The first album to love or loathe of 2010

Upon exactly one listen, I can tell you the second half is a lot stronger and "Giving Up the Gun" is the best song on here.
Stream Vampire Weekend's Contra in its entirety at the band's MySpace HERE.

And download Cousins

Hooray for random cover posts!

Yup the title pretty much says it all. Enjoy!

Where Eagles Dare (Misfits cover)- Of Montreal

Crown of Love (Arcade Fire cover) - This is Ivy League

Water Runs Dry (Boyz II Men cover) - Jens Lekman

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Vampire Weekend cover) - Hot Chip & Peter Gabriel

Dreams Come True Girl (Cass McComb cover) - Girls

I always find time in my day to use the royal we

Seriously, how much so we love the new Vampire Weekend song that popped up today? I was always curious to hear their new stuff, but I can't say that I was excited. It was more that I was wondering what direction they'd go in. Sophmore albums are hard at the best of times, but even more so for picthfork hype bands (see: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah).

But man, this song, I'm digging and, and now I'm crazy psyched for the new album out January 12. The song shows an evolved sound, but not so evolved that they no longer sound like Vampire Weekend. Plus, it's catchy as all hell. And effortless. I'm pretty sure a picture of Vampire Weekend needs to go into the dictionary under "effortless".

Sorry for the rambly post, but I finished the first draft of my thesis today, so my brain is a little rattled (to say the least!).

Vampire Weekend - Horchata
(if, like me, you have no idea what that is, I wiki'd it:
Horchata, or orxata, is the name for several kinds of traditional beverages made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley or tigernuts. So there you go. Do you think tigernuts have any relation to tigermilk? Duuddee, could you just image what a Vampire Weekend / Belle & Sebastian collaberation would sound like? Madness!)

Thanks, I'll be here all week

In honor of the octuplets, Denny's is offering up a new meal, the Octo-Slam: you get 14 eggs, no sausage, and the guy next to you has to pay the bill.
Rim Shot!

Here's 8 ...err, 14 songs on the subject:
Kate Nash - Baby Love (Supremes cover).mp3
T. Rex - Baby Strange.mp3
The Unicorns - Child Star.m4a
Make Up - Every Baby Cries The Same.mp3
The Offspring - The Kids Aren't Alright.mp3
Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand A Chance.m4a
Rufus Wainwright - Little Sister.mp3
Willie Nelson - Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.mp3
The Rolling Stones - Mother's Little Helper.mp3
The Blind Boys Of Alabama - Motherless Child.m4a
Blink 182 - Stay Together for the Kids.mp3
Sufjan Stevens - Waste Of What Your Kids Won't Have.mp3
R.E.M. - The Wrong Child.m4a
U2 - Ultraviolet (Light My Way).m4a (Note: This song drops the word "baby" 48 times--the same number of times "time" is said in Leonard Cohen's song, "Time." **The More You Know!**)

June's Top Songs of 2008, pt. I

My favorite songs released this year, in no order:

Cut Copy - So Haunted.m4a
buy In Ghost Colours
Addictive and hypnotizing.

Coldplay - Lost!.m4a
buy Viva La Vida
An enthusiastic backbone with power pop lyrics.

Reynaldo - Brothers Forever.mp3
The only good thing to ever come out of American Idol.

Lykke Li - Little Bit.mp3
buy Youth Novels
Swedish with a light voice, a lovely sweet song.

Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.m4a
buy Vampire Weekend
Why be "A-Punk" when you can lean into this floaty Caribbean beat instead?

Besnyo - No!.m4a
buy Worry
Another great exclamation-point song, from a fab band out of Buffalo NY.

The Hood Internet - The Year This Club Broke (My Heart) [Usher (feat. Young Jeezy) vs Los Campesinos!].mp3
The year's best mash-up.

Flight of the Conchords - Bret, You've Got It Goin' On.mp3
buy Flight of the Conchords
This isn't from the album, but the best song from the show.

Islands - Vertigo (If It's a Crime).m4a
buy Arm's Way
11 minutes of sheer epic awesomeness.

the Mountain Goats & Kaki King - Black Pear Tree.mp3
The Black Pear Tree EP is SOLD OUT so instead buy Heretic Pride
A wistful, sadder song.

Weezer - Pork & Beans.mp3
buy Weezer (The Red Album)
Too obviously catchy and lovable to not theme your summer.

Vampire Weekend @ Terminal 5, New York, NY 12/03/08

Live, Vampire Weekend are pretty much exactly how you expect them to be. They're just four lighthearted guys in collared shirts making playful, afro-popped tinged indie-rock. Thank goodness the music was good-spirited fun, because so many other aspects of the evening were not.


I hate to bitch about security, I really do. I realize that most security guards are hard-working people doing their best to ensure that the show goes on smoothly without rowdiness or other crowd-based incidents. However while getting our bags frisked before entering the venue (the middle-of-nowhere cavern that is Terminal 5) my friend was almost not allowed in because they found -get this- markers in her bag?! We questioned this policy as they attempted to confiscate them. They insisted we could "vandalize and grafiti the building." Which is probably the lamest thing I've ever heard considering they weren't even thick-tipped permanent markers, they were practically pen-like. My friend's an art student (not a vandal!) and the fact that they would even try to take away her supplies angers me to no end. We finally reached a compromise and were allowed entry as long as we coat-checked the box of markers under a guard's watchful eye. Pretty absurd stuff. Moral of the story: leave the Crayolas at home kids.

But wait there was more drama! Although luckily it didn't involve us. But there were a whole bunch of belligerent kids in the front row who got kicked out for underage drinking and man, were they angry. I overheard bits and pieces of the scuffle but the only words I could really decipher were "responsibility," "consequences" and "sue his ass!". By this point, I just wanted a little peace and quiet and in the remaining ten minutes before I got my kwassa kwassa on.

Thankfully baby-faced Ezra and company didn't disappoint. Although they only played for about 75-minutes, since you know that's about all the length of their entire repertoire. The new stuff sounded good, as did their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Everywhere".

Boston - Vampire Weekend

Best albums for first half of 2008

In no particular order, a brief rundown at what's pulled at our heartstrings so far this year. Please click on the artist's name to buy these albums. We repeat: Buy! Buy! Buy!

the Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride: Superchunk's Jon Wurster is a welcome addition to the band.
San Bernadino.mp3


Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight: Driving, earnest songs that belie the band's meek moniker.
Keep Yourself Warm.mp3


Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago: These delicate little songs have gently led me through many dark places this year.
Skinny Love.mp3


Islands - Arm's Way: Epic from start to finish. The strings are incredible!
Creeper.mp3


The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely: An extremely cohesive album. A sweltering album that, in my opinion, surpasses the bands debut.
Salute Your Solution.mp3


Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs: A shift in sound for the band. I've heard a lot of bad things about this album, but I'm really enjoying it.
I Will Posses Your Heart.m4a


Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours: Dance, Dance, Dance like you're at an 80's prom, except with way hipper music!
Unforgettable Season.mp3


Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea: David Berman's wit and rasp at its best.
Candy Jail.m4a


She & Him - Volume 1: The pinnacle of adorableness, plus M. Ward's immaculate, sepia-tinged production.
Black Hole.m4a


Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...: Britain's cheekiest youngsters rock...with glockenspiel of course.
This Is How You Spell, "HAHAHA, We Destroyed the Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics".m4a


Vampire Weekend: Unironic pure joy, with a summertime-lounge-y feel.
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa.mp3


Flight of the Conchords: Silliness without sappiness, spanning different genres.
Mutha'uckas.m4a


Sigur Rós - Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust: Faux-languaged Icelandic group pulls together a sharp, fun, poppy record.
Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur.mp3

Dance Music Pt. II: Indie-remix version

...because, deep down, hipsters really do like to dance. (At least in their living rooms when they think no one is watching).

Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Black Dominoes Remix).mp3
Take some Graceland-inspired Afro-Carribean beats, add 4 years at Columbia University and a heavy dose of Upper Crust "Summer in the Hamptons, anyone?"... and then remix. Go buy Vampire Weekend first, though.

Patrick Wolf - Tristan.mp3 from Wind In The Wires
With heavy, plodding beats, this bruised-n-bleedin' cut is the ultimate in darkly sexy, brooding indie-fucks to go "down the road and not across the street" to. Recommended for that hot, dirty rough sex with your favourite indie boi.

Sufjan Stevens - To Be Alone With You (Pocketknife's Considerate Eagle Scout Remix).mp3 from Tambourine Dream
This soft fluffy DOWN-tempo song originally comes off Sufjan's very mellow album Seven Swans. (Get it? It's a pun, with "down" and "swans"... oh, never mind.) This is probably the last song I would ever expect to hear remixed, but it works incredibly well with a strong backbone beat, and some flourishes near the end that emphasize the minor chords.

The Cure - Close To Me (Closer Remix).mp3 from Mixed Up
This remix album covers most off the songs of one of the best albums ever, Disintegration, plus several other much-loved classics. For that angsty high school kid inside all of us, who was never understood! A change of tempo: this lighthearted, bouncy and up-tempo beat hits nicely with bright tambourine and light bells.

Le Tigre - After Dark (Morel's Pink Noise Vocal Mix).mp3 from This Island Remixes
A complex Jungle beat remix, richly layered with multi-textured beats and sophisticated synthesizer.

Future Bible Heroes - The World Is a Disco Ball (Rob Rives club mix).mp3 from The Lonely Robot EP
I used to work it out to this during my days as a campus foodservice slop-jockey, in college. This 8+ minute loop of thumping beats shows a side of Stephin Merritt that's less plucked acoustics and more computers. A good club mix for those nights when you just wanna dance, dance, dance.

Tori Amos - Raspberry Swirl (Lip Gloss Version).mp3 from Cruel
If any of these folks know dance, it's Tori. Frequently lending her tracks to entire LPs of remixed tracks, these club mixes are second-to-none. But going back to the roots, a really simple, clean remix of this track off From the Choirgirl Hotel highlights the late 90's best works.

Mirah - La Familia (Remix).mp3 from Joyride: Remixes
It's very important, when putting this song on a mix tape for someone (or even a muxtape), that you emphasize that the question posed in the chorus is a PONDERANCE ONLY and NOT a proposition... unless that is what you really mean. Hmmm, this could get complicated. The really light, tingly beats sounds familiar from "Cold Cold Water, but now perfected for dancing, and the chorus in the background is more straightforward, altered in a minor chord that taken on a more serious--rather than playful--sound.

Cut Copy - Hearts on Fire.mp3 from In Ghost Colours
So 80s! So dancey! So addictive! Not at all what you might expect from a contemporary Australian group, known for somehow recreating each song live onstage, each time resulting in a new but fabulous sound. I don;t know why this track isn't as well-known as some of their others; it blows them away. Put it on a loop and watch yourself plow through a mountain of paperwork or household chores.

Caribou - Pelican Narrows.mp3 from The Milk of Human Kindness
Not a remix; just a fantastic original cut off their super album. The dynamic interaction of the sounds are undeniably classically-based.

LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk Is Playing At My House (Soulwax Shibuya Re-Remix).mp3 from www.electrorash.com
A club remix to keep the party going. Complete with the background white noise of people chattering, bottles being recycled (because, you know, if you're playing either Daft Punk or LCD Soundsystem at a house party, you're probably recycling). This remix offers synthesizers, bells, electric guitar and all kinds of crazy shit with a hi-hat (and a suped-up tempo!) White people, get it on.

Annie - Heartbeat.mp3 from Anniemal
A sweet song of the bubblegum variety but with a perfect beat for a cool night.

ABX - The Trees Were Presidential (Andrew Bird vs. Youngbloodz).mp3 from thehoodinternet.com
Yeah, I realize a mash-up might be cheating, but it's just too awesome. Based on Andrew Bird's "The Trees Were Mistaken" off of the Soldier On EP. It gets the heavy treatment with some gangstas. The light and tinkly strings which flow and bounce intertwine beautifully with a hard rap beat and these down-n-dirty lyrics. Even Bird's sweet whistling is sampled here, from this track and also from "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left." Fantastic!

the Mountain Goats - Color in Your Cheeks (Mike's Remix).mp3
A spacey, dizzying remix based off this song from All Hail West Texas. It retains the distant feel and the tape hiss of the boom-box recording while adding some "2001: A Space Odyssey"-type beats and sound effects.

Jens Lekman - Sipping on the Sweet Nectar.mp3 from Night Falls Over Kortedala
Great song, boring video. The super 70's disco feel here, however, should keep you on your feet for some time.

Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks (Datassette Remix).mp3
Based off the insanely popular (and rightfully so!) cut from 2006's Writer's Block, you probably won't recognize this song for the first few seconds, as the heavy, block-y ticks count off a surreal, futuristic beat. The whistling is replaced here with some super staccato synthesizers, and the chorus is amped up with slick, smooth sound effects that make the verses seem minimalist by comparison.

Soho Dolls - Prince Harry.mp3 from Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation
Initially minimalist in the verses and polished in the choruses the exceedingly bouncy beat, ultra British-ness and cheeky lyrics beg to be used as a girls' night out theme. Sing along: Save up all your USDs for British universities! This song is way too short for how much fun it is.

Interpol - Public Pervert (Carlos D Remix).mp3 from C'mere
A slow one to finish up the night with. Spoon, baby, starry nights.

The (Obligatory) Vampire Weekend Post

If you attended a liberal arts college, particularly a prestigious Northeastern one, chances are over some point during your collegiate experience you were awkward, pretentious or angsty, or some combination thereof (lord knows I was). See here's the weird thing, the boys of Vampire Weekend, fresh Columbia grads mind you, succeed in making music that is neither of those three adjectives. Perhaps this is why the blogs are buzzing about them?

For a debut record, their self-titled album is remarkably confident and ridiculously upbeat. While the Louis Vitton name-dropping and abnormal amount of lyrical references to Cape Cod and obscure punctuation (I'll admit it, I had to wikipedia "Oxford Comma")might seem a bit on the bourgeois-ivory-tower-academia side, there is a self-knowing and all too amiable sweet nature belying the music. There is also a hint of privileged white-boy exoticism. All the strings and tropical percussion just make me want to sip Bartles & James on a yacht. I assure you, this is not a bad thing.

Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend
Campus - Vampire Weekend