edit: I will say that the guitar in these reminds me of early Piano Magic, which is basically like saying "Steven, why don't you listen to this over and over until you burn out forever on it?
I couldn't find out a whole lot about this band. Named for some famous spiritual dude. Genre label tells you all you need to know. Click below to listen to one of my favorite tracks, "Find The Door". Found this on (new to me) music blog weedtemple, which also has a link to download the album, though I recommend you listen to it for free on bandcamp and buy it if you decide you like it. That's what I would do if I had money! (I don't have any money. If you have any money, can I please have some? no? jackass.)
Waggers... appears to be the work of one Casey Shew, an unsigned artist who mixes ambient soundscapes full of pops and crackles, thoughtful and engaging percussion, and ethereal acoustic guitar with vocal samples and mostly mumbling male vocals. Climaxes build out of howling wind, twinkling bells, nice thick synths, and escalating guitar, and you wonder if this is what Mount Eerie would have sounded like if it had been taken in a more instrumental direction. And that's just the first two tracks. Suddenly, traditional melody appears. Accordion, more croon to the vocals...is that a marimba? I'm thoroughly engaged - and just as quickly, the tone turns darkly vicious. The anguished shrieks are a bit too earnest and jarring, but on the whole, the transitions on this record are actually fairly smooth and feel quite natural. The pacing of this record will either really please you, or will have you hitting "delete" before the first song even really gets going. Only halfway through the album as I write this, I can tell it won't appeal to many, but this is the kind of self-indulgent turd-sculpting that I love most. I found it on Dying For Bad Music, my favorite blog that's also a label, and it says here that there's an overt Mount Eerie reference on the album, but I haven't noticed it. Maybe the tiles of the first & last track? Who care.
Moon Duo live @ KEXP, a nice studio session. To all the REAL Moon Duo fans (you know who you are) this is old as the hills but still, watch and love Stumbling On 22nd St., with it's jaw-dropping guitar work (that is my jaw you hear dropping, actually):
What do these three bands have in common? I've been listening to them non-stop for a few weeks now. Helplessly. Also they're kinda obscure-ish. But am I listening to them BECAUSE they're obscure? I don't know. I'm self-aware enough to know if I'm being a tool, I think (just take my word for it) so probably not. So because I'm listening to these three bands all the time that I love, but they're obscure, it leads me to the conclusion that the internet has magically found me (at least) three bands that appeal to me in a very niche way. Sort of like the G-spot is hard to find but if you get a thousand tries you eventually find it (wait, nobody else has that problem? I AM A TERRIBLE LOVER). Overexposure = good.
Gary War (cover(?) of upcoming EP Police Water above.) JUST LISTEN TO BORN OF LIGHT ALREADY. Very excited about November whenever/etc/whatever when it comes out via Sacred Bones. I really don't have anything to say about Gary War other than "psychedelic insane genius" and don't expect me to go into why I love this sound beyond reason. I know this is a "blog" for "writing" but really. Swirly synths, punchy tempo, hacked up vocals tearing through the songs like a chainsaw and it ALL WORKS. ah. Buy all of his albums and singles and stuff. The MP3 is from internet blog of note Gorilla vs. Bear (more Gary War posts, GVB). Also, watch this Viva Radio video of a song from his '09 Horribles Parade album:
Flight. They / him (whatever) is a loud crazy band from Mississippi that rocks my socks. Style over content wins the day here but hey, who cares? If you're going to rock, do it in STYLE or STYLE BEFORE COMFORT etc. You know what I'm getting at. Give Ghosts a try @ Weekly Tape Deck. If you buy the single, Crackerjack Woman is one of the best b-sides (ever).
The New Lines. Brooklyn band that writes great pop tunes, ah! I see them as an early Broadcast in technicals, Belle and Sebastian in feel, and with a sort of charmingly unguarded simplicity of sound that feels very unique to me. Other things that get me: lots of repeated phrases, interesting time signatures, and overlapping melodies mixed with vocals that hover above in their own world. It's interesting stuff. Admittedly, I've been limited to their myspace tracks and last.fm songs, but luckily they've come out with a Beko single (GOD I love Beko. even when it's bad it's good.) Love it. 'Kings Civil Calendar Control' & 'Windimir And The Gift Of Death' are two songs that encapsulate everything great about them (though they are more polished than the other stuff you find floating around). Download their Beko single here.
Anyway, enough about the stuff I love and can't get enough of. The earnestness of this blogpost is DISGUSTING.
I'm sorry. I love it. I just can't help myself. It's catchy, it's thoughtfully detailed, and it's unashamedly twee in some way that's difficult to describe. I've heard they suck live. They're getting plenty of buzz without my help. I don't care. Good music is good.
Bare Wires - Seeking Love LP (Castle Face, 2010) Oh here comes the glam fuckin rawk! So sweet, like mother's milk. Maybe not the top album of the year but the title and opening track amount to the best kicking off I've heard and the quality sticks for all 23 & change minutes. As much as I liked the White Fence album, I have to admit that Seeking Love is the kind of thing I was hoping from them after first hearing those first couple of preview tracks back when (unfair comparison, but I shared it with you because we're pals). Oh man, this one track “Family Heat” has a great guitar solo… *drifts off* … anyway. This album has immediate love on lockdown and while I'm hoping for staying power, I know that I like it a lot right now so... I'm happy. BUY or taste a couple of tracks over at the ever loveable Raven Sings the Blues and here's the Official Bare Wires video for I (heart) You Tonite:
VA - Welcome Home_ Diggin' The Universe (A Woodsist Compilation) (Woodsist, 2010) Y'know, after falling absolutely head over heels in love with Moon Duo because of Escape I would have expected a good friend to let me know about this Woodsist comp that kinda passed over (under?) my radar, but no, I had to find out about Moon Duo covering Errol Dunkley (reggae maker of note) all by myself. These imaginary friends must think I’m a jerk. P.S. this is my diplomatic way of saying that the Moon Duo track is the saving grace here despite my liking a bunch of the bands. *sadface* BUY IT HERE
Electric Bunnies – Pretty Joanna 7” (Sacred Bones, 2010) Pretty Joanna is a loud anthemic rock track that’ll play well while you’re cleaning a garage somewhere or training for a fight (trust me on this). The B-side is upbeat, tone-deaf and retro, somewhere between a mid 90s MTV sketch comedy show theme song and another more annoying thing. Buy it if you hate me and never want to listen to good music. JK!
Panda Bear – Tomboy 7” (Paw Tracks, 2010) s’good. It’s going to be tough to impress people after Person Pitch, but I’m very digging the emphasis on pairing things down here to just rhythm, melody, and vocals, then layering a bit. I’m really looking forward to a whole album of this stuff.
Five is enough! Thanks to PartyBus @ the CBox for letting me listen to some of this.
This is the first release by the indie-americana supergroup formed by Decemberists Chris Funk and Nate Query. Expect acoustic guitar, haunting fiddle, and the occasional soft vocal. There are more instrumental tracks than there are vocal tracks, and the balance between the two is quite nice. I've been listening to this a lot this year, and I hope I can be in Portland for their performance at this year's Pickathon. They did a set for Daytrotter back in April, which you can download here. I think I found this album on Music Is Amazing.
In other news, you can now follow deadly boars on twitter at twitter.com/deadlyboars and if you have a question, an album submission, or wish to write for this blog, you can send an email to deadlyboars@yahoo.com.
I couldn't find out a whole lot about this band. Named for some famous spiritual dude. Genre label tells you all you need to know. Click below to listen to one of my favorite tracks, "Find The Door". Found this on (new to me) music blog weedtemple, which also has a link to download the album, though I recommend you listen to it for free on bandcamp and buy it if you decide you like it. That's what I would do if I had money! (I don't have any money. If you have any money, can I please have some? no? jackass.)
Waggers... appears to be the work of one Casey Shew, an unsigned artist who mixes ambient soundscapes full of pops and crackles, thoughtful and engaging percussion, and ethereal acoustic guitar with vocal samples and mostly mumbling male vocals. Climaxes build out of howling wind, twinkling bells, nice thick synths, and escalating guitar, and you wonder if this is what Mount Eerie would have sounded like if it had been taken in a more instrumental direction. And that's just the first two tracks. Suddenly, traditional melody appears. Accordion, more croon to the vocals...is that a marimba? I'm thoroughly engaged - and just as quickly, the tone turns darkly vicious. The anguished shrieks are a bit too earnest and jarring, but on the whole, the transitions on this record are actually fairly smooth and feel quite natural. The pacing of this record will either really please you, or will have you hitting "delete" before the first song even really gets going. Only halfway through the album as I write this, I can tell it won't appeal to many, but this is the kind of self-indulgent turd-sculpting that I love most. I found it on Dying For Bad Music, my favorite blog that's also a label, and it says here that there's an overt Mount Eerie reference on the album, but I haven't noticed it. Maybe the tiles of the first & last track? Who care. 
What do these three bands have in common? I've been listening to them non-stop for a few weeks now. Helplessly. Also they're kinda obscure-ish. But am I listening to them BECAUSE they're obscure? I don't know. I'm self-aware enough to know if I'm being a tool, I think (just take my word for it) so probably not. So because I'm listening to these three bands all the time that I love, but they're obscure, it leads me to the conclusion that the internet has magically found me (at least) three bands that appeal to me in a very niche way. Sort of like the G-spot is hard to find but if you get a thousand tries you eventually find it (wait, nobody else has that problem? I AM A TERRIBLE LOVER). Overexposure = good.
Flight. They / him (whatever) is a loud crazy band from Mississippi that rocks my socks. Style over content wins the day here but hey, who cares? If you're going to rock, do it in STYLE or STYLE BEFORE COMFORT etc. You know what I'm getting at. Give Ghosts a try @ Weekly Tape Deck. If you buy the single, Crackerjack Woman is one of the best b-sides (ever).
Bare Wires - Seeking Love LP (Castle Face, 2010) Oh here comes the glam fuckin rawk! So sweet, like mother's milk. Maybe not the top album of the year but the title and opening track amount to the best kicking off I've heard and the quality sticks for all 23 & change minutes. As much as I liked the White Fence album, I have to admit that Seeking Love is the kind of thing I was hoping from them after first hearing those first couple of preview tracks back when (unfair comparison, but I shared it with you because we're pals). Oh man, this one track “Family Heat” has a great guitar solo… *drifts off* … anyway. This album has immediate love on lockdown and while I'm hoping for staying power, I know that I like it a lot right now so... I'm happy. BUY or taste a couple of tracks over at the ever loveable Raven Sings the Blues and here's the Official Bare Wires video for I (heart) You Tonite:
This is the first release by the indie-americana supergroup formed by Decemberists Chris Funk and Nate Query. Expect acoustic guitar, haunting fiddle, and the occasional soft vocal. There are more instrumental tracks than there are vocal tracks, and the balance between the two is quite nice. I've been listening to this a lot this year, and I hope I can be in Portland for their performance at this year's Pickathon. They did a set for Daytrotter back in April, which you can download here. I think I found this album on Music Is Amazing. 
