No One Does it Like You :: Department of Eagles (BONUS POST)

I know this week's post is supposed to be for a whole album - I will post that yet this week, I promise! But this is a supplemental post I meant to put up a few weeks ago - it was almost done, so I couldn't help but post it. And besides, I've been a slacker and haven't posted in a couple weeks, so I owe ya'll a post or three. Stay tuned for another post - it will be in keeping with the developing theme of high school albums of choice...and it will be doozy, I promise.

Moving on...I'm in love with Department of Eagles. I haven't felt this strong a reaction to a band in a long time. I've found my winter romance.

Department of Eagles is a Brooklyn-based duo, Dan Rossen of Grizzly Bear fame and Fred Nicolaus. According the band's website, the two were freshman year roommates at NYU, and started making music and collecting sound snippets. In 2003, they released their debut album The Cold Nose. Dan went on to join the band Grizzly Bear, and Fred got a job. But the two continued making music together, and just released In Ear Park in October.

THis song rocks. The whole album rocks. Reminiscent of Grizzly Bear (for obvious reasons), with some Dr. Dog moments and some very poppy Beatles moments as well. And a lot of something all their own. Love it, love it!

I meant to post this a few weeks ago, and I've been playing the album constantly since then. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. My favorite new find of the year, bar none. Thanks to my friend Chris for introducing me.

Click HERE to link to their media page on their website, and check out this tune and others!


Want more? Check out...
*the always satisfying Blogotheque (http://www.blogotheque.net/article.php3?id_article=3604)
*their sweet session on Daytrotter (FREE DOWNLOADS, FRIENDS!!!! http://www.daytrotter.com/article/1459/department-of-eagles).
*their myspace ( http://www.myspace.com/deptofeagles )
*their website (http://www.departmentofeagles.com/)

XOXO
Kim

Tourist Trap :: White Rabbits

White Rabbits provided me the soundtrack to the summer of 2007, an epic season of debauchery and fun that drained my money, gave me a beer belly, and convinced me to do an intensive cleanse come Fall.

All the while, White Rabbits played in my iPod, in my car, in my office, and in my head. Turned on to them by my music-sponge friend Peter, I became immediately enamored with White Rabbits' sound. The band reminds me of Coney Island and the Great Gatsby and a New Orleans marching band and calypso and hipsters all at once. Perhaps you've heard "Kid on My Shoulders" and "The Plot", they both got major play.

Oh, and did I mention that White Rabbits, as a whole, are cute as hell? I didn't. They are. Sigh...

These Midwest boys met in Missouri and moved to NYC. They live together and make music in their flat and must spend vast quantities of time together. For the kind of insight on this that only a video interview can offer, check out this clip:


So, if they were so 2007, why bring 'em up now? This spring, the band was signed by TBD Records (home to none other than Radiohead), and anticipation is rather great for their sophomore release, due out early next year. They just finished up their first tour as the main act, and I caught them at the 400 Bar on their pass through Mpls a few weeks ago. I'd seen them twice before, the first time at the Turf Club in St Paul. It was August 1 2007, the night the 35W Bridge crumbled into the Mississippi River. That night was scary and odd and uncomfortable, and the vibe at the show was weird. Everyone was waiting for the band to come out, dazed, watching live footage of dust and twisted metal and broken cement and injured people on bar TVs. The White Rabbits were a welcome highlight to that evening, the energy was killer and they were amazing. They opened for The Cribs, who were supposed to be awesome, but were, in my opinion, overrated and kind of awful.

Then I saw them again, sandwiched between The Virgins and Tokyo Police Club at the 7th St Entry. It was was electric, the Entry was the perfect venue, and again, I was impressed at just how hard they brought it.

Now, to the 400 Bar. I think the show lacked the kind of wild electricity that I had seen previously. But, it was awesome. They played some new songs that I totally dug. And as a bonus, their cover of Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" made a second appearance in the Twin Cities, much to my pleasure. Try to find a YouTube of it, I haven't looked but there must be one somewhere.The most shocking part of the night? Hardly anyone was there! Maybe it will be one of those shows that a year from now people talk about - "Oh, man, you were at that 400 Bar show? I should have gone, " people will say, forlorn.

Well, maybe it won't be quite like that. But who knows, maybe it will. For the White Rabbits, I hope so.

I'm choosing the song "Tourist Trap", one of my favorites from last year's album Fort Nightly. I'm a sucker for drum heavy beats balanced by a twinkly keyboard, and this song has that in great profusion, plus a fun "la la la" chorus, some trumpet, an excellent mid-song transition, and fun calypso twists. This song is a winner. But honestly, the whole album is a winner.



BONUS!!!!
Here's "Sea of Rum", a tune that is not on their album, but is featured in their sweet Daytrotter Session and makes appearances at live shows. It would behoove you to follow that Daytrotter link, because there are free downloads involved...


Want to know more about White Rabbits or stream more of their album? Go to their myspace or check out their website!

Be well.

XOXO
Kim

I Was a Daughter :: Basia Bulat

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the DeVotchKa show in Minneapolis. I am a DeVotchKa devotee. And I had been told that DeVotchKa puts on an incredible show. This was no lie. It was probably one of the most sweepingly fantastic shows I have ever seen. It was magic. I may have to write another post just to review that show.

Two big surprises for the night:
1. The beautiful and costumed Slavic Sisters doing crazy contortionist gymnast tricks Cirque du Soleil-style on large cloth strips hanging from the ceiling. This happened DIRECTLY OVER MY HEAD during DeVotchKa's first encore. I say "first" because there were, in fact, two encores. I'm telling you, this show was unspeakably amazing.
2. Basia Bulat

Who, you ask?

The crowd was loud, drinking PBR and Grain Belt and whatever else you drink for cheap at a First Ave show. Then suddenly, this strikingly beautiful woman comes out on stage alone, and just starts singing a cappella, earthy and deep. Wow. It was amazing, and captured attention like I haven't seen in a long time.

This woman was Basia Bulat, a Canadian musician with an awesome name, a soulful presence, and an endearing smile. Then Basia picked up an autoharp, and out came the rest of her band. A ukelele! A viola! A cello! Drums (Basia's brother, aw!)! Ay yay yay, they stole my heart. There is something old-fashioned and romantic about Basia and her band beyond the folk-rooted sound, and I like it. This is honest music. And they rocked. Basia broke a guitar string in their lost song, for goodness sake. So many great songs.

I am featuring "I Was a Daughter", which was one of the last songs they played. The band had us all hand clapping at rapid-fire pace, and this song had incredible energy and grace. Now reading the lyrics, I like the song even more - idealism, sweet and salty, and imagery that reminds me of childhood stories.


Listen:


Lyrics:
If you call tomorrow I will dream I was a daughter
Weavin through these brand-new silver streams
Turned into dusty roads that we both wandered on
We prayed to perfect Avalon
We wished for anyone to take us home

If you want to build this house with me
Oh what a story
This is how they'll all remember me
We were the lucky ones that would survive the flood
With potted flowers in our blood
Pretendin that we don't know where we bleed
All the pretty fall

We fell asleep but we couldn't hear their little words
We swam in the rivers, sang with the birds
Gave away our hearts before we knew what they were
What a pretty fall
(don't sing too loud, they are asleep)
Didn't even know
(don't sing too loud, they are still dreaming)
We sang out with the birds
(don't sing too loud, they are asleep)
Gave away our hearts before we knew what they were
(don't sing too loud, they are asleep)
What they were
Oh what they were

Bonus song! This is "Little Waltz", and it is beautiful.


If you want to find out more, check out these things!
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/basiamyspace
Her website: http://www.basiabulat.com/
Daytrotter - FREE DOWNLOADS (if you've never checked out Daytrotter before you must - it is a GOLDMINE and I'm hooked):http://www.daytrotter.com/article/1202/basia-bulat

XOXO
Kim

I Don't Know if She's Worth 900 Kronor :: Jens Lekman

I fell in love over the weekend. With Jens Lekman.

About a month ago, I was told I would love him and should check him out, and the circumstances of this conversation were such that I believed it. So, I had him on my "must check out" list. Then, as it happened, his music found me before I had the chance to find it. During a rollicking Jameson-soaked cribbage extravaganza that crept from Saturday into Sunday, Jens Lekman made himself known. In those early morning hours, Lake Calhoun was foggy, so was I, and I promptly turned over my heart to the songs of a Swedish crooner.

Jens, your music makes my heart ache, my eyes brighten, my spirit sparkle. Sigh.

His songs are pure, sweeping pop; romantic and nostalgic,bouncing from melancholy to joyous and back again. And his voice is like velvet. And he plays the ukelele! Jens is a little elusive; he doesn't have a myspace profile, and despite the fact that he has released mutliple albums and EPs, his music is not all over the internet. His website, however, has some for free download (check it!). While I've only heard a handful of his songs, almost every one I've heard I L-O-V-E. Where have I been? How did I overlook Jens Lekman all these years? WTF?!?!!! There is no going back now.

This song is called "I Don't Know if She's Worth 900 Kronor" and I've listened to it the most obsessively for the last 3 days. I can't find an MP3 to embed, nor is there any YouTube video, so follow this link and stream it: CLICK TO LISTEN!!!!!!!

Oh Jens. I look forward to our polyamorous romance, I know you have a lot of admirers, but that's okay. You have so much music I have yet to submerge myself in...how exciting.

LYRICS:
Well I know that I fall in love too easy,
I just sit back and pluck a little daisy.
Oh loves me, loves me not,
I wanna fill her heart with forget-me-nots
So she'll think of me,
In Barcelona.

I don't know if she's worth 900 Kronor,
'Cause that's a ticket from Gothenburg to Barcelona.
Oh loves me, loves me not,
I wanna fill her heart with forget-me-nots
So she'll think of me,
In Barcelona.

But there's a song on the radio
that lets me know that what I feel is a
No, no, no!
But hey let's go.
I'm not afraid to lend my heart out to a stranger:
Barcelona.

Oh please don't remind me of the little time i have known her.
She's probably happy,
In love with someone in Barcelona.
But no matter, if she loves me not,
I wanna fill her heart with forget-me-nots
So she'll think of me,
In Barcelona.

But there's a song on the radio
that lets me know that what I feel is a
No, no, no!
But hey let's go.
I'm not afraid to lend my heart out to a stranger:
Barcelona.
[I Don't Know If She's Worth 900 Kronor Lyrics on
http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]

BONUS! Because I couldn't resist. This is "A Sweet Summer Night On Hammer Hill" and I love this song too.

I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You :: Black Kids

I stumbled across Black Kids back in October; I read about their debut EP Wizard of Ahhhs online somewhere and was curious. Available only for free download off their website (and even before Radiohead), it was gettin' hyped up like nobody's business. A relatively new and unknown band getting press from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and almost every indie music blog I looked at? What?!?

Black Kids is living the dream! You know, the one where the little local band suddenly makes it big, gets Best New Music/Band accolades, travels to Europe...ah, the romance of it all, really! They formed in 2006 in Jacksonville, and released Wizard of Ahhhs this past August. Then - poof! - the band is performing at music festivals, tours, and takes a trip to Great Britain. And according to Wikipedia, they recently signed a management contract with the group that manages Bjork and Arcade Fire. That's one hell of a year.

I'm highlighting "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You", the third track out of four on the EP and my favorite. It is a poppy little tune chock full of group counting. Plus, it fulfills my love for synthy keyboards (I know, I know, it is cheesy but true).

When I listen to the EP, I feel like you can see the band belting it out in someone's garage drinking cheap beer or performing at a local battle of the bands festival, and I dig that sincerity. Probably because until recently, that is what they were doing. But then again, the sound isn't totally new. Hopefully, they'll have staying power - they have a whole lot of hype to live up to - and release a really surprising, well-produced album while the industry is still wild for them. In the meantime though, I like this song a lot, and I wish that I could be an overnight rockstar like Black Kids!!!

If you dig it, download the EP for free from http://www.blackkidsmusic.com

LYRICS:
You are the girl that I've been dreaming
of ever since I was a little girl.

One!
I'm biting my tongue.
Two!
He's kissin' on you.
Three!
Oh, why can't you see?
One! Two! Three! Four!

The word's on the streets and it's on the news:
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you.
He's got two left feet and he bites my moves.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance! dance! dance! dance!
The second I do, I know we're gonna be through.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance with you.
He don't suspect a thing. I wish he'd get a clue.
I'm not gonna teach him how to dance! dance! dance! dance!

One!
You're biting my tongue.
Two!
I'm kissin' on you.
Three!
Is he better than me?