I just found out some good news about ipickmynose favs, local high energy folk experimentalists the Dodos (myspace) (formerly known as Dodo Bird). They’ve signed to French Kiss, run by Tim Harrington of the Dodos recent tour partner, Les Savy Fav. French Kiss is the home of that band as well as a number of other bands and used to be the home of the Hold Steady.

They band has also set the release date for their first French Kiss album, Visiter: March 18, 2008.

What’s more, you can now hear the lead single from said album:
the Dodos – Fools (mp3)

They’ve been playing “Fools” live since I first saw them and they also played it when they came down to KZSU and did a set/ interview with me back in July. I think I’ve said it before–I’ve certainly said it to people if not on this blog–I’m convinced this band is going places.

The full press release is below including a few west coast tour dates.

Read the rest of this entry »

Song obsessions are those songs that we listen to on repeat. I noticed that my obsessions are often a week long. I also thought that other people might have similar obsessions. I’ve collected a panel of a few like-minded individuals and gotten their “song obsessions of the week.” Quite often it’s easy to explain why the song is good; it’s much hard to explain why we’re obsessed. Maybe you’ll become obsessed with one of these.

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Adrian (me):
Candie Payne – All I Need to Hear (mp3) (buy)

I’m going through various 2007 albums in preparation of to make my top albums of 2007 list. I was immediately intrigued by Candie Payne’s album but I hadn’t listened through it in a while. After I listened to it again this week, I was finding myself not pressing repeat on this song, as is often the case when I’m obsessed with a song, but playing/ singing it through in my head. Not even the whole thing, really, just the refrain: “just one little white lie/ just one little white lie/ is all I need to hear/ what harm can it do?”. There’s something more than just the words, melody and orchestration in those moments. There’s some desperation, some need coming through in her voice.

–

Looks like I’m the only one obsessed with a song this week as none of the rest of the panel didn’t submit any songs. Oh well. We’ll get ‘em next time, kiddos.

Or, the Whale at the Great American in August

I mentioned it a number of weeks ago, but it’s worth a reminder, I think.

12/6 Port O’Brien, Cave Singers, Or The Whale @ Rickshaw Stop, 8 pm, $10

For $10, you get a fantastic bill with three bands that each put out some good music this year. You get the gang vocaled and seafaring Port O’brien (myspace), the upbeat rustic songs of the the Cave Singers and SF Weekly’s Best Alt-Country/ Folk band, Or, the Whale (myspace).

By the way, a little bird[1] told me that this is Or, the Whale’s last show for a while because they’re heading into the studio to track an EP. Get ‘em while you can!

[1] named Lindsay, who sings in Or, the Whale

Posted every Thursday On Sale Soon is a weekly series of the tickets going on sale that weekend.

Where to get tickets: The Independent, Great American Music Hall, Slim’s, Fillmore, Warfield, and other Livenation venues. Another Planet booked venues like Greek Theatre @ Berkeley, Palace of Fine Arts, etc. Bimbo’s.

Ladysmith is always nice to see live; I might go see them again. I think the PoFA will be a good place to see them.

Pre-sale Thursday Nov 29:
3/11 Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood @ HP Pavillion (pre-sale: “krty”)

Pre-sale Saturday Dec 1:
2/8 Tesla @ The Fillmore
2/9 New Monsoon with special guest Tim Carbone, EOTO with special guest Michael Kang @ The Fillmore
2/12, 2/13 Siouxsie @ the Fillmore

On sale Sunday Dec 2:
1/15 Cross Canadian Ragweed @ the Independent
1/18 Om, Lichens @ the Independent
1/22 Ben Kenney (Incubus), DJ Kilmore @ the Independent
1/23 Ryan Adams and The Cardinals @ Marin Center
1/23 Mountain feat. Leslie West, Corky Laing, & Richie Scarlet; Tiedye Keith with Tony Lindsay @ the Independent
1/25 Sean Hayes, JT & The Clouds @ the Independent
1/26 Phil Lesh & Friends with Dumpstaphunk @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
1/26 Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Will Hoge (co-headlining), Jeremy Fisher @ Slim’s
1/27 Tim Finn, Miranda Lee Richards @ the Independent
1/28 Ryan Adams and The Cardinals @ Zellerbach Auditorium
1/31 Autolux @ the Independent

2/1 David Grisman Bluegrass Experience @ the Independent
2/13 Cobra Starship, Metro Station, We the Kings, The Cab @ Slim’s
2/15, 2/16 Stockholm Syndrome feat. Jerry Joseph, Dave Schools, Wally Ingram & Eric McFadden @ the Independent
2/28 Ladysmith Black Mambazo @ the Palace of Fine Arts

On sale Mon Dec 3[1]:
4/1, 4/2 Ministry with Meshuggah @ The Fillmore

[1] note: actually listed as going on sale “Monday 12/1″. When’s that??

Double check all information as venues and promoters often change on-sale times and days up until the last minute.

Ah, good times.

And if it sounds familiar, that’s because it’s voiced by Spector artist Darlene Love.

Speaking of Ms. Love, if this writers’ strike isn’t resolved, we’ll miss her most wonderful holiday tradition.

Marco Mahler (myspace) (no relation) makes nice music. It’s self-released and sounds self-recorded–not in a bad way–in that bedroom intimate recording sense.

It’s really pleasant acoustic stuff with a flowing rhythm, whispered vocals, and compelling melodies. Take a listen.

Marcio Mahler – Design in Quick Rotation

Marco Mahler – Orange Chinese Car

CD Baby (and amazon) have the album.

These days a lot of music comes through my inbox but very little of it sticks out; this does.

I couldn’t sleep last night so I was flipping through channels and came across MTV Asia.

Surprise 1: they played the video for “Apartment Story” by the National.

Surprise 2: the odd sequencing. Dead seriously, this is the programming exactly as it appeared:

1. “Apartment Story” by the National
2. “Rockstar” by Nickelback
3. “Rise Today” by Alter Bridge
4. “So Hott” by Kid Rock

It’s like one of those tests you took as a kid: which of these doesn’t fit?

as we all know, and that is why we believe it when they say of Sigur Ros:

They are completly [sic] batshit insane and no one understands what the fuck they are saying.

Who doesn’t feel that way sometimes, 82.148.68.200?

It’s getting to that time of year where everyone makes lists. I tend to do this as well.

Anyway, in preparation, I’m trying to make a list of 2007 albums/ releases that I’ve heard so I know what to consider when making my list. Am I missing any obvious ones?

Now it’s time to relisten to everything on the list, an awesome and sometimes tiring task.

I’ve got a fun song to help wake you from your 3 day-old food coma.

BOAT (warning! site annoying resizes your browser!), whose Songs You Might Not Like I enjoyed, has been posting covers of its songs. The one I like best is Philly band Creeping Weeds’ cover of “(I’m a) Donkey for your Love”. It’s a fun song with nice vocals and really good use of background vocals.

Creeping Weeds – (I’m a) Donkey for your Love (BOAT cover) (mp3)

You can listen to (and buy) the original version here, but I think the cover is an improvement.

One nitpicky thing: BOAT compares the production of the song to Phil Spector. While I like the production, I don’t think it’s too Spector-like. I hear the maracas (a very Spector-like touch) but otherwise, there are too many guitars, not enough strings, horns or saxophone, or percussion in general and generally the production would have to be much bigger. I’ve been planning for a while to write more about Spector, so maybe I should get on that.

This is a stupid thing. The facts are something like this:

1. The Romantics are suing Activision, the makers of Guitar Hero, for use of their song “What I Like About You” in the game
2. Activision has permission to use the song (but not their recording) and the Romantics are making money off of it (or more precisely, the songwriters are, band members Wally Palmar, Mike Skill, Rich Cole, and Jimmy Marinos)
3. The Romantics are suing anyway because by the cover being “too good”, it is stealing their “image and likeness”.

You can find the complaint letter here with specifics about what they’re suing about.

I’ll be pretty sad if the Romantics win. This is ridiculous.

I love that it (rightfully so) is done completely unironically.

(Also, I find it interesting that unlike many covers I love, this cover is very much like the original (sans chorus) and yet still distinctive and good.)

Anyone catch Jens’ Bimbo’s show a month ago?

Song obsessions are those songs that we listen to on repeat. I noticed that my obsessions are often a week long. I also thought that other people might have similar obsessions. I’ve collected a panel of a few like-minded individuals and gotten their “song obsessions of the week.” Quite often it’s easy to explain why the song is good; it’s much hard to explain why we’re obsessed. Maybe you’ll become obsessed with one of these.

–

Adrian (me):
Coconut Records – West Coast (mp3) (buy)

Just when I thought we’d have an unprecedented (though totally reasonable) event of a repeated song obsession–I was still listening to that Lightning Bug Situation song a lot–I came across this song. It’s just head nod-inducing and super catchy pop music. The harmonic movement is nice and it builds to the chorus very well. Also that “do ee oooh” keyboard part doesn’t hurt things at all. When he says ‘come on, everybody!’ I’m pretty sure he’s talking to me and I sing along.

–

Keith:
Trembling Blue Stars – The Rainbow (mp3) (buy)

I’m sure many of you pay keen attention to the satellite blather fed over the loudspeakers of fine retail chains everywhere. I still celebrate the day I heard “Save A Prayer” in the grocery store. Anyway, what’s the strangest selection you’ve ever noticed over a national retail store’s loudspeakers? To set the scene: me & my lady are in Kohl’s selecting 1/2 off turtlenecks that compliment her skin tone, and this song comes on. I guarantee I’m the only one in the store who could ID it, let alone claim ownership of the import ep with the extended mix.

–

David (not Dave):
Pseudosix – Under the Waves (mp3) (buy)

I love it when an opening band is surprisingly good, it’s like an unexpected bonus (on top of Peter Boren, Euros Child and David Kilgour … the first show I’ve been to in a while that felt like it was worth the price of admission). I love the lazy shuffle of this song, the singalong harmony chorus and the half-way break into a louder sexier song with handclaps. I just wish this band had a better name. People must think their name is “psuedo-sex” all the time (which is a terrible name too). Now the question becomes, what is pseudo-sex, and have I had it?

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Not to play favorites (sorry David), but Keith’s blurb this week is a brilliant piece of writing to be admired on its own as well as in conjunction with the song.

Go have some turkey or stuffing or, my favorite of this time of year, pumpkin pie.

(If you really want to listen to some music, check out this list from July by Blogs are for Dogs with a bunch of great/ interesting/ fun songs.)

If there is one song you download and put on your ipod before your Thanksgiving travels, it should be this one.

Coconut Records – West Coast (mp3)

I heard this song by Coconut Records earlier today and I couldn’t help myself. I was nodding my head up and down and up and down and up and…. There isn’t a lot to say about it other than it’s a lovely pure pop song.

I don’t think it should be given special consideration because a famous person in an unrelated realm made it but you might recognize his voice.

I didn’t see it on insound, but it’s available at amazon and amazon MP3 (and at eMusic).

And here’s the odd, graceful German skateboarding music video for it: