Video: Sam Amidon - "Saro"

Originally from Vermont, Sam Amidon (or Samamidon) is the son of a large musical family that seems to be making a name for itself.  He has recorded five albums with his band Assembly, contributed to Doveman and Stars Like Fleas, and after Assembly's disassembly, began a solo endeavor built on traditional folk songs, either popular or those buried by time, which he plays straight or reinterprets with the aid of his counterparts. His second and newest album, All is Well, continues in this direction with help from composer Nico Muhly and Icelandic producer Valgeir Sigurosson, who also put out the record on his Bedroom Community label.

Although I can't honestly (yet) speak for his back catalogue or even all of the new album, the song "Saro" struck me as quite touching and heartfelt. The history involved in this song--where it came from, who wrote it, who it helped get by as times got really tough and food short--seems to be its emotional weight and centerpiece. Sam Amidon's performance of the song, and his backing crew, gives it the attention it deserves without any maudlin theatrics, only better amplifying the cry of trying to find a place for yourself through hardship.

Some other songs off of All is Well are available below.

www.samamidon.com

www.myspace.com/samamidon

Tim and Eric - Nite Live Valentine's Day Episode

If you haven't heard of Tim and Eric (which is, indeed, their professional title), then you are simultaneously deprived and fortunate: deprived because they are funny as hell, fortunate because they are insane, most of the time.  They made a little show that appeared on Adult Swim (Cartoon Network) called Tom Goes to the Mayor, made a new show called Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! also currently on Adult Swim, and now produce Nite Live for the online comedy "channel" SuperDeluxe.com. Their comedy is difficult to describe, but it's kind of like watching Kids in the Hall on acid; it's not for everyone.

They also have a stage show which tours every once in a while.  From what I've heard, it's not really a show so much as an experience.  And guess what, you're in luck, because they may be coming to a town near you soon. Portland "experience" is on May 3rd @ the Bagdad Theatre.  Come if you dare (to laugh)!

Video: Vampire Weekend - "A-Punk"

Here's a charming little number by the band Vampire Weekend. Their new s/t album sounds like Paul Simon during his Afro years mixed with a little island music and certainly has a lot of moxie. Do people still say moxie?! Well, I say moxie, dammit, so get used to it showing up once in awhile. Anyway, the point is that it is easy to appreciate. Plus, their album is dirt cheap ($7.99) at Amazon right now, if any of you out there still pay for music.

www.vampireweekend.com
www.myspace.com/vampireweekend

PS: they are playing/biting necks in Portland on March 25th @ the Doug Fir Lounge

Video: Justice - "D.A.N.C.E."

JUSTICE - D.A.N.C.E.
Uploaded by edbangerrecords

Here is a kick ass video from the electronic duo Justice. Their record came out some time last year, but it's super-awesomeness was recently brought to my attention by my brother. Plus, they are about to go on a massive tour, which I'm sure will be gloriously headache inducing. Somebody please start making the shirts in the video!

Justice on myspace
Myspace Music Tour featuring Justice

Portland show is on Wed., March 26th @ the Roseland w/Diplo + Fancy

Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature

To write a great book, a writer needs pen and paper—the pen to transmit his or her thoughts, the paper to record them. Whether it’s War and Peace or Everyone Poops (as equally riveting as The Gas We Pass: The Story of Farts), the creative tools are the same. By equal measure, all you really need to record a great song is an instrument and a tape recorder. Use only the essential, press record, and let an airy, bedroom performance become the finished product.

Swedish singer/songwriter Jose Gonzalez embraces this minimalist approach to song creation on his new album In Our Nature. Armed only with an acoustic guitar and his whispery voice, Gonzalez presents each breath and note with purpose. The exciting part is not simply the decision to use less; it’s the atmospheric effect of emphasizing the very sound of the things that are used. Buzzing guitar strings, a stray pick scraping across the guitar, the creakiness of a chair—these are all elements of Gonzalez’ song craft and feel as essential as the hooks of the songs themselves.

Closer “Cycling Trivialities” highlights this lo-fi folk style with a swirling guitar line that slowly builds to the album’s emotional peak, but then fades out steadily to a crawl until all you hear is the sound of Gonzalez sitting in a chair, he puts his guitar down, shuffles a bit, then faintly chuckles and the album ends. This final minute of silence points out how noisy silence really is. Perhaps he is illustrating the futility of the noise/silence duality. Or maybe he just wanted to end the album with a serene hush and the laugh indicates that even he couldn’t take the “noisy silence” that seriously. Either way, it works marvelously.

Other songs do have some instrumental accompaniment. A song about personal salvation or humanity’s unfriendliness, “Down the Line” is driven forward by subtle percussive clicking while Gonzalez muses, “I see problems down the line/I know they’re mine.” The knee slaps/hand claps in memorable “Killing for Love” and “Time to Send Someone Away” adds momentum to the sparse melodies. There is even an earnest, pulsing cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop”, though the original remains superior.

Thematically, In Our Nature largely covers familiar issues of humanity’s fall from grace. Why are we greedy and selfish (“How Low”), why does religion get out of hand (“Abram”), why do we kill each other (“In Our Nature”)? Due to Gonzalez’ sincere delivery combined with his skillful guitar playing, the lyrics are effective, but often fall short of revelatory.

As with his debut, Veneer, which was a critical and commercial success in Europe, In Our Nature continues to explore the boundaries and boundlessness of minimalist songwriting. It feels fresh among its polished, track-heavy contemporaries. Apparently, Gonzalez is something of a star in his home country. He may soon find his simple, down-to-earth method landing him in the fish bowl over here. All the better for us.

Jose-Gonzalez.com

Jose Gonzalez @ Myspace

In Our Nature - José González

Video Nostalgia: Foo Fighters - "Big Me"

I've been listening to the first Foo Fighters record a lot recently and remembered this hilarious video of "Big Me."  Rock in the '90s, those were simpler times.  At least I can always come back to it and get warm, fuzzy feelings inside.  And not just in a goat boy, "hey, remember the '90s"-kind of way.

Video: Menomena - "Evil Bee"

This is my first attempt with this whole embedding process. A great video to a great Menomena song "Evil Bee" from their recently released album Friend And Foe [Barsuk Records].

Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover

Simply put: Canadians do it better.  Well, in the very least, they do weirder better.  Sunset Rubdown are a four-piece from Montreal that creates off-kilter, whimsical guitar rock whose beautifully subtle melodies slowly creep under your skin deeper and deeper the more you listen.  Songwriter and vocalist Spencer Krug (also from Wolf Parade, Frog Eyes, Swan Lake) yelps out cryptic metaphors from behind his keyboard in such a way that often forces a "love it" or "can't stand it" division among listeners, but I find myself being captivated both by the uniqueness of the singing style and his adept sense of rhythm with words, placing them just at the right peak or valley of a song to complement the emotional weight of it.

There is also a creepy, horror-movie-soundtrack like quality to the piano arrangements on some songs ("Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns", "Stallion") that I find even myself wishing would end sooner.  Yet, these missteps are always juxtaposed to some brilliant bridge or transition that I can't overlook.  The best songs start and end in completely different worlds as mini-epics, first coming off as mad meanderings, then revealing themselves as scripted compositions with every note in its right place ("The Mending of the Gown", "Magic vs. Midas", "Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days", "The Taming of the Hands that Came Back to Life").  Judging by their song titles, I think it is safe to say that Sunset Rubdown also have a playful sense of humor.

Random Spirit Lover is actually a very apt label for this record.  It is often random, has a ton of spirit, and I would bet these guys are lovers, not fighters.  In any case, they are keeping the album alive and well for me.

Home page: sunsetrubdown.net

Listen: Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days [MP3]

Listen: Winged/Wicked Things [MP3]

Listen: Winged/Wicked Things (Live Daytrotter Session)

Buy: Sunset Rubdown at Jagjaguwar 

Video: M. Ward - "Chinese Translation"

This is the best video I have seen all year. I keep coming back to M. Ward ever since I picked up Post-War earlier this year. Thought this was worth sharing.

Battles - Mirrored

When you ask someone what kind of music they listen to, you usually hear one of two responses: 1) "I like everything" and 2) "I like everything but country and rap."  The former is an outright lie (how can you possibly like Celene Dion!), while the latter is a half-truth--when you look at the country/rap hater's musical library, you find Beck, Wilco, Rage Against the Machine, Toby Kieth...alright, no Toby...but no doubt the guy who claims not to like rap or country actually enjoys portions of, if not all, the musical character that defines the genre. I say, let's bury genre-specific music hunting! Be bold and listen to something you might not seek out. This is leading somewhere, you can tell. It's not "math-rock" or "prog-rock," it's the album Mirrored by Battles and it kicks arse!

The album leads off with a fervent cross-stick drum beat on the aptly titled "Race: In" and pretty much never lets up until reprise and closer "Race: Out."  These songs sound as if a bunch of rock/funk/jazz mutts got together in a warehouse somewhere and allowed whatever to come to come--then meticulously shaped the ideas that came out of the meeting. It's not so much about trying to figure out what they are doing, though it is a fun challenge; it's just enjoying the sheer enthusiasm and passion they clearly have for this style of rock. And, as I experienced a couple weeks ago at a show in Portland, it's actually really fun to dance to too!  They--fucking--slew.

They are all incredibly talented musicians with a keen sense of metre, tempo, and space. The band's make-up: a bassist/guitarist (Dave Konopka), an absolutely monster (!!) drummer (John Stanier, formerly of Helmet), and two keyboardist/guitarists (Ian Williams and Tyondai Braxton, also on "vox"). Each member also has an array of noisemakers and looping machines used to create intricate, interwoven beats and [very] hidden melodies.

With all that said, listening to Mirrored may still be quite a challenge for some not already predisposed to "experimental rock" (dammit, I wasn't supposed to give it a title!). Just give it a shot; check out some songs; watch some videos on their myspace page. If nothing else, you may be able to at least appreciate why I can't stop listening to these guys and can't wait for more!!

Listen: Battles on Mypsace

Watch: "Atlas" video

Watch: "Tonto" video

Buy: Amazon