Jukebox: Friday Mile

Jukebox is a feature where we ask our favorite artists, bloggers and DJs their opinions on four songs that are currently generating buzz. Then we ask them for songs that we should be buzzing about. This week, we put quarters in the record machine with Jace Krause of Friday Mile...

Clues - "Perfect Fit" (mp3)
I am not familiar with these guys, and I didn't like this song the first, second, and third times I listened to it. The songwriting, vocals, lyrics, and arrangement didn't connect with me. However, I did enjoy the sound they got on the keys. It sounds like a Wurlitzer... it's a very nice sound. I am curious if all their songs are like this, so I will probably go check them out to see what their other tunes sound like.

Passion Pit - "Moth's Wings" (mp3)
Only recently have I been hearing stuff from these guys. This song is anthemic. Perfect for summer deck parties. The shouty vocals and melody lines sound great over the shimmering synths. Not sure if I could take a whole album of that shouty vocal sound, however. Also, the dynamics of the tune don't vary much, so by mid-song I was getting a little bored and wanted something else to happen. Overall, not a bad track... I'd play it at a party or put it on a mix for a friend.

St Vincent - "Actor Out of Work" (mp3)
Annie Clark's new album might be the most-played thing in my world right now. This song is great because of the driving, spastic drums, and the way her lovely vocals are singing this nervous melody. And it clocks in just over two minutes--in and out. The whole record is like this track--beautiful melodies over instrumental tension--yet all the songs stand out in their own way. As a musician, I am very curious about what her writing process is like. I'm getting excited just writing about it. I would pick "Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood" as another standout track that people should check out.

John Vanderslice - "Too Much Time" (mp3)
This probably isn't fair, because I am a total Vanderslice fanboy. I first listened to him while I weeded tree beds in the cold Northwest rain in January (I was a groundskeeper in college). This song, like 99% of his songs, tells a cryptic story where we are only given a glimpse of the whole picture, and we're left to fill in the blanks. I really admire his lyrics. His voice is an acquired taste, but I love it. There's a raw sincerity to it, especially in this track. It's pure and cuts through the mix, and when he layers his vocals it only takes his songs to another level. I don't think this song is one of his best, but I still like it (me = JV fanboy). I think his newer stuff is good, but seems to lack an edge that his first few albums had. Sometimes I just want to see this guy rock the fuck out.

Jace's picks...

Weinland - "Breaks In The Sun"
This is the titular track from Weinland's third album, and one of the standouts. I had a really hard time picking just one song. These guys are from Portland and, surprise, play a brand of folk/Americana-inspired music. What sets these guys apart from the crowd is the delicate lead vocals by Adam Shearer, and the beautiful interplay between the instruments in the songs, all played skillfully by the rest of the band. Piano, mandolin, lap steel guitar all can be heard in their songs, but nothing is overdone; it's all tasteful and beautiful. And if you like the album stuff, you'll almost certainly love them live.

Miike Snow - "Burial" (RCRDLBL)
It's hard to classify this song. Much of it is Euro-ish dance, but there's an indie pop feeling to it as well. What gets me is the catchy chorus... I find myself walking around singing it out loud around the house.

Marissa Nadler - "Ghosts And Lovers" (MySpace)
This one kind of snuck up on me. I found myself transfixed by this track and many others on her latest album. It was one of those serendipitous happenings... I bought the album, got really into it, and then saw she was playing the next night at the Tractor Tavern here in Seattle. I live nearby, so it seemed like I was supposed to go watch her play. What she and her band lack in stage presence, they make up for by creating haunting melodies and harmonies that draw you in.

Grizzly Bear - "While You Wait For The Others"
Grizzly Bear probably doesn't need another person fawning over their music, but from what I've heard of Veckatimest, it sounds like they are bringing a little more pop into their atmospheric recordings. I won't be complaining. Of the 2-3 tracks I've heard from it, this one stands out to me as one of my favorites. The chorus here is fantastic, shiny 60s pop.

Friday Mile are a Seattle-based band. Their music is available at iTunes and CD Baby.

Jukebox: The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra

Jukebox is a feature where we ask our favorite artists, bloggers and DJs their opinions on four songs that are currently generating buzz. Then we ask them for songs that we should be buzzing about. This week, we put quarters in the record machine with L. Hunter Curra, of The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra...

Iron and Wine - "The Trapeze Swinger" (mp3)
Most of the I&W I'm used to is much more LOFI that this it's nice to hear his voice shine through sensitively produced. I'd listen to stuff like this on a Weekend afternoon, or as background music for intimate moments. It's a long repetitive song, but that doesn't bug me because of how I use this kind of music doesn't involve me sitting and paying intense attention to it. Nice melody. He definitely has a lot to say, I'm like a three verses at maximum type of guy haha.

Jarvis Cocker - "Angela" (mp3)
The time signature makes this one hard for me to sink my teeth into. Definitely feels written around the main riff, which I kinda like. But it makes me wish for more complex melody for me to hum later.

Sunset Rubdown - "Idiot Heart" (mp3)
The back and forth guitar interplay and drum pattern rock this one for me. I like the production too. Kinda sloppy but in a good way. Vocals have a sorta British yelpy quality mixed with a joy division delivery. There are some strong melody bits on builds and changes, but it is clear these dudes like the emphasis on the instruments and arrangement. The voices feel like decorations.

Papercuts - "You Can Have What You Want" (mp3)
I like the arrangement and production here. Soothingly somber. I think it might twist my fancy a little more if there were a few more dynamics. That synthe pad sounds sweet but it raises the volume floor of the track and doesn't leave much room... but maybe that is the idea here. I'd also add this to my Weekend afternoon play list.

Hunter's Picks...
I'm a little behind... I listen to local LA stuff and classic music mostly.
Camera Obscura - "French Navy" (MySpace)
Obi Best - "What it's Not" (MySpace)
Divisadero - "Understand We Have No Understanding" (MySpace)
Marvelous Toy - "Waiting for the Fire" (MySpace)

The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra are an LA-based band who performed at our first LA[Heart]SF band in San Francisco.

Jukebox: ipickmynose

(Photo by David Franusich)
Jukebox is a feature where we ask our favorite artists, bloggers and DJs their opinions on four songs that are currently generating buzz. Then we ask them for songs that we should be buzzing about. This week, we put quarters in the record machine with Adrian Bischoff, a KZSU DJ who runs the SF-based music blog, ipickmynose...

Fever Ray - "When I Grow Up"
I know this is a side project of the woman from the Knife, but I didnt' know much more about Fever Ray beyond that. It's fairly similar to the Knife in style and her distinctive vocals are there. It's got a certain charm to it, but I can't say I'll listen to this again.

Wavves - "No Hope Kids"
I feel like there's a nice pop tune in here, but I'm listening through a bunch of stuff to hear it. For me, the intense lo-fi fuzz of this obscures the song rather than enhances it. For fans of Times New Viking, I would think.

Okkervil River - "Pop Lie"
I like quirky, upbeat pop, but this, like much of the Okkervil River catalog, doesn't do anything for me. I can't really explain why.

Say Hi - "Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh"
This is a great, great horn line. The rest of the song is buoyed by it every time it comes in, so why did they only use it twice? Nevertheless it's a pretty good song otherwise and sort of makes me think of an 80s song--in a pleasant, nostalgic way--for some reason.

Adrian's picks...
•Tallest Man on Earth - "Pistol Dreams" (MySpace)
•Shirley Ann Lee - "There's a Light" (Stream)
•Fanfarlo - "I'm a Pilot" (MySpace)
•Mumford & Sons – "Little Lion Man" (MySpace)

Jukebox: Grand Lake

Jukebox is a feature where we ask our favorite artists, bloggers and DJs their opinions on four songs that are currently generating buzz. Then we ask them for songs that we should be buzzing about. This week, we put quarters in the record machine with Caleb Nichols, an Amoeba Records employee and frontman of Grand Lake...

Real People (Zach Condon of Beirut) - "My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille"
I feel like people give Zach Condon shit whenever he abandons 'real' instruments for an electronic approach, but I think it sounds quite nice. At Amoeba, people who are buying the new 2EP set are constantly telling me "I've heard the first disc is great, but the electronic one probably sucks!". C'mon people - dig on variety! Beirut's greatest strength isn't the songwriting or the interesting instrumentation, but rather the arrangements, and in this case I'm pretty satisfied!

Balmorhea - "Harm and Boom"
I've never heard of/heard this band... There are a couple of things going on here - The track is instrumental, and there are three distinct 'parts' to it - with a variety of instruments coming in and out of play. I'm going to go out on a limb here and just say that although this track is rather pretty much of the time, its not really doing it for me. I dig the moodiness of it, but I definitely don't dig on the big sound of it - a little washed out for my taste currently.

Voxtrot - "Trapanation Party"
I'm excited about listening to this one - I've heard so much about Voxtrot, but actually never listened to them. I'm digging the drum track very much. But that's about it. This is sounding rather washed out - and its falling flat for me. I am a fan of good songwriting, and I'm not hearing that here. A lot of bad riffs, a lot of keys and pianos, layers and layers and layers. And the lyrics:

Everyone I know is losing their minds
Yeah but everyone I know has a real good time

I can't stand by that. Also the song closes with "How does it feel to be one of the beautiful people" - I think I prefer the Beatles interpretation of that line.

Young Galaxy - "Long Live the Modern World"
Woah. Too much. Dance beats. "Long Live The Modern World"? I'm not sure if I'm into these lyrics - I guess I'm having a hard time connecting to the sentiment of the song... and again - I'm not hearing any evidence of good songwriting.
I don't know anything about this band, but I'd rather (much to my own chagrin) listen to MGMT. Did I just say that?

Caleb's Picks...
•Ryan Parks - Susan In A Hundred Words (MySpace)
•The Dashing Suns - Your Line (MySpace)
•The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "Everything With You" (MySpace)
•Starfucker - "German Love" (MySpace)

Jukebox: The French Semester

Jukebox is a feature where we ask our favorite artists, bloggers and DJs their opinions on four songs that are currently generating buzz. Then we ask them for songs that we should be buzzing about. This week, we put quarters in the record machine with Riaz of The French Semester...

A quick preface: our comments here reflect a thinking that 1). lyrics are paramount and 2). subtlety is the root of intensity. This doesn't mean perfect pitch and performance matter so much, it just means heavy thought goes into words and the deliveries shouldn't be in-your-face (punk died at a hospital in Orange County). This is just one way of looking at the world but we have no problem explaining . . .

Neko Case - "Middle Cyclone"
This is a great use of music box technology. I'd like to think it's all live and analog rather than sequenced but either way we'll take it. Pretty tasteful backing vocals here doing just what they should: cradling. Some good lyrics in this song, except the wayward mention of "love" perhaps.

Deer Tick - "Art Isn't Real (City of Sin)"
Beautiful use of reverb and vocal saturation. Love the familiar rootsiness of it. A great execution of an aesthetic we've sought at times. But sometimes words have a way of tracking the instrumentation more than guiding it. We prefer the latter but thats just a matter of taste. (See the Neil Halstead track below.....)

Great Northern - "Houses"
Pretty creative play between percussion and guitar at the outset but with a little foreshadow of whats to come later - which is a very big, produced-sounding chorus section. Also, the melody is actually pretty tame but the backing vocal track is really interesting. Could do with more of the negative space.

The Thermals - "Now We Can See"
Similar appeal to our ears as the Deer Tick track. Timeless sounding, esp in the chorusey vocal riff. But, the lyrics are a little preachy and nostalgic.
This seems to be a trend right now in LA bands - won't mention any names. Could do without the word "baby" but let's assume its ironic. A pretty likeable song . . .

The French Semester's Picks...

•The Spires - "Riot" (MySpace)
The whole album Writen in a Year. . . is amazing in its simplicity and inspiration. A great example how less is more, how lyrics and words take you there, and instruments are dancing. Lightly. Like they were meant to.

•Indienella - "Noche De los Meurtos Vivientes" (MySpace)
The guitar sounds are perfectly engineered from dirty to clean (!). The stocatto drum rhythm is genius, it doesn't waiver but lays out a heartbeat - in a song inspired by zombies no less. When a song seems epic without major changeups in instrumentation you know its a good one. Listen to the way the two vocals start to interact midway through: like a reverse backing falsetto effect. Makes you want to master a new language.

•Neil Halstead - "Cindy" (MySpace)
Off his latest album, the opening track. Former Mojave 3 and Slowdive lion tamer now turned straight folk-craftsman, although "folk" doesnt do it justice. This song is everything I look for: thoughtful imagistic words, great rhythm, and delicate vocal delivery. Notice how the lyrics are actually PART of the arrangement - bent around chord changes and left hanging between lines to form two separate thoughts in one sometimes. Love it.

Jukebox: Shiloe

Jukebox is a feature where we ask our favorite artists, bloggers and DJs their opinions on four songs that are currently generating buzz. Then we ask them for four songs that we should be buzzing about. This week, we put quarters in the record machine with Melissa and Ken of Shiloe...

"First Time High" - Of Montreal
Melissa: Oh, this is not my jam. Way too poppy and twee. Probably not surprising, given the type of music Ken and I produce, but this kind of sweet, sunny love song does not appeal to my darker sensibilities in the least! My least favorite of the bunch.
Ken: Not really my cup of tea either. I hate to give my opinion on this type of music because it's just never been my style

"People Got a Lotta Nerve" - Neko Case
Melissa: I love Neko Case, so I've been obsessing about this song for weeks already. It's SO GOOD. Neko has the most amazing voice. It's so clear and warm and strong. The chorus is catchy and funny. At first, I thought it was a little silly, but it's really grown on me. This song is a grower, not a shower. I can't wait for Middle Cyclone! March 3rd, people!!!
Ken: Melissa played this song for me a bit ago and I wasn’t really feeling it for some reason, but after a few listens it’s really grown on me. I've loved Neko Case's voice since the first time I heard it.

"Come Saturday" - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Melissa: Now this is the kind of fun pop song I can get behind. I love how the frantic, Buzzcocks-esque instrumentation combines with the sweet vocals. The "ooh"s sound a bit plaintive to me, which I dig, and the bass line is pretty rad. This is my second favorite song in the bunch, after Neko Case. I've actually never heard of this band before in my life. If someone threw it on a mixtape for me, I would be stoked. Did I just date myself by referring to a mixtape?
Ken: My friend Kristian would love these guys, I’ll have to send him their way. I like this, it’s relaxing yet energized. It makes me think of driving around with friends on a weekend afternoon hitting up music stores and fun places like Dark Delicacies.

"I Want Some More" - Dan Auerbach
Melissa: I saw the Black Keys open for Sleater-Kinney once, and I wasn't terribly impressed at the time, but this is actually really good. A little repetitive, but repetitive in a cool, bluesy way. I dig it. If I heard this on the radio, I would be sufficiently intrigued not to change the station until after I found out who it was.
Ken: I like the vibe of this song a lot, it really sets a mood. There’s a great psychedellic scene going on in L.A. right now with a bunch of great bands, so I’ve been getting into this kind of thing more lately.

Shiloe's picks...
•"Chick Habit" - Forks and Knives (MySpace)
•"Tell Me Again" - Kissing Cousins (MySpace)
•"Sitting On a Leaf" - Family Tree Analog (MySpace)
•"Ride This Wave of Good Feelings" - Summer Darling (MySpace)

Jukebox: So Many Wizards

Jukebox is a feature where we ask our favorite artists, bloggers and DJs their opinions on four songs that are currently generating buzz. Then we ask them for four songs that we should be buzzing about. This week, we put quarters in the record machine with Nima of So Many Wizards...

"Dimmer" - Bishop Allen
Put me in a good mood. The little instrumental plucking was a nice touch. Reminds me of a healthy mix between the Spinto Band and Weezer. Not the best song I have heard but it does the trick. Great pop song.

"Spanish Gold 2044" - Swan Lake
Very distinct voice. Reminded me of so many epic vocalist but still maintained its originality. Very gritty song. Feels like something that could easily come out of the 60's. Maybe it did. The guitar that accompanies the melody is kind of epic. Great song. A good kind of catchy. This was my favorite.

"Elegy" - Caroline Weeks (of Bat For Lashes)
I like the droning in the background. All together very haunting song. I can zone out and relax to this any day.

"Submarines of Stockholm" - AC Newman
Right off the bat starts off strong with a very infectious vocal melody. For me, this is really important. I hate having to get into a song that takes two minutes before i really get what it's about. Great for driving in traffic and keeping a distant point of view from it all.

Nima's Picks...
Here's some songs that need buzzing. Old and New. . .
•"George Pringle I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" - Pulse Out
•"My Little Redbook" - Love (iTunes/HypeMachine)
•"A Whisper" - Jay Reatard (HypeMachine)
•"Pillars of Fire" - Deep Sea Diver (MySpace)