yeltsin – Yr Broom | Buy
[mp3] Via Audio – Modern Day Saint | Buy
[mp3] Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Jeanne, if You’re ever in Portland | Buy
[mp3] Page France – Junkyard | Buy

When you didn’t show up in Stockholm…

Somewhere between the shoegazing, wide-open, ethereal spaces of Beach House and the songwriting tendencies of Mark Kozelek lie Chicago’s Speck Mountain. With a disarming voice slightly reminiscent of Mimi Parker, and all the angled guitar, sleigh bells, and air organs you can handle, Speck Mountain follow a pretty classic formula for ambient folk music; luckily they do it startlingly well, and re-invent things just enough to keep your undivided attention.

[mp3] Speck Mountain – Hey Moon
[mp3] Speck Mountain – Stockholm

Buy it at Burnt Brown Sounds.

Don’t Be Ridiculous

Sondre Lerche has become somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me over the past few years. Not because his music should make one feel guilty, simply because no matter what he does, I love it: and he’s done a lot. After two albums full of sweeping European bedroom folk/pop, Lerche made a fantastic modern jazz album called The Duper Sessions, which was followed by a strangely garage-rocking effort this year in Phantom Punch.

As if all this wasn’t strange enough, Lerche is now joining forces with a few others (Regina Spektor, A Fine Frenzy, and covering Pete Townshend himself) to curate the soundtrack to the fiercely mass-market Steve Carrell comedy, Dan in Real Life. The OST has been available for a few weeks now, but I haven’t had a chance to listen yet, as it was brought to my attention just a few days ago. That will change later today; in the meantime, enjoy these tracks from early record Faces Down and the aforementioned Duper Sessions, and buy the soundtrack here.

[mp3] Sondre Lerche – Everyone’s Rooting For You
[mp3] Sondre Lerche – You Know So Well

Buy Sondre Lerche records at insound
Sondre Lerche Tour Dates