song of the day: april 29/2011

Neil Young - Old Man (live)
Album: Live at Massey Hall 1971 [2007]

the second volume of neil young's long-promised, suddenly thriving archives series is "live at massey hall", preserving a 1971 acoustic show at the toronto venue. where the first volume captured a portion of neil's past that wasn't particularly well documented on record - namely, the rampaging original crazy horse lineup in its 1970 prime - this second installment may seem to cover familiar ground, at least to the outside observer who may assume that any solo acoustic young must sound the same. that, of course, is not the case with an artist as mercurial and willful as young, who was inarguably on a roll in 1971, coming off successes with crazy horse, crosby, stills & nash, and his second solo record, 1970's "after the gold rush". the concert chronicled finds young dipping into these recent successes for material, as he also airs material that would shortly find a home on 1972's "harvest" in addition to playing songs that wouldn't surface until later in the decade. this is a remarkably rich set of songs, touching on nearly every aspect of young's personality, whether it's his sweetness, his sensitivity, his loneliness, or even his often-neglected sense of fun. even if "down by the river" and "cowgirl in the sand" retain their intense sense of menace when stripped of the winding guitar workouts of crazy horse. this concert isn't dominated by melancholy: it's a warm, giving affair, built upon lovely readings of "helpless," "tell me why," "old man," and an early incarnation of "a man needs a maid" (here played as a medley with "heart of gold") that removes the bombast of the harvest arrangement, revealing the fragile, sweet song that lies underneath. it the show captures the essence of neil young at his artistic peak as a singer/songwriter. that's the reason why this concert has been a legendary bootleg for nearly four decades and why its release 36 years after its recording is so special: it may not add an additional narrative to neil young's history, but it adds detail, color, and texture to a familiar chapter of his career, rendering it fresh once more. it's no wonder producer david briggs wanted to release this concert as an album between after the gold rush and harvest: it not only holds its own against those classics, it enhances them.

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song of the day: april 28/2011

Sigur Rós - Starlalfur
Album: Ágætis Byrjun [1999]

named in part after a sister of one of the bandmembers, iceland's sigur rós (victory rose) was formed in early 1994 while the members were teenagers. the trio's first recorded song earned them a deal with iceland's bad taste label. their sprawling debut LP, "von" (hope), was released in 1997, followed by1999's strings-heavy "agætis byrjun" (good start), earning themselves numerous accolades in their homeland and achieving platinum status in sales. the band sings songs in icelandic, but also in their own made-up language, "hopelandic". everything ont he first two albums, aside from the epic "olsen olsen" are sung in icelandic. during the two years between their first two albums, the band recruited a new keyboardist and it seemed to do nothing but take the band to an even higher state of self-awareness. even on aesthetic matters, sigur rós entitle their sophomore effort not in a manner to play up the irony of high expectations, but in a modest realization. as talented as "von" might have been, this time out is probably even more worthy of dramatic debut expectations. indeed, agætis byrjun pulls no punches from the start. after a beautuiful introduction, the album pumps in the morning mist with "sven-g-englar" and "starlalfur" - the latter being a song of such accomplished gorgeousness that one wonders why such a tiny country as iceland can musically outperform entire continents in just a few short minutes. it truly is one of the most beautiful songsthe rest of this full-length follows such similar quality. extremely deep strings underpin falsetto wails from the mournfully epic to the unreservedly cinematic. one will constantly be waiting to hear what fascinating turns such complex musicianship will take at a moment's notice. the band's keen sense of bright and dark is mostly contained within an elegant scope of melodies for the entirety of the album. rarely has a sophomore effort sounded this thick and surprising. which means that "good start" might as well become one of the most charming understatements to come out of a band in years. one of the 90's best.

english translation:
starlalfur (staring elf):

blue night over the sky, blue night over me
dis-appreared out of the window
me with hands hidden under my cheek
i think about my day, today and yesterday
i put on my blue nighties, go straight to bed
i pull the soft covers over, close my eyes
i hide my head under the covers
a little elf stares at me, runs towards me
but doesn't move from place
himself, a staring elf
i open my eyes, take the crusts out
stretch myself and check (if i haven't)
returned again and everything is okay
still there is something missing
like all the walls

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song of the day: april 27/2011

Final Fantasy - This is the Dream of Win and Regine
Album: Has a Good Home [2005]

toronto-based violinist/singer/songwriter owen pallett has been a member of the groups les mouches and picastro, as well as a touring member of the hidden cameras and arcade fire -he composed strings for the latter's "neon bible" album. final fantasy, essentially a one-man solo project with occasional help from drummer/engineer leon taheny, released its first full recording, "has a good home", in 2005 on the small toronto-based cooperative label club blocks. the one-man classically trained canadian string section - think andrew bird and patrick wolf - created an eye-opening baroque pop record that manages to appeal to both the bespectacled hipster and the disgruntled orchestra student. his vocals have come a long way since this, but as per usual, it's the skip-along string arrangements that make the songs. not much is known about the track, "this is the dream of win and regine", but some of the lyrics seem to touch on the subjects (win butler and regine chassagne) deciding to move to montreal together to create arcade fire and hoping that fame and forture don't come between them. the arcade fire has thus far tried pretty hard to stay as low-key as possible which will be increasingly more difficult as they continue to rise and stardom and produce such fine work. final fantasy's take on this ("crown myself the prince of buzz, can't wait until you unsubscribe") is that win would rather be a lonely songwriter/poet than the lead guy in some over-hyped band. "has a good home" was followed in 2006 by "he poos clouds", which went on to receive the inaugural polaris music prize in canada. in 2008 pallett announced that his next album, "heartland", would be the last under the final fantasy name name, and that all subsequent records would bear the mark of one owen pallett. "heartland", another concept album, dealt with what pallett describes as "the beginning, middle and end of a relationship. but it’s sung from the point of view of the object of my affection".

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song of the day: april 26/2011

The Good, The Bad & The Queen - Three Changes
Album: The Good, The Bad & The Queen [2007]

around the turn of the millennium - just after the release of blur's moody sixth album, "13" - damon albarn began to quietly back away from the very concept of fronting a rock band, turning his attention to a series of collaborative projects that soon overshadowed his main gig. rirst there was the electro-bubblegum group gorillaz, which afforded albarn the opportunity to masquerade behind a cartoon, a move that allowed him to let his music speak louder than his fame, a method that he found irresistible as he began to do several projects similar to this, including a voyage to africa documented on mali music, along with other less-publicized forays into soundtracks. 2007 saw the release of "the good, the bad & the queen", a quartet comprised of himself, clash bassist paul simonon, verve guitarist simon tong, and drummer tony allen. a flurry of pre-release activity compared "the good, the bad & the queen" to blur's 1994 masterpiece "parklife", as it represents a conscious return to albarn writing songs specifically about london at a particular point in time. thematically accurate though this may be, it is also misleading, suggesting that albarn is also returning to the bright, colorful, clever guitar pop that made his reputation. that couldn't be farther from the truth, as this album is deliberately drained of color and mired in moodiness. if parklife exuberantly captured the giddiness of the mid-'90s, as fashions and politics changed, "the good, the bad & the queen" captures how all that optimism has calcified into weary cynicism, as the endless opportunities of the '90s have given way to a warring world that seems to lack any center or certainty. the album is most certainly its own distinctive thing, the product of five iconic musicians working a theme endlessly, relentlessly, and inventively, producing music that plays more like a movie than an album. early on, as "history song" eases into view on a circular acoustic guitar phrase, it establishes an alluring, dank, and artfully dour mood that the band continually expands and explores without ever letting the gloom lift.

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song of the day: april 25/2011

Pearl Jam - Undone
Album: Lost Dogs: Rarities & B-Sides [2003]

at the peak of alt-rock in the '90s, pearl jam were the biggest band in the world. nirvana may have kick-started the alt-rock explosion, but not long after "nevermind" knocked michael jackson's "dangerous" off the top of the charts, pearl jam overtook their fellow seattleites, selling many more copies of "ten" than nevermind, as the album achieved saturation play on radio and MTV, thereby setting off a wave of imitators, ranging from stone temple pilots to seven mary three and scores of bands that have been lost to time. they defined the sound of the decade, at least in terms of mainstream alt-rock. but, like all their fellow grunge rockers (though not like smashing pumpkins), they bristled at the notion of stardom, and ducked the spotlight. after following "ten" with the effectively scattershot "vs." in 1993, each subsequent record played to a smaller audience, partially because the group decided to follow a peculiar muse while shutting out the outside world by doing few videos and interviews and then sinking into a long battle with ticketmaster that sapped their strength, as well as their popularity. by the end of the decade, they were selling far fewer records and they had the occasional hit but they were a far cry from being the biggest band in the world, even if they retained a passionate following. the shift from world's biggest band to world's biggest cult band was a deliberate move, of course, one that came about through their precisely crafted, often humorless, deliberately quirky records that came after "vs.". if a song didn't fit the specific mood of an album, it was shelved. this meant that there was a lot of material that was never heard (apart from the occasional concert or bootleg, naturally), or some of it drifted out on singles released through their fan club. then, it being the '90s, the golden age of the multipart international single and benefit compilation albums, there were a number of officially released songs that never made it to a proper pearl jam album. these two things meant that a rarities collection was necessary, and when they reached the end of their contract with epic ten years after "ten", the group assembled the double-disc, 30-track set "lost dogs". completists, who likely have much of this material anyway, should note that this is not a complete collection of b-sides and non-LP tracks - there's nothing from the singles soundtrack, the merkinball EP is absent, and scores of live B-sides are left behind. instead, this is a selection of the best B-sides, stray singles, and compilation tracks, enhanced by no less than 11 previously unreleased cuts and presented in a non-chronological sequence. this approach has a considerable benefit for the band, since, for one, it doesn't play like a dumping ground for rarities; like all pearl jam albums, it follows its own internal logic and has its own flow. better still, the album benefits from what it chronicles: the loosest, hardest-rocking, most relaxed, and most intimate music the band cut. a lot of the songs, like "undone", sound like b-sides from eddie vedder's solo album for "into the wild". since their proper albums are so somber and tightly controlled, it seemed as if the band didn't have a sense of humor, or even gave themselves a chance to breathe. these songs not only prove that assertion false; they capture what the band sounded like at its peak - they capture their passion, their open-heartedness, their stance as true believers. this spirit was dampened on the albums since they deliberately shied away from it and obscured it with ventures into experimentalism, but here, they not only sound committed but also eclectic and alive. this is where the nonchronological sequencing is a plus - everything here sounds like it could date from their heyday of the first of the '90s, even though much of it dates from later. this is further proof that pearl jam consciously turned away from the big, anthemic sound and spirit that won them a mass audience - they still had the songs and sound, they just chose to bury it. it may not have any of their defining songs - apart from concert favorite "yellow ledbetter," that is - but it does define their spirit, which is why, against all odds, it's one of the best album pearl jam has ever released.

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song of the day: april 24/2011

Chad VanGaalen - Willow Tree
Album: Soft Airplane [2008]

hailing from calgary, singer/songwriter chad vangaalen creates a delightfully soothing indie rock sound. his airy falsetto is part christopher cross and part thom yorke, and fans of broken social scene, band of horses, and destroyer should find the charm in vangaalen's wild imagination. since 1998, the quirky vangaalen has drafted hundreds of songs well-tailored for indie rock fans old and new. in 2004, the calgary label "flemish eye" gathered some of these songs together for his first album, "infiniheart". 2008's "soft airplane", his third album, was recorded over a two year span. using low fidelity equipment, it is as complex as ever, with all the bells and whistles (sometimes literally) that excessive overdubbing can provide. brushing the textures aside, it's also vangaalen's most straightforward album to date. "soft airplane" is a focused outing; one that rarely travels outside the indie pop realm. boyish vocals and fantastic vocal harmonies tinged with sadness spark the first few songs of the album, namely "willow tree", setting an easygoing and creative mood with organic, banjo and guitar. this style of songwriting works well and his imagination crafts a wonderland of sound during the first half of the record. during the second half of the album, however, the bleeps and bloops of overdubbing begin to take over his songs - almost like he started to run dry and threw effects in to cover weaker material.

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song of the day: april 23/2011

Laura Marling - Rambling Man

Album: I Speak Because I Can [2010]

singer/songwriter laura marling was only 16 years old when she emerged on the british indie scene in 2007 thanks to a handful of infectious singles made available on her myspace profile. endowed with a husky voice, an acoustic guitar, and a gift for building quirky, hooky folk songs (characteristics that would compare her favorably to the likes of regina spektor and lily allen), marling quickly made a name for herself throughout england thanks to a heavy touring schedule and a few high-profile gigs. although she was still without a label one year later, her debut EP, "my manic and i", was slated for independent release in the late fall of 2007. this status didn't last long however, because in early 2008, she signed to virgin and released "alas i cannot swim". her follow-up, "i speak because i can", delivers on nearly every level, upping both the production value and the songwriting. love, death, and heartbreak are hardly new subjects when it comes to folk music, but they refresh themselves so often in our lives that their relevance becomes tenfold with each new scrape, a notion that marling explores with both guarded wisdom and elegant petulance on standout cuts like "rambling man". at its heart, the album is a bare-bones singer/songwriter record, which makes the tasteful bursts of explosive percussion, banjo, mandolin, and backing vocals (from members of mumford & sons) all the more effective. that said, it is marling's enigmatic voice, and clever phrasing (a la joni mitchell) that will keep listeners coming back.

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song of the day: april 22/2011

Why? - Good Friday

Album: Alopecia [2008]

...if you grew up with white boys who only look at black and puerto rican porno, cause they want something that their dad don't got, then you know where you're at. mortaring your earholes shut in a rush with wet coke in a starbucks bathroom with the door closed. on booze, i'm left in residue and confused like the first time you used soft water. down on my luck, caught unaware like houdini when the last fist struck. if i'm sinking and laughing at something sunken in, i am. sucking dick for drink tickets at the free bar at my cousin't bat mitzvah, cutting the punch line like it ain't no joke. devoid of all hope, circus mirrors and pot smoke, picking fights on dyke night with shirlies and lokes and snatching purses. doing out on karaoke and forgetting all the verses. blowing kisses to disinterested bitches. playing lead lay in a bad way on broadway, sending sexy sms'es to my ex's new man cause i can. on the road trying to break an old van, eating pussy for new fans, i am what the hell. using purell 'til my hands bleed and swell, missing mail at a motel 6, i'm unwell. if i'm sinking and laughing at something sunken in, i am. it feels exciting touching your handwriting, getting horny by reading it and repeating poor me. intently staring at the picture of your feet on the sticker at the r. crohn's exhibit, i wonder who's sicker? jerking off in an art museum john 'til my dick hurts. the kind of shit i won't admit to my head shrinker. not even in a whisper to my own little sister. i just act like a dick and talk shit when i'm with her. "aught six" i'll say the friday before easter was not what i cried to myself in the pisser and with you in the front row at the silver jews show. and you act like you didn't notice, my fear of the bear at showbiz pizza when i was six was overwhelming and not dissimilar to this. if i'm sinking and laughing at something sunken in, i am. at jacob han's on tour, i wake up hung over on a hardwood floor from a dream about how your dress hangs off your little breasts. i'd rather be dead than call this song "how i lost your respect" but god bless or get neglected. and i'll see you when the sun sets east, don't forget me...

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april 21/2011

M. Ward - Chinese Translation

Album: Post-War [2006]

portland-based singer/songwriter m. ward grew up listening to gospel and country, two genres that figure prominently in his breezy, west coast take on americana. released in 2001, his debut "end of amnesia" helped develop ward's penchant for dusty, timeless narratives and bluesy, back-porch balads, but it wasn't until 2003's "transfiguration of vincent" that ward would begin to penetrate the mainstream. his fifth offering, "post-war" is his best. it sounds like he just wandered off the street with a few friends and hit the record button, but what would feel lazy and unfocused in less confident hands comes off like a tutorial in old-school songwriting and performance that hearkens the past. while his distinctive half-second-delay drawl assumes its usual position as the ghostly broadcast from a more sepia-toned time, the production is far grander than his previous outings. like early pavement, ward knows how to make sloppy sound special, and it's that mix of earnestness and apathy that makes post-war what it is.

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song of the day: april 20/2011

The Strugglers - Morningside Heights
Album: The Latest Rights [2008]

the country-tinged, midtempo songcraft of the strugglers is primarily composed by frontman brice randall bickford, who founded the group in 2001. with help from a rotating cast of musicians, bickford began crafting an atmospheric sound that was equally indebted to red house painters and neil young, with tremulous vocals to match. the debut album "done by the strugglers" arrived in 2001, and bickford slowly fleshed out his band's melancholic material on such subsequent efforts as 2003's "new room", and 2005's "you win". although their music depicted the pastoral landscape of bickford's native north carolina, the european label "acuarela discos" remained a strong champion of the band and issued a number of their albums, including "the latest rights" in 2008. the chorus-like strings accompanying the sulky acoustic guitar pretty much make the song.

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song of the day: april 19/2011

Doves - Last Broadcast
Album: The Last Broadcast [2002]

when doves issued "lost souls" in fall 2000, britpop was immersed in its melodic gloom-and-doom era, ushered in by the success of radiohead. the likes of coldplay, travis, and elbow followed in their wake, as did doves. what separated doves from the rest was a glint of passion, evident on their 2000 debut, "lost souls". two years later, the atmospheric dreamscapes of their debut were torn away for the musical daybreak of "the last broadcast". as it turns out, the psychedelic vibrancy of "catch the sun," the brightest track on their debut, pointed toward this brave second record. gone are the hazy space rock trips and the cheerless attitudes. the seven-minute sonic boom of "there goes the fear" finds jimi goodwin sharing vocals with jez and andy williams for a glorious chorus. each of them switches up vocal duties throughout, lending a joyous feel to the album itself. from the bold front of "words" to the fiery momentum of "pounding," the album shows a refreshing rawness that was absent before. the album delivers sweeping orchestral arrangements for some of it's more sublime songs, and there is a divine ambience on the title track that comes from the undeniably awesome "la la la's" that bed the song. doves were caught up in making grand compositions on lost souls, which worked fabulously, but it was too much. they've stripped down to the basics, letting the optimism of "the last broadcast" take center stage. it's a brilliant moment from a continually brilliant band.

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song of the day: april 18/2011

Badly Drawn Boy - Magic in the Air

Album: The Hour of the Bewilderbeast [2000]

simply put, this is one of the most ambitious and entertaining album's of the 2000's. despite all attempts to sabotage his songwriting and production with innumerable experimental tidbits, songs within a song, and (seemingly) tossed-off arrangements, damon gough has to face the fact that he wrote and produced over a dozen excellent songs of baroque folk-pop for his album debut, and the many gems can't help but shine through all the self-indulgence. the sprightly orchestration for cello and trumpet (gough's own) that begin the album are eventually taken over by the sparse guitar pickings and wistful folky sunshine of "the shining," which veers into the skewed slide guitar and ominous tone of "everybody's stalking." gough rarely pauses for breath (even when he's doing a ballad) or follows any traditional sense of album flow, but after a listen or two, "the hour of bewilderbeast" is revealed as a shambling masterpiece of a pop album. most of these songs are gough's entirely (he plays as many as eight instruments), with occasional help from friends and assorted drummers for accompaniment. his songwriting is great, but gough's twisted sense of humor helps the album shine as well, as on "fall in a river," where the down-a-lazy-river feel carries through to the point where not just gough but the entire production is submerged with a splash and attendant warping of the sound. it surely isn't a traditional pop album, but a continually fufilling trip through lo-fi postmodern folk that draws as much from harry nilsson as beck. stunning from front to back.

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song of the day: april 17/2011

Okkervil River - Black

Album: Black Sheep Boy [2005]

formed in 1998 in austin, okkervil river find the middle ground between indie rock and folk-rock, placing slightly more emphasis on the former. already renowned in texas, the group rose to national prominence with the release of 2005's "black sheep boy". the album's mix of warm strings, barroom piano, horns, and vibes effectively creates a spatial and moody balance to the electric guitar attacks and roomy drums. with these songs, clear desperation creeps through and gives the impression that the band could've fallen to pieces at any moment - but somehow held it all together - and the catalyst of the whole passage is will sheff's thick, spitting voice pleading with the cascading dissonance and majesty of the arrangements. there are tracks where the arrangements take the foreground, but equally effective are the forward, uptempo tracks that are less expansive, such as the super-hooky "the latest toughs," with its compressed falsetto singsong backing vocals, and the infectious "black." looking forward to their next album, "i am very far" which should drop in the next few months.

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song of the day: april 16/2011

Pavement - Gold Soundz

Album: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain [1994]

"crooked rain" strips away the hiss and fog of pavement's previous masterpiece, "slanted & enchanted", removing some of pavement's mystery yet retaining their fractured sound and spirit. it's filled with loose ends and ragged transitions, but compared to the fuzzy, dence "slanted", it is much more direct and immediately engaging. it puts the band's casual melodies, sprawling squalls of feedback, disheveled country-rock, and stephen malkmus' deft wordplay in sharp relief. it's the sound of a band discovering its own voice as a band, which is only appropriate because up until "crooked rain", pavement was more of a recording project between malkmus and scott kannberg than a full-fledged rock & roll group. the're new blood that gives the band a different feel, even if the aesthetic hasn't changed much. the full band gives the music a much richer, warmer vive that's as apparent on the rampaging, noise-ravaged numbers as it is on the sun-kissed country-rock tunes. pavement may still be messy, but it's a meaningful, musical madeness from the performance to the production. what initially seems chaotic has purpose, leading listeners into a bittersweet heart and impish humour at the core of the album. many bands attempted to replicate the sounds or the vibe of "crooked rain", but they never came close to the quick shifts in music and emotion that give this album such lasting appeal. here, pavement follow they follow the heartbroken ballad "stop breathin" with the wry, alt-rock hit "cut your hair" without missing a beat. by drawing on so many different influences, pavement discovered its own distinctive voice as a band, creating a vibrant, dynamic, emotionally resonant album that stands as a touchstone underground rock in the 90's and arguably one of the greatest albums of its decade.

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song of the day: april 15/2011

Tallest Man on Earth ~ Like the Wheel

Album: Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird [2010]

sweden's kristian matsson keeps it sparse with a summertime EP of fingerpicked acoustic guitar and vocals, written on the road just after the release of his brilliant second album, "the wild hunt". comparisons to a young bob dylan are common, and in a rustic, intimate setting such as this, the similarities are hard to ignore. it's a quite EP and demonstrates just how powerful a man can be alone with a guitar and a voice. "little river" and "like the wheel" find him at his most near and dear, further validation that there is no need for added frills when someone can perform this tender-heartedly. this song is quite reflective, and, like many of his songs, contains fantastic wordplay and similes - "why am i not strong like the wheels that keep traveller's travellin' on? like the wheel that will take you home?". it's not much of a departure from this first two albums, and that's no trouble at all: when you sound like virtually nobody else out there, it's hard to complain about more of the same.

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song of the day: april 14/2011

Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing

Album: Axis: Bold as Love [1967]

"little wing" is a good example of a song that has grown in stature after relatively humble beginnings to rank among its composer's most popular efforts. jimi hendrix originally developed the lovely guitar pattern that serves as the basis of the song will playing in greenwich village in 1966 and finished it in the fall of 1967 in time to record it for his second album. playing the guitar through a leslie organ speaker, he emphasized its melodic appeal, adding lyrics that paid tribute to a generous, if somewhat ethereal female who might easily be a child or an angel as a woman. the brief song, with its two verses and no real chorus (the title is mentioned only as an afterthought at the end), was placed near the end of the first side of "axi: bold as love", which peaked in top five in both the US and the UK. "little wing" was not released as a single and didn't attract much attention initially, as it was in a very different style from hendrix's usual work. but it was appreciated by eric clapton, who recorded a version of it in september of 1970, with his group derek & the dominos. nine days later, hendrix died. when clapton released "layla and other assorted love songs" that december, people who hadn't noticed "little wing" three years earlier suddenly heard it differently. of course, it was not something of a tribute to the late guitarist.

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song of the day: april 13/2011

The Weepies - Nobody Knows Me at All

Album: Say I Am You [2006]

singer/songwriters deb talan and steve tannen, both of whom had released solo material before banding together to form folk-pop duo the weepies, first met at one of tannen's shows in cambridge, MA. mutual admirers of each other's music, the two musicians started writing songs together, and soon the weepies' whimsical, acoustic-based sound took shape. the weepies have never pretended to be anything that they're not, which is, briefly, sentimental, melodic folk-pop, with harmonious vocals and gently picked guitars. they accept this, and they relish in it. the songs are simple, pretty and generally uplifting, basking in the glow of being happily smitten, but not blind to the misfortunes of others in the world. though they take turns singing, talan's voice is more memorable and is a pleasant reminder of the chick-folk/rock stars of the '90s. she adds her own sweet innocence that fits perfectly with the songs, the twinkling guitar, the literate wordplay, the scalar melodies. "say i am you" is not groundbreaking music, but it's effective in it's simplicity.

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song of the day: april 12/2011

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Album: In the Aeroplane Over the Sean [1998]

perhaps best likened to a marching band on an acid trip, neutral milk hotel's second album is another sonic parade; lo-fi yet lush, impenetrable yet wholly accessible, "in the aeroplane over the sea" has become one of the most important albums of our time. again teaming with producer robert schneider, jeff mangum invests the material here with new maturity and clarity; while the songs run continuously together, there is a much clearer sense of shifting dynamics from track to track, with a greater emphasis on structure and texture. mangum's vocals are far more emotive as well; whether caught in the rush of spiritual epiphany ("the king of carrot flowers pts. two and three") or in the grip of sexual anxiety ("two-headed boy"), he sings with a new fervor, composed in equal measure of ecstasy and anguish. to many, the standout song is the title track. it contains a simple arrangement of acoustic guitar supported by minimal percussion and fragmented saxophone interruptions. mangum cheerfully sings of a young man who's recognized that someday he's going to die and is perfectly okay with that idea. unlike the rest of the album, which can occasionally be downright harrowing in its emotional blackness, "in the aeroplane over the sea" is almost giddy at the thought of eternal rest: "when we meet on a cloud, i'll be laughing out loud" probably isn't the average train of thought of a kid barely in his mid-20s, but it certainly beats one of kurt cobain's howls of existential despair.

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song of the day: april 11/2011

Dr. Dog - The Rabbit, The Bat & The Reindeer

Album: Fate [2008]

the philadelphia-based dr. dog are pop oddballs who blend unapologetic '60s pop worship with lo-fi recording techniques and an apparent disregard for current trends. the group began as a part-time offshoot of the more traditional indie rock act "racoon", and over the course of several years, became dr. dog and self-released two albums (including 35-song album, "pyschedelic swamp). when their friend, my morning jacket's jim james, hand-picked them open for his band on an east coast tour, the band's almost nonexistent national profile began to rise. dr. dog have been steadily refining their sound since the unexpected success of 2005's "easy beat", and "fate" continued that trend. they've still got all the right classic rock moves, clever production ideas, and the ragged-but-right vocals and bouncy, highly melodic bass of toby leaman and scott mcmicken's tough guitar and sweet vocals. "fate" contains some really nice string and horn arrangements and a bit more utilization of studio production. like "easy beat", the album is simply overflowing with the sheer joy of making music. the songs are not just catchy and well-written (to the point of sounding familiar upon first listen), they seem completely effortless and are delivered with the same sort of freshness and enthusiasm as the beatles' apple records rooftop concert. the beatles comparisons don't end there, as much of the work draws influence from george harrison and paul mccartney. there are also echoes of the band in the piano and organ work, and the beach boys in the vocal harmonies. along with the sense that they just seem to do what feels right, they've got a penchant for harmony vocals and complete command of the shoo-wop/doot-doot/doo-wah backing vocal lexicon, in addition to two different-sounding and complementary guitarists. 2010's "shame" proved to be yet another thoroughly enjoyable album from this fantastic band.

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song of the day: april 9/2011

Nico - These Days

Album: Chelsea Girl [1967]

although "chelsea girl" was the first full album from the german-born christa päffgen, it was not her debut solo effort. prior to becoming involved with the velvet underground, nico issued an obscure 7" single in 1965 which featured a cover of gordon lightfoot's "i'm not sayin'" and an oldham co-composition with jimmy page called "last mile" that foreshadowed the eclectic nature of this LP. although the dissolution between the vocalist and core instrumental quartet was not without its share of acrimony, the non-percussive contingent of the velvet underground is heavily featured on chelsea girl: there is lou reed (guitar), sterling morrison (guitar/bass), and john cale (piano/bass/viola), who contrast what they had been doing with the larger combo. these sides are decidedly "unplugged," providing a folky and baroque setting for nico's dark and brooding vocal inflections. the minimalist string section features a quaint, yet effective arrangement giving the material a distinctly european feel. the juxtaposition of such honest and at times harrowing imagery to nico's bleak delivery is nothing short of an inspired artistic statement which has since long outlasted its initial socially relevant context. an unqualified masterpiece.

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song of the day: april 10/2011

Sleater-Kinney - Modern Girl

Album: The Woods [2005]

formed in 1994, sleater-kinney became one of the most important feminist punk rock bands of the '90s. the trio recorded its self-titled debut in 1995 which earned widespread acclaim for its visceral intensity as well as the group's passionate vocals, intricate melodies, and provocative, politically charged lyrics. with 1996's "call the doctor", the band garnered even greater media exposure and critical applause on the strength of their incisive rants against gender inequity, consumerism, and indie rock's male-dominated hierarchy. they upped the ante again with 2005's "the woods", a powerful, inventive album that was released by sub pop and inspired by, among other things, the political climate of the mid-2000s and the freedom of the improvised parts of their gigs supporting pearl jam on a 2003 tour. during the summer of 2006, though, the group announced they were going on an "indefinite hiatus" after finishing the remaining dates on their tour, and have yet to return. "modern girl" is one of their more literal songs and is fueled by its sharp lyrics, vocal melody, and growing distortion. a great album by a group that always remains true to their ideals, and still find smart, gripping ways of articulating them.

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song of the day: april 8/2011

Simon & Garfunkel - A Hazy Shade of Winter

Album: Bookends [1968]

"a hazy shade of winter" was a sizable hit for simon & garfunkel, reaching number 13 on the billboard charts, although it's not quite as frequently played or famous as their biggest hits. that's unfortunate, as it was one of their best songs, and certainly one of the toughest and more rock-oriented by a duo more noted for being relatively mild and dignified. a brusque, stiff drum rhythm sets the pace on the opening instrumental section, built around an edgy, up and down guitar riff; the melody and arrangement of the instrumental section are duplicated on the track's subsequent vocal choruses. the lyric is one of simon's more downbeat early ones, particularly on the chorus, with its images of leaves turning brown and the sky looking like a hazy shade of winter. though the verse is less melodically memorable than the chorus, it's commendably urgent and well-arranged, particularly in the lonely bleats of trumpet after some of the lines, and the part at the ending where the bass and a bassoon busily bring the verse to a climax. there's only a brief bridge which, though not as vital a part of the song as the main courses, does serve the purpose of adding a little bit more of a dark clouds gathering feel. it's also nifty how the song comes to an unexpected dead, final stop on the last chorus, after the line about a patch of snow on the ground.

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song of the day: april 7/2011

Pink Floyd - Goodbye Blue Sky

Album: The Wall [1979]

roger waters constructed "the wall", a narcissistic, double-album rock opera about an emotionally crippled rock star who spits on an audience member daring to cheer during an acoustic song. given its origins, it's little wonder that the album paints such an unsympathetic portrait of the rock star, cleverly named "pink," who blames everyone - particularly women - for his neuroses. waters took his operatic inclinations to heart, constructing the album as a series of fragments that are held together by larger numbers like "comfortably numb" and "hey you." generally, the fully developed songs are among the finest of pink floyd's later work, but the wall is primarily a triumph of production: its seamless surface, blending melodic fragments and sound effects. on the original vinyl version of the album, "goodbye blue sky" occupied the last slot on the first side of album one. in an interview around the album's release, waters described the song as being a recap of the first side of album one, summing up the pink's life to that point. as waters says, in it's most simplistic form "it's remembering one's childhood and then getting ready to set off into the rest of one's life." exemplifying the wall's characteristic presentation of a gentle melody juxtaposed against harsh lyrics, or vice versa, much of the music for "goodbye blue sky" is incredibly tranquil, soaring even, only falling into disjointed minors as the lyrics grow darkly paranoid. by waters' explanation, one can easily relate to the often contradictory emotions of setting out into the world on one's own. the child who says the line, "look mummy, there's an airplane up in the sky" is roger's son harry, who was only two years old at the time.

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song of the day: april 6/2011

William Elliott Whitmore - Hell or High Water

Album: Animals in the Dark [2009]

with a voice that sounds like the reincarnation of an old gospel preacher from the 1920s and a fascination with sin, death, and redemption to match, william elliott whimore is one of the most unique artists to emerge on the americana scene in years. the son of a farmer and raised on a horse farm on the banks of the mississippi river outside of keokuk, iowa, whitmore's songs have a stark universality that is sketched out with minimal instrumentation, usually just a banjo or guitar and a smattering of percussion. his voice is the one tom waits has been after for years, and his folk and blues-inflected songs feel like they've been left out in the rain for months, weathered and tightened to the snapping point. he released his debut album, "hymns for the hopeless" in 2003. "animals in the dark" is his fourth album.

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song of the day: april 5/2011

Alice in Chains - I Stay Away

Album: Jar of Flies [1994]

in many ways, alice in chains was the definitive heavy metal band of the early '90s. drawing equally from the heavy riffing of post-van halen metal and the gloomy strains of post-punk, the band developed a bleak, nihilistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock with subtly textured acoustic numbers. they were hard enough for metal fans, yet their dark subject matter and punky attack placed them among the front ranks of the seattle-based grunge bands. while this dichotomy helped the group soar to multi-platinum status with their second album, 1992's "dirt", it also divided them. guitarist jerry cantrell always leaned toward the mainstream, while vocalist layne staley was fascinated with the seamy underground. such tension drove the band toward stardom in their early years, but following "dirt", they suffered from near-crippling internal tensions that kept the band off the road for the remainder of the '90s and, consequently, they never quite fulfilled their potential. in the wake of dirt's success came drug addiction and following its release, bassist mike starr left and was replaced by mike inez. the album's gloomy lyrics launched many rumors that staley was addicted to heroin, which he ultimately was. the band soldiered on in the face of such criticism, performing successfully on the third lollapalooza tour in 1993, and released the low-key EP "jar of flies" in early 1994. it debuted at number one upon its release, becoming the first EP to top the album charts. despite the band's continued success, they stayed off the road, which fueled staley's addiction speculation. they released one final album, 1995's "alice in chains", and on the verge of disbanding, finally played live - their first in three years - in 1996, performing for an episode of MTV unplugged, which was released as an album that summer. despite its success, the album did nothing to dispel doubts about the group's future and neither did cantrells's solo work. cantrell and the band's record company (columbia) basically started releasing rarities, live, and greatest hits albums because they couldn't get staley to work. in april 2002, the news that every fan had been fearing for years had finally come to pass: layne staley was found dead due to a lethal overdose of cocaine and heroin. autopsies later revealed that staley died on april 5th in his seattle apartment, though his body wasn't found until april 20th when the bank alerted the police that he hadn't made any transactions. back to the music - written and recorded in about a week, "jar of flies" solidified the group's somewhat bizarre pattern of alternating full-length hard rock albums with mostly acoustic, ballad-oriented EPs. that quirk aside, "jar of flies" is a low-key stunner, achingly gorgeous and harrowingly sorrowful all at once. in a way, it's a logical sequel to dirt - despite the veneer of calm, the songs' voices still blame only themselves. but where dirt found catharsis in its unrelenting darkness and depravity, jar of flies is about living with the consequences, full of deeply felt reflections on loneliness, self-imposed isolation, and lost human connections. the mood is still hopelessly bleak, but the poignant, introspective tone produces a sense of acceptance that's actually soothing, in a weird way. cantrell's arrangements keep growing more detailed and layered; while there are a few noisy moments, most of the EP is bathed in a clean, shimmering ambience whose source is difficult to pin down. 17 years removed from it's release, it is regarded as perhaps the most thrilling EP's of it's generation. "i stay away" is quintessential. the seeming schizophrenia between massive rock crunch and gentle acoustic numbers that characterize the band are both highlighted, as the two impulses fused to create what on balance was the band's most uplifting song, sonically if not always lyrically. beginning with a lovely, folky jerry cantrell guitar, strings softly gliding in, "i stay away" finds the normally doom-laden layne staley beginning on a note of hope about 'going south this year.' a recurrent descending riff finds cantrell bringing out the electric guitar, joining with staley in the off-center harmonizing that so often defined the group, but for the most part the tone is calm and reflective. it's on the chorus that everything really hits the heights, with staley invoking the title like a declaration of intent and the arrangement suddenly becoming an anthemic surge, the orchestral backing resulting in a truly beautiful moment. cantrell's electric solo adds just enough bite.

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song of the day: april 4/2011

Megafaun - The Longest Day

Album: Gather, Form and Fly [2009]

when justin vernon left indie folkers deyarmond edison to go on to late-'00s indie wunderkind status as bon iver, the remaining members of deyarmond edison carried on in north carolina as megafaun. with an impossible-to-pinpoint, laid back lo-fi sound incorporating byrds-esque harmonies, elegiac folk-picking, and off-kilter instrumentation (think a rougher-around-the-edges fleet foxes), megafaun earned accolades beyond their feted former bandmate. the trio gained solid enough reviews for their sparse debut disc "bury the square" in 2008; however, their sophomore release the next year, "gather, form and fly", drew raves, with high marks from the onion AV club and pitchfork. the relentless re-embrace of acoustic campfire ponderings and singalongs may seem a bit strange in the 21st century, but as far as everything progresses, there will always be a harkening back to some form of a mythic lost paradise of the form. that said, megafaun are just as taken by quietly tortured dark-night-of-the-soul whisperings, lo-fi oddities, and shards of feedback shade as they are of banjos and summertime evenings, giving the album a bit of an unsettled edge at various points.

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song of the day: april 3/2011

American Football - Never Meant

Album: American Football [1999]

american football consisted of vocalist/bassist/guitarist mike kinsella, guitarist steve holmes, and drummer/trumpet player steve lamos, and offered an almost emo/post-punk esthetic, blending jazzy tempos, pop hooks, and earnest vocals into their sound. the group released their self-titled debut EP in 1998 and their eponymous full-length in 1999. considering the incredible appeal of american football's debut single with polyvinyl, it was quite easy to expect great things from their first album - tracks like "the one with the tambourine" took kinsella far beyond his emo roots, into beautiful territory that had more in common with red house painters. the group's album debut didn't hit quite the same heights, but it came close on several accounts. the obvious progression from the polyvinyl single came in the form of horns and wurlizter dabbed tastefully onto a few tracks. kinsella's main strength seemed to be in drifting, floating waves of melody, and "american football" made good on this in a pretty impressive way. i'm not sure what happened to them after this, but creating a song like "never meant" easily give them my stamp of approval.

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song of the day: april 2/2011

A.A. Bondy - Black Rain, Black Rain

Album: American Hearts [2008]

a.a. bondy is actually the birth name (the initials stand for augeste arthur) of scott bondy, the former lead singer of birmingham's southern grunge darlings verbena, frequently compared to nirvana because of their gritty, aggressive sound and bondy's searing vocals. the band, which also included daniel johnston, was formed when all three were in high school in the early '90s and recorded three albums before calling it quits in 2003. bondy retreated to his home in upstate new york and in time began writing songs again, emerging with a stripped-down indie folk sound. he recorded and mixed his debut solo album, "american hearts", at a barn near his home, releasing the project in 2007. in fact, the entire album was recorded with just two microphones. it was picked up by fat possum and re-released early in 2008. full of darkly sardonic songs, bondy leaves behind the rock crunch of his former band for bluesy folk songs about damnation and salvation. it ends up somewhere between bob dylan and ryan adams, wrapped in flannel shirts and muddied boots. each and every song is deep in meaning and the harmonica that accompanies most of the tracks creates a memorable atmosphere. "black rain, black rain" is the perfect soundtrack to rain in early spring.

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song of the day: april 1/2011

The Knife - Like a Pen

Album: Silent Shout [2006]

a brother and sister duo hailing from stockholm, sweden, the knife takes inspiration from vintage synth pop and forward-thinking electronic music, crafting a sound that is equally unsettling, playful, and beautiful. olof and karin dreijer formed the knife in 1999 and worked on their music in their home studios, releasing several "preliminary" works before their actual debut, 2005's "deep cuts". their initial success was fueled by josé gonzález's cover of the single "heartbeats" when it appeared in a commercial for sony's bravia and became a hit, earning more acclaim for the dreijers outside of sweden. their second album, "silent shout", is much darker, more ambitious, and finds the dreijers stretching their sonics and downplaying the overt poppiness of "deep cuts". but, while the album isn't as whimsical or immediate as has been in the past, it's just as inventive, if not more so. karin's vocals are more striking than ever; treated as another instrument in the arrangements, they're layered, pitch-shifted, and tweaked until there's almost nothing left but tones and emotions. on the epic "like a pen," she describes a character's struggle with body issues with disturbing clarity: "sharpen my body like a pen...something too small for a lens." many of the album's songs have a hushed, eerie intensity, but "silent shout" also sets off flares of emotion against its frosty backdrops.

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