Dylan in the Movies

There's nothing exceptionally incredible about Dylan in the Movies, but I hope that doesn't make Brian Sullivan cry. There's still a place in my heart for the exceptionally solid. From what I can gather, since the 2005 release of Feel the Pull, Brian has been pretty quiet, but with a split 7'' just released and a full-length album due later this Spring, 2007 should be a banner year. It's wildly approachable, blending a Del Amitri meets The Wallflowers type of vibe, and it simply makes you feel good.

Listen:
City Skies
[from So Long City Skies 7'' Vinyl|buy]
Better Days
[from Feel the Pull|buy]

Del Amitri and Me

Me and Justin Currie of Del Amitri
Hampton, VA JUNE 1995

I just forked out for some expanded hosting options so I'm going to make my first post a special one. I hope to make this the first of a mini series of posts that contain myself looking ridiculous in my 'tweener years posing cheesily with famous musicians. I've got quite a few and I'm going to keep the list under wraps so you keep checking back.

Picking even 5 Del Amitri songs to post today was seriously insanely difficult for me. As you can see, I'm kind of a fanboy. In my opinion, despite the brief success brought from their surprise hit "Roll to Me" and to a minor extent "Always the Last to Know," they are one of the most underrated and under-appreciated pop bands in recent history. Impeccable melodies, dynamic songwriting and arrangement, and countless hooks were the trademarks of this group of American-sounding Scotsmen. Right before this pic was taken, Justin was telling me they were from Loch Lomond, Scotland. And we just said "Loch Lomond" back and forth for about 3 minutes in heavy Scottish accents. His real, mine terrible. If you're unfamiliar, let this post be a history lesson of sorts.

Listen:
Just Like a Man
Driving with the Brakes On
Cry to be Found
Start With Me
Tell Her This

"Just Like a Man" is from Change Everything (1992)
"Tell Her This", "Start with Me", and "Driving with the Brakes On" are from Twisted (1995).
"Cry to Be Found" is from Hatful of Rain (1998).
[buy their records]

Listening Assignments 2.26.07

1. Bright Eyes - Four Winds - Admittedly Bright Eyes has always been hit or miss to me. Probably because the vibrato always sounds so forced and I can't for the life of me figure out why someone would want to make their voice sound like that. That being said, this song is beautiful and upbeat and approachable and might actually get some airplay. [from Four Winds EP (out 3/6)|buy]

2. These United States - So High So Low So Wide So Long - This vocals in this one creep along on the underbelly of the music, not quite propelling it, but not dragging it down either. It's definitely a mood piece, with very good result because it's really interesting and the melody is engaging. [from The Forest and the Garden|buy]

3. The Changes - When I Wake - First off, the chorus to this song is totally incredible. The rest of the song could suck and I'd be hooked. But the rest of the song is quite enticing as well with a nice '80s vibe and a jolly little beat carrying through. [from Today is Tonight|buy]

4. Page France - Chariot - Everytime I listen to this song, I like it more. It builds beautifully, awash in tambourine and splinteringly adorable vocals. [from Hello, Dear Wind|buy]

Nice Shoes, Wanna Funk?

Fink is a smooth operator. He knows the subtle art of the steady string slap. His voice is like 10000 thread count Egyptian cotton. He's velvet dipped in melted white chocolate. He's like Citizen Cope with less hip-hop/dub/marijuana smoke. He's got flow. He's got ebb. He has the keys the closet where you keep your slow-dancing shoes. He knows where you hide your head-nodding-hat box. Are you picking up what I'm putting down?

Listen:
Pretty Little Thing - "hot little thing that knows it, don't suppose it would be cool if we hung out?"
All Cried Out - "a whole lotta lovin' for a handful a nothin'"
[from Biscuits for Breakfast|buy]

Guilty Pleasure: Lily Allen

Listening to this makes me feel guilty, mostly because I feel a little brainwashed by it. Would I like it as much if there was no British accent? Is Lily Allen R&B's answer to The Streets? I feel manipulated by just about everything found here. The old-sounding horns and synths, that alluring accent, the smart snare-and-conga backbeats, the cutesy piano parts, the cooing background vocals. To be honest, it makes me feel a little dirty. Being clean is overrated anyway.

Listen:
Oh My God (Kaiser Cheifs cover)
Littlest Things
[from Alright, Still|buy]

...of the moment

Favorite Cereal of the moment: Quaker Oat Squares

Favorite Candy of the moment: Starburst Tropical Jelly Beans

Favorite Album of 2006...of the moment: Field Music - Tones of Town

Favorite Beer of the moment: Leinenkugels Sunset Wheat

Favorite Movie of the moment: Brick

Favorite Article of the moment: David Sedaris "The Way We Are"
from the New Yorker
Favorite T-Shirt of the moment: Advisors

Favorite Waste of Time of the moment: Linerider (definitely takes some patience at first)

Rosie and Sufjan

It's friday. TGIF. Etc, etc, etc. It's brisk outside and I wish I had a fire. Possibly some marshmallows. A Bearskin rug. Etc, etc, etc. I wish I had Rosie Thomas and Sufjan Stevens sitting on beanbags and playing this tender duet, the sounds lightly bouncing off the corners of the room. Obviously I wish I lived in a big lodge with a huge moose head above the fireplace. Some sturdy wood and leather furniture. Some afghans thrown about. Etc, etc, etc.

Listen:
Rosie Thomas w/ Sufjan Stevens - Say Hello

Patrick Wolf's Overture

Well now. Patrick Wolf is the strange. At the same time, however, he's the awesome. It's intense without being loud or scary. He's got a Billy Idol-like voice going on, with moments of unexpected softness and some really engaging melodies. Behind that voice are layered string samples, industrial jolts and whistles, and a driving kick drum. It reminds me of some of the male-vocaled songs by Low, without the fuzzed out guitars. He basically sounds nothing like that picture up there. The opposite of that picture. And totally sweet and interesting.

Listen:
Overture
Bluebells
[from the Magic Position (out 3.27)|buy]

Great Lake Swimmers

Great Lake Swimmers write inspired and delicate indie folk music. No word on their actual swimming talents. But if I were a wagering man, I'd bet these swimmers are amazingly buoyant and made only from the lightest materials, allowing them to float just touching or even suspended a few inches above the surface of the water, catching little whisps of wind and sailing a few more feet before touching down again. RIYL: Red House Painters, Calexico.

Listen:
Your Rocky Spine
I Am Part of a Large Family
[from Ongiara|buy]

The Longcut - A Tried and Tested Method

It's been fun to watch the evolution of the music video, being a part of the "MTV Generation" and all. I remember sitting in front of the TV for hours just waiting for the inevitable appearance of En Vogue's "Givin Him Something He Can Feel". That video was so hot to me, as hot as it got back in those days to a 10-year old. Then we all saw MTV morph into an almost video-less channel, filled with ridiculous programming with loose (at best) connections to the network's namesake. Still, it was wildly influential and provided a backdrop for some of pop culture's biggest moments. These days the network has found a balance between music vids (late night) and disconnected programming (pretty much the rest of the time). But back into focus has come the music video, this time through a different racehorse: the internet. Fuse.tv, and Youtube, in particular, but really anywhere. Bands are making videos without MTV in mind and it's still working. And with modern technology, I could pretty easily make one on my computer. OKGo is an easy example of what a great video can do for a pretty mediocre band (IMO). That video rules. So does this one:



Listen:
The Longcut - A Tried and Tested Method
[from A Call and Response|info]

Listening Assignments 2.19.07

1. Foy Vance - Homebird - Foy has one of those syrupy-smooth male alto voices that just irons out all those wrinkles in your brain. I'm not sure how Grey's Anatomy picks songs for the show/soundtrack (I'm betting much of it is labels paying for their artists' inclusion), but this was a wise choice. [from Grey's Anatomy Vol.2|buy]

2. Guillemots - Trains to Brazil - Derek at GWFA thought this was the best song of 2006 and I can't agree. I can, however, love this song and thank him for posting about it. It's bombastic and triumphant, horns and booming toms, a great melody. Just a really great song. Definitely would have made my top 10-15. [from Through the Windowpane|buy]

3. Cloud Cult - Chemicals Collide - Quirky and beautiful melodic rock. One of a seemingly growing number of fragile/strange-voiced singers out there these days. Reminds me a lot of the new Menomena record. [from the Meaning of 8 (out 4/10)|or buy immediately from the band]

4. Des Ark - Lord of the Rings (& His Fascist Timekeepers) - This song burns me like a dull roar. Nearly painless but wholly affecting. It doesn't even matter what the song is about, it soars on damaged wings, a bitter wind in its face. It's been flying over an open gray ocean for days, no trace of land in sight. [from Battle of the Beards|buy]

Chris Merritt/Paperface

It's a sad thing when totally sweet bands fall by the wayside, but a sweeter thing when one of the seminal members picks up the pieces and proceeds to absolutely rule. Paperface was the band (RIP), but lead singer/pianist/vocalist Chris Merritt is the MAN. He oozes pop songwriter. He never shook hands with a melody that wasn't beautiful. His fingers dance on the keys, a melodic pas de deux, with fantastic results. Solo album forthcoming, keep you ears peeled.

Listen:
It's Been Sad
Virginia
Always on My Mind
[add Chris on Myspace.]
thanks to Skye Zentz for the heads up!

Air Traffic

Either Britain has been pumping out some really strong music recently or British music is just back in favor with American musical taste. I'm not from England, so I couldn't tell you how big Air Traffic is on the island, but they could easily be the next big thing here. Seamlessly blending Ben Folds-esque piano rock with a distorted and upbeat Arctic Monkeys feel and even bowing into the megaballadry of The Fray (gasp!), this group of lads is primed for fame.

Listen:
Shooting Star
Never Even Told Me Her Name
[from Never Even Told Me Her Name|buy]

Corinne Bailey Rae, R&B Songbird

She's 25 and brimming with youthful soul, nominated for three Grammy Awards (and subsequently snubbed, IMO), and only the fourth British woman to ever debut with the number one record. Corinne Bailey Rae is R&B's next in line. I'm really hoping she sticks around instead of going the way of Lauryn Hill. (That'd be "insane" if you're keeping score at home). But seriously, she's like a female John Legend, except British. And they are touring together, how perfect.

Listen:
Enchantment
Seasons Change[from Corinne Bailey Rae|buy]
Munich (Editors cover)
[unreleased]

Brad(ley) Damas

Growing up, Brad Damas was known as Bradley, he was way shorter than most of the people in his class, had a huge smile at all times, and played basketball with reckless abandon. I know this because he is my good friend's little brother. I watched him do those things. We ate sloppy joes together a few times. Jumped on the trampoline outside. I had no idea (nor did he, probably) that he would grow and mature into a fantastic singer/songwriter like he has. Much taller too. It's all heart. His words and voice hit me like soft bullets of light and lift my spirit. This music is anti-gravity and I feel hard-pressed to keep my feet on the ground. But who would want to?

Listen:
I'll Wait - "This wasn't what I expected. It wasn't what I wanted. It might be what I needed..."
If I Had the Chance - "If you could only see how my bones grow weak near you..."
Wretched Soul - "These months have been long and hard on me, I fell to my knees and your feet..."
[from the EP|add him on myspace!]

A V-Day Book of Blog

1. Be safe out there today, lovebirds.

2. I can guarantee this is an over-generalization, but there are a few Irish guys I know that wear nothing but Irish stuff. Clovers all over everything, green in majority or minority, the flag, irish tattoos, drinking only Guinness, shirts or hats that say the work Irish or Ireland on them. Anyone care to explain? Is it a pride in homeland kind of thing? It just seems completely crazy. Who wants to be a caricature?

3. I bought a printer from Walmart yesterday. An HP AllinOne Printer/Scanner/Copier/Assassin. Looks hot. Here's the kicker: It doesn't come with everything you need to hook it up. You have to buy the USB cable to hook it up to your computer seperately. How ridiculous is that? I'm sure it's to make more money for the company, but wtf. I guarantee that I'm a lot more pissed about having to go back and buy the cable I need than I would have been if I had had to pay $10 more on the printer with the USB included in the package. How's that for customer satisfaction.

4. Myspace update: My personal profile was restored three days after all my errors were taking place. The horrible customer service was already spoken of here. Anyway, that was almost two weeks ago. I just got back an e-mail yesterday which addressed none of my direct questions and said "my request had been fulfilled". I'll repeat this: If myspace wants to run with the big boys, why don't they get held accountable like them?

5. Go see Pan's Labyrinth. What a beautiful provocative movie.

6. And Children of Men too.

Listen:
The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Streetlab Remix) - totally sweet remix featured on the Children of Men trailer but not the actual movie.
Some Tweetlove - Jean Paul III

The Color of the Colour.

Upon listening, I ascertain that The Colour is actually a collection of colors blending. The Colour is silver, for the sleighbells. The Colour is blue, for the trembling warbly vocals. The Colour is blood red and the temperature is rising. The Colour is black clouds, stacking high around a piercing yellow sun, pressing against it, but ultimately yielding to the light.

Listen:
Silver Meadows
Black Summer
[from Between Earth & Sky|buy for $7.99 at Best Buy]

Listening Assignments for 2.12.07

1. Modest Mouse - Dashboard - If the Smiths' Johnny Marr is the reason the first single from MM's upcoming album is so immediately approachable, I commend him greatly. I was never a Modest Mouse purist, they've always been hit or miss for me. High highs, low lows, that kind of thing. This hits me. I love it. Really reminds me of Maritime. [from We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Out March 20th)|pre-order at iTunes]

2. Field Music - Working to Work - Deliciously disconnected. For some reason, it reminds me of an avant-garde '60s Beatles track. In the best way possible. It's bright and happy. [from Tones of Town|buy]

3. The Shivers - Half Invisible - Some really great things going on in this song throughout. Creative low string sections, a marching beat, slide guitars and sing-a-longs. Folkalicious. [from Phone Calls|buy]

4. Virgil Shepard Walters - Ghetto Blastin' - You might hate this song. It's definitely unpolished and strange. But maybe, just maybe, you'll click play and it'll be weird and funny and you'll find yourself pressing play again later on, maybe singing it to yourself at work. It sounds like a 20something small-town lad blastin' off like he's all hard. Hard, I tell you. [from Solid South|buy]

Finally Fionn

It's hard believe that it has been all this time with no individual post for Fionn Regan. He had, after all, my favorite song of 2006 ("Black Water Child"). He has, after all, forced his way into the music catalogue of many a stateside music aficionado despite being a near-unknown before last year. Dude's got chops on his free-flowing finger-picking guitar. Dude's got pipes. Dude's got words. Dude's got Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel), Damien Rice, Joseph Arthur, and Bob Dylan tied up in his bedroom closet. Just don't call him Fiona or you'll end up in there too.

Listen:
The Underwood Typewriter
Campaign Button
Black Water Child
[from The End of History|buy]
*link fixed

The House with all the Frames

Who knew a band this good could exist under my radar since 1990? I was 8 years old when Ireland's The Frames picked up instruments as a group. With their fantastic 2006 album The Cost hitting US shores February 20th, maybe they won't have to live under our radar anymore. They sound like a little bit of a mixup between a mellower Muse and Keane. These three songs here will show you the diversity I'm talking about. "Falling Slowly" belongs on a soundtrack. "The Cost" is a massively slow burning anthem. "Dreaming Awake" shows the softer side, but builds to a rousing finish. But you don't have to listen to me, just press play baby.

Listen:
Falling Slowly
The Cost
[from The Cost (out Feb 20th)|buy]
Dream Awake
[from Burn the Maps|buy]
*links fixed

Pop Rocks: The Epochs

Somehow, Brooklyn's The Epochs are unsigned. This means nothing to you yet because unless you're one of the 4 bloggers on the internet who have written about them or happened upon them on myspace, you haven't heard of them. Hopefully this post will change that fact for some of you. Consider this my part in the process. Their myspace coyly says they sound like Talking Postal Cuties, an obvious homage to Talking Heads, The Postal Service, and Deathcab for Cutie. A prestigious comparison to be sure, but honestly an accurate one. They run the gamut of awesome. Little electronic blips, prominent piano licks, melodic hooks and rythmic flips. It's hip, it's cool, and you could be the people to say you heard them before they were a household name. Don't you just love being pretentious!? No, hopefully you don't. This music is without pretense and should be listened to accordingly.

Listen:
Mouths to Feed
Tug of War
[from The Epochs|stream the entire thing and buy for only $8]

Next in '07: Field Music

This year is only 5 weeks old but there have already been more fantastic new records than weeks. Highly solid (if not spectacular) offerings by The Shins, Of Montreal, Loney Dear, Menomena, The Bird & The Bee, Sondre Lerche, The Earlies, Apostle of Hustle, and The Softlightes have dominated my playlists. And of course, any year a new Radiohead album could possibly drop lifts all of that year's offerings to a higher level. New Bloc Party just released; LCD Soundsystem, The Arcade Fire, Lovedrug, Mae, and Polyphonic Spree forthcoming. This totally rules.

Without further adieu, let me introduce to you the next great album of 2007: Field Music's Tones of Town. Seriously, wow. I can't find a weak track on this album. It's rock solid. Its conception and execution are immaculate. It abounds in beautiful melodies and harmonies, subtle stirrings of strings, acoustic and plinky piano, creative electronic elements, and enough uptempo songs to make this thing flow like EV Olive Oil. This is right in my wheelhouse. And probably yours as well.

Listen:
Give It Lose It Take It
Kingston
In Context
[from Tones of Town (out Feb 20th)|buy]

Ryan Adams on Heartbreak

I've had many High Fidelity-esque moments in my life, but few are a closer parallel to multiple conversations I've had about Ryan Adams that were very similar to the following quote: Me: "Ahh, he always seemed..." Them: "He always seemed what? He always seemed really great is what he always seemed...I can't believe you don't own this f$&king record! That's insane. Jesus!" My main problem is that there are something like 8 Ryan Adams albums in the last 6 years. And not all of it rocks my face off. Therefore, I've done some delving into the stacks and picked out a few key tracks that ring true with me at the moment. I could very easily pick three others. But this is what you get. Beggars cannot be choosers.

Listen:
Amy - This song was a prophecy, I just didn't know it until it was too late. Is God playing evil tricks on me?
Come Pick Me Up - This is a self-destructive love song full of tragic resignation and harmonica.
[from Heartbreaker|buy]
The Shadowlands - Heartache, fatigue, emptiness, beauty, tear spots on a pillow, longing, devastation, beauty.
[from Love is Hell, Pt 1|buy]

Listening Assignments 2.5.2007

1. Voxtrot - Soft & Warm - Some of you may remember the video post for Sparrow House a short while back. This is his band. It's bouncy and indie and happy-sounding. With violins. [from Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives |buy]

2. Wheat - Breathe - A Come Onnnnnnn. There's a new Wheat album due in spring and I couldn't be happier. Their hooks are so...hooky. I wore this album out the first few weeks I bought this in '03. Not in a bad way. I just re-found it. It's like new again! [from Per Second, Per Second, Per Second...Every Second|buy]

3. Sia - Breathe Me - The way this song builds, combined with its whispering delicacy makes me weak-kneed. Think of a less synthy Imogen Heap. If the voice sounds familiar, that's because she was in Zero 7. [from Colour the Small One|buy]

4. Samamidon - Tribulation - If you saw the video for this here last week, you know why this song is amazing. The bridge blows me away every time. This is just so...reverent. [from But this Chicken Proved Falsehearted|buy]
*links fixed

The Book of Blog

It's 3am and it's been a really strange day so I'm going to blog. Blog, if you didn't know, is the sound a frog makes underwater, but only when nonplussed at the idea, not when he's excited. It's also the sound that is made when you stomp your large-booted foot in and out of a bucket of water (the reason for which is lost on me). It's also (in my case) the manifestation of my innermost musical meanderings, as well as an absurd amount of alliteration and awe-inspiring aural activity. Blogblogblog. Here we go...

1. Seen on a myspace bulletin the other day: "wow, I almost forgot to post a bulletin today!" Well thank the LORD for that, fella. In fact, why are you on my friend list? clickclickdeleted. Problem solved.

2. An old high school friend added me on myspace today. Her "About Me" section read as follows: "HOT Myspace Layouts } table, td { background-color:transparent; } table table table { background-color: EBD7CE; border-color: 650100; border-style:double; border-width:5px; } table table table table, table table table td { border-style:none; } body, div, p, strong, td, .text, .blacktext10, .blacktext12, a.searchlinkSmall, a.searchlinkSmall:link, a.searchlinkSmall:visited { color: A5695D; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; } .orangetext15, .lightbluetext8, .whitetext12, .nametext, .btext, .redtext, .redbtext { color: 643906; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-family: georgia, times, verdana, arial, sans-serif; } a, a:link, a:visited, a.navbar, a.navbar:link, a.navbar:visited, a.man, a.man:link, a.man:visited, a.redlink, a.redlink:link, a.redlink:visited { color: 643906; font-size:8pt; font-weight:bold; font-style:normal; font-family:verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none; } a:hover, a:active, a.navbar:hover, a.navbar:active, a.man:hover, a.man:active, a.searchlinkSmall:hover, a.searchlinkSmall:active, a.redlink:hover, a.redlink:hover { color: A5695D; font-size:8pt; font-weight:bold; font-style:normal; font-family:verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; text-decoration: none; } .caption { color: D2E6D5; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-family: verdana, tahoma, arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; display: block; }" I just found it funny that she was trying to "pimp" her myspace, but couldn't even do that right. Made it much worse (and shameful!) in fact.

3. In staying with theme, let me vent about the fact that myspace is a multi-million-dollar company (probably billion in the near future, if it's not already), the 6th most-visited site on the internet (3rd in the USofA), and mentioned pretty much everywhere you go: the line at Starbucks, on the 6 o'clock news, after seeing a preview in the cineplex, and at any rock concert. It's basically a brilliant idea (one of many on the internet) that has adjusted to wants and needs of the public since the very beginning (one of very few) and become a juggernaut as a result. The thing is, it's so big that it's a liability. The server power and amount of code necessary to keep something like myspace going completely boggles my mind. So there are errors and error corrections and viruses and fraud and identity theft and all sorts of general mayhem that occurs on a daily basis. And yet, we still love it somehow. Knowing all of this, would it be so difficult to provide some kind of live support for the massive technical application that is myspace? I was just locked out of my account and the site in general for two complete days for no apparent reason and had to dig through google just to find out how to e-mail someone about it...then I waited 24 hours for a response...which was a standard "please try these obvious things you've no doubt tried 1000 times, if you have any more problems, respond to this e-mail with a picture of your hand with an extended middle finger. Please verify that this is your hand by making your face plainly visible in the background. Have a nice day" kind of e-mail. I responded as was asked of me and have still not heard back. I don't know about you, but myspace has easily usurped e-mail as the most important thing I check every day. I get business e-mails on myspace consistently. It's a big deal to a lot of people for more reasons than just "hey, it's so fun to stalk people" kind of reasons. Is it too much to ask for some live support? A 24-hour live chat? A freaking phone number? Why should myspace be any different from any of a number of other billion-dollar technical companies we trust with our time and information? Am I being ridiculous?

4. I slept for 15 hours last night. Which is probably due to sleeping fewer than 4 hours the previous two nights combined. Which is probably due to having my heart broken? Fix me.

5. Assignments forthcoming. I fought the urge to be a terribly sad bastard of a blogger.

6. I leave you with this amazing video of Prince's halftime performance at the Superbowl. Holy lord yes.

The Consequence of Sounds

The merits and detractors of instrumental music have been spilled here before, but unmentioned since. If I had to guess I'd say maybe 5% of my music collection is instrumental, the majority of the 5% being full discs by Kaki King, Mogwai, Rachel's, Lymbyc System, and Godspeed...! and a small portion of single songs and EPs by various bands. That 5% definitely gets played more than 5% of the time due to its ability to sympathize, emphasize, and aurally express a series of personal emotions I might be oozing at any given time. The best tracks are a journey, not unlike a narrative, not too far from the basic building blocks of a dramatic work. Dynamic Hero, Villain, Problem, Solution, Climax, Conclusion. I have the most respect for someone who can weave that thread fully in less than 10 minutes. These three fit the bill:

Listen:
Somme - Massless [from Weight|info]
Tape - Sand Dunes [from Rideau|info]
This Will Destroy You - The World is Our ___ [from Young Mountain|buy]

Cute video for "Sand Dunes"

God's Promise (Woodie Guthrie)

The last three weeks have been a flurry of posts and amazing music and at a record clip, you have eaten it up and shot though various amounts of bandwidth like the proverbial hot knife through butter and I couldn't be happier about it. But today is Friday and I'm a sad puppy for reasons I'm not about to spill on my music blog. It's a heaviness within, a burning sensation of enormous mass, and at the same time it's a feeling of a sprawling emptiness, the fingers of which creep around each organ in my chest and cradle it with trembling urgency. My heart beats like a sprinter, but my legs are the lead weights of an invalid. So much so that if I just could allow it, my heart would take over my brain, sprout Hermes-like wings and lift my body (useless legs and all) into the air and race the 93 miles to the one place in the world I want to be. But I just can't. I just can't.

This song comforts me.

Ellis Paul - God's Promise

Bird & Bee & U & Me

I've gotten a surprising amount of feedback from The Bird & The Bee's appearance in the Paste Sampler a few weeks ago, so I thought I'd throw you a bone. They are a puzzling bunch floating between beautiful flowing horn sections (I'm a Broken Heart), booty-shaking Fergie-licious hip-hop beats (Because) and synthed-up Blondie-esque ditties (F**king Boyfriend). Somehow, it ends up being mostly very enjoyable.

Listen:
I'm a Broken Heart (highly recommended)
F**king Boyfriend (earmuffs!)
Because
[from The Bird and the Bee|buy]