Hot Club De Paris: "Your Face Looks All Wrong"

This is a hellacious week that is going to leave me with very little time to do the things I like, such as procrastinate and rapidly update this site. I wonder if professors think they’re so cool by attempting to cram in as much work as possible before Spring Break.. probably so. Before I get back to the books I have a short song by a nifty band out of Liverpool that’ll tug at your Parisian heart: Hot Club De Paris!

This band likes to play the whole “who are we – we’re an enigma!” game, which works for them quite well. I don’t know much about them so read an excerpt from their creative biography that was (probably) spawned from boredom:

Hot Club de Paris went on a rampage; they shot up the border guards, hijacked a horse and cart and galloped down the fault line leaving the peasants on the dirt road confused and breathless. They took their shirts off and shrugged in the silence of brand new bloodshed. They danced cheek to cheek with all the pretty girls of the day. They were gentlemen; aloof and serious, camp and devious.

[MP3] Hot Club De Paris – Your Face Looks All Wrong

Being careful to not get swept away in the musical filler that frequents many pop/rock outfits, this song is the musical defintion of quick and efficient. Hot Club De Paris make use of a short musical intro followed up with abrupt music notes and clever lyrics that’ll light up your speakers like the Blitzkrieg over London. Unlike the devastating aftermath of the Blitzkrieg, this diddy will leave you in a chipper mood wishing that the British outfit would extend the track beyond the brief 2:15 timeframe. They’re currently on a tour of the U.K. with Dirty Pretty Things followed by a rockin’ five day stint at SXSW!

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MySpace Site | Official Site | More MP3s | Tour Dates

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Road to SXSW 2007: Mezzanine Owls

As if I didn’t have enough reasons to envy all my fellow bloggers who happen to be going to SXSW, this just takes the cake: It’s called Hot Freaks and it’s just about the best damn set of shows this year’s five-day-musical-clusterfuck has to offer. Aside from the reasonably well-knowns (Annuals, The Broken West, Malajube, Menomena, Page France, RJD2, The Young Knives, The Black Lips, Bishop Allen, etc), there’s even more talent that some of you may not have heard of. I decided to check out a few of the bands on the roster I didn’t know and the one that stuck out the most for me was L.A.-based Mezzanine Owls.

[MP3] Mezzanine Owls – Moving Ground

These guys remind me a bit of what Interpol would sound like if they weren’t trying to be Joy Division. It’s a sort of shoegazey, downtempo’d post-punk for lazy students and aging parents alike respectively trying to figure shit out. It’s got that positive, upbeat, “we’re gonna make it,” “don’t let go, Jack – I’ll never let go, Rose” vibe to it, which sure beats the hell out of Elliott Smith when you’re feeling blue. It’s got a bit of an air of self-importance and cockiness, but for some reason I can’t help but smile at the irony of it all (given the drastically adolescent circumstances of the music).

[MP3] Mezzanine Owls – Lightbulb

I’m not the only blogger relishing in the glory of Mez Owls: MOKB, Rock Insider, I Rock Cleveland, We Say Disco, Obscure Sound, and Noise For Toaster all whole-heartedly echo these sentiments.

Mezzanine Owls’ Slingshot Echoes is in stores now! Check out the links below for more info and MP3s, as usual!

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Official Site | MySpace Site | More MP3s | Buy Slingshot Echoes

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Road to SXSW 2007: Mezzanine Owls

As if I didn’t have enough reasons to envy all my fellow bloggers who happen to be going to SXSW, this just takes the cake: It’s called Hot Freaks and it’s just about the best damn set of shows this year’s five-day-musical-clusterfuck has to offer. Aside from the reasonably well-knowns (Annuals, The Broken West, Malajube, Menomena, Page France, RJD2, The Young Knives, The Black Lips, Bishop Allen, etc), there’s even more talent that some of you may not have heard of. I decided to check out a few of the bands on the roster I didn’t know and the one that stuck out the most for me was L.A.-based Mezzanine Owls.

[MP3] Mezzanine Owls – Moving Ground

These guys remind me a bit of what Interpol would sound like if they weren’t trying to be Joy Division. It’s a sort of shoegazey, downtempo’d post-punk for lazy students and aging parents alike respectively trying to figure shit out. It’s got that positive, upbeat, “we’re gonna make it,” “don’t let go, Jack – I’ll never let go, Rose” vibe to it, which sure beats the hell out of Elliott Smith when you’re feeling blue. It’s got a bit of an air of self-importance and cockiness, but for some reason I can’t help but smile at the irony of it all (given the drastically adolescent circumstances of the music).

[MP3] Mezzanine Owls – Lightbulb

I’m not the only blogger relishing in the glory of Mez Owls: MOKB, Rock Insider, I Rock Cleveland, We Say Disco, Obscure Sound, and Noise For Toaster all whole-heartedly echo these sentiments.

Mezzanine Owls’ Slingshot Echoes is in stores now! Check out the links below for more info and MP3s, as usual!

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Official Site | MySpace Site | More MP3s | Buy Slingshot Echoes

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The Book Of Knots: "Pray" (Feat. Tom Waits)

This post title should really read “Tom Waits: ‘Pray’ (Feat. The Book of Knots)” because this is pretty clearly his shit we’re stepping in, and to be honest I wouldn’t really give a damn about the band if Waits didn’t lend his voice and trademark style to the song. I know that goes against the traditional, but right now I don’t really feel like feigning interest in a band and pimping their CD when I just really care about this one song, and only because Tom Waits is singing… Now that formalities are out of the way, Tom Waits has something to say:

[MP3] The Book Of Knots – Pray (Feat. Tom Waits)

If you did happen to like what you heard and are wondering if the rest of this band’s album, titled Traineater, is just as good or exciting, or at the very least in the same style, check out the links below to hear more MP3s. They could be a good band, they could really have something going for them, so I know this may sound naiive of me… but I guess I don’t care enough to find out. Maybe it’s just one of those days…

Traineater comes out March 20th.

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MySpace Site | More MP3s | Buy Traineater

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Tuesday’s Links for 2/27/2007

Forkcast has a new/rare Girl Talk track. It’s not as solid as any track from Night Ripper, i.e. it’s a little more disjointed and fragmented in terms of his loops and sampling, but it’s a must-have for any Girl Talk nut.

BV compiles a short ‘n sweet mix of songs from Panda-based bands. Panda Bear and The Panda Band on the same mix! If you haven’t listened to Person Pitch yet, a) you most definitely should, and b) you probably don’t read GvB (you should get on that too).

Wolf Notes is back and better than ever. Why are they “better than ever?” Because they finally jumped on the Arizona bandwagon. I’m still waiting on the ever-powerful Stereogum to nail the band into the ears of their 25,000 daily readers (that figure’s not fact-checked at all, by the way).

YouTube has the video for Modest Mouse’s new single “Dashboard.” Unlike Nathaniel, I’m still on the fence about the new album… but this video is pretty freaking bad-ass, as usual.

18+ has an interview with Animal Collective-member Geologist. He’s a bit timid on releasing too much info about the new album, but he does shed some light about their recording process and their respective side projects. A worth-while read for AC fans…

Beirut: "Interior Of A Dutch House"

Zach Condon (Beirut) was all of freaking eighteen when he laid out this track, one of the demos that most likely got him signed to Bada Bing! in the first place. Check it:

[MP3] Beirut – Interior Of A Dutch House

Interestingly enough, this is probably the one song he’s done that’s the least like the others. Instead of straddling Jeff Mangum’s damaged orchestration, here we see Condon toying with bass-heavy backbeats and punchy piano in the same comedic way that Beatles’ classics “Ob La Di, Ob La Da” and “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” so successfully did. If Condon’s looking for a new route for his next record, he needn’t look anywhere but over his shoulder, back before he had that signature Balkan sound we all know and love.

Beirut’s excellent Lon Gisland EP is in stores now. If you haven’t picked up a copy yet, check out the “More MP3s” link below and listen to “Elephant Gun” – it’s by far one of his best songs to date.

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Official Site | MySpace Site | More MP3s | Buy Lon Gisland EP

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Road to SXSW 2007: The Brobecks

The following post stems from a matter of chance, as I just so happened to check out Rewriteable Content’s archives which led to the eventual discovery of the following list of words–blossoming, pendulum, ebb, flow, lamentations, theatricality, and ambitious–all used to beautifully describe the music of one Utah-based “pop” outfit The Brobecks. RC’s MP3 links were dead, but Christ Allmighty I had to check this band out. My findings correlate well with my anticipation (score one for RC), but herein lies a dilemma: can I translate my own transgressions into a meaningful (ok, quasi-meaningful) toasting and roasting of the aforementioned indie band? Ladies and Gentleman, The Music:

[MP3] The Brobecks – Jacui

It’s odd, this song… how it seems to begin without a grand entrance, akin to quietly slipping in after you’ve been out all night cheating on your respective partner(s), or perhaps less adulterously showing up to work a few minutes late and instantly jumping into the run of things as if you were there the whole time. Think of listening to this song as your own private nickelodeon: peering through the oft-peered-through hole to get a glimpse of time in action, or action in time. It’s about leaving well enough alone, the whole “nail that sticks out gets hammered down” philosophy. Or maybe it’s just about some chick named Jaqui.

[MP3] The Brobecks – March #1

The Brobecks’ latest album Goodnight And Have A Pleasant Tomorrow is in stores now. If you heading to SXSW next month, make sure to catch one of the parties the band is playing this year. Check out more info and MP3s below:

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Official Site | MySpace Site | More MP3s | Buy Goodnight And Have A Pleasant Tomorrow

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Oscar Monday

I know we’re a music site, but I’d be remiss in not mentioning another great/favorite art-form of mine: film! Most of you probably watched the 79th Annual Academy Awards last night, or part of it, hosted by funny lady Ellen DeGeneres. All in all I thought Ellen did a great job hosting the Oscars, capitalizing on her sunny demeanor and extremely likable wit via innocently humorous skits with Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorsese. Speaking of Scorsese.. It looks like the bushy eyebrowed director finally got some golden hardware to compliment a resume of movies that should’ve earned him one years ago – being sure to humbly thank all of the people who kept saying “you should’ve won an Oscar” throughout his numerously nominated career.

Here is a quick run-down of the “big eight” winners in case you opted for beauty sleep over star gazing:

Best Film: The Departed
Best Director: Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
Best Actress: Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Best Adapted Screenplay: William Monahan (The Departed)
Best Original Screenplay: Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine)

There were some definite surprises this year, most notably the win of Jennifer “Out of Left Field” Hudson. She’s an extremely talented actress and singer who has been in one movie and won one Oscar – not a bad track record, eh? I’d be willing to bet that she’ll have more staying power than Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino combined. After last night I’m now convinced there is a Titanic curse over Kate Winslet and Leonard DiCaprio. Both have been showered with Oscar nominations over the years and have given superb performance after superb performance, but the Academy hasn’t rewarded either one with a golden figurine (Winslet more deserving than DiCaprio). I lost faith in the Academy after they chose Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby over Winslet in Eternal Sunshine – I nearly vomited.

I’ll never figure out the mysterious ways of the Academy and I doubt anyone ever will, perhaps that’s the reason we stay up hour after hour, year after year to see who takes home the coveted golden man.

[MP3] Beirut – After The Curtain
[MP3] Mates Of State – For the Actor
[MP3] Actionslacks – Shining Jewels
[MP3] Richard Julian – Making Movies
[MP3] Imogen Heap – Glittering Clouds (Locusts)

Videos: The Arcade Fire on SNL

After much speculation as to which songs The Arcade Fire would play on last night’s SNL, the band chose to launch with “Intervention” and then later close out the show with U.K. single “Keep The Car Running.” Both songs, particularly the latter, were performed well although audience reception didn’t seem as audacious as it should have been, especially after Win smashed his guitar at the end of Intervention. Regardless, if you didn’t catch the show on TV, the glorious YouTube has come to the rescue:

Intervention:

Win Butler: Unleashed

Sounds like someone’s got his panties in a bunch… Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler had anything but kind words about bands like U2, The Rolling Stones, and Oasis, who “want to shove [success] down people’s throats.” Win told NME:

“It’s not like we shun success, but at the same time we don’t want to shove it down people’s throats. In the UK there’s this kind of rock star competition. I don’t know if U2 started it, or The Stones or Oasis but a lot of bands think in terms of: ‘I’m going to be the biggest band in the world. Fuck all those bands who’ve got no ambition’. I think that’s a total crock of shit. There’s nothing less interesting to me than the idea of marketing the fuck out of something so people are forced to like it. Some bands are just manipulating people to buy music. That’s how 90 percent of the record industry works! It’s basically the same as selling a fucking toaster or a cruise package.”

Later, Win posted the following note to his scrapbook on the band’s official site:

“I cringe to ever write this post, as if it needs to be said, but some people seem to not have figured out that the NME has never printed an article that doesn’t take all the quotes out of context, and put some things in bold that make it seem like people are talking shit about eachother!!! So please no Oasis hate mail, I really don’t care… Marketing is not evil, just trying to express some distaste for the whole shitstorm, but we are still dancing! We are about 3 steps removed from WWIII, but life is too short!”

Meanwhile, Arcade Fire continue their own PR “shitstorm” by playing SNL tomorrow. They’re also apparently going to be in a skit! Dick in a Box #2? We’ll have to wait and see…