kgb v2.0

Happy Fifth of July

2008-07-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

That's right, I'm not forgetting about America just because its Saturday.

Anyways.....what are we listening to nowadays?

I'm looking for some new shiz and I can't say i've been 100% completely happy with my recent emusic purchases.....but that's just the way that goes. Lend me a helping hand and guide me towards something new down yonder in the comments. I'm growing desperate.

On to other important matters....

Kendall gave a less than glowing review of the new MMJ album down below (i believe the word turd was even used). I'm not going to be so harsh. Yes, parts (read: HIGHHHH-LEEEE SUH-SPISH-OUS!!) are a little difficult to handle.

There are some parts that are very worthwhile to listen to, and the more I've done so, the more I've liked it. I kinda think MMJ is one of those bands (a la Wilco) whose albums need to be taken with a small grain of salt (and that salt is typically served in the form of their live performances). I'm guessing that after we get the opportunity to hear some live cuts of these songs we'll find they grow a bit.

Example #1: Saturday Night Live. I heard both "Evil Urges" and "I'm Amazed" first on SNL. And I'll concede that SNL isn't exactly the place where masterful performances are produced, it was the first chance I had to hear these songs and I really liked them then.

Particularly the breakdown in the middle of Urges and the entire version of Amazed. They both come across a bit more.....hard hitting, i guess. Anyways, here's the mp3 of their performances from SNL which was hosted by everyone's favorite former Disney star turned Indiana Jones sidekick, Shia Lebouf.

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (live at SNL)
My Morning Jacket - I'm Amazed (live at SNL)

As for new things.....I haven't found much recently. I kinda like this Liam Finn fellow (liken him to Elliott Smith-type on anti-depressants). The "new" Stephen Malkmus is pretty good....but I still don't find myself listening to it that often. So, like i said if there's anything out there......send it my way.

Liam Finn - Second Chance
Stephen Malkmus - Baltimore

RR

Conor Oberst gettin' his solo on

2008-06-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

Even though I kinda always considered Bright Eyes a solo gig for Oberst, he's putting out an album under his own name. Its just him and some people he calls The Mystic Valley Band......catchy.

The album drops in August but you can stream two songs, "Danny Callahan" and "Souled Out", now from the "band's" official web site here.

Of the two I prefer "Souled Out". Its gotta nice rocky feel to it. "Callahan" has an interesting western, honky tonk piano feel. I get a different vibe from these than I did the last Bright Eyes album....which is a good thing, because never took to the last one.

If you end up giving it a listen, let me know what you think.

For now I'm off on vacation. Florida is callin' my name.

Holla

RR

The Hold Steady, Centro-matic, My Morning Jacket holy shit!

2008-06-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

I am good at generalizing. See, based on looking at this guy, I generalize that he is a hit with the ladies.

Generalizing. Despite the bad rap that moral or nice people want to give it, generalizing people and things based on an initial impression is the best way to proceed through life. Analyzing something or getting to know people is just a waste of time. With that in mind, I am going to generalize three new albums, two of which are some of the summer's most anticipated.

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

As, Rutledge mentioned yesterday, this bad boy is now available for download at Itunes. I've listened to it sporadically over the last month and gave it the full treatment on Tuesday. This album is ok, not even close to Separation Sunday or Boys & Girls...in my mind. Nothing jumps out to me. Some pretty kick ass guitar rifts throughout, but alot of them don't really go anywhere in my mind. It just kind of stalls with less hooks, making much of the album less accessible than the aforementioned albums. When it's great, it's great (see Sequestered in Memphis, Lord I'm Discouraged, Slapped Actress - the best song on the disc) but the rest hasn't done much for me yet. Hence, it's meh rating (Navy Sheets by itself almost warrants a meh rating). I will say that it has much potential for getting better, unlike our next album...........

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges

Look, I get it Jim James. I understand that you like to "evolve" and keep pushing musical boundaries. I understand that many of the greats have done this. That's fantastic, I'm just disappointed with where you took it or how it came out in this instance. There are some good ones: Evil Urges, where James' voice heads to areas his studio albums have rarely gone but works surprisingly well, I'm Amazed with the more classic James sound but with lesser lyrics (an unfortunate theme throughout), and Aluminum Park.

Much of the album falls flat for me unfortunately. Even songs with a killer pedal steel whining in the back ground, such as Sec Walkin, just don't work for me. It lacks punch and seems fluffy - something I would find on my local adult contemporary, soft rock station. I haven't even mentioned Highly Suspicious, there is plenty of discussion about it. I come down on the side that says it's a turd.

Despite the disappointment in the album, I'm not giving up on MMJ. I don't love this direction, but it's not really surprising considering some of the territory covered on Z. Jim James has proven to be a badass in my book and every great artist makes a bad record every now and again, right?

Centro-matic / South San Gabriel - Dual Hawks

While I had fully embraced the other two bands, Centro-matic has always been a mixed bag for me. I've always recognized Will Johnson's prolific talent and I've enjoyed many of his past offerings (hell, I rated Fort Recovery in my Top 10 of 2006) but for some reason it had failed to click, until now. See, some guys write so much music, they need multiple outlets, and that's how Johnson operates. He does solo stuff, but works mainly for Centro-matic with a little South San Gabriel on the side. This time, he released albums from both bands, at the same time. The result: a freaking 90 minute set of incredible songs. The first disc is Centro and brings their trademark rock that Centro-matic is known for. Caution: it isn't for the faint of heart and might take some listens (yeah, I know this goes against what I railed on in the beginning) but do not fear, you will be rewarded in the end. Crunch and hook - I like it!

Here's one of my favorites (among many) from the album:

Centro-matic :: All Your Farewells

The South San Gabriel disc is something different. It's still Johnson writing great songs and much of it is still catchy. But, the songs are much more mellow and composed much differently. It works as a perfect contrast to the grit and forwardness of Disc 1; Disc 2 is a little more haunting and ambient. Take a listen to my favorite on this side, Kept On The Sly. I was looking forward to this entire album less than the two above, but I clearly enjoy it more than the other two.

So yeah, I lied about the generalizing.

Later chumps.

BK

LAPTOP'S BACK!!!

2008-06-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so i kinda "lost" my laptop three weeks ago. By "lost", I clearly mean I left it at my brother's house 5 damn hours away.....but everyone can relax, i've got it back.

So, that means I've got my music back too (an unfortunate outcome of my "switch" to digital music as opposed to CDs and such is that if my laptops MIA then most of my music is as well).

So, I'd first like to mention that The Hold Steady's new album Stay Positive is available for download over at iTunes. The actual tangible copy of it doesn't come out until July sometime, but you can download it now. Good enough for me.

Kendall so far has given it the raving review of "meh", but if I had to guess I'd say that he probably changes his mind before too long. I like it. I don't love it yet....but i definitely like it. The songs "Sequestered in Memphis" and "Both Crosses" are early highlights for me. One thing that is not down concerning this album is the lyric quality....they're as awesome as ever. My fave so far is "In barlight, she looked alright......In daylight, she looked desperate."

In other pleasantly surprising news, Coldplay has a new album for those that haven't seen the ipod commercial like 4700 times. Its called Viva la Vida and its pretty good....maybe that makes me gay (a la 40 Year Old Virgin) but whatever. I really like this album so far. Check out the opening instrumental track, "Life in Technicolor" and the 7:00 min + "Yes". This album isn't nearly as sappy/ridiculous as their last one. I'd put it on par with the first two in terms of quality....

Both these albums are a little to new for me to post anything from....but you should definitely check them out.

As for something to listen to.....how's this:

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma: If you're like me, the non-English major in you googled "Oxford Comma", found out what is was, and then thought to yourself...."Yeah, who does give a fuck about an Oxford comma."

Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today: Their album
All We Could Do Was Sing came out back in April and apparently it was their official debut. I guess The Wind and the Swell doesn't count for some reason....i liked it for what its worth. This song lead off both albums (i feel like i've got 35 different versions of this song for some reason....its probably more like 3) but this is my favorite version so far. The drums are a little more prevalent in this one.

You can download both these albums over at emusic. They're quality.

Oh well, take it easy.

RR

The Queen of Soul

2008-06-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

Aretha's got steps

I'm going to take a stab and guess that you've never really listened to Aretha Franklin. Guys don't want to get caught listening to "Respect" and girls can't stop listening to "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman". Am I wrong? Well, I was the same way, but dammit, she's the Queen of Soul and she deserves better. And, dammit, you like good music, so you deserve better. So, here I am for ya, with sounds to salve the soul by Aretha Franklin. Give em a listen, I know you won't be disappointed.

She can get seriously funky with Rock Steady

You know she's got soul on You'll Lose a Good Thing

And check out some grass roots on her version of The Weight

[buy] some Aretha

AG

(three posts in three days, booyaah)

Once

2008-06-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

So, maybe "I'm Not There" was a bit academic or maybe abstract for me, but here's a music-related flick that is pretty sweet. You need to check out "Once" this very moment. It's about a street musician in Dublin trying to make his first demo and get a record deal. Of course, there's a love interest and drama ensues. Best part is that Glen Hansard (plays "guy" in the movie) and Marketa Irglova (plays "girl" in the movie) are both real musicians and this movie is really based around their songs. So, the tunes are freakin sweet and it turns out to be a very powerful movie, I'd say. I would very much recommend that you go out and rent this movie. Maybe watch it with your special lady/gentleman friend. Then I'd recommend you check out the sound track because it is also remarkable. In fact, I'm not going to post any songs from the soundtrack because it would ruin your movie experience. So, check it out on your own!

AG

I'm Not There

2008-06-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Cate makes for an attractive man.

Sorry for not posting in a very very long time...

So, I finally saw "I'm Not There" this weekend. I was pretty excited to check this Dylan "biopic" out. It got some props at some festivals and such and Cate Blanchett definitely got some hype over her portrayal of one aspect of Dylan's personality. It was pretty interesting. It wasn't quite what I expected though. I found it very abstract as there was no plot to speak of. I don't think you can look at any particular scene to understand what the movie was saying or what Dylan was all about. I guess you have to screw up your eyes and see all two hours of it in one flash of personality and complexity. It's difficult to describe, as Dylan was. The music was good and it got me back in the mood for some more Dylan. As such, I picked up Highway 61 Revisited, so I'll post some good Dylan stuff soon.

AG

Haha I'm posting about Dave Matthews

2008-06-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry, how can I not? His band, along with Timmy Reynolds [giving this usually punchless band some punch], played a pretty hot show in Pennsylvania last night. In addition to their usual stuff, they also played the Allman's Melissa and encored with Money (Pink Floyd) and the Motown classic Money (That's What I Want) (Barrett Strong).

You can stream the entire show here.

BK

Gordon and I went and done it, thanks to a little help from Gerdon..

2008-05-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

That's right fuckers, Gordon and I went and done it. I almost hate to give Gerdon credit but I have to. See, Gerdon got 'hold of me the other day to tell me that Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Red House Painters fame is playing in Louisville. On a Saturday night. For $15 bucks.

Damn, pure robbery.

We got our tickets and are making the short drive down I-71 to Louisville. I can't remember being so excited for a show. Kozelek is an enigma wrapped in an enigma...a cat I was sure I would never see live.

But here he is...close to home and on the heels of his new album April. A fantastic album from one of the most underrated artists going today. Don't be a chump...if you think it's too mellow or depressing or too long the first time around...listen a few more times. You'll come around.

Check this stuff out...first from April then a "new" version from SKM's classic, Ghosts of the Great Highway.

SKM Tonight in Bilbao
SKM Carry Me Ohio (jam version)!

BK

Wading through the turds of the last 10 years...

2008-05-26T18:45:00.001-07:00

Ten years ago I was approaching my high school graduation. Crazy to believe it was ten fucking years ago! Since then, I've experienced a lot of shit and listened to a lot of music, including a lot of turds. Because of this, it's a pretty joyous experience to go back and listen to some of that music and find something you still can dig. I did that very thing tonight when I revisited a band called The Samples. I listened to these cats a lot back in 1998 - it was the soundtrack to my last two years of high school. Like many a thing, we grew apart as I grew older and they grew crappier (sorry it's true - their later stuff is junk). But, some of their stuff was fantastic and that's what I bring you tonight. The two tracks featured below still resonate with me for their countrified, uplifting happiness on one hand and the melancholy, reflective beauty on the other. As always, there is a nice use of the pedal steel guitar, the baddest instrument in all the land.

The Samples -- Take My Heart
The Samples -- Prophet of Doom

BK

NKOTB is Back in the house....

2008-05-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

....and not a moment too soon. I hope everybody's still got their lunchboxes handy.

Yeah, so I'm minding my own business this morning, getting ready for work whilst watching the Today show, and who do they have playing???

New Kids on the Block........sigh.

They're back and they're touring.....and probably putting out a new album of predictably killer "hits".

It was at that moment this morning that I realized the true purpose of this blog and the thousand others like it. Somewhere this morning and young child was watching the Today show with his stay at home mom. Subconsciously this child was thinking to him or herself...."is this really all there is? Is this the music I have to look forward to for the rest of my life? This sucks."

Well, young child, yes....that would suck. But fortunately there is more out there than your standard NKOTB, Nsync, Backstreet Boys crap. And that is why we're here. If we can help one child find something good to listen to, then I say we've done our jobs.

So, with that......some non-NKOTB to get everyone's weekend started.

Pavement - Stop Breathin

This one's off the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain album....I love guitars throughout the second half of this song. Its probably my favorite Pavement song.

RR

Coming out of hibernation.....

2008-05-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

Man, feels like its been damn near two months since our last pos.........wait.....what's that......it HAS BEEN TWO MONTHS!! Well, how about that?

How terrible. I mean, on one hand you can kinda understand where we're coming from....Kendall's house is buried in snow still, and well....let's just say Gerdon is taking the Bretty Favre thing rrreeaaalllyyy hard. As for me? I don't particularly have a good excuse. Chalk mine up to pure, unadulterated laziness.

Never again, I say!! I make you, the KGB reader (edit: listener) the solemn promise to never let this happen again.* Nothing but good tunes, and up-to-date** music news.

*Promise comes with the caveat that similar breaks will most certainly occur in the future.

**Music news actually not likely to be that up-to-date.

I must mention that I am certainly not speaking for the rest of us involved here at KGB. But I'm climbing back on the horse and am giving it another go-round.

So, to get us kick-started back into gear its gonna take a truly special song.

There's tons of new stuff we could listen to, but I'm saying lets go back to our roots. How about some Dylan.....

Bob Dylan - Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again

See, that helps.

Now, how bout one more for the road. Let's hit up some Dead with this one.....I've been listening to a retarded amount of Dead recently.

Grateful Dead - China Cat Sunflower

Until next time.

RR

Snowed In EP

2008-03-08T18:13:00.001-08:00

Alright, it wasn't this bad but still.....come on.

Damn! The Cincinnati area received a foot of snow over the last two days, relegating me to the abode. Other than a few visits outside with the pup (who would never come in if it were up to her), I've been snowed in. Not all is lost however; I've had lots of time to do very important things including my taxes, preparing for my fantasy baseball draft (booyah), cleaning, and drinking whiskey of course. Thus, in honor of my snowed-in weekend, here's an EP of songs that tell you all about my cold, snowy, sleepful weekend.

Mendoza Line -- Tax Me
Dolorean -- Violence In Snowy Fields
Wrinkle Neck Mules -- Failure of Liver
Ass Ponys -- Last Night It Snowed
Jack Johnson -- Sleep Through The Static
The Band -- Acadian Driftwood
Avett Brothers -- Go To Sleep

It's good stuff, ya'll.

BK

I miss you already Brett

2008-03-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

The breaking news of the century is that gunslinger Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers, your favorite QB and mine, is going to hang up the cleats for a better life in greener pastures. He's retiring folks. After 18 years in the NFL (17 of which with the Packers) he's amassed numerous outstanding records and accolades, he's excited and entertained the nation, and he's proven himself to be an outstanding person. He sure did some great things for the Packers and as a Packers fan I can say he will be missed. So, here are a few songs to let you know how I'm feeling about this whole mess.

My first notion is to say don't go Favre. You're still at the top of your game. You have a young and exciting team to lead and that second Super Bowl title could be yours. I think The Band said it the best:

The Band - Don't Do It

Next I'd like to remember Favre for what he was and still is - a bad ass on and off the football field. The Drive-by Truckers pay homage well to Steve McQueen for kicking ass and being an all around tough guy. I think we can substitute the name Brett Favre in for Steve McQueen in a couple choruses:

Drive-by Truckers - Steve McQueen

And, to finish out my man-crush on Brett, let's just remember the good times with Norah Jones.

The Little Willies - For the Good Times

AG

[buy The Band, Drive-by Truckers, The Little Willies]

Top 5 Songs of Drink

2008-03-03T21:49:00.000-08:00

Dispensers of fine ale at Young's in Hammersmith, UK

It’s finally time for another Top 5 here at KGB and I will gladly raise a glass to that. In fact, many glasses, as was done this fine weekend when music cohort Bryan Kendall and posse rolled into Santa Barbara for a weekend in the sun. We sampled many home, local, and regional brews and didn’t turn one away. So, in honor of that festival of beer, let’s hear about some songs relating to the honest brew, press, and distillation that we love so well. These can be songs about drinking (in moderation or otherwise) or about a specific drink. So, with out further mention, give me your best:

Top 5 Songs of Drink

Another man done gone...

2008-02-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

Thank you The Onion for this bad boy. Communism never looked more fun.

A sad turn of events for Communists all over the world. One of the leading comrades has decided to retire (really, can you ever retire from Communism? I think not). Fidel Castro was no member of the KGB, but they were boys, no doubt about that. Sometimes reality has a way of kicking you in the nuts and it appears Castro's hath finally been kicketh. Lucky for him (if you can say that for someone with the health problems he currently has), his reality is not like the reality described by one Nick Lowe in the following. Check it out:

Nick Lowe -- Nutted By Reality from Jesus of Cool (Reissued)
[buy Jesus of Cool here]

In other completely unrelated news, the Hold Steady is currently preparing to release a new album, much to the enjoyment of myself and probably Rutledge too. The band shares some of the details with your friends at Pitchfork, right here.

BK

Finding a job sucks

2008-02-23T12:00:00.002-08:00

So, one of the reasons I haven't posted much lately, is that I'm finishing up graduate school. Lame excuse, I know....but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) its true.

With that comes the horrendous, unenviable task of finding a job, or in my case.....finding yet another place to go to school for the next two years. It really is never ending. But its something that has to be done.

Now the funny thing is, I'm excited about the opportunity to move somewhere new. I've lived in Kentucky and Nashville (the urban version of Kentucky) for my entire life....so this will be exciting. But over the course of the past few weeks I've all but convinced myself that I'm living in like 10 different places. It changes every two or three days. So, I figured I'd give you a small bit of insight into some of those places that I've told myself, "Yep, that's the place. Can't wait to move there" only to change my mind the next morning.

So, let's get going. Here are a few....in no particular order.

1. Boston
Pros: See Picture. A. W. E. S. O. M. E. city.

Cons: Very cold. Gerdon lives there. HA! Just kidding buddy.

Song: Ben Harper - She's Only Happy In the Sun

2. Denver

Pros: Beautiful. Never been there. Skiing.

Cons: Snow. Lots of snow.

Song: Yonder Mountain String Band - High on a Hilltop

3. Louisville

Pros: Familiarity. Lots of Friends there. Comfortable.

Cons: What's the saying......Everything changes, everything stays the same? Something like that.

Song: Ben Kweller - Different but the Same

4. South Carolina
Pros: I like living in the south. Close to the ocean.

Cons: Hot.

Song: Ryan Adams - Carolina Rain

5. Dayton, OH
Pros: Meh.

Cons: Meh.

Song: Elliott Smith - Whatever

6. San Francisco
Pros: Probably the most different than what I'm used to.

Cons: Mapquest says its 2307.83 miles away from Nashville. Damn.

Song: Coconut Records - West Coast

7. Florida (either Gainesville or Tallahassee) Pros: Currently the favorite. I've wanted to live there my entire life. Wife wants to live there, too.

Cons: Hurricanes

Song: The Hold Steady - Citrus

So, I suppose we'll see. I still have a couple months before this process rrreeeaaaalllllyyyyy gets underway. I'm excited though.

RR

B-A-N-J-O

2008-02-23T11:45:00.000-08:00

So, I've been meaning to make a couple posts recently, but haven't exactly gotten around to doing so....

To remedy this, I shall make a couple of posts today. And what better way to get us going than with a couple of banjo songs. Banjo.

The Avett Brothers - Talk of Indolence

Sufjan Stevens - The Transfiguration

Old Crow Medicine Show - I Hear Them All

That's good for now.

RR

Big Sur

2008-02-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

Big Sur at sunset

I spent the weekend up in Big Sur - an area of costal California between San Fransicso and San Luis Obispo known for it's mountainous terrain, great ocean views, giant redwoods, and sweet wild life. It was an awesome trip involving some camping and some hiking. Big Sur was home to Jack Kerouac for a year in the 60's and got me thinking quite a bit about the Grateful Dead. I reckon they made their way through Big Sur in their hay day as well. So, here are a couple songs I was jamming to as I drove that long and winding Highway 1 along the cliffs at the edge of America.

Grateful Dead - Casey Jones

Grateful Dead - New Speedway Boogie

AG

Billy Bragg

2008-02-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

Billy, out promoting his music

I’ve found myself enveloped in some Billy Bragg goodness as of late. I decided to check Billy out due to his collaboration with Wilco. I really enjoyed Mermaid Avenue (1998), though I still haven’t checked out Mermaid Avenue, Vol II (2000). At some point I ran across some music of Billy’s yester-years and decided to give it a go. So, I picked up Life’s a Riot With Spy Vs Spy (1983) and found it sticking with me. I don’t know much about punk, but I like this stuff because it’s short and to the point and stripped down to his loan, harsh guitar and even more harsh voice (similar to JJ Cale in some ways). Sometimes his singing is almost bad – but that seems to add to the aggressiveness of the song (see “To Have and To Have Not). It’s simple, good song writing and I can appreciate that. Unfortunately, I also picked up Talking With the Taxman About Poetry (1986) and found it a bit too 80’s for my taste. I may still pick up Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984) hoping that’s more like Spy Vs Spy.

If you like what you’re reading, check out these two tracks:

Billy Bragg – A New England

Bill Bragg – The Milkman of Human Kindness

[buy Bill here]

Whiskey. Need I say more?

2008-02-14T18:00:00.001-08:00

That is one big bottle of goodness.

In honor of an old friend coming back into my life (obviously I am talking about smooth Kentucky bourbon whiskey), I thought I'd celebrate with, what else, a couple of choice cuts that address whiskey. So many great songs about the nectar of the gods, but alas, here are a few that get my heart pumping and leave me sprawled out on the floor.

Slobberbone: Whiskey Glass Eye from Crow Pot Pie
[buy Slobberbone here]

Wrinkle Neck Mules: Whiskey Jars from Minor Enough
[buy Wrinkle Neck Mules here]

And finally, Mike Cooley ponders the question that has still yet to be answered: which is better, women or the whiskey - ("whiskey is hard to beat")?

Drive-By Truckers: Women Without Whiskey from 7.29.2004 in Winston Salem, NC
[buy DBT here]

BK

So.....uh....how do you work this here blog thing??

2008-02-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

Ryan who??? is right......where the hell have I been? I looked today and realized I haven't posted in like 2 weeks +. Man that, and I, sucks.

Thankfully my boys, Kendall and Gerdon, have been holding the place down. And its a good thing, because I've been sucking. But, you know.....trying to get your damn Ph.D. will do that to you. Work's been getting me down. Always seems to find a way, but trying to graduate will really keep you away from your priorities (i.e. posting on music blogs, preparing for fantasy baseball drafts, etc.).

Well, its time for this to stop. And what better to give me a swift kick in the arse than the possibility of attending a music festival.

So, I'm going to the New Orleans Jazz Festival in May and I couldn't be more excited about it. I'm officially purchasing tickets tomorrow. I haven't been to a good music festival since Bonnaroo and even then the 'goodness' is heavily balanced by the associated 'disgustingness' of it.

Well, from what I understand, JazzFest will not be this way and I truly hope not. As it stands today I'm most excited about catching Jimmy Buffett and the Raconteurs.....but I have a feeling as the event approaches I'll be equally excited about catching all the local jazz bands that frequent the event. A couple other "names" that'll be there the weekend i'm going include: The Roots, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Santana, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, etc.

Needless to say, I'm excited. I've never been and i L-O-V-E New Orleans. So, has anyone out there in KGB reader-land ever been?? If so, let me know what you thought and what bands or things you recommend I check out.

So, I'll leave you with this Jimmy Buffett cover song to get you (and more importantly, me) in the mood.

Jimmy Buffett - Scarlet Begonias (Grateful Dead cover)

I promise it won't be three weeks until my next post.....seriously.....i promise.

Ryan Who? How bouts some Caitlin Cary?

2008-02-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

I've been on a big Whiskeytown kick as of late in preparation for the release of the extended Strangers' Almanac that is due out on March 4. There is a pretty good write up with all the extended greatness listed here. Ultimately, whenever I spend some time with Whiskeytown, I inevitably pull out Caitlin Cary's Begonias, one of the finest albums from 2005. I know I didn't appreciate it fully back in the day, but it continues to stand the test of time, unlike some of the other 2005 releases that I once fluffed. With a little help from Thad Cockrell, Caitlin and company put together a great country flavored album with pretty much no weak tracks. And of course, there is the voice, front and center this time around. Check out some of Begonias below and better yet, buy it here.

Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell: Second Option
Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell: Party Time

BK

Don't book your Uncle Tupelo reunion tour tickets anytime soon.

2008-02-08T19:08:00.001-08:00

A man can dream, eh? Interesting Tweedy story about Farrar from his show on January 23, 2008.

However, since this is a music website, how about some of Tweedy's finest work with UT? Here he is performing Gun.

And while we're at it, here's some of Farrar's best stuff from UT in audio version:

Uncle Tupelo -- Outdone from No Depression
[buy UT here]

BK

Ash Wednesday

2008-02-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering, today is Ash Wednesday, the start of the Lent season, leading up to Easter, for the Catholics of the world. Incidentally, it's also Chinese New Year. Today being Ash Wednesday does mean that I some how let Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday pass me by this year. How did I miss that fantastic celebration and the good music that goes along with it? We had a nice little discussion on Mardi Gras music last year (see post), but I guess we missed it this time around. Anyway, in honor of Easter anticipation, I've got a tune or two for you.

Harry Connick, Jr. is a champion of New Orleans and put out a few jazz albums (Oh, My NOLA and Chanson du Vieux Carre) in 2007. One track on Chanson du Vieux Carre, appropriately titled "Ash Wednesday", was recently nominated for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Instrumental Arrangement at the 2008 Grammy Awards, and is one of my favorites off that disc. It's been played here on KGB before, but this is another opportunity to give it another listen.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band are also New Orleans greats. They put together a remake of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album and put together a fantastic version of Wholy Holy, which also fits will in this theme.

Finally, we have Jan Garbarek, a Norwegian saxophonist with an extensive discography. On that discography is the album Officium, which is in collaboration with the Hilliard Ensemble (a vocal quartet that performs "early compositions"). Now, I know you may not be into chanting (maybe you are, it's pretty sweet), but dig on the saxophone in this work. It is so smooth and blends in really well with the voices. When you're learning to play the saxophone, this is the type of sound you want in your head. This is what you try to match. Good stuff.

Harry Connick Jr - Ash Wednesday [buy]

Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Wholy Holy [buy]

Jan Garbarek - O Salutaris Hostia [buy]

AG

Sunday morning find...

2008-02-04T18:02:00.000-08:00

Here's the family and me on a Lazy Sunday Morning.

Holla. So I love lazy Sunday mornings. It gives me a little time to be lazy (or should I say lazier) and catch up on my listens and my reading. Well, this Sunday, I was minding my own business, catching up on some reading on one of my favorite music discussion boards when I read about this one band called Wrinkle Neck Mules, hailing from Richmond. They sound interesting so I check them out. They play a mean pedal steel, need I say more? Think Old Crow Medicine Show perhaps, or Cast Iron Filter? I started with their 2006 release, The Wicks Have Met. They also have a plethora of stuff available on their website, including live clips. This is Americana music at its finest, so enjoy.

Wrinkle Neck Mules -- Cadillac Limousine from The Wicks Have Met
Wrinkle Neck Mules -- Liza from Pull The Brake
[buy Wrinkle Neck Mules here]

BK

Thanks Gerdon....

2008-02-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

With his mention of Lay Lady Lay, I dug out my copy of Nashville Skyline, which contains a few of my favorite Dylan tracks. The one I tend to listen to most, however, is the album's closer, Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You. Everyone deserves to have a moment like the narrator in Dylan's classic: blowing off responsibilities to stick around and spend more time with the person you love. Here is the version off of Nashville Skyline and in addition, a cover of the song from Aussie rockers, You Am I. You Am I is an Australian band with huge success Down Under that is starting to make some noise in the States. Their latest release, Convicts, was one of my favorite discoveries from 2007. More on them on another day, but for now here is their version of Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You.

Bob Dylan -- Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
[buy Dylan's Nashville Skyline here]

You Am I -- Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You
[buy YAI here]

BK

Wake Up Song

2008-01-31T13:14:00.000-08:00

Bob Dylan, Nashville Skyline album cover

Every morning, so far, I wake up. Most of those mornings I wake up with a sweet tune playing non-stop in my old noggin. If you ask me, this is a pretty sweet way to wake up in the morning. I think it's about time I start sharing some of this songs with you. This morning I woke up with a great one, Lay Lady Lay by Bob Dylan, kicking around in my brain. Why this song? you stoically ask. Well, I was watching the movie Mr and Mrs Smith last night (the dangerous start to Brad and Angelina's romance) and hear Magnet's rendition of this classic Bob Dylan tune. I didn't mind Magnet's version much, but I prefer to dig on the original and there it was in my mind.

So, here it is for you, off the Nashville Skyline album:

Bob Dylan - Lay Lady Lay

AG

More Cat Power love

2008-01-28T17:50:00.000-08:00

Last week I posted Sea of Love, a song that Cat Power covered on her Covers Record and that recently appeared on the Juno Soundtrack. Well, Chan was back at it again last week, releasing her second record of mostly covers called, Jukebox. Some have criticized this album for being too over produced and a departure from the more raw approach (if you will) of her previous records. Luckily, my bit is much simpler and I rely mostly on my ears and these ears are enjoying the hell out of this record. Her voice is sexy and her backing band, the Dirty Delta Blues Band, has the chops to create some sultriness, a little darkness, and a lot of feel good. Here's a little of the happy and a little of the sultry.

Cat Power -- Aretha, Sing One For Me (George Jackson)
Cat Power -- Ramblin' Woman (Willie Nelson)
[buy Jukebox here]

In other news, the new Truckers album is very good. I'll write on it one day when I can fully get my head around it.

BK

Pandora and the Music Genome Project

2008-01-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

Pandora's getting some press

Since 2000, Tim Westergren has been trying to decategorize music. For example, you say Elvis Costello puts out heavy rocking music, but what about that country album he did (The Delivery Man) that turned out pretty well? I'd call John Mayer "pop", but he lays down some pretty sweet blues in "Try!". So, why try to pigeon hole an artist into one little genre? Instead, Tim and his Music Genome Project takes a song by song approach to deciding what kind of music some body likes. They listen to each song (over half a million so far) and decide what it sounds like - emphasizing key, melody, harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, orchestration, arrangements, lyrics, and vocal harmony. I'd say this approach to music analysis is pretty sweet. It's a bit more quantitative than broad genre's or popular opinion. Don't get me wrong, it's still pretty subjective, but its heading in the right direction. Want to read a bit more? Check out these interviews in the Tennessean and Inc. Magazine.

So, you want to take advantage of this sweet new technology? You're in luck, Westergren has it all set up at Pandora. You can go online and use music that you already like to set up a radio station that will play stuff that's similar. Best of all, it's free. So, I signed in and gave it a try. I tried three radio stations. One defined by Ox (a Canadian band that I've been digging on lately), one defined by Taj Mahal (sweet blues singer), and one defined by the song "Crow Jane" by the Derek Trucks Band. Here's what they spit out:

Ox: songs written by Ox, Eric James and the New Century, Thomas Cunningham, Golden Smog, Ox, Big 10-4, Revival, Landon Pigg, and Ox (in that order). Unfortunately, most of this seemed a bit more "poppy" than I was looking for. I can see how Ox songs can be imagined that way, but I think they have an extra edge that makes them a little different. Maybe Pandora missed that? I did enjoy Revival, whom I had never heard of, so not a complete failure.

Taj Mahal: songs written by Taj Mahal, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Winter, Etta Baker, Stefan Grossman, Greg Douglass, Taj Mahal, Floyd Dixon, and John Mayall. This worked out pretty well for me. They mixed in some blues greats, some rockin electric guitar (Jimi), and some acoustic guitar instrumentals. I can't complain about this.

Crow Jane by Derek Trucks Band: song by Derek Trucks Band, Moka Only, ALO, Ryan Shaw, Dirty D, John Cleary, Jackson Browne, Little Milton, The Subdudes. I tried a song that I thought was pretty challenging, but was pretty happy how it turned out. They mixed in some standard blues as well as some funky stuff. I did not hear much slide guitar, which is Derek's forte, but I'll forgive that.

Anyway, it seems like a great way to check out some new music, hear full length songs, and break down the genre walls.

Enjoy it!

AG

For your viewing and listening pleasure.....

2008-01-24T18:07:00.001-08:00

I present to you Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley and Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins fame.

Wowza!

She can also carry a tune, as evidenced by the following from her 2006 release, Rabbit Fur Coat.

Jenny Lewis -- Handle With Care (with M Ward)
Jenny Lewis -- The Big Guns

[buy Rabbit Fur Coat here]

BK

Last.fm becoming more "the shiz"

2008-01-23T15:15:00.001-08:00

So, this is cool.....i think.

Apparently Last.fm is in the process of offering a full-track playback service. I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around the specifics....but it sounds like they're offering the ability to listen to whole tracks on their website.

For the time being, a listener will be able to listen to each track completely 3 times. After that a subscription will be required that will allow the listener unlimited access to the tracks.

Not sure about much more of the details after that, but it definitely sounds like this could be a cool thing. If anything it'll offer the opportunity to preview whole songs, rather than 30 second snippets that never seem to do a song justice.

Know anything more about this??? If so, post in the comments, i'd love to find out more info.

The Punch Brothers

2008-01-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

Finally, some sweet tunes are coming to Santa Barbara. The music scene here on the edge of LA has left me with something to be desired, but every once in a while I'll turn up a nice little nugget of live music. This time, it's the Punch Brothers - a new effort featuring Chris Thile. Chris is fresh off the disbanding of Nickel Creek and has gotten together with some premier pickers from Nashville, including Noam Pikelny, acquaintance of yours truly, and a fellow Blockus player. Punch Brothers play some sweet bluegrass and folk music, but seem to have taken the effort in a new direction, by playing some long form compositions, that are more common to Bach than Bill Monroe. The virtuosity from this group is going to be fantastic and the new take on composition is sure to be interesting. But, don't take my word for it, check out a couple sources:

Punch Brothers on Myspace
Article on Billboard.com
Articles from our friends at the Bluegrass Blog 1, 2

The Punch Brothers have an album coming out February 26th simply titled Punch and will be playing at the Soho Restaurant & Music Club in downtown Santa Barbara, CA on March 1st. I'm sure looking forward to checking it out. In the meantime, here are a couple live clips to you can get an idea of their sound.

Live from the Station Inn!

A Mix

2008-01-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

Mixes seem to be a popular thing to do around here. That being said, I haven't posted one yet. I used to post the occasional webcast, but never just a good ol' fashioned mix. Time to correct this....

Here is a mix of some shiz I've been listening to recently. There's no talking by me (a good thing), and thus no shallow analysis or commentary following any of the songs (also a good thing)....just music.

So, download this bad boy.....the whole thing.....throw it on your ipod (or music listening device of your choice) and give it a listen at home, work, on the way to either establishment, or any other opportunity you deem proper. I hope you enjoy. Let me hear opinions on some of the tunes in the comments section....lets get some proper dialogue going....KGB's been lacking that a bit recently. Lets fight through this 2008 hangover.

On to the mix....download here.

THE LUCKY 13

1. Spoon - I Turn My Camera On: From one of the albums that doesn't have the word Ga in the title (Gimme Fiction).
2. The Avett Brothers - Paranoia in BB Major: Sad bastard in the key of banjo.
3. The Hold Steady - Multitude of Casualties:
4. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - Follow the Lights
5. Magnolia Electric Company - Nashville Moon: I'm partial to the title.
6. Grateful Dead - Sugar Magnolia: Just a classic.
7. Bob Dylan - From a Buick 6: See Dead, Grateful
8. Beck - Guess I'm Doing Fine: More sad bastard
9. Okkervil River - A Stone
10. My Chemical Romance - Helena: Sorry, didn't want you to fall asleep. This song is NOT about the capital of Montana.
11. Nirvana - Scentless Apprentice: Remember that scene from last seasons Lost season finale where badass Jack was headed to that funeral home......this is the song playing in the background. I think it was a good choice. Lost debuts in 10 days. Thank God.
12. Coconut Records - West Coast: Heading there in a shade over two months.
13. Ola Podrida - New National Anthem: This guy hasn't written a song I don't like. This is from the soundtrack to the movie "Great Wall of Sound".

So, you couldn't escape shallow analysis....but whatevs. Enjoy.

RR

Yesterday for Juno, today for Counting Crows

2008-01-17T18:16:00.000-08:00

WTF?

For you Counting Crows' lovers:

The Counting Crows will release their new album Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings on March 25, 2008. They are making two of the songs available for download at their website.

Counting Crows -- 1492
Counting Crows -- When I Dream of Michelangelo

Interestingly, one of the many music listservs/websites I read were discussing the Counting Crows and their best record. I believe I'm in the minority when I say that Recovering The Satellites is my favorite Crows' disc. I've always liked it more because it has a little more thunder and rawness than its predecessor (which is damn good in its own right). Anyway, on first listen, I can say that I like what I hear out of these first two tracks, esp. Michelangelo (probably because of the banjo - I'm a sucker for one in a pop song).

BK

For the Juno lovers

2008-01-16T15:51:00.000-08:00

I saw Juno - I thought it was ok. I heard the soundtrack, I thought it was better. Cat Power is awesome and she has a new CD coming out this year. These tracks are for you, Juno lovers of the world.

Cat Power -- Sea of Love
The Moldy Peaches -- Anyone Else But You

BK

The Infectious Old Crow

2008-01-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

If you're like me, at all, then every now and then you stumble upon a song that you think might possibly be one of the best songs ever written. That's generally quite a statement considering the supersaturation of our culture with the amount of music written....but every now and then a song just hits you. And by you, I mean me.

However, whenever this happens, I cannot just let it be. I must listen to the song, repeatedly as often as possible over the near future, thus rendering it normal or to the point at which I don't care to listen to it anymore. Its a bad habit, i suppose. But great songs are my crystal meth. I risk health and happiness, buy everyday products from Wal-Mart to make the stuff in my aparment, risking tooth decay, hair quality, and possibly death, if that were possible just to get more of it.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, I'm in the middle of such an episode with an Old Crow Medicine Show song I recently "discovered". Dammit, Old Crow. Why couldn't you just make a normal, listenable song that I'm completely impartial to? Why must you make a song that gets me at my core causing me to uncontrollably hit the repeat button, thus wearing on the said greatness of the song?

The song I'm talking about is called "Wagon Wheel". Its the last song on their 2004 self-titled album. So, obviously, Old Crow is by no means, and neither is this song in particular. But I just heard it last week. Why I've never bothered to listen to Old Crow Medicine Show in the past, I'll never know.....but I'm hooked now.

They've sold me on their infectious hooks, heart-grabbing violin and banjos, country Southern-loving appeal. I'd like to use this as an opportunity to apologize for not bothering to listen sooner.

And with that:

Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel

RR

"I'm Not There" Get's Some Bling

2008-01-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

The new "biopic" about the many faces, attitudes, and musical musings of Bob Dylan has landed itself some gold. The movie features six characters playing different aspects of the legend's work (featured artists include Cate Blanchett, Ben Whishaw, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Marcus Carl Franklin, Heath Ledger, Kris Kristofferson, and many others), but just one has walked away with a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress - though she was playing a man... Yep, Cate got some props for her portrayal of Dylan. These kudos match some pretty healthy accolades for the movie and definitely encourage me to see it. I haven't had the chance yet, but am definitely going to give it a look see. I can dig on some Dylan and this looks pretty interesting to me.

Check out some info on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.

While you're at it, here's the trailer:

And, for good measure, a favorite Dylan tune, Idiot Wind.

AG

Woohoo 2008

2008-01-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

We're only 10 days into January, but I am already looking forward to April because of two great releases due out. The first is the newest from Mark Kozelek and Sun Kil Moon entitled, appropriately enough, April. This will be his first release of original material since the magnificent Ghosts of the Great Highway. A week later Centro-matic and Will Johnson side project, South San Gabriel, will be releasing a double disc of 30 songs. Great stuff - the only problem is we have to wait until April to hear this great stuff. Until then, the Drive-By Truckers new disc is almost here! Below you'll find a live cut of Moorestown, which will be featured on April and I Feel Too Young To Die from South San Gabriel's The Charlton Chronicles.

Mark Kozelek -- Moorestown from Little Drummer Boy Live
[buy here]

South San Gabriel -- I Feel Too Young To Die from The Charlton Chronicles
[buy here]

BK

Putin In The House

2008-01-06T17:16:00.001-08:00

So in all the craziness of Christmas and the New Year, I am guessing that very few of you realized that one of our own received a prestigious award. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation and former head of the KGB (no relation), was named Time's 2007 Man of the Year. Although I would suggest that three other people (**clearing throat**) were probably more deserving but in a less obvious way (if you don't know, I don't have time to explain why), I would still like to offer my congratulations to President Putin.

Kudos to Mr. Putin -- a worthier candidate does not exist. Seriously, the President has managed to crush all adversaries, freeze the independent media, looked the other way on corruption, and secured his power for years to come. A job well done if I do say so myself. Lucky for us, Putin will remain with us for many more years as he'll assume the Prime Minister position once his term for President expires this year.

In honor of President Putin's magnificent 2007, I present the following song:

Ray Charles with Willie Nelson -- It Was A Very Good Year from Genius Loves Company

BK

Back in Ought-Seven

2008-01-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

Santa Cruz Island/Channel Islands National Park -
Ought-Seven was highlighted for me by a move to California

My hiatus from KGB spanned from my Hanover years in 2002 to when Bryan posed the excellent idea of a blog in 2006. During that time, the main avenue that I used to spread good music was the all encompassing mix. I would make about 2 solid mixes a year, covering the songs that I listened to a lot and meant something to me over that time period. I'd then send this disc worth of material out to close family and friends. Since the blog came around I've had a great time putting together webcasts on various subjects, but I haven't really put together a mix of my favorite tunes. I always really enjoyed making these mixes, so I decided the end of the year offered a great opportunity for it. Little did I realize how much good music I've been digging on over the past 12 months. It's not all new (released in 2007), but its new to me and maybe new to you. A lot of this stuff has been previously presented on KGB in one form or another, but here I can put it together in one sweet sweet mix. Damn, there are some great songs. They follow in a basically chronological order, highlighting the crazy year that was my life in ought-seven. If you're interested in more detailed explanations for each of these songs, leave a comment and I'd be happy to send them your way.

Download the entire 15 song set!

1. Derek Trucks Band - Crown Jane/Songlines (2006)
2. Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Mercy Mercy Me/What's Going On (2006)
3. JJ Cale & Eric Clapton - Sporting Life Blues/Road to Escondido (2006)
4. Ox - La City/Dust Bowl Revival (2004)
5. Broken Social Scene - Pacific Theme/You Forgot It In People (2002)
6. Ox - Carolinah/Dust Bowl Revival (2004)
7. Uncle Tupelo - Acuff Rose/Anodyne (1993)
8. Tony Rice - Church Street Blues/Church Street Blues (1983)
9. Ox - Surrender/American Lo Fi (2006)
10. Old 97's - Question/Satellite Rides (2001)
11. Wilco - On and On and On/Sky Blue Sky (2007)
12. Os Mutantes - Cantor De Mambo/Everything is Possible (1999)
13. Wilco - Walken/Sky Blue Sky (2007)
14. Ox - Blue Morning/Dust Bowl Revival (2004)
15. Madeleine Peyroux - You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go/Careless Love (2004)

AG

Shipping Up to Boston

2008-01-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

Two words: Denny Crane

Though it's a bit unofficial at this point, here's the big news folks - I'm shipping up to Boston. Yep, fall of 2008 I'll be starting a new job up there so we'll be moving cross country. It can't get too much different from Southern California to New England, but I think we'll manage. I'm pretty excited about the big city living and all the great things to do up there. Don't forget the new job either. I'm not so excited about rabid and aggressive Boston and New England sports fans, but I think I'll manage. So, to make this semi-official, here's the Dropkick Murphy's. Maybe they can help me find my wooden leg!

Dropkick Murphy's - I'm Shipping Up to Boston

AG

2008 - Year of the Rat

2008-01-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

The rat? Seriously? Sounds kinda gross. I mean, sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie, but I'd never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy motherfucker.

But its true. 2008 is here. Hangovers are ending, work is trying to get back in full swing, and thankfully top ten lists are finished. (Mine lasted a bit longer than i wanted....but whaddya gonna do....)

I hope everyone had a fantastic New Years and that you have a great 2008. But its time to get off our asses and get back to normal. The holiday induced haze is over, and its time for Radio KGB to have its presence felt in the New Year. So, here I am...making the first of many posts in 2008. There's no real substance to this post.....just a few songs. Call them the Songs of the Week if it even makes you feel better.

Sigur Ros - I Gaer: If you don't know about or haven't at least inquired about these guys yet....shame of you. They're Icelandic and I've heard their live show is one of the most magnificent things you will ever see/hear/experience. This one has a bit of a Pink Floyd anthemic ring to it. I've been a fan since I first heard "Sven G Englar" off their 2001 album Agaetis Byrjun. This song finds itself on their latest "album" Hvarf/Hein. But I say "album" because it only has 5 songs accompanied by 6 most likely badass live cuts. I don't have the album yet, but that's nothing a Christmas Itunes giftcard can't fix.

Doesn't look very icy to me.....

Actually, the non-Pink Floyd portion of the song reminds me of another really good song by the Eels. This one:

Eels - Trouble With Dreams

So, I think this gets 200izzle off to a fair enough start. Until later......

RR

Ryan's Top 10: Let's Finish This Shiz Up

2007-12-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

#4 Okkervil River - The Stage Names

To be perfectly honest, when I first put this list together I was surprised at the fact that this album wasn’t ranked higher. In my head I seriously considered it a top 3 album of the year. But then, when I put it up against all the other albums of the year, there were in fact three albums I enjoyed more. So, once again I find myself mathematically limited by the number of albums I could include…thus Okkervil River’s The Stage Names finds itself at Number 4. I know Bryan mentioned that he finds this album too “happy” in tone, and honestly I don’t really get that. The standout tracks on this albums are the ones that tend to be or sound a bit depressing. The opening track, “Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe”, begins by saying exactly what the title states, that our life never works out as great or as bad as things tend to in movies. There’s not ultimate climax, no new boundaries being broken. It’s just life. Seems very ho-hum to me. In fact, I find quite a pessimistic tone throughout the rest of the album. Whether its lamenting a number of women or settling themselves on their own mid-level band status, there’s an overall pessimistic feel. This is none-to-evident on the highlight of the album (and quite possibly the entire year) on the albums closing “John Allyn Smith Sails”. If I was to list my favorite songs of 2007 (which I will certainly not bore you with, this list was long enough) there’s an exceptional chance this would find itself at the very top of that list. Regardless, “John Allyn Smith Sails” finds itself a suicide attempt story of based on former poet John Berryman. The song breaks into a rewritten form of the Beach Boys “Sloop John B” at the 2:30 point that just blows me away. Its great. To add to the fantasticness that is this album is the inclusion of an extra song when purchasing the album from eMusic. The trumpet-laced breakup lament “Love to a Monster” is a slow moving “tribute” to a former lover that includes lines like “I hope you get angry and hurt and have the hardest of landings” and “I hope your new man thinks of me when he sees what a number I did on you.” For some reason, I have a feeling that most of us have probably thought this way about a person at one point or another.

Okkervil River - John Allyn Smith Sails

Okkervil River - A Girl in Port

#3 The National - Boxer

I first discovered The National for myself this year after rummaging through a used CD box at Grimey’s Record Store in Nashville this past summer. There I stumbled upon a used copy of The National’s Alligator which I had remembered reading somewhere might be a decent album. So, unlike many other, more hip, music listeners I was not anxiously awaiting the appearance of the Boxer this year. In fact, because I had just purchased Alligator, I held off on purchasing Boxer until much later in the year than I probably should. That being said, the amount of The National I have listened to this year has been tremendous. So, this review may come off as more of a review of The National’s style than about Boxer itself. Someone, somewhere (maybe it was Bryan, I can’t remember) described The National’s music as being melancholy rock…and I think that’s an excellent description. The National is everything I want in a band from their rolling drums that are often brought to the forefront of the song (see “Squalor Victoria”) to the melancholy reverberating guitars. I typically find myself paying far more attention to the music of a band as opposed to the lyrics, and not to take anything away from the lyrics found on Boxer, The National is a band where one can be completely immersed in the music and sound of the album while not caring at all about the lyrics, and still enjoy the album. So, I very glad I finally worked my way around to getting this album. I’ve listened to both Alligator and Boxer an awful lot this year and either one is a great place to get started if you haven’t experienced The National before.

The National - Squalor Victoria

The National - Fake Empire

#2 Ola Podrida - Ola Podrida

I’ve always thought that if I were a movie director, there wouldn’t be a more enjoyable job than selecting songs for the soundtrack to my movie. Deciding what songs could create a particular feeling in someone when watching something happen to complete strangers is an art, but it’s an art that I like to think I’d be good at. Now, this is most likely completely false. I would probably suck at it, but seeing as how I doubt I’ll ever get the opportunity to prove my chops, I’m going to continue thinking that I’d do a decent job. Regardless, some people are particularly good at it, and supposedly (from what I’ve read at least) one of those individuals is David Wingo. Wingo has written music for movie soundtracks for a while, and Ola Podrida is his first attempt at band-dom. Let me be the 1000^th to say it, I think the transition would quite well. Ola Podrida’s self-titled debut was critically-acclaimed in a few circles, but finds itself absent from many of the Top 10 lists I’ve been reading over the past month. I really find that hard to believe. In fact, Paste even omitted it from their Top 100 list!! Bullshit, I say!! I have dug on this album since my first listen of the song “Cindy”, which came courtesy of everyone’s favorite ubiquitous review site Pitchfork. “Cindy” is the arpeggio-ed story of a girl that decides to burn up everything she owns in a magnificent house fire. Everything proceeds perfectly as planned only until she comes to the realization that she’s got some overdue library books she left in the house that she needs to return. So, I suppose, her thinking that since she was already going to have at least one charge of arson heading her way in the near future, she needed to attempt to make piece with the public servants down at the Biblioteca. That being the case, she entered the partially destroyed, burning house to retrieve the books, never to be heard from again. It’s quite a lovely story, and I was hypnotized the first time I heard it (and subsequently the next 20-30 times). Stories are a common theme throughout the album. There’s the country-twinged ode to a bar singer in “Jordanna” and the lackadaisical vacation-turned-breakup story of “Day at the Beach” that find themselves both at top of my favorite songs of 2007. In fact, I would argue there’s not a better collection of three songs on any of the other albums in my top 10. Maybe the storytelling is an extension of his previous soundtrack writing, but Wingo does an excellent job of eliciting a number of emotions over the course of the album. And from the way I understand it, emotions are a good thing. So, Cheers to Dave Wingo and his band Ola Podrida for creating my second favorite album of 2007.

Ola Podrida - Cindy

Ola Podrida - A Day at the Beach

#1 Radiohead - In Rainbows

Ten years from now will be 2017. That seems ridiculous. Honestly. Two thousand and seventeen. I mean, we should have like flying cars, and everyone should be eating space ice cream all the time by then. We’ll most likely have populated Mars, transitioned to a completely cashless society, and we’ll be approaching 109 years of Chicago Cubs-free World Series. It sounds as if it truly will be the future. But we all know that won’t be the case. 2017 sounds like forever away, but is it really all that far? Another interesting question is what will I be listening to in ten years? Of all the albums that came out in 2007, do any have the a chance of remaining in my rotation in 2017. Well, before I answer that, let’s look back ten years ago…all the way back to 1997. In 1997 my favorite album of ALL-TIME came out. Radiohead’s OK Computer. My first listens to this album were like entering a new universe. Nothing before or it, or since in my humble opinion, had achieved close to the musical perfection that I thought OK Computer was (minus one ridiculous Macintosh-voice ridden “Fitter Happier”). Now, an entire decade later, I still feel basically the same way. My musical tastes haven’t changed much, and the album I thought was the best of all time, I still believe is the best album of all time. So, best I can gather, in another ten years, my musical tastes will most likely remain fairly constant. I mean, they’ve survived the past ten high school/college/grad school/getting married years, I cannot fathom what could happen over the next ten years (aside from getting a job, finally getting paid a real salary, buying a house, having kids, and going to PTA meetings) to cause my fully implanted musical tastes to change. So, being that is it may, I’m announcing Radiohead’s In Rainbows as my Best Album of 2007. No other album came close in creating an excitement in me than In Rainbows. And the amazing thing is….it only had like 6 days to do that. I honestly enjoy everything about the album. There’s something to love about each and every song. I enjoy the “try to learn how to clap to this song, Americans” of “15 Step”. The crunch that “Bodysnatchers” employs, and the fact that once it ends that crunch is over for the rest of the album. The airy lustfulness of “Nude”. The repetitive, crispness of “Weird Fish/Arpeggi”. The brutal, bass-ridden honesty of “All I Need”. The perfect mesh of acoustic guitar and strings in “Faust Arp”. The cymbal tapping, subtleness of “The Reckoner”. The bouncy, carefulness of “House of Cards”. The mind-erasing bridge at the 2:54 point in “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” that practically sums up the entire album for me. The going nowhere, eeriness of “Videotape”. I love each song and believe that regardless of my situation ten years from now, In Rainbows will be up there with OK Computer as one of my favorites of all time. So, the pressure’s on Radiohead…..if I’m interpreting the pattern correctly, then in 2017 we should be in for quite a new album. I’m already counting down the days.

Radiohead - All I Need

Radiohead - Reckoner

RR

Ryan's Top 10: Number 5

2007-12-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

#5 Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

I’d hate to use this forum as an opportunity to say I told you so, but I’m going to anyways. I mentioned back in September this album might challenge for Tops of the year, and I’d have say that coming in at #5 certainly fits the bill. Now, I realize, with the success that Band of Horses first album Everything All the Time achieved, that I was hardly going out on a limb, but the statement remains true. However, I’ll agree with Bryan’s analysis that Everything All the Time was slightly better than Cease to Begin. That’s not to say that Cease to Begin isn’t a damn good album, but I think its lacks a standout track. I feel Everything All the Time had two of these tracks: “The Funeral” and “The Great Salt Lake”. And where a few songs are definitely better than others on Cease to Begin, with “No One’s Gonna Love You” and “Is There a Ghost” being tops for me, there isn’t a song that makes me think, “Damn, that might be the best song I’ve heard all year.” There seems to be very little change in style from the first album to this one, and often many of the tracks are interchangeable. But I also come from the school of that that thinks that consistently changing one’s style is completely overrated. I’d rather a band be consistently consistent, and that’s one thing Band of Horses has going for them. If I want a different style, I’ll listen to a different band. If I want dreamy, reverberating, crisp guitars layered over higher pitched vocals…I’ll listen to Band of Horses. One thing I would’ve liked to hear more of, however, is acoustic arrangements. “Part One” and “St. Augustine” were two of my favorite songs on Everything All the Time but Cease to Begin lacks these songs. So, far I suppose I’ve used this as more a review of Band of Horses first record than their 2007 effort, and maybe there’s a reason to that. Maybe Cease to Begin just reiterated to me just how good Everything All the Time was. But if you ever listened to that and thought…”Man, I wish this album had more than 10 songs on it,” then Cease to Begin is for you. And that is reason enough to give it Top 5 status for 2007.

Band of Horses - Is There a Ghost

Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You

RR

Top 5 New Years Resolutions

2007-12-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

This balls droppin, folks!

The end of the year approaches and makes us all think about what the new year has in store. Maybe you've got big changes coming, maybe you're perfecting your routine. Maybe its a year to rock out, maybe its a year to dig into some adult contemporary. Maybe its the year of Neil Diamond. Regardless, you've got plans, I know you do. What songs are going to help you realize those dreams? What are your Top 5 New Years Resolutions/Things To Do in 2008 Songs?

Here's a good one to get you started on New Years Eve and into the wee hours of 2008.

The Little Willies - I Gotta Get Drunk

AG

Ryan's Top 10: Number 6

2007-12-20T19:47:00.001-08:00

#6 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

I’ve got to say….I’ve enjoyed the hell out of this album, but it took me a while to get to that point. I read a lot about this album when it first came out, and I got the feeling that the general consensus was this was Wilco’s Adult Contemporary album. Now I could never gather enough information to get a feel for what that really meant, or whether it was supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing. Regardless, I’ve really enjoyed Sky Blue Sky. I like to think the album has an overall cheerful feel to it, which is refreshing. There are not too many good albums (that I listen to anyways) nowadays would I classify as “cheerful.” From the initial, light-hearted “Either Way”, past the lazy reminiscence of the title track, to the comforting finale “On and On and On”, the album has a relax, dare I say adult-contemporary, feel. Wow. Adult-contemporary is definitely something I would not have used to describe an album I loved 5 or 6 years ago. To me, adult contemporary was always Rod Stewart or Bryan Adams. Stuff like that. I would never have imagined myself loving something “adult-contemporary”. It has such a grown up, refuse to bend the rules, negative sounds to it. But maybe the way I feel about this album simply describes a transitional state that my life seems to be in. As I slowly progress through my later 20-ies, on the cusp of entering the real world, with all the forced-realization that obtaining a job will offer, maybe I’m slowly transitioning to a more adult contemporary lifestyle. Maybe I’m slowly becoming less Smashing Pumpkins and more Goo Goo Dolls. Or maybe, just maybe, Sky Blue Sky is just a damn good album, that I would’ve enjoyed regardless of current life-state. Either way, I’m glad Wilco put it out. Now if I could just see them perform it live……

Wilco - Either Way

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Kinda makes you wanna run out and buy a Volkswagon...don't it?

RR

[EDIT] Sorry about the bandwidth problem. I just fixed things, so if you weren't able to sample a song....give it another go. Once again, sorry. I guess I'm just posting too much.

Ryan's Top 10: Number 7

2007-12-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

#7 Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

I can’t really add too much more to what Bryan already mentioned in his excellent post concerning this album in his Top Ten. For me, it isn’t #1, but I can totally understand why someone would consider it as such. My opinions have basically remained unchained on Armchair Apocrypha since I first posted a few songs in my One Man Band webcast a couple months ago. It’s a nicely done, mellow sounding, intelligent record. One thing I would like to add to Bryan’s post is the fact that Andrew Bird, at one point, was a member of the Squirrel Nut Zippers. It’s not really a good thing or a bad thing, its just kinda is….know what I mean? Anyhoo, my faves from the album are posted below. Enjoy, and if you haven’t already picked up this album, it’s available over at Emusic, as is a few of Bird’s older albums, which they’ve recently been adding.

Andrew Bird - Heretics

Andrew Bird - Plasticities

RR

KGB - Perspective 2007

2007-12-17T21:56:00.000-08:00

Wrap your head around this perspective (my M.C. Escher)

Our first complete calander year is coming to a close here at KGB. We celebrated our 1 year anniversay on November 13th and now we can celebrate the end of 2007. Obviously our production, post-wise, has continued to grow, thanks mostly to Bryan's prolific posting and the addition of Ryan Rutledge to the crew. So, have we had a good year? Has KGB been wildly successful? I'd say we've done a bang up job, but that's just me. So, what do you have to say, loyal readership? What have you liked, what have you not? What do you want to see more of/less of?

To help you get your creative juices flowing, let's take a walk together down memory lane and reminice some of the fine moments of 2007, in no particular order:

1) Top 5s - I am more than happy to point out that the "most comments" award is a tie between February (Love Songs) and October (Scary Songs) with 13 valid posts. All told, 91 comments were posted for 9 Top 5s.

2) Saturday Six Packs, Monthly Webcasts, Mid-week Shuffles, Song of the Week - We all have our own way of getting our favorite tunes out there and keeping ourselves on schedule. The tunes are always good and some times we're on schedule.

3) RIP Boris Yeltsin - We lamented the loss of our comrade Boris this year. On an upside, Ryan's post got us props on some other music blogs.

4) The Beatles Debacle - This was my favorite debacle of the year and all stemmed from my inherent distrust of the Beatles. While these discussions led to some tense times at KGB, it also opened up discussions about why we like the bands that we like, how do you define it, how do you explain it. All important metrics and overall a great discussion.

5) Aspiring Artists - People think that we should review albums? Crazy, I know, but its true. You may remember artists by the name K'naan, Reyn, or Southerly. You may not.

6) Radiohead Release - The Radiohead album release/controlled leak was a pretty interesting occurance in music business this year. I think we're going to see more shake ups in the music industry in 2008. It's a pretty exciting time to be in the business. This was also the first Radiohead album I've ever listened to and I'll officially say that I liked it. There was good and bad, of course, but I liked it. Any other charming moments in KGB 2007 history?

AG

Ryan's Top 10: Number 8

2007-12-17T15:03:00.000-08:00

#8 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

So, I get the general feeling, both now and back in March that Arcade Fire’s second album, Neon Bible, wasn’t as “good” as their first, Funeral. Well, maybe I’m once again giving credence to the idea that deep down I know nothing about music….but count me among the few that actually like Neon Bible better than Funeral. Now, in the spirit of true honesty I will say that there’s no way I was saying this back in March after the album came out, but over the past few months, this is what I’ve come to believe. The thing about Arcade Fire (and I get a similar feeling with Radiohead) is that every song feels like an experience. Each is an epic all its own, often in my mind totally unrelated to the rest of the album. Now, this probably falls in the face of what most consider a ‘good album’, that being a cohesive group of songs sharing an overall general theme. And whereas Neon Bible may even have that I, personally, don’t get that feel when I listen to the album. What totally makes this album for me….and gives it Top Ten status as opposed to Honorable Mention or less, is the inclusion of the pipe. Evident on at least two (and not nearly enough) songs, not coincidentally my favorite songs on the album, it is the highlight of the album. It gives the album somewhat of a majestic, ‘larger-than-life’ image that not too many albums possess with me. It isn’t the only reason for my liking of the album, however, as each track is unto itself, a great song. But, I don’t listen to this album without coming away with a feeling of awe for the pipe organ. I love it. Plus, I suppose if it’s good enough for the Boss, then its good enough for me. Check out this Blair Witch-like footage.

Arcade Fire - My Body is a Cage

Arcade Fire - Intervention

RR

Ryan's Top 10: Number 9

2007-12-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

#9 Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Well, I think its becoming pretty obvious now that all Spoon does is write good songs. I mean 6 albums in, and you basically can’t go wrong with any of the Spoon catalog. In my opinion, the cream of the crop lies with 2002’s Kill the Moonlight and 2005’s Gimme Fiction, but Spoon’s latest, the annoyingly titled Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga manages to run neck and neck with both of those previous albums. I think Aquarium Drunkard said it best, that even if all Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga does is become a gateway for your entry into all other things Spoon, then it’s already done its job. But, maybe a band like Spoon isn’t for you….i mean some people really just don’t like well-done songs, with catchy guitar and piano laced riffs. I’m not one of those people, but I’m sure they exist. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga also holds the title of being the most upbeat album in the Top 10, as most of the songs come at you fast with a biting guitar at front and center. Some songs can tend to suffer from a bit of repetitiveness (see “The Ghost of You Lingers), but those moments are few and far between. Its funny, in Bryan’s Top Ten post, which also included Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, he listed three standout songs for him which were “The Underdog”, “My Little Japanese Cigarette Case”, and “Black Like Me”…and those are all good songs, but I’m going to cite a different three as being my highlights on the album. I’ll begin with the first track on the album, “Don’t Make Me a Target”. The best way I can describe this song is just to say that for some reason I feel like a badass when I listen to it. I’m clearly not a badass, so when I get a feeling like this, I often like to repeat what got me there in the first place. That being said, I’ve listened to “Don’t Make Me a Target” a lot. My other two highlights are “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” and “Finer Feelings”, but you can’t really go wrong with any on the album. So, if you decided to pick up Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga on a whim this year and haven’t yet made it to any of Spoon’s previous albums, then quit wasting time and hit up Kill the Moonlight immediately.

Final Tallies:

Number of posts written today about Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: 1

Number of time typed the word Ga: 36

Spoon - Don't Make Me a Target

Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb

Ryan's Top 10: Number 10

2007-12-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

Fresh off a heartbreaking defeat in my fantasy football playoffs, I've decided to drown my sorrows in some of the best albums to grace my ears this year.

I've been sitting on this Top Ten list for the better part of a month now, all because I couldn't come up with a clever introduction to yet another Top Ten list. The real problem, however, was that my lack of something to say that plagued my intro certainly did not carry over to writing about the albums themselves. Each album write-up ended up being slightly longer than what I originally planned, and I didn't want to cut anything down. So rather than posting one gargantuan post, I've decided to break this up into a series of ten posts. Yes, I'm going to make this as painful as possible for everyone involved.

Now, I realize many may not particularly care what albums I think are the best of this past year, but I'm going to grace you with my opinions anyways. The thing I'd like us all to keep in mind, however, is what exactly the word "best" means.

Now, applying a term such as "best" to music is a very difficult thing to do. I don't know what makes an album better than another album. Seriously. I think a lot of people THINK they know, but i don't think they actually do. What I DO know though is what albums I've enjoyed the most throughout the past year. And that's what you'll find here. A completely subjective list of my favorite albums. I tried to take into account the potential "staying power" associated with an album, meaning is there a decent chance that an album might still be in regular rotation with me in 5-10 years. If so, I considered it for Top Ten status. If not, it was demoted. So, I hope you enjoy reading about the albums I've enjoyed, and I hope I do a decent job of conveying why I particularly like each album, all I ask is that if you enjoy any of these songs, or albums, that you purchase the albums mentioned. These are the albums of 2007 that I think are most worth your money. Also, I'd love to hear your opinions. So, if you've got time, let me know why you like (or don't like) these albums. I'd love to hear some most likely better thought out opinion's than just my own.

So, without further ado, on to the list....but first I should mention a few albums that just barely missed the cut. These five albums were all good enough to be included, but as I'm limited in the number of albums I can include, they were unfortunately left off.

My Honorable Mentions

Iron and Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog

My favorite Iron and Wine album remains the coeffort with Calexico. I really think the backing band adds an extra element to Sam Beam’s song writing that enhances most of the songs. The Shepherd’s Dog follows a similar format for the first time, with a backing band approach compared to the more solo previous record Our Endless Numbered Days. The Shepherd’s Dog also comes off slightly more eclectic than Beam’s previous efforts. I very much enjoyed the direction he decided to take with this album.

Iron and Wine - The Devil Never Sleeps

Bishop Allen – The Broken String

Most of the songs on this album were accumulated from their monthly EP effort from 2006, making it a “greatest hits” of sorts. The high point of the record hits very early with an excellent trifecta of songs leading off the album in “The Monitor”, “Rain”, and “Click Click Click Click”. While some of the songs might be a little poppy for some, but an overall nice effort on their second album.

Bishop Allen - Rain

Pela – Anytown Graffiti

A gem of an album that I gotta give total props to eMusic for. I had never heard of Pela, but thanks to some bored, emusic surfing, I stumbled upon Anytown Graffiti. It’s a collection of mostly uptempo indie rock songs, few of which disappoint. Its been one of my most pleasant surprises of 2007.

Pela - Tenement Teeth

The Shins – Wincing the Night Away

Wincing the Night Away, on the other hand, was one of my more disappointing albums of 2007. Not THE most disappointing album (Billy Corgan is holding down that spot with his Smashing Pumpkins “resurrection”), but disappointing nonetheless, despite finding its way into my Honorable Mentions. I realize a lot of people think very highly of this record, but after The Shins first two albums, I was expecting something that was going to stick with me a little more than this one has. Regardless, its not a bad album, I just wanted a little more.

The Shins - Sleeping Lessons

The White Stripes – Icky Thump

I think the fact that Icky Thump didn’t even make my Top Ten says more about the quality of new music in 2007 than it does about the record itself. Icky Thump is a very strong album, containing, quite possibly, the rockingest song of 2007 in its title track. That heart-thumping drumming, and weird instrumental solos puts it as one of my favorite songs of the year. There’s more to the album though, it’s a good collection of hard rocking songs that were absent for the most part from their previous effort.

The White Stripes - Little Cream Soda

Finally, the list:

#10 Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

So, Ryan Adams puts out a lot of albums. We’re all pretty confident that’s a valid statement. It’s gotten to the point where you can’t read an Adams-related article or review without him being accused of being “prolific” as if to indicate this was an insult or an unwanted quality from a song-writer. Now listen, I’ll be the first to admit…not every Ryan Adams song is an “Oh My Sweet Carolina” and not every album a Heartbreaker. But that doesn’t mean that Adams isn’t constantly producing good songs. Every album has been a good, listenable album. That being said I’ve probably listened to Easy Tiger less than any other album in my Top Ten (maybe that’s why I’ve relegated it to the TenSpot, who knows). But I don’t need to listen to the album 100 times to know what it sounds like, and to know that I like it. 6 or 7 Ryan Adams in, I like to think I’ve pretty much got the hang of this now. Easy Tiger falls in line with a lot of the others, however, what separates this one from the 29’s and the Demolition’s is the consistency. I can pick up listening at just about any point throughout the album and enjoy the rest of the way through. I don’t mean that to say that the songs are interchangeable, just that they’re all good Ryan Adams songs, making Easy Tiger a collection of good Ryan Adams songs, and thus a good album. In addition, there probably isn’t a more heart-wringing, gut-wrenching song I’ve heard all year than “I Taught Myself How to Grow Old”. The harmonica kills me, and is quite possibly my favorite single part of just about any Ryan Adams song out there..........on second thought, I’d put the line about missing Kentucky and the winds blowing across the South on “Carolina” slightly ahead….but you get the point. I was hesitant when I first got Easy Tiger, with my thinking being, I already know what I’m going to hear, but I was wrong. I didn’t expect the constant quality throughout the entire album. I’m very glad I purchased the album.

Ryan Adams - I Taught Myself How to Grow Old

Ryan Adams - Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.

Song of the Week 4

2007-12-14T11:11:00.000-08:00

Tis the weekend for Christmas parties.

How about a Christmas song this week that EVERYONE needs to own? Here's one of the songs featured in everyone's favorite holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Coincidentally, you can download the entire album at eMusic. So, if you don't already have it, its an excellent collection of Christmas oriented jazz songs. Plus, it might even store up a few memories along the way.

Vince Guaraldi - Christmas Time is Here

Also, The Leather Canary seems to have put together a couple Christmas mixes (they're currently up to five at the moment). You can download individual tracks or the entire mix in the form of a zip file. There's some real gems on there.

Finally, in the spirit of the holiday's, I'm going to include one more Christmas track in this weeks Song of the Week. Its another one my favorites.

Phil Ochs - No Chrismas in Kentucky

Enjoy.

RR

Free Stuff.....

2007-12-12T08:07:00.000-08:00

Cold War Kids have recorded a six song EP called Mulberry Street and they're giving it away for free.

Just found out today. They're offering two songs a day between now and Friday at their website. You can go here, and scroll through their EPs. Mulberry Street should be at the bottom and you can download the first two tracks.

Track listing:

1. The Soloist in the Living Room
2. Heavy Boots
3. Quiet, Please!
4. The Wedding
5. In Harmony, In Silver
6. Don't Let Your Love Grow Away

Also, i noticed there's an acoustic EP available for free download from the site that i didn't know about called Acoustic at the District.

So, if you're a Cold War Kids fan, you should check it out. Hopefully the songs will be decent.

BUT WAIT!!! THERE'S MORE!!!

Apparently, Okkervil River has recorded an EP of cover songs which they are also releasing for free. Wow. Tis the season for giving, I suppose. It's a nine song EP which they're calling the Golden Opportunites Mixtape including one new Okkervil song and 8 cover songs recorded in various places over the past few years. You can download the album for free as a zip file from their website here.

Track listing:

1. April Anne by John Phillips (another good version of this one can be found on Okkervil River's Daytrotter Session.
2. Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear by Randy Newman
3. I Want to Know by Charles F. Olsen/Ed Sanders
4. Do What You Gotta Do by Jimmy Webb (another one on the Daytrotter session)
5. I Came Here to Say I'm Going Away by Serge Gainsbourg
6. The Blonde in the Bleachers by Joni Mitchell
7. Antarctica Starts Here by John Cale
8. Listening to Otis Redding at Home During Christmas by Okkervil's own Will Sheff
9. Solo by Sandy Denny

Man. Free stuff. Coolness. Enjoy.

RR

Instrumental Interlude

2007-12-11T17:41:00.000-08:00

One of the many reasons you should be watching Friday Night Lights.

In between the year end posts and mixes, I wanted to present some instrumental illness. One of my favorite shows is Friday Night Lights and at the end of last week's episode, there was a sweet little instrumental that was perfect for the scenes that were playing out. I spent hours on Saturday looking for that instrumental and finally, on Sunday morning, I found it. The instrumental is Camera Obscura's Arrangements of Shapes and Space [buy here]. It is just one of many examples of how FNL uses music to accentuate the actions and emotions of a scene. Below are a couple of other instrumentals that I like.

Uncle Tupelo -- Sandusky
[Buy UT here]

Sun Kil Moon -- Si Paloma
[Buy SKM here]

BK

My Top 10 for 2007

2007-12-08T18:01:00.001-08:00

I am no critic, but I love music. I sampled many a good record this year and I want to write about it. Idiot's Revenge, fuckers! Here are the best records I listened to in 2007.

1. Andrew Bird :: Armchair Apocrypha

When I saw Wilco on October 16th in Columbus, little did I know that the show would introduce me to my album of the year. Andrew Bird was the opener and we arrived midway through his opening set. Although I did not know his music, from the beginning, I was mesmorized by the stunning beauty of his music and the clusterfuck that is his show (believe it or not, I mean clusterfuck in a good way - there is so much happening musically and visually for essentially a one man band). Shortly thereafter, I picked up Armchair from Emusic.

This album is great and is a deal for approximately $12, considering that this album is perhaps worth $80,000. Andrew Bird is a scholar and he can teach you and your kids. You want to save some money on an education from a liberal arts college? Just play this record over and over again - you'll learn more than I learned from my liberal arts college. Bird makes beautiful music while discussing religion, philosophy, history (a song about the Scythians and their historical troubles with the pesky Sarmatians, damn them), the metaphysical, and so much more. A classical education he will give you, along with his perspective on religion v. science, mortality, nature v. nurture, just to name a few highlights. Oh yeah, did I mention his arrangements are beautiful and sound like nothing else in pop music? Bird crafts great, catchy songs with meaning, depth, and stunning beauty. Every track is a gem and meshed together, these 12 songs constitute my favorite record of 2007. Generally, I think this album has been underrated among critics, so I have no problem fluffing it with this much enthusiasm. Everything is worth listening to, especially Fiery Crash, Imitosis, Heretics, Darkmatter, Scythian Empires.

2. Josh Ritter :: Historical Conquests Of Josh Ritter

Ritter's follow up to The Animal Years is as strong from top to bottom as any other album from 2007. This album not only features some fantastic songs but, for whatever reason, it sometimes seemed that Ritter was singing them to me (as creepy as that sounds). In other words, a lot of his song subjects have relevance to my own experiences from 2007. That personal connection is always interesting to me.

Ritter is oftened pegged as a folk singer, and although there are elements of that on this album, it's also a pretty diverse work that includes some rockers, some catchy pop songs, and even some atmosphere. For the existing Ritter fan, you'll be happy to know that his poignant discussion of serious subjects, such as politics and war, are also present. My favorites: Mind's Eye, Right Moves, Empty Hearts, Wait for Love (You Know You Will).

3. The National :: Boxer

What I love about this album is the mellow intensity of it, (if that makes sense) created by the arrangements and the song writing. Matt Berninger, the primary songwriter, has a unique writing style that I find very interesting; it's almost as if he says what we are all thinking in the back of our heads but are too ashamed or scared to say (for example, in Slow Show: "Can I get a minute of not being nervous and not thinking of my dick"). In addition, it's Berninger's cryptic style that creates some really cool little short stories. Back to Slow Show -- for example, is this a twisted type of love song, or are we getting insights into a stalker? The arrangements are deliberate, often creating a dramatic affect in the storytelling (see Ada). Overall, it's a cool compliment to Alligator. Whereas Alligator has some screaming and yelling, Boxer has none that I can think of off the top of my head yet, I would argue, it is just as intense as Alligator (based on the factors that I've been rambling about). When standing next to Alligator, this is a fantastic follow up, one that shows continued growth from these guys. You can't go wrong with anything on this album, especially Mistaken For Strangers, Green Gloves, Slow Show, Start A War, Ada.

4. Dinosaur Jr :: Beyond

Before you start to think I've gone soft, I present to you Dino Jr's triumphant return. Nineteen years since their last album together, the original guys from Dino Jr released Beyond and, in my book, didn't really skip a beat. The signature shredding guitar licks of J Mascis are as intense as ever and the catchy hooks make many of these songs memorable. When I get the urge to kill some brain cells (by headbanging of course), I put Beyond on and commence rocking. My favorites: Pick Me Up, Back To Your Heart, Been There All The Time.

5. Centro-matic :: Operation Motorcide

Are you kidding? Only Will Johnson can put his scraps together and make a sweet EP. If you were unaware, the tracks making up Operation Motorcide are leftovers from last year's Fort Recovery, a great album in its own right. This EP carries on in the same direction as Fort Recovery, but perhaps with better songs. Atlanta is my favorite song of 2007! Operation Motorcide, Circuits to Circuses, and 74 Cuts, 74 Scars are, arguably, as strong as any song on Fort Recovery. In any event, Operation Motorcide was a tasty morsel to keep us held over until 2008 when Centro-matic and side project South San Gabriel are scheduled to release new records.

Here are my next five. All of these albums are great, but don't have the same consistency throughout as the Top 5 albums.

6. Spoon :: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

It might be difficult to find any album with three songs as strong as The Underdog, My Little Japanese Cigarette Case, and Black Like Me.

7. New Pornographers :: Challengers

So yes, these guys and gals made an album that sounds similar to their previous albums. And yes, they made an album where alot of the songs might even sound the same. The New Pornographers seem to have bottled the formula for creating catchy, singable pop songs. Some find that bad. I, on the otherhand, don't mind it. Fact is, since I've been spinning this album, almost all of the songs have been stuck in my head at one time or another. I like that and I like this album.

8. Band of Horses :: Cease to Begin

Not as good as Everything All The Time, but still a pretty solid follow up. Forget the haters that knock this band for its MMJ similarities, Ben Bridwell and company can rock when they want or take it down a notch and still deliver a quality tune. Doubt me? Check out Ode to LRC, Islands On the Coast, Detlef Schrempf, and The General Specific.

9. Son Volt :: The Search

Another nice collection of songs from Farrar. Although some are throw aways, Methamphetamine, Highways & Cigarettes, and Circadian Rhythm rank up there with some of Jay's finest tunes. For even more greatness, pick up the bonus disc, which includes other gems such as Carnival Blues, Exurbia, and Houdini Punches.

10. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings :: 100 Days, 100 Nights

Amy Winehouse might get all of the mainstream media attention for her "soulful" album, but it's Sharon Jones who released the most soulful album of 2007. With her magnificant band, The Dap Kings (the same band that backed up Winehouse), Jones delivers a sensational album that explores the subjects we expect from a great soul album - love, faith, and hardship - with her tight band and fantastic vocals. This album would probably rank higher if I had discovered it earlier. Where to start? I suggest the title track, Humble Me, Tell Me, and Answer Me.

Others worth mentioning:

Magnolia Electric Co :: Sojourner
Easily in the Top 5 if this weren't a box set. I figured a 4 disc set would be unfair to include since there are 4 discs of great stuff.

Okkervil River :: The Stage Names
I've never really enjoyed these guys until this album, probably because it's a little more "happy" in tone.

Rogue Wave :: Asleep At Heaven's Gate
Some really stand out tracks on this album including Cheaper Than Therapy, Lake Michigan, and Fantasies.

Wilco :: Sky Blue Sky
Although I was a little disappointed in the overall album, it's worth mentioning for my standout musical moment of the year: the Nels solo approximately 1:30 into You Are My Face.

Thurston Moore :: Trees Outside The Academy
Sonic Youth rocker does solo well. Mostly stripped down, there just was not enough time to digest it all for it to make the Top 10.

Music is good!

BK

Song of the Week 3

2007-12-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

Man, its been one of those weeks...ya know? One of those weeks where on Tuesday you're like, "Oh my God, I can't believe its only Tuesday!!", then on Thursday you're like, "Holy crap, its already Thursday??" And you feel like you didn't get anything done.

Neither is ever a good feeling, but when they both happen in the same week it sucks even more. So, when stuck in a situation like this I like to do one of two things....rent and watch a funny movie (i finally saw Superbad this week) or listen to a loud song very, very loud and attempt to do permanent damage to my ear drums. That usually makes me feel better for a few minutes.

So, that's what we'll do with this week's Song of the Week. Here's The Black Keys performing "10 a.m. Automatic" live at the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville. No more explanation. Just turn the shit up and rock out for the next three minutes and four seconds.

The Black Keys - 10 a.m. Automatic

Feels a little better doesn't it???

RR

A sniff of the new DBT

2007-12-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

How do you know you're pumped for an album to be released? One indication might be listening repeatedly to the 30 second samples of the songs that are available on Amazon.com. That's what I've been doing for the last few minutes as I stumbled across previews for the new Drive By Truckers record, Brighter Than Creation's Dark, due out on January 28th. I am fucking stoked with what I've heard. Alot of these songs seem to have a more relaxed vibe (think Heathens or My Sweet Annette) to them rather than the balls to the wall rock that we are accustom to with DBT. I like it, I gotta say! Anyway, I won't gush anymore over an album I've only heard clips of, but this album will easily be my most anticipated album for early 2008. Of course, if you are impatient, head to the Live Archive and search for DBT shows -- they previewed many of these songs on the Dirt Underneath Tour last summer.

You can take a listen yourself over here.

P.S. Cooley is prominent and is awesome. Thirty second clips are enough to tell me that!

BK

2007 Mix 1

2007-12-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

Damn I am clever.

There were too many great songs from 2007 for me to narrow into one mix, so I cheated and decided to make this a double disc. Many of the songs are repeats of things I've posted throughout the year but, since I am putting them on my End of The Year Mix, they must be worth hearing again. So, without further adieu, here is the first batch of goodens.

Peter Bjorn & John -- Object of My Affection
Band of Horses -- Ode to LRC
John Doe w/Kathleen Edwards -- Golden State
Okkervil River -- Plus Ones
Interpol -- Rest My Chemistry
Spoon -- The Underdog
Josh Ritter -- Right Moves
The Shins -- Australia
The New Pornographers -- Failsafe
Great Lake Swimmers -- I Am Part of A Large Family
Dolorean -- Heather Remind Me How This Ends
Magnolia Electric Co -- Montgomery
Eddie Vedder -- Hard Sun
Centro-matic -- Atlanta
The Avett Brothers -- Pretty Girl From Chile
Two Cow Garage -- Camo Jacket

More to come later this week!

BK

P.S. For my nerdy colleagues, I suggest they check out the Chemistry Mix over at the Ear Farm. Lots of good stuff over there to help you with your titration and your reductions and your what have yous.

Plotting

2007-12-03T18:36:00.000-08:00

So the last couple of days have been pretty quiet along these fronts, but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything. This past weekend, I committed myself to sitting down and giving all of the 2007 contenders one final quality listen. I think I have my Top 10 and I hope to unveil it within the next couple of days. Also, I've put together my favorite tracks of the year -- there were so many that it looks like this will be a 2 - CD set. Hopefully I'll have that aboard within a few days as well.

Those crazy Europeans and their crazy t-shirt designs.

In the meantime, I stepped out last night with a few cohorts to check out Peter Bjorn & John up at Bogart's. I will readily admit that I knew very little about PB&J before yesterday and, well, thanks to many a beers, I'm still not too familiar with them. I did spend much of yesterday familiarizing myself with their 2007 release, Writer's Block. Although it will not be making my Top 10, there is some pretty decent stuff going on here. I find them at their finest in songs like Object of My Affection, with the fuzzy guitar and catchy hooks.

Here's another song. Great success!

Young Folks (beyond the wizard's sleeve re-animation)

[Buy PB&J here]

Weak blog, I know. Good songs though so fuck off.

BK

Band of Horses coming to a town near you....

2007-11-30T14:22:00.001-08:00

Unless you happens to be Gerdon....then, well, sorry. Nothing wester than Texas. (Wester...that's right.)

HOWEVER, Nashville and Cincy do seem to be on the ol' list. As well as a couple other nice dates (including some New Year's Eve nonsense in Hotlanta).

Just saw these dates, figured you might wanna see them too:

12-28 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
12-29 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
12-31 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
01-20 Charleston, SC - Music Farm
01-21 Norfolk, VA - The Norva
01-22 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore at the TLA
01-23 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
01-24 State College, PA - State Theatre
01-25 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
01-26 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
01-27 Newport, KY - Southgate House
01-29 Nashville, TN - Exit/In
01-30 Memphis, TN - HiTone Café
01-31 St. Louis, MO - Gargoyle
02-01 Norman, OK - Meacham Auditorium (University of Oklahoma)
02-02 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
02-03 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
02-04 Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
02-06 Birmingham, AL - Bottle Tree
02-07 Tallahassee, FL - Beta Bar
02-09 Orlando, FL - Social
02-10 Orlando, FL - Social
02-12 Mt. Pleasant, SC - Village Tavern

That's all i gots for now.....

Song of the Week 2

2007-11-30T07:32:00.000-08:00

Back with my second Song of the Week here....doesn't even feel like its been a whole week, though....but the calendar doesn't lie.

So, I listen to my ipod all day at work. Constantly. On mostdays, it is what helps maintain my sanity in the lab. Well, for the past three or four days, you would think its filled with 4 GB of nothing but Modest Mouse, which is most certainly not the case. I know good and well the things on shuffle, but damn ipod.....mix it up a little. I mean, i like modest mouse just as much as the next guy, if not a little more....but shuffle means random. And I suppose playing an overload of Modest Mouse is just as random as occasionally playing it, or not at all....but still....

With that in mind, it only seems fitting to make a MM song the Song of the Week. Congrats mice. Instead of choosing something from the newest album though, how abouts I go back just a little further. I'm going to choose the first song that really made me realize I liked Modest Mouse, "Gravity Rides Everything". This is from their third album, The Moon & Antarctica, which came out back in 2000. Who knows where I first heard it....probably on some stupid commercial or something the way things seem to go these days....i don't remember.

Modest Mouse - Gravity Rides Everything

So, if you already like the song, awesome. Try to give it an extra listen this week. If you haven't heard it, give it a listen. Its easily one of my favorites.

Holla

RR

More lists...

2007-11-27T19:11:00.001-08:00

I like lists, as do Amazon and Paste Magazine. Forget 10, they go 100.

Paste Top 100

Amazon Top 100

Both feature a plethora of albums that will probably show up on my Top 10.

As for my own list, I know who will be #1 and I can pretty much name my Top 10. The main thing is where they will all rank - still a month for movement.

BK

Madeleine Peyroux

2007-11-24T14:58:00.001-08:00

Not a lot of guitar in these songs, but she'd look good holding a marching band bass drum

Two posts in one month for me is pretty unheard of, much less two in one day. Well, just like Bryan and his music and I and my music about food, here comes a binge of posts. This one is about some light jazz/blues that will calm you down after hazarding the wreckage known as the shopping mall. Don't come home until you get that Wii at a cut rate price, but once you're home, check out Madeleine Peyroux. She's got a sweet, smooth voice and a great ear for good music. She's certainly been around for a while, putting out here first disc in 1996, at the ripe age of 22. She's had a few more out since then and the 2004 release, Careless Love, has me looking for more. Get a load of these two tracks, then check out some new stuff at her website.

Madeleine Peyroux - Don't Wait Too Long: she covers a lot of songs, but this is an original, besides her voice, I like the organ

Madeleine Peyroux - You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go: a masterfully covered Bob Dylan tune

Buy it here.

AG

Top 5: Music-induced Food Binge

2007-11-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

Gotta have a good harvest to bring in the grub.

The feast that is traditionally Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are all left pondering cold turkey and other leftovers. I propose, instead, that we turn a critical eye, or ear as it were, to a music-induced food binge. Masters of the Kraft, I mean craft, produce songs about love, happiness, eternal struggles, and, of course, food. So, what are your favorites? What gets you ready to grub?

AG

Off topic hilarity...

2007-11-23T18:17:00.000-08:00

The following stuff has nothing at all to do with music, except maybe there is a mention of hippies and we sometimes, but not often, discuss music concerning hippies. In any event, I find it quite hilarious that Eric Cartman (not to be confused with Noog) introduced the Colorado starting lineup in today's CU-Nebraska game. Without further adieu, enjoy:

Offense:

Defense:

BK

Thanksgivings et al

2007-11-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

Somethings I'm thankful for:

Let's get the old standards out there first and foremost:

My rents & company

Sly & The Family Stone :: Family Affair

My homeboys
You Am I :: Friends Like You

My pup

Ted Leo :: Me & Mia

Old rockers that get back together and still rock

Dinosaur Jr :: Been There All The Time

Great harmonies and catchy hooks, all in one song

Teenage Fanclub :: About You

Falling in love with songs from albums past that you had listened to a million times before

Wilco :: Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Bands from Ohio that rock with the amps turned up to 10
Two Cow Garage :: Camo Jacket

Navy, and everybody else, beating Notre Dame this year in football!

Centro-matic :: Mighty Midshipmen

USC Song Girls
Jeff Buckley :: Sweet Thing

Happy Thanksgiving, blokes

BK

Song of the Week 1

2007-11-21T11:19:00.000-08:00

In lieu of kgb v2.0's First Birthday coming up this friday (Nov. 23, i believe) I'd like to start a new segment here. Each week, for what I hope to be the entire next year I'm going to post my Song of the Week. I suppose this will likely proceed like what once was Kendall's Six Pack.....except I'm only posting one and it'll only be up for a week (assuming I remember to take the others down). They will not be topical in any particular sense (meaning this weeks song will NOT be about Thanksgiving). Just a song I want to post, but for no other good reason than its a good song, and I've been listening to it a lot recently. And hopefully, by this point next year it'll be fun to go back and look at the years worth of songs.......maybe. We'll see.

There are a lot of good single tracks out there, which I can never find enough to say about to devote an entire post to, so hopefully this alleviates this problem and finds itself a worthwhile complement to my other posts as well as those of my fellow bloggers. So, with that said, let's get to it....kicking this "year" off:

Ryan Adams - Dear Chicago

Dear Chicago,

Your NL baseball team sucks.
Love, Ryan

So, you know how you've got all these songs you love, but for whatever reason you sometimes forget about some of them? Then, almost accidentally, you stumble upon these songs again and re-fall in love with them? Well, for me that song is "Dear Chicago" by Ryan Adams, and that stumbling occurred yesterday. Sifting around through some Ryan Adams lyrics I rediscovered this Demolition song, which I would've considered one of my Top 5 songs back in college. But, for whatever reason, I just stopped listening to it (the entire CD to be exact). Maybe its because there are certainly better Adams albums than Demolition, maybe not. Who knows?

Adams reverberating guitar strumming in the background of his letter to his ex-lover (I suppose) has always been one of my faves and i'm glad its back in my rotation.

[Buy some of Ryan Adams 1,532 CDs, including Demolition, here]

Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow and in case I forget to post (as a result of a Thanksgiving induced coma, possibly).....Happy 1st Birthday kgb v2.0.

RR

Perfection?

2007-11-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

The New England Patriots are currently playing the game of American football better than I have ever seen it played in my entire lifespan of 27 years and 94 days. I, in no way, consider myself a Patriots fan (i prefer to root for the Titans and Bengals), but there is something oddly fascinating about watching them play football at they level they currently display.

They look like they are playing Division II College opponents every week and they are clearly playing legitimate NFL Franchises. Its remarkable. I mean, i want to see them lose as much as the next person, but at the same time, its fun to watch (even if Brady comes off as kinda a douchebag). They're currently averaging over 40 points a game and Brady and Moss are set to break practically ever single season statistical barrier laid before them. I mean....40 points is a great game for most teams....for the Patriots this season, its average. Oh, and if you're lucky enough to own one of these fellas in a Fantasy Football league, consider yourself blessed, and ride their wave of statistical gluttony all the wave to the playoffs.

I realize you don't come to KGB v2.0 for spot on sports analysis, but the Patriots are currently a level of perfection that we like to see here at RadioKGB. So, with that said, here are a few songs dedicated to 11 weeks of perfect American football.

The Patriots are determined to destroy anything in their path.....

Devendra Banhart - A Sight to Behold

Iron and Wine - Such Great Heights

RR

DBT News

2007-11-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

This guy thinks Wife Beater is romantic

DBT is back ya'll with the release of their newest album, Brighter Than Creation's Dark, on January 22, 2008. We're talking 19 songs yo, 7 of which are Cooley songs and a couple by Shonna as well. In fact, you can read Patterson's thoughts on the album here. It will be a nice way to ring in the new year.

During The Dirt Underneath Tour, piano player Spooner Oldham sat in with the band. He is a legend of the Muscle Shoals music scene, having worked with practically any legend you can come up with. Near the end of the tour, DBT covered one of his songs I'm Your Puppet, a song made famous in the 1960s and covered by practically everybody. Kelly Hogan helps out with vocals and, as she says, this is about the only chance you'll ever get to make out at a Drive-By Truckers show. That is, unless you and your girl find it romantic to talk about beating each other and drinkin' whiskey.

Anyway, lots of the new DBT songs were road tested during the Dirt Underneath Tour, so you can dig through the Live Archive if you feel inclined. In my never ending quest to nurture my patience, I am planning to wait till the record hits stores. Maybe.

DBT -- I'm Your Puppet

BK

Duk Koo Kim

2007-11-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

As you can see from the plethora of posts today, we are doing our best Ryan Adams' impersonation in terms of prolificness.

Tuesday, November 13th marked the 25th anniversary of one of the most controversial boxing matches in the history of the sport when Ray Mancini and Korean Duk Koo Kim battled in a 15 round match for the Lightweight championship of the world. In what was considered a slugfest, Mancini knocked out the Korean champion in the 14th round. The most memorable and unfortunate part of this fight occurred in the following days when Kim fell into a coma and died 5 days later from injuries sustained in the match. After the fight, boxing eliminated the 15 round fight.

What does this have to do with music? Well, it so happens that one of my more favored bands, Sun Kil Moon, led by enigmatic singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek, has a song entitled Duk Koo Kim. Although I did not know the back story of Duk Koo Kim until this week, it only added to the masterpiece that is Duk Koo Kim. Not for the faint of heart, the song meanders for 14 minutes (not coincidentally the amount of rounds Kim sustained punishment) through a range of emotions and scenes. At times desperate, at times hopeful, at times dreamy and ethereal, Kozelek masterfully takes the listener down this winding path while relating our own mortality to the sad and tragic death of the young champion. The music is virtually 3 songs in one. The first 5 minutes contain the lyrics of a desperate, hurting narrator that is facing impending death. As the songs continues, the next three minutes consist of a repeating chorus, a yearning for his one love to return just one more time. Around the 8 minute mark, the audible lyrics slip away and at around the 9th minute, the song changes again. This time it slows with the picking of acoustic guitars entering the forefront. A stark contrast to the first 8 minutes of crunchy and electric guitars, these acoustic guitars transition the listener into the calmness and tranquility of approaching death, similar to the experience of the coma that struck Kim. The remainder of the song moves from the acoustic guitars, slowly creating another jumble of sounds but this time with a more ethereal feel than the first 8 minutes. Finally, in the last 1:30 of the song, the music is deconstructed again, slowly trickling to bells at the 10 second mark with abrupt silence hitting at 5 seconds. At this point it seems that the narrator has left the dreamworld between life and death and finally entered death.

So yeah, it's safe to say I like this song alot. I'm not sure I know of any other song that consists of a more meaningful 15 minutes of music in terms of every lyric, arrangement, note seeming to have a purpose for being there.

Enough of my rambling. Here's the song for you to check out for yourself.

Sun Kil Moon -- Duk Koo Kim from Ghosts of the Great Highway [buy here]

For good measure, here's another great song off of Ghosts of the Great Highway. Believe me, you'll like it.

Sun Kil Moon -- Carry Me Ohio

In other SKM news, the band's website announced that their new album, April, will be released in, believe it or not, April. Woohoo!

BK

Schwartzman Back at Ya.....

2007-11-15T13:42:00.001-08:00

Remember Jason Schwartzman? You know, the former drummer for Phantom Planet....the dude that was in a couple of decent flicks. (by decent, I actually mean quite decent.....Rushmore and I Heart Huckabees were fantastic).

This dude.

Well, he's back with another band. This time its called Coconut Records....and its composed of him and him only. He writes and plays everything, and sings most everything (Kirsten Dunst actually drops in for some background vocals). He just put out an album, Nighttiming, and its currently available on eMusic. So.....if you likes, you should go gets.

Its quite a diverse pop album, but pop in just about every since of the word. Phantom Planet was pretty poppy as well, but in a good way. I actually liked that "California" song before The O.C. killed it. This album has a very Ben Kweller sound to it.....which isn't a bad thing. It was produced by Michael Einziger (he of the Incubus lead guitar fame), another musician which I've always kinda appreciated. A few of the songs seem straight out of the "Writing Beatles Songs for Dummies" handbook. But, for whatever reason, i don't particularly mind that either. Its not like their cranking out a new record anytime soon. So, if you liked Phantom Planet, or even Ben Kweller.....check out this shizz. Then go watch Darjeeling Limited....which should be coming out soon. Should be a witty good time.

Coconut Records - West Coast
Coconut Records - Ask Her to Dance

RR

Free Wilco Stuff.....

2007-11-15T08:16:00.001-08:00

Well, "free" if you've already purchased the Sky Blue Sky album. Apparently, Wilco are releasing a European Tour edition of the Sky Blue Sky album, which contains a five song bonus disc.

Cool part, though, is if you've already purchased the album, you don't need to buy it again to get the five songs. You can download the tracks for free.

All you do (according to the email I received) is insert your Sky Blue Sky CD into your computer, connect to the internet, launch the EXTRAS.MOV section of the special features and follow the directions on screen.

The files come as a 1.30 MB ZIP file.

The tracks are as follows:

1. The Thanks I Get
2. Let's Not Get Carried Away
3. One True Vine
4. Impossible Germany (Live in Denver Sept. '07)
5. Hate it Here (Live in Denver Sept. '07)

Doesn't make much sense to me that the European Tour edition would have two live tracks from a Denver show, but whatever....

I don't have my Wilco CD with me at work today, so I won't be able to download the songs until later this evening, but if you get to them before me, let me know what you think.

I haven't heard any of the first three.

RR

Catching on Waaaaaayyyyyyy Too Late

2007-11-13T13:40:00.000-08:00

One of the best albums I've purchased this year is The Hold Steady's Boys and Girls in America. Unfortunately it finds itself ineligible for any Top Ten albums status because it actually came out last year. But I didn't buy it until some point this year. Well, i've loved it and would consider it one of my favorite albums.....EVER. (GASPS are heard in the background....)

This being the case, i just downloaded their previous album, Separation Sunday, which came out way the heck back in 2005. Better late than never, I suppose. Well.....go figure....i love this one, too!! Its another great album. I love their lead singer Crain Finn's clever lyricism and delivery. He sings a lot about growing up in the Minneapolis suburbs, drugs, drinking, going to parties, drugs, and drugs....all while using some very unexpected Christian undertones. Its unlike anything else I've ever heard. Its not a Hold Steady song unless it includes one lyric that makes you think, "Damn, I wish I would've thought of that." The winner from the Boys and Girls album comes from the song Citrus....."lost in fog and love and faithless fear,
I've had kisses that make Judas seem sincere." That's one I wish I had in my back catalog (it would increase the number of clever lyrics I've come up with to an astounding total of 1). I haven't heard much by the way of new albums coming out, but I can guarantee this will be a "buy on the release date" CD.

Anyways....Separation Sunday......here's two tracks that I think are good representatives of the rest of the albums.

The Hold Steady - Cattle and the Creeping Things (good example of the unexpected Christian references)
The Hold Steady - Multitude of Casualties

Love the lyric in this one, "At least in dying you don't have to deal with new wave for a second time." HA! That's great. Suck it, New Order.

You can purchase all their albums for a very reasonable $10 at their website here. Very very worth it.

PS Okkervil River's got some stuff up on Daytrotter's website now....check it out if you get a chance.

Questionable Content

2007-11-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting comic courtesy of my brother. I thought ya'll might enjoy it, though I sure hope Tweedy doesn't end up in a gutter and Sam Beam doesn't break up with his beard. That would suck. See how it ends here.

Thanks for the tip Ian.

AG

Sick MIX

2007-11-10T17:49:00.000-08:00

DJ Sab and DJ Sosza think this stuff is sick.

Being a little under the weather on this here Saturday night, I reckoned there'd be no better time than now to make a new, SICK mix. Considering my physical state, along with the chilly November evening, this stuff ends up being pretty mellow. Nonetheless, this stuff is SICK, yo!

The Magnolia Electric Co -- Memphis Moon
The New Pornographers -- Failsafe
Elliott Smith -- Rose Parade
Interpol -- Evil
The Stratford 4 -- Autopilot
Modest Mouse -- Medication
Built to Spill -- Else
Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew -- F--ked Up Kid
Yo La Tengo -- The Lie And How We Told It
Big Star -- Thirteen
The Silver Jews -- Friday Night Fever
The Broken West -- Shiftee
Andrew Bird -- Yawny at the Apocalypse

Hope you enjoy.

One more thing. I wouldn't be a dick if I didn't point out to my fellow bloggers....

Kentucky 27, Vanderbilt 20

YaHoo!

BK

Music of 2007

2007-11-09T17:34:00.000-08:00

Magnolia Electric Co

Well, after giving it a good think and a scotch or two, I discovered that I have listened to a few new albums this year, and perhaps I should share them with you. I've listened to this new Radiohead album, which I can't say I disliked. The electronic jazz I can really get in to. The other stuff...well, maybe not. Of course, I've mentioned JJ Cale and Eddie Vedder's stuff already - you know I dig it.

How bout this Broken Social Scene alum, Jason Collett? He's got a couple albums out and a new one in 2007 called Here's to Being Here. You can go to his site and download two mp3 from the album. They've got a BSS-ish sound that I can say I'm digging on.

Then there's Magnolia Electric Co, with Jason Molina frontman that's seems to have been around in the past few years. I've been considering picking up an album (and will do so in good time), but happened across the wealth of live shows downloadable on his website. Pick one and try it out. I recently bought "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere" by Neil Young (a classic for sure - damn fine Cowgirl In the Sand) and Magnolia Electric Co seems to transition well from that. If you enjoy Neil, you'll enjoy this.

AG

And the first Top 10 of the year goes to....

2007-11-08T17:29:00.001-08:00

Stylus Magazine, who apparently decided that November 1st was an opportune time to kick 2007 out of here, released the first Top 10 that I've come across. You can see their Top 50 here, but here is their Top 10, an eclectic list if I do say so myself.

10. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
9. The Field -- From Here We Go Sublime
8. MIA -- Kala
7. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
6. Kanye West -- Graduation
5. The National -- Boxer
4. Lil Wayne -- Da Drought 3
3. Panda Bear -- Person Pitch
2. Miranda Lambert -- Crazy-Ex Girlfriend
1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sound of Silver

There ya go - a list that spans genres from indie rock to techno-pop to R&B to country. I can say with certainty that Spoon and The National will be in my Top 10 but they are still wrestling with a few other albums for the top spots. I need more time with the Radiohead and I've heard good things about LCD Soundsystem, so I reckon its time to give it a listen. Can anyone persuade me to give these others a thorough listen?

BK

Patience rewarded....

2007-11-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Neko Case, and, oh yeah, The New Pornographers

Ah ha, me 1, impatience 0. If you've spent any time with me at all, then you know that I am quite impatient, in particular to music. I also suffer from music ADD. This is relevant because just today, Emusic picked up The New Pornographers' latest record, Challengers. Released in August, I have held out 1) Because I am patient, 2) I knew Emusic would get it eventually and 3) I was enthralled with other stuff. I just picked up the album and am spinning it for the second time. I had heard My Rights Versus Yours and enjoyed it, so here it is for your satisfaction. The second song I'll post is called Adventures In Solitude, something quite apt considering I just finished Into The Wild.

The New Pornographers -- My Rights Versus Yours
The New Pornographers -- Adventures In Solitude
[buy NP here]

I'll hold off on a review as of now because 1) It's too early to have digested, 2) I suck at reviews and 3) Twin Cinema was a great album and will be tough to top.

These damn supergroups from Canada keep churning out indie/pop rock music that I can stomach. Damn them......

BK

More Daytrotter Goodness....

2007-11-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

ME: Uhm, Wayne? What do you do if every time you see this one incredible website, you think you're going to hurl?

WAYNE: I say hurl. If you blow chunks and she comes back, she's yours. But if you spew and she bolts, then it was never meant to be.

This is the way I feel everytime I go to the Daytrotter website. Daytrotter is my Garth's Dreamwoman. Well, now they are back with more goodness. This time its Andrew Bird playing with a band called Dianogah. I'll put two songs below, but remember there's always four, so go to the website and get the other two. They're always great. Actually, if you haven't signed up for the Daytrotter email list, you should do so. I didn't realize they had one until like 5 minutes ago, so I'm hoping they'll send me some regular updates on upcoming bands, etc. I think you'll like the two I've posted here, especially the version of Fiery Crash. Its one of my favorite off the last album.

Now, I'm relatively new to the Andrew Bird scene. So, for those a little more well-versed in Andrew Bird-dom what album to you recommend I check out next. I know he's got a couple. I love Armchair Apocrypha, like possibly Top Ten of 2007 love. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.

Anyhoo, here's the trackolas:

Andrew Bird (Daytrotter Session) - Fiery Crash
Andrew Bird (Daytrotter Session) - Plasticities

RR

Just a reminder...

2007-11-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Wilco. Austin City Limits. Premiers tonight. Check local listings here. It'll be worth it just to see Nels rip through the You Are My Face solo. Bitchin'!

BK

Happy Halloween, Bitches!!!

2007-10-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

That's right, Happy Halloween, bitches. Now that I'm back from my travels of the Southeastern portion of the United States in the name of science, I can slowly turn my attention back to the ol' blog.

With my first act since returning, I'd like to introduce to you something I've been sitting on for a couple of weeks now. A few weeks ago this dude I know gave me a copy of his band's CD. He didn't ask me to post about it, just to give it a listen.

So, I did, and I was pleasantly surprised when I gave it its first listen. I mean, its completely rough, to his own admission, but there's definitely something there. The CD consists of 8 unmixed, very rough tracks. There's a few gems, and the rest display the foundation of something very good to come.

His band is called Redbeard Rattlesnake and my buddy's name is Derik. They hail for the western Kentucky area, which acts as a bonus when I post, because its always nice to tout some local talent (that's where I'm from) and they are currently as unsigned and unsigned gets. But they are in the mixing/production stage of their first album which they intend to call Amen City. All of the tracks are unfinished, but, keeping that in mind, I've really enjoyed what I've heard so far. I think they've got a good ear for melodies with the musicianship to back it up.

Now, I'm not going to go crazy and post the whole damn album, by any means, but here's a few songs from the CD.

Redbeard Rattlesnake - Man Named Diamond
Redbeard Rattlesnake - Poor Anna

If you end up listening to the songs, let me know what you think. I'm really curious. I actually like this more than a couple of the other unsigned bands I've posted recently.

RR

AG Webcast: Episode 8

2007-10-31T08:17:00.000-07:00

Fans, you probably didn't notice that I didn't post a webcast in September and October is falling fast. Well, I'm here just in time to quell your fears. The reason I've been on hiatus is that I've been pretty busy at the job place - a thing that should never happen, but dammit, it does. I have been determined, worker, intense, good worker, hard worker, terrific as of late, though I still pale in comparison to Sir Schrute. I'm sure Dwight would agree that when you get in a zone, one thing that can keep you there is some sweet music. So, here's what I've been listening to over the past month or so. Enjoy!

>>>>>AG Webcast - October 2007 - E8<<<<<

1. Wilco - Walken, Sky Blue Sky (2007)
2. Wilco - On and On and On, Sky Blue Sky (2007)
3. Ox - Blue Morning, Dust Bowl Revival (2003)
4. Ox - Fat Old Sun, Dust Bowl Revival (2003)
5. Bob Marley - So Much Things to Say, Exodus (1977)
6. Bob Marley - Exodus, Exodus (1977)
7. Bob Marley - One Love/People Get Ready, Exodus (1977)
8. JJ Cale - Travelin Light, Troubadour (1976)
9. JJ Cale - Waymore's Blues, Rewind (2007, recorded 1971)
10. JJ Cale - Since You Said Goodbye, Rewind (2007, recorded 1973)
11. JJ Cale - Its Good to Be In Austin, Rewind (2007, recorded 1992)

Happy Halloween!
AG

The Eagles Are Back!!

2007-10-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

But unfortunately you won't find anything about that here. Instead, I offer a sampling of other great music that I've been digging on since I last commented. What can I say, I am one lazy dude.

The Dude is both lazy and hates The Eagles, just like me.

I'm heading more and more indie in the last few months. Two of these bands were brought up by Rutledge including one found here that he thinks could be the best album of the year. I thought I had this figured out, but then I get hit by all this new good music released in the last year, including the one Rutledge recommends above. Two more months to go and the Top 10 for the year is up in the air it seems. I doubt The Eagles will make that list though.

Band of Horses -- Ode to the LRC from Cease to Begin [buy here]
Modest Mouse -- Missed the Boat from We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank [buy here]
Peter Bjorn & John -- Start to Melt from Writer's Block [buy here]
Rogue Wave -- Lake Michigan from Asleep At Heaven's Gate [buy here]

I'm probably late to the game with these guys, but I am glad I finally discovered them.

BK

(Into) The Wild

2007-10-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

Into the Wild, the movie; Eddie at the opening; smoke on the water, the California coast

Several events have come together to prompt this post. The first was my reading of Into the Wild by John Krakauer a few years back. It certainly hit me as an exciting, interesting, scary, and tragic true story about society and nature. Man, what a great book. Recently, this book was scooped up by Hollywood and made into a movie. The movie was good. The book was better, but I'd highly recommend both. One of the nice things about the movie was the soundtrack, put together by Eddie Vedder, who can relate to wildness, I think. It sounds pretty good to me - a bit more subdued that you might think of when Pearl Jam comes into play, which I think is nice. It's still very raw in Eddie's style, but that fits the movie well. And, as Eddie knows how, you can hear the tragedy dripping off his words. Check out two tracks from the movie, below. Finally, we have the wild fires of Southern California - another tragedy and display of the wild. The forces of nature are amazing and, while a forest fire is ultimately a good thing for an ecosystem, it can wreck havoc on our worldly plans. I'm certainly thinking about those displaced by the fire, the fire fighters working to get things under control, and the lives lost.

Eddie Vedder - Far Behind
Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun

Buy the Soundtrack for Into the Wild right here.

AG

Wilco, Part Deux

2007-10-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, Tweedy actually did wear that suit (photo thanks to "Wendy" from ViaChicago.org)

For the second time in the last few months, I saw Wilco. For the second time in the last few months, I was blown away. I caught them at the Wexner Theater, located on the campus of The Ohio State University (home of the country's most overrated football team). I am fluffing WIlco to no end these days, so Tweedy could fart in the mic for two hours and I'd think it was a helluva show (not really). My most memorable memories:

+ A fantastic opener of Sunken Treasure and You Are My Face. Sunken Treasure is a melancholy song perhaps, but the emotion and intensity of Tweedy's voice, along with the booming drums of Glenn Kotche and Nels lap steel, make this song very powerful. Tweedy had the entire audience hanging on his words and the chorus just pulls a string -- "I am so out of tune with you." After the closing build up that ends Sunken Treasure, Wilco hit us hard from another direction with an always rocking You Are My Face. This song is just great rock and roll and Nels chops definitely don't disappoint in the live setting. It was a great contrast to Sunken Treasure yet did not drop the intensity.

+ Here's the setlist,, courtesy of Wilcobase:

Wilco 2007-10-16 Wexner Center, Ohio State University Columbus, OH 1. Sunken Treasure 2. You Are My Face 3. Company In My Back 4. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart 5. Handshake Drugs 6. A Shot In The Arm 7. Side With The Seeds 8. Via Chicago 9. Impossible Germany 10. Sky Blue Sky 11. Forget The Flowers 12. Hummingbird 13. Jesus, Etc. (w/ Andrew Bird on violin) 14. Walken 15. I'm The Man Who Loves You 16. The Late Greats Encore 1: 17. Hate It Here 18. Heavy Metal Drummer 19. In A Future Age 20. Spiders (Kidsmoke) Encore 2: 21. Airline To Heaven 22. Too Far Apart 23. Red-Eyed And Blue 24. I Got You (At The End Of The Century) 25. Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Look at all of the Being There and AM stuff. As a late straggler to Wilco, I am not one who is always yearning for old Wilco, but for those of us who missed the Being There days, it's pretty damn cool to see some of these songs in rotation. The boys saved a bulk of them for late in the night and, after finally catching a Red-Eyed and Blue > I Got You > Outtasite, I was a happy camper. No better way for them to send us home.

As I always say with these guys, check them out if they come near. You will not be disappointed. As always, I had many more thoughts on the show, but since 5 days have now passed, I forgot most of them. Although the Columbus show is not currently available (I did not see any tapers), last night's Charlottesville show is and it features the very same Sunken Treasure > You Are My Face opener. Check it out below. Note: this has been converted to mp3. If you are interested in higher quality, go to bt.etree.org and download the flacs.

Sunken Treasure from Charlottesville, 10/20/07
You Are My Face from Charlottesville 10/20/07

[Buy Wilco here]

BK

Top 5 - Scary Songs

2007-10-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

That's a fine carving job

Yes, my hiatuses (hiati?) seem to grow longer with each attempt to re-insert myself into the daily KGB blog. This is due to the insane amount of time and effort it takes to find a job in the world of academia. I know I have a PhD, but this is really way too complicated. And, I'm only half way done. Fortunately, the next half comes a few months down the road, so I have a few spare minutes to post another long awaited TOP 5! So, I got some help and stole this idea:

TOP 5 Scary/Halloween Songs

Yessir, your 5 favorite songs that have to do with something scary (anything you want, really) or Halloween. If any one puts Michael Jackson's Thriller for all five of their songs (Cori) I'll be severely disappointed. So, have at it, there are some good one's out there.

AG

Congratulations, I'm a Safe Driver

2007-10-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

I just successfully completed online traffic school. I received a ticket back about a month ago, and now, thanks to the progresses of modern technology, I've cut an 8 hour classroom session into a one hour online marathon.

I now feel I've regained the confidence to maneuver the highways of Nashville. So, with my recent graduation (read: completion) of online traffic school, I'll leave you with a couple of vehicle related songs and some handy rules I learned in "class".

Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running: If exiting the car for any period of time, it is wise to turn off the car and remove the keys from the ignition.

The Decemberists - The Engine Driver: Train crossings should be treated as normal intersections. Come to a complete stop at a set of train tracks. Look left, right, straight ahead, and back left before proceeding.

Marcy Playground - Saint Joe on the School Bus: When approaching a stopped school bus decrease speed, and even if the stop sign has yet to be extended, begin scanning for children.

Silversun Pickups - Rusted Wheel: Car maintenance should be kept up-to-date and regular. Air pressure and wiper fluid wiper fluid should be checked weekly. Before long trips perform a thorough inspection of your vehicle before proceeding.

Speaking of going on long trips, I leave tomorrow for 5 days in Florida (work related, I promise) followed immediately by 3 days in South Carolina (also work related) so this might be my only post for the next week. So, remember, drive safely and never drink and drive.

RR

Can We Ever Have Too Much Good Folk Music??

2007-10-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

Seriously, can we?

I don't think so. A lot of people like folk for a lot of different reasons. I, for one, appreciate the simplicity of it. I'm all for layering songs beyond comprehension at times, Radiohead can be guilty of this. But sometimes all I want is some good, simple folk music. I want to focus on the melody and not get bogged down by a lot of other stuff.

So, with that said, here's something you probably haven't heard.

Here's a fellow playing under the band name Good Times Good Times. I suppose you can find out more about him here. He's recently completed a new album, Glue, from which I'll post a few songs. You can probably buy his album for cheap on his website. I've only got these three, so far, but I've definitely enjoyed what I've heard, you should.

I think he's got quite an ear for melody, which I think is most evident in the song Desire. I hope you all like these songs, I've been playing them for about a week now. Its probably the best artist submission we've received to date. Enjoy.

Good Times Good Times - Desire
Good Times Good Times - Sea Shanty
Good Times Good Times - Summer

RR

College Football Rules....

2007-10-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

Captain Badass

Ladies and gentlemen,

My sports related postings on this here music blog are usually limited to laments about the failures of my favorite teams. I can happily report that this is not the case this time around as my beloved Kentucky Wildcats upset #1 LSU in triple overtime this weekend. There are too many players to single out for their great efforts, so I'll focus on our most known player, Andre Woodson. He is the real deal folks, and if you saw the game yesterday you don't need me to describe how he kept the vaunted LSU defense off balance with his game management; he audibled at the line over half of the plays, almost always picking the right thing.

So, in honor of Andre Woodson, I present Jason Molina and Songs:Ohia, who will bestow him a new nickname.

Songs Ohia: Captain Badass

[Buy Songs:Ohia here]

BK

In Rainbows...

2007-10-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

You know what....screw it. Its not even 2:30 in the afternoon and I'm already on my 5th listen, so I'll just go ahead and offer up a few comments on what I think of the album. This is not technically a review (because i'm horrible at that), even though if it was it would be like the 35,000th of such on these here internets. Just some rambling thoughts.

The thing is, I can't remember the last time I was this excited about an album, only I've only had like 6 days or something to build up anticipation. And what added to the excitement is the fact that I haven't seen Radiohead live since like 2003 and had never heard ANY of these songs. I've forced myself to stay away from them, just waiting to hear the final versions. So I'll just say that it is everything I didn't have time to anticipate it being. I love it. I think its an exceptionally beautiful album. So, I suppose I'll tell you why.

To me, this is the first time Radiohead have actually managed to mesh their need for computer-laden beats and music (Kid A and Amnesiac) with the old-school guitar Radiohead that a lot of us remember (The Bends and OK Computer). They hinted at attempting to mold the two in their last album, Hail to the Thief, but for whatever reason I always found that record a little lacking. In Rainbows marks a clear success at that attempt (if that truly was their intent, who knows). As the individual tracks go....here's my feeling on a few of them:

1. 15 Step: Probably the best example of what I meant above about mixing the two Radiohead "styles". I found this to be the perfect lead in track. It kicked off the album fantastically for me and was easily one of the highlights of the album.

2. Bodysnatchers: Easily the most rockingest song on the album, but also one of the weakest for me personally. I find that very surprising, actually.

3. Nude: Radiohead begin to outdo themselves here. The orchestral arrangements are everywhere on this album. Moreso than ever before. Its got a very "How to Disappear Completely" sound, except with maybe more purpose. Where "Disappear" was more wandering, this song seems more focused with the meandering arrangements.

5. All I Need: Through five listens my favorite track on the album. I love the beginning beat overlayed with the bass. I like it so much, that I'm just really getting into it when the bridge kicks in, and I get pissed. Well played Radiohead.

7. Reckoner: Every song on this album is good, but this song completes the trifecta of standout tracks in my mind. Thom has always done a good job of using his voice as another instrument on other Radiohead albums. That's what comes to my mind with this one. Simply great.

9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place: I can't help but to think of Death Cab's Soul Meets Body when I listen to this one. Similar acoustic guitar sounds, I suppose.

10. Videotape: A lot of other reviews are comparing this song to Motion Picture Soundtrack, the end song to Kid A. I'll agree they're both slow and the last song on their respective albums, but I'll end all comparisons there. I loved MPS. Its one of my favorite Radiohead songs of all time. Lets just say I don't think Videotape is there yet.

Overall, I love it. It was well worth the four year wait. The only thing that sucks about this album is it means we won't get another for quite a while. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't get too greedy.

I'd love to hear what you all think once you get a chance to listen....hit me up in the comments section.

RR

Stay Tuned....

2007-10-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

In the middle of my first listen of In Rainbows....

I've got a busy day today at work, but if I can get some time I'll give a quick review of the album later today.

If you've already downloaded.....enjoy.

RR

Radiohead, meet Glossary

2007-10-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

On the heels of Radiohead's big announcement last week (if you missed it, check out Comrade Rutledge's report here), another band is taking an unprecedented approach to delivering their music to the masses. Unlike Radiohead, these guys hail from Murfeesboro, Tennessee, and play music in their spare time and to a much smaller crowd. The band is Glossary, a rocking outfit mostly classed with other rockers such as The Drive-By Truckers, Lucero, and Slobberbone. The album is The Better Angels of Our Nature. Unlike Radiohead, you can download this good stuff right now! Go get the album here (you can even choose your format).

To make it easier on you, here's one of my favorite tracks, just to get ya in the mood.

Glossary -- Almsgiver

So hey, check these guys out. They have a great rock/country (mostly rock). And shit, what do you have to lose? If you don't like, you delete. If you do like, you keep for free and enjoy some great tunes.

BK

Opening Up the KGB Vault

2007-10-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

So, I'm sitting here watching Brett Favre gunsling the ball all over the field and I figured there's no better time than now to open up the KGB Vault.

I believe this marks only the second or third time this has been attempted, but I've been checking our KGB email with regularity over the past few months and some good stuff has finally started to accumulate. Thing is, when you ask for music submissions 9 times out of 10 its an open casting call for shit, and we've gotten a lot of that over time. But we also get some good stuff, so I'd like to try to get that stuff to everyone that doesn't have access to our email account. Hopefully I'll be able to post about this stuff more often, but I'm only going to hit up two artists tonight, so I hope you enjoy them.This being the location of our secret KGB vault, you can see why we don't open it very often. Its very difficult to get to, ya know....being located in the side of a mountain and all......

We get two major types of submissions: submissions from the artists themselves, and submissions from promotional companies wanting us to check out their lineup of artists. Both types are cool, but its always more fun to hear from the artists themselves.

The first artist I'm going to post here is a singer-songwriter that submitted a couple mp3's of his songs earlier in the month. He calls himself Reyn and I believe he hails from Canada. To my untrained ear, he comes off sounding like one of those artists that you and your buddies might have playing in the background as your playing beer pong in college. Now, I don't want to sit here and straight up compare him to another artist...but I'm going to do it anyways. Imagine Jason Mraz without all the clever wordplay, and simplify the songs a bit and you've got Reyn. He classifies his stuff as "balmy tropical indie rock" and I suppose that's somewhat accurate, but I, personally would downplay the rock part a bit. Its got a much more funky, chill-out vibe than the word rock makes me think of.

Honestly, its nothing particularly new. But by no means does that mean it isn't worth listening to. If you fall into the crowd that readily digs on the Jack Johnson and G.Love type, then checking out Reyn might be worth your while.

Reyn - Ain't Got No Woman (live)
Reyn - Crash & Burn (live)

The second artist I want to highlight comes via a promotion company. They recently drew my attention to another singer-songwriter, but this one having a more Elliott Smith sound. The group that calls themselves Southerly is the brainchild of a guy named Krist Krueger from Portland. The thing that intially hooked me on Southerly was the melodies and arrangements with his associated works. I think some of the strings arrangements found on his 2007 album Storyteller and the Gossip Columnist are magnificent. They do an excellent job of enhancing the songs rather than bogging them down. Another interesting aspect of the group is the leader Krueger's attempt at a Ryan Adams-esque level of prolificness. He is currently adding a new song every week available for free download at his website, found here. He began a month ago, and plans on updating with a new song every week until New Years 2008. Apparently, some of these songs are hot off the presses, having been posted within minutes of completion. Now, it wouldn't be crazy of you to think such a hurried pace would lead to a decrease in the quality of songs. I've actually found the opposite to be true, with myself preferring some of the free songs to his albums. That's not a comment on the quality of the albums, however, but a testament to some of the songs available on the site. So, I'll post two songs below, the first being the first free song available on his site, and the second falling on the aforementioned album. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to let me know what you think about the songs. I'm curious to get everyone else's opinions on some of these untested artists. Enjoy.

Southerly - Oh Claire
Southerly - Soldiers

RR

Soul!!

2007-10-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

Let's try something different tonight. Instead of talking about indie rock or some alt-countryish band, let's talk some soul. Now, I am not a big soul guy typically, although I've spent time with soulish type artists like Sly, Stevie, and some Curtis. However, two new records have hit recently that have caught my attention. The first is by Bettye Lavette and her record, The Scene of the Crime. Belting out her style of soul for over 30 years, this CD features The Drive-By Truckers as the backing band. Not only do the Truckers get to explore some funkiness that their own records have yet to explore, Bettye Lavette's powerful voice brings real intensity. Bettye Lavette has seen and experienced some stuff in her life (including dissatisfaction with the industry, jealousy, love trouble) and her awe-inspiring, gravel throated voice, aided by the Truckers, help ya feel some of those things. Anyway, check out my favorite track from the record.

Bettye Lavette -- They Call It Love

The second record is by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and is entitled 100 Days, 100 Nights. Around since 1996, Sharon and her band remind one of the great soul bands of the 1960s and 1970s. These guys wear James Brown and Ike and Tina Turner on their sleeves, but that's cool because nothing sounds like that these days.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings -- Tell Me

Enjoy this cool stuff. In fact, I can't really think of anything cooler than these records, other than maybe these guys (even pixelated these guys are cool):

BK

JJ Cale - Rewind

2007-10-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

JJ in his younger days

Back in the early 70's Cale moved from Tulsa to LA and finally to Nashville, TN, where he messed around on Music Row and started recording tons of tracks for his numerous kick ass albums (Troubadour - 1976, Really - 1973, ect...). A bunch of songs and cuts that never made the discs got stuck in a box somewhere and sat around for a decade or so (right under my nose, when I lived in Nashville - why did I not sniff this good stuff out?). Well, finally those unreleased songs and a lot of interesting covers (Waylon Jennings, Randy Newman, Eric Clapton) are out on disc. I'm listening to it right now and I'm far from disappointed. It's different to here Cale cover somebody else's songs as he's always hung on to that original songwriter mentality. I sure do like his little bluesy numbers though.

Check out some tunes, interviews, and videos - JJ Cale - Rewind

AG

National League Playoff Preview

2007-10-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

Y'all know the drill. Let's get to it......NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

Cold War Kids - We Used to Vacation

Seriously, its been since 1990-something since the Phillies last made the playoffs (hey, you want research and detailed analysis, then go to ESPN.com, here you're getting 1990-something). The Phillies are used to vacationing during the month of October. But, honestly, if this afternoon was any indication then they're simply starting their vacation a week later than usual. They've got the offense to keep up with any other team in the NL, but they're currently being steamrolled by fate. The Rockies are hot, and its going to take what no team has had the past three weeks to beat the Rockies. Good luck, it should be a good series.

NL Central - Chicago Cubs

Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

Yes. I'm comparing the Cubbies to a mass murderer from Illinois (no offense, Bunny). I don't like the Cubs, just like I don't like mass murderers. I hope they get swept. My one comment on the Cubs is why the hell is everyone talking like their the best team in the NL all of a sudden. First off, they have the worst record and are from the worst division in the NL. Why is everyone talking like they've got a great chance to win it? From what I can tell, they've got 12.5% chance of winning it. I hate the Cubs.

NL West - Arizona Diamondbacks

Counting Crows - Children in Bloom

They're all babies!! The rightfielder isn't even old enough to drink. Only like one guy on the entire team has even played in the playoffs, EVER! But, somehow they made it here. As cliche as it is, they're a team that does just enough to win. Maybe the inexperience will come to haunt them as they make their way through the playoffs, or maybe they don't know any better to be nervous. They could win every game 10-0 or lose every game and nothing would surprise me with these guys.

NL Wild Card - Colorado Rockies

Pedro the Lion - Keep Swinging

Hands down the hottest team in baseball, and its not even close. Counting their 4-2 win over the Phillies this afternoon, they've won 15 of their last 16. That's amazing. They've got great talent, both old and young, and their pitching is coming together at just the right time. They're a fun team to root for. They've been hitting everything in sight it seems and they're my pick to make it out of the National League to represent in the World Series.

So, with that said, here are my first round predictions:

Red Sox over Angels in 3
Indians over Yankees in 5
Rockies over Phillies in 4
Diamondbacks over Cubs in 4

Hopefully I get at least one right.

RR

Iron and Wine

2007-10-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Hey, the new Iron and Wine album, Shepherd's Dog, came out last week! Anybody pick it up? Any thoughts? I think I may pick it up this weekend. In the meantime, check out this recent performance at Washington D.C.'s 9:30 Club, thanks to the folks at NPR - here.

Also, check out a new article at Paste Magazine.

AG

Magnolia Electric Co

2007-10-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Ages ago I wrote about my new found fondness for Magnolia Electric Company and their head honcho, Jason Molina. Welp, a few weeks later and surprisingly, my ADDish music personality is still spinning the shit out of their new box set, Sojourner. Thing is, the songs are great, and I like great songs. Jason Molina has been around for a while, doing his thing with numerous bandmates and band names. My previous experiences with MEC included albums such as Trials and Errors and Hard To Love A Man, both of which are, well, electricified. These albums aren't bad, but for whatever reason, they did not register with me as superbad. Enter Sojourner. The first two (of four total) discs are available on Emusic and feature songs off of MEC's previous albums with many more stripped down than their originals. For whatever reason, these songs have struck a chord with me. The lyrics are thoughtful and well-penned and stick out much more to me with these versions. The Neil Young comparisons are inevitable, as Molina's voice sounds similar and the themes he explores are close to Neil territory. The playing is outstanding, featuring some driving electric, including some slide, some lap steel action, and well-placed keys along with some great melodies. Great, I tell ya...this collection of songs is great.

So anyway, check out a few tracks from Sojourner:

Magnolia Electric Co -- Montgomery
Magnolia Electric Co -- Blackbird
Magnolia Electric Co -- What Comes After The Blues

You can also go here to check out another MEC song.

Admittedly, I have a lot to dive into with Molina, as his catalogue is plentiful, but I like what I am hearing so far. Take a listen for yourself and then head over to your favorite store and purchase on a whim. For instance, here's Amazon or, if you prefer, Emusic.

BK

Greatest. Idea. Ever.

2007-10-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

Prepare yourselves.....
Radiohead has an album coming out October 10. That's the tenth of October, 2007 in the year of our Lord.

9 days from now.

A Radiohead album.

Its called In Rainbows, and the band is releasing the album available for digital download at their website next Wednesday. I haven't even listed the best part yet.....the price for said album is, WHATEVER YOU WANT!!!!

Yes, label-less Radiohead have decided to make the mp3's of their first album since 2003 available for download on their website at a price of whatever you want to pay. Seriously. $1. $0.50 $100.00. Whatever. They're making a special edition available for purchase which contains a cd of non-album tracks, lyrics booklets, vinyls, etc. for $80 and the CD form will come out early next year. But you can get the album next Wednesday for any amount of money you see fit.

Wow.

Here is the tracklisting, as dictated to pitchfork.com...

1. 15 Step
2. Bodysnatchers
3. Nude
4. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
5. All I Need
6. Faust ARP
7. Reckoner
8. House of Cards
9. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
10. Videotape

So, if there was ever any doubt about Radiohead being the absolute coolest band in the entire world....this here should settle it.

Holy Crap.

RR