Run Speaker

Montage: Un Concert A Emporter

2009-07-14T22:21:00.020-06:00

A friend once introduced me to what I would call a live artistic music video created by a brilliant man named Vincent Moon, one of a handful of original and creative directors who are a part of the infamous french blog, LaBlogotheque. The video was Beirut’s own Nantes. It took me some time to shake this song out of my head, watching it everyday for two straight weeks. Thanks Hugo.

#84.2 BEIRUT - Nantes - from The Flying Club Cup
by flyingclubcup

#84.2 is what the video was titled. Vincent Moon has created nearly 100 projects with different artists and until a week ago there were a select few that I have ever seen: Lykke Li, Beirut, and Yeasayer. Three of the most influential sounds that have changed my outlook on musical talent.

It wasn’t till last week when I was led to another version of Tightrope from Yeasayer and it all started there. When I listen to Yeasayers newest album, All Hour Cymbals, it echos a psychedelic ensemble of modern synth and electricity in the studio, however when removed from the studio the band merges into a completely different sound. I love it.

#87.2 - YEASAYER - 2080/Tightrope
by lablogotheque

Spending the better part of the week watching nearly every Vincent Moon video from Blogotheque, I hope one day I am capable of displaying such passion in what I'm doing that I can influence and touch the lives who surround me as Vincent was able to complete with myself. I would love to post every single video but quite frankly there are too many so I'm not going to. Instead here are two long time favorite songs which were made better thanks to Vince.

#93.6 BON IVER - Skinny Love
by lablogotheque

#80.2 - VAMPIRE WEEKEND - The Kids don't stand a chance
by lablogotheque

If you liked these, look up more take away shows @ takeawayshows.com

If you can read french, definately check out the LaBlogotheque Blog @ Blogotheque.net

Dark Was The Night

2009-07-03T12:32:00.014-06:00

It has been too long since my last post, two posts back to back followed by nothing from myself for nearly two weeks. So many artists I want to talk about and share my music with that I was overwhelmed with what to present next. Upon some of my favorite musicians there are a handful of them that were presented in the february release 2 disc charity album, Dark Was The Night.

“If you could somehow assemble all of the buzz that these artists have collected, you could light the universe.”

Charity albums are a hit or miss but when it comes down to it I can only think with positive regards towards this album, an amazing compilation of artists all with original and creative songs to contribute. Imagine sitting at a house party filled with young creative minds, drinking beer, eating pizza, and listening to music. Well actually this happens often, but on a tuesday night shortly before the release of the album was an inspiring loft party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn filled with acoustic performances off the album from The National, Yeasayer, Feist, Beirut, Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, Suvjan Stevens, Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, Conor Oberst, The New Pornographers, Grizzly Bear, and more and more and more. I can only imagine...

The first musicians to move toward the stage were three young men with ordinary scruffy shirts shoes and haircuts who moments before were an invisible part of the crowd. Their band is called Yeasayer, who recorded one of the best tracks on the album. On record the song is very dramatic, building from exotic layers of percussion into soaring plaintive vocals that settle into a melody and chorus you can’t get out of your head. In another era this would be a hit song sung by young people around the world. The three guys sat casually on stools in a tiny circle with a few candles flickering around them along with the City lights outside. The lead singer leaned over and pushed play on an old boom box and the sound of chickens filled the room. The fellow to his left started playing a toy melodica (a handheld keyboard instrument with a tube you blow into) and the one to his right played a modest rhythm. Nothing you could actually call a drum pattern. Then they began to sing and shape the haunting song into something even more strange and interesting than they had concocted in the recording studio.

When it was over and the loop of clucking chickens cross-faded into the chatter of fifty people in a large room with a tin ceiling built a hundred years ago for factory workers to make some long forgotten stuff, the guys melded back into the crowd.

Songs I found most interesting:

Train Song - Feist & Ben Gibbard
Brackett, WI - Bon Iver
Knotty Piny - The Dirty Projectors & David Byrne

Discover Discovery

2009-06-28T13:27:00.011-06:00

The self-titled debut LP from Discovery combines the creative musical talents of two of Indie-pop/post punk revivals most renowned bands. Wes Miles, Vocalist from Syracuse's Ra Ra Riot, and Rostam Batmanglij of the famed Vampire Weekend have collaborated to create a new sound unlike anything the indie rock scene has heard before.

Discovery-Osaka Loop Line
Discovery-Carby (ft. Erza Koenig)
Discovery-Swing Tree

This album can best be described as a cross between power pop, R&B, and experimental with the musically diverse Batmanglij's influence being heavily evident with every track using some form of synthetic programing or auto-tuning. However, unlike other music in popular culture this duo's adoption, and obvious use of the trendy auto-tune machine works brilliantly, complementing the hand claps and samples from old Nintendo games with fierce tempo from start to finish. With Miles taking care of most of the vocals on this album including a Jackson 5 cover popping up. Eerily the album is set to drop on July 7th in the shadow of pop legend Micheal Jackson's death. Along with the Jackson 5 cover, there is also a re-mixed version of Ra Ra Riot's "Can You Tell" as well as debatabley the best track on the album featuring Vampire Weekends front man Erza Koenig entitled Carby, a song showing the creative ingenuity of all these artists.

Despite the buzz this album has created after being anticipated but kept in the dark for over a year, most of the songs blend into one another. Although there are no terrible songs on this album I give this collaboration a 7/10. Defiantly an album that you wont skip when one of the tracks comes up on shuffle.

*6 Great Tracks
*2 Good Tracks
*2 Meh Tracks

Rain Day

2009-06-22T15:20:00.009-06:00

Rolling Stone - "Iron and Wine's slow-motion magic shines here, and the material ranks with their best. It may be the most hypnotizing hour and a half you spend all month."

Around the Well's 2-disc album features yet another mellow sound but to my surprise his generic voice did not tire over the 23 song album. Samuel Beam has successfully transformed songs by Stereolab, the Flaming Lips, the Postal Service, and New Order into a quieter setting and yet was able to hold similar sentiments to the originals. The best may still be to come as Beam has also released another 09' album, Norfolk, along with a new album planned in 10'.

Today was filled with a cold wet sky and this album was essential to fill the gap of solitude and boredom.

MP3:

The Trapeze Swinger - Iron & Wine
Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine
Carried Home - Iron & Wine

Jimmy & Emily

2009-06-21T20:40:00.004-06:00

Metric's newest album release back in April, Fantasies, was filled with their typical upbeat and addictive tunes that include an array of original synth-like loops included throughout their songs. A little drop of ear candy was added to this album that put a spin on their original version of Help I’m Alive. The piano/guitar acoustic version of the jam packed original brings upon a completely different element to the original, such enjoyment came from hearing this that I was eager to discover other acoustic songs done by Jimmy Shaw, the guitarist, and Emily Haines, vocalist.

Ends up I’m not alone, the two stopped by Spin Magazines new NYC office to play a brief acoustic set featuring songs off their new self released ‘Fantasies’ one month earlier. They also recorded another acoustic gig at a Rolling Stones Session where they did a cover of Elliot Smith’s Between the Bars.

MP3:
Help I'm Alive (Acoustic) - Metric
Twilight Galaxy (Acoustic) - Metric
Front Row (Acoustic) - Metric
Between the Bars (Cover) - Metric