Cloud Cult new album Light Chasers

Published
by
billy
on September 1, 2010
in music
. 1 Comment

Cloud Cult is not a typical band for many reasons.  They drive a bio diesel tour bus, they founded their own label (Earthology Records) to make sure they could offset the carbon involved in the production of their albums, they have two painters create art on stage during shows, and they have routinely turned down record deal after record deal (oft from major labels).  On their latest album, Light Chasers (amazon) (itunes), Cloud Cult proves once again why they are a special act.

In an age that is dominated by single song downloads, where album sales have largely fallen off and most casual listeners only purchase catchy radio singles Cloud Cult has pulled together a brilliant concept album.  And this is a concept album in the true sense of the word.  The entire album is a story, a multi-act play, that weaves together a lyrical and melodious narrative that will largely fall upon deaf ears.  Most of the people who hear of this Cloud Cult album will only catch one or two songs, three at most, but that would be akin to reading only two or three scenes in your favorite Shakespeare play.  Yes you’ll experience the height of emotion, but you’ll miss out on the key plot pieces that make that moment so special.

mp3 : Cloud Cult – The Strength – Forces of the Unseen
mp3 : Cloud Cult – The Arrival – There’s So Much Energy In Us

I realize the irony in lamenting the idea of listening to a single track from this album in my review and then offering up two single tracks (taken out of context of the album story).  These two tracks are classic Cloud Cult material and they will go a long way to giving you snapshot of the emotional landscape covered on Light Chasers.  I implore you, however, to be a brave soul and join Cloud Cult on their entire journey.  Start at the beginning as they explain they are on an endless, inexplicable, journey.  Carry on through the birth of their child, crew infighting, and awkward and painful moments of self realization.  Then finish the journey with the beautiful track The Arrival – There’s So Much Energy In Us.  If you follow them for the entire length of their narrative it will be much more rewarding in the end.

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Sufjan Stevens Announces New Album, The Age of Adz, and Releases First Single

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billy
on August 27, 2010
in music
. 2 Comments

This has been a glorious week.  First Sufjan released an EP (8 songs, and a full 60 minutes of new music) last week and today even more good news.  On October 12th Sufjan Stevens will release his first full length studio album since 2005.  It will be titled The Age of Adz (pronounced odds) and the album is largely introspective in nature.  Gone is the folk narrative and historic tales.  Here Sufjan will turn the lens upon himself and let his musical imagination trip out on whatever he finds entertaining.  Just listen to the first track.

mp3 : Sufjan Stevens – I Walked

That, quite decidedly, does not sound like standard Sufjan Stevens music.  It also, quite decidedly, has me very interested in what the rest of the album will sound like.  Head over to Sufjan’s bandcamp website to preorder the album and get a digital copy two weeks in advance of the street date.

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Sufjan Stevens new album All Delighted People EP

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billy
on August 20, 2010
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. 6 Comments

From somewhere beyond the poetic grave Sufjan has seen fit to grace us all with a brand new EP.  There are only eight tracks on the album but it totals just a shade under a full hour of newly recorded music.  For the impatient types amongst you, fear not, you can buy or stream the entire album at Sufjan’s website.

mp3 : Sufjan Stevens – Heirloom

The album starts off with a track that Sufjan was experimenting with last year on his brief (much too brief) tour of the midwest.  It’s long, it rambles, but it does appear as if his tour helped him understand this title track much better than when it was a sprawling mess of sounds a year ago.  To be sure it is still a massive song experiment, but it has become much more worthy of the Sufjan brand as it has matured.

Following the title track (all 11+ minutes of it) are a trio of tracks which I will affectionately label the bread and butter of Sufjan.  There is finger picking, there are multiple floating vocals, and each song is an affectionate story told by one of the masters of the singer/songwriter genre.  If you loved Sufjan Stevens on his trip through Michigan or Illinois or even if you first found him around Christmas these three songs will feel immediately recognizable.

The fifth track is a song that Sufjan has long been playing in a live setting.  It has, in the past, been labeled Barn Owl Night Killer, but now as it receives a proper studio recording it too receives a proper studio name; The Owl And The Tanager.  The harmonies on the vocals are chilling on this studio version.  After hearing the live version recorded at PENultimate Lit from a few years back I wasn’t sure that this song would ever need to changed.  On this studio track Sufjan proves me wrong.

The sixth track is a repeat of the title track, All Delighted People, but it is played it what Sufjan deems a “classic rock version.”  Surely the phrase “classic rock” means something different to Sufjan than it does to me, because this sounds a lot less like Queen (my go to classic rock act) and a lot more like Simon and Garfunkel.

The final Sufjan Standard (TM) on the album is track seven Arnika.  It’s a sparse song that has ultimately depressing lyrics “I’m tired of life / I’m tired of waiting for someone / I’m tired of prices / I’m tired of waiting for something.”  Sufjan proves yet again that he is the master of taking the melancholy detritus of life and transforming it into a musical delight.

The last song on the album, a 17 minute rambling guitar jam called Djorhariah, is the only oddball in an otherwise solid new album by the artist we’ve come to know and love as Sufjan.  And even as this track starts off in a different direction form what our ears have gotten used to over the previous seven tracks there are still Sufjan Stevens fingerprints littered throughout this sprawling mess of sounds.

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BOTR vol 15

Published
by
billy
on August 20, 2010
in botr
. 3 Comments

It’s a good day for BOTR (Best of the Remix).  Why not.  If you’d like to check out past volumes just click here.

mp3 : Calvin Harris – I’m Not Alone (Tom Molloy Remix)
I received an advance copy of Calvin Harris’ debut album awhile back and I didn’t really like anything on it.  This beat heavy remix goes a long way to salvaging my mental image of him.

mp3 : Chris Brown Annie Designer Drugs – Kiss Anthonio (White Panda Remix)
I’m not sure what to call these remixes by White Panda.  They come from the website mochibeats.com and I’m not sure how White Panda becomes involved, but who cares because they’re sick mashups.

mp3 : Crystal Castles – Vietnam (LightsoverLA Remix)
At one point in my life I was fortunate to spend two months wandering the beaches of Thailand.  Remixes like this take me back to nights by the ocean watching fire dancers.  Pure class.

mp3 : Drake & Coldplay – The Fly Scientist ft. Page & Silver Medallion (“October’s Very Cold” Chi Duly Remix)
As I’ve said before in other BOTR volumes I’m a sucker for hip hop vocals laid over the top of a modern pop song.  There is something captivating about spitting venom over a gorgeous Coldplay backdrop.

mp3 : Fatboy Slim vs Outkast – Praise Outkast (White Panda Remix)
I will never grow tired of hip hop and pop (or any other modern musical genre) mixed together in an inventive and seamless way.  Never.

mp3 : Felix Cartal – Skeleton (BbopNRokstedy Remix)
I’m not sure how I feel about this remix.  I am sure that BbopNRokstedy is a great name.

mp3 : Fol Chen – In Ruins (Bath Remix)
I”ve never listend to Fol Chen and if I can recall correctly I’ve never listened to any other remix by Bath.  This combination, however, has me interested enough to do some searching.

mp3 : Lady Gaga – Bad Romance (The Kids are Radioactive Remix)
I’m not sure where I stand on the entire Lady Gaga situation.  I can’t tell if she’s a flash in the pan diva or if she’ll end up being the next version of Madonna.  I’m sure I don’t really care though.

mp3 : Lady Gaga vs Sigur Ros – Just Dance (CJ Milli Remix)
Judging by this remix/mashup if Lady Gaga teamed up with Sigur Ros for her next album it could be absolute genius.

mp3 : Phoenix – 1901 (BbobNRokstedy Remix)
Just when you thought Phoenix fever from last summer was finally gone the cleverly named BbopNRokstedy throw down a loop heavy remix that keeps it fresh.

mp3 : Smashing Pumpkins – 1979 (Spin.Kidd Remix)
Smashing Pumpkins, at one point in time, were my favorite band.  Then they broke up, then Billy Corgan went weird, then they sorta kinda formed another band under the same name.  Regardless 1979 remains one of their greatest songs and this remix does a good job of destroying it.

mp3 : Snoop Dogg and Kid CuDi – That Tree (Vim Cortez Remix)
This is Snoop Dogg and CuDi if their song That Tree existed in the middle of the upcoming Daft Punk scored soundtrack to Tron Legacy.

mp3 : Snoop Dogg – That Tree (Star Guitar Remix)
 I cannot get over the opening thirty seconds of this remix.  I simply cannot force my brain to move beyond the dirty bass line that permeates this track.  If you only listen to one remix from this BOTR this should be your choice.

Keep listening to good music.

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Mumford and Sons cover White Lies

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by
billy
on August 13, 2010
in music
. 3 Comments

Recently the four boys in Mumford and Sons found themselves in the cozy recording/broadcasting studios of the best Australian radio station, Triple J, on their program aptly named Like a Version.  (shot disclaimer; Triple J is the only Aussie radio station I’ve ever heard of).  Well as part of this program Mumford and Sons decided to cover a great song by White Lies.  It’s an interesting banjo and modern folk take on what is essentially a rather dark anthemic rock song.  Have a listen yourself.

mp3 : Mumford and Sons – Unfinished Business (White Lies Cover)

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Surrounded covers The National

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by
billy
on August 9, 2010
in music
. 0 Comments

I wade through my inbox about once a week and it’s fairly rare that anything really catches my attention amidst the various detritus I’m sent from PR firms, myspace kids, and random self promoters.  About once every other month, however, I am pleasantly surprised by an email that is short, to the point, well written, and contains a little musical gem.  This time around the email came from Marcus Knutsson and essentially said “Last saturday when we rehearsed and recorded some new stuff, we did a cover of National’s Bloodbuzz Ohio. Its shot with my videocamera in my livingroom in Gothenburg (Sweden) …it turned out pretty good i think.”

Well I think it turned out pretty good as well.  This is a perfect cover.

mp3 : Surrounded – Bloodbuzz Ohio (The National Cover)

You can also watch the recording on Youtube here.

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Two Door Cinema Club album Tourist History

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by
billy
on August 4, 2010
in music
. 4 Comments

If you took a few British boys, told them to mix together the pop sensibilities of All American Rejects and Phoenix, then for good measure throw in the insanely catchy beats of !!! and a little zest of Postal Service and you’ll probably find Two Door Cinema Club.  And if you look closely you’ll find the best pop album that has been released so far this year.  And if you really scrutinize the album you’ll be even more impressed that Tourist History (amazon) (itunes) is the debut album for this trio.

mp3 : Two Door Cinema Club – I Can Talk
mp3 : Two Door Cinema Club – Eat That Up, It’s Good For You

These are my two favorite tracks on the album although, to be fair, the entire album is solid from start to finish.  It clocks in at just over half an hour and it is filled with catchy lyrics, danceable beats, and plenty of radio ready hooks.  The bottom line is that Tourist History is an extraordinary well crafted debut album that bodes well for the future of Two Door Cinema Club.

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Daft Punk scores Tron Legacy

Published
by
billy
on July 29, 2010
in music
. 6 Comments

For those of you who are completely in the dark Disney is making a sequel to the cult classic Tron.  The previews, and literally everything else surrounding the December launch of the movie, have been stellar so far.  Mind bendingly stellar.  As would only be appropriate for a movie of this tech nerd credibility the producers of the film somehow got the dynamic duo of Daft Punk to write the music for the film.  From the few leaked tracks that skittered around the internets recently it appears as if the boys are definitely influenced by current soundtracks (most notably Hans Zimmer’s score for The Dark Knight) yet the curiously maintain their own blip and bleep Daft Punk flavor alive.

mp3 : Daft Punk – Tron Legacy Soundtrack (Track 1)
mp3 : Daft Punk – Tron Legacy Soundtrack (Track 4)

Both of these songs are instantly ready to be worked into almost any preview, for any half decent movie, set to come out in the next three to five years.  A remix (possibly by Daft Punk themselves) could really set them off as well.  Make sure you crank your volume for Track 4 (and make sure to note how much they seem to like Hans Zimmer.  As reference listen to the score for The Dark Knight or Inception.)

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The National album High Violet

Published
by
billy
on July 22, 2010
in music
. 4 Comments

At some point over the last three months I lost track of this brilliant album.  This album that will probably sit at or toward to the top of most year end lists five months from now.  The odd part is that I literally listened to this album on repeat for over a full month.  I listened to it so much that my fiance (now my wife) groaned every time we took my car anywhere because it was literally all The National all the time.

So what happened?  And why review it now when it’s a already old news?  It’s because I forgot about this album.  It’s not that I forgot it existed or that I grew bored with it.  In fact I’m listening to it right now and it’s still solid from start to end.  It was rather the album is so good, so instantly timeless, that my subconscious filed it away with albums I’ve loved over the last 15 years of my life.  Now bear with me because this is where my review turns more personal anecdote, but it’s my blog, I pay the bills, so I’m allowed to indulge occasionally.

As part of getting married (about two weeks ago) I moved to a new location which requires a 40 minute commute to work each day.  This commute, although frustrating in that I have to commute at all, is very relaxing for me personally and has allowed me to listen to a new album, all they way through, twice a day.  To be honest it’s the most dedicated music listening I’ve been able to spend in the last three or four months combined.  And on these trips I decided to take a tour through my old favorites.  I started with Sufjan Stevens’ Greetings from Michigan.  Then I moved on to the Smashing Pumpkins album Adore, followed by Page France with Come I’m a Lion, and Radiohead’s Kid A.  For good measure I listened The Weakerthan’s Reunion Tour before rocking on with Weezer’s The Blue Album followed immediately by Weezer’s Pinkerton.

Most of these albums sit similarly in my brain on two levels.  First they’re great albums which I’ve loved for a long time.  Secondly, by some freak of memory, I still know almost every lyric to every track on all of those albums.  At some point, somewhere deep into this trip into my high school and university musical infatuations it hit me, I realized that my brain had already catalogued the latest album from The National, High Violet (amazon) (itunes), as “music that is inherently so well put together I’ll still like it 5, 10, and 20 years from now.”  I hadn’t forgotten about this musical masterpiece I had simply assumed that anything that sounds as complete as High Violet does must be filed away separately from all other current albums.

mp3 : The National – Runaway
mp3 : The National – Conversation 16

By far Conversation 16 is my favorite track on the album – it speaks of zombies and being afraid, what more do you need?  The rest of the song are brilliant in their own way, and yet together the 11 songs on High Violet find a way to combine for an even greater musical experience.  Everyone alive should hear this album at least once.

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Let’s Have a Marriage

Published
by
billy
on July 9, 2010
in music
. 18 Comments

Just a quick note; I’m getting married tomorrow so The World Forgot will be dormant for about 12 days.  If you’d like to leave a comment feel free to leave your favorite marriage quote (mine would be “Let’s have a marriage.  Let’s have a marriage license.”), or mention your favorite wedding related song and I’ll give it a listen upon my return.

Until then, enjoy the music.

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