Listening Assignments 10.8.08

1. Brian Wilson - Live Let Live - Do you realize BW is 66 years old? I think it's amazing that there are any good tracks on his follow-up to Smile, which took him almost 40 years to complete. But here he is, that old lucky sun-toasted sumbitch, raising another icy glass to the bright-colored sky. Here's to you buddy. [from That Lucky Old Sun|buy]

2. Final Fantasy - Cockatrice - Shimmy and shake. Plucked violin strings, bumping understated bass, ethereal-voiced Owen Pallett operating the curtains. When the strings start swinging in, this really feels like fiction, a fantasy in which you are enrobed. [from Spectrum, 14th Century|buy]

3. Deas Vail - White Lights - I don't even know what to call this kind of music anymore. I used to, before what used to be "indie" became "mainstream" and the term began to apply elsewhere. I'll call it energetic, uplifting rock that'll probably never be on the radio. Which is perfectly ok with me. [from White Lights EP|buy]

4. My Brightest Diamond - Adieu Mon Coeur (acoustic) - If you think this song is heart-rendingly sad, that's because it is. "Goodbye, My Heart. As I throw you into misfortune...I cannot bear to watch you die." There is so much beauty in heartbreak. [from The Gum Drop (Stereogum's e-mail list)|sign up]