Don’s Mobile Barbers

From their myspace page:

“‘Boom Times’ is Dmb’s third album in two years, and it continues to mine a rich seam of fuzzily emotional pop in the vein of Grandaddy, Mercury Rev, and Flaming Lips – with their minimal arrangements creating a sound even more powerfully dynamic than that of many larger bands.”

Another quote, this time from Steve Lamacq:

“The drummer plays drums and keyboard at the same time and the singer plays guitar and keyboard, at the same time……. They’re great!”

Sorry for the lazy post, but I think you get the idea. If you don’t, just check out the MP3s! They’re all recommended!

[MP3] Don’s Mobile Barbers – Standing Back, Facing Forward
[MP3] Don’s Mobile Barbers – The Game Is Up

DMB just released their newest LP, from which those great songs came, entitled Boom Time! Do yourselves a favor and grab a copy here!

Men Women & Children

I first listened to this band off their site awhile ago. I didn’t think too much of it, in fact I honestly didn’t expect them to be around for much longer. Little did I know, I was way off. And that’s a good thing.

Men Women & Children aren’t only (still) making music, but they’re making people dance. They’re new album, which is self-titled, is coming out March 14 on Warner Brothers, but you guys should hear what you have to look forward to. Their upcoming release is the sort of electro/dance/rock/pop sound that starts making you tap your foot, only to evolve to full throttle gyration. Of course, the three cups of coffee I had prior to listening to their album could’ve added to my biased. Think The Killers (with more instruments) infused with absurd amounts of energy by some local dance party DJ. Their sound is really something special that seems to becoming slowly produced by many other bands. Regardless, this band is working hard to get into your ears and be that infectious tune you’ll find yourself humming in the middle of the day.

[MP3] Men Women & Children – Dance In My Blood
[MP3] Men Women & Children – Photosynthesis
[MP3] Men Women & Children – Who Found Mr. Fabulous?

They are gonna be touring hard within the next couple of months with some other kick ass bands (Metric, The Format, Action Action, etc.), so make sure to catch their shows. A new music video is supposed to surface soon so make sure to hit their site and MySpace for more info.

The 12 EPs of Bishop Allen

I have to give a shout out to YANP for turning me on to Bishop Allen. I got an email from Justin, expert vocalist of the foursome from Brooklyn, asking us to check out a new song of their’s called Corazon, which comes off of their new EP for the month of January. If you hadn’t heard it from Matt, Bishop Allen plan to release a new EP every month in 2006! Not quite the 50 States Project, but definitely just as admirable (and perhaps more reasonable). If each song off the EPs are as good as Corazon, Bishop Allen may just prove to be one of the best bands of 2006.

[MP3] Bishop Allen – Corazon
There’s something about this song that reminds me of growing up, specifically growing up in the 90s. Aside from perhaps slight similarities to the alt/pop rock of those times, there exists within the music a certain nostalgia for the past… the opening chords and beat are fairly simple and enjoyable, the chorus is repetitive and catchy, and the lyrics, sang with a slight vocal quiver (á la Conor Oberst, with a grain of salt) are smart and sensitive, as a great love song should be. Two words to decribe the song? Honest and refreshing.

The EPs will be pressed in batches of 1000 per EP, and will become quite the collector’s item once Bishop Allen gets the recognition they so necessarily deserve. So go over to their order page (temporarily disabled) to get the EP! You can also hit up their general merch site to pick up their critically acclaimed debut Charm School for a measly $12. You can put an iGIF stamp of approval on that disc, you won’t regret it!

The Raconteurs Emerge! New Songs!!

I’ve been waiting for this day ever since I heard that Jack White and Brendan Benson were teaming up on an album. Two songs have been made available on The Raconteurs’ kick-ass website (as streaming media), but because iGIF loves every one of you in a quasi-sexual fervor, we’ve made these two unbelievably awesome songs into mp3’s for your downloading pleasure. Did I mention how good they are???

[MP3] The Raconteurs – Steady As She Goes
[MP3] The Raconteurs – Store Bought Bones

God, it feels great to type “The Raconteurs” as the band that brings us these songs. Each letter punch made my knees weak… But seriously, download these as fast as you can and tell all your friends where you got ‘em!

New Norfolk & Western Song!!

I’m a huge fan of Norfolk & Western and have been ever since I heard 2003’s Dusk In Cold Parlors. It’s a little strange, but I feel N&W have found their nest in this new EP, much like I think Destroyer has done with the upcoming Rubies. It’s a lot fuller, a lot smarter, and in turn a lot better. This new song is probably one of their catchiest songs yet, so I’m really excited to share it with you:

[MP3] Norfolk & Western – Clyde In New Orleans

The new EP, entitled A Gilded Age, hits stores on April 11th. More info on the release here.

In other news, The Rich Girls Are Weeping (blog) has a great new/unreleased Jenny Lewis song. Get it over here!

Franz Ferdinand / The Fire Engines Split 7"

There are a few bands/artists in my music arsenal of which I try to own every piece of music they’ve ever put out. Among these are Elliott Smith, Bloc Party, Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Futureheads, Ted Leo, and more. Franz Ferdinand is quickly becoming another must-have fad for me. I stumbled across this split done wth The Fire Engines last year, called Get Up And Use Me. This further proves Franz’s can-do-no-wrong status in my book, as the song seriously rocks. Check it out:

[MP3] Franz Ferdinand – Get Up And Use Me
[MP3] The FIre Engines – Jacqueline

Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution

I think it’s generally safe to say that during our adolescense, we go through various stages of development relative to the unique societal situations in which we find ourselves. Depending on the progression of these stages, which can be facilitated by anything from our parents to school to MTV, the type of person one ultimately emulates or embodies can usually be traced along a chronology of one’s life thus far. Sort of like looking at a photo album that stretches throughout one’s life. That’s a confusing way to say that growing up has a lot to do with who we are today.

For me, at least as far as my musical endeavors are concerned (should be obvious), I went through a set of stages that for some of you may touch close to home: ska –> punk –> hardcore –> indie. I’m not ashamed to say that. This all happened in about a 4 – 6 year period, starting with the beginning of high school and continuing on to my present indie ways. I’d say it has something to do wanting to rebel as a teenager against the fucked system, which is what got me into punk. Upon realizing that, yes, the system is fucked, but that there’s nothing I can do about it, I trekked into a then-foreign indie territory, obsessed with my own internal emotional struggle rather than with a global “cause.”

My iTunes now looks like the aftermath of an indie vs. punk Bay of Pigs: the last of my youth existing in packets of Rancid, Operation Ivy, and Catch-22. While I do think the two former bands should be in everyone’s music library, it’s shocking for me to comprehend my apathy over punk’s decline in my life. However, part of the thrill of having more hard drive space than NASA is the fact that there are a lot of great, great bands that I used to listen to that I kept a hold of. Nostalgia has never been sweeter to me than when it applies to music.

The point of this overly-lengthy introduction was to introduce you to Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution Principally the side project of former Catch-22 frontman Thomas Kalnoky, BOTAR is an ensemble of 15 musicians playing a unique form of ska that utilizes an eclectic array of instruments including horns, percussion, strings, guitars, etc…all done acoustically. The lyrics are rather impressive, telling stories of life, love, war, and existentialism, much like the work of the Romatic poets. In the spirit of sharing and caring, the band has made their only release, 2003’s A Call To Arms EP, available for free from their website. Unfortunately, their bandwidth got the best of them and the files are no longer available. I’d really like to get everyone to experience the EP in whole from its intriguing instrumental start to its emotional finish. So without further ado:

[MP3] BOTAR – Intro: This Is A Call To Arms
[MP3] BOTAR – Here’s To Life
[MP3] BOTAR – Dear Sergio
[MP3] BOTAR – It’s A Wonderful Life
[MP3] BOTAR – They Provide The Paint For The Picture-Perfect Masterpiece That You Will Paint On The Insides Of Your Eyelids

Emocapella

Have you ever put your iTunes on random to be completely surprised by what comes across your speakers? Granted, sometimes I find myself making a somewhat strange face as to what I could’ve possibly been thinking by owning such a song, but every now and then you’re delightfully surprised. This recently happened with a band my friend from George Washington University sent me a few years back: Emocapella.

I am sure everyone is familiar with Rockapella, creators of the Carmen SanDiego theme song and that damn catchy Folgers commercial, but I doubt Emocapella has had the chance to entertain your ear drums. A capella songs seem to resonate with some form of mysticism that makes them more appealing to people, at least to me anyways. This small student occupied group of college kids enjoys singing a capella, of course, but like to cover a many “emo” songs. Not only do they have a great set of pipes, but they take some of those ever familiar songs many people love to hate and make them fun to listen to.

[MP3] Emocapella – Soco Amaretto Lime (Brand New)
[MP3] Emocapella – Aside (The Weakerthans)
[MP3] Emocapella – Enjoy Your Day (Alkaline Trio)
[MP3] Emocapella – At Your Funeral (Saves The Day)

Since the group’s members and numbers are constantly changing, with graduating GW members and whatnot, they never manage to have any concrete touring and usually remain on campus or around the Washington D.C. area. My friend got a chance to see them this past fall and said they’re a lot of fun to watch. Check out their (GW leased..haha) official site for merch, albums, and news.

To: You, From: Colin

Sing it like you mean it, Colin!

[STREAM] Colin Meloy – Stream Colin Meloy Solo (Live Show – Right now!)

Nothing like a concert that you can’t watch being played over your computer for absolutely nothing.
Plus Laura Veirs is opening, and she is just neat.

Stay tuned for MP3’s from the show sometime tomorrow, for all of those who missed the (awesome) NPR stream.

A Tribute To Thomas Edison

Well, I must give praise to a fine man that, on this very day, was granted the patent for the light bulb. Where would we be without him? There wouldn’t be any blogs, that’s for sure…And we all know how important those are to our everyday existence. All joking aside, Edison was the man that gave technology a swift kick in the ass to get things a movin’. I mean, just look at this awesome video clip of how Thomas Edison lived. A true baller, no?

In lieu of his invention, I have picked a handful of songs dealing with “light” for your listening pleasure.

[MP3] Bloc Party – Blue Light
[MP3] The Secret Machines – Light’s ON
[MP3] Joseph Arthur – Speed of Light
[MP3] Bright Eyes – Light Pollution
[MP3] Mason Jennings – The Light (Part 2)
[MP3] Patrick Wolf – To The Lighthouse
[MP3] Wolf Parade – Shine A Light

Thomas Edison was a good man, and as both Sufjan and Tom Waits sing, a good man is hard to find.

The child prodigy and (probably) the greatest musician that ever walked the Earth, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, celebrates his 250th birthday today. Of course, like seemingly all great musicians, he died at a tragically young age. However, a quarter of a millennium later his music still remains unblemished by time and praised by millions.

[MP3] Mozart – Requiem
[MP3] Mozart – Sypmphony No. 40