I Love You But Ive Chosen Facebook

I don’t usually post these quickie types of things – I leave that to the other music blogs who are all caught up in the “grind”. This is a Band of Horses video for “No One’s Gonna Love You” from Cease to Begin. I need not mention BOH is one of my favorite “newer” band.

Hm… but maybe I should post more stuff like this. It takes a lot less brainpower and time instead of making a long post that no one in their right mind will read. Or posting about science articles that no one but 30+ PBS nature show junkies like myself are interested in. It’s like Snap, Crackle, Post. No thought, instant gratification.

Maybe.

by Palebear | Comments Off

Chauchat
Upon Thousands

Out of about 25 CDs I just pulled out of the “queue” to see if they were worth reviewing, Chauchat was the only band left standing at the end. How’s that for an endorsement.

I haven’t yet figured out what it is exactly about a particular type of music that encourages me not to gravitate toward the recycle bin. I wasn’t this way before. It’s definitely not a certain style of music, more of a general feel to it.

I decided in my head that what I made of Chauchat was some sort of engaging blend of East River Pipe, Galaxie 50, My Bloody Valentine and Band of Horses. Maybe Sonic Youth on the louder passages. I thought I was so original (especially with the Galaxie 500 reference which is definitely there as early as the 2nd song on the album). Then I went to read the review on the website that noted Galaxie 500 and Sonic Youth and was little bummed – but hey, at least I was on target. Tyler’s singing style sort of reminds me of the guy from Clinic at times. Also there’s more than a touch of a 90s shoegaze thing hanging around in the background.

Like F.M. Cornog’s ability to translate simple tune and melody into a shimmering space of goodness, Tyler Whitney loads up song after song of excellent but restrained roughness. Bandmates Chris Clunk, Mike Musser and Erik Sahd help to create that broken, inner beauty that all great bands possess. They have the ability to manufacture sonic strength and levitation from musical aspects that would be fatal weaknesses in other bands. Really great stuff.

Listen:
Yoko Turns 71
Fight Obscurity

Visit:
Chauchat on Myspace
on Yer Bird

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Seeing as how this is my namesake, I must say – it’s about fricken time! Now if we could just get music reviewers added to the list, we’d be in bu$ine$$.

Source: LA Times article

Sorry for the two “science” posts in a row. Music reviews will resume, er, shortly.

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No, Colony Collapse Disorder is not the title of the latest Apples In Stereo album. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’ll know that I like to throw in occasional “science-y” stuff into the mix. Because I like to annoy everyone who comes here thinking this is a pure music review site.

Anyhow, this is some serious stuff that I had read about quite awhile ago but it’s only now surfacing in the mainstream media. Bees are dying, and some of it has to do with CCD where the adult bees in a colony mysteriously bail from the hives.

I don’t mean to be an alarmist, but this seems pretty serious. Most people think all that bees provide is honey – I’m no science major but the truth is that they are crucial in pollination for important crops as well. It’s so serious that major food companies are starting to really pay attention. You may have seen Haagen-Dazs commercials about the bees and thought it was some sort of weird marketing ploy. It’s not. They’re VERY concerned about this, and rightly so. If Bee Thousand becomes Bee Fifty, there’s going to be even more problems with the availability of produce in the future.

Edit: I just realized it would have been even better had I named the post “Do The Collapse” to tie in with the GBV reference…

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Sudden Ensemble
Life In A Birdcage

Initial Thoughts on Sudden Ensemble‘s album “Life In A Birdcage”:

1. Slightly atonal indie rock is “interesting” at 8:30am in the morning.
2. “Beautiful Shape” is a shambling beautiful shape.
3. “Combustion Blues” is an earful!
4. Robert Pollard vs. Sudden Ensemble in a barfight: not sure who would win yet.
5. I bet this album could get good airplay on KXLU.
6. I like their haircuts.

Despite the fact that I’ve been listening to more mellow stuff lately, I took a shine to this release for its sheer audacity and gritty lo fi texture. Imagine Beat Happening or Will from Imperial Teen singing over Guided By Voices or early Sebadoh (Jason’s) tracks. Some of the stuff is rather bluesy, but in a good way. You’re also going to think this is weirdness – but certain songs really remind me of Apples in Stereo. Or Sissybar. Especially that last track. I dunno why. Wait, actually that one reminds me of a Sonic Youth song. I can’t decide.

My favorite song so far is the rockin’ “Bonfire” but others are just as good and, er, “challenging”. The CD definitely has moments where it veers toward the experimental. Fair warning to all. But I have to say that after the morning coffee kicked in, this was a pretty fun listen. Ah yes, that peaceful uneasy feeling…

Visit:
Sudden Ensemble website
Name website

by Palebear | 1 Comment

Annabella
Say Goodnight

I lost the sheet that came with this CD, but decided to give it a review anyhow. The Texas based husband / wife duo Annabella makes lovely indie pop that really reminds me of Innocence Mission, Mojave 3, maybe Sarah McLaughlin a little. Later into the CD, on “Just So You Know”, I realized that The Sundays comparison was entirely valid as well.

The music is understated and dreamy, a bit of a departure from other up-tempo indie duos like Viva Voce and Quasi. Piano and other instruments add nice touches. For me, Terri Dittmar’s voice falls into that category of exquisitely beautiful, but tiny bit too mainstream. But I think that may actually increase the band’s fanbase. All in all, I really liked this CD – it’s such an undeniably pretty album.

Listen:
Sun Is King

Visit:
Annabella website
on Myspace

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Dear Bands Who Sent Me Stuff This Year,

Sorries, I’ve been very slow to get to yer music – you see, like normal polar bears I usually hibernate through the winter. Seeing as it was a very long and cold winter, I haven’t really gotten my paws under me yet. Thusly, there are a million and one CDs and bio sheets that sit on my couch yet untouched. Oh, bodder…

I even missed SXSW. No, I don’t mean that I didn’t go. I mean I completely forgot about it. You see – I’ve been hibernating. Usually when you hibernate you sleep in a cave under the snow. That makes it very difficult for music news to percolate down. I didn’t listen to one broadcast from SXSW yet. Geez, I am behind. All this great music is passing me by. In one ear out the udder. Fiddle, fuddle.

Also, I have been attending Chinese Acupuncture sessions in order to cure a particular polar bear affliction that causes me some hardship when using the computer. Thusly, I try not to use the computer as much right now while they stick the needles in various locales. Ouch, ouch.

To sum it up: I have been living in a cave all winter long. Your patience is appreciated, thank yous.

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Sera Cahoone
Only As The Day Is Long

I’d actually been looking forward to this album for a really long time. Funny, the first time I heard Sera Cahoone I had no idea she also sprang forth from the (now seminal) band Carissa’s Wierd. I just knew she was somehow related to Band of Horses and I really liked the songs from her first solo album that I heard.

Now that SubPop picked her up, she’s got another album out – “Only As The Day Is Long.” It’s a lovely little folky country album. Truthfully, I like the more sparse moments of the first 3 songs on the album – when “Runnin’ Your Way” starts up I get a little antsy. For me, the current alt-country-folk americana thingy that’s so popular walks a pretty delicate line between boring mainstream country and amazing indie folk. It’s never the Dixie Chicks (thankfully), but give me the slower stuff on the album any day. “You’re Not Broken” is a great track – plaintive and simple.

Visit:
Sera Cahoone’s website
Sera Cahoone on MySpace

by Palebear | Comments Off

We used to have Dungeons and Dragons campaigns going in the 70s and 80s. Good times. Dungeon Master: “You can’t carry a 10 foot pole in a backpack…” Me: “But I have this backpack of Infinite Holding…” Encumberance? What Encumberance. Most games ended up getting involved in a 9th level Wish spell somehow…

In honor of Gygax, I’ve put Weezer’s Blue album on repeat – “In The Garage” to be specific.

Rest in peace Gary Gygax…

by Palebear | 1 Comment

Citified
The Meeting After The Meeting

Lately, I have been really digging the album from Citified. Listening to “The Meeting After The Meeting” is like being in a shoegazer timewarp. Definitely channeling some good old Cure, Echo and the Bunnyman and The Church, this is one the best albums I’ve heard lately in this genre. Hey, the neu 80s are back with a vengeance so it’s no surprise that bands that sound like this are popping up left and right. Still, I think Citified does it really well – they get in a few more modern music knocks as well – I hear some Autumns in the mix, Mark Kozelek, maybe some Kingsbury Manx (interesting that the album was engineered by Jerry Kee). Swirling and nostalgically beautiful, this album is definitely a keeper.

Visit:
Citified Myspace
Eskimo Kiss website

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