Crenellation

Long live Deep Time. Their new album released this summer on Hardly Art is a fantastic syncopated journey full of mesmerizing songs. Here are some sampler songs, courtesy of Hardly Art, and an album teaser at bottom.

Deep Time – Homebody ::mp3::

Deep Time – Clouds ::mp3::

Deep Time Album Teaser from Hardly Art on Vimeo.

Get the Girl You Want

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:44:00 +0000

Tullycraft– 8 Great Ways ::mp3::

8 Great Ways To Get the Girl You Want According to Tullycraft

1, is times, subtract, and add the sum and let her know that she's the only one

2, is to hold up and understand, sing that song

3, is to take down and simplify, make that call and don’t you wonder why
4, you know, 'cause it's so obvious, sweet talk her
5, hang and don't divide, if you try, love will multiply
6, come on and let her know she's the one
7, is in you, you know she's got a friend, hold her close and take her by the hand
8, don't try too hard to make her say, give her space but don't turn away

Links:

Read eight other ways to attract a mate according to Patti Stanger.

Watch eight suggested pick-up lines by sexperts Dan and Jenn.

Listen when you purchase more than eight songs by Tullycraft.

Fort Wilson Riot

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 16:57:00 +0000

Many thanks to FWR for taking time out of their busy schedule to give us some of their thoughts on making music and for kindly sharing some songs below (including a free download of their latest e.p. Generation Complex here)!

xo: How long have you two been playing music together?
Amy Hager/FWR: Sometime during 2005 was the first time we sat down and worked on some songs together, and it has continued to be magical ever since.

xo: What are some of your favorite things about having a writing partner?
FWR: There are so many circumstances where it’s a wonderful thing! It’s great when you have an idea that you know is gold but you can’t seem to get it to go where you want. It’s great to have someone you trust to help you get things fully realized in those situations. And there are times where one of us will have a pretty much completed song but then the other person will add something to it that you didn’t think of and it can kind of blow your mind.

xo: I understand that you travel quite a bit, how many places have you been and what is the longest you have been on the road?
FWR: We have been to most of the states in the US and really look forward to venturing out of the states as well. We have perpetually been on the road since September of 2010 without being on a lease. Throughout that time, we have made our way home to Minneapolis every few months. The longest that we’ve been away from home at a time is about 3 months.

xo: What are your favorite and least favorite things about touring?
FWR: The best part about touring is meeting new people. It is hard to imagine not having met all the wonderful new people that we now have in our lives. The worst part about touring is finding a balance in food quality intake.

xo: Who, current or past, have you been most inspired by musically?
FWR: Well Jacob [Mullis] has had an obsession with The Beatles since his mom rented the movie Help when he was in third grade so that is definitely a primary influence for him. And pretty much any psychedelic music from the 60s. But, we’re both very inspired by the insane rush of good music that’s been piling up due to the internet and affordable recording equipment. Just the general climate of music these days we find inspiring. Kind of intimidating at times, but definitely inspiring above all.

xo: What is your favorite, current or past, “go-to” music when you need to have fun / wallow in your pain / or be inspired to write or perform?
FWR: The Beatles, The Knife, Girls, Julee Cruise (the Lynch/Badalamenti period of her career), The Beach Boys, Beach House, The Rolling Stones, Blonde Redhead, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Prince Billy, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Deer Hunter, Flaming Lips, Fleetwood Mac, Nick Drake, Elliott Smith, Neutral Milk Hotel, Spoon, The Kinks, Robyn, Lykke Li, Panda Bear, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Talking Heads, and of course Tom Waits! The list could go on and on forever....

Fort Wilson Riot - For All The Little Things ::mp3::
p l u s from Predator/Prey

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fortwilsonriot.bandcamp.com/track/forgotten-language"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Forgotten Language by Fort Wilson Riot&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Animalia

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:01:00 +0000

Yellow Ostrich – Whale ::mp3::

Burning Hearts – Sea Birds ::mp3::

David Bazan - Wolves at the Door ::mp3::

Yo La Tengo – The Love Life of the Octopus ::mp3::

John Vanderslice – White Dove ::mp3::

Deleted Wave Form Gatherings – Tiger Rider ::mp3::

Sharon Von Etten – Serpents ::mp3::

Boy Girl, Boy Girl

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Tue, 01 May 2012 01:35:00 +0000

An alternating gender mini-mix...

Richard Swift - Whitman ::mp3::

Julie Doiron - Consolation Prize ::mp3::

Kelley Stoltz - I Don't Get That ::mp3::

Denise James - Come On Home To Me ::mp3::

Vernal Equimix

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 03:26:00 +0000

Just several days into spring, here is a pollinated mix for your listening pleasure…

Their Hearts Were Full of Spring – The Coming of Spring ::mp3::

Au Revoir Simone – Through the Backyards ::mp3::

Air – Cherry Blossom Girl ::mp3::

Sambassadeur – Whatever Season ::mp3::

Little Big Adventure – Happiest of Times ::mp3::

Voxtrot – The Start of Something ::mp3::

Red Sleeping Beauty – Season’s Change ::mp3::

And, on the other foot

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:24:00 +0000

Yippee trippy, Golden Boots has a free digital sampler here.

Hear also their golden hits below.

Golden Boots – Country Bat High II ::mp3::

Golden Boots – Love Is In The Air ::mp3::

Golden Boots – Sphinx Alarm ::mp3::

Golden links here, here and here.

Plenty is Plenty

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:43:00 +0000

Tenement Halls - Plenty is Never Enough ::mp3::

Courtesy of Merge Records

Plenty is plenty when it comes to pet overpopulation. One female cat can begin breeding as young as 4 months old and, if left un-spayed, she and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in only seven years! One un-neutered female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in just six years! The Humane Society of the United States estimates that at least four million cats and dogs—about one every eight seconds—are put down in U.S. shelters each year. Spay/neuter is a proven way to reduce pet overpopulation.

February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month and many organizations offer assistance, some even no-cost assistance, during the month and throughout the year. If you, a friend or family member need assistance to care for their pet, call your local humane society or animal shelter and tell them you are looking for low-cost spay/neuter services.

Links:

The Humane Society List of Financial-aid Related Resources for Pet Care
SpayUSA
PETA's Spay and Neuter: A Solution for Suffering

At Last

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:23:00 +0000

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://thesournotes.bandcamp.com/track/last-looks"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Last Looks by the sour notes&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Fred Thomas – Last One ::mp3::

Elliott Smith – Last Call ::mp3::

The Weakerthans – The Last Last One ::mp3::

Music Inspired by Occupy Wall Street

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 01:00:00 +0000

The songs below are about elevating people over profit -- music that is not meant to demoralize but rather engage and engender empathetic citizens.

Jeremy Messersmith - Blue Sky ::mp3::

Black Liquid - We are the 99 ::on ReverbNation::

Sleepy Kitty

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:50:00 +0000

These cats are from St. Louis...

Sleepy Kitty - Gimme a Chantz! ::mp3::

Courtesy of Euclid Records from their July 2011 release Infinity City.

Sleepy Kitty on Bandcamp.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sleepykitty.bandcamp.com/track/way-out"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Way Out by Sleepy Kitty&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Saw Your Face in Everyone

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 22:09:00 +0000

Elliott Smith – High Times |mp3|

Courtesy of Kill Rock Stars

Read an article about the 2011 re-facing

of the Solutions (aka Figure 8) wall

in the LAWeekly Blog here.

Link: Elliott Smith Memorial Fund

Goodbye Sun and Sea and Shell

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:10:00 +0000

As we near the September equinox, it is time to say goodbye to sun, sea and shell. Time to put down the light reading of your favorite pulp novels you enjoyed at the seashore. But now, right now, if it has eluded you this long, it is the time to pick-up the self-titled album by Summer Fiction. Summer Fiction is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Bill Ricchini who has been writing and self-recording music since the start of the twenty-first century. Summer Fiction is actually his third album, the first two (Ordinary Time and Tonight I Burn Brightly respectively) were recorded under the name Bill Ricchini.

Like your favorite novel, each Summer Fiction track evolves like a new chapter with a purposeful narrative that intimately reveals itself. To learn more about Bill’s album, read below as he kindly shared a bit of his influences and writing process with me.

xo: This is an amazing album – the kind that you listen to but it takes multiple listens to fully absorb as the songs are so full of tenderly layered instrumentation and vocals. I don’t use the term “tenderly” in the sense of “too precious” but it does run counter to the label of “baroque pop” that I have seen written about your work. So, I’m curious, when recording alone, how do you keep a song from becoming too baroque or excessive? Or, more simply, how do you know “when” you are finished with a song?

BR: Thanks for the compliment. For me, it is hard to separate arrangement from songwriting. I do both roles on my records. I usually have a vision of a song’s arrangement as I write it and then I’ll experiment. For example Chandeliers didn’t always have a harpsichord but that was an experiment that worked. Also the baritone sax line on the chorus is a nice touch. But, in an earlier version, I had a glockenspiel on the fadeout which to me was distracting. I go on instinct. My ears tell me if something isn’t needed. The record is dense but everything is in its right place.

xo: Your vocals are understated yet so emotive and I find the timbre of your voice to be quite hypnotic in this record and in your earlier albums recorded under your given name. Who are some of your favorite vocalists and what have you learned from them?

BR: I like subtle, emotive singers. I don’t usually dig the whole American Idol thing. Favorite singers are Brian Wilson, Chrissie Hynde, early Madonna, Dylan, Julian Casablancas, Lou Reed. Good singers don’t have to be good singers. It is about feeling and vibe and taste.

xo: I love that each song on this album seems to have a story that play like mini-movies in my mind. How do you conceive of the narratives? And, does this album have a conscious continuity lyrically speaking?

BR: I think these things emerge as you go and sometimes you look back and it surprised you. Like the makeup theme on the record. That was a total accident but now I am really into it. I think sequencing songs plays a large role but that comes later. Kind of like the old saying that you don’t write the songs the songs write you. I believe that and when I see a mood developing I go with it and make little tweaks to build a narrative. I will say some of this record was written as a sequence like Kids in Catalina into Carry On. That is no accident.

xo: The video for Chandeliers is amazing with the synchronizations of footage and how the overall feeling works so well together with the music. I understand that it is comprised of clips from the Marco Bellocchio film Fists in the Pocket and was edited by a Canadian designer. How did you come to work with Kevin Chia and how much input did you have in the making of the video?

BR: Kevin is an old friend and I love his videos. The ones for Best Coast are just brilliant. The vision was really all his I have to say. We discussed some aesthetics and he ran with it.

xo: Would it be correct to say that you have been a part of the DIY music movement for a long time and were you at the helm of all of the engineering and production on this album?

BR: Yes, I’ve produced all of my records. On this one I engineered most of it as well. DIY is just a nice way to say ‘use what you have’. It was born out of necessity and no money really but along the way I learned things I wouldn’t have if I paid someone to do it.

xo: And finally, how do you measure home recording with live performance and what do you find the most challenging with each outlet?

BR: Enjoy both but recording is my real love. I like that you are making something forever. Shows are also great but kind of like building castles in the sand.

Download a song from the album for free, courtesy of the artist.

<a href="http://summerfiction.bandcamp.com/track/chandeliers-2">Chandeliers by Summer Fiction</a>

Also, check out Kevin Chia’s amazing video.

Dear, dear friends…

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:13:00 +0000

...another installment of themed-mp3 sharing.

Fruit Bats – My Unusual Friend :: mp3 ::
Gianmarco Cilli – My Favorite Friend :: mp3 ::
Leslies – Dear Friend :: mp3 ::
Owls – Everyone is My Friend :: mp3 ::
Physics of Meaning – Oregon, My Only True Friend :: mp3 ::

Links:
Subpop
Park the Van Records
Labrador
Jade Tree

Ye Thieving Bastards

noreply@blogger.com (xo) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:16:00 +0000

Join the Noir Club and Jim promises that, "Each month I will be uploading a new piece of something to the website which all you lucky subscribers (and all the thieving bastards who will be having it for free) can download and enjoy with your mind. It could be a lost EP, it could be a little film I have made. It could even be the musical I haven’t been working on called ‘Golf? You can’t iron in the woods’."

Potential rarities, eloquence of language and simply living in the key of c are all worth the subscription, me thinks! So, do it and tell 'em we sent ya: jimnoir.com