February 19, 2008

Tuesday Music Roundup

I took something of a long weekend; one of my good friends from high school was in Colorado and it was wonderful to see someone who is familiar with a good chunk of me from age thirteen forward, in all my dorkiness and unwieldiness during those years. He was my old neighbor two blocks over; if I stood in my front yard and yelled really loudly, he could hear me and vice versa. We tested this theory several times over the years.

After I picked him and his friend up from the airport we wound up on the slightly janky, late-night special stretch of Colfax that I love, eating amidst dive bars at Pete’s (Greek) Diner [pictured right]. I got the best gyro I’ve ever eaten; I’ve been told that I am too enthusiastic in talking about it. They say it’s just a sandwich. They are so wrong. Just thinking about it now makes my week more bearable.

Music I am listening to this week:

San Bernadino
The Mountain Goats
I am excited about the range of songs I’ve heard off the new Mountain Goats album, Heretic Pride, out this week on 4ad. My heart stopped beating the moment that I heard the opening notes on this gorgeous song from the pen of John Darnielle [1, 2]. If you haven’t heard them before, the incisively stinging vocals remind me a bit of The Decemberists, with some of the most hyperliterate lyrics you’ve ever heard. This song begins with the vista of “we got in your car and we hit the highway, eastern sun was rising over the mountains. Yellow and blood-red bits, like a kaleidoscope.” Somewhere along the journey he utters the reassurance that “it was hard, but you are brave, you are splendid, and we will never be alone in this world.” Sigh. What more could someone really ask for? This is a hotly anticipated album for me as I just start to grow more familiar with John Darnielle’s work. The Mountain Goats are playing three shows at the upcoming NoisePop fest in San Francisco.

Paper Tiger (live in Sydney 2005)
Spoon

Oddly enough, Spoon seemed to be following me everywhere I went on Saturday. This was disconcerting and cool — first on the speakers of my new thrift store addiction, then a few hours later at the brewery where we found ourselves on Saturday night. On Friday I had just downloaded this live track for free from the bonus section of Spoon’s pop-artsy website. Originally on the 2002 album Kill The Moonlight, the spare arrangement of the original grows slowly bigger and a bit more eerie sounding here. BONUS: Connor and Nathaniel are offering you Britt Daniel’s remix of songstress Feist. [pic from my Monolith 2007 post]

It’s My Fault For Being Famous
White Stripes + Beck
New these days in Best Buy stores, you can get the matadoriffic White Stripes Conquest EP bundled with 2007′s Icky Thump album. Cool because they added tiny Beck as a producer and a performer for these living-room session songs, on this tune you can clearly pick up Beck’s voice (and piano) in a twangy back-porch stormer all about the perils of fame.

Digital Love (Daft Punk cover)
Mobius Band

Brooklyn electro-indie dudes Mobius Band gave away a nice six-song EP of covers to show their heart for you on Valentine’s Day. This Daft Punk cover is my favorite of the bunch — their version is quirky and perfect for my next mixtape, as it reveals the memorable melody with less robot voice. But the EP also has songs originally by Neil Young, The National, Daniel Johnston (who is on tour?! did I read that right?), Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, and Bob Dylan. Quite the selection for you to choose from, and what better way to say I love you than free music? Exactly.

Second Chance
Liam Finn

And yes trusty readers, after some heart-stoppage yesterday morning I scored fanclub tickets to see Vedder in Berkeley in April (!!!) which means I will be seeing this chap — son of Crowded House/Split Enz New-Zealander Neil Finn, and impressively catchy solo artist in his own right. Liam Finn released an album on Yep Roc a few weeks ago called I’ll Be Lightning. Rolling Stone wants to make it simple for you and break it down into easily-illustrated formulas, so here’s what they’ve got on Liam:

13 Comments

  • How did you get Vedder tix? The system was a mess and I was barely able to even log on. Did you get them right at 10 or wait? I’m still trying to figure out what happened and don’t have the patience to read 19 pages rants from Red Mosquito. I better start saving now in order to pay the scalpers…

    Smik — February 19, 2008 @ 12:19 pm

  • Smik, it was just kind of the general good luck I seem to have with these things smiling on me. the system was completely, hopelessly down, but starting at 10:58 our time (hour later) i refreshed and refreshed until somehow i got in, and got all the way through to the payment page. i entered my CC info and clicked submit, it never got past that point, it went to an error screen. I kept trying for 20 more minutes, swearing all the along, and then someone on the forums said they checked their email account and had a confirmation of purchase, so I did that and YAY found one from 11:08am. So it somehow, somehow worked and I am still in shock and salivating in anticipation.

    Good luck with the onsale Friday?

    heather — February 19, 2008 @ 12:25 pm

  • oooh!! so happy for you and a bit envious all at the same time…!! how lucky to have gotten the tix! i was lucky last year with the vic so i know how you feel :)

    serena — February 19, 2008 @ 12:44 pm

  • Heather, I never wrote you back about RA in Berkeley but Eddie’s playing at the same venue and you’re going to love it. I am going to get Santa Cruz tickets because that Monday is also opening day at the Giants and the National Championship for basketball so it’ll be better to go on Saturday. Anyway, have fun and hopefully we’ll meet up someday for a show and glad you like the Strokes “Hawaii”…

    Smik — February 19, 2008 @ 3:02 pm

  • ahhh. . .pete’s kitchen. . .always a late nite stop for eats when i’m in the mile high city. . .thanks for mentioning the denver landmark. . .

    cheers
    -cz

    Anonymous — February 19, 2008 @ 4:02 pm

  • i love that equation. sounds pretty right-on, too. :)

    Jamie — February 19, 2008 @ 8:50 pm

  • That Stripes song is genius.

    kingseyeland — February 19, 2008 @ 10:50 pm

  • You should come to Greece for great gyro, Heather!
    :)

    Archimidis P. — February 20, 2008 @ 6:16 am

  • Hey There! Glad to hear you got PJ tix in Berkeley. My wife and I got 10cc tix for Berkeley and Santa Cruz after 90 minutes of refreshing pages and screaming at the computer and such. I love your Blog and always check for updates. Great stuff. If you get a chance, please head over to my blog at http://www.stupidandunkind.blogspot.com. A bit less HUGE than yours but I enjoy my little corner of the Internet! Would love to meet up and say hi at the Berkeley show!
    -Rob

    Johnny Epcot — February 20, 2008 @ 8:59 am

  • I so love dives, dumps, the old holes in the wall….

    Thanks for the wonderful tips as always. I am looking forward to checking out the White Stripes + Beck, and after your clever little FORMULA, how can I not give that one a gander!?!?

    jojo — February 20, 2008 @ 11:11 am

  • ongrats Heather on the EV tix. It couldn’t happen to a nicer fan. We shall all live vicariously through you!

    Bill Cohen — February 20, 2008 @ 4:28 pm

  • Hi-

    Wanted to let you know I found some new Liam Finn stuff here from a recent appearance in CA….enjoy this and when he opens for Ed!

    http://rs153.rapidshare.com/files/97440551/Liam_Finn_-_Live_On_KCRW_2008.rar

    Liam Finn – 21st February 2008 – KCRW Radio, Santa Monica, CA, USA – FM Recording

    Anonymous — March 10, 2008 @ 8:48 pm

  • I want to hear that Digital Love cover but it’s down and the bands website is down too.. and their myspace doesn’t have it.. help me please!

    that was dramatic, I know :P

    but I do want to hear the song :)

    Jorge von — March 13, 2008 @ 4:10 pm

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Bio Pic Name: Heather Browne
Location: Colorado, originally by way of California
Giving context to the torrent since 2005.

"I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there's something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It's the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part..."
—Nick Hornby, Songbook
"Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel."
—Hunter S. Thompson

Mp3s are for sampling purposes, kinda like when they give you the cheese cube at Costco, knowing that you'll often go home with having bought the whole 7 lb. spiced Brie log. They are left up for a limited time. If you LIKE the music, go and support these artists, buy their schwag, go to their concerts, purchase their CDs/records and tell all your friends. Rock on.

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