October 30, 2007
October 29, 2007
world champs
the boston red sox are your 2007 major league baseball world series champions
October 18, 2007
ok computer the radio play
i swear, i’ve had the idea to do this for about a year, looks like somebody’s beat me to it… ok computer radio play to air on bbc radio4
October 17, 2007
October 15, 2007
in rainbows in review
Listening to In Rainbows feels oddly reminiscent to returning home for the first time in years – sure all those bits and pieces from your past are there, but somehow it’s different. Both the scenery (or music in this case) and you have changed. Simultaneously you feel comfort in the familiar and curiosity in the foreign. So where does this devoted disciple of Thom Torke and co stand on their latest product? Even after four days and countless repeated listens, it’s too early to say. I’m impressed, but I’ve also had most of these tracks on repeat at some point over the past year and half. Anticlimactic? Perhaps. Dissapointing? That’s an unequivocal no.
Rainbows is as dense as any other Radiohead work; yet it’s surprisingly accessible due in large part to the lo-fi production qualities of these ten tracks. At times, it feels like the band themselves are post-Radiohead, more derivative than an evolution of their former selves. The paranoia of the impending doomsday to financial gluttony and self-righteousness familiar with most of their material from the past decade seems replaced with more personal matters and musings. Indeed both the song writing and instrumentation seems more human. Thom, vulnerable as ever, is in touch with emotion and his peers. The blips and beautifully bizarre instrumentation is now presented straight forward guitars and drums – well, at least as straight forward as Radiohead gets. Yet, this new approach yields wondrous results – whether the gripping guitar hooks of “Bodysnatchers”, the sauntering bass line of “All I Need”, or the cool confidence of Thom’s delivery in “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”. Shining brighter than any other track, a few listens to the percussive pitter-pattering of “Reckoner” reveals true beauty, Yorke’s vocals stretched to their limit gushing over the deceivingly intricate band performance.
The first time I put on this record, sleep deprived and all, I remember an initial feeling of almost being let down. It was difficult at times, as in hearing Yorke’s sing-song stream of consciousness on “Faust Arp”, to think “These guys are never going to create another ‘Exit Music’ or ‘Let Down’”. Certainly, this album pales in comparison to OK Computer, but then again all but a few albums do in the history of rock music. Please don’t get my feelings confused – there is plenty of brilliance on this album. This isn’t a band that’s outpaced itself but simply grown confident in its sound, and these tracks exude this sentiment perfectly. While I feel the band missed an opportunity to unearth a musical Holy Grail in a studio translation of “Videotape” which was simply celestial in its live renditions last year, the band consciously decided to end this outing with a subdued elegy, moving at a slow funeral pace. Yet after this track meanders into the darkness of silence there’s nothing the listener can do but awe in the beauty that’s presented in the ten songs that have passed. This may be a new look Radiohead, but it’s a band at the top of the game that is quite simply unmatched in the world today.
October 10, 2007
currently listening to…
yes, in rainbows came out today. yes, the world is going crazy about it one way or another. i’m holding off my opinion on it until friday. in the meantime, i’ve got a bevy of selections that have been on repeat between my soon to be obsessive radiohead listening spree.
via indietastic. all of these get my highest recommendations… enjoy.
October 9, 2007
the new hype machine
i know it’s just in beta now, but i love the new hype machine.
now under additionally, you can see my profile on hype machine.
sigur ros acoustic set / “heima” premier @ Gould Hall
i’ll keep this shorter than my previous entry, i promise.
so after a day of manhattan sightseeing and epic performances from arcade soundsystem, i treated myself to a nice little nightcap: a brief acoustic set from sigur ros and the midnight showing of their to-be-released documentary “heima”. the acoustic set, while brief, was impressive all the same. sandwiched between “agaetis byrjun”, a favorite i had never heard live before, and untitled 4, the icelandic quartet premiered “heima”, a lovely ballad which shares its name with the documentary.
the documentary was wildly moving, crafting a story of homecoming and self identification in the stunning visuals of iceland and the ever-dramatic music sigur ros performs.
via the music slut
October 8, 2007
lcd soundsystem / arcade fire @ randall’s island
in one word – amazing. i feel like the stories that conspired to create this glorious event past saturday evening in new york city come about very rarely. prefaced by the likes of wild light, blonde redhead, and les savy fav (acts that are all qualified to headline their own shows), two of the most important bands in this world of indie music we all live in came together in the most important city in the world to put on a simply captivating back to back performance, one i will never forget.
lcd soundsystem arrived on stage as darkness overtook the field, the skyline of manhattan just then illuminating. for me, mr. murphy and his cohorts stole the night – simply shattering all expectations i had for the group and quashing all qualms i had that they could not reproduce the glory of the studio in concert, never mind at such a large venue. the drums and bass simply ruled lcd’s set, accompanying the brilliant synths that provided the perfect backdrop for james murphy’s brilliant delivery. they hit all the highlights, ranging from the techno pulse of “get innocuous” to the sorrowful climax of “someone great”, although curiously omitting “daft punk” from the set. murphy ended his set the only way it could have ended, with the out of pace but entirely appropriate “new york i love you”, capping off a rigorous north american tour and a triumphant year which will see his sophomore release find its way to many of this year’s best of lists.
the arcade fire came on stage in front of a still swelling mass of people, upwards of 25,000 and exuded absolute professionalism, apparently mastering their craft in the two years that have passed since i saw the montreal outfit supporting their debut release. while taking time to get into gear, the wildly playful and epic performance of “no cars go” absolutely set the crowd a light. i was perhaps most impressed by the constant evolution of the stage settings, back drops, and video projections that supplemented the band’s performance. while i felt it wasn’t the performance of the night, this set has undoubtedly changed my previously unimpressed sentiments of neon bible. i have perhaps been too harsh on this band, particularly in those who have heralded them as “this generation’s radiohead”. while they certainly do not breathe the rarified atmosphere of thom yorke and co., they may be the only band of this new generation to be ahle to create a similar blend of intimate intensity and genuine grandeur. all in all, an unbelievable night of music.
songs of the night: lcd – “all my friends” and arcade fire – “no cars go”
October 5, 2007
heading out
leaving dc for the weekend (which seems to be the norm for the off days) to new york city. here’s what i’m looking at:
friday: drive up, meet up, enjoy the city
saturday: arcade fire/lcd soundsystem/les savy fav at randall’s island during the day and then heading to manhattan for a midnight acoustic set by sigur ros and the premier of their highly anticipated (at least by me) documentary “Heima”.
sunday: drive home and come down from the most amazing music day i’ll ever have had
