Grant Manship

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 30th, 2005

British Sea Power - "Victorian Ice" from Open Season

The Strokes - Live at the ULU

If you were unable to connect to the The Strokes live webcast last night, here is a torrent of what you missed.  You'll need Real Player to watch it so be ready! 

The setlist was:  Juicebox, Red Light, Heart In A Cage, On The Other Side, Visions Of Division, Evening Sun, Razorblade, Electricityscape, Hawaii, 15 Minutes, You Only Live Once, Last Nite, Hard To Explain, Someday, The End Has No End, Under Control, New York City Cops, Reptilia, Barely Legal, Is This It, Take It Or Leave It

You'll need the Bit Torrent client to do the actual downloading.  In case you don't have that, get it.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 29th, 2005

Field Music - "You're So Pretty..." from Field Music

Favorite New Release of the Week - Nov. 29th, 2005

The Darkness - One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back

Unruffled by constant comparisons to Queen, the Darkness returns with a sophomore album featuring a couple of songs that actually sound more like the British rock act that Freddy Mercury once fronted. The quartet even enlisted Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker to man the console on this set, the kind of spirited romp one would expect from a group led by a guy in a cape and a spandex leotard. The noteworthy "Ticket" revels in romantic sentiments ("Dinner Lady Arms") as much as it does double-entendres ("Knockers"). The prancing melody and bagpipes of "Hazel Eyes" conjure images of lovers frolicking about the countryside. If that was not unlikely enough, epic ode to hair loss "Bald" is a total scream. Accented by tolling bells and a sky-high chorus, its campiness makes it a guilty pleasure and a male empowerment anthem.

- Christa L. Titus (via Billboard)

Merge Records Holiday Charity Auction

Be sure to hit up the Merge Records eBay page for items being sold in their holiday charity auction.  The auction will be taking place from November 23rd to January 1st to benefit Oxfam and The North Carolina Food Bank.

The bands that are participating in the auction include:

• Spoon
• Destroyer
• Tenement Halls
• Arcade Fire
• Crooked Fingers
• Lou Barlow
• Guided by Voices
• Superchunk
• Portastatic
• M. Ward
• American Music Club
• The Clientele
• The Rosebuds
• Lambchop

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 28th, 2005

Beachwood Sparks - "Canyon Ride" from Beachwood Sparks

My Morning Jacket at the Palace

The show was absolutely amazing!  It was one of the best live experiences I think I've ever had.  There isn't much more I can say other than that.  The band was very excited and happy to be home and it came through in the music.

One thing that struck me was how quiet the crowd was during a few songs Jim performed by himself at the beginning of the encore.  I would expect the bands hometown crowd to be as respectful as any crowd possible, but you could've heard a pin drop in the Palace during these songs.  It was refreshing to see a crowd show so much respect during such an intimate part of the show.

The end of the show found the band smashing a series of small toy instruments.  I love it when a band smashes their instruments, even if they are toy ones.  Again, the show was amazing as I'm sure any fan who has seen them live could confirm.

If you want to see some pictures I took from the show, I've put together a photo album here. 

Please remember I'm not a professional photographer and trying to catch the band standing still is almost impossible so if a few of the pics are slightly blurry, sorry!  Enjoy!

Update:  If you wanna hear what I heard, you can find some excellent recordings of the show here (recorded from the crowd) and here (from the live FM broadcast).

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 25th, 2005

Nick Drake - "Which Will" from Pink Moon

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I'll be back tomorrow with some pictures from the My Morning Jacket show.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 23rd, 2005

Death from Above 1979 - "Black History Month" from You're a Woman, I'm a Machine

My Morning Jacket at the Palace Theater

I'm heading to My Morning Jacket's tour ending show tonight at the Palace Theater in Louisville.  VHS or Beta is opening which should make for an excellent show.  I'll hopefully have some good things to post about tomorrow!

You can hear the live broadcast at WFPK.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 22nd, 2005

Brendan Benson - "Metarie" from Lapalco

Favorite New Release(s) of the Week - Nov. 22nd, 2005

Jens Lekman - Oh You're So Silent Jens

A singer-songwriter perfectly suited for today's iPod generation, Jens Lekman stated in a recent PopMatters interview that he has no desire whatsoever to record a proper album, opting to concentrate solely on individual songs instead. It's a bold thing for the young Swedish prodigy to say, but considering the volume of songs he has recorded since his late teens, and the surprisingly high quality of the majority of them, it's best to let the young maverick do things his own way. Lekman's approach is simultaneously old school and contemporary; by placing the emphasis on the single, he hearkens back to the '50s, when rock 'n' roll was in its infancy, and people worried about sales of 45s, not LPs, but he also caters to today's massively popular MP3 trend, where people are in constant search of the latest brilliant track, while the full-length album slowly becomes a dying art.  (more)

- Adrien Begrand, November 18, 2005 (via PopMatters)

Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy Appendix

It’s hard to believe that what should be a tossed-off disc with a handful of outtakes and new tunes is so good, but then, who expected Black Sheep Boy to be one of the best records of the year? The only problem with Black Sheep Boy Appendix is that it should have another five songs and twenty minutes. Let’s hope these songs are what they appear to be, evidence of musical growth that should carry over to the next full-length – and not just a reminder of what they’ve already achieved.  (more)

- David Greenwald, November16th, 2005 (via Cokemachineglow)

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 21st, 2005

The Arcade Fire & David Bowie - "Wake Up" from the Live at Fashion Rocks EP

Vince[nt]

My good friend Vince, who is the wizard behind the curtain of Vince[nt], finally got around to posting some material on his MySpace page so check it out.  He's been locked in his bedroom recording and what he's let out has been creating quite a buzz around the Bloomington music scene.

A local promoter recently had this to say about Vince, "Vince[nt] writes and plays songs that are so perfectly witty and wittily perfect you'd swear he's the second coming of Jonathan Richman with better hair."

Walk the Line

Stop reading this, and whatever else you're doing, and go see "Walk the Line" now.  We can discuss it later.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 18th, 2005

The Dreadful Yawns - "Waking Up To You" from The Dreadful Yawns

Rogue Wave Covers Nirvana

Check out IndieInterviews.com for an mp3 of Rogue Wave covering Nirvana's "On A Plain".

(via gorilla vs. bear)

The Whole Shebang

As a follow-up to Information Leafblower's list of the Top 40 Bands in America, they've posted all 114 nominated bands.  There are some great bands listed that didn't make the cut as well as a couple that shouldn't be on a list containing 11,400 bands. 

Come on people, do we REALLY need to include Notorious B.I.G. on this list???  The guy might be the greatest rapper ever but he hasn't toured or even given an interview in years and there's just no excuse for that, who does he think he is, The Beatles???

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 17th, 2005

Sam Prekop - "Dot Eye" from Who's Your New Professor

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

I guess I should get this post out of the way because you're going to be hearing plenty about Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, and rightly so!  That is... if you haven't already.  If, for some reason, you don't end up hearing a lot about this band then you probably weren't listening in the first place.

As their website states, the band just recorded their first full length CD entitled Broom.  Go ahead, click the link, buy the record.

While you're waiting for your order to go through check out a couple of mp3's from the band.

House Fire from Broom
Lower the Gas Prices, Hwd. Johnson from the sold-out Michael Holt/Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin split CD Someone Still Loves You Michael Holt: A Scrapbook For You

The Top 40 Bands In America Today

Information Leafblower is back with this year's list of the Top 40 Bands in America Today.

Check out the list and see if your favorite band(s) made the cut.  If they didn't you might want to get a new favorite band because this list pretty much covers it. 

That being said, feel free to substitute any band you like that didn't make the list with Kelly Clarkson at #16.  That's like the free space on a BINGO card as far as I'm concerned.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 16th, 2005

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth" from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Beck Video for "Hell Yes"

Thankfully, we're reminded from time to time that there are still a few talented, innovative artists and directors in this world.  It's even better when a couple of them work together on something.

Beck's new video for "Hell Yes" is a perfect example of what comes from this combination.

A few days ago, Stereogum discussed the VH1.com article that finally gave some hints as to why Beck had been so tight-lipped about plans for the new video.

It turns out the video uses 4 QRIOs, which as the article mentions, are so-called "dream robots" developed by Sony Japan as high-tech playthings for children.  The robots are capable of a number of things including the ability to have conversations, adapt to various environments, and mimic human movements.  The ability to mimic human movements was important when programming the robots to perform a very complex choreography number created by Beck and director Garth Jennings.  It's impossible to appreciate this until you see it and even then I wish they would show more of the robots but hey, I'm not complaining!!!  I think the idea for the video and the technology behind are both amazing.

Enough about what I think, watch the video and decide for yourself.  The link has been taken due to a very cool redesign of Beck's website.  You'll need to go to the video section of Beck.com to see the video now.

After you watch the video and decide you haven't had enough of the robots and their dancing skills, you can check out this video to help you get your fix.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 15th, 2005

Kings of Convenience - "Little Kids" from Quiet Is the New Loud

José González Covers

If you don't already own Veneer from José González, I'm not sure what you're waiting for.  I'm not even sure we can still be friends.  That being said, I've been meaning to post a few links to some covers by José so here you go...

• Hand on my Heart (Kylie Minogue cover) via gorilla vs. bear
• Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover) via La Blogothèque
• Ghost of Tom Joad (Bruce Springsteen cover) via La Blogothèque

Favorite New Release of the Week - Nov. 15th, 2005

Wilco - Kicking Television: Live In Chicago

A live album is, first and foremost, an album: a simulacrum of reality, not the thing itself. Yes, Virginia, studio enhancements are as old as the form, but the presentation extends to which songs are chosen, which banter snippeted, and indeed, even which phase of a performer's career gets chosen for immortalization. This distinction between art and archive is a crucial one for Wilco, as each of the band's albums has represented a progression, or at least a transition-- a unified statement of the group's identity at the moment that it was recorded. Kicking Television: Live in Chicago, a 2xCD live album recorded last year in the Second City's Vic Theatre, is no exception.  (more)

- Marc Hogan, November 14, 2005 via Pitchfork

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 14th, 2005

Elliot Smith - "Needle in the Hay" from Elliot Smith

The Strokes Video for "Juicebox"

Having all the new Strokes' songs leak got a little old I guess...  What's next to leak???  The video for the first single of course!

Here's the video for your viewing pleasure.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 11th, 2005

Ugly Casanova - "Barnacles" from Sharpen Your Teeth

Iron & Wine/Calexico Covers

Check out gorilla vs. bear for a couple Iron & Wine/Calexico cover's of The Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground.

MMJ: Morning Becomes Eclectic

My Morning Jacket performed on Morning Becomes Eclectic yesterday and My Old Kentucky Blog has the mp3's to prove it.

You can check out the video here.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 10th, 2005

Soul Coughing - "True Dreams of Wichita" from Ruby Vroom

Swearing At Motorists Album News

Swearing At Motorists are planning to release their new album, Last Night Becomes This Morning, on February 7th.  The follow-up to 2002's This Flag Signals Goodbye will contain the following tracks:

01 Losing the Battle, Losing the War
02 Northern Line
03 Timing Is Everything/Still Life With Bottle Rockets
04 This Is Not How Forever Begins
05 Waterloo Crescent
06 Time Zones And Area Codes
07 Slave to the Kettle
08 Not Tonight
09 Ten Dollars
10 You Will Not Die Tonight (Probably)
11 Done in a Hurry
12 Chick Hern to Fakie
13 Lost Your Wig
14 Suicide on the Installment Plan

Dave Doughman had this to say about the loose thematic structure the new album follows.  "Last Night Becomes This Morning seems to be my inadvertent indie rock version of Jackson Browne's Running On Empty. It is about a self-perpetuating myth. Where Running On Empty told of the battle to cope with fame and fortune, Last Night chronicles the struggle to live life on the road in spite of lack of fame or fortune."

(via Pitchfork)

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 9th, 2005

The Modern Lovers - "Roadrunner" from The Modern Lovers

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 8th, 2005

Spoon - "Sunday Morning Wednesday Night" from the Sister Jack - EP

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Pitchfork snags an interview with CYHSY just before taking the stage at Schubas in Chicago.

Speaking of Schubas, if you're in the area be sure to check out The Impossible Shapes tomorrow night (Nov. 8th @ 9:00 PM).

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 7th, 2005

The Ponys - "Glass Conversation" from Celebration Castle

The Denial Twist

The White Stripes will make live recordings from their forthcoming UK dates available to fans.

The band, who kick off their sold out British dates at the Hammersmith Apollo on November 5, will record a live version of song 'The Denial Twist' every night which fans can then download.

The track is available through XLRecordings.com and each nights versions of the song will be totally unique. The song can be downloaded following the show. The band has also produced unique artwork for each date of the tour.

Everyone who attends the tour will be handed a free blank CD-R featuring the cover from the night they attend at the end of each show, otherwise the images can be viewed on the site.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 4th, 2005

Arctic Monkeys - "I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor" from the I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor - EP

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 3rd, 2005

The White Stripes - "Let's Build A Home" from De Stijl

Again...Free Music Is Free Music

Paste magazine profiles Muncie, Indiana noisemakers, Everything, Now! 

Chief sonic experimenter Jared Cheek says, "It’s like tea kettles and house fires, Brian Wilson, Captain Beefheart and hijacking a bus filled with kids on their way to space camp and making them listen to Bowie records backwards until we get back to Indiana."  Sounds good to me!

The band is giving away their debut album, Sunshine of Doom, for free while recording the follow-up.  Go here for the goods.

(via gorilla vs. bear)

Spoon Videos

Hit up Matador to watch a couple of Spoon videos for "I Turn My Camera On" and the new one for "Sister Jack".

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 2nd, 2005

Daniel Johnston - "Walking the Cow" from Continued Story/Hi, How Are You?

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Nov. 1st, 2005

José González - "Crosses" from Veneer

Favorite New Release of the Week - Nov. 1st, 2005

Sun Kil Moon - Tiny Cities

To many ears, Mark Kozelek could set an Ikea catalog to music and still come up with something beautiful. Having already rendered an album and an EP's worth of AC/DC songs unrecognizable in his trademark quiet acoustic guitar style, the artist strikes gold again with the more contemporary fare of Modest Mouse as inspiration. Clearly intrigued by severing the non-linear storytelling of MM's Isaac Brock from its source music, Kozelek transforms "Four Fingered Fisherman" from a loose, lo-fi exercise into a haunting, finger-picked solo guitar piece, while "Ocean Breathes Salty" is melted down to its inherent bittersweet reflections on past and present. Sunny Latin strumming summons a John Denver vibe on "Grey Ice Water," while the stellar "Trucker's Atlas" floods the brain with thoughts of epic road trips where anything seems possible. Flecked at every turn with Kozelek's unique interpretive bent, "Tiny Cities" is a triumph.

- Jonathan Cohen via Billboard