Archives : all posts by Dan

Danielson - "Cast It At The Setting Sail"

Danielson is no longer a family, and yet they are still a family. People show up half-way through the song, the drummer scruffs their hair and keeps blowing up the giant, tassly balloon that this song is.
It's like keeping five balloons in the air at once.
Like a scene just before a rocket launches where all the departments say they're ready.
Like moving all your pawns one by one, in a steady wall that just bowls over the white pieces.
I heard this song last week on the Best Show on WFMU (thanks to Fluxblog for continually recommending it). I'm now a subscriber to the podcast, which host Tom Scharpling recently explained has 2 subscribers. Me and another guy, I guess. But it's well worth it; way better than streaming archives or listening online. Though the music is removed for (possibly) rights reasons (we talked all about podcasting rights at that conference in March, and it's as clear as a bag over your head). So I only got to hear the first few notes of this song, but immediately I knew I wanted it. [Buy May 9th] [Danielson Documentary]

The Doers - "We're Open"

Did anyone go to a high school where "talent show" was confusingly replaced with "coffee house"? If you did, then this was the best band to ever play a coffee house. It's 5pm, you still have to be home for dinner, you have finite homework, you've just seen two horribly misconceived Green Day/Metallica amalgams and a magician that screwed up his trick. But all that leaves your mind when you hear this beat, it's actually tight, and this feeling, woah, I thought those kids didn't care about anything. [Buy]

Charles Aznavour - "For Me...Formidable"

I heard this song at a karaoke bar, on the monitors put there so you can sing along with the main singer-along. I thought if I could find it, I'd definitely post it, and then forgot about it. Then, I heard beautiful French crooning coming from my roommate's record player a few days later (not this song) and I had to find some Aznavour. Turns out he was responsible for this, so the two separate strings are actually two ends of the same string, and here you are, something you can play on Date Night. [Buy]

***

Also, I'm in a play, so if you live in Montreal, you should go. It runs tonight to Saturday, and the same thing next week. 10$students/12$regular. 9pm. Théâtre Ste Catherine.

Built to Spill - "Conventional Wisdom"

Dessert comes first today. The solo is in the opening, and we start out talking and then realise we've said it all already. I've said this all already. /\///\//\//\\/\/\/\///\\/\//\/\\\\\\\/\\\/\///\\/\
\/\/////\\\\\//\/\\/\///\/\//\/////\\/\/\\/\//\\/\\\/\/\
\/\\\\\////\/\\/\/\/\\////\/\\/\\\//\\\///\\. [Buy]

Rodrigo Y Gabriela - "PPA"

I heard this on Tofu Hut and knew you would like it. Hear them building a monster in the first half, and then be scared as they make him dance, growl, lunge, in the second. [Buy]

Carrie (feat. Cat Power) - "Cat Power / Yesterday is Here"

The publicity person of an artist named Carrie sent me one of Carrie's songs, unfortunately bearing the name "Cat Power". I couldn't listen to it properly, obviously. What I heard instead is more like what you're hearing now. A complete mess: the song itself, extremely fluffy (cats are her favourite pet), with Chan Marshall moaning in the background, somehow living inside the song, killing it, killing everything. [Buy Carrie, Buy Cat Power]

Bishop Allen - "The News From Your Bed"

This audience, this StG readership, this is probably old news to you by now. Bishop Allen is making an EP per month for twelve months, ending in an album. And this isn't even from a new EP, it's from February. But this song is so much better than anything else I could tell you about today, just hold my hands and listen for a second. I just bought Mutual Appreciation (which apparently you can't do anymore, until later) and now, despite thinking it impossible, I've gained even more affection and interest and rosy-cheeked, almost embarrassed, love, for Bishop Allen's songs. This song is as simple as a door opening and closing, as tidy as your first homework assignment for the year, as Eleanor Rigby as it can get today without just crying all day. We tried that first kind, that was so dark it was cold to touch. This is a warm back, spiny bumps under your fingers. [Buy]

Leo Kottke - "The Train and the Gate: From Terry's Movie"

I kind of look at these posts as little singles. Like mini releases that we are putting out every day. I think it's an easy transition to make, I mean, look at the catbirdseat. So yeah, my point is this second song always feels like a b-side, and this is the kind of b-side that you ignore at first but keep coming back to. Leo Kottke performing his song from Days of Heaven (not the original, though if you have it, I would love it) with eight hands and one giant thirty-stringed guitar. He's singing as well, only all his energy is focused into his hands, so his vocal chords aren't able to vibrate. It's for the best, the lyrics are only reiterating what the guitar is jumping up and down and yelling.
[Buy The Essential Leo Kottke, or Days of Heaven]

Final Fantasy - "Song Song Song"

I was at a Final Fantasy show in Toronto in August of last year, it was a crowded, orange night. There was someone who shouted "pretentious crap!" after the second song, and you could see Owen Pallett trying to ignore it and move on. And then it was like an idea came to him, and he played this song, with vigour, with screams, and completely note-perfect. Halfway through, everyone could tell it was something special, because he added yet another loop, and it was that glorious final "riff" (can I use that? I don't want to). He was bringing this song to it's finish, and we're all 3 feet in the air, and he lets us down by our noses. The crowd was literally screaming, and it was one of those Evil Mayor situations, where he can't help but clap, he couldn't deny, as a few of us cast him so-there glances. It was a glowing feeling.
He Poos Clouds is completely marvelous. And listening to "Song Song Song" is like finding a new puppy inside of another new puppy. From its army of tiny drummers at the beginning, to its unwashed "smart for a girl!" rage, to its ascension into the clouds (yes, clouds are in heaven, yes, that's what they're made of). He sings of credibility, reform, and generally making yourself okay, respectable or even respected. Pressing what is left into new. As I write this a man is howling "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in the park outside my window.

[May 9th (we'll remind you) on [][][][][][] and Tomlab]

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La Guerre Des Tuques - "EU"

Surfing at the speed of walking, sunsets that last 3 days, a beach is just a desert with water. I love the dichotomy of this song; is this the best thing that's ever happened to me, or am I completely wasting my time?

[4$! (plus, I'm in the liner notes, so get it to see that too!)]

Daniel Johnston - "Careless Soul"

This song has a spike right in the middle of it. You can't avoid it, you're going to walk right into it, even though I'm telling you about it. It's going to go right through you, in your chest and out your back, and you're going to have to walk around with a spike sticking out of you for the rest of your life. It's a voice that cracks with tears.

[Buy 1990, and get excited about the Daniel Johnston movie]

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Hi Lo Trons - "Oh, My"

I wrote about Hi Lo Trons' new album, Bella Simone, in November, back when I didn't have the rest of the album, and only had "Look, Wow". Well, it turns out there are 2 best songs on this record. And they're allowed to share this title because they're so different (despite both having word-comma-word titles).
"Oh, My" is a one-sided duet, where both vocalists conspire to one end: a mood of anticipation, forthcoming regret, and old moves you thought you forgot. Oh, this is how it feels, right. Those eyes are open again. It definitely takes place on a summer night.

[site. (email them, tell them to sell you a cd)]

Agent Simple made one of the best EPs of last year. Hopefully 3 things will happen: 1. he will make more songs 2. he will tour Canada 3. you will enjoy his thoughts and treasures here today. -Dan

Vapnet - "Ge Dom Våld"

I'm not the kind of guy that walks around punching people in the face on a Saturday night. I have never really been in a fight. If I see anything that even remotely looks like a situation that possibly could turn violent, I go out of my way to avoid trouble at almost any cost. Still, I would say that I have at least as much anger in me as the next person (if not more).

To me, the Swedish band Vapnet ("The Weapon" in English) is about all of that, being full of rage, but too weak or reserved to let it out on someone or something.

Listening to Vapnet's "Ge Dom Våld" makes me want to pick up the chair I'm sitting on and smash it over the head on the next person that happens to walk by. At the same time the song calms me because lyrically, I couldn't have put anything better myself. There's just nothing to add.

Maybe there's no point in explaining this to you without translating the lyrics to English (which I won't), but maybe there's something else besides just the lyrics in the song that makes me feel this way. You tell me. [Buy]

Cake on Cake - "Dreams Will Come True"

A friend of mine turned me on to this girl from the north of Sweden by the name of Helena. She has a solo project called Cake on Cake, to witch I think you should lend your beloved eyes and ears.

In addition to releasing a terrific album on Desolation Records (go get it!), she has made a video for the beautiful song "Dreams will come true" (it might take you a while to download). I love it. It's cold, dark and kind of gross, yet cute, cozy and heartwarming. What the hell is she holding in her arms? I can't tell. Any suggestions? [Buy]

Aside: No matter how good this video is, I'll never see it on MTV or any other network because of marketing reasons, corporate stuff and blah blah blah, you know what I mean. Still, there are loads of talented artists and video directors out there in the world who make great videos that are kind of hard to find for someone who's interested. There should be a homepage or a database of some kind where all these videos are assembled in one place. The artists send in their contributions to this place, and someone else puts it online on a good-looking homepage. I'd do it myself if I had the skills to make a decent homepage.

I'm just throwing the idea out there for you to grab.

Rainer Maria - "I'll Keep It With Mine"

Back when Sean used to do this every day, he posted Nico's version of this song, and it like, soundtracked my summer. This is admittedly a poorer interpretation, but interesting. Where Nico delivers the lyrics showing the whites of her eyes, Caithlin De Marrais is looking at her shoes, hand outstretched, as she says "give it to me". She's standing on a rainy street in old shoes that she regrets buying because they hurt her feet, and with only a five-dollar bill and a doodle of "Il Duce" in her pocket. Where Nico is a steady, dipping walk, De Marrais is an all-night drive.

[Buy]

Destroyer - "European Oils"

So this is the second in a (hopefully) continuing series of visual accompaniments. The show was literally last night, so excuse the lack of cuts. Though the fuzziness and occasional bursts of synchronicity are completely deliberate (it's slowed down to 97% its original speed to get that).

The show was good, but only good. I just keep wanting him to embrace his performance style and put on crazy make-up and have a dance all ready. At least for one song. Maybe "An Actor's Revenge".

[Buy the best (at this point) album of the year]