Movin' On '09

Movin' On sucks ass.

Penn State booked The Spill Canvas as its headliner for its annual free concert.

Lulu's Nightspot just booked Dinosaur Jr. for a concert in the same month. The last band that good who played a Movin' On was Wilco, in 2003. Ted Swanson booked Wilco. Ted Swanson books shows for Lulu's Nightspot. After he booked Wilco, Penn State told him he didn't do a good enough job and he had to do better next year, so he quit. The next year, the headliner of Movin' On was BOWLING FOR MOTHERFUCKING SOUP.

I think I've made my points.

Bonnaroo (A Hypothetical)

The attempt to earn a college degree as well as maintain an active fanaticism for music is a long and difficult struggle for a number of reasons: time, money, the usuals. This year's Bonnaroo festival lineup laughs in my face, taunting my poor, busy college student ass. But if I were able to go, here's a rundown of where I'd be:

Thursday
Thursday's lineup is comedy-heavy and music-light. The only band I'd really make a priority to see would be The National, the newest buzz band in indie-rock. Aside from glowing reviews from Pitchfork and everyone else, a friend of mine caught the band opening for Arcade Fire at Radio City Music Hall and had nothing but great things to say about them. They hit "That Tent" from 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. Aside from that, I'd be sure to catch Lewis Black & Friends (8:15 to 9:30) and David Cross plus Aziz Ansari and Nick Kroll (11:45 to 1 a.m.) in the "Yet Another (Comedy) Tent." After the late comedy show, I'd head over to the Troo Music Lounge to catch Athens, Ga. trio The Whigs (1:30 to 2:30), because nothing bad has ever come out of Athens, Ga.

Friday
After a late night on Thursday, I'd probably be tempted to sleep in on Friday. But hell, if I'm hypothetically throwing down at least 185 bucks for this festival, I should probably get my money's worth. And although I've already seen The Roots live, seeing them again would guarantee I'd get my money's worth. Since OutKast disappointed with its Idlewild soundtrack, The Roots stepped up with Game Theory and became the best hip-hop band in the world. Unfortunately, due to their time (6 to 7:30 p.m.) on the "What Stage," I'd completely miss Lily Allen. The other disappointment about Friday night at Bonnaroo is that Tool is the only band playing between 8 and midnight. What the shit is that?

Aside from the Roots, I'd probably keep a lookout for The Nightwatchman in "That Tent", Tom Morello's new solo project. Dude hasn't done anything cool since The Battle For Los Angeles, but I'd be curious enough to check him out (4:30 - 5:45). Late night, the fest features a trio of white hip-hop artists (Aesop Rock, El-P, DJ Shadow), but I'd personally rather catch the Ravi Coltrane Quartet (12 to 1 a.m.) at "Somethin' Else" before jumping to see the tail end of El-P's set (and all of DJ Shadow's).

Saturday
This is when shit gets real, with the reunited (and reportedly disgruntled) Police playing "What Stage" from 9 to 11:30 p.m., followed by The Flaming Lips on "Which Stage" from midnight to 2:30 a.m. What a nightcap. But even before that, I'd set up camp in "That Tent" for Spoon (6 to 7:30) and The Hold Steady (4:15 to 5:30). I think this would probably be the best day of my life. Before that, I could set up in That Tent early for Annuals (2:45 to 3:45) after catching my favorite Philly indie-pop group Dr. Dog in This Tent (12:45 to 1:45) for some early afternoon psychedelia.

Sunday
This is, by far, the most aggravating day of the festival. Who's the asshole who overlapped The Decemberists ("Which Stage," 4:30 to 6), Wilco ("What Stage," 5:30 to 7), Feist ("This Tent," 6 to 7:30) and The White Stripes (Which Stage, 7:15 to 8:45)?!?!?! I honestly don't know where to begin with this. All four artists have been said to put on stellar live shows, and I've missed out on all opportunities to see any of them (that poor college student thing). That said, I'd have to play it by ear. If I had to guess, I'd sacrifice the better part of Feist's set to see all of the Decemberists' and a half hour of Wilco's. Then I'd hustle over to see Leslie finish her show and miss the first 15 of the White Stripes' set. But don't worry, I'd be able to catch most of Widespread Panic! Thanks, Bonnaroo!

Before the late evening clusterfuck, I'd make sure I caught Flight of The Conchords plus Demetri Martin in the "Yet Another (Comedy) Tent" (2:00 - 3:15) to keep a good music/comedy balance. Unfortunately, because of the generally awesome lineups on Saturday and Sunday, I'd miss out on Dave Attell's set. I've got more complaints than that, but it's hard to complain when you're seeing so many bands.

Well, hypothetically, anyway.

Bubbling Under: Swan Lake - Beast Moans

While most blogs/publications will be commenting on their top albums of the year (as will we), I decided to do a write up on one of the more overlooked albums of 2006.


Some of you may scoff at the notion that a band consisting of some of the most celebrated songwriters of the past year could be overlooked, but make no mistake about it, Swan Lake's Beast Moans is most certainly an album that many people have come to undermine its excellence due to unrealistic expectations.

Featuring members of some of Canada's premiere bands such as Dan Bejar of Destroyer, Spencer Krug of Sunset Rubdown/Wolf Parade, as well as Carey Mercer of Frog Eyes fame, Swan Lake formed over the past year and recorded their debut in Victoria, Canada. Krug and Mercer overlooked a majority of the production as Bejar popped in and out during recording (a method similar to his work with that other supergroup the New Pornographers).

Now, when you look at a majority of 2006 year end lists, you'll be likely to find Sunset Rubdown's Shut Up I am Dreaming (my personal #1 of the year) as well as Destroyer's Rubies making their fair share of Top 10's. So if you put the principal songwriters of both those acts alongside the mastermind behind Frog Eyes, you've got to come up with an obvious critics choice right? Well, judging by the lukewarm reviews a lot of people weren't' exactly falling head over heels once the album was released.

Blame it on too much hype, unfair expectations, or simply, factor in that this is probably the most "difficult" release to absorb by any of the three main songwriters of the past year or two, and you've got an album that truly asks for one's patience. I myself wasn't exactly impressed when I first got my hands on the album. I felt too much of the music was cluttered, some of the songs sounded too unfinished or too rushed, the vocals were hard to decipher at times, and all the great songs were too far and between to make for a consistent listen. However, once I sat down with the record, and actually listened to it all the way through, I came to realize that each listen revealed more nuances and subtle quirks (especially with headphones) that I began to appreciate all of the songs more and more as oppose to the initial two or three that grabbed my attention.

What has to be one of the most appealing aspects of Beast Moans is the nifty keyboard sounds that the trio conjured, sounding wackier than anything that appeared on each songwriter's respective band. The opener "Widow's Walk" features a gorgeous guitar line interweaved with a solid keyboard melody making for a fantastic opener, while the following track "Nubile Days" features Krug's excellent knack for vocal melody while Mercer's guitar gives the song a whole new dimension that maybe would not have been evidenced had Krug gone it alone.

It's little pushes like these, that makes the collaboration sound much more like a group effort as oppose to each songwriter tossing a song out there with the other two members serving as a backing band. As a matter of fact, considering how reasonably different the songwriting styles are of each member (though you can find some common ground between Krug's writing and Mercer's) the cohesiveness of the record is quite impressive.

Arguably, the marriage of the three songwriters never sounded as good as it did on "A Venue Called Rubella". Dual vocals from Bejar and Krug make for an immediate highlight as does the angular guitar hooks of Mercer. It's moments like these that make Swan Lake much greater than the sum of its parts. "Are You Swimming In Her Pools" is another favorite that has Krug at his most vulnerable, while the circus frenzy of "The Partisan But He's Got to Know" (delightfully sung by Mercer) makes for a fantastic sing along.

What may turn some people off upon a first listen is how some of the songs have a complete lack of structure for the verse/chorus/verse formula. Tracks like "Pleasure Vessels" I see much more as a mood piece between tracks as oppose to a proper song, which only confirm that this is a record that must be listened to in its entirety as oppose to skipping around for certain songs. The haunting epic closer in Bejar's "Shooting Rockets" sounds unlike anything he ever attempted with Destroyer and brings a fitting close to this ambitious album.

The band already has hinted that they may do a tour sometime down the line while plans for a follow up are also in the works. Although Wolf Parade, Destroyer and Sunset Rubdown may still have the most anticipated upcoming records, here's to hoping that when Swan Lake gets ready for their sophomore effort, their appreciation will have only increased. Perhaps even a few years down the line Beast Moans may be rightfully seen as an album that easily stands alongside (and maybe even surpass) the best work of the initial bands this group comprised of.

While this record may not appeal to the "frat boy Wolf Parade fans" as Krug suggested in a recent interview, it most certainly makes for an engaging listen, one that reveals its layers over time, and only enhances the respect that Krug, Bejar, and Mercer warrant.

Free Songs:

A Venue Called Rubella
All Fires
The Freedom

Purchase from Amazon

Lazy mother fuckers.

I'm gonna keep this thing going if it is the last thing I do. It is time to get motivated.

Songs for the Dumped

The updates have been coming in a little slow. We've all been busy with the holidays and other fun stuff. I'm currently chewing over what I look for in music and how I'll apply it when rating an album. It is a tough article to write, but expect to see it soon. Anyways, I've been going through a break up with a long term girlfriend, which has also interfered with my writing. But it has kept me listening to a lot music. Here's a little play list I've devised as the soundtrack to all my pity parties.

Ween- Help Me Scrape the Mucus Off My Brain
A can't help but commiserate with the hapless narrator of this little ditty. The situation he he describes is so hopeless and desperate, I can't help but feel for him. As a listener you can just tell that he will split up with his lady friend shortly. However, it is comforting to know that the dog will always love you.

Leo Brouwer- Un Dia de Noviembre
This the only instrumental track that's been seeing heavy rotation on my iPod. Leo Brouwer, a performer and composer for the classical guitar, nails the somber and desolate feel of late fall and early winter with this piece. The piece lends itself to introspection and nostalgia.

Queen- Don't Stop Me Now
I'm sure you are all wondering what the fuck I'm thinking with this choice. This song celebrates excessive fun, partying, and sex. I can see why a song with the opening lyric of "Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time. I feel alive." might seem a little out of place on this list. But it has always struck me as being very sad song. The opening line seems like the singer is trying to convince himself that he is enjoying his lifestyle. To me all the imagery of being "on a collision course", "out of control", and about to "explode" of the second verse betrays his true feelings. Also, the line "I'm having such a good time. I'm having a ball." comes across as one of the most sarcastic in all of music.

Cracker- Take Me Down to the Infirmary
This is one of three country flavored songs to find it's way onto my list. It covers a lot of how I'm feeling right now. There is nothing that really sums up the human condition better than knowing that what you are doing is no good for you and isn't helping your situation but doing it anyway.

Stars- Fairtytale of New York
I chose this version over the Pogues because of the voice of Amy Millan. This song boasts one of the most depressing opening lines in all of music. The idea of knowing that you will never see another Christmas is deeply moving to me. This song has served as nice respite from the rest of the saccharine holiday songs. It is a much closer match to my mood.

REM- Try Not to Breathe
I'm not even sure why this really reaches out to me. Though I envy the narrator's control over the situation. If I'm interpreting the song incorrectly feel free to call me out.

Patsy Cline- Crazy
Well, this one was mandatory. Nothing says "broken heart" better than this song.

Jeff Buckley- Hallelujah
Buckley's vocal performance is stunning as usual. Cohen's lyrics do a great job of setting love up as being a deeply spiritual thing that is neither positive or negative. It does more to display the true complexity of love than any other song on this list.

Elliott Smith- Everything Reminds Me of Her
Elliott Smith is the laureate of the broken hearted, depressed, and generally fucked up. This song highlights the inevitability of separating from somebody that you've spent any prolonged time with. As soon as you think that you'll be fine something pops up to remind you of your past together. There is nothing you can do about it when you have so many shared memories with another person.

Elliot Smith- Everything Means Nothing to Me
It is normally a major faux pas to include to songs by the same artist on the same mix, especially back to back. But these two songs are sister songs in my mind and shouldn't be separated. One shows how everything can take on some sort of significance to a broken heart. The other demonstrates that everything can become insignificant in comparison to what you are going through. There nothing is important to you anymore.

Joni Mitchell- A Case of You
Love makes you do stupid things at times. We are willing to put up with so much pain to be with who we want. It is really quite sad.

The Beatles- In My Life
To me this is the greatest love song ever written. It sums up exactly how love feels. I have to end my listening on a happy note. I look forward to a time when I can have this again.

I know this post has been filled with some of the lamest bellyaching to ever grace the Internet. But I like my little play list and hope you enjoy it too. Hopefully this will keep the site going while we work on some other updates. Keep your eyes open for a review of my album of the year (I'll give you a hint: she plays the harp)and the article that I mentioned above. Have a great New Year's Eve and hope 2007 treats everybody well. Drink safely!

Hip To Be Square: Remembering the 80's

After Spending countless nights watching Much More Retro (Canadian version of VH1 Classic) I've come to realize that the music that dominated the 80's was much more than just bad hair and over the top makeup. Granted, I've always appreciated New Wave but it wasn't until recently that I saw just how strong some of the songwriting was back then and how it deserves much more respect than what it is given.

Of course, my view of the music of that specific decade could be askew since essentially all I'm really seeing/hearing from those days is most likely the cream of the crop and I don't doubt that there was a fair share of garbage on the radio and MTV as there is today.

But there is just something to those ridiculously infectious hooks that I can honestly say are amongst the finest batch of pop songs of the past 25 years.

A-Ha's "Take On Me" might be a song that you laugh at when someone plays it in the car (behind tightly rolled windows), but if you listen to it closely, and just let that gorgeous melody sink in you may find yourself concluding that the track has got to be one of the best radio singles in recent memory and much more than just a dated staple that we are led to believe.

If you can look past the ghastly production techniques that dominated the times (Someone PLEASE do something about the reverb on those drums!) you will see that the 1980's brought forth a golden era of pop music. I don't want to make another music post that whines about the music of today not being up to speed with the music of the past in regards to the quality of what we find on the radio, but at the same time, it's hard not to see the top 30 Billboard singles of today and compare them to the top 20 of this week in 1986 and not feel a little discouraged in some aspects.

I mean who can forget Madonna? One of the 10 most influential pop icons in music history (along with another 80's staple in the once brilliant Michael Jackson) and when skimming through her several tremendous singles she put out (as well as often times wrote herself) during the 80's we can see how well sex appeal with great songwriting to match gives us a true definition of a pop star as oppose to scantily clad girls in their late teens who often have a shelf life of 5 years or take a hit once they take more than a year off to recoup.



Yes, I could do without some of the songs by Air Supply, Whitney Houson, and *cringes*....Michael Bolton, but the emphasis placed on the art of the great pop hook seems to have been lost in the muddle somewhere between "The Macarena" and "London Bridge"

I was never able to appreciate the hair metal that ran rampant throughout the decade and there was definitely some bad music being made in those times (as with any time music was being recorded) but something really needs to be said for just how great the songs of Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, and Depeche Mode really were.

The music videos we see today on the retro channels may illicit a snarky laugh and have us wondering how people were able to get away with what they could judging by the awful outfits and questionable personas, but if we look underneath the surface, we'll find plenty of songs that are simply timeless and transcend the lack of seriousness people give to one hell of a fine era in music.


Here are some key songs I'd recommend some of you revisit and really pay attention to how well they were constructed....


New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
Duran Duran - New Moon on Monday
Depeche Mode - Everything Counts
Thompson Twins - Doctor Doctor
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World
A-Ha - Take On Me
Human League - Don't' You Want Me Baby
Madonna - Lucky Star
The Cure - Just Like Heaven
The Smiths - This Charming Man
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Joe Jackson - Steppin Out
Talking Heads - Burning Down the House
Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time
The Clash - Rock the Casbah
Men Without Hats - We Can Dance
Madness - Our House
Psychedelic Furs - Love My Way
Hall and Oats - Private Eyes
Nena - 99 Red Balloons
The Go Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed


....Now of course, there are many many songs that were omitted, as well as the biggest hits of some of the above mentioned artists, and I failed to touch upon some of the other big hitters such as U2 and the Police, but I wanted to focus more on the mainstream groups that people don't take quite as seriously as well as some of the songs I really enjoy for the most part.

Wincing the Night Away

The video for "Phantom Limb", the new single by the Shins, has been uploaded to Youtube by Subpop Records. It is directed by Patrick Daughters who also directed the videos for Yeah Yeah Yeahs'- "Gold Lion" and Feist's- "Mushaboom", as well as others. The video centers around the most morbid elementary school play of all time. It can be seen here.

The song is pretty standard Shins fare. But I'm excited for the release nonetheless. The new album, Wincing the Night Away, is set to be released on January 23rd.