Song of the Week 1

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?

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

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

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.....

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.....

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

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

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

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

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