(Indie) Music Monday

My choices yesterday, as I said, were remarkably well-known. Here are some songs to rectify the situation.

Brooklyn-based power-pop. Not a great quality video, but better than the other one on YT. Oxford Collapse, Lady Lawyers.

I'm kinda reminded of Fountains of Wayne. In a good way. Archie Powell & the Exports, Mattson Is A Flake

I love this song. I reminds me of something, but I can't place it. Mix Stornoway and Morrisey together and you won't be too far off the mark. The Wave Pictures, Now You're Pregnant

Ahh...hmm. Emo/Grunge? I guess. Heatmiser, Blackout

Mollx

The Big Garden Birdwatch

This weekend was the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, so in the spirit of the thing, here are some bird related songs!

Who needs action when you've got words? Plateau, The Meat Puppets

From one of the best albums of the nineties, Rain King - Counting Crows

This band has had some criminally underrated albums. As a debut, this is, so far, in my top five, Theory of the Crows, The National

Yes, I know I am a) not being very...underground in my choices today, and b) very predictable, but never mind. Good songs are good songs.

Molx

Song Of The Week

Hi!

This weeks SOTW is by a band called Big Dipper, and is from Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology although I got it from the MOJO Roots of Nirvana CD. Big Dipper, You're Not Patsy

The AOTS this second is 'Symphonic Music of the Rolling Stones' (Dad's Choice) . I like the Stones, but orchestral versions? I am yet to be impressed. However, I've got a new Elliott Smith CD and a new Joy Division CD so if it starts getting on my wick I can always chuck my headphones on!

Mollx

Where Was I?

Or, more specifically, indie music that I know from years ago and love I didn't know I knew until a few months ago.

I didn't know this was The Killers until I watched 100 Tracks to Hear Before You Die on NME TV the other week. The Killers, Somebody Told Me.

A - reasonably - local band called the Rimmelines played this at Copperfest last year, and I'd completely forgotten about it till then. The Automatic, Monster.

Again, I knew the song, but I didn't know who sang it or what the title was. And then MGMT started coming into NME. I thought 'Who are these guys? What is this song, Kids, that they keep mentioning?' - and the rest is history. MGMT, Kids.

Mollx

Songs I Like Despite Myself

All three of these are elecro-y. No shame in that. I like me some electro. But the thing is...on the whole, Idon'tlikehiphop-yrapstuff. And what genre do these kinda slide in to? umm...yeah. I'll just go hide in that corner so you can't see my extremely red face.

I think people find it hard to dislike Gorrilaz. They're a band made of cartoons! CARTOONS! Plus, Damon Albarn's in it. Gorillaz, On Melancholy Hill.

'These girls fall like domino-os, domino-os...' It's been months since I heard it and I can STILL hum the bloody thing. Luckily for me, The Big Pink are considered indie by Wikipedia, so there, humble-pie makers! The Big Pink, Dominos.

Oh, but I ain't out of the woods yet. I love this song. I don't care that it's rap. I love the damn thing. It's got a pretty sweet solo-y riff thing three minutes in, too. Iglu & Hartly, In This City.

Mollx

Déjà Vue Day!

Welcome to the Time Machine! Inspired by a feature in the March issue of MOJO magazine, today, we roll back the years to 1991!

Screaming Trees, Bed Of Roses

Barring the obvious (Losing My Religion and Shiny Happy People), this song is my favourite from Out of Time R.E.M, Me In Honey

This song is pretty awesome. Throwing Muses, Ellen West

I recently heard New Radio by Bikini Kill, which was basically two-and-a-bit minutes of screaming and riff-playing, and oddly good. This song pretty much obeys those principals. Babes in Toyland, Spit to See the Shine.

So yeah, if I was a teenager in 1991, that is the sort of thing I'd be listening too.

And this is what would be on TV

Mollxx

Label Day!

Today's label is the Australian label Ivy League Records.

We start with Josh Pyke's Middle of the Hill. I've got a version of this on my iPod and I absolutely love it. The video is pretty neat, too.

Red Riders, You've Got a Lot of Nerve. Bass solo! Stop motion animation! It's a grower though.

The Vines, Get Out. Kinda Strokes-y, a bit of Oasis, and a ton of swagger. Me likey!

Mollxx

(Reworked) Music Monday!

Ok, so here are some original songs and a cover of it that...well, mixes it up a bit.

First, we have Shocking Blue and Nirvana's versions of Love Buzz.
The Himalayans and Counting Crows' versions of Round Here
Kate Bush and Josh Pyke's versions of Wuthering Heights
Thin Lizzy and The Mountain Goats' versions of The Boys Are Back In Town

Mollxx

(also, an honourable mention for The Mountain Goats cover of One Fine Day, My Brightest Diamond with Feelin' Good, and Nirvana's Ain't It A Shame)

Caffeine Fuelled, Hyper....and it ain't me.

You know when you've just had a cup of coffee and half a tube of fruit pastilles, then got home and started to write a blog post that is vaguely amusing in a stupid kind of way? No? Well, maybe these songs'll help.

Omaha's finest boy genius, Conor Oberst: NYC - Gone, Gone*

I can't believe this is the first time Counting Crows have appeared in a post of mine. Anyway, Counting Crows: Accidentally in Love

Gary Lightbody namechecking Sufjan Stevens - kudos, mate. Snow Patrol: Hands Open

Excuse me for 4 minutes and 42 seconds while I rock out. Thank you. Nirvana: Aneurysm 

Mollxx

*and now I can't stop listening to it. Thanks Conor, not.

Some Kind Of Roundup

Hey!

Another Song of the Week/Album of the Second for y'all:

Song of the Week...to be honest, I'm not totally over Something Vague yet, but I guess this weeks is Karen by The National, from their album Alligator.

And right now the Album of the Second is Boxer, again by the National

Mollxx

Free For All Friday!

I'm not ashamed to say I love free stuff. I think most of us do! There are a lot of places you can get free MP3s (and LimeWire, I ain't lookin' at you). No, all this is totally legal! And totally free!

Gold For Bread by Blitzen Trapper. Fast paced and quirky, I love it. Free from here
Greetings in Braille by The Elected. Like Elliott Smith with synths. Free from here
Australia by The Shins. My Mum loves this song, which is recommendation enough as far as I'm concerned. Free from here 
Seven by Sunny Day Real Estate. Emo before My Chemical Romance hijacked it, featuring Nate Mendel before he joined Foo Fighters. Free from here
City of Electric Light by Chad VanGaalen. I love this song. Free from here
Parachute* by Simon Joyner. One of the mainstays of the Omaha scene, and 'the hipster's Dylan**' Free from here (You have to register with the Team Love site, but that's free too.)
Twilight by Ellliott Smith. First time I heard this it made me cry. Free from here

For all of them, right click, save link as, save (on Windows, anyway).

Molxx

*I've sent you to 'One for the Catholic Girls' which is at least as good, because I can't find Parachute on YT
**That's what I call him, anyway.

Zoologically Themed Thursday

I dug a bit with today's title because there's something specific I want to recommend.

Someone specific actually. John Darnielle (of the band The Mountain Goats, hence the title) is, in my opinion, the best lyricist on the planet. There are so many songs I could recommend, but these are some of my favourites:

Going To Georgia (Going To...series)
The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton
Genesis 3:23
No Children (Alpha series)
Jam Eater Blues (I love this song. It makes me laugh.)

And my favourite TMG song of all time (also the first one I ever heard) This Year

Mollx

Wacky Wednesday!

Sometimes you need a song to make you smile. Especially on Wednesday (tell me someone else finds Wednesday the most depressing day of the week?). So here are some songs to lighten the mood.

First, we start with Minneapolis's finest, The 'Mats. Mad lyrics and a supremely catchy chorus, *I'm in love! What's that song? I'm in love! With that song!* achem, sorry. The Replacements, Alex Chilton

This gem comes from the brilliantly-titled album Brought to You by Nebraskafish, and is in serious danger of becoming Song of the Week. Capgun Coup, Adorable Doorsteps

I first heard this as the soundtrack to a game of Jenga, and it makes me smile. They Might Be Giants, Istanbul (Not Constantinople) 

I love this band. This is the wackiest chorus I've ever heard and as a result it is VERY hard to take Tom Barnes seriously. I could only find this on their MySpace, so listen to Barbarossa and Private Archipelago while you're there. Sordid Humor, Hat Song

Mollxx

Happy Label Day!

Tuesday is officially Label Day!

*consults list* Today's label is Syco, and I would like to recommend Jedward's cover of Ice-; Oh. Sorry, wrong list. *consults other list* Today's label is Rough Trade!

NME describes this band as 'undeniably prog-rock'. I just call it good music. This is Warpaint, with Elephants.

I heard about this band via God, (you know, that guy that sang in that little known band Nirvana?) and even though I've only just looked them up (read, about a minute ago) so far I like 'em. The Raincoats, with their cover of The Kinks' Lola.

Another beautiful song I discovered only a few days ago: My Morning Jacket,  Librarian 

And finally, Sufjan Stevens, Casimir Pulaski Day.

Mollxx

Eclectic Music Monday

This lunchtime, I would like to recommend the following songs, going from one extreme t't t'other.:

Avi Buffalo, Remember Last Time. Lovely trippy rock. They're on Sub Pop and you can get the song for free from Sub Pop's website, if you like.

Heatmiser, Half Right. Elliott Smith before he went solo. Leading nicely into...

Elliott Smith, Waltz #2. A great song, great lyrics. I really love this guy.

Ah, this'll throw you. Stick with it, it's catchy. ORBS, A Man of Science

Some Danish weirdcore now. Kellermensch, All Time Low

One more, another Sub Pop band. Handsome Furs, I'm Confused. You can get that free, too.

Hope you likey.

Mollxx

2010's Lyric of the Year, before I forget...

Sorry for the annoying-fan-girl-ism, but...

2010's Lyric of the Year

"And I'm not sure what the trouble was
That started all of this
The reasons all have run away
But the feeling never did." Bright Eyes, "Lua".

It's been a bit of a mantra for me this year so I just had to put it up.

Mollxx

HI!

Hi everyone...

I'm Moll, and this is my new blog! (hurrah for stating the obvious!) I'm hopefully going to post up here some kind of  'Song of the Week', 'Album of the Second', 'Lyric of the Year' shananagins, and a few other bits I want to share.

So there, we're introduced. Shall we get down to business?

Album of the Second...at this very second, I'm listening to Fevers and Mirrors by Bright Eyes. One of my current favourites - although I did only get it the other day, so I'd be worried if it wasn't!

Song of the Week...Something Vague, off the aforementioned album. Not the happiest song to start the blog on, but there you go. It's a beautiful song and it's been on near-constant repeat since I heard it a couple of nights ago. I hope you like it.

Happy listening!

Mollxx