SOTD 8/31: The Low Water are the exception to the rule

and the rule is: I'm mostly not a fan of bands from Brooklyn. There's no one reason, exactly, why I don't feel the Brooklyn love - I just sometimes don't. But The Low Water rule in so many ways that not really digging them is just NOT an option. They remind me a lot of Wilco, in the way that Wilco experiments heavily with their sound, yet you can always recognize that it's them. I've heard a handful of TLW now, and while each song is uniquely and utterly distinct, they've got a sound that clearly marks them.

Enjoy.

House in the City by The Low Water

SOTD: 8/28 - Special 100th post edition - Cage the Elephant

Ok, so...it's not really a special post, I'll admit it. Though I have to confess, I never thought it'd last this long, I mean, 100 posts? There's not many things I like enough to do a hundred times, know what I mean? But I like finding music, even if I'm sometimes wrong about how good it may be. But I feel pretty good about this post - I've not been shy around here about my love of the Swedes and their brilliant re-interpretation of American garage rock. And thank god for the internet, cause I'd have bet a bunch of money that Cage the Elephant was a bunch of hipster Eurotrash wearing matching sharp suits. But...wow. Was I wrong. Did you see that pic of the scruffy long haired rocker dudes? (who happen to, it turns out, rock like those Swedes I love...)

Anyway. Love them, I do. (and check the solo at the end of this song - it shreds).

Tiny Little Robots by Cage the Elephant

SOTD: 8/27 A bit of beauty in an ugly world...Camera Obscura

Camera Obscura has been around a while, you might remember the brilliant LP 'Underachievers Please Try Harder.." and their indie pop, driven by the angelic vocals of Tracyanne Campbell, has long been a favorite of mine. So imagine how much happier I became today when I was flipping through blogs and came across The Music Slut, who posted video footage from grandcrew.com, which miraculously uses a video player not blocked by the filters in my building. Now you get to enjoy a couple of acoustic nuggets of absolute joy from Camera Oscura - French Navy, Honey in the Sun, and James. Check it out, you'll not be disappointed - and it's the perfect antidote to a rainy craptastic day here in Chicago...

SOTD 8/26: Clap Your Hands Say....Fanfarlo

I love bands with distinctive vocalists - and Fanfarlo has that. I also dig bands with horns and trombones and stuff (think Neutral Milk Hotel) and they pull that out now and again, too. There's even a tinge of David Byrne here...which all adds up to a really wonderful find today...

Finish Line by Fanfarlo


The Walls Are Coming Down by Fanfarlo

SOTD 8/23: Julian Plenti is....Skyscraper

I have NO idea what that means. Really. I'm sure some of you hipsters do, but I don't, and I suppose a guy my age probably shouldn't. Thing is? Julian Plenti is...Skyscraper is frickin' brilliant, whatever the name. In the evolution of angular pop/indie rock from Wire to Interpol to the Editors - this fits right in. Lean rhythms, almost pop-ish vocals, some excellent guitar work...it all comes together here.

The Fun That We Have by Julian Plenti is...Skyscraper

Games for Day by Julian Plenti is...Skyscraper

SOTD 8/19: Turning it down. Low. Really low. With the M. Ward-like Iron and Wine. D'oh

doing a slo-mo version of the New Order classic, Love Vigilantes.


d'oh. it ain't M. Ward. Eagle eye folks have said "it sounds exactly like Iron and Wine" and, uh....they're right. Damn. I hate lookin' like a chump.


thanks to Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good for the find.

SOTD 8/18(a): Nine Black Alps..

Sitting at work, listening to my Afghan Whigs station on Pandora, when this badass slice of rock came pouring through...from the album, Everything Is..

Unsatisfied by Nine Black Alps

SOTD 8/18: it's not every day you get new Radiohead

but...enjoy!

new EP rumored to be coming out at some point....


These Are My Twisted Words by Radiohead

SOTD 8/14: Those Darlins, and my ongoing fascination with non-radio friendly country music

It's really fashionable to say that you hate country music. I've said it, I bet you ten bucks you've said it. We've all said it. But if we're being really honest, what we mean is "I hate that pre-manufactured Brooks and Dunn radio friendly" country music. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's what I meant, cause if I didn't, that means I can't love Those Darlins as much as I do, and I do love them. I love the twangy country backbeat, the rockabilly guitar, the three part harmonies...I love it all. Who can not love a song about "red light love"? No one, that's who. And they write songs about drinking beer and eating chicken. Perfect.

Red Light Love by Those Darlins

Whole Damn Thing by Those Darlins


thanks to Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good for the find

SOTD 8/13(a): As Tall As Lions....

Lucky find this morning, doing my daily skim through a billion music blogs and came across As Tall As Lions, courtesy of Knox Road, and loved it. Think Interpol, Bloc Party, and the now strangely hip again Hall and Oates. Seriously. Just give it a chance, I think you'll be pleased....

Circles by As Tall As Lions

SOTD 8/13: Well, yeah, it's kinda cliche, but when you're my age...

You had something to say when you found out John Hughes died. I've not thought about John Hughes in, what, ten years? Fifteen? But nearly everyone I know who's around my age has had something to say about how important those films were to them when they were growing up. Likely, that says a lot about the color, social class, and educational experiences of the people I know/knew, and you'd be right making that assumption. But in the end, even though I'd argue the movies didn't hold up all that well, they still meant something to a lot of people.

Enough of the rambling of the middle aged. I knew this track had been released a long time ago from The National's Daytrotter session, but it was a capped 5000 downloads thing and I got there late. But courtesy of Quick Before It Melts, here's Matt Berninger and the boys in The National, with one of the iconic Hughes numbers...

Pretty In Pink by The National

How many drunken classic movie quotes can you catch in this brief 16 Candles clip? (and you better watch your language Mr. Dirtymouth...)

SOTD 8/12: It doesn't matter what my brother says, I love LUCERO

I once played some cuts from Lucero's "That Much Further West" for my brother, who pronounced it "beer commercial music." He was wrong then, and he's wrong now. Lucero has a new album coming out in October and I, for one, am terrifically excited. I love Lucero's raw, loose sound. Check 'em out live on their "Dreaming in America" DVD - they're frickin' brilliant.

New album on October 6th. It's a long time to wait.


Hey Darlin' Do You Gamble by Lucero

Helpful Playlist Hints For You Kids...

Lifehacker has some excellent ideas on saving disk space, streaming your playslists, and streamlining your mp3 catalog, check it out here:

Top Ten List for Making Better Playlists

SOTD 8/10: Sometimes? I forget how much I like bands like Locksley

Remember the Hives, and that album of theirs, Vini Vidi Vicious? You heard it, remember? and you thought to yourself, "why do the Swedes totally kick American ass in garage rock?" and then came a veritable flood of bands like them, far too many to mention here, and they, indeed, continued that dominance for a while.

And then, you kinda forgot about garage rock, didn't you? It was a blip. Till now, and the new heroes of American garage rock are Locksley, a band out of NYC. A rarity, I know, since the Big Apple never produces bands, but like most bands from there, they've come from somewhere else - in this case, Madison, Wisconsin. They're gonna take the good garage rock fight straight to the Swedes and anyone else who dare stand in their path to total dominance. Plus, like every other good band going nowadays, they took a quick stop by the Quad Cities to pay their dues in the Daytrotter Studios, where they recorded this, from their first LP, Don't Make Me Wait.

Don't Make Me Wait by Locksley

SOTD 8/7: Climbing up...The Eels

Did you SEE the full moon last night? I came in from dropping kids off and had to stop and just look at it for a while, it was gorgeous, I just gotta say.. gorgeous. Being so near the city, we don't get to see many stars anymore, and just being caught by surprise by a giant moon hanging about ten feet above my house got me thinking of this beautiful song by the Eels...

Climbing Up To The Moon by The Eels


(thanks to indierockcafe for the find)

SOTD 8/5: Ilinois homeboys - Backyard Tire Fire

I love Neil Young's song, Cinnamon Girl, with the plaintive vocals, huge guitars, and excellent refrain.."I wanna live with a cinnamon girl..."

I'm sure it meant something dirty or drug-related, but when I was a kid, I didn't know that, and then, today, I was surfing around and saw that Backyard Tire Fire had cranked out a monster live version of the Neil Young classic. BYTF is from Bloomington, Illinois and their last album, "The Places We Lived" is awesome. Enjoy.

Cinnamon Girl by Backyard Tire Fire

SOTD 8/4: The cool kids all know the Weakerthans...

but that don't mean I didn't have "plea from a cat named virtue" pop up on the shuffle tonight while I was working and think to myself - damn, that song is fffiiiinnnneeeee.

cause it is. weakerthans don't put out much anymore, and they tour only sporadically, but...you should love them.

here's a couple for you to chew on..

plea from a cat named virtue by the weakerthans

aside by the weakerthans

SOTD 8/2: Pawnshop Diamond

Things got a little raucous around here lately - so let's quiet it down on a beautiful Chicago Sunday morning... Pawnshop Diamond are from Canada, (as are many of the great bands I've heard lately) and combine some country, jazz, swing, and the beautiful voice of lead singer Katie Ormiston. Perfect for a day like today...

Dead by Pawnshop Diamond

Just because....Le Tigre Deceptacon

After the inclusion of "Cars That Go Boom" by Le Tigre in Georgia's Summer Top Ten, we went looking for more Le Tigre. And wow. Look what we found: