Studio Yearbook 1
- Audio samples can be found on Studio's Myspace page.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Thursday's Tidbits - Great Lake Swimmers
Despite the fact that Great Lake Swimmers' website claims that their new album Ongiara isn't scheduled for release in the States until May, it's already downloadable on both iTunes and eMusic. I'm not sure if this is a goof up or not, but I wasted no time in finding out. On first impression, the new one hasn't instantly drawn me in like Great Lake Swimmers' previous album, Bodies and Mind. Ongiara just might be one of those albums you have to spend some time with for awhile. And heck, I've got nowhere to go.
- If you need proof that Great Lake Swimmers' singer/songwriter Tony Dekker has one of the most achingly beautiful voices out there, listen to the evidence:
Bodies and Minds
from Bodies and Minds
I Will Never See The Sun
from Great Lake Swimmers
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The Mid-Week Recommendation
Matt Marque Get There
My first introduction to Matt Marque's music was through his representative label, Truckstop Records. From 1999-2001, the output from this small (now defunct) Chicago label was nothing short of spectacular, producing some of the loveliest songs of the indie singer/songwriter genre. T.W. Walsh's "Old Fashioned Way of Speaking," Pinetop Seven's "The Fear of Being Found," Simon Joyner's "I Will Find You," and The Lofty Pillars’ “At the Station” are all underrated masterpieces. These are songs that once you hear them you become lost within their narrative landscapes, and you long to revisit them promptly after their running time has expired. The same could be said of the music of fellow labelmate, Matt Marque. Admittedly, Marque is the less polished of the bunch, but it doesn’t make his efforts any less impressive. His debut, Get There (2001), is an unassuming album that sounds like a cross between a demo and a fully realized undertaking, which is less a comment on Marque’s musical abilities than it is on the album’s honesty. Sure Marque’s voice cracks but that’s part of the charm. By the way, Marque’s real talent lies within his songs, which are cleverly crafted over an acoustic guitar and his lyrical rime. Now, it would be a disservice not to mention Marque’s strong backing band - Michael Krassner (Boxhead Ensemble), Glenn Kotche (Wilco), Fred Lonberg-Holm (God is my Co-Pilot), and Steve Dorocke - whose talents give color to Marque's lovelorn world. The highlight here is "Unknown Flowers On Your Dress," a rolling ballad where Marque's wispy voice duets with Dorocke's pedal steel. It just might be the most beautful song released on Truckstop. It's also a song that I must have listened to over a thousand times. So, in a lot of ways, revisiting Get There is a bit like getting together with an old friend.
Bonus Track:
Blowback
from Nothing Personal*
*Marque's follow up was released in 2004, three years after Get There. Since it's 2007, I suspect (hope) we will be getting a new Marque album real soon.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
New Releases Tuesday
Personal Picks:
M. Ward - To Go Home EP
Jesu - Conqueror
Explosions In the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
LCD Soundsytem - North American Scum (single)
Richard Swift - Dressed Up For The Letdown
Television Personalities - My Dark Places Remixes
Charlie Louvin - Charlie Louvin
Explosions In The Sky - Welcome, Ghosts
Monday, February 19, 2007
Free Music Monday - Pela
Starting last week and continuing until April 24, Brooklyn's Pela are putting out a free song each week from their upcoming release, Anytown Graffiti. The ploy must be working as Pela headlined a sold out show last week at The Mercury Lounge in NYC. "Lost to the Lonesome" expands on the guitar driven rock found on the group's 2005 All In Time EP, complete with crafty lines like "Hey, we should crash the party on Christmas Eve. Hey, we should write our name on every wall we see. Hey, we should break our wallets at every bar. Hey, we could break the bed without broken hearts. La La La". Enjoy!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
The Mid-Week Recommendation
Jeff Mangum Orange Twin Field Works Volume 1
Orange Twin Field Works is not a lost recording of Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel/Indie Cult God), but a Mangum field recording of his trip to the National Festival of Bulgarian Folklore, a three day festival of traditonal Bulgarian music in Koprivshitsa. The festival, which is held every five years, has been rapidly growing since it's formation in 1965, having nearly 15,000 performers in 2005 (take that Bonnaroo!). In 2000, two years after recording "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," Mangum continued to frustrate his fan base by ignoring the studio, and instead, treking over 5,000 miles with only his recorder and microphone at hand ready to capture the eclectic sounds of the Bulgarian people. Instead of an album of seperate track recordings, Mangum has assembled the entire event into a thirty minute composition, having one song drift into another as ambient sounds of crowds, traffic, and general atmosphere linger in the background. The result feels like a sampling of the weekend, showcasing various instrumentations, odd rhythms, and singing styles. At times, Mangum only allows the listener a few minutes of a song before his interest moves along to something else. Sure, Mangum is fascinated by these artists, but unlike famous field recorders like Alan Lomax whose recordings are documentations of the artist, Orange Twin Field Works Volume 1 is a documentatoin of the recorder's experience.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
New Releases Tuesday
Wow, it's a very slow week for new releases. I suppose the biggest release is Lucinda Williams' West. However, also check out the early release of Explosions In The Sky's All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone. The album isn't scheduled to come out until February 20, but it's already available on iTunes. Head over to the band's label Temporary Residence for a free mp3 of the song "Welcome, Ghosts".
And, are iTunes Live Sessions the new Peel Sessions? The newest in the Apple series is a set from The Rapture.
On the Emusic front, there is an advance release from Brooklyn's The Subject's called With the Ease Grace Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings. If you're in the Chicago area, you can check them out twice on Feb. 20: 1) Reckless Records in store performance 2)Empty Bottle CD Release Party.
from With the Ease Grace Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings
Monday, February 12, 2007
Free Music Monday - Podington Bear
So, do you need a reason to look forward to Mondays? Well, how about this one? Every Monday (as well as Wednesday and Friday), the Portland based Podington Bear (aka P Bear, not Panda Bear) releases upon the online sharing community a new electropop instrumental track that's 100% free. It's an experiement that he started on Janurary 1st and plans to continue until the end of the year (that's 52.177457 weeks or 156.532371 songs!). Despite the rigorous schedule put upon himself, P Bear's songs don't sound rushed. While the compositions are relatively simple, they're also highy layered with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. Some are bouncy, feel good distractions. Others are slow, calming, and reflective. I like to think of it as the perfect background music, meaning it's clever enough for a closer listen, but also an ideal listen at the office, working around the house, or even walking the dog. Highly recommended!
Go To Sleep
A sweet song today. This one already satisfying a request to do a song about dreaming. Part 1 is the lullabye. Part II is sleep (or non REM stages 1-4. Listener Tod can visualize his baby sleep-laughing here). Then something happens! - P Bear
(A similar experiment was undertook by my friends The Hometown Nobodies. You can check them out here.)
Friday, February 09, 2007
Albums of the Month (January)
Here are some of my favorite releases from January. And, expect for the Album of the Week's feature to start up again next week. Let's get started:
Of Montreal's lastest album is all primal scream therapy as singer/songwriter Kevin Barnes takes the listener on a journey of his past year full of resentment, heartache, depression, and divorce. Still, such subjects have never sounded this joyful. Along with their debut Cherry Peel, this is Of Montreal's second masterpiece.
Noah Lennox (or Panda Bear) just might be the most talented guy working in indie pop these days. Here is a four song EP to tide us over until the full length comes out from both Animal Collective and his solo record Person Pitch (which is already being labeled the best album of the year).
Odori means "dance" in Japanese, but don't expect to be busting out your best dance moves. Odori is a highly textured album combining samples, electronics, and piano to create something rather serene.
Those Japanese psych/prog rockers are back with another strong outing with In Stormy Nights. I'm waiting for the tribute album to Ghost to emerge, highlighted by performances from Ian Anderson, Robert Wyatt, Rick Wakeman, and Robert Fripp. (Really, it's only in my mind, so don't start googling it.)
A jazz outfit led by Rob Mazurek of The Chicago Underground and Isotope 217 and containing such Thrill Jockey heavyweights as John McEntire, Jeff Parker, Jim Parker, and Nicole Mitchell. Now, there is an awe indusing reasoning behind each of these songs, somehow relating to our cosmic universe and electric eels and sting rays and rebirth. But, honestly, all that information really just seems to get in the way. So, forget the backstory, and take in the recording which, if it's not the best jazz release thus far, it's certainly the best post-rock.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
TML Monthly Review Playlist - Episode #3
This Week on the Lovers
My favorite new releases from month of Januaray, including such artists as The Shins, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Of Montreal, Beirut, Animal Collectice, Deerhoof, and many more...
Today, 4-6pm on WEVL 89.9FM or online.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
New Episode - This Tuesday!
The Music Lovers Monthly Review (Episode #3 ) will air this coming Tuesday (2/6) from 4-6pm. Tune in to hear all my favorite songs from those albums released in January. As always, you can listen online.
- I just updated to the new Blogger (powered by Google), so I just noticed that I had been left comments on previous posts. Just so you know that I wasn't ignoring you.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
The Music Lovers Monthly Review Playlist for 12/5/06
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Update: The Music Lovers Monthly Review
Check out the new program The Music Lovers Monthly Review starting this Tuesday (12/5) from 4-6pm. I'll be playing all my favorite new releases from the past month. You can think of it as a monthly "best of" of The Music Lovers. The new program will air every first Tuesday of each month. And as always, you can check here for the playlist.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
WEVL Halloween Special Playlist
Monday, October 09, 2006
Chicago Blog Is Up!
If there is anyone still left out there who is checking this blog, I am here to inform you that the Chicago blog is up. The wife and I are still working on it but I couldn't wait to get some updates up! So expect it to look more flashy as time goes by.
Welcome to A Mild Uproad of Fun!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
A message from Chi-caw-go
Hey there! I just wanted leave a quick message to say that I think that both Tate and Andrew are doing a great job in my old time slots. Check out Andrew on the Memphis Beat every Tuesday from 1-2pm. And Tate during the old time slot for the Lovers every Thursday from 4-6pm.
P.S. Thanks Tate for all the kind words and for my song!
P.S. #2 Look out for another blog about my new life in Chicago to start real soon. Miss you!
Friday, August 25, 2006
A Lovers' Goodbye
Well, I guess that's it! It has been a lot of fun bringing you The Music Lovers each week. I will certainly miss it. Thanks for listening!
- And if you enjoyed The Lovers, you should be checking out these other programs on WEVL: Hi Fidelity, Janet's Planet, Siren's Muse, Welcome to the Working Week, Out on the Side, Pathways, Thursday Morning Throwdown, and every Tuesday Afternoon 4-6pm.
(Thanks Kenya for humoring me with the picture.)
Thursday, August 24, 2006
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