Hilarious But True: Defining Indie Music Fans

Posted on by

indiebandscorrected

@epicureanzealot sent me the link to this post on Cracked.com and, well, I cracked up.  In addition to this hilarious decision flow chart for whether or not a band is worthy of indie fan-dom, they summed up the indie music scene and it’s followers like this:

  1. “Indie music” is a term most commonly associated with unsigned or minor label bands that have a folk/alt/rock/electronic sound.
  2. In addition to liking music that nobody else does, the one thing that unites the indie scene is a willingness to wear clothes nobody else would be caught dead in.
  3. The favored environment for indie music culture is festivals; however it can be found in clubs, thrift stores and Urban Outfitters.

Stuck In My Head: She Keeps Bees, “My Last Nerve”

Posted on by

ronald_fischer_the_beekeeper_par_richard

She Keeps Bees, “My Last Nerve”

“…I’m your punisher/ I’ve got nerve. I’ve got some nerve, don’t I? “

I’m still obsessing over this album and particularly this song. I just love how the imagery of this portrait by Richard Avedon, called The Beekeeper (one of my favorites in the Avedon exhibit happening currently at SF MOMA – a must see!), fits so well with with everything about this post. I’m feeling very satisfied and complete right now. Get the album “Nests” by She Keeps Bees and you might too.

Cool Tech: iLike’s Local Concert iPhone App

Posted on by

ilike

Ohhh, here’s a new iPhone app that made me very happy.  Meet Local Concert from iLike which allows you to keep tabs on your local music scene and when your favorite artists are coming to town. The application tracks all of your favorite artists (culled from your iPhone or iTouch library), alerts you when they’re coming to town, enables you to buy tickets, listen to their music and share concert alert news with friends – all from your iPhone.

The other cool feature is that it allows you to track the concert calendars of your favorite local venues. This is particularly great for me because sometimes my music library doesn’t always reflect all the artists I might want to see. I can envision the local venues tab of the app becoming a critical tool for my SXSW planning too.

Grab the free app here.

Video: The Dodos – “Fools” (Live at The Mural)

Posted on by

A most excellent video of local heros, The Dodos, performing “Fools” at a recent KEXP sponsored show. It gives you great insight into the layers and complexities of their music. The Dodos are playing a special Outside Lands night show at The Rickshaw Stop on August 26. If you don’t have your tickets, start scalping. It’s already sold out!

Will There Be A Radiohead EP Released Today?

Posted on by

sony_microsoft_mpaa_riaa_apple

Radiohead, “These Are My Twisted Words”

The Internet is ablaze with theories about the leaked Radiohead track last week, “These Are My Twisted Words.” And one such theory that’s been speculated on a Radiohead fan site, At Ease, is that “Twisted Words” is from a new Radiohead EP called Wall of Ice that will hit the internet hard today. According to the site, in the source files of the the leaked track last week, the title ‘Wall Of Ice’ was found twice as well as a release date of August 17, 2009.

Why is everyone so optimistic about this theory?

  1. If you go to wallofice.com you get redirected to a Radiohead online store.
  2. In the recent Believer interview, Yorke alluded to having something up his sleeve by saying: “We’ve got this great idea for putting things out but I can’t tell you what it is, because someone will rip it off.”
  3. The ‘Wall of Ice’ reference of the supposed EP title is believed to originate from an anti-industry cartoon about digital rights management (pictured above).
  4. Capitol Records is slated to release deluxe reissues of Kid A, Amnesica and Hail to the Theif on August 25. The band had no input into this.

Given that Radiohead has vocally expressed disdain for the music industry and it’s inner workings on many occasion, this is all starting to sound like a very viable ‘fuck you’ to the system.  Whether it’s true or not, we will shall soon find out. Good god do I have respect for this band.  Not only are they musical geniuses, they’re marketing geniuses too.  And right now they have the entire world eating out of their hands.

Stuck In My Head: The Flaming Lips, “Kundalini Express”

Posted on by

magnumpr_albumart_4

The Flaming Lips, “Kundalini Express”

I just love the electro weirdness of this Love and Rockets cover from The Flaming Lips featured on the new Love and Rockets Tribute album that’s out now.  It’s one of my favorites on the album and I can’t get enough of it. Play, repeat, play, repeat…

Surprise! New Radiohead MP3 – “These Are My Twisted Words”

Posted on by

radiohead-797135

Radiohead, “These Are My Twisted Words”

Earlier this week the world was mourning the fact that Radiohead announced they were out of the LP album business and have no plans to release any.  Then today, a new MP3 suddenly appears on the Internet from the band, “These Are My Twisted Words”. If I didn’t know better, I’d say these cheeky bastards are toying with us. Whether this is contrived or coincidence, I’ll take it.

Album of the Week: Woods, “Songs of Shame”

Posted on by

songs-of-shame-large-msg-123815885187

Artist: Woods
Album: Songs of Shame
File Under:  Lo-Fi, Psych Rock/Jam Band
Recommended if You Like: Mount Eerie, Dungen, Wavves, Crystal Stilts
Featured Track: “Rain On”

I’m pretty much a sucker for anything filed under the murky category of ‘lo-fi’ but I particularly like the genre-bending twist the Brooklyn-based group calling themselves, Woods, puts on it – which is a combination of lo-fi, psych rock, jam band and Neil Young-tinged folk.

It sounds ridiculous but it works in a delightfully quirky and unpredictable way. For just when you think you’ve got their sound figured out – fuzzed out guitars, off-kilter vocals – they’ll throw in a nine minute guitar jam (“September With Pete”), a great cover (Graham Nash’s “Military Madness”), a melancholy  ditty (“Rain On”) or an experimental instrumental (“Echo Lake”). Wrap all that together with the hazy ambience of cassette tape recording and you’ve got yourself an album worth listening to.  Trust me.

For those in the Bay Area, Woods is part of a stellar bill of music planned August 30 at Bottom of the Hill also featuring Kurt Vile and Dungen.