July 27, 2007

I swear I'll be back on top of this "blog" thing in like a week. By-the-by, the new Sum 41 album is pretty bad, save for like 2 songs. Come on guys, the era is dead, move on. I mean, I probably would have liked it more if it didn't, at times, sound like a half-hearted rip off of not only their own material, but American Idiot. I would like to admit that, when they do start to get a lot of shit for being Canadian and talking shit about GWB, I think they have a right to complain about him, because his actions do effect the world (*shrudder*), and everyone has a say in how they feel about that.

July 22, 2007

"I Drink Only That Which Makes Me Thirsty"

(That is a picture by a girl named Thao Nguyen, but not the same Thao that I'll be highlighting today)

A couple things have been going down in the world of Thao Nguyen (for refresher course in Thao Nguyen, see this older blog). She's gathered up some peps she now likes to call her band (they go by the awesome name The Get Down Stay Down), she's been signed to Kill Rock Stars, and she's been writing a new album. As some of you might know, I'm a huge fan of Thao, and am desperately awaiting her new release. Until then, however, I'll just have to bide my time listening to newly recorded Radio Shows featuring Thao and the Get Down Stay Down:

Band: Thao Nguyen & The Get Down Stay Down
Date: 2007-07-14
Venue: KPFK Studios (Aziatik Rhythmz Show) Los Angeles, CA

Interview
Big Kid Table
Interview
Feet Asleep
Interview
Tallymarks
Interview
Fear and Convenience (fade out)

July 17, 2007

"Leave All The Secrets Under the Bed"

Laura, a fellow blogger, recently been turned on to a little band that happens to have a cult following much like similar bands such as DMB, Ben Folds, and O.A.R.. That band is Guster.
Much like their genre compatriots, Guster has always had a lax taping policy, which has, in turn, has been a large part of their success as a band. That said, the largest part of their success is the fact that, on top of being genuinely good guys (an assumption drawn from interviews and live banter), they are great musicians.

This, in my opinion, is aided by their reluctance to "jam" out for 12 minutes at a time, something similar acts can't claim. That may sound like an odd statement, but if there's one thing you'll learn about me is, sometimes, I simply don't want to hear the same damn riffs for half an epoch. This is probably why I don't much like The Grateful Dead. Seriously guys, take a second, relax, and move on.

Sorry. Tangent. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Guster's fans have, because of their band's lax taping policy, become fairly good at bootlegging live sets. I mean, I'd go so far as to say some of the recordings I've run across of these guys are the best quality recordings I've ever heard. Listen for yourself, here are two great sets:

Band: Guster
Date: 2003-06-20 (first day of their tour after the release of Keep It Together)
Venue: Woodstock Playhouse, Woodstock, NY

Demons
What You Wish For
Two Points For Honesty
Careful
Amsterdam (hilarious banter after song)
Mona Lisa
Barrel Of A Gun
All The Way Up To Heaven
Ramona
(Nothing But) Flowers (Talking Heads Cover)
Keep It Together
Homecoming King
Either Way
Airport Song (This set was the first time I ever really gave Guster a shot. I listened to all the songs leading up to this one, and they were all good, but for some reason when this song came up, I instantly thought "WOw ... Guster is good.")
I Spy
Fa Fa
Diane
Happier
Jesus On The Radio (Completely Acoustic [no PA system used])

Band: Guster
Date: 2003-07-02
Venue: The Odeon, Cleveland, OH

Intro
Demons
Barrel Of A Gun
Ramon
Amsterdam
Diane
Two Points For Honesty
I Spy
Come Downstairs & Say Hello
What You Wish For
Airport Song
Happier
Red Oyster Cult
Keep It Together
"Cleveland story"
Center Of Attention
Fa Fa
Parachute
(Nothing But) Flowers (Talking Heads Cover)
Jesus On The Radio (Acoustic)

July 15, 2007

Dormancy

I love finding Postsecrets that I agree with almost as much as finding ones I don't agree with at all. Sorry about the lack of postings, something outside the blog-o-sphere has caught my attention, and it's not letting go (but, then again, neither am I). Expect a large 2 live set post in less than 5 days ":)

July 8, 2007

Boing, Boom Tschak

77Boadrum youtube stuff (if you look, there's about a billion videos, so here's a small taste):

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:

July 7, 2007

"Aaaaciiiiiiiiiid ... Pooooliceeeeeeh"

Okay, so if you didn't all ready know about this, then I'm sorry to inform you that you've probably missed your chance to get on a plane and fly out to see 77Boadrum. If you have no idea what that is, check out the site, otherwise, here's the Boredoms and a Boredom sideproject dropping some knowledge on yo assz:

Boredoms - Uoredoms
Boredoms - Super You
Boredoms - (spiral)

OOIOO - 5002
OOIOO - On An Ocean Amp
OOIOO - 1000 Frogs And 3 Sun In A House

July 3, 2007

"And Though You Are Not On The Right, Are You All Right There On The Left?"

There is one mind-numbing question that racks my mind every time I hear a song by the White Stripes, and that question is "Why are these two so popular?" Now hear me out. I love the White Stripes, probably more than most people (but that's the egotistical-indie-kid in me speaking [i.e. "I appreciate the White Stripes on a whole 'nother level" type things], which, even though I know about, is still hard to suppress sometimes). But, seriously, why is it that these two are so devilishly popular amongst the non-indie among us? While listening to this live set, I finally answered that question for myself: "these two bring the rock, so unadulteratedly, spontaneously, and lovingly that humans, by definition, cannot help but sway ... nay ... bound back and forth in an attempt to absorb as much of the brought rock as they can.

We, folks, are Sphelar solar cells, and the Stripes are the sun. Soak it up:

(This live set is, unfortunately, incomplete in my heart. I wish they would have played my 2 favorite tracks off the new album. Because they did not, I will host them here for those of you still undecided about our boy and girl in red and white:

The White Stripes - Rag & Bone
The White Stripes - Bone Broke )

Band: The White Stripes
Date: 2007-06-14
Venue: the O2 Wireless Festival, London

Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground/When I Hear My Name
Hotel Yorba
Icky Thump
I'm Slowly Turning Into You (3rd favorite off Icky Thump)
I Think I Smell A Rat
I'm A Martyr For My Love For You
Death Letter/Motherless Children
In The Cold Cold Night
Jolene (another stellar performance of this song. Jack's voice is so pained. It sounds like it's falling down a flight of stairs. For another [really, better,] performance of this song, check out this older blog)
Cannon/John The Revelator/Astro/Ball & Biscuit
Blue Orchid
The Denial Twist/Wasting My Time
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
We're Going To Be Friends
Seven Nation Army