First Aid Kit

Like most people, I stumbled across First Aid Kit because of their super amazing and beautiful cover of Fleet Foxes' "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song." With the help of this great thing called "the internet" I found out that their goodness extends further. If I was half as talented as these 15 and 17-year old sisters, I probably would be hospitalized with an exploded brain.

Listen up here. I like "You're Not Coming Hope Tonight" a whole lot.

Lookit! The cover heard round the tubes here!

Items of Note

Just when I think I'm going to post some more, I get busy. In the past three weeks I:

• got engaged.
• moved into a new apartment.
• went to Delaware.
• went to Texas.

And all the while we have waited on Time Warner to give us the Internets so I can tell you about the following:

• The Pitchfork Music Festival
• The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
• Sriracha
• The Daptone Revue at SummerStage

Pitching Forks in the always-uncomfortable Second City
Is it just me or does Chicago always suck? It's either hot as a Saharan scrotum or so cold my future children are forced to don sweaters. This visit, true to form, it was both rainy AND hot as shit. But it was okay because the beers were surprisingly cheap and it made the hipsters in tight black jeans all the more amusing.

There were bands there too! We skipped Friday's performance by Public Enemy because, as witnessed at Rock the Bells last year, Flava Flav has completely lost it. Here's what I thought of some of the bands:

Things that Make You Go :(

• Spiritualized should always have a choir and orchestra with them. Otherwise they're just a bland rock band.
• Jay Reatard is a nightmare of a person and should refrain from doing anything in public, ESPECIALLY with a guitar.
• I just don't get why people like the Hold Steady. The 90s have passed.
• Spoon is surprisingly bad live. I actually didn't see them at Pitchfork because I saw them at Prospect Park this year and getting out early sounded more attractive at the time.

Things that Make You Go :)

• Vampire Weekend surprised me. I cannot stand that kid's voice or his UWS attitude, but they were better than expected as a whole. Plus the drummer was wearing a Phish shirt, which amounts to 20 cool points, redeemable at the gift shop for an eraser or Chinese finger trap.
• Fleet Foxes can sing, in case you ain't heard. Plus the drummer is packing a sense of humor, albeit without a permit.
• I prefer my Wu-Tang Cocktail with all the suggested ingredients, but Ghostface & Raekwon made it enjoyable enough to sing along and let everyone in the vicinity know that cash does, in fact, rule everything around me.

Things that Make You Go :) !

• King Khan and his Shrines was a great show. I heard somewhere the guy's kind of a jerk, but he wears a cape, which negates most things.
• I don't care for their recorded stuff, but holy shit is !!! awesome live.
• Occidental Brothers Dance Band International: If you like world music and shaking what your mother gave you, you will like this band. I know I did.

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
According to their site they don't have any more scheduled shows this year, so for your sake I hope you caught them recently, either at a bar or in the subway. They've been known to frequent both. They are one of the best bands around and put together one of the best music videos I've ever seen. And get this: They're all brothers except the drummer, who I believe is a cousin. I haven't seen a family of musicians like this since little Mikey Jackson was discussing his ABCs.



Sriracha
How is this shit not in every goddamned grocery store by now?



The Daptone Revue
This past Sunday I sucked it up and made the 70 mile trek (felt like it, anyway) to Manhattan's "Central Park" to catch the last show of SummerStage 2008: A sexy as all get-out revue presented by Daptone Records, the hottest thing out of Brooklyn since me, earlier that day. The first act was Naomi Shelton, to whom I paid little attention on account of trying to find a decent fucking spot to stand. The second band up was the Menahan Street Band, a new project involving members of both the Dap-Kings and Antibalas. They're already making a name for themselves, having been tapped even before their first show to provide the beat for some guy named Jay-Z, apparently also from Brooklyn. Their second show is at Southpaw in Brooklyn in October. I highly suggest checking it out. Don't expect lyrics, but you may be treated to a delicious serving of the Rocky theme song.

Naturally, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings caboosed the revue by showing everyone how it's done.

I shall see your Big Brother, and raise you a music video.

Today's "wish I'da thought of that" is brought to you by a British band that doesn't have money for a music video but a decent amount of time on their crumpet-grubbin' hands. Watch the video here.




On another note, it's June 3rd and if you knew what was good for you, you'd be checking out Jukebox the Ghost at the Blender Theater. But if you're like me and prefer to get the shit out of Manhattan as soon as you're done with work, you can catch them June 20th in Brooklyn at Union Hall.

City Lights are Remarkably Soft in Ohio

Something delicious is simmering in Cincinnati, and I mean something besides noodles in chili.*

Soft City Lights is a site dedicated to showing high-quality videos of bands in the studio at woxy.com. The site began as an homage to - and place to display the talents of - bands and artists in the Cincinnati area. However, Kevin Bayer, the Master of Minds behind Soft City Lights, has been known to work with bands rather far away from the riverbank, namely Jukebox the Ghost** and The Kills.

You'll notice that the Soft City Lights homepage features the latest video, an intimate version of "A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene," one of the best tracks from Okkervil River's 2007 album The Stage Names.*** You can hear the album version on their MySpace page.

A live performance is a beautiful thing.


* Skyline is disgusting.
** Jukebox the Ghost was the best band at Southpaw in Brooklyn on Monday, April 14th.
*** You should own this album.

Dig, Reader, Dig!!!

Over at the old AOL Full CD Listening Party, which has apparently been re-dubbed "Spinner" (who knew?) you can stream the new Breeders album, MOUNTAIN BATTLES. It's very good. But that's not why I'm here. Actually, I fully recommend scrolling to the end of the list of albums that are currently available for your listening pleasure (I know, it's hard to bypass the new Cut/Copy and Clinic) and check out Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' new one, DIG, LAZARUS DIG!!! Apparently it's about Lazarus (ya know, from the bible) waking up in 1970s NYC, and not being terribly happy about it. I'm only two tracks in and I already know I love it. Click here to stream it, or watch the video for the title track below. Even if you don't like the music, Cave's mustache alone is worth a gander. It's a thing of beauty.

Update: Link is fixed. Also, I've listened to the whole thing now and it's double confirmed -- I love it.

They have video for the web now

For more than a decade, Pitchfork has been cranking out critical reviews and news about indie pop and rock. Yesterday, they escalated their prowess on the web with the launch of something new for the brand, but entirely old skool in format: the music video.

Welcome to Pitchfork.TV.


Read an interview with founder Ryan Schreiber.

And, for one week only, watch loudQUIETloud, the Pixies documentary, in its entirety.

M. Ward Not Playing Favorites

Check out this acoustic set with MMJ's Jim James. Recorded at a church at this year's SXSW. (thanks, Aq. Drunkard)

Also, his collaboration with Zooey Deschanel - She & Him - is up.

NPR @ SXSW

Hi. You may know NPR from such things as radio and news on the radio. Well, it just so happens they've got themselves a swell music site: www.npr.org/music

Go now so you can say, "Dude. I was going to NPR's music site when it was in beta," and thusly obtain cool points. Additionally, if you are not subscribing to the All Songs Considered podcast, you should probably get on them shits.


NPR's music troopers are currently troopin' it up at SXSW, providing pictures and full concerts for those with less-sexy jobs, namely you and me.

Bon Iver: Singer, Songwriter ... Hunter.

Check out this interview with Mr. Vernon, then check out (or re-check out) his tunes ..."For Emma, Forever Ago"

Dri = Luv

I put this cd on the server a while ago and then forgot to write about it!

..."Dri is Adrianne Verhoeven from the Anniversary, Art In Manila and Fourth Of July. "Smoke Rings" is her debut solo record out now on Range Life. Recorded at Mixtape Soundlab in Lawrence, Kansas with production by SayMyName, Josh Powers, 1,000,000 Light Years and Nezbeat."...

its a great album that touches many genres...a great break from indie rock...
enjoy