Currently Listening to: 3/23/10

Hey there everyone.  Today is Tuesday and, with Tuesday's, come new lists!

1) Fang Island- Fang Island
After an incredibly successful trip to SXSW, you can expect to see and hear more about Fang Island in the near future.  I think of them as a Fleet Foxes for the springtime.  I highly recommend this song, "Life Coach."  There's a video for it here.  

2) Beach Fossils- Live at WNYU

This isn't an official release from the band, this is what my girlfriend had that I stole from her computer. I wasn't sure how I would like them because I wasn't fond of their songs on Myspace, but this live version is great, and I'm looking forward to (hopefully) see them live.

3) Music Go Music- Expressions
I first heard Music Go Music on some Urban Outfitters free mix they offered up on their site...LSTN or something like that. This song, "Light of Love," is very Phil Spector/wall-of-sound, and it sounds just like it was lifted from some AM radio station that exclusively plays 1960s pop.

4) Huey Lewis and The News- Sports
If you read my Best Spot in Oneonta post in our other blog, you would know that I recently purchased this 80s masterpiece on vinyl. It's so great. It's perfect cheesy 80s pop-rock, and Huey Lewis is just so fantastic. The album is called Sports. It's just so....so....white.

Ben Folds- Chatroulette LIVE

By now, I'm sure many of you have either been on Chatroulette or at least heard of it.  Recently, a video has surfaced of this guy, Merton, playing an improvised piano song over Chatroulette.  The video for that is here.  Well, last night, awesome piano singer-songwriter Ben Folds caught wind of this and did his own rendition: an ode to Merton.

Top Five: March 16, 2010

Hey all.  Sucks that this shitty weather creeped back suddenly but hey! it's going to be incredibly nice Wednesday.  One album I've been looking forward to all year comes out next Tuesday but NPR is streaming the entire She and Him album, Volume Two, right now!  That album, along with four others are making up my weeks top five.  Here they are:  

1) She & Him- Volume Two
I have a gigantic crush on Zooey Deschanel.  When I first saw her in Almost Famous I was smitten.  That being said, when I found out she was going to start releasing albums along with M. Ward, I was excited.  The first album, Volume One, was feel-good 1960s pop.  The second one is just as great. 

She & Him-In the Sun

2) Electric Tickle Machine- Blew It Again
After going to the show last Friday (and the after-party), I got to see and hang out with Electric Tickle Machine for the first time.  Cool guys, even cooler band.  Their music is incredibly approachable indie rock.  Very catchy, and very good.  I hope they stop by again soon.

Electric Tickle Machine- Part Of Me

3) The New Pornographers- Mass Romantic
Driving in the car with my (wonderful) girlfriend, this band came up on her iPod.  I've never really listened to them before for no reason other than I just haven't.  The song "Letters from an Occupant" came on and I instantly took out my phone to Song ID it (Verizon is great).  The whole album is great, and this song is a standout.

The New Pornographers- Letter From an Occupant

4) Bright Eyes- Lifted, or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground
The reissue of the split between Bright Eyes and Neva Dinova (One Jug of Wine, Two Vessels) is coming out next week (March 23, 2010).  Until then, I have been revisiting old Bright Eyes records.  Lifted was the first one I've ever listened to, and I forgot why I loved it so much.  There are very few singer-songwriters as great as Conor Oberst was back in the day.  I hope he comes back to vintage Bright Eyes soon.

Bright Eyes - Bowl Of Oranges

5) The Promise Ring- Very Emergency
In the 9th grade, I decided to learn more about emo music, because I always felt it was more than skinny jeans and whiny guys.  I discovered the book Nothing Feels Good by Andy Greenwald (named after another Promise Ring album).  The book taught me a lot about the roots of emo, but it also taught me a lot about real emo bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Jawbreaker, Mineral, Braid, and, the reason you're reading this, The Promise Ring.  It's so poppy and happy and I love that you can hear Davey's lisp when he sings.

The Promise Ring- Happiness Is All The Rage

Mid-Semester Woes

The past couple of weeks have been so crazy here at Oneonta that I haven't been able to listen to music let alone make a Top Five of songs I am currently listening to. However, I stumbeled across a live radio performance of Alligator by Grizzly Bear. Now, this song was originally featured on the album Horn of Plenty which was written and recorded solely by Grizzly Bear singer and guitarist Ed Droste. Many songs off Horn of Plenty are not performed live for numerous reasons but I am really glad to see that the band decided to arrange this song for full band performances. Hearing this song makes up for not having listened to music the past two weeks. I really encourage you to take five minutes out of your life and listen to this song, because it is fantastic!

This Week: Ah, Spring

Yes, spring is in the Oneonta air, faithful readers.  And, when the birds are a-chirping and that sweet smell of spring flutters through my slightly-opened window the songs I become excited, and I cannot hide it.  That being said, here is a slightly longer list of music I am currently listening to.  To be honest, I don't want to write reasons why I recommend these songs, because they're all just songs that get me in the spring mood.  Listen to the songs on the side, and let me know what you think.  What are your spring songs?  Enjoy.


Reel Big Fish- Beer

Cursive- The Great Decay

Los Campesinos!- My Year In Lists

Bishop Allen- Rain

The Decemberists- The Sporting Life

The Explorers Club- Do You Love Me

Midtown- Like a Movie

Currently Listening To...: Part Two

I hope everyone is enjoying break this week.  Since we all have six more days of waiting to be back in the beautifully grey Oneonta, why not check out a few new bands?

1. Phantogram- Eyelid Movies
The Saratoga Springs duo recently released their album Eyelid Movies on Barsuk Records, home of Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley, Mates of State and Nada Surf.  This new "street beat, psyche pop" band are sure to make headlines this year and breakthrough in big ways.
Phantogram- Mouthful Of Diamonds

2. The Soft Pack- The Soft Pack
Originally called the Muslims, The Soft Pack are what I imagine Vampire Weekend sounding like had Ezra and co. been influenced by The Beach Boys instead of Paul Simon.  I'm a big Vampire Weekend fan (as evident by earlier posts), and after a recommendation from Greyscale, I was hooked. 


The Soft Pack- C'mon

3. The Clash- London Calling
A classic album that I have been listening to constantly lately.  The Clash have influenced everyone from  Green Day to MIA (yes, that catchy hook at the beginning of "Paper Planes" is a Clash sample).  30 years after this groundbreaking album came out, it is still influencing everyone.
The Clash- Hateful

4.  Scampi- a bunch of songs on Youtube
A friend of mine sent me the link to her yesterday because she thought I would like it.  She was right.  She's a French girl playing songs on her ukulele.  What's not to like?  This is her version of Lykke Li's 'Little Bit.'
Scampi- Little Bit (Lykke Li cover)

5. Be Your Own Pet- Be Your Own Pet
A bit of a throwback, BYOB disbanded in 2008, but it wasn't until a few months ago I discovered what I'd been missing.  Really punky and really good.  They are what Paramore wishes they could be, and more. 
Be Your Own Pet - Adventure

Top 5 Records: Break=Boring :(

I was so excited when I left Oneonta last Friday! I could barely contain my excitement during the car ride home at the thought of seeing my friends!! I was acting the exact opposite of a dog in a car on his way to the vet!!! However, about twenty minutes before I reached my house I realized after texting several of my friends that no one but I has the luxury of having this week off. So, for the past few days I have had to find ways to occupy my time. With that said I have a few songs, all with running times of 10 minutes or more, for you to listen to if you are in the same boat as me and have a lot of time to kill all by yourself. And don't worry; you are not alone. And yet... you are.

Fuck Buttons- Olympians

Olympians by Fuck Buttons, (am I allowed to say fuck on the Internet?) is by far one of the most epic songs I have heard in a while. Tarot Sport was a sleeper album that caught many listeners and critics off guard in 2009 and for good reason; its really flippin' good. (is that more appropriate?)
Fuck Buttons- Olympians

Panda Bear- Bro's

I suppose no album can be classified as perfect, except for Person Pitch by Panda Bear. It is so good that to describe it exceeds my limitations of the english language, so I'll just ask you to listen to Bro's instead, please.
Panda Bear- Bros

Deerhunter- Calvary Scars/ Aux out

Bradford Cox's vocals are beautifully self-deprecating on this track that starts off slow but picks up speed into a wall of guitar distortion. WARNING: DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS SONG IF YOU ARE JESUS BECASUE YOU MAY BE OFFENDED.

Deerhunter-Calvary Scars/Aux Out

Sigur Ros- Svfen-G-Englar

To quote one music journalist "All we first new about Sigur Ros was that they were from Iceland and Radiohead liked them." Sigur Ros (pronounced si-ur rose) have come a long way since 2000 but the first track off of their second studio album Agaetis Byrjun gets me every time with its ambient guitar drone that swallows you whole like a blue whale devouring krill.

Sigur Ros - Svefn-G-Englar

Miles Davis and John Coltrane- So What

The only thing better, I'm assuming, than hearing Miles Davis perform So What live is hearing him perform it live with John Coltrane. I stumbled upon this live track on my iPod a few months ago and have been digging it ever since. It's what I'd imagine it would sound like if Zeus and God jammed out for fifteen minutes.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane- So What