Sigur Rós gets folky

In keeping with the trend of new music posts, I am currently digging the new single from Sigur Rós entitled "Gobbledigook." The single is available free for download on their website and the new album drops in June. This is definitely a new direction for these guys (think Animal Collective on Sung Tongs) and I hope they keep it up on the rest of the album. Something to look forward to for sure. I also highly recommend watching the video for the single which you can see at their website while you download the mp3.

Also the people over at Woxy have a complied this year's list of the 500 greatest modern rock songs. I guess modern rock covers quite the field of songs, but none the less this is a pretty good list. Very up to date with old classics and new indie anthems that should please the average moder rock fan. Anyway here is their top 10 and you can find the whole list here.
10. U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Radiohead - Paranoid Android
8. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
7. The Clash - London Calling
6. Pixies - Where Is My Mind?
5. R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe
4. The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
3. Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun
2. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
1. Radiohead - Creep

Beck - "Chemtrails"

The first single has been released from the forth coming Danger Mouse produced Beck album (check it out). I think Beck is one of those artists that consistently release good music, but for some reason people don't get as into him as they should, or at least that's my feel towards him. I always seem to forget about him and I really shouldn't. The man has put out some amazing stuff throughout his career (and this track seems to lean towards more great stuff), but for some reason I keep him on the back burner of my playlists.
In other new music news I must admit that I feel like this year has been a little lack-luster. Nothing has come around that has blown me away like albums from last year. I realize that we're only about halfway through the year, but not much has really stuck with me. Aside from the new Portishead (which is currently atop my year list) only a handful of releases have really stuck with me. Vampire Weekend was an early front runner and is something that I still really dig. M83 put out another great record, but after that I have some slim pickings. Narrow Stairs is good, but at least for now sounds just like other Death Cab albums. I was hoping for a curve ball somewhere in there and as of current listenings I have yet to hear it.

Suggested Listening of 2008:
Portishead - Third
Vampire Weekend - s/t
M83 - Saturdays=Youth
No Age - Nouns
Los Campesinos - Hold On Now Youngster...
Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP
Animal Collective - Water Curses EP

Battles played Astoria

It had been a while since I had seen a show so I was particularly excited tonight when I went to see Battles. Mirrored was one of my favorite albums of last year so I couldn't wait to see these tracks live.
The opening acts were also something I was looking forward to seeing. British band Fuck Buttons opened the show and I must say these guys were as impressive as they could be considering the way in which these guys make music. There is only so much two guys mixing sonic sounds of swirling samples can accomplish in a live act, yet these guys were pretty good. They mixed stuff up and had some really killer beats that got the crowd moving. Overall I was left with the same feeling I get off their record. These guys build some killer sound, but it doesn't seem to go anyway. I keep waiting for it to peak and it never quite does. Still I was impressed with what I saw.
Originally Liars was supposed to take the second slot, but they had to back out in order to open for Radiohead. Instead they were replaced with Dirty Projectors, a band I knew nothing about. Even now after seeing them I'm not too sure what to think. I was not sure what I was supposed to walk away with afterwards. They had some great female harmonies, a eccentric drum with some really awesome beats, and a guitar player that jumped all over the stage. In the end I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to take away from the performance. It seemed as if too much was going on for me to really be able to take in the band as a whole.
When Battles took the stage I was in complete awe. Their recordings are such intricate works of art that I was unsure of how they would translate live, but I was anything but disappointed. They were one of the tightest bands I have ever seen and performed more like a well-oiled machine then a band. Just watching them was amazing let a lone the sounds they were producing. They started things off a little slowly, but eventually built things up and had the place rocking. From the time "Rainbow" came out of the speakers until the end the place didn't stop rocking.

Asterix est la

A while back a friend introduced me to this guy from France who was kinda big in the 80's and I've recently been listening to him again. The Plastic Bertrand had a minor hit in the U.S. with "Ca Plane Pour Moi" and his song "Stop ou Encore" was featured in the movie Three Kings. I think this is some classic material and this song is so good. I haven't been able to find an mp3 of this song so a youtube video will have to do.

Oh Shitttttt!

I remember when Drexel played the Parish my freshman year of high school. It was one of the best moments I ever had at that place. These guys blew everyone away. Five years later they are still one of my favorite hardcore/punk bands and "The Inevitable is Available" is one of my favorite all time records. I found this video the other day of one of the songs off that album and felt the need to share it with the rest of the world. Reunion please??

My Bloody Valentine coming to America, Grizzly Bear rock Conan

After 16 years, shoegaze pioneers and legends My Bloody Valentine will return to the U.S. They have announced their first show as the headliners and curators of All Tomorrow's Parties in New York. The festival is scheduled for September 19-21 and will take place in upstate New York. The rest of the stellar line-up and more info can be found here. They have also announced that they will also have a 6-8 gig tour around the same time, however no word on dates or cities.

Grizzly Bear performed on Conan O'Brien the other night and rocked their new single "While You Wait for the Others" from their forthcoming album (video below). Once again these guys have seemed to produce a killer song and you should expect to hear it on their summer tour where they will be opening for some band.

I've said it before...

The new issue of Rolling Stone talks about the best things in rock in 2008 and while I don't agree with some of what they have to say I can't argue with this.

"Best Festival Band: Radiohead. The best live band in rock played its greatest concert ever on June 17th, 2006, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. "The performances are brilliant," says Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood, "because they are so relaxed." At Bonnaroo, Greenwood, singer Thom Yorke, drummer Phil Selway, and guitarists Ed O'Brien and Colin's brother Jonny covered every extreme in their studio catalog, from the violent double-guitar clang of 1995's The Bends to the haunted electronics of 2000's Kid A. But it was in the fresh, unfinished songs, later cut for 2007's In Rainbows, that Radiohead peaked that night. "In 'House of Cards,'" Colin says, "50,000 people threw their glow sticks in the air to this kick-drum beat and Thom's keening voice. In the film [of the concert], it looks like Thom walked into a party where he feels instantly at home." Some new songs sounded flat at that show, Colin admits. "But isn't that what people want to see — the next part of the story? They don't want some prepackaged supper-club band." [read more]

I swear I will talk about this show until the day I die. Best musical experience of my life.

Bon Iver on La Blogotheque

More great videos from La Blogotheque have caught my eye. Five videos of a live Bon Iver set in San Francisco have been posted in the Back on Stages section. This dude is amazing and his debut release "For Emma, Forever Ago" is one of the best albums I have heard in a long time. The video for my favorite track "Skinny Love" is below for the rest go here.

Back On Stages #2 Bon Iver - Skinny Love
Uploaded by lablogotheque

New Weezer

New Weezer single "Pork and Beans" is posted on their website. This is the first single off their next self-titled album which will be known be everyone as the Red Album. Could this be the return of classic Weezer? Check it out here.

Tomatoes and Radiowire

This is interesting to say the least. Not sure how I feel, but it is cool to see other people's interpretations and ideas. Definitely a cool project and always nice to see tribute to such an amazing album.

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