summer awesome series

thanks to city weekly's blog, here's the latest on your tax dollars hard at work...the summer twilight concert series at gallivan center. after years of quality, albeit hippie/folk music, this year's line up has a decidedly legit feel to it.

you be the judge though and tell us what you think.

july 10 - the roots (ever heard of 'em?)
july 17 - andrew bird, josh ritter
july 24 - de la soul
july 31 - keller williams, yonder mountain string band
august 7 - nada surf, tim fite
august 14 - tbd
august 21 - broken social scene
august 28 - neko case, crooked fingers

eden is a hell of a place...

it's been two weeks now since the fine fellas of colour revolt mailed the ship an early copy of beg, plunder and curse, their new full length on fat possum records. after fighting with myself for two weeks on how best to write this, here is my review...it in no way does justice to this album.

instead of writing a record that drives down the same road into the city of rock, colour revolt wrote a record that finds its own path out of the city and into the countryside. and this trail that they've created, is unlike anything i've heard. you couldn't recreate beg, plunder and curse if you wanted to.

colour revolt is talented enough to write a trendy record if that had been their aim, they just chose not to. they chose to follow their hearts and musical convictions and deliver a testament of dark, brutal honesty and daring truth. speaking of testament, you'll want to dust up on your bible stories: themes of moses, the garden of eden, God, good and evil, salvation and crucification are all explored.

while this album avoids being just another popular album, i think beg, plunder and curse will become a hugely popular album. fat possum (the blues label that's also home to andrew bird) has the resources and quite simply, this album is just too good to be ignored. we could bury this album in the swamps from whence it came, but it would find its' way out. this album beckons the music appreciator to chase after it and track it down. colour revolt have created a disturbingly haunting piece of art that's hard to shake and impossible to ignore. or as the new frontiers' jacob channing put it: "it's just too good."

beg, plunder and curse comes out tuesday, april 2nd at is available downtown at slowtrain.

oh! the musica

i’m sitting in my car in a parking lot typing while hoping for a wireless network to poach. all of who think we just sit around and think of things to write…let’s just say these days are busy…but our friends at the militia group sent some nice cds and we like sharing them with you.

upon first listen, chase pagan's oh, musica! is a wide-open cacophony of different musical expressions that definitely has the feel of a musical score. the intro is particularly interesting and might as well be the opening to a movie. which type of movie though is hard to peg: oh, musica is a wide-array of styles and motifs. some songs have the baroque style and scope of any muse record while other songs have the human-rhythm and quiet flair that you’d expect of andrew bird.

the album as a whole is quite likeable. i’d be curious to see what it sounds like live. we’ve tried (obviously unsuccessfully) to lobby pagan to the café, thus far he has spurned our advances. we like this cd though, or at least I do. i’ll review a few more tmg dandies later this week.

on a side note, tmg sent a copy of the new frontiers cd mending and it’s incredible. we’ve had the initial masters for a while, but to hear it completed is something just short of magic. watch the cafe's myspace because the new frontiers will be gracing our stage again soon.

free music mondays...

click here to download the first track from "plunder, beg, and curse," the new record from colour revolt. the album comes out on tuesday, april 1st on fat possum records (yeah, andrew bird's label).

colour with an r...

so i've literally been watching the office with the guys from colour revolt for 12 straight episodes. seems like a good time to write a blog about them since they played kilby last night. despite wyoming's best efforts to wipe them off the road, they made it in time to close out the show and make 29 fans happy.

i can't pretend to know them or their music. i've heard good things for a while (from who i can't recall) and i remember about a year ago when they had everything ripped off (van, trailer, equipment, three macbooks, two cameras and more). other than that i know nothing.

seems like a good time to figure them out as a band. i've known them as people for a day now and they like good movies, are quite well read and extremely polite. they love their home state but don't share a lot of its "values" and agree that touring from denver to salt lake to reno to los angeles this time of year is a battle.

"say that we're good" jokes drummer len clark and thusfar, this the only usable quote i can get in between episodes of the office.

as a band, here are the basics: colour revolt are a five-piece from oxford, mississippi. they've played with brand new, as cities burn, menomena, okkervil river, anathallo, explosions in the sky and manchester orchestra (they claim to have known lead singer andy hull since "before he had a band"). they sound like...okay seriously i've put this off for a day and i can't come up with an honest comparison. if mewithoutYou and manchester orchestra were playing an evenly matched game of baseball, cr would be in the ballpark. if the ballpark had a bluesy edge with frenetic guitars and soulful lyrics. we all agree that comparing bands is impossible and if your band is any good and necessary then there shouldn't be any comparisons anyway.

[author note: they disagree with me on this comparison, but not enough to give me a differing comparison]

cr is on fat possum records which is the happy home of andrew bird and a cacophony of borderline criminal bluesmen that they describe as being the home of "two killers" and a guy "who doesn't know how old he is."

"we just try to stay vague and hope that comes off cool" says guitarist jimmy cajoleas when trying to describe the rigors of being on a tough blues label like fat possum without actually being a blues band.

three of colour revolt are full-time students at ole miss and still find time to play 150 dates a year (which explains why they're touring salt lake in december and almost getting stuck on the back roads of wyoming). they have an ep out now and a full length available in march 2008.

Out with a bang? (vanessa) (plus top five list from Nathan Pettijohn, singer from The New Frontiers )

So I attempted this last night and went unsuccessful so I guess I’ll take another shot at it.
My list was extremely difficult to come up with, but I’ve made a few decisions on my top five.
The go from five to one (five being my least favorite, one being my all time favorite)

Feist – The Reminder
I am very much a fan of Feist’s new album. Albums in the past I felt were repetitive and almost annoying however The Reminder’s repetition was catchy and easy to listen to. I listened to every song all the way through and that is a huge step for me considering I have terrible music ADD. The down fall of this album, I’d have to say is the fact that 1234 is on every time I turn on the T.V. Favorite song of the album : Honey, Honey. Guilty pleasure : 1234

The Shins- Wincing the Night Away
This one was a definite favorite. In my opinion this album was just as amazing as any of the other albums. James Mercer’s unmistakable voice was easy to listen to. I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the concert a while back and The Shins are just as good live as they are on CD. Favorite song on the album: Australia and Pam Berry (even if it is just an intro to the next song).

Tegan and Sara- The Con
Tegan and Sara, like the Shins, did it again. I enjoyed every song and listened to the album over and over again. The lyrics on the other had were a little weak, nonetheless, it was catchy and worth the twenty bucks I paid for it. Favorite song: I Was Married.

Andrew Bird- Armchair Apocrypha
It pains me to admit that I’m new to the Andrew Bird scene simply because I feel like I was so out of the loop before I listened to him. His new album is, for lack of a better word, amazing. The lyrics were stuck in my head for weeks and I caught myself humming the tune to Heretics (quite embarrassing when it happens in the middle of class). All I can say is nice work Andrew
Favorite song: Plasticities.

Eisley- Combinations
This album by far is the most compelling of the Eisley collection (mind you the "collection" is their EP and first album Room Noises). I’ve been an Eisley fan for as long as I can remember (since eight grade) and Combinations just made me love them even more. Forgive me for being dramatic but had they just stopped at Room Noises, there would have been a small part of my heart missing. This lyrics on this album said things I’ve only hoped to say but couldn’t.
Favorite song: I cant pick just one so I’ll go with least favorite. I’d probably have to agree with Ken and say that The Sea King’s Daughter was my least favorite, it didn’t seem to fit the rest of the album very well and I felt that it would have belonged better on a commercial or in a Disney short film.

Well, now that that’s over here is Nathan Pettijohn, (singer from The New Frontiers):

1. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
2. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
3. Bruce Springsteen - Magic
4. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
5. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Honorable Mention (in no particular order):

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81
Blonde Redhead - 23
Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
Keven Drew - Spirit If...
Dolorean - You Can't Win
The Snake the Cross the Crown - Cotton Teeth
Moonbabies – Take Me To The Ballroom

I love a lot. (sami p)

Well, this was difficult for me to figure out for two whole reasons: 1) there are a lot of good cds to love out there & 2) i'm one of the most indecisive people ever. That's why there is no order at all in the top five. I love all of them the most. So here goes everything. At the end of my list is Alex Bhore's list (drummer from The New Frontiers).

• Andrew Bird-Armchair Apocrypha.
  So I actually started listening to Andrew Bird just this year...I know, right? I don't know how I was going on without listening to him. AND! listening to this cd. His vocals and style are amazing. There is really no other word for it. Everything about it is soothing and not to mention completely puts me in a nice mood, every single time. Favorite Song: Imitosis.


• The Cinematics-A Strange Education.
  I first heard of The Cinematics this year at a show I had gone to. I was seriously blown away. This cd was exactly the same. Scott Rinning's voice is one of the most beautiful I have heard in a long time. He seems to sing with such little effort; everything is so natural. This cd has a wonderful mix of fast paced songs along with the slower ones and that is something I love in an album. I really don't know how else to explain except for it was just one that I needed. Favorite song(s): Human, Someday, Home.


• Lovedrug-Everything Starts Where it Ends.
  First off, I have to say I know that some people (cough..chad..cough) think this album is one of the biggest disappointments but I love it. Maybe because I love, excuse me..adore, Lovedrug. But still, I personally thought this album had that same great Lovedrug sound from "Pretend You're Alive." I didn't need anything other than that. Favorite song: Everything Starts Where it Ends.


• The Shins-Wincing the Night Away.
  The first time I listened to this album, I loved it immediately. I honestly can never get over James Mercer's voice. Everytime I listen to this album, or anyone of them in fact, I just go calm. What I enjoy about The Shins is that each album has it's own sound but stays the same Shins that I know and love so much. As for the lyrics I cannot even begin to say anything. So I won't. You'll have to get in my mind to find out...mahaha, oh good luck. Favorite song(s): Australia, Split Needles.


• Modest Mouse- We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.
  I never actually jumped onto the Modest Mouse boat until "The Ship". Just kidding. Actually not until around sometime last year but this album is what, I think, really got me. The intensity of Isaac Brock is completely mind blowing. I have never heard any other voice that is like his and I don't ever want to. He is one in his own which makes Modest Mouse what they are. The whole album is fabulous; every single second of it. I cannot even pick a favorite song. Every single song on the album is my favorite. I tried to choose but i can't do it. I ended up literally going through all the songs and picking everyone of them. I told you I was indecisive...

Oh, could I possibly say amazing or that i loved something so much one more time??? But there were really no other words to describe how I felt about each of these albums. Just love :)

Honorable Mentions:

Tegan and Sara - The Con
Brighten - King vs. Queen
Anberlin - Cities
The Lionelle - The Little Bee ep
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Dear and the Headlights - Small Steps, Heavy Hooves

Biggest Disappointments:

John Mayer - Continuum (for not being released in 2007!!!!! haha i knew i could fit John in here somewhere..)
The Academy Is... - Santi

Alex Bhore's (drummer from The New Frontiers) top 5

Top 5 Albums of 2007:

1. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
2. Blonde Redhead - 23
3. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
4. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81
5. Menomena - Friend and Foe

Honorable mention:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Kenna - Make Sure They See My Face
The Perishers - Victorious

top fizzle...with a little help from my friends (chad)

i really should have decided on a top ten list, because there were a lot of really good albums released in 2007. these are a few that i have really enjoyed. and i should note: i want to hear what your top five are in 2007 (leave some comments). this isn't one of those reviews where i tell you what you just HAVE to go out and get. these are just cds that have meant a lot to me in 2007. speaking of hearing what others have to say, attached to my list are the lists of two friends. jimmy richards (drummer for brighten) and linsday stranigan from the militia group (she seems to have a new job or at the very least, new responsibilities every month so i'm not quite sure her title).

5. iron & wine - the shepherd's dog (sub pop)
what a year for sub pop. they've had such a great year i bet emi is going to buy them out and wreck the label (i pray the emi rumors aren't true). i've enjoyed iron & wine for a while now (not as long as my wife though) and i was worried when i heard his new cd, was, well, different. and it is different, but it's quite good. real good. it's so good that i bought a ticket for his show in salt lake later this week. an expensive ticket (expensive for me is anything over $15). any fan of iron & wine need not worry, the shepherd's dog is as solid as any of his other releases. favorite song: carousel - it haunts me in all the right ways.

4. radiohead - in rainbows (independent)
there's a whole lot out about this lil' record and there honestly should be. what radiohead did with this album has already made waves through the industry and will be studied for years to come in every music business night class. not to mention they're doing what rock is all about: thumbing their noses to the industry and conventions and doing their own thing. good thing they've got the music to back it up. favorite song: jigsaw falling into place - in 15 years when my child hopefully asks me about radiohead, i can truthfully turn to this song as a classic example of what radiohead was all about.

3. surrogate - love is for the rich (tooth & nail)
full disclosure: i'm a friend of surrogate's lead singer chris keane and have a strong affinity for all of his creative endeavors. that said, love is for the rich is still deserving of being in anyone's top 5 list. i spent two weeks in africa this summer and i listened to this album up until the night my ipod died and stayed dead until arriving back on american soil (note: don't try to sync anything to a computer in west africa). what's my point: well it's december and i just spent a whole week with love is for the rich in my car's cd player. surrogate's music possesses a rare ability to remain timeless. i had most of the demos from love a full year ago and am still listening to it. and i'm a ridiculously hyperactive music listener. favorite song: stay out of the sun - if tooth & nail were smart (and they're not), they'd pitch this song to movie types and it would fit perfectly in any type of coming of age tale with an indie bend (zach braff take note).

2. andrew bird - armchair apocrypha (wegawam/fat possum)
i know i'm supposed to say that armchair isn't as good asbird's last album, the mysterious production of eggs, but i actually like armchair better. songs like fiery crash, heretics, and simple x help armchair pop in a way that eggs never did (i still love it though, don't get me wrong). the lyrics from the songs heretics ("thank God it's fatal, thank God it's fatal") may be some of 2007's best. favorite song: heretics.

1. band of horses - cease to begin (sub pop)
rather than spend time writing about cease to begin, i'll just skip that so that this post will be that much shorter, thus allowing you to get to a local cd store that much faster. if you already own it, then you know exactly why it's on the top of my list. favorite song: the general specific and islands on the coast. ben birdwell's musical charm goes far beyond satiating just southern fans with southern style: he paints a southern mythology that all of us would like to see and be involved in.

honorable mentions:

explosions in the sky - all of a sudden i miss everyone
eisley - combinations
kate nash - made of bricks or foundations (or anything that she released in 2007)
as cities burn - come now sleep - (i'm as surprised as anyone else)
brighten- king vs. queen - (this really should be in my top 5)
menomena - friend and foe - (i promise sub pop isn't paying me (but it wouldn't kill them to send a few pre-releases yeah?))

biggest let down of 2007

jimmy eat world - chase this light

watching jimmy eat world perform during halftime of the mls cup confirmed it: they're bored with making music and as a result are making boring music. if they can't even pretend to like their new album, why should i?

so there's my 2007. i'm going to likely write a follow-up next week with my favorite songs and also a look ahead for what's being released in 2008 (sneak preview: the new frontiers will be your favorite new band this time next year).

here's jimmy richard's (drummer from brighten) top 5 from 2007:

1. radiohead - in rainbows
2. copeland - eat, sleep, repeat
3. eisley - combinations
4. m.i.a. - kala
5. colbie calliat – coco

and here is lindsay's (militia group awesomeness) top 5 from 2007:

1. m.i.a - kala
2. radiohead - in rainbows
3. menomena - friend and foe
4. band of horses - cease to begin
5. feist - the reminder

honorable mentions:
lovedrug - everything starts where it ends
avett brothers - emotionalism
tegan and sara  - the con
kanye west - graduation
beirut - the flying club cup

top five, by chris keane of surrogate

note: all this week our staff writers are posting their top five cds from 2007. as a bonus, we've asked some of our friends to add their top five to ours. chris keane from surrogate took it above and beyond though and wrote an article that's just too good to pass up. below is his top five along with his remarks. and with all of our top fives this week, leave us your top five in the comments section. what albums did we miss? what is your top five and why? our only rule is that it had to have been released in 2007.

**In the ensuing paragraphs I will be referring to age not in numbers, like so many boring "normal" (or whatever) people do, but in terms of bands. For instance, there are many bands to which you can attach an age, consider for a moment Say Anything or The Decemberists or Refused (God forbid anyone misunderstand and think that I'm talking shit about these bands ((especially Refused)))? What age do you associate with these manufactured smells of teen (and twentysomething) spirit? This is a very intuitive situation and thusly there really isn't to be an actual number attached to these bands, more of a state of mind. I will henceforth refer to this concept at "bandage".**

Radiohead: In Rainbows (independent)

Radiohead is one of those rare bands that crosses almost every musical generation of bandageness. The appeal that this band boasts is almost completely across the board, for instance; I became a Radiohead fan when my CD collection consisted of mostly NOFX and Pennywise albums, a toddler in bandage. But I also know people who rock free jazz and world music (so old, should be dead in bandage) who absolutely lost their cool when they heard Radiohead was putting out a new record; a testament to the bandagelessness of Radiohead.

Ok Computer has, since it's inception, been a staple in the alternative music lover's diet, a well known fact. Radiohead's following efforts, I believe, have been skewed by the fact that Ok Computer was such a revolutionary record given not only the preceding Radiohead records, but the musical environment it was born into. Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief were judged as Radiohead's attempts at a respectable return from Ok Computer, negating the fact that all three were very respectable albums in their own right.

In Rainbows is an extremely important record, not only to fans, but also to the industry itself. 1) Yet another testament to Radiohead's bandagelessness is the fact that they had outlived their 20 year contract with Capitol Records, a feat that very few major label bands ever accomplish. In addition, while they are labelless and have no external funding, are still producing innovative, brilliant and relevant music.
2) In the age of iTunes and file sharing, Radiohead has chosen to be the first band to offer product not in stores, but exclusively on their website for whatever you think is right. A wave of the future if you ask me.

15 Step serves well as the opening track featuring the familiar beeps and boops associated with the more recent Radiohead records while incorporating very organic guitar and drum accompaniments, all the while jocking Tom York's melodic pop sensibility setting the mood for another exceptional Radiohead release.

The album then leads down a raw path of full band showcase displaying Radiohead's unique understanding of pop and beyond. Standing out in this journey down Intelligent Britpop lane is tracks such as Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, boasting a very precise, almost Dismemberment Plan esque pop gem, as well as Reckoner, a soulfully mournful track with a strong percussion section, as if telling the listener that you don't have to be happy to dance.

In Rainbows is not Radiohead's best record. It may not even be in Radiohead's top two, but anything that they have put out in the past has made my top 5 every time, and In Rainbows is definitely no exception.

Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)

Brit Daniels and company have been making their unique brand of indy-pop for a while now. Their sugary melodies tempered by eclectic guitar and piano lines and analogue purity has earned them a spot at the very top the genre, while simultaneously holding them as it's best kept secret.

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is finally changing all that. Finally getting a little commercial attention, Spoon has been seen on multiple night shows including SNL, a spot usually reserved for pop superstars and the underground's next big thing. And it's easy to hear why Ga has been such an attention grabber; the band really stepped up their game with this record. They've incorporated more electronics and horns than previous records, but they jump out at you, which is a sign that it was done well. But then again, doing music well is nothing new to Spoon.

Kanye West: Graduation (Roc-A-Fella)

Kanye West is an ass. He is a conceded media whore. He has an atrocious habit of exploding on national television in the form of an ill-informed conspiracy theorist, or a temper tantrum throwing child who doesn't feel appreciated enough. And he just happens to be my favorite rap producer. His third solo attempt is every bit as good as I was hoping. Stellar production, including a sample of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (as if you didn't know about that), and quick witted rhymes contribute to the cohesive core of what will no doubt become a staple in the genre. My one complaint is in the visual department. While the novelty of a hip-hop album cover this different is not lost on me, I think cartoon bears being shot out of cartoon cannons into a Disney esque cartoon outer space tends to be a little too childish for an album as good as this one.

Busdriver: RoadKillOvercoat (Anti/Epitaph)

I'd heard Busdriver a few times before RoadKillOvercoat was released, and I never thought too much of him. His earlier releases initially struck me as a bit pretentious and a little annoying but definitely impressive. His flow is extremely rapid and choppy lending itself to it own unlistenability, but boasting a vast vocabulary and some really interesting lyrical content. And that's where I left him. That is until my roommate got a copy of Busdriver's debute on Epitaph records RoadKillOvercoat. Put plainly, this record kills. It still features his hyper fast word-jumble rapping, but something is different. The production complements his stylings and the growth of melody suits him; altogether a valiant abstract rap effort. Stand out track "Sunshower"

Andrew Bird: Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum)

Andrew Bird has an interesting history. Hailing originally from the band Squirrel Nut Zippers (made famous during the late nineties pseudo-swing revival), he has since made an impressive foray into the indie-folk scene. His records are thickly laden with violin and whistles giving his records some of the most interesting and well orchestrated production values in a scene lousy with boring sounding records.

Armchair Apocrypha picks up where his previous record, The Mysterious Production of Eggs, left off. With choruses that unashamedly harness pop appeal without bumming you out with predictability. His lyrics are a mix of whimsical nonsense and very humorous satire, such as the song title "Sick of Elephants" (think about it, it'll come).

Although, not quite the quality of his past offerings, Armchair Apocrypha will still blow you away, especially if you've never rocked Mr. Bird before.

The Good, The Bad, The Facts of Life?

Two things:

1) free andrew bird downloads thanks to the good folks at daytrotter. live versions of fiery crash and lull.

2) where does ap magazine get off giving zookeeper a poor review? last time i checked zookeeper wasn't heading out on warped tour with cute is what we aim for or say anything (not that there's anything wrong with that). the review honestly seemed like they just had unresolved issues with lead singer chris simpson for mineral and the gloria record breaking up back in the day. this is what i get for killing a few minutes in the magazine section of barnes & noble. i guess any press is good press, but seriously, i just don't get it. so let me say this: the cafe LOVES what zookeeper does. we think they might save us all. that's a maybe though. we were gonna road trip to austin to sleep on seth's porch, but it upon thinking about it, it seemed kind of creepy. click here to pre-order zookeeper's full length and if you hustle, they'll even autograph it.