The Antlers covered the xx’s “VCR“ at the University of Illinois radio station WPGU this past weekend. The Antlers are as good as any band to properly interpret the xx’s work. They do a perfectly fine cover of it that is a must have in any itunes collection.
Download it below:
[mp3]: The Antlers – VCR (the xx cover)
My friend Chris just posted a mixtape full of some of his favorite new underground rappers. A lot of the stuff was made exclusivly for his mixtape, so a lot of it is brand new stuff. He knows his rap music, so I totally reccomend checking out what he has to offer.
Grab the mixtape over at his blog, It’s A Rap.
So The Nationals highly anticipated new album High Violet leaked. It’s far from good quality. Firstly, I want to say I pre-ordered High Violet on vinyl from insound. I bought tickets to see The National twice over the summer. I just bought a t-shirt. I am 100% fully supporting the band. Figured I should get that out of the way, before I did this.
I’ve never done this before, so forgive me if it is a mess.
Terrible Love: If you did your homework on High Violet, you know that the band used a raw almost demo-like version of “Terrible Love” on the album. I loved the song right from the get go when the band played it on Fallon, so I wasn’t too worried – but I was curious as to why the band would do such a thing. After my first solid listen, I understand why. This song strives on the mood & atmosphere creates. The background of ooh’s is straight up haunting. This is a major, major, song. I’m already in love with it. I’ve replayed it three times. It’s fucking powerful. Time to move on… 1:47 PM
Sorrow: This one is an emotional piece. This is more of a Matt song that anything else. It showcases his incredible natural ability to write everyday man lyrics. The band backs him up with a beautiful piece full of orchestration, haunting background vocals, and light strumming of an acoustic guitar. It’s a night follow up to Terrible Love. Lets see what we got next 1:51 PM
Anyone’s Ghost: The rhythm section finally at the forefront. Bryan Devendorf shows why he is one of the best modern drummers out there. Anyone’s Ghost meanders around a distinctive voice, just like a lost ghost. There is an underlying feeling of loss here. Less is usually more, and The National pull it off better than anyone out there. 1:55 PM
A Little Faith: Liked it after one listen, but I need to replay it. Ok, now I’m ready. It starts out with frantic electronic efforts before transitioning to the light strum of an acoustic guitar with a gentle piano playing behind it. I like it, but I honestly feel like it is a song that will grow on me more once it is in better quality. I will withhold judgment until Friday (New York Times is gonna stream it!) 2:05 PM
Afraid Of Everyone: This song is still finding ways to grow and grow on me, testing out the length of my love. The song certainly sounds better in the context of the album. I just realized most of the songs have this dark, haunted vibe, created by the fuzzy production, and dreary backing vocals. Sufjan’s backing vocals are timely and efficient. 2:10 PM
Bloodbuzz Ohio: Just like “Afraid”, “Bloodbuzz” benefits by being surrounded by the rest of High Violet. It was a smart choice to put it in the middle of the tracklisting, utilizing it as almost the centerpiece of the album, holding everything together. It has traces of all of The Nationals albums, giving fans a sense of familiarity after surprising us with a pretty raw studio album. 2:14 PM
Lemon World: So far, my favorite song off the album. I am going to guess that this is going to be the case for a majority of listeners. The National are just at the top of their game on this. The song grabbed me from the start, not letting go. Matt and co. sound smooth, assured, and confident. The feeling of loose wool & hot tar that the band mentioned is definitely felt with the rough guitar riff. This song is probably the only one that I would say is instantly gratifying. What a tune. Hate to move on, but I really should…. 2:21 PM
Runaway: Runaway is meticulously played & produced to a certain degree where every part becomes as important as the last. This leak certainly isn’t doing it enough justice. This is the type of song that you read the lyrics as you are listening. Details are key. The band invested a lot of emotions into this one, and it paid of. What a song. I can’t wait to listen to it on a good pair of headphones once the high quality version comes out. This is most likely that one song that grows incredibly over time as we listen to High Violet more and more. Even with that said, “Runaway” is sounding magnificent right now. 2:31 PM
Conversation 16: Damn, my ears are really liking what they are hearing. Wow, I am floored right now. It has a powerful dramatic ending chorus that I can’t get over right now. The band utilizes some cool studio effects that only help. The end sounds like a trip towards heavenly gates. 2:41 PM
England: Starts with a lovely piano piece and expands into a widescreen piece that transports the listener to another world. I’m liking this one a lot. It is a prime example of The National’s ability to slowly build and build to epic heights. Lovely. 2:51 PM
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks: Lovely ending. A perfect closer. 3:05 PM
The National have not lost it at all. High Violet is a different animal than Alligator or Boxer. There are certianly elements of those records in these new songs, but they are very different as well. The songs are moodier and darker than anything that the band has ever done. However, there are also plenty of beautiful jaw droppers that you will develop strong relationships over time. The National took bold risks by creating such raw, rough, cuts of songs like “Terrible Love”, but somehow it seems to be the only version of the song appropriate.
The National are premier musicians who should be dominating the world by now. I don’t know how many bands out there takes so much time and effort to give us such a complete album. The songs have layers of melodies and arrangements that flip flop, float, and retreat, creating a furry of sounds that you can’t quite wrap your head around at first. But you grab a good pair of headphones, dim the lights, and give it another go. That is my plan for tonight.
High Violet certainly lived up to my expectations, and this is thread after listening to a pretty poor quality leak. I can’t wait for the real thing!!
Be sure to pre-order High Violet from insound. You can get a pretty awesome bundle package if you pre-order it now.
UPDATE: The National announced they are streaming High Violet in full quality this Friday via The New York Times (weird choice?). The band announced it via their tumblr and through a mailing list email. Here is the exact quote from the band:
Hi everyone!
As you may have heard, there is a low quality leak of our new album, High Violet, spreading across the Internet as we speak. We wanted to let you know the New York Times – http://www.nytimes.com – will be streaming the real thing starting Friday April 23rd. We hope you’ll take the time to hear the album at its intended level of quality.
High Violet will be released by 4AD worldwide on May 10th/11th.
Delorean are an exciting electronic act from Spain who are making a splash with the excellent track “Stay Close”. It’s off their third album Subiza which is set to be released physically on June 8th. You can download it in mp3 form if you pre-order it now through Matador Records.
“Stay Close” is posted below:
[mp3]: Delorean – Stay Close
I also included the music video. It’s filled with images of summer melancholy, which are now hazy to the mind. Watch:
Watch the bizzarly over the top music video for “Drunk Girls” below. LCD Soundsystem get owned by a bunch of guys wearing panda masks and white jump suites. It is strange. I can’t even try to describe this one. Just watch:
I don’t know how I missed this great acoustic version of “Promises”, but thankfully my good friend Alex posted it on his facebook. I saw it, I watched, I was amazed. The band gives an honest performance, full of smiles and cheer. Absolutely perfect. Promises manages to sound better and better every time I hear it. It’s a gem.
Watch it below thanks to Weird Days & Epilogue Magazine .
Oh man this is a wonderful Sunday delight. The legendary British band Blur have put their Record Day Exclusive single for free download on their website. Only 1,000 copies were made, and they were UK only. The bands manager, Chris Morrison, said that it was important that the song was made available to fans legally so that it could be heard in the best quality possible.
“To avoid fans having to illegally obtain an inferior copy of this track from pirate sites – we have made it freely available through the band’s website,” said Morrison.
One listen through, and “Fool’s Day” is a wonderful call to the past. I’m really liking what I hear, let’s hope that a whole albums worth of material this good will be the end result.
In Blur we trust!
[mp3]: Blur – Fool’s Day
cheers to my man Steve Bennett for the tip!
Check out Thom Yorke and his Atoms For Peace covering “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, the famed Joy Division classic that is probably one of the most covered songs of all time. It took place Thursday night in Oakland, at the Fox Theatre.
Watch below:
Saw it via Pitchfork
Surfer Blood’s debut album Astrocoast has been played pretty heavily by me all year. They were a shit ton of fun when I saw them live at market hotel. They have done a lot right in my book in the first half of 2010. Well, the good stuff just keeps on coming.
The Florida band now nailed a enjoyable lo-fi cover of “Don’t Worry Baby”, the highly regarded Beach Boys classic. I’m digging it:
[mp3]: Surfer Blood – Don’t Worry Baby (Beach Boys Cover)
Saw it via TwentyFourBit
Where is all the love for Born Ruffians? They are gearing up to release their sophomore album Say It on June 1st via Warp. I seriously think people need to start getting excited. We already got a taste of the album with “Sole Brother“, and now you can listen to the first single from the album, “What To Say”.
“What To Say” is a jangly shimmering delight that shows that Born Rffuains have experienced a lot of growth since Red, Yellow & Blue was released. The band has really impressed me with the high quality of songs released from Say It it so far.
Stream “What To Say” alongside the band’s energetic cover of Grizzly Bear’s “Knife” below:
[mp3]: Born Ruffians – What To Say
[mp3]: Born Ruffians – Knife (Grizzly Bear Cover)
Visit the band on myspace or twitter
