Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Cursed Sleep

I was going to wait till Monday before posting this but I have now listened to the song about 10 times and thought I should put it out there now. The opening strings are so good.

Also, this is the 99th post on this here blog. I am amazed and will open it up to someone else to hit us with the 100th. As always, if you are reading and would like to post just let me know.

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I have always enjoyed Will Oldham, Palace, Palace Brothers. At this time I have trouble remembering why There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You was so new and refreshing back in '93. I remember Lou Barlow described the song "Riding" as sounding as if it had been discovered buried under a tree stump deep in the forest. And Joya was an amazing mix of Neil Young and Dead influences.

His other alter-ego, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy has just released a new album, The Letting Go, recorded in Iceland. While I have generally found the BPB stuff difficult this song is more like his other work.

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Cursed Sleep

As expected the video makes little sense but is nice to look at.

Sonic Youth - Incinerate

All that posting about "he who shall not be named" tired me out.

Here is the real deal.

Sonic Youth - Incinerate
(from Exitfare)

The Funny Pages

The funny pages are dead. Long live the funny pages

Bettie Serveet - Palomine

Palomine came out on Matador in 1993. Most of my friends thought the music I was listening to at the time was f'ed up so this was the first album that I felt like I could actually recommend and expect some positive feedback. The played the Cradle a few months later and blew the place up.

Bettie Serveert - Palomine
(if someone can find Kid's Allright please post it.)

I haven't listend to them in years but they have a new album out.

Bettie Serveert - Hell Is Other People
(both from I Rock Cleveland)

(and, yes, the fanny did inspire the post)

The Cardigans - I Need Some Fine Wine And You, You Need To Be Nicer

The Life album by the Cartigans is one of my top fave albums. The production and instrumentation was so perfect that it still amazes me. Unfortunately, they blew it on subsequent releases. Once Rolling Stone and others started reporting how cool it was that they played Black Sabbath covers at their shows, they canned they gooey pop influences (and Life's producer) and got raw. Big mistake. This song isn't perfect but her commanding you to 'sit!' certainly is.

The Cardigans - I Need Some Fine Wine And You, You Need To Be Nicer

Radio Dept.- Why won't you talk about it

Not really new, but I listened to this on the way to work today and remembered how good a fuzzy, noisy little pop song can make you feel.

The Radio Dept. - Why won't you talk about it

The Blow - Parentheses

Here is some sticky bubble gum pop. Is it me or are all new bands composed of one male and one female?

The Blow - Parentheses

Chemical Brothers - Let Forever Be

I just could not let that injustice stand! Here is a digitally superior (well, relatively speaking) youtube post of the Michel Gondry video. Of course, you will do better studying it off the DVD.

And I hereby arrogantly and tyrannically decree that it is the Official #1 Greatest Video of All Time.

Stylus Magazine: Top 100 Music Videos of All Time

First, isn't youtube a wonderful thing? (Yes. Yes, it is)

Top 100 Music Videos of All Time (Stylus Magazine)

Second, I like the boldness of the pronouncement: Top videos "of All Time" (!), but then I am let down by the backpedaling in their preface by qualifying the list as "democratically selected" and "humble and largely unofficial".

Third, Michel Gondry's video for Chemical Brothers' "Let Forever Be" ought to be much, much higher on the list, easily in the top 20. Perhaps Stylus can't be held responsible for the poor, mosaic-pixellated quality of this particular video, but this really does undermine Gondry's clever sampling and distortion of familiar video techniques, which is a key element to this particular work.

Fourth: I can't agree with all the choices here, but it's a pretty good list. A nice piece of work. I guess it would have been possible to mine it for leads to repost over time to this blog, but that would have just been intellectually dishonest.

Finally: What, no Hurra Torpedo cover of "Total Eclipse of the Heart"?!

Now go watch.

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UPDATE 9/23: In comments, Allen recommends Pitchfork's 100 Awesome Videos.

I spent most of the morning poking at it. There is some genuinely awesome stuff in there, and they make it hard for themselves by excluding videos from Director's Label (this eliminates, for example, the Greatest Video of All Time, "Let Forever Be").

Although a good number of the links to youtube posts have expired, it is still a really strong list, even if it fails to acknowledge certain hallmarks of the medium that Stylus does.

At any rate, both worth a look.

Bob Pollard - Supernatural Car Lover

The prolific genius behind more Guided By Voices albums than I could get around to buying isn't done rocking the short form even though GBV has retired. He's got plenty of writing to go and it sounds great.

Here's his upcoming album, check it out yourself:

Robert Pollard - Normal Happiness (streaming)

And something for you to take home, how nice:

Robert Pollard - Supernatural Car Lover

"Normal Happiness" releases in October.

Roy Ayers - Everybody Loves The Sunshine

Well, that didn't take to long. When you are hungover it really is best to just start drinking again.

It is a beautiful day and it feels like fall.

Roy Ayers - Everybody Loves The Sunshine

Urgggg

I am still trying to get over this Aquavit hangover from my NYC weekend. Hopefully I will be able to have something for you later. Any of the others got something to put up? Anyone want to guest DJ for a while?

Beirut - Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)

I just couldn't resist this post after yesterday's.

Beirut - Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)

Tel Aviv

Don't know much about these guys except they are from Arkansas. I would image they could put on a pretty good live show.

Tel Aviv - Black Marketeering
Tel Aviv - About Hysteria
(both from crackerbox)

Simply Saucer - No Zi

When listening to Matt's Gris Gris posting the other day I couldn't help but think of all the other bands that they seemed influenced by. Before Canada was cool, Simply Saucer was making insane outerspace punk rock. Besides the nod to Pink Floyd with the name, who knows what other influences these guys had in Ontario in the mid 70s.

Simply Saucer - No Zi

Trivia: Their only album Cyborgs Revisited was produced by Daniel Lanois who went on to produce U2, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and host of other artists. Mr Lanois doesn't list Simply Saucer on his discography. Wimp.

Cold War Kids - Hang Me Out to Dry

I saw this linked on MOKB and something about it hit home. Maybe it was that the kids all lined up in the hall under the "Cold War Kids" sheet look just like my little cousins (who look like the kids that would have been in junior high in the 70's). More than likely its because it appeals to my inner fantasy of returning to junior high and tearing it up rawk and roll style.

BlogMusik.net

I just spent the last 92 minutes playing with the virtual internet iPod at

BlogMusik.net

As can be expected, there are some gaps, but an unscientific battery of test searches I just conducted suggests that for starters, '90s hip hop seems to be pretty well represented here. A quick tip: you may have to reload the page from time to time, the flash seems a bit wonky. But, there's a wide expanse of tracks in its catalog ...

It's so easy and fun that you should stop reading right now and check it out!! (but come back later). It may be only a matter of time before it's the site is taken down (for legal reasons that I'll leave to El Bowen to explain). Go go go!!

BowerBirds

Raleigh duo plus guests puts together some friendly (not freaky) folky numbers. Nylon string fingerpicking and accordian hold things together, while the vox do (but don't over do) the folky thing, finding neat catchy melodies. Seen 'em a couple three times and they are just as cozy live.
You can stream the whole ep. All the songs are nice, but "bur oak" has the best chorus.

bowerbirds ep stream
bowerbirds on myspace

Animal Collective - The Purple Bottle

My fave track off the new animal collective record. All around animal collective kookiness with a tenderness that really makes it memorable. The chorus sends chills up my spine every time i hear it.

Animal Collective - the purple bottle

Gris Gris - Year Zero

Churning organs and a big, high-water-mark Sonic Youth cymbals/feedback jam are the key elements of this contemporary psychedelic rocker.

Gris Gris - Year Zero

ps- long time reader, first time contributor. thx to allen for the invite!

Virtual Cassette Generator

Hi, something fun for you to play with:

Cassette Generator

I leave it to you to test the possibilities. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility ... * cough *

J Dilla featuring Pharoahe Monch - Love

As mentioned earlier, I didn't find out about J. Dilla until I read his obit. I am still finding nuggets of his work around.

J Dilla featuring Pharoahe Monch - Love