photo by Julie Schuchard
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Welcome to the new rightround website. I'm really excited about launching this site — we'll be doing some really fun and interesting things here. What you see now is only the first version of the site. We'll be morphing and adding functionality to the site as we go, so I hope you come back again and check it out soon to see what we've been up to. :)
So, essentially, I'm writing this here blog about music. I'll be writing regularly, and we're going to have other people writing music blogs as well. Fun fun!
About me: In addition to working as the band relations person for rightround, I run an online Internet radio station called Indie Pop Rocks! on SomaFM. I spend an unreasonable amount of time going to shows and listening to music, especially new stuff. I'm an indie pop whore. I can't bear to be without my iPod for more than five minutes, and I can't remember the last time I had a stack of less than 70 to 100 CDs waiting for me to listen to them. One of my most-favorite things is finding a new incredibly talented band that none of my music-snob pals or listeners have ever heard of, which I then get to introduce them to.
I'm going to start out by talking about some of my latest favorite music acquisitions:
1. Islands, Return To The Sea
Islands is the new band by a couple of the Unicorns kids. I liked the Unicorns a lot, but I got tired of some of the silliness and the antics (probably because I'm so old and curmudgeonly). I was hoping Islands would be a blend of the Unicorns' frilly pop goodness and the more serious songwriting the band was only hinting at. Well, that's exactly what they are. They've managed to maintain the whimsical side while writing interesting songs that meander off-course less than the Unicorns' stuff did. They're playing in town soon, and I'm really looking forward to hearing what they do live.
2. Band of Horses, Everything All the Same
Sub Pop sent me a copy of this nice and early, like they always do, but of course I lost it in a pile of CDs for a month — until someone asked me if I'd heard it yet, at which point I went digging until I found it. Gorgeous stuff. Kind of like a poppier version of My Morning Jacket, with the same sort of crystal-clear, soaring vocals. I can't believe I missed out on a whole month of enjoying it due to negligence. Moreover, I'm pissed that I missed seeing them play with Helio Sequence a few weeks ago. (They played a non-Noise Pop show during the middle of the Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco, but I was so busy working that I couldn't go to any outside shows.) I heard it was incredible, too.
3. Tapes 'n Tapes, The Loon
Tapes 'n Tapes were the buzz band this year at SXSW. I hadn't heard of them before, but they were really great at the Nylon party they played at, so I came home and picked up their CD, which came out last year. Love it. It's full of catchy pop/rock songs that make me bop my head and sing along in the car, and I couldn't bear to eject it from my car stereo for over a week. I like the grittier aspect of some of the songs, and the funny lyrics in some of them (for example, "I got hot hair, hot eyes, hot tits, hot mouth" from the song "Omaha").
4. Voxtrot, Raised by Wolves EP and Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives EP
I used to hate EPs back before the computerization of music, mostly because I hated having to get up to change the CD after only five songs. I don't mind it so much now, and that's a good thing, since Voxtrot told me they prefer the shorter format of EPs. I got to meet Ramesh's mother at SXSW this year, which made me smile because of the title track on their latest EP. I keep hearing them compared to the Smiths, which was my first impression too, but one I got over quickly (and probably would've forgotten if people didn't keep reminding me). Overall, I prefer the Raised by Wolves EP — I think the songs "Raised By Wolves" and "The Start of Something" are so damn catchy and delicious (I'm the world's biggest sucker for a catchy pop song). But "Soft & Warm" from the Mothers EP is also really insidious.
5. Quasi, When the Going Gets Dark
Several years ago, after seeing Quasi play one of the most disappointing and depressing live shows ever, I sort of lost my infatuation with them. Before that, they were my favorite "wake up and take a shower" music (every CD in my bathroom for months was Quasi) — but I never even got a copy of their last record. Still, I kept reading all these outstanding reviews of When the Going Gets Dark, so I finally picked it up. It's brilliant. They've grown so much. It's still hard to believe they're a two-piece. I don't think I'm going to see them when they play in town, though.
6. The Magic Numbers, The Magic Numbers
I'd been hearing about the Magic Numbers since just before SXSW, but didn't get a chance to pick up their CD until just a few weeks ago. They're charming. I love the banjo bit — I think they use it more successfully than The Boy Least Likely To, which often comes off sounding more like Sesame Street than a pop band to me. I'm somewhat disappointed that the Magic Numbers are on a major label, but I suppose that's just my indie snobbery.
7. Pretty Girls Make Graves, Élan Vital
I really loved the Pretty Girls Make Graves record The New Romance. For me, that record was going to be incredibly difficult to follow up, no matter what. Not to mention the fact that PGMG lost one of their guitar players (and half of what was so great on The New Romance was the playful interaction between the two guitars). Then they got a new keyboardist while recording Élan Vital, which made them decide to scrap everything and start over. Anyhow, I haven't listened to the album a million times yet, but I think I can definitely say I like it so far. It's not giving me as many "wow" feelings as The New Romance, but that may come with repeated listenings.
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones
I've never been as big a fan of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as everyone else apparently is, judging by how often they're plastered across magazine covers. I liked that song "Bang" they did years ago, and I liked Fever To Tell okay — but if I told you I'd been eagerly anticipating their new record, well, I'd be lying. So imagine my surprise when every time one of the songs from Show Your Bones comes up on my iPod, I pull it out to see who it is because the song is so good. They seem to have grown a lot, writing less punky, more complex and interesting songs. I still think Karen O has the worst haircuts ever, though.
9. The Concretes, In Colour
I liked the Concretes' self-titled 2004 release quite a lot, but I was surprised to hear they'd signed with a major label for their new record. I wanted to hold it against them, being the indie nut that I am. But I couldn't, because their new album, In Colour, is brilliant. I mean, it's really good. I'd actually read a few reviews of it before I gave in and picked it up, and they all gave it *really* high marks — and all from very different sources, which was intriguing.
10. Francine, Airshow
Francine was kind enough to send me a pre-prerelease copy of their upcoming album, because they know how much I love them. The new stuff is a perfect continuation of their last album, 28 Plastic Blue Versions of Endings Without You. It's mellow, pretty, and makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Posted June 2006
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anna commented, on May 24, 2006 at 8:09 p.m.:
i totally agree with you on the yeah yeahs! Everytime I hear them, I'm like, that's the YYY? ah...