Five Songs I'm Loving This Week

Laura Veirs, "To The Country" (Thanks to Stereogum for the mp3.)

Oh, it's such a pretty song. Oh, it has a multi-layered chorus, and the subject matter is both quaint and vibrant at the same time. The violin is gorgeous and the vocals carry me away. The chorus, "Heavenly stars, heavenly stars" is heavenly, and reminds me alot of our sir, Sufjan Stevens. The violin sounds almost celtic in style in some parts, while the song itself is unclassifiable. I first heard this song on Inhouse With Jeremy Petersen, and I became enamored. I've posted about Laura Veirs before, and I was excited to hear her new album, Saltbreakers. "To The Country" is easily my favorite of her new songs I've heard so far.

Website
Myspace


Laura Veirs and the Saltbreakers

The Kissaway Trail, "Smotherevilhurt" (Thanks to The Daily Growl for the mp3)

This is one of the weirder song names I've heard, especially since there's nothing evil sounding about the song. It actually sounds kind of 80's--like it could be on a John Hughes soundtrack, right next to Belouis Some (if you don't know that name, that's okay--you're in the majority), New Order, or (especially) The Psychedelic Furs. The singer's vocals are a little strained, but that's okay--they don't overshadow the loud, grandiose (in the best 80's way) music. I listen to this song because the 80's aspect reminds me of a time when I thought being a teenager could be sacred, unique and important. A time when John Cusack could hold up a boombox (not a Hughes movie, but the same time period and the same importance to me) and I felt like that boombox was playing for me. Hey--don't laugh. I bet you thought something similar at some point in your life.

The name of the song is listed as Smotherevilhurt on their Myspace, but other places it's listed as Smother + Evil = Hurt. Either way it's still a very cool song, regardless of my 80's fixation.

Website
Myspace


The Kissaway Trail bow to you


Damon and Naomi, In The Sun"

Lola loves her lo-fi, shoegaz-y meditations. This song reminds me of something Nico would've sung for the Velvet Underground--the singer's voice is reminiscent of Nico's, without the sharpness and scratchiness. This song make me want to lie in a darkened bedroom, stare up at a ceiling I can barely see, and try to freeze an unidentifiable feeling and moment in time. I can never capture those moments, but sometimes the feeling of wanting to stop time is the feeling I want to remember.

FYI: They were part of the origins of shoegaze: Galaxie 500.

Website
(no Myspace)


Damon and Naomi

Elliott Smith, "Half Right" (thanks to Lines Through Lines for the mp3)

Elliott Smith has a new album. No, I'm not getting him confused with another artist. No, I'm not playing a mean joke. Yes, I'm serious. He has a new album, in the way Tupac has new albums. The new album, New Moon, has been culled from previously unreleased versions of released songs and completely unreleased material. There are songs like "Pretty Mary K" that were on previous studio albums, and appears on the new album in demo form. My favorite of the few (very few) I've heard from the new album is a cover of the Heatmeiser song "Half Right". It's classic Elliott Smith--sad, resigned and somewhat taunting towards the invisible other person/group of people he's singing to. I always related to him because I could recognize the resentment and anger in his songs.

Album Myspace
Label Site
Very nice fansite



Elliott Smith, New Moon album cover

May or May Not, "Bike"

Big band horns that punch through the song, and staccato vocals that mimic the music remind me of the 70's album-oriented rock I grew up listening to--songs by Yes, America, Supertramp. Songs that were as expansive as this country is, and that sounded as optimistic as it could be also. The elaborate instrumentation in "Bike" is also reminiscent of current bands like Beirut and Devotchka that trade the usual guitar/bass/drums combination of most modern line-ups for a more orchestral configuration.

Website
Myspace
May Or May Not on CDBaby


Will they answer the ad that says "Free kittens to good home"? They May Or May Not...

Miss Lola regrets she's unable to post today.

She's having too much fun watching old episodes of Battlestar Galactica and Lone Gunman to do her Five Songs post. She'll do it tomorrow!

Podcast!!!

RSS Feed

Direct MP3 Download

Show Notes:

1) Dust Rhinos, "Whiskey In The Jar"
Mp3 thanks to: Podshow(only available for free download for podcasters, as far as I can tell), first heard of on Dawn and Drew

Website
Myspace

2) Jonathan Coulton, "You Oughta Know"
Mp3 available on his website
Myspace

3) Winterpills, "Broken Arm"
Mp3 obtained via Fanatic Promotion (only available to podcasters)

Myspace
Website

4) Laura Cortese, "Mrs. Sullivan/Yes I'll Dance"
Thanks to her website for the mp3.

Myspace

5) Jonathan Coulton, "First of May" (Whoot hoot! I'm all about that!)
Thanks to his website for the mp3.

CLARIFICATION: When I say "I've never done it", I mean I've never done it outside. I really need to start writing scripts for these podcasts...

6) Winterpills, "Handkerchiefs"
Mp3 thanks to Fanatic Promotion

7) Laura Cortese, "Bluejays"
Mp3 courtesy of her website.

Thanks! See ya in a week and half!

***

Five Songs I'm Loving This Week

(FYI: New podcast probably tomorrow night)

Delaney, "La Nuit On a Toujours Tout" (Thanks to Pehr Records)

I've taken a total of six years of French in my lifetime: one year in middle school, all throughout high school, and four quarters in college. That's a lot of French (though admittedly not as much as someone who's native speech is French).

Anyhow, armed with my six years of French, I can confidently attest that the title of this song is in French, that "la nuit" means "the night" and "toujours" is "always". I cannot tell you anything else about the title and absolutely nothing about the lyrics.

They say use it or lose it. They ain't kidding.

Ooh...I feel like I'm in a French Bistro in old-world France when I hear this song. I feel like a smokey-voiced chanteuse is singing to me. I suddenly want to walk on an old cobblestone pathway, in a quiet village at sunset. Oh, stop me before I get out Before Sunset.

This isn't a new song, but it's new to me...ya da ya da...y'all know the drill.

Such pretty violin...I feel all spindly and tingly.

Myspace
Label Site


Delaney

Winterpills "A Folded Cloth" (from Fanatic)

I love every song I've heard from this album. I mean love, love, love. Like I love Rogue Wave. Like I love my boyfriend. Like I would love snow if I ever got to see it. Like I loved Hello Kitty when I was 8. It's the kind of love that gets in my bones and makes me feel all spindly and tingly (kind of like the first song).

It's true love. I couldn't decide what to pick, so I went for the legitimately obtained one (hey, even an mp3 blogstress wants to be above board when she can). They're all excellent, though--I would recommend looking for "Pills For Sara" too. (Just go to Hype Machine and put in the song title or band). I'm certainly going to put one of the others on my podcast this weekend.

Myspace
Label Website
Website


Winterpills

Matzak, "Dadaughter" (thanks to the blog Shake Your Fist)

Ooh! His Myspace says he's French, too--well, it says he's from Paris. How about that? This song is very ambient electronica--my favorite kind of electronica. If you close your eyes and let your conscious go, you may forget where you are. "Let your mind go and your body will follow" (thank you, Steve Martin, for that wonderful quote).

Myspace
Label Website (though I can't find his listing)


Matzak, in repose.

Math and Physics Club, "Weekends Away"

I love the name of their band (I always wanted to be a math or physics geek...even chemistry would've been cool. I was in the French club, though. What did I get from it? Okay, a trip to France and England. I can also say "My tie is blue" in French. Mon cravat est bleu.) Anyhoo, this is a nice, light, slightly wispy song--reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian or The Ocean Blue (circa "Between Something and Nothing") The song makes me want to go for a weekend away. Somewhere slow-paced...maybe Stars Hollow (someone needs to whip those Stars Hollow residents into shape).

More mp3s available at their Website
Myspace (Fan-operated)


Math and Physics Club apparently enjoy sport, also.

Matt Coldrick, "Crown Violet Selflessness"

Because everyone knows Crown Violets are like the Florence Nightingales of the flower kingdom. Also, because it's a very beautiful, relaxing ambient piece of music. Suck it, John Tesh!

Label Website (I get the sense that Absolute Ambient is Matt Coldrick--I looked up the album name Music For A Busy Head and I regularly got his name as the composer, though the sub-name is "Absolute Ambient Volume 1"). CDBaby gives a good explanation of who he is.


Matt Coldrick, album cover for Music * For A Busy Head

Five Songs I'm Loving This Week

The Airborne Toxic Event - "Does This Mean You're Moving On?": (From the 2007 self-released EP The Airborne Toxic Event)

This song makes me want to jump up and down. It reminds me of bands like Madness and The English Beat. That makes me happy.

Myspace
(No Website)


The Airborne Toxic Event

Arizona, "David" (From the album Welcom Back, Dear Children...thanks to Woxy)

I first heard this song, along with many of their other songs, as part of an in house live session from Woxy internet radio. My first impression was that it was interesting--it definitely had potential, but I could tell that the live version was kind of scratchy and I'd need to hear the recorded version to be able to judge it. When I did hear the non-live version, I realized it had a grandiosity (of the non-pretentious variety) that was captured best with studio production. This song would've fit right in as a reflective moment on a prog-rock record (Yes? Maybe a little Led Zeppelin in the guitar strumming)--a quiet moment gives way to thrashing, crashing guitar, and the singer has a lilting, lifting falsetto that follows the song through each stage.

Website
Myspace


Arizona

The National, "Fake Empire" (From the album Boxer...thanks to Salon for the song)

Finally, the follow-up to one of my favorite albums of the decade. Their previous album, Alligator, reminded me what I loved about music: unique melodies, a rich, powerful vocal and strong, strong music. The new song shows the combination has not been abandoned.

Website
Myspace


The National

Aveo, "The Idiot On The Bike" (from the album Battery. Thanks to KEXP)

They're not British, but something about this song makes me want to go to a pub, hit a beer bottle over my head, yell "Oy!!!" and start a bar fight. I don't know why. I think it has something to do with the loud, unrelenting drums and the tense, underlying bass line. Or maybe it's the guy going "lalalalalalala" like he's taunting me. Maybe it's the nihilistic tone of the lyrics--the dude talks about explosions and such. Either way, dancing to it is a good release.

Myspace
Label Site (No Website)


Aveo

Nouveau Vague, "Dancing With Myself" (thanks to Coverville)

It doesn't hurt that this is one of my favorite Billy Idol songs (tying with "White Wedding" and "Eyes Without A Face" for the top position), but this version of the song is so different that it makes me feel like it's a completely different song. Imagine getting the chance to hear an old, old favorite for the first time again. That's how I feel when I listen to this.

Website
Myspace


Nouvelle Vague

Podcast!!!

Direct Download

Show Notes:

Episode 16, In which Lola misses parts of 24 for the sake of her podcast

1) Fridge, "Cut Up Piano and Xylophone" (Playing during my first talkie part)
from their label site, Temporary Residence.

2) Field Music, "Closer At Hand" (from AOL Music's site, Spinner).

3) Miles Cool, "My Old School" (Steely Dan cover) found on Coverville's website.

4) Midlake, "Roscoe" (from Insound)

5) Andrew Bird, "Heretic" (from Artist Direct)

6) Explosions In The Sky, "Welcome, Ghosts" (also from Temporary Residence--for some reason this song isn't on their band page, but it's on the MP3s page. When you first go to the site, click on the main graphic to enter the site. At the top of the site you'll see a row of birds. Find the bird that corresponds to the MP3s link and click on it. The mp3s are listed alphabetically--"Welcome, Ghosts" is under Explosions in the Sky.

That's it for tonight. The Lola girl is going to bed. Have a happy whatever it is--Tuesday, Wednesday, whatever day you're reading this...

Five Songs I'm Loving This Week

Ooh...while I'm thinking of it...let me mention: Podcast either tonight or tomorrow night...

Lismore, "1979"

I hadn't heard this song in years (five at least) until I heard this version on one of the podcasts I listen to. I was wandering through the cubicles at work, searching for decaf coffee (a neverending and often unfruitful quest), and I was also obsessing about how much I hate my job and how I must leave before I go crazy and just start screaming. This song came on, and suddenly instead of mentally kvetching, I began to feel like I was gliding. I looked at the wall to my left, the rows of cubicles to my right, the flat carpet below, the flourescents above, and suddenly I felt above it all. I felt beyond that place; beyond any of that unhappiness mattering. Sometimes good electronica can do that...especially if it's applied to a song I consider an iconic piece of music from my second childhood (AKA my 20's).

Website
Myspace


Not an exact reproduction of the band Lismore

Jarvis Cocker, "Baby's Coming Back To Me"

Perhaps I've gotten obsessed (re-obsessed) with the 90's? Perhaps I miss the simpler time in my life...but, yep. This is the guy from Pulp. You know, the guy who was gonna meet that girl in the year 2000. Also, the guy who wants to sleep with Common People (my favorite Pulp song) and duets with William Shatner? Well, he's back with a solo album called Jarvis. I've heard a few of the songs from the album, and I originally wanted to post "Ruling The World", but he uses the one word in the English language I find personally offensive and can't bear to hear. I don't think he means to imply that unfavorable women are ruling the world--I think it's another way of saying "assholes rule the world". I guess if I were a guy, I would probably find that offensive. I think of assholes as applying to guys. Anyways, I took a shining to "Baby's Coming Back To Me", also, so I decided to use that one. It's slow and charming, in a light 50's way. It's the song they would play at the end of the sock hop--the "all couples dance" song. It retains the heart of what I love about Pulp's music--it seems like a throwback to another era, yet it still seems timeless. The way "Disco 2000" will always mean something to me long after I forget the actual year 2000. (Thanks to Inhouse for posting the songs).

Myspace
Wikipedia
(404 on the website listed on Myspace)


Jarvis Cocker, or at least part of him

The Mother Hips, "Time-Sick Son of a Grizzly Bear"

Ooh! I heard this band a few days ago. I was looking up information on the new Kings of Leon band, and this band was mentioned in the same article as being similar to them. They definitely rock with the same abandon and pure spirit of the boys of the South. They have a little My Morning Jacket in them, too. Something about this music makes me want to wear jeans and live on a commune. Nothing has ever made me want to do that. Not even certain substances. The band apparently has been around for 15 years. Well, mentally I haven't been around for a full 15 years, so that can explain why I haven't heard them before.

Website
Myspace


This is an old picture of The Mother Hips, but isn't it a great picture?

Andrew Rothman, "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"

Moxie (my iCat) doesn't like this song, but I think it rolls. It's frikkin' awesome. I don't remember much about the original song, but this version could've been lifted right out of the 70's. I'm not saying that the reason it's excellent is because it's a faithful rendition. No--it's awesome because the man's voice is monumental. It embodies all of the soul of the song. The piano and the other instruments are just there to underscore what already lives and breathes in his vocal. My heart clenches when he says his daddy had another family and would steal to pay his bills, I feel the pain rolling out of the speakers. (Thanks again to Coverville for this song).

I think Moxie's too young to get it. If she's a good kitty I'll play "Let's Go To The Mall" for her again.

Website
(No Myspace found)


This the only picture of Andrew Rothman I could find. Please, don't shoot the messenger. His website is gorgeous, though--he's a graphic designer as well. Unfortunately the picture of him on that site is part of the wallpaper.

Page France, "Junkyard"

I don't like a lot of Page France's songs--some of them are a little too treacly for me. However, this is one awesome song. One awesome song is enough to make me love an artist. In this case, they had me at "rattle with the car parts". Anyone who says someone was told to glow majestically and love until their hands bleed...okay, so yeah, the lyrics are kind of weird. I really like off-the-wall lyrics, even if they make no sense (hey, "1979" has lyrics like "I don't want to lose these zipper blues"...I can't be judgemental).

Website
Myspace
Purevolume


Page France