Morning Jukeboxitis – A Lovely Disease To Have
Some people hear voices in their head while others dulled by the world simply hear white noise. I am cursed (blessed!) with having a perpetual jukebox playing records in my skull all the live long day. In fact, even if I'm making eye contact with you during a conversation, instead of listening to your riveting story about your cat, there's a good chance all I hear is "Right Here, Right Now" by Jesus Jones.
In regard to what the invisible dollars are buying, I'm proud to admit that I'm a walking cliche. When someone asks me, "What kind of music do you like?" my immediate instinct is to answer "Everything!" But, since that's an annoying cop-out answer, I resist and respond instead with the infinitesimally more irritating, "Stuff." I know, sometimes I can't stand to be around me either.
Being the list whore that I am, over the past few months I've compiled the songs that are playing in my brain first thing in the morning. There have been more than what's below but I've been either (1) too lazy, (2) too forgetful, or (3) still drunk/hungover/on the verge of certain death.
Additionally, I've grouped the songs into two categories: Songs I Would Admit To Liking When Pretty Girls Are Around and Songs I Dance To In My Polka Dot Boxers When I'm Home Alone (and The Door is Bolted Shut.) I realize these are very long category titles. I should maybe lay off the emo-rock for a while.
Songs I Would Admit To Liking When Pretty Girls Are Around:
Lowlife - Scanners
La Breeze - Simian
This Tornado Loves You - Neko Case
Trigger Happy Jack - Poe
Superstar - Lupe Fiasco
Beetlebum - Blur
Ooh Yeah - Moby
Tired of Waiting For You - Green Day
Wouldn't It Be Nice - The Beach Boys
Finally Alone - American Steel
Where Did All the Love Go? - Kasabian
Space Oddity - David Bowie
French Kiss - The Teenagers
Fight Song - The Republic Tigers
Kingdom of Rust - Doves
Endless Summer - Zwan
Cold Days From the Birdhouse - The Twilight Sad
The Re-Arranger - Mates of State
Denise - Fountains of Wayne
Always On My Mind - Phantom Planet
We're Looking For a Lot of Love - Hot Chip
The Flame - Cheap Trick
Amsterdam - Peter, Bjorn and John
This Fire - Franz Ferdinand
Window Bird - Stars
The Electric Version - The New Pornographers
Los Angeles Waltz - Razorlight
Refugee - Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Dead Disco (Kylie Kills mix) - Metric
Friday I'm in Love - The Cure
Songs I Dance To In My Polka Dot Boxers When I'm Home Alone (and The Door is Bolted Shut) :
Fever - Starsailor
Take a Bow - Madonna
I'm in the Way - Jars of Clay
On Fire - Switchfoot
Take Your Time (Do it Right) - The S.O.S. Band
Blackie's Dead - Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson
She Is - The Fray
Sexual (Li Da Di) - Amber
It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday - Boyz II Men
Breathe - Toni Braxton
Birthday - Awesome New Republic
My Love - Justin Timberlake
Dust in the Wind - Kansas
Quicksand - La Roux
It Must've Been Love - The Roxettes
Sleigh Bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling, blowing out your speakers too…
Besides my much anticipated return to the Armed & Ready blog-o-sphere (hi there, remember me?), Echo and myself have been chompin'-at-the-bits for the loooong overdue release of an album by the Brooklyn band Sleigh Bells -- which has been aptly titled "Treats." Listening to this electro-dance-pop-duo, comprised of beat-master/guitarist Derek Miller and siren-extraordinaire Alexis Krauss, is akin to having your eardrums vociferously assaulted by a two ton tag team bass amplifying gorilla and butterfly knife wielding Strawberry Shortcake. The beats are loud, the melodies poppysweet, and the hooks painfully infectious -- think hard rockin' version of M.I.A.
Please listen with the volume turned up to 11 (CAUTION: In all likelihood, doing so will blow out your speakers). Notable tracks include "Kids", "Infinity Guitars", and "Crown On the Ground".
The album is now available on iTunes OR stream it free for a limited time on NPR Music's First Listen.
Roar,
-Rawkdoc
Anti-Genre, just music:
Below are two new songs that are as infectious as they are vaccinations to combat radio rock. The songs are made up of simple ideas, reliance on smart hooks, and both songs know when to both calm down and speed up.
Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man
A Silent Film - You Will Leave a Mark
Enjoy,
- Echo
Go enjoy the album you’ll be listening to for the next 1.5 years:
My heroes over at NPR pulled some classic forward thinking and are streaming the new Black Keys album in its entirety. The Black Keys have found a way to strip down rock and roll, and they have paired up with Danger Mouse, who is known for dressing things up. The result? A damn good summer of music. Enjoy!
- Echo
Get British! (Cheers For Your Ears)
The following is a mixtape made up of some my favourite bands that not only hail from Great Britain but may inspire the listener to speak the Queen’s English and long for a plate of bangers and mash; the music will conjure images of blokes in up turned wool coats smoking fags in a pervasive drizzle that falls from a doggedly overcast sky.
You may or may not have ever heard of these bands but the fact remains that the British Invasion of the American musical landscape the Beatles initiated some fifty-odd years ago, never ended. The main difference today is that it is no longer a full frontal assault but a discreet, covert operation.
In some ways this is better as the music remains more pure than the distilled, watered-down muck permeating American radio stations and purported “music video” cable channels.
And while I don’t posit that British bands have by any means been ignored or haven’t had success, I do feel there are a great many bands that lack the exposure or attention their peers (Radiohead, Oasis, Muse, Keane, Snow Patrol, Arctic Monkeys, etc.) have been showered with. Let us celebrate those “smaller” groups.
Behold! This is the quiet fury of contemporary British music from the last twenty years. Get your pints ready, mates.
Black And White Town Doves Some Cities 2005
Shake Those Windows Athlete Vehicles & Animals 2003
Just Looking Stereophonics Performance and Cocktails 1999
An Audience With The Pope Elbow The Seldom Seen Kid 2008
Modern Way Kaiser Chiefs Employment 2005
Death of a Party Blur Blur 1997
A Design For Life Manic Street Preachers Everything Must Go 1996
Common People Pulp Different Class 1995
Driftwood Travis The Man Who 1999
Laid James Laid 1993
Where Did All The Love Go? Kasabian The West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum 2009
Infra-Red Placebo Meds 2006
Golden Touch Razorlight Up All Night [Vertigo Bonus Tracks] 2005
Shine On The Kooks Konk 2008
Dreaming Of You The Coral The Coral 2002
I Know I`ll Never Leave The Zutons Tired Of Hanging Around 2006
Geraldine Glasvegas Glasvegas (Deluxe Edition) 2008
Men`s Needs The Cribs Men`s Needs, Women`s Needs, Wh 2007
For the Girl The Fratellis Costello Music 2006
Golden Skans Klaxons Myths Of The Near Future 2007
24 Hours As A Radiohead Groupie…part 2
So 15 days ago I went to a Radiohead concert. I promised to report on the experience and here it is. Perhaps you may say to yourself, "Self, shouldn't this jackass have written his post the next day since it would be fresh in his head?" Nay, I say. Tell your inner voice to shut up and have a taco because it knows me not. Aside from the gift of procrastination bestowed upon me by the Almighty, I was in no shape to write the next day or week...or two. I was hungover May 6th and pissed at my girlfriend. Details are unimportant aside from the fact that I celebrated Cinco De Mayo properly and all is well with her and I. We solved it with sex and ice cream sandwiches.
As far as the concert itself, Radiohead did not dissapoint. They were humble, they played tight and they had a magnificent light show that kept me enraptured once the weed kicked in. Their set lasted somewhere near two hours and although i didn't hear all the songs I'd hoped for (since they're probably sick of playing the same tunes for the last 10 years), I was excited to experience a few gems live including my favorite song from the new album "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi."
I could babble on and on about how amazing they were but I'd rather show you. Below are 3 short clips of some of the highlights for me. The first two tickled my pickle because they're from my favorite album The Bends. The final video in the trio contains a song that makes me want to go back and listen to the entire album every time I hear even a fragment of it's opening notes.
1. Just
2. Street Spirit (Fade Out)
3. Everything In It's Right Place
- Blue Halo
Note – Gnarls Barkley may cause seizures
“Gnarls Barkley's new video may make some people crazy. And that's why you won't be seeing it on MTV.The clip for the Grammy-winning duo's "Run," which features a cameo by Justin Timberlake, has been kept out of rotation on the music channel after failing the Harding Test. The test monitors strobe effects in video content to make sure the images don't set off seizures, à la the infamous Pokémon scare of 1997.Danger Mouse, one half of the hip-hop, soul duo, told Billboard that he and rapper-vocalist Cee-Lo Green hoped to retool the video and get it on air as soon as possible.”
Justin Timberlake, Pokemon seizures, oh my! I’m probably the first human being to ever write that down on the internet…which is nice. You have to love that the duo of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse are so focused on delivering an amazing video for you, that they’ll induce seizures to make sure.
Craaaaaaaaazy….
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GA3a15xF0c[/youtube]
-Crescent Fresh
When Puppets Ruled The World
A&R Brings You Our Top 5 Favorite Videos Involving Puppets!
1. Weezer (MySpace) – Keep Fishin' Getting right down to it we have Weezer featuring the most famous puppets of all, The Muppets. No one can deny the warm fuzzy feeling we get from the blissfully innocent Muppets. This just proves that bands are really just pseudo-adults hanging on to childhood for dear life.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=9nQWTMaNII4[/youtube]
2. He Is Legend (MySpace) - The Seduction As a band, He Is Legend is known for their creativity and diverse musical repertoire. In this video, they use their track's range of dynamics to tell the classic story we all live; guy puppet falls in love with girl puppet, monster eats girl puppet, guy puppet enters the belly of the beast to save girl puppet. The highlight is definitely that the monster does the screaming parts. Great choreography guys.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=-dHAX1tanNM[/youtube]
3. Supergrass (MySpace) - Pumping on Your Stereo In the range of puppet videos someone has finally dared to take puppeteering to the next level by becoming puppets themselves. Supergrass parallels their cartoony musical vibe with an equally colorful and jovial visual.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=WXL_Xb0zT5g[/youtube]
4. Interpol (MySpace) - Evil As it turns out, this may be the creepiest video of A@R's puppet countdown. Interpol created this video to usher out their much anticipated sophomore release, Antics. This is by far my favorite track off the album and perfectly answers the question; If you were in a terrible car accident, teetering on the edge of life and death, would you experience it as a morose, semi-conscious dancing puppet? Yes, I believe you would.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=RNtGYdm2rOY[/youtube]
5. Mr. Oizo - Flat Beat This video has the least amount of props, production, and finance, but that didn't stop it from becoming an international cult hit back in 1999. I remember seeing it as a kid at 4am on what used to be Much Music and getting lost in some sort of smiley trance. This childish play on the executive lifestyle is both refreshing and playfully cynical.
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=YQXiew-DQH4[/youtube]
- Broken Humor
A Luscious Mix of Words and Tricks:
Most of you probably already know about these guys, but in case you don't, do yourself a favor and check out your new favorite band: The Shins (myspace). To quote Garden State, "it'll change your life, I swear." You'll probably start off light with a song or two saying "ahh, they're pretty good." Next, you'll move on to albums, then discographies. Eventually, it'll get to the point where you stop going to school/work because you're locked in your room all day listening to your favorite Shins song (which changes daily) on loop. Then come the interventions, the rehab, the withdrawal, etc. So just know what you're getting yourself into before you check out the latest gateway band to hit the streets. I'd recommend every song they've ever made...
...But if I had to pick some to start with:
- "Caring is Creepy"
- "New Slang"
- "Kissing the Lipless"
- "Fighting in a Sack"
- "Turn on Me"
- "Sea Legs"
- "Pressed in a Book"
Another one of those "best kept secret" bands is The Appleseed Cast, a group most of you probably heard of, just never actually heard. They've been my study/sleep/background mix for the past six months. They're by far the most relaxing, melodic indie band that I know of, and I think the subtle vocals and ethereal guitar lines are what really makes it. Also, from a musician's standpoint, these guys know what they're doing. They use technical concepts creatively, and blend it all in such a way that you wouldn't even notice unless you were looking for it.
If you like indie music and sex, then you'll like:
- "Steps and Numbers" (featured above)
- "Blind Man's Arrow"
- "Hanging Marionette"
- "Ice Heavy Branches"
- "On Reflection"
What do you get when you mix Shins-sounding vocals with Appleseed Cast-sounding music? Give up? Well, you get the up-and-coming Band of Horses (myspace) of course. Their albums Everything All the Time and Cease to Begin are chocked full of beautiful guitar lines with perfectly complementing vocal hooks from start to finish. I can't listen to them without feeling like I'm in a scene from a movie. And as a sidenote, if you check out their myspace, tell me the band members don't look like they're involved in an all out beard-growing competition. That's probably where they get all their Samson powers from. Anyway...
These are for you:
- "The Funeral" (featured above)
- "No One's Gonna Love You"
- "Island on the Coast"
- "Detlef Schrempf"
- "Is There a Ghost"
- Stansford
An Interview with Ryland Blackinton of Cobra Starship:
From 'Snakes on a Plane' to headlining a tour campaign, Cobra Starship (MySpace) is grabbing fans out of every town they see. Midtown's lead singer Gabe Saporta joined forces with Victoria Asher (keytar), Ryland Blackinton (guitar/keys), Alex Suarez (bass/keys) and Nate Novarro (drums) to form a band that strengthens the core of the party music genre.
I recently sat down with guitarist Ryland Blackinton to discuss Russian poetry, reverse astrophysics, and beer. Enjoy.
A&R: Ryland, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule. We recently gave ten of our most loyal readers the opportunity to ask a most imaginative question each. The following questions are what they came up with...
1. Have you ever owned a Cobra and/or a starship? If not, do you see a trip to a pet store or Nasa in the near future?
RB: Actually, I am a little scared of snakes, to be honest. I am actually terrified of them. I just don't trust them. They give you no warning, they have no agenda, and they can move anywhere at any time.
2. Where does the band name Cobra Starship come from?
RB: Gabe actually has about 15 different stories he tells people, but there is one in particular that I actually believe. He used to have two vintage leather jackets, one that said “Cobra” and the other said “Starship Disco.” You could probably find them on eBay.
3. How has the Cobra Starship live show changed since the recent release of 'Viva La Cobra?'
RB: Well, now that we are picking up popularity and headlining a tour, we have bigger stages which means we can move around more. We also have scrims for band names and multiple keyboards on stage. Some of the songs are completely keyboard, so I'll put the guitar down and Alex and I will have fun with keyboards.
4. Whats the story behind the name of the song Pleasure Ryland and are you responsible for naming it?
RB: I am inadvertently responsible for naming the song. Its from my friend Michael Leviton,who had a song entitled, “You'll Pay For Your Day at Pleasure Island.” I always used to wear the shirt, and people started calling me Pleasure Ryland. See what I did there?
5. Yes. Yes I do. Talk to me about the Cobra Starship songwriting process. How does a Cobra Starship song get from start to finish?
RB: Well, the songs start with a beat and end with the vocals. I travel with a microKORG when on tour, and we all have external hard drives that we'll record things onto and pass back and forth to Patrick (of Fall Out Boy). I guess that is different than most emo bands, who start with a guitar and vocals.
6. Touring always brings out the half-delirious goofball in the most sound minds. What on-tour memory sticks out to you as wild, sassy, and illegal in 13 states?
RB: (Laughs) Well I can't exactly talk about illegal, but one thing that sticks out is Vegas. It really epitomizes the edict on touring. We were going out in limos to parties, surrounded by liquor at all times. But, you know, when you are on the road you are homeless, you have no money, and no food. There was a guy throwing one dollar bills from his hotel balcony, and we were in the street catching them all and fighting for them.
7. Have you touched Hayley Williams (of Paramore) yet this year? We mean this question in the most PG way.
RB: Hayley....Williams. Oh! Well I guess I did see her this year and we shook hands, so that counts, right? I didn't “touch-touch” her though, but yea we kinda shook hands.
8. What is the most embarrassing thing to happen to you or your band members on stage?
RB: Victoria. She fell right on stage, something about a shoe issue or a shoe malfunction, and it seemed like it was in slow motion. The crowd members around her all saw, and we enjoyed a smile together. She fell right on her face.
9. When you dance the night away, what is the Ryland Blackinton album of choice?
RB: It's gotta be Daft Punk's “Human After All.” I got into them while studying, and this is when I was getting into all of the French stuff, like Air, Cassius. It was around the time where “Around The World” was released.
10. Who is the best table tennis player of Cobra Starship? If this question has never been addressed, would you consider a YouTube Cobra Starship Ping Pong Tournament? You'd get to wear sweatbands...
RB: I would definitely wear the sweatbands. You know, that is interesting. I don't think we have ever played table tennis together. I play a bit of tennis, but never table tennis as a band. We may have to make some table tennis challenge videos.
A&R: We personally look forward to seeing them. Ryland, it was a pleasure. Thank you so much time for taking the time out of your schedule, and congratulations on selling out shows in over 75% of the venues you are traveling to.
RB: Thank you too!
Make sure to catch Cobra Starship on their headlining tour right now. Cobra Starship Tour Dates can be found HERE.
- Echo
Follow us:
Armed&Ready
- I just posted some new music to the blog @ armedready.com: Saucy Cross Promotion? Necessary. http://www.armedready.com/?p=287
- I just posted some new music to the blog @ armedready.com: Morning Jukeboxitis - A Lovely Disease To Have http://www.armedready.com/?p=275
- You can spend all day marketing yourself or you can spend your time boosting your content, or you can do BOTH twice as good as the other guy
- I just posted some new music to the blog @ armedready.com: Enchanting: Goldfrapp - Eat Yourself http://www.armedready.com/?p=271
- @ideaworks we're huge fans of Edwin!!
Recent Comments
- Joey on Soundtrack of your life: Let’s ride motorcycles across the United States
- Joey on Mashup Mondays! DISCOVERY
- Joey on Morning Jukeboxitis – A Lovely Disease To Have
- Blue Halo on Are we meant for cubicles?
- Megan on Enchanting: Goldfrapp – Eat Yourself