Best thing I have heard in a while......Arizona

This is honestly probably the best thing I've heard in a while.Arizona has got it all: lyrics, the voice, numerous instruments, that all create unique, original melodies. They now have the cd on ITunes and it is not supposed to come out until August 18th. I would have to compare them to a mixture between Radiohead and Phoenix. Check out DOWNLOAD "Some Kind of Chill"
Also, check out i guess i'm floating blog. here. They have two more songs.
Oh, and I will be not posting any next week because I am taking the Bar......

Sovay: What in the heck is that?

I was daydreaming as I was studying for this dreaded bar, and "Sovay" popped in my head. Then, I asked myself, "What does that mean?" Well, thanks to Google check this out.

"Sovay" is the name of the album's first song, but don't run off to look up the word in a dictionary; not knowing what the word means, says Bird, is what makes it so much fun. In an interview, Bird explained that the song was born during a time of writer's block. Thinking that his muse had left him, Bird cracked open a volume of old English poetry and came across the mysterious word that serves as this song's title. Bird had no idea what he meant, but, for whatever reason, the song seemed to flood him with inspiration, and the great songs began gushing out. It's an easy-going, lilting little pop song about fighting back against the forces that seek to contain and confine creativity. It's a song about the tricky nature of inspiration. It's a song about something happening that's never happened before… "and a word washed ashore…"

Sovay, Sovay all on a day
She dressed herself in man's array
With a sword and pistol all by her side
To meet her true love, to meet her true love, away did ride

As she was riding over the plain
She met her true love and bid him stand
"Your gold and silver, kind Sir," she said
"Or else this moment, or else this moment, your life I'll have"

The Bird version is sort of similar.

sovay, sovay,sovay
all along the day

I was getting ready to consider my next plan of attack
I think I'm gonna sack
the whole board of trustees
all those Don Quixotes and their B-17s
and I swear this time
yeah this time
they'll blow us back to the 70's
and this time
they're playin Ride of the Valkyries
with no semblance of grace or ease
and they're acting on vagaries
with their violent proclivities
and they're playing ride
Ride of the Valkyries
sovay,sovay,sovay
all along the day

Indieblockedappella: WOW

These guys have a lot of time on their hands but I will have to give it to them, PRETTY DANG GOOD. It is some guys playing covers all acapella, their voices as instruments. Click here and then click on one of the songs. Truly amazing, hilarious, talented, I don't know.

Andrew Bird Live at Bonnaroo

This is a really quality recording. The song "Plasticides" is a new song I remembered he played in Oxford. This whole show is very good. He makes the songs sound so different live (in a good way). He is accompanied by DOSH. Great Show.
Setlist: DOWNLOAD SHOW HERE
1. Intro
2. Capital I
3. Measuring Cups
4. Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left
5. Simple Exercises
6. Ravel
7. Why?
8. Plasticities
9. Tables & Chairs
10. Fake Palindromes
11. Skin Is, My

Okkervil River coming to Memphis, Birmingham

Trust me on this one. I had been wanting this cd for a while and finally got it months ago, but keep forgetting to post about it. Okkervil River hailing from Austin, TX, is hard to decribe. Maybe Bright Eyes with a better voice? You need to see for yourself. Black Sheep Boy is a solid CD from start to finish. Here are two amazing songs on the album. "Black" and "For Real" Don't believe me? Stylus gave it an A. Pitchfork an 8.5. Tiny Mix tapes gave it a 4/5. Their tour dates are:
07.13.06 - New York, NY - Castle Clinton
08/05/06 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
09.06.06 - Brisbane, AU - The Zoo
09.07.06 - Sydney, AU - Newton RSL
09.08.06 - Melbourne, AU - East Brunswick Club
09.09.06 - Adelaide, AU - Fowler's Live
09.10.06 - Perth, AU - Rosemont Live
10.03.06 - Little Rock, AR - Revolution*
10.04.06 - Columbia, MO - Blue Note *
10.05.06 - Ames, IA - Maintenance Shop *
10.06.06 - Madison, WI - High Noon *
10.07.06 - Chicago, IL - Schuba's *
10.08.06 - Chicago, IL - Schuba's *
10.09.06 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig *
10.11.06 - Columbus, OH - Little Brother's *
10.12.06 - Buffalo, NY - Soundlab *
10.13.06 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall *
10.16.06 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar *
10.18.06 - Durham, NC - Duke Coffeehouse *
10.19.06 - Athens, GA - Caledonia Lounge *
10.20.06 - Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle *
10.21.06 - Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone *
10.22.06 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live *

* w/ Elvis Perkins

Stay tuned for Andrew Bird - Live at Bonnaroo.

Stream the new Sufjan Before you buy!!!!

Stream 1/4 of it. It is amazing!!Here

Beruit: Finally got it.

I finally got Beirut from a friend. Its one of those cd's I didn't want to buy because I didn't know if I would like it. However, I love it. It almost sounds puts you in the Godfather era at Tony Montana's wedding, but it truly is intriguing. It consists of many instruments including trumpet from Paris, farfisa organ, accordion, piano, ukelele, mandolin, glockenspiel, violin, cello, tambourine, The air powered organ I bought on twelth street, Congo drum donated from the neighbors....A broken microphone stolen from the university of new mexico.... . It really hard to describe. It is very original...very. Anyway, give it a go....Postcard From Italy (click and scroll down to download)
Scenic World (click and scroll down to download

It's Better to Burn Out than to Fade Away

Pink Floyd Founder Syd Barrett Dead at 60
Tuesday, July 11, 2006

It's funny. People are so fascinated with rock stars who lose their mind. i.e. Jeff Mangum, Syd Barrett. Its like we have some connection with them, or envy them (I don't know). Go out and rent/buy "The Wall" dvd in memory of Syd, make a drink, or fire one up (whatever you do) and pay tribute to one of the greats rock legends from probably the greatest band of all time.

LONDON — Syd Barrett, the troubled talent who co-founded Pink Floyd but spent his last years in reclusive anonymity, has died, a spokeswoman for the band said Tuesday. He was 60.

The spokeswoman — who declined to give her name until the band made an official announcement — confirmed media reports that he had died. She said Barrett died several days ago, but she did not disclose the cause of death. Barrett had suffered from diabetes for many years.

Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 with Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright, and wrote many of the band's early songs. The group's jazz-infused rock and drug-laced, multimedia "happenings" made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene. The 1967 album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" — largely written by Barrett, who also played guitar — was a commercial and critical hit.

But Barrett suffered from mental instability, exacerbated by his use of LSD. His behavior grew increasingly erratic, and he left the group in 1968 — five years before the release of Pink Floyd's most popular album, "Dark Side of the Moon." He was replaced by David Gilmour.

Barrett released two solo albums — "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett" — but soon withdrew from the music business altogether.

He spent much of the rest of his life living quietly in his hometown of Cambridge, England, and reverting to his real name, Roger Barrett.

He was a familiar figure, often seen cycling or walking to the corner store, but rarely spoke to the fans and journalists who sought him out over the years.

Despite his brief career, Barrett's fragile, wistful songs influenced many musicians, from David Bowie — who covered the Barrett track "See Emily Play" — to the other members of Pink Floyd, who recorded the album "Wish You Were Here" as a tribute to their troubled bandmate.

It contained the song "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" — "Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun." The band also dwelt on themes of mental illness on the albums "Dark Side of the Moon" and "The Wall."

The band spokeswoman said a small, private funeral would be held.

Newfyan's Illinios times 2 plus new Radiohead minus the Radio.

Sufjan Stevens' The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album will be coming out tomorrow and will include things such as three versions of Chicago. Apparently it was going to originally be a double album.
01 The Avalanche Click to Download
02 Dear Mr Supercomputer
03 Adlai Stevenson
04 The Vivian Girls Are Visited in the Night by Saint Dargarius and His Squadron of Benevolent Butterflies
05 Chicago (Acoustic Version)
06 The Henney Buggy Band
07 Saul Bellow
08 Carlyle Lake
09 Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught in His Hair
10 The Mistress Witch From McClure (Or, The Mind That Knows Itself)
11 Kaskaskia River
12 Chicago (Adult Contemporary Easy Listening Version)
13 Inaugural Pop Music for Jane Margaret Byrne
14 No Man's Land
15 The Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake
16 The Pick-up
17 The Perpetual Self, or "What Would Saul Alinsky Do?"
18 For Clyde Tombaugh
19 Chicago (Multiple Personality Disorder version)
20 Pittsfield
21 The Undivided Self (For Eppie and Popo)

Also, Thom Yorke's(of Radiohead) "Eraser" is coming out tomorrow. I heard it is supposed to be very electronic. It got a sub-par 6.6 from Pitchfork, but what do they know? In tribute, here is a live version of Idioteque (click to download)

Freak Folk, "Modest Mouse on Downers"

Freak Folk, "Modest Mouse on downers" whatever you want to call them. Grizzly Bear has a unique, interesting sound. I posted a song, "On a Neck, On a Spit" they offered on their website to the left <-- over at the Best of 2006. Their new cd Yellow House is coming out on Warp Records September 5th.

Explosions in the Sky - amazing

If you like the ambient uplifting/depressing music of Sigur Ros, this cd will fog up your eyelids and send a chill down your spine. Explosions in the Sky's The Earth is Not a Cold Dark Place is truly moving. Here is a song from that album that I got off of their website. Your Hand in Mine (via Savefile) Still not convinced? Go Here and click on album. They have like 10 songs for free to download. Great stuff.

Pink Floyd - Reunited live at Live 8

I posted the live Pink Floyd "Reunion Show" from Live 8.




Also, here is a "Wish You Were Here" by Sparklehorse...Some people say Radiohead but I am pretty sure it is Sparklehorse.
Songs:

Breathe
Money
Wish You Were Here
Comfortably Numb

Bonus: Wish You Were Here by Sparklehorse.
Click Here to Download

Loose Fur (basically a new Wilco album)

Loose Fur is Jeff Tweedy, Jim O'Rourke, and Glenn Kotche. Jeff Tweedy is the singer/songwriter of Wilco, Glenn is the drummer of Wilco, and Jim O'Rourke mixed Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The new album "Born Again in the USA" is basically a new Wilco album. I highly recommend it. It has all the elements of a good Wilco album. It contains abrupt jam-outs accompanied with slow melodies. O'Rourke sings on a couple of songs. His voice is echoes folky tones while keeping the listener interested. "Wreckroom" is the highlight at a lengthy eight minutes. However, it does not get old. Hints of "Spiders: Kidsmoke" ring throughout. Check them on out myspace or the video at the bottom.