Song Lingers On

I've been on a Roaring Twenties book binge the last week. This song perfectly fits the atmosphere. It was recorded by Elizaveta, the musician I do design work with. It's an Irving Berlin cover. I really love it!

New Album: Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear released their fourth album in September called Shields. It is by far my favorite work that they have ever produced. I've tipped my hat to them before, but this album has put them center stage. I don't mind shoe gazing, we all do it on the subway. Don't have a strong aversion to it, but I much prefer the directness they explored with Shields. It's more lyric-heavy and open, it feels more structured. The ideas are almost separated out so that they can shine, and the ideas are really compelling. The lyrical moods seem to speak to the perseverance of the soul, haunted by the past, trying to carve out a path for itself before its too late, struggling with the desire for freedom but also wanting the comfort of intimacy. The lead singer, Ed Droste, speaks directly to this :

"There's a desire to be autonomous, but there's also this great fear of being alone, and there's this constant feeling of, how do you reconcile this?’ There's this need for space, but there's also this, 'come closer come closer.’"

Gun Shy


A Simple Answer

New Music: Alt-J

Don't you assume the blond-haired guy is the lead singer? Seems like the singer is always the odd one out and shorter. People seem to embody their instruments, the singers are always a little more in your face, the bass players are often tall. These guys shirk the conventions..oh but wait, they are an English band formed in art school!

Alt - J (aka delta)

Their album, An Awesome Wave, was released earlier this year, falling just outside of this new age dream pop thing (Beach house, et al). The album is cohesive, but diverse enough to make singles out of each song. The songs have interesting seamless layers, that don't get too murky, having that hook even without the vocals, which by the way, are melted nicely like another instrument. Lead vocals sound a lot like Bombay Bicycle Club, which is kind of a restrained old man voice. While interesting, it should be used cautiously/sparingly just like the false-falsetto that Bon Iver made trendy. Alt-J experiments enough with the vocals to keep them from sounding too coy.

Anyway, feeling rant-y today. Check out these masterpieces.

Breezeblock -

 

Something Good

 

the road in fall

With this song, I could be taking a road trip into the mountains where it’s getting colder and the leaves will change soon, and cooking something over an open fire with a toasty mug of chai tea. It might be time for a trip up to Santa Cruz again soon, one last camp before the winter.

The plans are being crafted. The mountain awaits. The sounds of Africa are calling. 

Even with the distracting hipster-stache

Alright Paskalev, it's time for you and your record company to stop teasing the world and put out the album. If you've gotten this much exposure with basically one song on the market, you can bet they have plans. And this little live clip has me speculating that the plans are big. The girl in the background clapping gives this tune a whole new dimension.

Bring on the album asap.

on a train

Feeling melancholy and full of wistfulness. Like I'd like to be on a train riding through Northern India in a late afternoon drizzle looking at the turquoise soaked temples.

My favorite rapper

I have a crush on Mos Def.

While everyone else was copying the thug look, Mos was expressing own his unique style.

But he's not just style, he's a true artist - one of the best lyricist around. 

Mos Def - Umi Says - Black on Both Sides

Mos Def - Quiet Dog Bite Hard - The Ecstatic

The Clash memorabilia

I've been wanting some Clash adornments for my house. I guess hours of listening to Joe Strummer BBC while working all week will do that...  Oh to see them live.

Going on ebay, thinking, oh maybe I'll picture up an old Clash shirt...

or maybe I won't! The cheapest here is $150 and one of these is $1200. I'll let you guess which one.

Looks like I might be pulling one of these:

Happy Birthday Strummer

On this day 1952 in the capitol of Turkey, the stars aligned to bring the world a rare breed of musical talent, political consciousness, style and good humor. I am speaking of course of Clash frontman, Joe Strummer.

Public Radio Exchange has re-released a radio show Strummer did in his later years for the BBC radio. I love it. Not only was he an outstanding musician, he was true appreciator. You get a sense of his international upbringing with his love of world music.


xoxo

New Music: Tame Impala

New tunes.

Thao + Mirah

As far as collaborations go, I'm really down for this one. I love their sincerity, energy, and creativity... I would love to hear a group of middle school girls jamming to this. It's time for some real female musicians / creative forces to guide the young. I'll stop myself there before playing my patented mainstream pop rant.



I can easily see myself in the background there strumming uke or banjo or clapping, basically ruining the jam, but having a great time with my gal pals. haha

 

Broken Bells

Rueful procrastination. I've been meaning to get my hands on this super beat mix and finally did so this week. The ipod thanked me. The Broken Bells album was all that I hoped it would be. A gigantic ball of honey-combed space candy, as noted above. I knew it would be good with ingredients like this.

Broken Bells for new comers is the collaboration of Shins front man, James Mercer and Danger Mouse, one half of the Gnarls Barkley duo. While definitively having the Mercer vocal stamp, the album otherwise seamlessly combines the talents of the two without any sharp or blaring edges. Good beats. Solid song writing. I've got the whole thing on repeat. I hope there will be more, especially after my disappointment with the last Shins album.

My ipod today: Striaght to Hell

Fiona Apple new album out today!

The crazy Apple is back with her first album since 2005.

I wouldn't say that I have been a long time fan, when she first hit the radar long ago, I was young and had no reference for her form of angst-ridden overt-sexuality. I loved her voice, nonetheless. And admire her creativity and disregard for the norm. Her 1999 album title is a beautiful piece of poetry,* just as her new album follows the same oddball fantasy.

The artwork on the cover is her own. In an interview in 2005, she said that everything she did was driven by laziness. I guess she didn't want to have to find an artist to muck up the cover, so she did it herself. Any way you slice it, she has craved out a corner of the music scene for Fiona alone, and it has been sitting vacant for six years waiting for her return.



The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple

1. "Every Single Night"
 
2. "Daredevil"
3. "Valentine"
4. "Jonathan"
5. "Left Alone"
6. "Werewolf"
7. "Periphery"
8. "Regret"
9. "Anything We Want"
10. "Hot Knife"

*When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts   //  He Thinks Like a King  //  What He Knows Throws the Blows  //   When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing   //   'Fore He Enters the Ring  //  There's No Body to Batter  //  When Your Mind Is Your Might  //  So When You Go Solo,  //  You Hold Your Own Hand and  Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights  //  and if You Know Where You Stand,   //  Then You Know Where to Land  //  and if You Fall It Won't Matter,  //  
'Cuz You'll Know That You're Right (1999)


Across the Universe (1998)

Elizaveta - Meant, betrayal, revenge

Check out this video by rising musical star, Elizaveta



My oh my that scarf looks familiar.

Ports of Morrow

I've been listening to the new Shins album. I got it in Portland. I'm such a good hipster. Nix that. Anyway, it's good. These two songs are the ones that are standing out so far.

Simple Song

This was the single. I've been playing it quite a bit, even though it starts out with "This is just a simple song" and I hate self-aware songs for some reason. It's a pet peeve. Yes, we know you are singing a song, don't talk about singing a song within a song. It's like being in a beautiful dream and having a screeching alarm clock go off. Mercer redeems himself. He knows what to do. When he throws in the signature Shins riff, my heart melts. "I know that things can really get rough, when you go it alone."

The video is worth watching too. Even though there is something way too familiar about a band playing with a house being destroyed all around them, I'll give him credit for having an interesting story. I love artistic videos as much as the next person, but I feel like that has become a cop-out for low budget videos. "Cut the fat boys, let's just make it look cool." Everything is better with a story, even if it's a really weird artsy nonsensical story - a la Mulholland Drive. So cheers Shins.

 

September

This is one of those brilliant slow tunes. Again with the catchy riffs. "I've been selfish and full of pride, and she knows deep down there's a little child."

x0x0

Loss and music

Music heals the soul when we are lost in grief. Losing a loved one is a natural part of life, but it seems paralyzing and puts your mind and soul into a neither-world, somewhere between the here and now and the unknown. There is that strange ethereal feeling of spacelessness. Where are you departed one? Where are we?

Music is like that too. Spanning the here and now into the unknown... and completely without space.

This past month we lost our dear friend. One of his favorite singers was Misora Hibari.

Her song Kawa No Nagare No You Ni and its lyrics always make me cry. They seem to bring it all into focus. Here's a sampling of the lyrics.

Shirazu shirazu aruite kita / Hosoku nagai kono miti / Furi kaereba haruka tooku / Furusato ga mieru / Dekoboko miti ya magari kunetta miti / Tizu sae nai sore mo mata dinsei

The path is narrow and long and / We walk along it without much thought but / If we turn our heads, far in the distance / We can see our places of origin. / Bumpy and winding; these uncharted roads, / But then again- that is life isn't it?

Ikiru koto wa tabi suru koto / Owari no nai kono miti / Ai suru hito soba ni tsurete / Yume sagashi nagara / Ame ni furarete nukarunda miti demo / Itsuka wa mata hareru hi ga kuru kara

To live is to journey / On this path without an end / and people we love draw near us / As we search for our dreams / Even though the rains may fall, muddying the way / Someday, again, another clear day will surely come

Aa kawa no nagare no you ni / Odayaka ni / Kono mi o makasete itai / Aa kawa no nagare no you ni / Itsumademo / Aoi seseragui o kikinagara

Ah, like the flow of the river, / Calmly / We release ourselves / Ah, like the flow of the river, / Forever / As we listen to the flow of the blue*

I also really like this song, especially I think it is the shamisen.

*  I don't speak Japanese, so obviously these lyrics and translation are borrowed. I love them; but if you know more about it and have some corrections / accuracies - I am happy to hear

I'm very saddened by the lost of our Beastie Boy, Adam Yauch. He was not only a rapper of lore, he was also a really great human being. I respected what he evolved into as an adult and the message he put forth in his music. You will be much missed Adam!

Abduction Mix

 

It has been 70 years since the Battle of Los Angeles, an unexplained crossfire between the US military and something unidentified in the sky. What was it? We still don't know... But we do know that in the event of an abduction, you will need some music. For this purpose, I present to you - the Abduction Mix.

Go ahead and check to see if the aliens have an ipod adapter in the saucer, this mix will accompany you through the whole experience, from light funnels to probing.




Atlas Sound ............................................ Lightworks
Golden Earring ......................................... Twilight Zone
Blue Man Group (feat. Esthero) ................. White Rabbit
Bjork ........................................................Earth Intruders
Fever Ray ............................................... Triangle Walks
Circulatory System .................................. Stars
The Shins ................................................ Sphagnum Esplanade
Radiohead .............................................. Subterranean Homesick Alien
Blonde Redhead ..................................... Missiles
Goldfrapp ............................................... Deer Stop
Miniatures Tiger  (feat. Neon Indian)  ......... Gold Skulls
Radiohead .............................................. Scatterbrain
Massive Attack ....................................... Teardrop
Other Lives ............................................. For 12
Radical Face ........................................... Ghost

MIX: A Nomad of Sand & Sea / tribute to Isabelle Eberhardt

After a big sapfest on Valentines, it's time to fill the hearts of those disenchanted with human contact. That's right, this mix goes out to all of the wandering hearts out there. The roamers. The explorers. The lonewolves. In honor of our sister nomad, Isabelle Eberhardt, who was born this day in 1877, we are gathering songs for the uncharted road. After losing the important people in her life, she refused the traditional role of women, left Swizterland for North Africa, where she traveled freedly, often dressed as a boy to avoid harassment. Her diary is a antheum for the free spirit.


The Finches ..............................................  The Road
Lay Low ...................................................... I Forget It's There
Lhasa de Sela .............................................. Rising
Other Lives .................................................. Paper Cities
Supergrass ................................................. St. Petersburg
The Morning Benders ................................... Wet Cement
The Microphones .........................................I Want Wind to Blow
Alela Diane ................................................ Tired Feet
The Heavy .................................................. Short Change Hero
Radiohead .................................................. Fog
Fever Ray ................................................... Keep the Streets Empty for Me

MIX: Love in the Time of Mixtapes

Thanks everyone who tuned in to the very first show. So yes, thank you, Jerome.

Are you feeling the love in the air? Do you have your 24 variety pack of Valentines ready? I miss those. I wish I still got random cartoon Valentines from everyone I know, whether they like me or not. Well, as consolation, I'm offering you this digital Valentine... Love in the Time of Mixtapes. a little throw back to the days of yore. There's some old world, some new, some power ballads, everything you need to celebrate amor.


Track Listing

Friday, I'm in Love  ................................  The Cure
Right Down the Line  .............................  Gerry Rafferty
Woman  ..............................................  John Lennon
God Only Knows  .................................  The Beach Boys
When I'm Sixty-four  .............................  The Beatles
Rhythm of My Heart  .............................  Rod Stewart
The Power of Love  ...............................  Huey Lewis and the News
Just What I Needed  .............................  The Cars
Sing Softly to Me  .................................  Kings of Convenience
Chances Are  ......................................  Johnny Mathis
Wonderful, Wonderful  .........................  Johnny Mathis
Let's Never Stop Falling in Love  ..........  Pink Martini
Gamble Everything For Love  ...............  Ben Lee
Unintended  ........................................  Muse

ready for Shins

I am pumped up for the new Shins release in March. After 5 years, I am ready!

The hipsters here in Los Angeles (and there's some sort of collective consciousness worldwide) have turned their backs on Mercer and The Shins. The band crossed that one-way threshold of popularity, had their songs in a movie, maybe a commercial or two. The brutal death of an indie band. But face it, when you are as good as Mercer people of all tastes are going to start liking you. And eventually, sadly, even people with no taste. But if you step outside of who likes what music and just listen, there is a master at work here. I am kind of in awe of his musical prowess.

Let's discuss.

Songwriting. You get the sense that there must be some formula for writing Shins songs, but it eludes you. Each are completely absorbing on their own and as part of a pack. There's a signature Shins sound, no doubt, Mercer's singing voice and the melody of his lyrics, but each song is a new and different idea. I can listen to all of the albums in a row and not get bored with it, that is a feat.

Instrumentation. The craftsmanship of each song and how all of the pieces fit together is really seamless.

Vocal Track. What I really love about The Shins is the way the singing acts as another instrument, rising and falling within the song as if it is a third guitar or keyboard track. In most pop songs, the singing is a separate layer apart from the music. You can hear the struggle between the two and how they were laboriously composed to fit each other. The vocals here take unexpected turns and accompany the instruments like part of the gang.

Singing. What can I say I really like his singing voice. I mean this is just luck, I guess. There are some bands that have great songs, great lyrics, great-great, awesome-awesome, then the lead voice starts wearing on you, and then you start getting annoyed with how he is pronouncing time. Mercer's voice is all over the place, strangely high if need be and low, but he's got it, whatever it is.

Lyrics. They are quirky and a little loopy, but there's just enough sense to make you think. And sometimes when you are having a really inexpressible thought, you might fall into one of these songs and think, aha that's what he meant. I really get it now. Even if you've completely misheard the lyrics. Which happens all the time, and it's great.

Consistency and change. What I am really drawing attention to here is the fact that they've put out three incredible studio albums. You can hear an evolution in the drum beats and complexity of the songs, but you can still listen to the first albums with the same enjoyment that you had the first time. Growing, changing, and making fulfilling music throughout; I take my hat off to it.

Now the pressure is on. Ports of Morrow. The time is near at hand! But I will always love you no matter what the hipsters say.

Love, DJ Slobek

I'm pretty excited about this show. I've just finished polishing up the site as you see it, and must say I like it. The radio waves are ready for the mixes to begin. Tune in Friday for the first session. The way this will work is that every week there will be a new compilation mix for your enjoyment featuring a mixtape album cover as well designed by yours truly.

It started with mixtapes (cds) that Slobek used to make for her friends, complete with all star collages and packaging. When the ipod usurped mixing powers, playing DJ became a lot harder. Playlists just didn't carry the same appeal. But the flood of new and classic music never stopped. Slobek has been an aficionado for many years with a very narrow taste that excludes all easy-eating pop and cheese. Finally without further fanfare, the announcement shall be made.

DJ Slobek is going live!

Bringing the best mixes from a little cubby in Culver City, California to the internet masses.

A special thank you to the Dimes on Mars Radio Channel for hosting this hour long mixtape regularly.

Stay tuned for more adventure.