Ah, I love a band that writes a nice lil’ postcard to their fans. It says they plan on releasing their new album at the end of September, followed by A TOUR! YEAAAAAAAH! They are lovely live, for their music and banter. I’m looking forward to it. (I also like how there’s a sideways emoticon on the postcard even though it’s hand written.)
Marcine told me to listen to dné. So I am. And it’s quite nice. This came out of a long conversation while eating lunch at Xe Lua…a conversation about music we would categorize as “bloop.” There were so many sub-categories that I can’t remember them all. (But I think Air was deemed “sexy bloop.”) dné is not in the bloop category, more like the “peaceful dreamy instrumental stuff” category.
She also told me to see Yann Tiersen at Irving Plaza (er, the Filmore New York at Irving Plaza). Ooh.
“Hey, I’m going to play something,” said Erin last Wednesday, taking charge of office DJ duties. “It might be a little weird…”
First, there was nothing. Then the sounds slowly built up. Repetitive sounds that were somewhat lulling and at the same time irritating. I couldn’t tell whether I liked it or disliked it.
Me: What is this?
Erin: Dan Deacon. I thought it sounded “boppy” (“boppy” is one of my nicknames—really, my boss calls me that sometimes)
She played NPR’s stream of his upcoming album, Bromst, all the way through. And I quite like it. Muchly. I was surprised because I tried listening to Dan Deacon before and his music was just on the edge between “stuff I like” and “WTF is this.” Similar to the effect that Merriweather Post Pavillion had on my opinion of Animal Collective, It took a more accessible album to cross over into the dimension of “like.” After listening to the album a few times, I realized that I wanted to take pieces of Dan’s brainmeats and stick them in my brain so I could harness whatever power he has, if that were physically possible and not an endangerment to either of our lives, besides that I’d also need his permission. So many barriers. What a shame.
But then even if I had his brainmeats, I’d probably waste the potential awesomeness that could come out of them. He’s putting them to use; I’m staring at my monitor.
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A week later, I’m still obsessively listening to the album. Not sure how long this will last—getting to that critical point of “OH GOD I LISTENED TO THIS SO MANY TIMES I CAN’T STAND IT ANYMORE” is a sad inevitability. Hopefully that point won’t come for a while.
I know I’m terribly late on the Friendly Fires train, and I’d be even later if I hadn’t shopped at Uniqlo last weekend with Alex. When “Paris” blared throughout the store, I didn’t give it a second thought.
“There’s a remix featuring Au Revoir Simone that you’d like,” Alex said. “I’ll give it to you when we get back to your apartment.”
And he did. And I did like it. A lot. And I was less into the original version because I thought the vocals didn’t sound right with the feel of the song—a little too harsh for my tastes, where Au Revoir Simone got it down all dreamy-like. But upon repeated listenings, I ended up liking the original more for its chorus. And the cowbell.
The song captures my sentiment of wanting to return to Paris frightening well. Or it has become my sentiment, the more I listening to it and it embeds itself in my brain. There’s nowhere else that Alex and I would rather be. I just wish I knew how much longer we have to hold out for.
I’m finally going to a “real” concert this year.
…On October 2nd to see Andrew Bird in Tarrytown.
I’m not sure how I’ve become too lazy to see shows in NYC but will hop on the Metro-North to see Andrew Bird. Because his shows sold out in NYC. But that’s okay because the Tarrytown Music Hall is a seated venue, and I like sitting. And I like Andrew Bird.
But I do have the Duck Tales theme song stuck in my head.
Help.
If you’re bored, recommend something to me.
Thanks.
Currently listening to random mixtapes at muxtape. I like the layout: simple, giant text, solid colors. Not much in the ways of controls, but that means less need to use my brain. Which is a welcome thing when I’m doodling away on my computer after midnight, aka, “brain quittin’ time.”
I have, of course, claimed my URL, but haven’t uploaded anything yet. When I do, I’ll let you know.
Almost forgot to mention that I saw Caribou two weeks ago with John. My concert excitement has faded so quickly in just a few years. Or less. Not that the show wasn’t great—it was quite awesome, something I’d love to see again. Happy visuals, happy music, happy happies, energy up the wazoo, a strange sensation considering that I was so tired I just leaned against the wall the whole time and probably yawned a lot more than I should’ve, which is what every day is like these days…
This is God’s way of telling me that I should drink coffee.
The Alesis Micron 37-Key Analog Modeling Synth looks like its made of candy. Delicious fruity candy.
…Miminal Techno makes a good non-obtrusive soundtrack.
…Even though this morning we had planned to have a Mariah Carey day.
I haven’t been listening to much music lately. It is sad. So much sadness, I possess.
Which is why I am quite happy that The Lemur Blog posted a gajillion mp3s by Diego Chavez because that gives me something to listen to. Diego did a remix of Lykke Li‘s “Little Bit” that I love to death, perhaps even beyond death (two posts down, or you can get it from The Lemur Blog), so I’m not surprised I like his original stuff as well. (On a related note, I’ve pretty much only been listening to Lykke Li for the past week. WHY CAN’T I STOP?)
A few songs of mild happiness. If you don’t like them, I’ll cut yew.
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This song is Calvin Harris up the wazoo. Because he partially produced it. I’ve never really been into Kylie Minogue, but that might change with her latest album.
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Lykki Li – Little Bit (Diego Chavez Remix)
It took me a while to get into Lykke Li, who I will put into the “Swedish pop” category even though that’s kind of vague. And that’s why I give you mp3s. It’s like giving out samples of food instead of having to come up with any kind of well though-out description of what I want you to ingest. Wooo. So yes, this remix is what got me interested, a dancier version of the original. [via The Lemur Blog]
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Switches – Every Second Counts (Ocelot Remix)
I didn’t like this upon my first listen, and then quickly became mildly obsessed with it. And I don’t know why. Ocelot transformed the original song into something full of awesome and unicorns and Jolly Ranchers. [via discodust]
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Neutral Milk Hotel – In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Admitting this will probably make me look bad, but this is the first time I’ve really listened to Neutral Milk Hotel. The whole 10-year-anniversary thing piqued my interest. I’m sure I tried listening to them before; they must not have meshed with my 12-year-old brainwaves a decade years ago. Now they mesh. I am happy.
Once again, I forgot I had a music blog.
I’m really tired. So I’m just gonna show you this: PILLOWY MOUNDS OF MASHED POTATOES
Entranced, I am. YTMND never fails to please.
Although it’s unnecessary to say something is a note to myself, this is a note to myself: Taken by Trees (Victoria Bergsman‘s solo project)
While bleeping around:
I’m quite surprised I like the above album. It’s…dancey. And I recently had a conversation with friends about my undance-itude. There is visual evidence of me dancing, but it’s more like me being dragged around by other people in a dance-like fashion.
I actually have that Phonem album…on vinyl. Which is completely pointless when you don’t have a good record player. Which I don’t.
I’m tired. Thus ends this insubstantial entry.
Too lazy to write a real entry.
More albums I want but don’t have yet:
I still remember when I was in high school and went to a local record store with a friend on the day that Amnesiac was released. Like giggling schoolgirls (because that’s what we were), we bought…4 copies? We were buying some for other friends as well. It was an event, you see.
Oh, youth. So far away. Now I don’t know when stuff comes out and I’m slow to buy things.
I’m at work. Damn. I should do work.
I don’t mind admitting that I pretty much buy all my music on amazon.com these days (hey, I do buy music) and it’s been so long since I stepped inside a music store that I forgot how fun/wallet gouging it can be to just browse shelves and stumble upon music you didn’t even know you wanted.
I’m currently vacationing worlds away from my New Jersey homebase in the ‘ZONA! …I mean, Arizona. Phoenix, to be more precise. (I’m here for all fun and no work, unless you count eating as work…and it is partially work, but work of the awesome tasty kind, not the, “Oh god I hate my life please kill me,” kind.) My friend Alex brought Lee Anne and me to Stinkweeds, which he said is the only indie music store in the area, a very nice one at that (and happens to sit between a vintage clothing store and designer toy shop). We oogled their letterpressed business card, OH HOW WE OOGLED THE BEAUTY OF THE RECESSED TYPOGRAPHY.
Anyhoo, while browsing the store and thinking, “Gee, there isn’t anything that I want,” I ended up taking Les Ondes Silencieuses by Colleen, Pan Or Rama by Console and the latest Interpol into my squishy arms. I didn’t know what the Console album sounded like at all (not that I knew what the other ones sounded like either, but if I really like a particular artist I figure I will like everything that they’ve churned out) so the nice guy managing the store unwrapped it and popped it into the stereo for all of us to listen to. Bleepy bloops filled the air with melodious bleepy bloopage.
“I like this. …Um, I’m going to take this from you,” said Alex.
With each passing day I honestly feel more music-lazy than ever (as in, too lazy to seek stuff out myself or go to live shows), but…I really shouldn’t be so lazy. Yeah. Shouldn’t.
What makes Andrew Bird 100000% cooler than most other musicians? Because he was on Jack’s Big Music Show as Dr. Stringz.
Oh. Jesus. Knowing that I will never be as cool as him makes me want to crawl into a hole…with an oven…and gas myself to death. I don’t think I could even be a competent puppeteer.
I don’t care to watch people dancing. Unless the “dancers” are wearing bathrobes and invading public spaces throughout Paris.
Institut Bonheur to the rescue:
I don’t know what the point of IB is, but they amuse me. So. They’re cool. [via le méchant garçon]
Changing hosts. Need to back-up all my crap and haul it over to Dreamhost. Hopefully I’ll get it done in the next week…or sometime in April.
