The Rundown

Ok, so I haven't posted in weeks and I've been listening to a lot of different music since my last post. I couldn't decide on a single artist to focus on for one of two reasons: 1) The artist has released numerous albums and I've only really listened to one of them or 2) I really only like one CD the artist has produced and don't think the others are as great. Instead, I'm going to list some of the albums that have been in heavy rotation over the last month or so.



Artist: Justice
Album: † (Cross) (2007)
Genre(s): French house, dance
Like Daft Punk did years ago, Justice is gaining much international acclaim through the French house scene. Unlike most dance music though, the rock influence makes this album both dance-worthy and not annoying to listen to when doing everyday things. If you're looking for something upbeat and a little different, check this album out.


Justice - "DVNO"

Artist: Crystal Castles
Album: Crystal Castles (2008)
Genre(s): Electronic, well done old-school Nintendo music
This CD rocks my world. I've always been a fan of the classic video game type sounds and soundtracks (the music for Mega Man II was ahead of its time). Crystal Castles takes the 8-bit sound effects (like an Atari 5200 sound chip), throws some drum machine in, adds a little vocals, and creates something completely new and amazing. Highly recommended for children of the 80's that played lots of video games.

Artist: Magnetic Fields
Album: 69 Love Songs (1999)
Genre(s): Indie laced with tons of other genres
69 Love Songs is exactly what it sounds like: 69 songs spread over 3 CDs. This epic collection is old but I've come back to it recently after finding a whole wiki devoted to these songs. Stephin Merritt wanted to initially write 100 songs but then decided that was too much and settled on 69. What's unique about 69 Love Songs though is that it's not about love, it's about the love song. Though love is the common subject of each song, the music and songwriting varies greatly with each track. If you already have this, I highly recommend listening to it while following the wiki companion piece for some very interesting insights on the album and Merritt.

Artist: !!!
Album: Myth Takes (2007)
Genre(s): Funk, indie, disco, maybe a little punk
!!! (pronounced Chk Chk Chk) has a unique and hard-to-describe sound. It's upbeat and percussive but it also has a subtle dark side to it with rock influences, kind of like Nine Inch Nails. Very catchy and easy to groove to, especially the tribal sounding "Heart of Hearts" and laid back "Yadnus".


!!! - "Must Be the Moon"

That should be enough to tide anyone who's still reading this blog over until someone else posts something. We promise we'll get better about updating this, especially when two of us get out of grad school in about a month or two. Promise.

Wir Sind Helden (We Are Heroes)

Albums: Die Reklamation, Von hier an blind, Soundso
Source: I have no freaking idea
From: Berlin, back in the Fatherland
Sounds Like: Maybe a techie New Pornographers...in German
Find more at: official site, myspace, amazon, iTunes

I'm not going to lie, I really only know one of their songs ('Endlich ein Grund zur Panik') because of a damn catchy beat and a fun, Beastie Boys-esque video (see 'Intergalactic'). The music is light and fun, with a danceable background. It's definitely spent some time in the studio, but the combination of driving guitar and bouncing keyboard along with a really fun female German vocals makes for a song that I can't help laugh at. I have no idea what the lyrics mean, but maybe I'll get my German-speaking girlfriend to translate next time she owes me a favor. Enjoy!

Scissors for Lefty

Albums: Bruno, Underhanded Romance
Source: SXSW 2006 (unfortunately I was only 'virtually' there)
From: San Francisco
Sounds Like: a lighter version of Jimmy Eat World, faster, more poppy Cake, Americanized Kaiser Chiefs, Presidents of the United States of America (the band), Ok Go
Check it out: legit site, myspace, amazon, iTunes

Two sets of brother-uncles and another brother make up a quintet of players that manages to rock and/or roll in every song. These guys rely on the usual guitar-dominated songs but keep things on the light, fun side. In their mid- to late-twenties, most of the songs center around the transition period into adulthood; but not in the angsty way lovers of indie rock have grown accustomed to (a la Death Cab) nor in the whiny, Devil-may-care way that Weezer kicked off. This is more of positive-outlook vent with a twist of humor struggling to keep afloat amidst reality. "Nickels and Dimes" starts the new album off inspired by the gap between the cost of living in the city and the income associated with most twenty-year olds.

SFL eschews the usual love/lovelost formulas and takes a chance talking about the reality of attractions. "Mama Your Boys Will Find a Home" regails the listener with an quick-moving recount of quick trysts and carefree dating, capturing the excitement of being in a transitive dating environment, free of the usual drama most artists prefer. In "Marsha," the lyrics balance the desire of finding that elusive 'one' with the worry of settling; while "Ghetto Ways" focuses on the pure physical attraction between a dancing couple:
"Before your kiss kissed my kiss,
You licked your lips,
As if I went find them deadly."

I'm clearly taken by how close-to-home some of the songs feel, but don't let me undersell the great use of vocal harmony and catchy rhythms that are the framework underlying 'Underhanded Romance.' "Next to Argyle" plays with rests and chorus sections to get you foottapping and then catching you offguard. SFL has learned to take things down and then toy around before building to a final climax (unlike Chris who only knows one speed, ZING!). Finally, "Lay Down Your Weapons" is a funny, jumping piece written from the point of an ex-con put away well before 9/11-derived airport restriction as he attempts to board his first flight.

And don't take my word for them: in 2007 Live 105 choose them as the 'unknown local band' to play on the mainstage of BFD festival along with Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, Interpol and Queens of the Stone Age.

Look for them at SXSW events all month in Austin, and then back to the West Coast for a while.

[This is Chris, butting in once again . . . I'm allowed to do it because I live in a city where bands actually come to play shows]

Scissors For Lefty came across the Bay a few weeks ago to play a free show on the campus of UC Berkeley, as is evident from the photo below that I took at said event.

It was a fun show, though I was a bit disappointed in the drummer--he was kinda lazy, and played some heavy floor tom part in the chorus of "Nickels and Dimes" instead of the sweet, driving ride cymbal riff from the album version. It was only noon, I suppose, and they had a show in Oakland that night. They reminded me a lot of Hot Hot Heat, or Franz Ferdinand with a little more rock and a little less glam (although the bassist's pink strings were classy).

Mates of State

Artist: Mates of State
Albums: My Solo Project, Our Constant Concern, Team Boo, Bring it Back
Source: OC Mix 6, cover of "California"
Owns Real Estate: New York (previously San Francisco before they decided the East Coast is where it's at)
Sounds Like: No one else, and their website makes that clear
Learn More: website, myspace, amazon (now with PepsiPoints), iTunes

Pure Joy. That's what these songs sound like. They sound like they love the unique sounds they make with 1970 Yamaha Electone and Gretch Round Badge electronic organs, drumsets, and vocals that skate right on the edge of harmony and synchrony. They sound like they love the fact that they get to create and perform music for a living (after quitting their jobs as a teacher and cancer researcher). They sound like they are crazy in love with each other. And what do you know? They're married and by all accounts enjoying every minute!

Their whirlwind romance is a story for another blog though, today I'm only going to concern myself with their music. I was drawn to MOS by their cover of Phantom Planet's "California," a beautiful harmony of male and female voices set to forlorn piano and flowing organ in a slow tempo that makes it easy to forget the pop culture phenomenon this song usually evokes. So I bought their latest album, "Bring it Back," and was wildly/pleasantly surprised to hear fast, dance-paced songs. Kori Gardner's voice alone is worth listening to, it's the voice of that gorgeous yet sweet girl that drips with sincerity and always has a heart-melting smile. She takes things to new heights in every song, switching from loud, high, sustained notes to light, soft, staccato bits in 'Like U Crazy.' And while I admit to having a mild crush on her (sorry Kathryn), she's found her match in Jason Hammel, at least musically. Though he's usually at a range where most grown men would wobble and crack, he's as smooth as Frank J. Zamboni's product. The two never sing solo for long; the duets are rarely complementary, rather they frequently diverge to disjointed styles and span separate octaves. A favorite trick of theirs is to start together and then split into unique strands scrambling around each other until finally colliding. It at times feel like barely controlled chaos, one wrong note and the whole thing would fall apart and sound atrocious. When they perfect this it's damn catchy, I really think "For the Actor" best exemplifies this and is my favorite off the CD.

It's not all moon-eyes and eating off each other's spoons. Many of their songs are more mellow and incorporate a no-frills piano melody and much more sobering lyrics. The music gets more serious in "Think Long" and "Nature & The Wreck" and the love they sing about grows more mature and reflective.

Good luck catching them on tour, they just had a kid and haven't posted any tour items since October 2005.

They invited fans to submit their own, home-made music videos and choose the following to be their official video for "Goods (All in your Head)"

[Chris' Insertion]

If you want to download a few songs for free, the folks over at daytrotter have a few live tracks that you can read about and grab here.

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

Artist: Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

Album: Under The Covers, Vol. 1 (2006)

Source: My dad, Kim Hannemann, who is an exceptional real estate agent in the Northern Virginia area

Serve Home-Cooked Meals In: Athens, GA and Los Angeles, CA

Sounds Like: well, a lot like the songs from the 1960s that they cover

Scope Out: myspace, amazon, iTunes

Recording under the pseudonym "Sid 'n' Susie," Sweet and Hoffs teamed up to record this compilation of familiar songs from the 60s (and a little 70s) in 2006. Sweet was a successful alternative/pop-rock musician in the 90s, emerging from the saturated rock scene in Athens, GA. Those of you familiar with Guitar Hero II may recognize his song "Girlfriend," a 1991 release. I'm more familiar with his 1995 album, 100% Fun, on which he recorded pretty much every track by himself. Hoffs was the lead singer of 80s band The Bangles ("Manic Monday," "Walk Like An Egyptian," "Eternal Flame") before departing for a marginal solo career, an appearance in Austin Powers, and some good 'ole fashioned reunion tourin' in the 90s.

something is apparently very interesting out of the frame . . . "look, Matthew; we're being stalked!"

Inspired by the impressive songwriting of the 1960s, Sweet and Hoffs decided to record a series of covers encompassing a variety of the era's best pop performances. The album is comprised of songs from The Beatles, Neil Young, The Who, The Zombies, The Beach Boys, The Mamas And The Papas, Bob Dylan and more, all redone with a distinctly new (but not necessarily "modern") feel. Hoffs' sweet voice adds a new layer to songs that previously had male-only vocals, and Sweet's guitar work really shines through. These aren't covers in the sense of redefining the songs or taking them into another genre (see The Lemonheads covering "Mrs. Robinson"), but rather updated perspectives aimed at honoring the originals.

I think my father is proud of finding this album for me, as it is something I probably would not have discovered myself. Music as a Christmas gift was fairly stable when CDs were still the standard medium and I had a limited music collection that was easily viewable on my wall. Once I departed for college, however, keeping track of my likes and dislikes, not to mention what I already owned, became increasingly difficult. iTunes gift cards quickly replaced CDs, but as useful as they are, the magic of actually receiving new music (and the giver's implicit recommendation) was lost. My father was responsible for my first Matthew Sweet album, 100% Fun, and thought this might also please my palette. Mission accomplished, dude! It also caused me to go back and listen to some of the originals that I wasn't familiar with; did you know that good music was indeed created before 1984? Amazing!

My favorite tracks off this album include "I See The Rain" (The Marmalade), "And Your Bird Can Sing" (The Beatles), "The Kids Are Alright" (The Who), and "Care Of Cell #44" (The Zombies). NPR World Cafe had them do a set in-studio, which you can check out here. Some ask if there is a Vol. 2 coming, per the title of the album . . . well, aside from some chatting about the possibility in interviews, I haven't heard anything definite. Maybe an LP of death metal covers is next? Time will tell.

As for videos, we've got a Conan O'Brien appearance doing "I See The Rain" as well as an acoustic version of "Different Drum" (originally by the Stone Poneys).

And may I just state that Hoffs is one of the hottest 49-year-olds I've seen in quite some time?