But I don’t want to ever go back

I've already raved about this band once. So back with a little encore from me, I'd like to write about Dr. Dog's "My Old Ways." The song is kind of a throw back to the early 60's, with kind of that Beach Boys/Beatles combo thing going. The song just sounds so dated-almost an anachronism in todays music scene.

The song comes off of their senior album We All Belong, which came out in 2007. The track starts out with a killer piano intro that is so incredibly hypnotic with that Beach Boy's "I Know There's An Answer" sound. What I really love about the song though is how underproduced the vocals are. They really make the track just seem so raw. I haven't really listened to all that much Dr. Dog, but I think I'm going to start. These guys sound as if they live their lives in black and white, a throwback in every sense of the word. Their is a complexness in the vocal arrangements and a simpleness in the melody that just makes it beautiful.

Hope you all enjoy this song. I know I'm going to post this and go straight to finding more of Dr. Dog's music.

"My Old Ways" by Dr. Dog from We All Belong (2007)

-S

Sunday Soundtrack

Enjoy it for this beautiful Memorial Day Weekend.

"Dream City" by Free Energy

"Satisfaction" covered by Otis Redding

"Stephanie Says" by The Velvet Underground

"Rough Gem" by Islands

"The Passenger" by Iggy Pop & The Stooges

"Rave On" by Buddy Holly

"Please Forgive Me" by Westbound Train

-S

My soul got happy and stayed all day

I am now done with high school and it is most certainly on its way to hitting me big time. Meanwhile I have an amazing song for you all. I'm so happy I remembered to post it because it is one of my all time favorite songs.

The song is done by Paulo Nutini and I absolutely fell in love with it upon first listen. It is incredibly soulful and I love his voice. The song starts off with a vocal intro and then breaks in to an incredible reggae tune. The song goes on like this for sometime, until it breaks in to this guitar solo, the likes of which I haven't heard in a while. As far as reggae/ska tunes go, this is one of the best I have ever heard. And the guitar has rock and roll written all over it-with heavy distortion paired with the Wah-Wah pedal that is used expertly.

The song, which is called "Trouble So Hard (Natural Blues)" is derived from a Vera Hall tune. A couple of years ago I took a class called "Music of the Americas" which was basically a music appreciation class that worked through all the roots of American music. One of the people we learned about was Alan Lomax, who, through a grant from the Smithsonian, went around the country recording back country music, cataloguing the 1940's American music scene. His work was ground breaking uncovering artist like Muddy Waters. The original is a great track in its own and is one of the key songs in the American blues tradition.

All in all, these two songs combine for one of the best songs I have ever heard. I can't say enough nice things about these tracks. They are truly amazing. Till next time, enjoy!

"Trouble So Hard (Natural Blues)" covered by Paulo Nutini from These Streets (2006)

"Trouble So Hard (Natural Blues)" by Vera Hall (1940's)

-S

Hey little thing lemme light your candle

Ever since that Black Keys post, I have been feeling the vibe with the blues-rock sound. I tried to find some other songs that really personified that sound, and remembered a song I found a few years ago covered by the Black Crowes called "Hard To Handle," (the original was done by Otis Redding and is and R&B classic)

The vocals come off with a real rock and roll aesthetic, with a raw sound that really just gets you fired up. The music is not particularly complex, a high distortion guitar in the solo really just feels right in a Lynyrd Skynyrd kind of way. What I really love about this song is the intro that really sets the tone for the whole song. It's just a little drum fill followed by this climbing guitar that just combines for a really sweet sound. As far as the blues-rock sound goes, this band/song really hit the nail on the head for me. I'm not a huge fan of country and this song manages to keep it's country roots in check. In the process of writing this post I delved in to the band a little more and remembered they do another great song "She Talks To Angels" which does have a bigger country vibe-but is an incredibly beautiful song (sorry to hate on country-I like some of it, but it's not for me and I know that). Anyway-today is my last day of High School, and then it is off in to the big bad world-I am very excited for a lot of reasons. One big reason though is that I will have a big opportunity to get some more writers and open up to a wider range of music. Anyway, enjoy the songs!

"Hard To Handle" covered by The Black Crowes from Shake Your Money Maker (1990)

"Hard To Handle" by Otis Redding from The Immortal Otis (1967)

"She Talks To Angels" by The Black Crowes from Shake Your Money Maker (1990)

-S

Mark Ronson

Great song for you all today. It's an instrumental-which I really don't think I post enough of on this blog. It is a cover of Coldplay's "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face," from their sophomore album A Rush Of Blood To The Head. The instrumental is by Mark Ronson- who is known for his producing and guitar prowess. The cover sounds really amazing-putting more of a jazzy/dancehall spin on the track.

What really sets this track apart is the totally raw sound of the horns that really pull it all together. They add a flavor to the track that we really don't hear a lot of these days-horns seemed so rarely used in popular music, which is just too bad because they can really make some songs much more complex and add depth. Ronson uses the same guitar effects that he really takes advantage of on the entire CD- Version. There are a lot of great covers on the album, but for some reason this track really sets itself apart from the others. However I will also post his "Toxic" cover, which is of equal value, but not one of my favorite songs as far as composition goes. Enjoy!

"God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" covered by Mark Ronson from Version (2007)

"Toxic" covered by Mark Ronson ft. Tiggers & ODB from Version (2007)

-S

I heard there was a secret chord

I personally believe that one of those things that defines your music taste-is in fact-which version of "Hallelujah" you enjoy the best. So I thought I would put it out there for all to see, my version of choice, is done by Jeff Buckley. The song was originally done by Leonard Cohen in the mid-80's. The song just sounds amazing, but like most covers not all of them are cut from the same stone, and vary among the artists who have covered them. However, often you don't find covers that vary as wildly as the covers of "Hallelujah" which in itself is a great song, extremely well composed and the lyrics are beautiful. I thought though that I would let the people choose and at least put out all of the versions I could find (only the ones of real recognition though, not just any covers). So without further adieu, the many faces of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

"Hallelujah" covered by Jeff Buckley

"Hallelujah" covered by Rufus Wainwright

"Hallelujah" covered by John Cale

"Hallelujah" covered by K.D. Lang

"Hallelujah" covered by Alexandra Burke

"Hallelujah" covered by Kate Voegele

"Hallelujah" covered by Damien Leith

"Hallelujah" covered by Bon Jovi

And, last but not least

"Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen

You decide...

-S

It's times like these, that I need relief

Just recently began listening to The Black Keys. I first heard about them a little late-on the soundtrack of School Of Rock with their song "Set Me Free," at that point I underestimated them a little bit. They arose again on another blog I read-the one put out by my radio station WAMH on the song called "Next Girl" which really showed off their blues influences and vocalist Dan Auerbach's really tight sound.


The song I want to show off now though was just sent to me from a friend called "Tighten Up" which once again showcases this incredibly rich sound that they have going for them. The song starts off with a little whistling hook that really sets the pace for the song. From there it just rolls and sounds pretty amazing-and bluesy which it seems they are known for. Once again, it is my last week of school so I'm a little short on time so I will cut to the chase. The bottom line: this song is great, and so is the band. Also I would note that this song as well as "Next Girl" is off of their litterally brand spankin' new album Brothers which I will now inevitably buy.

"Tighten Up" by The Black Keys from Brothers (2010)

-S

Chill...

Feeling really burnt out right now from senior year. Extremely tired and just want this week to be over. So, just be fair I'll post everyday this week, but each post will be fairly short, sweet, and to the point. So today's song is "Nostrand" by Ratatat. They are an all instrumental band famous for songs like "Loud Pipes" which not everyone would be able to name, but almost everyone I know recognizes it at some level. "Nostrand" is one of the chillest songs I have ever donned headphones for and it is just what I need tonight.

"Nostrand" by Ratatat from Classics (2006)

-S

Sunday Soundtrack

Prom night, deserves a Prom morning soundtrack...

"Guava Jelly" by Bob Marley

"The Theme From Cheers" by Titus Andronicus

"Afterglow Of Your Love" by The Small Faces

"Shelter" by Ray LaMontagne

"Buggin' Out" by A Tribe Called Quest

"We Can't Help You" by Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks

"3AM" by O.A.R. (Couldn't find a better copy)

-S

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me

Absolutely love this song. Heard it for the first time about three years ago. The song is "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt 1 & 2" by The Flaming Lips. The song is actually kind of touching in a weird way, don't let the title fool you. Rumor has it the song is about cancer, and this girl who is defeating the evil robots (the cancer). This brings a whole other dimension to the song. Not really much else to say, the song is great and more or less speaks for itself. Sorry this post wasn't lengthier, however you might need to get used to it as tomorrow night is prom night, so I may be AWOL for that post as well.
Cheers

"Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots Pt 1&2" by The Flaming Lips from Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots (2002)

-S

Floatin over the black top

The first time I heard of the band Free Energy, it was on another blog, The Hood Internet. It was one of the bands songs mashed up with a song by Drake, whom I am not a particularly large fan of. However the beat just fit so well it was hard to ignore. I thought that would probably be the last I heard of Free Energy for a little while. A week or two later it seemed they were everywhere, they were featured on the Pitchfork home page, followed by being put on to DailyBeatz's Blogwave Summer mix. I delved in to the band a little more.

I'd say I'm not in love with their music, but when I heard "Bang Pop," I was struck. This was an honest to goodness Weezer sound-alike. Not that it is a bad thing, but I do find it interesting. As similar as the two bands sound, I cannot say it takes away from the bands sound. For the most part they sound pretty tight, and "Bang Pop" off of their freshman album, Stuck On Nothing which just recently came out. All in all, there isn't really much to say about this song, other than the fact that if you like Weezer you will certainly have an eerie feeling when you listen to this. Could it be the second coming? Just for posterity, I will also post the Drake mashup.


"Bang Pop" by Free Energy from Stuck On Nothing (2010)

"This Shit Was (All I Know)" mashed up by The Hood Internet (2010)

-S

I've been out walking

Just finished watching Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson's new movie. I have to say, it is pretty great, and pretty much like every other Wes Anderson movie. Regardless, it got me thinking about some of his other movies, particularly the soundtracks. There have been some pretty great songs utilized in his movies. However, one reigns supreme in my mind, "These Days" covered by Nico is by far one of the most beautiful (the original was written by Jackson Browne-note though, they are very different-Browne also performed his with Gregg Allman), and really just hits home with me. The guitar is great, and the strings really pull it all together.


As for Nico's voice, she is pretty unique, the voice can sound a little ugly and haunting, but that is just if you take it at face value. If you really listen to it it fits perfectly with her music. She is especially great on the VU album she headlined on. However this song is from her sophomore album Chelsea Girl, taken from the Warhol film of the same name. Her music particularly hit home with one of my favorite musicians, Elliot Smith. He described her music as being very influential in his musical style, which led him to cover a couple of Nico's songs.

So enjoy, I'll post both the Nico, Elliot Smith, and Jackson Browne versions of the song, they are all pretty classic and influential in their own right. By the way, if you wanted to know which movie "These Days" was featured in, it was The Royal Tennenbaums, which had a great soundtrack in and of itself.

"These Days" by Jackson Browne

"These Days" covered by Nico from Chelsea Girl (1967)

"These Days" covered by Elliot Smith

-S
*Note-I just found out that while Browne did write the song Nico recorded it first-with permission from Browne of course*

Wait by the car and we'll go, we'll go

Sorry to be doing this again but there is another Celtics game on tonight. So I will quickly just interject one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands. This is The Decemberists at their best with a song that really portrays the sound that they have built for themselves over the years, really cementing themselves in the indie/folk rock world.

Here is the amazing love story of "O Valencia!"

"O Valencia!" by The Decemberists from The Crane Wife (2006)

-S

If you came back as the deep sea, I would come back as the salt

I came home today to find this as a post from fellow music enthusiast on Facebook, it read; "cutest since Home," followed by a YouTube link. The reference, of course, was to the song "Home" by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros which seemed to take the concert scene by storm late in 2009.


The video started off quietly, I wasn't really sure what to expect, maybe some folk type music and a great duet. As it turns out that is exactly what the Sheffield, England band Slow Club had to offer with their song "It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful" off of their freshman album Yeah So. It was a black and white shot video, with kind of a Dan Deacon vibe (you'll see what I mean towards the end). The song takes on a less harsh tone than "Home" if that is even possible. It is slightly more mellowed out-the exchange however for that mellowness is a stage presense it seems far less than that of Edward Sharpe frontman Alex Ebert. Another stark difference is personnel, where Alex Ebert has almost 7 other members of the band, Slow Club boasts the duo of Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor. One of the best parts of this song is the towering vocals that just kill it on this track (in a good way). And with the bass drum keeping rhythm-the song gets a chance to take itself to some interesting places with the complexity of the guitar part. All in all this is a close second in my mind to the Edward Sharpe ballad of "Home." Mind you though-it is a very close second place.

"It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful" by Slow Club from Yeah So (2009)

-S

Rock me momma like a southbound train

I'm sure most people have heard this song at this point, but it can't hurt just to reinforce that. My younger brother showed me this song a couple weeks ago and I have been playing it almost non-stop. The song is "Wagon Wheel" performed by Old Crow Medicine Show. The song is a little more country than I am used to, but it is derived from a Bob Dylan song, so I was immediately on board (let it be known though, the Bob Dylan version is not much to go on-watch the video and you'll understand). Upon further inspection I found the song to be incredibly soothing and the lyrics were very well written. Country is really the only way that this song could be played-or so I thought at the time. This isn't the version that I would like to talk about oddly enough.

I am more inclined to the more indie-rock oriented Against Me! cover of the song, which is especially odd coming from a classically punk-rock band. It just seems to have more appeal to me with the much younger and fresher vocals of Tom Gabel. While I am aware there there isn't as much going on in this version, it feels candid, and comes across as a beautiful and honest version of this song. It is important to note though, that this cover is a big departure from Against Me!'s other songs such as "Pints Of Guiness" which seems to be a much softer punk-rock song.

Give all of the versions of this song a listen, I am sure you will come to the conclusion that, in over all pleasentnes in reditions, Against Me! takes the crown.

"Wagon Wheel" by Bob Dylan from Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid (1973)

"Wagon Wheel" covered by Old Crow Medicine Show from Old Crow Medicine Show (2004)

"Wagon Wheel" covered by Against Me! from New Wave (2007)

-S

*Editors Note: I am aware this was just on the Sunday Soundtrack, I just believe that it warrants a full post*

Sunday Soundtrack

Have a great week, I know I will

"Blister In The Sun" by The Violent Femmes

"Patience" by Nas and Damien Marley

"Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show

"Nocturne Op.9 No.2" by Chopin

"The Past Recedes" by John Fruciante

"Astronomy" by Blue Oyster Cult

"Bongo Bong" by Manu Chao

-S

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery

This song ended up being the song of the night for me. Not sure what else really to say about it, but Bob Marley is great-and "Redemption Song" is one of his better works. I was not so surprised to learn it was derived from a Marcus Garvey speech. Anyway, it just has A-class lyrics and a nice guitar part, and Marley's voice is spot-on as usual.

"Redemption Song" by Bob Marley from Uprising (1980)

-S

I say when it drops, oh you gonna feel it

Sorry for the shortish post-I'm in the middle of watching the Celtics game and can only really commit myself to one thing at a time. But that doesn't mean I will leave you with a totally lame song. So here is "Pressure Drop." I first heard this song at the beggining of last summer, the Toots and The Maytals version of course. The song is an absolute jam and definitely one of the staples of any half decent summer. However the version I will leave you with is not the original. It is the cover done by The Clash, one of my all time favorite bands.

Not really much to say about it other than that it is a big departure from the original, The Clash really do make it their own, and make it work for them. This is a total genre-bending experience. I'll also link you up to another great cover done by The Specials, who I believe just got a big spread in either Mojo or Rolling Stone, I can't for the life of me remember. I will tell you though that it is more along the lines of the Toots and The Maytals version, with a little bit of a twist.

"Pressure Drop" covered by The Clash from English Civil War (1979)

"Pressure Drop" covered by The Specials from Today's Specials (1996)

-S

You're not welcome anymore

I'll just say it now, I do not like the band Cake. They just don't do it for me and I don't find that they are doing anything particularly exciting in the world of music. They are really pretty generic in a lot of ways and I don't believe they contribute to music today. I also am inclined to think that their pretty wildly popular senior album, Comfort Eagle, was just kind of a waste of my time.

That being said, and I know, that was harsh for me, I think that their cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," is one of the few covers that outpaces the original in my humble opinion. The song is pretty powerful in the lyrics, and lends itself well to Cake frontman, John McCrea. The guitar and bass solos respectively are great, and they just kill (the good kind of kill it, not the bad), not to mention the great help from the horns later in the track.

Not really too much else to say about it, the cover speaks for itself.

"I Will Survive" covered by Cake from Fashion Nugget (1996)

-S

She take my money, well I'm in need

The first time I ever heard a mashup was traveling down a sea side road in South Africa with my older brother. He showed me a mixtape called Bootie, a San Francisco mashup party that posts its best from that year on an annual CD. The first track, "Black Beatle" a Beatles+Black Eyed Peas+Ludacris+Kelis crossover. Needless to say, it was surprising, the songs fit so perfectly, I loved it.


Ever since I have scoured the web for another great mashup. For the most part, they are way off the mark. Some notables include DJ Danger Mouse's Grey Album and "Let It Be Me" as Shaggy+Beatles crossover. The common theme-the Beatles, in their infinite relevance, mashup well with the artist du jour. However, finally I have found one that measures up, without the need for a great Beatles riff to carry the track. My brother (a younger brother, not the one who showed me Bootie) showed me the most recent Bootie CD, and he stumbled upon a mashup artist called "A Fifth Of Beethoven". The song was a mashup of Beethovens "Symphony No. 5" and Kanye West's "Gold Digger".

The track starts out with the intro from West's song and then as if out of nowhere, "Symphony No. 5" comes in and manages to tear up the track. It is an uncanny match as the two songs interplay off of eachother. After 204 years, the Beethovens "5th" got the revamp it needed-it became relevant and relatable. What is impressive about mashup's like this is their ability to span the genre gap that seems so wide sometimes. In this case taking two songs at opposite ends of the spectrum and making them mesh so incredibly well that it blurs the line. Today their is so much territoriality among music fans. People are comfortable in their camps and don't dare cross their respective boundaries. Songs like this though broaden musical taste and show musics innate compatibility across genre, style, and time.

I know that is a lot to put on the shoulders of one tiny, half-decent mashup, but this is what they have become. As music fandom becomes increasingly digital, their will be more and more crossing over as well as a greater variety.

"I despise a world which does not feel that music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy"-Ludwig Van Beethoven

Or as Kanye would say-"Ima let you finish but Johann Bach was the greatest composer of ALL TIME"

"A Fifth Of Beethoven" by A Plus D from Bootie (2009)

"Let It Be Me" by Shaggy & The Beatles from Bootie (2008)

"Black Beatle" by The Beatles, Black Eyed Peas, Ludacris, & Kelis from Bootie (2007)

-S

Proof that love's not only blind but deaf

When I think of current British Indie, I cannot help but think of The Arctic Monkeys of Sheffield, England. They have such a quintessential British sound, it is unbelievable. Almost a parody of the genre itself. However I find myself oddly drawn towards Alex Turner's vocals, crooned in his incredibly thick British accent. They do have the slightest tendency to sound very similar from song to song due to Turner's somewhat inflexible style.


Since, for the most part, their songs tend to sound similar I will just give you one of my favorite Arctic Monkeys song just to give you the gist of the band (mind you I mean that in the nicest way possible, it's not that they don't have variety, they just have a very rooted sound that they manage to work in to all of their songs). The song is "Fake Tales Of San Francisco" off of their freshman album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. The song gives off a complete punk rock feel with an air of alternative rock to it. They are a band on a road that has clearly been paved by bands like Oasis and The Sex Pistols (Johnny Rotten meets Liam Gallagher-if that is even possible). Things to look out for on this track is the great drum beat as well as the guitar intro that is so incredibly somber while rocking at the same time.

Overall this is a great band. After forming in 2002, they are supposedly at work on a fourth album-it'll be hard to top their debut album though (fastest selling album in history in the UK). Their newer stuff seems to have a little bit of a played out sound, but I'm still not getting tired of it.

"Fake Tales Of San Francisco" by The Arctic Monkeys from Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)

-S

St-st-st-st-stuttering

The genesis of this post was today driving in the car with my dad and Bachman Turner Overdrive's song "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet." The thought suddenly popped in to my head as Fred Turner cries out "B-B-B-Baby, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" What if I made a compilation of songs that use this really powerful stuttering and stammering. I found out there were more songs than I could remember that use this technique other than that of The Who's "My Generation" and the BTO classic.

So here is a list of c-c-c-classic stammers:

"You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" by Bachman Turner Overdrive

"My Generation" by The Who

"My Sherona" by The Knack

"Changes" by David Bowie

"Bad To The Bone" by George Thorogood

"Barbara Ann" by The Beach Boys

"F-F-F-Falling" by The Rasmus

"Peggy Sue" by Buddy Holly (Very Subtle)

"Back In The USSR" by The Beatles

"Bennie And The Jets" by Elton John

"Scatman" by Scatman John

"Stutter" by Joe featuring Mystikal

"K-K-K-Katy" by Geoffery O'Hara

-S-s-s-s

Sunday Soundtrack

Here she is, the magical mystery Sunday Soundtrack!

"Daydream Believer" by The Monkees

"Squeeze Box" by The Who

"My Doorbell" by The White Stripes

"Gimme Head" by The Radiators (It's exactly what it sounds like, however these guys are real old so it makes it kind of funny in a way, the song, nevertheless, its GREAT)

"Of A Revolution" by O.A.R.

"You Gotta Go" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

"Already Gone" by The Eagles

(I know, I know, this week I was feeling a little classic)

-S

In the morning all I could do was sing

Another great song for another glorious day, clearly the spring is upon as and the summer is just around the corner.

As if it was a cross between and great indie rock guitar part and group vocals (a la Bang Camaro) there was "I Woke Up Today" by Port O'Brien. I try and play songs that are pretty feel good, and this epitomizes that feeling. They give off this folk feel as well which comes out sounding amazing, it just gets you amped, so get off your lazy ass, put this song on, and then go do something...anything. They are a pretty tight band with 3 albums since forming in 2005, and have since toured with Modest Mouse and Bright Eyes.


The rhythm is great and the song just works so well, it just all melts and is perfect. I'm not saying this is a be all end all favorite song, but it certainly gets the job done.

Hope you enjoy!

"I Woke Up Today" by Port O'Brien from All We Could Do Was Sing (2007)

-S

P.S. The video is great, so enjoy, you cannot help but smile

Throw it all at me, I can shrug it off

Today was a really long day. It had a lot of ups and a lot of downs. All in all I am extremely tired and I don't feel like writing a whole lot. However that doesn't mean I won't leave you without a straight jam to get you through a day like today.

So what would be a good couple songs to leave you with. The first one is a classic, The Rolling Stones doing "Beast Of Burden." It's an amazing song, and it always puts a smile on my face. The lyrics are great, on a day like today, I am really feeling this song.

The second tune is a little newer. I found this band a couple years ago on the soundtrack for something. I wasn't really sure how I felt about it. The more I thought about it though, it is one of the most uplifting songs I can think of. Not sure how many people know of the Polyphonic Spree, they are a little "different." This is in the sense that they feel like a cult, and have the precense of a band like Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros, just really really crazy. The song is "Hold Me Now," and it's really helping me get through today. Don't forget to enjoy!

"Beast Of Burden" by The Rolling Stones from Some Girls (1978)

"Hold Me Now" by The Polyphonic Spree from Together We're Heavy (2004)

-S

Lost revelations that I'll never find

OK, I'll admit it, I have judged a book by it's cover, in this case, MGMT's new album Celebration. I heard the first released song on the album on YouTube, and to be honest, didn't think much of it. I felt like I was expecting to show up at a rave, and I had walked in on Rosh Hashanah Services at Temple Beth Eloheim. I said to myself; "Really? Really MGMT? What happened to "Time To Pretend" and "Electric Feel"? Where was the techo-esque rock and roll I was expecting. Where were the synthesizers and drum loops? Immediatly I dismissed Congratulations. They had duped us, just another band putting out commercially sucessful hits and then using them as the foot in the door for what they really want to do (usually artsy crap that won't move and units off of the shelves.)


Anyway, already biased, I was handed the album by my English teacher. I was skeptical at first having already heard "Flash Delirium," my hopes and dreams of what a new MGMT already smashed all over the floor. With nothing to lose I put it on. Surprisingly enough, I liked it. This showed and entirely new side of MGMT, a softer, more acoustic side. I kind of, dare I say, liked it. This was much more chill than their first album, relaxed and layed back. Sure it wasn't what I had hoped, pop-y tunes with a flaring beat and synthesizers up to the eyeballs. This was something different, not worse in any way, just different. This different side, in the end proved to be really something great. I went in with low expectation and I have ended up pleasently surprised. I mean, this isn't the best album ever to be laid down, but it is pretty great, one of the better CD's I have heard this year, and the flow is like nothing else. It melts in to each song like a Phish set.

There are a couple stand-out track on Congratulations. Particularly the title song "Congratulations" ends up being a great song, the beginning is slow, starting out with more of a more eastern feel, with a VU influence. The vocals are great, and the acoustic guitar fits in perfectly with a elegant drum beat. I want to say the song almost feels like it was written for a Wes Anderson movie if that makes sense. Another great track is 12-minute behemouth "Siberian Breaks" which I don't want to write about at any particular length, but it is totally hypnotic and well worth a listen. The song that stands out most like it would fit on their first album is "It's Working" but even saying that is a stretch. It definitely has more of a pop feel but it is far from techno, almost having a 60's feel-good vibe (almost beach rock?).

Anyway, for once I was wrong. My sincerest apologies MGMT. You have proven me wrong and bested me. What remains to be seen however is if MGMT is an acoustic band dressed like a techno band or the reverse. Only time will tell, but their next album will be worth the wait. It will also recieve my undivided attention, and get the respect it will undoubtedly deserve.

"Siberian Breaks" by MGMT from Congratulations (2010)

"Congratulations" by MGMT from Congratulations (2010)

"It's Working" by MGMT from Congratulations (2010)

-S

*Editors Note: Yes I am aware this was an album before MGMT's 2007 album Oracular Spectacular, however they were still under the name "The Management" and only really released a demo album called Climbing To New Lows (2005), which for the most part was ill-received and is only really remembered for the debut of "Kids" which didn't hit it big until recently.*

20 weeks of fun at WAMH

Just over 20 weeks ago, I took on the challenge of trying to become a Radio DJ in an environment unfamiliar to me. I was to become one of the first high school students as far as I know to have a show on Amherst College's radio station, WAMH 89.3 FM. It was a tough process to start, I had no idea what I was doing as well as trying to fit in for the first few times among college students. I learned a lot over the course of these 20 weeks. Tomorrow will be my last show (4PM-6PM on 89.3 FM in Amherst-or online here). It has been a fantastic 20 weeks so here is a little retrospective on the single best song from each show.

(In chronological order by show)

"I'm A Cuckoo" by Belle & Sebastian

"Walden And The Willow Tree" by The Dimes

"Second To None" by Phoenix

"The Freshman" by The Verve Pipe

"Baby Bitch" by Ween

"GString" by SomethingALaMode

"Home" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

"Symphonies" by Dan Black ft. Kid Cudi

"Le Vent Nous Portera" by Noir Desir & Manu Chao

"She Don't Use Jelly" by The Flaming Lips

"I Hate College" by Sam Adams

"Right Moves" by Josh Ritter

"Shutterbug" by Veruca Salt

"Lonesome Cowboy Bill" by Rufus & The Moondogs

"I Am A Scientist" by Guided By Voices

"Deceptacon" by Le Tigre

"Islands" by The xx

"Boy Lilikoi" by Jonsi

"Heaven Is A Truck" by Pavement

"Contact" by Phish

-S (DJ XXX)

P.S. Sorry if this post bored you, I have some pretty good songs lined up for the next couple days so look forward to that.

Just like yesterday I told you I would stay

I'm sure everyone ever has written about this song by now and I'm not late for the bandwagon it just never crossed my mind to write about it. The song is "Two Weeks" by Grizzly Bear off of their newest album Veckatimest (relatively speaking-the album came out in May of 2009).

The song was rated by seemingly every music blog to be in the top 100 songs of the year and even the one of the top songs of the decade. Although, it is extremely easy to say why, the song is completely hypnotizing. The vocals are incredible-they keep you on the edge of your seat, you feel like your about to just fall in to this song, as if waiting for something to happen but nothing ever happens (I mean that in a positive way-it's enticing in that way). The drum beat moves the song along with the pounding bass drum and snare rolls that just make it move-it definitely gives off the air that The Smiths were a major influence-at least vocally, and lyrically.

Critics of the song are quick to argue that the song possesses similarities to "Still D.R.E." by Dr. Dre-while the beats and keyboard parts are similar they are very different-and obviously give off a different feel all together. Just hearing it you know that Grizzly Bear has hit the nail on the head with this one, it's perfect and nearly flawless-the only possible criticism that might be apparent is the repetitiveness of parts of the song but they are chilled out by simple changes to the melody. Parts are often phased out to isolate other parts of the track to add the slightest bit of complexity. Regardless, I feel that most will enjoy this song-it is for certain one of the best songs of 2009-maybe the decade (there were a lot of great songs in the last 10 years though).

"Two Weeks" by Grizzly Bear from Veckatimest (2009)

-S

All your diction dripping with disdain

Wow! I just realized I have not mentioned Vampire Weekend once on this blog. This is a cause for celebration. But what song to write about? They have so many great ones (particularly off of their sohpomore effort, Contra). And yes, that is "Contra" as in the game.

Well to start at least, I'll mention that lead singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig is an amazing singer with a voice that is just made for indie rock. The band's tracks are incredibly up-beat and pop-y but still have a strong root system in indie rock. I'd say the most amazing part is how incredibly polished they sound for a band that has only put out two albums and has been in existence for four years. This is definitely a band that you will want to look out for. They have clearly created and established a sound that is unique to them-furthermore, they manage to make each track a completely different experience.


I think though, I will write about "Oxford Comma" off of their latest album. It starts off with a pretty easy going drum beat with a bit of keyboard working off of it. In comes Koenig with his pretty unique semi-falsetto voice. The song goes on like this for a bit and then works it's way in to a pretty pop-y guitar solo followed by a slight raise in tempo leading in to the end. All in all the track sounds incredibly simple, but I've never expected anything to sound too complex from them, but every song is very pleasing to the ear-and for the most part is a pretty enjoyable listening experience.

Hope you all enjoy this band-I'm only going to post "Oxford Comma" but I highly suggest you all look in to this band.

"Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend from Contra (2010)

-S

P.S. Check the music video for "Oxford Comma" and "Cousins" both are pretty amazing

P.P.S. Stuff White People Like rated Vampire Weekend as the "whitest band ever"

Sunday Soundtrack

Enjoy-this is truly the finest weekend in May so far.

"On Directing" by Tegan and Sara

"From The Rivers Of Babylon" by Barefoot Truth ft. Naia Kete

"Bad Fish/Boss DJ" by Jack Johnson (Sublime Cover)

"Bad Romance" by Lissie (Lady Ga Ga Cover)

"Waves Of Rye" by Department Of Eagles

"Raunchy" by Bill Justis

"Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens

-S

You can say what you want but don't act like you care

I'm pretty sure I've written quite a bit about Modest Mouse, however I have not had the opportunity to write about my all time favorite song by them, and I thought to myself, the time is right. The song comes off of their 2007 album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, and track 12 happens to be the eight and a half minute masterpiece, "Spitting Venom." And through the transitive property, Modest Mouse being one of my all-time favorite bands, and this being one of my favorite songs from the indie rock legends-this must be one of my favorite songs of all time, and for good reason.

A little history of the album, it followed the moderate success of their fourth studio album Good News For People Who Love Bad News (one of the first albums I ever bought, shortly after I turned 12). Since the 2004 album, they added former Smith's guitarist Johnny Marr. This addition led to a very guitar heavy release of their fifth studio album, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. The album had 14 tracks, and for the most part was pretty good, albeit a little more guitar heavy than I was used to for Modest Mouse, it however, was not unwelcome. All in all though the stand alone track was not the single "Dashboard" for me, it was "Spitting Venom"


At present, it is one of the most played songs in my music library. The song starts out with a simple punching guitar and Isaac Brock's classic lisp and strained vocals, almost coming at you in an angry way. Then comes one of the most amazing and uniquely Modest Mouse guitar parts (and for Marr that is impressive to master the feel of a band so well) I have ever heard, breaking in to Brock's best attempt at a melody worked in to the songs hook. The guitar stutters and whines it's way with the driving drum beat pulsing its way to seemingly a climax-and then the break, with a headnodic drum beat which fits in perfectly. The song swerves and weens it's way toward a horn part that works its way in to the song in a way that I didn't think possible (other great horn-heavy band: O.A.R.). The song then takes a tangent in to more of a "Dramamine" feel (another of my favorite Modest Mouse songs). Then comes the fade in to the end, and to be honest you have no idea what just hit you.

This is a band at one of it's finest moments, a band that has so perfectly mastered their art that you would be hard pressed to find any unintentional flaw. To be honest though, this song is flawless. Kudos to Modest Mouse for this gem.

"Spitting Venom" by Modest Mouse from We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (2007)

-S

P.S. Happy May!