Maps & Atlases

Maps & Atlases are a progressive-indie band from Chicago that have been creating some local buzz due to their well-received first EP and an opening spot for Deerhoof and Busdriver on their current tour. The band has a very unique, creative style that incorporates lots of tempo changes, high energy drumming, and swirling keyboards guitars.

During some of the guitar on the album, the notes are actually being tapped out on the frets. During this the guitarist uses the tuning knobs to create feedback creates a really interesting sound. It’s a technique I’ve never heard of before but is really quite cool. This band has the skill to grow in the indie rock scene and I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw their names more and more, especially once they release their first full length.

MP3 Every Place is a House

Here’s a video that showcases that cool guitar playing I was talking about earlier. The song is called “ongoing horrible” and if you’re anything like me, you’ll watch it a couple times to see what he’s actually doing to make those sounds.

Get their debut EP, Tree, Swallows, Houses here.

Recreational Paranoia is the Sport of Now

On a day when Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are releasing a new album, it’s a little odd for me to talking about hip-hop, but overall Busdriver‘s new album, Roadkillovercoat is a much more satisfying release than Some Loud Thunder. I’m not anywhere close to an expert on hip-hop music, actually I don’t think I’ve ever written about the genre on this site, but Busdriver’s rapping style (called abstract rapping because he raps to both the melody and the beat) is really impressive. I also love how many other genre’s he mixes into album.

“Kill Your Employer” is the first song I heard on the Roadkillovercoat and it remains my favorite. The beat to the song (duh, duh-duh-duh, duh) has been replaying in my head the last few days, especially during those long elevator rides to my dorm floor. The rapping is very fluid during the verses and I love how the song starts out very stripped and adds sounds as the song goes. The sing-a-long chorus is pretty hot also. “Ethereal Driftwood” is another song that really showcases Busdriver’s talents. It has some the most furious rapping on the album (listen to the 2:18 mark), and a reggae feel to the chorus that provides some nice variety.

MP3 Kill Your Employer
MP3 Ethereal Driftwood

Buy Roadkillovercoat
Stream the album at Busdriver’s myspace

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Also: New Rosebuds album!

Just got word from Merge Records, that The Rosebuds will be releasing a new album called Night of the Furies on April 10th. Here’s what the label says about the new album:

The danceable beats meld with catchy melodies built on themes both dark and seductive. Thematically, the songs are presented as individual and random parts of a larger story. The mood is ominous yet enticing; dangerous yet enchanting. Lyrics explore revolution and struggle, actions and consequences, but also love and redemption. One could easily just bounce along on the infectious pop hooks. Dig a little deeper, however, and a larger story and unified themes begin to unfold.

The Rosebuds’ 2005 album Birds Make Good Neighbors is a huge favorite of mine, so you can imagine I’m pretty excited for the new release. If you haven’t heard the Rosebuds yet, here’s a couple of my favorites from their last album:

MP3 Blue Bird

Check their myspace for tour dates and more info.

Bright Eyes – Four Winds EP

Conor Oberst is both one of the most loved and most hated individuals in indie rock. While there’s plenty of negative qualities about him, I think his music speaks for itself. I’m still under the impression that Lifted is a great album, a modern classic in some sense.

I’ve been listening to Bright Eyes’ latest EP, Four Winds, and I think it’s some of the best material I’ve ever heard from them. Songs like “Four Winds”, “Tourist Trap”, and “Reinvent the Wheel” are so much better than the promo track we got for Cassadaga. I just hope that the album turns out to be as good as these tasters.

MP3 Reinvent the Wheel

“Reinvent the Wheel” in particularly is a fantastic track. Even if you’re to the point where you didn’t think you could be blown away by Bright Eyes (somewhere I’ve been close to), listen to this song. Conor Oberst has orchestrated the song beautifully by adding strings, piano, and backing vocals, but it still sounds uniquely like Bright Eyes song which is really incredible. I think it’s a huge step forward in the band’s songwriting.

Bonus MP3 Tourist Trap

Note: If either of these songs should be taken down, email me directly.

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Also:

It seems that bloggers are staying quiet about the Neon Bible leak for the most part which is pretty cool. I’m just going to say that it’s just as good as I hoped it would be, and that’s all you could really want, right?

The Beauty Shop

Champaign, IL’s music scene took a significant jump forward last year when Headlights made a splash in the indie world and the band that seems the one of the most likely candidate to follow their lead this year is The Beauty Shop. The band has already got some great press overseas and with their upcoming re-release, I imagine the blogs will be jumping on board any time now. The Beauty Shop are being described as a cross between Beck, Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen.

The song that immediately jumps out at you is “Monster.”  It’s the best example of how the band mixes elements of folk, country, and rock create songs that demand repeat listenings.  The bridge in the middle of the song that climaxes at the 2:00 minute mark is pretty special.  “A Desperate Cry for Help” is a simpler tune but really shows off Hoeffleur’s unique vocals.  Here’s both songs for you to check out:

MP3 Monster
MP3 A Desperate Cry for Help

Myspace

Andrew Bird – Heretics / Daily Vidette

A few weeks ago, I made that list of the top ten albums I’m excited for in 2007, and near the top was Andrew Bird’s Armchair Apocrypha. As of yesterday, I listened to the full album and I can tell you with complete certainty that it will not disappoint.

For those of you not familiar with the folk-wizardry of Andrew Bird, he’s a classical violinist turned indie-folk superstar, he’s from Chicago, and he released one of the greatest albums in this decade with 2005’s The Mysterious Production of Eggs. He also puts on one of the greatest live shows imaginable and is a world champion whistler (or would be if there was such a thing). I’ll be talking a lot more about his new album in the future after I digest it a bit more, but for now, here’s the first single (Heretics, an early favorite of mine) as well as one of the best from Mysterious Production.

MP3 Andrew Bird – Heretics
MP3 Andrew Bird – Nervous Tic Motion of the Head To The Left

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Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good has made it…

…into the local newspaper that is! Big thank you to Daniel Frederking for the very flattering article about the site in the ISU school newspaper, the Daily Vidette (Although I think you must have heard “pacemaker” when I said “tastemaker”, which I think is pretty funny).

Thanks also to Seth from Polyvinyl for the kind words and the insightful quote on the impact of music blogs. Click below to read the article!

Student creates music blog, helps to publicize bands

I Can't Go On Waking Myself Up To The Bird, The Bee, & The Queen.

In the continuation of both writing about all the albums released this week that matter and of my ever-continuing quest of creating post titles that mix lots of band and album names, here’s four more mini-reviews. If you still have some money left after picking up the last four, here’s a few more to consider…

The Good, The Bad, & The Queen – s/t
MP3 Kingdom of Doom

The early reviews are definitely mixed and I don’t know what’s up with that wacky band name, but for God’s sake look at the line-up. Members of The Verve, The Clash, Tony Allen and Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz) to top it off. Something good has to come out of this, and while it’s not the next Parklife it’s an enjoyable listen. The band really comes together on the title track which is an all out jam and on the 60’s influenced latest single, “Kingdom of Doom”.

Pitchfork – 6.8

The Broken West – I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On
MP3 So It Goes

I wrote about The Broken West a week ago and guess what, it’s still really good. If you’re a fan of catchy, jangly power-pop (Spoon and the New Pornographers might come to mind) then this album is definitely for you. To read more full review and grab another track, scroll down a bit or click here.

The Bird & The Bee – s/t
MP3 Again and Again

Inara George is a favorite around the Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good camp, and on this album/project she’s combined forces with producer Mike Andrews. The Bird & The Bee has both an electronica/dance quality and a strong jazz influence that flows through each song, but Inara’s vocals are the best thing going for it. Very calming and easy-going music.

Julie Doiron – I Woke Myself Up
MP3 untitled

I haven’t spent much time with this album, but I’ve liked what I’ve heard so far. Her untitled track is a very pretty folk tune. Although this album probably won’t make it past casual listening for me, if you’re looking for some acoustic based singer-songwriter-type music, look no further.

Hissing fauna, are you wincing the friend and foe opportunity away?

Tuesday is release day as you probably know, and it seems that many of the great new music for the first quarter of this year fall on today. You have two of the biggest indie bands Of Montreal and The Shins releasing albums, as well as some much buzzed cult favorites like Menomena and Deerhoof. Top that off with some formidable over the pond music from The Good, The Bad, & The Queen and Field Music, as well as new albums from The Broken West, The Bird & The Bee, and Julie Doiron and that’s some Tuesday.

I recommend that you get all if not most of these records, but since not all of us have 150 dollars laying around, here’s some mini-reviews from me plus the Pitchfork consensus if availble, and you can decided which ones are purchase-worthy. Since there’s so many albums to cover I’m separating into two parts. These are all the bigger releases and I’ll cover the rest of them tomorrow.

The Shins – Wincing the Night Away
MP3 Australia

I’ve always enjoyed The Shins, but I never felt that magical “change your life” feeling that many did on their first two albums. This album I liked immediately though, and I can say without a doubt it’s my favorite effort from the band. While their previous albums got old fairly quickly, I think this one will stick with me a lot longer, especially because of the brilliance of songs like “Australia”, “Sea Legs”, and “Turn on Me”.

Pitchfork – 7.0

Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are you the Destroyer?
MP3 Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse

I’ve already done a full track-by-track review of this album, so go here if you want my opinion. In short, it’s my favorite album of the year so far. A+ all around.

Pitchfork – 8.7

Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity
MP3 Cast Off Crown

If I had to guess, I’d say this one will be the most blog/critically favored of the albums that are being released today. I hadn’t heard much of Deerhoof before this, but this art prog indie rock stuff is pretty freakin’ awesome. I think this album might ride the same course that Danielson did in ’06 and land in my top ten. Right now, the track I can’t get enough of is “Cast Off Crown”.

Pitchfork – 8.9!

Menomena – Friend and Foe
MP3 Wet & Rusting

I need to spend a lot more time with this album, the music is incredibly dense and there’s so much to enjoy. Maybe I’ll write about it more once I’ve listened and relistened a couple times, but judging by what I’ve heard (and that “Best New Music” label) it’ll be a hard one to pass up.

Pitchfork – 8.5

Check back tomorrow for part two and make sure to stop by your local record store today or your local emusic/insound, if you’d rather.

Maria Taylor – Lynn Teeter Flower

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Maria Taylor is one of the hardest working ladies is the music industry. She’s one half of Azure Ray (have they officially broken up though?) and is also in the band Now It’s Overhead when she’s not going solo. She’s also the drummer for Bright Eyes and collaborates with Crooked Fingers and Moby. Her latest album comes out in March of this year and it’s called “Lynn Teeter Flower” and from the few days I’ve had it, I can tell you that it’s a sonically rich and graceful folk-rock album.

There’s some evidence on Lynn Teeter Flower of a more guitar-heavy sound that Maria Taylor infused into her energetic live show, but the album for the most part stays closer to (and improves on) the melodic folk of her last album, “11:11”. The song that sticks with me the most on first listen is “No Stars” and on subsequent listening, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s my favorite song by Taylor. The song has a classic structure that builds upon it’s verses till it comes to a euphoric and quite moving conclusion. “Irish Goodbye” comes the closest Taylor ever has to synth-pop, mixing an electronic beat to strumming guitars, keyboards, and layered vocals. It’s a very fun track and actually a bit danceable. For your downloading pleasure:

MP3 No Stars
MP3 Irish Goodbye

Read more about Lynn Teeter Flower at Maria Taylor’s myspace.
Pre-order the album (starting 1/23) by clicking here.

Also: Lilly Allen Tour Dates!

Lily Allen is kicking off an American tour in a week or two. Make sure to grab tickets while you can (I know I will be).

February 5 – Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Music Box
February 6 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
February 8 – Chicago, IL – Metro
February 10 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
February 12 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
February 16 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
February 18 – Boston, MA – Axis

Indoor Swimming At The Space Station

Temporary Residence is a record label that I’ve been checking out more and more lately, and from the looks of things they’re getting ready for their biggest first quarter ever. First off, their biggest name, Explosions in the Sky is releasing their latest album “All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone”, and judging from early opinion of the leak it might be their best effort yet and a breakthrough for the whole genre of post-rock.

While I’m not as familiar with the genre, I can tell you that I’ve never heard instrumentation that’s as majestic and overwhelming as what I’ve heard on this album. If the opening track “The Birth and Death of the Day” doesn’t get your heart pumping I don’t know what will. Get ready to have your heads blown on February 20th (or whenever you download the album). Here’s a band-approved sample track:

MP3 Explosions in the Sky – Welcome, Ghosts

Preorder All of A Sudden I Miss Everyone

Another artist on the Temporary Residence roster that’s releasing an album on the 20th, is Eluvium. Their new album, “Copia”, takes a much more transcendant and otherworldy approach to post-rock, relying on piano and strings to create a much more classical feel. Eluvium’s webpage describes the instrumentation on the album as “a catalyst, a vehicle to that netherworld in the back of your head, where your life starts to uncontrollably reevaluate itself.” Although, your netherworld experience may differ, what’s for sure is that the album is gorgeous and strangely calming. Here’s a couple tracks:

MP3 Eluvium – Prelude for the Time Feelers
MP3 Eluvium – Reciting The Airships

Preorder Copia

Hopefully, I’ll be catching these guys on tour with each other on March 28th in Chicago. Check here for some more dates. I’m changing servers to dreamhost over the next couple of days, so don’t expect another post till Monday. Have a great weekend!

Of Montreal – "Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer" Track-By-Track Review

I’m going to do a track-by-track review of Of Montreal’s latest for a few reasons: Every track needs to be mentioned in this album because they’re all awesome, it’s probably my favorite album of this year so far, and it deserves all the press it can get. So here we go:

Suffer For Fashion – Download MP3

This album stems from a winter that Kevin Barnes’ spent in Norway providing health care for his baby daughter, so it makes sense that the opening sounds of the album would be of his baby (I’m assuming that’s who it is). After the “la-la” opening though, the band immediately shoots full speed ahead with probably the most catchy song on the album. This song gives you a big idea of the electrodance style that Of Montreal is leaning forward on this album, and it provides a some nice tempo changes and more than a couple memorable lyrics in it’s 2:58 running time.

Sink the Seine

Not as much a separate track, but more a transition from the previous song into the next. Still, for a transition track it’s a very enjoyable 64 seconds of music.

Cato As A Pun

This song starts out with a some overlaying buzzy electronic noises, before slowing down for Barnes to deliver a two verses with some atypical dark and emotional lyrics. The end reminds me a little bit of early Cure.

Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse – Download MP3

“Come on, mood, shift, shift back to good again” sings at the beginning of the song, and as you might expect the mood does shift quite a bit creating the most joyous and powerful moments on the album. There’s simple verse sang over a melodic piano part that leads into a huge outburst of energy while the Barnes “Come on, Chemicals!” over a extremely danceable piece of music. The song continues on shifting moods back and forth and delivering lines like “and it’s just like you to hurt me when I’m feeling good.” As the chorus suggests, this song is like musical acid and it’s my favorite on the album.

Gronlandic Edit

For a review on this song, I point you here. Marathonpacks does a good job of analyzing the message behind the “multilayered, synth-affiliated falsettos” and “walking basslines” of the song.

A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger

This song is definitely the most similar to Of Montreal’s last two albums. It’s a very well constructed and accessible pop song with the fun instrumentation and killer melodies that you’d expect. It’s a very narrative track about spending the winter “on the verge of total breakdown while living in Norway.” Barnes was quoted as saying that he wrote some very poppy songs while in his depressing state to try to himself to snap out of it, and I think this probably the best example of that. The contrast between the lyrics and music is genius.

The Past Is A Grotesque Animal

This is the near-12 minute centerpiece of the album that finds the subject obsessing over the memories of a girl to the point of complete hysteria. It’s not a great song for easy listening but it works as an emotional piece that doubles over in intensity many times as it the song progresses. The prog-like synths in the song start off simply enought but by the end they are spiraling out of control.

Bunny Ain’t No Kind of Rider

This song features a wall of chaotic noise/feedback that begins the song and continues in the background for most of the song. On top of that there’s a bass line and melody that are similar in structure to “Wraith Pinned to the Mist”. What sets this song apart is it’s stripped down chorus with Barnes singing “I need a lover with soul power / and you ain’t got no soul power.” One of the major highlights of the album.

Faberge Falls for Shuggie

This is perhaps the most psychadelic song on the album taking sound cues from the classic rock influences. It also features some of the most sexual lyrics of the album and weird freakout musical orgasm interlude. Not particularly my favorite track but still appreciated.

Labrinthian Pomp

There are some elements of this album that seem to take from Prince but this song is when the comparison is the easiest to see. The falsetto and the funky guitar are big parts of this song and it has a very odd tempo (it changes to a more standard tempo by the end). It’s a very interesting laid-back type song, and definitely a grower.

She’s A Rejector – Download MP3

Like many of you perhaps, this was the first song that I heard from this album. Probably because it’s the danciest and trippiest song that the album has to offer and has the funnest lyrics. “My my you busted me like a robocop” is the starting phrase of the album before coming to the soon-to-be-legendary line “There’s a girl that left me bitter, I want to pay some other girl to just walk up to her and hit her, but I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t I can’t!”. The best comparison I can make with this song is that it’s like a soundtrack to a best Halloween dance party ever.

We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling

The final song on the album is nice-sounding song that puts many of the elements found in the preceding songs like the walking bassline, falsettoed vocals, and electronic synths into a good but ultimately forgettable tune. It’s a good song to ease you out of the album.