I found this. It is cool. Love this album.
via Tumblr http://thecontrollerspheremusicblog.tumblr.com/post/67579463579
I found this. It is cool. Love this album.
via Tumblr http://thecontrollerspheremusicblog.tumblr.com/post/67579463579
The Besnard Lakes ARE the Most Underrated
HOWEVER, once you have tuned your brain into their fantastic niche sound and conditioned your auditory nerve-endings to the nuances of their music, it is absurdly rewarding. I compare them in that way to Pink Floyd or Radiohead, in that you may not immediately appreciate the complex sound and the sometimes seemingly drawn-out or off-timing of particular elements, but after that a few listens the intricacies of the music gets ingrained into your neural patterns. THEN, and only then, will you realize the full potential and extremely rewarding sensation woven into the subtleties of the music. You anticipate a specific moment, (perhaps the placement of a vocal harmony or an escalation in tempo), and as the anticipated moment materializes you are rewarded with the release of pleasurable neurotransmitters.
The Besnard Lakes are particularly adept at delivering such fulfillment with their awesome build-ups, vocal harmonies, and the anticipation that goes along with them. Their 3rd album “The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night” is a goddamn masterpiece along these lines, and I look forward to delving into their full discography to see if the other albums are as rewarding. I think the new album, “Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO” has a lot of potential.
The Show
They unfortunately DID NOT play Chicago Train, which is the song I wanted to hear the most.
In this video Jace Lasek explains how they create their music, which in turn explains quite clearly why they sound so unique, saying they are “basically a cover band of our own band”!
They use a tool called an E-bow as a sort of magical 'pick' for the guitar, to produce some of the more bizarre sounds on the album which uses an “electromagnetic field to produce a sound reminiscent of using a bow on the strings.” Which roughly translates into “ sounds fucking amazing.”
Jace Lasek has what someone else very perfectly described a “laser precision falsetto” giving the vocals a very distinct sound, which translates surprisingly well live. This combined with their amazing harmonies and perfection of their ambient droney sound makes for some incredible music.
Albums to check out
Radical Face - The Family Tree: The Roots
In my post about Sasquatch 2013, I mentioned that I was quite taken aback by this band known as Radical Face that I stumbled upon, (and almost purposefully skipped due to (mis)judging the band by its name and bio-picture).
I have since followed up and listened to this band A LOT. The Family Tree: The Roots has become my top album of the last 3 months (at 250 plays!).
The Roots is a storytelling masterpiece. It is a haunting account of the hardship of (someone's) ancestors, (who I picture homesteading in frontier-culture Appalachia). From wikipedia: [This album is about] "the first two generations of the Northcotes' family tree and is narratively based in the 1800s". Although the tales are fictional, they manage to paint such a vivid picture that you feel as if narrator has personally lived through all of these events.
As far as concept albums go, it is pretty consistent throughout, even though the song topics range from purely depressing to just plain creepy. Musically, it is good as well, with songs the build from eerie intros to beautiful piano portions.
It is the first installment of an ongoing concept-trilogy which I have become very excited to see through. After The Family Tree: The Roots, will be The Branches (Oct. 2013), followed by The Relatives. Also throughout the project, they will release volumes of EPs under the heading The Bastards. Radical Face provides better descriptions of the project and the albums here. I think there is amazing potential in this concept and if he can maintain the same quality/consistency, I will be very impressed with this project.
If you are looking for an uplifting album, you are in the wrong place. This is one of those beautifully-hauntingly-depressing (and sometimes creepy) albums, which I cannot take out of heavy-rotation because I am entranced by the stories. Here are some of themes woven into the narrative (as interpreted by me, at an estimated 15 full-listen-throughs of the album):
Read the full album lyrics of The Family Tree: The Roots here.
The Roots is up there with The Antlers - Hospice as one of the most depressing modern albums (which is another amazing concept album, albeit a fucking dark and depressing one).
Enjoy, but seriously beware, because these are some real downers.
I have since followed up and listened to this band A LOT. The Family Tree: The Roots has become my top album of the last 3 months (at 250 plays!).
The Roots is a storytelling masterpiece. It is a haunting account of the hardship of (someone's) ancestors, (who I picture homesteading in frontier-culture Appalachia). From wikipedia: [This album is about] "the first two generations of the Northcotes' family tree and is narratively based in the 1800s". Although the tales are fictional, they manage to paint such a vivid picture that you feel as if narrator has personally lived through all of these events.
As far as concept albums go, it is pretty consistent throughout, even though the song topics range from purely depressing to just plain creepy. Musically, it is good as well, with songs the build from eerie intros to beautiful piano portions.
It is the first installment of an ongoing concept-trilogy which I have become very excited to see through. After The Family Tree: The Roots, will be The Branches (Oct. 2013), followed by The Relatives. Also throughout the project, they will release volumes of EPs under the heading The Bastards. Radical Face provides better descriptions of the project and the albums here. I think there is amazing potential in this concept and if he can maintain the same quality/consistency, I will be very impressed with this project.
- His mother dying during his birth.
- Being abused by his alcoholic distant father.
- Watching his twin brother die of some illness.
- The hanging suicide of his father.
- Being haunted by the ghosts of his grandparents.
Read the full album lyrics of The Family Tree: The Roots here.
The Roots is up there with The Antlers - Hospice as one of the most depressing modern albums (which is another amazing concept album, albeit a fucking dark and depressing one).
Enjoy, but seriously beware, because these are some real downers.
alt-J - Breezeblocks
In case you have missed the new-hotness in the music world. I present to you this cool video, for this great song, by a fantastic band!
alt-J is the most novel band I have encountered in a while, and I love their indistinguishable baby-talk lyrics. I dunno what they are saying, but I like the sound of it.
Reflektor
Arcade Fire is coming out with their 4th album, Reflektor, on October 28th, 2013! YES!
They have released the music video for the title track. Here it is.
They also have released an awesome, trippy, interactive video for the same track (different video), that operates through some wizardry that I will never understand. But you can read all about the wizardy technology here
Its quite impressive. Test out the awesomeness! https://www.justareflektor.com/
oh and the song is pretty good too! (of course).
Listen for the famous-artist cameo. here's a hint, they have worked together before!
They have released the music video for the title track. Here it is.
Its quite impressive. Test out the awesomeness! https://www.justareflektor.com/
oh and the song is pretty good too! (of course).
Listen for the famous-artist cameo. here's a hint, they have worked together before!
Crystal Castles Cover, A Capella by Kids Choir
Say that 3 times fast!
A cover of Untrust Us by Crystal Castles
This is stunning. It's takes about a minute to get to the awesomeness. Its quite beautiful and worth the build up.
The Postal Service - Some Idealistic Future (Documentary)
This is a short, concise, 15 minute documentary about The Postal Service. It marks the 10 year anniversary of Give Up and the related tour.
Its pretty cool. I find it interesting because I saw that set when they kicked off the US portion of the 2013 'reunion' tour at this year's Sasquatch Music Festival, which is (kinda) Gibbard's "home turf". Its also interesting to hear them reminisce about the creation of the album, and to hear Gibbard discuss living in Capitol Hill Seattle, and only caring about indie pop.
Its pretty cool. I find it interesting because I saw that set when they kicked off the US portion of the 2013 'reunion' tour at this year's Sasquatch Music Festival, which is (kinda) Gibbard's "home turf". Its also interesting to hear them reminisce about the creation of the album, and to hear Gibbard discuss living in Capitol Hill Seattle, and only caring about indie pop.
Macca takes the stage in Grunge Mecca, epic Nirvana collaboration ensues!!
Paul McCartney is a surprisingly spry 71 year old and although his vocal chords are vintage you could barely notice anything but perfection during his Seattle performance of the Out There Tour. As you would expect, he put on a fantastic show. Macca can still rock and it was a pleasure and a thrill to see him perform.
The concert was an epic 39 song, three hour set of
classics from The Beatles,
Wings, and his solo
career, to a sold-out crowd of 45,000. It was a night of milestones and epic
surprises. Most notably…. Fucking Nirvana
joined the stage for the encores! I mean… COME ON! You do not get a better
surprise than that! Not only was it the first public concert at Safeco Field, it was (I
believe) the first time Nirvana
has played together in Seattle in almost 20 years!
Needless to say, seeing a reunion of Nirvana, in Seattle, at
the first concert at Safeco Field, playing “Helter Skelter”, jamming with Paul fucking McCartney, was the absolute apex
of my concert-going career. How can I top Grunge legends jamming with rock
gods? I don’t know, (but I’ll do my best to try).
When I originally heard that McCartney was touring through
Seattle, my original thought as a longtime huge Beatles fan was I am obligated
to buy tickets. Since classic rock doesn’t come cheap these days, I (almost
grudgingly) purchased the tickets. As the classic rockers age, the pressure is
ratcheted up to see them while you can. So I passed on the multi-thousand dollar
pit seats, and got cheap seats 3 rows from the top-top. But due to the Safeco Field’s
baseball-diamond shape, everyone has at
least decent seats, and I couldn't be more pleased with our vantage point. Personally,
had I passed up the opportunity to see this concert (especially in retrospect,
given the surprise cameos) I would be in a major depression right now.
There were many Beatles and Wings favorites. I thoroughly
enjoyed the Wings selections, as I have only recently gotten into the
post-Beatles McCartney discography. It
was just a completely awesome set, only
topped by the encores!
I’ll add some brief notes and discussion for each song. ALL of the videos are from the very comprehensive video coverage of the show thanks to YouTubers!
Eight
Days a Week (The Beatles song)
Excellent opener.
I would have picked just about any other song.
All My
Loving (The
Beatles song)
An oldie but a goodie.
Good song. Great performance. The horns were all done with some
electronic wizardry.
I LOVE THIS SONG! It is my recent favorite song, and seeing it
performed live was fantastic.
Foxy Lady (Jimi Hendrix cover)
As a tribute to Seattle, Paul did an homage to Seattle’s Jimi Hendrix by rocking this guitar cover! It was really cool. Paul then discusses the honor of Hendrix covering Sgt. Pepper 2 days after it's release. (see the 1:09 timestamp of the video for the discussion).
Paperback Writer (The Beatles song)
As a tribute to Seattle, Paul did an homage to Seattle’s Jimi Hendrix by rocking this guitar cover! It was really cool. Paul then discusses the honor of Hendrix covering Sgt. Pepper 2 days after it's release. (see the 1:09 timestamp of the video for the discussion).
Paperback Writer (The Beatles song)
Beautiful. Melodies were nicely done. Very glad this made the
setlist.
This song, written
as a wedding song for Nancy, is one of Paul’s new singles. Although it has
a very lounge-singer type vibe, it is quite beautiful. Paul said that Nancy was
at the show.
This was an excellent Wings selection. I like it a lot. It is
fun, and got people groovin’.
The
Long and Winding Road (The Beatles song)
I hate to say this, but I wasn’t feeling this song. Not that he
did a bad job with it… It a great song and it had to be played, but I just wasn’t
feeling it.
I was quite pleased to see this great song, which was written by Paul to Linda
during the break-up of the Beatles.
Its an ok song, but I would have picked from a plethora of better ones.
“Life is very short, and there's no time, For fussing and
fighting, my friend.”
I would have picked just about any other song. I dislike the
majority of this song.
And I
Love Her (The
Beatles song)
A nice selection.
Blackbird (The Beatles song)
He discussed how he wrote this song for African Americans
during the civil rights movement. It’s a great song and a it was a great performance.
This is an incredibly touching letter in the form of a song that Paul wrote
to John following his death.
I love this song. So great to see it live.
Lady
Madonna (The Beatles song)
Fun. “See how they RUN!”
All
Together Now (The Beatles song)
This was just absolutely silly. This song is just dumb, and the
graphics on the screen were stupid gelatinous blobs bouncing around, but I’ll
be damned if it wasn’t a crowd-pleaser. I don’t know why.
Lovely
Rita (The Beatles song)
This is a really fun song that got people moving.
Eleanor
Rigby (The
Beatles song)
Hauntingly beautiful. Probably of the more important songs for
me to have seen live.
Being
for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! (The
Beatles song)
This was the song he borrowed from John. It was very nicely
done. He then got the crowd to applaud John: “Let’s hear it for John!?”
Something (The Beatles song)
This was the song he borrowed from George. He began with an
anecdote about playing the ukulele with George, then he started it off with a ukulele
intro then they went fully into the song. This
song is so beautiful. He then got the crowd to applaud George: “Let’s hear it for George!?”
Ob-La-Di,
Ob-La-Da (The
Beatles song)
Fun.
It was great!
Back in
the U.S.S.R. (The Beatles song)
This is rocking Beatles song, which isn’t really my favorite,
but I loved it live.
Let It
Be (The Beatles song)
This speaks for itself. I mean what do you expect other than a
beautiful song.
Awesome. Pulled-out-all-the-stops Fireworks! PYROTECHNICS!!!! A pyromaniac’s fantasy. An epileptics’
nightmare.
and here is a wide view for the pyro's out there!
Perfect. Very moving.
Encore
1:
Day
Tripper (The
Beatles song)
Awesome.
Cut Me Some Slack
(the song by Sir Paul McCartney and Nirvana aka: “Sirvana”)
This is where he invited the Nirvana members onstage and everyone shat their pants.This song is pretty good upon further investigation. It was
written by McCartney and Nirvana during the making of the Sound City documentary on the
recording of the related, Sound City:
Real to Reel album.
This is a great underrated Beatles song and seeing it with
Nirvana, was just awesome.
This got everyone to their feet and twisting. Paul and Nirvana
had played it together when hanging out for Sound City. It was a fun addition
to the set.
Encore
2:
Yesterday (The Beatles song)
What do you expect other than a beautiful song.
Helter
Skelter (The Beatles song)
So. Fucking. Epic. Seriously, so ridiculous.
This deserves another video. Here is an interesting black and white effect.
Golden
Slumbers (The
Beatles song)
This was the beginning of the perfect beautiful 3-song ending
of the show. These songs are perfect, especially when played together as
written! Even more so when Nirvana joins
and jams!
Carry
That Weight (The Beatles song)
Love it.
"Boy.., you're gonna carry that weight, Carry that weight a long time"
The
End (The Beatles song)
"And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can I see it all again please?
Sirvana
For the encores, McCartney was joined onstage by original, surviving Nirvana members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic (along with Pat Smear) for several songs.
For those of you thinking this is an odd match-up, remember
that Paul and the Nirvana members paired up for Hurricane Sandy Relief,
and did an SNL set. The collaboration initiated when Grohl put
together a documentary on the recording studio, Sound City, where many great records
were made including, Nirvana’s Nevermind.
I must mention my annoyance at McCartney’s comment when Dave
contacted him about the project: "I didn't really know who they were. They
are saying how good it is to be back together. I said, 'Whoa? You guys haven't
played together for all that time?’ And somebody whispered to me, 'That's
Nirvana. You're Kurt.' I couldn't believe it." I mean just step down off
your high horse and admit you know who Nirvana is already, Paul!
To the naysayers talking about the sacrilege of Paul
“fronting Nirvana”. This doesn’t have anything to do with Kurt or John, etc. Kurt is
dead. Its unfortunate, but it’s a fact, so let’s move on. Let’s allow a bunch of
rockstars to play an epic set with other rockstars, (all of which are from
bands who are missing some original members). Nirvana is simply jumping at the
chance to play with their biggest idol and the person who inspired them to get
into music. See Sound City for
Grohl’s discussion about how the Beatles influenced Nirvana. It was an awesome
collaboration and for those of us lucky enough to see
it, there is no denying how amazing it was. Of course I would have loved to see
Nirvana in their element with Cobain
at a basement-show in Aberdeen, but I’ll
take Grunge legends jamming
with rock gods any damn day of the week!
Seeing the members of Nirvana also marks my most
“Seattle”-moment since living here (for about 2 years). It was quite cool.
There was a girl behind us talking about just moving to Seattle. After Nirvana
rocked out, I turned around and exclaimed, “Welcome to fucking Seattle!” I
mean, this was her introduction to Seattle!?!
She must be thinking that music collaborations of epic proportions
happen at concerts in Seattle every day. Haha. I wish this kind of thing happened more often.
De-Loused in the Comatorium Turns 10!
 |
| De-Loused in the Comatorium |
!! Exoskeletal junction at the railroad delayed !!
Someone on Reddit mentioned that The Mars Volta's debut studio album turns 10 this year! (wow, I dunno where those 10 years went.)
In tribute to a solid album that I absolutely loved for a era of time throughout college (and still love), I thought it was worth mentioning. If you haven't heard it, 10 years late, isn't too late!
It is epic. Give it a listen. And I STRONGLY recommend good headphones (which are not earbuds!), as The Mars Volta took full advantage of stereo-sound to give the album a full spatial feel. It's a rocking rollercoaster ride of an album: Spastic and the essence of pure delirium. It's interesting novelty still stands today.
The Wikipedia Article says it is a concept album, "based on a short story written by lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and sound manipulation artist Jeremy Michael Ward, the album is an hour-long tale of Cerpin Taxt, a man who enters a week-long coma after overdosing on a mixture of morphine and rat poison." The story of Cerpin Taxt alludes to the death of a friend to the lead singer, artist Julio Venegas (1972-1996). Honestly, I can't really understand most of the shit he says in the album anyway, I just know that is sounds fucking awesome.
The storybook that the album is based on is available on the Pirate Bay. Search for "The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium - Lyric/Story Book".
Some very devoted fan wrote an entire book on his interpretation of the album based on the storybook, with a line-by-line explanation of the lyrics of the album. A free sample chapter of "Cicatriz ESP" is available for free. Here is the website, where you can buy the full interpretation work for $9.99. Quite interesting. I dunno if I drop 10 bucks, but the free sample is very nicely done.
The storybook that the album is based on is available on the Pirate Bay. Search for "The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium - Lyric/Story Book".
Some very devoted fan wrote an entire book on his interpretation of the album based on the storybook, with a line-by-line explanation of the lyrics of the album. A free sample chapter of "Cicatriz ESP" is available for free. Here is the website, where you can buy the full interpretation work for $9.99. Quite interesting. I dunno if I drop 10 bucks, but the free sample is very nicely done.
Apparently, Pitchfork gave De-Loused in the Comatorium a score of 4.9 out of ten and said it "just isn't fun." haha. that is absurdly wrong. I find this album to be very "fun".
Side-note: At their Bonnaroo 2009 show, a guy standing right beside us proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes.
Side-note: At their Bonnaroo 2009 show, a guy standing right beside us proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes.
Listen to the album on Spotify.
or... Someone posted the entire album on YouTube !
Here is an incredible performance of Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of) for your enjoyment.
Daft Punk Chronologic Cover
This is cool, clever, and creative. I found it on Reddit.
My only change would be to make the 2020 cover just be the regular Daft Punk version. As it is "futuristic" music. get it?
My only change would be to make the 2020 cover just be the regular Daft Punk version. As it is "futuristic" music. get it?
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