trying to get this back in check. test//

:k 09.29.09

"New Lord" [MP3] from ELF POWER! "The Re-Arranger" [M4A] by Mates of State! :k 05.13.08

"cody" [MP3] Government Commison by mogwai.

Barack Oh! has a new campaign anthem - I think it's aimed at HillzClit. [a parody]

"Puke A Pitch Black Rainbow To The Sun" [MP3] merci! Boduf Songs :k 05.07.08

UPDATE: I thought that Boduf Songs 'song' would be a funny "ha ha ah" about Hillary_dick_dock, but maybe this new-ish Nas track would be more fuckt up. "... he my nigger, wigger, cracker friend."

"Be A Nigger Too" [MP3] word streams from thee Nasir Jones "critics eat a dick"

 

That movie The Devil Wears Prada borrowed my favourite Azure Ray song, "Sleep". That's neat. Hey - new Miles Kur_o_sky music !! "Because in this life / you'll never be free". And he's still singing about that "God" kitten - guess him and Jesus still don't talk much.

"Me and Jesus Don't Talk Anymore" [MP3] by Beulah [Yoko demo] :k

New month at Babysue [goddamnit!] - and they gave words to -THREE- new -AND/OR- upcoming albums -BY- bands we've been crushing on heavy-like: Earlimart [Hymn & Her], Joan of Arc [Boo Human!] -AND- When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth [Not Noiice]. 2008's damn_alright if you know where to look & listen.

And as forecast'd - yr free song "Metal Detektor" [MP3] by Britt Daniel solo [WNYU May 17, 2001] :k | 05.02.08

Cuz' it's so good - REPEAT of ystrdys song! "Pink Slip" [MP3] by Encrypt Manuscript :k

It starts with a steady, thick beat - bass drum pushed back to somewhere in the basement - reminding me of an older Secret Machines track [that I can't bring to mind at the moment - ah, "First Wave Intact"]. Then these guitars fly through the windows - cymbals, along with the full kit, catch up to the same crisp level of audio. The guitars are wild and clever, too - shit dad would be proud of, he may even call it "jazz-nasty". Next is the real magic: Brian Davis adds the story. This guy covers major ground vocally - think "Jackie O, O, O" Rage, anything Dennis Lyxzén was a part of that had him pissed off, yr older brothers Fugazi collection, yr younger sisters Blood Brothers & perhaps your very own chunk of quality culture - Hoover. It is "Pink Slip" from Encrypt Manuscript - crafted on Census - and it sounds important. I got my hand-numbered edition today - it's pretty. Liners printed on swiftly-trimmed maps and graph paper - it makes more sense than many will even give thought to. So good.

"Tell what's-his-name to stay home tomorrow
Gates chained. Lock and key
I'll be looking for you."

"Pink Slip" [MP3] by Encrypt Manuscript :k | 04.30.08

So our fearless leader was on the news this morning, making all kinds of excuses why on your drive to work you may notice that the price of petrol is nearing $4 a gallon. "Congress refuses to allow this and that", "No new refineries in thirty years", "Oil, oil, oil". Motherfucker - we need[ed] a leader not a goddamn excuse_maker. YOU were/are supposed to be the President - you have/had the authority to go ahead with change no matter what the women & men below you say. Ignorant fucktard. [pause] I don't know - driving seems so filthy now'a'days anyway - like exhausts spitting venom into pathways connected directly to our chests. Why the fuck is it called a con_science, when it seems that listening to 'it' can often_times be a beautiful revelation.. ?

Then I get to work and decide that Thoreau would be my partner for the day. Wish he were here now. "What frequency are you getting? Is it noise or sweet, sweet music? What frequency will liberation be - what frequency, what frequency?"

In closing, this Reindeer Section song came on in the playlist and severed the nerve that was being plucked allthrough the moring:

"We'll be here for 30 years or maybe more
you don't have to worry that we don't have time
let's find a way to meet in the middle of
somewhere finer in our own time when we can"

"12 Hours it takes sometimes" [MP3] by The Reindeer Section :k | 04.29.08

It only took a few days, and the When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth egg hatched in the lobe corridors. This album pretty much kicked the doors down and made one huge pathway throughout my neander_skull. If yr into most of the goodness we prefer around here, ie: HEALTH, Aa, AFrames, et al - invest within. This album - Not Noiice - is out soon [say May 13th] on Chalk Circle. Best of '08 fer'shure. Top Ten - highly likely.

"Hypnotic Locks" [MP3] by When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth :k | 04.28.08

Music and design. We can supply some audibles - ffffound is always good for visuals [anyone have an invite? kaleb@sctas.com]. Esp_ecially liking this link.

"It's Been Trippy, Mississippi" [MP3] by When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth :k | 04.25.08

"Day of the monkey" [MP3] by Lilys :k | 04.24.08 _ "I could always look a hypocrite, baby"

"4 Minute Warning" [MP3] "Last Flowers to the Hospital" [MP3] :k | 04.23.08

Super Tuesday. I'm at work, and I really want my co-workers to realize I have fucking lost "it".. . whatever "it" is/was. Anywho, last night IFC had the original [the only, rather] Texas Chainsaw Massacre on - and I decided to look into the soundtrack and "score" for the classic and came up with upwards of twenty+ tracks that Tobe Hooper created/assigned to the film [including the country ditties]. Some of the "sounds" are total Zabriskie Point / Death Race 2000 - but others wholly capture that sinister grime the film epic'ly depicts. Below are 5 minutes from the '"get yr grandpa" / "look what ya' did to th' door" / dinner scene'. Play it loud - make your parents / neighbors / co-workers / kids realize yr absolutely bat'y. Bonus factette: The TCM narrator is the guy from Night Court - John Larroquette.

"Track 05" [MP3] from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre :k | 04.22.08

Fuck, man - I'm just "saying".. because I can.. .

"I needed it most" [circa-2001, demo] [MP3] by MMJ "Sun Giant" [MP3] by Fleet Foxes [circa-2007]

:k | 04.21.08

That LIVE Les Savy Fav set - After The Balls Drop will be available for safe_keeping in about two weeks. We've been listening to this set so goddamn'd oft, I basically want to be the Fav. I long [require] to see Tim Harrington on Real Time With Bill Maher.. "who's fired up!?". No other panel members - just Tim [and his multiple personalities]. Can I just add - of no relation to the previous post - The Ramones really sucked.

"Sliver" (Cobain) [MP3] by LesSavyFavvvvvvvvv :k | 04.17.08

:k | 04.15.08

"kids don't know it / but everything they got is gone" [MPTHREE] by I5LAND5 :k | 04.14.08

What are you doing July Eighth? No immediate matter really - but the newest offering from John Francis [this time as "THE John Francis Impostors"] will be out & about care of Rerum Novarum Records of DC. This one's gonna answer to SUNKFRANCISCO FRANKENSTANCE - so can someone make damn sure Dean Wells knows that that impressive album title has now been claimed? We love us some John Francis [and Dean Wells] - below is my favourite track of the day from SUNKFRANCISCO FRANKENSTANCE. Hyper_impressive lyrics to the song are here. And some just damn cool artwork is here [unrelated to said album - which has superb artwork in itself].

"Dracula music" [MPIII] by The John Francis Imposters :k | 04.11.08

s! (yes)| 04.10.08

 

Musique! I mean - why even write anything? Just click on stuff[s].

"Applebug & his doll" [MP3] by Beatrice Antolini "Tomorrow goes away " [M4A] by Delta Spirit

:k | 04.10.08

This post does not mention HEALTH. It's still good-o, though, promise. So, we here at sctas like Sunset Rubdown, and yes, it is mainly because Spencer Krug is radass. The other members of SunRub play with other bands, too (the beloved Miracle Fortress, Magic Weapon, etc.) and now member Michael Doersken has a project called Deep Sleepover. The only info to be found on this band is one small interview and a myspace, but the album has been available somewhere since last October. To me it sounds like very much like the dark of SunRub and the sunny of Miracle Fortress mixed with the dreamy of Brian Borcherdt's solo works (not part of this collective, but a member of the band known as Holy Fuck.) I want to hear more, but damned if I know where to find it. This tune (click here!) is a dream, though. miss s!| 04.08.08

 

What would a post be without the mention of HEALTH? It would be sick - that's what it would be. Video transfer [8mm > TV input > Live capture: 160bps digital video > Vimeo]. Onward. I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to like Delta Spirit or not. They've tour'd with Cold War Kids and plenty of other junky'junk that I don't care about _ yet _ Delta Spirit is/are fucking alllllllllright. It doesn't make sense, but it makes me happy. Ode to Sunshine is the record I'm feeling pretty nice about. :k | 04.08.08

Images from the HEALTH show last night. Tonight is Raleigh. I hope the ringing in my left ear lets up before this eve. "Do you hear bells?" :k | 04.07.08

That there is a Narwhal. Radass beings - and remember - the 'H' comes after the 'W'. Always. While we're talking about cool things, I may as well say that I have been loving me some Scary Mansion [aka Leah Hayes]. Like an earlier post this week (see: El Perro Del Mar), Scary Mansion is fronted / owned by a beautiful young woman that I can totally see myself inside of. TMI? Anyhow - if Chan Marshall decides to retire / rehab in the near soon'ish, we'll have Scary Mansion to sound a whole hell'of'alot like her. Scary Mansion's Every Joke Is Half the Truth [and, might I add - that is likey about 50% correct] is out on ZUM - a really amazing label [see this release! "Malibu" by {the late, great} coughs is the muhfukin jam'son!!] :k | 04.04.08

Joan of Arc [Boo! Human] +Make Believe. The press release for the Make Believe LP - Going to the Bone Church - mentions that this is Tim K's fifty-eighth release. While there is/are strength in numbers and all that wick'd-nasty shit - the Kinsella boys make genuinely solid music.. . the kinda albums you can return to and actually enjoy, dance yr dick around and sing out to/with. You know - like "You've got such a pretty voice but you gotta get so fuck'd up to sing". :k | 04.02.08 [_oh yeah - the new Spiritualized A&E was here]

Let's imagine we're talking about _whilst listening to_ this new El Perro Del Mar album From The Valley To The Stars [out April 22, US]. Sounds good, yes? Indeed. I'd likely chime in that it's like "a more optimistic Azure Ray - around the 'Safe and Sound' days". I am really enjoying this album - seek out, seek out. [And with a name like Sarah Assbring {her label named Licking Fingers!!} - and looks that could be attached to a wall and admired - I doubt I'll forget this young woman near soon]. :k | 04.01.08

Here's some things that make my world go 'round lately: Subpop is finding favor in my eyes thus far in 2008. First we have the glorious Grand Archives album (you hear it yet?) and now we have Fleet Foxes. Yes, they worship hard at the altars of big beards and Jim James and Andy Cabic (AND, according to a friend, the band know as Yes?) but is that really so bad? The songwriting's smart, and goshdamn if those harmonies don't give me chills. Original, you got me there..but gorgeous and well-crafted, yes. And also: did you know that our friends Buildings Breeding have a new(ish) EP and a new album about to drop? Go check their site for a bunch o' free stuff, too. Yep. miss s!| 03.28.08

Randomly snagg'd a torrent of this film Wristcutters last weekend. You may have in yr human cache the horrid logo [I came to know it as a Thumbsucker rip_off.. and I admit that because I was stupid] that was advert'd on pretty much every hip blog_site late last year. Hey - Wristucutters is pretty damn good. Positives: you get to see Shannon Sossamon be her natural_beautiful self, glory be to Tom Waits - and the soundtrack is a nest of tunes from Gogol Bordello. Better even is that one of the 3 main characters [Shea Whigham] is based on GB's Eugene Hütz [!]. Good film - even better use of great music. Yeah - if they ever make a doc on the life of Jeff Tweedy - Patrcik Fugit is yr man. :k | 03.27.08

Between listening to this spooktaculish Les Savy Fav up'comr After The Balls Drop [.. .'I just ran a 5K Fun Run for the New Year - a sponsorship for "Who Needs A Wish" Foundation'] alive set that was performed and recorded something like 3am EST on 01/01/08 [complete_Tim_Harrington_improvaliciousness] and browsing the new issue of YETI [that was crammed in my box this morn' like manilla fish in vienna sausage can] - today has been damn fine. If you've yet to get issue FIVE of YETI, and you like'ya'some Will Oldham [who has like a nine page interview that owns the set], get to it. As well - that LSF set is out April 29th though the xFrenchkissx. This Les Savy set really needs an accompanying DVD.. . :k | 03.25.08

Between HEALTH and Aa - whatever they call their genre - these chaps are holding the motherfucking bag[s]. :k |

"Static Rights" [MP3] from Big A little a

:a mix. :k | 03.17.08

Both the new Clinic [Do It!] and [especially] Supergrass album [Diamond Hoo Ha] are surprising me. I mean - Supergrass have had me ever since they debut'd all Coco and what-not, but Clinic really started letting me down somethyme after Walking With Thee. What I mean is the new shit is proper. And about yesterday [see previous entry] - I'm giving No Age a few listens and - I have to admit - I may like it. :k | 03.11.08

Been meaning to "give a shout" to D+T Magazine. Even though they put bands like Jus†ice and No Age on the cover [very little > no invested interest from my camp] - it's all mothers milk inside. I'd say this journal is what the outcome would be if Anthem & FADER collided - and Under The Radar was attempting to administer first-aid. :k | 03.10.08

"Blasting Fonda [Live at the Vic, '05]" [MP3] by The Jeff Tweedy

Just in time for spring--The Owls are back after a pretty long hiatus (the excellent Our Hopes and Dreams came out back in 2004) with an album called Daughters and Suns, out on Magic Marker Records. Four years has definitely given the music a more grown-up/polished sound--and maybe stripped away a tiny bit of the immediacy that made OHAD so charming-- but the beautiful vocals and the band's ability to write the very best kind of lovelorn-y pop song (half sunshine, half tears) is definitely still there. s! 3.7.08

It's really strange to us how [The] Grand Archives album just failed to get her time in the star_light. While the other section of what remains as Band of Horses is Zune-approved + Ford driven - this Grand Archives album seems to have been overlooked. Are the GA guys too human for the landscape? Mayhaps it has not been enough time [the LP was released just under a month ago] - but gauging from the peeking+poking I do on the interweb, it's not [yet?] been a widely accepted - nor noticed - album. What I mean to say is it was one of our most-anticipated releases of 2008, and it deserves some syrup.

"If there was a problem, yo, I'll solve it!". Yeti N°5 announced - and GODDAMN'is it a MOTHERFUCKER! What's that? Contributions from Jeff Magnum.. "I love YOU Jesus Christ!". Too much grandeur to copy + paste here - so see this. And a song below - because music is the shit that makes life bearable. [Bonus Yeti Gold: BloodNinja is Legend].

Part two for today: So, remember the band called Helvetia? (You know, Jason and Dove from Duster and the very very good 2006 album called The Clever North Wind--read up on it here!). Well, the new album's almost here (titled The Acrobats), courtesy of The Static Cult Label. Want to give a listen and can't wait for the end of the month? No problem--you can head over to CD Baby where the album is streaming in entirety...and if you like what you hear, pre-order it. Also. It's about a month until the city of Philadelphia becomes my home. This Philly blog celebrating the joy that is a good mixtape is another reason I'm feeling good about the move: Mixtapes Bring Smiles. Go there and stream mixes--or if you ask really nicely, you can even have a custom version sent to you via snail mail. Pretty good-o, if you ask me. S! 3.3.08

S'been a while since I have gotten stupid_happy over a mystery cd in the mail, so when my blood pumps heavy over this Everthus the Deadbeats John Kill and the Microscpic Lullaby [band name / album title - I, too, was wtf'ing] I feel pretty fucking shiny. One [of the many tracks] I'm currently dating would be "whudya" - what I'll refer to as "audible spotless sunshine for the working mind". It's like circa-1981 Laurie Anderson married circa-1977 David Byrne and they recorded with current era Architecture in Helsinki. More adoration for Everthus at MOKB.

Shearwater. Now it is all over - but the birds. :k|02.27.08

Sometimes songs do funny things to a person--things that border on that feeling many people (poets, songwriters, artists, Hallmark cards) have been trying to nail down since time began. Me not being any of the aforementioned professions, all I can say is that this song, with its stutter-step drums, and the sinewy guitar line, and Mr. Yorke's beautiful falsetto (ably backed by my man EOB) gives me the shivers. It makes my heart want to beat right out of my chest with absolute adoration. Yes, I will pay $90.00 to see them here this summer, even if the rest of the line-up is currently pretty weak.

s! 02.23.08

Wake up! It's Two-Thousand and Eight [by some calendars] - and for the wonder of clusterfuck some people STILL think there is a "God" up in the "Heavens" calling shots and casting spells.. .

[X] :k|02.22.08

This past week - the elder woman that live[d] below me passed away. She had been dead - for some time - and a member of her family had to come to 'check in'. I observed from my apartment as medics were called and - upon finding out the "news" - family were informed of the loss. Prior to this occurance, I had re_watched the fantastic film Dead Man twice in one evening. Rare it is that I will just casually watch a movie - add to that twice. As I watched this movie - steeped in 'fin times' - Death loomed & claimed a neighbor [who just so happened to live directly under me]. Numbness. I'm unsettled with the thought that I did not decide to further analyze Bergman's The Seventh Seal.

LIFE [+ DEATH] in black and white. "What is now proved was once only imagined." - WILLIAM BLAKE :k|02.15.08

You might remember the supreme beauty /perfection that was the self-titled debut album from Songs Of Green Pheasant. If you don't, why not go check this out before you read any further? D. Sumpner is back with a new album called Gyllyng Street that definitely and blatantly moves away from the quiet bedroom folk (that almost felt like a time capsule..or transmissions from a dream world) of previous efforts and steps forward into 2008. Sumpner's influences are worn on his sleeve--the album is full of big atmospheric sounds with songs floating around in there, equal parts poppy and shoegaze-y and spacey. Is it pretty? Yes. Is it as intimate/dreamy/warm sounding/engaging as the first album? No. Is it still worth a listen? Yepyep. <s! 2-13-08>

 

Why continue to live? Polaroid® is completely over making instant film. First the non-digi units stopped coming down the line - then the goddamn'd film. I don't know about you - but this is some really heavy shit. Polar bears... Polar ice caps... Polar oid. [the end is near]

As it turns out, Mat Brooke exiting the Horses Band [,of] prior to said band pondering WalMart commercial appeal and plush Zune™ tour_buses was a really bosspreme turn of brightness. Now we get Grand Archives and this super-solid debut LP - The Grand Archives - out in a'bout'a week on SubPop. [In related BoH quasi-criticism, the OC cover of The New Year's "The End's Not Near" is still bitchin'. + to that, the Brothers Kadane are lovely!]

13 Blues For Thirteen Moons is fucking ridiculously incredible. It aches, it smashes/crashes, it pretty much takes the reigns and plunges horse'head-first into an uncalcuable sea of quasi-deciduous gopher wood. [Avg. track time is 14+ minutes - offer below is 14:42:00]. Ah - THEE SILVER MT ZION MEMORIAL ORCHESTRA & TRA-LA-LA BAND!

Jasper TX is Dag Rosenqvist from Sweden ["Hej!"]. His latest offering is In a cool monsoon, released on Pumpkin Seeds in the Sand [a label out of Brooklyn 11211]. Connect the dots? Best of all possible outcomes is the songs of Jasper TX are really good. Tranquil, warming - welcome all. In his own terms: "Jasper TX is the confused sounds of Dag Rosenqvist. It's been going on for a couple of years now. History is pointless..."

This new Kelley Stoltz [Circular Sounds] LP is golden. Ray Davies-meets-Elliott Smith.. ? ["hello"]

"Tintinnabulation" [MP3]. Circular Sounds is out 2008.02.05 on SubPop.

New [free] eight song'r from NYCs [original] amb. {:k|01.23.08}

New Zealand houses these human-cats calling themselves Die!Die!Die!. It's catchy [did you even read the name.. ?], energetique goodness - and you can stream the full album [Promises, Promises out next month on S.A.F. Records] here. Now that the Blood Brothers are dead & At The Drive-In have been done - you can follow what these guys do next. If yr looking for single track highlights, I suggest "Sideways Here We Come". {:k|01.11.08}

Although I didn't totally fall in love with the Okkervil River album this year, I'm totally crushing on their Golden Opportunities mixtape/EP (free download, by the way.) Maybe it's because we're on the verge of a new year (and therefore I'm embarrassingly nostalgic), maybe it's because I'm a total sap, or maybe it's just because the combo of Will's beautifully bruised vocals and delicate guitars and those sweeping horns at the end (oh man! so epic!) just floor me, but I adore this song to pieces. Download the whole thing, if you haven't already. It's good-o. (see: "The Blonde in the Bleachers"--wowzery!) AND--if you'd like to see what music deserves honors in the book of S! this year, go here. {S! 12.30.07} "I Just Came Here To Say I'm Going Away" by Okkervil River [MP3]

This new [the] Lonelyhearts EP from the ever-trustworthy Three Ring Records. It's the Four-Wheel Drive EP, housing three new songs and a remix. "New Virginia" by the Lonelyhearts [MP3]

also - there is The Boneless Children Foundation. Not only do they have a great fucking name - their infectious style should meld well with fans of Les Savy Fav. "Stars For Anyone" by TBCF [MP3] {:k 12.02.07}

{:k 11.26.07}

"oh we're force-fed this pop culture shit, we're stayin' up late thinkin' 'what the fuck is this?'".
2007 list. {:k 11.16.07}

"Map [vrsn]" by the Microphones [MP3]

Phil Elverum. {:k 11.07.07}

"Moon Sequel" [Vera, Live] [MP3]

{:k 10.10.07}

Here's something (or someone) cool discovered via a mix from a friend: a man named Timothy Showalter, also known as Strand Of Oaks. Part of La Societe Expeditionnaire (home of the band called Lewis and Clarke), Tim is a storyteller, with songs that are a. woodsy b. quiet c. fragile d. acoustic with melodies all delicately wounded and pastoral (reflecting the isolation of his rural surroundings.) All this equals something special, indeed. Check out a very cool UK radio performance below: {S! 10.07.07}

Strand Of Oaks play (live) on Simple Folk Radio here

Maurice Sendak owns. It's October, orange is the official [unofficial] color, nips of chill in the half-jar'd windows at night - and I really want to track this book down. Sendak... Nosferatu... POP-UP! {:k 10.03.07}

And a song - because... Mountaineers: "Camped Out" [MP3]

Esopus is so brilliantly important that it aches with baited bonedust to wait for issues to come. Word to the scene is that the upcoming October '07 issue will feature Dirty Projectors, Black Moth Super Rainbow + a swell of others [and that's just on the accompanying issues exclusively-track'd cd]. We made idiots of ourselves a year back talking to Esopus chief Tod Lippy - see. {:k 09.26.07}

And a song - just because... Number One Cup: "Cosmic Dancer" [Bolan] [MP3]

GREAT news: got the upcoming Armored Frog album - Rerouter - in the mail today. Actually' got 3 copies, and all of them are made specific to be original. I am quite excited and will likely be on these tracks for a good bit of time. Pee_ess: George AF got hitched-up, diamond ring-style. Best to you, my friend . {:k 09.17.07}

The Sleepsound Diaries

Here's a band close to my musical heart (I'd say it's about a 15% total heart combo of Everyone Down Here and Treble and Tremble) that doesn't get enough attention--Earlimart. Guess what? After a long wait, they've released a new album called Mentor Tormentor...and oh, is it good. Lush, honest, heartfelt, and well-crafted, this album makes me think I'll have to up my musical heart percentage to 19.85%. This is a perfect album to start the fall season. ("September come please take this heart away.") {miss s! 9.4.07}

Earlimart "Happy Alone" (with beautiful Ariana vocals!)[MP3]

 

{:k 09.04.07}

Mink Lungs : "Blue and Creme Car" [from The Better Button, 2001] [MP3] (To add to the underloved, which this band is/was.. . see here. Fuckt' up that is)

>HEAR {:k 8.28.07}

HEALTH: "Triceratops" [xMP3]

{:k 8.21.07}

Les Savy Fav: "Brace Yourself" [MP3] [Let's Be Friends out Sept 18th on Frenchkiss]

A good friend = "a little shake up from the rift/a bit of wind to get you to lift." {miss s! 08.20.07}

Fruit Bats "A Bit Of Wind" (from the sublimely good LP called Mouthfuls) [MP3]

Another Portland (this one via L.A.) band to consider, especially if you like your songs with gauzy, delicate melodies and shimmery female vocals (these are songs for sleeping/dreaming--night or day): The Battle of Land and Sea. An album is soon to be released on Notenuf Records, and the duo's been touring around Europe this summer. Something about this song reminds me of a woodsier Beach House, mayhaps. Two things that are cool besides the music: 1. the lead singer is a fellow S. 2. The band handmakes their own merch. {s! 08.15.07}

The Battle Of Land and Sea "Saltwater Queen " [MP3]

Portland, Oregon's Pseudosix [sue_doh_sicks] have a new album right "on the cusp of very good things". With album number two [s/t] - they also have a new label in Sonic Boom Recordings, and the bands sound has changed drastically since Days of Delay floored me 4 years ago. If you've been keeping up with Holy Sons, the below track will spike your senses. I have many good things to say about this album - one day when I am done listening I might speak of them. {:k 08.13.07}

Pseudosix reveals "Apathy & Excess" [MP3]

If anybody still gave a rats dickhole about radio [or solid song structure] - the Umbrella Sequencewould be hiring helpers to carry around canvas sacks of solid gold coins. Of note - it's a bit unreal/sick how much this album [events, princessrecords] reminds me of flick, a band that made a couple of great albums [sample "Maybe Someday" from Perfect Kellulight] - signed to Sony - and died. Moral of that fucked-up tale: "hey, Umbrella Sequence - don't die [or sign to Sony]". Also - the GO! Team are horrible [unrelated]. {:k 08.07.07}

The Umbrella Sequence "Bus 12" [MP3]

Okay, truth: I get excited about a LOT of albums. But this one that I stumbled upon today, oh man--I am really in love (and as per usual, I've fallen fast and descended into the pits of obsessive crush-dom rapidly.) So, with that lead-in, I present the Canadian band known as Miracle Fortress. Filled with layer upon layer and then more layers of fuzzy guitars, big drums, random sounds, and some of the prettiest, sunniest dreamy pop melodies I've heard all year, there's absolutely nothing wrong I can find with this album (Five Roses)--it's humble, charming, endearing x 100, and addictive. LOVE. {s(ara) 8.4.07}

Miracle Fortress "Hold Your Secrets To Your Heart" [MP3]

Shellac. "The End of Radio". a_Live. Really good. "hey, hey, this is real god'damn emergency!" This version sponsored by Martina Navratilova... "I wanna sponsor your Martina Navratilova". {:k 07.31.07} [ Albini image borrowed from CAC ]

Shellac plays & chants "The End of Radio" [MP3] {"can you hear me now!?"}

You may have heard/read SCTAS mention one Mr. Ryan Smith (aka A Million Billion). If you haven't, what are you waiting for? Turns out that Ryan and friends (including the talented Gretta Cohn) have started a new venture called Twin Thousands. Currently (well, as I type, anyway) touring in the UK--and making an appearance on BBC radio!-- the band has three songs for you to check out on their Myspace...and with one named "Pirate Song," how can you really go wrong? A: you can't...so go now! {s+ara 07.29.07}

"It's ok - you can take a condom. It's ok - you can take Valtrex®. And it's ok, you can get an abortion - and then keep on keepin' on". This all from a gentle man who is bound to a wheelchair - singing beautiful songs about "very friendly lighthouses" - after a drunk driving incident 25 years ago left him paralyzed from the waist down. And the way this song ends - "you are never alone.. you are....". Love you Vic. Stay optimistic, as Shirley once sang. Vic's latest LP is North Star Deserter. The second song below is from his '01 release Left To His Own Devices. Can't say/type enough great things about this man. {k 07.24.07}

Vic Chesnutt | "You Are Never Alone" [MP3] + Vic Chesnutt | "Very Friendly Lighthouses" [MP3]

{k| 07.18.07}

John Vanderslice + Spoon | "Time Travel Is Lonely" [alive] [MP3]

Artistry, when properly executed, works. Quote me on that, choir'bitch. Jack Francis and his The JOHN FRANCIS have it all together. Songs written in the theme of Victorian twilight, delivered discerningly with real person emotion, TJF is art. Below is the tale of the 'tall & pink, disheveled boy' - track two from On The Moments We Share [Rerum Novarum Records, DC]. "Ballerina blend is a man's best friend". For those weary of what ye' hear before you click, think The Gena Rowlands Band met with those few, great Decemberists moments [remember those? "Leslie Ann Levine"...] {k| 07.17.07}

The John Francis | "Ballerina Blend " [MP3]

Seabear is a band from Iceland. The new album, The Ghost That Carried Us Away, features help from fellow Icelanders (I'll let you guess who, but a good guess would be a member from a band with the initials S.R. amongst others.) Sweetly, forlornly poppy--my votes for non-Icelandic sound alikes would be Boy Omega and Amandine--the album is all simple, sparse (and mostly acoustic, with some piano, strings, and assorted animal noises) arrangements anchored by warm and whispery vocals. It works, folks. Iceland = cool (ha!){s! 07.16.07}

Seabear | "Arms" [MP3]

Stunning how each of the few reviews of 2000's get on jolly from The Marquis de Tren and Bonnie Billy are just wrong [and misinformed]. The few that I found hardly even make note of [or elaborate on] how the lyrics are adapted from Rabindranath Tagore's GITANJALI [this man has volumes of beautiful writings]. What matters most is the music, I suppose - and here is [the wonderful] "2/15", one of six tracks from this release on Palace records.{:k 07.16.07}

The Marquis de Tren + BPB | "2/15" [MP3]

Loving this song "Great balls of fire", from killdevilhillsrecords latest sending Daddy's Hands. This ain't yr pops' Jerry Lee Lewis - but kids *may* have been harmed in the making[s]. Think A Frames meets late-70's UK punk that you've yet to hear.. .{:k 07.12.07}

Daddy's Hands | "Great balls of fire" [MP3]

"Goddamn motherfucking Bam Margera"...? "Got'damn motherfucking band mera dera"...? I've not known what the phrase was / is for months... then came a] the internet search, b] a way off translation and c] the actual phrase [via Min_man Sean Brooks] from "Pay More" [the lead track from Minmae's 835]. I've been coming back to this album since we first reviewed it in the first quarter [yep, I'm a stocks man now], and it will certainly be on the high-end of the 2007 LOVE'D list. [Of note: amazing LKN contest coming tmrw. Love be to greydayrecords.] {:k 07.10.07}

Minmae play eight minutes plus of "Pay More" [MP3]

Completely rare that a band/thing/Yeti/human can release an album and I gladly propose triumphant brass horns without even a need to hear it. Marc Manning is one of those rare beings. His latest release is "Air In the Trees", eight songs of delight available now from Tract Records. Better yet, I've heard this one and I love me some Marc Manning [see also: Everything is Fine, EIF]. In Heaven.. {:k 07.09.07}

Marc Manning plays & sings "Storms" [MP3 at Tract]

Here's an album that's been mostly overlooked so far in 2007 (and one of my favorites of the year): Air's Pocket Symphony. Yes, it might not have the immediacy or warmth of (the last album) Talkie Walkie, and may not be as fun/whimsical as previous works. In fact, the album feels awfully like "a glass box of emotion" at points; add Nigel Godrich's gorgeously crystalline production (side note: please God, let the new RH album come out this year. I'm really starting to get the anticipation shakes.) and you've got the equivalent of emotional limbo: feelings that linger, confusion that never fully settles, directions that never seem clear, "bruises that never heal." Air does this so beautifully well--these songs need repeat listens before they'll truly worm their way into your musical consciousness, but once they're there, you'll get it, promise. {s! 6-30-07}

Air "Once Upon A Time" [MP3]

{s! 6-27-07}

Thee More Shallows "Night at the Knight School" [MP3]

Meg Baird might be loveliness personified. Her debut album, Dear Companion, is a simple affair--part cover songs, part originals--and full of sounds that conjure up the English countryside, coming and going (and often never returning), guitars that remind me of a tone best created by Nick Drake, and a voice--oh, a voice crystal clear, honest, and darn right gorgeous. If you like your music on the folky side (Meg often works with a band called Espers) as well as lovelorn, open your ears to Meg. I have, and although she makes me sad, it's the very best kind of heartache ( ie: one that I play often.) or: "so much beauty it'll make you cry" {s! 6-25-07}

Meg Baird "Waltze Of The Tennis Players" [MP3]

 

On the debut from DoublePlusGood, Somehow Everyone I Know Is Here, I hear traces of Stephin Merritt, Her Space Holiday, Eurythmics + Mates of State [hear "Wireless"] - and overall some damn good "electro-pop". Out now on sleepsound records - "Separate Vocations" below is a lovely introduction to the DoublePlusGood showcase. {:k 6-25-07}

+²good | "Separate Vocations" [MP3]

{:k 6-22-07}

[we] thebrotheregg | "Dormant Podling" [MP3]

Here's a song that sounds just like a summer breeze (if breezes were musical, i s'pose.) The Loose Salute reside in the UK, and their new album, Tuned To Love, is out on Graveface Records. According to them, the album "tries to encapsulate togetherness, loneliness, love and lost loves, surfing, partying, wanderlust, home-cookin', beaches, fields, stars and bars." I'd say they cover a fair amount of ground in this one perfectly beautiful little lonely song. Seriously, I'm on my 42nd listen this hour--I definitely have high hopes for the album. {s! 6-20-07}

The Loose Salute "The Mutineer" [MP3]

x 1000 alert: If you've visited here lately (and hopefully you have) you've read my babble about the awesomely talented J. Tillman and his new album, Cancer and Delirium. Well, JT was kind enough to take time out of his schedule and talk to me about many things--the making of the album, musical origins, and lots of other stuff that you should just go ahead and see for yourself. So, please go check it out (right here!)--it even looks really pretty (as always) thanks to :k. Read the interview, listen to some songs, and maybe even add some J. Tillman to your musical collection. It'll do you good, promise. {s! 06.17.07}

 

Like a Shel Silverstein tale with a Kafka climax, "Speck of Dust" is my muhfuckin' anthem for this week. What makes the least amount of sense when it comes to this weeks discovery of bands like TSH,DT? and Architecture in Helsinki is that I truly can't stand horns in my music. But the use of horns/brass in both bands here is that similar NMH brushed-on tone: just enough to not turn the party into a ska-tastrophe. Ooooh, JAM!
"I held it here,close to my heart / it was so small, couldn't tear it apart" {k! 06.15.07}

TSH,DT? "speck of dust" [MP3] | AiH "the owls go" [MP3]

so x 2: if i were to try to describe this band called revival, i would mention band of horses, and jason molina (magnolia electric co.), and the dusty alt-country british vibes of goldrush (ozona era) and and maybe even son volt (members of the band have a loose link to jay farrar and company..), but i would also be sure to mention the big, shimmery guitar sounds that make me think revival has studied at the atmospheric school of shoegazing. dueling parts epic and poppy (but dark and moody), horses of war--revival's first album--makes me think that they're still figuring themselves out. the album tends to be all over the musical map, but the bright spots (like the song below) are definitely worth hearing. {s! (no caps here) 06.14.07}

revival "following you" [MP3]

 

seriously. there is no music in this post. forgive me if you do give a fuck about lyrics, as this message has reached you in error [actually you came here, so what I mean is this message is not about you]. something special happens when I read lyrics along the lines of: "and you shout out loud / and you're bursting with pride / 'cause they don't let you talk / and your heart is finally mending". how about we all start giving a furious fuck about lyrics, again... and begin sentences without caps - 'cause we can! {k! 06.14.07}

[nil]

so: I'll openly admit to my love/hate affair with Dinosaur Jr; they've always been a band that I should like, but just don't (with the exception of "Tarpit" and even then I love the Doug Martsch cover better.) I've always been a Lou B./Sebadoh sort of girl, although I have to admire J. Mascis for his guitar playing and current magically luxurious white mane of a hairdo....which brings me to this song from the new Dinosaur Jr. album, Beyond. Think of it as a brighter, noisier Sebadoh song, boosted by some wonderfully noisy power guitars. This song is an anthem, a challenge, singalong heartbreak in very best Barlow style. (and the rest of the album's surprisingly good, too.) {s! 06.10.07}

"Back To Your Heart" by Dinosaur Jr. [MP3]

After wading through piles of digital images sent by the masses - the BlackMothSuperRainbow contest comes to a bubbly-icious end! This cat tried his damn'dest, but it was just a flacid penis when compared to this lovely gals bubbler!! And this dude... he just got the wrong memo [but he's winning some neat shit] If yr in NYC tonight, and have yet to catch bin Laden - BMSR play Irving Plaza at 8'o'sharp PM. {k! 06.08.07}

Stream Dandelion Gum, BMSR's latest and finest [stream]

Either I'm losingwhatever edge I had/have - or this blog is pretty fucking ha ha. After you go there - listen to this new track from Virgin of the Birds - who is Mister Jon Rooney of Morning Spy in solo clothes [with helpers...]. I'd say that if that Destroyer dude had all of the clever tools that the hip'ish kids claim he does, then he'd crank out jams as good as the seven on Mixed Choir. Unnh - in yr FACE with the Space Race, bee_yotch! {:k 06.06.07}

"Sisters at the Sound of Dawn" by Virgin of the Birds [MP3]

who knew a fridge dying sounded so freakin' great!? Grafitti-removal expert Matt McCormick cared/dared to find the hell out... his music out now via Marriage PDX. {:k 06.04.07}

"refrigerator dance musics" by Matt McCormick [MP3]

Thee More Shallows are currently on tour supporting their new album (and first for Anticon), Book of Bad Breaks. I'll get to see them this weekend at Maxwell's, making for a very excited S!. TMS aren't out to impress anyone--lead singer Dee Kessler and company constantly forge their own path (see: 2005's excellent More Deep Cuts) through a music scene bogged down by blah-blah-sameness, taking bits and pieces of everything (strings, fuzzy then jarring then delicate guitars, all sorts of electronic sounds, big pounding drums, tinny keyboards) and sewing them into something that swings between dark and ominous or sweeping and oddly hopeful--sometimes all within the same song. The results are always oddly catchy, although it may catch you off guard at first; where More Deep Cuts was atmospheric/cinematic, Book Of Bad Breaks is musically darker and more immediate. The album's clean, crisp sound (maybe recorded at the end of a deep dark tunnel, perhaps) adds to the overall paranoia that pervades; it's not just a theme, though, but also a celebration. This = stuff worth hearing. {s! 5.30.07}

"Night at the Knight School" by Thee More Shallows [MP3]

Per usual, I was being a dick when this johnny and the moon cd came in and figured it was some crap band from the shores of North Carolina [the label is Kill Devil Hills Records]. Well - turns out the label is Canadian, the band is good and the damn album has been out and about since last fucking year. Nevermind the assembly that make up the band - try out "Tamed a Lion" and get a jubilant whiff of what these Northern'rs are all about [ie: folk-fleshed fare; then there's some Goonies-esque segues buried within near the end of the supplied track - just enough 'odd' to keep me intr'std] [*Geek alert: compare the tail-end of "Tamed a Lion" (1:52 mark)to the sounds within "Discovering the Map" from the Goonies score - 1:13 mark.] I work really hard to be this damn keen. { k| 5.29.07}

"Tamed a Lion " as performed by J&tM [MP3]

I can't name too many bands [let's exclude the Stones] that could tour on an album that is over 3 years old [Wet From Birth] on Memorial Day in Washington, D.C. and sell out a venue of nearly 1,000. One band that I did see do just that last night was the Faint [w/ Berg Sans Nipple]. With a set that collected tracks from the early [Blank-Wave Arcade] to current plus 5 new songs ["we're trying out some new songs - that's why they're so lame", as the recently renamed Todd Fink put it] - it was an evening to embrace. My ears are *seriously* still ringing, my eyes are *still* catching up from the strobes & my mascara is a mess. Of note for the other geeks - one unreleased track was introduced as "Ever-Growing Caterpillars", with a lovely collective of pre-butterfly insects+looping text on the 2 Faint moving picture screens. Do not miss the Faint. { k| 5.29.07}

"Worked Up So Sexual" as performed by the Faint [MP3]

Checklist for good stuff: a) influences like Superchunk (definitely) and XTC b) catchy, crunchy guitars, swirling organ, and punchy basslines c) boy/girl harmonies d) clever, intelligent lyrics and finally d) some handclaps. What does that all equal, you might ask? The answer's Patience Please, a pop band from the great city of Seattle, and their Parallel Plots EP. Recently signed to Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records, the band plans on releasing a full-length album this summer. {s! 5.26.07}

Patience Please: "Little Mouthfuls" [MP3]

Good music is just that. Southerly [namely Krist Krueger] is making truly great music [blame Portland, again]. His/their latest offering, Storyteller and the Gossip Columnist, is out now on Greyday. "[but] you don't know me anyway" states the offered track for today - "A Coarse Design". Tip: get to know Southerly. {:k 5.25.07}

Southerly: "A Coarse Design" [MP3]

TaughtMe is Blake Henderson°- and either way you put it, it's good music. There's a new [to me] LP ready for purchase now calling itself Arms As Traps. I'd toss a dime'or'two into the well betting that it's as magnificent as ReadyToGoUnder - the debut LP that my choice track below appears on. [° see also: Quant] {:k 5.23.07}

TaughtMe: "Things That Really Matter" [MP3]

2 things that make the Great Depression [the band, not the era] just lovely [from the bio alone]: 1: Counter-Christians, and 2: one member married & relocated to Denmark to escape W. Bush. Then you get to listening to this band [Preaching To The Fire, Fire Records]- and the deal is done. Whispy melodies, textured undertones with superb lyrical content. Fans of Bedhead + the Firebird Band take listen. {:k 5.21.07}

Great Depression: "Somewhere Over The Counterculture" [MP3]

Repeat lots of times this weekend: "'Cause if you never lose/How you gonna know when you won/And if it's never dark/How you gonna know the sun/When it shines/Bringing out the best in me." :k may have said this already, but I'll say it again just in case. Own this album--it's magical..and on my list of the best of 2007 (thus far.) {s! 5-18-07}

Patrick Wolf--"Accident & Emergency" [MP3]

Tour Thyme: - the Faint withthe Berg Sans Nipple starts next week. Brothers by label [Saddle Creek | Team Love, resp.] - these two genre-tweaking bands should compliment each other quite well. US dates here. {:k 5.16.07}

Stream Along the Quai by the Berg Sans Nipple [stream] {*title track highly rec-o-mn'dd}

new release [Dance Positive] on Marriage Recs. "Megadose" is the megafu_king JAM!, bro - consider yr summer mixtapes com/plete!. {:k 5.16.07}

Karl Blau : "Megadose (Heavy Club Mix)" [MP3]

31knots on Daytrotter. Radass. {:k 5.16.07}

1 of 4 songs from the session: "The Corpse and the Carcass" [MP3]

I *purchased* two musical cds over the weekend [still in shrinkwrap, no hole in the barcode... NEW] - Menomena's Friend or Foe and Shearwater's 2xCD expanded Palo Santo. They're both AMAZING albums, mind you, but good damn is 2007 a fine year for "album" artwork. Friend or Foe follows in mnmna's tradition of brain-twisting artwork, with fine line die-cut illustrations and rotating whizbangs. Palo Santo [trans: holy wood; Span.], on another level of art, explores Jonathan Meiburg's appreciation of all life wing'ed.{:k 5.15.07}

Stream Friend or Foe from "muh_nom_uh_naah" [begin] | "Red Sea, Black Sea" {2k7 vrsn} by Shearwater [MP3]

Georgie James is the new project from the drummer of (now disbanded) Q and Not U, John Davis. Teaming up with singer/songwriter Laura Burhenn, the two create a little bit of pop magic, mixing up a bunch of genres and making them into something catchy, folky, energetic, and summery fun. If this three song EP/single (Need Your Needs, out on Dischord Records) is any indication, I'm thinking the album's going to be damn good. Oh, and tell me this track (see below) doesn't remind you of Work Clothes*? Man, beautiful harmonies + piano + Simon and Garfunkel = radass. {s! 5.14.07} *You need to listen to them if you're not already, btw.

"El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" [MP3]

 

May brings us a new album from some of my favorite Brits, The Clientele--a band whose sound exists in the past and the present all at once. There's certain things that one can expect from a Clientele album: a. lyrics that read like poetry, full of wit and metaphor and just so very British b. fragile vocals full of heartbreak/melancholy c. hazy, dreamy music made for twilight, or maybe hot still summer nights (2005's Suburban Light--perfectly perfect for those!), and most definitely gray misty mornings. God Save The Clientele definitely meets all of those requirements, following the path set by one of last year's favorites, Strange Geometry--mixing a clean, crisp sound with delicate guitars and sweeping strings and then mixing that with whispery, woozy ballads and retro-y uptempo numbers ("Bookshop Casanova" in particular.) Heartbreaking, heartwarming, and stately start to finish, the album is unassumingly, sweetly perfect. {s! 5-8-07}

The Clientele: "Bookshop Casanova" [MP3]

 

The Aliens - a crews of post-Beta Band'ers [including Beta founder / Lone Pigeon Gordon Anderson!] - sound a spot like the able sons of Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips and heavy sprinkles of The Three EPs Beta's. One track ["Tomorrow"] rivals/channels/defeats Roy Orbison at his best. On another plane - there is"I Am The Unknown". Astronomy For Dogs is out now over them seas - Amerikka sometime in Summer.{:k|5.5.07}

The Aliens: "I Am The Unknown" [MP3]

Bravery and stupidity go hand in hand. {s! 5-4-07}

MM: live and acoustic at Criminal Records 2001: [MP3]

J. Tillman is a very busy/prolific man--by no means is this a bad thing, however. His last album*, With Wolves, (have you heard the absolute gorgeousness that is songs like "Restlessness" and "With Wolves"? If not, you're totally missing out.) brought Mr. Tillman up from the shadows and whispers of previous albums and planted him firmly in the light, complete with shiny production and a more developed, dynamic sound. Cancer and Delirium, out on Yer Bird, finds him returning once more to the delicate sound so carefully crafted on the first two albums. This is familiar territory, for sure, filled with spare acoustic arrangements, but Tillman's undeniable talent as songwriter (and let's not forget the absolutely heartache-y beauty that is his voice) shines throughout. Currently touring in Europe with Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, I can't help but wish (or maybe put in a request, should he read this--ha!) for him to stop here in NYC, as his songs (i bet) would be doubly powerful/poignant live. {s! 5-3-07}

J. Tillman (from With Wolves): With Wolves [MP3]
J. Tillman (from Cancer and Delirium): Evans and Falls [MP3]

*one of my most favorite albums of 2006, just in case you were wondering.

"Keep Sending MeBlack Fireworks" early version withKevin Barnes vocals. {k: 5.02.07}

Of Montreal : "Ah My Kitten" (pre-Nina vocals demo) [MP3]

"Ah my kitten, I'm so glad you're the way you are / you're my favorite human by far"

Fatherfucker, man! Members of Mojave 3 releasing an albumon Chicago's Graveface Records {BMSR, Toman, Hundred Hands}!?? I would initially scream in yr face about dismissing the Neil Halstead connection [he's not in this group, y'see], but once I heard [again + again] what could easily be an outtake from the Excuses for Travelers &/or Sleeping on Roads sessions [see below: "Ballad of the dumb angel"] - Fatherfucker, man! Debut LP tuned to love is out June 5th on Graveface - who, obviously, win [again]. If I could force a song to be heard/absorbed/understood by those whom I care for the most - this would be the choice for the month. {k: 4.30.07}

The Loose Salute : "Ballad of the dumb angel " [MP3]

"Hey what's the news and who's holding you tonight? Think'I know'him - hope he's good to you in time"

When it comes to albums that set me on the real [theereal]- Armored Frog's The Weasel On The Weathervane is a shit-fine example. Since these dudes won't really reply to any forms of electronic mail {by George! - Rerouter EP crushing the globe in June!}- and I hope to heck they're making *new* music - below is one damn fine song off of a damn fine LP. {k: 4.29.07}

Armored Frog: "Boxed Pete" [MP3]

I'm not the only one out there who loves and adoresElliott Smith. Of all my musical crushes/inspirations, however, he is (and will always be) one of the very most beloved. His first posthumous release, From A Basement On A Hill--while it has its bright spots--left me feeling sad and strangely unsettled, even to this day. It's a painful album, kinda like the musical equivalent of a bruise, a reminder of what could have been, what isn't, and the many questions unanswered. Kill Rock Stars will release a new Elliott retrospective on 5/8 called New Moon. A two disc compliation of mostly unreleased material (although us obsessive fans will know many of these tracks by heart already), the songs have been lovingly cleaned up/restored by Larry Crane, a friend of Elliott's and the archivist of his estate. To say the album is perfection is a double-edged sword, bringing happiness and sadness together in the same package. Mostly acoustic (going back to the Either/Or era, as the songs were recorded between 1995-1997) New Moon showcases Elliott's talent as musician/lyricist--his ability to create worlds that were full of fragile beauty and hurt and quiet strength, hope and hopelessness all at the same time, often all within the same song. This album closes the gap, brings us full circle, and serves as an amazingly excellent tribute to one of our generation's most talented songwriters. Please, please, purchase New Moon, not just for you, but for a good cause---a large amount of proceeds from album sales will go to Outside In, a organization helping homeless teens in Portland. {s!: 4-26-07}