tigerpooh

Moving...

2009-07-12T05:55:00.001-05:00

Roughly, the blog is moving to http://www.marginalboy.com/blog/ where it shall be a part of a mashup which combines all the blogs I've been writing over the years. Which, truth be told, isn't that many, but...I'm also playing with WP management :-)

2009-04-27T12:04:00.004-05:00

And I'm an ass. But to make up for it, I offer this little widget with 3 of my favorite songs from this awesome mix called Dark Was The Night, curated by The National to benefit AIDS research charities. Talk about indie awesome overload. Seriously.

Also, through the glories of Facebook, I learned that my cousin's husband did the art for it. This is something I find most exceedingly cool, and I have told her that. *sigh* Did anyone forget The National is my favorite band? If so, then it is for your shame...

A little smidge of trivia: The little piece of Feist+BenGibbard face-killing sweetness above is actually a Vashti Bunyan cover from 1966. Just in case you're on Jeopardy or something...

wow, almost a year...

2009-01-09T21:15:00.003-06:00

SO! It's been nearly a year since I vowed to update this thing more frequently. Oops. Well, just in case we haven't been purged from one of the 6 previous readers' newsfeeds, I'll just say I'll endeavor in this new year to do better. God knows I'll have time on my hands, since I don't yet speak Arabic. Anyway, here's an interesting band with a wholesome sound. Surprisingly decent for a band making their name on BandCamp...

I give you, The Secret 6, courtesy of this snifty embedded player:

<a href="http://thesecret6.bandcamp.mu/album/close-enemies">1992 by The Secret 6</a>

MGMT Video

2008-01-27T22:00:00.000-06:00

I owe you all a post about the Yeasayer/MGMT concert last week, but I neglected to do it this weekend and it'll be a day or two before I can even think of getting it up. By way of apology, I offer you an MGMT video of their catchiest song (to my mind) and probably the highlight of the whole show. I actually danced. Foolishly, with my arms in the air.

Mgmt - Time To Pretend
Uploaded by ioxxxioxxx

Lyrics

2008-01-23T12:15:00.000-06:00

Check out some misheard lyrics. Some links to a few that really had me laughing:

P.S. - Site look is still in transition...I'm working on it!

New look

2008-01-22T09:37:00.000-06:00

If you're not reading this in RSS, you may have noticed the distinct "baby poop" look we have going here. Site template edits are in progress, and we promise it won't stay this way forev's...

wow!

2008-01-21T18:17:00.001-06:00

Very cool...Watch it through to the end:

Joan As Police Woman

2008-01-12T23:04:00.000-06:00

Name: Joan As Police Woman

Status: What I'm listening to right now...

Goes Well With: Wine...

Cool Fact: She was dating Jeff Buckley when he drowned...

Song: The Ride

bullshit!

2008-01-01T21:16:00.000-06:00

mastering

2007-12-31T12:09:00.000-06:00

If it weren't for the visuals, I would never understand this...

yea! i say :-)

2007-12-24T08:55:00.000-06:00

So this band, Yeasayer ... totally awesome and I can't wait to see them at Emo's next month :-) I'm totally going. Like, totally. And maybe to see them at the Granada the night before. Check out the layers, the magnitude. "2080" is my fave, I think, but "Sunrise" is great, too. Seriously, I haven't been this excited about a show since The National...

Yeasayer - 2080

Yeasayer - Sunrise

And I totally cribbed the lyrics to 2080:

I can't sleep when I think about the times we're living in,
I can't sleep when I think about the future I was born into,
Outsiders dressed up like Sunday morning,
But with no Berlin wall what the hell you gonna do.

It's a New Year,
I'm glad to be here
It's a fresh spring,
So let's sing.

In 2080
I'll surely be dead
So don't look ahead,
Never look ahead.

It's a New Year,
I'm glad to be here
It's the first spring,
So let's sing.

And the moon shines bright
On the water tonight
So we won't drown
In the summer sound.

If you find me I'll be sitting by the water fountain,
Picket signs, letdowns, meltdown it's Monday morning
But it's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
It's alright

Cause in no time, they'll be gone I guess I'll still be standing here.

It's a New Year,
I'm glad to be here
It's a fresh spring,
So let's sing.

In 2080
I'll surely be dead
So don't look ahead,
Never look ahead.

It's a New Year,
I'm glad to be here
It's the first spring,
So let's sing.

And the moon shines bright
On the water tonight
So we won't drown
In the summer sound.

Yeah Yeah we can all grab at the chance and be handsome farmers,
Yeah you can have twenty one sons and be blood when they marry my daughters,
And the pain that we left at the station will stay in a jar behind us.
We can pickle the pain into blue ribbon winners at county contests.

Sigur Ros

2007-11-05T23:39:00.000-06:00

The trailer of their film "Heima", set to the absolutely triumphant "Hoppipolla":

It seems a little like a marketing video for Iceland, but damn if I don't want to go visit after watching... This band is pure awesome.

Pandora vs. DJs

2007-10-27T23:54:00.001-05:00

menomena and the (vincent) moon

2007-09-28T23:13:00.000-05:00

Nope, still not tired of this great stuff:

triumphant return

2007-09-17T20:39:00.000-05:00

Hello dear blog! I just have to say I'm sorry for having not posted in so long, even though I've heard that's bad blogging form. Receiving no help from the tiger-half, I fear the burden was too great and I crumbled.

However, with renewed vigor I return to tell of a great weekend-o'-music. First up, a trip to Dallas with Joe to see The National at the Granada Theater. Let me just say: awesome show. More awesome than the show, though, was meeting lead singer Matt, whom Joe and I both agree is our favorite modern poet. We got a picture and autographs to prove it, too. And a lifetime of regret for not asking about the meaning of Gospel. St. Vincent also played along, and was a surprisingly good opener.

The National is my favorite band. That's a prelude to pointing out that Matt seems to have taken a page from Iggy Pop's book on "Convulsing Spasmatically About The Stage With Nowhere To Put Your Hands". He's a quick study, too.

The National - Gospel

Saturday was supposed to bring Rodrigo y Gabriela in Austin for an ACL "aftershow" (even though they weren't supposed to play ACL until Sunday...) - but apparently Gabriela got "tired" or something. *spit*

Sunday, though, Will and I made our way to Zilker Park. We saw The National (again, for me) play the same set from Friday, complete with the jumping-off-the-stage-during-Squalor-Victoria routine, and with no less energy. It was a great set on Friday night and it didn't disappoint on Sunday afternoon. We ran to the other side of the park to catch as much of Ben Kweller as possible, then back again to the very same stage to see Devotchka. Of the entire festival, I have to say these polka-rockers impressed me the most. This is to say, the disparity between what I expected and what I got was greatest here. I knew I liked Devotchka, but I wasn't sure how their music would translate to a live venue. (The tuba and -theremin?... being only the beginning of my concern.) Wow. They rocked. Absolutely rocked. And the lead singer was amazing.

Devotchka - How It Ends

Lucinda Williams delivered a great performance, until the virtually unintelligible rant against the war in Iraq and President Bush - both of which she would only refer to obliquely. This strategy lent even more confusion to an already self-conflicted statement. She actually said at one point "Oops, I contradicted myself". (Shut up and sing, Lucinda.) Regina Spektor - while adorable - enjoyed WAY too much popularity, and I believe that fully 80% of the festival skipped Amos Lee to watch her. She was too cute in the way she looked shocked when she completed a song and completely flabbergasted when people applauded afterward. This illusion of naiveté was somewhat shattered when it followed songs with lyrics like "the next door neighbors are fucking to one of my songs".

My Morning Jacket was offered a position of honor near the end of the day. They were terrific, to be sure, but very off. (<-- photographic evidence) Jim James was wearing a very long, very blond wig, which offered a disconcerting (no pun) contrast to his very man-like bearded face. Also in attendance were two women whose job it seems was to stand on stage and do unexpected things with pineapples. No, really: pineapples. One was balanced on a head for a time. Another was cradled like a nursing baby periodically and alternately offered up to the sky in the style of sacrifice. This was apparently a grave task that was undertaken with the utmost sincerity. Surprisingly, it seemed to be observed by most of the large crowd with the same sentiment. Maybe all the pot revealed some hidden message to them that was lost on me. Clearly, I was ill-prepared for the festival...

My Morning Jacket - The Way That He Sings

Enough for now. ~~I'll flesh out this post later perhaps, and link things like a good blogger ought.~~

the low lows

2007-07-15T11:58:00.001-05:00

The Low Lows on La Blogoteque.

Awesomeness On A Bus.

Les Concerts à Emporter are inspired; Vincent Moon is a god.

hilarity revealed

2007-07-14T02:44:00.000-05:00

Sigur Ros - Vidrar Vel Til Loftarasa

2007-07-09T10:59:00.001-05:00

I was reminded of my favorite Sigur Ros video last night, and thought I'd post it for everyone's enjoyment. It's sad and touching and suggests there is innocence that may be misunderstood. For reasons that probably become obvious, I cried the first time I saw it. Below, the translated lyrics...

Good Weather For Airstrikes

I Slide Myself Forward
Through My Head
I Think Half Way
Backwards
See Myself Sing The Anthem
That We Wrote Together
We Had A Dream
We Had Everything
We Rode To The End Of The World
We Rode Searching
Climbed Skyscrapers
That Later Exploded
The Peace Was Out
I Leak Balance
Fall Down
Total Silence
No Answer
But The Best Thing God Has Created
Is A New Day

para joe

2007-06-16T20:55:00.000-05:00

And now for something completely different...

the arcade fire - concerts à emporter

2007-03-25T21:46:00.000-05:00

Are they fucking serious? Figure me a cooler notion of video live music performance. Go on - you can't do it. Anyway, The Arcade Fire did a little ditty recently. Here it is, and if I were you, dear reader, I would expect a few more of these posts before I lose the chills I get when I watch their shows :)

the national

2007-03-25T11:58:00.000-05:00

The National, about whom I've raved on numerous occasions, is releasing a new album in May. I seriously chill with anticipation. Totally pumped. Can I say that enough? TOTALLY PUMPED!

A preview track:
The National - Fake Empire

Here's one of the coolest live performances I've ever seen, and it's a rendition of a new song off the upcoming album. Concerts à Emporter is badass in its own right; coupled with The National...off the charts, baby. Enjoy:

paulo nutini

2007-03-13T05:51:00.001-05:00

Wow. Great voice. Hot as hell. What else is there?

Paulo Nutini, everyone.

tim myers

2007-03-12T20:47:00.000-05:00

If you like Coldplay, go here and here. Check out "A Revolution Song" if it doesn't do this really high-pitched funky thing on his site that it did on mine... Thank me later... ;-)

i'm a punkrocker, yes i am

2007-03-07T06:47:00.001-06:00

my style is di bom digi bom di deng di deng digi digi

2007-03-07T06:44:00.000-06:00

...and I know I suck for not having posted any of my finds from the new treasure trove, but Things have been Going On which make me Very Tired. Soon!

overload...

2007-02-24T11:41:00.000-06:00

I've spent the last four hours in frantic overload, discovering or rediscovering the following little pieces of heaven on earth:

Internet Archive :: NetLabels

Jamendo

ccMixter

And I'm finding the Blogger "New Post" procedure to be far too cumbersome to post the hundred thousand sweetnesses I've found this morning. I'm going to go breathe now and I will return later to share the finds...

Meanwhile, enjoy the links...

ukelele...

2007-02-22T20:28:00.000-06:00

So here's an interesting find I came across while making a "world" music mix for my friend Boone. (It's a protest mix against the label "world" being used to encompass literally (no pun) a world of music)...

Anyway, from Hawaii, I bring you the (late) Israel Kamikawiwo'ole, playing a "Somewhere Over The Rainbow + What A Wonderful World" medley live...

Israel Kamikawiwo'ole - Somewhere Over The Rainbow (medley)

o.c.m.s.

2007-02-18T22:06:00.000-06:00

I don't care what the fags say... There ain't nothing like a banjo. Unless it's a mandolin... But we'll save Chris Thile for a later post. I think these guys are awfully listen-able... Classic instrumentation, good vocal harmonies. And refrains penned by Dylan.

Plus they're trés cute...

Check them out at La Zona Rosa in Austin next Saturday, if you're so inclined...

To avoid any confusion, Mr. Thile is definitely trés cute, too...

i'm (back) from barcelona...

2007-02-15T19:46:00.000-06:00

Here's the song, provided to you from the arguably more controlled environment of their album, Let Me Introduce My Friends...

I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona

We're From Barcelona
by I'M FROM BARCELONA

I'm gonna sing this song with all of my friends
and we're I'm from Barcelona
Love is a feeling that we don't understand
but we're gonna give it to ya

We'll aim for the stars
We'll aim for your heart when the night comes
And we'll bring you love
You'll be one of us when the night comes

This band is further evidence supporting my theory that the Swedes, Seasonal Affective Disorder notwithstanding, know how to make chirpy, feel-good pop like nobody else...

i'm from barcelona...

2007-02-15T19:29:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm not, and neither are they. But that's what they're called. (They're actually a 29-person "supergroup" from Sweden...) I've been digging their sound for a while now, but I hadn't bothered to check out the band. Then, in an inspired-yet-ultimately unsatisfactory search of Belgian blogs for an explanation of an elusively-titled album in my collection ("Presents", in a folder entitled "Adrian Boult") I found this live acoustic session.

This is one of the coolest little videos I've run across yet...try to see for yourself exactly what they're using to create this Up With People sound and be amazed! SCISSORS PLAY A PART FOR CHRISTSAKES! How awesome...?

Here's I'm From Barcelona, performing "We're From Barcelona"...

And by the way, it was really "Adrian Bouldt" and you'd be scandalized to discover how unhelpful Google is in finding a missing 'd'...

Video shamelessly un-embedded and imported here to the States from a certain podcaster Vox...

jeff mangum

2007-02-15T06:02:00.000-06:00

Here's a little clip I stumbled across on YouTube. It's Jeff Mangum singing his outfit's (Neutral Milk Hotel) album's title track (In The Aeroplane Over The Sea), solo. Hella lyrics, y'all, hella lyrics.

Neutral Milk Hotel
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

What a beautiful face
I have found in this place
That is circling all round the sun
What a beautiful dream
That could flash on the screen
In a blink of an eye and be gone from me
Soft and sweet
Let me hold it close and keep it here with me

And one day we will die
And our ashes will fly from the aeroplane over the sea
But for now we are young
Let us lay in the sun
And count every beautiful thing we can see
Love to be
In the arms of all I'm keeping here with me

What a curious life we have found here tonight
There is music that sounds from the street
There are lights in the clouds
Anna's ghost all around
Hear her voice as it's rolling and ringing through me
Soft and sweet
How the notes all bend and reach above the trees

Now how I remember you
How I would push my fingers through
Your mouth to make those muscles move
That made your voice so smooth and sweet
And now we keep where we don't know
All secrets sleep in winter clothes
With one you loved so long ago
Now he don't even know his name

What a beautiful face
I have found in this place
That is circling all round the sun
And when we meet on a cloud
I'll be laughing out loud
I'll be laughing with everyone I see
Can't believe how strange it is to be anything at all

Here's to hoping the re-unite...

happy valentine's day!

2007-02-14T05:52:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the Hallmark Holiday today. I have a little treat to post, but unfortunately it's a blogging transgression which is unprecedented in this most formal of online music review houses. (tongue firmly planted in cheek...)

So the last song I posted - the "mood" song - was by Andrew Bird. So is today's track. But I just stumbled upon a pre-release single from his upcoming new album, Armchair Apocrypha. And it's really good! Do check it out, and go be Valentine-y!

Andrew Bird - Heretics

Props to Pitchfork. They're good for something, at least.

mood

2007-02-11T22:50:00.000-06:00

Here's a mood song because it's past my bed time...

Andrew Bird - Don't Be Scared

Don't Be Scared
by Andrew Bird

whenever paul thinks of rain, swallows fall in a wave and tap on his window with their beaks. whenever paul thinks of snow, soft winds blow round his head and his phone rings just once late at night-like a bird calling out, "wake up, paul. don't be scared. don't believe you're all alone."
"wake up, paul," whisper clouds rolling by and the seeds falling softly from the branches of the trees.

Sleep tight, fair readers...

you decide, part ii

2007-02-09T05:43:00.000-06:00

I'm excited about this morning's comparison. What a great song! We're comparing, of course, Tim Buckley's original version of Song to the Siren with the 1984 version that perhaps made it (very) famous. That one was released by This Mortal Coil, which featured vocals by Liz Fraser from the Cocteau Twins.

Also, just because you're good, I'm going to throw in a version of the song released by The Czars.

Strange thing? When I was preparing my uploads for this post, I decided to give the Czars' version another whirl, since I hadn't heard it in over a year. I think I never gave it a chance last time, because I think it might be my favorite so far. That's saying something, given how much I respect Tim Buckley, and how much I obsessed over TMC's version in the past...

Tim Buckley - Song To The Siren

This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren

The Czars - Song To The Siren

As always, fair readers, vote in the comments...

twee redux

2007-02-06T20:40:00.000-06:00

The post about Voxtrot earlier in the week left the taste of Twee in my ...ears... and I think I need to do it up right. So here's your dose of that catchy, pop-y music with lyrics-just-a-little-too-smart -for-their-own-good goodness.

Before we begin, I will divulge that I have the entire collection of Sarah Records singles, 001-099...

Yes, ladies and gentlmen: you never knew it, but we are TWEE AS FUCK around here. (And no comments questioning the validity of Belle & Sebastian or The Cardigans as TweePop... I've heard far too much Ska being slid under the covers for a little "mainstreamness" to get in the way of technical definitions...)

Beulah - Popular Mechanics For Lovers

The Cardigans - Lovefool

Belle & Sebastian - Seeing Other People

~and the grand finale~

Tullycraft - Twee

what choice??

2007-02-06T07:02:00.000-06:00

What choice do I have but to post about this great band? First of all, their name is Romance of Young Tigers....

!!!

How great is that? If you are a fan of Explosions in the Sky or GY!BE, you should check out this little trio. It's worth noting that there is not a percussionist in the band or in the sound, but it's still melodic and full...

Romance of Young Tigers - Long Withdrawing Roar

bishop allen

2007-02-06T06:44:00.000-06:00

Bishop Allen is a band of a different stripe. They have a pretty diverse sound, to begin with. But the real novelty to me is the way they chose to release their songs this past year: they released a 4-song EP every month. This departure from the usual approach of saving and honing songs for months or even years had some pretty cool results. For my part, I think it kept them fresh and gave a more direct insight into the evolution of their art. At the end of the day (year) they have a nice collection of 48 very different songs. Here's a snippet from September EP:

Bishop Allen - Fireflies

They have a bunch of songs, as well as their 12 EPs and their full album release, Charm School, available for download and purchase, respectively, at their web site.

a pb&j video

2007-02-05T18:26:00.000-06:00

Yeah, that's right: Peter, Bjorn & John ... They've got a sweet video out, which I shall embed for your viewing plezhah:

The chick singing co-lead vocals is Victoria Bergsman, formerly (as in, last week) of The Concretes. Just FYI...

autumn shade...

2007-02-05T06:52:00.000-06:00

Check out Autumn Shade, a quiet folk duo from Oklahoma. The site streams some great music, and there's a downloadable track at MySpace. Very nice, especially if you like female vocalists. I recommend "Home".

happy

2007-02-04T10:05:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd just post a song that's simply happy. I've been addicted to the beat of this little number since I first heard it last year. I wish I could find a whole album of this... Voxtrot - straight from Austin, by the way!

Voxtrot - The Start of Something

And the lyrics (the best rendition I could find, at least):

The Start Of Something
by Voxtrot

This time of night I could call you up
I'd get angry with athletic ease, break common laws in twos and threes
If I die clutching your photograph
Don't call me boring, It's just 'cause I like you
Take me on back... take me back
To the place where I could feel your heart
Is this the end or just the start of
Something really, really beautiful
Wrapped up and disguised as something really, really ugly,

Won't you...
Come by and see me, I'm a love letter away
I'd break your name before I'd say, "I really love you, love you, "
I don't care if you saw, I watched every inch of film
Flash across your Roman features,
And I loved it, loved it; I don't care if

You think I'm eager to shut your eyes, well
I'm sorry-everybody knows you can't break me with your gutter prose
Would you believe it, she sent me a letter,
The ring, it nearly weighs her down, she's got another boy, oh boy
Steady your ears... read my lips
Poetry is not a luxury, it's how I'll break this home
And when I'm really ill, won't you cradle me?
Man is not a noble animal, but maybe woman is, remember,

I heard you...
Inside your room, you said, "You never really live
Until your back's against the wall, " oh did you really mean it?
I never break my gaze, if just to see this scar remain reflected in your eyes
I think it's time to go home

GUITAR SOLO
Oh, tell me your thoughts, tell me your thoughts on liberty,
See there's a place where I sink to sleeping
Oh, my vote is as red as my blood
Will you join me for another round? I haven't had the chance to speak yet

God speed...
I break the law once every week to feel your touch,
What's a book to you in bed, Do you feel better, older?
This just makes me ill, your name is dripping from my pen
Still you're not around to curse,
I'll drop the gun now, I'm still under you...

Marianne, let the ghosts sleep tonight.
Marianne, let the ghosts sleep, just shut your eyes and burn the past away.

you decide, part 1

2007-02-04T08:05:00.000-06:00

I think I'll start a series of posts comparing two versions of the same song. I don't know, it just feels novel enough to be fun. Not to take a page from Coverville's playbook; I won't be nearly so purist about it... ;-) Anyway, this morning's contest is between old classic and new awesome:

Nina Simone - Feeling Good

Muse - Feeling Good

I hope that neither needs much introduction, so listen, enjoy, and vote in the comments!

Addendum

That felt so good (har!) that I thought I'd add another version, just for grins. A little bit different stripe, but it's the same song...

The Pussycat Dolls - Feeling Good

because the tiger part is absent

2007-02-03T09:04:00.000-06:00

I'm going to post something I think would make him very excited. (He is very excitable, after all...) Antony ~of Antony & The Johnsons fame~ has provided all of the vocals for the latest 5-song EP from composer Michael Cashmore, The Snow Abides. (Check it out on MySpace...) Also, Antony & The Johnsons is allegedly recording another album right now... So, that's pretty cool. Despite the rather morose approach to song-writing employed, I think few can deny the beauty of the orchestral arrangements or the striking (if Boy George-esque) vocals.

Samples from older albums, in release order and the order in which they attracted my attention... Be careful not to drown in the pathos:

From the self-titled album:

Antony & The Johnsons - Cripple & The Starfish

Lyrical highlights:

I am very happy
So please hit me
I am very very happy
So come on hurt me

From I Am A Bird Now:

Antony & The Johnsons - Fistful of Love

Lyrical highlights:

I feel your fists
And I know it's out of love
And I feel the whip
And I know it's out of love

iron & wine

2007-02-03T08:29:00.000-06:00

I looked back and realized I hadn't really posted about Iron & Wine yet, not since this blog began. This is an oversight for which I should not be readily excused. Make protest, plucky readers! Well, I hope to begin penance with this post.

So, Iron & Wine is just one dude. One freakin'-ass amazing dude (Sam Beam). I can honestly say he's among my top 5 favorite artists of all time. Nay...top 3. He's lo-fi. He's folk. And his lyrics getcha right here. Those of you who know my tastes know this is the trifecta of OMG!!1! I <3 THIS!! music for me.

So, here's the ZIP of his full performance on NPR, which is a good primer for Iron & Wine. It includes as the last track a toned-down (yes, toned-down...) version of his song "The Trapeze Swinger", which is amazingly awe-mazing even though he sorta fucks it up. It's also not released on any of his albums that I can find...only on the In Good Company soundtrack. So, without further ado...

Iron & Wine - The Trapeze Swinger

The Trapeze Swinger
by Iron & Wine

please remember me, happily
by the rosebush laughing
with bruises on my chin, the time when
we counted every black car passing
your house beneath the hill, and up until
someone caught us in the kitchen
with maps, a mountain range, a piggy bank
a vision too removed to mention

but please remember me, fondly
i heard from someone you're still pretty
and then they went on to say that the Pearly Gates
had some eloquent graffiti
like: "we'll meet again" and "fuck the Man"
and "tell my mother not to worry"
and angels with their great handshakes
but always done in such a hurry

and please remember me, at Halloween
making fools of all the neighbors
our faces painted white, by midnight
we'd forgotten one another
and when the morning came i was ashamed
only now it seems so silly
that season left the world and then returned
and now you're lit up by the city

so please remember me, mistakenly
in the window of the tallest tower
call, then pass us by, but much too high
to see the empty road at happy hour
gleam and resonate just like the gates
around the Holy Kingdom
with words like: "lost and found" and "don't look down"
and "someone save temptation"

and please remember me as in the dream
we had as rug-burned babies
among the fallen trees and fast asleep
beside the lions and the ladies
that called you what you like and even might
give a gift for your behavior:
a fleeting chance to see a trapeze-
swinger high as any savior

but please remember me, my misery
and how it lost me all i wanted
those dogs that love the rain, and chasing trains
the colored birds above there running
in circles round the well, and where it spells
on the wall behind St. Peter's
so bright with cinder gray in spray paint:
"who the hell can see forever?"

and please remember me, seldomly
in the car behind the carnival
my hand between your knees, you turn from me
and said the trapeze act was wonderful
but never meant to last, the clowns that passed
saw me just come up with anger
when it filled the circus dogs, the parking lot
had an element of danger

so please remember me, finally
and all my uphill clawing
my dear, but if i make the Pearly Gates
i'll do my best to make a drawing
of God and Lucifer, a boy and girl
an angel kissin' on a sinner
a monkey and a man, a marching band
all around the frightened trapeze-swinger

nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah...

midlake

2007-01-31T21:45:00.000-06:00

Fleetwood Mac? The Moody Blues? Neil Young & Friends, you ask?

No!

Midlake. And they're this nifty little quartet from Denton, TX. Plus they're playing The Parish on February 23. Worth checking out, I think...

Midlake - Roscoe

too cool!

2007-01-31T17:07:00.000-06:00

Props to Michael for the tip...and I want to know the music used, if anyone can identify it.

my friend jay...

2007-01-30T07:45:00.000-06:00

...is the only person I know who can be absolutely charming, singing a song while sitting on the toilet.

the goddamn doo wop band

2007-01-30T06:31:00.000-06:00

No, seriously, that's their name. The Goddamn Doo Wop Band. How can you not love them? From Minneapolis, though their MySpace page declares them to be from "Inmypantsolis"...

Does it get more fun?

Somehow, I can visualize myself and several friends from high school having done this ourselves. Kristen, Ferra: you're on vocals.

southerly

2007-01-27T14:19:00.000-06:00

James and I saw Southerly when we went to see Jeff Hanson in Denton. Unfortunately, is was an Octopus Project show, and the openers had short sets. We left before the Octopus Project managed to convince an audience member to go home and get them a snare stand; they'd forgotten theirs in Austin. They weren't very good at all.

Jeff Hanson, of course, was amazing. Southerly was also impressive - an unassuming figure alone on stage. Check out his MySpace page. I'm digging the orchestral arrangements on "Soldiers". Also, bully for him signing and all...

heartbeats...

2007-01-27T08:36:00.000-06:00

Just in case you haven't seen the long version of the Sony commercial featuring Jose Gonzales' "Heartbeats", here it is. Freakin' awesome:

Click for the .MOV file...Quicktime is a bitch to embed for some reason...

Go San Francisco! Go high-bounce balls!

gotta be a joke...

2007-01-25T08:10:00.000-06:00

I'm finding this little nugget of musical turd shared with me last night by a friend to be so terrible that it's funny. Not only is the video worth watching, but snippets from the web site are priceless, too. First, the video:

Yes, folks. If you didn't know before, God hates a fag. If you're a fag, he hates you too. Probably especially the fag in the video, for such blatant disregard for God's gift of music to the world. Anyway, I'm a little scared of you if you were able to watch it without eventually giggling. And from the web site, we're warned off some of the faggier music out there. For your protection, dear readers, note these unholy bands:

* The Spores (endorse suicide) * Scissor Sisters
* Rufus Wainwright * Merzbau * Ravi Shankar
* Wilco * Bjork * Tech N9ne * Ghostface Killah
* Bobby Conn * Morton Subotnik * Cole Porter
* The String Cheese Incident * Eagles of Death Metal
* Polyphonic Spree * The Faint * Interpol
* Tegan and Sara * Erasure * Le Tigre
* The Gossip * The Doors * Phish * Queen
* The Strokes * Sufjan Stevens * Morrissey(?questionable?)
* The Pet Shop Boys * Metallica * Judas Priest
* The Village People * The Secret Handshake * The Rolling Stones
* David Bowie * Frankie Goes to Hollywood * Man or Astroman
* Richard Cheese * Jay-Z * Depeche Mode * Kansas
* Ani DiFranco * Fischerspooner * John Mayer
* The Indigo Girls * Velvet Underground * Madonna
* Elton John * Barry Manilow * Indigo Girls
* Melissa Etheridge * Eminmen * Nirvana * Boy George*
* The Killers * Lou Reed * Lil' Wayne * Motorhead
* Jill Sobule * Wilson Phillips * DMX * Lisa Loeb
* Dogstar * Thirty Seconds to Mars * Lil' Kim
* kd lang * Frank Sinatra * Hinder * Nickleback
* Justus Kohncke * Bob Mould * Clay Aiken * Arcade Fire
* Bright Eyes * Corinne Bailey Rae * Audioslave
* Red Hot Chili Peppers * Panic at the Disco
* Elton John(really gay)

I absolutely love the fact that Elton John requires a special warning, and that he appears on their list twice. It's fabulous. And poor Jill Sobule...didn't she sing "I Kissed A Girl" or something and not much else? I guess that means, well, you know, even lesbian one-hit wonders cannot escape the scrutiny of the holier than thou. Morrissey (questionable?) is priceless, too.

Also, dude quotes Oscar Wilde on the site:

"Suffering is one very long moment. We cannot divide it by seasons. We can only record its moods, and chronicle their return. With us time itself does not progress. It revolves. It seems to circle round one centre of pain."
--Oscar Wilde (reformed homosexual)

The riotous part of *that* is the citation of Wilde as a "reformed homosexual". The only thing that "reformed" Wilde was his death - due to persecution for his "love that shall not be named." If you're wondering from whence this fountain of straightness bubbles... Thank You, Houston.

PS -
OH! OH! OH! In his "video blog", Mr. Davies - in the cadence you'd expect - thanks Andrew Sullivan (the unrepentant-yet-conservative homosexual) for denouncing YouTube's decision to take down the music video above. I snorted out coffee at the part when he thanked Mr. Sullivan for "getting behind him." Adolescent, perhaps, but you know it's funny...

a post for joe...

2007-01-23T10:59:00.000-06:00

Here's a post for my friend, Joe. If you are not Joe, however, I invite you to enjoy the music of these two awesome projects of Will Sheff & Jonathan Meiburg anyway. Based out of Austin, Okkervil River and Shearwater are as different as they are face-meltingly amazing...

Also, Shearwater is playing at Emo's in March. I will attend this show, even if I have to kill someone for tickets and beat someone unconscious to drag with me.

So, the samples: the lead song off Okkervil River's 2006 EP, Overboard and Down. Please note that it is not a political statement at all. This is supported by the lyrics...

Okkervil River - The President's Dead

And two of my favorite (only because I had to pick) tracks from Shearwater's 2006 album release, Palo Santo.

Shearwater - Nobody

Shearwater - Seventy-four, Seventy-five

Well shit. I can't stand it. Here's another of my favorites from that album:

Shearwater - Hail Mary

And one more awesome one for good measure:

Shearwater - Red Sea, Black Sea

kraig johnson

2007-01-21T22:28:00.000-06:00

Check this guy out on MySpace. He reminds me in a few songs ("Silent Side" for instance) of a young Bob Seger. You know, one that hasn't smoked enough yet. Once his songwriting matures just a bit, I think he'll be pretty terrific.

findlay brown

2007-01-14T00:57:00.000-06:00

In keeping with my preference for the singer-songwriter, folk-with-a-twist genre, I'll draw your attention now to Findlay Brown. Unfortunately, I don't have much to offer in the way of samples, but his web site streams all of his songs for you...

Just click "Releases" on his site and check out the two EPs that constitute his discography to date. Check out especially "Come Home", which is muy beuno.

do you realize?

2007-01-07T09:39:00.000-06:00

A little feel-good for you:

The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize?

Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize - we're floating in space -
Do You Realize - that happiness makes you cry
Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

Do You Realize - Oh - Oh - Oh
Do You Realize - that everyone you know
Someday will die -

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize

aaron schroeder

2007-01-07T08:55:00.000-06:00

Here's an interesting artist I just saw this morning for the first time. For some reason he reminds me a lot of Ben Folds. Only there doesn't seem to be much piano.

Aaron Schroeder - Between Drags

Aaron Schroeder - Fake Crimes

I didn't consider the significance of posting about Aaron Schroeder, New Artist as my first post of the new year. I might have put some more thought into it if I had done. In new year news, one of my resolutions is to post no less than twice per week in 2007. I know this isn't a staggering commitment or anything, but I think few could argue it'd be a marked improvement over last year's record. There's even the possibility 2 posts per week will be a minimum we don't see. Know what motivates me, faithful readers? Comments. Lots and lots of comments...

:-)

Happy New Year, everyone!

new shins vid

2006-12-20T00:22:00.000-06:00

I like the song, of course. The video is sorta dumb, though...

who knew...

2006-12-09T23:40:00.000-06:00

...that big ol' dorks could rock your face off?

Seriously, if you are not in possession of The National - Alligator in some form already, you are dead to me.

the umbrella sequence

2006-12-06T13:36:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, you find yourself composing a blog post as you cut and paste the links and put together the material you want to post. And sometimes, when you hear these fledging blog posts, you want to punch your own teeth out for use an analogy that, by now, ought to be outright illegal. Treasonous, even. Alas, it's something I have to do in this case.

So, The Umbrella Sequence (The US) sound a lot like Radiohead. Radiohead playing a show on valium. Well, at the very least, the lead singer sounds a lot like Thom Yorke.

They have a little shockwave radio on their website I'm going to try to embed here. Let's see if it works, shall we?

Check out their MySpace for more samples.

rodrigo y gabriela

2006-11-25T18:30:00.000-06:00

Finally, some "World" music you can hang your hat on! Great skill, catchy tune, the snobbery of culture that comes with pointing out you're listening to international music not from the U.K...

So, here's Rodrigo y Gabriela (from Mexico) playing Tamacun:

All I can is poor We Are Scientists...

Disclaimer: I chose Jools Holland because of the song they were playing. There are other clips over at YouTube if you care to see. I'd have picked a Not-Televised one if I weren't so intellectually honest...

not visible, like smallpox...

2006-11-15T06:42:00.000-06:00

Not exactly music, but poetry, perhaps...? ;-)

old crow medicine show

2006-11-01T08:53:00.000-06:00

Okay, loving them! Here's a music video of them. I'm trying to convince the Tiger-part to take me to their show when I visit him next week. :-) Oh, and here's their myspace.

ack! FF 2.0

2006-10-31T22:55:00.000-06:00

Okay, so Firefox 2.0 doesn't seem to like the embedding technique for a couple of the non-YouTube videos on this page. Until I figure out why, here are the links to the videos in the now-disabled posts.

Geek-apella

Gay Boyfriend

can i just say...

2006-10-29T01:37:00.000-06:00

that I think they have just about the best harmony two voices can enjoy? Tegan and Sara, I mean...

explodingdog.com

2006-10-29T00:09:00.000-05:00

Somdays you make me so sad

love??

2006-10-28T11:51:00.002-05:00

I would just like to point out I've done a fine job of blogging this month. I think I need some comment-lovin'. Also, GALLE! (That's all I have to say about that...)

sufjan ward

2006-10-27T23:25:00.000-05:00

You guessed it: another strained Pooh-analogy... But tell me I'm wrong, go on! This is totally a good one you guys. It's Sam Amidon. I like him. I found out about him because, oddly, I was browing Icelandic music festival lineups. Never fear, though; I think he's from Pennsylvania. And he totally sounds like m.ward singing for Sufjan Stevens...

Sam Amidon - Another Man Done Gone

administrivia

2006-10-27T18:16:00.000-05:00

Sorry for a couple of broken links on here. For some reason, box.net is now giving me grief for linking directly, but it worked fine when I tested it. Perhaps it was because I complained to their support personnel that the links didn't have file type, so the snifty little "playTagger" function wouldn't work.

Well, their interface is far better than EZArchive, and site response time much better, so I'll probably transfer my subscription in a few days. In the meantime, the links will be doomed to failure...

wooden wand...

2006-10-24T15:45:00.000-05:00

...and the Vanishing Voice.
...and the Sky High Band.
...and the Omen Bones Band.

Which ever name they're using today, they're fun psychedelic folk from the awesome KillRockStars stable. And theirs is another show (along with Joseph Arthur's) that I'll be missing tomorrow in Austin. Check them out!

Being broke-like sucks. Being broke-like and in College Station sucks more.

Wooden Wand - Portrait In The Clouds

Wooden Wand - Eagle Claw

back on final fantasy for a moment...

2006-10-23T00:55:00.000-05:00

Here's a video of the song posted below being performed live. His live shows look great. Watch how he builds the song up, etc, etc... Yeah, whatever. We all know the real meat of the show is the bitch in the bun doing visuals. Check this out. It's hilarious :-)

the format

2006-10-23T00:09:00.000-05:00

A New Friend (more later if ~~you're~~ I'm lucky) recently recommended The Format. Naturally, since I had never heard of them before, I was intrigued. Then he said they were opening for Fallout Boy (hiss) on tour soon...

But nevertheless, not wanting to disappoint New Friend, I checked them out. I was shocked to discover some smart, tolerable - nay, enjoyable - power-punk-pop. Good hooks without getting gimmicky or overly commercial. Perhaps just the right amount of angsty whine. (Okay, to be fair, they've had the benefit of seeing Dashboard Confessional wring that dishtowel dry...) Literate - if not demonstrably literary - lyrics...

Continuing a trend, I'll stab at a most-likely-bad analogy: they're like what Jimmy Eat World might sound like if the Postal Service couldn't touch an instrument but were in charge of all production. And helped write the songs, too, but only after a night of drinking and rowdy showtune-singing... Umm, and that's early Jimmy Eat World, for all you post-Bleed American posers.

The Format - She Doesn't Get It

Don't be afraid to like this song. The album is diverse...

Note to the Tiger half of this blog: I gave you Static Prevails in 1999, which I had claimed from the demo bin. I need to be cool for that.

out of touch

2006-10-22T22:36:00.000-05:00

So, it's been a month and somehow I just learned that darling Owen (a.k.a. Final Fantasy) won a prestigious Canadian music award for He Poos Clouds, his sophomore effort.

Yes, it's called "He Poos Clouds". Shut up. I think it's charming. More so before I learned it was a Dungeons & Dragons reference and not some over-the-top romantic characterization of his boyfriend, but still...

Final Fantasy - This Is The Dream of Win & Regine

(A song from his previous album, Has A Good Home. Honestly, I like that album better.)

And the lyrics:

This is the Dream of Win & Regine
by Final Fantasy

Crown myself the prince of buzz
Can't wait until you, can't wait 'til you unsubscribe
I'll be a lonely scribe

But - what if they like it,
And lock us in a cannery with your accordian
Until we canned our love?
We can get along
We can get along

Montreal might eat it's young
But Montreal won't break us down

Now I got a VCR
If we put our hearts in twenty thousand tiny jars
They'd never leave their homes
We can get along
We can get along

Montreal might eat it's young
But Montreal won't break us down

I tried and tried and tried and tried
and tried and tried to keep the crowds away
I tried and tried and tried and tried
and tried and tried to keep the crowds away

the deportees

2006-10-22T21:14:00.000-05:00

The Deportees have struck upon the catchiest hook in the history of pop music, I think. And a video that kills... Of course, they're Swedish.

Props to perennial fave swedesplease for the crib.

just in case...

2006-10-14T13:14:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen this brilliant little piece of pop music video, you must watch now :-) This post is directed at the 3 people on the internet who haven't seen Ok Go on treadmills...

just an observation...

2006-10-14T13:13:00.000-05:00

Tiger? We're great people but really shitty bloggers.

woxy :-(

2006-09-10T23:32:00.000-05:00

Well, if you're like me, you recently began listening to WOXY.com's great mix of relatively unknown music. If you're not cool enough to have heard of them, check them out (quick) at woxy.com. If you've been listening to them for the whole two years, you're the kid who got to the party four hours early, and you're not cool. Take the pants below the navel, friend, and stop drinking so much punch.

...

They're shutting down. Damned labels. I don't know which part of their operating budget was so high, but I'm willing to bet it was the crazy licensing fees charged by labels to internet radio stations. My favorite part of the station were the Lounge Acts: in-house shows from your favorite or soon-to-be favorite bands. (The National were featured, so I've got mine...) Go check out what's there before they're gone. Download the ones that are available on MP3 since, you know, it's our generation's mark and all...

eat it, bitch

2006-09-02T23:40:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm beating the Tiger-half to the punch on this one. Technically, he got this new Ray Lamontagne album, Till The Sun Turns Black, a few hours before I did, but since he's a slackerbum, I'm going to post about it first. So, it's awesome. Very chill, like an acoustic David Gray. (I should be ashamed at myself for having just typed that, but it's for all the Lamontagne n00bs out there...)

Mr. Lamontagne should be alt-country/folk, but he isn't. He's a little bit blues. A little bit jazz. With some awesome thrown in. I'd be interested in hearing your genre-making, dear commenters, so please leave a little...

Here's a little sample. Get the album; you really won't be disappointed. I promise!

Ray Lamontagne - Empty

(Here's what the boys at www.songmeanings.net claim are the lyrics...looks good to me:)

She lifts her skirt up to her knees
Walks through the garden rows with her bare feet, laughing
I never learned to count my blessings
I choose instead to dwell in my disasters

Walk on down the hill
Through the grass grown tall and brown
And still it's hard somehow to let go of my pain
On past the busted back
Of that old and rusted Cadillac
That sinks into this field collecting rain

Will I always feel this way
So empty, so estranged

Of these cutthroat busted sunsets
These cold and damp white mornings I have grown weary
If through my cracked and dusty dimestore lips
I spoke these words out loud would no one hear me

Lay your blouse across the chair
Let fall the flowers from your hair
And kiss me with that country mouth so plain
Outside the rain is tapping on the leaves
To me it sounds like they're applauding us
The quiet love we make

Will I always feel this way
So empty, so estranged

Well I looked my demons in the eyes
Laid bare my chest said do your best: destroy me
See I've been to hell and back so many times
I must admit you kinda bore me

There's a lot of things that can kill a man
There's a lot of ways to die
Yes and some already dead who walk beside me
There's a lot of things I don't understand
Why so many people lie
Well it's the hurt I hide that fuels the fires inside me

Will I always feel this way
So empty, so estranged

and another...

2006-08-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

This guy -Tyler James- reminds me of Rufus Wainwright musically, and Atreyu from The Never-Ending Story physically. Pretty cool on both counts... And, of course, his MySpace.

too late...

2006-08-28T09:19:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wished you'd discovered a musical artist a few months earlier, if only to enjoy them during the time of year to which they're obviously most suited? Okay, probably not...but I'm weird and I do that a lot. For instance, I wish I had known about Landon Pigg -unfortunate name- six months ago, so I could drive around on a sunny Saturday morning in Spring with the windows down, listening to his fun, cute, simple style of pop. He's an American Sondre Lerche. Check him out. Oh, and check out his MySpace page, too, for some samples and some really cute pictures :-)

A mix CD that I am enjoying.

2006-08-27T11:38:00.000-05:00

Oh Pooh, any readers we may have had, I am afraid, may have vacated or passed out and died a long time ago while holding their breath for a new post. And here I have no great story, just the story that unfolds by reading someones track listing on their most recent mix CD. This one is for my brother.

Look Beneath the Floorboards:

John Wayne Gacy, Jr. - Sufjan Stevens
The Pot - Tool
Playhouses - TV on the Radio
Obstacle no. 1 - Interpol
Helena - Nickel Creek
This Place is a Prison - The Postal Service
Hafsol - Sigur Ros
Ambulance - TV on the Radio
I Turn My Camera On - Spoon
Another Morning Stoner - And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead...
Staring at the Sun - TV on the Radio
Passing Afternoon - Iron and Wine
Snakes and Martyrs - TV on the Radio
All the Wild Horses - Ray LaMontagne

apologies and stuff

2006-08-06T11:10:00.000-05:00

Hey, loyal readership...sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Before July 28, my absence can be blamed on packing to move. Since then, it's been moving and then entertaining my mom and brother for a week. No time to tarry, no time at all. I've sort of forgotten now how to use a computer.

I'm practicing, though, and started catching up on my favorite haunts. Muzzle of Bees has made me supremely jealous with tales of Lollapalooza . Man alive, I want to go! (But that Kanye West sounds like a real ass. Big shock...)

AND NO, I DO NOT CARE IF "KANYE" HAS FOOLED YOU ALL INTO THINKING HE'S SOCIALLY AWARE...he's just another self-aggrandizing pop-rapper. Bah!

Okay, so go read MoB while I remember how to use this..."mouse" (?) thing...

Oh random commenter...

2006-07-27T08:52:00.000-05:00

Is Yossarian next? Who are you?

speaking of wild horses...

2006-07-26T10:13:00.000-05:00

I swear I have a much longer post to contribute, stored safely away somewhere in my mind. Currently inaccessible. But I can't let the tiger-half show me up repeatedly. So it's coming. I'll think of some life story and a stream of conciousness later, post something amazing and cool and insightful and delightful. For now, though, I'll just crib off-a him and bring you a cover of the 'Stones Wild Horses.

It's Faultline playing, and the thoroughly amazing Joseph Arthur on vocals. Eat it up, kids.

Faultline (feat. Joseph Arthur) - Wild Horses (Rolling Stones cover)

Childhood living is easy to do
The things you wanted I bought them for you
Graceless lady you know who I am
You know I can't let you slide through my hands

Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses couldn't drag me away

I watched you suffer a dull aching pain
Now you've decided to show me the same
No sweeping exit or offstage lines
Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind

Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses couldn't drag me away

I know I've dreamed you a sin and a lie
I have my freedom but I don't have much time
Faith has been broken - tears must be cried
Let's do some living after we die

Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses we'll ride them some day
Wild horses couldn't drag me away
Wild, wild horses we'll ride them some day

The thing about math is:

2006-07-23T12:30:00.000-05:00

When I started college I was a computer science major. At Texas A&M Computer Science had a built in minor, and I had chosen to pursue math. During my third full semester of college, around the time that the computer science dictocrats decided it was time to get efficient at programming, I was in my third semester of calculus and fascinated with drawing sketches of Sherilyn Finn in the side columns of my notes. I realized at this point that I was much more interested in solving problems, and critical thinking, than I was programming computers, so I defected to the math department. For many reasons this was a good decision, not the least of which was meeting mr. g sansom.

The thing about math is that it is self contained. I always liked that theoretically one could figure out all of the answers to an exam without ever having looked into a text book or been to a class. And, indeed, I had one friend who would do this. His brain was intimidating. I had to wing it a few times. And there were even times when a teacher would require it of you, like when my probability professor decided to include a question from her graduate level class final on her undergraduate class final exam. I got that one right. I got the extraordinarily basic ones wrong. One could never accomplish this with say and english exam on t.s. eliot's the waste land without having read either the poems or anything about the poems.

The thing about T.S. Eliot is that I've long considered him to be an arrogant bastard. Maybe he was, but I simply thought poetically he was. The man experienced profound spiritual change during his life, and if one were to read Prufrock followed by the four quartets this would be evident. The problem that I had was that he seemed convinced that because he had this experience, and came to these truths, that now noone else would ever have to. He had figured out the answer, and we simply had to believe him.

It occured to me while driving the other day, that even though I could theoretically figure out all of the answers on my own, sometimes it is relevant to look in the text book and see if a theorem already exists. And I realized just now, that T.S. Eliot probably had more patience than I ever gave him credit for.

All the wild horses
All the wild horses
Tethered with tears in their eyes
May no man's touch ever tame
May no man's reigns ever chain you
And may no man's weight ever defrayed your soul
And as for the clouds
Just let them roll
Roll away
Roll away
As for the clouds
Just let them roll
Roll away
Roll away

grrr...

2006-07-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, the Tiger half has officially gotten twice as many comments on his ONE post than the Pooh half has gotten on his dozens of posts.

No wonder I live in a constant confidence crisis.

sufjan pwn3d

2006-07-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

Ouch!

And I have to say, I sort of see where he's coming from...

too freaking awesome...

2006-07-11T07:38:00.000-05:00

Go here and listen to Gay for Girls. Especially all of you who listen to this new punkLite genre of music. But no, everybody. That's today's assignment. It's hilarious :-)

the mountain goats

2006-07-10T21:58:00.000-05:00

Not just the kings of the hill anymore. Unless that hill is the Hill of Chill, Low-Fi Folky Goodness. Then they're still the kings. Check them out.

I'm going to post one of the songs from their new album, Get Lonely. (It comes out August 22 I believe.) Here is the first stanza of lyrics:

On the morning when I woke up without you for the first time
I felt free and I felt lonely and I felt scared
And I began to talk to myself almost immediately
Not being used to being the only person there

The first time I made coffee for just myself, I made too much of it
But I drank it all just cause you hate it when I let things go to waste
And I wandered through the house like a little boy lost at the mall
And an astronaut could've seen the hunger in my eyes from space

So yeah. Nice, huh?

The Mountain Goats - Woke Up New

And yes, the tiger half of this blog better take this as a "If You're Not Careful I'll Post About Devendra Before You Do, Bitch" post...

hello.

2006-07-08T12:16:00.000-05:00

Despite many attempts to the contrary by the pooh half of tigerpooh, I have spent little to no time looking at other music blogs. Consequently I have no notion of what this should be like. My desire or idea at the moment is that I would just sit down and write about what I am listening to, why, and how it affects me. I find that music helps me catalog my emotions, it is much more of a psychological thing for me than an analytical or artistic thing. Not that all of the other neuances aren't there, but I would say, by and large, and the majority of the time, listening to music is therapy between my real therapy. And then I wonder, in my youth, why I chose to sit on a couch across from Marilyn Manson. I listen to pretty much nothing that you haven't heard of (in addition to using double negatives). And I imagine I will stuggle between the ever present desire to be obscure and just being honest about what I like. So I will say right now I am a 28 year old man who likes tool, a lot. I also like texas is the reason, devendra banhart, tv on the radio, patty griffin, lyle lovett, blah blah blah, name drop, I want you to thing I am cool. I really do. It is why, at stop lights, I still turn up what I am listening to in the hopes that someone will majically walk up to me and say,"Holy crap is that onelinedrawing's sketchy ep#1 that you are listening to? I thought I was the only person who knew about that. You are so damn cool!" And in all reality if this were to happen, I would blush, smile, and then drive away without saying a word, feeling sheepishly pridefull.

Yesterday, I shared the following story with my friend Randy. In high school I used to get all bent out of shape when other people would wear nine inch nails shirts to school. I would think that they couldn't possibly "get" nin the same way that I do. It also made me feel terribly un-original. And so in the persuit of being original, I got into wear shirts of more obscure bands, bands I didn't really even like, like delicate terror and deathkulture bbq. And one day I realized, I just like nine inch nails, and that is okay (although other than the broken ep I really don't care to listen to nine inch nails anymore). I tell this story to say this: I believe that there are many wonderful bands and musicians out there that I have not heard and will probably be blown away, once again, when I finally do hear them. But I think that their obscurity does not give them any more clout or beauty than say, Chris Isaak, whom everyone has heard of. I have played the "this is my band that noone has heard of" game (the deftones), and lost miserably. So, now I try to be content with listening to what I enjoy, be it the cowboy junkies or godspeed you! black emperor, and stay open to new sounds and experiences. And hopefully I sound as self-rightous as possible in that process.

Back to my idea.

My idea was to write about what I am listening to at this moment and why. The problem is that I am in a public library and I am listening to traffic and the soft sounds of peoples voices.

freakishly romantic

2006-07-06T01:27:00.000-05:00

I've been feeling so romantic lately - it's terrible. Bad. Not like the "aww, that's cute" sort of romanticism. The other kind. The shitty kind. It's probably because of this, but these lyrics get me, you know, kinda right here. (The hook that seems slightly borrowed from The Cure's Lovesong is also a good punch.) God, I love this band...

The Geese Of Beverly Road
by The National

We'll take ourselves out in the street
And wear the blood in our cheeks
Like red roses
We'll go from car to sleeping car
And whisper in their sleeping ears
We were here, we were here
We'll set off the geese of Beverly Road

Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome, totally genius
Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome

We won't be disappointed
We'll fight like girls for our place at the table
Our room on the floor
We'll set off the geese of Beverly Road

Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome, totally genius
Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome

We're the heirs to the glimmering world
[repeat]

We're drunk and sparking, our legs are open
Our hands are covered in cake
But I swear we didn't have any
I swear we didn't have any

Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome, totally genius
Hey, love, we'll get away with it
We'll run like we're awesome

We're the heirs to the glimmering world
[repeat]

Oh, come, come be my waitress and serve me tonight
Serve me the sky tonight
Oh, come, come be my waitress and serve me tonight
serve me the sky with a big slice of lemon

We're the heirs to the glimmering world
[repeat]

Oh, come, come be my waitress and serve me tonight
Serve me the sky tonight
Oh, come, come be my waitress and serve me tonight
serve me the sky with a big slice of lemon

And yes, it's about being young and energetically, helplessly, unstoppably in love.

(I promise this is the last song from The National I'll post. I really, really encourage everyone to buy their album. It's *VERY* worth it.)

magic kangaroo

2006-07-05T16:26:00.000-05:00

Shhhh! This is a super-secret, don't-let-Magic-Girl-know-it's-here sort of post. But I have to brag on the little vixen. This is a friend who plays around town, singing Big Star's Kangaroo. (Long Live Chilton...) The recording was simply done and it hasn't been mixed or anything, the mics aren't professional, etc... And yet you can still hear the voice that, in my opinion, suggests Magic Girl's name in the first place ;-)

Magic Girl (Live) - Kangaroo

Rock her in the comments...

welcome!

2006-07-02T17:11:00.000-05:00

If you haven't noticed, Keith has officially joined the roster here. (See side panel on the left for proof...) As promised, you'll not be disappointed by the boy's excellent taste in music and insightful-yet-witty posts. His spelling, on the other hand...

Well, to welcome one half of this, I thought I'd suggest the next duet for him and Shaun:

Watch it all the way through. Seriously, you'll crack your ass up...

the national, part deux

2006-07-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

Alright guys. I'm going to post the first two tracks from The National's Alligator. I don't pick these because they're the best on the album. The rest of the songs are just as badass. This band has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. I feel a little self-conscious that the rest of the musical blogosphere became passionate about them in '05. It is, after all, a competition.

I believe there are fundamentally two kinds of music afficianados: the "it has a good beat and I can dance to it" crowd, and the "it's clever and I can sing to it" crowd. The former tend to appreciate melodies, beats, and instrumentation more. The latter tend to appreciate the lyrical poetry and - in some cases - a "sing-along-able" key... I'm usually finding myself squarely in the latter category. Particularly since I spent about 7 years trying unsuccessfully to be a musician with any technical competence at all.

I would never suggest these two things are mutually exclusive; I think almost all music lovers take a little from column A and a little from column B. I'm just sayin'...

Well, the point of all this b.s. is that this band - (focus, here) The National - have it all. Really. I love them. You should love them, too. And you should order their music. From their website's shop, or eMusic. Do it now!

Tracks:

The National - Secret Meeting

The National - Karen

(Lyrics to these...)

not music related

2006-07-01T15:38:00.000-05:00

43Things.

The world is with you.

jenny lewis & the watson twins

2006-06-30T17:34:00.000-05:00

I'll probably post again on this topic, because her recent album is pretty much goodness, but I found this and I had to share. Also, I wanted to test this whole "embedded YouTube" bit. So yeah, here's a video to one of my favorite songs on the album. Notice the cameo by Sarah Silverman and that dude from Postal Service/Dntel/Other-Indie-Outfits-DuJour-No-Doubt.

And is it just me, or do the Watson Twins look creepy as fuck? Like The Shining meets HeeHaw?

mashups

2006-06-30T11:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, I've always been a reluctant listener to this "mashup" business. You know, the practice of playing two really different (usually) songs on top of each other, more or less, and fiddling a little with the timing. It may be the snob in me, but it seems a little adolescent. Or at least that's what I say in places like a music blog.

Secretly, I think I enjoy the shit out of a good "mashup". It's some meme-like attraction. Anyway, go HERE and listen to Overnight Star. I'm not kidding when I say it is Kanye West + Sigur Ros.

jammin' at work

2006-06-28T13:48:00.000-05:00

Streaming from archive.org, naturally...

Spoon, live at the Coney Island Siren Festival, 07/16/2005

Love it :-)

the national

2006-06-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

The National is a pretty awesome band. I'm reminded very much of Nick Cave by the lead singer. Musically, they're somewhere between alt-country and shoegazer. Yeah, I know. Crazy...

I went hog-wild on eMusic and downloaded a bunch of their stuff. Check them out (free songs on their website). To get you started, here's one that I like:

The National - Wasp Nest

sources, part 1(a)

2006-06-26T23:18:00.000-05:00

I shared one source with my Jon Brion post earlier, so I figured that'd be a great way to start off something I've been meaning to do: share with you, gentle readers, some of my favorite music blogs on the web. These come in no particular order, and be aware a creative blogger can win me over with just a couple of awesome posts. In any event, DoCopenhagen finds some great tunes and videos. No pretense, no nonsense. Just fun to check out out now and again...

And, and a postscript: The "Tiger" portion of the "TigerPooh" blog promises to start the process of beginning to think about the process of thinking about setting up an account to learn how to post on this mess, so stay tuned for his more reflective and thoughtful brand of music exegesis.

a post for jpr

2006-06-25T12:53:00.000-05:00

Just because I think you're tops.

I share a source. Oh, it's Jon Brion, by the way ;-)

tigerpooh

Moving...

wow, almost a year...

MGMT Video

Lyrics

New look

wow!

Joan As Police Woman

bullshit!

mastering

yea! i say :-)

Sigur Ros

Pandora vs. DJs

menomena and the (vincent) moon

triumphant return

the low lows

hilarity revealed

Sigur Ros - Vidrar Vel Til Loftarasa

para joe

the arcade fire - concerts à emporter

the national

paulo nutini

tim myers

i'm a punkrocker, yes i am

my style is di bom digi bom di deng di deng digi digi

overload...

ukelele...

o.c.m.s.

meta

i'm (back) from barcelona...

i'm from barcelona...

jeff mangum

happy valentine's day!

mood

you decide, part ii

twee redux

what choice??

bishop allen

a pb&j video

autumn shade...

happy

you decide, part 1

because the tiger part is absent

iron & wine

midlake

too cool!

my friend jay...

the goddamn doo wop band

southerly

heartbeats...

gotta be a joke...

a post for joe...

kraig johnson

findlay brown

do you realize?

aaron schroeder

new shins vid

who knew...

the umbrella sequence

rodrigo y gabriela

not visible, like smallpox...

old crow medicine show

ack! FF 2.0

can i just say...

explodingdog.com

love??

sufjan ward

administrivia

wooden wand...

back on final fantasy for a moment...

the format

out of touch

the deportees

just in case...

just an observation...

woxy :-(

eat it, bitch

and another...

too late...

A mix CD that I am enjoying.