Posts
The New Pornographers - "Challengers" from the album Challengers.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Various Artists: "Aluminum Plums: A 10th Anniversary Tribute to Of Montreal"
It was pretty much destined for mediocrity to begin with. A post on June 18th, 2008 on the Of Montreal Fan Site, The Booty Patrol, invited any and everyone to cover an Of Montreal song to celebrate the band's 10th Anniversary. This isn't exactly stereogum's O.K. Computer tribute we're talking about here. No, what Aluminum Plums is is just a fun way for fans of the band to pay tribute to Of Montreal by trying their best to recreate songs from the band's expansive collection. The end result is expectedly amateur (with sparks of genius and talent here and there) and will probably only appeal to those who were involved in the process. Huge Of Montreal fans, like myself will most likely find very little to enjoy about Aluminum Plums.
I suppose that the largest problem with Aluminum Plums is the fact that it's not to be taken as a serious recreation or reimagination of Of Montreal's music, but just a casual love note to the band from their fans. Any expectations of greatness should be immediately thrown out of the window, because the album features only a few artists that I've actually heard of before and a large part of Aluminum Plums is performed by people who have no business making music. Jeff Maksym's abysmal cover of "Dustin Hoffman Offers Lame Explanation for Missing Bathtub" turns the already somewhat unimpressive song into an unimaginable mess of distorted guitars, vocals, and drums. I would be lying if I said that any moment of this song was worth listening to, and I can't even tell that I'm listening to an Of Montreal song, even when I have the title right in front of me. A Candlelight Vigil's version of "She's A Rejector" is a little better, as it actually sounds like...well...music, but the vocalist sounds like he's trying too hard to sound like Kevin Barnes. The music itself is a straight-up cover of the Hissing Fauna... song too, with barely anything to suggest that the band actually tried to put their own mark on the song aside from some frantic guitar soloing towards the end. It just ends up sounding like a bad Of Montreal cover, which it is.
But the badness doesn't really stop there. Aisle Six's cover of "Vegan in Furs" is "sung" by a person who really doesn't need to even own a microphone, much less sing into it. "Alvin and the Chipmunks" make an appearance on the song's coda, which is to say that his terrible vocals are pitch-shifted to sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks when in fact it's just a really awful vocalist trying to disguise the fact that he's terrible. Even Elekibass, who I adore, can't really pick things up, as their cover of "Springtime is the Season" is less than charming. I do, however, give them props for trying to put their own unique Elekibass-stylings on the simple, synth-driven sing-a-long.
Finally, we get a decent cover eight songs in with Sorry Stories' cover of "Autobiographical Grandpa," which is not only faithfully covered but well-recorded. The vocalist isn't the greatest, but he sings better than anyone else on the album thus far. And what the hell is up with Lesbian Afternoon's "Disconnect the Dots," which is in no way a cover of the opener to Satanic Panic in the Attic? I'm pretty sure renaming your original music to "Disconnect the Dots" and replacing your chorus with the song's lyrics doesn't count as a tribute, but as exploitation. Let's hope no one notices. The next song is Alex Madore's cover of one of my favorite Of Montreal songs, "Jennifer Louise." And while he may totally kill the energy and happiness of the original, his slow, mildly depressing version is still pretty decent. It's well sung and well performed, so even though he changed the feel of the song, you can't complain too much, especially when it's surrounded by such nonsense.
And this leads me to the most gut-wrenching cover of them all, Emily Pike's "City Bird." It's not that she can't sing, or that the music is bad. Neither of those statements are true. The problem with the song is that Emily takes Kevin's soft, reflective ballad and turns into a Kelly Clarkson power ballad without changing the backing music. So what we end up with is a copy of the original song, but instead of Kevin crooning softly, we get a wannabe American Idol belting out "City bird, haven't you heard? Hasn't anybody told you?" at the top of her lungs. Way to miss the point.
The Terrified Terrifics' "Du Og Meg" does a pretty decent job of capturing the charm of the original without resorting to a flat out copy of the song. I suppose the best way to describe it is "cute," which is something the original was far from. The next song, "Kevin, I Wish You Were Born In Brazil" is a hilarious reimagining of "Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl" with the singer wishing that he and Kevin could play Sega Genesis and other far-fetched, yet humorous activities. Indie Blockedappella do an amazing job of recreating "Will You Come and Fetch Me" in full-on a capella. If you needed a reason to download Aluminum Plums, this is probably the best reason to do so.
J&H's bedroom rendition of "Requiem for O.M.M. 2" is enjoyable in that it's just so lame that it's good. The only thing I can think of when listening to it is a bunch of kids gathered around an acoustic guitar and recording the whole thing in one take. It's not good, but it is amusing. Dena Zilber's cover of "Good Morning, Mr. Edmonton" goes for the same effect, but fails miserably. Skip it. In fact, just go ahead and skip the next 4 tracks too, right to Low Digital's cover of "Suffer for Fashion." It's far from the best track on the album, but considering the garbage that it follows, it stands out as something at leas halfway decent. There is good synth work here, which almost makes up for the horrible vocals that flood the song. "Suffer for Fashion" is such a vocally-driven song, but the band seemed to forget that when recording this version. Prash's "Chrissy Kiss the Corpse" is another one of those "so bad it's amusing" songs, sounding a lot like Atom and his Package, but without talent.
And finally, at song 25, Aluminum Plums comes to a close with Casper & The Cookies' version of "Penelope," which is undoubtedly the best cover on the album, and one of just a few that deserve to exist. Of course, this isn't such a surprise, as Casper & The Cookies are actually an established band. They do an amazing job with this song, utilizing every trick at their disposal to make the song sound great! The traverse a bunch of music genres in the process, including electro funk, marching band arrangements, a capella, punk, and even a crazy, but awesome bluegrass hoe-down. Musically, it's a much better song than the original, though I still have a soft spot for Of Montreal's version.
Aluminum Plums is free, so you should download it if you're a fan of Of Montreal. Just be prepared to delete 20 of the 25 songs found on this collection. The biggest problem with Aluminum Plums is the lack of decent quality control. If these are the ones that made it, I can't even imagine what the rejects sounded like (assuming there were any). But then again, the point of the album is not to wow us (and I'm sure it was never meant for a serious review), but to be a fun project for fans. I sure hope they had a better time making it than I had listening to it, because Aluminum Plums is about as enjoyable as eating an aluminum plum would be. See what I did there? Oh, I'm such a clever guy!
Key Tracks:
1. Sorry Stories - "Autobiographical Grandpa"
2. Alex Madore - "Jennifer Louise"
3. Terrified Terrifics - "Du Og Meg"
4. Indie Blockedapella - "Will You Come and Fetch Me"
5. Casper & the Cookies - "Penelope"
4 out of 10 Stars
Download Aluminum Plums Here
Download my cover of "Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl" Here
Download Aluminum Plums Here
Download my cover of "Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl" Here
Monday, November 05, 2007
myspace band monday: Thomas Dybdahl
I guess I'll have to take the advice of a friend and go ahead and start calling this feature myspace music monday. I have yet to feature an actual "band" yet, and this week is no difference. Say hello to Thomas Dybdahl!
Thomas Dybdahl
Looks can be deceiving. Despite the fact that Thomas Dybdahl's myspace page only has about 2,600 hits, and even though he only has 24 friends....wait, I thought it was weird that an established artist would have so little friends, songs, and a crappy myspace profile that was decorated by one of those myspace profile editors. Crap!
What just happened is that while typing that sentence, I did a myspace search for Thomas Dybdahl and found that he has a real myspace page with 124,000 hits. That makes more sense. And while this is usually too high-profile for myspace band monday, I've already dedicated this post to Thomas Dybdahl, and I think you may actually like him. So here it goes...
Music
If Bonnie "Prince" Billy were on a major record label, he may sound a lot like this. Despite being from Norway, Thomas' music has a pretty distinct country flare to it at times. This is never more notable than it is on "Be A Part," the first song featured on his myspace page. Thomas's voice is pretty decent here, often singing barely above a whisper over female backup vocals and lap steels. He goes in and out of a soulful croon throughout the song, while still barely being heard and it sounds fairly cool. It makes the song that much more chill and relaxing. It's a good listen, and I can't help but think that fans of John Mayer would find something to enjoy here.
On "Always" Thomas' voice is so low it sounds almost inhuman, like it's pitch-shifted down an octave or two. Hell, I'm not entirely convinced that it isn't. He softly sings, "I had to fend for myself cause no one else was gonna help," under sweeping strings and unobtrusive drums and guitars. In fact, I think one of the best ways to describe Thomas' music is "unobtrusive." It's all very soothing and faint, like it barely exists. I really do dig it. This song and the one that precedes it are both featured on Dybdahl's first major record release, Science.
"A Love Story" comes from another Dybdahl album, One Day You'll Dance for Me, New York City (Maybe that day is today, as he's playing in NYC tonight). Again, this song is very relaxing, and Thomas' vocals are still kind of mesmerizing. His lyrics here are pretty awesome too. He sings, "when life was once too short for all the things we`d do and the shots we`d call / and endless summer without a fall / when promises were meant to keep and nighttime wasn`t meant for sleep / a love story at it`s peak" and I get a pretty clear picture of what he's talking about. It's my second favorite song on his myspace page.
My first favorite is "From Grace," the first song I heard from his fake myspace page. If you can, listen to this song first, and maybe you'll understand why I decided to do this week's mbm on him. This is Thomas pre-major record label, and it has a much more indie sound to it. He finally comes out of his shell too, often singing falsetto over his own backup harmonies and never regressing into the low, barely audible whispers that has categorized his music up to this point. I really do like this song, and I think that you should stop reading right now and go check it out. It is beautiful.
Verdict
I dig it. It's clear to me that his older stuff might appeal to me more, so I can't fully recommend going out and buying Science. Just from what I've heard. I can say, however, that Thomas Dybdahl is a really talented guy who fully deserves to be signed to a major record label like Universal (unlike so many other artists). If you're a fan of Bonnie "Prince" Billy, John Mayer, or Jose Gonzalez, then I recommend that you check this guy out. I've provided some links and a video below that should help you on your journey. Enjoy!
Links
Thomas Dybdahl's myspace Page
The Official Site
Buy Science on Amazon.com
What just happened is that while typing that sentence, I did a myspace search for Thomas Dybdahl and found that he has a real myspace page with 124,000 hits. That makes more sense. And while this is usually too high-profile for myspace band monday, I've already dedicated this post to Thomas Dybdahl, and I think you may actually like him. So here it goes...
MusicIf Bonnie "Prince" Billy were on a major record label, he may sound a lot like this. Despite being from Norway, Thomas' music has a pretty distinct country flare to it at times. This is never more notable than it is on "Be A Part," the first song featured on his myspace page. Thomas's voice is pretty decent here, often singing barely above a whisper over female backup vocals and lap steels. He goes in and out of a soulful croon throughout the song, while still barely being heard and it sounds fairly cool. It makes the song that much more chill and relaxing. It's a good listen, and I can't help but think that fans of John Mayer would find something to enjoy here.
On "Always" Thomas' voice is so low it sounds almost inhuman, like it's pitch-shifted down an octave or two. Hell, I'm not entirely convinced that it isn't. He softly sings, "I had to fend for myself cause no one else was gonna help," under sweeping strings and unobtrusive drums and guitars. In fact, I think one of the best ways to describe Thomas' music is "unobtrusive." It's all very soothing and faint, like it barely exists. I really do dig it. This song and the one that precedes it are both featured on Dybdahl's first major record release, Science.
"A Love Story" comes from another Dybdahl album, One Day You'll Dance for Me, New York City (Maybe that day is today, as he's playing in NYC tonight). Again, this song is very relaxing, and Thomas' vocals are still kind of mesmerizing. His lyrics here are pretty awesome too. He sings, "when life was once too short for all the things we`d do and the shots we`d call / and endless summer without a fall / when promises were meant to keep and nighttime wasn`t meant for sleep / a love story at it`s peak" and I get a pretty clear picture of what he's talking about. It's my second favorite song on his myspace page.
My first favorite is "From Grace," the first song I heard from his fake myspace page. If you can, listen to this song first, and maybe you'll understand why I decided to do this week's mbm on him. This is Thomas pre-major record label, and it has a much more indie sound to it. He finally comes out of his shell too, often singing falsetto over his own backup harmonies and never regressing into the low, barely audible whispers that has categorized his music up to this point. I really do like this song, and I think that you should stop reading right now and go check it out. It is beautiful.
VerdictI dig it. It's clear to me that his older stuff might appeal to me more, so I can't fully recommend going out and buying Science. Just from what I've heard. I can say, however, that Thomas Dybdahl is a really talented guy who fully deserves to be signed to a major record label like Universal (unlike so many other artists). If you're a fan of Bonnie "Prince" Billy, John Mayer, or Jose Gonzalez, then I recommend that you check this guy out. I've provided some links and a video below that should help you on your journey. Enjoy!
Links
Thomas Dybdahl's myspace Page
The Official Site
Buy Science on Amazon.com
"Dice" by Thomas Dybdahl, from the album Science.
Do you have a band in mind for myspace band monday? Send us a tip at audiooverflow@gmail.com or by leaving a comment in this post. See you next week!
All Thomas Dybdahl photos provided via myspace.com.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Go News Go! - The Weekly News Recap
Hey kids! Please to enjoy the news!
- Download the new Of Montreal tribute album, Aluminum Plums, for FREE!!!
- Everything you could want to know about Sufjan's BQE Extravaganza!
- Sorry, Jeff :(
- The Decemberists
die in fiery automobile accidentcancel shows. - No seriously, how douchy do those guys in the front row look?
- That nursing home needs a curfew.
- The Shins cover Magnetic Fields....really?
- Radiohead sign deal to distribute In Rainbows everywhere but N. America.
- Stars head to Britain in 2008.
- A whole lot of Iron & Wine dates.
- Dear Pitchfork, no one cares!
- Get that subwoofer warmed up...
- Just one more reason to hold off on Rock Band.
Like are we now only spitting eggs.
Friday, November 02, 2007
The Top 5 Live Acts I've Ever Seen!
For the most part, there are a lot of awesome artists that I need to see live; Radiohead, The Decemberists, Joanna Newsom, Bright Eyes, you know, stuff like that. That's the biggest problem with living in Houston (aside from, say, the traffic), even though it's the 4th largest city in the nation, it's a crap music city! As such, a lot of the better indie acts avoid it like the plague. It's not all doom and gloom though. I can still get out there and see a show and enjoy myself, and then go on to make a list based on my experience. That's why I'm bringing this list to you today. Please enjoy the Top 5 Live Acts I've Ever Seen!
#5: The Shins - Generally speaking, The Shins aren't the most entertaining bands to watch. They don't writhe on the floor in extended rock-out sessions or wear funny costumes, nor do they have zany homade instruments and confetti cannons. What makes them such a great live act is the fact that they sound almost exactly like they do on their albums, if not better! Everything you could ever hope for in a Shins show is pretty much given to you without question. Let's face it, when you go to a Shins show, you don't want a bunch of distractions. You just want to jam to their music and have it be perfect. And it is! That's why they made it to #5 on my list. Read a review of my Shins show experience here.#4: Of Montreal - I've seen Of Montreal twice already, and if I didn't have to work tonight I'd be seeing them again (they're playing in Houston again). What makes Of Montreal such a great live band really lies in trial and error I would assume. The band spends probably about 85% of any given year on the road, bringing their indie pop masterpieces to the fans. So you'd have to think that the reason they're so good live is because they do it enough to to know what works and what doesn't. One thing is for sure, Kevin Barnes and Co. know how to get the crowd pumped. Sometimes that means just playing really well, other times that means performing in the nude. Of Montreal will do whatever it takes to get you moving and enjoying their songs, including selling their song to Outback Steakhouse. That kind of devotion to the fans really comes through in a live setting. Read a review of one of my Of Montreal show experiences here.
#3: The New Pornographers - I've been thinking about doing this list for awhile, but I had to wait until today to do it. The reason for that is because I just saw The New Pornographers last night for the first time, and I had a pretty good idea that this list would be incomplete without them. Turns out I was right! The New Pornographers put on one of the most flawless shows I've ever seen last night, complete with driving energy, flawless harmonies, and even a few surprising moments courtesy of Dan Bejar. I have a pretty good feeling that I may have been the only person at the show last night that would put them so high up on my list, but my expecations for the band were huge and they delivered well above what I expected. The band didn't spend a lot of time mingling with the crowd, but they didn't have a lot of time to. They used what time they had wisely, playing their strongest songs from their best albums. It was awesome and I'll definitely be in the front row they next time they swing by. Read a review of my New Pornographers show experience here.
#2: Sufjan Stevens - When it comes to delivering a flawless musical experience in a live setting, no one I've seen has done it better than Sufjan Stevens. When he came to Dallas last year, he brought along a mini orchestra and his usual pack of noisemakers to deliver one of the most awe-inspiring nights of my life! Every note he played on piano, banjo, or guitar was perfect and his voice was just as flawless! He seems a bit awkward on stage, like he doesn't know why he's there but he's going with the flow anyways. Of course, when you're wearing plastic eagle wings on your back, that might just be an expected side-effect. Add in the fact that Shara Worden was there lending a helping hand and just being adorable, and you have an amazing show! I've already said that the next time he comes around that I'm scooping up tickets for everyone I know, but I may take it a step further and buy them for complete strangers as well. It's that important. Read a poorly-written review of my Sufjan show experience here.
#1: The Flaming Lips - At this point, I'm not entirely sure that anything short of a Radiohead concert could top my experience seeing The Flaming Lips just over a month ago. Wayne Coyne can't really carry a tune all that well, but for every missed, cracked note that came from his mouth there were about 30 giant balloons and 800 pounds of confetti. The Lips sure know how to put on a show! From the first note they played to the time they walked off the stage, I was never bored, I never even wanted to leave (a rare thing for me). Every moment, every second was exciting and enthralling. The band really knows how to connect to their fans too, as Wayne would stop and just talk to us for a few minutes in between songs or lead us in explicative cheers! It was the absolute best show I've ever seen, without question. Make it a point to see them if you have the chance. There's no way you'll regret it! Read about my Flaming Lips show experience here.
11/1/07: The New Pornograhers and Spoon - Houston, TX
Technically, Spoon was the headliner last night. They played last, played more songs than any of the other acts, and even did an encore. But if you ask me, The New Pornographers stole the show last night. Of course, if you were to ask me who I showed up to see, I wouldn't tell you I was there to see Spoon. Hell, I don't even like Spoon that much. But November 1, 2007 was a great night even if The New Pornographers weren't the headliners.
The evening began with the real opening act, Emma Pollock. This Scottish singer used to front the band Delgados, but she has since become a rather decent solo artist. This was my first time hearing her material, and I have to admit that I was very impressed with what I heard. She has a thick Scottish accent when in conversation, but it doesn't come through at all when she's singing (and her voice is just great!). Her new album is entitled Watch the Fireworks, and is available now. Last night was also her first encounter with Shiner Bock, and in her words, "It gets a thumbs up from me and the guy in the front row." Good for her!
After about 25 minutes of waiting, The New Pornographers hit the stage (yay!). They opened with "All of the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth," a perfect selection. The band played with such energy, that it was absolutely impossible to not get into it. Carl Newman and Neko Case sounded absolutely perfect together, and Katheryn Caler held her own with equally impressive vocals.
I was surprised to see every member of the band there, since the word on the street is that they don't often all tour together. Dan Bejar even made an appearance, though he only came on stage for the songs in which he lends his vocals ("Myriad Harbor," "Jackie Dressed In Cobras," and "Spirit of Giving"). On that note, I was really surprised to find that the song that moved me the most was not "Challengers" but "Spirit of Giving." Say what you want about Bejar's voice and style, but he totally nailed the song, and hearing Neko, Carl, and Katheryn singing harmony to Bejar's voice was absolutely breathtaking! All but two of the band's songs were from Twin Cinema or Challengers, and I wouldn't have it any other way!
And then I was ready to go. But alas, I was right against the stage and there was a sea of people behind me. Plus, I kinda wanted to hear a few of the better Spoon songs. So I stuck it out. I'm proud of me.
The band played with a lot of energy and Britt Daniel's voice is just as perfect as it is on the band's albums. The band was kind enough to set up a keyboard directly in front of me, really obstructing my view and ruining my chances of getting some decent pictures. My favorite song of the night was "Don't Make Me a Target," as the band just completely let loose. At one point Britt was screaming into the mic, "No don't make me a target!" and I was just blown away by how effective it was.
The show was not without it's share of surprises, however. "The Ghost of You Lingers" was surprisingly cool despite the fact that it's a terrible song in a non-live setting. All of the cool effects that are all over the song sounded 5x as cool live. At one point, a thumping, vibrating bass crescendoed and shook the entire building. It was awesome. Also awesome and unexpected was Dan Bejar joining the band to sing one of his songs. Britt requested that someone put a video of it on YouTube so that he could watch it today, but I haven't found it yet. Keep an eye out for it though, because it was a sweet surprise.
Overall, it was a fantastic night. Emma Pollock was terrific, The New Pornographers were everything I would hope they would be, and Spoon was surprisingly entertaining for most of their set. If you happen to be in the Dallas area tonight, you better have tickets, as it's the only other time these two huge bands will be together (possibly ev0rz!). For more pictures from this show (I believe I have around 80). Check back a little later and I'll post a link to where you can get some full sized pictures. Peace out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)