Showing posts with label death cab. Show all posts
Showing posts with label death cab. Show all posts
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Monday, November 24, 2008
Extra Extra
Maybe it's just our culture, but Americans seems to want want want, more more more. This year that gluttonous concept might be a little more difficult to pursue, as the economy is currently SOL. Sure gas prices are now under $2.00 in Seattle (AH-mazing!) but with the holidays fast approaching, wallets are growing emaciated and families are finding themselves hard-pressed to give their kids the kind of Christmas they hope for.On the inside, I'm rejoicing. For too long the holidays have revolved around commercialism, with the spirit of good cheer taking a backseat. Why would Americans care about things like friends and family when we can be at the mall watching a grandma spit in the face of minimum-wage employee because they don''t have Tickle-Me Elmo in stock. It's sickening how materialistic such a special day has become, despite honorable intentions. By gifting loved ones their material desires, we get to express our love in physical form. Hopefully though this year, necessity/scarcity will force us to be more creative with our expressions. Instead of saying I love you THIS much in dollar signs, we can pick one of a million ways to show we care without spending a cent.
So where was I going with all this? The extra extra/excess theme has even surfaced in music. When Coldplay released The Prospekt's March EP this week, I thought nothing less of another attempt at capitalizing on Viva La Vida's succcess. Then, when my MPR podcast free song arrived this morning, "Champagne in Paper Cups" from Death Cab's deluxe edition of Something About Airplanes, I found myself getting an odd twinge of irritation. DELUXE, SPECIAL, BONUS, COLLECTOR'S EDITION; these were labels that, as I scanned through my music library started to both amaze and frustrate me.
What's with the whole supersize mentality? When did we get so hungry for more more more? Particularily in art/music - wasn't it intended to be minimalist? Maybe we need to feel like we're getting more for our dollar, but in reality we're just getting more for more dollars.
- Number of LTK's songs with SPECIAL EDITION in the album title: 79
- Number of LTK's songs with BONUS in the album title: 106
- Number of LTK's songs with DELUXE in the album title: 186
Peace, Love, and Excess Excess (But Optimistic for Change),
LTK
LTK
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I Think It's Better
... Live.
After listening to 2 live versions of Death Cab's "Grapevine Fires," keeping in mind that the religious experience of Bumbershoot 08 turned it into my new favorite DC track, I've decided that Ben and the boys only get more captivating raw. Its wrong just how melodic Benjie's voice really is, haunting really; sort of like he was anointed or something. If you were a fan of Narrow Stairs, I would suggest downloading the exclusive Live from the Palms EP off iTunes (those money-grubbing b-words i know...) I hate to think I'm putting one more buck in the Maloofs bajillion-dollar deep pockets but hey, I don't watch their trainwreck of a reality show, Living Lohan, so I guess it all evens out in the end. Call me when you set up TV cameras of Linds back in rehab. Sort of like Intervention, Celebrity style. That'll be on November during sweeps...
Death Cab for Cutie - Talking Bird / Grapevine Fires (Live in Eugene, OR) [ysi]
Peace, Love, and fireman who work in double shifts with prayers for rain on their lips,
LTK
Peace, Love, and fireman who work in double shifts with prayers for rain on their lips,
LTK
Saturday, May 17, 2008
We Buried Our Love...
I don't have the right words. But I guess this song is amazing enough to speak for itself. I see it surpassing "Follow You Into the Dark" as the DCFC suicidal love anthem. This song was too beautiful to wait for a full post. Here it is - the new song that makes me want to fall in love, out of it, into sorrow, and complete Sylvia Plath-type self-hate, all in under four minutes.Death Cab - The Ice is Getting Thinner [ysi]
So good.
UPDATE: iTunes says I have played this song 153 times in the last week and a half. Probably helped by Gossip Girl's amazing use of this track in Monday night's season finale. Alex P does it again. Sick as the 153 count is, it's oddly comforting...
So good.
UPDATE: iTunes says I have played this song 153 times in the last week and a half. Probably helped by Gossip Girl's amazing use of this track in Monday night's season finale. Alex P does it again. Sick as the 153 count is, it's oddly comforting...
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Gimme Gimme More... Death Cab
Friday, April 4, 2008
Friday I'm in Shuffle
Friday is here already. Of course my two days off work go as fast as can be imagined. Tomorrow its back to the Man - and to the fun group of 50 kids who come into our store weekend nights and harass the crap out of the staff. I am so pumped!
Hieroglyphics - Pep Love [ysi]
Minnie Driver - Hungry Heart [ysi]
Clipse - We Got it For Cheap [ysi]
The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night
2Pac - Do 4 Love [ysi]
The Moldy Peaches - Greyhound Bus [ysi]
Nick Drake - Black Eyed Dog [ysi]
Live - Lightning Crashes
Mason Jennings - Bullet [ysi]
Also, the new Death Cab album art is here thanks to Stereogum. What do you think kiddies? Sort of reminds me of a seventies acid trip. And by reminded I mean imagined; I'm not that old.
Minnie Driver - Hungry Heart [ysi]
Clipse - We Got it For Cheap [ysi]
The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night
2Pac - Do 4 Love [ysi]
The Moldy Peaches - Greyhound Bus [ysi]
Nick Drake - Black Eyed Dog [ysi]
Live - Lightning Crashes
Mason Jennings - Bullet [ysi]
Also, the new Death Cab album art is here thanks to Stereogum. What do you think kiddies? Sort of reminds me of a seventies acid trip. And by reminded I mean imagined; I'm not that old.Thursday, March 27, 2008
Everything's Coming Up Death Cab
How psyched is everyone for the new Death Cab release? I'm really behind on my reporting of this one (I mentioned it earlier, but am just now posting tracks) - Narrow Stairs is set to hit stores on May 13th, 2008. The two tracks I've heard so far are indeed amazing. "I Will Possess Your Heart," at a staggering 8 plus minutes is largely instrumental, though the second half of the track demonstrates Ben Gibbard's lyrical talents in true DCFC style. The extended introduction will not be part of the radio edit; a crying shame in my opinion as I find the instrumentation a refreshing departure from Gibbard's usually heavy (though more sugary in this case) prose.There are days when outside your window, I see my reflection as I slowly pass
And I long for this mirrored perspective, when we'll be lovers, lovers at last
[Chorus]
You gotta spend some time, love
You gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you'll find love
I will possess your heart
The second track is "Cath," which was performed pitch-perfectly by the guys on BBC 6. More dramatic and insightful than the lead-off love song above, "Cath" is about a beautiful woman who has trapped herself in a loveless marriage; driven by the need for security and fear of solitude, with a dying heart more metaphoric than literal. The song which moved me near to tears when I first heard it, recounts the dark side of a woman's wedding day, the more sinister motivation behind a usually happy occasion. How far can our fear of being alone really take us?
DCFC - Cath (Live on BBC) [ysi]
MTV writer/tool James Montgomery acknowledges the album is stellar (not completely stupid) but also thinks it could kill DCFC's career. He thought they had gone crazy by releasing the extended version of "I Will Possess Your Heart," as if Death Cab is some mainstream machine who is supposed to work within pop/radio standards. I don't think so. I think people forget DCFC had a life BEFORE Plans, before they got major radio play or audience reception. They have been making amazing music for years, and I certainly don't think a step towards creativity will take anything away from their true fans. Cath, she stands
With well intentions meant
But she can't relax
with his hands on the small of her back
As the flesh holes burst
She holds a smile
Someone will hold the crying child
And everybody asks what became of you
Your heart was dying fast
and you didn't know what to do
Cath, it seems
That you live in a dying dream
In a hand me down wedding dress
On the arm of a man you detest
But you said your vows
And you closed the door
on so many men
who would have loved you more
And everybody asks what became of you
Your heart was dying fast
and you didn't know what to do
And whispers that it won't last
Were running down the pews
Cos my heart was dying that fast
I would have done the same as you
I would have done the same as you
With well intentions meant
But she can't relax
with his hands on the small of her back
As the flesh holes burst
She holds a smile
Someone will hold the crying child
And everybody asks what became of you
Your heart was dying fast
and you didn't know what to do
Cath, it seems
That you live in a dying dream
In a hand me down wedding dress
On the arm of a man you detest
But you said your vows
And you closed the door
on so many men
who would have loved you more
And everybody asks what became of you
Your heart was dying fast
and you didn't know what to do
And whispers that it won't last
Were running down the pews
Cos my heart was dying that fast
I would have done the same as you
I would have done the same as you
Loves it,
Lydia
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Something to Look Forward to...
Finally, some long overdue info about up and coming albums from our favorite artists. Note: These dates are tentative and subject to change.Yesterday
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
February 19
Mike Doughty - Golden Delicious
Bell XI - Flock
Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
March 11
Van Morrison - Keep it Simple
March 18
DeVotchKa - A Mad and Faithful Telling
Yael Naim - ST
March 25
Counting Crows - Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings
April 1
The Black Keys - Attack & Release
R.E.M. - Accelerate (We'll see how I feel about this one)
April 8
Gnarles Barkley - The Odd Couple
The Breeders - Mountain Battles
April 15
The Kooks - Konk
April 22
Flight of the Conchords - ST
Billy Bragg - Mr. Love and Justice
Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
April 29
Jamie Lidell - Jim
UPDATE
May 18
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
"It's really weird. It's really, really good, I think, but it's totally a curve ball, and I think it's gonna be a really polarizing record. But I'm really excited about it. It's really got some teeth. The landscape of the thing is way, way more lunar than the urban meadow sort of thing that has been happening for the last couple of records. [It's also] louder and more dissonant and ... I think abrasive would be a good word to use. [We were influenced by] heavy, sludgy, slow metal [and] synth-punk band Braniac. "
Track List!
1. Bixby Canyon Bridge
2. I Will Possess Your Heart
3. No Sunlight
4. Cath
5. Talking Bird
6. You Can Do Better Than Me (But I Can't Do Better Than You)
7. Grapevine Fires
8. Your New Twin Size Bed
9. The Remainder
10. Pity and Fear
11. The Ice Is Getting Thinner
May 20
Coldplay - TBA
Scarlett Johansson - Anywhere I Lay My Head
June 10
My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
August 5 (3 Days till Lydia is 21...)
Joseph Arthur - All You Need is Nothing
Other 2008 Anticipated Releases (That we care about)
Aimee Mann
Blur
The Cure
Damien Jurado, Dr. Dre
Franz Ferdinand, The Fugees
Gang of Four
Jenny Lewis
Mates of State, Metric, Muse
NERD, Nikka Costa
Oasis (Pick Your Price download), OK Go
Patrick Wolf, Postal Service
Rachel Yamagata, Raconteurs
Team Sleep, The Streets, The Vines
Weezer, Wolf Parade
Zach de la Rocha (of Rage)
Rage Against the Machine - Born of a Broken Man [mp3]
If you made a reunion show last year, I am insanely jealous of you
If you made a reunion show last year, I am insanely jealous of you
Monday, October 15, 2007
Blender, Getting Laid Can Help
Okay so I'm further procrastinating. Tomorrow brings yet another midterm, whose outcome has no bearing on my life other than the premature aging it provokes. Wrinkle lines will be with me long after the standard deviation of the comparison distribution.
Daily WTF: Blender Magazine
I'm not really sure who reads Blender Magazine besides wannabe potheads (posers who think pretending to smoke weed is actually cooler than throwing out 5 bucks for the experience) and Generations pre-Y who somehow think the publication is a link to the present music scene. Blender is essentially a collection of lists; 25 Greatest, 15 Worst ... blah blah numerated blah, in addition to crappy reviews and boring interest pieces. I mean a full length feature on Vanessa Carlton. Her? Most of the time I couldn't give a monkey's elbow what their latest issue is about. But when Blender, with their pompous criticism and arbitrary selection criteria, decided to include in their 40 Worst Lyricists in Rock History hometown favorite Ben Gibbard as #16, I feel slightly challenged. Peeved if you must.
Gibbard, the frontman for Death Cab for Cutie, Postal Service, and All Time Quarterback is undeniably talented. His songs are beautiful enough to generate mass appeal, but his lyrical stylings, which can only be called poetry cover everything from teenage love, to death, to childhood abuse and abandonment (see below). Although Plans seemed to take DCFC mainstream, they have an impressive resume; a solid body of work that includes Transaltancism, Something About Airplanes, The Photo Album, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, not to mention a cultish fan base to rival the greats. I agree the emo scene has been exacerbated to all most unbearable proportions as of late. But mostly this trend has been propelled by lower-rate sideshow bands that fail to find something new or original to say in 10 tracks, let alone multiple albums. Ben's projects are different. In many ways he has redefined the modern indie music scene with poignant, yet relatable messages about love.
Personally I think the editors over at BlenSuck need to get laid more often. Their obvious animosity towards lyrics that express "dangerous" amounts of emotion can only mean one thing: someone's celibate, and not by choice. Click here to see the full article, thus proceeding to write I hate Blender mail. (Heads up to fans of Paul McCartney, Common, Anthony Kiedis, or Jim Morrison, they've also made the list.) I mean they put these artists, a former member of the Beatles for flips sake, in the same list as K "Popozzao" Fed. Hell freezing over as I speak.
Death Cab for Cutie, Styrofoam Plates
Lyrics by Ben Gibbard
There's a saltwater film on the jar of your ashes
I threw them to sea, but a gust blew them backwards
And the sting in my eyes that you then inflicted
Was par for the course just as when you were living
It's no stretch to say you were not quite a father
But a donor of seeds to a poor single mother
That would raise us alone, we never saw the money
That went down your throat through the hole in your belly
Thirteen years old in the suburbs of Denver
Standing in line for Thanksgiving dinner
At the Catholic church; the servers wore crosses
To shield from the sufferance plaguing the others
Styrofoam plates, cafeteria tables
Charity reeks of cheap wine and pity
And I'm thinking of you, I do every year
When we count all our blessings
And wonder what we're doing here
You're a disgrace to the concept of family
The priest won't divulge that fact in his homily
And I'll stand up and scream if the mourning remain quiet
You can deck out a lie in a suit but I won't buy it
I won't join in the procession that's speaking their peace
Using five dollar words while praising his integrity
And just because he's gone, it doesn't change the fact:
He was a bastard in life, thus a bastard in death
Tragedy; Only the talented can turn it into art.
I can only hope Blender employees start receiving free prostitution as part of their benefits package. Hey it could be constituted as a tax write-off; it really is charity in some cases.
Daily WTF: Blender Magazine
I'm not really sure who reads Blender Magazine besides wannabe potheads (posers who think pretending to smoke weed is actually cooler than throwing out 5 bucks for the experience) and Generations pre-Y who somehow think the publication is a link to the present music scene. Blender is essentially a collection of lists; 25 Greatest, 15 Worst ... blah blah numerated blah, in addition to crappy reviews and boring interest pieces. I mean a full length feature on Vanessa Carlton. Her? Most of the time I couldn't give a monkey's elbow what their latest issue is about. But when Blender, with their pompous criticism and arbitrary selection criteria, decided to include in their 40 Worst Lyricists in Rock History hometown favorite Ben Gibbard as #16, I feel slightly challenged. Peeved if you must.
Gibbard, the frontman for Death Cab for Cutie, Postal Service, and All Time Quarterback is undeniably talented. His songs are beautiful enough to generate mass appeal, but his lyrical stylings, which can only be called poetry cover everything from teenage love, to death, to childhood abuse and abandonment (see below). Although Plans seemed to take DCFC mainstream, they have an impressive resume; a solid body of work that includes Transaltancism, Something About Airplanes, The Photo Album, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, not to mention a cultish fan base to rival the greats. I agree the emo scene has been exacerbated to all most unbearable proportions as of late. But mostly this trend has been propelled by lower-rate sideshow bands that fail to find something new or original to say in 10 tracks, let alone multiple albums. Ben's projects are different. In many ways he has redefined the modern indie music scene with poignant, yet relatable messages about love.
Personally I think the editors over at BlenSuck need to get laid more often. Their obvious animosity towards lyrics that express "dangerous" amounts of emotion can only mean one thing: someone's celibate, and not by choice. Click here to see the full article, thus proceeding to write I hate Blender mail. (Heads up to fans of Paul McCartney, Common, Anthony Kiedis, or Jim Morrison, they've also made the list.) I mean they put these artists, a former member of the Beatles for flips sake, in the same list as K "Popozzao" Fed. Hell freezing over as I speak.
Death Cab for Cutie, Styrofoam Plates
Lyrics by Ben Gibbard
There's a saltwater film on the jar of your ashes
I threw them to sea, but a gust blew them backwards
And the sting in my eyes that you then inflicted
Was par for the course just as when you were living
It's no stretch to say you were not quite a father
But a donor of seeds to a poor single mother
That would raise us alone, we never saw the money
That went down your throat through the hole in your belly
Thirteen years old in the suburbs of Denver
Standing in line for Thanksgiving dinner
At the Catholic church; the servers wore crosses
To shield from the sufferance plaguing the others
Styrofoam plates, cafeteria tables
Charity reeks of cheap wine and pity
And I'm thinking of you, I do every year
When we count all our blessings
And wonder what we're doing here
You're a disgrace to the concept of family
The priest won't divulge that fact in his homily
And I'll stand up and scream if the mourning remain quiet
You can deck out a lie in a suit but I won't buy it
I won't join in the procession that's speaking their peace
Using five dollar words while praising his integrity
And just because he's gone, it doesn't change the fact:
He was a bastard in life, thus a bastard in death
Tragedy; Only the talented can turn it into art.
I can only hope Blender employees start receiving free prostitution as part of their benefits package. Hey it could be constituted as a tax write-off; it really is charity in some cases.
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