So, i’ve been following this little Texas band since the spring of 1995, seeing them live in Dallas so many times that when they happened to be playing a concert at my high school (!) in Vancouver (!) at the same time I was home visiting, Leigh recognized me from stage and asked where she’d seen me before (one of my all-time favorite stalker fan moments. Their break-up has been lamented over and again, and when I heard Matt and Leigh were back in the studio . . . *swoon*
Courtesy of my new BFF Shane Bertou, I discovered a wonderful website, Noise Trade. Its hook is that you can either pay what you want to download an album (the Radiohead model), or you can give them the e-mail address of three of your friends and then download the album FOR FREE (the spam-your-friends model). I chose the latter, of course, which would explain the Noise Trade invitations that some of you received in your inbox (sorry).
Anyway, the album! Leigh sounds great, especially on “Sooner Than Later” and “Amazing Grace (Give It Back”). Matt’s lyrics are as poignant as ever, as both have been through much in the years since the dissolution of the original band.
(IRH note: this has been sitting in my drafts for three or four weeks. sorry)
I picked up the new Chris Walla (guitarist and producer for indie gods Death Cab For Cutie) solo debut Field Manual the other day at the now closed (!!!) Fremont Sonic Boom Records. The buzz was really good, so I was stoked to check it out. I like very much (but maybe not love) Death Cab, but I thought Walla’s production on Tegan and Sara’s The Con was brilliant.
The Field Manual . . . well, i like it very much (but maybe not quite love it). Parts of it remind me of Plans-era Death Cab (which makes sense, since a couple tracks were rumored to be Plans B-Sides), and it’s easy to see Walla’s influence in the band that made him indie-famous. Walla’s not quite the lyricist that Gibbard is, but I kinda like his voice a bit better. All in all, it’s worth checking out, and i’ll say that i’m quite surprised that no one in my Death Cab-loving circle has had anything to say yet.
For a “music blog”, i certainly haven’t been talking about music for a while. Here’s a quick rundown of a few things I’ve been listening to lately:
Band of Horses - Cease To Begin
I had very high hopes for this one. Everything All The Time made my Best of 2006 list, so I was anxious to see how the move to South Carolina was going to pan out for the former NW’ers. It’s a good, solid release. It’s not my favorite, and I don’t think it’s going to make this year’s list, but it’s probably still a 4 out of 5. Ben’s vocals are still the strongest, most unique aspect of the band. The arrangements are stronger this time out, but the overall feel is a bit more mainstream.
A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder
TSW is the debut of I Radio Heaven fave The New Pornographer’s frontman A.C. (Carl) Newman. It’s a 2004 release, and I’ve been looking for it for a while (thanks, eMusic). So far, I love it. It’s basically TNP-lite, though it’s a better solo release than Broken Social Scene Presents . . . Kevin Drew Spirit If. Just like The New Pornographers, it’s indie-pop wonder at it’s best; for fans of Spoon, etc.
Tunng - Good Arrows
I picked this one up on my foray to Ballard last Monday, so i’ve only had time for a couple of listens. The word “folktronica” has been tossed around in describing this band, but the first thing I thought of was 2006’s masterpiece The Dust of Retreat from Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s. It’s dreamy and ethereal, with grand but never pretentious instrumentation. Very good, and very worth checking out.
In 2005, Indianapolis’s Margot And The Nuclear So and So’s released the unorthodox and indescribable, The Dust Of Retreat. From the self made success of that record the 8-piece landed themselves a deal with Epic Records. The band is currently recording a full length album with Brian Deck (Iron and Wine, Modest Mouse, Califone) slated for release in early 2008. Overcoming the collapse of their former record label and logging more than 100,000 miles on the road, the band found a way to get their orchestral pop sound to the masses. This winter the band will be hitting the road for a string of headlining US dates, partly in support of new material.
the rumors are true; Radiohead is finally around to releasing LP7, titled In Rainbows.
here’s the deal: they’re offering the album in two formats right now, discbox and download. The discbox is $80 and includes the album on both CD and Vinyl (plus the bonus disc), which will ship on or before December 3rd. The download (which is also part of the discbox deal) lets you download In Rainbows on October 10th; the price you pay for this is entirely up to you.
Here’s the tracklisting!
CD 1 AND VINYL
15 STEP
BODYSNATCHERS
NUDE
WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI
ALL I NEED
FAUST ARP
RECKONER
HOUSE OF CARDS
JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE
VIDEOTAPE
CD 2 AND VINYL MK 1
DOWN IS THE NEW UP
GO SLOWLY
MK 2
LAST FLOWERS
UP ON THE LADDER
BANGERS AND MASH
4 MINUTE WARNING
Indie pop/folk/alt.country duo (and I Radio Heaven namesakes) Over the Rhine are back with a huge tour announcement and a song from their upcoming release The Trumpet Child.
I heard this song back in November when I caught them up in Vancouver at Regent College, and it sounds even better with a full band behind it.
The blogworld will soon be abuzz with this news, and we at I Radio Heaven want to do our part . . .
Stereogum has just released an exclusive, track by track tribute to Radiohead’s brilliant OK Computer to celebrate the tenth anniversary of it’s release. Among the artists contributing are David Bazan, My Brightest Diamond, Vampire Weekend, The Twilight Sad, and I Radio Heaven heroes Cold War Kids.
I’m late to this party, but Stereogum posted Patti Smith’s cover of Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from her new disc Twelve. It’s interesting, but I still prefer Tori Amos’s version.
I’ve never been more than a casual White Stripes fan, but this new song is pretty good. It’s nice to see that Jack White’s playtime with The Raconteurs didn’t sever the telepathic link that Meg has to his guitar.
Posted by klnussbaum
Posted by klnussbaum
Posted by klnussbaum
