Wow, Okay, Let's Take This Easy Now...

Hey, so it's been a long time... I apologize.

I will be updating this more often starting... Now. I promise. At least for the next month or so, I'll be putting an album up every few days.

I'm going to open up this list with my top albums of 2009! I'll be putting (most) of these up! Woo!

15. Analog Moog - Endless Air
14. Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
13. The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
12. Brand New - Daisy
11. Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra - Take Off!
10. Double Dagger - More
9. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
8. Bomb The Music Industry! - Scrambles
7. Andrew Jackson Jihad - Can't Maintain
6. Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
5. Pianos Become The Teeth - Old Pride
4. St. Vincent - Actor
3. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
2. Future Of The Left - Travels With Myself And Another
1. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns





And we will kick off this newfound inspiration to blog with my #4 album, St. Vincent's Actor (2009)!


Annie Clark (featured on the album cover), the guitarist, lyricist, composer, and sweet-voiced mad scientist behind St. Vincent, had me so intrigued when I first listened to her new album, Actor. It was a mixture of beautiful woodwinds fluttering, haunting lyrics with dark, dark (dark) overtones, and ugly, gnarly guitar solos. Badass, right? I really recommend checking out this album: she has toured with Sufjan Stevens and was once a member of The Polyphonic Spree.

Her album was first composed on garageband (extra credit from me!), then redone using real people. Basically, it's indie pop mixed with old Disney songs making up a sprawling beautiful lake, but underneath, in the murky depths, there lie guitars that have been awoken and they swell up and out like monsters before falling back into their cold, muddy lakebeds.

Okay, sorry. Here, just listen, okay?



Pretty awesome, right?

Recommended Tracks: Actor Out Of Work, Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood, Marrow
Genres: Indie
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?rmzjzzqxzvw

A Little Something Most Of You Are Already Aware Of

Tonight, I do not have an album for you. Most of you are already aware of this link, as I've been posting it practically everywhere I can, but I just love showing this off to you people.

My band and I recorded our first song last week and I'm posting it here for you guys to check out. I'd really appreciate it if this could be used as a feedback center, but I understand that most of you don't really like posting comments on things, so whatever. If you find time, let me know what you think, because I'd really appreciate it.

Either way, I've got to recommend watching the Flowers visualizer with this because it is SO badass.

Anyways, here it is!

Fireworks For Luna - It's Happening (2009)



http://www.fireworksforluna.bandcamp.com

Downloads available on the site. Again, gimme a little feedback! There should be a second song up soon, but until then, I'd just like to know what everyone thinks about what we're doing.

The Future Is Glorious!

One year ago, I went to see Against Me! with Ted Leo And The Pharmacists (what a sweet bill, right?). The opener was a band called The Future Of The Left, and I was uninterested in them. I had never heard them, never heard of them. Whatever. We got to the show late, and caught the end of their set, and that's when I realized.

Holy shit! That's Andy Falkous, the singer from McLusky, on stage right now.

Holy shit! I didn't even realize he was in a new band, nonetheless that they're arguably even better than McLusky!

The Future Of The Left - Travels With Myself And Another (2009)



The newer release is similar to the McLusky album I posted before, but, perhaps, a little less raw and a little bit better. It's got all the things you loved: having your face bit off by fuzzy guitar lines, getting kicked in the balls by unfairly awesome bass, and getting mechanically separated by the drums. This time, though, you've got a (somewhat) more mature outing, complete with (somewhat) political leanings (Hint: they're in the future) and (significantly) more interesting songwriting.

So yeah, the guitars are loud, the basses are loud, the drums are loud, and Falco's vocals are utterly bile-filled (if not as screamed as they were in mclusky). Everything comes together beautifully to make a truly great, true rock album. And in 2009! Who would've thought this to be possible?

Anyways, this is up in my top 10 list for the year. Here's a song off of it to give you an idea of what the record sounds like (plus a picture of the three strapping young members of FotL!):


Recommended Tracks: Arming Eritrea, You Need Satan More Than He Needs You, Stand By Your Manatee
Genres: Rock, Experimental
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?m2tqtkhotjy

GUEST POAST: Heatmiser's Mic City Sons

Alec has been very patient. He sent me this review aboouuutttt 2 months ago and I forgot to put it up. So here it is, in all of its awesome pseudo-depressing-but-with-some-real-joy-and-a-great-album-cover glory! Sorry it's so late, everybody, but I hope you enjoy it just the same <3

Heatmiser - Mic City Sons (1996)



Heatmiser was sort of a congregation of big Indie names. While I won't detail each member and their credits, you may recognize Elliot Smith as the main vocalist. And while you may recognize his hand in a few of the songs, this is definitely not an Elliot Smith cd with another band name tagged to it. Lyrics depicting sorrow and helplessness span throughout the album, yet some are accompanied by songs with a catchy guitar, very creative writing for all of instruments, and in some songs, you may just forget there's anything else behind the vocals. Musically there's hardly any lyrical connection from song to song, yet it flows very, very well. Mic City Sons was the third and final CD by this "supergroup," and really stood out from the first two because you could tell the members were finally starting to click as an actual band, mixing their individual creative styles in such a way that produced a great, coherent album. It would have been nice to see them continue on, however most, if not all, of the members enjoyed some success individually. In my opinion, however, this transcends any of their solo songs and is really a masterful piece to sum up a few different approaches to a moody, emotional, soft indie-style album.

Recommended Tracks: Plainclothes Man
Genres: Indie, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?jzyhgtezyaz

EDITED NEWSNEWSNEWS

Yeah, I just confirmed with Brooks: We will be broadcasting from 4-6 PM and NOT 4-6 AM! This is great news for people in this time zone! Hurray!!

NEWSNEWSNEWSNEWSNEWS!!!

Hey all! I have some BIG NEWS for all Hallelujah! Hallelujah! readers!!

Starting THIS Saturday, we will be going LIVE!! Yes, that's right! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! will be available on the radio, which is available on the intertubes!

My good friend, bandmate, and guest reviewer, Brooks, and I will be chatting it up while kicking out the jams every Saturday from... well, 4AM-6AM. But it's gonna be awesome!!

YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT.

Ugly Is Beautiful

I've waited so long to put this album up! It's one of the best I've ever heard and it's seriously fucking awesome! So check it out!!


Cursive - The Ugly Organ (2003)

Cursive's music sounds like it was soaked in some kind of developing fluid; like they recorded the music on tape, brought it into a darkroom and produced it into photographs. Every song sounds like it was drenched in every single color of red and black until the photo came out looking like the negative.

Tim Kasher's vocals are full of fire and intensity; his songs about his messy divorce mimic his every emotion: the guitars squeal through a punk-like-but-mostly-indie emo record, the cellos... Oh the cellos are beautiful, and the rhythms start and stop through every heartbeat. Every song makes up a part of this album, definitely one of my oldest favorites, definitely one of the bands that got me into the entire indie genre. Listening to the album from front to back gives me such a tremendous feeling; the last song's gradual rise and fall is absolutely stunning, when matched with the other songs.

Recommended songs: Red-Handed Sleight Of Hand, Art Is Hard, The Recluse, A Gentleman Caller
Genres: Indie, Emo, Punk
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?2nmmtm3imok

An Idea For A Fireworks Display

A young woman named Valerie messaged me the other day letting me know that she was really into Amanda Palmer and Nick Cave, so I'm going to upload an album by my all-time favorite musician, who I think sounds kind of similar to both of those artists! Awesome!



Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones (1983)

Yes, yes, we all know I have a raging love for Tom Waits that will extinguish only after I die. This album is no exception. Written just before Rain Dogs and a few years after Small Change, this album is in the direct center of Tom Waits' jazzy years and his experimental ones. This can sometimes make Swordfishtrombones seem a little schizophrenic, but more often than not, it strengthens the album by solidifying Waits' stranger ideas within conventional ones.

Overall, this is a great place to START with Tom Waits because it hits both of his worlds, but it also has a few of his absolute best pieces, and listening to it always transports me back to the first time I ever heard it, so I know that it has a special place in my heart. Also, Johnsburg, Illinois is one of the single most heartwarming pieces of music ever. Just Tom Waits, a piano, and a bassist. Conversely, Franks Wild Years is one of the creepiest and funniest pieces of music I've ever heard. Waits speaks over a funky organ track about... um, well, burning down your house to kill your wife's dog. Or something. This album is awesome, just try it out! See you next week!

Recommended Tracks: Shore Leave, Johnsburg Illinois, In The Neighborhood, Frank's Wild Years, Swordfishtrombone
Genres: Rock, Experimental
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?uo3bmmgmyg0

Okay, We're Back Online!

I lost the ability to access this account for a while, but now I'm back and with a very quick review for a very good cd. It's a classic, so get it while the gettin's good! Brand New's newest album, Daisy, leaked, but I won't be putting it up here until after it's already out. Sorry guys, I'm not running a leak website, and I think bands really hate it when their albums are out before the publish date, so I'm going to try and do them as many services as I can.



Brand New - Deja Entendu (2003)

So, apparently not everyone has this cd... Also, some people think that Brand New is kind of lame or something? Dudes, get with the program. This cd is so excellent on so many levels; it's a catchy record with thoughtful, interesting lyrics, and, yeah, spot on musicianship from the New York quartet, led by lead vocalist and guitarist, Jesse Lacy.

The record is, uh, yeah, technically a seminal "emo" work... but, it's NOT like My Chemical Romance or any of that nonsense... It's much more like Cursive or Jets To Brazil; fun, interesting music with lyrics that have a lot of thought put into them. Kind of closer to indie or punk, I would say.

Here's a sample track to give you an idea of what they're like, but I can't recommend this album higher, it's a great piece of music and I find myself listening to it pretty frequently these days. Enjoy you guys!



Recommended Tracks: Sic Transit Gloria... (Glory Fades), Guernica, The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Genres: Indie, Punk, Emo
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?zzdminmr2yd

Miles In Blues In Green

This was the first jazz cd I ever heard, it's still pretty much the best ever, and it's the record that literally got me into the genre. Absolutely beautiful.

Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue (1959)

Featuring drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist Paul Chambers, the great Bill Evans on piano, and two of my favorites on saxophone (John Coltrane on tenor sax, and Cannonball Adderley on alto sax), it's hard to believe this album wouldn't be an instant classic. What makes this jazz album so very great is that every song isn't just a song; it's a modal adventure that literally turned jazz into what it is today. This cd shaped jazz from standard bebop into the virtuosic music powerhouse that we know of today.

The songs, for the most part are playful; there are only five, and they tend to be evenly paced, with appropriate loud-soft dynamics. A few songs are slower, but in all honesty, you won't notice. Listening to the record can be as involved as you like, which is what drew me to it. You can it play in the background for some calming music, or you can listen closely to how the different chords create new moods around each other, or how the improvised solo parts inflect new sounds that were never even intended. Absolutely stunning, absolutely perfect. This is the album you want it to be, and this is something you should have.

Recommended Tracks: So What, All Blues
Genres: Jazz
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?z0z2jjinwmz

A Stunning Return To Form!

Sorry about that break, guys! Jeez, it's been a while. Let's get right into it, shall we? This is a good one, you guys.

The Mountain Goats - All Hail West Texas (2002)



John Darnielle recorded fourteen songs that take place in the arid searing landscapes of Western Texas using just an acoustic guitar and a boombox. This is the final album he made on a boombox before switching over to the polished studio sound. The music itself is, quite simply, a kind of modern folk. John's nasally voice is so full of raw power and emotion, and the buzzing of the recording equipment in the background mix well with the acoustic guitars.

The album twines, intertwines, and unwinds at the ends through the seven characters and the two houses. Good luck trying to figure out who is who, much of it is cryptically (and purposefully) attributable to any of the characters that pop in and out of the album, but in all honesty, it's not a problem. Every character that appears is so beautifully rendered and voiced that it doesn't make any difference who is singing. Every song makes me feel so tender and raw, listening to this album just makes me want to hail Satan forever.

Recommended Tracks: The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton, Color In Your Cheeks, The Mess Inside, Absolute Lithops Effect
Genre: Folk, Indie
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?k2zmnnymizn

It Commands You!

The Mars Volta are getting fairly famous, but what a lot of people don't realize is that the two main members of the band got their start in an awesome punk group called At The Drive-In. I even like ATDI a little more than the Mars Volta, to tell the truth. This is my favorite album by them!



At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command (2000)

This album picks you up by your face and shakes you around through discordant guitar lines, shaking drum beats, soaring vocals, and labyrinthian words. ATDI are a punk band at their heart, but their music seems to stand on a genre of its own design; the band puts you at the epicenter of a hurricane of sounds that carry you far, far away from home. Lead vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala's singing matches well with guitarist's Jim Wards occasional shouts; their vocals dance around Omar Rodriguez-Lopez' intricate guitar melodies.

This was the last album by At The Drive-In before they split up to become Cedric and Omar's The Mars Volta and Jim Ward's Sparta. This album is the culmination of 7 years of hard work and it shows; it's a beautiful record and it defines its own genre. I love listening to this cd and I always forget to tell people about it, so now you know! Pick it up!

Here's a song! You guys seemed to like that from before:


Recommended Tracks: Arcarsenal, One Armed Scissor, Sleepwalk Capsules
Genres: Punk, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?4kto0mzutyt

Hey, Kids, Rock And Roll

Guest Post Tuesday returns! Thanks for the review, Alec! REM is one of the coolest and most influential bands around, and I'm happy to have them up on this site. Enjoy, you guys.



REM - Automatic For The People (1992)

Hey, kids, rock and roll. So says Michael Stipe in the first song on what I believe to be REM's most significant album of their long and impressive career. Lots of REM albums use relatively similar rock styles in order to convey a mood or message, while Automatic for the People, while definitely mood driven, stands out from all their other albums in terms of musical style. Almost the entire album has a dark feel to it, much of the songs dealing either directly with death or with the effects it has on people, yet it is delivered in such a way that there's a calming effect despite the harsh subjects -- by the end of the album, you'll realize that this is one of the most soothing collections of music that you'll ever listen to. It's not what you would expect out of REM, but it's excellent nonetheless. I could give a detailed paragraph about each song, maybe more, but you should honestly just listen to it, as words can't possibly give an accurate description of the feelings that the album pours over you as it progresses.

Recommended Tracks: Drive, Sweetness Follows, Monty Got a Raw Deal
Genres: Rock, Alternative
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?tim2iu1dm1m

Because We Need This, Oh, So Bad

This is a crisis, you guys. I feel bad putting this full album up, as these guys are just barely getting started and are in need of some honest lovin'. If you download this cd and like it, I recommend seeing them live if they happen to be in your area or even buying it from Saddle Creek when it comes out (tomorrow). So yeah, this cd has been my latest obsession, I've been listening to it nonstop for the past few weeks. Just realy great.


The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns (2009)

The Rural Alberta Advantage came up from the depths of a terrible homesickness. Singer/songwriter Nils Edenloff moved from his hometown in wilds of Alberta to the crushing, crowded cityscape of Toronto. In an apartment, he penned love songs for his hometown; songs about the icy north in Canada, love, lost love, bridges, and anything else that reminded him of home.

His voice bleats like John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, the drums flail about in syncopations that resemble the genre of Drum And Bass, and the lyrics hit closer to home than you'd like to believe. Each song lives and breathes and leads into the next; the album goes from quiet introspection to noisy punk rock whenever necessary. Overall, this album is great for anyone who liked The Weakerthans, Ted Leo, Cursive, or The Mountain Goats, but I'd say check it out regardless, because it's just a cool cd.

Let's try this: here's a sample video!



Recommended Tracks: Don't Haunt This Place, The Dethbridge In Lethbridge, Luciana
Genres: Indie, Folk
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?nyzkym2jzim

Mike Ups The Punx

I see a lot of you like McLusky and The Weakerthans! This is good news for me because so do I! Also, I think a lot of you might've liked having less talk and more rock? Or maybe it was the youtube video? I'll try to shave down what I have to say, regardless.



Against Me! - Searching For A Former Clarity (2005)

Up the punx. Or the selloutz. Or whatever. Against Me! are an anarcho-folk-punk band turned poppy-but-still-bile-fueled-punk turned pop-punk-crossover smash, but what a lot of people neglect is this cd, which is far and away my favorite of theirs. Their first real full-length, Reinventing Axl Rose, is highly regarded as their best, the follow-up, As The Eternal Cowboy, is highly regarded as OMGSELLOUTZZZ. This album is their response to their annoying, hateful ex-fans, so it's quite angry (but it's also slightly less punx, music-wise, so it evens out).

Essentially, this is the point directly before Against Me!'s tranformation from underground punk band to being on the Billboard charts, so it's a GREAT place to start if you're interestde in getting into them. It's furious, but dancy, heartfelt, but sarcastic and tongue-in-cheek, and it's both energetic, but subdued. Absolutely transfixing album that slowly erodes from the anger of Miami, into the quiet, beautiful outro of a title track. Just a great record.

Recommended Tracks: Miami, Pretty Girls (The Mover), Joy, Problems, Don't Lose Touch
Genres: Punk
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?zm5wyydjjmz

We're Gonna Try Something New

I'm so fucking tired from driving for 8 hours today, so this is going to be a test: Shorter reviews.
McLusky - McLusky Do Dallas (2002)


This album will kick your ass and rock your face off. This is your review:




Recommended Tracks: Lightsaber Cocksucking Blues, Collagen Rock, To Hell With Good Intentions, The World Love Us And Is Our Bitch
Genres: Rock, Experimental, Metal, Awesomeawesome
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?tyztazig2rk

The Weakerthans Make Me Weakintheknees

So that Mountain Goats cd down there is really just so so so good. You guys should pick it up. It's got hardly any downloads yet and it really bums me out.

Also, you may have noticed a decline in postings (you probably didn't), and that's because, well, I don't want to run out of albums. This blog will only be active 3-4 days a week now, instead of 5. Sorry. Onto the album!!

A lot of people downloaded that other Weakerthans album (But I Can't Remember The Sound), so I figured I would put another one of their albums up for everyone. Again, you guys, this is my all time favorite band. They're just fantastic.



The Weakerthans - Left And Leaving (2000)

This is the album that changed everything for me; I remember it very well, when I finally decided to listen to it (I had been listening to Reunion Tour on repeat and figured it was time to put something new in). I was in the car, riding from some town in Pennsylvania back home, and put the headphones in. By the title track, I was completely unable to contain myself anymore. Their lyrics were always spot on, their music was always fun and enjoyable, and the mixture of the punk ethic with the indie sound comes out as beautiful as I would hope. This is more than just a collection of songs.

Between the fast pop-punk of Watermark, to the practically spoken-word Without Mythologies, even leaving room for some country twang in My Favorite Chords (probably one of the best songs ever written), The Weakerthans always do it exactly right. Literally every single track on here is emotionally charged, perfectly worded, and musically coherent to the song. One moment that really stuck out for me is the chorus of Aside ("Leaning on this broken fence, between past and present tense") and how it related to the album title. Just genius and just beautiful. The album ends with "neon lights and slinking purple skies," and [left and] leaves you with a need to put it on repeat. Honestly, this is just a fantastic album and I couldn't recommend it higher. They're seriously my favorite band for a reason, and I guarantee that, eventually, I'll have all of their albums up, and you should get them all!

Recommended tracks: Aside, Watermark, This Is A Fire Door Never Leave Open, Left And Leaving, Exiles Among You, My Favorite Chords (okay, yeah, I know. They're seriously all awesome)
Genres: Indie, Punk, Folk, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?ymymjq5q14t

To Love Or Die In Tallahassee

When people ask how you can get into a band like The Mountain Goats, it's not too difficult to come up with a quick answer. John Darnielle has written and recorded over 500 songs, some recorded on a primitive boombox in one take, just so he wouldn't forget how to play it. However, in 2002, after the beautiful All Hail West Texas (to be uploaded later), some genius decided to give Mr. Darnielle and his Mountain Goats a record deal on 4ad, and this is the stunningly good album that came out, this is the album I recommend first.


The Mountain Goats - Tallahassee (2002)

If you were to ask someone about the Mountain Goats, they'd probably say "he writes a lot of songs about traveling and a lot of songs about a couple that is married but hates each other and wants to kill each other." The cd Tallahassee is entirely about that couple. Every song seems to outline bitter hatred that exists between them, but the explanations are out of, well, love. Darnielle doesn't mourn this couple's hatred, instead, he celebrates them; he created them so that they couldn't help but beat up on each other, get drunk, beat up on each other more, have make up sex, and then hate each other. It's their way of loving each other, it's the way they live.

What makes this album so great is the fact that life literally flows from each song. Between the scathingly powerful "No Children," the beautifully soft-spoken "International Small Arms Traffic Blues," and the cathartic power of "See America Right," Tallahassee is one of the most beautiful and enjoyable records I've ever heard and is the cd that got me into The Mountain Goats altogether. Honestly, if you can, reading the lyrics alongside the record gives a nearly literary value to the cd; it plays out like a book and it is just awesome. Again, this is easily one of the best bands making music today and one of the best records I have ever heard.

Recommended Tracks: No Children, See America Right, International Small Arms Traffic Blues, Have To Explode, Oceanographer's Choice
Genres: Indie, Rock, Folk
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?jayzmtvcyod

True Colors

I downloaded this cd on a whim a few months ago, knowing only two songs by the band. Every time I hear it, I just get a huge smile on my face. They sound like three dudes in a recording studio, having a lot of fun as they wrote and recorded some fantastic songs.

Born Ruffians - Red, Yellow & Blue (2008)

Luke Lalonde, Mitch Derosier, and Steven Hamelin are a power trio in the most fun way. Yeah, they play guitar, bass, and drums, respectively, with Lalonde taking on lead vocals, but they also incorporate pianos, accordians, and more backing vocals than necessary. The music is catchy and nearly dancy, but very minimalist, relying more on syncopated and truncated rhythms and virtuosic playing than wall-of-sound production. The instruments, when played in headphones, nearly sound like they're spaced apart by the producer, and that's part of the charm; it makes what I declare a Sonic Sandwich: The drums and bass are spaced far to the sides, the guitar is right in the middle, leaving the area in between for vocals. Okay, you guys don't care.

So the songs bounce around; the drums are tom and cymbal heavy, the basslines walk up and down the fretboard, and the guitar is jangly as a set of car keys in a blender. The voices yell and stomp and croon beautifully with backing vocals often taking on a call-and-response form or simply harmonizing with Lalonde's playful vocals. Overall, this album is just a lot of fun and it's what I want to listen to over the summer just to have a good time.

Recommended Tracks: Barnacle Goose, Hummingbird, Hedonistic Me, Kurt Vonnegut
Genres: Indie, Folk, Pop, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?yutyyz5mjnn

Tom Waits For Everyone

For those who didn't figure it out before, Tom Waits is my hero. Like, honestly. He's my all time favorite musician and this album is another testament to his pure genius. I can not recommend his music any higher than this. He is absolutely brilliant.

Tom Waits - Small Change (1976)

Okay, so a bunch of people got the other Tom Waits album I uploaded, Rain Dogs (isn't it AWESOME?), and I figured the natural progression would be my other favorite Tom Waits album and probably the most inviting out of all of them. Yeah, I know, the album cover features Mr. Waits himself... with a stripper... both looking sullen and lonely... That's... that's what this album feels like, to be honest. It's a jazz album at its heart, with Waits wailing in a lighter, younger version of his trademark growl, but with beautiful, beautiful backing music.

Songs are melodramatic and touching, with lyrics like "the large print giveth and the small print taketh away," "the piano has been drinking, not me," and "I don't have a drinking problem unless I can't get a drink," Waits' light humor really makes him sound like a down-on-his-luck bum from the 20's, just singin' a little song for you. I guess the real charm is how HONEST the whole cd is. Waits croons about lost love, strippers, advertisements, drinking, getting drunk, needing a drink, being drunk, and pretty much everything else. His song titles complete the image, with tracks like "Bad Liver And A Broken Heart," and "I Can't Wait To Get Off Work (So I Can See My Baby)," you know what you're in for. Tom Waits seems like a timeless character, and this album is what really established him as the genius that he is.

Oh yeah, and Tom Traubert's Blues is probably one of the greatest songs ever written by anyone. It's so unbelievably good.

Recommended Tracks: Step Right Up, The Piano Has Been Drinking, The One That Got Away, Tom Traubert's Blues
Genres: Jazz, Rock, Blues
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?dqwyyyyniwm

Woo! Thanks, Josh!

Tonight, Josh saved me. It's 3:30 AM and I woke up feeling shitty for not having a guest album for you guys, but then I checked my facebook and, unexpectedly, Josh not only reviewed a FUCKING COOL cd, but he also uploaded it! Thank you, homeboy!

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of Natural History (2004)

The album opens with a foreboding ambience. A low hum with accents of distant scratching and growls. Louder and closer, all approaching until a strangely quaint chorus interjects. Lead by the deep and sometimes frightening voice of Nils Frykdahl. If the first 3 minutes of this album are any indication, you will be in for an experience that is varied at best and neurotic at it's delightful worst.

"Of Natural History" is staged as a debate between The Futurist movement and The Freedom Club. With all the pomp and circumstance of esoteric metaphor the album intends to elaborate on the ideas of anti-humanism and what it means for us. Yes...this is kind of artsy heavy-handed pretentiousness. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (SGM) have a surprising ability to make that sort of thing work. Without getting into the backstory (that you can certainly find on your own) this is a band of very familiar people that have worked extensively in theatre and music, and it shows. There is a kind of theatrical quality to their music, it isn't so much a passing ditty or song to explain a feeling. Their music has a narrative quality to it, building climaxes, sudden twists and all sorts of interesting moments which keep any one track from being repetitive.

Of course if nothing else the elephant in the room is the fact that this is not everyones' cup of tea. Or even your glass of scotch, if you will. This is some hard music to swallow at first and I admit that it took me a while to get into. Like wine, coffee or anything with a really strong flavor you will need to get used to the taste of SGM, for their lyrics and writing as much as the music itself. They admit to the ironic tone of their music but claim their hypocritical use of electric instruments is of the most sincere intentions. I suppose if they are truly humorists that would be the bigger joke. It's hard to say. The only obvious thing to mention is that there is scarcely a major chord to be found on the entire album. They delight in atonal discord and polyrhythmic passages, the type which are designed to do anything but create that fat and happy feeling. The sound jumps around from dark ambient to death metal and makes all sorts of departures in between.

This is a band I highly recommend to any serious nerd for music. Or a beginning nerd to music really. This kind of band can give you all sorts of insights in to the kind of possibilities a modern rock band has, and it completely changes your standards. This album, in my mind, is their greatest work. It has maintained to be amongst my top favorites for some time now, and for good reason. Devote the time you have to hear the entire album, don't skip around and don't do it too distracted. Perhaps listen on a long drive, or just sit quietly with some speakers (there are worse ways to spend an hour). And anyway, if you don't like it you can return it for a full refund of your purchase price.

Recommended tracks: Babydoctor, Phthisis, FC The Freedom Club, Cockroach
Genres: Rock, Experimental, Metal
Links (yeah, two of them, it's a big album!):
Pt. 1: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?yarnnzhllji
Pt. 2: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?ykd1mwhyxyy

The Band That Broke Punk's Heart

Little introduction: It's taking a lot of strength not to put the Jets To Brazil cd up for a second time; seriously, if you don't already have it, it's so worth it to get it now. I've been listening to it nonstop since I put it up last week.

Anyways!

So, I saw this band a few months ago with fellow Hallelujah-blogger, Brooks, and his younger brother, Andy. Andy was also at the Ted Leo show that I wrote about last week and he asked me to upload this album. I don't normally do requests, but this one was submitted in person, so I'll make an exception... Also, I had already uploaded it because I knew I was gonna put it up.



Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster... (2008)

Los Campesinos are an eight piece indie-pop/punk band; their name is Spanish for The Peasants or The Famers; however, they are from Wales and do not have any songs in Spanish... Instead, their music is a sort of indie-pop that kind zig-zags between the borders of punk and total insanity. Every song sounds like it might fall apart and descend into total madness at any given point, but at the same time, each song also sounds like it could be played on some shitty top 100 radio station if the ridiculously distorted guitars, glockenspiels, or manic speed were removed. Basically, they're a punk band whose songs are so unfairly catchy and enjoyable to listen to, that you can't help but enjoy it.

The band released two FULL cds in 2008; "Hold On" being my favorite, "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed" is also pretty good, but this one is my favorite. The guitar lines are intricately woven between violins, glockenspiels, synthesizers, gang vocals, and, of course, the hilariously off-kilter lyrics sung through Gareth's registerless voice. His excited shouts are pulled back by Aleksandra's quiet, tuneful backing vocals. The song titles are so funny, and the lyrics match perfectly; they're just great songwriters and the songs are always perfectly put together.

Altogether, this album is easily one of the best from 2008 and is so much fun to listen to. If you ever get a chance to see them live, I recommend checking them out. They're a great time and I love this album so much. Check out the recommended tracks to get an idea of what the song-titles are like. Just great.

Recommended Tracks: Death To Los Campesinos!, Don't Tell Me To Do The Math(s), This Is How You Spell "Hahaha, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics," You! Me! Dancing!
Genres: Indie-Pop, Punk, Rock, Experimental
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?zloeeugczdz

Concert Review Pt. 2 - Dem Pharmacists

So after Titus left the stage, there was a brief intermission before Mr. Leo himself walked out. He walked up to the microphone and thanked the crowd (" 'Anks!") before immediately kicking into "Little Dawn," one of the best songs on Shake The Sheets (available below). For those who don't already listen to him, Ted Leo is kind of an ex-punk-but-still-kind-of-punk guitarist who sings in a fairly high register. By the end of the first or second song, he already broke a string on his guitar and got out the secondary one... an identical instrument (beautiful Gibson 335, absolutely fantastic sound).

Seeing him and the Pharmacists play live is, quite literally, like having your face rocked off. They play smart, energetic punk that has about as much in common with The Clash as it does with Thin Lizzy and Okkervil River. It's nearly an amalgamation of the energy of punk, the epic power of classic rock, and the literate, forceful intelligence of indie rock.

Their set consisted of all the classics that I assume they play at every show; "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone," "Shake The Sheets," and, of course, "Me And Mia." Every song was played passionately and the entire band seemed to be having just as much fun as the crowd. They rocked through a lot of new songs, as well. Leo noted after one song that it was the "first time we've ever played that one in front of anyone else." To balance out the really new songs, they also went through some oldies, like, "Timorous Me" from 2001's The Tyranny Of Distance.

The best part of the set, I would say, was the finale. While playing the last song of the night, Ted broke another string on his secondary guitar and decided to just give up with playing the instrument. He did straight vocals for the remainder of the song, and during the "guitar solo," he decided that he was finished with the guitar entirely. He grabbed the headstock, ripped it the rest of the way off, and began slamming the body against the stage. By the time it was destroyed enough, he thanked the crowd and left. The encore, suffice it to say, was performed on a different guitar, and was just as energetic and exciting as the beginning; they finished the whole set on "Shake The Sheets," one of the best songs from the album of the same title (uploaded below!). They really know how to put on a show, and I highly recommend stopping by, even if you've never really seen them before.

Ryan and I both left with chunks of Ted Leo's wrecked guitar and were so feeling the whole set (even though we didn't recognize a lot of the songs from his latest release).



And now the album!


Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - Shake The Sheets (2004)

Seriously, this is, like, punk's older brother. It's fiery, it's danceable, it's got provocative lyrics that make you think. It's just a good time, and I can not recommend it anymore than I do now! So GET IT!!

Recommended Tracks: Me And Mia, The Angels' Share, Little Dawn, Shake The Sheets
Genres: Indie, Punk, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?tnznzmyhoki

Wednesday Special! Longwinded concert review!

On Sunday, my friend Ryan and I drove up to The Ottobar to see Ted Leo and the Pharmacists play with Titus Andronicus. This is the review of the opener from that show along with the Titus Andronicus album! Tomorrow, I'll review Ted himself and put up my favorite Pharmacists album!

Titus Andronicus At The Ottobar (Pitchfork style, I guess, because none of this review really makes sense)

live picture from their myspace, to give you an idea of what they were lookin' like

Sunday morning, I woke up at 1 in the afternoon and saw a few texts from Ryan sitting, unread on my phone. "Yo dude, bonarroo is a no go, still up for ted leo tonight?" from 10 that morning. "Dude are you up?" from noon. Sweet. I talk to Ryan and we plan out the trip; I buy the tickets and we're good to go. At about 7:45, we're on the road, with Hearts Of Oak blasting as we roll up I-95. Conversation turns to beach plans, summer vacation, and how likely we are to do some Mardi Gras business next year (Ryan goes to Tulane, down in New Orleans).

We arrive at the Ottobar around 8:30, in time to catch the last song from Sleeper Agent. Dude looks like he's having a heart attack on stage. I give him props for that. There's about 15 people in there and one of them is Andy, Guest-Reviewer Brooks' brother. So Ryan and I talk to Andy for a while before moving up for Titus Andronicus' set. I had seen Titus twice before this show, so I knew what I was getting into, Andy had seen them a couple times as well. Ryan, however, had no idea what was slowly lurching onto the stage.

Lead singer Patrick Stickles has a beard that encompasses his face, he's wearing sweatpants, and a Ponytail t-shirt. "This is, like, our fifth time playing The Ottobar this year. We just can't keep ourselves away," he quietly speaks into the microphone before pulling out a harmonica and going directly into "Joset Of Nazareth's Blues." Yeah, dude. Then he starts yelling nearly incoherently through the song while playing guitar. It sounds just like the record! They blaze through almost all of the "hits" from their debut, The Airing Of Grievances (there's really only, like, nine songs on the cd, so playing through all of the songs except for the two slow ones is pretty much like playing the hits), including "The Enemy Is Everywhere," which I've never heard a recorded version of, but I've seen them play it every time I've seen them. They also play a new song as well as a Cock Sparrer cover. I think every single mic stand on stage fell over at least twice during the set because of their, as Ryan put it, "epileptic spazzes" while playing. So fucking awesome.

Ryan pokes me and asks how the drummer manages to do what seems to be a fairly simple sounding beat, but makes it so ridiculously intricate, playing 16th notes back and forth on different drumheads and cymbals for what must be sport. The rhythm section for Titus Andronicus... which I guess is pretty much the entire band, is so tight and spot on. They sound like they should be sloppy, they look like they should be sloppy, but everything is perfectly in time and everything has more energy than most bands today. Again, awesome.

They end on the first track of the record, probably my favorite song from the whole thing, "Fear And Loathing In Mahwah, NJ." Stickles lightly strums the guitar, singing as clearly as he has for the entire night (odd, since on the record, the first half of the song is utterly incoherent), before stopping and stepping away from the microphone. The entire band looks up and after what seems like 10 full seconds, each member chimes in: "FUCK YOU." Suddenly the song is in double time, there are tapping guitar solos, and they play through until all of the effects are on all of the guitars and then they leave the stage with just echoes permeating through the amplifiers.

Ryan looks at me and I'm afraid of what he's going to say, because this is not his type of music. "They were actually really good, you gotta hit me up with this cd!" Here you go, homeboy.

Titus Andronicus - The Airing Of Grievances (2009)
(yes, it's named after Festivus)

Titus Andronicus is... well, I guess they're a punk band. But... I mean, not really. They're just cool. I definitely recommend checking them out if you like music that sounds like it's on fire... if that makes sense. It does to me.

Recommended Tracks: Fear And Loathing In Mahwah NJ, Arms Against Atrophy, Titus Andronicus
Genres: Punk, Indie, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?1ozmzfnt4zb

I Was Herbin' Them In The Home Of The Terrapins

Thanks, Brooks! This review's been long-coming and is for an excellent album. Enjoy, you guys.



Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)

The Blueprint, Jay-Z’s definitive release, and one of hip-hop’s best, revolutionized the entire hip-hop world upon its release in 2001. During production, Jay-Z was held up by two separate court cases and ended up only spending two days recording. But it is through this brevity that the album finds its strength. Simple, brooding beats and powerful soul samples by producers Timbaland and, particularly, Kanye West compliment Jay’s smooth flow, creating a menacing atmosphere for the record.

On the first real track, the Kanye produced diss-track “Takeover," Jay takes out his rival Nas (Nas' album is available here) backed by pummeling Doors and David Bowie samples. He then flows flawlessly into “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”, the hit single that threw West into the spotlight. Kanye returns later in the album to provide more haunting backing tracks, flanking the Timbaland street party highlight “Hola Hovito." On the latter, Jay-Z’s braggadocio never quite gets the best of him, brimming with deserved confidence throughout the album, despite his claim that while he “ain’t better than Big, I’m the closest one." But hey, maybe he is, maybe he’s not. It’s not a fair argument given their bodies of work—but I am positive that this is great album, something his old mentor would’ve been proud of.

Recommended Tracks: Izzo, All I Need, Renegade
Genres: Rap, Hip-Hop
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?wzcwyqtltw3

We Don't Need No Bodies, We're Here For The Souls!

The Mae Shi play... um. Indie-pop. But... it's kind of angry. And kind of has a lot of weird sounds. Like beeps and bloops. I guess I'll let this video speak for itself. If you like this cover of a Miley Cyrus song, chances are you'll like the album.





Onto the real review!

The Mae Shi - HLLLYH (2008)

When I first heard about The Mae Shi, they were associated with John Zorn (grindcore/jazz saxophonist, psychopath); they worked with him at his ridiculous "music improvisation games," which means that they can pretty much play ridiculously awful music that is supposed to be excellent because it's so complex and mind-bending that it's therefore good.

However, they play a sort of indie pop punk that is at times serious, but is mostly just playful. With songtitles like "Pwnd" and "7xx7," this album about the apocalyptic sort of takes on a more cheerful tone about the wrath of god. Overall, it's just fun to listen to: they have chops to spare, but they choose to hold themselves back just to keep the music enjoyable. You can tell they're powerful just by how intricately woven every song is, despite being quite simple, pop-wise. Between the vocal arrangements that sound like a full chorus (despite being sung by what must be a single dude), the synthesizers that were picked up out of the 80s, and that amazing guitar tone that sounds like it was formulated in a garage, The Mae Shi are one of the most fun bands I've ever listened to and deserve to be in your collection if you like having fun or listening to fun music.

Genres: Indie, Punk, Pop, Post-Punk
Recommended Tracks: Lamb And The Lion, Pwnd, Boys In The Attic, Run To Your Grave,
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?ymmhtzfugmi

No, Seriously.

I am having a ceremony tomorrow for how awesome I am. So I'm too busy to write a review, so here's a quick little something for you.

The Clash - London Calling (1980)

Fuck you, if you don't have this album already, then fucking GET IT. Like, NOW. I don't care what kind of music you listen to, whether or not you've written off this band, or any of that stuff. You NEED this album in your collection because all of your favorite modern bands exist solely because of this album.

Honestly, it's probably one of the best cds ever made and don't be embarrassed if you don't already own every collector's edition of it or whatever, but definitely check it out because it's seriously seriously great even by today's standards.

Recommended tracks: Rudie Can't Fail, Spanish Bombs, Wrong 'Em Boyo
Genres: Rock, Punk, Ska, Reggae, Folk, Indie, Awesomeawesome
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?zmwxyzkzga2

Final Thursday EPs (For Now)

Okay, I don't have nearly enough good EPs to keep this up, so they'll just be sprinkled intermittently whenever I can't think of what to put up. Awesome! Let's finish off that Mountain Goats kick and I'll round it out with ex-folk-punk band Rosa! Acoustic EP Day!! Woo!

The Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice - Moon Colony Bloodbath (2009)

The humorous title of this most recent Mountain Goats release hints at murder and space travel, but hardly delivers on either. Instead, you get a story that builds over the course of the album. John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats and Vanderslice trade vocal duties and create a very cohesive, warm, yet dark album. The music is almost entirely just acoustic guitars and voices, with each frontman performing a half of the album. The final song, when the bloodbath on the moon happens is the absolutely fantastic. The build up to it is stunning. Definitely a must-hear for anyone interested in either band.

Genres: Folk, Indie
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?m1jy2zidqmz


Rosa - I Mississippi You (2005)

This one isn't an EP, but it's only about 26 MB, despite having 12 songs, so it's tiny, but it's so very, very good. Not very many people have heard of Rosa, and the ones that have either listen to them all the time or are searching for them on the internet to this day. They sound like four kids who are just writing songs about whatever they care about. Passionate, playful, and rocking, these lo-fi, acoustic songs sound like they were recorded in a garage that, while being planted down in Tennessee, it dreams about houses in California. Listening to Rosa makes me feel like running away from home, hopping on a train to anywhere, and never looking back. The music sounds like if a couple punks decided they wanted to play folk-country, and that is so awesome with me.

Genres: Folk, Punk, Country
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?dkmzyzicnkz

Most Of The Killers Never Get Famous, Then It's Hard On Everyone

After graduating from NYU with a degree in English Lit and Creative Writing, Blake Schwarzenbach played with a seminal punk/emo band called Jawbreaker before ending the whole thing to start an indie/emo band called Jets To Brazil. Their first album is one of my favorites evereverever and I'm so excited to have it up here!


Jets To Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary (1998)

Orange Rhyming Dictionary is so much more than a collection of songs, especially for a first album from a new band. Every song seems to be directly tied to the next one, despite having no actual cohesive reasons to feel that way. Each one seems to outline a lonely life in California, starting with an exhilarating drive down Pasadena in 1968 and ending with an introspective train ride away from a girlfriend or wife.

I could literally write for hours about this band and this cd, but I'll let the music speak for itself. Schwarzenbach's voice and songwriting feel just so perfect -- like he had all of these ideas and just let them come out exactly as he had them in his head. The music comes out as some kind of mixture between the poppy punk of his old band, Jawbreaker, and the exciting and intricate music and rhythms of the up and coming indie rock scene. Absolutely stunning.

Recommended Tracks: Crown Of The Valley, Starry Configurations, Chinatown, Sweet Avenue
Genres: Indie, Punk, Emo
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?z5jjyjztjmy
Recommended if you liked: The Weakerthans, Cursive, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros

Guest Post: Amanda fucking Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

Thanks for this awesome review of a seriously fantastic album, Dia! You guys should DEFINITELY get this if you liked Nick Cave, Tom Waits, or music in general; this piano virtuoso and extraordinary vocalist, Amanda Palmer is exactly what they would be like if they were female and slightly less ridiculous in some ways while being even more ridiculous in plenty others. Ampersand, the third track on this cd is probably one of the best songs I've ever heard in my life.

Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer? (2008)

The Dresden Dolls may have split up, but Amanda Palmer’s ingenious creativity is still ever-present in her first solo album. Desperate for a new beginning, Palmer and co-producer Ben Folds put their musical mindsand their gifted piano skills to good use. The result – a powerful demonstration of music and composition at its finest. No two tracks sound alike, and yet Palmer's stories and her magnificently eerie voice bring the album together with astonishing perfection.

The album opens with the powerful chords of ‘Astronaut’, a catchy and yet stimulating song that immediately grabs your attention at full force. Throughout the album, the tracks continue to alternate between intense and heartfelt, tied together by Palmer's storytelling and piano virtuosity. Songs cover an unorthodox range of topics, such as mental instability and abortion. ‘Guitar Hero’, my favorite on the entire album, is about soldiers at war playing video games when not on the battlefield.

I wouldn't change anything about this album -- If you have yet to experience the sheer power and compassion that this woman brings into music, a single listen to this album is all you need for that genuine Amanda ‘Fucking’ Palmer experience.

For deeper insight into this album, I recommend watching the music videos she made for each song on the album, each one is artistic and captivating in their own way, and each one carries the words of the song even further.

Recommended tracks: Astronaut, Runs In The Family, Had to Drive, Guitar Hero, The Point of it All
Genres: Rock, Indie, Experimental, Pop
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?fy2mzw5g4m2

Bust A Nut Inside Your Eye To Show You Where I Come From

I've been following the download rates on the albums I've uploaded and noted that a huge amount of people got Nas' Illmatic (huge meaning it's the 4th most downloaded album on Hallelujah), so this one is for you guys:


A Tribe Called Quest - The Low-End Theory (1991)

The Tribe are pioneers of the jazz-rap that groups like The Roots are currently edging forth. The album starts off with a kickin' upright bass line, letting you know that you're about to hear the jazziest hip hop to come out of the early 90s this side of De La Soul. The album features upright bassist, Ron Carter, and he is absolutely incredible. His basslines fit the songs perfectly and are so understated that they're nearly lost. Lead MC Q-Tip's vocals are smooth, they glide over the words as effortlessly as you'd expect with such slick beats.

Speaking of the beats, this album takes samples from the ultimate masters. Listening closely, you'll hear bits of Art Blakey, Jimi Hendrix, Weather Report, James Brown, Grant Green (as posted below!), Cannonball Adderley, Steve Miller Band, Funkadelic, and plenty of others. The other MC, Phife Dawg appears almost as often as Q-Tip, but it's when they rap together that is the most powerful. His voice is less smooth, but just as powerful and exciting. Together, they're unstoppable.

Overall, this album is just incredible. Listening to it transports you back to the 90's in a good way. Right before music was polluted for the rest of the decade, this is what was popping up. The Tribe feels just as powerful today, with their political and social lyrics that outline an environment we still combat today.

Recommended tracks: Excursions, Check The Rhime, Scenario (is holy shit one of the best best best songs ever written)
Genres: Rap, Hip Hop, Jazz
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?z0onezloudr

Thursday EPs: The Mountain Goats!

The Mountain Goats are fantastically prolific; ever since taking on the moniker in 1991, John Darnielle has recorded and released well over 500 songs. It's difficult to know where to start with a back-catalog of that size. So, instead of posting his full LPs (there'll be a time for that), here are a few EPs from 2008. Next week, I'll do a few other Mountain Goats EPs (believe me, I have plenty).


The Mountain Goats - Satanic Messiah EP (2008)

This cd, despite having an evil looking cover, contains no electric guitars at all. Instead, it's almost entirely piano; an instrument that rarely takes center-stage in Mountain Goats songs. Its music is smooth and calm; two songs are about death metal bands, one is about a religious revolution, and the final song is about an Ethiopian riot over high taxes. This cd is probably the most tender of all of the Mountain Goat releases and it certainly has some of the best songwriting I've ever heard.

Recommended Track: Gojam Province 1968
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?dtmgllmgejm




The Mountain Goats & Kaki King - Black Pear Tree EP (2008)


I saw this combo together on the The Last Best Night Of Your Life Tour in November and it was simply stunning. Kaki King is a very talented guitarist and a great singer, and when she works with the songwriting genius of John Darnielle, you get King's complex style with Darnielle's complex literature in one place. Between half-serious songs like the title track (Blossoms black and sweet as Texas crude) and serious ones like Bring Our Curses Home, you get the full spectrum of what The Mountain Goats are capable of.

Recommended Track: Thank You, Mario, But Our Princess Is In Another Castle
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?jqy2xmwdmmi

Genres for both: Indie, Folk

There you have it! Two Mountain Goats EPs for Thursday, two more for next Thursday! See you tomorrow, dudes.

I Always Dreamed Of Classic Cars And Movie Screens

The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (2008)

I'll start this one off by apologizing to my friend Brooks, who probably wanted to review this album.

The Gaslight Anthem are a couple of punk kids from New Jersey who grew up on Bruce Springsteen and all those classic rock acts. Their sound is as if Social Distortion, Jawbreaker, and Bruce Springsteen were somehow completely mixed into one sound. They have the intensity and speed of a punk band and the midwestern charm of a rockabilly group, all while still maintaining the clarity and epic power that come with some of the rock and roll kings from the 70s and 80s.

This cd is defined by the imagery; the lyrics and music work together to describe a lost time in history (even the album cover looks like an old LP). Songs reference Springsteen, Petty, Dylan, Seger and nearly everyone else from the 70s and 80s. They depict taillights, old ferris wheels, high top sneakers, and sailor tattoos, completing the 50's imagery. You can practically taste the old days through the words. Brian Fallon's voice suits this absolutely perfectly and the rest of the band is spot on. They are the ultimate driving band and I expect you'll be seeing a lot of them in the future.

Recommended Tracks: The '59 Sound, High Lonesome, The Patient Ferris Wheel
Genres: Punk, Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?czmyyy3zmjy

Guest Post: Grant Green & Bobby Hutcherson - Idle Moments

Grant Green & Bobby Hutcherson - Idle Moments (1963)

This review is courtesy of Jamie, a man who I honestly believe is a musical genius; a rap, funk, and jazz connoisseur. This cd is easily one of my favorites, and when Jamie asked me if he could review it, I was ecstatic. Grant Green is my absolute favorite jazz guitarist, so I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to hear one of the best. Here's the review:

Featuring-
Grant Green-Guitar
Joe Henderson-Tenor Saxophone
Bobby Hutcherson-Vibes
Duke Pearson-Piano
Bob Cranshaw-Bass
Al Harewood-Drums

Grant Green's "Idle Moments" is, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest jazz albums to come out of The Cool era. The album manages to cover the entire emotional spectrum, from the discontented stillness of "Idle Moments" to the upbeat nature of "Nomad". Contained in each of the four tracks is some of the most original and amazing writing that I have ever heard and, while the musicians have chops to spare, they do not feel the incessant urge to show off and pound the listener with flurries of notes. This is not your can of bebop, so beware ye Charlie Parker fans: you will be in store for something completely different. "Idle Moments" is both incredibly simple while at the same time equally as complex. It is elegant and sophisticated and one of the coolest albums to ever be released.


Thanks, Jamie! Oh, and to anyone who downloaded the first link of this before I posted it (there were three downloads, you cheating hackz0rz), this version has the missing track.

Recommended Tracks: There are only four, so I would say all of them, but the title track, Idle Moments, is probably my favorite.
Genres: Jazz
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?nmzxmcdmgyt

It's Good To Be Home From Time To Time

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. - Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager (2006)

When I first heard Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly's music, I was walking alone at 1 AM, not sure where I was going. I decided to play it on my iPod out of desperation for any kind of music on my walk to anywhere. The album feels like a soundtrack to your night; the guitars are fingerpicked, mostly, Sam Duckworth's voice is higher-pitched but not obnoxiously so; he's a beautiful alto-tenor that sounds like he maybe used to be a punk singer, but ended up doing acoustic indie folk music instead. He's pretty much the only member in this cd; he plays guitar, trumpet, keyboards, programs the drums, and sings. The whole album sounds like what you want someone to tell you when you're in a bad mood; the lyrics tell you that everything will be okay and that it'll all work out and you can't help but agree.

The best part of the album, I would say, is the way it varies so little, while changing so much. The songs all have the same instruments on it; acoustic guitars, drum machines, keyboards, vocals, some have a little trumpet, whatever. Nothing jumps out as being out of place; each one, you might say, is a chronicle. Each song another chapter, therefore saying so much without trying to outshine any others. It's generally a great, great cd and the way that each song seems compounded by the next one is just fantastic. I recommend it to anyone looking for some kind of mixture between acoustic indie pop and punk rock; what you end up with is just beautiful.

Recommended songs: Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager (Part Two), I-Spy, Lighthouse Keeper
Genre: Indie, Folk, Punk
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?y0tdz2idlm2

But I Can't Remember The Sound That You Found From Me

The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour (2007)

The Weakerthans are my all time favorite band. Their music has so much energy to it, John K. Samson's voice so much sincerity, and his lyrics so thoughtful. They are what I want music to always be; tender and warm while still being fun and enjoyable to listen to.

This cd, Reunion Tour, is their latest. It came out in 2007, and it was this cd that got me into them. I had listened to Left And Leaving once, but it didn't strike me. However, the opening chords on Civil Twilight had me hooked. Each song is a kind of mixture between punk and indie that literally sounds like they use their warm music to combat the icy winters of Winnipeg, where they live.

Every time I listen to this cd, something hits me so hard that I have to rewind it and hear it again. Today, it was a point in Relative Surplus Value, when Samson describes a pause while facing his boss as being as long as "an extra year of high school." Seriously, this is the sort of music that I can always listen to. And I could not recommend it any higher. If you don't have this cd, pick it up and be joyous because it's honestly the best release of 2007 (except for maybe Okkervil River's The Stage Names, you guys).

Let me restate that: THIS IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE BAND AND THEIR NEWEST CD. That felt good.


Genres: Indie, Punk, Rock, Folk
Recommended Tracks: Civil Twilight, Relative Surplus Value, Sun In An Empty Room, Virtute The Cat Explains Her Departure, um every other song on it? I mean, seriously
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?0h3jzuzmdy1

A Few Thursday EPs

Sorry guys, I can't think of anything exciting to put up tonight, so maybe I'll make a habit out of putting up two little EPs every Thursday over the summer, instead of a full album? Who knows, let's try it out.

These two are some of my favorites, so I figure I'll put them out sooner than later. Enjoy, dudes!

Cursive - Burst And Bloom EP (2002)

This cd has got everything. Yelling parts, calm parts, cellos, cool sounding guitars, and some of the best lyrics this side of Omaha! Cursive are one of my favorites and this release is just fantastic. Anyone who likes music should definitely pick this up, it's one the best.

Genres: Punk, Indie rock, Emo
Recommended Tracks: Mothership, Mothership, Do You Read Me?, Fairy Tales Tell Tales
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?owdyqmk24nc





Arcs - Arcs (2006)

This is a band from Toronto (aren't all indie rock bands these days?) who I constantly find myself turning to when I'm in the mood to listen to something that has a hard edge to it and is big sounding, but not overdone. This band is just fantastic; catchy and fun, but serious.


Genres: Indie Rock, Punk, Pop
Recommended Tracks: Ghosts Of Shopping Malls, I'm An A-Sharp
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?oungeynhz22





There you have it! Sorry this is so lame, guys. If you like it, though, LET ME KNOW! I'll start doing this sort of stuff more often if I hear that people like this sort of thing

Can You Dig It?

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus!!! Dig!!! (2008)

Nick Cave is best known for his brooding, slow, piano-y music. This newest cd, however, was a complete change of pace. The guitars were pulled right out of the 70s, cranking the volume to 11 for a classic rock feel. The bass grooves in time with the syncopated drum beats, and of course, the organ stabs. Now, of course, this can't all be too normal, so there's some weird tape sounds and feedbacking instruments that occasionally play so low in the background that you have to strain to hear them. All of this, of course, is under Nick Cave's commanding voice.

Cave nearly raps the entire album; his speak-singing only slightly tuneful, like he's an actor reciting his lines, using his intonation to let you know the emotions. Utterly fantastic. He's a storyteller above all else, and his ability to spin the classic tale of Lazarus (the man Jesus brought back from the dead) as a new story (in this version, Lazarus wakes up in 2008, lost in New York City, ready to take all of the drugs he can and have sex with all of the women) is just so animated in its exploration. You should get this album, whoever you are. It's ear-opening.

Recommended Tracks: Dig Lazarus Dig, Albert Goes West, Lie Down Here (And Be My Girl)
Genres: Rock
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?2tbzjq5emlw

Tuesday Guest Post: Sufjan Stevens (Washington Irving'd/Irving Washington'd)

Sufjan Stevens - Come On! Feel The Illinoise! (2006)


So I asked my friend Donald to write a review for Sufjan Stevens - Come On! Feel The Illinoise! Unfortunately, what I got was a three page essay about the album. Because I don't have the time or the patience to go through and edit such a triumphant and beautiful review, I've come up with a solution. In spirit of Yossarian, I will only give you the adjectives. The full review will soon be available on his own website here.

So, without further ado, here are the adjectives that Donald saw fit to describe Sufjan Stevens' (in my opinion) best cd:

Dazzling, awe-inspiring, smooth, mercurial, crowning, ambitious, critical, pseudo-Christian folk, legitimate, Salinger-esque, powerful, historical, cultural, small, fascinating, quirky, calm, effervescent, subdued, young, serene, quasi-chronological, beautiful, monument to grandeur and glory, lamentful (this one isn't a word, Donald), brooding, triumphant, faint, upbeat, syncopated, blossoming, poetic, personal, haunting, harrowing, graphic, serial killing, hidden, unsuspected, intimate, urban, local, thematic, fertile, magnificent, good, great, minimalistic, strumming, plucking, soft, passionate, haunted, soul-bearing, heartfelt, subdued, ethereal, prevailing, touching, Christian, religious, Christ-like, hard-edged, surreal, otherworldly, introspective, chilling, razor sharp, atmospheric, chilling, religious, haunting, jazzy, Brubeckian, dreamlike, storied, expressionistic, mystically repetitive, percussive, calamitous, HE PLAYS NEARLY EVERY INSTRUMENT USED ON THE ALBUM, seemingly oversaturated, brilliance.


I generally agree with each of those words. This album is absolutely beautiful and it is THE ALBUM that got me into indie rock; the way it melds history and modern culture is absolutely brilliant and the way the album sounds is perfect. This album was the crossover point for me between punk and whatever I am today, and it is definitely in my top 10 favorite albums of all time. If you'd like to read the full review, it is/will be up at http://www.wjgroundruledouble.weebly.com and I highly suggest reading the full thing. Thank you very much, Donald! I hope you don't mind my butchery. I thought it was funny...

Genres: Indie, Folk, Rock, Pop
Recommended Songs: Chicago, John Wayne Gacy Jr., They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)download.php?jnunzzmmnvw

Sometimes You Can't See The Horizon Between The Ocean And The Earth

Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros - Streetcore (2003)

Joe Strummer, rest his soul, died unexpectedly of heart complications in December 2002. You might remember him as the lead singer of The Clash, one of the greatest bands to ever make music. A few years before he died, he was touring and playing with his band, The Mescaleros. They recorded this, their best cd, Streetcore, throughout 2002. In 2003, it was released, and it being Strummer's last record is just the ultimate sadness.

This final cd is so world-wise and sounds like if London Calling were an indie record instead of a punk one. The music is very full sounding, has a lot of instrumentation other than the usual rock quartet sound. The songwriting is exquisite, this record is just a must. Joe Strummer was a classic figure, and this album is what I would consider the culmination of his life.

The most moving part of the whole album, easily, is the last song on it, Silver And Gold. Hearing Joe Strummer sing that about his ambitions and then add that he's "got to hurry up before [he grows] too old" is just too much knowing that this album was releast posthumously.

Oh, and if Long Shadow sounds like Johnny Cash, it's because Joe Strummer wrote it for Johnny Cash to sing... but then Cash died, as well. Its appearance on the record is a nod from deceased musician to deceased musician. Just a great cd.

Genres: Rock, Folk, Indie, Punk
Recommended Tracks: Coma Girl, Get Down Moses, Arms Aloft, Silver And Gold
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?mlnwyuzzmby

Tuesday Guest Post: Nas - Illmatic

Nas - Illmatic (2004)

Nas’ debut album, recognized as being one of the greatest in East Coast hip-hop history, still hits as hard as it did in 1994. His poignant description of inner-city life in Queensbridge, New York, includes desperation, violence, and, of course, a touch of arrogance.

Aside from the catchy wordplay, Illmatic also has quite a bit to offer musically. Produced by such legends as Q-Tip, Illmatic underscores its rough message with a good mixture of sharp beats and mellow sounds, for when the album slides into its more contemplative segments. Illmatic has something to offer everyone interested in rap music: a true insight into a pioneering work, a great listen, and it's definitely one of the best places to start, if you're considering checking out the genre.

Genres: Rap, Hip-Hop
Recommended Tracks: N.Y. State of Mind, Life's A Bitch, The World Is Yours
Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?mgwjnnojnzg



Thanks for the review, Jean Luc! Yo guys, I just want to direct your attention to Okkervil River's The Stage Names, which has gotten the least downloads out of anything else. It's pretty much one of the best cds I have ever heard and I so highly recommend it that I'd say it get it now if you don't already own it!! Also, this cd is SO GREAT, it's an ESSENTIAL listening for anyone into rap, for sure.

All The Donuts Have Names That Sound Like Prostitutes

Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985)

There are only a few albums I've heard that I would consider life changing. The first time I heard Rain Dogs, I stopped it after track 4, completely unable to listen to another word from the growling Waits, unable to stand one more squawk from the jarring rhythms, completely immobilized by the fact that this man was spinning madness, playing keyless ditties with cryptic, almost nonsense lyrics. And it was so GOOD. I started the cd over again.

Listening to it still gives me shivers sometimes. Tom Waits, for the uninitiated, is a singer/songwriter who smoked a few too many cigarettes. His voice transformed from Bob Dylan to Louis Armstrong. His songs range from very accessible, beautiful pieces, to xylophone songs that sound like a room full of men beating on percussion while he wails in the background. This cd is the perfect mixture of the two. It's one of the absolute greatest cds ever written, and the fact that it came out in 1985, before sounds like this had been thought of, proves both Tom Waits genius and his immense capacity to cherish each individual noise that goes on his records.

Oh, also, the very last track on the cd, Anywhere I Lay My Head, is the most beautiful piece of music I have ever heard. Bar none. Tom Waits is my only hero, and this is an amazing album.


Genres: Rock, Experimental, Blues
Recommended Tracks: Tango Till They're Sore, Rain Dogs, Downtown Train, Anywhere I Lay My Head
Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?nmgcmam2j2x

It's Like You're Losing Your Mind, But You Like It!

Man Man - Six Demon Bag (2006)

THIS ONE IS DEDICATED TO ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO LIKED GOOD LUCK, EVEN THOUGH IT SOUNDS NOTHING LIKE THEM, I THINK YOU PEOPLE WOULD ENJOY THIS TOO!! THANKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK, IT'S SO APPRECIATED!!

Okay, so you think you've listen to some pretty crazy music, right? I mean, yeah, you've got some Tom Waits. Maybe you're, like, totally into Foxy Shazam or something. Oh, oh, or maybe Gogol Bordello!

Okay, now mix all of those bands. All of them. Now you have Man Man. This stuff is what would happen if you let a bunch of apes loose in a studio and asked them to make a cd. It's just ridiculous. It's fun, it's rocking, it's dancy, it's percussive... Almost tribal. I saw this band live and it was complete insanity; every band member wears warpaint and tennis outfits. It was one of the absolute best times I've ever had in my life. Youtube them to see some of the craziest live performances ever done.

So yeah, Man Man. This cd is SO GREAT. I definitely recommend it to everyone, it's just a lot of fun to listen to and to dance around to like a fool. Great, great stuff. It's got a rock and roll gypsy feel to it with raspy, but not screaming vocals. The instrumentation is so interesting and the fact that they use it on these high-speed, alm0st-klezmer songs is just SO awesome.

Recommended tracks: Engwish Bwudd, Black Mission Goggles, Young Einstein On The Beach

Link: http://www.mediafire.com(SLASH)?ignhuz4jyhg
Genres: Rock, Fun Dancy Music, Tribalish Percussive Ridiculousness?, just fucking great