Brooklyn Better Take You In (but only for a little bit)

And yet another review and segment of:  Music you should listen to

Who: The Avett Brothers

Album: I and Love and You

Ok, so these guys are known for their Charlotte roots. They thrive on clunky chords, unpolished melodies, and grimy guitars. To put it simply, they have a unique sound. So when they went to “the big city” to get a polished sound from famed producer / mastermind Rick Rubin, it got all the hipster scarves in an unwindable tissy. Then Paste and Pitchfork gave the album reviews that went from good to a 5.8 (in Pitchfork terms). Now, I give you my review.

I absolutely love the first six tracks of the album, even if they have bits and pieces of other North Carolina acts, like Ryan Adams and Ben Folds.  “I and Love and You” and “January Wedding” are probably the best tracks on the album. And that’s just the first two. The album has 13 tracks, 2 of which are great, 6 which are good, 4 which are okay and one which is so radio-rock it kills me. “Tin Man” takes away the grittiness the Avetts were and replaces it with production. Production that Rick Rubin is a master at, and what makes the Avetts, well, not the Avetts. Yeah, Rubin is a badass and kills it with the Beastie Boys and Run D-M-C, but an alt-rock/bluegrass/indie band? I’ll admit, Rubin can do his job and do it well, but I think the quartet they’re making is a bit of a clash. Just like his clash with the Dixie Chicks (yes, he’s worked with them). But not as well as the duo he and Johnny Cash made. No, that was the shit.

Fellow readers. I hate to say this about an act I want to see succeed. This album was a let down. Also, whose idea was it to make the cover look like Jethro Tull’s Greatest Hits? I’m not saying that you shouldn’t listen to some of the tracks. Those are after all, quite good. But you may just want to stick to the single $0.99 tracks you can buy seperate from the album on iTunes.

I’m in a 40 Day Dream

Welcome to another segment of : Music You Should be Listening to Right Now

Who: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Album: Up from Below

They are a relatively new L.A folk rock band. This album was released in May of 2009 and they’re full of members from other bands who I guess have joined in this “super group.” Well, just a large group; the vocalist, Alex Ebert is from the group Ima Robot.  They have a throw back 70’s style and sounds like The Polyphonic Spree, Galt MacDermot (who wrote the music for  Hair) and Ennio Morricone had a love child. A sweet, sweet love child. Some of theses tracks are so sweet, it’s like listening to cake and cookies. Mmmmm. Wonderful.

Tracks to listen out for: 40 Day Dream,  Janglin’,  Carries On, and Home

Enjoy!

This just in: I’m Alive

So I haven’t updated in like, foreves, right? Right. Lots and lots of tons crap has been flushing around in the busy schedule that is my life. It’s essentially a whirlwind. Blah. News update:

~I started my LAST semester of college! Woo. Um, woo in December. There’s still a shit ton of work that I need to do for that little piece of paper I’ll keep in storage.

~ The boyfriend and I drove to Chicago (“all things go, all things go.” Name that lyric, kids) in August to go to Lollapalooza and visit some friends.

~Lollapalooza was kind of a disappointment. And so was Lou Reed. He’s sort of a dick. Who knew? Pretty sure I did. I’ll save this one for a bitch rant when I’m not so doggone tired.

~I got sick. Blah. Nice, good ole tummy virus. Or bacteria. Took days to get out of my system. It was horrid. Ew. Side note, my university has had several H1 N1 virus attacks. Ugh. Now I have to worry about getting swine flu. Great.

~The boyfriend and I have set time period to pack up and head to live in the big Chi-town. Should be early March or April. Hopefully March. Excitement and stress brewing, mostly about jobs, places to live, family to tell, etc.

~ About 5 more celebrities have died in like the past 3 months: Les Paul, Ted Kennedy etc. I’m sure there are others.

~Is anyone else up in fury about these ridiculous, misinformed people comparing Obama and his healthcare bill to Hitler and his Nazi reign? Oh dear Lord, how it pisses me off that people are so willing to bash in my face when I speak out against a war I didn’t want my tax dollars going to (you know, the one in which we wasted billions upon billions of dollars on and are now in the biggest recession since the Great Depression), call me un-American, then have the fucking balls to say “stand-up for your right and don’t try to help people in need!” I just have one big Fuck You to anyone who is talking about “death panels.” STOP IT!

Okay, so that was a Bitch Rant. But it was well deserved.

Rock me, Amadeus

New music you should listen to right now.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

It’s pop-rock-alt-disco that will make you want to to bounce around and roller skate. But not at the same time. Could cause an injury.

Anyway, it’s a good album and I don’t know why it took me so long to get it.

In other news, I got my first  job playing at a wedding ceremony! The boyfriend’s friend and lady friend are to wed in early October, and they asked me to play some pretty stuff while guests shuffle in.  Now I get to go through some of my cheesy / schmaltzy guitar music and figure out what I’ll play along with other selected songs. Should be fun!

Motown (blank) back again

So, I’ve dropped out of the scene a little. Partly because mi boyfriend and I have created a new super-fun blog called Matt and Marlene Devour the Culture. We talk movies, music, books, tv and some commercials with interesting pronunciation. Also, I took a trip back home to the city I grew up in. I won’t come out and say where it is, but I’ll give a few hints: there’s a cracked bell and a famous guy who was struck by lightning involved. Still clueless? Thought so.

Anywho, the drive from where I live now to home is something like, I don’t know, 12-13 hours. Ugh. So, the BF and I needed some serious tunes to get us through until we saw the bright city lights.

Here’s a list of what we found to be just the right sedative for a long ass drive.

Neko Case Middle Cyclone

This album is a career best for the alt-country singer/song writer. Great melodies, haunting / beautiful lyrics and a last track that is 30 minutes long.(!) Simply wonderful.

Grizzly Bear Veckatimest

Again with the haunting melodies. This album seems like the blow-up album for these guys. Working with Nico Muhly, a young, trendy classical composer (super-cute might I add), Grizzly Bear has achieved what many indie rock bands never do: a weirdness that makes harmonic sense. Don’t be appalled by the first track, “Southern Point”, for sounding like America and Steely Dan had a bland love child, because the record gets way better after that.

Sufjan Stevens Michigan

We visited my favorite record store in the city called A.K.A Music, and began our search for some stuff we didn’t have. The BF bought Tom Waits’ Nighthawks at the Diner (which is awesome, by the way. Just when he started to change his sound) and I found Stevens’ first album. Not as musically arranged and lyrical as Illinois, but still eerie and beautiful. Especially the songs with added glockenspiel. Love it.

The Beatles Abbey Road

Come on, do you really need a review and explanation? If you do, I’m sorry, my friend.

Now here’s a shuffle that was played.

1. “Herion” The Velvet Underground

2.”Shut the Club Down” Girl Talk

3. “Robot Rock / Oh Yeah” Daft Punk

4. “Shrivel-up” Devo

5. “Smells like Nirvana” Weird Al Yankovic

6. “Son of a Gun” The Vaselines

7. “Orphans” Beck

8. “Baby won’t you please come home” Bessie Smith

9. “Mykonos” Fleet Foxes

10. “Flux=Rad” Pavement

Note: this only makes up about 4-5 hours of music, but whoever was in the passengers seat sometimes slept or read. One can only take so many mountains.

Oh, MTV

Oh, MTV, isn’t it about time you change your name?
I mean, with all of the reality shows involving guidos and their tan / orange girlfriends, shouldn’t you be called PGDTV (preteen-guido-douchebag-tv)?
If MTV had a face, I would punch it.
I would punch MTV in the face.

Nerds on Music

more about "Oliver Sacks | The Daily Show | Comed…", posted with vodpod

My evening rituals include cereal, washing my face and then watching the Daily Show. Last night’s guest was Oliver Sacks, a neurologist from England, discussing the effects music has on the brain. His study, appearing on NOVA tonight at 8pm (I have to work, so I’ll miss it!), examines the effects of certain types of music on the brain. Specific parts of the brain light up when a subject is introduced to music he or she likes. If the music is not pleasing, the areas of the brain don’t light up.

He also states that people are innate musical and rhythmic beings, that musicians brains tend to be larger in areas (HA! my brain’s bigger than yours! well, if you’re not a musician.), and that humans are highly sensitive to music.

Really interesting stuff. Check it!

Going to the Top of the Hill

That’s it folks. One more summer session plus one fall semester and I will be officially baptized into society. A.k.a, I will be graduating! As long as my class petitions go through. Stupid colleges making you work for a degree.

What does this mean, you ask? Well, it means dear 7-8 readers who found me on Google while searching for a newspaper about organic foods, that I will be writing more often. And listening to music more often. And creating more often. And sleeping more often. But mostly, writing and listening more often so I can devote my time to the things I care about, the things that make me feel like I’m doing just a little more for my sanity. Hopefully those which will help me further my career in uh, something.

There’s some pretty good music that’s come out this summer so far.

Like this: buy the new Grizzly Bear! Download the new Danger Mouse / Sparklehorse! (uh, legally I mean.)

Totally gonna write about ‘dem soon!

ta-ta

FC

Another one (bites the dust)

Hey, I know there was an update earlier today, but if you like humor at all you should go to this website.

It will have you busting guts everywhere. And I happen to know the creator.

And the co-creator.

And I’m internet friendly with some of the contributors.

Just go there.

FC

Just call me Debbie Downer

Well, it’s one of those days where I don’t feel worthy again. One of those days where I don’t feel like a capable musician, writer, thinker, extrovert, what-have-you. Basically, I don’t feel like a good human right now. It’s a constant cycle of things I’m not able to grasp, and I guess part of it is dating an extremely intelligent, capable person who I just might annoy the crap out of because I can be so boring. Or maybe I’m not. I’m never really sure. Hope he doesn’t need some culturally exotic lady who plays video games (which are ways he passes some time) and can speak a different language to him in the sack (eww. sorry for that image, folks).  All I’m saying is, I don’t know if I’m a worthy individual.

I know I’ve dedicated these posts to music, yadda yadda yadda, but sometimes I get the urge to write down instant thoughts for my own sanity.

Such a downer.

Plus, I haven’t updated in like forever.

regretfully yours,

FC