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Tag Archive: Yeasayer

Yeasayer Gets Remixed by Teen Daze

Aug.01, 2010

Oddblood isn't one of my favorite albums of the year, but it's impossible to argue the worth of the album's solid pearl, "O.N.E." Of course, there are plenty of fans that are still humming the tunes from this year's early release, but I'm not one of them. Our writer James is a big fan and actually got Yeasayer tattooed on his right tricep, just underneath his GNR Lies tat. Kidding. I do like this track though, and basement producer and remix-extraordinaire, Teen Daze, has worked it over pretty well. It encompasses the central nuance but fills it in with even more danceable and ass-shaking grooves. Enjoy.

Yeasayer – O.N.E. (Teen Daze Remix)

Tags: Remixes, Teen Daze, Yeasayer

Sleigh Bells – Grog Shop – 4/30/10 Live Review

Filed Under: Live Shows, New Music

May.04, 2010

While waiting in the long line almost 2 hours before the bands started, the Grog opened up another entrance for "21 and over with a hard ticket" and apparently only about 3% of the concert goers were able to chose that option. I began to get the vibe that I was going to be enjoying this show from quite a distance. Teens don't drink much, so they don't go to the bar, so they don't pee, hence they don't have to move. They had the stage surrounded 15 feet deep, with 90 minutes left before Sleigh Bells came on. So after I got my wristband, I went to the only place I'm aware of in Coventry that serves good old gluten free Redbridge. The Winking Lizard. By the time I got back from the bar, the Grog was packed to the back. Anyway, I'm not hating on the teens, I definitely remember those days. It was so routine to get there early, go up to the front, and wait. You had a fucking blast and wondered why people needed to drink alcohol to have a good time. Back when crowd surfing was still socially acceptable. I was supposed to meet back up with friends at the Lizard before the show, but somehow they lost track of time. I discovered their whereabouts during the break, shortly before Yeasayer was about to go on. They were hanging out back in the car. It smelled like a skunk was in there and they were giggling like schoolgirls. The skunk was either really funny or it beared a strinking resemblance to Justin Bieber.

If Clevelanders were surprised that April concluded with a sweaty 84 degree day, they shouldn't have been. Sleigh Bells were in town and they brought the noise. After almost a minute in the dark, listening to an anxious little intro beat, they "dropped the hammer down" with the first song of the set, "Tell Em". The sold out and very attentive crowd lost their shit in one way or another. Lead singer Alexis Krauss burst all over the stage like a force to be reckoned with, entrancing the entire room with her dashing looks, full throttle force and charismatic voice. She makes fireworks seem dull and fireworks are illegal in Ohio, so that's quite a feat if you ask me. Sleigh Bells continued to keep the audience jumping and shouting for more. They engulfed the crowd with their thumping laser beam beats and chomping minimalist guitar riffs, while smashing through several songs off their upcoming album Treats. There was some question regarding how they would translate live and they pulled it off, sometimes sounding much better than their previous recordings. They delivered on a storm of hot tracks and high energy. Except for one moment. When Alexis gave a shout out to Pittsburgh at the beginning of "Kids". WTF. We're really looking forward to Pitchfork and they're still one of the reasons why. If you get a chance, go see them, you won't be disappointed. Unless Alexis gives a shout out to Ann Arbor.

Below is the new track they opened the show with. Below that is a video from the first song of Yeasayer's set, featuring Chris Keating lip syncing over a rare recording from Optimus Prime's spoken word poetry kick, and brought to you by Cleveland's own kingofthecastle7. That dude doesn't mess around, after holding his arm up for 3 hours a night, I'm pretty sure he could decapitate you with his closeline. Enjoy!!

Sleigh Bells – Tell Em

Tags: Grog Shop, Redbridge, Sleigh Bells, Yeasayer

Radio Dick – Fast Swimmers Edition

Filed Under: General Interest

Feb.21, 2010

As you may have noticed, we’ve been a little weak with the content this week. You get our sincere apologies. It’s been a busy few weeks for all of the Dicks and we’re slowly finishing up the circle laps we’ve been swimming. We’ll keep this short and simple: There are huge things happening musically and this week has been pretty active. This week’s list includes some of the best tracks we’ve been hearing of late. In the meantime, make sure to:

Oh, and enjoy this week’s list…..

This Week’s Track List

James Vincent McMorrow – If I Had a Boat – This one popped into our submission dropbox earlier this week. James Vincent McMorrow’s gentle croon is easy to like here. His debut album drops on February 26th in Ireland and there’s certainly a unique mix of brooding folk and drenching soulful vocal delivery. Check out his myspace page HERE, and look further into his music. There’s a distinct maturity that unfolds upon multiple listens.

James Vincent McMorrow – If I Had a Boat

Future Islands – Tin Man – The fine folks at Thrill Jockey just sent over the upcoming Future Islands album, In Evening Air, which is set to be released on May 4^th. This first downloadable track, “Tin Man” bursts into your ears with heavily chopped percussion and snarling vocals. Since we’ve just received the album, we don’t have much to report here, other than that this first track has pushed the album up in our listening pile. Check out the band’s website HERE and stay tuned for more.

Future Islands – Tin Man

AB and the Sea – Bone Dry – We stumbled upon AB and the Sea during our recent research on The Morning Benders. This Bay Area band is locked and loaded and “Bone Dry” is being offered for free download for registering on the band’s website. Check out the embedded link below and snag this track. It’s loyally honest and sincere. It’s ear candy for a lazy Sunday morning. The band is releasing 5 free singles and using an interesting “unlock” strategy to get folks to embed the widget on their sites. Well, damn. I’m a sucker. When enough people download “Bone Dry, they’ll unlock the second track. This process continues until all five free tracks are released. Check out the band’s website HERE for more information and to catch the next four singles.

Epstein – A Lost Animal – Roberto Carlos Lange goes by quite a few names, most recently Helado Negro, and we absolutely loved his 2009 output. Also going by Epstein, Lange is hard at work again with a two brand new full lengths on the way, the first being When a Man is Full, He Falls Asleep, due out March 9th. Additionally, the entire back catalog of his inspired 10 year career will be released for the first time to US store shelves. This just popped into our email recently, so we’ll spend some time with the new album and write again soon. In the meantime, enjoy the album’s closing track, “A Lost Animal,” and give us your thoughts. To me, there’s something incredibly magnetic going on here. Check out the Asthmatic Kitty website for more information regarding these releases.

Epstein – A Lost Animal (Featuring School of Seven Bells)

Annuals – Loxtep – We had the chance to sit down with Annuals when they rolled through Cleveland in the dead winter of 2009. When caught in a live setting, this North Carolinian sextet projects enough sound to blow out most arenas. The tiny Grog Shop atmosphere was, needless to say, restricting. We’ve been patiently waiting for the next project, and it seems to be close on the horizon. “Loxtep” is part of an EP named Sweet Sister that will be released on March 30^th. Their 2009 LP Such Fun was quietly one of the better albums of the year. We’re excited to hear the newest material. Even if it’s just five songs, it should be enough to tide the old fans over and provide a taste for those just diving in.

Annuals – Loxtep

Follow That Bird – The Ghosts that Wake You – We picked this one up (via You Ain’t No Picasso) and did a little digging afterwards. We’re fans of the straight-laced rocking energy this track. They’ve recently done a lounge act at WOXY and you can snag that session by going to The Futurist.

Follow That Bird – The Ghosts That Wake You

Broken Social Scene – World Sick – We don’t have this one linked up for you to download. You’ll have to go to the band’s website and sign up with your email. However, is this a difficult thing to decide? The seminal band is primed for the new LP release and is offering this one up to those who register with the site. We’re stoked to head up to Toronto to see the Island Concert with Pavement and Band of Horses later on this year. Get out your old BSS records and go to work. This one’s going to hit the interwebs hard this year. Might as well get a head start. To get the download, click HERE to snag it.

Ted Leo – The Mighty Sparrow – We’ve already got our tickets prepared for Ted Leo’s tour-opening show on March 11^th in Cleveland. With a new full length set to be released through Matador, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists have released the album’s opener for download. Two days before they hit Cleveland, the full length is getting its proper release on March 9^th. “The Mighty Sparrow” promises that The Brutalist Bricks will stomp and kick with enough jarring energy to make cakes fall in your neighbor’s oven.

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – The Mighty Sparrow

The Megaphonic Thrift – Mad Mary – We’ve sorely dropped the ball in recognizing this band. We posted “Acid Blues” yesterday and discussed the Norse noise rock band’s weekend performances at by:Larm in Oslo. This six minute track is also from the Acid Blues 7” and moves into poppier modalities but exhibits mature musicianship, as well. The band is made up of a conglomerate of Norwegian acts of note, including Casio Kids and Low Frequency in Stereo. Check out yesterday’s POST to snag “Acid Blues” and enjoy “Mad Mary.” This is 100 percent a band to watch and follow. Their sound will translate well over here in the US, and the last three minutes of this song provides all the proof you need.

The Megaphonic Thrift – Mad Mary

The Morning Benders – Excuses – Ever since Yours Truly popped the video of The Morning Benders performing the orchestral rendition of “Excuses,” the buzz train has begun to mount fairly heavily across the blogosphere for this band. We’ve heard Big Echo and it’s as advertised. As the band marches into indie-darling status, do yourself the favor and hop on board early. This song maintains all the shifty retro coolness we’d expect after the initial leak of “Promises.” Noteworthy, however, is that the full album sneaks around plenty of corners and rarely leaves listeners stuck in one mode. Enjoy “Excuses,” an check out the full length in early April.

The Morning Benders – Excuses

CANT – Ghosts (Class Actress Remix) - Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor is crazy busy over at his own Terrible Records, and has just released a remixed version of “Ghosts” out into the world. That track dropped quietly at the tail end of last year and the remixed version is worth a listen. Check out the website’s blog for more information on all of the stirring the pot Taylor’s been up to.

CANT – Ghosts (Class Actress Remix)

Tags: AB and the Sea, Annuals, Broken Social Scene, Cant, Class Actress, Epstein, Future Islands, Radio Dick, Ted Leo, The Megaphonic Thrift, The Morning Benders, Yeasayer

Radio Dick – Happy Valentine’s Day Edition

Filed Under: General Interest

Feb.14, 2010

I believe one of our first Radio Dick features was on Valentine’s Day last year. I vaguely remember hosting a sarcastic discussion about how I was more interested in getting my tax return than in any sort of holiday for lovers. It’s probably fitting this week that the blogosphere was splattered with so much loving treatment, and of course, I’m alluding to the unwarned shut downs of two of our favorite blogs, Pop Tarts Suck Toasted (NYC) and local favorite, I Rock Cleveland. I’m not going to offer a detailed explanation of events, but I will throw out two things the music blogging industry might consider in the aftermath of such well advertised slash and burn campaign. For those that are entering this without any background knowledge, Google’s blogger shut down quite a few noteworthy blogs that, according to their very limited email communication, violated their terms of use policies regarding fair use of MP3′s. Bill (from I Rock Cleveland) posted all over the web in the days immediately following the closure of his own site, protesting that the tracks he posted on site were expressly permitted by PR companies and/or record labels. Music bloggers make up a huge segment of blogger’s population. As the majors begin to jump ship over to wordpress, I have to wonder what the future implications must be and what everyday joe music bloggers like us might want to consider. Here are two areas this whole debacle has forced me to think about.

1. Record Labels and PR companies could form a more unified communication structure. Bloggers love music and they love writing about it. We love labels and (mostly) love getting those emailed one-sheets/tracks from PR firms. Any blogger can tell you, however, is that this isn’t a streamlined process and communication gets skewed all the time. I think a big portion of this discussion needs to steer toward the effective communication between PR firms and labels regarding what songs are free to post. Some firms are absolutely top-notch when it comes to this, but it seems like there are about 600 renegade PR startups that are about as disorganized as my junk drawer. When a dude’s blog is getting shut down because of poor communication between the axe wielders, someone has to stick up for the little man. Nobody should be flagging down tracks unless, first of all, the labels themselves have an organized way to maintain the tracks they fling out into the ether months before street date releases. Basically, I think that if a label plans on embracing the music blog philosophy, then they should embrace it thoroughly. Any firm or label that accepts bloggers as a healthy avenue to spread the word, shouldn’t flag tracks until they have a systematic way to document who’s allowed and who’s not. I have been reading I Rock Cleveland for several years, and I’m certain it’s on the up and up. Bill’s not posting full albums or linking to torrent sites. He’s communicating with firms and doing what they allow him to.

2. As bloggers, would it be against the grain to form some sort of advocacy group for this type of thing in the future? It was great to see the outpouring after all of this shook down. The blog at elbows, twitter feeds, and even local newspapers here in Cleveland got into the mix. I’d imagine that elbows and hypem might be an excellent place to start in this endeavor, but in the future, I think it might be important to unite in some regards to advocate for one another. I’m not exactly saying that I need Christmas cards from Pitchfork or anything, but the way it stands now, most of us are just dudes expressing our opinion on songs we like. There is no way we could withstand the machine once it starts chopping. Eventually, our host sites are going to follow suit, and wordpress will be just as variable when it comes to MP3 posting. Someone should create a database, shoot out some legitimate emails and sign folks up into some sort of advocacy group. There has to be a reputable music blogger that also happens to be an attorney, right? When successful internet media outlets serve to take action away from the biggies, it’ll never be a good thing for folks like Bill and Patrick (from Pop Tarts Suck Toasted). The best they could do was swing into a crude wordpress design and, thankfully, upload the backed up files they had.

Of course, now I’m about to post a slew of MP3′s on my music blog. The irony is thick. As I steer away from the blog shutdown issue and into today’s list, don’t forget to follow us on FACEBOOK and TWITTER to keep you up to speed. I hope you’ll notice that I haven’t discussed Valentine’s Day. This is by design. I still hate this holiday.

This Week’s Track List

Or, The Whale – Toxic – This is the closest you’ll ever hear me get to even mentioning Britney Spears on my blog. There you have it. I went and mentioned her. Or, The Whale’s cover of “Toxic,” however, is great. The folked down version is off-kilter and heartwarming. The slow burn of the track and mellow gold sound of the harmonies are spectacular. It’s easy to forget where the original came from. Check out the band’s blog HERE, and if you’re in Austin for SXSW and have a female along for the ride, I can’t think of a better show to hit.

Or, The Whale – Toxic

We Are Wolves – Holding Hands – We received the newest release from Canadian outfit, We are Wolves, earlier this week and wish we would have gotten it sooner. Their third release, Invisible Violence, is a conglomerate of rock inspired danceable fuzz. The band describes their sound as “A post-punk landscape filled with analogue trees. It’s like rock after the post-modern explosion.” The band is set to play SXSW, as well. “Holding Hands” is an excellent taste of the album, but the variety in the record is worth noting. Spin the entire thing to assess its value, witch we recommend completely.

We Are Wolves – Holding Hands

Joanna Newsom – Kingfisher – The buzz surrounding the upcoming Drag City release, Have One On Me is swirling to stratospheric proportions and not without merit. Joanna Newsom has launched a few tracks from her epic 3-CD collection. The polarizing nature of Newsom is interesting, but this lengthy narrative track, in our opinion, is the best of the loot so far. The album is released on the 23^rd.

Joanna Newsom – Kingfisher

The Golden Filter – Hide Me – The Golden Filter’s ominous and brooding electronica is complete nourishment for the ears. A single for “Hide Me” is set to be released on 4/19 to gear up for their April release of their Voluspa full length. The duo is busy and the release of this track marks the beginning of the hype.

The Golden Filter – Hide Me

Little Girls – 10 Mile Stereo (Beach House Cover) – This cover of Beach House’s original is spectacular and I can’t stop hitting repeat. This track has been making its rounds as of late, and as is our duty, we include it on today’s list.

Little Girls – 10 Mile Stereo (Beach House Cover)

Japandroids – Art Czars – Japandroids is coming to Cleveland soon, and we were sorely upset we missed their show at Now That’s Class a few months back. We have early bedtimes, so we’re banking on the Grog Shop show (hopefully) beginning a bit sooner. Polyvinyl’s re-release of Post-Nothing was a breath of gritty fresh air last year, and the band absolutely blew us away at the Pitchfork Festival, as well. The duo has been touring relentlessly, but two 7” singles are on the way shortly. “Art Czars” is the first released single, and if you’re a fan of Post-Nothing, this is candy to the ears.

Japandroids – Art Czars

Pattern is Movement – Light Of The World – We love when artists throw out tracks during the arduous recording process of an upcoming album. Pattern is Movement is offering up a tour-only EP at their show merchandise tables that includes music they’ve put together in the process of creating their newest album. “Light of the World” will be paired with other unreleased material. For those of us who may not be able to make it to the tour, they’ve offered this to help spread the word. In the wake of the critical acclaim of All Together, we’re excited to hear where this goes next.

Pattern is Movement – Light of the World

The Morning Benders – Promises – A late night on Twitter and a tweet from Chris at Gorilla vs. Bear gave me this great video nugget of The Morning Benders performing unreleased tracks along with an orchestra with folks like John Vanderslice. I’ve posted this track before, but as their forthcoming album Big Echo, approaches the release date, I’ve been spinning it more and more. This album is primed to be one of the best of the year, so if you’ve not hopped on board yet, check out the video material at Gorilla vs. Bear and crank “Promises” as loud as you can. We’ll have a full on review as the release date nears, but this should keep you sated in the meantime.

The Morning Benders – Promises

The Radio Dept. – Heaven’s On Fire – Clinging to a Scheme is set to drop on April 21^st, and whether or not you were fans of 2006’s Pet Grief or any of The Radio Dept. back catalog, this newest release from the Swedish pop outfit is fabulous. We’ve been spinning the album a lot here lately, and it’s jumping outward, with nuances that are sonically different from previous material. They’re not jumping ship from the formula that works here, but for those that have been waiting patiently, “Heaven’s On Fire” will cure what ails you.

The Radio Dept. – Heaven’s on Fire

Preview of Reviews This Week:

In a new twist to Radio Dick, I’ve decided to, whenever possible, offer up a preview of album reviews we’ve got on tap for the week to come. Here are three that you can expect on the site this week.

Shearwater – Black Eyes – Shearwater’s The Golden Archipelago is set to hit the shelves on the 23^rdvia Matador. I took a trip to Pittsburgh this weekend and had zero problems spinning this amazing album the entire way. It’s epic in scope, thematic importance, and sound. It’s been getting a healthy amount of buzz due to 2008’s Rook, and also through the release of “Castaways” what seems like ages ago. The album doesn’t disappoint. “Black Eyes” was the second legal download they’ve shipped out. Enjoy this one and check the site this week for the full review.

Shearwater – Black Eyes

Yeasayer – Ambling Alp – Our writer Justin’s nimble fingers are feverishly wrapping up the review for Oddblood, and you can expect this review on the site early tomorrow morning. We’ve spent plenty of time with the album, and it’s incredible mixture of varietal sounds is noteworthy. As the blogosphere continues to laud this year’s Phoenix, we’re pleased to watch the success the band reaps. “O.N.E” is easily one of the best throwback tracks I’ve heard in a long while, and it’ll be interesting to see exactly how much this thing soars. Check out Justin’s review tomorrow.

Yeasayer – Ambling Alp

Mumford and Sons – White Blank Page - Since posting “Little Lion Man” way back in October, the flame has ignited slowly (but surely) for English act, Mumford and Sons. Sigh No More hits US shelves this Tuesday, but the buzz in their own country has already been moving. They’ve just been signed on to perform at Bonnaroo and, at this point, the sky’s the limit. The grandiose mixture of chamber folk and cinematic pop is catchy and cathartic. I’ll man up and have the review by Thursday, so stay tuned. Plenty to love with this band, and “White Blank Page” is just another taste.

Mumford and Sons – White Blank Page

Tags: Japandroids, Joanna Newsom, Little Girls, Mumford and Sons, Or The Whale, Pattern is Movement, Radio Dick, Shearwater, The Golden Filter, The Morning Benders, The Radio Dept., We Are Wolves, Yeasayer

Radio Dick – Breaking Routine (Part I)

Filed Under: General Interest

Feb.06, 2010

Those dudes up there attended Yale. They’re ambitious and reliable. If I were forced to hop in a boat with 9 other dudes for my own safety, I’d be pleased to have these young lads at the helm. We’re not as reliable at Citizen Dick, or at least we haven’t been over the last three days. As such, our usual Sunday Radio Dick is being hit a bit early this week. We’ll hit you five tracks today and five tracks tomorrow. Big things have been going on around our Eastern Campus this week that have forced to go idle for a bit. Our apologies! Our writer, Brian, just became a proud papa. His son, Avi, was born this week, and our sincere congratulations go out to Brian and Mrs. Citizen. He usually hits you with his weekly Lazy Saturday posts, but he’s a bit busy at the moment introducing little Avi to the world of Megafaun and Phish. Look out world. At age 12, we’ll have another writer on the site.

Additionally, with tomorrow being the Super Bowl, we’re guessing that everyone’s going to slow down a bit musically and roll to the party circuit. As we hang back a bit and look at the last seven days, quite a bit of tracks have been flying through our emails. This week’s list is divided into two days and includes some just-leaked tracks from upcoming releases. Check out Radio Dick Part Deux tomorrow morning for five more.

This Week’s List

Ariana Delawari – San Francisco – The situationally unique issues surrounding the recording of Delawari’s Lion of Panjshir are cool enough to hang your hat on. The album was recorded partially in Delawari’s homeland in Afghanistan while armed guards stood outside the door of the family home. It’s produced by David Lynch, as well. “San Francisco” was a track just cleared for blogger-posting so it’s a no brainer to get it on the site. Delawari sprinkles this album with a myriad of styles but this track is the one I continually go to on the album. It’s bluesy and emits a heavy dose of warbly southern growling. Repeat value written all over it. Certainly snag the entire album and read our late 2009 review HERE. Let this track give you a taste if you’ve not gotten the chance.

Ariana Delawari – San Francisco

Yeasayer – O.N.E. (XXXChange Remix) – This week, Yeasayer’s all set to drop Oddblood to the universe with as much fanfare as tomorrow’s Super Bowl. As bloggers, we’ve received the heavy onslaught of PR emails, tweets, and have run the hype gamut. The positive thing is that Oddblood holds up to the media frenzy with an incredibly consistent and sonorous collection of 12 tracks. “O.N.E” was recently shelled out as a download to folks signing up at the band’s website. This remix wanders into interesting blipped out controlled-chaos territory, and since we’ve got a full abum review on tap for this week, the remix should hold you over. If you’ve not pre-ordered the album, you can do so HERE and get some cool goodies, to boot.

Yeasayer – O.N.E. (XXXChange Remix)

Esben and The Witch – Marching Song – We snagged this from Pitchfork on their daily Forkcast section, and we’re glad we tooled around over there this week. This English band has leaked out two tracks recently, including this one. They’re soon to be releasing a limited pressing 7” that includes the other track, “Lucia” which can be streamed at Pitchfork right now. We’re digging “Marching Song” for several reasons. First, it’s got all the brooding spirit of a hollow dirge, and the strikingly varietal percussion drops this somewhere into the realm of ethereal gloom. Super wicked double crooning erupts about midway through, leaving listeners both creeped out and oddly inspired. Sign us up for releases in the future. This isn’t primed to wake you up this morning, but may do an excellent job scaring the shit out of you.

Esben and The Witch – Marching Song

Cloud Nothings – Old Street – Our very own Cloud Nothings has a blossoming interest in the blogosphere of late and we’re absolutely stoked over here. The band’s got quite a heavy following here in the rust belt, and it’s always promising to see our home team get some notice. The band’s SXSW shows are all lined up and we’re giving our ringing endorsement to check them out in Austin. The vinyl release of Turning On hits shelves on February 23^rd, and this track, “Old Street,” is a slice of a stylistically slippery (yet all fabulous) sound you’ll get with the album’s purchase. The fuzzy undertones slides back a few decades into harmonious hook-driven rock n’ roll. Big bass lines and addictive distortion make this a track I’ve been blasting in my car for days, attempting to add a jolt of color into this grey Cleveland Winter. For those of you reading in the Cleveland area, you can check out the vinyl release party at Believeland on 2/13. Catch that show, because it’ll be the last time they hit Cleveland, presumably, before the SXSW madness wraps up. Cleveland Rocks, yo. So does Cloud Nothings.

Cloud Nothings – Old Street

Twin Shadow – Castles in the Snow – Brooklyn-based Twin Shadow, AKA George Lewis, Jr. is set to release his debut EP later this year. Produced by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor (which seems to be a recurring news story of late) via his own Terrible Records, the EP promises excellently produced sound. The taste here in “Castles in The Snow” launches listeners through plenty of the aforementioned sound. Driving synthesizers and a killer chillwave aura, for some reason, seems louder than some of the other bands dropping this sort of thing recently. Neon Indian has been touring of late, and I’d think this would be an excellent pairing. Lewis’ vocals are better. Catchy in all the right ways and epic in scope, Twin Shadow is certainly an outfit to keep an eye on as 2010 rambles onward. If you’re not hitting repeat on this track, check your pulse.

Twin Shadow – Castles in The Snow

Tags: Ariana Delawari, Cloud Nothings, Esben and the Witch, Radio Dick, Twin Shadows, Yeasayer

Radio Dick – Don’t Sweat the Technique

Filed Under: General Interest

Nov.15, 2009

Does video art sap the life right out of musical lyricism, stifling imagination? I begin today’s Radio Dick with my simplistic and probably naive assertion that one ought to still read words and not dive too heavily into visual culture. My thoughts have been weighing pretty heavily on this idea lately; my 9th grade class is moving through Romeo and Juliet with me and I can’t help but notice the dwindling patience with the text, the lack of analysis without strong coaching from my end with visual stimuli. The largely thematic aspects of the play still garner interest, and this is hugely important because it grounds my point. Kids haven’t changed and people still are the same underneath. The same things interest us and forge discussion. My worry is that the avenues for finding meaningful dialogue are becoming restricted. In other words, the things that make us TALK are not as plentiful as they once were, primarily because of the language and imagination-restricting nature of our visual dependence. The central conundrum is that today’s media TELLS us what to think and feel. We lose imagination. We limit dialogue. In fact, media today may be serving to decay our ability to think critically and evaluate our surroundings. If someone SHOWS me what a cheeseburger should look like, I tend to take their word for it; proof’s in the picture, right? I don’t question or evaluate the cheeseburger. I simply move on to the next piece of concrete visual stimuli I can find. We still crave knowledge as humans; visual media just tricks us into a catch-22. If we can see it, it must be truth. If this is the case, why look elsewhere for understanding?

The problem is that we must have a language first, in order for the visual stimuli to make any sort of sense. If visual stimuli restrict our ability to discuss and think critically, then what is happening to language? That is my key question. Many of the points I just made aren’t prophetic or hugely philosophical. The question I just posed is, however. Meaningful dialogue and discussion requires words, and our ability to critically evaluate VISUALS requires words, too. In a toppled world where everyone is focusing on the visual truth of things, language is bound to take a backseat. I see it everyday with my classes. Reading is just not philosophically appealing to many children. Is a stalemate on the horizon somewhere in the future? Will we one day simply have nothing to talk about, and no ability to even understand what we’re SEEING either?

I think somewhere in this mess of unanswered questions and poorly constructed arguments I’ve just posed lies the importance of visual art. Not visual media, but critically latent and complex artwork of the visual nature. Nobody tells me what to think when I watch a Kubrick flick and that’s what I love about it. Likewise, nobody does an op-ed video snippet about how I’m supposed to interpret Picasso’s Blue Period. Visuals have a place, but only if they allow for critical thought. This is important, I think. Obviously as many of the indie bands we discuss on this blog march onward in popularity, the inevitable music video always gets attached to the song. My opinion is that the visual representation of music deafens the lyricism, and runs the risk of telling me what I’m supposed to gather from the lyrical tilt of a particular track. I hate this, and that’s why I normally detest music videos. I embrace a song’s lyrical nature before I address it’s musical qualities. It’s how I roll as a poetry guy. To take a very childish approach, when music videos tell me I’m wrong or that I’ve misconstrued meaning, I’m pissed. I suppose it’s similar to the same feeling many take home after watching the film version of their favorite novel. I worry about that whole idea flip-flopping, to where as a culture, we’ll value the interpretations of originals more than the originals themselves because they make it easier for us to understand. Remixes, Cliff’s Notes, Harry Potter movies, Insert This For Dummies, Wikipedia, PR Posters, Pimp My Truck, etc. We want desperately to think and evaluate, but we want speedy routes into understanding.

Sometimes, I can get behind music videos, however. Maybe it’s when the visual art matches my original interpretation of the song lyrics. This would be mildly arrogant on my part, but easy to explain. I do think, though, that when artists pair up with effective visual artists, magic can happen. When the visual artistic representation can stand alone for its visually artistic merits, we’re usually in a good position to see an effective music video. It absolutely cannot mar the original, or I come out ready to throw down.

To kind of express my point, regardless if it’s been out for a few weeks, The Low Anthem’s new video for “Oh My God, Charlie Darwin” blows my mind. This song is on my favorites list for 2009, and the album of the same name is top five for me. The song is ultimately a melancholy statement on the cyclical nature of life and a bleak reminder of how we’re essentially helpless when tumbling through the largeness of nature. Imagery of a broken man, tossed around the relentless sea runs throughout the song, and while incredibly gorgeous harmonies and swirling pump organs pin the song down, it’s the lyricism that strikes me the most. Of course, visually, the band has put together an excellent representation of the track, clay-mation and all. I can rally behind the visual art, but not for the thematic representation. That remains between my brain and the lyrics of the song. On it’s own, however, a thought provoking, visually important piece of art unfolds. Enjoy.

<a href="http://www.vimeo.com/7225514">http://www.vimeo.com/7225514</a>

This is a trite argument to mask my laziness, or possibly it alludes to my busy schedule; I don’t have videos for any of the tracks below. I do, however, think it’s a great list. “Black Smoke” by Tindersticks and “October Fires” from Jajaguwar’s own Wolf People are on constant repeat. The recently disbanded Harlem Shakes leaves guitarist, Todd Goldstein, enough time to work on his own solo project, ARMS. The demo “Homelife” is intriguing, as have most of the tracks he’s released out into the ether recently. Avi Buffalo’s track “Whats In It For?” has been out and about for awhile, and it’s grown on me recently so I’ve included it. “Stillness is the Move” is one of my favorites off of Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca, so the Solange cover is worth a listen. Memory Tapes mixing Yeasayer’s “Ambling Alp,” some Atlas Sound, and a kickass psychedelic surf anthem in Happy Family’s “Going To” give you the meat of today’s list. Check out more on these bands, as many have releases hitting the shelves in early 2010. It’s going to be a good year for music next year. The early part of the year is already shaping up to be mindblowing.

The Bravery – The Spectator

Sambassadeur – Days

Midnight Masses – Walk On Water

ARMS – Homelife (Demo)

Wolf People – October Fires

Solange – Stillness Is The Move (Dirty Projectors Cover)

Cloud Nothings – Hey Cool Kid

Avi Buffalo – Whats In It For?

Happy Family – Going To

Atlas Sound – The Screens

Blessure Grave – Stranger In The House

Yeasayer – Ambling Alp (Memory Tapes Remix)

The Mary Onettes – Puzzles

Tindersticks – Black Smoke

Tags: ARMS, Atlas Sound, Avi Buffalo, Blessure Grave, Cloud Nothings, Happy Family, Memory Tapes, Midnight Masses, Sambassadeur, Solange, The Bravery, The Mary Onettes, Tindersticks, Wolf People, Yeasayer

Radio Dick – Chocolate Hangover Edition

Filed Under: General Interest

Nov.01, 2009

If you’ve noticed, I switched up the format of Radio Dick over the last couple of weeks into semi-review mode as opposed to the bag-o-tunes mentality. However, just this once, I’m going back to the old-school mode, specifically using the “I’ve got too much grading to do” argument. The end of the first nine weeks just ended at the high school where Brian and I are gainfully employed. This equates to very little time to write prose on the merits of these tracks. Just take our word for it and check out each of these bands; most of these tracks just popped their heads out this week and, although I’m not writing much about each, they’ve all got my stamp of approval.

No kidding, folks, Halloween brings out the worst in kids. Last night, kids from down the street ran through the neighborhood smashing jack-o-lanterns and spray painting graffiti on various houses. Luckily mine was spared, but it begs the question, is morality shifting? This week I did a little experiment to go along with my British Literature class reading of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. If you’re not familiar with that Arthurian tale, in a nutshell, Gawain shatters his honor and lies in order to, literally, save his neck from The Green Knight’s axe. To pound home this idea, I passed out a quiz to my class. What they didn’t know was that I had randomly placed three answer key quizzes with the answers already filled in. I didn’t say a word and simply passed them around the room, half-expecting at least ONE student to chime in and let me know I had accidentally passed out the answers. In the three courses I did this with all day, not one student raised their hand and took the honest route. All students used the answers to their advantage and cheated. Interesting, eh?

When all of the students handed in the finished quizzes, I spoke to them about honor and integrity and Sir Gawain, then politely asked why nobody in the class thought to let me know I had passed out answers to the quiz. Mouths dropped and students were shocked (mildly excited, too). The cheating students (when given complete immunity) fessed up and most had no problem and said they’d do it again. Maybe I got unlucky and accidentally passed out the answers to kids that would paint graffiti on innocent peoples’ homes. Maybe they’ve just not advanced very far on Kohlberg’s morality scale. Or, perhaps, we’ve got no hope left at all. What was interesting about all of this is the dichotomy between what all of the students SAID they believed and what they actually DID in the heat of the moment. Did I entrap them? Sure. A little. Could they still have been honest? Absolutely.

All this to say that Halloween has come to pass, and hopefully the kids were just charged up on chocolate and that explains the trashing of my neighborhood. Musically, I thought at first about steering into Halloween based tracks like every other blog has done this weekend. Instead, I decided to stick with the new music route. Look for long-form album reviews of a lot of these artists as the tracks start to hit the shelves. I’ll at least mention one of the tracks, “Floating Vibes,” by Surfer Blood, as I just received the album in advance last week. The hype machine’s already rolling on this band and keep your eyes peeled for tracks as they start hitting the ether. The album is fresh, unique, and reminds me of the game changing sound Weezer presented us in their debut release so many years ago. I’m excited for this release, so at least enjoy this tune for now. Have a good work week, and hit the gym to work off the sixteen bags of peanut M&M’s you downed last night.

Dominant Legs – Clawing Out At The Walls

Cold Cave – The Laurels of Erotomania

ARMS – Tiger Tamer

Surfer Blood – Floating Vibes

Mount Eerie – Wind’s Dark Poem

Yeasayer – Ambling Alp

The Soft Pack – Answer To Yourself

Glass Ghost – Mechanical Life

Field Music – Measure

Drink Up Buttercup – Even Think (Andrew W.K. Remix)

The Big Pink – Dominos (Switch Remix)

Tags: ARMS, Cold Cave, Dominant Legs, Drink Up Buttercup, Field Music, Glass Ghost, Mount Eerie, Radio Dick, Surfer Blood, The Big Pink, The Soft Pack, Yeasayer

Radio Dick – Full Throttle to Chicago Edition

Filed Under: General Interest

Jul.12, 2009

Brian was a bit salty yesterday regarding the blogosphere. I gave him a ring after the diatribe and tried to let him know everythin’ was going to work out okay. I’m in complete agreement with him regarding the blatant disregard some folks have with the music that gets leaked to them, but I’ve always thought I’d be torn if I was a record label. What is it that sells more records? Is it band-name exposure and getting the music into the hands of the people regardless of price, or is it holding the music back and limiting its movement with a price tag? I’m too lazy to research the logistics of such a question, but I bet I know what Lars Ulrich’s take on it is. Now I also know my good pal Brian’s opinion, too. Word.

As far as our Radio Dick post, this is an exciting one, and also a bit of a break from the norm. We’ve got quite a bit of business to attend to here and set you up for the blistering week of coverage that’s about to begin today. We’ve got contest winners to announce, a huge concert itenerary to pass onto you, and of course, our opening ceremony (so to speak) for our Pitchfork Festival coverage that culminates the end of this busy nine day period for us. We surely hope you stick around and visit often, as we’ll be hoisting up some great live show reviews, album reviews, and a hefty chunk of P4K coverage, as well. It’s certainly nice when one of the biggest music festivals annually shows up on your back doorstep. With James calling downtown Chicago home, not only will we be able to crash the party for a few nights, we’ll also have a place to stay free of charge. This is a boon to our readers in many ways. Stick around to get in on all the good readin’ material we’re going to throw your way over the next ten days. Giving us press access to the festival was a smooth move on their part. We’ll be passing on that coverage to you.

1. First, thanks to the many, many folks who entered the Fanfarlo Limited Edition box-set giveaway, and congrats to Don, who’s taking home the prize. If you haven’t spun the new Fanfarlo album yet, check www.fanfarlo.com tomorrow, as they’re supposed to unveil all sorts of ways to get your hands on Reservoir, their stellar new release on Rough Trade records.

2. Second, thanks to the mounds of entrants in the Paper Route signed poster contest. After sifting through the pile, James will announce a winner shortly. Look for the email from the little guy. Congrats are in order, and thanks for readin the site.

3. Live Shows: This week we’ve got alot on tap even before I make the long haul to Chicago for the weekend. Those Darlins is on tour, touting the brand-spanking recent release of their self-titled debut. They’re hitting Beachland Tavern on Tuesday, and while our time commitments outside of the blog world haven’t allowed as much coverage as we would like, we’re doing our best to secure an interview and will have a live show review on the site on Wednesday. Also, we’re absolutely stoked for the Megafaun/Bowerbirds show at The Grog Shop the following day. It’s no secret, if you’re a regular reader, about how high we are on Megafaun and have been for awhile. We put their 2008 release on our “Best Albums of 2008″ and Gather, Form and Fly is on track to hit our year end list this year (even if it avoids the use of the oxford comma, which irks me). We’ll have a show review, the ability to prove our hangoverish state, and some pics to go with that one. I’m already chugging a few beers a night to get ready to hear “His Robe” live. Can’t wait.

Thanks for letting me get the business stuff out of the way. If this doesn’t keep you coming around this week, then hopefully our planned Pitchfork coverage will. I’ll be rolling into Chicago early morning on Friday and preparing an exhausting but amazing weekend of live music coverage. We’ll be in the press pit snapping all sorts of photos of the acts and will be sneaking into some after-festival shows. Say what you want about Pitchfork, but this year’s lineup is spectacular. Sunday was sold out quickly, and Saturday just bit the dust earlier in the week. If there’s a way for you to sneak in underneath the fences or in a hippie’s duffel bag, make sure to get your ass in to see the show. If you’re not making the trip, we’ve got you covered. Stay tuned next weekend.

So, for our Radio Dick this week, I thought I’d assault you with some of the tunes I’ll be spinning this week to gear up for the festival. Hit me up in the comments section or leave me a message through the site if you want more info on any of these bands, but if you’re a regular reader, many of these shouldn’t be a secret.

Pitchfork Bands:

Beirut – Postcards from Italy

Yeasayer – Sunrise

Grizzly Bear – On a Neck, On a Spit

Grizzly Bear – Cheerleader

Black Lips – Drop I Hold (Feat. GZA)

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Everything With You

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Come Saturday

Cymbals Eat Guitars – Wind Phoenix

Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire

Bowerbirds – Northern Lights

Bowerbirds – In Our Talons

Dianogah – a breaks b

Ponytail – Beg Waves (Daytrotter Session)

M83 – We Own The Sky (Maps Mix)

Tags: Beirut, Black Lips, Blitzen Trapper, Bowerbirds, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Dianogah, Grizzly Bear, Japandroids, M83, Megafaun, Pitcfork Music Festival, Ponytail, Radio Dick, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Those Darlins, Yeasayer

Radio Dick – Jealousy Weekend Edition

Filed Under: General Interest

Jun.14, 2009

This has been an eventful week at Citizen Dick headquarters, but also one of intense vicarious enjoyment. First, it was the last week of school for Brian and I, which means finals, grading, political nonsense, paperwork, and cleaning. You won’t hear either of us complain about having a couple months off, but it’s still a pretty intense week regardless. All week we sat and read the twitter feeds about Bonnaroo and other noteworthy music festivals and big shows. It’s been rough, to say the least. While we have to pay the bills and all that jazz, we’d certainly rather be sitting in a tent in the middle of nowhere hearing band after band kill it for the filthy and sweaty audiences. As if this wasn’t enough to bother Brian and I, James got to see Vanderslice, Here We Go Magic, and Harlem Shakes (along with others) as he mentioned in his Wednesday and Friday posts this week. To top all of it off, James texted me as I was finishing up the final rounds of paperwork telling me that The Dead Weather had just announced a spur-of-the-moment show in Detroit, Jack’s hometown. If Brian and I didn’t fear our pink slips, we would have been in the car immediately.

To make a long story short, we’ve been jealous of all of the great music all of our blogger brethren and regular readers got to see this weekend. Hell, it’s still going on as I write this post. Twitter message after twitter message and RSS blog feed after feed continually gets under my skin on weekends like this. The one comforting thought is that I have no job for the next couple of months, so ideally this is a feeling I won’t have up until August. So all you clowns that got to go to Bonnaroo or the Northside Festival in Brooklyn, and quite possibly a few of you lucky enough to catch The Dead Weather in Detroit or Toronto, here’s what I’ve been jamming to all weekend with a big ass chip on my shoulder. We’ve got old and new tracks from a few heavy hitting Bonnaroo bands, The Dead Weather’s released single from the 7 inch on RSD2009, and some of the featured bands we love that played at Northside Festival, as well. Enjoy the tracks, and look for more direct coverage of shows as the summer ticks away. I’m finally free dudes, and I’m not going to miss another weekend like this if the law, my finances, and grad school schedule give me a spare second to travel.