Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Feist on The Colbert Report

Here's some video of Feist performing "I Feel It All" from The Reminder on the Colbert Report. I don't know about the tie...

New Retread Sessions

There are a couple of new Blogotheque-ish Retread Sessions from KUT up on their website. The first features Bill Callahan (Smog) performing a couple of songs high up on a cliff overlooking what I assume to be Town Lake/Lake Travis, but I could be wrong. The quality of the recording is really good. I don't know how the vocals came out so clean with all the wind that must have been swirling around up on that cliff.

Bill Callahan - Vessel In Vain

No. 6 Bill Callahan - "Vessel in Vain" from Retread Sessions on Vimeo.

Check out the other video from Bill Callahan's session (Nothing Rises To Meet Me) here.

The second Retread Session that merits mentioning is by Williamsport, PA based Freak Folkers and all around beard enthusiasts Akron/Family. Check them out performing "They Will Appear, Behold" below.

Akron/Family - They Will Appear, Behold

No. 7: Akron/Family "They Will Appear, Behold" from Retread Sessions on Vimeo.

You can view the other song from Akron/Family's video session (I Know You Rider) here.

New Okkervil River Video - Unless It's Kicks (Live on Pitchfork.tv)

I miss the kick drum.... Cool video though

Okkervil River - Unless It's Kicks (live on a rooftop)



(via p4k.tv)

Check out the rest of their 3 song set here

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

New Dodos Video - Fools

Here's the awesome new video for "Fools" from what is probably my favorite album of the year so far, The Dodos' Visiter (via French Kiss). If you have never heard The Dodos, expect acoustic guitar, vocals, and percussion, but do not, I repeat DO NOT, assume anything about their sound based on the instruments they play. The amount of energy and enthusiasm that is expressed through such minimal instrumentation is out of this world. You will not be bored, and you will not be able to stop listening to this album. The video is cool, with lots of close ups of hands and feet at work and lots of quick cuts. It fits the song nicely although I wish I could see more of Logan Kroeber's frenetic, nearly cymbal-less drumming and perhaps a bit less strumming.

The Dodos - Fools


(Via P4k.tv)

I can't stop at just this song. Visiter is absolutely brimming with wonderful songs just like "Fools". My favorite segment of the album are the back to back duo of girl songs, "Jodi" and then "Ashley". They flow together wonderfully and really bridge the album together well. Too often I am really excited by the first 3 or 4 songs of an album only to find it lose momentum halfway through. Not the case here. Check out "Jodi" below and keep an eye out for, hopefully, some local tour dates later this summer or early fall.

The Dodos - Jodi

buy Visiter here.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Vampire Weekend on Pitchfork.tv

If you haven't had a chance to check out Pitchfork's impressive new streaming video sister site (www.Pitchfork.tv) then I highly suggest you correct this situation ASAP. The video library is still small (although pretty impressive given the sites only been live since earlier this month) but it is very diverse and the quality can't be beat. Some personal favorites thus far have been the new M83 video for "Graveyard Girl" off of their excellent new LP Saturdays = Youth, the feature on A Place To Bury Strangers' "Death By Audio" practice space/pedal factory/venue/living area/awesome thing in Brooklyn, and all of the great older music videos. I have also enjoyed their One-week running Features. Last week they showed a documentary on the Pixies 2004 Reunion tour that I had never seen before called LoudquietLoud. It was a mix of live concert footage and your usual interview/candid on-the-road footage and I found it very entertaining. This week is an Air concert film from 1998 and who knows what it will be next week.

Now to the point of this post. Today several live videos of Vampire Weekend performing acoustically with a "Julliard trained string trio" at Columbia University were added to the site and they are definitely worth your time. The segment begins with an interview section and then the band performs 3 songs (A-Punk, M79, and Walcott). I was quite impressed with the musicianship displayed by these guys, especially the rhythm section. Below you will find "M79" from this performance. Head over to Pitchfork.tv for the rest.

Vampire Weekend - M79


M83 - Graveyard Girl

Buy Saturdays = Youth here
Buy Vampire Weekend here

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Quick Note


I'll be out of town and without reliable internet access for the rest of the week. I have to go to Jersey for a funeral. It'll be at least the weekend, but probably Monday before I get a chance to check email, etc. I'll try to get caught up on everything as soon as I get back.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight


One of the best performances I took in during the entirety of SXSW was Frightened Rabbit at the British/Scottish Music Embassy (Latitude 30). They played a blistering set that's energy and volume more than overcame the usual SXSW sound problems. I was interested after a few chords and enthralled by the time their sweating, screaming, beast of a drummer demolished his kit and stormed offstage amidst ample applause from the crowded house at the end of their all too short set. The Midnight Organ Fight (due out 4/15 on FatCat) captures plenty of the bands live energy, but also allows them to show off their quieter. Second half standout "Poke" shows that there is some beautiful songwriting going on in between all of the crashes and the feedback. "Poke" is a beautifully ragged song of love gone south and features some outstanding lyrical passages, including my personal favorite, "Why won't our love keel over as it chokes on a bone/ then we can mourn it's passing/ and then bury it in snow". "Poke" is the first song I've heard this year that has so fiercely grabbed my attention. I listen to it over and over and just can not get enough right now. The entire album is fantastic and I'm hoping to see the band come through later this summer or early fall.

Frightened Rabbit - Poke

Preorder The Midnight Organ Fight here

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

April Fools from Barsuk

Meet Ben Gibbard's new side project, Just Jazzin'.

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