Music Under Fire

Since we didn't post any Thanksgiving playlist, as we do for many holidays, such as Arbor Day, Memorial Day Weekend, Halloween and many others, we honed this for something almost better than Thanksgiving itself - Thanksgiving leftovers. Two days after our stomachs have finally settled, the theme for this list isn't anything really, just a bunch of great songs we've been meaning to write about, yet have been losing track of during this holiday season.

However, if you're looking for a Thanksgiving Playlist after the fact, we recommend heading over to Speed of Dark for some Thanksgiving music and a few mixes they posted leading up to 'Dead Roasted Bird Day'. Also check out Stereo Fever for a Canadian TG playlist.

With so much ahead of us to do in the month to come (besides writing about music), fighting the crowds at the mall late at night, keeping our health up by visiting the gym every now and then and even getting some sleep after visiting family - this playlist should be a welcome to explore more about these bands. In turn, we linked to the band's MySpace pages (as we do for our new releases every week), so you can find out more about them and things to come as the busy holiday season continues. We highly recommend checking out Mason Proper and Brendan Canning below.

MP3: Brendan Canning - Hit The Wall (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: Cale Parks - Every Week Ends (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: Crystal Stilts - Departure (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: Dead Heart Bloom - New Messiah (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: Deerhoof - The Tears And Music Of Love (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: Eulogies - Two Can Play (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: Mason Proper - Fog (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: Mobius Band - City vs Country (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: The Phenominal Hand Clap Band - Testimony (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: The Rumble Strips - Alarm Clock (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: The Swimmers - St. Cecilia (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: The Week That Was - The Airport Line (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: Those Dancing Days - Run Run(radio mix) (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: TV on the Radio - Love Dog (buy) (MySpace)
MP3: VHS Or Beta - Cant Believe A Single Word (buy) (MySpace)

After much turkey eating yesterday, we're taking it easy today and just catching up on another one of Radiohead's contests, which had been completed as of the end of the summer. The animated video contest, which was held by Aniboom, hosted a contest letting fans of Radiohead submit their self-made animated videos for songs from their In Rainbows album. The contest itself boasted a $10,000 prize for the best video and aniBoom received more than 1000 entries, representing more than 150 cities, 40 countries and 5 continents!

Radiohead enjoyed the thousands of submissions they received, so they chose four winners, giving each enough winnings to complete the final version of each of their videos. Radiohead will be premiering the final versions of three of these videos on their MySpace page on the following dates:

- "Weird Fishes" by Tobias Stretch on November 21
- Kota Totori of Japan for "15 Step" on November 25
- Wolfgang Jaiser and Claus Winter for "Videotape" on November 28.

From their post:

Due to the extraordinary quality of the submissions, Radiohead decided to choose four winning videos, rather than a single winner, and provided the additional prize money so that each of the four creators receives $10,000 to produce their full-length video.

Rating: 9.2/10

The setting here is important. A stormy, windy October night when the red rear lights of a pickup start to fade away - then Eureka Birds plays. Complete with the subtle whispers, dying chimes and the type of ambiance that opens the mind up, this Baltimore group hit the nail on the head with their self-titled debut album that released last month.

What Justin Levy (vocals, piano), Dave Rogoza (guitar) and Allin Hinton (keyboards, synthesizer) thought up, they delivered. With the help of Tyler Watkins (Margot and the Nuclear So and So's) in the recording process, not only did Eureka Birds capture a dynamic sound for the season, but they have also dipped into an expansive sound that enabled them to pick up Dami Soh (cello), Jason Hoffheins (drums) and Mike Passariello (bass) for their live act without missing a beat.

Any new listener to Eureka Birds can find comfort in that fact that the album doesn't need to be played all the way through to find a decent track. Every song works well on its own. The tracks that best present the group's mystical sound are "The Still Life", "Oh! My Dear" and "Dinosaurs".

Opening up the album in a slow motion groove, "The Still Life" exhibits just a morsel of the creative engineering behind the 11 tracks ahead. The use of a patient electric piano and simple drums set the pace for this track as it slowly winds along with Levy's lyrics of "All these crazy things you think". The addition of a metal rumble strip-sounding clip halfway through this song sends a relaxing, yet mystic feel that sets the mood and tempo for rest of the album.

Containing the almost spiritual haunting within the album is "Oh! My Dear". Whining violin strings, presumptuous horns and the low end piano playing capture this mystic mode most completely out of any track on Eureka Birds. Outside of lyrics that sing "There's an unexplained creaking underneath my floorboards, and if you listen close you can hear the most haunting sound", the instrumentals manage to define this creepiness as heavy trombone and spiraling downward noises add to this bizarre song.

"Dinosaurs" offers another imaginative look into the album, as it sings to dinosaurs acting like people. The whole concept lends to metaphors, but really any song about these long deceased reptiles that roamed the Earth works wonders for a wandering mind. To make the glue to this song stick stronger, Levy's vocals meet every rising fear the lyrics and slammed hi-hats create.

Over the course of this 11-track album, the electric piano does stand out a bit more than the other instruments, although with a such great number of instruments supporting it, each time the piano shows up, it comes across with a new supporting cast and overall sound. The complete list of instruments on this album includes: vibraphone, drums, xylophone, guitar, bass, violin, bells, trumpet, trombone, organ, tambourine, and regular, electric and electric pianos. This album also featured nine artists.

Eureka Birds has everything one could ask for from an indie rock band that leans towards a down-tempo approach. Harnessing the talents of so many artists outside of the original three places Eureka Birds in a class few bands can touch. Although Levy's vocals really are never exploited, they work for for the mood they sing in. As each song can stand alone, it should be noted that the flow of the album never throws a curve ball.

This album easily qualifies as one of the top albums of the year due to this concerted, quality effort loaded originality. Since it only was released in October, the staying power of the group's sound is still yet to be determined as they move forward as six and not three. Check out the mp3s below and let us know what you think.

MP3: Eureka Birds - Oh! My Dear (buy)
MP3: Eureka Birds - Dinosaurs (buy)

The guys that run Lizard Lounge, NAU and Horny Toad all run pretty fun businesses and they really appreciate the artists that cross their paths. As a celebration of their affiliation and the musicians they have heard this year, they have created a 16-track compilation for free.

The compilation features many folk and jazz focused bands which provide plenty of soul at every beat. Below we have the track listings as well as a few of our favorite mp3s. For further info on the artists, head over to Horny Toad and check out their take on all of this as well as to download all of the tracks.

Bobby Torres Ensemble - On Burnside (Official)
Brett Dennen - Make You Crazy (Official)
Chris Pierce - Keep On Keeping On (Official)
Derby - If Ever There's A Reason (MySpace)
The Dimes - Catch Me Jumping (Official)
Dominic Castillo & The Rock Savants - Keep You Around (Official)
Dyers Rocket - Streak In The Sky (MySpace)
Elevaters - The One (Official)
Jay Nash - Easy (Official)
Jaycob Van Auken - A Fool In The Darkness (Official)
Norman - Belfountain Stars (MySpace)
Pictures and Sound - 100 Directions (Official)
Stephanie Schneiderman - Twenty Slivers (Official)
Gavin Wahl-Stephens - Out Of Range (MySpace)
Ronno Dizzynest - Dyin Days (Official)
SubAtomic - The Incurables (Official)

As the year winds down, our new music venture for the time being seems to be wrapping itself up slowly. That is, until we keep finding bands such as the emotion-driven LoveLikeFire. Aptly named for their firey persuasion put into each song, the San Francisco-based dream-poppers consist of Ann Yu, David Farrell, Ted Parker, and Robert Kissinger. Surely, in the months to come, the foursome has their minds set on bigger and better things with their upcoming album.

Following great reviews from their past two albums, LoveLikeFire have gained fans quickly after their 2006 Bed of Gold album and their 2007 album, An Ocean In The Air. Not surprisingly, fans were awaiting more music, and will be given just that.in the coming months.

As their website states, they have been taking it easy, now that their album has been recorded and the band looks forward to enjoying each other's company and recording a few covers. A few demos had been posted earlier this year back in May and the anticipation is growing with each day. One of their tracks on their MySpace is particularly stunning, titled "William".

A release date has not yet been set, but is expected to be released in the near future. In the meantime, LoveLikeFire will be playing with another one of MUF's favorite bands this year, Low vs Diamond, at The Independent in San Francisco on December 6th. We're looking forward to more LoveLikeFire in the near future!

MP3: LoveLikeFire - William (buy)

Official - http://www.lovelikefire.com/
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/lovelikefire

Rating: 7.7

This year New England's Pretty & Nice trumps warm clam chowda with their Get Young album. Sure, it seems like the 10 tracks go fast, but the hearty glow you feel after listening just sticks for days.

The three-headed artisans on Hardly Art's label could be compared with candy-wired kids trapped in the toy department of a store. Holden Lewis, Jeremy Mendicino and Bobby Landy transpire their experimental pop ruckus with an innovative energy that harnesses clashing sounds and curt singing choruses, much like Beck.

Highlighting the album are "Tora Tora Tora" and "Nuts and Bolts". At the second track track, "Tora Tora Tora" jumps out with the refrain "The Japanese are singing Tora..." as the drums constantly stop and start as the vocals splice apart every lyric. "Nuts and Bolts" springs from the onset through a scattered electric guitar and quick transitions from lyrics about the sun ("life on the sun ain't much fun when you're the only one") tied with a keyboard enhancing twinkle.

Rarely do the tracks on Get Young maintain a consistent feel in part to the sporadic implementation of the drums, keyboards and guitar. Fortunately, the Talking Heads inspired singing style links everything in the album back together. The strangely addicting technique could be why Get Young finishes just as fast as it starts.

Overall, this album isn't for everyone, but it demands at least a listen. The opening track "Piranha" provides a perfect taste for what Pretty & Nice brought with this work. Consider Get Young one of the most fun (yeah, FUN) albums of the year. Not only will the first time one listens to this album feel like the tenth, but the vibrancy will remain.

The group previously released, Pink & Blue, which was remixed in their Blue & Blue album. For more info on the group, head to their web page.

MP3: Pretty & Nice - Tora Tora Tora (buy)

It's been a few months since we last mentioned Good Old War, but with their album Only Way To Be Alone still hot in the presses and the recent signing of the group to The Agency Group, it's time for some more news on these guys.

The switch from Days Away to Good Old War left a lot of fans wondering whether we would hear an album from the group in the first few years in existence, or even if they would aim a bit higher than local shows. Now with The Agency Group aiding the band, extensive tour dates have been promised for the new year to compliment their debut album, which released in September.

Only Way To Be Alone differs from what frontman Keith Goodwin previously did with Days Away by eliminating synthesized sounds while maintaining an authentic strolling acoustic guitar. The multiple layers of pleading lyrics behind the mic from all members, the folk inspired drum tapping in the background and a couple of guitars hold together a smoothly strung-together folk rock album.

Good Old War has been pleasing fans and media across the country since their early recordings together, and due to this success Fuse is highlighting the group on their site while offering the mp3 below for free. The song features Anthony Green as well as Dave Davison from Maps and Atlases.

For more info on the breakup of Days Away to the installment of Good Old War, check out our article from January. Apparently they were thinking of naming the group Castles, but that just didn't stick.

MP3: Good Old War - Weak Man (buy)

Dec 17 2008 Harpers Ferry w/ Ace Enders Allston, MA
Dec 18 2008 The Station w/ Ace Enders Portland, ME
Dec 19 2008 Maxwell’s w/ Ace Enders Hoboken, NJ
Dec 20 2008 The Balcony Bar @ Trocadero w/ Ace Enders Philadelphia, PA

Daytrotter.com presents music so it is uniquely presented every time. Bands that amp up at Futureappletree Studio 1 in Rock Island, Illinois know they can let their sound do the talking, whether it is a seasoned favorite or a track derived in a van during the current tour across the country. Film School was no exception to the enhancing aura when they stepped into hallowed studio on November 18.

Although not breaking out any of their most recent musings from their tour of England, their latest album, Hideout surfaced in all four tracks with that indescribable magic Daytrotter Sessions possess. Just a quick listen to the psychedelic and momentous spacings-out of Film School sent a feeling of accomplishment through me like the one people get after watching a superhero movie.

We have a few of our two favorite recordings below, but for more make sure to check out Daytrotter.com

MP3: Film School - Compare (Daytrotter Session) (buy)
MP3: Film School - Sick Hipster Nursed By Suicide Girl (Daytrotter Session) (buy)

Rating: 8.1/10

School of Seven Bells' debut album, Alpinisms marks yet another great band riding the growing popularity of electronic dream-pop. With swarms of synthesizers mixed with shoegaze guitarwork and a tech-beat foundation, their blend of sounds is truly ear candy. Given their apparent influences of their counterparts, M83, it came to no surprise that they've been touring along side Anthony Gonzales and Co.. Given their love for synths and an undeniable rhythm staggering those who watech them perform, it would be easy to categorize the trio as one in the same with M83, but their dual vocals and smooth transitions make for an enjoyable listen.

Not only do the Brooklyn-based band's female vocals have such a big impact on the album, but the rhythms and flow of the entire album is seamlessly pieced together. Although the group insists the vocals may be their only vice on the album with its seemingly layered upon layered tracks, the twin sisters, Alejandra and Claudia Deheza, are entrancing as are the talents that lie with the defunct Secret Machines mastermind, Benjamin Curtis. In tracks such as "Connjur" or "My Cabal", the words are chanted as if the due are in a trance, spinning deeper into the synth web they've carefully crafted.

Perhaps the album's timeliness of the album as the seasons turn that made this album much more attractive. Its true that this is no summer album, one that is uplifting in the jovial sense, but compliments the falling leaves and the swirling winds as Winter will soon be upon us. Curtis, who pieced together the three-member band may have slipped these ambient soundscapes right into my conciousness given this seasonal atmosphere. With The Radio Dept fresh on my mind, School of Seven Bells follows a similar path, preying on their strengths, using the vocals as the stronghold. The dillusionary themes about dreams and hallucinations throughout their album push their sound deeper down a winding dark hole, pushing harmonizing levels off the charts.

Now with Winter on its way, the dreary, dreamlike days seem to pass by as the year-end approach and this album couldn't be any more fitting. This album is beautiful from start to finish, and may be one of this years greatest albums to fly under the radar. We highly recommend you pick this one up or buy it on iTunes.

MP3: School of Seven Bells - Connjur (buy)
MP3: School of Seven Bells - Half Asleep (buy)

Official - www.schoolofsevenbells.com/
MySpace - www.myspace.com/schoolofsevenbells

Remaining Your Dates:

Nov 18 2008 10:00P - Middle East Downstairs w/ M83 Boston, Massachusetts
Nov 19 2008 8:00P - Studio Juste Pour Rire w/ M83 Montreal, Quebec
Nov 20 2008 8:00P - Opera House w/ M83 Toronto, Ontario
Nov 21 2008 8:00P - Bottom Lounge w/ M83 Chicago, Illinois
Nov 22 2008 10:00P - Triple Rock Social Club w/ M83 Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nov 25 2008 8:00P - Neumos w/ M83 Seattle, Washington
Nov 26 2008 7:30P - Richard’s on Richards w/ M83 Vancouver, British Columbia
Nov 27 2008 9:00P - Doug Fir Lounge w/ M83 Portland, Oregon
Nov 28 2008 8:00P - The Fillmore w/ M83 San Francisco, California
Nov 29 2008 10:00P - Henry Fonda Theater w/ M83 Los Angeles, California
Dec 15 2008 8:00P - Mercury Lounge New York, New York

Morning Tide from The Little Ones has truly been a great addition to our collection this year. We did post about them at the end of October, but we wanted something for ourselves as well as our readers. Fortunately enough, we readied a few questions for the LA lads and they were more than happy to answer.

Hello Edward, Brian, Ian, Lee and David- it's great to finally get some words across to you guys- just listening to your music puts me in a good mood despite the constant cloudy days of the cold months on the East Coast. So California is a sunny place, but where did the cheer in your sound come from?

The cheer that's in our sound is a result of us all being really good friends that try to have as much fun as possible when playing together.

I understand you guys are pretty close. How do you all know each other?

Edward and Ian met in college and played in a band together. When that band ended, Ian and Ed went on to start writing new music and looking for new people to play with. Ian brought in me because I was always interested in playing music with him and we had met through his sister, who I date. Now the band had become 3 but we needed someone that could bass and it turns out Ed's brother Brian was in the room. All that was left was we needed a drummer and that's when I called long time childhood friend David who completed the five piece.

The name Little Ones immediately made me think you guys were all short. Where did this name come from and how did it stick?

The name came from Ed's two pugs and we needed a name so we could play a show. We didn't want to think to much about the name and after the first show it stayed with us.

Just a few short years removed from your 2006 release of Sing Song, but now you have a new label and your first full-length record, Morning Tide. Where have The Little Ones been and how has time affected your approach to recording?

After the Sing Song EP we started writing while on the road for Morning Tide. We were touring a lot in the UK so we actually spent two weeks recording part of it in London. After all the fun and hard work we had put into it we were dropped from our label two weeks before the record was about to be released. We were all shocked and it took us a little while to recover, but now the record is out with the help of our friends and label Chop Shop music.

Your sound has a folk-pop sound (just made that up) to it that clearly comes from many years in the sun and multiple genres. What artists have influenced you the most?

We are influenced by a lot of 60's pop bands like the Kinks, Zombies, and Beach Boys. Music from Brazil is also a big influence- Os Mutantes and Lo Borges.

Who is playing in your stereos these days and who would you highly recommend?

I think it's safe to say you can always hear one of us blasting some Mo-town stuff. We all really like the latest Elbow record, it's one of the best records that came out this year.

What are the tour plans for The Little Ones in the coming months?

First we are going to take a little break for the holidays and then probably do something early next year.

The day after the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series, you played a live session at Y-Rock on XPN. Did you catch any of the celebration during your time here?

Yes, Phillies fans are crazy! Congrats on the win, poor Dodgers.


For more on The Little Ones, check out their web site, MySpace and Last.FM pages.

Indie bands are hardly ever the talk of the town, but for Amos, Iowa's The Envy Corps that has been the case for several years. With such talk increasing volume over the years about the flourishing talent, Vertigo Records from England finally stepped in to ink the foursome and pull them across the pond.

After inhabiting Streatham outside of London for a year, the group released Dwell this year. Since this was initially an international release, many potential fans outside of the U.K. weren't able to hear their new melodic upturn. This revamped semi-depressing shoe-gaze to a rock-embedded sound that gets nerves twitching and feet tapping finally landed in the U.S. in July.

Inserting a sense of movement into each song through the constant presence of a stringy electric guitar and the stretching vocals of Luke Pettipoole, The Envy Corps don't shy away from letting the instruments tell a song's message. The imagination in each of their songs allows this ambient atmosphere to lay a solid foundation for a group that categorizes themselves as zouk.

Along with Pettipoole, The Envy Corps use the skills of Scott Yoshimura (drums), Brandon Darner (guitar) and Micah Natera (keyboards), while bassist Ross Vander Werf joins on the road. They are currently recording and self-producing at Soundfarm Studios with the help of Matt Sepanic. Tour dates for early 2009 will be announced shortly on their web page.

Before Dwell, the group released Story Problem (2007), Love Letters (2006) and Soviet Reunion (2004). The mp3 below is off of Dwell.

MP3: The Envy Corps - Wires and Wool (buy)

The Shout Out Louds are taking a break. Its not a bad one, however, so don't get surly on us. As opposed to their break-up as we are, we understand their need for learning the 'science' of the band not coping without each other for some time; for each of them to explore the world on their own.

It's true, they will not be around for some time. Could this work out for the better? Or will it hurt the momentum of the band? Once they all come back to see each other and record an album, we could expect some even better music to reach our ears given their individual exploration.

But the wait will be a long one; as far as writing, recording and setting themselves up for another album, we could be waiting as long as early 2010 or even longer for something new. Sad, we know. You'll also notice on their calendar on their MySpace page they wrote - "Dec 31 2008 8:00P No shows for a while. Shout Out Louds are having a break."

Cheer up, its not that bad - we still have plenty of great music to listen to! But if you're feeling wishy washy, leave them a message like other devoted fans have while listening to the two remixes below; I can't get enough of the 'Tonight I Have To Leave It' remix.

MP3: Shout Out Louds - The Comeback (Big Slippa Remix By Ratatat) (buy)
MP3: Shout Out Louds - Tonight I Have To Leave It (Kleerup Remix) (buy)

From the Shout Out Louds:

Dear Friends and Fiends,

We are currently in hibernation, each of us in his own one of the five corners of the world. Do not fret. It is merely an experiment, and it will be done with before the rooster crows. But you see, the records on how well we cope when we are together are vast in detail. Not one figure, not one lark or sigh has gone unnoticed, and we have come to the indisputable conclusion that we do, in fact, belong together. Wonderful news rather, but you do understand that in the name of science we are now obliged to thouroughly investigate the other side of the token in order to find out how well we can cope when we are far apart. That is what we are doing at the moment.

So please do not fret friends and fiends, we will be knocking on your radio's door before you know it. Until then, be good. And do not find yourself a new favourite band, or we might be very cross.

Love,
Shout Out Louds