New Music Friday: The Shimm -- "Where wings take dream..."

TheShimm.com officially endorses this trio, this bevy of new tunes. For those of you who like pop, try this Lily Allen, slightly self absorbed ode to all that is shitty, demeaning and soul-deadening about making serious bank as an international pop star in the music industry. Still she sings these banal lyrics bemoaning her shopaholic ways and never being skinny enuf for record execs in an appealing way and i kind of dig it. As for Beirut, this is what Beirut does best blending the vocal styles of Morrissey/Yorke/Jeff Buckley with baltic/slavic/mariachi music--that sounds horrifying on paper but when it works as it does in "The Akara", it is glorious. And this "Keep a Secret" is the 2nd Whitest Boy Alive tune to grab me off their upcoming album Rules.

Whitest Boy Alive -- Keep A Secret

Keep a Secret

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Lily Allen -- the Fear

the Fear

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Beirut -- the Akara

the Akara

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Of Montreal -- Jon Brion Remix

Ooh dig that album cover. "First Time High" is one of the better songs on the last Of Montreal album Skeletal Lamping. This Jon Brion remix strips it of nearly everything except for the vocals and adds acoustic guitar. And as with all good remixes, mashes, etc., I gained a new appreciation for the song. Even if you don't normally dig Of Montreal, you might like this.

Of Montreal (Jon Brion Remix) -- First Time High

First Time High (Of Chicago Acoustic Remix)

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Or, the Whale??!

Yo who likes roots-rock? It's a lil' bit country, a little bit classic rock and I kind of dig it. Do you?

Or, the Whale -- Call and Response

Call and Response

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More Andrew Bird: Try Whistling This

Andrew Bird's new album Noble Beast has a slew of good tunes, but I really like his upbeat tunes that feature his wonderful whistling. That's no joke; this man is a "classically-trained" whistler. I'm not so where he went about such whistling training; are there summer camps for gifted adolescent whistlers?? Someone please tell me (or not). Anywho, "Fitz & Dizzyspells" has some real dynamite whistling and puts a real spring in my step. Soldier on, I will, Mr. Bird.

Andrew Bird -- Fitz and Dizzyspells

Fitz & Dizzyspells

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This Guy Dan Rossen of Grizzly Bear and Dept of Eagles is The Shimm

I know it's been over 2 years since Grizzly Bear's sophomore album Yellow House was released, but I'm still processing it. Department of Eagles' In Ear Park, still processing it. And what do these bands have in common? That dude, right there. He is Dan Rossen, and he is the man.

Grizzly Bear -- Little Brother

Little Brother

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Grizzly Bear -- While You Wait for the Others

While You Wait for the Others (Live Daytrotter Session)

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Grizzly Bear -- Knife

Knife

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Dan Rossen -- Too Little, Too Late (JoJo cover)

Too Little, Too Late (JoJo cover)

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Grizzly Bear -- Graceland (Paul Simon cover)

Graceland (Paul Simon cover)

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New to Me!!!! Cut Off Your Hands -- Get Excited!

New Zealand's Cut Off Your Hands (witty play on Clap Your Hands Say Yeah??) caught my attention a couple of years ago with their Shaky Hands E.P.--particularly the song "You and I." Turns out, Shaky Hands was literally just a teaser for their full length You and I, which is out now which features a solid handful of great punk-alt-rock tunes that wouldn't sound out of place on Maximo Park's A Certain Trigger--a tragically underrated album deserving of more attention stateside. Seriously, it's rock music like this that reminds why i still go out of my way to find new music.

Btw, for all those (like myself) are obsessed with kiwi-natives Crowded House and its frontman/lead singer and guitarrist, Neil Finn, Cut Off Your Hands sadly don't emulate the John Cougar Mellencamp of New Zealand. If anyone ever quotes me on that, don't forget I said it first.

Oh, so while my interest in Cut Off Your Hands was piqued over 2 years ago, I forgot my beloved Kiwi band for many moons...until just recently. You and I came out in October of 2008, and I'm just getting around to it now.

Cut Off Your Hands -- Let's Get Out of Here

Let's Get Out of Here


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Cut Off Your Hands -- Oh, Girl

Oh, Girl

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Big News from TheShimm.com

Ok, first things first...there is zero connection between the late J Dilla and relative new comers Wild Light. In truth, I posted music before I was actually ready to write anything about either one of them.

Moving on, in the new year, there will be some new changes to TheShimm.com. DJ Chase a.k.a. Rob-1, a good friend and long-time fan/critic of TheShimm will be contributing occasional posts in the near future. I look forward to that...

Oh, I recently came across this relatively new band, Wild Light. I don't know a whole lot of about this New Hampshire-based band except that band member, Tim Kyle, was once a member of the Arcade Fire. But listening to the band's newish single, "California on My Mind," reminds me little of Arcade Fire and instead reminds me of late-90's Minneapolis-based pop rockers Semisonic (or at the very least its lead singer). That may sound like faint praise, but it's not meant to. I won't vouch for the whole album which I haven't heard, but this is a motherchuckin' doozy of a "single" (oh if only they hadn't dropped an F-bomb a dozen times.) Keep your eyes on Wild Light--they could blow the f%#k up.

Btw, for those actually listening to the music, and then coming back later and getting all opinionated and testy, I got no beef with Cali, but having watched several episodes of Bromance in the past few weeks, I can understand a little ill will towards all the fakers, self-absorbed, status-obsessed people in the great state of California (i could be wrong but L.A. seems like a magnet for really dumb people with money. Don't hate me; hate your television.) To all the people i know in California, I wasn't talking about you guys. You guys rule. And to any Californians who frequently visit my blog and thinks it's (my blog/California) really awesome, I certainly wasn't referring to you guys at all.

Wild Light -- California on My Mind

California on my Mind

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J Dilla -- The New

The New

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Cut Copy

It's probably too late to get on the Cut Copy bandwagon--to mix my metaphors, that train has left the station. But that's ok, I'm not like a huge fan--maybe a little too emo for me but I can see the attraction on the basis of a couple stellar tunes like for instance "So Haunted." A great hook, interesting progressions and tempo changes finally leading to an ebullient St. Etienne-ish techno-keyboard rave up. Better late than never at all.

Cut Copy -- So Haunted

So Haunted

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Andrew Bird -- Oh no

Oh No

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Brand New The Whitest Boy Alive

Lead singer and guitarist, Erlend Øye, for Berlin-based The White Boy Alive is better known for his other band the Kings of Convenience based out of Belgen, Norway. This is hot shimm. Øye's voice is smooth as danish butter--a heady mix of Scandinavian refinement and Brazilian understatedness--and spot on uptempo production.

Whitest Boy Alive -- High on the Heels

High on the Heels

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New Andrew Bird -- Noble Beast

Ooh, I've been a medium-sized fan of Andrew Bird for a good number of years now. I've even gone so far as to attend a couple of his concerts. He is good; he is talented and he mothachuckin' knows it. Unlike many of his singer songwriters contemporaries who go by their g-d-given names is deserving of this act of bravado and self -promotion. For all i know, this whistler and violin-playing extraordinaire and pretty decent guitar playing Andrew Bird is probably playing most of the other instruments on the album anyhow (who buys CDs anymore? And therefore who then who reads liner notes anymore?, not I anways.) But forget about technical proficiency, "Oh No" is a great tune that's easy to love, almost immediately. If you are seeking to eschew the fussy experimentalism of Animal Collective for highly literate, easy-going-pop-indie-rock, may I suggest Andrew Bird. By staying below the radar and by not achieving super-stardom, Bird has continued to refine his anglo-pop-folk-rock sensibilities over the course of the past several albums.

Andrew Bird -- Oh no

Oh No

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President Obama is the Shimm!!!

President Barack Obama, making love to a cigarette

OMG, I thought Obama's inaugural address was totally eloquent, reciting universal ideas and making me believe we might accomplish some of the laudable goals, not just pay lip service. And like the guy is incredibly eloquent and convincing in his arguments unlike his douchebag predecessor. The contrast is so striking. He is the man for the times.

Animal Collective -- Did you know they had a new album out?

Caution: this album cover kind of sucks

If you believe the hype, Animal Collective are the indie-experimental rock equivalent of Obama. But this is one of those critically beloved bands that is likely to confound your average listener. Maybe that's to Animal Collective's credit, but to date Animal Collective has not been my cup of tea. Still group member Noah Lennox a.k.a. Panda Bear's debut Person Pitch was pretty extraordinary and hypnotizing. And those same qualities are found more abundantly in Merriweather Post Pavilion than in their previous albums. Gone from Merriweather is the excessive weirdness and Avey Tare's screamo episodes--Lennox appears to be exerting more influence with his penchant for loops and distorted/manipulated Beach Boy/Grizzly Bear harmonies. I'll give it to Animal Collective for crafting a sound that is unique and free form, but at the present moment (with admittedly not enough time to fully digest Merriweather) i'm not ready to name it the best album of 2009. For that matter, I'm slightly annoyed that so many music critics out there are so willing to name it the Best Album of 2009 in January. I mean, let's hope it's not. If it is, the music industry is in worse shape than i thought.

Animal Collective -- My Girls (Dave Wrangler Remix)

My Girls (Dave Wrangler Remix)

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Franz Ferdinand

(Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand: Duh!)

The new Franz Ferdinand album Tonight arrives in stores and on iTunes tomorrow or the following Tuesday. Surprisingly, Tonight hasn't leaked all over the internet (yet anyways). I like what I'm hearing thus far. Franz knows what they do well, and rather than try to deviate stylistically to prove that they're capable of doing so--they instead choose to bang out some of the best post-millenial pop-rock tunes on the planet. After a couple dozen spins, they can wear me out with all their frenetic, upbeatness, but right about now i am digging this.

Franz Ferdinand -- Bite Hard

Bite Hard

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Franz Ferdinand -- Ulysses

Ulysses

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Ben Gibbard & Feist

Introducing Indie Rock SuperDuo--Ben Gibbard and Feist. See if you can tell who I like better?

Ben Gibbard & Feist -- Train Song

Train Song

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Jaydiohead -- the Bleek Album?

Jay Z mashed with Radiohead = Jaydiohead

Not every mash on Jaydiohead works exactly, but when it's successful it does a heck of a job at recontextualizing the familiar and making it sound sort of fresh. I say sort of because this is like the 43rd version of "99 Problems" I've heard in the past two years.

Jaydiohead -- Dirt Off Your Android

Dirt Off Your Android

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Jaydiohead -- Fall in Step

Fall in Step

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Proto Punk Part I

Volume I and II of the Nuggets box set compilation. Digesting all this music takes time but is well worth the effort, even if you end only loving a handful of songs on each (for my money, I like Volume II better). And if these sprawling box sets can be simplified it is that 1/2 wants to be the Beatles, late 60's Kinks or the Dave Clark Five and the other half strives to be more raw than the Rolling Stones. And out of this dichotomy we get proto-punk. Punk is as much a reaction to Sgt. Pepper's as it is to Dark Side of the Moon or Boston's first album or everything that Yes or Genesis ever made throughout the late 60's and straight thru the 1970's. Psychedelic rock in one sense in its complexity, its guitar solos, its classical influences was an expansion of the rock 'n' roll form. Punk music was a safe-haven for those that loved rock music and did not have the technical talent, the money, nor the musical sophistication to take part in the psychedelic movement ushed in by the Beatles. Punk music in essence is a stripping of rock music back down to its bare bones--it's R&B/Chuck Berry/John Lennon/Velvet Underground/Modern Lovers/The Stooges/New York Dolls roots. Similarly in 1975-77, the bands that became the Punk movement came about in response to progressive rock music's complexity and insularity. Punk music said fuck that, get on with it, show it and go home. They reduced pop music to its basic parts, and for this reason it remains a vital subgenre of rock 'n roll.

MC5 -- Teenage Lust

Teenage Lust

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The Open Mind-- Magic Potion

Magic Potion

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The Remains -- Don't Look Back

Don't Look Back

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The Amboy Dukes -- Journey to the Center of the Mind

Journal to the Center of the Mind

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In Defense of the Clash...

I have a friend in Houston who says that he hates the Clash and that if I was trying to prove him otherwise that I need not bother. Danny, I accept your challenge. Any self professing fan of punk music can't deny the undeniable greatness of these two tunes and that the London Calling album cover is freaking awesome looking.

The Clash -- I'm So Bored with the U.S.A.

I'm So Bored with the U.S.A.

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The Clash -- Train in Vain

Train in Vain

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More Thievery Corporation

Thievery Corporation didn't get enuf credit for Radio Retaliation. If you were big-city Spanish cab driver, you cannot do much better than this (sorry for the hyperlinked text, not sure what's going on here). But given Thievery Corp's penchant for producing trendy, cocktail-lounge/Sephora music, their adherence to their singular millenium-Ibiza-ectasy/coffee-infused subtropical via Washington D.C. continues to sound great, albeit slightly dated.

Thievery Corporation -- The Shining Path

The Shining Path

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Tim Fite jocks Caleb Followill, part II

Tim Fite -- No Good Here

No Good Here

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Tim Fite -- Big Mistake

On his best songs, Tim Fite is a dead-ringer for Kings of Leon lead singer Caleb Followill. You need further proof??

Tim Fite -- Big Mistake

Big Mistake

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Underated Albums of 2008, part I: The Last Shadow Puppets

The Last Shadow Puppets -- Standing Next to Me

Standing Next to Me

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I'm getting nostalgic already for 2008...

"God and Suicide" is one of my favorite songs on Furr. Blitzen Trapper's show off of their harmonic skills a la CSN&Y or the Byrds. It is so dang groovy.

Blitzen Trapper -- God and Suicide

God and Suicide

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Colts Theme: So Unbelievably Sad

ok, this post is a total stretch. I was looking for an outlet for all my bitterness and contempt for the Colts, the Chargers and Philip Rivers. I am so pissed (if you're not from Naptown, you don't, you can't understand, so don't bother). This was the only unreleased CSN song off their box set, which was released a couple of decades ago give or take a couple of years. Oy veh!!! Great song, but I write this with a heavy heart.

Crosby, Stills and Nash -- Horses through a Rainstorm

Horses through a Rainstorm

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Hercules! Hercules! Hercules!

While it's not my first Hercules & Love Affair post, I am definitely late in getting on their bandwagon. The album was one of Pitchfork's ridiculously cerebral, high brow and ultimately not-much-fun top 50 albums of the year. I mean i listen to music pretty g-d obsessively, and I'm only familiar w/ about 15 of the albums on that list. So who exactly is their list aimed at? record store clerks and the creme de la creme of the bloggerati? i dunno. Anyways, Pitchfork in reviewing the album said that 2008 was a good year for disco. WTF, right? I mean, what other great disco albums came out this year (the Arthur Russell retrospective comp does not count)? So, officially, I think it can be said in total confidence that Pitchfork has its head firmly up its pretentious arse.

Hercules and Love Affair -- Blind

Blind

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Mates of State --My Only Offer

Mates of States are Kori Gardner (keys, vocals) and husband Jason Hammel (drums, vocals), and the listening experience is enhanced if you imagine that they are singing directly in each other's faces, passionately. Most of the time, Mates of State annoy me, but this one has got my proverbial toe tapping...that "whoa o-oh, it's my only offer" chorus has got me.

Mates of State -- My Only Offer

My Only Offer

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MGMT -- Kids

MGMT may be over-hyped and over-rated, but there was a handful of solid tunes on their debut Oracular Spectular. "Kids" hooked me and reeled me in with a great keyboard riff that propels the whole song and leads to a great chorus. Happy New Year, everbody!!! Tell all your friends, enemies and frienemies about theShimm. I'm trying to quit my day job and go global with this be-yatch.

MGMT -- Kids

Kids

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