'08's Music to Love More Than Music: Love More, Pt. 7

Love More (<3)
Xiu Xiu - Women as Lovers
Gosh, what a peculiar band. The album is nothing like their live set. When I saw them live I would have to say I'd compare it to what getting punched in the face while having rabbits scream in your ear. It's not that it's bad, by any stretch of the mind, it's just really intense. The album has the same songs, but not with the same intensity. In true Xiu Xiu fashion, the songs are weird, and sad, and talk about very ... well they talk about topics that are not frequently addressed in popular music. This album has some very good songs, but the cover of Under Pressure just didn't catch my fancy. Oh well, it's fun and dark and has some strange instruments.
Xiu Xiu - Black Keyboard
Xiu Xiu - I Do What I When I Want

Yip-Yip - Two Kings of the Same Kingdom
I was not ready for this album when I heard it. I thought it was just a bad stab as peculiar electro Dan Deacon-y chiptune music. So I watched a few videos, and I discovered that Yip-Yip are two of the most punk kids around. Watch a few and see whats I mean. Then I went back to the album and I listened more intently, and I found some of the most bizarre, but very intricately composed 8-bit epics. No, not for everyone, but maybe it's for you...
Yip-Yip - Anarchist Clog
Yip-Yip - Sprinkle Council

Norther - N
One of the few metal albums that made the list this year, and for a good reason: Metal is getting old. There are only so many things that can be done with the genre unless you start adding sub-genres and other such things. I have a feeling the only reason I liked this album is because it sounded a lot like the albums I used to like back in the day, and maybe it was a nostalgia trip. Yes, it is a brutal album. Yes, it's heavy and full of destruction. But, Metal, it's been done. Even this album has it's betters, and it's a fairly competent album. Do you like metal? If not, skip this, if so, give it a shot, I have no idea if you'll like it. I did, but, frankly, I may not here in a year or so.
Norther - Black Gold
Norther - Frozen Angel

No Age - Nouns
A distorted mess, but playing in the mud can make you feel like a kid again, and if this album is anything, it's a trip down memory avenue. The songs are, almost by a rule, underwhelming and tricky. There is so much sound coming from this record that there is reason to wonder how a duo is capable of such an assault. Whatever their secret, No Age has crafted what I would think of as a mile marker for music. A lot of people took notice of this album, and I wouldn't think very many people would be willing to really grasp on to it. But I think this album shows me that the tides are turning/things are changing/etc. A whole new world.
No Age - Eraser
No Age - Things I Did When I Was Dead

Santogold - Santogold
A lot of people have been comparing Santogold to M.I.A.. Heck, even I'm guilty of that one. I think it's because there are so few things like Santogold's album that I just needed something to grasp onto. It's got this 80's New Wave mixed with mid 90's Hip-hop all with a late 2000's indie sensibility. One second she might resemble M.I.A., but then she'll be rap/singing over something that sounds like the Police. Then it's like Mr. Marley jumped into the producer's body and took over for a second. The album is all over the place, but it's all innately Santogold. Nothing on this album will be a hit, because, I feel, it's all a bit much for people to get down to, but it's certainly something I'd play at my parties.
Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes
Santogold - You'll Find A Way

Portishead - Third
One of the most subtle albums I think I've heard. It's not that all of it was subtle, no there were some pretty obvious drum beats and synth sounds, but I didn't find those parts of the album to be all that interesting. When I'd heard the album by chance in the local (by now, closed) record store when my friend Brian was working I began to notice the small peculiarities about the album, and I went home and listened to it more. There are soft, almost hidden parts of this album that truly make it a wonderful listen.
Portishead - Silence
Portishead - Machine Gun

Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim
I cannot get enough of Langhorne Slim. Ever since they did their Daytrotter session I've been all over their work. In fact, there are quite a few songs on this album that were first recorded on that Daytrotter set. I was honestly a little disappointed with the new versions of those songs, but that's probably because I had just grown accustom to the way they sounded before. Regardless, the songs are still very good, and the new songs are even better. The album is a rip-roaring jaunt through the more wild parts of the back country. Straight up.
Langhorne Slim - Colette
Langhorne Slim - Diamonds and Gold

"You Can Have All The Diamonds, and All The Gold. But Someday You're Still Gonna Get Old"

Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim
Verdict: Love More (<3)
Oh man. SO spectacular. The only thing I didn't like about the album was that the songs they updated for it weren't as fun as the versions they played on Daytrotter.com.
Langhorne Slim - Colette
Langhorne Slim - Diamonds and Gold
Langhorne Slim - Hummingbird
Langhorne Slim - English Tea (daytrotter session)
Langhorne Slim - By The Time The Sun's Gone Down (daytrotter session)
Langhorne Slim - She's Gone
Langhorne Slim - Restless (daytrotter session)

By The Time The Sun's Gone Down Tonight You'll Know You're the Only One

So yeah, that's how pi works. anyway...

Oh indie-folk, you are an evil temptress. I spend quite a pretty penny making it to shows just to see 2 or 3 pained solo acts who decide to take their pain on the road, inevitably making theirs an even more pain filled life...

okay, enough of that babbling. I loves me some indie-folk (I wonder just how often I'm going to say that). The show at the Larimer Lounge last night was a show filled with the amazingness that is Langhorne Slim. But first, I'll start with the openers.

The Hollyfelds were the first band to play, and I was rather pleased the show opened with such a bright and cheerful band, despite the fact that their songs ranged from drinking to suicide to drinking (said the blogger playfully). I am actually kind of disappointed in the crowd because there were about seven people there for the first half of their set, and then about 12 people when they finished. While that means that when they looked into the crowd one of the lead singers recognized me from my myspace photo and kinda gave me a shout out, I'm still upset that there were not more people to appreciate their efforts. They covered a Neko Case song, and, though I dislike Ms. Case, I think the song was amazing (and I bet they did a much better job than Neko would have). I mostly think this because the singer who sang on that song had the voice of an angel (that's not to discredit the sultry vocals of the other singer, she was damn good too). I don't feel bad about hosting all of their songs (that I could find) because they have expressed that they want people to download and have all their songs, so here ya go:

The Hollyfelds - Dan's Song
The Hollyfelds - Old Carbon
The Hollyfelds - Indicision
The Hollyfelds - The Empress of Wyoming

this was the first time I saw the Greeley-based group Vitamins, but not for a lack of trying. Things just never worked out so that I'd be able to see them. Last night the stars must have been aligned just right. I was rather pleased to see that a few UNCO students came down for the show, filling the room nicely, and after about 10 minutes of sound-tech problems, the show got on, and the room filled with a dreamy-haze. Vitamins are a feel-good-a-holic's dream. well, maybe not the ultimate dream, but groovy people all the same. Listen up:

Vitamins - Brontosaurus
Vitamins - Shoot'em


Los Dos and The New American Ramblers were on next. Unfortunately the large crowd brought forth by Vitamins quickly dispersed back to Greeley, leaving the Larimer Lounge quite empty. Truthfully, I can understand to some degree why they wouldn't have stayed for Los Dos' set, but seriously, give the artists some credit for coming. This was actually the first time I'd ever heard of these fellas, and I have to say that I was rather pleased with their performance. I think that their placement in the evening could have been better coordinated, i.e. they could have played first, because their slow songs and country vocals really brought down what was left of the house, something that I think would have been better suited for the opening slot, seeming how the Hollyfelds and Vitamins had put this energy into the place that was, frankly, brought right down by Los Dos. They were good, damn good, but between the hi-energy acts like Vitamins and Langhorne Slim, it just didn't fit. here are some interestingly small (in size), but long (in duration) recordings of the boys in Los Dos.

Los Dos and The New American Ramblers - Mary and the Devil
Los Dos and The New American Ramblers - Bitter Water
Los Dos and The New American Ramblers - Dancing Down the Days
Los Dos and The New American Ramblers - Smile of Ivory
Los Dos and The New American Ramblers - Oil War Blues/Ain't No War Of Mine
Los Dos and The New American Ramblers - The River of the City
Los Dos and The New American Ramblers - God or the Thunder

Langhorne Slim put on quite the freeking show. I love those men. As soon as he took the stage, the room filled back up with good people in need of a good time, which Langhorne Slim delivered. There were the occasional issues with the sound guy and the equipment (Larimer Lounge can be kinda jank sometimes), but other than that there were absolutely no complaints, and I've not much more to say than SEE THESE MEN LIVE! I want to put the whole damn Langhorne Slim discography up, but that wouldn't be cool (since you ought to go out and buy it all), so I just put up a bunch. I hope it's not excessive. And while you could just as easily go over to the Daytrotter.com site and Download the Daytrotter session, I really want to stress that you have these songs, so I'm going to host the files right here too (but, if you can, give Daytrotter some well deserved traffic).

Langhorne Slim - My Future (off of Electric Love Letter)
Langhorne Slim - Lord (off of Electric Love Letter)
Langhorne Slim - Loretta Lee Jones (off of Electric Love Letter)
Langhorne Slim - Mary (off of When the Sun's Gone Down)
Langhorne Slim - I Will (off of When the Sun's Gone Down)
Langhorne Slim - English Tea (off of Daytrotter Session)
Langhorne Slim - By The Time the Sun's Gone Down (off of Daytrotter Session)
Langhorne Slim - She's Gone (off of Daytrotter Session)
Langhorne Slim - Restless (off of Daytrotter Session)

Since I don't have any live recordings of the Slim men, here are about a hundred videos of varying quality (the first one is amazing [b/c it's an actual music video]):