Happy New Year! I wanted to end 2010 with a bang, so I thought that I would feature 10 of my favorite videos that I have watched this year. I even threw in some new videos for you guys, so look out for them! I hope I can find even more videos and music for you all in 2011!
Sleater Kinney - Big Big Lights
PJ Harvey - Electric Light (with messed up drum machene)
Dim Stars - Downtown At Dawn
Sleater-Kinney - You're No Rock 'n' Roll Fun - Trackers
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Pin (On Top of The Pops)
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band's "Dropout Boogie" (RIP Beefheart).
Cat Power - Nude as the news (live)
Iggy Pop - I wanna be your dog - 1979 - live
The Pagan Babies - Bernadine . Yes, Cortney Love was in a Shoegaze band.
Butter 08 - 9MM
Friday, December 31, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Festive Friday Five!
Merry Christmas! (or for those of you who don't celebrate happy winter holiday). I thought that it would be a good idea if I was to give a Christmas gift to all of my readers, so I'd thought that I would share some of the Sleater Kinney B-sides that I accidentally stumbled upon last week. As with all b-sides, they should be on the original albums. Enjoy these, and have a wonderful holiday!
What if I was right. I want to say that this might be a non album b-side, but it was released on a long gone compilation album. This one has some pretty solid guitar - drum work in it.
Everything (Album Version) From The Woods DVD. This "should be" the last song on The Woods. I think that they should have kept it on there because it makes the album "complete". If you want to buy it, it is available to download on iTunes. Check out the Live version too.
Maraca. I think this is about drunk driving or a car crash.
Lions and Tigers. Corrin wrote this for her kid, so that explains when it is lyricly simple, but it is a very cute song.
More Than A Feeling. Another great cover. Again, I don't know why this isn't on an album.
Big Big Lights. This is from '96, so this must be from the Dig Me Out Era.
Write Me Back Fucker. No video for this one, but check it out on The Hype Machine
What if I was right. I want to say that this might be a non album b-side, but it was released on a long gone compilation album. This one has some pretty solid guitar - drum work in it.
Everything (Album Version) From The Woods DVD. This "should be" the last song on The Woods. I think that they should have kept it on there because it makes the album "complete". If you want to buy it, it is available to download on iTunes. Check out the Live version too.
Maraca. I think this is about drunk driving or a car crash.
Lions and Tigers. Corrin wrote this for her kid, so that explains when it is lyricly simple, but it is a very cute song.
More Than A Feeling. Another great cover. Again, I don't know why this isn't on an album.
Big Big Lights. This is from '96, so this must be from the Dig Me Out Era.
Write Me Back Fucker. No video for this one, but check it out on The Hype Machine
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
The 10 most annoying musical trends from 2010
I wanted to write a "Best of 2010" list because I needed something to do over vacation. When I first started to do this draft, I started to notice that almost every indie/alternative music blog has one of these "best of 2010" lists. I honestly got tired of thinking about all of the good and outstanding things that I've seen in the music world this year, so I then thought of the 10 most annoying music trends of 2010. I thought about all of the things I've seen in Denver and in general in the music world.
1. "Artistic" Album covers
2010 has given us one of the worst things that I could have imagined, the rise of "semi-artistic" album covers. I don't think that I really need to explain this, but I think that I can agree with pitchfork for once. I know that the "Worst album cover list" has been around for ages, I think 2010 takes the cake for the worst album covers.
2. "Artistic" Music Videos
Don't get me wrong, 2010 has had some great music videos, but I'm not talking about the "best of 2010" because I didn't want to do a best of list this time around. Just like album covers, 2010 has given us some of the worst music videos that I have seen. When I'm watching a music video, I want to see something interesting, not an acid trip.
3. The "Loudness War"
Lets face it, music got louder over the past decade. It's annoying, it is loud, and I must keep my computer speaker volume at a constant 12 so I won't blow my ears out listening to a new album. I always thought that this "loudness" issue was bad, but when I started to think about it, I realized that it is getting worse in this years music.
I'd thought it would be pretty cool if I previewed an album before I bought it at my favorite local record store. Little did I know, I voluntarily gave myself a migraine while listening to not even 2 tracks on this album. As you might have guessed, I didn't buy that album, but the one that I did buy was so loud that I had to turn down the volume as low as I could without turning the volume down completely.
You can find examples of the loudness war in almost every "great" album of this year. Rock, Punk, Indie, and even rap show how how loud things are getting. No, not every album from this year is loud beyond belief, but it sure is nice to see some quiet, but noisy albums.
If you want to learn more about the "Loudness War" check out this Youtube video and this NPR music article.
4. The use of Distortion
If the loudness didn't get to you, then the distortion will. Now, I love distortion, I use it when I play guitar, my band mates use it often, it is a good deal with me. Distortion though, can kill a very promising album. This could be due to the "loudness war", or it could just be due to the people who can't tell a good amount of distortion from too much distortion. I seen a band live this year and I remember thinking that "This band really had it together! I'm going to pick up an album". When I did, I was very upset to find that the whole album was distorted. I was afraid for a while. I honestly thought that the whole album would sink into itself and fold over! Hopefully, we can lay off the distortion next year.
5. Crazy Music Genres
I've noticed a trend here in Denver. Most bands that I've seen in a basement/park/friends house are "art thrash", "post industrial noise rock", "no-noise post wave" or "artistic jazz metal" (alright, I made up the last two, but I'm pretty sure that we can find these two genera soon). If you want to label your genre of music, by all means, do so, just try to go easy on the labeling though. Its ok if you really do play no-noise post wave, but try to use that sparingly.
6. New Wave of Art Rock
This year, I have seen more and more artists who are labeling their music "art rock" because they have a pretty "artistic" light show, or they "just graduated from art school". FYI, just because you think it is art, doesn't mean that it is art. Art rock is when an artist is doing something artistic; taking a stand from the regular waves of music. Art rock isn't when you play the same music as the people on the radio and play your music "kind of loud".
7. Digital Only Releases
As you might (or might not know) I collect albums, listen to them and blog about them. Most of the time, if I dont' have the money for a vinyl album, I have to settle for the CD version which isn't' too bad. I really don't like it when bands that I like, or want to know more about, do the Digital only release. That isn't really fair when you are super stoked to listen to an album and it only is released to Itunes or whatever the case may be. Sometimes I really want to feel the album, look at the lyrics and artwork inside, even smell the album. You just can't do that stuff with a digital release.
8. The 3 city "Tour"
If having digital only releases wasn't' bad enough, then the 3 city tour would be the nail in your coffin. Again, I'm seeing a general increase of the 3 city tour in 2010. This usually goes on when a really important string of summer concerts is going on. Let me illustrate. I live in Denver. Denver isn't too far from Austin Texas. Bands go strait to Austin usually 10 days before South-By-Southwest even starts! Why can't they visit other places in that 10 day time frame? They don't. It's always the festival scene, playing in front of crowds that don't care.
9. The hour or less show.
If you are lucky, to see one of those bands that is on an "extremely tight schedule" then its certain that they will play for an hour or less. Fine I get it, I realize that these bands have a lot of places to go, but they need to focus on playing a decent amount of songs, not 6 and leaving for the next town.
10. "Lets Skip over Denver!"
I saved the best for last. I think the most disheartening thing that I've seen this year is too many great bands skipping over Denver like its a puddle on a rainy street. I'm doing what I can, and my friends are doing what they can do help make Denver a better place musically, but someone has to play in Denver to show other bands/artists that Denver can be the best hub for new music. Me and and my other fellow music lovers in Denver are waiting for 2011 to bring something better than 2010.
1. "Artistic" Album covers
2010 has given us one of the worst things that I could have imagined, the rise of "semi-artistic" album covers. I don't think that I really need to explain this, but I think that I can agree with pitchfork for once. I know that the "Worst album cover list" has been around for ages, I think 2010 takes the cake for the worst album covers.
2. "Artistic" Music Videos
Don't get me wrong, 2010 has had some great music videos, but I'm not talking about the "best of 2010" because I didn't want to do a best of list this time around. Just like album covers, 2010 has given us some of the worst music videos that I have seen. When I'm watching a music video, I want to see something interesting, not an acid trip.
3. The "Loudness War"
Lets face it, music got louder over the past decade. It's annoying, it is loud, and I must keep my computer speaker volume at a constant 12 so I won't blow my ears out listening to a new album. I always thought that this "loudness" issue was bad, but when I started to think about it, I realized that it is getting worse in this years music.
I'd thought it would be pretty cool if I previewed an album before I bought it at my favorite local record store. Little did I know, I voluntarily gave myself a migraine while listening to not even 2 tracks on this album. As you might have guessed, I didn't buy that album, but the one that I did buy was so loud that I had to turn down the volume as low as I could without turning the volume down completely.
You can find examples of the loudness war in almost every "great" album of this year. Rock, Punk, Indie, and even rap show how how loud things are getting. No, not every album from this year is loud beyond belief, but it sure is nice to see some quiet, but noisy albums.
If you want to learn more about the "Loudness War" check out this Youtube video and this NPR music article.
4. The use of Distortion
If the loudness didn't get to you, then the distortion will. Now, I love distortion, I use it when I play guitar, my band mates use it often, it is a good deal with me. Distortion though, can kill a very promising album. This could be due to the "loudness war", or it could just be due to the people who can't tell a good amount of distortion from too much distortion. I seen a band live this year and I remember thinking that "This band really had it together! I'm going to pick up an album". When I did, I was very upset to find that the whole album was distorted. I was afraid for a while. I honestly thought that the whole album would sink into itself and fold over! Hopefully, we can lay off the distortion next year.
5. Crazy Music Genres
I've noticed a trend here in Denver. Most bands that I've seen in a basement/park/friends house are "art thrash", "post industrial noise rock", "no-noise post wave" or "artistic jazz metal" (alright, I made up the last two, but I'm pretty sure that we can find these two genera soon). If you want to label your genre of music, by all means, do so, just try to go easy on the labeling though. Its ok if you really do play no-noise post wave, but try to use that sparingly.
6. New Wave of Art Rock
This year, I have seen more and more artists who are labeling their music "art rock" because they have a pretty "artistic" light show, or they "just graduated from art school". FYI, just because you think it is art, doesn't mean that it is art. Art rock is when an artist is doing something artistic; taking a stand from the regular waves of music. Art rock isn't when you play the same music as the people on the radio and play your music "kind of loud".
7. Digital Only Releases
As you might (or might not know) I collect albums, listen to them and blog about them. Most of the time, if I dont' have the money for a vinyl album, I have to settle for the CD version which isn't' too bad. I really don't like it when bands that I like, or want to know more about, do the Digital only release. That isn't really fair when you are super stoked to listen to an album and it only is released to Itunes or whatever the case may be. Sometimes I really want to feel the album, look at the lyrics and artwork inside, even smell the album. You just can't do that stuff with a digital release.
8. The 3 city "Tour"
If having digital only releases wasn't' bad enough, then the 3 city tour would be the nail in your coffin. Again, I'm seeing a general increase of the 3 city tour in 2010. This usually goes on when a really important string of summer concerts is going on. Let me illustrate. I live in Denver. Denver isn't too far from Austin Texas. Bands go strait to Austin usually 10 days before South-By-Southwest even starts! Why can't they visit other places in that 10 day time frame? They don't. It's always the festival scene, playing in front of crowds that don't care.
9. The hour or less show.
If you are lucky, to see one of those bands that is on an "extremely tight schedule" then its certain that they will play for an hour or less. Fine I get it, I realize that these bands have a lot of places to go, but they need to focus on playing a decent amount of songs, not 6 and leaving for the next town.
10. "Lets Skip over Denver!"
I saved the best for last. I think the most disheartening thing that I've seen this year is too many great bands skipping over Denver like its a puddle on a rainy street. I'm doing what I can, and my friends are doing what they can do help make Denver a better place musically, but someone has to play in Denver to show other bands/artists that Denver can be the best hub for new music. Me and and my other fellow music lovers in Denver are waiting for 2011 to bring something better than 2010.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday Five Finds something new.
Happy Friday everyone! This week, I'm showcasing videos that I have personally never seen before. I was quite suprised because I never thoght these things existed!
Cat Power - Nude As The News. It is weird to see the video for this song. It brings another mood to the song itself.
Sonic Youth - Making The Nature Scene - Live in Poitier 1983. This is awesome. Look how old it is (or just look at Kim's glasses). I wonder what the audience was thinking when they seen this.
Big Black - Strange Things. This song is only found on the Atomizer EP. I wonder why. It sounds like it would fit anywhere else on Atomizer EP.
Pixies - Vamos. As my friend would say; "The Pixies are bad ass dude!". They happen to be right and this song proves it.
Extra! Pixies - Bone Machine. This is one of my favorites from them.
Mika Miko - Sev. Heck, I didn't even know that they played this song. Talk about new...
Classic Sleater Kinney - Start Together. As with all videos featured this week, I have never seen this video. It looks like it is taken from some bad talk show, but I could be wrong. I like this video because the song works well with the lighting and sets the mood for the video but it does kind of get annoying at times.The only bad thing is that the sound gets kind of jumpy halfway though (Oh how I miss VHS). But other than that, awesome video.
Cat Power - Nude As The News. It is weird to see the video for this song. It brings another mood to the song itself.
Sonic Youth - Making The Nature Scene - Live in Poitier 1983. This is awesome. Look how old it is (or just look at Kim's glasses). I wonder what the audience was thinking when they seen this.
Big Black - Strange Things. This song is only found on the Atomizer EP. I wonder why. It sounds like it would fit anywhere else on Atomizer EP.
Pixies - Vamos. As my friend would say; "The Pixies are bad ass dude!". They happen to be right and this song proves it.
Extra! Pixies - Bone Machine. This is one of my favorites from them.
Mika Miko - Sev. Heck, I didn't even know that they played this song. Talk about new...
Classic Sleater Kinney - Start Together. As with all videos featured this week, I have never seen this video. It looks like it is taken from some bad talk show, but I could be wrong. I like this video because the song works well with the lighting and sets the mood for the video but it does kind of get annoying at times.The only bad thing is that the sound gets kind of jumpy halfway though (Oh how I miss VHS). But other than that, awesome video.
RIP Captain Beefheart
Another sad death to report, Captain Beefheart (aka, Don Van Vliet) has died today at age 69 from complications from Multiple sclerosis. This came as a huge shocker to me because Captain Beefeart has influenced most of my music choices that I listen to today and also because he was still quite young (honestly, I don't think that 69 is very old).
I will do a tribute after I get my Friday Five videos up for the week. In the mean time, read what pitchfork had to say (it was the most reliable source, alright?)
I will do a tribute after I get my Friday Five videos up for the week. In the mean time, read what pitchfork had to say (it was the most reliable source, alright?)
Saturday, December 11, 2010
A sharpie makes a difference.
I ordered 3 Cd's and a poster over mail order the 29th of November. I chose next day shipping and then 3 weeks later, I got my package. I was thinking "Why is this package taking so long to get here? I ordered early?" I got my package today and I'm not sharing what I got yet, but what I was pretty surprised when I seen something in that package, that made me go "What the Heck is this???" (If you follow me on twitter, then you know what I'm talking about already). Anyway, I know that you guys will be excited to know what I got!
(Here is a hint for those who read the small print: What band do I feature every week on "Friday Five?". If that doesn't help, what band do I really want to have a reunion tour?)
(Here is a hint for those who read the small print: What band do I feature every week on "Friday Five?". If that doesn't help, what band do I really want to have a reunion tour?)
Friday, December 10, 2010
Friday Five, Finally on time!
Vendredi Heureux! Happy Friday! However you say it, be happy that I finished a Friday Five early! I put in some good stuff this weekend so I hope you guys enjoy the Friday Five this weekend!
Chaos UK - No Security. I wish shows were this fun these days.
Grass Window - Fried Egg. You have to wonder how long it took them to make this 3:35 second video.
Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Live in Cincinnati, 1970. Where did these announcers come from? They suck, but at times, they are quite funny! Focus on the music.
L7 - Wargasm - live in Rio. Hey look, it's Kurt and Cortney! But seriously, check out that guitar part.
More Wild Flag! F.Y.I., If you don't want to listen to Wild Flag because you are still waiting for their 7"(hopefully it will be here soon...) Don't Watch This Video! Skip directly to the video below this one. (This is a cover by the way).
Classic Sleater Kinney - The day I went away. This is pretty good for a "older" video! Sounds good, and the video is really smooth! I wonder if its a bootleg...
I'm still thinking about doing a "Best of 2010" list, but I'm still undecided. If you want to help me out, vote on the poll on the upper right hand side of the blog.
Chaos UK - No Security. I wish shows were this fun these days.
Grass Window - Fried Egg. You have to wonder how long it took them to make this 3:35 second video.
Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Live in Cincinnati, 1970. Where did these announcers come from? They suck, but at times, they are quite funny! Focus on the music.
L7 - Wargasm - live in Rio. Hey look, it's Kurt and Cortney! But seriously, check out that guitar part.
More Wild Flag! F.Y.I., If you don't want to listen to Wild Flag because you are still waiting for their 7"(hopefully it will be here soon...) Don't Watch This Video! Skip directly to the video below this one. (This is a cover by the way).
Classic Sleater Kinney - The day I went away. This is pretty good for a "older" video! Sounds good, and the video is really smooth! I wonder if its a bootleg...
I'm still thinking about doing a "Best of 2010" list, but I'm still undecided. If you want to help me out, vote on the poll on the upper right hand side of the blog.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Make up Monday!
So this weekend/Friday has been a long one, and I'm really sorry that I didn't do "Friday Five" on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. In light of this, I'm posting 6 videos! Hopefully, we can start this week off well.
Metallica - Jump In The Fire. I don't really listen to Metallica, but I do have my times when I really want to listen to the first album. Mika Miko do a good version of this.
Butter 08 - Butter of '69. I just found this video today, While I was watching it, I realized that this was on MTV 2! Sadly, this is probably the last good thing on MTV 2.
Vice Squad - Latex Love. Classic song!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs on Jools Holland. This is a long video, but you get 3 songs (Date with the night, Maps and Pin)!
Cat Power -Lost someone (live) & interview. Another long video. The interview is in French, but you can still understand the questions.
Sleater Kinney - Little Babies.
Metallica - Jump In The Fire. I don't really listen to Metallica, but I do have my times when I really want to listen to the first album. Mika Miko do a good version of this.
Butter 08 - Butter of '69. I just found this video today, While I was watching it, I realized that this was on MTV 2! Sadly, this is probably the last good thing on MTV 2.
Vice Squad - Latex Love. Classic song!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs on Jools Holland. This is a long video, but you get 3 songs (Date with the night, Maps and Pin)!
Cat Power -Lost someone (live) & interview. Another long video. The interview is in French, but you can still understand the questions.
Sleater Kinney - Little Babies.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
About yesterday...
I'm sorry that I didn't have the chance to do "Friday Five". I was up all night doing super important debate related typing. Anyway, I will do a "Makeup" Friday Five no matter how tired I am. In the mean time, why not check out some of my past "Friday Five" videos? They are really cool.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Come to Denver, Please?
1. Fact is, you are going to pass over us anyway.
If you didn't know, Colorado is the big square state in the middle of California and Texas. Most planes that have to get anywhere in the nation fly over us, and face it, you will pass through us on your road trip. Would it be worth it to just stop on that road trip, and play us a show? Don't worry about venues, we have some odd ones (I'll get to that later).
2. We are nice people.
Take it from me, I have had some (good) run ins with musicians and I promise that even the most unsuspecting people will be nice to you and your band (If you have one). For example, I was ordering a burrito at Chipotle, the best burrito place ever, and I hear a "Hey" and look over my shoulder to see one of the best guitarists ever (I'm protecting their privacy). I didn't realize it at the moment, but I was helping one of my favorite guitarists build an epic vegetarian burrito. The voice in the back of my head was saying "They are famous! Get them to sign a napkin!" but I didn't act, and most of us here in Denver wont. We are willing to hang out on a couch and talk about tape loop machines.
3. Our venues are awesome.
I talked about this in in my all ages vs. age restricted post, but Denver has some really awesome places to see a show, So you dont' have to worry about really bad shows at really bad venues, someone is always going to show up. No matter what.
4. Our food is good.
I know that when I travel, I always look for a good place to eat. And most of the time, I eat at a new place that someone recommends to me. If I ever eat at a place that is really bad, then I have a hard time going back. We don't have bad places to eat in Denver. We have what you want to eat, even deep dish pizza and cupcakes.
5. We have killer bands that will open for you.
Being an artist in Denver, I'd be thrilled to open with my band, I'm sure that other bands in Denver feel the same way I do. We have talent here, so why not take advantage of it? This brings me to my other point...
6. Our scene is thriving!
We have lots of local stuff here and it is all pretty good. Despite that though, we need to find the key that we need to make our scene even better. We need all the help that we can get.
7. Please give us something to do!
Please! When I'm not debating, I see if I can attend a show. I love my local music, but it gets kind of stale when you see the same bands every weekend. I know that other people feel my pain, so why not try to set up even more shows for us to attend? Talk to a Denver musician and set up a gig! It will keep us from sitting at home staring at walls.
8. We will buy your stuff.
I love getting trinkets, posters, stickers, CD's, and anything else at shows. As long as I'm helping out a fellow indie artist, I (and other people) will buy your stuff and will be happy buying it.
9. I'll show up! (hopefully)
Always will! (That's saying if I don't have anything else to do...) But I really do show up at shows if I am staring at my wall on a perfectly good Friday night wondering what else I could do with my time. Just try not to put a show on a weekday!
10. We are awesome!
300 days of sunshine, Mountain ranges galore, clean air, great people, what else could you wish for in a city? That is pretty awesome to me.
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