stevevt

Dressy Bessy - ST
Finishing School - "Destination Girl"
Lisa Marr Experiment - "American Jitters"
Lucksmiths - "A Little Distraction"
Nanang Tatang - "Muki"
Stars - "Heart"
Wrens - "Meadowlands"

Question of the Day
Should I pay $14 to see Death Cab for Cutie at a UVM lounge on Saturday? I've seen lots of shows there, but they're always cheap, so the bad sound doesn't get to me. If this show was $5, it'd be a no-brainer, and I'd probably buy the new CD (or SACD, woot!). But $14 is making me think twice. In stark contrast, a November show at the same venue will feature Mirah and Dear Norah and probably cost $5. Maybe I can just pretend the prices are reversed, which I could completely justify. Background info: I'm not a big DCFC fan.

DJLinus

The High & Mighty - The Highlite Zone
Hieroglyphics - Full Circle
Del the Funkee Homosapian - Lost Del Demos
v/a - Eastern Conference Sure Shots (mixed by DJ Mighty Mi)
The Rat Pack - Live and Swingin'
Lyle Lovett - My Lady Don't Tolerate
Steve Poltz - Chinese Vacation
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice*

*Technically, a book on CD. I saw him speak last night. Hilarious.

QOTD: Eh, if it's a band that I'm only a casual fan of, ticket price, free time, and other opportunity costs are a big factor. Add to that crappy sound at the venue, then I'd probably skip it. I find that as I have gotten older, I've gotten more selective on what live shows that I spend my $ on. Of course, most of the ones that I consider going to have ticket prices that start at $20 (not including the requisite Ticketmaster anal raping).

Yancey

Strokes, Room on Fire
Matthew Dear, Leave Luck to Heaven
Brian Jonestown Massacre, And This Is Our Music
Oneida, Secret Wars
Justin Timberlake, Justified

QOTD: I can't imagine Death Cab being all that great live (especially considering the lackluster new album). I say pass.

Next week is CMJ here in NYC, and by virtue of me writing for the mag, I'm getting a complimentary pass. Unfortunately the lineup ain't doing much for me, but I do plan to stay intoxicated for its entirety thanks to publicist and record label tabs. So huzzah for that.

fallow

Iran, The Moon Boys
Fennesz/Main split 12"
Sightings, Absolutes (been trying to warm up to this w/o much success - it's okay, but too much)
Avey Tare and Panda Bear, Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished

QoTD: I'd pass on DCFC. Their new album leaves me pretty dry, and $14 sans blood, sweat, and solid-rock sounds like a bore. If Mirah is only costing you $5, I say go for it. I've also had to cut down my number of live shows - all I've promised myself is Xiu Xiu, Lightning Bolt, Le Tigre, and YYYs. I'm going to try to make this [[[VVRSSNN]]] show, but we'll see.

I'm still sore about CMJ. The Promotions Director for the radio beat me out because he's a junior - never mind that I outrank him, he is going for another campus org, AND he went last year.

-edit-

Steve, what do you think of The Wrens disc? It may get my most-overrated-disc-o'-the-year accolade. But I also understand that I have a very unpopular opinion on it...

Gdrlv

Busy buying day for me...all new purchases...

Vida Blue with the Spam Allstars - The Illustrated Band
Kill Bill Vol. 1 Soundtrack
Kid Koala - Some of My Best Friends Are DJs
Hieroglyphics - Full Circle
Lyrics Born - Later that day...

AOTD: I really don't like DCFC, so it's kinda tough to recommend their show, particularly given the price and the apparently crappy sound at the venue. The only thing it has going for it is that it's on a Saturday night.

Starlover

Death Cab for Cutie- Transatlanticism
Travis- 12 Memories
Dexy's Midnight Runners- Too-Aye-Rye
Muse- Absolution
Sunny Day Real Estate- How It Feels to be Something On
Ludacris- Chicken N' Beer
Idlewild- Hope Is Important
David Bowie- Hunky Dory

I'd check out Death Cab, I'm a fan and like their new album quite a bit.

Yancey

Hey fallow, if you haven't heard the first Iran, get it. Much better than Moon Boys. And Starlover, how's the Luda? I like the single...

Pikul

Derrick Carter - Choice
Bugz in the Attic - Fabriclive.12
Alton Miller - Stories in Bohemia
Monolake - Momentum
TBA - TBA
Weldon Irvine - Time Capsule

QOTD: No.

SAShepherd

Guster - Lost and Gone Forever
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
Paul Simon - Graceland
Patty Griffin - 1000 Kisses
V/A - generic Vivaldi disc
Kathleen Edwards - Failer
Lyle Lovett - The Road to Ensenada
Bang on a Can - Music For Airports (Brian Eno)

AOTD: Never heard DCFC, so I can't give you a good answer about them, but you sure as heck don't sound too excited, so why bother?

DJLinus -- how's the new Lyle? From what I've read, it's good (yay for new stuff), but no "Road to Ensenada". And David Sedaris is great -- can't motivate myself to pay $25 to see him live, but his written work and performances on "This American Life" is funny, funny stuff.

mike1978

It's nice to see Pikul around these parts.

Recently:
The National - "Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers"
Wire - "154"
5ive Style - s/t
MP3s of the upcoming Bark Psychosis album (well, bits and pieces of the album)

Q of the D:
Don't do it, Steve. I've heard nothing but mediocre things about their live show. You don't sound to excited about it, so send $8 to me and save the other $6.*

I can't stand that Wrens album, either.


*but you bought me dinner when you were in town, so forget it

stevevt

I've listened to it exactly once so far. Just got it yesterday. Still working on my opinion of it, but it'd be hard for it to not be at least somewhat overrated. I mean, I read about them in the New York Times, fercryinoutloud.


Technically, my clients bought you dinner.


Other than the bad sound and the price, I'm somewhat dissuaded by the prospect of being in the same room full (?) of people who would pay that much money to see this show. Although, I guess, it's $10 for students. That's like at least $14 in real money, though, right?

CapRockBrewingCo.

Robert Earl Keen: Farm Fresh Onions (Great New CD)

fallow

Yes. It is.

Penny Lane

fallow--a fennesz fan? few and far between, you are!

hm...

The Wrens - Meadowlands
Fennez - Endless Summer
Ryan Adams - lloR n kcoR
The Shins - Chutes too Narrow
Handsome Family - Singing Bones

Starlover

I like it. Word of Mouf was something of a classic. So maybe this one's not quite as strong. But he's always worth listening to. 'Hoes is my room' is great simply because Luda and Snoop seem to take ugly groupies so seriously.

Gdrlv

Penny - I'm jealous that you got the new Shins album early. I heard them play about 1/2 the tunes at the ACL Festival and I am anxiously awaiting it to say the least.

Is lloR N kcoR any good? By that I mean, is Ryan Adams continuing the fairly sharp downward spiral that started with Gold? I'm losing my taste for the guy, and if I don't like this CD, that's probably it for me. Ah well, I'll always have my Whiskeytown albums to remind me how great he was and could have been...

Penny Lane

I don't like it yet. There is one slow song on the album, and one that is traditional Ryan-sounding ("Does Anybody Wanna Take Me Home?")

I might be out of the mainstream on this one, but I don't think Ryan's rockers are as good as his stripped down acoustic songs, and this CD is full of songs that are neither.
The lyrics seem very shallow comparatively, and sometimes his voice sounds like he is freaking out (see the end of "This is It.")

I think it's jealous kid on the playground doing what everyone else is doing instead of doing what he's good at. Hopefully, he has enough time left to grow up and realize what he's good at. I'm hoping, anyway.

Yancey

I saw Ryan Adams at a party last night. I think we were racing to see who could down the most free drinks the fastest (I'm pretty sure I won).

DJLinus

The new Lyle disc isn't bad, but they're right - it's no "Road to Ensenada." Still, average Lyle is better than a lot of other stuff out there. I just found out today that he is playing a show here next month. I saw him a couple of years ago and he put on a great show. Lots of stories inbetween songs (which I like). Hope that I don't have class that night.

As for Sedaris, he was freakin' HILARIOUS. He read some stuff that will be in the New Yorker this month and his book that comes out in June/July (titled "Dress Your Family in Courduroy and Denim"). I took a kinda/sorta/maybe date who'd never heard of him and she seemed to have a good time, too.

fallow - not to rub salt in the wound, but I went to CMJ back in my college radio music director days (I was a junior on that trip) and had the best time. Even better, the school footed the bill. You wouldn't think that Buster Poindexter could put on a good show, but he's quite the entertainer. My best friend/general manager and I decided to share the love the following year and let a couple of our underlings go in our place. What school do you go to? University of Richmond Spider here.

fallow

Yeah, I was actually listening to Endless Summer as I wrote tonight. He really puts me in a zone. I'm still trying to get more Mego artists - right now I'm not so successfully looking for Kevin Drumm and Tim Hecker albums.

What do you think of the new Shins album? I really like it. I feel like they came into their own as songwriters - Oh, Inverted World! was good, but a little too familiar for me to stake any claims of Greatness. This one delivers some tighter, distinctive songs.

Other than Fennesz, it's been an Explosions in the Sky day: How Strange, Innocence and The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place. I may pull out this Mono disc (One Step More and You Die) because I haven't spent much time with it.

fallow

I go to Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg. Under normal conditions I would be able to go. Budget cuts have made the school slim down how many they can send, though. Hopefully I can next year.

Penny Lane

I love love love the new Shins record. I don't know anything about their last one--I just got this one as a promo and decided to listen to it. And loved it. My favorite tracks are 4, 5, and 9 especially, but I love the whole record!

It's cool you like Fennesz. "Caecilia" is a beautiful track on Endless Summer!

fallow

That is my favorite track on that album.

jonnyrocks

Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
Beulah - Yoko Demos (bought it at their show last night)
David Byrne - Lead Us Not into Temptation
Entrance - The Kingdom of Heaven Must Be Taken by Storm
Holopaw - Holopaw
Lambchop - Nixon
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead EP
John Vanderslice - Time Travel is Lonely

I totally think that the Wrens album is absurdly overrated! I bought it for all the positive press it received, and the huge sinker was seeing it in Magnet magazine's "Top 60 albums of the last 10 years"...you'd think that if a recent album could make that list, it must be pretty damn good...but, I was only half impressed by the album, as it didn't really have anything to knock me on my ass upon the first couple of listens. Not a bad album, but nothing amazing either.