last october andrew bird made a pit stop on the road to do a daytrotter session with a chicago-based outfit called dianogah. one the songs they played was the gorgeous tune “lull”, off of his 2003 release weather systems. its a very dark, but strangely comforting song. and this new animated video created by lisa barcy, set to the longer daytrotter version, complements the song very well. although i was slightly creeped out by the last thirty seconds of the video.
the former film professor, now accomplished indie-rocker, sam beam has outdone himself again. i realize this is far overdue, but i couldn’t go any longer without turning you all onto the latest release from iron and wine. the shepherds dog is very different from his previous work. with the shepherd’s dog, beam has strayed quite a bit from his lo-fi, mostly stripped down acoustic beginnings, which he has received a fair amount of flack for. but for the life of me i cannot even begin to see what people are complaining about. sometimes different isn’t so bad, especially in this case. he again sought the aid of producer brian deck, a very accomplished percussionist, who has had his hand in a number of indie-pop albums over the past several years, from modest mouse to the fruit bats to josh ritter. together the two of them created a very rhythmic variety of some of the most beautiful arrangements i have ever heard. combined with his brilliant lyrical capabilities, it makes for one of the best albums of 2007. easily in my top five from last year. i encourage all of you to go out and purchase this album if you have not already done so.
Hello Ear Bleeders!!! My name is Micah and I’ll be contributing some thoughts from the west coast. Today—a bit on Amos Lee’s new album, due in stores on June 24!
Living in L.A. can make someone completely insane, and if you’re like me, it will. Nevertheless, I forge on, fighting the superficial masses and taking deep breaths of an air supply (no pun intended) that only a robot could love. Once in a while, though, the city will slap you in the face, reminding you that despite its drawbacks, it is still the entertainment capital of the world. Yesterday was one of these days. I had the opportunity to see the character mold for Pixar’s ‘The Incredibles,’ Jay Leno, live and in-person in Burbank, CA for the Tonight Show. I had a hook-up from a friend for any date to see the show, so a buddy and I decided to go to the showing with Amos Lee to get a glipse of his new stuff.
On the show, Lee performed a track from his new album–entitled “Last Days at the Lodge.” I’ve always loved a little Amos on those dark cloudy days, when I can sip some coffee, eat biscotti, and feel much more cultured than I actually am…or on those late night drives through the city, where the street lights mesh to the sound of Lee’s mellow tone. From his self-titled full length album, my favorite song is “Colors” with Norah Jones. So damn pretty. Anyway, after the show, they were generous enough to give the audience a few copies of his new album, due out in stores on 6/24. After my initial listen, I’ve decided that the new CD has fewer catchy songs, but a bit more instrumental variety.
Even more than the last one, the new album feels destined for the speakers at Starbucks, and will undoubtedly go well with coffee and biscotti. That, however, might be just the problem, if any. Amos is unbelievably talented and plays a very listenable style of music that is accessible to indie kids, 35 yr old mothers of two, and (especially) uptown photographers. Nothing on the CD is terrible or drab, but nothing on the CD really displays the genius of his catchy first album or the flair in some of his songwriting. I do, however, enjoy the album and am looking forward to having it “grow on me.” Does that sound weird? Cheers!
When you set forth on a quest to find indie pop remixes, you often have to compromise on what should and shouldn’t be remixed. But on other occasions, you find songs that make perfect sense to be remixed, especially when they are remixed in a way that amplifies the true sound of the song.
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Deceptacon by Le Tigre
The band Le Tigre are odd enough as it is, but to remix it is quite odd as well.
I found that with the original Deceptacon I had a very hard time hearing the vocals, now I can hear them clearly. In fact I discovered an explicit lyric I never knew existed. Perhaps the biggest change to the song is the length. A quick three minute song is transformed into a TWELVE minute never ending dance party.
It’s an overall nice change of pace from the original and it’s something fun to pop on while cleaning or doing some other menial task. A nice danceable groove that doesn’t get on your nerves.
