Since I have a bit more time on my hands I’m going to try posting some music stuff besides just when I have new stuff published…I don’t know how long it will last.
Bowerbirds – Upper Air (Dead Oceans) (Bowerbirds’ MySpace)
Whenever anyone asks me what Bowerbirds sound like, my enthusiastic, gushing response is always, “Oh my god, they are soooo beeeauuutiful!!” But I suppose that doesn’t say too much, does it? They’re a folky acoustic duo from North Carolina that use an accordion, bass drum (drumline-style, but on the floor), and various other instruments, and the lyrics have lots of nature-y metaphors and imagery (In “Crooked Lust,” Phil Moore sings, “My conscience is an avalanche, majestic, bewildering and wholly careless”). Upper Air isn’t incredibly different from their self-titled debut album, but it’s just as good, which definitely is enough for me.
Listen: “Beneath Your Tree” [MP3], “Northern Lights” [MP3]
This album was soooo not what I expected and I think that’s why I wasn’t sure if I liked it after the first listen. The band is Rostam Batmanglij from Vampire Weekend and Wes Miles from Ra Ra Riot (with guest appearances from the Dirty Projectors’ Angel Deradoorian and VW’s Ezra Koenig), so I was slightly surprised to hear a bunch of R&B/electro-pop by way of tons of synths. (Looking back at the press release, I should have noticed the warning of, “It’s quite different from either band, so listen to it with an open mind.” Oops.) “Osaka Loop Line” kinda reminds me of the Postal Service, and now the band’s cover of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” is a bit more relevant. I’m not totally into every track, but overall it’s a great dance album.
I generally am not a fan of country music but, like I said a couple posts ago, these gals are awesome enough to change my mind for a little bit. Some tracks have more of a classic rock sound, but most are rooted in Americana/country. The lyrics are fun and it’s clear that they like to drink a lot—whether it’s getting drunk and eating chicken (”The Whole Damn Thing”) or getting started at half-past noon (”Glass To You”). It’s also pretty impressive that the band is releasing its debut album on its own label (read my story about that here).
- As of yesterday I’m officially done with school forever. Hello, B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University!
- About a month ago I stepped down from my position as concert reviews editor for venuszine.com. I held down the live reviews section of the site for a year and a half (during which time I edited almost 300 concert reviews), and while it was an invaluable learning experience, I needed more time to focus on some other projects.
- For now I’m a full-time freelancer—or unemployed, but I think the former sounds a little bit better. I’m writing a lot for Billboard (most recently have done stories on Regina Spektor and Those Darlins), and have at least one other outlet in the works.
- I also started transcribing interviews for a couple of writers, which I hope will lead to more work in the future (from them or anyone else). If you need a transcription service, get in touch.
- I’m moving to Brooklyn in September! My wonderful friend/future roommate Grace and I are going to look at apartments July 31 to Aug. 5 and want to sign a year lease for Sept. 1. Any tips on apartment-hunting in New York?
- The obvious question after this is: Do you have a job lined up? The answer is no—at least not yet. More than likely, I’ll be freelancing and working part-time for a while (and I’m absolutely OK with that idea), but nothing is for sure.
So, the next two months will consist of lots of cleaning, packing, planning, Craigslist-ing, writing, spending time with family, and having perhaps way too much fun with my best friends while I can. Happy summer!
Way late on posting these…I saw Metric a couple weeks ago and it was nice to see them NOT at 1:30 a.m. (when I went to their show in New York last August, they started around 1:30 and I was exhausted/practically falling asleep standing up). The show was good but I wish they had played more old stuff…Oh well, I had fun!
I know, this came out a month ago and everyone already knows it’s great, but feel free to read about it again! (Wrote this a while ago and it just ran this week, but that’s OK!) Despite the fact that the band’s name sounds like, as my editor put it, “a chain of South Carolina BBQ joints”—which is super appetizing to my vegetarian/pescatarian self—I am so far from being sick of this band. Also, my friend/future NY roomie and I are buying tickets for their just-added second show with Phoenix at Central Park on Sept. 26!
I’m not a huge country fan but these ladies are a lot of fun and they’re releasing their self-titled debut LP on July 7 through their own label. Pretty sure I’m going to see them in Pontiac next month (on July 15, the day after my birthday!) since I’ve heard their live show is great.
I’m about halfway through a video journalism class at MSU and just finished my first feature! It’s not anything amazing because I’m still getting the hang of all this, but check it out!
The current economy isn’t a friendly place for independent business owners, especially those selling music. Lansing-area native Heather Frarey opened the all-vinyl record shop, The Record Lounge at 210 Abbot Road, in early 2008. Since the well-established East Lansing record store Flat, Black & Circular sells a little bit of everything in terms of music format, Frarey wanted to make her shop a little different and focus exclusively on vinyl (the only CDs sold there are by local artists).
Business started out slow, but the combination of being on a Big Ten campus and the rising popularity of vinyl records, she’s been able to keep her humble shop afloat. Frarey has already led The Record Lounge through one student-less East Lansing summer. But even though much of the MSU population is gone, Frarey says she gets more out-of-town customers and also sells her inventory on the Internet to make up for in-person sales. Between that and the free acoustic shows The Record Lounge hosts on Monday nights, she’s not too worried.
Also, here’s another assignment I did a couple weeks ago — we had to film a matched-action sequence. Yes, this was staged, but the purpose of it was to learn the concept of matched action:
Love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I think It’s Blitz! is excellent, and this show was awesome except for two things: They played for barely more than an hour, and there was pretty much no crowd banter. Karen O is amazing and funny, so I really wish she would have said more … but what can ya do? Good times, well worth the very little sleep I got last night in order to get this in on time (ha, but not nearly as awful as almost pulling an all-nighter for that Modest Mouse show last summer).
