Brand new shoes. Day 1.
Listen to The Besnard Lakes, ‘Disaster‘:
Author Archives: the OCMD
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
Artist: Animal Collective
Album: Merriweather Post Pavillion
File Under: Experimental
Recommended if You Like: Grizzly Bear, Beach Boys, Yeasayer
Featured Track: ‘My Girls’
Listen up boys and girls, this is important. Animal Collective is releasing their much anticipated, acclaimed and uber-hyped Merriweather Post Pavillion next week on January 20th. (Well, technically it’s already out – make that sold out – on vinyl. But if you’re like me, you’re not hip enough to own a turntable.) So mark your calendars and get ready. Because if you want to be anyone in the music world, with any sort of indie music cred, you need to own this album and worship it like the second coming of Christ. Animal Collective, deliver us from indie rock evil!
Okay, all kidding aside, this is a damn good album. And you should own it. It’s just a little hard to swallow all of this hype. Pitchfork gave the album a 9.6 for christ sakes! I didn’t know that was even possible. Are they really reinventing rock? Is their sound truly that innovative and unlike anything out there in the rock landscape? I don’t think so. My best summary of their sound is classic prog rock syncopation mixed with a little techno and sprinkled with a heap of Beach Boys Pet Sounds all over it.
Perhaps what’s most innovative and unique about them is that they don’t conform to one particular genre, which is refreshing and inspiring. And their music has a joyful, playful and ecstatic quality that makes you want to grab your friends, drop some E, tune in and trip out. (Is that album art moving or is it just my imagination? Whoa.)
You’ve been given the kool-aid, now drink it. Then join the rest of the disciples for an exclusive stream of Merriweather Post Pavillion on Rhapsody. See you on the other side.
In Anticipation: Handsome Furs – Face Control
Montreal’s Handsome Furs have a new album on the horizon! Their second effort, Face Control, is due out on Sub Pop Records 3/10.
The side project of Wolf Parade‘s guitarist and vocalist Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexei Perry, Handsome Fur’s Face Control ‘draws inspiration from Eastern Europe and re-maps Eastern Bloc surveillance state themes to contemporary life and the irony of our acceptance and embrace of self-monitoring, through blogs and facebooks and myspaces and credit/debit accounts and surveillance cameras and GPS devices.’ Confused? Just listen to this new track, ‘I’m Confused’. And if you haven’t already heard their debut album, Plague Park, do so now. It was one of my favorites for 2007.
Face Control Track Listing:
- Legal Tender
- Evangeline
- Talking Hotel Arbat Blues
- (Passport Kontrol)
- All We Want, Baby, Is Everything
- I’m Confused
- (White City)
- Nyet Spasiba
- Officer of Hearts
- (It’s Not Me, It’s You)
- Thy Will Be Done
- Radio Kaliningrad
Listen to ‘I’m Confused’:
Listen to ‘Radio Kaliningrad‘:
Neko’s ‘Charity’ Case
Neko Case has a new album on the horizon, Middle Cyclone, due out March 3 on ANTI-. Now through February 3 you can download the first single “People Got A Lotta Nerve,” and help a great cause! Because for every blog that reposts the song and/or iLike user who adds it to their profile, Neko Case andANTI– will make a cash donation to Best Friends Animal Society. Five dollars will be donated for every blog post and one dollar for every user of iLike that adds the song to his/her profile.
I’ve done my job, now go do yours. After you’ve properly ogled that hot album cover, of course. She does look like a man eater in that photo.
Neko Case, “People Got a Lotta Nerve”
Pavement to Reunite…If the Price is Right
There’s been lots of speculation of a Pavement reunion tour of late, but this article from The Guardian UK yesterday seems to imply a reunion is imminent for 2009 and centered around both the band and their label, Matador Records, 20th anniversary this year. Makes a lot of sense. Apparently Coachella’s booking agent is all over it, but as of now, the festival has yet to promise a big enough guarantee.
Listen to Pavement covering Echo and The Bunnymen’s ‘Killing Moon‘ :
Flight of the Conchords Season Premiere
The new season of ‘Flight of the Conchords’ begins January 18th, but you can watch the season premiere now on HBO.com.
In Anticipation: A.C. Newman – ‘Get Guilty’
The New Pornographer’s frontman, A.C. Newman, is releasing his second solo album January 20th on Matador Records, where you can pre-order the CD and save $3 . The band recorded several tracks from his upcoming album Get Guilty at a studio in Brooklyn last Monday for Pitchfork.tv. Here’s the video for “Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer.”
Catch A.C. Newman performing at San Francisco’s NoisePop Festival February 28th at The Independent.
Vodpod videos no longer available.more about “Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer | Pitchf…“, posted with vodpod
Hookey
It was 75 degrees and sunny in San Francisco yesterday and Judah’s school was closed for teacher’s conferences, so we played hookey. Which consisted of:
- One slice of Arinell’s pizza
- One kids sized cone of Bi-Rite Creamery’s Brown Butter Pecan ice cream
- Three hours of non-stop play at Dolores Park
- Random outbursts of song to Juliana Hatfield‘s ‘My Baby’:
Sneak Preview: Stream M.Ward’s ‘Hold Time’
Starting tonight, you can stream M. Ward’s Hold Time on NPR’s First Listen.
Scheduled for release on February 17, the new album features guest appearances by Lucinda Williams,Zooey Deschanel (She & Him), Rachel Blumberg (The Decemberists) and others. Though it mostly features all-new songs, Hold Time includes a handful of cover tunes, including Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me” and “Rave On,” made popular by Buddy Holly.
To pre-order the CD, visit Merge Records.
Enjoy!
Emotionally Scarred
I had promised to take Judah swimming after he waited out my Yoga class at the gym’s Kids Club. However, his cool surfer dude board shorts are MIA. So in a panic to make it to my class on time and not disappoint a 3 year old, we dashed to Sports Basement en route to the gym. This was the only child sized swimsuit they had in stock.
The stigma of a Speedo swimsuit must be genetically encoded in the male DNA because promptly after I put it on him he stuffed himself in the locker next to him saying, “I don’t want anyone to see me. I’m a shy guy.” Luckily, when faced with the prospect of swimming in a Speedo or going home to take a nap, he quickly got over it. Even posed for this photo. I just hope he’s not scarred for life.
Listen to Bug Lung Baby‘s ‘This Life‘ – a track that’s very Deerhunter-esque to me. And download Bug Lung Baby’s Trilobite Trash EP free from RCRDLBL.com
the OCMD 