Battles - Ice Cream

This is a great video from the latest Battles record, Gloss Drop. It's weird prog-rock, but it's catchy and the video works incredibly well with the music. The rest of the Battles album is interesting and decent, but not as good as this track, nor as good as their first album, Mirrors. If you really like the video, check out the director's video for the El Guincho track, Bombay (there's an uncensored version out there somewhere). Same same, but different.



I know I'm late on this, but going through some (good) life changes in the last few months has left me with a bit less time to devote to navel-gazing pursuits like this one. I also am getting addled in my advanced years. I think I may have posted this video to Facebook before, but since it's not on the blog, well... it is now.

tUnE-YarDs - w h o k i l l

I think I posted about tUnE-YarDs previously and she (basically it's one woman) released a new album a couple months ago. She is amazing and unique and if you value innovative music that doesn't just sound like everything else out there, you have to check the album out and you HAVE to watch the 2nd video below to see how she does this live. It's unbelievable that she can do so much with so little.

Bizness is primal and pretty at the same time. This is music with soul.




You Yes You is so catchy it's ridiculous. She writes music that dives right in your brain.



Gangsta rocks and rolls with bravado.


You must listen.

White Denim - Fashionable Rock

 Combine amazing dueling guitar licks with psychedelia, a bassist that looks 15, and a prog-rock influenced drummer and you have White Denim. Out of Austin, TX, they've been wowing audiences locally and at South by Southwest for a few years. I like their old stuff, but with the welcome addition of a second guitarist their newest release, D, is one of the best rock albums, song for song, I've heard in some time.

Also, they put on a great live show. Saw them at the Rock and Roll Hotel with a bunch of hipsters who wouldn't move because they were too cool, but I was rocking out because I'm way too old to care about being hip.

Honestly, I can't even pick my favorites b/c they're all filled with great hooks. Though there's some nice variety over the course of the album, their sound is pretty consistent, so if you don't like one song, you probably won't like the rest. I'd recommend listening to the whole album a few times through. It will invade your headspace.

You can see how good they are live in this video for, It's Him. The guitar lick around 1:15 in reminds me of St. Stephen by the Grateful Dead in such a good way.

Enjoy.

Bag Raiders Video Shows Some Hot Monkey Love

I'm rededicating myself to posting more often. I've got three months of stuff to post about, so I'll try to make it short and sweet in the interest of getting more stuff up here more often. I know it will somewhat be ignored, but once in a while someone stumbles on the blog and they like it.

Bag Raiders are fun and have two songs I like a lot. They're Passion Pit-esque. Full of synths and a good dance beat with high pitched man vocals. The video for Sunlight features a chimp gone bad, which is always a bonus.



I also like Not Over. This video features a time traveling caveman.

Rolling in the Deep

Adele's new album, 21, is pretty damn good. Right after it came out, John Legend covered Rolling in the Deep, but then it was quickly remixed, and it's just off the hook. All three versions are great, but the remix version... mwah... perfecto.

Parlor Mob - Can't Keep No Good Band Down

Parlor Mob rocks like it never went out of style. This is 70s arena rock filtered through the grunge of the early 90s. Their songs feature dueling acoustic guitars, scratchy blues-influenced hooks, and power vocals. Clearly there's a Led Zeppelin thing going on, but they also remind me of Blind Melon (remember the bee girl from the No Rain video?) and they have a little bit of a Queens of the Stone Age sound as well. These three tracks will definitely have you singing along in your highest registers.

Can't Keep No Good Boy Down - YouTube won't let me embed the video, but here's the link.

Everything You're Breathing For


When I Was An Orphan - Live from the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ

Pinback - Sweet Rock

Pinback isn't new, but you may not have heard about them, so I'm posting to illuminate you. Pinback makes a melodic brand of rock. It's a distinctive sound that soothes and provokes at the same time. The band they most evoke for me is Lou Barlow (of Sebadoh)'s group, The Folk Implosion (and the New Folk Implosion). If you like these tunes, also check out Pinback singer/guitarist Rob Crow's solo stuff, in particular Living Well.