I am psyched beyond psyched to see Devotchka tomorrow night! I don't know what else to say except that I plan to have the time of my life trying to get Nick Urata's attention. Oh, I kid! I'm not going to do anything untoward, that's not my style. Then again, who knows what I'll be inspired to do once he starts singing? I should at least take a red rose with me, don't you think?

    To hold me over until tomorrow night, here is some new music for you.

    The first song is by Meanest Man Contest, a duo from L.A./San Francisco who play a Marcy-friendly version of hip-hop/electronica. Let's call it indie hop. I've said this before, but as much as I love the instrumentation in a lot of hip-hop, the vocals usually turn me off. These guys sing much more than they rap, and I like that.

Meanest Man Contest--"Some People (Just Get Off On Breaking Hearts)" mp3 off Some People EP (buy)

    Let's stick with the hip-hop for a moment and listen to this. It's put together by a producer from Chicago named Radius, and it would have worked for last week's spoken-bits podcast had I heard it earlier. I love the darkness of it, the sinister feel of the drums. Definitely something for your late nights.

Radius--"Englewood (Necessary Growth)" mp3 off Neighborhood Suicide (buy)

    OK, 180° shift from sinister to snappy. Bjorn Kleinhenz, currently one of my favorite Swedish musicians, has got yet another wonderful song from his upcoming album to share. I like it almost as much as I like "The Quest for Your Heart," which is saying a lot.

Bjorn Kleinhenz--"Poets Dying" mp3 off Quietly Happy and Deep Inside (buy--album coming out in the U.S. this fall)

    This is somewhat in the middle of the above songs, slightly bluesy but with the peculiarity that a name like The Cotton Jones Basket Ride would imply. You might know the musician better by the name Page France. His real name is Michael Nau and he's putting out 3 EPs under the Cotton Jones moniker instead of one full album. Whatever, it's an interesting sound, a departure from the poppier Page France stuff, for sure.

The Cotton Jones Basket Ride--"Midnight Monday and a Telescope" mp3 off The Archery EP (buy) 

    Have a great weekend, everyone, and I'll be sure to think of you Saturday night while I'm swooning . . . .

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    There was a time, a long, long time ago, when I thought I could be sure about things--things I thought, things I felt, things I knew. At the very least, I thought it was within the realm of possibility to be sure about some things. These days, however, it seems I'm far more uncertain what life is all about than I ever thought I'd be.

     On the surface, I suppose I'm where I thought I would be at this stage of the game. I mean, I'm not in prison or world famous or in any other kind of extreme circumstance that I never imagined. But at the same time, within the confines of my somewhat normal existence, I never could have predicted some of the things I've gone through or felt or found to be unknowable. I am way less sure about so much more now than I ever thought I would be then. These days there don't seem to be many absolutes.

    I look back at the past and I wish I could give that young woman who wanted to be so sure a heads up. I'd tell her, You know what? It's OK not to know things. Living in the question actually becomes the greater part of life's journey and for the most part, being sure of things only leads to disappointment. Of course, I know that's just wishful thinking on my part. The best I can do now is forgive her for her naiveté and ignorance. She didn't know any better back then. How could she have?

Basia Bulat--"I Was a Daughter" mp3 off Oh, My Darling (buy)

Feist--"Now At Last" mp3 off Let it Die (buy) 

Todd Rundgren--"Sometimes I Don't Know What to Feel" mp3 off A Wizard, A True Star (buy)

Children of the CPU--"Stardust--Note to Self" mp3 off Back to BASIC (buy)

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    The contrast podcast theme this week is "Number Ones," in honor of its being the 111st episode. You can download and/or listen to it here and hear all the fab number one songs people came up with.

     You may notice I'm not in it. See, I had no idea where to start with this number ones theme. Let's face it, I am not a number-one-song type of person. In fact, if it's at number one, I probably hate it! So I wracked my brain for a way to pick a so-called number one song that I could bear to contribute, but unfortunately I never got one in.

    The best idea I could come up with was to search my blog's statistics for the most-read post I've ever done (it's all about me, don't you know), and it turned out to be this post on Shirley Manson and Paul Buchanan (of The Blue Nile). Shirley's making a solo album and Paul was reported to be working on it with her. Although I have no way of knowing which of the five songs in the post was the biggest draw, I would have gone with "You Look So Fine" because it's my favorite.

   So here it is, my uncontributed song to this week's 'cast. Let's hope I have more luck next week, when the theme is songs about "Cities." That sounds simple enough, doesn't it? You can contribute then too, you know, all you need is a microphone and the ability to choose a related song . . . .

Garbage--"You Look So Fine" mp3 off Version 2.0 (buy)

    About that solo album, according to this bit, Shirley's solo album has been put on hold because of "creative differences" (what a loaded term) between her and the record label. Apparently the label thinks it's too dark, which is sad news for all of us who are waiting patiently to hear what she's been up to. Too bad she can't go ahead and self-release it. There's a group on facebook who wants her music to be released in as pure a Shirley form as possible, and you can join it if you so desire to show your support.

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    Way, way back in the day, I was a fact-checker at a magazine. Mostly I just double-checked how to spell people's names and their titles and inconsequential things like that, but occasionally I had to confirm actual facts. Well, I just read some rather exciting news about Cassettes Won't Listen. According to this, he's contributing to the soundtrack of the new Indiana Jones movie. The thing is, I can't find any other source that corroborates this information. All the other sites that mention it link back to that original post, which itself doesn't have any attribution. It's driving the journalist in me nuts.

    Oh well! 

    Do you remember when I was obsessed with Cassettes Won't Listen? Well, I was. A little over a year ago, I guess. I couldn't get enough of him, his remixes, covers or original songs. It would be extremely cool if the above news was true. Then everyone could fall in love with his particular brand of indietronic goodness. 

    He released an album of original material, Small-Time Machine, on March 11th. He also has a free covers EP, One Alternative, for download at his website. This is the only song I've heard off Small-Time Machine and I like it. I usually have a lot more to say about why, etc., but I've decided to just let you decide what you think instead.

Cassettes Won't Listen--"Paper Float" mp3 off Small-Time Machine (buy)

    There are two remixes of "Paper Float" for download at RCRDLBL, but they expressly ask that you don't rehost the file, so you'll have to go there yourself to get them.

     Every song on One Alternative is a keeper, done in his singular style. My favorites are "The Freed Pig" and "Butter of 69." Check them out.

Cassettes Won't Listen--"Butter of 69 (Butter 08 cover)" mp3 off One Alternative (download)

Cassettes Won't Listen--"The Freed Pig (Sebadoh cover)" mp3 off One Alternative 

    He's got a couple of shows coming up, in Manhattan and Long Island, so if you're in New York over the next couple weeks, you could see him in action. He's planning a summer tour, so be on the look-out for that as well. Maybe by then we'll be able to verify whether he's part of the Indiana Jones machine or not.

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     Sooooooooo, it's Mother's Day. My idea of a perfect Mother's Day is to be able to do anything I want even if it means I end up doing nothing at all.

     Unfortunately, I've got that nasty, nervous, unsettled feeling brewing again and I don't know how to make it go away. I think what I might do on this fine Mother's Day--in fact, what I need to do--is crank this up really, really loud and play it until I don't feel that way any more.

    Sounds like a plan. 

Bauhaus--"Too Much 21st Century" mp3 off Go Away White (buy)

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    Isn't that a great word, smattering? It's the kind of word you can't overuse or it becomes too precious, but in this case it's just right, because today is all about sharing a smattering of new music that's been flowing into my inbox of late.

    I know I've mentioned this before, but one of the most fun things about blogging is that music is sent to you directly, either by promo people or the bands themselves. I've received tons of wonderful new stuff this way. Lately, though, I've been getting far more than I can keep up with, so I'm falling behind in my listening.

    See, the thing is that what I'd really like to do is take the time and really absorb all the music so I can give each band a lovingly complete review, only you know that if I wait to do it that way I'm afraid I'll let it all slip by. So this is my best compromise.

Cinderpop--"Blonder" mp3 off A Lesson in Science (buy--comes out May 13th) I almost picked this for the sloth podcast because it made me think of how I could never go blond (a la Clay Aiken--yikes!) because I'm waaaaay too lazy to maintain it. It's also a really cool song.

Baskervilles--"A Little More Time" mp3 off Twilight (buy--comes out June 3rd) Can you say bouncy, happy indie pop? These two songs pretty much have it all: piano, male/female vocals, funky strings, horns--all the things I love to love. 

Baskervilles--"Caught in a Crosswalk" mp3 off Twilight 

Motocade--"Soap Opera" mp3 off their upcoming full-length album. I love the line "it's safe to say that you don't get it / it's safe to say that you never will" Yep. Also, the opening to this song is freaking great.

City Breathing --"Rain and Revolution" mp3 off Look How It's Snowing Upwards, Look How They Move Towards Heaven (buy--out June 3rd) This is less poppy and more "experimental" than any of these other songs (actually, I'm not exactly sure what that means), but it's got an energy beneath the wistful shoegazy layers that draws you in.

City Breathing--"We Can Retrace the Sinking Sky" mp3 off Look How It's Snowing Upwards, Look How They Move Towards Heaven (thanks, Agnes!)

    This ought to keep you happy for the weekend! 

lovely cat and gramophone print by colin ruffell

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    Here's my semi-uninformed take on the new Mates of State song I heard. I think their sound has evolved from what used to be a loose-limbed full-on energy burst into a slightly subdued version of that same manic sensibility.

    I like it a lot, actually. I love how they're using strings (take note, all you other cheesy purveyors of violins and cellos, this is how it should be done) and I think the drums are fuller sounding, much less like he's sitting in his garage banging away and more like he's on a real drum set in a studio. The vocals, too, are more polished and less mental sounding. They're still just as joyful, though, that hasn't changed.

    I'm sure there are those among you who will not appreciate these evolutions. You will miss the crazed let-it-all-hang-out feeling their older music has. And of course, I am basing my opinion on just one song off the new album Re-Arrange Us, so I could very well be talking out my ass.

    I tell you what, I'll give you three songs to compare and contrast, starting from oldest to newest, and then you can tell me what you think.

Mates of State--"Goods (All In Your Head)" mp3 off All Day EP (buy)

Mates of State--"Like U Crazy" mp3 off Bring it Back (buy)

Mates of State--"Get Better" mp3 off Re-Arrange Us (buy--comes out May 20th) This is my favorite line:

"Everything's gonna get lighter, even if never gets better"

    Can I have that in writing please? 

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    Everything comes around / bringing us back again / Here is where we start and where we end

     This is what it's all about for me. The other day while digging around the nets I wound up over at the beat oracle and heard this mesmerizing song, a remix of Goldfrapp's "Monster Love" by none other than Spiritualized. It's heavenly. It's wonderful enough to make up for the god-awful original version on Seventh Tree. Yes, my friends, it's that good. In fact, it's what that album could have been--should have been.

    When I discover a song like this, I get an almost electric feeling. I feel an actual thrill and a need to possess it. It's like it strikes a nerve--an actual neuron kind of thing--and until I do something about it it won't stop firing. It's hard to explain. And then I feel incredibly grateful. Which kind of sums up what this whole music thing does for me.

Goldfrapp--"Monster Love (Goldfrapp vs. Spiritualized)" mp3 off Happiness Single (buy)

    Spiritualized is coming out with a new album, too, called Songs in A&E on May 27th. I don't have anything off the new one yet, but here's an oldie that never fails to move me.

Spiritualized--"Anything More" mp3 off Let It Come Down (buy)

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     My choice was simple. I went with Tenacious D because this song makes me laugh every single freaking time I hear it. I do believe so, yes . . .

Tenacious D--"Jesus Ranch" mp3

     Next week's theme is "Number ones" in honor of its being the 111th episode. If you want to take part in the fun--especially if this is your first time (how appropriate), all you have to do is think of a song that has something to do with number ones.

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Gonzales--"Apology" mp3 off Soft Power (buy)

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    I went on my first bike ride of the season about a week ago and it felt incredibly good. I'm amazed at how the body remembers things. Every hill came back to my muscles like I'd just pumped up it yesterday.

    A few other things came back to me, too. For instance, the way the distinct fragrance of pine trees makes me think of summers in New Hampshire. Then there's the huge feeling of relief I get when I reach the height of land and I know I can glide for a few moments. Also, it came back immediately how very hard and small that bicycle seat is. And of course nothing quite compares to the shock of a bug flying directly into my mouth.

    What does this have to do with music? Well, as much as I'm trying to forget certain things, it felt satisfying to remember these. I also remembered some peppy, energizing songs that I really enjoyed riding to from the past couple of years. So in celebration of the kind of musical and kinesthetic memory that I'm actually happy to have, I thought I'd share them.

Heypenny--"Parade" mp3 off Use These Spoons (buy)

Heads We Dance--"Love in the Digital Age" mp3 off 12" Single (buy)

The Feeling--"Love It When You Call (Lo-Fi-Fnk Remix)" mp3 off Twelve Stops and Home (buy)

OOIOO--"Umo" mp3 off Taiga (buy)

Lily Allen--"Oh My God (Kaiser Chiefs Cover)" mp3 off Oh My God European (buy) 

Beulah--"Emma Blowgun's Last Stand" mp3 off When Your Heartstrings Break (buy)

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    To me, and probably to most of you, music is all about the associations it brings. Certain songs strongly remind me of a place, a person, a time in my life. Which is wonderful, in general. I love that my musical memory is so long-lasting and particular.

    Unfortunately, it can serve me too well. Right now that's what it's doing and I need a break from it. I need to dissociate myself from much of what it's reminding me of.

    I need new music, different music, music I might not find unless it magically appeared in my lap. And guess what? I hit the jackpot in this regard on Saturday April 19. That happened to be Record Store Day and my local record shop had tons of freebies to give away. I picked up 11 free discs that day, most of them compilations with lots of bands I'd not heard before.

    I can't wait to dive into it all and soak it up and form some new associations, you know what I mean? Here are several tracks that come from a sampler put out by Redeye Distribution that I am really enjoying so far.

Bell X1--"Rocky Took a Lover" mp3 off Flock (buy) I really wanted to do an entire post about this band, but I can't get this song out of my head so I'm taking it as a sign I need to include it here. It's pretty much a perfect example of everything I love in a song. 

Nick Lowe--"So It Goes" mp3 off Jesus of Cool (buy) Now, you may be asking, Marcy, what do you mean you have no musical association with Nick Lowe? Well, of course I have loads of attachment to the song "Cruel to Be Kind," but not to this song, so it counts.

3 Na Massa--"Doce Guia (Feat. Ceu)" mp3 off 3 Na Massa (buy) Oh, this is wonderfully Brazilian, with all the things you might expect to love about a Brazilian tune. Fabulous horns, too, btw. I should have included it in this post.

Liam Finn--"Second Chance" mp3 off I'll Be Lightning (buy) This song is absolutely perfect for this post because the chorus goes: "Remember me? Honestly, I don't remember who you are." It's pretty damn catchy, too. 

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    www.myspace.com/itcouldbeyou

    ↑ I'm looking for my soulmate ↑

    I read his profile and he seems like a really nice guy. I wish him all the best in his quest for love! 

The Presets--"Are You the One?" mp3 off Beams (buy) 

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    I'm learning so much from the seven deadly sins series on the contrast podcast. I'll be sorry when it ends.

    This week's episode is all about sloth, which I always took to mean being extremely lazy and lying around with no energy, but actually means something more like spiritual apathy or laziness, that is to say either putting off what god would have you do or not doing anything at all.

    All in all it's pretty much the opposite of how I feel about the contrast podcast, coz I'm always energized when it comes to doing it. You can download or listen to this week's show here and hear for yourself what everyone else's take on the subject is. Unless you're too lazy to bother, that is. Oh, I kid!

The Amazing Pilots--"All My Wasted Days" mp3 off Hello My Captor (buy)

    I almost picked this song by Brown Recluse Sings because they're from Philly, but in the end I went with The Amazing Pilots because the song is just so me.

Brown Recluse Sings--"Lazy Bones" mp3 off Black Sunday EP (buy) 

    Next week's theme is "songs with spoken bits in them," so put on your thinking caps and see what you can come up with.

illustration via this  

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    In addition to all the obvious reasons that I love Eugene Francis Jnr.'s music, including the buoyant melodies, the ingenious mix of electronica and folk sounds and the way he expresses himself, what strikes me the most is his generosity of spirit. He has a way of looking at the world that gives rather than takes away.

    To be honest, it took me several listens to be able to absorb the album and I've had some trouble trying to figure out what I want to say about it. See, I started listening to it directly on the heels of Devotchka and the two couldn't be more dissimilar. But now that a few weeks have passed and my obsession with A Mad & Faithful Telling has abated, I can hear what Eugene is trying to say to me.

    See, none of the songs on the album are what I'd call ordinary--not the instrumentation, not the lyrics, not even the feelings they generate--yet they're so very accessible. You just know he's singing about something that you've experienced or thought about or dreamed of doing.

    He's introspective and he's not by any means all flowers and sunshine, but regardless of what he's singing about, he makes me feel like everything will be alright. Honestly. This is big for me, as you know. In fact, when I listen to The Golden Beatle I almost feel--dare I say it--contented.

    "Beginners" is the latest single. It's upbeat and full of joyous energy. Prior to receiving the album, I'd heard "Poor Me," "Kites" and "My Own Pollution." It's weird, but I find that sometimes when I become very familiar with songs without hearing them in context, I'm sort of over them by the time I hear them on the album. But not this time. EFJ reworked the songs and they're different enough to make me be able to hear them again like it's the first time, which I really appreciate.

Eugene Francis Jnr.--"Beginners" mp3 off The Golden Beatle (buy)

    If you'd like to see what I've said about EFJ in previous posts, go here and here. As you may have guessed, I really can't say enough good things about him.

p.s. Normally I don't repost p.r. blurbs, but this is so cool that I have to share it:

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    See, it occurred to me that lately I've featured a bunch of songs that have horn parts and that maybe I should mention them in one post. Both Teitur's "Catherine the Waitress" and "We Still Drink the Same Water" have wonderful trumpets in them (see here). "Blind" by Hercules & Love Affair does too (see here). And Devotchka, well, the entire album A Mad & Faithful Telling is rife with trumpets and even some tuba.

    The fun, fun band I'm From Barcelona has a multitude of players in it (29 at last count), including at least one who plays the trumpet. I love the trumpet line in "This Boy" even though it's not all that pronounced.

I'm From Barcelona--"This Boy (Feat. Loney, Dear)" mp3 off Let Me Introduce My Friends (buy)

    I'm quite partial to a young Swedish singer named Bjorn Kleinhenz and what do you know but he's got a new single out and it features a lovely horn motif throughout.

Bjorn Kleinhenz--"A Quest For Your Heart" mp3 off Quietly Happy and Deep Inside (buy--album comes out this fall) 

    Of course, Broken Social Scene makes wonderful use of brass, for example in the last minute or so of "Ibi Dreams of Pavement." When I saw them a couple of years ago, they had a whole horn section on stage when they played and it blew me away.

Broken Social Scene--"Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)" mp3 off Broken Social Scene (buy)

    And last but not least, perhaps my all-time favorite trumpet solo is in Cake's cover of "I Will Survive."

Cake--"I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor Cover)" mp3 off Fashion Nugget (buy) 

    Here's a little story that might help illuminate my attraction to all things brass. When I was in 5th grade we were deemed old enough to begin learning to play instruments. I had a hard time choosing which one (some things never change) and I finally settled on the French horn. Aside from thinking it was extremely cool, the deciding factor was that my brother's friend Bill, who was really cute and funny, just happened to play it too and it meant that I'd get to sit next to him in band practice. Hence the beginning of my lifelong romance with horns.

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Hey man, what's up? I'm feeling under the weather, under the weather . . .

    This has got to be one of the best hook lines I've heard in a while. I find myself belting it out loud at the oddest moments.

    The band is A'tris and the song is "Automatic Doors." They're from Boston and Mason Taylor, keyboardist, frontman and lead singer, has a really fluid voice that he uses to full advantage. The music is strong and tight and slightly sinister.

A'tris--"Automatic Doors" mp3 off Lensing (buy)

A'tris--"Dark Lotus" mp3 off Lensing 

    Their myspace has several songs for download, so if you like this you should check it out too. They seem to play around Boston and the East Coast but don't have much on their calendar at the moment. Lensing is their second full-length album. I hope they make more.

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    I so wanted to love Goldfrapp's Seventh Tree and I sincerely hoped Toad would be wrong. Alas, neither is the case.

    I do realize this is old news, as the album came out Feb. 28th, but I just picked it up the other day (albeit used), so hopefully it's not too late for me to chime in.

    I like it, it's pleasant music, the kind of stuff I might turn on as I go to sleep when I won't be listening too closely. I think the main problem is that it's far too much of a throwback to the 70s. That's not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, except that it happens to embody the cheesier aspects that the 70s music scene had to offer, which is a bad thing.

    The best song is definitely "A&E" and I understand why they selected that as the first single. Had they chosen the album opener, "Clowns," I bet no one would have bought the record! The strings in it are exceptionally tacky. Unfortunately there are numerous other equally horrid moments, some coming straight from Alison's mouth. ("Monster Love" in particular. Egads!)

    I'm really disappointed in this but I'm sure I'll get over it. Every band is entitled to a misstep and I'm willing to look past this and look forward to whatever they come up with next, coz it certainly couldn't be any worse!

    How's about the Hercules & Love Affair remix of "A&E" as a consolation prize? You know I loves me some Hercules!

Goldfrapp--"A&E (Hercules & Love Affair Remix)" mp3  

    Come to think of it, listening to this album makes me feel kind of like what Alison looks like in the above picture--ever so slightly wtf? 

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    Sometimes you just have to face facts. Sometimes no matter how much you wish something could be, it simply isn't ever going to be. Sometimes regardless of how hard you try or how much work you put into something, it's never going to be enough to make it happen. 

    I'm thinking a bit of Hillary here, but this is a lesson I'm sure we've all had to learn at some point in our own lives. For you and me it's more than likely been on a less grand scale, of course, but no less significant or disappointing. 

Beck--"Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" mp3 off Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Soundtrack (buy)

Aaron Stout--"Story of My Life" mp3 off Queens Live in Caskets (buy)

The Alarm--"Absolute Reality" mp3 off Standards (buy) 

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    I think you might be able to tell I had fun with this week's contrast podcast. The theme is "Alliteration" and it was my choice, so I got to do the main intro and everything. Go here to listen to all the fun.

    As is so often the case--and even though it was my choice--I still had trouble picking a song. There are quite a few songs that have titles that start with the same letter and, being the obsessionist that I am, I had to wade through every one I had in my library. I finally picked "Clip-Clop" by Cloud Cult mainly for the double alliteration, but also because throughout the song he repeatedly sings alliterative pairs of words. Listen and you'll hear what I mean.

Cloud Cult--"Clip-Clop" mp3 off Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus (buy)

    My second choice was "LLL" by Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter. I love the guitars on this. She really wails in parts and you can definitely hear some Neil Young/Crazyhorse influences. I have to thank Danielle for introducing me to her music. "Those were happy times . . . "

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter--"LLL" mp3 off Like, Love, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul (buy) Is that not one of the best album titles of all time?

    Next week's theme is "Sloth," the next in the seven deadly sins series, and it's open for submissions, so don't be a lazy bum. Get off your butt and submit something!

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    In the comments of this post, Agnes from it all started with carbon monoxide brought up a couple of points about remixes, including wondering why the remixer gets so much credit for basically retooling what the original artist did. I told her I thought that really good remixers were able to make songs very much their own, much like a band does when it does a really inventive cover.

    It got me to thinking about my favorite remixes and why I like them and I told her I'd do a post on some of them. The ones I like most tend not to be dance-oriented, although there are certain bands or producers that do really fabulous dance remixes. Not surprisingly, however, I lean more toward the indie-rock camp.

    Having said that, here is a remix of the Das Pop song "Fool for Love," which is a dance track.

Das Pop --"Fool for Love (Lupoo Remix)" mp3

    Also on the more electronic end of the spectrum are these Goldfrapp remixes. I think these are what really got me into the whole remix scene.

Goldfrapp--"Fly Me Away (The Naughty Remix)" mp3

Goldfrapp--"Strict Machine (Rowan Remix)" mp3  

    On to the indie rock songs. Cassettes Won't Listen is perhaps my favorite remixer of all time, and these two tracks are classics.

Pela--"Lonesome Hearts (CWL Remix)" mp3

The Diggs--"Everyone's Starting Over (CWL Remix)" mp3

    Owen Pallett, aka Final Fantasy, has a terrific remix of Grizzly Bear's "Don't Ask." I was obsessed with this song a couple of years ago.

Grizzly Bear--"Don't Ask (Final Fantasy Remix)" mp3

    This Gonzales remix of "Multiply" is better than the original, in my opinion. Just listen to that piano.

Jamie Lidell--"Multiply (Gonzales Remix)" mp3

    To round things off, I love this mix of "Woman" by Avalanches and the Nick Zinner remix of "Gold Lion."

Wolf Mother--"Woman (Avalanches Remix)" mp3  

Yeah Yeah Yeahs--"Gold Lion (Nick Zinner Remix)" mp3  

    I've shared almost all of these at some point, but they are ones I like to listen to time and again, so I think they're worth reposting.

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    ECC is coming to your town very soon. If it's not too much to ask, I would greatly appreciate it if you could go see them in my stead and then report back on their awesomeness, thereby allowing me to live vicariously through you.

    Thx. M.

Eastern Conference Champions--"Yuppie Hipster Fuck" mp3 off Ameritown (buy) 

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    You never know what you're going to encounter at the gym, including in the parking lot.   

    Yesterday I was getting out of the car and I heard this woman shouting. I looked around and there she was on her cell phone, screaming into it: "I'm not fucking married to him, I'm still fucking married to you!" The craziest thing about this was that she was about 25 yards away sitting in her car with the windows rolled up and I could still hear her clear as day!

    Last week when I was walking to my car I overheard three older folks having a rather confused discussion. Seems the one fellow couldn't find his car--in fact he couldn't quite remember what his car looked like! Poor old guy, it was pretty sad. I thought about asking if I could help, but I figured between the three of them they ought to be able to locate it. And I tried to bear in mind that I'm going to be an old person too some day.

The Coathangers--"Parking Lot" mp3 off The Coathangers (buy)

Modest Mouse--"Convenient Parking" mp3 off The Lonesome Crowded West (buy)

The Battle Royale--"Scream Scream" mp3 off Wake Up, Thunderbabe (buy)

    I suppose the moral of the story is always try to remember which car you drove and that a car is not a soundproof booth.

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    They're essentially a two-piece band out of Seattle, although when they play live they add three more members. Afterhours in the Afterlife was released March 25th and it's their fifth full-length. It's a really nice blend of neo-psychedelic, semi-shoegaze nervous energy, mixed up with electrobeats--how's that for a description?

    I suggest you turn it up really loud. 

Voyager One--"Here" mp3 off Afterhours in the Afterlife (buy)   

Voyager One--"The Future Is Obsolete" mp3 off Afterhours in the Afterlife

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