My Bird Performs

finally i found it, after a real long time of internet searching: the soundtrack to Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain, composed by Gil Melle. It's a barrage of bleeps and blips, primitive electronics that for its day were incredible (probably about as incredible as the effects in the movie were). Speaking of, I can't help but think of the movie when i listen to it, and since it is one of my favorite movies (and books, too) ever, there is no complaint in that department. never have underground decontamination chambers sounded better, and i must say death in piedmont is portrayed rather brilliantly. it's a stark record, and it's not an easy listen. i'm not even sure why i wanted it so bad. but i have days where, honestly, that music would just work with my mood. my only hope is that someday i'll be able to get my hands on an original vinyl copy of this baby.

i don't think anyone ever reads this anymore but me. oh well, i was getting tired of looking at my last post.

smooch.

Posted by Kevin at 4:21 AM | Permalink | Comments

i was worried about the new beatles record, love, when i first heard about it.

but when i heard the vocal line for "within you without you" over the rhythm track for "tomorrow never knows," i was amazed. there is some really cool stuff going on, like taking "good night" and putting the "octopus's garden" vocal melody in there instead.

later on in the record there is some pitch-bending and such, which is understandable, cuz if you've ever tried to play along to some of the later stuff, you'll realize it's sorely out of tune.

towards the end of the record, there is less mashing, which was kind of a disappointment, but i guess you have to get into cirque du soleil mode, and realize there's supposed to be a show going on over this. and then it's forgivable.

honestly, the record is sort of like a fresh perspective on some beatles tunes. and sir george martin still has it. yes.

UPDATE: being a beatles kid, after repeatedly listening to 'love,' i just really want to sing along to the whole tunes; with this record, most of the time you don't get that. after a while you think, "man, 30 seconds of 'what you're doing' just isn't cutting it." and then you realize you should have just listened to 'rubber soul' and the rest of the original records, because, like always, nothing will ever top them.

Posted by Kevin at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments

Since Tyler's too busy doing... I don't know, Tyler-things, I thought I'd pick up some of his slack. If you've ever had any sort of conversation about music with me-- and more specifically, pop music-- you know that I subscribe to the "Swedish people write the best pop songs" theory. And I've thought of creating a detailed post to prove this point. Then... I discovered that the argument has been made already. In a more succinct, far catchier way than I could ever manage. Meet I'm from Barcelona, a 29-piece supergroup of nerds, dweebs and geeks. Swedish nerds, dweebs and geeks. Enjoy.

Posted by janelle m. greene at 2:01 AM | Permalink | Comments

Since it's football season once again, I've been watching more concentrated blocks of television than I do during other parts of the year (otherwise known as "the dark times"). As a result, I've seen more than my fair share of commercials. Now, I mean, I majored in communications, so I know what to expect from advertisers. However, there's only so much I can take sometimes. Vonage, you should be ashamed of yourselves. I've never dreaded watching a Notre Dame home game until now, and it's all thanks to you. However, during the breaks, while I'm wishing away these little slices of obnoxious, I occasionally catch a glimpse of some non-abrasive ads. Here, for your viewing pleasure, are two, both of which highlight choice tracks from earlier this decade:



Hem - Half Acre. First, there's this little feel-good spot from Liberty Mutual. In addition to the whole pay-it-forward-ness angle, the commercial sports an addictive soundtrack in the form of this, a track from Hem's 2001 album Rabbit Songs. While I'm not going to run out and refinance, I have to give advertsing firm Hill Holiday credit for their pairing of message and soundtrack. If they were going for memorability, they nailed it. On its own, the song is perfect for this time of year, with hints of frost forming at the edges of singer Sally Ellyson's voice while she ruminates on home and longing. I'm a little late on posting this one, but after seeing it roughly 20 times during the Notre Dame-Purdue game on Saturday, I had to act.



Royksopp - Remind Me. Something different, something the same. In this ad from Geico, we see that society has yet more socrn to heap upon the indignant neolithic pitchmen. The moving sidewalk double take got a chuckle out of me. Once again, song and scene are a perfect fit. The caveman's weariness, whether from travel or from disrepect, is mirrored by Royksopp's ode to wanderlust. In a way, that puts the Norwegians at thematic odds with Hem. I can only imagine what that fight might look like.

Posted by Tyler at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

So, turns out that this fall actually does just keep getting better. First, the Fightin' Irish help Michigan State yank defeat from the jaws of victory, then I score tickets to both Robert Pollard (November 9th @ the Bluebird) and the Decemberists (November 11th @ the Riviera), and now, perhaps the best news of all: the Pernice Brothers have a new album on the way.



Scheduled for release this coming Tuesday (October 3rd, for anyone keeping score), Live A Little features the return of producer Mike Deming, who handled the boards for Joe Pernice's previous band, the Scud Mountain Boys. Deming also produced Overcome By Happiness, the Pernice Brothers' debut album. Apparently, though, the similarities between that album and Live A Little end there. Sez the website:

"This one has strings and horns, which have not been part of a Pernice album since OBH. But, and this is a mighty exception, it’s much more of a rock record than that was, representing the running of big fat analog tape while sweaty guys played on well-crafted instruments through amplifiers and pounded on sweet, old, drum kits."

Quite an image, that. Live A Little comes at you courtesy of Joe Pernice's own Ashmont Records.

Pernice Bros. - Conscience Clean (I Went To Spain). A rare glimpse at the humorous side of Joe Pernice reveals that it's just as melancholy as all the others. Personally, I have no problem with that, as long as he keeps producing songs like this one.

Pernice Bros. - PCH One. Now this song gets me excited. There's just the right mix of wispy fragility and unexpected bombast to keep things interesting, and the lyrics, which are billed as "more literary [than] cinematic", live up to that billing with gusto. Plus, and this is well-documented by now, I'm powerless to resist well-placed handclaps.

Posted by Tyler at 8:32 PM | Permalink | Comments

I wrote a postcard yesterday. Here's what it said:

I'm standing in the post office, watching the leaves turn at the church across the street, and there's nowhere else I'd rather be right now. I hope you can say the same about whatever place you're in.

When I finished, this song came on my Walkman. I just thought I'd share.

Paul Simon - Hearts and Bones. Is Hearts and Bones the most underrated Paul Simon album? Probably. Was the $.50 I paid for the cassette version at an area Goodwill this weekend a complete steal? I think so. Is this, the title track to said album, a beautiful piece of music? Most definitely. Paul Simon knows how to write an autumnal song.

This latest mini-hiatus was caused by various weekend dalliances with two very honored guests. I'll be back to real updates later today.

Posted by Tyler at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments

Unless you're a band looking for a street team, random MySpace friend requests rarely amount to anything more than a solemn click of the reject button. However, on the flip side, sometimes they're totally awesome.


This is Phil Aiken, piano player and my new friend. According to his website, Phil's worked with pop luminaries including Buffalo Tom, Ben Kweller, James Taylor, Ken Stringfellow, and, of course, sportscaster Peter Gammons. Not a bad musical CV, if you ask me. Aiken's also plugging his second album, the recently released It's Always The Quiet Ones. The album employs the ever-popular piano-bass-drums base, and features, according to the enthusiastic press release over at Not Lame, "a multi-layered collection of meaningful songs with enough jolt to push any listener out of their aural malaise". A pretty big promise, no?

Phil Aiken - Figurine. I like this track. It doesn't have the bombast found in most Not Lame releases, but that works in its favor. Aiken does his best John Linnel impersonation while dishing out hooks that'll sneak up on you later when you least expect it. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I find it hard to ask for much more.

Phil Aiken - It's Always the Quiet Ones. When you're dealing with piano pop, it's easy to make comparisons to the "big names": Randy Newman, Billy Joel, Ben Folds, and so on. On his website, Aiken calls out the inherent tiredness of this approach, wearily stating:

"And no, it doesn't sound like Ben Folds. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Does every guitar player sound like John Denver? Or Yngwie Malmsteen?"

Funny stuff, and I agree: piano pop doesn't have to be one-dimensional. Neither, apparently, does MySpace.

For more Phil Aiken, visit his website. To be his friend, go here.

Posted by Tyler at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments