October | 2011 | The Morning After

Archive for October, 2011

We slowly crack

Posted in music, tagged Bloodbuzz Ohio, cover, Download, MP3, Oh Land, The National on October 13, 2011| 1 Comment »

One of my heroes in rock & roll is The National‘s Matt Berninger. He was talking to the AV Club about the measured rise of the band. “We slowly crack; it’s never been a big explosion.”

I love the imagery of that little quote, like how I love almost all the pictures painted in their songs.

The National are great because they write smart sexy music that requires a little investment in time from the fan to appreciate. The band stays pretty consistent and on point with creating new work and has very methodically grown. Really earning the success they have. Its inspiring.

The first single from 2010’s High Violet was a song called “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” (download an MP3 here)

The song is interesting for a lot of reasons to me.

It begins with a sensual scene. The intimate and gritty real sort of life that you get up to when you’re married or in a relationship or basically not a porn star having sex. Getting ready for bed with someone you get ready for bed with everyday. Its mundane, but its also pretty.

The song then delves into the trials and stresses that we all… ok, well I do, you’re probably more financially astute than me.

“I still owe money, to the money, I owe.”

Then he escapes or has a dream where he travels back to the place where he grew up, Ohio. Neat.

On the weekend, a cover version of “Bloodbuzz” bounced around my twitter feed from Brooklyn-by-way-of-Denmark singer Oh Land. (what is it with cover songs lately? I’m really on a kick)

Oh Land’s version keeps true to the prodding pace of the original. But Oh Land has a sugar sweet voice and adds some echoey crashes and electronic bee-boops. When she sings, “Stand up straight at the foot of your love/I lift my shirt up,” its positively adorable… or it might be more so if the picture I found wasn’t some sort of fembot with feathers. Before I saw a picture of her however, I imagined some lithe hipster lovely nerd getting naked and it was a good thought.

Her version soars and is definitely lighter by the simple fact, she has a light female voice singing the words and not Berninger’s baritone saddening it up.

Oh Land – “Bloodbuzz Ohio”

Download MP3 >> Bloodbuzz-Ohio

The National make me happy, this cover makes me happy… OK good talk.

Go with yourself.

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Download Karen O’s cover of “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”

Posted in music, tagged Chipotle, Karen O, Yeah yeah Yeah's on October 12, 2011| 5 Comments »

Trolling Pitchfork today, I read a neat article about US fast-food hotspot Chipotle’s annual fundraiser for their Cultivate Foundation and Farm Aid.

They created a short-film about the perils of industrial farming and the music comes courtesy Karen O. She does a nifty job tackling the Country & Western classic, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.”

Spooky and sweet… I needed to add it to my collection. I do loves me a fine cover song.

Karen O – “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”

Download MP3 >> Karen O – Mammas Dont Let Your Sons Grow Up To Be Cowboys

Go with yourself.

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woods

Posted in neat-O gang, tagged instagram on October 12, 2011| 2 Comments »

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Something I can dance to

Posted in music, tagged MP3, Something I Can Dance To, The Knocks on October 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday I posted a video from Dave Wallace. A great wrap-up video from the celebrated Rifflandia festival.

The video features a repetitious, 90s-esque sounding club banger. The song is from a production duo called The Knocks.

The Knocks are from New York City (of course) and have shared the stage with a smorgasbord of elctro-popsters.

The song Dave used in his video is a sample of an Alphabeat song called “DJ” sped up to warp-speed, with some vocals and a little pixie dust.

The Knocks – “Something I Can Dance To”

Download MP3 >> Something I Can Dance To by The Knocks from HEAVYROCMUSIC

Glow sticks Go! and go with yourself.

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The ghost of you lingers… Rifflandia Video

Posted in neat-O gang, tagged Dave Wallace, Innovate Imageworks, Rifflandia on October 10, 2011| 1 Comment »

Local hidalgo Dave Wallace captured some pretty great moments of 2011’s Rifflandia. Check out his video (may or may not contain me and Mads… super briefly).

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I wish you two would get along

Posted in music, The Zone @ 91-3, tagged Chicken Fried, Dylan Willows, Jason Lamb, Jon Williams, Zac Brown Band on October 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Zone DJ Jon Williams got real sick after Rifflandia (so many GERMS!) and rolled into work last week all sniffily with aches and pains. Poor little guy.

The Zone studio is a shared work environment with mics, and keyboards and coffee mugs, and CANDY! So when one of us gets sick, much like a daycare, we all get sick.

Dylan and Jason from The Morning Zone called him out on it! Jon took exception and wrote a dis-rap.

Listen>> Jon’s First Rap

DW and Jason replied with…

Listen >> Jonny’s Rhapsody

Then Jon answered that!

Listen >> Jon’s second rap

… now I just wish these two would get along.

The Jeremy Baker Band – “Get Along“ (mixcloud stream)

Download MP3 >> ZAS-GetAlong

***

Go with yourself.

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all I got is my perception

Posted in music, tagged Black Box Revelation, Chevelle, Face to the Floor, My Perception on October 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Don’t really hear too much rock & roll from Mainland Europe. I can think of one Belgian band you will super occasionally hear on the Zone. K’s Choice! Nice.

France has a couple… Phoenix being the most famous to modern rock listeners in Victoria recently.

Bossman John pulled me into the office to share this band with me… its another garage rock duo (garage rock duos are so hot right now).

The band from Belgium is called The Black Box Revelation. Wonky name, but maybe it sounds better in Flemish?

I can’t remember the song John played in his office for me now… but I did track down their most recent single for you, from their album that comes out… today actually… My Revelation.

The Black Box Revelation – “My Perception”

Download MP3 >> BBR – My Perception

Groovy… sounds like The Black Keys… but Belgian.

***

Also…

New Chevelle. Their new record comes out in December. First single is called “Face to the Floor.”

Chevelle – “Face to the Floor”

Download MP3 >> Chevelle – Face to the Floor

Right, its “hard rock.” Lush production, crunchy guitar hook, wealthy white English-speaking males whining about stuff… hits all the receptors in the brain you’d expect.

I’ve always liked Chevelle… they never re-write the book on a rock & roll songs, but it all sounds like pretty, organized, distortion… processed to the tit. Easy on the head.

Go with yourself.

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Winter is where she abides all the while. The hillsides are covered in snow.

Posted in life or something like it, music, Wedding, tagged Blitzen Trapper, Dos Caminos, first dance songs, Las Vegas, Shine Cafe, swimming, Victoria, Wedding on October 3, 2011| 2 Comments »

Its a bit of a retro hazy throwback style, but I dig Portland’s Blitzen Trapper.

I think it was either Cait Fraser or her old boyfriend that got me into the song “Furr.” Such a groovy song. I downloaded a couple other songs from the band. The other day SubPop sent their album to the Zone and it caught my eye so I punched it up.

Its a cool, cool record. If you enjoy the folky 70s summer-esque psychedelic rock & roll, you might like this record.

I have a few favourites and I’ll share a couple with you here.

Blitzen Trapper – “Girl in a Coat”

Download MP3 >> 06 Girl in a Coat 1

This song has all sorts of imagery going on. I like to believe its a romantic ode to a “girl in a coat.” Singing about seasons and adventuring… its a pretty song indeed.

The other song I like talks about space! Maybe a great theme song for DW’s SpaceBook.

Blitzen Trapper – “Astronaut”

Download MP3 >> 08 Astronaut 1

OK… so its not really about space… its about a girl, of course, like ALL songs. But like… I hope her brother’s don’t come after him! Nice. Spacesuits, grand “illusions,” then some good all southern style groove.

Righteous. I was third and inches from buying the vinyl on the weekend… found an ounce of discipline and kept from spending my meager pay-cheque on music for a change.

***

It was my last wedding of the season yesterday under the tent at Sea Cider. I’ll have a handful of events till the end of the year, but most the hustle and bustle is winding down.

It was a very nice, contemporary wedding in a light rain. I think I like October weddings. Wait… I got married in October! (so did my folks). No wonder. Neat.

I had posted the other day about Wedding First Dance Songs. Coral and I got married in Vegas and had our reception at Dos Caminos… mighty TIME! But no dancing, no first dance… there were kinda some drunken speeches yelled over the din of the restaurant, but definitely not a traditional wedding style.

BUT what would Coral and I have chosen as a wedding song? Back when we planned such things, Coral saw on Ellen that she used this Joshua Radin song, “Today.” I imagine that in 2008/09 that was a very popular song to use for a first dance.

I would choose Grand Archives, “Swan Matches” or even The National’s “Slow Show.” I dunno if its like “romantic” in the traditional sense, but an important song to me personally.

Corjamorj texted me while I was at the wedding last night. I guess she read this blog or thought about it or whatever… but she would pick Ray LaMontagne’s “Shelter.”

Then talking with Sea Cider’s Alix… I went, “wait a minute, I have emails from all the brides and grooms and all the songs they chose as first dances… maybe I should make a playlist with the songs.”

Last night, after the wedding… I changed into my pajama pants and bro-shirt, got comfy on the couch and sifted through old emails to find all the first dance requests. Then made:

Mixcloud: Mixtape >> First Dance Songs Part 2

Have a listen.

***

I had a great weekend with Mads. Saturday we all mostly did chores and cleaned our apartment. Then I took Maddy swimming which she loves. The public pool is just $6, which I think is good value for the amount of time it keeps us entertained and active. A movie date would cost many times that, be a strong pull towards junk food, be sedentary and keep her occupied for less time.

So I’m bullish on investing in public pools!

Sunday I woke up oddly early. I watched a movie then thought, I better use my day before I lounge it away… as I got ready to skip outta the house, Mads woke up too and asked if we could go downtown. Sure, so I got her ready (well Corj did her hair like always) and we went record shopping (where I did NOT buy Blitzen Trapper) then to Shine for breakfast. It was lined up down the block with a whose-who of hipsters, UVic kids and people-about-town. But I was on Island time so Mads and I used the 30-40 minutes to explore the city (she really like going “downtown”) and playing train.

Then crushed back the most mighty of omelets, toast, fruit and bacon! Being only 3-and-a-half.. Madelyn is a pretty cheap date as we share just one breakfast.