Oh, Summer Life

Oasis Breaks Up -- Again!

2009-08-29T16:01:00.006-04:00

I'm coming out of retirement for this.

Yes, it is true, friends and bloggers. Noel Gallagher has quit the infamous Manchester rock band Oasis, and this time, it's official.

Reports BBC News:

Noel Gallagher has quit rock band Oasis, saying he can no longer work with his brother Liam.
Noel, the group's lead guitarist and chief songwriter, has recently been involved in a series of rows with frontman Liam.
The guitarist said: "It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight.
"People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer."

The band has had a shaky history, having risen from obscurity to international stardom in two albums only to be plagued by the rocky relationship of the brothers Gallagher. Rumors of their sibling rivalries and fallings-out behind the scenes have followed them throughout the last ten or more years of their existence--or virtual non-existence if you count the years between 2000 and 2005 when they fell almost completely off the radar. More recently the band has seen a resurgence in popularity with the release of the album Don't Believe the Truth in 2005, hailed as their best effort since ...Morning Glory some ten years earlier.

Noel's departure came as quite a shock to the audience of the Paris music festival Rock-en-Seine, who were anticipating the band's entrance last night, only to be disappointed.

Says Rolling Stone Magazine:

According to reports, the crowd at first took the stage announcement as a joke, until screens at both sides of the stage showed the message “As a result of an altercation within the band, the Oasis gig has been canceled.”

Of course, there is much speculation as to whether this is the decisive end of Oasis, but one big fan is keeping her hopes up. The G brothers call her mum. Speaking to The Mirror, she commented, "I hope this isn’t the end of Oasis. I don’t think it is. They’re just tired at the end of the tour. They’ve had fights before and got over it.”

I suppose we'll have to wait and see if the band can ride out this next storm. Meanwhile, I'm letting anyone out there who may still have this page bookmarked know that I am in the process of putting together a new blog! I'll let you know when that arrives.

Until then...

I wonder.

2006-12-29T19:59:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I miss blogging. I've been reading everyone's top 100/50/30/20/10 albums lists and it really disturbs me how few of them I've even heard of. This has been the year of me falling completely out of the loop. I just know that it would be a big responsibility for me to start blogging again. I spent hours each day on it when I was doing it all the time. I know I don't have the time to start doing that again, and I know that, with my lack of attention span, I'd quickly grow tired and stop posting again.

But I do miss it.

Odds and Ends

2006-05-12T14:40:00.000-04:00

Once again, after another somewhat long break, I return with another post. My apologies again for not being on a schedule. A series of fortunate and unfortunate events left me rather busy and, quite frankly, a bit overwhelmed. I took a whirlwind trip to Chicago one weekend, broke things off with this guy I was seeing, and... yeah, I won't bore you with the details.

But I will bore you with things I find exciting. This won't be a long post; I'm sitting in an internet cafe on campus at Ohio State University and I have a choir rehearsal in a little over an hour. Anyway, here we go.

The new Neil Young album, Living With War, which I've been awaiting for quite some time now, was released this week and -- would you believe it?! -- conservatives hate it. Didn't see that one coming. I haven't heard the album yet, so I can't say my peace, but I'm certainly looking forward to it.

A few news bits from our friends at Pitchfork. First and foremost, in my opinion, is the upcoming Danielson tour. Now this is something I've been looking forward to for quite some time. I have not yet had the priviledge of experiencing such an event. Look for me at the Southgate House on July 28th. See also: Pitchfork gives the new Danielson album, Ships, a 9.1.

Also from the aforementioned internet music magazine, The Rentals are finally reuniting... sort of. While founding members Matt Sharp and Rachel Haden are in, a host of "newbies" are joining them. So while it's not quite the same lineup, it is at least something. They'll be playing a few shows, a "limited amount," according to Sharp, but they also plan to hit Canada and maybe Europe. Well, it's better than nothing at all.

Meanwhile, Stereogum still doesn't like Pitchfork.

A little bit of mystery surrounds the recent split between Apples in Stereo and their long-time label, SpinART. Their current work-in-progress, A New Magnetic Wonder, is still scheduled for release in 2007 on a "well-known independent label." Whatever that means.

Of Montreal are going on tour for the second summer in a row, and, as last year, we in the Ohio area are getting robbed. At least this year they aren't toying with us, suggesting on their website that they were playing in Columbus with a venue TBA. That was a heartbreaker. Oh well, if you're in the mood for a drive, you can still catch them in other Midwest venues.

Upcoming Columbus Shows
05.17: Heather Waugh and Ellery - Little Brother's
05.20: Invisible Children Benefit Show, featuring John Reuben, Everyday Sunday, House of Heroes and Secondhand - The LC Pavilion
05.27: Film School, Eric Metronome, and Margot and the Nuclear So and So's - Little Brother's
05.30: Plumb - The Basement
06.06: Matt Pond PA - The Basement
06.08: Tilly and the Wall - Little Brother's
06.26: We Are Scientists and The Double - Little Brother's
06.27: The Boredoms - The Wexner Center
07.06: Panic! At the Disco, The Dresden Dolls, and The Hush Sound - The LC Pavilion
07.28: Danielson - The Southgate House (Newport, KY)
08.29: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Germain Ampitheater
09.27: Built to Spill - Newport Music Hall

Okay, so I have to run to class now, but it was great updating and I hope I'll be around more now that my schedule has cleared up a little. Until then, yeah, just keep it real.

Dos and Don'ts

2006-04-23T17:07:00.000-04:00

That doesn't look grammatically correct, but I think it is. So, hi, friends! I've been yelled at for not posting anything. "Is your blog dead already?" asks one person. No, it's just been a busy... life. Nevertheless, I'm bringing you this lovely post full of good advice. I call it... Dos and Don'ts.

Do go see Danielson if they come to your area. The band is going on quite a whirlwind tour of the states and abroad, so if you get the chance, they come highly recommended. Do also get their new album, Ships, on May 9th. It guest stars Deerhoof and, of course, Sufjan Stevens.

Don't (as we are already well aware of) piss off Neil Young, or he will make an album about how pissed off he is at you. Then he will get a lot of publicity in his home country and in yours. Then people will talk about the lyrics and spread them all over the internet so that everyone knows how horrible you are even before the album comes out. Do, however, listen to his new album, Living With War, when it is released in a few weeks.

Do listen to more records (i.e. vinyl, not CD), and start with John Tejada's May 28th release, Eurotunnel/Calibration.

Don't get confused when you see the name James Figurine. It's really just Jimmy Tamborello. As I have already reported to you, Mr. Tamborello... ahem... Mr. Figurine is coming out with a new album. Although it was first thought to be part of his band Figurine, it's now becoming clear that this is a solo album under the moniker James Figurine. What's the difference? Uh, I don't know. There are still guest singers, so that's not different. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see on that one. Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake comes out July 11.

Do hold out hope that, at long last, Sparklehorse has finished a follow-up album to their 2001 release, It's a Wonderful Life. While the album remains unnamed, the talk is that there are a lot of collaborations, including an appearance by Tom Waits on an unreleased track from the aforementioned last album. Sweet!

Don't do what I did and miss John Vanderslice. Ugh. Well, I guess I'm alright with it, but I still would have liked to see him. At least I get to see pictures. Do go read this interview with him at Now Magazine, though.

Do live your life on 6.6.6. They're just numbers. Plenty of people are going to live it up like any other normal day, including some people releasing new albums. Coolfer has a list of 6.6.6 releases.

Don't miss any of these shows if you don't have to:
04.29: The Bell Orchestre and Snailhouse - The Wexner Center Performance Space
05.10: Prefuse 73 and Edan - The Wexner Center Performance Space
05.17: Heather Waugh and Ellery - Little Brother's
06.26: We Are Scientists and The Double - Little Brother's
07.06: Panic! At the Disco, The Dresden Dolls, and The Hush Sound - The LC Pavilion
09.27 Built to Spill - Newport Music Hall

Do be patient with me as I am trying to graduate college here. I can't promise I'll be regularly posting, but know that I will be attempting to when I have the time. Until the next...

Neil Young Still Knows How to Protest

2006-04-17T18:40:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Hope your Easter was fantastic, and I hope everyone had a chance to celebrate. People in the UK certainly did, but more on that later.

Neil Young was known for his protest songs in the mid seventies. The song "Ohio" was easily his most famous one, documenting his thoughts on the shootings at Kent State in Kent, Ohio. If you know the song, you'll remember that the words of the refrain, "Four dead in Ohio," repeat over and over, calling to mind the tragedy and asking people to face that harsh reality.

As Harp Magazine reported in an article last week, the SXSW Managing Director Ronald Swenson addressed Young with the simple request, "Neil, we need a new song." Now Swenson gets his wish; the song is called, "Impeach the President." Controversial enough for you?

The song is the feature track for Young's new album, Living With War, a spontaneous album recorded in only three days. Accompanied by a 100-member choir, Young cries, "In the mosques and the doors of the old museum, I take a holy vow, to never kill again, try to remember peace."

No exact date has been announced, save the suggestion that it will be in stores soon. Meanwhile, apparently there are rumours about a CSNY reunion tour. If that's the case, maybe you'll get to hear it live soon, too.

In other news...

Back to the whole Easter in the UK thing. If you haven't heard about the Manchester Passion, you really need to read this, because it's seriously one of the funniest things I've ever heard of. As a Christian I should probably be offended by it since it's kind of a mockery of Jesus' death, but I can't help but find it slightly humourous. So here's what happened: On the streets of Manchester, England, a group of mostly unknown actors performed a passion play that featured Jesus, Peter, Judas, and others singing hit songs from British bands such as Stone Roses, Joy Division, and Oasis. A crowd of 7000 witnessed the spectacle live and in person, but you can witness it for yourself via YouTube.

And while we're on the subject of videos on the internet, you can see Jack White's new Coca-Cola commercial courtesy of Miss Modernage.

You know, I get really frustrated when things like this happen. It really isn't fair, especially when you're touring, to get all your things stolen. So it's really a shame that it happened to Rosie Thomas and her band, especially since they are currently mid-tour. The theft occurred after a show in Philadelphia, so if you live there, please keep an eye out for all the equipment on the list. It's just such a horrible thing. I really hope things work out for Rosie and company.

Congrats, on the other hand, to The Flaming Lips! Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots has officially gone gold, according to Filter. The article also reports that you can buy a special edition copy of the new LP, At War with the Mystics, exclusively on the internet, and it features three extra tracks, including a rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." The Lips are going on tour as well, and they'll be in Ohio on August 3rd at Blossom.

A couple interviews to exercise your eyes to (links courtesy of Largehearted Boy)
Rainer Maria's Kyle Fischer with The News Observer
Wilco's Glenn Kotche with Jambands.com

It's so nice to see awesome bands getting respect and blog coverage not once but twice! My buds Anathallo have recently released a new album entitled Floating World, and Skatterbrain likens it to Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective, and maybe a hint of Frank Zappa. You Ain't No Picasso describes it as "a delightful folk/pop mix that flies in the face of everything we consider to be a ‘normal’ pop song." Spot on. Go listen/buy/fall in love with the new album immediately! The blogosphere has spoken!

Lots more album release news! This one is featuring Jimmy Tamborello. You may know him from his more famous project, The Postal Service. Yet even without the crooning of Ben Gibbard, Tamborello is a ridiculously talented guy. Coming to a store near you on July 11 is his latest release: Mistake, Mistake, Mistake, Mistake. Jenny Lewis is just one of the several guests on this album. It's probably a keeper, so I recommend it.

A re-release is on its way from Sigur Ros to your ears. The hit single "Hoppipolla" will be back on May 1. It will also feature a new version of a song previously released on their first album, Von, but it's way too difficult to type out so I'll just let you read the article to figure it out for yourself.

I first heard about Aloha from my friend John, and now I'm reading about them on Cokemachineglow. Looks like Some Echoes is a pretty solid album after all. Consider checking that out too.

And while you're checking out all of these albums, here are a couple other ones scheduled to be released tomorrow that you might want to look for:
Dresden Dolls - Yes Virginia
Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing and a Curse
Elefant - The Black Magic Show
Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea

Upcoming Columbus Shows
04.17: John Vanderslice, Wooden Wand, and Eric Metronome - High Five
04.20: Invisibile Children Benefit featuring John Reuben, House of Heroes, Everyday Sunday, and Secondhand - The LC Pavilion
~~04.21: Heavy Mole -~~ ~~High Five~~
04.21: Enon, Black Cloud, and Stylex - Little Brother's
04.29: The Bell Orchestre and Snailhouse - The Wexner Center Performance Space
05.10: Prefuse 73 and Edan - The Wexner Center Performance Space
05.17: Heather Waugh and Ellery - Little Brother's
07.06: Panic! At the Disco, The Dresden Dolls, and The Hush Sound - The LC Pavilion
09.27 Built to Spill - Newport Music Hall

Okay I spent way too much time on this post... See you guys next time.

Stellastarr* at The Newport Music Hall

2006-04-13T16:36:00.000-04:00

It was not my intention to go to any shows yesterday. In fact, at 3:00pm EDT, I had no idea that I would be going to see Stellastarr*. Sometime yesterday afternoon, I got a phone call from my friend John informing me that he had four free tickets to the show. I cancelled my plans and accepted his offer almost immediately. I had been thinking about going, but without tickets and with my money a little limited these days (bills, bills, bills), I had already disregarded the notion. Quite a turn of events!

As far as we knew going into the event, only two bands were playing: Editors and Stellastarr*. This was, however, not the case, as we quickly learned. The first band to mount the stage was Mobius Band. They played so early that there was only a handful of people there. To be honest, no one missed much. They were an okay band, a decent opening act I guess. The problem was really not their fault as much as it was the venues. I really think they did a poor job of mixing the sound for these guys. There was way too much high and low end and not enough mid-range. It crapped up their sound a lot, made it really fuzzy. I'm sure they're an alright band; it just wasn't their night, I guess.

Next up was South, a band out of the good ol' UK. They were pretty good. Nothing incredibly spectacular or anything, but they were very talented, and I especially liked the dueling vocals they had going for them. But yeah, other than that, there's really not much to say about them. They were just good.

Now Editors finally took the stage. I had been previously warned that their sound would be similar to Interpol, who I happen to pretty much abhor, so I wasn't expecting much, and they met my expectations. It's not that they're a terrible band. They're not; in fact, their instrumentation was incredibly together. They're very tight. It's just that, for one, I don't like monotone vocals. It gets on my nerves so easily. Second, I felt like every song was the same song as before, same chords just in a different pattern. The songs even followed a very similar formula each time: start with a drum or guitar fill, two verses and refrains, and then bang on everything. Repeat. Granted that's a pretty standard formula, but they didn't even attempt to meander away from it for anything. The set dragged on; I wasn't into it at all. I was grateful when they finally were done. Maybe I'm harsh, but I just couldn't stand it.

At long last, it was Stellastarr*'s turn. The stage was set with pieces of white cloth draped all over the stage, which gave them a really cool presence. I wasn't expecting that. One thing I enjoy a lot about Stellastarr* is how energetic their live shows are. I don't think you really get the feeling from the record that they would rock out as hard as they do, but their live performance is just outrageously hyped up. They bring the crowd right in, too. I don't really ever dance around at shows, but even I had to move around a little bit. I couldn't help it. And of course they saved "My Coco" for the encore. I could have seen that coming a mile away. What I was surprised by was that they followed it right up with "Pulp Song," which, admittedly, I had completely forgotten about. Those two songs were like icing on a super awesome cake. I left The Newport a bit tired, a bit hot, and a bit raspy, exactly as I should be after a good show.

I guess the overall show wasn't so bad, although it took waiting through bands I didn't necessarily enjoy to get to the good stuff, but it was definitely worth it.

For a completely different opinion of South and Editors, visit Donewaiting.com.

Once again, I digress back to Sufjan Stevens. Okay, this isn't exactly news about him per se. Today I bring you a little 50 states humour. Kevin over yonder at Random in NYC has been compiling submitted track listings for what he refers to as "hypothetical Sufjan Stevens albums" for states he has yet to do. Some of these are just ridiculous. Here are my favourites from each one he has up so far:

From New York, New York - It's a Helluva State!:
"Suburban Tracksuits Represented by a Collection of Swishing Noises (Long Island Lolita! I Hear You!)"

From Connecticut: The New England Tri-State!:
"Stratford-on-the-Housatonic or William Shakespeare Lives on in the Rivers of Connecticut"

From Indiana: We're Proud to be a Hoosier Even if we Don't Even Know what One is!:
"If You Ain't Rubbin' You Aint' Racin' or How I Love NASCAR"
"My Ex Took My Broaster"
"John Mellencamp or is it John Cougar Mellencamp or just John Cougar or is it just Mellencamp?"

From Massachusetts: A State At Bay:
"Marriage: It's Legal for Everyone Here"

From Florida, the Sunshine State, Welcomes You:
"Jacksonville" (That's just too funny. I hope he actually does this one.)
"After Surviving an Alligator Attack, My Great Uncle is Run Over by an Airboat, and We Grieve for Him"

From Texas: The Lone(ly) Star State:
"Old El Paso is Not Just a Brand of Condiments, They Also Have a Pretty Good Basketball Team"

Wow, yeah, some of them are absurd, and I like that. You can submit your own to him, too, so just go over there and check them all out. And hey, if someone wants to conspire and come up with some sweet sweet Ohio song titles, let me know and I'll contribute.

How about some real news now? Looks like six record labels in Canada, including Linus Entertainment and Anthem Records, have the right idea. They've split from the Canadian Recording Industry Association, citing that they want up-and-coming artists to have more support. Good for you guys up north. Hey, what do you think Sufjan songs would be titled if he wrote about Saskatchewan? Is that even how you spell it?

Sad news over on the Mew front. Bass player Johan Wohlert has parted ways with the band to take care of his new family. Now that's a guy with his priorities straight. The band has already found a replacement, so things should run smoothly during the transition.

Someone buy these guys a card, because Boards of Canada have hit a milestone: their first music video! Awww! So cute! They're growing up so fast...

Well if there's one man in indie folk who is incredibly elusive, it's Damien Jurado. Consider yourself lucky, then, if you made it to The Troubador in Los Angeles to see him come out of hiding for a few songs. If you're like me and were unable to attend, this little ditty over at Prefix will give you at least some insight into what it would be like.

A few sweet interviews to read if you're bored:
Isobel Campbell with Chartattack
Ben Gibbard with Harp Magazine
Of Montreal with The Athens Exchange

A big huge thank you to The Guardian for confirming my suspicions: the boy band fad is over!

Matt thinks you should listen to Tilly and the Wall's new album, Rainbows in the Dark.

And last but not least, I would like to extend a very happy birthday to Music (for Robots). The blog just turned two years old and is celebrating with a mix for your listening pleasure. Indulge!

Upcoming Columbus Shows
04.14 Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, The Slide Machine, and Moonlight Chemist - Skully's Music Diner
04.15 Switchfoot and Lovedrug - The LC Pavilion
04.17 John Vanderslice, Wooden Wand, and Eric Metronome - High Five
04.20 Invisibile Children Benefit featuring John Reuben, House of Heroes, Everyday Sunday, and Secondhand - The LC Pavilion
~~04.21 Heavy Mole -~~ ~~High Five~~
04.21 Enon - Little Brother's
04.29 The Bell Orchestre and Snailhouse - The Wexner Center Performance Space
05.10 Prefuse 73 and Edan - The Wexner Center Performance Space
07.06 Panic! At the Disco, The Dresden Dolls, and The Hush Sound - The LC Pavilion
09.27 Built to Spill - Newport Music Hall

Okay guys that's it! I think I'm going to do some laundry now. See you again soon!

Gibbard: Dead at One Year and Seven Months

2006-04-11T21:29:00.000-04:00

Gibbard (September 10, 2004 - April 11, 2006)

Today is a very sad day in my life. My beloved friend and confidante, Gibbard (no, not Ben Gibbard... my pet fish Gibbard), passed away overnight. He was just over one year and seven months old. I met him at my brother's wedding reception; he was in a centerpiece. Following the reception, he was given to me to keep as a lasting reminder of the day. I took care of him, fed him, occasionally changed his water, played with him, and defended him against those who said, "Hey, I think your fish is dead." No, he was just resting. He always liked to rest. Gibbard was not a very active fish. He did in fact spend much of his time sitting at the bottom of his bowl, although from time to time you'd see him swim about, especially at feeding time.

Gibbard and I have been through a lot together. He was a well-travelled fish, having accompanied me from place of residence to place of residence, from dorm to apartment to apartment. He had no family, but he had many friends. He is only survived by his lasting memory.

As would only be proper, Gibbard's body was returned to the waters (via my toilet) where he came from. I officiated, with my roommate Christine as a witness. In lieu of flowers and cards, I ask that you instead simply say a prayer for my dearly departed friend. Gibbard, you are free again.

Okay, enough melodrama. On with the post.

One thing I had forgotten about since I stopped blogging is how utterly boring the blogosphere can be, so there's no really big news story, just a lot of little quips and such.

I suppose first and foremost is the announcement that Wilco is working on some new material and have been test-running it in various live shows, and they are planning on touring this summer. This is obviously great news, since now we know there will be new music and that there's a chance we'll get to see them again sometime soon. Their last tour was a phenomenal experience which I was so blessed to have been able to see at the Mershon Auditorium. I can only imagine what sort of production they will tour with this time. Of course there are no official dates announced, but we'll just be on the look-out for that one.

In other vague touring news, it's rumoured that Radiohead will be going on a North American tour. Details are very few and very far between, but a few cities, including Chicago, have been mentioned. Add that to the list of things to be keeping an eye on.

As for Gorillaz, our time with them is apparently rather limited. Frontman Damon Albarn has said that their last shows will be in Las Vegas. They are putting the project on the back burner perhaps indefinitely, but not before releasing a movie and a computer game, according to NME. If that's the case, maybe it won't be so soon. Again, we'll have to wait and see.

After a three-year recording hiatus, Unwed Sailor will soon be returning with their latest LP, entitled The White Ox. Also recorded while in the studio was a new EP, Circles, slated for release sometime in the spring.

And now, an update on a story that I brought to you yesterday. Not that I or anyone else really cares all that much, but Bright Eyes is still releasing a new album. NME is reporting that the album won't feature just our beloved emo hero Conor Oberst but also indie favourite M. Ward and my not-so-favourite Sleater-Kinney. Anyway, not a big deal, but it's something to write about.

I saw a couple really sweet shows while I was on hiatus, including Sigur Ros and Mogwai. Indieworkshop has a great little featurette detailing a recent Sigur Ros show in London, and it's a very accurate portrayal of what was experienced here in Columbus. It was such an epic show. And as for Mogwai, Prefix has a great big interview with them. Check out both of these articles. They're good reads.

This I forgot to include last time, so here you go:

Upcoming Columbus Shows
04.12 Stellastarr* and The Editors - Newport Music Hall
04.15 Switchfoot and Lovedrug - The LC Pavilion
04.20 Invisibile Children Benefit featuring John Reuben, House of Heroes, Everyday Sunday, and Secondhand - The LC Pavilion
04.21 Heavy Mole - High Five
04.21 Enon - Little Brother's
04.29 The Bell Orchestre and Snailhouse - The Wexner Center Performance Space
05.10 Prefuse 73 and Edan - The Wexner Center Performance Space
07.06 Panic! At the Disco, The Dresden Dolls, and The Hush Sound - The LC Pavilion
09.27 Built to Spill - Newport Music Hall

And that's all for tonight, because I have a few things to do before I go out. Goodnight!

An Evening with Half-Handed Cloud

2006-04-10T23:21:00.000-04:00

Alright, you guys are in luck because I'm back from obscurity to tell you more about how wonderful last night was. Now as I said in my previous post, I went to see Half-Handed Cloud last weekend here in Columbus. It was a great show, but it was my misfortune that I had to leave before having the opportunity to say hello to the fellow. Yesterday I felt spontaneous, and so did my friend Derrick, so we embarked on a miniature road trip to Dayton, Ohio, to the dump also known as Elbo's for an evening with John Ringhofer and his pal Justin Vollmar.

And it was a wonderful evening. The two are so incredibly talented and so friendly! They took us in practically as their old friends. I feel so indebted to them for their kindness to such silly little fans as we are. During Justin's set, my friends, John, and I pulled up chairs and sat right in front of him, providing for a more intimate feel. Justin (a.k.a. Vollmar, for those who are interested in looking up his sweet, sweet music) is wonderfully talented. He sings rather shy and timid, but listen closely, because his words are phenomenal. He also happens to be a lefty, which I realized last night, and my friend Elizabeth tells me he can even play right-hand guitars upside down. Pictoral evidence of this may be found at his myspace profile.

My friends and I kept our front-row (or only-row...) seats for the Half-Handed Cloud set, which was identical to the one played at the High Five last weekend, but still just as fun as I remembered. It was like they were playing just for the four of us. I wish there had been more people to experience this; you don't get to go to shows so intimate very often. John and Justin goofed off a lot, as the music permits, with both entertaining and enjoyable results. Of course the music was fantastic; the two of them haven't disappointed me yet.

I was sad to part ways with these lovely gentlemen, but they are amidst a five-week tour that will take them all over the states, from Virginia to Colorado and many places in between. If you have the chance, I most certainly recommend attending. So amazing. I cannot stress that enough. So yeah, look and see if they're playing nearby and go and buy merchandise and tell them that omnichords are the hottest instruments ever created, because they are.

Tue.Apr.11th: Gettysburg, PA @Emmaus
Wed.Apr.12th: Brooklyn, NY @Fireproof Gallery
Thu.Apr.13th: Bennington, VT @Bennington Cg.
Fri.Apr.14th: ???, MA @ TBA
Sat.Apr.15th: Philly ,PA@Circle of Hope, East
Sun.Apr.16th: Arlington, VA @Galaxy Hut
Mon.Apr.17th:Charlottesville,VA@U of VA Chapel
Tue.Apr.18th: Raleigh, NC @Bickett Gallery
Wed.Apr.19th: Norfolk, VA @Relative Theory
Thu:Apr.20th: Atlanta, GA @Trinity Vineyard
Fri.Apr.21st: Chattanooga, TN @Barking Legs
Sat.Apr.22nd: Nashville, TN @Lovejoy House
Sun.Apr.23rd: Jonesboro, AR @Guit-down
Mon.Apr.24th: Ft.Worth, TX @Metrognome
Tue.Apr.25th: Dallas, TX @Good Records
Wed.Apr.26th: Albuquerque, NM @Harlows
Thu.Apr. 27th: Phoenix, AZ @Trunkspace
Fri.Apr.28th: San Diego, CA @The Habitat
Sat.Apr.29th: Pasadena, CA @Fuller Seminary
Mon.May 1st: Davis, CA @Delta of Venus
Tue.May 2nd: San Francisco, CA @Hemlock Tavern
Wed.May 3rd: Eugene, OR @TBA
Thu.May 4th: Olympia, WA @Yes-yes
Fri.May 5th: Seattle, WA @TBA
Sat.May 6th: Portland, OR @TBA
Sun.May 7th: Boise, ID @TBA
Mon.May 8th: Salt Lake City, UT @TBA
Tue.May 9th:Grand Junction,CO@Coffee Muggers
Wed.May 10th: Denver, CO @ Magick! House
Thu.May 11th: Kansas? @TBA
Fri.May 12th: St.Louis, MO @TBA
Sat.May 13th: Bloomington, IN @TBA

Well, while I'm on the subject, I might as well just talk about Sufjan. I mean, seriously, when do I not talk about him? He's pretty awesome. So while I've been somewhere galavanting off the face of the blogosphere, Mr. Stevens won the first ever New Pantheon award. How about that? That's pretty fantastic. Some of the nominators included Benjamin Gibbard, Margaret Cho, and Beck. An ecclectic grouping, but Sufjan still comes out on top. It's no surprise to me, really, but I'm biased.

A few new Sufjan mp3s have popped up:
"Adlai Stevenson" courtesy of I Guess I'm Floating
"The Avalanche" courtesy of Stereogum

Over at Asthmatic Kitty, Sufjan's label, a new band has been signed, and they're called Shapes and Sizes. I've not heard them yet, but I anticipate good things. Their debut full-length will be released on July 25, the same day as The Avalanche. Sounds like that day is shaping up to be a great day in the land of music releases.

File this one under WTF, Rebecca! I've been way too out of it lately to find out that my friend Boy Makes Music was featured on Radio Free Polygon. Check it out; there are mp3s involved. This boy is super super talented, well worth your time and effort to listen to. So stop reading and go listen and then come back and finish reading. I'll be here when you get back.

Ah, you're back! Wasn't that fantastic? I know. So speaking of new music, it sounds like Bright Eyes will have another album out this year. Will it include the same self-loathing and bitterness? Will Conor ever get over himself? Will he ever write a song that is semi-positive about life and love? Mmm, I doubt it, but enjoy the record anyway.

Just when you thought the corporations weren't big enough, Warner Music had to go and buy Rykodisc. Nothing witty to say about that, really, since we're all used to this these days.

Another thing we all saw coming: Smoosh signed to Barsuk. It figures they're such good friends with Chris Walla that they'd eventually get their way there.

Okay, so Tuesday is tomorrow and that means new music. Not that I can afford to purchase any of it, nor do I own any advance copies downloaded illegally from the internet. Really, I don't. I'm being honest. But I'm sure these are all pretty decent so if you're in the mood to spend a few bucks this week, these are my suggestions:
Ladytron - Extended Play
Innocence Mission - Birds of my Neighborhood (reissue)

Extensive list, I know. So if that didn't satisfy you, might I suggest indulging in the All Things Go Sleep Mixtape, which I am going to put on here in a few minutes. Lovely selections including Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, Ben Gibbard, and our old pal Sufjan.

Alright, that's all for tonight. I'm getting high on paint fumes right now thanks to my roommate's new art project (hurray for drying spray paint and no venilation!), so I'm gonna go pass out. Hopefully I'll have enough brain cells left to grace the blogosphere with another post sometime in the near future. Until we meet again...

Since no one reads this anyway...

2006-04-08T13:19:00.000-04:00

I feel no qualms about making just one post and seeing what happens. I was going to throw out a complete post but I don't have time. I just made plans to hang out with a friend and that cuts into my blogging time.

Anyway, I went to an amazing show last week. Half-Handed Cloud, Liz Janes, and Create(!) at High Five here in Columbus. There were so few people there, it was pretty ridiculous. Liz even took the opportunity to sing us a song on the ukelele. Her music consists of renditions of old hymns and folk songs, and she more than does a good job with them. It's different, but in a very good way. At one point the man playing the upright bass looked like he was tickling his bass. It was really funny to me. I'm pretty entertained by silly things like that.

It was really interesting to see Half-Handed Cloud, a.k.a. John Ringhofer, for the first time. He's got a lot of instruments for just one man. Well, two, actually, since Justin Vollmar joined him on drums and other various music-making machines. I'm particularly fond of his banjo and the omnichord, which I'll be honest I'd never seen before. It's a sweet little machine; I'd like to have one. Now that I have the banjo I've been longing for, I've got to have something new to covet, right?

Anyway, it was a brilliant show, although small, and very intimate. I would have liked to have stayed and spoken with everyone, but the people who came with me apparently didn't want to stay so we went on our merry way. Half-Handed Cloud is playing again in Dayton tomorrow, at Elbo's I believe (which may or may not be a good thing... I've heard nasty things about the place). I'm thinking about going. We'll see what happens.

I had no idea, but Robert Duffy from Donewaiting.com was there, too, and he posted some mp3s here.

So the rumour had it that Sufjan was going to be a daddy. I didn't believe it, but it's true... to an extent. He's the father of a new album of outtakes from the making of Illinois, and it's slated for release on July 25, over a year after the release of Illinois. Now this is rather precarious, Mr. Stevens, because you want to put out fifty albums but haven't put out a new one in a year! You're going to get mighty old doing this. I heard he might be working with Rosie Thomas (his baby's mother... tee-hee) and Denison Witmer on an album of sorts, but whether it's a states album or not I haven't heard. At this point, I don't even know if that rumour is true. We'll see, I s'pose.

Okay, well, that's all I guess. I would spend more time on this but I just don't have it. I miss posting things; it was always so much fun to me. Right now I'm working on graduation and everything -- it's in two months! -- and then maybe I'll have more free time. We'll see, but I want to come back to the blogosphere. It's not like I ever had a very big readership, but I enjoyed myself anyway, and I liked being "in the know." So yeah, no promises on a big return but enjoy the post and maybe I'll come back for another.

Peaceout, homes.

News for a New Year

2006-01-06T16:19:00.000-05:00

Welcome to 2006! Sorry I'm a little late; it's the first week of classes and things are pretty crazy around here. But enough about that.

Now when I mean news, I don't just mean news stories. I also mean new things! New releases! New tour dates! And the announcements have been coming rapidly, so here's a little catch-up for any of you who are a little overwhelmed by all of it.

First and probably foremost on everyone's mind is the confirmation of Belle and Sebastian's tour with the New Pornographers. The dates are:

02-25 Toronto - The Docks
02-26 Montreal - Metropolis
02-27 Boston - Avalon
02-28 Boston - Avalon
03-02 NYC - Nokia Theatre
03-03 NYC - Nokia Theatre
03-04 Philadelphia - Electric Factory
03-05 Washington - 9.30 Club
03-06 Washington - 9.30 Club
03-08 Nashville - Ryman Auditorium
03-09 Louisville - Brown Theatre
03-10 Chicago - Riviera
03-11 Milwaukee - Riverside Theatre
03-12 Minneapolis - Orpheum Theatre
03-14 Dallas - Granada Theatre
03-15 Austin - Stubbs (Matador SXSW Show)
03-18 LA - Wiltern
03-19 LA - Wiltern
03-21 SF - Concourse @ The SF Design Center
03-23 Portland - Roseland Ballroom
03-24 Vancouver - Commodore
03-25 - Paramount

And lucky any of you who actually get to go to any of those. Meanwhile, look for the release of their new album, The Life Pursuit, as well.

Pitchfork has quite a list of upcoming tours. Here's a few:

Stereolab is making a trip around the country and the world, with the following tour lineup:

03-01 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
03-02 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
03-04 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
03-05 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
03-06 Seattle, WA - The Showbox
03-07 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
03-09 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
03-10 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
03-11 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
03-12 Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
03-14 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
03-15 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe
03-16 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
03-17 New York City, NY - Town Hall
03-18 New York City, NY - Town Hall
03-20 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
03-21 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03-22 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
03-24 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
03-25 Dallas, TX - TBA
03-28 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
03-29 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
04-10 Berlin, Germany - Volksbuhne
04-12 Paris, France - La Cigalle
04-14 London, England - Koko

The band is also planning to release three simultaneous singles. More details are located here.

Of Montreal is going on a whirwind tour:

01-14 Honolulu, HI - Anna Bananas
01-15 Honolulu, HI - Thirtynine Hotel
01-20 Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon *
01-21 Houston, TX - Numbers *
01-24 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress *
01-26 San Diego, CA - Epicentre *
01-27 Los Angeles, CA - Ex Plex (below the Echo) *
01-28 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill *
01-31 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey *
02-01 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom *
02-03 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall *
02-04 Los Angeles, CA - TBA
02-05 Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse *
02-07 Dallas, TX - Granada *
02-08 Oklahoma City, OK - TBA
02-09 Austin, TX - Emo's *
02-11 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse *
02-15 Gainesville, FL - TBA #
02-16 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder #
02-17 Orlando, FL - The Social #
02-18 Miami, FL - PAC #
02-19 Jacksonville, FL - Jackrabbit's #
02-22 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle Music Hall
02-23 Nashville, TN - The End
02-24 St. Louis, MO - The Gargoyle
02-25 Columbia, MO - The Blue Note (True False Film Festival)
02-26 Newport, KY - Southgate House
02-28 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle %
03-01 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite %
03-02 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom %
03-03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom %
03-04 Portland, ME - Space Gallery %
03-05 Cambridge, MA - Middle East %
03-06 Hanover, NH - Fuel Rocket Club %
03-07 Montreal, Quebec - Le Tulipe
03-08 Toronto, Ontario - Mod Club
03-09 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
03-10 Chicago, IL - The Metro
03-11 Urbana, IL - Canopy Club ^
03-12 Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground ^
03-13 Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck ^

* with Grand Buffet, MGMT, DJ Jester the Filipino Fist
# with the Late B.P. Helium, James Husband
% with the M's
^ with Saturday Looks Good to Me

The band also has some recordings up their sleeves. Again, more details located here.

Andrew Bird is flying around this upcoming February:

02-02 Milwaukee, WI - Miramar Theatre *
02-03 Urbana, IL - Canopy Club *
02-04 Bloomington, IN - Buskirk-Chumley Theater *
02-06 Louisville, KY - Louisville Free Public Library *
02-07 Lexington, KY - The Dame *
02-09 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club *
02-10 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder (Florida State University) *
02-11 Atlanta, GA - Eyedrum *
02-13 Oxford, MS - Proud Larry's *
02-15 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant *
02-16 Ames, IA - Maintenance Shop *
02-17 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon *
02-23 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Café *
02-24 Duluth, MN - Weber Music Hall at UMD *

* with Martin Dosh, Haley Bonar

He's recording, too, and Pitchfork has details here.

Guess what, Columbus! Mogwai is coming to town:

01-07 Dublin, Ireland - Temple Bar Music Centre *
01-08 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Spring and Airbrake *
01-10 London, England - ICA ^
01-11 London, England - ICA &
01-12 London, England - ICA @
01-13 London, England - ICA *
01-14 London, England - ICA $
01-21 Moscow, Russia - Apelsin
01-24 Tokyo, Japan - Unit ~
01-25 Tokyo, Japan - Unit #
03-01 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium %
03-02 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts %
03-03 Lexington, KY - The Dame %
03-04 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom %
03-06 New York, NY - Avalon %
03-07 Baltimore, MD - Sonar %
03-08 Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle %
03-09 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel %
03-10 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge %
03-11 Atlanta, GA - Whirly Ball Atlanta %
03-12 Atlanta, GA - Whirly Ball Atlanta %
03-14 Houston, TX - Numbers %+
03-15 Austin, TX - Stubb's (Matador SXSW Showcase) =

^ with Errors
^ with Part Chimp vs. Alexander Tucker, DJ Keith Cameron
& with Uncle John and Whitelock, DJ Dr Kiko
@ with Gruff Rhys, DJ Dr Kiko
$ with Electric Wizard, DJ Gary Aspden
~ with Melt-Banana
# with Afrirampo
% with Growing
+ with Torche
= with Belle and Sebastian, Cat Power

Don't know who Growing is, but it's going to be a fantastic show. Finally, the Wexner puts on a good show again!

Alright, now for some new releases coming out in 2006:

Bloc Party is coming out with a follow-up to Silent Alarm, and they claim it will be "less brash."

Sonic Youth also has a new album, which is yet untitled.

Weezer is working on some new songs, but Rivers is going to college? Something tells me that won't last very long.

For more information about upcoming album releases, check out this article from The News Tribune.

Alright, well that's a good catch-up. Let's see what else is going on in the world.

Bill Gates is teaming up with MTV, and it's not to make him look cool. It's actually to create Urge, a music service to compete with iTunes.

Singer Lou Rawls has passed away at the age of 72.

It's splitsville for Pedro the Lion. TW Walsh has left the band to go back to software engineering. Frontman David Bazan plans to continue as a solo artist.

Oh, Gallagher brothers.. How I've missed reading about your weekly/daily feuds. Now usually it's one or both of them teaming up against some unsuspecting, innocent band whose name just happens to pop up in their heads, but this is different. This time, Noel and Liam are actually feuding with... gasp... each other! Apparently the delightful duo can't decide who gets to sing at this year's Brit Awards. I'd suggest a duet, but I don't think either of them learned to share in kindergarten.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

01.15 - Matisyahu - Newport Music Hall
02.13 - Sigur Ros - Promowest/LC Pavilion
03.02 - Mogwai w/ Growing - Wexner Center
03.04 - Autobahn 6 featuring Joy Electric and Norway - Joes Java, Wilmington, Ohio
03.06 - The Books - Wexner Center

Okay, that's all for now. Hopefully this is good enough to last you for a couple days. Peaceout.

2005: A Year in Review, Part Three

2005-12-30T04:12:00.000-05:00

This is the last installment of my top and bottom of 2005. I hope you enjoyed all of my little tidbits of wisdom. This isn’t an official announcement of my return to full-time blogging, but this is me saying that I do intend to post again. This is something I’ve missed greatly over the last several months, and maybe a few of you missed me. So, I guess this is a new start for me, and if you like what you read, please stay tuned for more updates.

Alright, enough of the sap. Time for the top.

6. Stars – Set Yourself on Fire
I got this album when it first came out and it didn’t really impress me all that much. In fact, I set it aside for several months without even touching it. A couple weeks ago I was browsing through my collection and came across the album. I threw it in and I was totally floored. Here I had this amazing album in my hands and didn’t even listen to it for months! What was I thinking? Sometimes I’m just dumb, and this is one of those cases. The highlight of the album, at least for me, comes at the end, with “Calendar Girl.” Not to be confused with the oldies song of the same name, this is a sweetly honest song that actually seems to hit home to me. I don’t know; there’s always there’s songs that speak to you deep down in your bones and you can’t figure out why. This is one of those. Anyway, the whole album is similarly beautiful, and you should listen to it.

5. Doves – Some Cities
I can’t help but love the latest Doves album. It’s not all that big of a departure from their previous endeavours, but Some Cities definitely builds firmly upon the foundation they have made for themselves. It’s a little more rock, less epic, but I think at this point they really can’t get any more epic than The Last Broadcast, and if they tried to improve upon that they’d just fail miserably. Indeed, even though I love the enormous sound they had been going with in the past, I think going the more direct rock route was a wise decision. “Black and White Town” is an obviously good choice of single. It’s catchy and it’s got a great beat. Some might consider a lot of the album to be filler, but I think that’s just because everything is of such equal caliber that it’s hard to distinguish between them. I don’t know, part of me thinks this should be lower on the list, but because I love Doves so much, it’s going to stay here.

4. The Most Serene Republic – Underwater Cinematographer
I am very surprised more people didn’t put this one on their lists. I guess maybe they just haven’t gotten big enough to get noticed by a lot of people, but this album is absolutely stellar. I mean, seriously. “Proposition 61” is ridiculously innovative, using clapping, snapping, and even beat box rather than your typical rock steady drums. These kids are already fantastic even at their debut, which almost makes me a little scared that their future records won’t hold up. I have my hopes, though. With vocals so reminiscent of Ben Gibbard that it’s scary, Underwater Cinematographer is a bit like Death Cab meets... well, at some points it’s a little like The Dismemberment Plan. I just love the mix of sounds they have achieved. I really think this is the beginning of something great, so check them out now so you can say later that you knew about them before everyone else. Hah.

3. Denison Witmer – Are You A Dreamer?
If you have a hard time sleeping, maybe you should pop this puppy in and curl up with your favourite stuffed animal. I don’t think I’ve listened to an album entirely about sleep that made me so happy. Every song is very strong and could easily stand on its own, with the highlights of the album being “Are You a Dreamer?” and “Everything But Sleep.” It’s really hard to narrow the best ones down, though, since all of them are fantastic. There are obvious Christian undertones which, as a fellow Christian, I appreciate, and with the success of other Christian artists who shall remain nameless (you know who I mean), this will doubtfully be an issue with the indie rock and folk scene. The material is especially good when he plays it live as a solo acoustic set. I highly recommend attending a show if he comes in your area. Are You A Dreamer? is a remarkably good album, just make sure you don’t fall asleep before the end.

2. Ladytron – The Witching Hour
Electronica at its finest. It doesn’t get any better than this. These darlings have gone a little darker for this release. It’s not quite the same upbeat feeling that previous albums have had. I sense a little bit of cynicism in the mix with The Witching Hour, but it just goes to show how innovative and flexible they can be with their sound. “Destroy Everything You Touch” is a very good single and it’s even a little epic in a way that I find is hard to accomplish in electronica without sounding cheesy. The sound isn’t cliché at all; in fact, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a better electronica album this year (hence the high ranking). I love you, Ladytron. It’s as simple as that.

And now, your number one, which should come as no surprise...

1. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
Like anyone didn’t see this one coming? I mean, seriously, how many times have I expressed my undying love and affection for this man? I don’t know how else I can phrase myself. Illinois is perhaps the best modern album I’ve ever heard, and I would never say that lightly. Sufjan simply compiles all of my favourite things about life and music and presents them in a beautifully wrapped package. He’s the best of both of my worlds, part Christian and part indie folk/rock. I don’t know how he does it. And while the 50 States project is idealistically ambitious, I figure he’s gotten this far in music and I don’t foresee him getting worse anytime soon. He’s on a roll, I guess. I think I love his music so much because he’s doing what I wish I could do but don’t have the resources to do so. I don’t know. I just think he’s amazing. I can’t put it into words how much I appreciate him and his music.

And with that, I am done! The list is compiled and complete. Another year of music behind us, with another fantastic year to look forward to. I’m already anticipating a couple albums coming out next year, including the latest from Belle and Sebastian. Being the law-unabiding citizen that I am, I managed to snag it on the internet already and... well, that’s another topic for another day. You’ll just have to wait until next year!

So, from myself to you, I bid you a very happy new year filled with all sorts of musical merriment. See you in 2006!

2005: A Year in Review, Part Two

2005-12-29T00:03:00.000-05:00

It’s day two of my mysterious return to the blogging world, and today I will bring you the first half of my top thirteen albums of the year. Let me just assure you now that I probably missed your favourite band or put a few up there you disagree with. Well, that’s just your bad luck. These are my favourites, not yours.

So here we go. Bottoms up.

13. Andrew Bird – Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs
Thank you to Mr. Bird for providing me with such a solid album to start off my list. The Mysterious Production of Eggs is classy and elegant. I am always a big fan of albums that incorporate other stringed instruments in with guitars. This album is a step above your average acoustic record. My only criticism would be that I tend to get a little bored with the album after a while, but other than that, I can’t really find much wrong with it. A very good way to begin the countdown.

12. Caribou – The Milk of Human Kindness
Caribou, or should I say Manitoba, is the brainchild of Dan Snaith, and once again, he does not disappoint. The Milk of Human Kindness covers quite a lot of ground in its short 40 minutes. It starts off with the quick, systematic “Yeti,” gets funky with “Lord Leopard,” mellows out for “Hello Hammerheads,” and finishes full circle with “Barnowl.” I think this is what I like so much about the album. It’s like taking a little trip. Not as much as other albums that shall be named later, but still, it stretches out from its boundaries. Another good album from Mr. Snaith.

11. Of Montreal – The Sunlandic Twins
Here’s another band who doesn’t really ever disappoint. Of Montreal has been making music for almost ten years, so they should know how it’s done, right? While The Sundlanic Twins isn’t exactly their best album ever made (I’m partial to Satanic Panic in the Attic, myself), it’s still a fantastic album, filled with their signature happy-go-lucky style. If you need something to wake you up in the morning, I highly recommend any one of their albums.

10. Coldplay – X&Y
Part of me feels bad for having put this album so far down on the list, but with so many good albums out this year, this is just where it fell in my spectrum. The thing I like so much about this album is that it feels like it’s the soundtrack to a trip through space. X&Y seems like such a departure from their previous albums. It’s got a lot more layers, more to listen to, a lot more attention to the details. It’s not just guitars and pianos. Now there’s synthesized sounds and a very open, spacey feel. It’s a very great direction for them to go in, to separate themselves from bands that have come along since they made it big that sound a lot like them. I like the change.

9. Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak
Kings of Leon are an unusual choice for me, and I know more than one person who was pleasantly surprised to hear that I actually like them. I guess maybe they’re a little more rock than I tend to listen to, which is good because they add a little flavor to my iPod playlist. Aha Shake Heartbreak is a very fun rock album, with little ditties like “The Bucket,” with clever words and unusual melodies. I think this is a great album to take on the road with you sometime when you can roll down the windows.

8. Sigur Ros – Takk
This must have been the year for our solid favourites to come out with more solid albums. Sigur Ros rocks out a little more on this album without leaving behind any of their trademark sounds. One thing is noticeably different: the language. Opting out of the usual made up language of Hopelandic, Sigur Ros has gone with a straightforward Icelandic approach with Takk. It still sounds pretty sweet, it’s just easily translated. A good performance from a great band. Oh, and Columbus kids better be there when they come to town on February 14^th!

7. Fischerspooner – Odyssey
I honestly hadn’t heard this album until yesterday. I’m totally serious. I saw it on a couple lists and thought I’d give it a shot and wow. I’m totally amazed by this album. Ever since I got it, I’ve been dancing around my bedroom. Odyssey incredible, exactly what I look for in electronic and dance music. It’s just fantastic. I don’t know why I never got it, probably just a lapse in memory, but ever since I heard the song “Never Win,” I’ve been dying to throw a dance party. Haha, so if you are ever in Ohio and want to have a Fischerspooner dance party, bring along a few lights and a copy of this album.

To save on space and keep you guys coming back for more, you’ll just have to wait until tomorrow for the rest of my favourite albums of 2005. So sit tight, because I’m going to come back tomorrow. I promise.

2005: A Year in Review, Part One

2005-12-28T00:54:00.000-05:00

I have returned from oblivion to bring you a special update. I couldn't let 2005 end without putting my own two cents in about the best (and worst) albums of the year. Now a lot has happened since I fell off the face of the Earth, and a lot of albums have been released. Obviously I haven't taken the liberty to write about some of them, so maybe a few of my selections will be surprising to you. Nevertheless, I have attempted to compile a list spanning the entire twelve months of 2005, not just the last few months, so do pardon if I dig deep into the archives to pull out some you may have forgotten.

Alright, enough introduction. On with the show.

Well, let’s start with the best of the worst, my low five, the bottom feeders.

5. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Okay, hate me, all of you, but I really did give this album a shot. It's on my least favourite albums list not because it's a horrible record. The band is not inherently awful, but I believe the album has a very significant failure. It wears on me. The first time I listened to it, I really thought it was an album I'd grow to adore. Quite surprisingly, the exact opposite happened. The more I listened to it, the more I became annoyed by it. I find that it is a rather disorganized compilation of songs with very little substance holding them together. There doesn't seem to be a common thread, and therefore it loses my attention completely. It becomes irritating to me, and recently I thought I'd give them another shot since it had been a very long time since I had listened, but I still just couldn't enjoy it. So, I don't make any apologies for this one even though it may offend a few of you. It's just my opinion, so yeah... stuff it. Hah!

4. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
This is another one of those albums that I almost feel bad about putting on the least favourites list, but I simply have to. Once again, we have a band that isn't terrible. They are actually quite talented musicians and I really respect them for that. My problem with them and this album is the vocals. If I could take the vocal tracks completely off the album and just listen to the instrumentals, I could easily see this album topping my list. They are phenomenal instrumentalists, I just can't stand the girl's voice. I think it's a waste that they're covering up this amazing music with a voice that lacks so much, in my opinion. It's disappointing, but maybe they will get better with time. I have hope for them, but right now, it's just not where I would want it to be.

3. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
I’m simply going to say that I file this album under “what the heck were they thinking?!” I can’t even listen to it. It’s just bad. Very, very bad.

2. Weezer - Make Believe
As if it weren’t already painfully obvious, the days of Pinkerton and Blue are long over. The Green Album was okay, and yeah, Maladroit had its moments, but this... this is just a disgrace. I decided after only one listen that I would forget I ever heard it so as to keep the memory of when all things were better still alive. Seriously, how many seconds did it take them to come up with the words to “Beverly Hills”? The song is terrible, and sadly, it’s the perfect single because it is just so damn catchy. Heck, even I get it stuck in my head and sing it when I hear it on the radio and don’t feel compelled to change the station. I’m just going to forget this album came out. It’s as simple as that.

1. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Man, I am sorry to make Ben Gibbard a bottom feeder in this list, but I just have to do it. Any album that sounds like it was written entirely for the purpose of using in the background of episodes of The O.C. deserves to be at the bottom. Now I don't mean to take anything that Mr. Gibbard or his fellow bandmates have done personally, but I distinctly remember them assuring fans that they wouldn't change as a result of their new contract with Atlantic. I had high hopes, too, because they had yet to fail me. I was very let down by this album. Part of Death Cab's charm to me was that it... how do I put this? It was like they were raw and unrefined underneath, but covered smoothly and delicately by Ben's fantastic voice. Plans, while still graced by the croons of said Gibbard, is instead a thin, poppy album, obviously recorded in the most expensive of studios with the best of equipment. Congratulations to them for having had the opportunity to make it when many have failed, but Plans makes me wonder the loss integrity is the price to pay for fame and fortune.

Alright, I also didn't want to leave today's post without a positive note, so I'll also give the award for best album that transcended from 2004 to 2005...

The Arcade Fire - Funeral
So many albums come out these days that we often forget last year's favourite albums when this year's come along. This album defies this general rule, still making waves in spite of its age. It is still so fresh in our minds that I've seen some even listing it under the best albums of 2005. Although clerically an error, this may not be far from the truth. The album has still influenced music this year with the release of singles like "Rebellion (Lies)," and since the album is still a lot better than some of the other albums that came out this year, I could easily see the album being on lists two years in a row. To keep things orderly, however, I've chosen to keep them off the 2005 list and instead create a new award especially for them. So, congrats to them for not even having to come out with a new album this year because their last one was so good.

Tomorrow, I bring you my top however many I decide to put on my list. I haven't decided yet. We'll see what I come up with. Enjoy your Wednesday.

Testing... testing...

2005-09-20T14:52:00.000-04:00

Um... hey. It's me again. Sorry I haven't been around very much. Life got the best of me. First it was work, then it was moving. The loss of my internet really cut back on my ability to post (for obvious reasons) and then, to top matters off, I've been sick. I am, at last, back from everything and, with school starting tomorrow, I should be on a real schedule within a week. This means that, although posting probably won't occur daily, it will be at regular intervals. I hope.

I originally planned to kick-off my new beginning with a huge concert review of the Sufjan Stevens concert last Wednesday, but sadly Claude has not had the opportunity to send me the pictures. That will just have to wait. In the meantime, I will give you one of my regular old posts. I hope you find it satisfactory.

Where do I begin? How about a Sufjan Stevens concert review! Of course, this is no ordinary concert. This one takes place in none other than Chicago, Illinois. As you can imagine, it was intense. That's what happens when you make a city your home. The locals go crazy when you visit. Needless to say it was a fantastic show, though not exactly reminiscent of the Newport, Kentucky, show, which I will explain in the future. Anyway, read it up if you can't see him yourself. I just have to say, though, that you're missing out.

One of my other obsessions, The Arcade Fire, has been given the nod by U2 and will be one of the many bands slated to open for them during their upcoming tour. Others include Kanye West, Keane, and even Dashboard Confessional, a band who has been over since 2003. The Arcade Fire has also swept the ballots for the annual mtvU Woodie Awards, receiving the most nominations of any band this year. Here's hoping they win a bunch. They certainly deserve the recognition.

My most recent obsession isn't a new band; it's actually The Beatles. And speaking of, here's an interesting story. Paul McCartney recently fell into a hole on-stage during a concert. That has to be pretty embarassing, but it leads me to wonder why he wasn't paying attention. Apparently the hole was a trap door that was open to elevate a piano he was supposed to start playing. I don't know whether the piano was slow to rise or what, but he fell right into it. He hurt his back and his arm, but he's alright.

Sir Paul isn't the only one who has recently been hurt. Michael Diver of Drowned In Sound is pretty hurt by the new Franz Ferdinand single, "Do You Want To." Hurt enough, in fact, to write a rather scathing letter to the band, asking, "Please, give me back the three minutes and thirty-eight seconds I spent listening to the aforementioned. I'll forego the repeat encounters." Dang, that's harsh. I haven't actually had the time to listen to the single myself, but from what Diver has to say, I may not be very impressed. Time will tell, I suppose.

There is one band I'm sure I don't like and that's Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah. Which is why I don't care about the following news. I'm just telling you because you probably want to know. So they've inked a distribution deal with Warner Music Group, one that might eventually lead to a record deal. Let me take the time now to console those of you who thought they were too indie for this. I hate to say it, but I could have told you so.

Enough about that. Let's talk about a good band like Belle and Sebastian. Since I've been on hiatus so long, I had no idea that they were even thinking of coming out with a new album. This is why I'm happy to report that their latest project, The Goalkeeper's Revenge, will hit the shelves sometime next year. All I have to say is... score.

Coca-Cola, what in God's name are you thinking? Allowing people to download music from your vending machines to their mobile phones? I think this is too far. At least there are no plans to do this in the US yet, though that doesn't make sense because you're more likely to get your little pawns to shell out the couple bucks to use your little convenient vending machines if you market it in the US. But in Africa?! How about, instead of doing that, you just donate a bunch of money and save some people's lives instead of trying to buy their souls one download at a time?! This is ridiculous. And I thought the McDonald's kiosk and the Toyota Scion record label were bad ideas.

Okay, done ranting. Here's something to lighten the mood. At long last, the cartoon members of Gorillaz will hit the stage in their first ever live-action concert. I really hope they wear costumes to look like their characters. That would be awesome. The concert, or should I say concerts, will take place from November 1st through the 5th in Manchester. Those lucky, lucky Brits.

I have to confess. I never listened to OK GO until today, when I watched their video for "A Million Ways." So their music may not be all that unique, but hey, if they can record a video entirely of them doing a dance routine in a back yard... yeah, they're just cool. So watch this video. Especially watch when the guy in the red vest is mouthing the beats. It's so funny. I think I like these guys.

Let us not forget that today is Tuesday and that lots of albums have been released today. Here are a few I might suggest getting. Links courtesy of Largehearted Boy.
Broadcast - Tender Buttons
Jamiroquai - Dynamite
Le Tigre - This Island Remixes

Upcoming Columbus Shows
Tonight - The National w/ Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah - Little Brother's
Tonight - Kings of Leon w/ The Features - The Newport Music Hall
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Nationwide Arena
9.28 - Doves w/ VHS or Beta - The Newport
9.29 - The Gossip w/ We Are Wolves - Little Brother's
10.05 - Stryper - The Newport Music Hall
10.07 - Rainer Maria - Little Brother's
10.07 - Atmosphere w/ Blueprint - The Newport Music Hall
10.08 - The Fiery Furnaces w/ Miss Alex White and Red Orchestra - The Wexner Center
10.14 - The Decemberists w/ Cass McCombs - The Newport Music Hall
10.21 - The Dresden Dolls w/ DeVotchKa and Faun Fables - The Newport Music Hall
10.25 - Cat Power w/ Dexter Romweber - The Wexner Center
11.20 - Andrew Bird w/ Head of Femur - The Wexner Center

Daily Downloads
As seen in the Regnyouth Archives
The Beatles - The White Album
Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet
The Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One

I hope this was good enough. I will try to be back soon with those Sufjan Stevens pictures. That's all.

Where have I been?

2005-09-09T16:53:00.000-04:00

It's been a rough couple of weeks, guys. First of all, I worked a lot the last couple weeks of my job, especially with the back-to-school season. Then I had to pack and move to my new apartment, which happened last week, and now I'm without internet for another week. This is really the most tragic thing that could ever happen to someone like me, I think. Hopefully I will be making a return in a week once everything gets hooked up. In the meantime, read some of the links on the left and be ever-so patient. I miss you guys. Peaceout!

Suddenly, I love Columbus.

2005-08-11T12:27:00.000-04:00

I return from my weekend hiatus to tell you some fantastic news.

First of all, if you're going to the Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah concert, you have a rather large dilemma because Kings of Leon are playing at the Newport Music Hall, and I'm definitely going to that.

Second of all, on September 28... Doves. I'm not kidding. Doves. I thought I'd have to wait until Coachella to see them, but no. Somehow, God must have heard that I would pee myself if I could see Doves and sure enough, they're coming to the Newport.

If you know me, you know I hate the Newport, but for these two shows, I will make an exception.

Kings of Leon
September 20
7:00pm
Newport Music Hall
$16.50

Doves
September 28
7:00pm
Newport Music Hall
$18.00

Ahh, I love Thursdays.

He broke the hearts of a thousand teenage girls in one fowl swoop...

2005-08-09T11:08:00.000-04:00

It's been forever since I've had something to say about Brandon Flowers. Has it really been since the Killers/Bravery war of the words? I think it has. At any rate, there's finally a news story about him (he's been so elusive lately), and because today is yet another slow day, it makes the headline.

My apologies to the 14-year-old girls who now must find a picture of some other lead singer of some other band to kiss at night. Flowers got hitched to Tara Munblowsky. And with a name like that, I really hope she doesn't plan on hyphenating it.

Due to the shock this may have been, I'm sure many of you haven't had the time to find a new man to swoon over. Might I suggest printing out one of these fellows' mugshots:
Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, The Postal Service, All-Star Quarterback)
Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)
Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional)
Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate)
Chris Conley (Saves the Day)

I think you get the idea.

And now for some real news...

Famous ABC journalist and host of World News Tonight, Peter Jennings has passed away from lung cancer. He was 67.

Keeping up with yesterday's trend, I will only tell you that The Village Voice has an article about Sufjan Stevens.

It didn't take very long for Coldplay's new album X&Y to reach double platinum.

While Q and not U are calling it quits, Chris Richards will continue to play music with his new group Ris Paul Ric.

Prefix gives the new Deerhoof EP, Green Cosmos, a 3.5. Don't worry, it's out of 5.

Oh boy, Death Cab for Cutie is going on tour, and to my surprise they will not be hitting up Columbus, at least not yet. If they do, I predict it to be at Promowest. You know, I remember seeing them at Little Brother's forever ago. How much time changes things.

It seems Tommy Lee has gone from bad boy to... pop star? What the heck?! Okay, so I definitely saw his latest video, "Good Times," and, yeah, I was pretty creeped out. Tommy had to ditch the major labels to release Tommyland, which Coolfer predicts will be a flop. I agree.

Courtesy of Prefixblog, a South Korean man dies of exhaustion after playing a computer game for 50 hours. Just minutes before his death, he assured friends he'd finish the game and come home. Also, Apple defines bloggers as "unhealthy."

Upcoming Columbus Shows
The Violent Femmes? How did I miss that one? Hope I can get off work...

8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.12 - Velvet Revolver w/ Chevelle - Germain Ampitheater
8.13 - Switchfoot - The Ohio State Fair
8.19 - The Violent Femmes - Lodge Bar
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! w/ Kiss Me Quick - Little Brother's
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brother's
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.02 - Over the Rhine - Little Brothers
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio Theater
9.12 - Stellastarr* - The Basement
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.15 - Reggie and the Full Effect w/ My Chemical Romance and Alkaline Trio - Promowest Pavilion
9.20 - Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah - Little Brother's
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater
10.08 - The Fiery Furnaces - The Wexner Center
10.14 - The Decemberists - Newport Music Hall

Daily Downloads
Supplied by the Regnyouth Archives

The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Coldplay - X&Y
Doves - The Last Broadcast
Matthew Good Band - Beautiful Midnight

I probably won't get to post the rest of the week thanks to my work schedule and my family coming into town. Have a great one, and I'll be back when life is less hectic.

Monday Morning Monotony

2005-08-08T11:21:00.000-04:00

There are a few things to talk about today, one of which has to do with Sufjan Stevens, but I wanted to spare everyone for at least a day from having yet another main article about him. Unfortunately, I can't really find anything else that I would consider worthy of a main article, so I'll just briefly talk about everything.

So, to get this out of the way, let's discuss Sufjan for just a second. I really find it funny that John Styll of the Christian Music Trade Association even has to talk about why Sufjan isn't part of the Christian music industry. For those of us who actually think about these things on our own, it's obvious. Nevertheless, he explains that, because Sufjan's albums are not distributed enough through Christian channels and because he doesn't want them to be in the first place, he isn't considered desirable for the CMTA. "That's OK," Styll tells Reuters. Good to know. To actually qualify for the CMTA's attention, his albums would have to sell a quarter of his first-week sales in Christian record stores, have some sort of airplay on Christian stations, and have what the CMTA considers Christian lyrics. It's interesting to note that the CMTA embraces bands like Switchfoot, who no longer even speak about Jesus and have opted for the "positive message" approach which insinuates Christianity but leaves it so vague that secular listeners don't recognize they're Christians at all, but because they have a history of being a Christian band are already recognized by CMTA. Sufjan actually comes out and talks about Jesus, and his album Seven Swans could practically be a worship album, but I guess that's not enough. It seems to me like the CMTA has a different definition of Christian lyrics depending on who they're talking about, but like Styll said, "That's OK." What it boils down to is that it doesn't matter what the CMTA says or does when it comes to Sufjan Stevens because he doesn't want to be a part of them anyway.

Sad news: Ibrahim Ferrer of Buena Vista Social Club fame has passed away at the age of 78. He died in Havana from emphysema.

Chart Attack talks to Tammy Ealom of Dressy Bessy about her band's new album, Electrified, and what it's like to be loved by the members of Coldplay.

Speaking of Coldplay, they will release their new single, "Fix You," with a couple new b-sides, "Poor Me" and "The World Turned." Look for it on September 5.

I am still unlucky. The Arcade Fire has extended its Fall tour yet again, and they're still not coming to Columbus. The band has opted for some pretty large festivals this time, but I'd still like them to return to Little Brother's as they did last December. My fingers are crossed.

Jon Heder stars as a meter-reader in his latest movie, School of Scoundrels, alongside Billy Bob Thorton, who plays a motivational speaker. The premise: meter-reader wants girl, enrolls in self-help class taught by motivational speaker who also wants girl. Sounds interesting.

Does it surprise anyone else that Death Cab for Cutie's new album, Plans, which was leaked last week, is starting to receive praise from some bloggers? Welcome to the Midwest says that it's "Transatlanticism-meets-The Postal Service," which actually puts me off because I think Ben Gibbard should keep the two bands separate entities entirely. I guess you can't escape wanting to make the less successful one more like the more successful one in order to sell more. Perhaps it was the idea of their new label, Atlantic. Stereogum actually loves the album, but doesn't say why. I took a listen to the song they had streamed on their myspace profile a while back, I don't remember what the song was now, but I couldn't stand it. I miss the days when Death Cab sounded a bit more raw, when they had less money and poor studios. Their new sound is too over-produced. It's practically made for radio. I also feel like maybe I've grown beyond them. There was a time in my life when listening to Ben Gibbard croon about sad things made me feel better about my life because I realized mine wasn't the only life that sucked. Nowadays, I don't need that, and it's made me stray from Death Cab. Should I give the album, the full album, a chance? I can't decide. Chances are I probably won't.

Tomorrow is new release day and I don't have any money, so I won't be buying these:
Bjork - Drawing Restraint 9
Koufax - Hard Times are in Fashion
Limbeck - Let Me Come Home
Then again, I probably wouldn't buy those last two even if I had money. Links care of Largehearted Boy.

Upcoming Columbus Shows
Just found out today that Reggie and the Full Effect are coming to Columbus. Tragically, they're playing with two crappy bands. Will it be worth it? I don't know...

8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.12 - Velvet Revolver w/ Chevelle - Germain Ampitheater
8.13 - Switchfoot - The Ohio State Fair
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! w/ Kiss Me Quick - Little Brother's
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brother's
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.02 - Over the Rhine - Little Brothers
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio Theater
9.12 - Stellastarr* - The Basement
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.15 - Reggie and the Full Effect w/ My Chemical Romance and Alkaline Trio - Promowest Pavilion
9.20 - Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah - Little Brother's
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater
10.08 - The Fiery Furnaces - The Wexner Center
10.14 - The Decemberists - Newport Music Hall

Daily Downloads
Courtesy of the one, the only, Regnyouth Archives

Radiohead - Hail to the Theif
Air - Moon Safari

To my happiness, my sound card has been replaced and I'm back listening to music again. Praise the Lord!

If you don't like Sufjan Stevens, you probably shouldn't be reading my blog.

2005-08-06T12:01:00.000-04:00

So, maybe I'm just getting excited a little early, but I just can't get enough of Sufjan Stevens talk these days. By the way, who else is going to see him at Southgate House in September? Let me know and I'll see you there. At any rate, there's always something to talk about when it comes to Sufjan, whether it be interviews or commentaries (like mine) or concert reviews. Without further a-do, the latest on Sufjan Stevens:

The Denver Post has a review of the July 29th show at The Bluebird. When I lived in Colorado I had the opportunity to go there to see Dressy Bessy. I really love the place, and I can't imagine how packed it was that night. As the article reports, the band dons the now well-known Illinois shirts, blue with a big orange "I" and wows the audience with its epic masterpieces but steals the crowd's heart with the low key "Casimir Pulaski Day" and "John Wayne Gacy, Jr."

I found an older concert review on Indie Workshop for the Vancouver show that even furthers my excitement. It tells of how Sufjan actually tells stories to the audience, like the story behind "Casimir Pulaski Day," which I'm absolutely dying to hear. That song is incredible. From the sounds of things, they pretty much do the entire Illinois album, which is great but I would like to hear some of the old stuffs from Seven Swans. They do dive into it for the encore, so here's hoping we get some of that. The review also gives us show-goers a warning: Beware of the photo snapping. The biggest complaint was all the clicking from people taking pictures. I think Claude's digital camera is quiet, so it won't be my fault if it's annoying.

The LA Times asks Sufjan and Company the hard questions. Why wear the Illinoisemaker uniform when performing on the radio? He replies, "I think it just helps us to feel kind of unified." Sufjan downplays his performing ability during the interview, but the LA Times assures readers that, although a bit shy, he's anything but second-rate. The Times even quotes Pitchfork editor in chief Ryan Schreiber, who said, ""There's something about him that spans audiences. It's got the sort of teenage romanticism at the same time it's got this forlorn world-weariness and this sort of adult perspective as well. Lyrically it's an all-encompassing thing." What a way to put it. I can't possibly summarize the entire article, but it goes on to describe how Sufjan is not alone in the industry even though he sometimes feels secluded. I particularly enjoy their phonetic spelling of his first name, (SOOF-yawn). So get it right, folks.

COtapers.com has a couple recordings of live Sufjan concerts, including the aforementioned Bluebird show, at their website.

All in all, I'm getting way too excited about this show, but how can't I? When you read things like this, it's hard to not downplay the whole thing. Again, let me know if you're going to the show so I can see you there.

In other news...

This is so funny I just couldn't help but talk about it. A few kids down in Gainesville, FL, had the opportunity of a lifetime: to do a real-life punk on Scott Stapp, the apparently former lead singer of Creed whose failed solo career has made him pretty much the laughing stock of most of the music industry. To summarize the events, Stapp was drunk at an airport bar and met a girl there. He got her number (but it was really her friend's) and he called them a couple days later. She has him meet her at a Denny's for what he believes will be a booty call. Everyone's pretty much in on it, and she doesn't show up, but everyone talks about how awful his band is behind his back, etc. I'm doing a really bad job here, you should probably read their first-hand accounts of the matter. Apparently later he even went to the girl's house and did cocaine. Classy. Seriously read these two accounts and look at the pictures. It's a riot and a half. (Thanks to Stereogum for the heads-up.)

Pop Matters has a very entertaining interview with Fruit Bats' Eric Johnson. It's very educational.

Pitchfork gives Dressy Bessy's latest album Electrified a 6.3.

CBGB is past its prime and therefore not worth saving, reports The New York Times.

Prefixblog unveils the true Peter Griffin.

Are you as fed up with the "popped collar" as I am? The Village Voice tries to interpret what the fashion statement might mean. I was so doing that like three years ago.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.12 - Velvet Revolver w/ Chevelle - Germain Ampitheater
8.13 - Switchfoot - The Ohio State Fair
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! w/ Kiss Me Quick - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.02 - Over the Rhine - Little Brothers
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio Theater
9.12 - Stellastarr* - The Basement
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater
10.08 - The Fiery Furnaces - The Wexner Center
10.14 - The Decemberists - Newport Music Hall

Daily Downloads
Courtesy of your friendly local Regnyouth Archives

The Verve - A Storm in Heaven
Air - Talkie Walkie
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak

After having a friend take a look at my computer, we've dubbed my sound card completely incapacitated. Looks like I have to go a few days without music. Ahhhh worst nightmare!

Good Stuff You May Not Be Listening To

2005-08-05T13:43:00.000-04:00

Recently Claude and I have been discovering some great new artists (and some not-so new artists) who we haven't heard before, and we think it might be a good idea to share them with you. If you've already heard them, well then you get +20 scene points. Otherwise, I suggest a listen.

First up is somewhat of a side project of a couple members of an already fantastic band. The Bell Orchestre includes members Richard Parry and Sarah Neufeld of Arcade Fire fame. The two bands, however, have little else in common. Whereas The Arcade Fire has a very gloomy feel, and Funeral should be a dead-giveaway, no pun intended, The Bell Orchestre is an eclectic mix of chamber and jazz. According to their bio on New Music Canada, they forsee an African jazz club in the future. Not sure if that's true or not, but I digress. Richard and Sarah are not the only members considering this a side project. The band also includes members of Torngat, Ark of Infinity and [IKS]. Stereogum recommends it to people who like Rachel's, and has a few mp3s up for your listening pleasure.

Their website is here.

If The Postal Service is too mainstream for you to maintain your street cred, you might want to look into another Canadian band, The Most Serene Republic. Though publicized by Pop Matters as a group hailing from Toronto, Michael over at For the 'Records' reminds us that the sextet is from Milton, Ontario. Perhaps the most eerie aspect of this band is just how much singer Adrian Juwett sounds like Postal Service front man/crooner Ben Gibbard. While the comparisons to Gibbard and his electronic accompaniment are easy to make, don't let yourself take The Most Serene Republic for just another Postal Service. They take the music a step further. You might notice the addition of seemingly uncharacteristic accoustic guitar, and let's not forget the occasional beat box and hand clap. It's really hard to predict what the band will do next, and it's this kind of quirkiness that gives the band its charm. Their first album, Underwater Cinematography, does have its weaknesses, but I think its character makes up for them. This is a band I could see going places. They have a sound that they know how to mutate, the kind that could easily be played with to create several more albums of decent music. I have a feeling you'll be hearing about them more in the future.

Their website is here.

As you may have noticed, and I, for one, am guilty as charged of sustaining, Sufjan Stevens is certainly getting a lot of notice recently. True, he's a very innovative and creative man, but behind every strong musician is a strong band. You might know them currently as the Illinoisemakers, but when they're not backing up Stevens, they are a little band known as Half-Handed Cloud. Made up of former members of The Danielson Famile, in which Stevens and the band met, they are, as you might expect, yet another part of the new wave of avant-garde Christian musicians, though a bit more outspoken in almost a childlike way. According to Music Spectrum, the band would like to see an entire Sunday school curriculum based on their album Thy is a Word and Feet Need Lamps, which was released this year on Asthmatic Kitty. While their music has a great deal of lyrical simplicity, it has a lot of artistic and musical integrity. Singer and songwriter John Ringhofer has the ability to craft complex chamber pop in a very short timespan. On their first album, Learning About Your Scale, he knocks out 25 songs in 24 minutes, and none, or at least very few of them, are lacking. Ringhofer creates carefully each and every song, with everything from soothing folk rock to brilliantly formed harmonies. Even if you're not a Christian, Half-Handed Cloud is a band that should appeal to all fans of quirky indie pop.

Their website is here.

And now for some news action...

Billboard proclaims, "More horns. More Canadians." The new Broken Social Scene album is set to be released October 14 but without the original title, Windsurfing Nation. The band has instead opted to go the self-titled route.

Sorry Pete Doherty, but you lost your chance. The Babyshambles singer failed to show up at an Oasis concert in which his band was supposed to perform. Liam Gallagher has now said that he will never open for Oasis ever again because "this is the greatest group in the world and what we’re not going to do is let anyone, Pete Doherty, Liam Gallagher or Elvis, fuck it all up.” So saith Liam.

If Wind-Up Records isn't stupid, I don't know who is. The label turned down a $100,000 offer from Absolutely Kosher, the label that now houses The Wrens, for the rights to the band's back catalogue, Silver and Seacaucus.

At long last, The Postal Service has its own website. I could probably recreate it on Dreamweaver myself, but at least they have something.

Torr brings us an update of the current US charts. Alarming facts:
The Killers album Hot Fuss is still on the charts.
Sufjan Stevens' Illinois has only sold just over 25,000 copies.
Not so alarming, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah's self-titled is already off the chart after only a week.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.12 - Velvet Revolver w/ Chevelle - Germain Ampitheater
8.13 - Switchfoot - The Ohio State Fair
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! w/ Kiss Me Quick - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.02 - Over the Rhine - Little Brothers
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio Theater
9.12 - Stellastarr* - The Basement
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater
10.08 - The Fiery Furnaces - The Wexner Center
10.14 - The Decemberists - Newport Music Hall

Daily Downloads
Brought to you by the Regnyouth Archives
(By the way, nice new banner.)

The Aquabats - Charge!!
Radiohead - OK Computer
Stars - Heart

Tragedy struck my apartment today, or should I say lightning did, and now my sound card isn't working. Is this normal? I don't know anything about computer hardware. I just know that life without music is sad.

Sufjan Stevens and the Secular-Sacred Divide

2005-08-04T12:45:00.000-04:00

It used to be that there was a rather thick black line between what music was inherently Christian, or "sacred," and what was considered worldly, or "secular." I remember it vividly. It was the day that my friend Chris broke all of his secular CDs because they were evil. He said God convicted him. You may have seen the scene in The Virgin Suicides where Lux is forced to burn her rock and roll records. It's the same concept. Music that isn't talking about God isn't Godly and therefore is evil. Many a Sunday morning preacher has said it. I've heard it a thousand times. Why, then, has the Lord not convicted me? Am I a sinner because I find no problem listening to music made and marketted outside of the Contemporary Christian Music Industry?

Certainly not.

Then what about Sufjan Stevens? He's an openly Christian man. Take a song like "Casimir Pulaski Day," in which he talks about lifting his hands and praying over people at a Bible study. These are words pulled out of experience and memory, things he's probably done many times before. Take pretty much the entire album Seven Swans, which for all intents and purposes is a worship album. Despite all of that, not one Christian book store I've gone to has sold his albums. You ask the people who work there, and they've never heard of him. In fact, I have friends who work at a rather large Christian label who have never heard of him. The reason is simply because he never intended to be a part of that. Rather than stay within the comfortable boundaries of Christian music, he chose to take the road of an indie rocker and came out winning over the hearts of a lot of people who would normally not condone such openly Christian lyrics.

Now if you accept that the only holy music is sacred music and the only sacred music that is truly sacred is in the contemporary Christian music industry, you accept that Sufjan Stevens' music is not sacred, but secular, and therefore sinful. Not adding up? It shouldn't. It's simply a messed up theology, one in which the Christian music industry, and pretty much Christian culture in general, has its head entirely up its own butt. Not only is it closed-minded but it's not Biblical. After all, wasn't it Jesus Himself who ate with prostitutes?

In her article "Secular, Sacred or Both?" on ChristianityToday.com, Kate Bowman addresses this exact same issue. She cites the essay "Being There," written by Steve Turner. Both Bowman and Turner agree that there is a very big problem with the argument that you can hide from sin by turning to things that are inherently sacred. It's the idea that you can hide from sin by listening to Christian music, which, ironically, is made by sinners. It's the idea that the more Christian things you do with your life, the more Christian you are. This is contradictory to the Christian doctrine that works and good deeds don't earn you favor with the Lord, which is one of the fundamental arguments for salvation. To put it another way, Turner asks, "Was the Dutch art historian Hans Rookmaaker right when he said that Christ didn't die in order that we might go to more prayer meetings but in order that we might be more fully human?"

Which brings me back to Sufjan Stevens. Stevens' priority isn't to please those who speak Christian-ese but to live as a follower of Christ. It's ridiculous to say that the Lord can't or won't call someone to play music to a "secular" industry because who are we to tell God what he can or can't do? Says Stevens, "Art is … a reflection of a greater divine creation. There really is no separation. There's a fullness of being in the world that takes into consideration the supernatural and the natural, and everything we do and say is evoking and expressing eternal things without even knowing it." Simply put, there really is no line between sacred and secular, or at least there shouldn't be.

Bowman elaborates on Stevens' thoughts: "The whole of life is available to believers as the substance of art. Simply because it does not overtly confess Christ does not mean it is exempt from possessing truth."

There is a danger in drawing the line between secular and sacred. Take Sarah Masen. Originally a musician embraced by the Christian music industry, she's become virtually unknown to it since she chose to become an independent artist.

What she and Stevens are doing is what Bowman considers "a refusal to separate one's faith from one's involvement in the world at large, and a recognition that although the entire creation is broken, God's grace and truth continue to permeate all spheres of life." Well put. To deny this the same acceptance as today's mainstream Christian music would be a travesty.

And now here's where I throw out my opinion. As you can tell, I agree entirely with what Sufjan Stevens, Sarah Masen, Steve Turner, and Kate Bowman have to say, and for those of you who aren't Chrisitan, here's my point: Christians aren't bad. Sufjan Stevens breaks the mold that Christian musicians have to be perfect. He's not the first. David Bazan, also known as Pedro the Lion, is notorious in the Christian music industry for being all too frank about his walk with God. He was actually moved to a smaller stage at Cornerstone Christian Music Festival after being on the main stage the previous year because he was too controversial. The funny thing is that he shouldn't be, because of every single artist at Cornerstone, he was probably the most real about Christianity. He admits that the church is hypocritical. He admits he has problems with infidelity and alcohol. He admits he's a sinner and that he's just an average Joe Schmoe. That's what Christianity, in my opinion, should look like.

I hope you, whether you're Christian or not, are touched by Sufjan Stevens, and I hope that he is living proof to you that there are Christians out there who get that they are not above everyone else. To me, it's about time.

You can read Bowman's entire article at ChristianityToday.com by following this link.

And now for some news...

Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for providing linkage the video of Jeff Mangum joining Olivia Tremor Control on stage.

Ladytron has a faaaantastic new video out for their latest, "Destroy Everything You Touch." It makes me want to play in the snow. Video courtesy of 'boards.

Franz Ferdinand released the tracklist for their latest self-titled album, the sequel to their first self-titled album.

Prefix interviews Sam Beam of Iron and Wine fame. Just out of curiousity, was anyone else totally freaked out by the M&Ms commercial featuring his cover of "Such Great Heights"? I thought I was in the twilight zone for a second, and then I was kinda disgusted.

Lots of great people have contributed to the tribute to the famous Beatles' album Rubber Soul, including Ted Leo and, you guessed it, Sufjan Stevens.

The Sun reports that Liam Gallagher has actually made ammends with someone for the first time in his life. He has let by-gones be by-gones with ex-wife Patsy Kensit to support their son Lennon as he goes into surgery. Isn't it sweet?

Spin has a song-by-song preview of the new Strokes album.

Thanks very much to Stereogum for linking us up with the Cliff Notes version of R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet.

One more Sufjan Stevens thing. Has anyone noticed that the tune for the ending of "Transfiguration" on the Seven Swans album is the same tune as the refrain for "Chicago" on the Illinois album? I love it.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.12 - Velvet Revolver w/ Chevelle - Germain Ampitheater
8.13 - Switchfoot - The Ohio State Fair
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! w/ Kiss Me Quick - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.02 - Over the Rhine - Little Brothers
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio Theater
9.12 - Stellastarr* - The Basement
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater
10.08 - The Fiery Furnaces - The Wexner Center
10.14 - The Decemberists - Newport Music Hall

Daily Downloads
From the Regnyouth Archives

Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
Simon and Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

And a re-post from yesterday...

Sigur Ros - Takk

Okay, guys, hopefully this will ease you for a while. I will try to be back again soon.

Where did The Fire go?

2005-07-20T10:53:00.000-04:00

The limelight never lasts, or at least it rarely does. Before you can even begin to enjoy it, the focus has already shifted to the next big thing. It seems that most artists try to keep the attention, even when those fifteen minutes of fame are up. Occasionally, though, you get a band who finds itself in the spotlight and chooses to run from it. Who better to do that than the band who never does things the usual way, The Arcade Fire.

Of course you'll remember the hype they got by being on MTV and on the covers of all sorts of magazines across the continent, but recently they've been overshadowed by newcomers like Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah. It's not just the regular evolution of music trends that brought this on. The fellows of The Arcade Fire took it upon themselves to forfeit the limelight.

"It felt fake and stupid to read about yourself all the time," singer Win Butler told MTV. "We were sick of ourselves, so I don't know how other people couldn't be." With that in mind, the band left behind their manager and offers from major labels and even car companies to settle in Europe, far enough away from the hype that they could take a breather and refocus.

That isn't to say they stopped altogether. The sextet recorded the song "Cold Wind" for HBO's Six Feet Under in a recording session that also yielded an onslaught of new songs. If you've managed to see them live recently, you may have heard songs like "Winter for a Year" and "Virgin Mary Highway." The group also re-released their original 2003 self-titled EP.

You might be wondering, then, what is in store for the future of The Arcade Fire. Of course they plan to continue, but in what time frame and to what extent? Say no more. The Arcade Fire have bought an old church in rural Quebec which they will build into a studio and where they will record their new CD, slated to be released in late fall. The band will also release a live DVD sometime next year. There are a few North America tour dates lined up, but one can imagine that there will be more on the way.

Will the hype return? Oh, probably. You know how the industry is. But will it be well worth it? Definitely. The Arcade Fire is certainly not over yet. It's only just begun.

In other news...

The shortlist for the annual Mercury Music Prize has been announced and is as follows:
Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now
Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Coldplay - X&Y
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike
Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV
KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger
MIA - Arular
Polar Bear - Held on the Tips of Fingers
Seth Lakeman - Kitty Jay

The comeback album for Franz Ferdinand has its first single, "Do You Want To." It will be released on September 19, while the entire album will come out on October 3.

With the announcement that the new iPod will have full-color video capacity, speculation is that iTunes will start selling music videos too. This news doesn't necessarily sit well with everyone.

Myspace.com got bought out. If that's a downer, I suggest checking out The Drama Scene.

In another totally unrelated story, the U.S. government has decided to extend daylight savings time two months, once again screwing over Canada.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
7.24 - Cake @ the CD101 Summer Fest - Promowest Pavilion
8.01 - Shout Out Louds w/ The Redwalls - The Basement
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.12 - Velvet Revolver w/ Chevelle - Germain Ampitheater
8.13 - Switchfoot - The Ohio State Fair
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! w/ Kiss Me Quick - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.02 - Over the Rhine - Little Brothers
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio Theater
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater
10.14 - The Decemberists - Newport Music Hall

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

Sunny Day Real Estate - Live
Belle and Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds
Jurassic 5 - Jurassic 5
Ladytron - 604

I'm back, I think...

2005-07-18T13:47:00.000-04:00

... and I bet none of you missed me. Ah, there are so many blogs to choose from these days. So where have I been? To dismiss rumours, no, I have not found better things to do now that I am 21. I did spend a few days celebrating my birthday (not too much, of course), but that isn't why I've been neglecting my blog. You see, it's summer, and life is crazy. I spent some time in Tennessee visiting my boyfriend's family for his cousin's wedding. I've also been working a lot of mornings lately, and that has given me less time to focus on writing. Like I said, it's summer. I have been doing a lot of things that have kept me away from the computer. I do plan, however, to spend more time in my little corner of the internet whenever I have the opportunity. I wouldn't expect daily entries, but I'll still try when I can. Bear with me, folks. It's a busy life.

That having been said, I'm going to try to cover all the bases here. I can't guarantee I'll touch on your favorite news tip of the month, but I'm going to at least get to everything I find interesting. Don't get mad if I miss something.

So, then, what's the haps, paps?

First and probably foremost for a lot of you is the tragic deaths of Michael Dahlquist, John Glick, and Douglas Meis. I will be totally honest with you. Until I read about them today, I had no idea who they were. I had, in fact, never even heard the names. I don't know if that makes me a bad person, but I do know that, even though I never knew who they were, this event goes far beyond being a tragedy. It's a travesty. Dahlquist, Glick, and Meis were killed, no... murdered, in a foiled suicide attempt. On the afternoon of July 14th in Chicago, the seemingly derranged Jeanette Sliwinski drove her car through a red light at speeds of 70 mph, colliding with the back of the car the three were driving in. Sliwinski has been charged with three counts of first degree homicide and two counts of aggrivated battery for the two people who were injured at the scene. You know, the music industry is no stranger to this kind of tragedy. That is, however, no excuse to gloss it over. These were men with hopes, goals, and aspirations that will now and forever remain unfulfilled. The effect of their loss is just now beginning to be felt, but it will continue for a very long time. Take, for example, the band Silkworm, in which Dahlquist was drummer. They have decided they can no longer go on since, in their minds and hearts, he is irreplaceable. Just a week ago they were on their way to something great, and now, in essence and in reality, it's over. What becomes of something like this? I don't what will happen, but in this kind of situation, rather than just focusing on the devastation, I look to the future. Who knows what kid has been sitting in his bedroom playing guitar and listening to Silkworm and is now inspired to start something because of how much he loved them. Maybe there's someone out there who was contemplating suicide but has since had a change of heart because he or she saw what kind of terrible consequences there could be. We'll never know, really. I'm not trying to be sappy or cheesy or anything, but the dreams of these men don't die when they do. They live on in that kid in his bedroom. And that's the beauty of music.

In other news...

The legendary alt-rock band The Pixies are reuniting to record their first album in 14 years. It's a very amicable reunion, says frontman Black Francis. "It's all hugs and kisses, I'm pleased to report." Of course, there's no word on when it will happen, but at least we know it's in the works.

Speaking of new albums, local Columbus band Tiara is readying a new album entitled Chained to the Crown. See donewaiting.com for a look at the album artwork and a few mp3s.

Lest we not forget about Ladytron. I couldn't possibly! The band just signed to Universal Records and will release their latest album, Witching Hour, in September. You have two chances to hear previews from the album, one being the single "Sugar," which came out last month, and the latest single, "Destroy Everything You Touch," which will hit the UK on August 26.

In case you didn't already know, Death Cab for Cutie has Plans to release their latest on August 30. The first single can be streamed on their myspace profile, and to me it sounds like they wrote it intentionally for The OC. Different strokes for different folks, I guess, but it makes me wonder if they really had the same motives for this album, their first on Atlantic, that they did for the rest of their albums on Barsuk. Lead crooner Ben Gibbard insisted when the band inked the deal that they would remain the same band they always were, but that sounds like a far-fetched idea. Come on, they're making so much more money and they're practically playing arenas. That's a far cry from the hole-in-the-wall venues I've been accustomed to seeing them at. But hey, if that's the way they want to go, then that's their business. It's okay with me. I was beginning to dislike them anyway.

Another band you either hate to love or love to hate is making a comeback. Despite rough negotiations, The Spice Girls are now recording new songs to include on their greatest hits album, set for release next year in honour of the ten-year anniversary of their first hit, "Wannabe." How you can have a greatest hits album with only about six singles, two successful albums and one incredibly big flop is beyond me, but I'm secretly (or not-so secretly) looking forward to their return. It's a shame they couldn't reunite as nicely as The Pixies. The girls couldn't agree to a location, so they are recording it in four separate locations across the globe. Hmm, the next Postal Service?

A change of appearance has not kept Sufjan Stevens down. The success of his latest album, a tribute to the state of Illinois, is overwhelming. And, yes, the blogs are going nuts over it (sorry to those of you who are sick of hearing about him). With two states down in two years, the dream of getting all 50 states done seems like it's out of the question. Stevens sat down with The Daily Bruin to discuss the status of the project and whether or not he plans to continue with it. "After about 10, when I run out of ideas, I'll either collaborate or commission other bands," Stevens said. "That's partly kidding, but I might be serious." As for which state will be next, Stevens mentions he was working on Rhode Island and New Jersey while he was working on Illinois. Or maybe it will be Arkansas. He already got a head start on that one when NPR commissioned him to write a song about Brinkley, Arkansas. The song, "The Lord God Bird," is, of course, absolutely fabulous. He doesn't disappoint. I just hope he hits Ohio before he stops doing albums by himself. While we wait, listen to the live recording of Stevens' recent appearance on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, care of Welcome to the M!dwest!.

It's time to say goodbye to Q and not U. The band has decided to call it quits, saying that they have achieved everything they wanted to do as a band and that it's time to move on. I'm not all that broken-hearted about it. It's been a while since I got into them, but it's always kinda sad to hear about a band breaking up.

Tomorrow is a slow day for album releases.
Bloc Party - Pioneers (single)
Wrens - Come Back Lover (reissue)

There's a really funny video travelling through the blogosphere. It's aptly entitled Stop Emo Haircuts. The funny part is that I recognize a lot of the pictures from myspace. You might want to turn down the volume, though. Kinda crappy hardcore in the background.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

7.19 - Dressy Bessy - Little Brothers
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
7.24 - Cake @ the CD101 Summer Fest - Promowest Pavilion
8.01 - Shout Out Louds w/ The Redwalls - The Basement
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.12 - Velvet Revolver w/ Chevelle - Germain Ampitheater
8.13 - Switchfoot - The Ohio State Fair
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! w/ Kiss Me Quick - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.02 - Over the Rhine - Little Brothers
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio Theater
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater
10.14 - The Decemberists - Newport Music Hall

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

Supergrass - I Should Coco
The Aquabats - The Aquabats vs. The Floating Death
Blur - Think Tank
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Slow Riot for a Zero Kanada EP

Happy Holiday!

2005-07-05T09:38:00.000-04:00

Today is my 21st birthday. :)

Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Boredom

2005-06-29T13:13:00.000-04:00

Now that everyone is over the Supreme Court ruling, it's time to go back to being bored and writing about randomness in hopes of putting together a significant entry.

Most importantly, I do have to say a few things about the rumoured upcoming Of Montreal show. I've been getting rather antsy that nothing has been said about it yet, and going to the Kork Agency website only to see two other potential venues listed on the same date got me incredibly worried. I went ahead and emailed Erik to get the low-down on the situation. Basically Little Brothers is being flaky. First an indie promoter wanted to do it. Then Little Brothers said they would do it themselves. Now it's back in the hands of the indie promoter. Erik says, in short, that it won't happen in Columbus.

It's things like this that make me absolutely hate the scene here. It's bad enough we can't get good shows here. It's worse to find out that one of the reasons is the fact that one of our best venues can't get its act together in time to secure a show. So here I sit, feeling completely helpless. I guess we'll just have to see Of Montreal (and probably a lot of other incredibly good bands) another time.

In other news...

The secret is out, and the name of the new Franz Ferdinand album is... nothing! The band has decided not to name any of their albums. They will all have the same Franz Ferdinand logo but with different colour schemes to separate the albums from each other. If I'm not mistaken, this isn't the first band to do this. I have been buying records for a long time, and I'm pretty sure that the band Chicago did something very similar. I think they named every album Chicago and numbered them. I could be wrong though. Anyway, it's an interesting concept. I'm sure they'll get scrutinized for it, but then, that's generally what happens when someone decides to be different.

A new album is also in the works for Belle and Sebastian. Pay no attention to the rather ridiculous story Tiny Mixtapes has to go through just to say that they're making a new album.

Maybe the Smashing Pumpkins reunion will come to fruition after all. Drummer Jimmy Chamberlain has announced that he's in on it, and encourages other former members to do the same.

The success of Crazy Frog, the first ringtone to ever make it to number one on the UK charts, has caused even more controversy. Apparently people have been buying the ringtone without realizing that it's part of a subscription plan which texts them every week to offer a new ringtone and charges them for the text. The lawsuits being filed against Jamster, the company who provides the ringtone, suggest that calling the service a "club" was misleading and that customers thought they were buying just one ringtone. I still think the fact that a cell phone ringtone has become so popular is ridiculous. Isn't the ability to have different ringtones supposed to help you discern your phone from others? Now everyone in the UK has the same ringtone and no one can tell whose phone is whose. Stupid.

Wired Magazine has a very interesting interview with Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, creators of the pseudo-band Gorillaz.

Oh my gosh! Say it ain't so. Avril Lavigne is engaged to Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley. A match made in pop-punk heaven. I hope Whibley knows that Lavigne really wanted to be a country singer...

I love it went pretentious jerks get their egos bruised. Did you know that Noel Gallagher thought Spinal Tap was a real band? He even went to see them and got mad and left when he found out they were fake. Harry Shearer, a former member of Spinal Tap is surprised, and who wouldn't be? I mean, after all, this is Noel Gallagher, the man who knows all and isn't afraid to admit it.

Fluxblog says that Sleater-Kinney's recent live show was a disaster. I'm glad someone understands.

One man is dead and three are injured following a stabbing in a mosh pit at a Corrosion of Conformity show. Reason number 3526 why moshing is absolutely stupid.

Well, Columbus kids, while we're mourning the loss of the Of Montreal show, we can at least get a taste of some live music by watching this video of an acoustic performance, courtesy of You Ain't No Picasso. By the way, happy belated birthday, Matt.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.14 - Blowfly - Little Brothers
7.16 - Pete Yorn - Newport Music Hall
7.19 - Dressy Bessy - Little Brothers
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
~~9.06 - Of Montreal w/ The Management - TBA~~
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio State Theater
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Moby - Hotel
Spoon - Gimme Fiction

The RIAA Wins the Battle but Not the War

2005-06-28T16:08:00.000-04:00

Here's one story that you can't escape. The Supreme Court finally ruled on MGM v. Grokster, and if you didn't already know, they decided unanimously that file-sharing services can be held liable if they are created with the intent of sharing illegal media files. The 55-page ruling goes into great detail about what file-sharing services can and cannot do in the future. As one might expect, the ruling has caused all sorts of predictions and opinions for what will happen to music and technology.

Of course there are the doomsayers. The Electronic Frontier Foundation focuses heavily on the idea that this is just the beginning of the expensive lawsuits and that all this time spent in court will negatively affect the growth of new technology. While this is obviously not the last lawsuit to come out of this, as we all know, the RIAA just loves to sue people, it should be noted that this may not necessarily be accurate. This opinion is merely speculation. Tom's Hardware Guide and BBC News have a similar outlook.

Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, personal spokesman for pretty much everything involving internet file-sharing, said, It is sad that conservatives and liberals in the Supreme Court can hold hands and agree unanimously on a decision so squarely on the side of big business and so damaging to the side of culture." Singer-songwriter Janis Ian also makes a very interesting observation: "I don't understand how they can hold a software company responsible for the misuses of their software and not hold gunmakers responsible for the misuses of their products."

As you might expect, a lot of people are thrilled by the decision. Rapper Jay-Z said, "This is a great victory for artists, songwriters and all of those who make their living through the creative process." I imagine the same response came from the higher-ups in the RIAA and the members of Metallica, who helped start this whole thing with Napster God knows how long ago.

Of course, as in any other case, there are winners and losers. CNet lists Napster, RealNetworks, and Apple, who have all created subscription services for downloading music, as winners while MP3-only players are losers. You might as well just add the RIAA to that list of winners.

But if I were the RIAA, I wouldn't start popping the cork just yet. On the surface, the decision appears to have crushed internet file-sharing, but reading the ruling with that in mind could be potentially misleading. According to eWeek, while Grokster was pretty much demolished by the decision, the consequential ruling gives a detailed framework for legal peer-to-peer networks -- a framework which, if followed to the letter, could potentially keep file-sharing software creators out of hot water.

Tiny Mix Tapes goes further, reminding us that, as always, file-sharing programs "will always reinvent themselves." Besides that, although the legal battle is certainly favoring those looking to end illegal music downloading, this ruling will likely have no impact on the number of people who practice piracy. It may be a win for the RIAA in the books, but it certainly hasn't won over anyone. If anything, it's probably only hurt the RIAA's appearance. If I were on its PR team, I think I'd be quitting by now. By getting all the artists on its side, it's pretty much forgetting all of the music fans. In fact, I would go as far as to say that all of the artists who were part of this have also forgotten their fans. You can't expect people to like you when you throw lawsuits in their faces.

So here's where I throw in my own opinion, since you know I love to voice it. The fact of the matter is the same it has always been. There are no winners. File-sharing will have a lot more difficulty functioning in the future, especially the free ones, where pretty much all of the illegal downloading occurs. If they don't promote illegal downloading, that's only half of the battle, because it will be hard to prove that they don't know people are using their service illegally. But like I said, this is only a logistic win for the RIAA. It hasn't won over the public and it certainly hasn't won over even all the musicians out there.

Yes, things will change, and yes technology will suffer somewhat, but I think the RIAA has totally missed the point. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. There will be other Groksters. There will be other people to sue, and by the time they've been sued, technology will have long since advanced, a whole new generation of programs and servers and networks to investigate and sue. This is no win for the RIAA. This is another useless effort in a battle it has been losing since way before Napster. I would like to know how the RIAA thinks it's getting anywhere, because I can't honestly see what good this is doing. It's making so many "strides" toward the end of illegal downloading, but none of these have produced results. Its valiant crusade to get rid of peer-to-peer networks has failed miserably.

What should the RIAA do? Gosh, it's so easy. Fighting new technology will get it nowhere. If it continue at this pace, it will be suing out-dated programs while piracy continues to flourish. Rather than fighting the change, it should embrace it. It should find a common ground. iTunes isn't enough. Neither is the new Napster or RealNetworks. Who would spend a dollar a song to fill his or her iPod that holds 10,000 songs? You can't tell me that these bigger iPods are being used legally. The RIAA needs to work with people from the various services to create a cheap, legal service that people will actually use. The days of the $20 CD are over now. Wouldn't it be beneficial for the RIAA to come up with something cheap enough that people will actually abandon piracy? I envision a service charging minimal prices with the widest selection of music found anywhere. If that could be put together, and if the RIAA were to be a part of it, it would cut its losses and gain a lot more respect from people. Instead of fighting the change, it needs to be the change.

Is it ever going to happen? I doubt it. The RIAA is by far too focused on destroying file-sharing programs to actually consider starting one itself. It would also take a lot of work to create something so vast, and the money to fund that takes away from the budget needed to fund all the lawsuits. It's impossible to stop the freight train the RIAA has started. It's going to keep fighting a losing battle because it can't see clearly to change its strategy. It's sad, really, because a lot of good could come out of the situation if people would just take a look at the big picture and realize that this isn't about stopping something as much as it is changing the way you do things to include it.

But whatever.

In other news...

At least someone out there has had the bright idea of embracing new technology. The latest version of iTunes includes new features for podcasting.

Has Liam Gallagher set the record for the most f-bombs in one minute yet? If not, I really think he should. Apparently he thinks Oasis should have the record for being the loudest band, as well, but they can't beat out Manowar. The exchange between Gallagher and bassist Andy Bell is classic:

"Who are they anyway?" Bell asks. "Heavy metal?"
"F*** Manowar," interjects Gallagher decisively.

There's a pause as Liam's insult sinks in. Then Bell replies dryly, "That was a good point anyway. A bit blunt of you, but well made."

Anyway, the news is that Gallagher admits that he would have liked to do Live 8, which he unfortunately can't do due to scheduling conflicts, but he would have loved to annoy his foe Robbie Williams. Also, the members of Oasis consider Rivers Cuomo the musical epidomy of Yoda. If that's the case, he's totally lost the force.

Didn't Kings of Leon just come out with an album? Yes, I believe they did, but they are indeed very hard at work at their next album. The band also speculates it will tour through college towns in the fall.

A beautiful interview with the Williams brothers Jez and Andy from Doves over at Pitchfork.

Tinnitus is the ringing you hear in your ears after a loud concert. I had no idea. Thanks to the Rock Snob's dictionary, Snobsite.

The new Daft Punk video freaks me out.

With Independence Day weekend coming up, you might be in the market for some new music to listen to on your road trips to grandma's house. Here are a few selections that were released today:
Fountains of Wayne - Out-of-State Plates
Starflyer 59 - Gold
Starflyer 59 - Silver

Let me just urge you to please consider purchasing the new compilation from Solid PR. The double-disc set includes songs from The Unicorns, I Am The World Trade Center, and some 32 other artists. Why should you buy it? The purpose is the raise awareness and money for Multiple Sclerosis. You probably don't know this, but my mom has MS and she's nearly incapacitated by it. My mom used to be an incredibly active woman, but now she has extremely limited mobility due to this awful disorder. Money needs to be spent to find a cure. It's out there, and every year we get closer to it. Please contribute just a little to this cause. The album comes out on July 12.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.14 - Blowfly - Little Brothers
7.16 - Pete Yorn - Newport Music Hall
7.19 - Dressy Bessy - Little Brothers
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal w/ The Management - TBA
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio State Theater
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives
Today, I'm going with a "the" theme...

The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
The Beatles - Introducing The Beatles
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
The Cure - Boys Don't Cry

Hits and Misses of 2005

2005-06-25T12:54:00.000-04:00

Everyone is doing this, so I guess it's time I latched onto the trend and did the same. I don't have a top ten, and I don't have a bottom five. I can't even remember all the albums that came out this year. I've been a little behind, I'll admit. What I can tell you though is that there are albums I've liked and albums I haven't. So instead of doing the whole list them thing, I'm going to do hit and miss, starting with hit.

Hit: Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
I've read a lot of people's lists and they call this a disappointment. All I have to say to that is you've got to be kidding me. I can't find anything disappointing about Illinois. I have listened to Michigan, and yes, they're very similar in mood, but what do you honestly expect from two albums that are supposed to be part of a series? Like it or not, they have a connection, a similar purpose. You can't tell me that Illinois is a bad album just because it's reminiscent of Michigan. I don't think that's a good enough reason. I love Illinois because it is big. It's not just big; it's huge. There's so many layers, so much to listen to. The lyrics are incredible, sometimes haunting, occasionally challenging to hear, but always insightful. I've listened to it a hundred times by now and I can't find anything wrong with it. It's pretty much my favorite album so far.

Miss: Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
You know I hate this album so I won't talk much about it. It's not that it's completely awful. The instrumentals are incredible. They're very talented musicians. I simply cannot stand that girl's voice. It irritates me, and I don't find it the least bit enjoyable to listen to. I don't know how anyone can handle listening to the entire album. I would go nuts.

Hit: Beck - Guero
I have to say that this album surprised me. I haven't listened to Beck regularly in a very long time. In fact, I don't think I ever listened to an entire album before Guero. I simply love this album. I'd throw it in the CD player and walk to class listening to it on sunny days, and it put a bounce in my step. It's the kind of album that makes me enjoy myself.

Miss: Weezer - Make Believe
This album is actually not a disappointment at all. I never really had high hopes to begin with. The days of "Say it Ain't So" and "Buddy Holly" have long gone. There's nothing left of what Weezer used to be, and what remains is a man simply making money by putting out catchy tunes. There's no substance to the album at all. I have no desire to listen to it ever again. Let's face it, guys. Weezer isn't really Weezer anymore.

Hit: Gorillaz - Demon Days
I didn't listen to the self-titled album. My only knowledge of Gorillaz up until Demon Days was that song about sunshine in a bag. I think it was called "Clint Eastwood" or something. Maybe I'm totally making that up. Anyway, my boyfriend made me listen to the album. I was expecting that same kind of hip-hop sound that was catchy but not enough that I'd listen to the entire album. I was very surprised to find out that Gorillaz isn't just hip-hop. They're actually a band, and they actually sing and make beautiful music. When I first heard the single "Feel Good Inc.," I didn't realize it was them. In fact, neither did Claude. We were like, "What's this?" and then it was like a light bulb turned on in our brains and we looked at each other with wide eyes and open mouths. What a difference. Totally blew me away, and I'm glad.

Miss: The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Without sounding like a broken record, I'll just say that this album sounds like a bad White Stripes cover band. I think Jack White was too consumed doing side projects to put any real effort into this album. That's too bad, because before this I actually liked them.

Hit: Doves - Some Cities
It seems like it's been a year since it was released in February, but don't forget about Some Cities. It's a considerable departure from The Last Broadcast, and that has led to a certain amount of scrutiny, but in my opinion I think the new direction was necessary. There's no way to improve on The Last Broadcast. They took that road about as far as they could, but it was time to change things up a bit. And really, why not spice it up? Some Cities is a successful change of pace. It lacks the epic feel of The Last Broadcast, but makes up for that in creativity and innovation. It's probably the best follow-up they could have released.

I really can't think of any other albums that struck me. Coldplay's X&Y is good, but I'm finding that the more I listen to it the more I can't really stand listening to the entire album at once. Oasis' Don't Believe the Truth I haven't actually had the time to listen to. I'm listening to Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah! for the first time, so I can't tell you how I feel about them yet. I haven't heard the new album from Hot Hot Heat, and I haven't given The Sunlandic Twins by Of Montreal a good enought listen. I guess that about covers it. If you want me to give my opinion on any other albums, feel free to comment.

In other news...

The MGM v. Grokster case has certainly grabbed a lot of attention in the last few weeks, especially now that the ruling has been postponed until Monday. But don't let the case fool you. Forbes.com has a very interesting article about what the case may or may not hold in store for the future of digital music. One of the points it makes is that downloading is already illegal, and this isn't going to change that. The question is whether or not the makers of the programs used by people to illegally transfer digital media are at fault.

But there's something else going on in Congress right now that may have more of an impact on piracy than the Grokster case: copyright law reform. What's going down, I honestly can't explain to you. I have no working knowledge of the laws or what has been introduced into Congress. I've skimmed and read through a couple articles, but I still can't understand it. Here's the actual transcript of the testimony of the Register of Copyrights Marybeth Peters, and if you can figure it out, please let me know.

Please accept the sincerest apologies of the boys of Explosions in the Sky. Yes, they've been out of touch and the website is not finished, but do bear with them as they work on their new music. In the meantime, you can look forward to the re-release of How Strange, Innocence on October 11th.

The currently untitled new album from Sigur Ros is nearing completion. In addition to not having a title, it also doesn't have a release date. So really, who knows what might happen.

In totally unrelated news, Tom Cruise is a creepy creepy dude. Check out his tense Q&A with Matt Lauer on The Today Show, which includes many words of wisdom from the Scientologist guru:

Tom on War of the Worlds: "I think it's Spielbergian scary."

Tom on talking and writing: "But they're still writing it. You got to understand. All that stuff, they'd still write it. They'd still talk about it. And the thing is, I still feel I will talk about what I feel, what I want to talk about."

Tom on life: "I'm just living my life, Matt. It's something that — I mean, I'm living my life. And I'm doing the best that I can, and doing it in a way that I feel is right. I like hearing good news, you know. I like hearing, you know, if something good happens to you, it's nice. I like sitting here talking to you." (Tom Cruise, the hippie.)

Tom on love: "Because, you know, it — but what it is, it's that thing where you just — in life, when it just happens, Matt. You know? It just — you meet someone. And it's — I can't even describe it."

Tom on mental illness: "There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance."

Tom on multiple personalities: "I think that there's a higher and better quality of life. And I think that, promoting — for me personally, see, you're saying what, I can't discuss what I wanna discuss?" (That was from wayyyyy left field.)

Tom on Matt Lauer: "Matt, you don't even — you're glib. You don't even know what Ritalin is." (Say what?!)

And Matt Lauer's zing back at him: "You're now telling me that your experiences with the people I know, which are zero, are more important than my experiences."

Dang, guys! Isn't that a little heated for a morning show?! Save it for Jerry Springer. Go watch the video and read the whole transcript. It ranks up there with Noel Gallagher.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.14 - Blowfly - Little Brothers
7.16 - Pete Yorn - Newport Music Hall
7.19 - Dressy Bessy - Little Brothers
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal w/ The Management - TBA
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio State Theater
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism (link, mp3)
The Arcade Fire - Us Kids Know EP (link, zip, I think this may be the self-titled, just under the wrong name)
Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah! - Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah! (link, rar)
Hot Hot Heat - Elevator (rar)

Last night, I went to the Ohio Theater downtown with Claude and our friends Tercio and Giselle to see a showing of the 1927 silent film Metropolis. The theater is a really old restored theater, with high ceilings and an incredibly ornate decor. I'm sure not everyone has seen the movie, so just to give you some background, the movie was originally 210 minutes but was cut to 90 for American theaters. Much of the cut footage has been lost, but what has been found was restored and included in the version of the film we saw last night. This version also included synopses where scenes are missing to explain what those missing scenes should have had. Where possible, stills of missing scenes were shown to give us an idea of what was happening. The original film score was written for a 60-piece orchestra, which is clearly impossible for a small-scale showing of the movie. Instead, the house organist played the entire score by himself. It was so well done, though. He is such a talented man. He received a standing ovation at the end of the film. I highly recommend seeing the film in its restored version. I know the idea of seeing a silent film might be strange to some people, but when you take into consideration the time period during which Fritz Lang produced it, you'll realize that it's a very powerful film. It was amazing. Have a good weekend.

Christian Music is... Good?

2005-06-22T14:25:00.000-04:00

I know, it's a shocker. I've been about as fed up as I could possibly be at the Christian music industry in the last year or two. All I ever seem to hear on Radio U, the single largest Christian rock radio station in the world, is the same old crappity crap. Every band these days is either attempting to sound like a crappy rip-off of already crappy emo... crap, or they're all hardcore thrashing and screaming and punching each other in the face. Then, of course, there's the ullllltra cheesy contemporary Christian music that my dad listens to and it makes me want to puke. Besides that, there's really nothing else out there.

And let me not forget to mention the new wave of "positive message" bands like Switchfoot, who was originally one of the more outspoken Christian bands back in about 2000. It seems, at least to me, that a lot of Christian bands are sacrificing the name of God in order to get more secular appeal, and it's really working. I remember the days back in high school when I would listen to bands like Five Iron Frenzy, The Supertones, and Bleach, and none of them hesitated at all to mention God on their records. Somehow the motives of the Christian music industry changed, and now it's all about making it in the secular industry rather than ministry. It's something I've seen coming for a long time.

Amongst all of this trash, how can one possibly say that Christian music is any good? The Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages asked itself the very same question. It's hard to imagine that there could be anything all that great out there when there's so much crap to wade through. The revelation is, however, that there are fantastic Christian bands out there, and they're not creeping up in the Christian music industry at all. They're found in the indie rock scene.

City Pages focuses on Starflyer 59, who have, for the last 12 years now, been ministering to a very underground scene, releasing 10 albums including their most recent, Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice. While I'll admit they don't sing outspokenly about Jesus Christ, they are Christians to the core and you can ask them about it. Compare that to the "that's nice" response I got from Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman when I told him I was praying for him. Maybe my experience is different from most, but I was incredibly disappointed. Starflyer 59 is not hardly the only Christian band sliding into the indie rock music scene. Ester Drang, The Danielson Famile, and Pedro the Lion are also mentioned by City Pages.

Which brings me to the highly popular Sufjan Stevens. When I first heard Stevens' music, I didn't think much of him except that he was your typical indie folk rocker. It wasn't until a friend told me that I should listen carefully to Seven Swans that I realized that he was more than average. The song "He Woke Me Up Again" is a perfect example, with its chorus of "Halle, halle, halleluia. Holy, holy is the sound." Listening to that makes me smile because I'm getting the best of both worlds. I'm getting the best of indie folk, which I love very much, and the best of new Christian music, which I love even more.

His upcoming album, Illinois, delves even further into the Christian life. In "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.," Stevens makes a very surprising, very humble observation:

And in my best behaviour
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floor boards
For the secrets I have hid

The tear-jerker "Casimir Pulaski Day" discusses the death of a beloved girl and how hard it is to deal with it as a Christian:

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window
All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face
And He takes, and He takes, and He takes

These are really just the tips of the iceberg. The album is acclaimed by indie rock critics, but it's full of Christian themes, and outspokenly at that. Stevens shares the intimate details of his Christian life in every song, and yet hundreds, or even thousands, of non-Christians in the indie rock music industry will hear this. Out of the entire Christian music industry, I think there's not a more successful Christian artist than Sufjan Stevens, and funny how he's not even in the Christian music industry at all.

The trend is going to continue, whether you know it or not. I would pay close attention to Anathallo. I saw them at Cornerstone Music Festival and they've also been featured on Music For Robots.

That is all I have to say about that.

In other news...

So much for that Blur reunion. Bassist Alex James announced that they are all suing each other. "It's a shame really," said James. I thought we might all get together again for Live 8 and try and save the world but no." James also says that this isn't the end of the story, and I hope he's right. Ever since this latest Gorillaz album, I've really been craving a Blur reunion.

A reunion is in store for The Cure, however. Porl Thompson has returned to the lineup for their summer tour. Thompson replaces Perry Bamonte, who was ousted from the band last month along with keyboardist Roger O'Donnell.

Tim Buckley died some 30 years ago and his son Jeff Buckley died in 1997, but their music continues to inspire new generations of listeners. Soon the two will hopefully get the recognition they both deserve. The rights to David Browne's book Dream Brother: The Lives & Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley were bought by Train Houston, and now a script for the screen adaptation of it is floating around Hollywood. No takers yet, but I would be surprised if it didn't get bought up soon.

It must be nice to be a magazine. The Strokes gave NME a sneak peak at their third album, letting them hear the 14 currently unmixed tracks. NME reports that the album is more experimental than the previous one, which I hope is good news since Room on Fire was pretty lack-luster. Fab Moretti explains that the whole band felt rushed when recording Room on Fire and that they're more confident in their new album.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

6.23 - Aqualung - Little Brothers
7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.14 - Blowfly - Little Brothers
7.16 - Pete Yorn - Newport Music Hall
7.19 - Dressy Bessy - Little Brothers
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal w/ The Management - TBA
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio State Theater
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

Coldplay - X&Y (link, zip)
Eisley - Room Noises (link, mp3)
Of Montreal - Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies (link, mp3)

The Supreme Court Stalls Grokster Case

2005-06-21T14:49:00.000-04:00

It's time I addressed a topic that I have been neglecting in my blog: the MGM v. Grokster case. If you aren't paying attention to it in the news, then you may not know what's going on. MGM filed suit against Grokster and StreamCast for allowing their customers to illegally download and share entertainment media including movies and music. In the Ninth Circuit courts, the ruling came down in favor of the file sharing services, saying that the providers of these services aren't in control of what their customers do with the service and therefore are not liable if any illegal activity occurs using the service. MGM obviously appealed and lost there as well. It has appealed to the Supreme Court, where it has been for months now. A ruling was supposed to be handed down yesterday, but it never came. There's speculation that it might come Thursday or next Monday, but if it doesn't, it is likely that the ruling will not be handed down before the end of the current court session in two weeks. If that happens, it will have to wait until the next session starts.

There's a lot to think about when you consider the case as a whole. A lot of people have expressed their opinions on the internet, and The New York Times compiled a list of some of these opinions. Most of them suspect that the Supreme Court will reverse the ruling. Still, there is at least some hope for the matter, and it comes in the form of a ruling that is now 21 years old.

In 1984, a very similar case came to the Supreme Court in Sony v. Betamax. Sony filed the lawsuit against Betamax, the maker of VCRs and VHS tapes, alleging that it could potentially be used to copy movies. The ruling was in favour of Betamax, with the Supreme Court concluding that Betamax could not be held liable for the actions of its customers.

That's a pretty substantial precedent. We'll just have to wait and see whether that is enough to sway the Court to rule the same way.

In other news...

Let's just get Noel Gallagher out of the way right now. He is fine with skipping Live 8 and finds it worthless, has at least some respect for Coldplay, and discusses everything from childrens books to his obsession with Doves' The Last Broadcast.

Now onto more important things, like the reunion of the Smashing Pumpkins. Yeah, you heard me right; they're coming back. Frontman Billy Corgan is certainly not afraid of word getting out. He put a full page ad in the Chicago Tribune.

The new Supergrass album is apparently going to be a departure from their previous ones. Road to Rouen, set to be released on August 15th, is reported by Billboard to be recorded in a new studio built in France. NME explains that the studio is a converted barn. The album is said to have a more "relaxed feel" to it, which I hope means even more harmony, because they're good at that. Instruments to be used on the album include ukelele, strings, and brass. Sound anything like Sufjan Stevens?

And speaking of Sufjan Stevens, Dusted has a fantastic interview with the man, the myth, and the legend. Among many other things, he says that he wanted Illinois to be like a movie soundtrack without the movie. He's so spot on. Ugh, I love it. I need to buy my copy of it on CD and then buy it on vinyl too. Then I need to see him in Kentucky. Then I will be very happy.

Is the new Strokes album reminiscent of... seedlesss watermelons? That's apparently what Julian Casablancas thinks. If that's the case, it will be sweet and juicy, minus the inconvenient black seeds.

Melody Nelson confirms that Stellastarr*'s hiatus is due to the recording of their new album, Harmonies for the Haunted.

Mel B, the artist formerly known as Scary Spice, may not be so hot on the idea of reuniting the Spice Girls for Live 8. That's okay, I'm sure no one will miss her.

Today is tuesday, and if you have more money than I do, you may want to buy any or all of the following albums:
Bo Bice - Inside Your Heaven/Vehicle (single)
Billy Corgan - The Future Embrace
Telepopmusik - Angel Milk

Upcoming Columbus Shows

6.23 - Aqualung - Little Brothers
7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.14 - Blowfly - Little Brothers
7.16 - Pete Yorn - Newport Music Hall
7.19 - Dressy Bessy - Little Brothers
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.23 - Thunderbirds Are Now! - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal w/ The Management - TBA
9.10 - The White Stripes w/ The Greenhornes - Ohio State Theater
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater

Daily Downloads
Yay, we're back in business. Thanks to Benny at Regnyouth for returning to his rightful position as Duke of Downloads.
Coldplay - Blue Room EP
Beck - Guero
The Shins - Austin City Limits Festival
Sigur Ros - Live somewhere in 2002
The Tears - Here Come the Tears
Tegan and Sara - The Business of Art
Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness
Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
Coldplay - X&Y
Bjork - Medulla

No News is Good News

2005-06-16T13:34:00.000-04:00

At least today you won't be hearing much of the same-old-same-old. I honestly tried to find something worth talking about today, but there really isn't much. There are a few odds and ends, but nothing I felt like talking about. So here are the few things I came up with.

I find this kind of funny. We all know that Liam Gallagher tried to insult Pete Doherty sometime last week (I can't remember when). The funny part to this story is that Doherty in turn made Gallagher read the dictionary to explain to him what "libertine" means and how he misused it. Correcting someone else's grammar is sometimes the most condescending thing you can do to someone, and in this case, it's justified.

At last, M83's self-titled debut EP will be released in the US.

Of Montreal has apparently filmed a video for "Wraith Punned to the Mist and Other Games" off their latest album The Sunlandic Twins. Too bad the only copy I've found has to be bought.

And finally, The Arcade Fire will release their new song "Cold Wind" as an EP on clear vinyl with the song "Brazil" as the B-side. Also to be released is a remastered version of their first EP. When will they release these things in the US?!

Upcoming Columbus Shows

6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
6.23 - Aqualung - Little Brothers
7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.19 - Dressy Bessy - Little Brothers
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle? - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater

Yesterday was my first day of work, and today I finish training on the registers, so if you live in Columbus and know where the Sun Center shopping mall is, come visit me at Filene's Basement.

Had enough of Coldplay yet?

2005-06-15T13:27:00.000-04:00

Oh my gosh! I haven't posted a real post in weeks, I think. I'm so sorry. Moving was crazy, and now I have a job that will probably take up a lot of my time, and I'm also being a lot more social than usual since I have tons of free time, but that does not give me any excuse to neglect my blog like I have been. With that, I bring you... Coldplay, again.

I swear, the only news I can ever find is about how awesome Coldplay is. I know you're sick of hearing about the album, but it's seriously about the only big news out there besides Michael Jackson. On a sidenote, his album sales are increasing now. Funny stuff, but I digress. Claude says X&Y is great. I've not actually listened to the whole thing, but I trust Claude's instincts, and what I've heard leads me to believe that he's right. I have, however, listened to The White Stripes' album and concur with his review. Anyway, onto more Coldplay news.

Coldplay has been the flavor of the last two weeks. You pretty much can't escape the internet buzz about them, and it's for pretty obvious reasons, the most significant reason being the fact that X&Y hit the number one spot in 22 countries. With 737,000 sales in its first week, the album beat out both The Black Eyed Peas and The White Stripes (who literally sold less than 1/6th the number of CDs that Coldplay did), earning them the first number one spot they've ever had on the US charts. In the UK, the album had the second-highest first week sales in history. That's certainly saying something.

I know everyone from Pitchfork to your mom is talking about the album, but I don't think that's any reason to downgrade it. Certainly a band as well-known as Coldplay is going to get talked about, and even more so if the album is incredibly good. I suspect this is the situation, but you're welcome to disagree. You wouldn't be the first. It is true that the success of X&Y has spawned quite the debate. Coldplay is really the kind of band that you either like or hate, and right now everyone is feeling the urge to voice his or her opinion, myself included. This is where internet debates break out between one blogger and another. In the end, I just want to say that it's all a matter of opinion, and I believe everyone has a valid opinion. I do want to stress, though, that it's no excuse to downgrade anyone else's opinion. You have just as much right to say you hate it as much as I have a right to say I like it.

That's just my two cents.

The record speaks for itself. Coldplay's X&Y is the most successful and most popular album released this year thus far.

In other news...

Jack White is not at all happy about two new White Stripes books.

Also in a bad mood is, as usual, Liam Gallagher, who walked off the stage during the song "Champagne Supernova" at a show in Italy.

The Sufjan Stevens tour has been expanded and is coming to Southgate House in Newport, KY. Would anyone like to go see him on September 14th? Please? I got jealous after seeing this and so I've decided that my next paycheck will help finance, in part, my copy of Illinois, which you can purchase from Asthmatic Kitty for only $10 and get weeks before it comes out on July 5th, which happens to be my 21st birthday (hint hint). Chris also says this is the album of the year, and he is absolutely correct.

I skipped the Iron and Wine show, and after reading this, I don't feel so bad about it.

I'm so behind that I haven't even done this week's album releases, so here you go.
Aesop Rock - Fast Car, Danger, Fire and Knives
Bear vs. Shark - Terrorhawk
Dressy Bessy - Electrified
Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
and more

Upcoming Columbus Shows

6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
6.23 - Aqualung - Little Brothers
7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.19 - Dressy Bessy - Little Brothers
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle? - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA
9.14 - Sufjan Stevens - Southgate House (Newport, KY)
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater

Daily Downloads
R.I.P. Regnyouth. Due to Benny's discontinuation, I have decided that I will also stop simply because I don't have the time to look for links myself. I'll post some when I find some, but it won't be a regular feature. Sorry, folks.

X&Y vs Get Behind Me Satan

2005-06-13T20:39:00.000-04:00

Alright people, here you have it. The grand-spanking new column you have been waiting for is here. Today, I bring you Good Album/Bad Album. I plan on starting off posting once a week and then, once I finish my portfolio for CCAD, I will post more.

Ok, this is how GA/BA is going to work. I will cast my ears, like a net, through the vast sea of music in the world today. When doing this, I will sort the good from the bad in a justly manner. What this means is, even if you are a band I love, I am not afraid to say “your new album sucks.” I do not believe in giving a good album review for a band just because they are, for example, the White Stripes. Ok, lets get started, shall we?

Bad Album

In the beginning, God created the Earth. After that, the Earth grew and blossomed into what was known as 1999AD, when The White Stripes birthed their self-titled first album. Their sound was raw, it was original, and most importantly it didn’t suck! The Stripes have come along way from Detroit, and had done a lot of genius in the world of minimalist rock.

And then came Get Behind Me Satan…

Starting off like a toilet flush, "Blue Orchid" is the first of thirteen tracks that make a fan want to cry. It lacks in so many departments that it is too hard to begin. When I first heard it, I thought to myself, “Gee, this band sounds like The White Stripes, but sounds like they are trying way too hard.” Sadly, it really was them after all. The rest of the album I found was one disappointment to the next. Songs like "Doorbell" and "Little Ghost" sound like poor Jack White wrote them while he was hung over. Something else I noticed, the album cover of Get Behind me Satan has a very close resemblance to Elephant. Have they run out of ideas? Meg White says in this NME interview that the album was “cursed” to begin with. On the other hand, maybe they just had to make a bad album now to get it over with. Byroncrawford.com has a very good track-by-track review if you need further proof.

Good Album

I know many of you have heard about the new Coldplay album X&Y and don’t know whether to hate it or love it. Well, I just listened to it the other day and was pleasantly surprised.

The whole album sounds like you are going through space with an English accent while your guitar is your navigational instrument and the drums as the engine. Stereoboard.com calls it “Coldplay’s next big leap.” Never the less, the new single "Speed of Sound" does slightly resemble "Clocks," which is an issue of mine and hasn’t gone unnoted. In this case, X&Y will still be rated as a good album because, if you are a fan of or not, this album is truly solid and complete. Pitchfork reports that Coldplay could be the next U2. If they keep it up, I may have to agree. See Indielondon.co.uk for a second opinion.

This is how I feel, so what do you think?

Where have I been?

2005-06-13T01:23:00.000-04:00

I apologize, friends, but I just moved into my new apartment and I'm still a little busy doing all those new apartment things (like remembering to go there instead of to my old place when I'm coming home from church... good one, Rebecca). At any rate, I assure you, I have not forgotten about any of you and I'm really hoping tomorrow will be a free enough day that I'll be able to provide you with the same world-class coverage you've been used to seeing from me. I will also kick Claude in the face for not having posted his first review yet. It's long overdue. Alright, folks. I'm totally beat and it's hot in here and I am too tired to do a full post, but expect one hopefully tomorrow but if not then sometime this week. That's all!

And They're Off! The Race to the Top of the Charts Has Begun!

2005-06-08T13:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a huge day in the world of album releases, featuring new ones from and ColdplayThe White Stripes. While both are supposed to be huge releases, it appears that Coldplay will be top dog, which is perfectly logical considering The White Stripes' new album Get Behind Me Satan is a piece of crap. I'll let Claude give you the low down on that when he gets his post up.

Let me first go on a tangent here. This is something I've been thinking about a lot recently. Sleater-Kinney's album The Woods and The White Stripes' Get Behind Me Satan are both absolutely terrible albums, yet both have gotten so much acclaim. I don't know about anyone else, but it certainly makes me wonder what the criteria for "good" and "bad" are in the industry these days. In the case of The White Stripes, it's likely the fact that they're so well known and have previously come out with decent albums. It's highly possible that, because everyone expected this album to be as good as its predecessors, people just assumed the album was good. But then how do you explain The Woods? I have no idea. It all just makes me a little suspicious.

Back to what I was trying to say. The UK charts have been particularly interesting in the last week or so. When Oasis' new album, Don't Believe the Truth, was released last week, its first week sales were around the 250,000 mark, the second highest of the year, of course making them number one. In just the first day of sales, however, the new Coldplay album, X&Y, sold 150,000 copies. At that rate, they're liable to sell 400,000 copies by next week. Incredible? I thought so.

What's even more incredible is how poorly the US received the new Oasis album. Though it hit number one in the UK, it didn't even grace the Billboard top ten; it came in at number twelve, selling only 65,000 albums in its first week. Even more astounding is the fact that it didn't even beat out Mariah Carey's Anticipation of Mimi (what kind of name is that?!), which is still at number one. Okay, so... yeah, who went out and bought a bunch of Mariah Carey CD's, because you need a swift kick to the head.

If the US charts are anything like the UK charts, which this Mariah Carey crap makes me wonder about, Coldplay should soon be in total domination.

In other news...

A couple related stories. First of all, my boyfriend asked me yesterday what the artwork on the cover of the X&Y album represented. I know I posted on this before, but I found another article about it so I thought I'd re-explain it. The blocks of color are designed in the Baudot Code, a 19th century telegraph code. It was quickly replaced by the Morse Code, which we're all familiar with. The cover of the album says "X&Y" and the back says "Make trade fair." The middle pages show the entire alphabet. Case closed.

The topic of our second related story is, of course, Liam Gallagher, and his latest victim is U2. Once again he says they suck and he's better than them and blah blah blah. Seriously, does he ever get tired of being a prick?

Lastly, more news from Jack White. No, he's not divorced yet. Instead he's got a side project and they're called the Raconteurs. They're readying up an album with no release date as of yet.

A few other things to note before I sign off. Frankie Poullain, the now former bassist for The Darkness, is suddenly saying that he didn't leave the band at all, but was rather forced out over time. I just wonder why it took him so long to break his silence.

The RIAA now has competition: The American Association of Independent Music. The trade group is composed of 125 indie labels and will focus on the digital and online aspects of music.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine w/ Band of Horses - The Newport
6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
6.23 - Aqualung - Little Brothers
7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.19 - Dressy Bessy - Little Brothers
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle? - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater

Daily Downloads

The Arcade Fire - Cold Wind (link, mp3)

My finals are over and now I'm getting ready to move! So good!

Hype Wars, Part Three

2005-06-07T15:07:00.000-04:00

Before I begin, I would like to first introduce a new feature to Oh, Summer Life. I'm pleased to announce that Claude (also known as my boyfriend) will be joining the team here at OSL to bring you random album reviews. His columns will be in the style of "good news/bad news" but instead it will be "good album/bad album." Expect his first bad album to be Get Behind Me Satan by The White Stripes. He's absolutely raving about how awful it is, and he's right.

Now onto the hype war.

Coldplay has proved once again that they are the most hyped up band in the media, but not all of it is good publicity. Case in point: The Case Against Coldplay, an article by Jon Pareles of the New York Times. The thesis of the article is that Coldplay is "the most insufferable band of the decade." This comes amidst lauds and heralds from many other sources. Why are they so awful? Apparently the fact that they are liked by people from all walks of life is too much for Pareles. Couple that with the fact that singer Chris Martin likes to sing high in his range, and therefore in going from his regular singing voice to falsetto he makes a noise, and you've got a formula for crappy music, right? Not necessarily. I've been singing choral music for years now, and as far as I know, the little flip it takes to go from a man's singing voice to falsetto is common and hard to stop, so to criticize Martin for something that is often natural is pretty stupid. Pareles hasn't done his homework. Also criticized is the fact that they spread quickly, which happens to lots of good bands and Coldplay is no exception and, of course, the obligatory blow to their lyrical content. Nothing new there. If Pareles intended to persuade anyone to agree with him, he did a terrible job. While his opinion is his own and therefore valid, it is backed up merely by his own musings and is not the popular opinion. So much for a backlash, Jon.

If Martin's daughter Apple were old enough to read, maybe she'd agree with Pareles. It seems she's not much of a Coldplay fan either. Rather, she opts for an "obscure icelandic rock" band named Sigur Ros. Obscure? Not the last time I checked.

Now that Coldplay has become the talk of the town, it's only fitting that at least one psychopath should make some unsupported claim about Martin. This time, it's a woman claiming to be his mother. If that's the case, Martin thinks she owes him milk money.

Lastly, NME takes a look at the battle on the UK music charts involving Coldplay, The White Stripes, and lesser-knowns (at least to the US) The Tears. All three have just released albums, and supposedly all three are great (although I highly disagree on The White Stripes, but that's me...). I'd like to see another ringtone hit number one and knock them all off their feet, but that's just me.

In other news...

The aforementioned White Stripes have also been getting a lot of press recently thanks to the nuptuals of Jack White and model Karen Elson. The two were married last week on a canoe in the convergence of three major rivers in South America. Although most people are calling this a publicity stunt, White says that he's in love and that the wedding is no sham. Sounds reasonable enough until you see the pictures of the ceremony. It's not at all what I expected. I thought of the sun setting and the two in a boat dressed all pretty and what-not. Not at all. It doesn't even look like they got married. Talk about weird.

No hype war would be complete without a little dose of the Gallagher bros. Liam and Noel have both been in the news blips today for all sorts of randomness. In the world of Liam, he first admits to liking the new Gorillaz song, but still hates former Blur singer Damon Albarn. At least he's not letting personal conflict get in the way of his musical tastes. Liam has also been tapped for the role of real-life crime boss Paul Massey in a new film entitled The Apprentice. What an original title! While Liam is off expanding his acting career, brother Noel is expanding his new fetish for Adidas track jackets, just like every little 14-year-old emo boy in the entire world. Both Liam and Noel came together to have a brawl in a bar in Brussels, Belgium, not that that's anything unusual.

Surprise contender in the battle of the buzz is Franz Ferdinand. The band is trying to piece together a DVD and want their fans to submit footage of their concerts in video or photo formats and messages to the band in mp3 or video formats. This comes after the band recently admitted that they put a hidden message in the song "Michael" using back-masking. A few decades ago, this same technology was used to encode secret satanic messages into songs. Franz Ferdinand, on the other hand, put "the most positive thing [they] could come up with" into the secret message. "Michael" isn't the only song with a secret. Pete Doherty, former singer of Babyshambles, alledges that Franz Ferdinand stole their now famous "Take Me Out" guitar riff from a Ringo Starr song entitled "Back Off Boogaloo." And I bet it sounds better in "Take Me Out."

As a girl who grew up listening to Donovan, it's no surprise that I'm a fan of the vintage 70's sound. That's why it should also come as no surprise that I absolutely love Of Montreal. If you still don't know about them, you should read this article from Aversion. Frontman Kevin Barnes discusses how the band has grown and changed over the eight years they've been together. Also check out The Sunlandic Twins, available now at any good record store, and for all you Columbus kids, see them live with me on September 6th.

A couple weeks later, we should all go see Sigur Ros somewhere. They'll be in places within a day's driving distance from Columbus. I'd personally like to go to Montreal, even though it's far away, because I want to see my friend Gordon (hi, g-dizzle), and it'd be a really cool way to meet up. Any takers?

Even the people in Japan love Yo La Tengo. That's why The Japan Times has a feature article dedicated to the band as they arrive to play in the country.

More details on the upcoming Death Cab for Cutie album, but what about The Postal Service?

Today is Tuesday, and that means new albums! Lots of new things have arrived at your local record store:
Annie - Anniemal
The Aquabats - Charge!!
Black Eyed Peas - Monkey Business
Coldplay - X&Y
Death By Stereo - Death for Life
DJ Shadow - Endtroducing... (deluxe edition)
Finch - Say Hello to Sunshine
Gomez - Out West
Kelly Osbourne - Sleeping in the Nothing
Secret Machines - The Road Leads Where it's Led
Ringo Starr - Choose Love
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan

Upcoming Columbus Shows

6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine w/ Band of Horses - The Newport
6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
6.23 - Aqualung - Little Brothers
7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.19 - Dressy Bessy - Little Brothers
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.20 - Pretty Girls Make Graves - Little Brothers
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle? - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA
9.24 - The Rolling Stones w/ Beck - Germain Ampitheater

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan 2 (link, rar, password = dub)
Aesop Rock - Labor Days (link, mp3)
Black Eyed Peas - Monkey Business (link, rar, password = rya)
Coldplay - X&Y (link, mp3)
The Tears - Here Come the Tears (link, rar, password = sth1453)
The Aquabats - Charge!! (link, rar, password = rya)

Sorry my updates have been so sporatic. It's finals week and I'm not studying but I should be. I kinda gave up on this quarter about... oh, I'd say eight weeks ago. Isn't that horrible? I've also been packing very very little and spending a lot of time with Claude and his family since his brother is home from Kuwait. I'm so irresponsible sometimes. Oh well, it's time to get my butt into gear.

White Stripes Publicity Stunt: Jack Gets Married!

2005-06-03T16:13:00.000-04:00

Oh, the chatter! It's incredible how many people are talking about this. Everyone from Yahoo to Miss Modernage. I absolutely love it. What's that? You haven't heard? Well, you must have been under a rock! In case you're in the dark here, let me explain.

On June 1st, 2005, Jack White of the White Stripes was wed to Karen Elson, a model from video for "Blue Orchid." The ceremony was officiated by a traditional shaman and held in a canoe at the convergence of the Amazon River, the Rio Negro, and the Solimones River. The couple then had the marriage blessed in a cathedral by a Catholic priest. Meg White, Jack's musical counterpart, served as maid of honor, while the band's manager Ian Montone was the best man. According to the White Stripes' official website, this is the first marriage for both.

Sounds kinda cool, right? Well, let's think about this just a little bit, because there's a lot to think about. First and clearly the most obvious is that the new White Stripes album, Get Behind Me Satan, is being released very soon. Just last week the band suddenly announced tour dates, and now a sudden marriage. All the talk now is about the White Stripes (sorry, Coldplay, you got out-talked). Maybe, just maybe, this is all just a publicity stunt. It's not the least bit out of the question. That's just the tip of the iceberg, however.

Also interesting to note is the fact that Jack's former girlfriend, Renee Zellweger, married country star Kenny Chesney just last week. I just have to say... ew. Now she has to subject herself to country music for the rest of her married life, how ever long that may last. Could it be that Jack is feeling a little lonely? Maybe it's weird to know that your ex has not only moved on, but actually moved forward, too. That can throw you for a loop, maybe even a big enough one to send you getting married to someone you barely know.

But honestly, how do we know these kids haven't known eachother for a while? No one has said anything about that. No one has even said they were dating. Were they? I don't know either. I'd like to know though.

What's even more interesting than anything is the fact that the official statement on their website says that this is the first marriage for both, but if we remember correctly, Jack and Meg were at one time married, rather than brother and sister as Jack had originally claimed. Are they trying to add to the mystery? Are they just trying to make us ask more questions?

The fact is that I don't really care. The only reason I even talked about it is that it's really funny how big of a deal we make these things. Even funnier (and not in the funny "ha ha" sense) is the fact that our first impression is that it's all just a marketing ploy. What's wrong with this world when we think that a marriage is a publicity stunt? I'm not saying I don't think it is. That's just it. I do think it is, and if that's really the case, what has happened to the sanctity of marriage?

Ahhh, so many questions. In the end, this whole thing will blow over in a couple weeks and then they'll get divorced when the next album comes out. They'll need the publicity.

In a related note, you don't need to bother buying the album. Download it below.

In other news...

Poor Brandon Flowers. We hardly ever hear about him anymore. Whatever happened to The Bravery controversy, eh? Such old news. Well, in an attempt to at least scrounge up something on the dude, I bring you an interview from Genre scanned by Arjan at Arjanwrites. Of course, the article covers the same old "are you guys gay" question, which he's not because he's getting hitched if he hasn't already. My favorite part of the interview is when Flowers says, "I use my body on stage to relay the songs to people." So, okay, your totally stiff, robotic movements mean what? Oh yeah. You've got soul but you're not a soldier. I forgot. In related Killers news, the band has turned down the headlining spot at Glastonbury. Hmm... chicken, anyone?

I saw the Killers once with one of my personal favorites, Stellastarr*. Ever since then, I haven't heard anything about them. Today I'm glad to say that they are releasing a new album. When? No idea, but it's coming and that's good enough.

Iron and Wine are coming to Columbus soon, and I think I might go see it. But in the meantime, I will look forward to the upcoming collaboration with Calexico.

This post from prefixblog perfectly describes the new Sufjan Stevens album, Illinois, which you can pre-order at Asthmatic Kitty. They started shipping them today!

Tune in to CD101 online on June 17th for a virtual Gorillaz concert. Yeah, sounds kinda silly to me, too.

Upcoming Tour Dates

6.03 - Tokyo Rose w/ Lux Courageous and Self Against City - High Five
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine w/ Band of Horses - The Newport
6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle? - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (link, mp3)
The Album Leaf - In A Safe Place (link, mp3)
Weezer - Make Believe (link, mp3)
Oasis - Don't Believe The Truth (link, mp3)
British Sea Power - Open Season (link, mp3)

Coming soon... Th' Corn Gangg!

2005-06-02T13:18:00.000-04:00

I had something else in mind for the main feature, but this is just too great to pass up. When The Unicorns turned up D.O.A., it was such a sad day. I, for one, was rather devastated by the news. I'd only seen them twice (I say only, but I know so many people who missed out on the experience and are still kicking themselves to this day), and I loved them so much. I wasn't the only one, either. They had become well known among indie circles at colleges all over the place. I remember when my boyfriend found out that I liked The Unicorns, and he was totally surprised because he thought they were really underground. When I saw The Unicorns last at Skully's, the place was packed. They were a phenomenon well on their way to stardom, and it all ended in one foul swoop. Devastating.

To make matters worse, word began to spread that the group, or at least some of it, was reforming as a hip-hop group called Th' Corn Gangg. "The what?!" I said. It's bad enough to have one of your most beloved bands break up, but it's even worse to hear that they've decided to start playing one of your most hated styles of music. Yes, folks, I can't stand hip-hop. I like Jurassic 5, though, so give me some credit. Then came SXSW. I didn't get to go to the festival, tragically, but I read a lot about the performances, including an article about Th' Corn Gangg's appearance. The description I read made me rethink my snap judgement. From what I can remember of the article, which is very little, the band was still using Unicorns songs, but that they were even better. I've decided to take the article's word for it.

So then why did The Unicorns break up in the first place? After all, they could have just gone in a different direction. Nick Diamonds says that couldn't happen: We were moving in a different direction and one of us didn't want to go on with that." Good enough reason, but this wasn't actually a new direction. Diamonds admits, "We were doing Th' Corn Gangg before we did The Unicorns and we had to go back to it."

And who is this "Corn Gangg"? It consists of former Unicorns Diamonds and J'aime Trambour, joined by underground LA rappers Vick Booz and Busdriver. I've never heard of them, but then again, I don't like hip-hop, so I probably wouldn't have heard of them anyway. The band is working on new music, including new renditions of old Unicorns songs, which makes me happy. It's like they're gone but not completely. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes... okay, I'm done. Excitement abounds as I await their debut.

In other news...

Wee! It's an internet popularity contest and the winner is... Coldplay, with runners up Sleater-Kinney. Let's first check out our number two:

And our winners...

By the way, the new album is available for download below.

The new Strokes album will come out in January, and let's hope that it's better than their last one.

Nada Surf just announced that they, too, will have a new album coming out September 20th.

Rilo Kiley has officially signed a deal with Warner.

The following is sad, but true. The children's home that inspired The Beatles' "Strawberry Fields" has closed its doors.

Is the new X-Men 3 movie in peril? The film's director, Matthew Vaughn, has quit the job, citing that he didn't want to spend time away from his family.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

6.02 - The Wrens - Little Brothers
6.03 - Tokyo Rose w/ Lux Courageous and Self Against City - High Five
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine w/ Band of Horses - The Newport
6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle? - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

Coldplay - X & Y (link, rar, password = rya)
The Bravery - The Bravery (link, mp3)
Cibo Matto - Working for Vacation (link, rar, password = 1235711)

Alas, my school year is drawing to a close. Yes, I'm still in friggin' school. I hate the quarter system. I have a final today and two next week. I should probably be studying that. Oh, also, my boyfriend's brother came in from Kuwait yesterday. He's on leave for 16 days. I think that's pretty awesome. I think I'll post tomorrow. We'll see.

Brandon Flowers: Screenwriter?!

2005-05-31T12:13:00.000-04:00

File this one under "you've got to be kidding me." The Killers, who have now further established the fact that they are nothing more than a marketing scheme, are planning to release a half-hour mini-movie based on three of their songs. Think Thriller but with really bad music. At least they don't plan on starring in it themselves. The awkward, stiff-as-a-board Brandon Flowers would look like an idiot on the big screen, just like he does on stage.

The movie, which will feature the songs "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine," "Midnight Show" and new song "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf," is a murder mystery. Kinda fits, considering they call themselves The Killers and their first album, Hot Fuss, reads just like a murder mysetery itself. As I said before, they are not going to star in it. Instead they want "established actors" to play the roles. They've been talking with producers and actors, and the idea is to use this mini-movie to "bridge the gap" between Hot Fuss and their new album, which so far has 10 tracks with 30 more yet to be decided on, proof that bad music takes no time to write (not that we needed proof).

And the crowning jewel: It will be aired on MTV. With no commercial breaks, the movie will be no longer than an episode of The Newlyweds. Hardly enough to take seriously. So while I'm sure the viewer ratings for MTV in the girls aged 12 to 16 bracket will skyrocket during that half-hour, I think I'll stick to Degrassi on Noggin. At least it's educational. And doesn't have crappy music.

In other news...

Independent music publishing often involves a lot of people taking a lot of cuts from a lot of an artist's money. The Arcade Fire, however, are not going to have to worry too much about that anymore. The band just signed a publishing deal with EMI. This does not mean they've signed to a major label, so don't panic. They are still on Merge. What this does mean is that their album Funeral will finally get to be released in foreign countries, something The Arcade Fire probably couldn't have done without EMI. The album is slated for release in Japan at the end of July and in Eastern Europe later this year. Meanwhile, the band is in fact prepping to record a new album! Win and the gang will hit the studio in the fall after a quick U.S. tour in September. Start saying your prayers, Columbus.

The motivational speakers who used to come to my school from time to time would always tell us to "reach for the stars" and "dream big" or whatever. I think maybe Chris Martin heard this one too many times. Says Martin: "We want to be bigger than Mozart." What?! Okay, so the achievement and fame of the composers of Mozart's time didn't reach the level it is at today until long after the composers died, so it looks like Martin's going to have to watch it from the grave. I also don't think we're going to be hearing choirs and orchestras performing Coldplay songs any time soon. Seriously, dude, I think you should just stick to trying to be the next Bono. In related news, just weeks before its release, the new Coldplay album X & Y leaked to the internet.

I just love it when businesses and corporations who have absolutely no tie whatsoever to music or the music industry decide they want to jump on the bandwagon. First it was Toyota and the absolutely ridiculous record label Scion. Now it's the McDonald's kiosk. Currently in trial at the ultra-savvy Oak Brook, Illinois, location, the kiosks allow customers to buy music and ringtones, surf the internet and scan pictures. It will be a very odd day when I hear someone say, "Man, I really want a copy of that picture. Let's go scan it at McDonald's." Freaky. It's like the Twilight Zone or something. Also interesting to point out is that the Oak Brook location is McDonald's testing ground for new and trendier things. They serve lattes and everything. Ridiculous. I'm sorry, Mickey-D's, but you'll never escape your greasy hamburgers and golden arches.

Enough of me being irritated. How about something good? How about Xiu Xiu coming to Columbus? I think so! Xiu Xiu announced a slew of new tour dates, including August 30th at Little Brothers. How about that! Wait, you want more? Well, okay, how about the new album La Foret will hit the shelves on July 12th! Still not satisfied? How about a 7" split with Devendra Banhart coming out on July 26th? Ah, the craziness ensues. I'll see you at LB's.

It's Tuesday. Here's what's new in your local CD store:
Bjork - All of Me: Remixes and Covers
Four Tet - Everything Ecstatic
Her Space Holiday - Let's Get Quiet, Vol. 1
Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth
The White Stripes - Blue Orchid (CD Single)
The White Stripes - Blue Orchid Part 2 (CD Single)

Upcoming Columbus Shows

6.01 - Gang Gang Dance w/ The Bloodlines - The Wexner Center
6.02 - The Wrens - Little Brothers
6.03 - Tokyo Rose w/ Lux Courageous and Self Against City - High Five
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine w/ Band of Horses - The Newport
6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
7.07 - Reel Big Fish - Newport Music Hall
7.20 - Howie Day - Promowest Pavilion
7.20 - Luna Halo w/ Modena Vox - Skully's Music Diner
7.22 - Tegan and Sara - Newport Music Hall
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.30 - Xiu Xiu w/ Das Yellow Swans and Nedelle? - Little Brothers
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA

Daily Downloads
from the regnyouth archives

Beck - Guero (link, mp3)
Doves - Lost Souls (link, mp3)

John Hoyt says, "This album sucks," and I'll tell you why.

2005-05-29T15:03:00.000-04:00

Allow me to speak frankly for a moment. What the heck is up with everyone liking this new Sleater-Kinney album The Woods? I got my first listen of it today and it is absolute garbage. With chugga-chugga guitar with off-key vocals, darn right it's difficult to get into. That's because it's trash! I listened to a little bit of a couple songs with John in his room today and it was just too frustrating to keep going. We had to turn it off. Seriously, people, what is wrong with you? Have you no sense of good and bad anymore, or do you just listen to what the stupid reviews say and base your opinion on that? Get a mind of your own and take the time listen to the music for once. Maybe you'll hear that The Killers really are just a crap band with lyrics that don't make sense. "I got soul but I'm not a soldier."?! What?! You don't have soul; you're a white boy from Las Vegas!

The only review that actually tells the truth is from Stylus Magazine, and thank God for them. At least someone has some sense. So if you must, go download the album and listen for yourself and make up your own mind. Don't take my word for it and don't take Pitchfork's word for it either. Close your eyes and open your ears.

End rant.

In other news...

Move over Columbus Gateway Project. Omaha, Nebraska, is soon to be the home of an amazing building complex. The $10 million complex will include a bar/venue called Slowdown, a theater showing indie/foreign films, and a pizza place. So who's floating the bill. Saddle Creek Records. Who knew little emo boys could be so ambitious.

NME must be running out of things to say about Brandon Flowers. This time, an interview about his new pink jacket. Give him a rest, guys, he's not that great anyway.

Trent Reznor needs to shut up or grow up. Now he's pissed off and quit the MTV Movie Awards because they won't let him use a picture of George W. Bush as his backdrop. MTV may be notorious for lacking censorship, but if it's going to be a risk to let him use it, I don't see why they shouldn't stop him. I personally think Reznor is just a punk and a baby.

Sorry, Christian rock fans. After 33 years, Petra is breaking up. It's a good thing I held onto that unopened vinyl I found in my parents' record collection.

In other break-up news, The Cure has lost yet another two members. How many times is The Cure going to go through new line-ups before Robert Smith gets tired of it?

There's seriously nothing cuter than Asya and Chloe, a.k.a. Smoosh. The Seattle duo, aged 13 and 11 respectively, are slowly reaching indie pop stardom, as they well should. The News Tribune Dot Com talks to them and their dad about their new album.

First he hates them, now he'll give them a chance. Liam Gallagher, make up your mind about Bloc Party! Gallagher says he'll work with them if they give him something to work with. He also welcomes the backlash his insults created and says that he doesn't care about lyrics. How's that for artistic integrity?

Not even laryngitis can get Doves down. Despite the fact that they had to cancel their Coachella appearance due to singer Jimi Goodwin's throat condition, they are still flying high with Some Cities. They are still touring and hey, I even heard they were on CD 101 yesterday! Progress! Listen to them, for they will rock your face.

Has anyone seen the movie Let it Be by The Beatles? Coldplay is looking to repeat the idea, working hard to become more like The Beatles than Oasis.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

6.01 - Gang Gang Dance - The Wexner Center
6.02 - The Wrens - Little Brothers
6.03 - Tokyo Rose w/ Lux Courageous and Self Against City - High Five
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine w/ Band of Horses - The Newport
6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
6.16 - Comets On Fire - The Wexner Center
6.29 - Black Eyed Peas w/ Talib Kweli - Promowest Pavilion
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA

Daily Downloads
from regnyouth

Beck - Odelay (link, mp3)
Mogwai - Ten Rapid (link, rar, password = rya)

Book Review: The Case for Christ

2005-05-26T13:41:00.000-04:00

The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel

Yeah, so I'm a Christian. I don't make a point to hide that from anyone. So while everyone else is reading cool indie books, I'm sticking to my inspirational Christian books. The deal with this book, though, is that it's not like most inspirational Christian books. It's not mushy gushy "God loves you so much and all you have to do is believe" or "God made you beautiful" (the subject of a lot of women's Chrisitian books). The Case for Christ is, just as the cover states, "a journalist's personal investigation of the evidence for Jesus." Not just any journalist. Lee Strobel is a former investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune. He's covered tons of court cases in his career, and as his title would suggest, he has done huge amounts of research. Every court case, every murder or rape, they all have evidence that needs to be looked into before you can accurately decide what happened.

That's exactly the way Strobel looks at the situation. As a self-proclaimed atheist, he took on the daunting task of investigating the evidence for the existence and divinity of Jesus Christ. After 21 months of investigating, Strobel became a Christian because "it would require much more faith for [him] to maintain [his] atheism than to trust in Jesus of Nazareth." That's saying a lot.

Strobel's investigation took him to the offices of 13 experts of divinity, theology, philosophy, and so on, including John McRay, Gary R. Collins, and Bruce Metzger. To each he asks a different question to uncover a different piece of evidence to answer one of his 14 questions, which are as follows:

The Eyewitness Evidence - Can the Biographies of Jesus be Trusted?
Testing the Eyewitness Evidence - Do the Biographies of Jesus Stand up to Scrutiny?
The Documentary Evidence - Were Jesus' Biographies Reliably Preserved for Us?
The Corroborating Evidence - Is There Credible Evidence for Jesus Outside His Biographies?
The Scientific Evidence - Does Archaeology Confirm or Contradict Jesus' Biographies?
The Rebuttal Evidence - Is the Jesus of History the Same as the Jesus of Faith?
The Identity Evidence - Was Jesus Really Convinced that He was the Son of God?
The Psychological Evidence - Was Jesus Crazy When He Claimed to be the Son of God?
The Profile Evidence - Did Jesus Fulfill the Attributes of God?
The Fingerprint Evidence - Did Jesus--and Jesus Alone--Match the Identity of the Messiah?
The Medical Evidence - Was Jesus' Death a Sham and His Resurrection a Hoax?
The Evidence of the Missing Body - Was Jesus' Body Really Absent from His Tomb?
The Evidence of Appearances - Was Jesus Seen Alive After His Death?
The Circumstantial Evidence - Are There Any Supporting Facts that Point to the Resurrection?

He covers all of these topics, asks tough questions and doesn't shy away from being contrary and direct. In the end, though, the evidence pointed to Christ, the Messiah, and as a believer myself, I have to agree. He also references a ridiculous amount of books and writings to support his arguments and the arguments of those he interviews. At the end of each chapter, there's a little reflection and a list of extra sources to help you continue your investigation.

I don't intend to ever use my blog as a way to preach to people. I just mean to say that this book is incredibly well-written and I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you doubt the divinity of Jesus but are open to new ideas. In the end, the book is only a framework. If you don't believe, I encourage you to investigate for yourself. I'll never tell you what you should believe; I only intend to keep the option open and leave myself available for conversation.

And on to the news...

It's a slow day, nothing too major going on, but still a lot to talk about. Oh, I apologize for not posting yesterday, but I was celebrating my boyfriend's acceptance to art school. I'm so proud!

First of all, I just have to say that the people over at eye weekly who write the totally wired column should stop making unsubstantiated claims about my fellow bloggers scenestars, largehearted boy, chromewaves, and teaching the indie kids to dance again. You're just jealous because you're not cool enough to have your own blog so you have to write columns for eye weekly to feel better about yourself.

You know what else is outrageous? Carrie Underwood, the new American Idol winner. My opinion is that this just goes to show you that the American mainstream public believes that "good music" means that it sounds like everything else they've heard. Clearly they are uncomfortable with change and would rather have yet another blonde-haired country girl (who will turn bad girl, it's only a matter of time) singing power ballads than the rough-around-the-edges rocker Bo Bice, who is surprisingly more talented than any of us first imagined. He even sang the same song she sang better than she did. You know who should have won? Constantine. ...not that I care about American Idol or anything... moving on.

The frustrating news just keeps coming. Recently the FBI shut down one of the larger BitTorrent servers, Elite Torrents. The tip came after the network posted Star Wars III before the preview showings even started. Of course, not to be left in the shadows, the RIAA applauds the move. They would. You know, I've always been torn on this whole issue. I can understand music being free, but I'm not so sure about movies. Is it really the same issue or are they too different to be given the same treatment? I don't know. I just know that I saw the BitTorrent thing coming, but there will always be something new and better that the FBI and RIAA will have a harder time to crack down on. That's just how it goes.

Ugh, Prefix, don't play with my heart like that! The link in their news list said, "Junior Senior announces tour dates," and my heart jumped in my chest. Oh my gosh, I thought, could I finally get my chance to see one of my favorite foreign dance bands in the history of foreign dance pop? Nope. I clicked the link to Tiny Mix Tapes only to find out that they're touring in Denmark, their home turf, where they've been for way too long. They're even releasing a 7" single exclusively in Denmark. What about me, Junior?! Don't you care, Senior?! I'm unhappy.

I've noticed people comparing Coldplay to U2 a lot recently, and Newsweek is no exception. At least Chris Marten was only kidding when he said his band would take after current hip-hop and "study the most popular products" and "try to sing about it as much as possible." And, no, the name of their next album will not be McDonalds: Over Four Billion Served.

Maybe Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke is a better comparison to Bono. He recently went to Parliament to campaign for The Big Ask, a project that would put the responsibility for global warming into the hands of the UK government. That's great and all, but I don't think the UK is the biggest problem in the global warming department (hint hint, Dubya).

Talk is talk, and there's been off and on talk about a Blur reunion for a long time. So far, though, it looks like a long shot. Former frontman Damon Albarn has tried to negotiate something with Graham Coxon, whose departure led to the break-up of Blur. Unfortunately, the lines of communication are virtually non-existant, which puzzles Albarn, who says that when they're all together, they "get on fine." Meanwhile, Coxon is continuing to do well in his solo career while Albarn basks in the glory of Gorillaz new album Demon Days.

Blur may not be reuniting, but Hootie and the Blowfish certainly are. They will release Looking for Lucky as the debut album for their own record label, Sneaky Long Records. Look for it on August 9th.

Sleater Kinney has certainly released a hit new album, The Woods. Critics are raving, and Pitchfork even gave it a 9.0. Certainly one worth looking into.

Xiu Xiu's latest album, La Foret, hits shelves on July 12th, and it's looking like it will be just as uncomfortable and haunting as their last ones have been. That's a good thing, by the way.

Red is All the Rage has perhaps the most wonderful interview with Of Montreal lead singer Kevin Barnes probably ever done. Here's a taste:

For anyone who is not familiar with Of Montreal, how would you describe your sound?
Muscular. Nautical. Lamborghini.

Enough said.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

5.27 - The Killers w/ Hot Hot Heat and Robbers on the Street - Promowest Pavilion
6.01 - Gang Gang Dance - The Wexner Center
6.02 - The Wrens - Little Brothers
6.03 - Tokyo Rose w/ Lux Courageous and Self Against City - High Five
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine w/ Band of Horses - The Newport
6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
6.16 - Comets On Fire - The Wexner Center
6.29 - Black Eyed Peas w/ Talib Kweli - Promowest Pavilion
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA

Daily Downloads
from regnyouth:

The Shins - Oh Inverted World 2 (link, zip)
Fatboy Slim - Pookaville (link, mp3)
I am Kloot - I am Kloot 2 (link, zip)
Jurassic 5 - Quality Control 2 3 (link, rar, password = gmc)

Oasis is Not to be Outdone

2005-05-24T12:14:00.000-04:00

Just yesterday we learned that Coldplay is the biggest band on the planet. Today's lesson: Oasis is the most successful act in the last decade in the UK.

This week, "Lyla," the first single from their new album Don't Believe the Truth, hit number one on the UK charts. For Oasis, this marks the seventh number one hit they've had. Other hits include "Some Might Say" and "Don't Look Back in Anger." I find it rather interesting that none of the articles I've seen have mentioned the songs "Wonderwall" or "Champagne Supernova," especially since, at least here in the states, every high school boy who plays guitar has serenaded his girlfriend with one or both of those songs.

Having had seven number one hits, Oasis has reached a milestone. The Book of British Hit Singles and Albums has named the band the most successful band in the UK in the last decade, beating out the likes of Robbie Williams, Madonna, Britney Spears, and Eminem. That's saying something, right?

Don't Believe the Truth will finally be released next Tuesday, May 30th, but as I'm sure you know by now, the album has been leaked and is available for download all over the internet. Be careful with these files, though, because rumour has it they are laced with the personal information of the person who ripped them so they can be prosecuted. I don't know if that was avoided by the people who made the mp3s or not, but that's what the production company said would happen to anyone who ripped the CD. Just letting you know.

In other news...

To update you on Kylie Minogue's situation, her surgery was a success, and she is recovering well. She's in good spirits and is expected to make a complete recovery.

Podcasting has become such a huge phenomenon recently. In the past, I don't think Apple has accepted podcasting, but recently Apple CEO Steve Jobs suggested that the time has come to make the change. That having been said, it's been announced that iTunes 4.9 will include podcasting as part of its service, which could allow podcasts to be sold in the future just like mp3s. Don't let the name fool you, though. Podcasting does not imply a direct connection to the iPod, nor is the iPod necessary to listen to podcasts. You are completely able to download a podcast to your computer to listen to if you so desire.

Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos recently had a run-in with some killer nuts. No, I'm not talking about buckeyes; I'm talking about peanuts. Kapranos is deathly allergic to them. Any trace of the nut could be fatal. A friend made Kapranos some baklava (mmm...) but hadn't noticed on the package that the ingredients could contain traces of peanut. Kapranos began to cough up blood, but he has since recovered from the incident and is angry that food warnings are not printed noticeably by food manufacturers. I sure hope it was good baklava.

In my rush to get my post up and get out of here yesterday, I neglected to list the awesome albums coming out today. So here it is, with my sincerest apologies for the delay.
Animal Collective - Prospect Hummer
At The Drive In - Anthology: This Station is Non-Operational
Belle and Sebastian - Push Belmar to Open Old Wounds
The Get Up Kids - Live at the Granada Theater
Gorillaz - Demon Days
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods

Upcoming Columbus Shows

5.27 - The Killers w/ Hot Hot Heat and Robbers on the Street - Promowest Pavilion
6.01 - Gang Gang Dance - The Wexner Center
6.02 - The Wrens - Little Brothers
6.03 - Tokyo Rose w/ Lux Courageous and Self Against City - High Five
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine w/ Band of Horses - The Newport
6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
6.16 - Comets On Fire - The Wexner Center
6.29 - Black Eyed Peas w/ Talib Kweli - Promowest Pavilion
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA

Daily Downloads
from regnyouth:
(rar password = rya, unless otherwise specified)

Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird and the Mysterious Production of Eggs 2 3 (link, zip)
Chemical Brothers - Push the Button (link, torrent)
Art Garfunkel - Angel Claire 2 (link, rar, password = stairway)
Green Day - American Idiot (link, mp3)
The Pretenders - 2000 Miles EP (link, rar)
Clem Snide - The Ghost of Fashion 2 (link, zip)

Coldplay: The Pros and Conservatives

2005-05-23T13:37:00.000-04:00

The world seems to have a love/hate relationship with Coldplay. Let us first dish out the love.

The Guardian says Coldplay is "the biggest band on the planet." I wonder if that means biggest band dead or alive, because I have to say that I believe that title would go to The Beatles, hands down. But if you're talking about current bands, maybe Coldplay is.

Simon Garfield, apparently a writer for The Observer, talks about how protective Parlophone and Coldplay have been about their first album, distributing early copies of their new CD X&Y under the name Album by The Fir Trees. Album is sealed and cannot be played in computers. If you figure out how to copy it, your personal information will be encoded in the file so you can be prosecuted. That's pretty intense security if you ask me. Surely they must be a huge band if they have to keep an album that far under wraps. Incidentally, now that everyone knows The Fir Trees Album is really Coldplay, doesn't that mean the secret is out? Hmm... Apparently this whole thing isn't working anyway (see downloads below).

Garfield goes on to show how much they impressed Parlophone with their continued strength with the release of their second album. I have to say that, whether I like Coldplay or not, I must admit that they are very good at releasing solid albums. At last, Garfield introduces X&Y as an album with "grand aural ambitions."

So yeah, I read the article, and to be honest, I don't see that much substantial proof that they are, in fact, the biggest band in the world, but it does accurately suggest that Coldplay produces solid music. We'll have to wait and see what happens when the album is released in two weeks.

Meanwhile, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin is getting himself on the bad side of conservatives who think he shouldn't be criticizing EMI. One hater, Vilmar, calls for a boycott of Coldplay's music, calling Martin, a "maroon."

Maroon:
Transitive verb
Inflected forms: ma·rooned, ma·roon·ing, ma·roons 1. To put ashore on a deserted island or coast and intentionally abandon. 2. To abandon or isolate with little hope of ready rescue or escape: The travelers were marooned by the blizzard.
Noun
1. often Maroon a. A fugitive Black slave in the West Indies in the 17th and 18th centuries. b. A descendant of such a slave. 2. A person who is marooned, as on an island.
Etymology
From French marron, fugitive slave, from American Spanish cimarrón, wild, runaway, perhaps from cima, summit (from runaways' fleeing to the mountains), from Latin c*ma, sprout ; see cyma.
3. A dark reddish brown to dark purplish red.
Etymology
French marron, chestnut, from Italian marrone.

So either Martin is a slave from the 17th centuries or he's shipwrecked or he's reddish-purple. I like the latter, myself.

My opinion is this: who cares?! Really, does it matter what he thinks about EMI? Does that make Coldplay a good band? I listened to the new single on the radio and I liked it. It doesn't matter to me what he believes or thinks. His ideals don't make him a good or bad musician. Heck, Liam and Noel Gallagher are pretentious pricks but few question the fact that Oasis was highly influential and are still somewhat talented. Let's face it, guys. Politics do not decide how good a band is.

In other news...

Do you remember Charlotte Church? I do. My grandma has her first CD, and I think I saw her on Touched By An Angel a few times. The adolescent opera singer is now nearing 20-years old, but little has been mentioned about her recently. At least, not in America. While I was reading through some news, I came across this article about Church, which opened the door to a plethora of news I hadn't heard about. First, she inherited the money she made off of her albums at the age of 18. Then she dumped live-in boyfriend Kyle Johnson, who she had previously suggested she would marry. A week later she set her sights on rugby star Gavin Henson. Then she beat up Johnson for spreading rumours about their intimacy. Then she denied that she'd been sleeping with Henson. Church's mom then said she approved of Henson. Then she lashed out again at Johnson. She revealed that she might be in need of singing lessons due to the strain she had put on her vocal chords due to drinking and smoking, then revealed that she and Henson were a couple. Then a fake picture of Church spread around the internet. Then she got mad at the press, like every celebrity. It keeps going, but as you can see, she's not the girl she used to be. So much for the "voice of an angel."

It's been nine years since the Spice Girls exploded onto pop charts. What?! It's official. I'm old. I can't believe it's been that long. If you miss them, though, you only have one more year to wait until they perform their 10-year reunion concert. So far it sounds like it's just a one-day thing, but here's hoping for a tour!

Travis Morrison, formerly of The Dismemberment Plan, is going back on tour. Columbus last saw him open for Death Cab for Cutie last fall, and they were weird. The keyboard girl looks like a man. But if you like that kind of thing, looks like he'll be coming back.

Play the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy flash game at BBC Radio!

And lastly, Nike asked 20 bloggers to submit designs for a new Nike shoe. Vote for your favorite online here. The winner gets 100 pairs of his or her shoe. At first glance, I think I like Sensory Impact's "Sense This."

Upcoming Columbus Shows

5.27 - The Killers w/ Hot Hot Heat and Robbers on the Street - Promowest Pavilion
6.01 - Gang Gang Dance - The Wexner Center
6.02 - The Wrens - Little Brothers
6.03 - Tokyo Rose - High Five
6.08 - Modest Mouse - Promowest Pavilion
6.13 - Iron and Wine - The Newport
6.15 - Travis Morrison - Supraphonic Studios (Where the heck is that?!)
6.16 - Comets On Fire - The Wexner Center
6.29 - Black Eyed Peas w/ Talib Kweli - Promowest Pavilion
8.11 - Ben Folds w/ Ben Lee and Rufus Wainwright - Promowest Pavilion
8.31 - Coldplay w/ Rilo Kiley - Germain Ampitheater
9.06 - Of Montreal - TBA

Daily Downloads
from regnyouth:

Tegan and Sara - This Business of Art (link, mp3)
Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth (link, mp3)