I've got one more song for our holiday picks:
The Maine - "Ho Ho Hopefully." Infectious is a word that is overused by people who talk about music. So instead of using that word, I'm going to say that this catchy song from the Tempe, AZ based band is contagious. They're virtually the same thing.
This article was in the New York Times on Sunday. I found its discussion about the changing dynamics of the music industry very interesting, honest, and insightful. I suggest you read it.
More to come.
Every year I ask for something ridiculous for Christmas. When I was 14 it was a bass guitar. When I was 15 it was an acoustic guitar. When I was 16 it was a keyboard. When I was 17 it was a new acoustic guitar. And when I was 18 I grew up...or something. Now that my hair has started receding from my head, as if my face just stunk up the bathroom and everyone is running out to get away from the smell, I'm asking for things like...socks...money...warm hats...coupons for free back massages...and other things that emphasize my submission to aging. But this year, I asked for something really ridiculous. Actually, I don't think it's that ridiculous; but the fact that I didn't get it suggests to me that maybe it is. What I wanted for Christmas was to hear some new Christmas songs. I'm sick of hearing that damn "Baby it's cold outside" crap. If it's cold outside put a jacket on. So, I'm forced to gift myself. Here are some holiday songs (but mostly Christmas songs--sorry Jewish/other friends) that you can tap into when the holiday cheer starts to make you nauseous.
1. Bright Eyes - "Blue Christmas." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGlZY7V3qlE
We get it. The holidays are supposed to be a time for baking cookies, drinking eggnog, lighting Christmas trees and/or menorahs and generally feeling holly and jolly. But for those of us who can't help but find ourselves alone, annoyed by the sudden appearance of unwanted family members, and on the verge of breaking into a full-on drunken brawl with Uncle Albert, we can count on Conor Oberst to remind us that we're not alone when we feel alone. So are we still alone?
2. The Used - "Alone This Holiday." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhdzVJGRErI
The Used released this song on their album Maybe Memories. For further explanation, read above.
3. Brighten - "Merry Christmas Baby." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJSGDphWX1M
I don't mean to make it sound like I'm anti-holidays. Or that I typically feel alone on Christmas. But sometimes, all you want is to be around the ones you love. This acoustic song from the band Brighten perfectly captures that precise desire.
4. Marilyn Manson - "Nightmare Before Christmas."
If you haven't heard this song then you aren't worthy of any explanation I might write here.
The "Twelve Days of Christmas" Collection:
(in order of actually cool to kind of ridiculous).
1. Straight No Chaser. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28GUU1YbP_E&feature=related
Indiana University produced a male acapella group that has recently released an album. They were even awarded with a television special in which they performed their version of this timeless classic. Many people try to throw in their own variations to this song, but this is, in my expert opinion, the best I've heard. Since their original performances at IU, they have changed the song, unfortunately for the worse. I haven't been unable to find the original version, but this is the best of the remix that I've found. If I can find the original I will throw it in here.
2. Taking Back Sunday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=detV7_95jjg
Adam and ex-guitarist Fred sit up on stools for this AOL-produced "god-forsaken song," as Fred calls it. Fred does most of the singing while Adam throws in his commentary. Worth seeing once. Emphasis on once.
As a side note, what I really wanted for Christmas was The Dark Knight. And I didn't get it. So, if you want to send it to me feel free.
Hello to the fleshiest of the fleshiest. Here is my official recap of 2008--High Fidelity style. Check back for my thoughts on the 5 worst albums of 2008.
1. The Fashion - The Fashion. This band is single-handedly responsible for making my friends hate me. For, their ridiculously catchy, rough-edged indie rock has kept me addicted to songs "Like Knives" and "Take the Money and Run." I can't help but involuntarily shout, "You're so outta control, gotta be more in control" at random points of the day. My love for this record isn't really describable and can only be justified by the fact that iTunes has knighted this group of Denmark's songs as the most played tracks among my libary. I'm sure even iTunes hates me now.
2. Dr. Manhattan - Dr. Manhattan. This band may seem new, but they've been around since 2005 playing Warped Tour, Bamboozle and other big music festivals. This Vagrant signed band, which took their name from the Watchmen comic books, has produced a record that will make you cringe with satisfaction and revel in the days of the crunchy, rough power of Taking Back Sunday's Tell All Your Friends. Their sound is so unique that the "similar artists" Last.fm links to Dr. Manhattan are as similar as Flava Flav is to Mariah Carey.
3. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden have set the bar high for themselves. They've made Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of '08 and the synth-pop single, "Time to Pretend," which made it in the Movie 21, is #3 on their list of the year's best singles. But the stature Rolling Stone has given them is not reason enough to name this Brooklyn based band as the third best album of 2008. Other than "Time to Pretend," "Kids," "Pieces of What," and "Electric Eel," carry the weight of the record. Even though their voices are't up to par with Beyonce, their retro melodies over standard beats provide a fresh look at synth indie rock.
4. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst. There's one thing wrong with this record: Conor Oberst is trying too hard to sound like Bob Dylan. However, he does a pretty good job at it and, for that reason, he makes it to number four with his self-titled solo record. The Bob Dylan remnance comes out in "Souled Out" and "I Don't Wanna Die (In the Hospital)," and reminders of Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning come out in "Milk Thistle" and "Lenders In the Temple." He does everything that Bright Eyes does to pull you in, but in a slightly more stripped down, mature way. Is the difference big enough for him to make it a solo album, though? Why not just make it another Bright Eyes record?
5. The Academy Is... - Fast Times at Barrington High. This record might not be the best work of this indie band out of Chicago. However, it was certainly one of the best of 2008 and most definitely a step forward from their 2007 sophomore album Santi which let a lot of followers down. Fans of Cobra Starship found comfort in the Fast Times track "Crowded Room" (especially because of Gabe Saporta's guest vocals) and lead singer William Beckett once again proves his ability to be both upbeat and stylish as well as sentimental and smooth in "After the Last Midtown Show." It's hard to find something wrong with this record. I'll admit, it doesn't offer quite the satisfaction that their 2005 debut Almost Here did, but it does prove that The Academy Is... have a knack for catching everyone's ears (and not just those of teenage girls and Fall Out Boy fans).
Honorable Mentions
Ben Folds - Way To Normal
Kings of Leon - Only By the Light
Jeremy Messersmith - The Silver City
Chad VanGaalen - Soft Airplane
Here is a list of the musical acts we featured each week as our Unsigned Artist of the Week:
Jenny Owen Youngs (www.jennyowenyoungs.com)
An Ocean (www.myspace.com/anoceansound)
London Airspace (www.myspace.com/londonairspace)
Stephanie Barrak (www.myspace.com/stephaniebarrak)
Brighten (www.myspace.com/wearebrighten)
Destry (www.myspace.com/destrymusic)
Beautiful Small Machines (www.myspace.com/beautifulsmallmachines)
Dave Smallen (www.myspace.com/davesmallen)
Kevin Devine (www.myspace.com/kevindevine)
Happy finals week all you fleshys!
So I'm not too sure if an unsigned band of the week has already been crowned but I found one that ain't too shabby in my opinion.
I present to you...
Lights Resolve
Fresh out of New York, this unsigned band acts and seems like a signed band on the cusp of making it big. Lights Resolve has been featured on the New York Post's website, produced several music videos, and has an active fan club, not to mention Last Lights will be co-headlining in a East Coast tour next month [Boston stop: January 12 @ the Middle East]
Check out Last Light's music video for Another Five Days It's full of symbolism and has some sort of meaning but because I have 3 finals left to tackle, I'll leave it up to you to decipher the video.
myspace.com/lightsresolve
Happy listening and Happy almost-winter break!!
See below after you read. It ought to make sense.
Hospitals are funny places. For most people, it's the last place you want to be. But there's an odd transformation that occurs when you are actually admitted to one. When they first tell you that you need to be sent to an emergency room, the first thing you think is god, what an inconvenience. Isn't there something else? There's got to be an easier way. All you wanted was a prescription to make it stop hurting, or to make the swelling go down. Just make it stop. Now. But instead, you've got more hurdles to leap over (but you won't have the fortune of a running head start). You look at the nurse or the doctor, whoever it is that's telling you that you need treatment beyond what he or she can provide. You want to say to her, "Why You Gotta Make It So Hard?" It's not going to get you anywhere, though. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.
Somewhere around the time that you actually start getting treatment your opinion on the matter starts to change. It's hard to describe, exactly; and depending on how you get to the hospital, the change might come sooner rather than later. Maybe you're lucky enough to get a ride in an ambulance. They're not just reserved for people who've had their hands blown off or got their leg mauled by a pit bull, you know. Ordinary people with relatively minor illnesses get a flashing-lights-tour through the city too. The thought of riding in ambulance is all too scary until you're in it. "God, I'm in such bad shape that I need an ambulance?" you think. That's not always the case though, "better safe than sorry" is what they say. And while you're in there, you think that whatever happens, you'll come out of it with a good story--and the things you could do with that story!
Maybe this is the motivation you need to take charge on something in your life that you've been putting off. It's the classic epiphany that people have in movies all the time: where you realize your days are numbered and there's no sense in watching Cassandra walk by your desk every day without saying hello to her. Live each day as if it's your last, some big time actor always says.
Or maybe now you finally have content. Content for your next book. Your next script. Your next song. Your next album. God, this is gonna be a great story--and all the ways you can tell it! Maybe you'll write it out, plain as day in a memoir. Or maybe it'll come out in a poem, all the precise details hidden behind similes, metaphors, and a conglomeration of alliterated words. Don't forget a good juxtaposition. Maybe you'll write a song. Maybe each note will carefully re-tell how your eyes fell to the floor when you knew you were going to the hospital; or how the whole thing changed your life. You could even call it The Hospital Song.
This is it now. Your hospital visit is going to make a real, significant, life-altering transformation. You're finally free to make of yourself what you want. You're the un-phased "Yes" man. You're The Artist In the Ambulance.
If you don't get an ambulance ride, or even if you do, a change in attitude is amplified by your treatment--the complete care of a nurse, a doctor, an intern, an attending is all for you. Right now, you are their world. They want nothing more than for you to get and feel better. And God knows that's all you want to. They slowly become your little cheering section. Each pain killer they put in your IV and each injection they make in your body is really a shout of encouragement. It's a shake of the pom-pom and a "You can do it!" They're the firefighters out your window. They yell at you, "Don't worry, I"ll catch you."
Some people say that Hospital Rooms Aren't For Lovers. By no means is a hospital room romantic. The bed certainly isn't suited for love making. You wouldn't want to get over-excited in your delicate state, anyway. Plus, there are those nurses checking on you every few minutes. The truth is, though, that hospitals, maybe not hospital rooms specifically, but hospitals are for lovers. They are precisely for lovers. In fact, there is no better group of people that could enter a hospital together. For, you don't want to go to the hospital alone. No one does. Sure it would be nice if your family (as in your parents) were there. But they'd be obligated. The presence of your lady; her strong, tightening grip on your hand as she cries knowing you're in more pain than you can handle. These are one of the best things in the world. Obviously, you'd much rather not be in this situation where tears are quickly rising the water level in the room and the pain is enough to keep you constantly and involuntarily releasing a low murmur between your tired vocal chords. But really, it means a lot. The way she gives it up, gives everything up to bet there with you; the way she annoys the nurses to get you another dose of morphine; the way she stays with you while you sleep, so that you'll be the first thing you see when your groggy eyes open for the first time after coming out of surgery. All of these things are her way of saying, "I don't ever want you to be in this situation. But if you are, I Could Be There For You.
When it's all over, you're glad that you came. You almost feel sad leaving the place. You won't miss the feel of the cold, annoyingly sterile floor on your bare feet, or the way a random cry of pain from your hospital roommate will prevent you from sleeping through the whole night. But you've come to The Resolution. You will miss the camaraderie that you've built and the cheers from your nurses and hopes to get better. Oddly enough, despite the inconvenience and the terrible physical pain you've endured, something has made you better. Something has made you stronger. And you can't help but feel like you are The Luckiest.
The Tonsilar Abscess Playlist:
1. Michael Runion - "Why You Gotta Make It So Hard?" (I couldn't actually find a link for this one, let me know if you want it).
2. Ben Folds - "The Hospital Song"
3. Thrice - "The Artist In The Ambulance"
4. The Get Up Kids - "I'll Catch You"
5. Bear Colony - "Hospital Rooms Aren't For Lovers" (I couldn't find a link for this one either).
6. Eisley - "I Could Be There For You."
7. Jack's Mannequin - "The Resolution"
8. Ben Folds - "The Luckiest."
Don't watch all the videos if you don't want to. In fact, some of them are kind of weird.
Stay safe out there.
Yo...Justin [aka Pedro] the intern here...
So there are millions of top 5 albums of 2008 going around so I might as well add mine...
1)MGMT- Oracular Spectacular- Its catchy and its frrrrresh [like our show]..a perfect combination
2)The Academy Is...- Fast Times At Barrington High -The Academy is back! and it was gooood!
3) Tokyo Police Club- Elephant Shell - Yeah the average song might be 2:30 long but its 2 and a half minutes of catchy, foot stompin muzac.
4) Carolina Liar- Coming To Terms -Its pretty new but each track is so different that it just shot straight up to number 4.
5) Kings of Leon- Only By The Night - A bit different from their previous album and caused me to shout YOUR SEX IS ON FIRE! at random T stops for months.
Gosh, I love alliteration.
Yesterday's show was all over the place, like most of our shows. Apart from being our last official broadcast of the semester, we also had the fortunate opportunity to talk with Kylee Swenson from the band Loquat. Kylee is a very honest and insightful person and she was willing to talk to us about seemingly everything involving the process of recording Loquat's new record, what it's like being married to Anthony Gordon, the band's bassist, the status of the music industry, and how to get started as an inspiring musician. A big thanks goes out to her for taking time out of her day to talk with us! Check out some more information on our interview about www.wtburadio.org. I will post an mp3 of the interview soon. Stay tuned!
Check out Loquat's new album, Secrets of the Sea by visiting iTunes, their myspace, or www.loquatmusic.com. Start off with the ethereal sounding, Bjork-reminiscent "Harder Hit" and move on down to "Swingset Chain" (which was featured on One Tree Hill many moons ago).
While Monday's show was technically the last regularly scheduled broadcast, we will have one last send-off before 2009 comes and smacks us in the face: Friday, December 19th, from 4-6 p.m. as always, on www.wtburadio.org.
Don't be a stranger. Stay safe out there.
-Joey
For the past two weeks, we featured the same artist as our unsigned band of the week. Was it because they are that damn good or just because we're lazy? Perhaps both.
Beautiful Small Machines come from the Big Apple and is the band-backed product of Bree Sharp's solo work. She teamed up with the man behind her in this picture, who apparently goes by the name Rocket del Fuego. Whatever you wanna call him, together they've created a refreshing, crisp sound that indie-lovers will enjoy as much as anyone who just listens for the hook.
Start off with "Robots In Love" from the album with the same name which was just released and is available at live shows and will soon be on Amazon and iTunes.
Then move on down to "Counting Back to 1." The melodies get a little over the top in "Superconductor," which is riddled with lame analogies you might expect to find in a Britney Spears song (you're on my radar, anyone?). But that is no reason to write them off just yet. Give 'em a try, and if you like them, and will be in New York, check them out at the Bowery Ballroom on December 19.
Hey loyal and loving fans of the Fleshy Fresh!
We've decided to take our show to the fanciful internet. Chances are you're listening to our show through WTBU's webiste, www.wtburadio.org, anyway.
We're about to finish up programming for this semester but we'll keep the blog alive over Christmas break so that you don't go crazy without your fix.
Thanks for your love and support. More to come!
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