All the singles in the air!
I’ve been busier than ever at work lately (hence the dearth of substantial posts). But rattling inside the petty pyramid of responsibility as I am, I still get to listen to music.
So, here are some picks from this week. I’m going to forgo the exegesis I usually throw in here, except to say that I like these songs for good(different) reasons…
Enjoy!
M. Ward
Architecture in Helsinki (please ignore their new album- sheesh)
The Vaccines
Have a great weekend!
Wintersleep looks like nice enough fellows.
Once again, it’s the day when I lay out some of the songs that I’ve been rocking in my library cubicle.
Ok, I have to put up two clips by this band, mostly because I think Wintersleep are worth the time.
I’m attached to their album Welcome to the Night’s Sky in a way that chokes me up a little. (Personal exegesis: in the history of my life, I can’t imagine identifying so perfectly with an album. It really fit at the time, and that was hella helpful.)
This next one’s from their new album New Inheritors, which is just as good, but not, you know, so embued with personal experience.
Trace Decay may be my second favourite bed-sheet ghost video. I believe Department of Eagles takes that prize.
Lykke Li‘s new album Wounded Rhymes came out a few weeks ago. I’m not a fan of the title as it sounds like a Bones Thugs and Harmony lp. But, the music’s good, so I don’t really care. Rich Kid Blues has to be my favorite track off it. It has a great Wall of Sound bombast to it.
Have a great weekend!
Timber Timbre - scarifying in the best ways
Friday’s here. So are the highlights from my data-fixing soundtrack this week.
Timber Timbre‘s new album Creep On Creepin’ On dropped this week. It’s great and creepy (as advertised). I’d describe it as like a musical composed of Nina Simone’s darker songs and directed by Tim Burton.
I like this Midlake song. The Trials of Van Occupanther was one of my favourites back in 2006. And why? This track maps somewhere between ELO and Fleetwood Mac. They also seem to love singing about 19th century life and love. And occasionally, they drop a Hobbes reference. All this appeals to me.
Have a great weekend!
Holy Ghost pause for a photo
Library SoundTrack Friday is here, and it’s time for some indie-pop-electronica!
Hello, Holy Ghost! These guys are making some seriously fun retro-electro-pop that, incidentally, I’ll be seeing soon (backing up Cut Copy!).
If 1984 calls, tell them thanks.
I’ve listened to Caribou a lot this week. It’s a good mix for the office: upbeat, soothing, a generally rich tapestry of sounds. “Jamelia” is the closer to his fantastic and justifiably well received album, Swim.
Oh, and in tribute to the “last” concert of their “last” tour, here’s my fav LCD Soundsystem track.
Have a great weekend!
the Vaccines are just sitting there
Library SoundTrack Fridays! Hooray!
I was off for a few days (recovering from an injury), and I had the chance to finally score some new music. Here are a couple highlights.
The Vaccines are a little like if the Magnetic Fields had a younger half-brother who was more fun at parties. Invite them over!
And, the Mountain Goats dropped a new album this week, too. I’m usually touch and go with the band (of one person). This track hooked me in.
Also, also, I cannot get enough of Teen Daze. I’ve written about them before, but what the hell, here’s a chill, dreamy track.
Let’s just say my Friday started off a little predisastered and required some personal consumer health reference services. Good thing I work in a science library.
But, that will not stop Library SoundTrack Fridays!
Ok. Let’s go. Cage the Elephant.
I love this opening riff. Cage the Elephant have recaptured something I remember loving about music when I was in high school (yeah, waaay back). Their sound is very 90s, without seeming dated. This is nice.
Swinging away from grungy, bombastic 90s guitar crunch to the Headlights. They’ve been in my congenial Indie pop for a few years now. They sound very British, but really they come from Chicago (a very cool city).
(Sorry about the weird Mormon add if you get one.)
I’m going to end with one of the best bands going right now in Canada: the Rural Alberta Advantage. A three piece, they’re able to whip out pretty epic, catchy tunes. Enjoy. Me, I’m going to go find an icepack…
The week’s round-up of the musical additives to my library life starts with the Low Anthem. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so intrigued by a song. This one explodes out of what is mostly a dreamy, drifting album.
It’s an interesting twist through a couple wisps of the American subconscious. Check out the lyrics. I usually don’t, but I couldn’t resist on this one..
I’ve had a cold all week, so I’ve been a little more dower in spirits than normal. In such times, Billy Bragg and Wilco‘s Mermaid Avenue (a collection of re-imagined, unreleased Woody Guthrie songs) makes it onto my daily rotation. It’s uplifting, sometimes mournful, but start to finish just wonderful.
And, I’ll end with some classic stuff. Woody Guthrie is what he is. Go and find his Library of Congress Recordings, you’ll see. Anyways, this song is a shout out to the brothers and sisters of Wisconsin. The struggle continues.
Oh, and what the heck, one more.
One big union, people.
Library SoundTrack Fridays is back with a twee-ish mix. Spring is almost here, but in Ottawa it’s not that near. I’ve got some picks to help soften the first bitter tastes of a cold March.
From LA, we get Family of the Year. These kids take good ol’fashioned indie rock, sprinkle it with a dash of America (whom I very guiltily love), and then throw on a layer of twee icing. Something they do makes me want to go check my camping gear (but it’s way too early).
this week, I rediscovered Snailhouse‘s Lies on the Prize (long listed for the 2009 Polaris prize). It’s one in the win column for songs that make me wish I could sing out-loud at work.
And, since we started with some newer twee indie pop, I’ll end with one of my perenial favourites. Yep, just like most people, I like Belle and Sebastian.
They’re great for dreary days or whenever, really. Sing along. In your chair. In your head. At the bus stop. Wherever.
Take heart! Have a great weekend!
Via @NYPLMaps (New York Public Library’s Map Division).
Conductor: www.mta.me from Alexander Chen on Vimeo.
From Chen’s site:
Conductor turns the New York subway system into an interactive string instrument. Using the MTA’s actual subway schedule, the piece begins in realtime by spawning trains which departed in the last minute, then continues accelerating through a 24 hour loop. The visuals are based on Massimo Vignelli’s 1972 diagram.
A mesmerizing way to re-present geographic information. It also reminds me of video games (gotta love SNAFU) I played back in the Eighties.
For anyone not hip to it, the NYPL’s Map Division has been tweeting an online map of the day. Cartographophiles (a word?) like me can dig it. But, if one new map a day isn’t enough, why not look at their digital collection and drool.
The music world is abuzz with Radiohead talk today… I’m going to pass until I’ve heard the whole album.
But, I did make a couple good addition to my playlists this week.
The Smith Westerns remind me of the Islands in a blender with Blitzen Trapper.
And then… new music from Cut Copy!
These guys are my reigning kings of up-beat retro pop. Sing along, dance along, or just bop your head – you cannot prevent these outcome. Great album art, too.
I don’t know why I haven’t listened to Pet Sounds in so long.
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” is attached to a handful of good and sort of painful memories, but it is a testament to its enduring amazingness that I’m still singing it (in a bad falsetto) in the shower.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
