Glass Museum

Since U Been...(something witty).

2007-06-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

I may be behind on this cover of "Since U Been Gone" by Ted Leo, and admittedly I did hear this a while back, but I felt it was appropriate being that the original American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, has canceled her summer tour due to poor ticket sales (this, I've got to say, honestly surprised me. I thought people loved her. Is it over for KC???). Am I upset about the cancellation? Not really. Did I plan on going to any of her shows? Nope. Am I a fan of this song? ......yes. For pop music, I've got to say this is one of the best, And who better to rock it out solo-style than Ted Leo, chugging out over-caffeinated acoustic palm-muted power-chords.

I'm also including a track from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' latest release, Living with the Living (recorded in Western Massachusetts!), which is a great new record that you should check out.

Ted Leo - Since U Been Gone
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - A Bottle of Buckie

East Coast name-drop power pop

2007-06-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

Fountains of Wayne have returned with a new album Traffic and Weather, complete with all that you'd expect from this band if you've listened to any of their previous work: power-pop chord progressions, vocal harmonies, and of course, plenty of East Coast references. This album continues on the themes of travel and driving, which have always been present but have become even more prominent starting with their last release, Welcome Interstate Managers. Fountains of Wayne continue to name-drop all sorts of places back east, and tell stories of everyday people in those areas.

If you've ever driven down I-95 on the East Coast, you will understand just about every reference on this track, and if you haven't made that drive, you will get dead-on depiction of what you would encounter. Interestingly, lead singer Adam Schlesinger describes a "9-hour drive," but does not reveal that actual points at the beginning and end of that drive. On I-95, this could be 50 miles or 500 miles. You just never know.

Fountains of Wayne - I-95

I have returned!

2007-06-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

So I apologize for the loooong gap in between updates. First it was the end of the semester crunch, then a visit to the east coast, and then accommodations that had no internet access. But I am back in L.A. now and (relatively) settled in.

And Wilco is also back with their new album Sky Blue Sky! Another great release from one of my favorite bands. A bit of a departure from A Ghost Is Born, this new record focuses less on the noise textures, and more on the melodies both in the vocals and the lead guitar. The star on this album? That would Nels Cline, who delivers sweet, melodic lead lines with guitar tone that would make Steely Dan jealous. The compressed, warm tape sound of this album makes it sound like it could have come out in 1975. All in all, another quality addition to the always interesting Wilco catalog. Wilco are also on tour, so check them out this summer.

Here is the lead track from Sky Blue Sky.

Wilco - Either Way

Turn the Phage

2007-04-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

I know, I already posted a track from this band a while back, but they really deserve another post because you really need to know about them. The Most Serene Republic released a tour EP last year called Phages that I finally picked up via the Arts and Crafts (their label) store. Standing out on this EP even more so than on their album Underwater Cinematographer is the pristine, detailed drum work and the powerful yet beautiful and melodic female vocal lines. Of course you still get the big, lush, layered harmonies and the interesting forms and changes you'd expect from this band. So all in all, a successful endeavor from a band that I can not wait to release another record. I'm very interested in what their live performance is like, and if they can pull all of this off on stage. Please tour soon!

The Most Serene Republic - Anhoi Polloi

In the city...

2007-04-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

On this past week's episode of South Park, the town is overtaken by homeless people, acting like zombies, as a parody of Night of the Living Dead. But most importantly, the boys devise a plan to move all the homeless to California, resulting in them performing an amazing rendition of the mid-90's rap classic "California Love." I recommend watching the whole episode, but here is the payoff at the end.

Hey Idol, Get Your Facts Straight!

2007-04-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday's episode of American Idol, (yeah I watch it. So what?) Blake sang "When the Stars Go Blue," and credited the song to Tim McGraw. However, it should be known that this song was originally penned by Ryan Adams for is album Gold. Shame on you Idol producers for not correcting this mistake! Feel free to drop that trivia at the office tomorrow to show up that know-it-all jerk that sits next to and thinks he's a music whiz because he can list the Top 12 Finalists from every year of Idol.

Here is a live solo acoustic version of the song from a concert in Denver in 2002, performed by the actual author.

Ryan Adams - When the Stars Go Blue

Baseball is Back! #3

2007-04-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today my Dad and I attended the home opener for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A few highlights:

1. Trying to scalp tickets for the sold out game. This is actually very difficult in LA, much more than I thought it would be. I think we talked to about 4 scalpers in the hour we were looking. Then we get in, and there had to be over 1000 empty seats. Where are those tickets? If someone knows where the scalpers congregate in that massive parking lot, please let me know for next time.

2. Guy running onto the field from the stands in left field, making it all the way to right field, and then being aggressively tackled by security. For some reason, this whole ordeal is much more hilarious in person than it is when you see the highlights on TV. I always wonder what goes through someone's head when they do that. Really, where are you going to go? It's a field with walls. And if you are going to do it, at least go all out and streak.

3. Jason Schmidt, the Dodgers pitcher, hitting a home run - the 7th of his career. I always love to see pitchers produce good offense, because its usually such a downer when the pitcher comes to bat, especially with 2 outs. It's like a guaranteed out. Seeing pitchers bat always reminds me of the '04 World Series when Pedro had to bat in the games at St. Louis. I don't think the bat left his shoulders, and its good thing the Sox were ahead.

4. The "All-you-can-eat" pavilion seats. Our seats were in an area where they have introduced the gluttonous concept of all you can eat ballpark food. All the nachos, hot dogs, peanuts, and popcorn you want, as well as soda (no, beer is not included - see #2). We saw people come back with about a dozen dogs at a time, and judging by the size of some of the dudes in our row, this concept is totally unnecessary.

5. "Giants suck!" A woman over in the left field seats showed up with a San Francisco Giants hat on. You would have thought Hitler showed up. The entire section (both left and right field bleachers) stood up, started booing and yelling, threw food at her, and one guy even ran up and grabbed her hat and threw it, almost getting it on the field. She was actually being escorted to her seat by security, and they did nothing to stop it. "Giants suck!" chants ensued, and it made me feel good that Dodger fans are this passionate (well, at least between the 3rd and 7th innings).

So in tribute to Southern California baseball, I'm posting my favorite baseball-themed song, penned by SoCal natives Ozma, from their album Rock and Roll Part Three. One of the best power-pop groups out there, this anthem-ballad will bring you back to the good ol' little league days (and hopefully won't remind you of the coach that took everything too seriously, or playing every game in right field, or playing only 2 innings a game, or striking out a lot, or getting hit every other at-bat because no one knows how to pitch to leftys, or......ok, enough about my little league experience).

Ozma - Baseball

Baseball is Back #2!

2007-04-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the first few days of baseball. I was just watching the Indians/Mariners game, which is currently in a snow delay in Cleveland. So much for spring for all you back east. Yesterday also featured the hyped debut of Dice-K, which was enough to make this Red Sox fan psyched for this season.

Today's baseball song comes from Wilco and Billy Bragg's collaboration Mermaid Avenue Vol. 2. For those who don't know about this project, this two volume collection featured the lyrics of Woodie Guthrie that never actually became tunes before he passed away. Wilco and Billy Bragg took the lyrics and wrote songs accordingly. These are two must-have albums for any collection. Even though this track tells the story of a Yankee (boooooo), he's still a legend and its still a great tune, so I felt I could let this one slide.

Wilco and Billy Bragg - Joe DiMaggio Done It Again

Baseball is Back!

2007-04-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm back from spring break, and I PROMISE more frequent updates.

As you should know by now, baseball season has officially started! Let the procrastination at school and work begin, as my fantasy team management and game watching/listening takes over my life until late October.

Over the next few days, I'm going to feature a baseball-themed song. Today's comes from former Minneapolis-based rockers The Hold Steady, who bring us a new version of "Take Me Out To the Ballgame," which is themed for the Minnesota Twins. Throwing the song into half-time, The Hold Steady bring a unique twist to the classic 7th inning tune, while keeping the classic essence of the song intact. This is significantly better than the atrocious Goo-Goo Dolls version, which, if I remember correctly, is played at Fenway Park. C'mon guys! (Note to the Red Sox: take a tip from the Twins and get some Boston locals like Dino Jr., the Pixies, or Mission of Burma to take this on, and ditch the Goo!).

Enjoy!

The Hold Steady - Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Mmmmm...Pie

2007-03-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Last year, a former co-worker of mine back in Massachusetts let me borrow a CD by the relatively obscure and strangely named band Pie. Pie formed in Mass. in 1993, and by 1996 they had split up. In that short time, amidst some underground cassette releases, they released one full-length album on Big Top Records called Strictly Seance (1995), which is the album I borrowed. This is a fantastic record, most clearly parallel in musical (and album art) style to Pavement's early releases. Once again, another good band that never should have split up (see: my rant from 1/29/07). Other releases from Pie include the EP Pie is Gone and the retrospective Our Plastic Destiny, both of which I have yet to check out. Here is a track from Strictly Seance.

Pie - Louisville, Stall

Whistling: underrated in rock

2007-03-17T03:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry for slacking on updates - I'm back at it now!

We all whistle along with songs from time to time, but I feel like very few bands make the leap to actually use whistling in their songs as another instrument. Rock bands of the world, don't hold back. Try it out on you next tune, it just may work for you.

This track from The Meligrove Band's album Planets Conspire brings it to a whole new level. Probably one of the top 5 songs ever to use whistling effectively. Other ones that come to mind are Wilco's "Red Eyed and Blue," Built to Spill's "Broken Chairs," and of course Otis Reading's "Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay." Congrats Meligrove Band, you've made the "Whistling in Rock" Pantheon. (This whole record is really good, by the way). Make sure you are patient when listening for the epic whistling section in this tune - it comes in towards the end.

The Meligrove Band - Grasshoppers in Honey

Holy vocoder, the Apples are back!

2007-03-02T16:20:00.001-08:00

The Apples in Stereo have returned with a fantastic new album, New Magnetic Wonder, their first release since 2002's Velocity of Sound. Filled with the standard big vocal harmonies and sing-along melodies that you'd expect from the Apples, this album has a bigger sound, with a bit more production than previous releases that only enhances the sound. The greatest new addition to the Apple's sound is the liberal use of vocoder. Its all over the album, and while at first I thought it would get old, the band follows through and uses it at all the right times. Trust me, it works. Somewhere, ELO is getting a little jealous...

Enjoy!

The Apples in Stereo - Same Old Drag

Song of the year nominee

2007-02-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

I think this song actually officially was recorded last year, but I just discovered it recently, and I also think it could be one of my favorite discoveries of 2007. The artist is Miniature and Presidential, and its basically one guy, Michael Dixon. The album is called Circumstances & Pseudonyms. Not much else to say; the songs speaks for itself (and so does the album). You'll have it on repeat, I guarantee.

Minature and Presidential - Leonard Cohen Cassettes

Are these guys even from Canada?

2007-02-21T23:00:00.000-08:00

Just picked up the new Of Montreal album, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? and I must say it is fantastic. Catchy melodies, amazing vocal work, and even beautiful packaging make this one of the best releases so far of the new year. Frontman Kevin Barnes recorded most of the instruments and vocals which, when you hear the album's arrangements and orchestrations, is no small feat. This album seems to be a bit more cohesive than Sunlandic Twins, while existing as a nice follow up to that release. Here's a track from the new one.

Of Montreal - A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger

Vinyl Conversion #2!

2007-02-17T14:56:00.000-08:00

Back for another installment of weekly Vinyl Conversions! This week's song comes from a very limited edition vinyl subscription series offered by the People In A Position To Know label out of Olympia, WA. This label releases very small runs of vinyl, usually in some interesting form like triangle shaped clear vinyl, and other strange shapes and colors that you would not normally find vinyl releases on. I'm getting a few more records from this label, and hope to post a few more songs from their catalog.

The song for this week is from Poster Children from a record called Lost Songs. I had never heard this band before recieving this record, but I really dig it and will probably check out more of their stuff. Let me know if you have any further info on these guys and can recommend something to listen to.

Poster Children - New World Record

Mystic Rock

2007-02-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

Back in 1996, our beloved local record store in Mystic, CT, the Mystic Disc, put out a compilation of local rock bands called Trapezium. This came out right around the time I was really getting into music, and when I wished I was in a rock band. Ten years later the music on this compilation still stands as some of the best local rock out of any area I've ever lived in. Mystic was just on the cusp of having the potential to become a big indie rock scene, but it never quite got there, and in the end everything seemed to work out OK. The music scene in Southeastern CT shifted through various genres over the following years, then seemed to die off a bit. Now, it looks like it may be getting some life back into it through revived local music clubs and easier ways of getting music out to people.

I still love Trapezium, and thought it was a great representation of the era and area it came out of. Here are two tracks from that disc.

Lotus - The Wedding Present
Doug - Unbeknownst To Me

Grammy Ramblings

2007-02-11T23:29:00.000-08:00

Once again, the Grammy awards further prove the music industry's incompetence in honoring deserving talent. However, buried in the trash heap of Dixie Chicks, John Mayer, and Black-Eyed Peas, there were some redeeming results (note: I didn't actually get to watch the show, so I'm going off the list of winners). Did anyone catch that Slayer (Slayer!) won a Grammy? Ok, it was for best metal performance, and I'm not a metal expert, but I'd say they kind of dominate there. Nonetheless, pretty awesome. The Flaming Lips had a few wins, one for instrumental rock performance, and another relating to engineering. Bob Dylan also made a few appearances on the list, one for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album (I'd be interested to see the criteria for what qualifies for the "Americana" portion of that). My favorite win was in the category of Long Form Music Video: "Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run," Bruce Springsteen. This DVD was part of the re-issued box set of Born to Run, and its a fantastic film. If you really want to take a look at what went into making that album so amazing, this is something you should see. (Side note: speaking of Born to Run, check out what this guy did).

Anyway, leave comments as to how the Grammy's was for you. Also, I'd be interested in hearing thoughts on the performances as well. How'd that Police reunion work out? Did JT throw down the goods as usual?

Ah yes, a track. Here is Tortoise and Bonnie "Prince" Billy covering "Thunder Road" from the collaborative album consisting of a variety of covers, The Brave and the Bold.

Update: Song link is working now!
Tortoise and Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Thunder Road

Vinyl Conversion Fridays! #1

2007-02-10T01:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know it is Saturday, but this is something that I plan on doing each week. On Friday, I'm going to take a song from a record in my collection and convert it to MP3. Right now I don't have too much vinyl, as much of it is still back east, but I'll do my best.

For the first installment of this series, and in celebration of the re-issue of Ghosts of the Great Highway from Sun Kil Moon, I present the acoustic version on "Gentle Moon," available only as a bonus track on the vinyl version of the album. One of my favorite Sun Kil Moon tracks, this stripped-down acoustic version of the song offers Mark Kozelek at his best, capturing the fundamental sound (just voice and acoustic guitar) that makes his songs so interesting. The original album came out a few years ago, and I highly recommend buying the disc (or picking up a limited edition copy on white marble vinyl, signed by Mark Kozelek, as I did).

Sun Kil Moon - Gentle Moon (acoustic)

Serenity Now!

2007-02-06T23:14:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite record purchases last year was Underwater Cinematographer from The Most Serene Republic, an album that seemed to go unoticed when it was released. This band reminds me a lot of Broken Social Scene, (and are on their label Arts and Crafts as well) using a large ensemble with big synth and guitar sound. The Most Serene Republic very effectively use overlapping vocal lines that combine to form amazing interweaving melodies - it's to identify just one "lead singer." They also explore a variety of styles, making each track unique enough to stand on its own, while simultaneously forming a cohesive album. Word from their website is that a new album is in the works!

The Most Serene Republic - Where Cedar Nouns and Adverbs Walk
The Most Serene Republic - (Oh) God

Not featured on this album: The Superbowl Shuffle

2007-02-04T23:06:00.000-08:00

Choosing songs from the 80's to cover can be tough. Its easy to select one of the many cheesy pop songs and play it in an "ironic" way. To do an album entirely comprised of songs from the 80's, and actually have it sound like a legitimate release is even more difficult. Grant-Lee Phillips has been able to pull this off with his album nineteeneighties, in which he tastefully covers a mix of tunes representing bands like the Cure, the Pixies, and the Church. His alt-country style gives these songs a new feel, while still retaining the orginal melodies that made them great. Here are two from the album.

Grant-Lee Phillips - Wave of Mutilation
Grant-Lee Phillips - Boys Don't Cry

I Wish I Could Have Been There

2007-02-01T18:35:00.000-08:00

So unless you have been cut off from the outside world, you know what happened in Boston yesterday regarding the promotions for Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I personally think this whole thing is hilarious, and can't believe that people may be charged criminally! Considering Mayor Menino can't even speak correctly, (re: "Gooster") its no surprise that he thought those things were bombs. I really enjoy how the news articles are forced to describe what the show is about. One of my faves: Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner Inc. and parent of Cartoon Network, said the devices were part of a promotion for the TV show ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force,'' a surreal series about a talking milkshake, a box of fries and a meatball.
One of the articles was even titled: "Is Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the new Al Queada?"
So congrats Boston. Not your finest moment, but I still miss you. I present two Dismemeberment Plan songs as a tribute.

Dismemberment Plan - The Ice Of Boston
Dismemberment Plan - Time Bomb

Coalition of Independent Music Stores

2007-01-31T15:14:00.000-08:00

The Coalition of Independent Music Stores is an organization that helps labels promote bands in independently owned stores across the country. On the site, you can look to see what independent record stores exist in your area as well. Some of the stores have online ordering capabilities, in case you live in an area where the closest thing to a record store is Wal-Mart.

Last year, Pearl Jam released a live EP from a performance at Easy Street in Seattle to support the Coalition. Today's post is a track from that EP, Live at Easy Street.

Pearl Jam - New World (live, feat. John Doe)

Quirky Canadian Rock from '94!

2007-01-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

When I was back home in New England in December and January, I took some time to dig up some old CD's. I found one from a Canadian band called "The Inbreds," which was basically just two guys (Mike O'Neill and Dave Ullrich) - one on bass and and one on drums. They rarely used guitars, and it gave them a really unique, quirky sound. I'm posting two songs: "Any Sense of Time," which was their "hit," and "Round 12," my personal favorite. These are from the album Kombinator, which came out in the best year ever: 1994.

The Inbreds - Any Sense of Time
The Inbreds - Round 12

Good bands: Stop breaking up!

2007-01-29T20:35:00.000-08:00

According to their website, Pretty Girls Make Graves will be splitting up after a tour in the spring. I really enjoyed this band, and of course, as it seems to go, if I like a band, they will split up (e.g. Pavement, GBV, Dismemberment Plan). I feel like we should implement a law that when a good band decides to split up, three awful bands (or solo artists) need to quit in order to balance things out. For example, Pretty Girls Make Graves break up, so let's now get rid of Fall Out Boy, James Blunt, and Nickelback. I'm thinking no one would really miss them. In honor of PGMG, I'm posting one of my favorite songs from them, "The Getaway" from the album Good Health.

Pretty Girls Make Graves - The Getaway

Welcome!

2007-01-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Glass Museum! I thought I'd give this a blog thing a shot, and try to post some music a few times a week that you may find interesting or would not otherwise normally hear.

For my inaugural post, I present two tracks. The first being the song for which this blog was named after, from the amazing Tortoise album "Millions Now Living Will Never Die." At about the 3 min 23 sec mark, this song opens up and presents one of this band's greatest moments. If you ever get the chance to see Tortoise live, take it.

The second track is from a Wilco side project, The Autumn Defense (Pat Sansone and John Stirratt). The title, "Canyon Arrow" reminded me of the Simpson's episode where they get that enormous SUV called the "Canyonero" (this episode). Plus, its a great song. Enjoy!

Tortoise - Glass Museum
The Autumn Defense - Canyon Arrow