The Sampler - Tracks of the Week (Week 7)

Here’s this week’s rundown of songs I can’t stop listening to:

Violent Femmes – Gone Daddy Gone

From their first album, the Violent Femmes combine everything they’re great at into one song. In this song they have their furious high school angst (which, if you’re listening to emo can get incredibly annoying, but the Violent Femmes always keep it raw and actually angry, not whiny), not to mention driving bass/drums, and lo-fi acoustic guitar played punk. They even throw in what sounds like a marimba. I love most Violent Femmes song, but this one sticks out in my mind.

Beirut – Scenic World

From the Lon Gisland EP (not the version off of The Gulag Orkestar), the song opens with a beautiful accordion piece, and soon breaks in with hand drums and strings. Zach Condon’s voice breaks in with its deep swoon, “The lights go on/the lights go off/When things don’t feel right.” The song is absolutely beautiful, and makes me think of walking through falling snow from class to class, a cigarette in my mouth.

Destroyer – The Bad Arts

From the album Streethawk: A Seduction, Destroyer’s The Bad Arts is typical Dan Bejar, which is not to say it is average. Destroyer, with each album I listen to, has the ability to craft some of the most beautiful, clever music I’ve ever listened to. Opening with a solo acoustic piece and the sound of Bejar’s voice, his lyrics are, as always, genius. “God damn your eyes/They just had to be twin prizes waiting for the sun.” After the first bit, though, the song backs into a blues bass line and drums while Bejar sings bitterly. The song builds just little by little until the end when the music breaks, and a small chorus sings, “You’ve got the spirit/Don’t lose the feeling.”

And those are this week’s tracks.

The Pretender

Alright, I’m finally doing it. I’m reviewing the We All Have Hooks for Hands album. It seems a little nerdy, (because so many of them attend the same school as me, and I see them fairly frequently) but I’m doing it anyway.

Their first (and only) album is out on Afternoon Records, and you can usually catch them playing at least once a month in the Sioux Falls area. I first got The Pretender (or at least most of it) last May, and it literally has not left my CD player for more than a day since then. It is an incredibly addicting album. The songs are incredibly catchy, filled with “Oh’s” and “Whoa-oh’s” galore, not to mention witty lyrics and memorable music. There are nine members in the band on this album, including three guitarists, a bass player, two drummers, two keyboard/trumpet players, and a violinist. Most of the songs center around partying in small towns, something which (at least for me) is very relatable.

Standouts of the album are “Oh, I’d Expect” (Well I’m sure you’ll reminisce/about the timing of this/You always thought apologies were for frauds), “On & On” (Mistitled “Ghosts and Strangers) (We go on and on about being alone/We go on and on about being alone), and “The Man Trying to Outfox Us All” (You held your ties with drugs and lies/You missed a note with all your wives/And life’s a joke with no punchline/But you’re alright, yeah you’re alright).

It is a perfect album to turn the volume all the way up in your car and just belt out the lyrics with, and one that I really can’t stop listening to. I give it, yeah, that’s right, a 10.0.

The Sampler - Tracks of the Week (Week 6)

First of all, the Mountain Goats concert was amazing. John Darnielle is a brilliant performer, and one can tell how much he enjoys playing for audiences. If you ever get the chance to catch them live, I’d highly recommend it. Now, for the songs I can’t stop listening to.

Maritime – Tearing Up the Oxygen

Maritime is a band formed by remnants of The Promise Ring (Davey von Bohlen) and The Dismemberment Plan (Eric Axelson). Now, God knows I have nothing but good words for The Dismemberment Plan, with their albums Emergency and I and Change being tied for my number two albums of all time (second only to Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea), but I am also an avid fan of The Promise Ring. Now, now, you might say, they’re nothing but a washed-up emo band. Let me be the first to tell you, I hate emo music. Absolutely despise it, but these so-called “inventors of emo” sound nothing of the sort. Anyway, I digress. Tearing Up the Oxygen comes from the band’s sophomore (and superior) album We, the Vehicles. The song retains that old Promise Ring feel, but takes the harmonies further, and creates an addicting post-pop number. For some reason, the song feels perfect in the month of October (although that has passed) reminding me of lying in a giant pile of leaves, but I think that’s just von Bohlen’s voice. I’d recommend the entire album, but at least this song.

Rogue Wave – Love’s Lost Guarantee

I don’t know much about the band Rogue Wave, but I know that this song is immediately likable. I first heard the song on the trailer for the new film Wristcutters: A Love Story (which, I think, looks hilarious, and I can’t wait to see it), and after I did some research to find out what the song was, obtained the album immediately. When the song began, I wasn’t sure if I had done my research correctly, as it sounded like a very sad number, but was presently surprised by the end of it, when it builds into a giant celebration, filled with energy and shouting, and I couldn’t help but sing along with my first listen, without knowing the words.

And those are this week’s tracks, hope you enjoy.

Mountain Goats - The Highlights (In Preparation for the Upcoming Concert)

Since I will be attending the Mountain Goats concert in Omaha this Saturday, and since John Darnielle is my favorite lyricist, I thought I’d give a small rundown of my favorite songs of theirs:

Going to Georgia

Of course, this is an obvious one, hailing from their very first album, Zopilote Machine. It may be incredibly lo-fi, but it contains my favorite lyrics of all time, “The most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway/is that it’s you/and that you’re standing in the doorway.” It is a simple statement, but remarkably beautiful in its simplicity. It is like what I’ve wanted to say so many times to so many people, I’m just happy that you’re here at all.

This Year

This is also an obvious choice. The first single from the cathartic album The Sunset Tree, it is a bleeding, joyous, explosion of childhood confession. It feels as if John Darnielle finally lets all of the things that happened during his childhood out in one terrifying gasp. Highlighted lyric: “I downshifted as I pulled into the driveway/The motor screaming out stuck in second gear/The scene ends badly as you might imagine/in a cavalcade of anger and fear/There will be feasting and dancing in Jerusalem next year/I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.”

Attention All Pickpockets

This comes from the 3-song EP, Letter to Belgium. This song winds down to the old single-acoustic guitar and vocals motif. It is a touching driven song that with each chorus finds a multitude of voices singing. Highlighted lyric: “Black pumps/And a medium length black skirt/Eating a path through the dark, damp earth/I hope they’ve got plenty of money where you’re going.”

Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton

From their album, All Hail West Texas, this song tells the story of two teenagers trying to get a death metal band together to follow their favorite music acts. (Apparently John Darnielle is very influenced by death metal, although his music is usually acoustic-folk.) After they get their band together, they try to perform publicly, but the school tells them that because of their use of a pentagram (like a lot of death metal bands) they cannot continue to perform, therefore ruining their dreams. Highlighted lyric: “When you punish a person for dreaming his dream/Don’t expect him to thank or forgive you/The best ever death metal band out of Denton/Will in time both outpace and outlive you/Hail Satan!” (The last remark is obviously meant to be ironic… this band isn’t a cult.)

The Mess Inside

Also from All Hail West Texas, this song tells the story of a young couple who try to reignite their love by vacationing all over the world, but find that the world cannot solve their problems. It is close to one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, and therefore I will post all of the lyrics from the song:

We took a weekend, drove to Provo/

the snow was white and fluffy/

but a weekend in Utah won't fix what's wrong with us/

the gray sky was vast and real cryptic above me/

I wanted you to love me like you used to do.

We took two weeks in the Bahamas/

went out dancing every night/

tried to fight the creeping sense of dread with temporal things/

most of the time I guess I felt alright/

but I wanted you to love me like you used to do.

But you cannot run/

and you cannot hide/

from the wreck we've made of our house/

and from the mess inside.

We went down to New Orleans/

one weekend in the spring/

looked hard for what we'd lost/

it was painful to admit it, but we couldn't find a thing/

I wanted you to love me like you used to do.

We went to New York City in September/

took the train out of Manhattan to the Grand Army Stop/

found that bench we'd sat together on a thousand years ago/

when I felt such love for you I thought my heart was gonna pop/

I wanted you to love me like you used to do.

But I cannot run/

and I can't hide/

from the wreck we've made of our house/

from the mess inside.

The Sampler - Tracks of the Week (Week 5)

First of all, just want to put the word that there is a We All Have Hooks for Hands show at Nutty's North in Sioux Falls on Tuesday starting at 7 P.M. Be there. And now for the songs that I simply can’t stop listening to:

Ween – The Mollusk

Off of Ween’s nautical album (also titled The Mollusk), this may be one of the most addicting songs I’ve ever listened to. The song begins with a mix of acoustic picking and synthesized flute-like noises. A deep man’s voice enters, asking, “Hey, little boy/Whatcha got there?” And the boy answers, “Kind sir/It’s a Mollusk I found” The story then unfolds as to the magic of this mollusk, and the wonders of the ocean. Listening to the song, it does make one want to be near the ocean, or at least a large body of water. The best part of the song is, hands down, the trumpet solos, whether they’re synthesized or not. (Sometimes I think they are, other times I think it’s a real trumpet.) Either way, they kick major ass.

Band of Horses – Is There a Ghost

Band of Horses’ second album, Cease to Begin, isn’t as impressive as their first, but at least with the first song, it certainly makes a valiant attempt. Is There a Ghost opens with Ben Bridwell’s usual tenor glistening and dripping in reverb, and after the first few measures, the rest of the band drop the bomb, pulling in overtime with hard instrumentals. Regardless of how good the rest of the album is, Is There a Ghost was a step in a good direction, let’s hope they can keep trucking that way.

And those are this week’s tracks, hope you enjoy them.

Buffalo Kings/Welcome to the Cinema/We All Have Hooks for Hands at Nutty's North in Sioux Falls

So here’s the first of (probably) many times I’ll promote some local bands. Held at Nutty’s North in Sioux Falls on Tuesday, October 2nd, this was a fantastic show.

The first band to play was Buffalo Kings from Sioux Falls. I had never heard them before, but they put on a good show. Ranging from blues to folk to a little tinge of western, the band only consisted of two members: guitar/vocals, and drums. Still, they did not produce a small sound because of the small numbers. In fact, they were quite powerful and driving.

The second band to play was Welcome to the Cinema, from Brookings. (They are now located in Minneapolis.) The band was recently signed to Speakerphone Records out of Minneapolis, and two friends of mine play in the band. The five member band plays a sort of indie dance rock, and they always keep up a fast and fun show. Their music can be found at http://www.myspace.com/welcometothecinema

The third band to take the stage was Vermillion/Sioux Falls locals We All Have Hooks for Hands. They are on Afternoon Records (also based in Minneapolis). They play folk/pop and are always enthusiastic on stage. There are nine members in the band (though there were only eight playing that night because the violinist couldn’t make it) including three guitars, a bass, two drummers, and two keyboard/trumpet players. They have one album out (which I highly recommend) that is available on cdnow.com, emusic.com, and Ernie November in Sioux Falls. Some of their music can also be found at http://www.myspace.com/weallhavehooksforhands

The Sampler - Tracks of the Week (Week 4)

Here’s this week’s rundown of songs that I can’t stop listening to:

Peter Bjorn and John – Young Folks

Peter Bjorn and John have been around since 1999, and have released three albums. On their latest album, Writer’s Block, (which is about a perfect pop album) they have the song “Young Folks.” The song broke the top 40 in the UK, and for good reason. The song begins with infectious drums that go into a whistling lead and following bass. The song relates the same old story of falling in love, but for people in between being young and hip or old and senile. This is a song that is guaranteed to get stuck in your head.

Orba Squara – My Favorite Song

You may have heard Orba Squara on recent iPhone commercials (and you can hear it on the recent short, “iPhoolish” at www.newsbleep.com), with the song, “Perfect Timing (This Morning).” This is an excellent song, but I think an even stronger one is “My Favorite Song.” The song glistens with bells over an acoustic guitar, and the vocals are unique: high, but not yelpy, they fit the song perfectly. They are slightly reminiscent of Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips.

Also, because I am an attention whore, I am going to put a plug in for my own music here. If you’d like a listen, just go to www.myspace.com/ournamesinthesand It’s admittedly not that great, but if you’d like a listen I’d encourage it. My new band here in Vermillion, Head 80 Foot Big, will also being playing one of the songs (60’s Doll) as soon as we can get a show put together.