I said I didn't want to move, I just wanted to survive

just discovered a lovely little track by Robert Francis called Little Girl. After rummaging through the internet, turns out he's a pretty popular guy. Hailing from California, Robert is a singer-songwriter with a little bit of country, and a gorgeous voice to boot. His newest album, One By One, which is on Aeronaut Records, has gotten some pretty great reviews.

One reviewer said: "An incredibly gifted musician, who counts the drums, banjo, bass, piano, mandolin and guitar all as weapons of choice, he focuses more on traversing the minutiae of day-to-day life than on trying to change the world. Heartbreak finds its way into the bulk of the songs, but it's never precious to the point of nausea, which can't be said for most artists his age. As first efforts go, there's not much more you can ask for. Keep an eye on this kid."


Will do, sir.

Little Girl - Robert Francis

Mama Don't Come - Robert Franc...

pick apart the pieces of your heart

probably one of my favorite tracks, ever. Goyte - Heart's A Mess. I almost forgot how gorgeous this song is. almost.

go to hell

David Ford - Go to Hell, one take. amazing.

i could never break your heart, again

Fol Chen - No Wedding Cake from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.

fun stuff.

revolving and spinning in space

just came across this excellent track by High Places. I haven't been able to find their album, or much about them yet....but I'm digging what I hear so far. I love me some electronica these days. Pitchfork gave their self-titled album 8/10.

One of many boy/girl indie electro duos formed in 2006, Rob Barber and Mary Pearson of Brooklyn's High Places approach recording with creative abandon, experimenting with offbeat production techniques like random microphone positioning, pitch shifting, delays, and saturated blankets of reverb to create danceable layers of sound.

I'm a man eater

Neko Case is wonderful, enough said. For those who don't know her, she's a pretty lady who sings some pretty alt-country songs. She has a new album coming out March 3rd, called Middle Cyclone. I've had a few listens and it's simply lovely, just like her.

People Got A Lotta Nerve - Nek...

we're just wandering like fools

The Dodos have been around since 2005, but seem to have gained more popularity last year with their release Visiter. While most of the time they get lumped into the ever expanded genre of indie rock, the majority of their songs have a folk flavor, sometimes called psychedelic folk. Trippy, right? Either way, they make some great tunes. "Fools" is a wonderfully catchy track.

Fools - The Dodos

Walking - The Dodos

i took it to Chicago

The Uglysuit, who hail from Oklahoma, took it to Chicago...or at least sing about it on their track with the same name. Rolling Stone dubbed this six piece band as a group to watch in 2008, and I couldn't agree more (even if I am a little late). Their self-titled debut album, released in August of last year, will hopefully receive more of the positive press they deserve in the coming weeks. Better late than never, right?

don't let them get you down

Nickel Eye, the solo project of The Stroke's bassist Nikolai Fraiture, is releasing his debut album entitled The Time of the Assassins on this Tuesday, Feb 27th. While the album has a little hint of the Stroke's flavor, Nikolai has made a name for himself. Pitchfork only gave it a 5.2, which is fair but I probably would have said about a 7/10. I think it's a pretty solid album throughout. Guess you'll have to decide for yourself.

Brandy Of The Damned - Nickel ...

You And Everyone Else - Nickel...

but we won't break like the Autumn

I always get excited when I really enjoy a new track from a band I haven't heard of yet. This happened tonight with The Story Of. I don't know much about these guys just yet except that they're a group of five friends hailing from Austin, TX.

A review from Austin Sound says " There’s something about discussing music over beer that always rides a fine line between pretension and authenticity. Among friends, bare bones honesty surfaces, and we can delve into the meat of albums circulating in these days of plentiful “indie” pop rock bands. Though there’s a dearth that’s worth a mention, fewer deserve a full play on your iPod. Austin-via-Athens, Ohio five-piece The Story Of is part of that shiny minority, and migrating southwest 4 years ago brought their creative core closer to the fore."

Berkeley - The Story Of

i can't direct the universe

after getting my hands on a great indie rock mix for Feb 09, the first track was Guggenheim Grotto's, Fee Da Da Dee; what a great start to a mix of new music. The duo, and sometimes trio, hails from Dublin, Ireland and makes some pretty great folk-pop. The band won the 2007 Independent Music award for their song "A Lifetime of Heat." After grabbing their album Happy The Man, it has a number of simplistic but catchy tunes. take a listen.

we are always running for the thrill of it

Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream -

How can I explain
Talking to myself
Will I see again

We are always running for the thrill of it thrill of it
Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it
On and on and on we are calling out and out again
Never looking down I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me

Is it real now
When two people become one
I can feel it
When two people become one

Thought I’d never see
The love you found in me
Now it’s changing all the time
Living in a rhythm where the minutes working overtime

Catch me I’m falling down
Catch me I’m falling down

Don’t stop just keep going on
I’m your shoulder lean upon
So come on deliver from inside
All we got is tonight that is right till first light

and every night we'll watch the stars

Friendly Fires are a band from the UK who released their self-titled debut album in September of last year. These guys have gained some popularity over the last few months for some catchy indie rock. They've been a constant on my playlist for some time now and wanted to share with all you beautiful people. A little bit rock, a little bit electronica, a lot of goodness.

Paris - Friendly Fires

In The Hospital - Friendly Fir...

i don't know much but i know this for certain

since my previous Lily Allen post was deleted, thought I would try one again, this time with no mp3 downloads, of course. Anyhow, Ms. Lily Allen is back at again with a great new album called It's Not Me, It's You. This 23 year old bad girl is quite the fireball, but she makes some catchy pop tunes. Some of you may have heard her newest single, The Fear, playing on the radio these days; it is great track and probably my favorite on the record. I hope to see this cheeky girl in NYC next time she comes around. Cheers Ms. Allen.



The Fear. - LILY ALLEN

there's something in the air tonight

Cut Copy was one of my favorite new groups to listen to in 2008. Their awesomely delicious electronica album, In Ghost Colours, has been on non-stop for the last month or so. Their CD was also on a number of "Best of 2008" lists across the internet and print. If you haven't taken a listen yet, now is your chance. While they have a little flavor of 80's synthesized goodness, they've created a style of electronica all their own. Take a listen...and boogie.

Hearts On Fire - Cut Copy

Out There On The Ice - Cut Cop...

my run in with the RIAA...sort of

an email I received a few days ago from Blogger:

Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.

The notice that we received from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the record companies it represents, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org

. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Please note that it may take Chilling Effects up to several weeks to post the notice online at the link provided.

The IFPI is a trade association that represents over 1,400 major and independent record companies in the US and internationally who create, manufacture and distribute sound recordings (the "IFPI Represented Companies").

The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. We are in the process of removing from our servers the links that allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others. If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. See http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more information about the DMCA, and see http://www.google.com/dmca.html for the process that Blogger requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.

Blogger can reinstate these posts upon receipt of a counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and 3) of the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter notification and a link to a sample counter notification, see http://www.google.com/dmca.html#counter.

Please note that repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account. If you have any other questions about this notification, please let us know.

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

____________________________


Basically, I got a warning for posting a mp3 link to a new Lily Allen track, Everyone's At It. Probably not the wisest idea, but I took a chance. Well, needless to say, it looks like I'm going to have to be a bit more careful these days. From here on out, I'm only going to post streaming tracks....as I believe this is still legal (for now.)

If you guys like what you hear, please purchase the music, either from iTunes or Amazon, or even *gasp* a store....but if you chose to do it illegally (which I do not suggest), be careful. While the RIAA has stopped individual lawsuits, it looks like they are going after ISP's now....and threatening to cancel people's internet service if they download music or movies illegally. See: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10126914-93.html

I'll still be keeping up with my music updates, just being a bit more careful. Just remember, the RIAA is watching you.

Twitter!

I've joined the Twitter world, and it's a good 'ol time. Per Wikipedia, Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. It's basically texting of the blogging world. Point is to keep it short and sweet. There are various ways to use your Twitter page, as seen by some of the people I'm "following". Some people use it to share various links with others following them related to their interests, such as technology or news. Others use it simply as a place to keep the world updated to what they're doing or feeling.

My Twitter page: http://twitter.com/shley00

as stated in my bio, I'm using my page for the love of all things indie rock, pop culture, and the general nonsense of life. If that sounds of interest to you, go ahead and follow me :)

There are also some celebs who use Twitter as well, such as Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Dr. Drew and Fred Durst; among many others.

Tweet Tweet.

Paste Magazine digital download

Check out Paste Magazine's free CD download, has some great tracks.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/newsstand_sampler

code to download: 5afa50ebe2724ced


Track Listing

The Guggenheim Grotto - Fee Da Da Dee
Kyle Andrews - Sushi
Neko Case - People Got a Lot of Nerve
N.A.S.A. - Spacious Thoughts
Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
The Champion And His Burnning Flame - The Expert (Sonic Birds Winner)
Sent May & His Magnificent Ukulele - Meet Me in the Garden
M. Ward - Never Had Nobody Like You
One Day International - Black is the Bird
Shugo Tokumaru - Parachute
Death On Two Wheels - Calling Us All Back Home
Andrew Bird - Oh No
Umphrey's McGee - Made to Measure
Beatbeat Whisper - Mismanaged Skies
Courtney Jaye - I Need Love
Anthony Green - Miracle Sun (remix)
Tina Dico - No Time To Sleep
David Berkeley - Willis Avenue Bridge
Waiting for Iris - Letting Go (OurStage Winner)
Josh Ritter - Wildfires (live)

Cheers!

will the clouds carry my tears to you?

While I haven't listened to much experimental music in the past, 2009 is the year of new genres. I just came across the Gang Gang Dance album entitled Saint Dymphna and they have gained a new fan. Apparently this trio has been popular within the indie scene throughout Manhattan and is now getting some larger exposure with their newest CD. With 3 other albums under their belt, I have a lot of catching up to do.

Gang Gang Dance - House Jam