MP3s are shared to try to convince people they should like the same music I do (As in... "then she told a friend, and she told a friend...) Of course if you love music, you should (responsibly) spend lots of your disposable income on music, concerts, and merch. If you are an artist or from a label, and would like a song removed, please e-mail me at kofis.hat [at] gmail [dot] com and I'll promptly do so.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Free Compilation: Not Doing It For The Quids
A couple months ago, the Full Time Hobby record label released their first compilation album, the rather swell Not Doing It For The Quids, which includes tracks by Sufjan Stevens, Malcolm Middleton, Fujiya & Miyagi, Tunng, Viva Voce, Micah P. Hinson, and Autolux, among others.
They called it "a snapshot of where we are after almost five years of existence." The disc was sold for £1.99, and at least once, given away as a concert freebie. Now, a zip file of Not Doing It For The Quids is available for free download in exchange for the non-cash-related "price" of signing up for the Full Time Hobby mailing list with a valid email address,
Highlights of the disc: Viva Voce's chirpy "Lesson No. 1", the somber, quiet passion of Micah P. Hinson's "Tell Me It Ain't So", the uniquely eloquent, somewhat less quiet somber passion of Malcolm Middleton's "A Brighter Beat", and Fujiya & Miyagi's catchy and lyrically creative "Dishwasher" ("We could paint our walls magnolia/We could buy a dishwasher/or a three-thousand piece puzzle of raspberry ripple ice-cream/We could be just like carnivores.")
Not Doing It For The Quids Tracklisting:
1. Tunng - Take 2. Fujiya & Miyagi - Dishwasher 3. Micah P. Hinson - Tell Me It Ain't So 4. White Denim - Mess Your Hair Up 5. Malcolm Middleton - A Brighter Beat 6. The Accidental - Illuminated Red 7. The Hold Steady - Your Little Hoodrat Friend 8. Sufjan Stevens - She Is 9. Viva Voce - Lesson No. 1 10. Autolux - Turnstile Blues
• At the Guardian website, enter a name, country, and email address, and indicate whether you'd like to receive spam-that is, "offers and developments" and "messages"- then immediately be taken to a page to download Bob Dylan's "original, stripped-back version of 'Mississippi'", which the newspaper is billing as an "Exclusive free download". The song is from The Bootleg Series Vol 8: Tell Tale Signs, out October 6th in the UK and October 7th in the U.S. and Canadaland.
A Velcro Shoe Inspired by Stephin Merritt & More Filed Under Bleu
Ahoy! And that's the extent of the pirate talk in this post.
Via Q comes news of the perfect shoes to wear to see The Magnetic Fields this fall...particularly if you're a guy.
The "Stephin" was designed "en hommage" to Stephin Merritt by the French shoe firm Bluedy. The shoes are available in brown or black, with laces or velcro. Each pair comes with a travel bag and 2 pairs of laces (although why you would need them for the velcro shoes is unclear, so perhaps you don't really get laces with those.) There are Bluedy stores in a few countries outside France, but none in the States...but ordering from overseas is perhaps worth it when you factor in that travel bag. By the time it gets to you, it will already have traveled.
The French firm has also created a 400-pair limited edition in honor of Jimi Hendrix. "Jimi" features laser-engraved guitars and is available in black and white.
Their list of musical inspirations might provide a hint of upcoming plans (or cleverly mislead): "The Magnetic Fields, Richard Hawley, Ulrich Schnauss, Jimi Hendrix, Fabio Viscogliosi, Bryan Ferry, Bob Dylan, Koffi Olomide, Syd Matters, Stephin Merritt, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Prefab Sprout, Talk Talk, Vacabou, Future Bible Heroes".
The first and last bands are also Merritt's, which helps narrow the field a bit. Bluedy also gives a shout-out to "blue suede shoes". There doesn't appear to be such a shoe in their collection now, but if they add a dozen more musical designs, will there be room for "Elvis" in the building?
Also Filed Under "Blue":
• Bluedy has their own ipod. However, I'd think twice about buying something called a "bluedypod", especially something more technologically advanced than a pencil case. A "bluedypod", if it must exist, should be either a relaxing, possibly igloo-shaped, place to "hang", or a fun, possibly igloo-shaped, playland for kids.
• Christian Marclay's Cyanotypes exhibition at Paula Cooper Gallery in New York, through October 11th. Also known as "blueprints" due to their color, cyanotypes are "unique photographic prints created by placing objects on a photosensitive surface." Marclay's exhibition features unspooled cassette tapes.
• October 1st Blue Man Group will perform on The Dr. Phil Show as part of a stress-reduction segment. "Drumming can be a very therapeutic way to reduce stress," according to the Group, who might well have some accumulated stress by the time they hit the stage if there's no way to mute the TV in Phil's Green Room.
Also ahead for Blue Man Group, but no doubt less exciting than their encounter with Dr. Phil: a September 22nd performance at the Innovative Theatre Awards in New York and a 3-D IMAX movie, which is scheduled to begin production next summer for a summer 2010 release.
• Blue body paint on a smaller scale: OPI Mod About Brights Dating A Royal and Blue My Mind polish
Video for The Magnetic Fields' "The Book of Love":
1980 20/20 Report on Music Videos: "Surreal," Says a Repelled Hugh Downs
Via Rhizome and a swell YouTuber, a 1980 20/20 report on music videos reminds us that people from the past can be so adorably clueless (as can people from the present, but often in a now, happening way, thank you very much.)
Don't worry, 20/20 provides plenty of historical perspective and explains all three music video concepts. Yet apparently unsatisfied that correspondent Steve Fox pronounced "rock music" like a foreign and slightly odd term or possibly still in a tizzy from Kate Bush's confusing swaying, anchor Hugh Downs asks as his first, most pressing follow-up question, "But what are they going to do for Beethoven's Fifth Symphony?" Although Fox might have suggested many possible alternate responses when later sitting around the newsroom in Downs' absence, at the time, he answered, "Well, to be honest, Hugh, none of the experimentors have yet figured out a way to make that look as good as it sounds."
Keep trying, experimentors! Then you can give up on this "rock music" nonsense and stick to making videos for music that sounds like music!
Thom Hell: Great Name, Better Music. Where's the Massive Fame?
Ted Nugent probably wishes he had a cool rock name like Thom Hell. If your birth name is Thomas Helland and you decide to pursue a career in rock music, shortening your name in said manner is a savvy move—unless, say, your chosen genre is Christian Rock.
A musician named "Tom Hell" would suggest a rowdy American hard rocker, but the extra "h" whispers "Thom Yorke" in your ear. Surely not...some unholy Yorke/Nugent hybrid? Thankfully, no.
While neither his music nor voice are reminiscent of The Nuge or Radiohead, Norwegian singer-songwriter Thom Hell does often evoke the familiar sounds of other American and English artists on his work, which so far includes the EPs Tremendous Sinner (2003), I Love You Too (2004), and The While You're Waiting EP (2004), and the albums I Love You (2004), Every Little Piece (2006), and God If I Saw Her Now (2008).
While listening to Every Little Piece, God If I Saw Her Now, and the eight demos posted at his website, I wondered why I had not heard of Hell before. If I lived in or near Norway, I would have. Even instant coffee is not truly instant, but his first EP was released in 2003 which in modern terms was, what, ten, fifteen years ago? I demand answers! If he lived somewhere trendy like Sweden or Austin, by now he'd be ignoring increasingly desperate phone calls from Arcade Fire and making headlines for saying ridiculous things.
Hang in there, Arcade Fire; someone special is destined to ignore you.
The winning Every Little Piece brings on the cowbell and thoughts of E.L.O., Chris Isaak, and the Beach Boys, with gorgeous songs, some depressive and epic, some lovelorn but upbeat. At times, has something of Elton John's catchy-pop-song sensibilities. Elsewhere on the album, I was reminded of Elvis Costello. Hell doesn't sound like Costello either. There's a range and an effortless sort of quality to his work that connects Hell to Costello in my mind. They both sing well-crafted songs that don't seem as though they've been crafted at all.
Hell makes "I want to be there whenever she's lonely" sound both sweet and original on the lovely opening track "All I've Got Left". The opening of "Try", an album highlight, sounds a lot like the the opening of "My Freeze Day" from this year's Dr. Horrible's Sing-along-Blog, and its charms don't end there. Upbeat, playful music (particularly a rollicking piano) and clever, appealing vocals make the song wonderfully endearing. On its face, it doesn't necessarily sound that fun: a guy defiantly trying to muster the courage to write to his crush, who is involved with someone else. It's some combination of winsome and wince-inducing as he struggles with what to tell the lass ("Oh, I can tell her that I need her, but is that really, really true?")
Live video of "Try" (plus "One Step Up", from God If I Saw Her Now) live at Øyafestivalen August 8th 2008:
Other standouts on Every Little Piece include the country-flavored ballad "I Love You" and the E.L.O.-meets-Isaak break-up song "Leave Behind" ("Leave behind the wreck inside you and make plans for something new to come").
A '70s influence is still apparent on this year's God If I Saw Her Now. What other decade could inspire Hell to coo, "You should not be alone tonight/I could come over and make you feel alright" ("Alone")? Cheddar factor aside, it's groovy-in-a-good-way, mayhaps a bit reminiscent of Stephen Bishop ("On and On").
However, such outright 8-track moments are the exception rather than the rule on God. Hell hasn't abandoned the 70s, but he may have set aside the cowbell for more songs this time around (It's still really good, really!) Both albums are a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll.
The title reveals the theme, and hints at a wistful mood (track titles like "My Heart is Longing for a Soul" might "subtly" support this notion.)
There are indeed lovelorn songs a go-go, but over half of them are upbeat, with several lovecentric power-pop gems, such as the downright peppy "A Day & A Half", on which he seems to channel Joe Jackson.
"My Heart Is Longing For A Soul" is an irresistible love letter with vocals, piano, and harmonies reminiscent of Ben Folds Five. There's even something of a "Don't Change Your Plans" sentiment, only slightly modified:
"Do what you want to do, Be what you want to be, Be my love Say what you want to say, Don't let me get in your way
You'd better get my heart, 'cause it's never gonna last You'd better get this started, forget about the past"
"Never Come Back" is a twinkly broken heart in the key of Jon Brion—plaintive vocals accompanied by a gentle piano and fuzzy guitar, swirls of strings and keys. The gently pleading "Darling" has a subject similar to "My Heart is Longing For A Soul", but musically is more like "Never Come Back" with a bit of California surf.
When I first started listening to Hell, in addition to wondering why I hadn't heard of him before, I kept wondering who it was he sounded like. There's such a likeable, familiar quality to his music and his voice. Yet while I thought of a range of artists (not-yet mentioned: Self's Matt Mahaffey) who he sounded something like on assorted songs, one strong sound-a-like candidate has proven elusive. He's like a mysterious, stubborn Norwegian puzzle I can't crack.
By no means do I suggest that Norway is a land of tricksters or chameleons, only that Thom Hell is some kind of mysterious trickster or chameleon who happens to be Norwegian, and that this may or may not be a coincidence. He not only has a flair for a wide variety of genres (from country ballads to ELO-style pop-rock epics, and probably scat), but also the apparent ability to bend his voice into the sound and style of the artist of his choice, while retaining enough of his natural voice to not sound like an impersonator. Neat talent. All that, and he writes like a dream.
So what else does Hell have to do to make a name for himself? Arcade Fire's calls won't go unanswered by themsel-well, they might not. Why take the risk?
• His official website has more info and hosts eight demos for free download, including the two posted above.
• Upcoming Concerts: •
Sep 11 2008 Luftslottet Grimstad, Aust-Agder (8:00 PM) Sep 12 2008 Union Scene Drammen, Buskerud (8:00 PM) Sep 13 2008 Fjellfilmfestivalen Jotunheimen, Hedmark (8:00 PM) Sep 17 2008 Nøtterøy Kulturhus Nøtterøy, Vestfold (8:00 PM) Sep 18 2008 Logen, Phonofestivalen Bergen, Hordaland (8:00 PM) Sep 19 2008 Meieriet Sogndal, Sogn og Fjordane (8:00 PM) Sep 26 2008 Folken Stavanger, Rogaland (8:00 PM) Sep 27 2008 Verdensteatret Sandefjord, Vestfold (8:00 PM) Oct 1 2008 Rock Cafe Bodø, Nordland (8:00 PM) Oct 2 2008 Driv Tromsø, Troms (8:00 PM) Oct 4 2008 Studenthuset City Alta, Finnmark (8:00 PM) Oct 9 2008 UKA pã ÅS Ås, Akershus (8:00 PM) Oct 17 2008 Rokken Volda, Møre og Romsdal (8:00 PM) Oct 18 2008 Parkteatret Scene Oslo, Oslo (8:00 PM) Oct 24 2008 Kulturnatt Haugesund Haugesund, Rogaland (8:00 PM)
• Hell has played guitar and sung with fellow Norwegian singer-songwriter Marit Larsen for years, both in studio and on the road. Larsen, Hell, and Kaja Bremnes a.k.a. Sonberg recently played some unconventional locations (with the help of an adorable red toy piano) to promote Larsen's new single, "If a Song Could Get Me You". In addition to playing (see below) on a train, the trio performed the song at a greengrocer's, in the divinely-named borough of Frogner in Oslo and at an underground station in Nydalen, Oslo.
Just noticed a bit of hidden treasure on YouTube; a couple months ago, someone very kindly posted the video for Sebadoh's gorgeous, über-dreamy Valentine, "Willing to Wait", from their 1996 album Harmacy.
In the video, an asteroid with magical powers nudges rightful couples together, helping out true love. So what he meant by "willing to wait" is, he was willing to wait for an asteroid to magically make his true love "see the light", break up with her boyfriend, and "get with him", as the kids say. That is patience. Did I call this a Valentine? It's an unconventional, romantic Valentine to a woman who already has a boyfriend. It counts as romantic because she's not supposed to be with that guy, and because the song is so freaking lovely.
Greetings, all. Hope you've been enjoying a resplendent Labor Day, especially if you live in the States, where the wish is most relevant today.
I'm posting a few songs loosely inspired by the holiday, including a 1988 gem by Aussie band Hunters & Collectors. Alright, so a couple of these songs are by Australian artists. Nothing unpatriotic about that; this isn't the Fourth of July. I'm not on trial here! It's supposed to be a pleasant holiday-resplendent, even!
