Palebear Archives

October, 2006

Ben Lee
Catch My Disease

There’s a whole rash of indie artists with their music in commercials that we haven’t gotten to post about yet. Let’s start with Ben Lee. The former kid pop-meister sometimes known as “Mr. Danes” has been heard crooning his song “Catch My Disease” in Dell Commercials. It’s hard to miss his voice, I recognized it right away.

The song is the 4th track off of his album Awake Is The New Sleep and you’ll recognize it from the lines about, “My head is like a box, and that’s the way I like it”. The commercial features what looks like a college student driving around with a Dell rep in a go cart in a Dell factory. I don’t remember too much else, except I believe Donkey Kong shows up. In a fit of synchronicity, the college student looked a lot to me like Claire Danes’ co-star in “My So Called Life” – Devon Gummersall (he played Brian Krakow). Sorry Ben… don’t mean to bring up the past.

by Bryan | 5 Comments

Graves
Easy Not Easy

I got a chance to preview the new Graves album, Easy Not Easy. Graves is basically just Greg Olin playing understated, mopey folk. It’s the kind you put on the stereo just when all but your favorite stragglers who don’t have work tomorrow have left the raucous house party thrown by your indie rock neighbor’s friends’ friend. It’s 2 am clean-up music, to be shared by just a few people who’ve got the time to linger and pick up those empties strewn on the floor.

Olin’s folksy approach reminds me seriously of Lambchop’s songs though the momentum doesn’t build as much. I also get an Eels / Vic Chestnutt / Chad Vangaalen / Townes Van Zandt approach to the songs. Though the focus is the singer-songwriter, Olin is able to parlay that into something slightly more grand, much like Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner who uses layers of additional instruments like horns, vibraphone and strings to create a soundscape backdrop for his songs. I would say that Graves is much more stripped down, but the idea is the same: Some kind of wonderful folk.

The CD is out on the once-again amazing Hush label.

Band Members:

Greg Olin – guitar, vocals and everything else

Available Tracks:

Val K.
Dirty Bird

Selected Albums on Itunes:

To Sur With Love
Yes Yes Okay Okay

by Palebear | Comments Off

A midweek selection of blurbs for you… a record 11 blurbs! (Sorry, no descriptions – you’ll just have to take your chances. And sorry to the folks who put out the music – we just don’t have the time right now to write up tons of full reviews!)

We’ve been trying to reduce the amount of CDs sitting in the closet by increasing our listening, but it’s slow going. Most of this stuff was received between July-August. Hey, only 3 months behind now!

1. I Am A Sock – The Bang Bang

2. Conrad Ford – Golden Hearts

3. Losty – Blag’ard

4. I’m Still Here – The Red Unsaid

5. Get Up, Get Down – Shaw

6. So Bitter – Elba

7. Our Friend In Baghdad – The Hypermodernity Club

8. Didn’t Mean To Break Our Love – Bella

9. Grey on Blue – Columbus

10. With Sunshoes On – Jon Garcia

11. Hey Johnny – Kid Casanova

by Palebear | Comments Off

Hello, nothing much to write. Except, maybe here is some music for you to listen to.

1. Mesojunairan – Mike Dumovich (Pedro the SmogLion)

2. Tonight – Yesan Damen (Death Cabbing Sufjan with a Reindeer Project)

3. Don’t Play To Lose – The Lonesome Heroes (Pete Krebs plus Birddog)

4. Girl In The Car – Whistle Jacket (Early Yo La and Jad Fair plus Thermals vocals)

5. Lazy Star – Late Night Venture (Danish Greg Dulli does The Cure)

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