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As part of Myspace's "Hey Play This..." series (which I'm only just now hearing about because I totally dig the Metric), Metric will play a live show on Myspace this coming Thursday, October 4th at 9pm ET/8pm CT.
The show will follow an all-request format, and requests will be taken via MyspaceIM before and during the show. So bust out the T1 internet connection, hook up the computer to the surround sound and prepare to be wowed by the limitations of streaming video.
That is all.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Metric Plays Live on Myspace!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Go News Go! - The Weekly News Recap
Drinkin' water from a cup.
- All types of Viva Voce goodness.
- *gasp* Kevin Barnes is a Bookeater!
- Apostle of Hustle + Do Make Say Think Tour Dates
- Midlake + Maria Taylor + Conor Oberst + Har Mar Superstar?
- Of Montreal releases an acoustic EP and an album not worth listening to (trust me)
- Spoon cancels shows for SNL. Wait, SNL is still on?
- PAY ATTENTION!
- ACL TV Dates
- Honestly, who doesn't want to see Emily Haines writhe on the floor?
- Ugh, let's hope not!
I added two new shows to Show Watch: Houston. Caribou and Smashing Pumpkins. Woo!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Top 10 Indie Songs Under 2 Minutes: Songs 10-6
In today's fast-paced world, it's hard to devote a lot of time to good music. Sometimes I turn on my iPod but only have about 2 minutes to listen to music before I'm off to do some meaningless task or job. Sure, that may be an entire fabrication for the sake of this list, but it could happen. It's in times like this where you need a short burst of music to make you feel good, to lift your spirits, or to calm you down. That's where I come in. This week I'll kick off my Top 10 Indie Songs Under 2 Minutes list with songs 10-6. Tune in next Friday for the Top 5. Enjoy!
#10: The Boy Least Likely To - "Warm Panda Cola" - Let's say you're so busy that you can't even spare one whole minute to listen to great music. In this case, I recommend quitting your job or putting your children up for adoption. However, in case those two things don't appeal to you, you can always listen to "Warm Panda Cola" by The Boy Least Likely To. It clocks in at just under 1 minute but still manages to pack in guitars, sugary-sweet vocals, and even a harmonica! Hearing the boys sing "Warm panda cola butter melting in the sun..." has to make you smile. It's entirely whimsical and heartwarming, and sometimes that's all you really need.
#9: Of Montreal - "Go Call You Mine" - Whereas "Warm Panda Cola" only features a handful of instruments, "Go Call You Mine" from Of Montreal's 2001 album Coquelicot Asleep In the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse features, oh, every single instrument imaginable! Well, maybe not really, but there are at least a dozen. The song features a minute-thirty long introduction with a different instrument coming in every measure. By the time Kevin Barnes sings, you will have heard so many instruments that your head might explode. Literally. No, seriously. As for the lyrics, they're incredibly endearing ("Something compels me to say, 'How often are you this way?' If you're this charming all the time I'll be forced to tell you 'Darling, here's a dime, go call you mine.'" That's it. Short and sweet.) A lot of Of Montreal fans have yet to go back and hear this song or this album. Do yourself a favor and check it out. It is brilliant!
#8: Field Music - "Kingston" - With all the upbeat pop greatness going down on Field Music's 2007 album, Tones of Town, you may have overlooked a great song like "Kingston." It is not as instantly appealing as the rest of the album's tracks, but it is awesome in and of itself. The song's lush instrumentation and smooth vocals are exceptionally well executed, and the melody itself is captivating. It's brevity is part of it's strength too. Blowing in and away like a cool breeze, it leaves you wanting to experience it again and again. Maybe not the first time you hear it, but definitely later on.
#7: Tegan and Sara - "Hop a Plane" - A lot of people may not have liked this song. Truth be told, it's 2001-esque pop-punk execution might have turned a lot of people off. Personally, I found it to be my favorite track from The Con simply due to it's resemblance to Tegan and Sara's breakout album So Jealous. The song is quick and to the point, but features a wonderful vocal performance from the Quin sisters as well as some jam up drumming and bass guitaring. The guitar may be a bit too reminiscent of crappy punk music, but overall, the song works. So well, in fact, that it made it to #7 on some random list on some crappy blog. How cool is that?
#6: The Unicorns - "The Clap" - Quick! Name the #1 most heartbreaking band break up of the last decade (oh dang...new list idea)! If you named any other band besides The Unicorns, you're wrong. The band may have only been around for one album, but they left a notable mark on the lo-fi indie rock scene; one that won't be covered easily. "The Clap" is arguably the most rockin' song on the entire album too, with intense guitars and vocals that are all over the place. If you're feeling that mid-afternoon slump and you need a pick-me-up, put on this song and you'll be air-guitaring in no time! And who doesn't love air guitaring? Lucifer, the dark lord. That's who!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio Earphones Review
"It's like hearing your music for the first time." That's the hook that the folks over at Ultimate Ears want you to bite. That's what they want you to believe, and in reality, it may be true for you. But for a person whose had these $129.99 in-ear studio monitors for just a few hours, I can safely say that if this is how music sounded the first time I heard it, I'm not sure I would've ever become a fan of it.
That's not to say that the Super.fi 3 is a bad set of earphones. They aren't. Not really. These small little earphones pack a powerful punch, and exhibit such clarity that you may think for a second that you really are hearing all your music for the first time. But give it about 15-20 seconds, just enough time for that tight in-ear fit to come loose, and you'll find yourself listening to your music through what sounds like the earphones of that annoying person sitting next to you on an airplane. The sound is tinny, undramatic, and just flat-out bad.
Of course, this may just be for me. Each package of Super.fi 3 Earphones comes complete with 5 distinct sets of tips so that getting the right fit may just be a matter of switching tips. For me though, I've found that the only tip that I have any luck with is the large tip. Of course, like I said, this only lasts for a few seconds at most. I've gone to the Ultimate Ears website where they have a video detailing how to properly insert the earphones, simply insert and twist (or "Rock and Roll"). You know you have the right fit when you feel a slight bit of suction, as this is how the earphones stay in place. For a few fleeting moments, the sound quality you get is great and rivals that of over-the-ear studio monitors. Then the seal breaks, and your quality is lost. The user manual recommends wetting the tip of the earphones before insertion, but there is still no difference in performance.
Many people may find the Super.fi 3s to be to their liking. After all, it's really just a matter of finding the right fit, and if you do, you'll be in for a real treat. But for those of us whose ears are just unfit for this product, the Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio Earphones are just a waste of a significant amount of money (for earphones, at least). At their current price, the Super.fi 3s are just too much of a gamble for people who may fall into the same category as I do. For studio purposes, I find that my competitively-priced over-the-ear monitors work much better and offer a significantly richer sound. It's almost like hearing my music for the first time, but not really. That's all marketing nonsense.
4 out of 10 Stars
800x600 Displays Get PWND!
If you're reading this entry, then you're undoubtedly aware of the most drastic change I've yet to make to Audio Overflow.
Today, I upgraded the site to a 3-column design. This allows more information to be displayed on your screen at one time and keeping everything of importance relatively close to the top of the page. Before you used to have to scroll down for what seemed like hours to read the ratings guide or what I'm listening to. Now it will only take seconds!
I know it looks cluttered and all right now, but give it some time and I'm sure you'll find it to your liking.
Unfortunately, those of you whose monitors are set at a Screen Resolution of 800x600, you'll have to do some side-scrolling to see all the great things on the right side of the page. However, of all the thousands of people who have visited this site since June 1, 2007, only 298 of them have a set resolution of 800x600 or lower.
That is all. Enjoy your day, and please leave any feedback about the new layout that you wish.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Video of the Week - Week 38
Del the Funkee Homosapien - "If You Must" from the album Both Sides of the Brain.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
9/24/07: The Flaming Lips - San Antonio, TX
I woke up at around 8:30 am yesterday, excited about what was coming later that night. I was going to see The Flaming Lips for the very first time! I picked up a friend at 12:30 pm and we hit the road to San Antonio, a four-hour trip when you add in the mandatory stops at DQ and Buccees. We arrived at the venue, The Lonestar Pavillion @ Sunset Station, at around 4:45 pm and were pleased to see that we were 4th or 5th in line. The gates opened at 7 pm.
But 7 pm was not the joyous time that it should've been. To our surprise, the show was limited to those of us who were 18 and over. I bought my tickets at Ticketmaster and never once saw anything that would suggest an 18+ show. Of course, my friend and I are both over 18, but he forgot to bring along his Texas State Driver's Licence, and the security refused to let him in. But I was determined to see The Flaming Lips live, even if it meant seeing it by myself! I sadly went into the venue without him and obtained a pretty awesome spot at the very front, leaning against the guard rail. Sweet.
The opening band for the night was The Birds of Avalon from Raleigh, North Carolina. It's hard to tell if they were talented or not based on my ears alone. The speakers in the pavillion were maxed out all night, and most of what I heard sounded like someone putting their mouth around a $5 computer microphone and screaming at the top of their lungs. It was clear to me, though, that the band did have a suprising amount of talent at playing their instruments. Their two guitar players often had their instruments harmonizing with one another, and the girl guitarist's fingers were ablaze at all times.
The Birds of Avalon do their thing.
Halfway through their set, I feel a firm pinch on my behind. I turned around to find that it was not a beautiful naked woman, as it usually is, but my friend who was able to coerce a security guard to let him into the venue. No word yet on what, if any, sexual favors were performed in exchange for this deed.
There was about 30 minutes of downtime in between the sets. To my surprise, The Flaming Lips were on stage helping set up, waving to the fans and the like. It's the first time I've ever seen a group come out on stage before their set, and it was kind of cool to see. A few minutes later, the lights go dim and a group of Santa Clauses and Alien Space Nymphs walked on stage with flood lights and an excitement that was impenetrable. These two distinct groups were made up of a few lucky fans. They remained on stage for the entire show.
Santa Clauses
Alien Space Nymphs
Wayne entered the stage with his giant hands as per usual, and from there, the next few minutes were a big yellow mess. Confetti, giant ballons, Wayne shooting smoke at the audience, it was awesome!
It never really calmed down either. The band played "Free Radicals" and insisted that the audience scream "Fanatical, FUCK!" at the appropriate time. It was one of the more humorous moments of the show and Wayne was definitely getting a kick out of it. He also has a bad, but humorous habit of referring to the audience as "motherfuckers" and it was pretty funny to see him shooting us with smoke while clearly mouthing "Come on motherfuckas!"
The band was kind enough to play their more notable songs, including, "A Vein of Stars," "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song," "The W.A.N.D.," "Fight Test," "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1," "Do You Realize," and "She Don't Use Jelly." On the "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" Wayne made sure that we had a good time with it, forcing us to shout out "yeahs" when it was appropriate, and ensuring that it was loud enough to piss off the residents of a nearby hotel. "The W.A.N.D." came complete with at least a dozen giant strobe lights, one of which was strapped around Wayne's neck. By the end of the song, I felt like my eyes were going to fall out of my head. Unfortunately, the band played "Yoshimi" very softly and ballad-like. No drums, no cool synths, or anything like that. It still sounded okay, but it gave one of the Alien Space Nymphs the chance to dance like a total ho-skank. And it definitely didn't help that she was the most unattractive of the bunch. Ugh.
The band ended the show proper with "Do You Realize?" before coming back out with a one-song encore, "She Don't Use Jelly." It was definitely nice not to see a band play a 4-6 song encore, because usually by that time I'm just ready to leave.
Overall, the show was amazing! Aside from the issue of the sound being way too loud and Wayne sounding like he did on pre-1998 Flaming Lips albums, the show was an absolute blast! I had to drive home afterwards and didn't get home until 3am, but it was all totally worth it.
For a ton of extra pictures, visit my Photobucket album.
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