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)

There and Back Again

Ben and I finally made it to see Mount Eerie last night. It was quite the evening.

We caught at 5:20 pm Amtrak to Boston from Providence. Then we went to Cambridge, where Dave introduced us to the ghost of Henry David Thoreau. Then we went with Dave and Justin to a Chinese place with super-good/greasy kung pao chicken.

Next, it was to Mount Eerie. Dave, Ben and I found our way to the Massachusetts School of Art and Design via the Green Line, and found our way to the Pozen Center with the help of a few signs. The Pozen Center was essentially a ballroom. The stage was not used, and the floor-level set up forced everyone else to sit down on the ground. It was not crowded, so there was no issue.

Speaking of which, everyone was super-duper quiet. It was the most respectful audience I've ever been a part of. Oh, no, wait, Sigur Rós concert. Nevermind.

Calm Down, It's Sunday -- Fred Squire singing, guitar and Julie Doiron, drums -- and Julie Doiron -- Julie Doiron singing, guitar and Fred Squire, drums -- opened for Phil Elverum aka Mount Eerie aka The Microphones. Fred Squire was alright, albeit a bit high. Julie Doiron had a very pretty voice and overall kicked ass.

But Mount Eerie took the cake. Phil (as he introduced himself) is a nice guy. I bought a CD from him directly, which was cool.

He, Doiron, and Squire played through their new release, Lost Wisdom. It was stunning. The sound is very primitive and mature. There is something about how Elverum plucks a guitar that is special. Part of it might be the way his acoustic was amplified; rather than opt for a pick-up, he mic-ed it. You could really hear his fingers stroke the strings.

Julie Doiron's voice mixed beautifully with Elverum's, and Squire's reserved electric guitar did much to intensify the music and deepen the sound.

Cathartic. It was very cathartic to be in that room. Elverum's lyrics were beautiful, and his new songs possess a maturity that can't be found as much in his Microphones releases. Mount Eerie is something new.

Thanks to Rachel Gaudette for boarding Ben and me for the night at the last minute! You are best.

Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron and Fred Squire - What? (Lost Wisdom, 2008) (Made me cry.)

The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2 (The Glow Pt. 2, 2001)

Mount Eerie/Julie Doiron

Phil Elverum, aka Mount Eerie, formerly known as The Microphones, came to Providence with Julie Doiron on Monday night.

I had a paper to write and couldn't go. Damn.

But there is still hope! He is performing at Mass Art on Saturday night at 7:30! Woo hoo! Tickets are only 10 bucks, too!

Mount Eerie/The Microphones are really weird. Their music is stirring, percussive, and primitive. It is unlike any other. It is violent. It is sweet. It is thought-provoking and philosophical. And to use a vague, unhelpful word, it is plain interesting.

Julie Doiron is beautiful.

I'll see you on Saturday.

Mount Eerie - No Inside, No Out (No Flashlight, 2005)

Julie Doiron - Tell You Again (Loneliest in the Morning, 1997)

Mount Eerie, Julie Doiron, and Fred Squire - Flaming Home (Lost Wisdom, 2008)

BUY No Flashlight

BUY Woke Myself Up