EVERYDAYISDAYONE

DJ Rupture explains why Oink was good for everyone. I’m interested in finding out what site is next.

Doveman plays the piano on Samamidon’s album But This Chicken Proved False-Hearted. He plays/played with The National, too. I’m sure he does plenty of other things, but this current song I am loving. It’s from his forthcoming album With My Left Hand I Raise The Dead.

This post is quite long, and I apologize - I just feel the need to share these things with you, for they have been having a huge impact on my life recently.

A little over a month ago, my roommate Kory introduced me to Why?’s album Elephant Eyelash. I can’t even begin to explain how thankful I am.

Over the past month, it has completely turned into one of my favorite albums of all-time, and I have no qualms about declaring that. My last.fm page will back me up on that. I could not get enough. All of my friends got an earfull about it, too, as I used every passing breath I had to spread the word on how good this album is. And finally, I’m getting it out here to the ol’ internet, as well.

Why? Is Yoni Wolf, and he was 1/3 of the avante garde hip-hop group cLOUDDEAD. He is a member of the Anticon collective, and I think he is unfairly labeled as a rapper. To me, these are just weird pop songs. There is not a lot of hip-hop on this album. Wolf’s nasally, deliberate delivery is incredibly endearing; what I initially thought would be a reason I wouldn’t like this album, turned into one of the main reasons I do like it. However, it’s not his quirky voice, or the fantastic melodies and instrumentation on this album that makes me love it more than I do most albums - it’s the lyrics.

Some people will argue that the lyrics are too free-formed, too train of thought. I disagree with that notion completely, however, because combined with the music, these lyrics create quite the impression on the listener. I was instantly engaged in deep listening when I heard the following lines in the opener “Crushed Bones”:

And your eyes are slits and bags of fat
And your eyes are pissholes in the snow

That is weird. You know? It’s great, too. And that is just the start. This album is full of witty one-liners, and very interesting imagery. It is a very lyrically dense album, with most of the themes ranging from good ol’ fashioned love, to suicide and drug use. It is an expertly crafted album as a whole, and it truly has been a Godsend for me the past month. The sixth song on the album, “Gemini (Birthday Song)” is one of my favorite songs I have ever heard, in my entire life. It’s perfect. I am truly embarrassed I never caught on to this one quicker, and I hope I can turn a few of you into rabid fans like myself.

More recently, I gave Midlake’s The Trials of Van Occupanther a second chance. I’m not even sure why, because normally, I am unjustly ruthless towards albums I don’t immediately fall in love with. How I came back, however, does not matter - what is important, is that in doing so, I have been left wondering, what the hell was I thinking the first time around?

I had listened to Midlake’s debut full-length Bamnan and Silvercork a few years back, and, while I liked it, it never really struck me as something fantastic. So when I was seeing Midlake’s latest offering on numerous best of lists, I had to check it out. I did, and I was completely underwhelmed. “This sounds like crappy Fleetwood Mac!” has turned into “This sounds like an amazing Fleetwood Mac song!”. I don’t know what it was, but on the second chance, this album struck me, and it struck me real good.

From the riveting opener “Roscoe”, you can immediately recognize the 70’s Fleetwood Mac / Bread influences, but if you just listen to the song the entire way through (allowing yourself to experience the brilliant build up the song contains), you will be rewarded. And although your reward may not come in dollar bills or gold bars, it does come in rich vocal harmonies, sung by one of the prettiest, most soothing voices indie rock has heard in a long time. The following song, “Bandits”, has a seriously perfect guitar solo at the 1:45 mark, and I could go on and on. Just please, take my word for it, and take a listen to the songs I have posted below. These songs are some of the best I have heard in a long time. And I am still getting over that.

So thank you Midlake, for teaching me I should be more forgiving to albums I initially dislike. However, I am not sure I’m going to put my lesson learned to good use with the new Modest Mouse album. That, my friends, is a piece of crap. I hate to say it, too.

There are a lot of bands who fuse electronic music with pop sensibilities, and I will admit, I like a lot of it. I’m a downright sucker for little blips and beeps hiding behind cutesy melodies. However, there are plenty of failed attempts, and it can be hard to trust bands who make that kind of music anymore. At least I thought that was true, until I discovered the projects of Ben Cooper.

Electric President is Ben Cooper and Alex Kane. Their songs are a perfect mix of human and computer, always straddling that line throughout every song on their full-length debut, which is self-titled. Morr Music released the album over a year ago, on January 24, 2006, and I am sad to say it has taken me this long to hear about them. Apparently, their song “Insomnia” was featured on the O.C., which probably would have made me doubt their legitamacy (shallow, I know - so are my friends) and avoid them completely, but luckily I listened to the album before discovering that. The video for “Insomnia” is really nice. It was made by Radical Friend, which is pretty fitting…considering Ben’s solo project is called Radical Face.

Radical Face is kind of similar to Electric President, but with a lot less of the computer / human interaction. Morr Music is also putting out the forthcoming album Ghost, which is due sometime in 2007. The album features acoustic guitar, piano, percussion, and presumably anything else Ben can get his hands on. Oh, and Ben’s trademarked hushed vocals. There is something very endearing about this album, it sounds like I know him, or it is being played for me personally, in my basement, or in a shed. There are a lot of standouts, particularly the second track “Welcome Home, Son”, and the track I posted below, “Wrapped in Piano Strings”, which features a beautifully layered, unforgettable chorus.

Ben Cooper is some kind of futuristic pop genius. He knows how to mix electronic music and pop music as well as anyone else I’ve heard. It doesn’t hurt that he is on Morr Music, which has consistently put out beautiful, electronic-pop music like B. Fleischmann and Styrofoam. It’s a shame he doesn’t tour often, but if he is spending his free time making more music like this, it’s probably for our benefit.

A little before Christmas, I was lucky enough to come across a band called The Eames Era. They are from Baton Rouge, LA, and play an unexpected brand of indie pop. At least, I wouldn’t expect them to be from the south, so good for them for proving me wrong / sheltered.

I listened to their forthcoming album Heroes and Sheroes endlessly after discovering it, and it was my antidote to the cold of the north. It was the soundtrack for the 10 hour drive between Kansas and Wisconsin, I listened to it over and over. There are so many good songs on the album, it was hard to pick which to post on this site, which makes it very worthy of your purchases. I can’t recommend it enough. Also, on their site they posted a couple of very funny videos you should also check out.

So after experiencing the greatness that is Sufjan’s Christmas Box Set, I have set out to find more great Christmas music. I would really like to be able to listen to music on shuffle around Christmas time, and have there be very little repetition artist-wise, but I don’t really see that happening. However, in searching for things, I have come across something truly brilliant.

John Fahey is someone I already should have known about. He is an acoustic guitar genius, pioneer, and he is responsible for (re)discovering a lot of great delta blues musicians. I had never taken the time to listen to his music, and prior to today, knew very little about him. I found that he made a Christmas album back in 1968 called New Possibility, and I got a copy of it this morning. It is seriously gorgeous acoustic versions of old Christmas standards, as well as a few originals he wrote. You really should investigate this album if you are looking for some very relaxing and, dare I say, revolutionary Christmas music. I could listen to this any time of year, and that is what I am looking for. Now, I just have to find more of his music, because I am willing to bet that it is equally as impressive. He died in 2001, but his music really will live on forever. It is timeless. I am sharing with you his version of Joy to the World, so you can compare it to Sufjan Stevens’ version. They are both great.