Grant Manship

All Eyes On My Morning Jacket

The following video, or should I say videos, was shot at Lollapalooza.  My Morning Jacket, backed by the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, enlisted the help of their fans to shoot footage of the band's festival performance using digital cameras and cell phones from all angles!  It turned out brilliantly in my opinion.  I doubt you'll ever see something like this from MMJ-wannabes Band of Horses but maybe someone should tell poor little Ben Bridwell to take note anyway.  Sorry about that but with BOH's recent visit to the area the camera phone incident has been on my mind.  With that said, enjoy the video!

Panther Preps New Album

Floor dancing specialist Panther is ready to release the follow-up to Secret Lawns with the upcoming 14kt God.  The new album finds Panther venturing into new territory on songs like "Violence, Diamonds" and "Beautiful Condo" which both have political undertones.  That being said,  there are plenty of instances where you'll find yourself dancing to anthems about sexual obsessiveness and airplane paranoia showing that Panther is still wild and ready to pounce.  Make sure to mark your calendars for Feb. 19 when the album is due out on Kill Rock Stars.

• Panther - "Violence, Diamonds" from 14kt God
• Panther - "Puerto Rican Jukebox" from 14kt God

Ladyhawk Documentary - Let Me Be Fictional

Mona Mok and Rob Leickner, two Vancouver-based filmmakers, will be hitting the festival circuit this year with their documentary about Ladyhawk, Let Me Be Fictional. In Let Me Be Fictional, the band face their past, uniquely deal with society's view of what makes a functioning adult and consume vast quantities of sangria during the process of recording their second album Shots.  You can check out the trailer for the film below:

In regards to Shots, the trailer seems to support the assertion of the album's one-sheet that Shots is a night album and is the sound of Ladyhawk getting loose -- turning up loud, downing a few more and howling at the moon.  I, for one, can't wait for the record!  Here is a track from the record (due out 03.04.08) for your listening pleasure.

• Ladyhawk - "I Don't Always Know What You're Saying" from Shots

Phosphorescent - At Death, A Proclamation

Frog Eyes - Idle Songs

New Music from No Kids

Tomlab artists No Kids are coming out with a new record called Come Into My House on Feb. 19th.  I've got two tracks off the album available for your listening pleasure and if that's not enough, David Byrne  is streaming some more tracks at his website.  Enjoy!

• No Kids - "For Halloween" from Come Into My House
• No Kids - "The Beaches All Closed" from Come Into My House

Feist - I Feel It All

Sound Team - Bedroom Walls

I haven't mentioned this yet but even after a few months, it still really bums me out that Sound Team broke up.  That being said, at least they left us with a lot of great music.  Another positive thing that came out of this post on Bill Baird's blog is that it sounds like most of the members of the band are going to continue making music in other projects.  In honor of Sound Team, here is the video Bill made for "Bedroom Walls" which is off the Empty Rooms/Bedroom Walls 12" single the band put out at the end of last year.

Dr. Dog - Alaska

WHY? Prep New Release, Cover The Cure

WHY? are getting ready to release Alopecia on March 11 and then go on their most ambitious headlining tour yet to follow-up 2007's The Hollows EP. You can check out their cover of The Cure's "Close To Me" below as well as the title track from last year's EP.  You'll also want to mark your calendars for March 29th as they'll be performing live at the Southgate House.

• WHY? - "Close To Me" Cure Cover
• WHY? - "The Hollows" from The Hollows EP

Supergrass - Diamond Hoo Ha Men

via Dead Flowers

Fiery Furnaces - Duplexes of the Dead

Directed by Cincinnati's own Pete Ohs.

New Music from Del the Funky Homosapien

Del the Funky Homosapien has leaked a new track from his upcoming album Eleventh Hour to be released on March 11th via everyone's favorite independent hip-hop label, Definitive Jux records.  The track is called “Bubble Pop” and serves as the first glimpse into Del’s long awaited solo follow-up to a string of popular albums released in the 1990s as well as projects like 2000’s Deltron 3030 and 2001’s Gorillaz album.  The album is eight years in the making and will not disappoint.  Check out the track below.

• Del the Funky Homosapien - "Bubble Pop" from Eleventh Hour

New Music from Evangelicals

Here is the first single from Evangelicals upcoming album The Evening Descends.  The track is called "Skeleton Man" and has long been a part of Evangelicals live shows.  Here, however, we have the final, polished version that will be a part of The Evening Descends.  Enjoy!

• Evangelicals - "Skeleton Man" from The Evening Descends

Eddie Vedder - Guaranteed

(via MFR)

Thao Nguyen

The following MP3's from Thao Nguyen's upcoming release, We Brave Bee Stings, count as the most entertaining material to land in my inbox in 2008 so far.  Since that's the case, I figured I should share them with all of you. 

The tracks on We Brave Bee Stings are packed with upbeat melodies, horns, Thao's intricate guitar work, as well as her cynical and self-deprecating sense of humor.  I think it's safe to say she's definitely come a long way from writing songs for the sole purpose of accompanying her favorite TV shows as a kid.  The album is due out Jan. 29th from Kill Rock Stars so mark your calendars.

• Thao Nguyen - "Beat (Health, Life and Fire)" from We Brave Bee Stings
• Thao Nguyen - "Bag of Hammers" from We Brave Bee Stings

Ken Katkin's Best of 2007

I'm going to give Ken Katkin with his annual, and always crowd-pleasing, "Best of" list the final word on 2007.  Without further ado, here's Ken's list of the best records of 2007.

Top 12 New Albums of 2007 (in order)

1. Various Artists - Bold Beginnings: Louisville Punk 1978-83 comp CD (Noise Pollution)
2. Wussy – Left For Dead CD (Shake It)
3. Home Blitz – s/t CD (Gulcher)
4. Times New Viking - Present The Paisley Reich LP/CD (Siltbreeze)
5. Boris w/ Michio Kurihara – Rainbow CD (Pedal/Drag City)
6. Glenn Mercer - Wheels In Motion CD (Pravda)
7. Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster - The Art of the Slap 3CD (Stereolaffs)
8. Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound LP/CD/WAV (Touch & Go)
9. Rhys Chatham - A Crimson Grail (For 400 Electric Guitars) CD (Table Of The Elements)
10. Alasdair Roberts – The Amber Gatherers LP/CD (Drag City)
11. Grinderman - s/t CD (Anti)
12. Fems – Live at the Continental, Buffalo NY CD (no label)

Top 10 Singles/EPs of 2007 (In Order)

1. Wire - Read & Burn 03 CDEP (Pink Flag)
2. Pierced Arrows -  "In My Brain" b/w "Caroline" 7"45 (Tombstone)
3. Times New Viking - "(my head)" + 3 7"EP (Matador)
4. Jad Fair & Daisy Cooper – "South Pole"/"Sunday Morning"/"Blue Moon" 7"45 (People In A Position To Know)
5. Lou Barlow - Mirror the Eye CDEP (Acuarela)
6. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - "Strange Form of Life" 12"EP/ CDEP (Drag City)
7. No Age - "Sick People Are Safe" (Deleted Art) (Sweden)
8. Wooden Shjips  - "Loose Lips" b/w "Start to Dreaming" 7"45 (Sub Pop)
9. Wooden Wand – "Run Run Run" b/w Clay Ruby - "The Black Angel's Death Song" Split-10"EP (People In A Position To Know)
10. Joanna Newsom - & the Ys Street Band 12"EP/ CDEP (Drag City)

My Favorite Albums of 2007

With 2007 actually being over, I guess I should probably get around to posting my favorite records of last year.  With that being said, here's my list of favorite albums of 2007 in no particular order.

The National - Boxer - I'm not ranking these albums because they've all been #1 in my mind at one point or another during the year but Boxer definitely ranks as one of the most consistent listens for me since its release.  The band is as amazing live as they are on record and should be commended for creating such a great album.

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum - With this album being a loosely based concept record about forest dwelling witches, with each song representing a different candy-induced freakout, how can this not make the list?  The album gave me plenty to chew on during the year.

• Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Forever Heavy" from Dandelion Gum

Okkervil River - The Stage Names - In my mind, this should be the album that provides Okkervil River with entry into the general public's consciousness.  The bands seemingly endless ability to improve with every album shows the abundance of their talent.  If you don't believe how good this band is, maybe you'll take Lou Reed's word for it who has been shouting the praises of the band for a couple years now.

• Okkervil River - "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe" from The Stage Names
  

Feist - The Reminder - In what certainly has to be one of the biggest successes of the year, Feist has firmly landed in everyone's  consciousness and is no longer just for the cool kids.   That is, unless some of you happen to live under a rock and entirely missed the super-catchy "1234" pop up in the iPod ad.  As wonderfully catchy as "1234" is, it's not even my favorite track on the record. 

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? - Kevin Barnes and Co. returned with yet another album full of reasons why there is no one like them currently making music.

• Of Montreal - "Gronlandic Edit" from Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?

Menomena - Friend and Foe - With a more polished, and even more complex, sound than the one found on I Am the Fun Blame Monster! this album was an instant favorite of mine this year.  The record places the band on the same levels as TV on the Radio or Radiohead as far as creativity goes.

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

David Vandervelde - The Moonstation House Band - Considering that "Nothin' No" is one of my favorite tracks of the year, if not one of my all-time favorites considering I almost wore the record out repeating the track, I couldn't leave this album off my list.  That's not to say "Nothin' No" is the only reason you'll fall in love with this record either.  The Moonstation House Band is full of reasons why there should be plenty of exciting things to come from Mr. Vandervelde.

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