Grant Manship

Pink Nasty - Away Message

Favorite New Release(s) of the Week - Jan. 30th, 2007

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder

OK, so if you haven't already heard, the opening track off Some Loud Thunder may or may not be your cup of tea.  It might not even be listenable to some of you but at least it has some cowbell!  What I'm trying to say is don't let the first track slow you down.  The album, while maybe a little overzealous at times in regards to production or the experimental feel of some of the tracks, is a solid second effort.  The band could have easily rested on their laurels and probably been loved just the same all over again but instead they decided to challenge everyone a little.  They're certainly sticking with the theme of doing things on their own terms.

"Arm and Hammer" sounds like Destroyer doing a cover of some obscure Captain Beefheart track.  When the drums and guitars really get going on "Emily Jean Stock" they remind me of The Flaming Lips, Transmissions From The Satellite Heart which I still find myself listening to on a fairly regular basis.  All of these points are very good things if you ask me.

If the more progressive tracks are a little much for you starting out, have no fear, there are plenty of "accessible" tracks on the record for you to enjoy.  The song "Satan Said Dance" is worth the price of the album, and admission to one of their live shows, by itself.  If you hear the song and don't want to start dancing you might be just a little too pretentious for your own hipster good.  Throw in "Love Song No. 7" and "Underwater (You and Me)" and you'll quickly remember why you loved CYHSY a year or so ago.  Or at least, you'll hear why you should have loved them if you didn't.

• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Love Song No. 7" from Some Loud Thunder
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - "Underwater (You and Me)" from Some Loud Thunder

Buy Some Loud Thunder at: iTunes | Amazon | Insound

Beirut - Lon Gisland - EP

I was lucky enough to catch Beirut's show at the Southgate House a few months ago which turned out to be one of my favorite shows of '06.  During the show the band played a few new tracks, one of which was "Elephant Gun".  After hearing it again here, I immediately remembered how incredible this band is both on record and in person.

Another gem on the EP, and a product of Zach being backed by the full band this time around, is the alternate take on "Scenic World".  This song was easily one of my favorites off last year's Gulag Orkestar and this version is even better than its predecessor. 

None of the other new tracks on this EP will disappoint either.  This EP should give all the fans a lot to look forward to as they wait for the next release from Zach and friends.

• Beirut - "Elephant Gun" from Lon Gisland - EP

Buy Lon Gisland - EP at: iTunes | Amazon | Insound

Thom Yorke - Videotape

(via DoCopenhagen)

The Blow Reissue Poor Aim: Love Songs

K Records is going to re-release an expanded version of The Blow's Poor Aim: Love Songs EP on April 24th.  The original release, limited to only 1000 copies, marked the debut of The Pregnancy Series which is a limited-edition concept EP series curated by Portland labels States Rights Records and Slender Means Society.

Aside from the original record, the expanded version features several remixes by not only The Blow themselves, like the track "Hock It" below which was remixed by Jona (YACHT), but also close friends of the band including Strategy, Lucky Dragons, and White Rainbow.

• The Blow - "Hock It" from Poor Aim: Love Songs (YACHT Remix)
• The Blow - "Knowing The Things That I Know" from Poor Aim: Love Songs

Finally, you can catch The Blow opening for Of Montreal on the following dates:

• Sun Jan. 28 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
• Tue Jan. 30 - San Diego, CA - SOMA
• Fri Feb. 2 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
• Sun Feb. 4 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo (early show)
• Fri Feb. 9 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
• Sat Feb. 10 - Eugene, OR - WOW Hall

Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage

Julie Doiron - No More

Great News Regarding Pat Sturgeon

I got this email over the weekend in regards to Pat Sturgeon (of Rogue Wave) and wanted to pass it along.  Great news and best wishes to Pat and his family!

Just thought you would like to know that Patrick got a new kidney Saturday January 13th. He is recovering at home and all is going well.

Thanks for all of your support.

Jane (Pat's Mom)

Favorite New Releases of the Week - Jan. 23rd, 2007

Menomena - Friend and Foe

I spent a lot of time with Menomena's first release I Am the Fun Blame Monster! and I'm still surprised that no matter how many times I listen to the album, I hear something new each time.  After just a few listens of Friend and Foe it's clear this album is going to provide the same opportunities for discovery.  The album feels like a much more polished, and even more complex, version of I Am the Fun Blame Monster!.  The record also reminds me of the innovative sounds we've come to expect from TV on the Radio or Radiohead.

This also might be one record that goes against the idea of not judging a book by its cover.  The intricate illustrations found on the cover, done by Craig Thompson of "Blankets" fame, give you an excellent idea of the artistic expressions found on the record.  You can preview the entire album, including all the artwork I talked about, via this nifty e-card courtesy of Barsuk.  I'm particularly fond of the song "Wet and Rusting" found below:

• Menomena - "Wet And Rusting" from Friend and Foe

Buy Friend and Foe at: iTunes | Amazon | Insound

David Vandervelde - The Moonstation House Band

OK, everyone who has reviewed David's record so far has talked about Marc Bolan, Supergrass, or a few others.  There's no denying that those influences are there but is the album any good?  My answer is most definitely!

Secretly Canadian records are just a stone's throw away from where I grew up and where I'm currently living.  The proximity keeps me pretty up-to-date on what's going on there and basically, there's always a lot of good stuff going on at Secretly Canadian.  The signing of David Vandervelde is no different.

"Nothin' No" could quite possibly be one of the most perfect songs I've ever heard.  I don't know what it is about it but I can't stop listening to it.  It's one of those songs that you just have to turn up and sing along to.  "Wisdom from a Tree" is another highlight from Mr. Vandervelde's first outing.  My only complaint is that at 8 tracks, the album leaves you wanting a whole lot more!  That being said, it just means you'll have to play it again... and again.  Stream the whole thing here or check out the track "Jacket" below:

• David Vandervelde - "Jacket" from The Moonstation House Band

Buy The Moonstation House Band at: iTunes | Amazon | Insound

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?

Of Montreal remind me of The Flaming Lips in a lot of ways.  They have a sizable backlog of amazing material but only after toiling for several years have they really entered into the consciousness of people other than just your average hipster [attn: Outback Steakhouse patrons].  They're also a band that truly does it's own thing.  They don't conform to anyone's expectations.  Each album is a new adventure that takes the listener in a completely different direction than it's predecessor. The electronic darkness found on Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? is no different.  Add to all of this their amazing live shows and I think you know what I mean by the Flaming Lips comparison. 

You can stream the entire album here or just check out a couple of songs below.  The band is also known for some incredible covers and, as an added bonus, their version of "Moonage Daydream" found below is just that, incredible!

• Of Montreal - "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse" from Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
• Of Montreal - "Gronlandic Edit" from Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
• Of Montreal - "Moonage Daydream" from San Antonio 01/21/07 (via YANP via Funeral Pudding)

Buy Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? at: iTunes | Amazon | Insound

Delta Spirit Interview

Our good friends over at Dead Flowers recently interviewed Delta Spirit for all those inquiring minds out there.  Be sure to check it out the interview here and a couple of tracks from their album below:

• Delta Spirit - "Gimme Some Motivation" from I Think I've Found It!
• Delta Spirit - "Street Walker" from I Think I've Found It!

Of Montreal - Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse

Teddybears - Punkrocker (feat. Iggy Pop)

(via MOKB)

Papercuts - Can't Go Back

Papercuts (aka Jason Quever) will release his second album entitled Can't Go Back on Mar. 6th on the Gnomonsong label.  Gnomonsong is owned and operated by Devendra Banhart and Vetiver's Andy Cabic.  Papercuts will also be touring the US with Grizzly Bear starting Feb. 16 in Seattle.  You can check out the song "John Brown" (which has a nice Beachwood Sparks feel) below:

• Papercuts - "John Brown" from Can't Go Back (mp3)

Here are the tour dates with Grizzly Bear as well:

• Fri 02/16 Seattle, WA - Neumo’s
• Sat 02/17 Vancouver, BC - Plaza Club
• Sun 02/18 Portland, OR - Mission Theatre (2 shows)
• Tue 02/20 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
• Wed 02/21 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
• Fri 02/23 Tucson, AZ - Plush
• Sat 02/24 Marfa, TX - Ballroom Marfa
• Mon 02/26 Norman, OK - Opolis
• Tue 02/27 Dallas, TX - Club Dada
• Wed 02/28 Austin, TX - Emo’s
• Thu 03/01 Baton Rouge, LA - Chelsea’s
• Fri 03/02 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
• Sat 03/03 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
• Sun 03/04 Washington DC - Black Cat
• Tue 03/06 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
• Wed 03/07 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom

Daytrotter Sessions - VietNam

When do the guys at Daytrotter sleep?  Seriously!  They certainly aren't slowing down any.  They've got VietNam this week and the songs sound great.  Check out the band's interview and download the free songs (which sound great) now!

Fujiya & Miyagi

I've been reading a lot of stuff about Fujiya & Miyagi lately and after checking out their stuff, I really like what I hear.  All the talk is leading up to the Jan. 23rd release  [US & Canada] of their album Transparent Things.  If you can't wait for the 23rd you can get it on iTunes now along with the bonus track "Reeboks in Heaven".

Whatever you do please don't buy the record, film yourself dancing to it, and then post it on the Internet like this guy.  There are just some things you should keep to yourself.

Waterloo Sunset

I've always loved The Kinks song "Waterloo Sunset" so ever since I heard about David Bowie covering the song, which was included on the Japanese version of Reality a few years ago, I've been searching for the CD or an mp3 of the song.  I must be really bad at finding this type of thing because I've yet to track it down. 

So, I found myself looking for the cover once again this weekend and still no luck.  All was not lost though.  I didn't realize it but Dodge recently celebrated MOKB's 2nd birthday (congrats!) a few days ago and in celebrating the milestone posted a few mp3's from in-studio performances that took place at WIUX.   One of the mp3's was an Islands cover of "Waterloo Sunset".   It's not David Bowie's version but it's a great cover nonetheless.

• Islands - "Waterloo Sunset" from WIUX In-Studio Performance
  

I also came across a video of David Bowie and Ray Davies performing the song live at the Tibet House Benefit a few years ago.  I guess I'm getting closer.  Check out the video below if you haven't already seen it.  Oh, and feel free to email me the mp3 of Bowie's cover if you have it laying around somewhere.

The 500 Greatest Guitar Riffs Of All Time

The message board post I'm quoting below can be found here on the Something Awful forums.  The person who compiled the list has a blog called Strange, Weird Thoughts and while I don't necessarily agree or disagree with the content of the list, you can't help but applaud the time and effort that went into it.  At the very least, it's worth looking through the list for a bunch of the YouTube videos that are included.

A few months ago, I was bored and I decided to make one of those "best of" music lists that sites, shows, and magazines make all the time. So, flash-forward a few months later, I have compiled a list of what I think are the 500 greatest guitar riffs of all time. I've posted a link to each set of twenty that's on my blog. For most of the songs, I've linked a YouTube video (audio quality may vary for each) and a decent guitar tab for the songs. Apologies for the large amount of anime videos that I ended up linking to, often they were the only ones that weren't a lovely live performance.

My process for determining which riff is better than other riffs is that I basically thought to myself, "Hmm, does Song A have a cooler riff than Song B? Yes!" However, I also took into account the riff's influence, how catchy it is, and how fun it is to play on the guitar. I'm posting this list here because music lists usually generate good conversation on GBS.

I obviously have never heard EVERY rock song ever made, but I've heard a lot.

500-481
480-461
460-441
440-421
420-401
400-381
380-361
360-341
340-321
320-301
300-281
280-261

Daytrotter Sessions - The Horns of Happiness

Daytrotter is featuring one of my favorite Bloomington band's this week, The Horns of Happiness.  The duo is made up of Aaron Deer (also of The Impossible Shapes) and Shelley Henderson. 

Go ahead and read the band's interview and download the free songs now so you get your weekend started properly.

The Velvet Underground - The Norman Dolph Acetate

If you'd like to hear the Velvet Underground's first record the way Andy Warhol had intended it to sound, FM SHADES has a nice post containing mp3's of all the tracks from the storied Norman Dolph acetate that recently sold for $25,000. 

Go here for the goods and make sure to check out the comments section for an in depth history of the record and its discovery.

Beach House Videos - Master of None & Saltwater

Beach House released not one, but two, new videos from their self-titled debut in the last two days.  They're for the songs "Master of None" and "Saltwater".  You can check them both out below. 

Master of None
Saltwater

Richard Swift - Beautifulheart

Not So Fast Apple! Cisco To Sue Over "iPhone" Trademark

There had been some questions about whether Apple was going to be able to use the name "iPhone" when naming the product since Cisco has held the trademark to the name since 2000.  Now, it appears that Apple may have, in fact, jumped the gun by choosing the name. 

This article mentions that Cisco, who acquired the trademark in 2000 and even have their own iPhone product line, had entered into good faith negotiations with Apple to allow them to use the phrase.  That being said, the companies hadn't come to an agreement when the phone was unveiled so Cisco is now asking for injunctive relief to prevent Apple from using the name. 

It sounds like Cisco's got a pretty serious bargaining chip here.  I guess we're going to see just how much Apple likes the name.  I wonder if anyone's trademarked the name "iSettle"?

Reminder: Secretly Canadian Showcase

I want to remind everyone about the Secretly Canadian showcase taking place at Birdy's in Indianapolis tomorrow night.  I mentioned it a week or so ago but wanted to refresh your memories so you don't miss out on what's going to be an excellent show.  In case you forgot, the bill includes Catfish Haven, The Impossible Shapes, and Early Day Miners.

Two local bands called Phyllis and Hey Hey Melodica are going to kick things off around 8 PM while Early Day Miners is expected to get things rolling for the Secretly Canadian portion of the evening around 10.  EDM will be followed by The Impossible Shapes and then Catfish Haven.  Basically, it's a "be there or be square" kind of situation if you ask me!

Floor Dancing to Panther's Debut Full-Length

When Portland, OR's Panther isn't busy opening up for Ratatat, being nominated for Video of the Year at MTV2, or floor dancing he's been putting the finishing touches on his debut full-length entitled Secret Lawns.  The album's due out March 6th on Fryk Beat. 

The so-called one-man disaster squad's music is said to be a, "hard match of damaged soul, falsetto disco and broken synth fueled freakouts".  You can hear "How Well Can You Swim" from Secret Lawns as well as check out the video for "You Don't Want Yr Nails Done" (which is also on Secret Lawns and was responsible for the aforementioned Video of the Year nomination) below:

• Panther - "How Well Can You Swim" from Secret Lawns (mp3)

iPhone = iWantOne

So basically, Steve Jobs woke up today and decided to tell me (and pretty much everyone else) that our only purpose in life is to get this phone.  Now, he obviously didn't explicitly say this but that's how I felt after seeing the thing.  I certainly don't think I'll feel whole until I have one of them in my hands.  Oh, and I guess I (or anyone else wanting one) is going to have to switch to Cingular but who cares, I haven't been that happy with my current service provider anyway!

Thanks Steve, any chance Apple is going to roll out an iTimeTraveler to shorten the wait time for the June release?

MAN MAN Cover RATM

I normally refrain from featuring grainy videos shot from the crowd at concerts due to the overall quality of them but one featured on Stereogum today was far too good to pass up.  What's not to love about MAN MAN covering Rage Against The Machine's "Bulls On Parade"?  This happened last night at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC and I can safely say this kind of stuff always makes me rethink where I'm currently living.  Thinking about last year's MAN MAN show at the Southgate House still puts a smile on my face and definitely goes down as one of my favorites.

Hot Chip - Arrest Yourself

Classic Sebadoh Line-Up to Tour

The classic Sebadoh line-up of Lou Barlow, Eric Gaffney and Jason Loewenstein are set to tour for the first time in 14 years.  This is, as most of you know, the line-up that was responsible for the classic albums III, Bubble and Scrape, and Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock.  The setlists however, won't just come from these albums but will span all era's of the band's existence.  Before you check out the tour dates below, I strongly suggest checking out the recently added archive of live bootlegs the band has made available.  There are some great recordings available for your downloading pleasure.  Now for the tour dates:

New Panda Bear Solo Album

Panda Bear (a.k.a. Noah Lennox) of Animal Collective will return with his 3rd solo album on March 20th, 2007.  The new album, entitled Person Pitch, is said to go in a completely different direction from the acoustic sound of his previous effort Young Prayer.  Person Pitch is instead full of samplers and other electronic sounds. 

The press release explained the new album by saying the following, "Fusing Panda’s dramatic life changes over the past few years (marriage, moving to Lisbon, becoming a father) with his ever-increasing sonic palette (standouts include Caetano Veloso, Berlin Techno, Scott Walker, and Kylie Minogue), Person Pitch is suffused with the kind of feel good modern toe-tapping pop that seems harder and harder to find these days."  Check out the first track off the new album below:

• Panda Bear - "Comfy In Nautica" from Person Pitch

Daytrotter Sessions, Interviews, and More!!!

Once again, I find myself lagging on pointing out this weeks excellent Daytrotter session.  This week they have The Changes so don't miss out on the band's story or the free songs.  I caught the band with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin a few weeks ago in Cincinnati and they put on a great show.

Also, they've got a great interview with Bill Baird of Sound Team up.   I've been extremely happy with his most recent handmade EP's that he released a while back.  I strongly encourage you to pick them up over at his site if you haven't already.

Last, but certainly not least, they keep the hits coming with an exclusive video of Grizzly Bear performing "Plans" from the series of videos filmed by the good people at La Blogotheque.  Check it out below:

Babyshambles - Love You But You're Green

Kenneth Katkin's "Best of 2006" List

My former Constitutional Law professor and soon to be Entertainment Law professor (I'm so excited about this class) Kenneth Katkin has once again blessed us with what has to be one of the most comprehensive "best of" lists of the year. 

Last year's list not only made for some interesting reading but was also a goldmine for anything I may have overlooked during the year.  This year's list is no different.  Professor Katkin's encyclopedic knowledge of all things music have made for some excellent discussions about the world of music.  With Entertainment Law starting next week those discussions will now be a part of class making for a seriously educational double whammy on my brain!  I just hope my brain doesn't explode trying to cram it all in.

Top 10 New Albums of 2006 (in order)

  1. Neil Young – Living With War CD (Reprise)
  2. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit 2LP/CD (Matador)
  3. Mission Of Burma - The Obliterati  2LP/CD (Matador)
  4. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - The Letting Go LP/CD/DVD-A (Drag City)
  5. Joanna Newsom - Ys 2LP/CD (Drag City)
  6. Negativland - It's All In Your Head FM 2CD (Seeland)
  7. "I Killed The Monster" CD comp (Second Shimmy)
  8. Jay Reatard - Blood Visions LP/CD (In The Red)
  9. Paper Chase - Now You Are One of Us CD (Kill Rock Stars)
  10. Nikki Sudden - The Truth Doesn't Matter 2LP/CD (Munster/Secretly Canadian)

Top 10 Singles/EPs of 2006 (In Order)

  1. Jonathan Kane - I Looked at the Sun CDEP (Table Of The Elements)
  2. Sparks - Dick Around 7"/CDEP (In The Red)
  3. Billy Childish & the Musicians of the British Empire - Punk Rock At The British Legion Hall 7" (Damaged Goods)
  4. Okkervil River - The President's Dead 12" (Jagjaguwar)
  5. The Red Krayola - Red Gold CDEP (Drag City)
  6. Spider & the Webs - Frozen Roses 7"/CDEP (K Records)
  7. Kimya Dawson/Matty Pop Chart split 7"EP (K Records)
  8. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - His Hands MP3 (iTunes)
  9. Dead C - Relax Fallujah/Hell Has Come 7" (Ba Da Bing!)
  10. Crabapples - Crabapples For Change 7" (Slumberland)

Honorable Mention (Alphabetical Order)

Hussein Blues

I may have forgotten to mention this but I'd just like to officially say, Happy New Year!  I hope you all enjoyed your respective New Year's Eve parties and have fully recovered.  In light of all the celebrating, I also wanted to address some of the other events that took place this past weekend.  Most notably, the execution of Saddam Hussein.  My good friend Vince, one half of the duo Uno Moss , has a solo project called Vince[nt] and recorded a song under that moniker called "Hussein Blues".  The song was recorded early last year and is his own unique take on Jackson Browne's "Cocaine".  His rendition expectedly focuses on the former Iraqi dictator and the current state of the region.  I figured that if there was ever a time for said dictator to have the blues, and if there was ever a time to post this song, this would probably be it. 

• Vince[nt] - "Hussein Blues" from Paradoxical Undressing

Secretly Canadian Showcase

It's no secret that we're huge fans of Secretly Canadian around here.  That means we were seriously excited when we heard about a showcase the label is putting on in Indianapolis on January 11th.  The show is going to take place at Birdy's and will feature Catfish Haven, The Impossible Shapes, and Early Day Miners.

Catfish Haven have most recently blessed us with their debut full length, Tell Me.  The record hasn't left my normal rotation of discs in my stereo or on my iPod since it's September release.  Check out the video for the title track below to get a taste of what you'll find at Birdy's.

The Impossible Shapes most recent release is Tum which had originally found it's way into the world via a very limited release of 300 vinyl copies on St. Ives back in early '05.  It will be great to see the band together especially considering the members have been busy with their various, and most excellent, side projects which include Aaron's, The Horns of Happiness and Chris's, Normanoak.  The animation for the "Florida Silver Springs" video, found below, made it one of my favorites of the year.

Last, but certainly not least, Early Day Miners will be rounding out the bill.  The so-called "musical cooperative" will certainly put you in the mood for what will be a great night of music.  You can check out the band performing a portion of their most recent album, Offshore, from their September show at Southpaw in Brooklyn below.  The entire show is available for download at  Baeble Music.

So there you have it folks!  Three incredible bands playing a showcase for an incredible label.  If you're anywhere near Indianapolis on the 11th of January I highly recommend that you make it out to this show and start 2007 off right.