Adam Weber Sent Me An Email

Published by
billy
at January 6, 2009 in adam weber, indie, mp3 and music. 0 Comments

Adam Weber is a local artist that I’ve known now for awhile.  I was trying to remember today the circumstances under which we first met and I simply cannot recall.  We both were students at the same university, but for the life of me I can’t remember why or how we actually met.  In my mind being at school always meant knowing Adam Weber, although I am certain this cannot be the case.

Well lately Adam has gotten married and started the grown up life of starting a family, owning a dog, talking about how much mulch he needs to buy for his lawn, and all this quarter life crisis/drama led him to hit me up in hopes of making him hip again.  I was flattered, to say the least, and I immediately recommended fifty albums that I thought he should listen to so he could feel cool again.  Long story short he eventually emailed me a new song that he’s been working on and I thought I would put this version up on the interwebs for everyone to enjoy.

mp3 : Adam Weber - Forgive Me

Back when I was a lowly undergrad I remember seeing Weber play countless shows at coffee shops and small venues.  Going to school from 2000 to 05 meant that you were in the area when Adam was playing shows.  In 2004 he released a proper little album {although I do have a copy of a previous disc that he and others would prefer never saw the light of day} which he entitled All I’m Not (itunes).  It’s a simple collection of songs that are tweaked with a bit of southern or country rock and a healthy dosing of mellow pop.  Fortunately on this album {which I finally own} he included a studio recording of one of my favorite songs, The Voyage, which was written and inspired by The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

mp3 : Adam Weber - The Voyage
mp3 : Adam Weber - Mishler (More Than Me)

Adam fits in well with some singer songwriter stereotypes.  Most notable of those he aligns with are the fact that you simply must see him play live to truly appreciate who he is as a person and a musician.  The second is that much of his best material is still floating around in the ether of a small venue as it has never been properly recorded for all of us to enjoy.  I truly think that as a songwriter and musician the best of Adam Weber is yet to come and I for one hope that he continues to find inspiration and the time to record in the future.

And as a personal call out to Adam himself; you need, repeat need, to record the concept album you wrote about a boy moving west.  Make it an EP, make it a three or four song digital download, make it anything.  Whatever you do record it.  Record. It.

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Cloud Cult meets Esurance

Published by
billy
at January 5, 2009 in advertisement, cloud cult, esurance, indie, mp3 and music. 0 Comments

If you’re like me you’ve probably seen a few football games over the past week or so.  Between the college bowl games and the NFL playoffs I’ve seen my fair share of advertisements {becuase, let’s face it, American football is designed with one and one thing only in mind; revenue}.  Anyway, I first saw the new Esurance advert last week and I was really pleased to see Cloud Cult getting some national airtime and love.  Not to mention the fact that one of my favorites bands has now been made into Esurance style cartoon figures.  What’s not to love?

Anyway, the song they’re using in the advertisement hails from the 2005 album Advice From The Happy Hippopotamus (buy it direct from the band) and I thought I would throw up a few other tracks from that disc.  It was a moment in time when Cloud Cult was first really discovering what sort of eclectic sound they possess and in my mind it serves as a musical turning point for the band.  Since this effort they’ve gotten better by leaps and bounds, but it still serves as a good jumping off point to fully appreciate where they’ve come from and how far they’ve come.

mp3 : Cloud Cult - Lucky Today
mp3 : Cloud Cult - Transistor Radio
mp3 : Cloud Cult - That Man That Jumped Out the Window

If you’d like to check out the Esurance advert, as well as snag a few other free Cloud Cult tracks, you can click right here to see all about this pairing of band and insurance provider.  If you haven’t paid any heed to TWF over the past two years make sure you hear me and hear me well; Cloud Cult deserves your undivided attention.  In the past two years they have made two brilliant albums that you need to hear from start to finish as soon as possible.

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The Best Albums of 2008

Published by
billy
at December 23, 2008 in 2008, best albums of 2008, best of the year, boty, cloud cult, coldplay, dodos, frightened rabbit, greg laswell, mates of state, mgmt, mp3, music, sigur ros, snow patrol and tv on the radio. 22 Comments

If for some reason I thought it was hard last year to decide the top ten albums then this year has been a nightmare compared to that walk in the park.  Quite honestly this year has produced a veritable slew of brilliant albums.  From up and coming acts to bands on their forth or fifth album 2008 has seen some incredible music released.  Here is my personal list of the top ten albums of this past year.  If you’re still looking for a gift for someone special I suggest snagging few of these albums and stuffing their stockings with the best of what came this year.

All the tracks in one zip file : here {zshare = left click}

01 : Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum end (amazon) (itunes)

I’ve long been a supporter of all things that Sigur Ros has done.  From the first time I heard their music when I was in university there has been something special about these boys from Iceland.  This year they released their most easily accessible album to date and they’ve literally stolen the show.  There are a great many artists who have put their best foot forward this year, but although many came close, none of them quite live up to this masterpiece.

mp3 : Sigur Ros - Gobbledigook
mp3 : Sigur Ros - Inní mér syngur vitleysingur
mp3 : Sigur Ros - Fljótavík

02 : Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight (amazon) (itunes)

This album is a perfect combination of melancholy and clever lyrics.  The music sets the mood perfectly on this trip through lost love and a true feeling of being sad.  Although a bit of a downer emotionally it never strays too far into the realm of depression to leave you wallowing in your own self pity.  If this is what Frightened Rabbit will sound like in the future you can be sure to see them appear on best of lists for years to come.

mp3 : Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper
mp3 : Frightened Rabbit - Fast Blood
mp3 : Frightened Rabbit - Poke

03 : Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) (amazon) (itunes)

Last year Cloud Cult topped my list for the best album of the year.  To think that less than one year later they went out and made an album that is literally better than their last is simply mind numbing.  What other band puts out this high quality an effort in back to back years?  Literally no other band is producing at such consistently high a level.  If there was one band on this years list that everyone should immediately start listening to I would recommend Cloud Cult.

mp3 : Cloud Cult - Journey of the Featherless
mp3 : Cloud Cult - The Ghost Inside Our House
mp3 : Cloud Cult - Love You All

04 : Coldplay - Viva la Vida (amazon) (itunes)

I’ve been a fan of Coldplay since the first awkward steps Chris Martin made to the microphone and it’s been a delight to watch them move from behind the U2 and Radiohead curtain out into their own worldwide acclaim.  And rightly so I might add.  Viva La Vida found this foursome out of England reaching a new height and a cohesion of sound that was only alluded to on their previous albums.  It’s great to hear a band really starting to use their full potential.

mp3 : Coldplay - Lost!
mp3 : Coldplay - Death And All His Friends

05 : Greg Laswell - Three Flights from Alto Nido (amazon) (itunes)

Greg Laswell has a streak of brilliance not often found in the overflowing singer/songwriter set.  He has a mind for clever arrangements built upon relatively simple, but elegant, melodies and in this regard he reminds me a bit of Sufjan Stevens {they definitely have very different musical tastes, but their gift for arrangements is the parallel I see here}.  Regardless of who or what this album reminds you of one thing is certain; this is the best Greg Laswell has done and it’s easily one of the best albums of the year.

mp3 : Greg Laswell - Comes And Goes (In Waves)
mp3 : Greg Laswell - I’d Be Lying

06 : The Dodos - Visiter (amazon) (itunes)

When you pare down a musical group until it contains a simple guitar and a simple drum kit you either get garage based disaster or you find that within a minimalistic setting true brilliance shines through.  In the case of this duo it’s easy to hear the talent that lies behind this album.  From track to track Visiter flips through well written stories with a sense of quiet urgency that never leaves your mind, and yet never becomes a frustrating distraction.  There is a fragile and perfect balance to be heard.

mp3 : The Dodos - Fools
mp3 : The Dodos - Ashley

07 : Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us (amazon) (itunes)

This year the top ten seems to be filled with established acts who just now are releasing their best album to date.  This is the case of Mates of State.  Their previous albums have largely been forgettable with a few random acts of brilliance sprinkled throughout.  This album, on the contrary, is solid from start to finish and it’s refreshing to see an older act pull their formidable talent together and focus it on a full album.

mp3 : Mates of State - The Re-Arranger
mp3 : Mates of State - Blue and Gold Print

08 : MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (amazon) (itunes)

MGMT found a way to make space rock and classic rock throwback into an insanely enjoyable acid trip of mashed up tracks.  There’s no simple or easy way to quantify this album as it caterwauls from proggy futuristic beat heavy pop to songs that remind me of a mythical pairing of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.  Whatever words you find to describe this album I’m sure they’ll be of a positive nature.

mp3 : MGMT - Weekend Wars

09 : TV On The Radio - Dear Science (amazon) (itunes)

Their previous effort, Return to Cookie Mountain, began to hint that this eclectic gathering of talented musicians just might be onto something.  With Dear Science the boys that make up TV On The Radio proudly display their particular brand of music.  I’m willing to put money on the idea that twenty years from now this album will be listed as one of the most influential albums of this decade.

mp3 : TV On The Radio - Lover’s Day

10 : Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns (itunes) (amazon)

Somehow Snow Patrol’s latest album found a way to sneak into the top ten.  This is probably largely due to the fact that the final sixteen minute mega-track is insanely well constructed I kept listening to this album over and over again.  Snow Patrol has found a way to consistently make solid albums.  They might not be as attention grabbing or as trendy as their counterparts but the find a way to impress with each album they release.

mp3 : Snow Patrol - If There’s A Rocket Tie Me To It

All the tracks in one zip file : here {zshare = left click}

And that’s it.  That’s the top ten albums of 2008 in my humble and rather correct opinion.  I’m sure you’ll find a way to disagree with me {even going so far as to claim you’ll delete me from your feed reader}, but in the end you’ll see the wisdom of my discretion.  Granted there are two other bands that I really wanted to include on this list, The Walkmen and Nada Surf, and for their effort they easily deserve an honorable mention.  Amongst the letdowns of the year were the fact that both Sufjan Stevens and The Postal Service failed to make good on rumours that new albums would drop this year, Weezer put out a really great half of an album and then mucked it up with three or four tracks that are just terrible, and Death Cab, Ben Folds, The Killers, and Phantom Planet put out decent albums but not really the quality that deserves a spot on the top ten.

Until next year so long.  I’ll keep posting as long as you all continue to listen to good music.  If you’d like to see my 2007 list you can click here.

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Common and Universal Mind Control

Published by
billy
at December 22, 2008 in common, mp3, music and pharrell. 2 Comments

Well I referenced this track briefly in my previous post about the up and coming rhyme heavy Novel and true to my word I’m spread some Common love around today.  This track by Common, apparently influenced by Afrika Bambaataa, features Pharrell and is available on Common’s latest album Universal Mind Control (amazon) (itunes).  I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the rest of the album.  In fact I might be a bigger fan of Common the actor instead of Common the rapper, but one thing is absolutely certain about this track, the beat is absolutely sick.  You can’t listen to this track and not love it.

mp3 : Common (feat Pharell Wililams) - Universal Mind Control (UMC)

Honestly, the beat on this track is sick.  It should be illegal.  It’s a song that you simply must hear.  Now.

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Novel Does Himself Proud with Ben Folds

Published by
billy
at December 19, 2008 in ben folds, mp3, music, novel, spree wilson and talib kweli. 2 Comments

Chances are if you listen to pop music today you’ve heard something written and influenced by a man who goes by the name Novel.  Among others he’s worked with Kelis and Alicia Keys as well as spending time producing, writing, and arranging various tracks.  In short you can think of him as a sort of up and coming version of Wyclef {not surprisingly he lists Lauryn Hill as his biggest influence}.  And that comparison, coming from the ever critical pages of TWF, should clue you in to the fact that I think Novel is someone to watch.

Anyway, this track hails from his recently released EP entitled I Am (Future Black President) (amazon) (itunes), and it is the first time you can hear Novel using his own voice to put forth his brilliance.

mp3 : Novel (feat Ben Folds, Talib Kweli, Spree Wilson) - I Am

Now normally I don’t cover hip-hop, rap, or any other such genre that typically falls outside my eager ears and their finicky ways.  There are, however, a few random tracks and artists that come along and literally steal my attention away for a moment and I feel obliged to pass them on to you.  Today it was Novel, who to be honest I only read the email due to the name Ben Folds being attached to the project, and tomorrow it will probably be someone who’s featured alongside Ellen Paige in a Zune commercial.  For whatever reason I initially became interested in this song you can rest assured that I’m passing it along to you because after the novelty of sampling Ben Folds wore off I still found the track, particularly Novel’s clever lyrics and spot on delivery, to be worth multiple listens.

Enjoy your weekend fair world.  And, dear readers, don’t forget to enjoy some good music.

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Sufjan Stevens - Best Seasonal Song of All Time?

Published by
billy
at December 18, 2008 in indie, mp3, music and sufjan stevens. 9 Comments

When dear Sufjan will you release something new to win our hearts and awake once again the great creative spirit you once stirred in all of us?  When dear Sufjan will you admit that maybe, possibly, you’ve abandoned the idea that each and every state will eventually be blessed by your musical musings?  When dear Sufjan will we ever hear anything new from you?  Will you even tour again?

I bring you this song today for a multitude of reasons.  The first is that I quite honestly think this track, Sister Winter, might be the best seasonal song ever recorded.  There is a sense of winter, of desolate snow filled afternoons, of cold bitter winds, and the loss or death oft associated with this cold season, that permeates every layer of this song.  In the vocals, in the harmony, in the string section, and the lyrics; winter is there.  In the crescendo of the bridge there is a brief hope for spring and the new year that this blustery affair so casually ushers into our lives.  There is Christmas, happiness, and sleigh bells and yet even they serve as but a brief reprieve in the middle of a long, cold, perfect winter.

mp3 : Sufjan Stevens - Sister Winter

There are three other reasons I’m dropping this song today.  The first is that in all my moving around over the past three weeks I left my external hard drive back where I used to live.  It’s hard to upload tracks and review new albums when they’re all sitting trapped on a drive three hours away {don’t worry, I’ll be getting it this upcoming Christmas}.  The second is that almost all of my free music time {mostly my driving time and some work time} has been devoted to paring down my end of the year list.  As it currently stands I might have found a way to choose a simple ten albums, but I’ve been giving all of the twenty two albums in my short list at least two listens each {and that’s a lot of music}.  The third reason is that I’ve simply been very busy lately and I don’t yet have a place that I can call my own.  I’m still crashing at a mate’s house and looking forward to picking up my own place {hopefully this weekend after my first paycheck is deposited}.

Fret not, TWF will return to a more regularly scheduled broadcast in the near future.  In the meantime wait patiently with great anticipation for my return.  Well, that and listen to Sister Winter on constant repeat for at least an hour.

As usual you can find this track on Sufjan’s peerless Songs For Christmas (itunes).

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Snow Patrol - Most Epic Song of the Year?

Published by
billy
at December 11, 2008 in mp3, music and snow patrol. 4 Comments

As I’ve been looking at which albums will be making my year ending best of 2008 list I’ve been going back through and listening to all the albums that are still in the running.  The list stands, currently, at about twenty albums and yes, Snow Patrol is still on that list.  And every time I look back over the list, just in text form, I always ask myself “why is Snow Patrol still in the running for my top ten?”  The simple explanation for this is the last song on the album.  That track alone is enough to keep it in the running.

mp3 : Snow Patrol - The Lightning Strike: (i) What If This Storm Ends?/ (ii) The Sunlight Through The Flags/ (iii) Daybreak

Ok, before you download or listen to this song be warned that is over a full sixteen minutes long.  Yes it is a brilliant sixteen minutes and it’s as easy to listen to as it is captivating, but once you start the track you’ll be amazed at how quickly a quarter of an hour slips away.  Last year the most epic track released was hands down Of Montreal’s The Past is a Grotesque Animal, but this year that crown might just be passed to Snow Patrol.

Oh, and for those of you who care this track, or rather this three act song, hail from Snow Patrol’s latest album A Hundred Million Suns (itunes) (amazon).

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Coldplay - Prospekt’s March

Published by
billy
at December 10, 2008 in coldplay, ep, mp3 and music. 4 Comments

If you haven’t figured it out by now I’m not sure you’ve actually been reading The World Forgot.  More than likely you’re one of the thousands who drop by simply for a little slice of music and care nothing for the time, effort, and blood poured into these few words.  {Alright, to be fair I generally write off the cuff and I reckon I’m a fairly clever chap so I don’t even proofread much}.  Anyway, what I started off saying was that if you haven’t figured it out by now I’m kind of a sucker for Chris Martin and his three buddies.

Before I moved to a new city to start my new job Coldplay went ahead and, with absolutely no regard for my personal schedule, released an EP they call Prospekt’s March (amazon) (itunes).  I’ve finally had the oportunity to sit down and trip through the album a good amount and I must say that I like what they’ve done.  Some of the songs would easily have fit on a proper album and the rest are more than worth their salt.

mp3 : Coldplay - Glass of Water
mp3 : Coldplay - Lost+ (feat Jay-Z)

Glass of Water almost feels like it was taken off Viva la Vida (amazon) (itunes) at the last minute.  It even has the slightly awkward second act tacked on as a different melody just like many tracks that did make the cut for Viva la Vida.  What I’m trying to say, and failing at actually communicating, is that I really love Glass of Water.  Seriously listen to it now.  This track is tied with Lost+ as my favorite from the EP.  Although some will hate the fact that Hova lends a rhyme to Coldplay I think if you give it time it will grow on you.

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Fields - Everything Last Winter

Published by
billy
at December 9, 2008 in fields, indie, mp3 and music. 0 Comments

How I haven’t yet posted a proper little spot about Fields is beyond me.  I really must apologize to everyone who reads this blog because I feel as if I’ve let you down.  Let you down hard.  Honestly, where has my head been?  I know I’ve been consumed with moving to a new city and starting a new job {from where I currently am blogging - don’t worry, it’s after hours}, but that in no way excuses how I let the past full year go by without mention this band.  I mean seriously.

Anyway, in 2007, yes ages ago now, Fields released the first studio full length entitled Everything Last Winter (amazon) (itunes).  I’ve had a promo copy kicking around my abode for at least nine months {mad props to the PR folks who send me schwag, I promise I listen to every album I get}, but it didn’t really hit me until I purchased a new car.  My car, at least during the past two weeks, has had only this album on constant rotation.  Every time I think about putting in a new album the next track kicks in and I just can’t stop my addiction.

mp3 : Fields - You Brought This On Yourself
mp3 : Fields - Skulls And Flesh And More

On March 10th of 2007, over eighteen months ago, I wrote that Fields were the one band I had heard in ages that accurately lived up to the hype of “the next Arcade Fire.”  I still hold that sentiment to be true.  Honestly I feel ashamed these kids haven’t been given a more proper review here on TWF before today.  What I can tell you is that from the opening track to the end of the album every second of Everything Last Winter is worth listening to.  And, to be quite blunt, there are moments in almost every song that will take you completely by surprise.  For a good example take a trip through Skulls And Flesh And More; the last ninety seconds is brilliant.  Just brilliant.

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The Vines Cover Outkast

Published by
billy
at December 8, 2008 in cover, indie, mp3, music, outkast and vines. 2 Comments

Remember back about five years ago when Then Vines were allegedly going to bring rock back?  They were listed alongside a slew of other bands in the “the” category as the saviors of sound.  What happened to them?  Does anyone care?  I know I always disliked whatever these boys cobbled together.  And maybe that wasn’t fair.  Maybe in my mind whatever they did they weren’t The Strokes and so I couldn’t really get my heart to care about what they produced.

This has changed.  Well it’s changed in a minor way.  I still don’t really care if The Vines drop a new album or simply fade away.  I have no investment in them as a band {unlike, say Phantom Planet who’s breaking up and I think that sucks} so I don’t really care either way.  I do, however, care about this track that I stumbled upon a day or two ago.  It’s an acoustic and offbeat cover of the brilliant track Ms Jackson by Outkast.  Enjoy the music.

mp3 : The Vines - Ms Jackson (Outkast Cover)

Hopefully I’ll be able to update TWF on a regular basis from now on.  I guess only time will tell.

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The World Forgot is Moving

Published by
billy
at November 30, 2008 in 317, billy, moving, the world forgot and twf. 9 Comments

Hello dear readers.  I apologize for the lack of wit filled pithy posts this past week.  I really wish I had the time and the gumption to post new and amazing music for you each and every day {especially considering this past week saw new albums by The Killers, Kanye, and a new Coldplay EP}, but I’ve been super busy moving my life to a new city.  In the past two weeks I’ve bought a new mobile phone, a new car, and have accepted a job which will plant me within easy driving distance of the 317 area code.

Due to all this commotion, what with the packing and the planning and the phone calls and the goodbyes, not to mention the lovely American tradition of Thanksgiving, I haven’t been able to sit down and write a proper post in over a week.  Most unfortunate is the fact that it might yet be another week before I have a chance to pound out some words, upload a track, and fill you all in on what is awesome.  I’m leaving in about ten minutes for the three hour drive to my new home and, as of yet, I’m still transferring files from the computer I’ve been using for a year to a portable hard drive.  I’m hoping the first pay check will allow me the freedom of renting my own pad {right now I’ll be crashing with an old friend from university}, snagging a new notebook {or at least a netbook, MSI Wind anyone?}, and getting my game back on track.

Until then make sure you check out my sidebar as there are plenty of blogs I recommend with all my heart.  Seriously.  Enjoy the run up to the Christmas season.  I’ll bring you musical presents as soon as I can.

Peace out, stay sweet, and wait with bated breath for my return.

Blitzen Trapper - Furr

Published by
billy
at November 20, 2008 in blitzen trapper, indie, mp3 and music. 7 Comments

A few days back I finally snagged a copy of Blitzen Trapper’s latest effort Furr (amazon) (itunes) and amongst other things this album has made me realize that my blog is capable of time travel.  You see, just two days ago I wrote a post concerning another Blitzen Trapper album, and I mentioned that I hoped their 2008 release, Furr, would find a cohesion that had previously been lacking.  Well after hitting publish that little post apparently went back in time, talked to these six kids from Portland, and encouraged them to make exactly the album I wanted.  So to all of you who have been enjoying Furr up until now, you are welcome.

Furr finds Blitzen Trapper putting their best foot forward.  And by best foot forward I mean they clearly draw from some legendary acts in creating their new trademark sound.  There are pieces of The Beatles, The Kinks, Simon and Garfunkel, and most definitely Tom Petty peppered throughout this entire album.  Granted there area a few moments where previous incarnations of Blitzen Trapper scream out {most notably the opening yelp of track nine Love U}.  Even with these little gear changes the album as a whole is cohesive and entirely coherent.  There doesn’t’ seem to be a single misplaced melody or harmony throughout all thirteen tracks and that, dear reader, should be music to your ears.

mp3 : Blitzen Trapper - Furr
mp3 : Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer

One album came to mind while I was listening to Furr, and maybe not for any true musical parallels.  That album is the latest disc put out by Nada Surf, Lucky.  I feel as if both bands spent the developmental parts of their careers putting out ho hum albums with a few gems sprinkled amongst largely forgettable albums.  Finally, with the release of Furr and Lucky respectively, both bands seem to have lived up to their potential.

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Vampire Weekend - Where Have You Gone

Published by
billy
at November 19, 2008 in cover, fleetwood mac, indie, mp3, music, radiohead and vampire weekend. 20 Comments

Does anyone really know what happened to Vampire Weekend?  Nine months ago a storm of publicity and positive critical and hipster reviews were pouring in upon these ivy league trendsetters.  What happened since then?  Are they like Flight of the Conchords and they just couldn’t come up with any solid new material?  Is there a lingering tease that more goodness is coming?  Ok, to be fair they did do a spot on SNL, they landed a song on Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, but there really hasn’t been enough meat and potatoes to justify the hype.

All that being said I have stumbled upon a few tracks that are definitely worth a listen.  I highly doubt any of these are good enough to make everyone remember just who Vampire Weekend is, but they’re worth a quick download and I’m almost positive they’ll find their way onto at least one mixtape you slap together.

mp3 : Vampire Weekend - Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac Cover)
mp3 : Vampire Weekend - Exit Music (For a Film) (Radiohead Cover)
mp3 : Vampire Weekend - Ottoman

The Radiohead cover is my favorite of these three tracks and, to be honest, I do think their original song Ottoman shows a bit of promise for the future of Vampire Weekend.  I just can’t imagine their album appearing on many year end lists come December.  Seriously, has anyone listened to it, even once, in the last six months?  Does anyone even remember the album title?

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Blitzen Trapper

Published by
billy
at November 18, 2008 in blitzen trapper, indie, mp3 and music. 5 Comments

Although Blitzen Trapper has existed in various incarnations since the year 2000 I first heard of them when I traveled down to Florida for this years Langerado Festival roughly six months ago.  They played a solid set back then, but I guess you could say they were lost amongst the festival’s more noteworthy acts.  Part of that can be blamed on the festival planners {seriously, some of the stages had such ridiculous acts back to back it was hard to understand what was going on}, but some of the blame surely must fall upon these six boys from Portland.  Seeing them perform last night on Conan finally convinced me to listen to last year’s album, Wild Mountain Nation (amazon) (itunes), and it’s easy to see how someone planning their lineup could be confused.  They’re a bit punk rock, a bit southern throwback, a bit Simon and Garfunkel, and a bit of drum driven guitar rock as well.

mp3 : Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
mp3 : Blitzen Trapper - Futures & Folly

This album is good, but at times I feel like they just don’t know who they really are as musicians.  It feels like Radiohead on one track and the Simon and Garfunkel on the next and then they adopt a weird Beatles meet Phantom Planet vibe on the next.  They’re all solid songs but there is a cohesive thread that is definitely missing when you listen to the album as a whole.

I haven’t gotten a hold of their latest album just yet, but I hope they’ve decided to stick more to their melodic and harmony filled tracks like these two I’ve selected from their previous effort.  I’ll try to score a copy of Furr sometime this week and give it a spin.  The track they played last night on Conan was brilliant enough that I immediately started listening to the one album I got after seeing them in concert and that gives me high hopes that they’ve ditched some of their awkward teenage dichotomies and have matured more as a band.

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Frightened Rabbit

Published by
billy
at November 17, 2008 in frightened rabbit, indie, mp3 and music. 5 Comments

I recently switched out a load of albums I had in my car and I’ve found myself listening to the latest Frightened Rabbit album, The Midnight Organ Fight (amazon) (itunes), almost continually.  I know I mentioned this album just a bit over two months ago, but I do not believe you took my recommendation seriously.  If you are part of the few thousand which access The World Forgot on a daily basis then you certainly know by now that I will not lead you astray.  I am not a corporate entity seeking to stuff myself full of your hard earned cash.  I am a music fan seeking to promote the art that I find to be entertaining.

mp3 : Frightened Rabbit - Poke

Now that I have stolen your attention with my clever banter and obvious intellectual superiority I must encourage you to listen to Frightened Rabbit.  This album is quite brilliant from start to finish and not a single track feels out of place or off message.  After drifting through this disc an almost countless number of times I have come to appreciate this song, Poke, more and more.  The lyrics are stunning, the mood the song and story evoke is simple and elegant, and it might be the best stream of consciousness narrative released this year.

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Over The Rhine

Published by
billy
at November 13, 2008 in indie, mp3, music and over the rhine. 2 Comments

Sorry for the slow posting over the last week or so.  Actually I’m sorry that I probably won’t have anything new after this post until next Monday.  I’m leaving in a bit for a weekend out of town, job interview and car test drive included, and I doubt I’ll be able to post something else before I’m back home.  That being said I’m posting a brilliant song that should tide you over until I return.

Born by Over The Rhine is the second song on their 2005 album Drunkard’s Prayer (amazon) (itunes).  The story behind the song is wonderful.  As I understand it Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist, the married couple who make up Over The Rhine, were on tour when they realized that their schedule and the stress of playing live sets and traveling all the time was fraying their relationship.  In order to remedy this problem they stopped their tour, apologized to their close knit fan base, and went home for some long and potentially painful conversations.  At this point they bought a case or two of wine and at night they would sit at their dinner table vowing not to sleep until the conversation, and the bottle of wine, was completely done.

mp3 : Over The Rhine - Born

The song tells the story of those conversations and how their choice to take a break, sit down, and actually learn to communicate with each other again saved not just the band but their marriage as well.  Maybe it can serve to save your weekend.

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Modern Skirts

Published by
billy
at November 12, 2008 in indie, modern skirts, mp3 and music. 1 Comment

I’m not entirely sure how to sum up Modern Skirts latest album All Of Us In Our Night.  In short it is a delightful journey through what modern indie pop rock should be.  This isn’t glam, this isn’t eighties revival, this isn’t something that immediately calls to mind some bygone era.  This is modern music as it was meant to be heard.  For those of you still trying to imagine what this album sounds like let me take another crack at it.  If you took your favorite bits of The Beatles, Mumpsy, and the vulnerable side of The Strokes,  blended those three together with all the squandered talent from every Weezer album since Pinkerton, then you might be getting close to understanding the complex nature of this album.

mp3 : Modern Skirts - Face Down
mp3 : Modern Skirts - Eveready

Seriously now dear reader, these two tracks are amazing and they are but a taste of what awaits you on the full ten song album.  Every single song on this album is worth listening to both for their individual merit as well as what they become when spread over thirty two minutes of glorious pop.

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