Slow Club - Christmas, Thanks for Nothing (2009)

Merry belated holidays to everyone, hope you all had good ones; I also hope you enjoy this new EP from folksy twee duo Slow Club

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Previous Posts:
Because We're Dead
Let's Fall Back in Love

Hint - Portakabin Fever (2003)

Hint is a DJ from Sussex who makes chill, downtempo trip-hop laid down over subdued dance beats; he constantly genre-hops, incorporating elements of hip-hop, folk, electronica, and soul, managing to blend all this together into a coherent whole

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Harvey Danger

Throughout their 17-year run, Seattle alt rock group Harvey Danger never pulled any punches or cut any corners with their music. Their debut, Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?, was a pummeling rock record that somehow failed to turn a lot of heads like it should have; however, it did feature their one hit single, "Flagpole Sitta". Then, instead of selling out and trying to repeat the success of that track, they came back a few years later with King James Version, which showed them relaxing a bit from the high-octane approach of Merrymakers, and this album was even less successful financially, despite critical acclaim. This album was when their clever lyrics and lack of concern for financial success really began to show. Then, in 2005, they did what at the time was unthinkable - they released their third album, Little by Little..., entirely for free on their website. And you thought Radiohead was the first to play that game. One critic wrote of the album, "If Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? is a rebellious kid kicking over trashcans in his neighborhood, then Little by Little... seems to be that kid all grown up, taking out the trash, putting the lid on tightly, getting in his Jetta, and driving to work."

Harvey Danger never got the attention they deserved, and this year they decided to call it quits, departing with a collection of demos and unreleased tracks called Dead Sea Scrolls. It's too late to help this band stay together, but their music is still waiting to be heard by so many people, so I've uploaded their entire discography, including a bootleg of their final song both written and performed, "The Show Must Not Go On." Give this band a listen; I think you're going to like what you hear.

LPs

Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? (1997)

King James Version (2000)

Little by Little... (2005)

Dead Sea Scrolls (2009)

EPs

Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes) (2004)

Little Round Mirrors (2006)

Final Song

"The Show Must Not Go On" (2009)

One for the Team - Build it Up (2008)

"One for the Team’s sophomore release, “Build It Up,” is a record chock full of loud, sunny, sparkling pop-gems of an alarmingly contagious magnitude with constant dueling male/female vocals and enough harmonies to melt the icicles from the Minnesota winter that created it.

While the record was written by Ian Anderson quietly on an acoustic guitar in his bedroom, it was assembled and shaped by a group of friends who took what once were introverted, gentle songs to the extroverted poppers that they now are."

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Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie (1989)

Camper Van Beethoven, a California group active mainly throughout the '80s, were one of the lesser-known forerunners of the alternative rock movement, playing a brew of punk, folk, country, world music, jangle pop, ska, psychedelia, and pretty much whatever else you can think of; this band experimented almost non-stop with their sound, and ended up far-removed from even the 'typical' alt rock sound of the period, which is what makes them so important, and also what makes them so criminally overlooked; this album was the last released on their original run (they've since reunited), and it was their most financially - if not critically - successful album, and therefore their most recognizable and a great place to start; whatever your musical tastes, this is a band you need to know

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This is Me Smiling - This is Me Smiling (2007)

A fun little four-piece from Chicago who plays chillaxed pop rock; their song "Mixin' Up Adjectives" has ended up on a few compilations, so if you've heard them at all it was probably that song, but this album is full of great tracks that get stuck in your head

I don't feel like I'm giving much of a description of this, but I promise it's not because I don't love the album, it's because I woke up like ten minutes ago...besides, that's why I post the Myspace links (since apparently there's been some confusion), so that you can check out what the band sounds like before 'committing' to a whole album

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The Life and Times of William Shakespeare - Secrets Don't Make Friends (and, Apparently, I Don't Either) (2008)

Some nice folksy singer-songwriter stuff from Mesa, Arizona; lo-fi and acoustic as you'd expect, and this doesn't really cover any new ground, but what does anymore? It's an enjoyable little album

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i slide to the side and i act uncouth

I know the general consensus over the past week has been that a twitter account for the blog is unnecessary, but there have been enough people express interest in it that, well, I've gone ahead and done it anyway. Oops. I've also created a facebook group, because I figure if I'm going to go Web 2.0 on your asses I might as well do it all at once. So go follow and join them and invite your friends and all that fun shit.

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On to the future!

Over Stars and Gutters - Consider This Your Curse (2009)

Here's the debut full-length album by Norman, Oklahoma (woo, locals!) group Over Stars and Gutters, who play gruff-as-fuck melodic punk rock that likes to walk the line between hardcore and pop-punk; think Jawbreaker, Dillinger Four, Alkaline Trio, and all that fun stuff

They self-released this album earlier in the year, and it's getting a re-release next year, so for that they've got it up on bandcamp with a name-your-price deal set up, so go check it out and help out some great up-and-comers

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Belle and Sebastian - Peel Session Christmas Party (2002)

Indie pop group Belle and Sebastian went into John Peel's studio in 2002 to record this collection of Christmas tracks, some of which are standards and some of which are covers of other artists' more modern creations (such as James Brown's "Santa Clause, Go Straight to the Ghetto"); a few of their own, non-Christmas themed tracks are also present here, but they fit right in don't distract from the holiday cheer

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Previous Posts:
If You're Feeling Sinister

we're all going to hell (let's go)

As you can see, there's a poll over to the right about whether or not the blog should have a twitter page. I'm only asking because I don't want to bother unless some people actually think it's worthwhile, in terms of either helping you keep up with posts or drawing in more readers. Your thoughts are appreciated as always, so leave a comment if you've got something to say.

Cheers!

Mixtape: Friends, Wimps & Broken Hearts

This mix is pretty aptly titled. I tried to include mostly songs that had to do with friendships - good and bad - but there are some wimps and broken hearts to be found here too. What's a good mixtape without some heartache and stories of off-kilter relationships?

I think this is a pretty fun one, and people in my car who've heard snippets have enjoyed it, so hopefully you will too. Cheers.

Title: Friends, Wimps & Broken Hearts
Length: 1:16:42
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Side 1: Do You Think We Could Pretend?

1. My American Heart - "All My Friends"
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "My Friends"
3. Piebald - "Karate Chops for Everyone but Us"
4. The White Stripes - "We're Going to Be Friends"
5. The Matches - "Needs and Wants"
6. The Rentals - "Friends of P."
7. Eels - "Old Shit, New Shit"
8. Vampire Weekend - "Bryn"
9. Rocketship - "Friendships and Love"
10. Kurt Vile - "My Best Friends (Don't Even Pass This)"
11. LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends"

Side 2: If We're Both Not Married

1. fun. - "Be Calm"
2. The Get Up Kids - "Ten Minutes"
3. The Ruse - "Beautiful is Gone"
4. The Rural Alberta Advantage - "In the Summertime"
5. Eve 6 - "At Least We're Dreaming"
6. Youth Group - "See-Saw"
7. Slow Club - "When I Go"
8. Eyedea & Abilities - "By the Throat"
9. Smash Mouth - "Why Can't We Be Friends"

Tilly and the Wall - Bottoms of Barrels (2006)

This Omaha, Nebraska group makes cheerful folksy indie pop or twee or whatever you want to call it; one of their claims to fame is that instead of a drummer they use a tapdancer (really)

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Elliott Smith - New Moon (2007)

"It's dead and gone, matter of fact,
It may be for the best.
You said some things you can't take back;
Honestly, I guess.

The old records, sitting on the floor.
The ones I can't put on anymore."

"Going Nowhere"

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Cuttlefish - Marble (2008)

This 5-piece group is from Tennessee, and they make groovy, jammy, funky punk-tinged desert rock that reminds me of Spindrift, and at times Josh Homme's various projects (Queens of the Stone Age and Desert Sessions specifically); they don't have much of an audience, so let's do something about that, eh?

This album is in .m4a (that's how it was sent to me and I can't find another copy), so if you're not down with that, you're shit outta luck, sorry

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