Islands @ practically in my dorm, Fri. Nov. 7

Yeah, so Islands (formerly the Unicorns) is coming to Brown! Yippee! So come visit me! November 7th! Friday! Let me know soon so I can buy you a ticket!

Islands is a goofy, Canadian band that is not afraid of violins. It is a band that makes music that makes you want to get up and dance like a crazy person (see video above). Islands makes you feel vulnerable yet invincible. They like to sing about death.

Oh yeah, and they're playing with Man Man.

Check out their new album, Arm's Way. It's excellent.

Islands - Creeper (Arm's Way, 2008)

Islands - Kids Don't Know Shit (Arm's Way, 2008)

BUY Arm's Way

FREDRIK

Sweden is bitchin':

Jens Lekman.

El Perro del Mar.

I'm From Barcelona.

Säkert!

Frida Hyvönen

Montt Mardié

The LK

And now:

Fredrik

Their music is wintry and feels like Christmas carols. Fredrik fits neatly into the list of bands above: their music is simple and declarative. It is feel good music that is not afraid of percussion.

Oh, and Fredrik is coming to a venue NEAR YOU!

Nov 5 2008
9:00P
DC9
Washington, Washington DC

Nov 6 2008
9:00P
Metro Gallery
Baltimore, Maryland

Nov 7 2008
8:00P
Cake shop
New York City, New York

Nov 8 2008
8:00P
Union Hall
Brooklyn, New York

Nov 9 2008
8:00P
Brillobox
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Nov 12 2008
9:00P
TT the Bear’s
Boston, Massachusetts

Nov 13 2008
8:00P
Space 538
Portland, Maine

Nov 15 2008
8:00P
Pianos
New York City, New York

So, please, check it:

Fredrik - Black Fur (Na Na Ni, 2008)

Fredrik - Alina's Place (Na Na Ni, 2008)

PRE-ORDER Na Na Ni

Houdini

Ummm.... yeah.... sorry about the lack of posts of recent. I have been *gulp* busy.

BUT! Good music abounds.

For instance, the new I'm From Barcelona album, Who Killed Harry Houdini?, came out this past Tuesday. It is a more intricate album than Let Me Introduce My Friends, and it's not quite as snappy. It is more even-tempered and more cleanly enunciates the melancholy presented in "Barcelona Loves You." It is a more delicate and cohesive album than their debut, which is not necessarily a good thing. I'm From Barcelona is a band that makes singles. It's hard for a full album not to get tiring. Also, part of the band's novelty is its overwhelming hugeness. Songs like "Gunhild," though beautiful, lack the sheer size of their previous album.

Still, get this album. It's I'm From Barcelona like you've never heard them.

I'm From Barcelona - Gunhild (feat. Soko) (Who Killed Harry Houdini?, 2008)

I'm From Barcelona - Mingus (Who Killed Harry Houdini?, 2008)

Soko -I'll Kill Her (EP 1, 2007)

BUY Who Killed Harry Houdini?

Tomorrow!

I haven't blogged in a while. What is college doing to me?

(Priorities, Chris. Priorities.)

Big news brings me back to the ole' Lappy:

Antony and the Johnsons' new EP, Another World, comes out TOMORROW! It should be amazing.

Nothing compares to Antony and the Johnsons. Like Sigur Rós and Mount Eerie, they are a singular band: incredibly unique, incredibly good.

"Shake That Devil" shows Antony and the Johnsons moving in a direction that was hinted at in "Fistful of Love" on I Am a Bird Now. It is jazzy, funky, and sinister. Abuse is becoming a dominant theme in Antony's music...

Antony and the Johnsons - Shake That Devil (Another World, 2008)

Antony and the Johnsons - Fistful of Love (I Am a Bird Now, 2005)

PRE-ORDER Another World

Nantuh

Beirut's "Nantes" is one of the best songs of 2007.

Unlike other best songs of 2007 (*cou-"Paper Planes"-gh*), it has not been getting the cover/remix treatment it deserves.

UNTIL NOW!!!

Sepanta Mohseni brings together a cohesive a cappella version of the song with some sweet beat-boxing and distorted vocals. Doing it a cappella brings out the overwhelmingly vocal quality of Beirut's music, from Zach Condon's warbling vocals to the melodic sustain of the accordion and horns.

So give it a listen!

Sepanta Mohseni - Nantes (Beirut cover)

Beirut - Nantes (The Flying Club Cup, 2007)