Forgetting Ambulance LTD off the "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" Soundtrack

So I've been in Chicago for the past few days and the temperature dropped from almost 80 when I got here to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday and raining. So the wifey and I went to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Having finally gotten around to watching the only season of Freaks and Geeks on dvd and having really enjoyed Superbad and Knocked Up (all of which was produced by Judd Apatow) this past year, I had rather high expectations for this rom-com. And I have to say, I was a little disappointed. It's got heart and it has its funny moments, but it drags and it's very predictable. Towards the end of the movie, when the main character, Peter Bretter, played by Jason Segel, makes a final and successful attempt at surfing, Ambulance LTD's "Heavy Lifting" begins to play and abruptly cuts off before the vocals start. But the song is not featured on the Forgetting Sarah Marshall Soundtrack, oddly enough.

Ambulance LTD -- Heavy Lifting

Heavy Lifting

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Apostle of Hustle

blogger again seems to be struggling to post jpeg files, so forgive my failure to post the album cover. Andrew Whiteman, another Broken Social Scene alum, is the leader of the Apostle of Hustle. I know very little about the album National Anthem of Nowhere except that the title track is pretty sweet ass sweet. Sounding a little like Radiohead and a little like Coldplay's Chris Martin, that description would suggest out-0f-date bombast, but it's a pretty good little rock tune.

Apostles of Hustle -- National Anthem of Nowhere

National Anthem of Nowhere

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Broken Social Scene presents Kevin Drew

For the rabid Broken Social Scene fans, this post is coming way too late. And for the rest of us, this post is likely to not make too much impact. I thought this album was bound to be a pretentious and self-indulgent mess. And that tag "Broken Social Scene presents," what the f*%k is that all about. I mean it's not like I knew that Kevin Drew was in Broken Social Scene but I dock points for using Broken Social Scene to sell your solo album--seems like a corporate rock move to me. So I ignored this album on my Ipod for months, and to this day i have given Spirit If... short shrift. But I like to give credit where credit is due and "Frightening Lives" is pretty awesome.

BSC presents Kevin Drew -- Frightening Lives

Frightening Lives

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The Faces

Blogger apparently is having problems uploading images to my blog. I mentioned the Faces in my last post. The Faces were Ronnie Lane, Ronnie Wood (current member of the Rolling Stones since the 70's), some other guys and the Rod (Stewart). Anybody who grew up in the 1980's can't forget Rod Stewart singing next to the curly haired, carrot-top boy on a hay ride on "Forever Young" or the late-70's Rod of "Do Ya think I'm sexy." But Rod Stewart didn't always suck. In fact, for a brief moment in time, the Rod had one of the greatest voices in rock. "Stay With Me" is proof positive of that.

The Faces -- Stay With Me

Stay with Me

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Golden Smog

So apparently I haven't been checking other music blogs like Stereogum as much as I should. It turns out Wilco wrote a song for the Heroes television soundtrack called "Glad It's Over," which I downloaded but have not listened to yet this morning. So why the Golden Smog post? Well, of course, Jeff Tweedy, leader singer and songwriter of Wilco, was a member of the not-quite-so-legendary, alt-country-rock supergroup Golden Smog, which also featured members of the Jayhawks and Soul Asylum. Down By the Old Mainstream was their first full-length album (apparently, they released an EP in 1992 entitled On Golden Smog without Tweedy). When Down by the Old Mainstream was released in 1996 or so, it could be argued that the Jayhawks were the bigger alt-country rock stars than Tweedy's Wilco, and Gary Louris (lead singer of the Jayhawks) has a great influence on this album, whereas Tweedy's influence is far more pronounced on the more recent Another Fine Day (it probably should be noted that Tweedy was not on the on the last Golden Smog E.P. Blood on the Slacks--Golden Smog deserve points for great album titles). Which gets me back to the song at hand, I just could not get their cover of the Faces' "Glad & Sorry" out of my head this morning.

Golden Smog -- Glad & Sorry

Glad & Sorry

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Concert Review: Spoon at the Vogue (4/19/08)

So last night was the Jewish holiday of Passover, and, respectfully, the Vogue forced the opening act to start at 6:30 and Spoon to start at 8:30, so that meant I had to duck out of my Passover seder at about 7:45 before we had even eaten. My parents were of course very pleased, and the rest of my extended family probably thought I was a bad jew (guilty as charged). But for Spoon, I make sacrifices as they are one of my favorite bands. And Spoon did not disappoint. For those looking for the clean lines and the economy of Spoon's most recent albums, this was slightly messier. For one thing, lead singer, Britt Daniels, was feeding his vocals through some sort of delayed-echo box effect (heard on Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga but used far more frequently last night.) And a few times, the band seemed to be trying to lose the audience (maybe, Britt was testing us). But for those who saw Spoon play at Austin City Limits Festival last fall, this was a much better show in comparison, particularly on "the Underdog." At ACL, Spoon brought out the mariachi band for the horns-part of the song, but the song just didn't sound good. Last night, there was no mariachi band and a keyboard instead took their place, but, lo and behold, the band sounded much tighter. One other interesting thing, the band played "Don't You Evah" twice. The first one was great; the second one, to kick off the encore, was good but slower. I think the crowd wasn't feeling it quite as much.

Spoon -- Don't You Evah

Don't You Evah

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Muxtape 2.0

Boy do I love to multitask. I'm watching Episode 4 of John Adams (a great book btw) and making my second muxtape. Very impressive, I know. Please check it out, http://theshimm.muxtape.com.

Earthquake of 2008!

Ok, so I was a little groggy when the earthquake struck today and I didn't get the full experience. I remember the end tables in our bedroom were shaking and my wife was like "What is that?" Lifting my head off the pillow, I said, "Don't worry baby, that's probably just a 5.2 on the Richter scale and it's all good. Let's snuggle." Needless to say, she ignored me. So maybe if I lived in California, this wouldn't be worth mentioning. But I missed the last noticeable earthquake to hit Indiana in 1987, and I was a lil' excited not to miss this one. So I posted the "Earthquake of '73" because that's the only song I have on my Ipod with "earthquake" in the title (sorry Beck).

Fruit Bats -- Earthquake of '73

Earthquake of '73

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Robbers on High Street

A friend of mine mentioned that while being bummed about not being able to see the Spoon-Passover show in Indy he instead would be able to see the Robbers on High Street in Louisville. If you've ever heard the Robbers, you know that at their best they sound exactly like Spoon. I'm sure that pisses the Robbers off, but it's only not only an easy comparison, it's the only comparison that can be made. But on "A Night at Star Castle," all Britt Daniels-comparisons aside, it's a fantastic song. Their new album Grand Animals has some fine moments as well (unfortunately those tunes are property of Itunes).

Robbers on High Street -- A Night at Star Castle

A Night at Star Castle

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Pesach...is Back!!

My wifey (for those who don't know already, she's a gentile) sent me a Passover electronic-greeting card. Thought I'd share it with the rest of you.

Who remembers when the Counting Crows weren't really annoying?

A long, long time ago, we had a sexual deviant in the White House and all was, more or less, fine and dandy in the U.S. of A. And around the time of Clinton's first term, Rolling Stone got their panties in a bunch over the Counting Crows, declaring them the next great band. Then Adam Duritz (lead singer) jumped the shark by dating not one but two members of the cast of Friends. And slowly but surely, no one wanted to listen to Adam Duritz about his problems anymore. Much later, the Counting Crows' friggin' accordion player castigated Rolling Stone for not recognizing the current President's brilliance. At that point, I said to myself "FU Duritz and FU accordion-player-guy, I'm not buying your shitty new albums anymore." So Duritz took a break and stopped making shitty albums.

But after spending a few years in hibernation, Surprise! Surprise!, the Counting Crows have a new album out, and guess what RS, in utterly predictable fashion, have declared the new album Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings a return to form (just like that new R.E.M. album, which could suck golf balls through a garden hose). Well don't believe the hype. Saturday Nights is pure shite and Duritz can't help but babble incessantly throughout an entire song until he gets to a rather uninspired chorus. He's got a good voice, but apparently he nor anyone else is capable of editing his lyrics down.

So I've gone back to the older Counting Crows albums to see if I'd just outgrown them or whether they do in fact just suck now. Which brings me to "Einstein on the Beach" from the DGC Rarities compilation, a song that still holds up nicely after all these years.

Counting Crows -- Einstein on the Beach

Einstein on the Beach

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Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

I'm glad someone if finally giving Boris Yeltsin his due. Given the chance betwee Yeltsin and Premier Putin, I think it's safe to say we American prefer poor Russia poor and drunk, then today's Russia: rich, drunk and acting like total a-holes. But this post was not meant to be some sort of political-screed, but rather to promote the Missouri-based band Someone Still loves You Boris Yeltsin (soon to be known as the acronym: S.S.L.Y.B.Y. That is, if anyone will remember it). Suffice to say, this band, despite its rising exposure on the blogosphere, might be due for a name change. Names aside, the band is playing in Indianapolis this Tuesday @ Locals Only, a venue located @ 2449 East 56th Street (just off Keystone Ave). I have been digging this band for the past couple years on the account of their penchant for writing extremely good pop songs. I have been digging "Houses on Fire" for about 2 years now and until only recently realized it was S.S.L.Y.B.Y. If you claim to be into Indie-rock and you miss this, you might be kicking yourself later (like I'm still a little shitty for not seeing the White Rabbits last summer.) Big ups to Dodge at My Old Kentucky Blog (myoldkyhome.blogspot.com/) for bringing Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin to our fair city.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin -- House on Fire

House on Fire

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Los Angeles, I'm Yours (sort of)

Here's to Los Angeles, land of the Govinator, botox, The Hills, mudslides, the Beckhams, smog and Entertainment Tonight. I've also heard the weather there is nice too, but not nice enough apparently for a NFL football franchise. How is it that a city like Green Bay, Wisconsin (population: 102,313) can support a NFL franchise and Los Angeles (population: 9,948,081) can't get a team to stick around for more than a few years?

the Decemberists -- Los Angeles, I'm Yours

Los Angeles, I'm Yours

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Your Elevator is Not this Funky!

According to O-dub at www.soul-sides.com, this is one pricey record. "Africa Pop Session" by none other than Manu Dibango was posted in February; I'm just getting around to it now though. The music and this album cover couldn't be more incongruous though, as "Africa Pop Session" is pure elevator-funk. Who knows maybe hip dentists were spinning Manu Dibango records back in the '70's for their patients. Either way, this is hip, yet very harmless instrumental funk.

Manu Dibango -- Africa Pop Session

Africa Pop Session

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Radiohead -- 4 Minute Warning

I got the Radiohead In Rainbows 2 disc collector's edition for Hanukah. For eighty dollars or so, I got vinyl (no record player), a bonus disc of extras, some really cool looking artwork and that's it. And that bonus disc contains no demos of songs on the album and no live tracks, so in a way the second disc sort of sounds like a half-baked Radiohead album. But there's one gem, "4 Minute Warning." It's spare but it demonstrates one thing quite plainly: Thom Yorke knows what the f%&* he is doing. Radiohead is the real deal.

Radiohead -- In Rainbows

In Rainbows

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Momofuku = Lucky Peach (in Japanese) = Elvis Costello

Sort of weird coincidences going on between me and Momofuku. About a month ago, I went to New York to see some family and some friends. As a result of watching too many episodes of the PBS series The Best Recipes in the World (David Chang, head chef of Momofuku, was featured several times on the show), I felt to compelled to get me some Momofuku. So on two separate occasions, I ate at the Momofuku Ssam Bar and at the Noodle Bar (http://www.momofuku.com/.) Anyways, so my brother who lives in D.C. calls me up and asks me about where I ate in New York to which I mention Momofuku. My brother then tells me that David Chang was profiled in the March 24th issue of the New Yorker, OMG! Then on www.pitchforkmedia.com, today, it turns out that Elvis Costello has named his new album none other than, you guessed it, Momofuku. I know, OMG, right? I've been wondering whether Elvis had the pork steam buns or the $200 pork butt ssam rolls (I kid you not, order a week in advance). The pork butt wouldn't have fit into my budget anyways, I'm not angry.

This Elvis Costello song comes off Costello's classic My Aim is True, "I'm not angry." For those of you who like music trivia, this was E.C.'s first album and was made without the Attractions. On the the first album, instead, was a band known as Clover, which would later become Huey Lewis and the News. OMG, right?

Elvis Costello -- I'm not angry

I'm not angry

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Son Volt

In the early 1990's, Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy were in an unpopular, but critically acclaimed band Uncle Tupelo. There is one juicy bit of gossip concerning the break-up of this once-revered band. In his own words, Farrar, speaking last year in an interview with Anthony DeCurtis in Relix Magazine:

...describes an incident that occurred about a month or two before the band traveled to Athens, Georgia, in 1992 to work with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck as producer on March 16-20, an album of acoustic country-folk that is regarded by many as Uncle Tupelo's best work. "The most divisive incident occurred one night after a show," Farrar recalls, his voice trembling as he tries to remain calm. "I was driving. My girlfriend of seven years (Monica Groth, now Farrar's wife) was in the van, and another friend of ours was in the front seat. My girlfriend was sleeping in the back seat and Mike was sleeping on the floor or something. "Jeff went in to get paid, and came back out," Farrar continues. "Then we were ready to go home. As I was driving, Jeff woke my girlfriend up and I saw a situation develop that I'd seen before. It was common knowledge that Jeff's pick-up routine was to start crying to elicit sympathy from whatever female he was attracted to. To any outsider it would have been a tragicomedy, because I'm punching on the brakes and punching the gas. "I found out later that he was telling her stuff, like, he loves her. He's always loved her. He thinks she's beautiful. In the rear view mirror I could see him stroking her hair. It was a nightmare. It was an affront to everything I considered important at that time. My girlfriend of seven years and the band. He was destroying all that in one stroke. And he was literally doing it behind my back and right in front of me at the same time. "Ever since that episode, every other issue between us was exacerbated by that. That was probably when I should have broken things up. After that I didn't have any respect for him. I felt that I couldn't trust him."

Apparently, no one flirts with Jay's girl, not even Tweedy. By 1992, Uncle Tupelo had disbanded with Farrar forming Son Volt and Tweedy forming Wilco. Two bands competing for the same alt-country/No Depression turf. At least initially, both bands sought to make roots rock that was equal parts Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and eighties punk bands like the Replacements. And at first, Jay Farrar's Son Volt was considered the stronger of the two bands. Critics and artists adored Son Volt's first album Trace, whereas Wilco's A.M. got barely a mention. But we all know how this story ends.

Nevertheless, Son Volt is still making albums, and "Slow Hearse" off last year's The Search lends credence to the argument that Son Volt has been unfairly ignored. Refreshingly, as Trace was always a little bit of a downer, Son Volt sounds different on "Slow Hearse" but in a good way. And you'd think with a name like "Slow Hearse," it, too, would be a downer, but this is pretty upbeat for the Son Volt I used to know.

Son Volt -- Slow Hearse

Slow Hearse

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The Remains

A buddy of mine (who has one of the finer record collections in Indy) mentioned liking the Remains the other day. The Remains were from Boston, Massachusetts, and, like a lot of other bands featured on the original Nuggets box set (which compiles American psychedelic rock from 1965-1969), had some success in the northeast before fading into obscurity . Back in those days, there was such a thing as a regional hit, due to the influence and stature of disc jockeys at radio stations. The Remains' "Don't Look Back" was one of those regional hits. It probably should be noted that this is not the same song as Boston's "Don't Look Back."

The Remains -- Don't Look Back

Don't Look Back

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Congratulations, Mikey

A buddy of mine just passed the Illinois Bar, congrats to him. In that spirit, I searched "congratulations" on my iTunes and out came "Congratulations." Of all of Paul Simon's albums, his self-titled solo album, Paul Simon, is perhaps is his least-appreciated. And for those who've either ignored it or never heard it, this is Paul Simon at his subtlest, both vocally and in his guitar playing. Back in 2001 (pre-9/11), I spent a semester studying in Sevilla. Having arrived in Spain with my Nomad Jukebox (5 gig hard drive for $500, seen on the left there), I thought I was pretty hot shit until I left it in a taxi cab one night. So sad was I. To console myself, I bought a few cd's--one of which was Paul Simon--and wore them out. And while it's not a long album, it's a deep album, both lyrically and musically.

Paul Simon - Congratulations

Congratulations

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The Breeders are Back.

Back in 1992 or 1993, The Breeder's second album, Last Splash, came out. So-called "alternative" music for a brief period of time, ushered in by bands Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, ruled MTV and rock radio. Today, MTV doesn't really even play music videos much anymore and the alternative rock radio format is just about dead. Amazingly in the last 15 years that have passed since Last Splash, the Breeders have released just two albums--Title TK and, now, Mountain Battles. Mountain Battles is no Last Splash f'sho. And I still haven't quite made up my mind how Mountain Battles stacks up with the rest of their catalogue, but "German Studies" is one of my favorites thus far.

The Breeders -- German Studies

German Studies

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This Friday: Rock for Riley IV at the Vogue

This Friday, tomorrow, that is, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's will be rocking the mutherchukin' hizz-ouse (just writing that makes me feel awkward) to benefit Riley Hospital for Children. Bon Iver will be opening up so get there early and buy a ton of posters, stickers, buttons, cds and t-shirts before they are all gone. All I can say is that the music is better than this album cover. Still, I'm not that familiar with Bon Iver, but "Skinny Love" is the most downloaded song off iTunes and I will not defy popular opinion. Please come out and support Rock for Riley IV this Friday, it should be a great show. www.rockforriley.org

Bon Iver -- Skinny Love

Skinny Love

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The Sea and Cake

The Sea and Cake are just smooth, perhaps too smooth. After an hour or so of Sea and Cake, you might start to long for a legitimate chorus. But if the Sea and Cake ever compiled a greatest hits record (I'll choose not to hold my breath on that one), "Four Corners" should be on it.

The Sea and Cake -- Four Bedrooms

Four Bedrooms

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Neil Young is making me cry

The wifey and I just watched Philadelphia tonight. Damn, that movie is pretty damn powerful, and the acting, all around, is superb. Tom Hanks was maybe at the height of his acting prowess at that point in his career, but alas this is not a film blog. The Boss's "Streets of Philadelphia" and Neil Young's "Philadelphia" bookend the movie. I'm not a huge fan of the Boss; I know that's sacrilege. That said, "Streets" is a fine song with a great na-na-na chorus. But its "Philadelphia" that really tugs at your heart strings, making an already fine film that much more poignant. Those piano chords and Young's voice just kills me.

Neil Young -- Philadelphia

Philadelphia

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Rock for Riley IV: This Friday at the Vogue

This Friday, April 4th, 2008, Bon Iver will be opening up for Indy's own Margot and the Nuclear So and So's at the Vogue in Broadripple. Tickets are $22. Please check out this great event in support of the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. Click the hyperlink for more details, www.rockforriley.org.

Margot and the Nuclear So and So's -- On a freezing Chicago

On a Freezing Chicago Street

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J.J. Cale

Speaking recently of artists who do one thing and do it really well, J.J. Cale has been arguably making the same record for over 30 years now. Amazingly, he continues to sound fresh, even now. Cale is probably best know for songs like "Cocain" that Eric Clapton made a lot more famous, but J.J. Cale has got a deeply ingrained style that has worn, over the years, extremely well. This tune "Let's Go to Tahiti" comes off of Cale's fifth album, appropriately named, 5, released in 1979.

J.J. Cale -- Let's Go to Tahiti

Let's Go to Tahiti

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Ratatat

Ratatat are a little like Daft Punk, a little like The Whitest Boy Alive and maybe a whiff of Air. In the mode of Daft Punk, Ratatat favors up tempo, sort of-dance music built upon layers of guitar, bass and drums/drum machine. This is music for unfunky people to sort of dance to (myself included). "Nostrand" is dedicated to a funky guy I know has been known to wear a cape occasionally while out on the town. He knows who he is.

Nostrand -- Ratatat

Nostrand

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