Today's Recommended Listening

Trying out a video version of the feature. Meh?

Check out live videos from today's recommended listening after the hop.

Today's Recommended Listening

We have "Spinning" (and I'm long overdue to post another one...SOON), but I figured I'd try out a new little feature where I, or any of the other guys, post a recommendation each day -- something that I, or they, spun the previous night or happen to really be enjoying that day. No, no one's been asking or anything, but I decided to try it out and see what happens. Maybe I'll even come up with a better title.

Teletextile - Reflector EP

Teletextile was previously featured on the site. If you dig the tracks from that post, give this EP a spin. Hear more here.

How Did I Spend My Christmas Eve?

My birthday was a few weeks back...okay, last week. A week beforehand, a good friend of mine gave me an early birthday present. I guess at some point in the past I had professed my love for the film High Fidelity. To my surprise, my friend remembered all of this and presented me with a copy of it on DVD for my birthday. How awesome!

There is so much to say about this film. It connects with me on a certain level -- the whole music/relationship/love connection and all. I placed it in my top five favorite films of all-time after seeing it for the second time (the same viewing that inspired this post). After receiving it for my birthday, I started to feel as though it might be the number one in my top five. Having just watched it again, I going to have to go with my gut on this one and put it at number one. (Haha...top 5s and going with your gut. So very Rob Gordon and not so very Rob Gordon)

I'm not even going to try and be all hip and witty, writing something for the film. I'm just going to type this: JUST WATCH IT.

What's that...you haven't seen it?
Oh, you really need to see it then.

What's that...you've already seen it?
Oh, you really need to see it again.

Merry (insert your holiday here).

In the next few days (before 2009, I swear):
-a review of The Golden Hands Before God...'s extended-player Here
-my top 10 albums and songs of 2008

Thanks, Asa.

New Dan Auerbach - "I Want Some More"

On 2/10/09, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys will release his debut solo effort entitled Keep It Hid via Nonesuch. Stereogum's premiering a song from the album right now called "I Want Some More." It is reminiscent of The Black Keys, but I really feel like that is only because of the vocals -- so distinctive. Although it has the spirit of a Black Keys song it is more adventurous with its punches of organ and fuzzed out bass. It certainly maintains the production and instrumentation style that first appeared in his work with The Black Keys' latest record, Attack & Release.

Head here to check out the song. Thanks to Stereogum.

Dan will be hitting the road following the album's release with Hacienda acting as both the opening act and his backing band.

02/28 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
03/01 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Club
03/02 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/03 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/05 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
03/06 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
03/07 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
03/10 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
03/11 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
03/13 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's
03/14 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre

NEW VIDEO: The Acorn - "Crooked Legs"

It's great when two different mediums of art combine to create one brilliant piece. So, below I present to you The Acorn's new video for "Crooked Legs." It is a great experience for your ears and eyes.


Crooked Legs by The Acorn from Paper Bag Records on Vimeo.

"Crooked Legs" comes from last year's Glory Hope Mountain. So...you know it's available...NOW.

The Whigs @ The Ottobar, 9/8/08

(photo courtesy of The Whigs's MySpace)

Last night, The Whigs blew the Ottobar up with rock music. They charred the inside of the venue and more than likely shook the foundation a little bit, as well. The band put on one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve been to in a while. No, they didn’t ask everyone to clap their hands. No, they didn’t ask anyone to sing along. They simply shared their music with the crowd, performing with every ounce, every molecule, of energy they had. The Whigs have no need to force anyone to listen. I’d like to think that their music is simply enough to engage the crowd – and that certainly seemed to be the case at the show.

The set was a mix of songs culled from their two LPs, 2005’s Give ‘Em All A Big Fat Lip and this year’s Mission Control. They started with the closing track off the new album, “Mission Control,” and managed to make it a strong opener. The set was well-balanced with quick-paced songs such as “Like A Vibration” and “Already Young” and the keys-driven numbers “Sleep Sunshine” and “Nothing Is Easy.” There were moments early on when the guitar was a bit low in the mix and wasn’t very clear, but that problem was fixed as the set rolled on.

By all accounts, no one at the show was really familiar with The Whigs. It is safe to say, however, that after their set, people wouldn’t soon forget their name. The way the three men of The Whigs moved around on stage was a testament to not only how much fun they were having, but also how in tune they were with one another. The music is terrific on record, but live it took on new meaning, new weight, and new life. Parker Gispert’s voice was strong and invigorating; his guitar playing fierce but focused. Tim Deaux effortlessly made his way around the stage, keeping things exciting on bass and nailing his guitar parts (especially the solo on “Half the World Away” which sounded monumental). And then there’s Julian Dorio, drummer extraordinaire. There are drummers who just play the beat, and then there are drummers who feel and live the beat. Julian is the latter. When I saw him attack his kit, head banging, hair flailing, performing the crescendo before the last chorus of “Right Hand On My Heart,” the emotion running through my body was comparable to the anticipatory feeling of excitement you get before seeing a loved one after a period of long separation or the feeling Michael Phelps must have felt when he approached the historic achievement of eight gold medals in one Olympics.

The Whigs aren’t trying to be a rock band. They are a rock band. Their set last night at the Ottobar proved that. Their music is genuine; full of heart, passion, and honesty. The sound has attitude. It’s not necessarily explicit, but it flexes its muscle every now and again. Musically it’s nothing groundbreaking, but it is certainly memorable. Unlike a number of their contemporaries, their music has the potential of lasting beyond the year it was released or their existence as a band. I’m a bit biased when you consider my love for their music, but I would have to type that Mission Control is one of the more overlooked records that has been released this year. Give it a chance. If The Whigs on record doesn’t have you sold, see them live. It’s not something you want to miss.

Here’s hoping they put out a live album at some point…and dare I hope…a DVD.

The Importance of the Mixtape

(photo courtesy of thinkgeek)

Aside from failing to go to bed at a reasonable time both Friday and Saturday...and now Sunday...I spent much of my weekend working on music with a friend. It's nothing serious, we were just in it for the pure pleasure of making something on our own. I'll save you my spiel about trying to forge a career in music. I'll just say that I've come to understand how important and rewarding it is just to simply write and jam with friends. If you aren't having fun, there's no point.

Anyways, today I was attempting to craft a mixtape, or in the 21st century's case a mix CD, for a friend. I was aiming for a dance-oriented, electronic mix, a genre that's not really my forte, but what I struggled with most was trying to get it to flow. Whenever I make a mix, I put most of my focus on how each song flows into the other. It took me, like it usually does, a few hours to go through my library, find songs to use, and then arrange them. I couldn't imagine having to make it on a cassette tape. It's a true artform.

Back in January, I was hanging out at a friend's apartment watching High Fidelity. My feelings on the movie are for another post, but I must admit that as I watched Cusack completely nail a role, I understood the significance of the cassette in the art of making a mixtape.

Today, we e-mail people mixes or construct them in our universal iTunes players from where we burn them to CD. The problem with the modern day mixtape is that if you don't dig a song on the mix, you can just skip to the next one with ease. That is where the problem lies. Aside from those mixtapes that are simply created to give a friend new music to checkout, the mixtape is meant to say something, to have a flow, a rhythm, a path of its own. The tracklist was not meant to be skipped through because it gives a mood, expresses a feeling (or feelings), and at its full potential, tells a story.

When mixtapes were actually made on cassettes they achieved this potential. We all know that cassettes are not the easiest thing to go through track-by-track, but they helped maintain and preserve the effect of that story, that mood, that feeling that the tapes creator intended it to project. The truly sad thing is how tape players are basically non-existent anymore. Yes, they still exist, but because they aren't such a popular medium anymore, there are fewer tape players produced these days.

I recommend checking out Rob Sheffield's book Love is a Mix Tape for a better understanding about the subject. Plus, it's a terrific read.

I also recommend checking out http://www.muxtape.com/.

For those who want the convenience of digital but the spirit of the old, check out the USB mixtape by clicking one of the links below.
USB mixtape 1
USB mixtape 2
USB mixtape 3

or just check out the search results. (courtesy of Yahoo!)

Coming Soon: My review of What Laura Say's new LP Thinks and Feels.

I Recommend It

I was expecting to make a music-related post this evening after returning from work, but I ended up spending my night seeing The Dark Knight.

I was a bit apprehensive going in simply because anytime people have really talked up a film, I end up enjoying it a bit less. I had high hopes either way and I was quite pleased as I sat in the theatre and lost myself in the film. I've heard talk about Heath Ledger possibly receiving an Oscar nomination for his performance. I also came across a headline that seemed to suggest that he might be overlooked and not receive a nomination at all. All I can say is, they would be making a mistake if they did not even bother to nominate him.

Yes, it's a blockbuster film, but that shouldn't erase the effort and talent Heath exhibits in his performance. And I don't think nominating him would come off as a tribute or a sympathy nomination, if you will, due to his death. I honestly believe he deserves it. It's just my opinion, of course, but he really seems to have given his all here. He truly played the character well. If I remember correctly, he stated in an interview that he had trouble sleeping while working on the film and seeing his portrayal of The Joker it's understandable. Heath's Joker is the essence of evil and darkness wanting only to see people suffer both physically and mentally, controlled by an overwhelming sense of fear.

I'll have some deeper thoughts on The Dark Knight as well as a music post this weekend.



In the meantime...go see the film. I highly recommend it.