December 2007 Mix

Instead of clamoring about what should be considered the best of 2008 (that'll come later), I say take some time and look back on December 2007.

Downloadable: "December 2007" (box.net zip)

The Tracks:
1. "Business Cats" (box.net mp3) by Mika Miko
2. "No Being Disgusting (Live)" (box.net mp3) by Screaming Females
3. "Wonderful People" (southern mp3) by Q And Not U
4. "I'd Rather Be Clogging" (punk in my vitamins mp3) by Karp
5. "Prisonship Martyrs" (mp3) by Freshkills
6. "What Needs Must Be" (matador mp3) by Dead Meadow
7. "Loosen Up (Daytrotter Session)" (box.net mp3) by The Shaky Hands
8. "Beat (Health, Life, and Fire)" (kill rockstars mp3) by Thao Nguyen
9. "Indestructible Life!" (fanatic mp3) by Old Time Relijun
10. "End Result (Crass Reworking)" by Jeffrey Lewis
11. "Me, Me, Just Me" by Feral Children
12. "Slippershell" (box.net mp3) by Kristin Hersh
13. "Mindfuck" (mp3) by Dirt Merchants
14. "Change (Blind Melon Cover)" (mp3) by Cassettes Won't Listen
15. "The Wizard (Live on Fair Game)" (fair game mp3) by Bat For Lashes
16. "Gila" (box.net mp3) by Beach House
17. "Chrome's On It" (i am sound mp3) by Telepathe
18. "Black Tape" by Low Scores
19. "So Post All 'Em (Instrumental)" (box.net mp3) by YACHT
20. "The Basement/Efant Terrible" by Yea Big & Kid Static

Consider CLICKing
- Check out this artpunk/postpunk jam from Bruno Wizard's The Homosexuals: "Slow Guns" (serious business mp3). 2nd pressing of the vinyl is here. eMusic page is here. Another mp3?: "Snapshots Of Nairobi (Live In Washington,D.C. 11.13.08)" (serious business mp3)

- Listen to El Guincho on WNYC's Soundcheck: "The resulting sound can be disorienting, manic -- and blissful." (wnyc mp3). Deets are here.

- Built On A Weak Spot is back up just in time for a new monthly mix... here. Note... We here at GT world headquarters are delighted to have influenced the choice of one song this month.

- Best Of 2008: Gorilla Vs. Bear's songs of the year... here.

- Raven Sings The Blues posts a track off the new Finally Punk 7"... here.

- Best of 9375: Future Post Year in Review @ Transmissions From Wintermute... here. More futureposts... here.

Oppressions Each By Brightblack Morning Light

Yes, yes... Sonic Youth is now a Matador recording artist. We are all very excited. But today, I have a couple tracks from a different Matador artist -- Brightblack Morning Light. This is not "get up and go" music. This is "I am sick of Mazzy Star and need something to play late and night when I am slightly drunk and overtired" music. It's not something I play all that often, but it fills a niche.

Motion To Rejoin comes out Sepember 23.

Downloadables:
"Oppressions Each" (box.net mp3)
"Hologram Buffalo" (box.net mp3)

Myspace page is here.
Matador page is here.
eMusic page is here.
Preorder Motion To Rejoin here.

Consider CLICKing
- When You Awake has a mix put together by BJ of Parts & Labor. It is entitled "Top 10 Countryish/Folkish Songs By Artists That People Don't Consider To Be Country/Folk" or "Top 10 Weird/Punk Songs For People Who Only Listen To Country/Folk Music". Get it here.

- The Shaky Hands new album Lunglight is out. Get it here or here or maybe here. Listen: "Loosen Up" (mp3)

- Sebastien Grainger was one half of DFA1979. If you take out dance and you take out the punk from DFA1979 apparently what you are left with is North American 'rawk'. His album Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains comes out Oct 21. Listen: "American Names" (saddle creek mp3)

- I'd like to pass on a recommendation that Palin use "Roses" (youtube vid) instead of "Barracuda" (youtube vid) as her intro music now that Heart has sent the McCain campaign a C&D. Huffington Post has some deets... here.

I Make Windows By Forest Fire

Brooklyn/Portland based indie folkrock band Forest Fire has a new album of "[h]omegrown hymns for those with no religion" and you can download it fo' frees! But wait you say, I like to listen to something before I buy it (even if it for $0).

Downloadable Song: "I Make Windows" (box.net mp3)

Downloadable Album: Survival (archive.org)

Stream or Download Survival: here (last.fm) or here (catbird records).

Forest Fire is composed of Mark Thresher, Adam Spittler, Myisha Battle, Natalie Stormann, and Nathan Delffs. You may know Nathan Delffs from his other band The Shaky Hands (posts: here and here).

Use your purchasing power:
- Pay-what-you-want digital download is here.
- Buy the Survival CD (if you really like optical media)... here (unfortunately the GIANT CD package is sold out).
- You can pre-order the new new new Shaky Hands album, Lunglight... here.

Myspace page is here.
Catbird Records is here.
eMusic page is here.

Forest Fire BONUS: "Psychic Love Stars" (catbird mp3)

Consider CLICKing
- I gots to agree with heartonastick -- What If Someone Is Watching Their TV? by Screaming Females "was the best album from last year that no one was listening to." More about that... here. Watch The Screaming Females play: "Theme Song" (archive.org punkcast mp4)

- The latest Contrast Podcast is "the ninth installment of Musicians introduce their own songs" (cp mp3). Track list and deets... here.

- Two new Vivian Girls songs. One is at MOKB (here) AND one is at Gorilla Vs. Bear (here).

- Mr. Beck Hanson was interviewed on NPR the other day. He states that he really doesn't rap, because "it doesn't come from hip-hop." He goes on "I used to hang out with a lot of poets and people who did spoken word. So I think I thought my rap — quote 'rap' — songs were coming from that." Listen/Read... here.

- Check out "Rosemary, Etc." by Zookeeper @ daytrotter... here. I like it when his voice breaks.

We Are Young By The Shaky Hands

Following up on yesterday's theme of Daytrotter session songs that I really like (which happen to have jangly guitars in them), today I post a track from the upcoming (Sept. 9) release from The Shaky Hands. The album is called Lunglight. It will look like this:



Downloadable: "Loosen Up" (removed at the request of Kill Rock Stars)

KRS Approved Downloadable: "We Are Young" (box.net mp3) (source: krs)

You remember The Shaky Hands, right?

- They had that name fight with indiewavers Cut Off Your Hands.

- They had that awesome Daytrotter session a while back.

- They were featured on GT's Top 11 Downloadables That Were Not Freakin' Everywhere in 2007... here. If you don't feel like downloading the zip in that post, get the featured Shaky Hands track... here.

Myspace page is here.
Holocene Music page is here.
Kill Rock Stars is here.
Daytrotter Session is here.
Emusic page is here.

Consider CLICKing
- Watch The Mae Shi perform "Run To Your Grave" (box.net mp3) at Whartscape 2008... here. Thanks Beatbots A/V Club.

- Listen-O-matic:
"Wet Gold" (fanatic mp3) by Octopus Project
"Connjur" (ghostly mp3) by School Of Seven Bells
"The Runaround" (better looking mp3) by Thomas White

- Chromewaves check out Bodies Of Water... here.

- The Believer Magazine's music issue CD listing is... here. Expect some posting about these tracks peppered through out the blog-o-web soon.

I'll Hit The Breaks By Yppah

If you like the instrumental goodness of Low Scores, you might like this post.

Joe Corrales is Yppah, and Yppah is from Houston, TX. He mixes guitars + keyboards + loops (sampled from real drums) to create mid to downtempo jazz/electronic/indie soundscapes. Way back in 2006, he put out You Are Beautiful At All Times.

Yppah says: "with you are beautiful at all times i was trying to combine all my influences plus the mood i had been in that past year i was writing it."

Take a listen...

Downloadable: "I'll Hit The Breaks" (box.net mp3)
Streamable: "Good Like That" (youtube)

Ninjatune is here.
Wiki Wiki Wiki here.
Imeem page is here.
Day Of The Woman myspace page is here.
FYI: Day Of The Woman is Yppah + Low Scores + Stenographer
eMusic page is here.

Consider CLICKing
- PUKEKOS posts the We Got Communication EP by Aussie indie rockers Love Of Diagrams... here.

- Increase Your Weirdness posts some "old stuff"... here.

- Northwestern blog, lamestain posts a Nirvana boot... here.

- Sons And Daughters give a spirited yet muted performance of three songs @ daytrotter... here.

- 20 Jazz Funk Greats posts US Girls + Arch M + El Guincho... here.

- The Forkcast has New New New Tobacco of BMSR (here) + New New New Shaky Hands (here).

- The Octopus Project's new single "Wet Gold" is up @ Side One Track One... here.

- Vids Vids Vids... "Orphans" by Beck (here) and "Highways Of Gold" by Jaguar Love (here) + an mp3... "Highways Of Gold" (matador mp3)

- NEVVER has "The Sound Of Summer" (a la Art Brut) posted just for you... here.

- Finally, closing out this consider clicking is The Smudge Of Ashen Fluff who ripped The Go! Team's recent performance on The Current... here.

May 2007 Mix

It's time to stop and reflect again... Let's look back and listen to May 2007.

The Downloadable: "May 2007 Mix" (box.net zip) (mirror: sendspace)

Artists Featured:
The Dicks
The Harvey Girls
The Sky Drops
The Shaky Hands
Pretty Girls Make Graves
The New Pornographers
Spoon
Tapes 'n Tapes
The Harlem Shakes
Frances
Unlove
The Jealous Girlfriends
Parts & Labor
Death Sentence: PANDA!
Black Moth Super Rainbow
dj gyngyvytus
Notorious B.I.G. remixed by Ratatat
Dan Deacon
Bonde Do Rolê
Eats Tapes
Dntel

And if you have not already, check out the April 2007 Mix, because it will be taken down soon.

Consider Clicking
- Speaking of monthly mixes, check out BOAWS' monthly mix for April 2008... here

- Check out the 80's Nightmares mix at Out Of 5... here.

Top 11 Downloadables That Were Not Freakin' Everywhere in 2007 a/k/a t11mp3twnfe2007

This post is entitled Top 11 Downloadables That Were Not Freakin' Everywhere in 2007 or simply t11mp3twnfe2007. This list is comprised of bands that I think should have received a lot more attention than they did in 2007. I just wanted to thank the following bands for making 2007 awesome:

The Crystal Stilts
Comment: Love that kick-drum percussion plus surfy gits.

Double Dagger
Comment: Double Dagger do not fuck around. Nuff said.

The Duke Spirit
Comment: Chris Goss does good with the Duke Spirit.

El Jesus De Magico
Comment: Ohio. Ohio. Ohio.

The Exeter Popes
Comment: Their sound pays tribute to the same bands as Oxford Collapse but their name references a different town in England. Coincidence?

Freedom Haters
Comment: Besides having the greatest band name of the year, these cats can write songs yo.

The Future Of The Left
Comment: 2/3's of Mclusky is good enough for me. SAUM would be on this list too, but all I heard of them was this. Plus, I don't live in Australia.

O'Death
Comment: They serve up slabs of countryfolkpunk goodness. If you haven't heard it check out their Pixies cover of "Nimrod's Son" (ysi mp3). It's the best damn Pixies cover I have ever heard, know why? Because they make it their own.

Pterodactyl
Comment: Just the right blend of guitar, bass, drums, and samples. Perfecto.

The Shaky Hands
Comment: This band writes songs that stick in my head (and yours too, prolly).

Shepherdess
Comment: (postpunk * catpowerness) + violin = Green Seat!

Download: "t11mp3twnfe2007" (zip)

Oh yeah... the track listing:

Killers By Psychic Ills

Brooklyn's Psychic Ills create a blend of spacerock, nowave and postrock. And I'm not even gonna mention Kevin Shields. Enjoy!

Downloadables:
"Killers" (mp3)
"4am" (mp3)
"January Rain" (mp3)
"Another Day" (zip of mp4)

Myspace page is here.
Emusic page is here.

Consider Clicking
- THIS is ridiculous.
- The Sound Of Indie has posted a demo of "Adidas My Ass" by Air Miami... here.
- Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings LIVE!!! (on NPR) now appearing at Cable & Tweed... here.
- Taken By Trees (with former Concretes vocalist, Victoria Bergsman) are over at Quick, Before It Melts... here.
- An Aquarium Drunkard has posted two tracks from The Shaky Hands new tour EP... here.
- The Rawking Refuses To Stop says THIS is greatest video of all time... here.
- P'fork has two new mp3s for your consideration, Kevin Drew covering "Age Of Consent" (mp3) by New Order live on Fair Game... here (more KD on FG over at The Smudge), and Bubblegum Lemonade playing "Tyler" (mp3)... here.
- MOKB has posted a new track from The Dodos... here. Here is an slightly older Dodos track: "The Ball" (mp3)
- Download "World As A Waiting Room" by White Demin at RCRDLBL... here.
- Off The Radar knows that dubsteppers Burial are hot shit (thanks maybe to Radiohead? huh?)... here.

Takes Slowly Over By Cut Off Your Hands

In less than a week, you can get yerself The Shaky Hands EP. It contains Aotearoaen postpunky goodness from Cut Off Your Hands, the band that had to change their name because of another band in heavy rotation around here... The Shaky Hands (of ORE). More deets about the name change... here.

Here's a preview (i.e. our favorite track from The Shaky Hands EP): "Takes Slowly Over" (mp3)
"Takes Slowly Over" (box.net mp3)

And just in case you didn't get it during GT's extensive (ha!) SXSW 2007 coverage (here): "You And I" (mp3)

And just in case you are more visually oriented: "You And I" (youtube vid)

Old myspace page is here.
IAMSOUND page is here.
IAMSOUND preorder page is here.



Consider Clicking
- Preview the new new new album from The Octopus Project at Everyone Could Be Light Green... here. The songs sound something like this: "Truck" (mp3)
- Do you like "it" cute? They you might like Ice Cream Socialists from Athens, GA. Read a Cable And Tweed post... here.
- The $220,000 playlist? It sucks. Thanks Idolator... here.
- Hey Hey... Monolith 2007 recap (avec mp3s and youtube vids! also, photos) over at WOXY's The Futurist... here.
- The RSTB Singles Club strikes again! This time it's Jesu (pronounced, let me get this right... YAE! SUE!???)... here. Listen to a Williams Street freebie: "Silver (Original Beats)" (mp3)

Why And How Come By The Shaky Hands

Can't stop listening to...

Download: "Why And How Come" (mp3) (source: last.fm) by The Shaky Hands (NOTE: not these guys)

One more downloadable and one streamable:
"The Sleepless" (mp3)
"Why And How Come" (youtube)

Myspace page is here.
Holocene Music page is here.
Emusic page is here.



Unrelated: I was semi-excited to see The Harlem Shakes who are doing the whole self-released dealie in a venue as large as Irving. However, due to a wee bit o' Harlem Shake appendicitis I was treated to The Virgins (signed to Atlantic Records) instead. Hmmmmmm. They got a free mp3 on their myspace page if you are interested... here.



Meanwhile:
- Warm And Scratchy is the free album of indie rock from your friends at Adult Swim. If you haven't already, get it here.
- thepunkguy posts about Clikitat IkAtowi... here.
- Death Sentence: PANDA! has been given the missing toof treatment... here.
- Oliver North Boy Choir?... har har, 3hive, har har.
- (oldie) Architecture In Helsinki on WOXY... here.
- New Okkervil on pfork... here.