Posts
The Dears - "Ticket to Immortality" from the album Gang of Losers.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Sunday, January 14, 2007
The Shins on SNL: Thoughts
I've been a fan of The Shins for a good four years now, and in those four years they have never stepped foot in the state of Texas. As least I don't think so. Seeing the band live has been a desire fo mine for some time and it still looks like I'm far off, with the band once again snubbing Texas on their upcoming tour. So when I heard that the band would be the musical guest on SNL, I tore myself away from the Rockets game and watched. As per usual with SNL, the musical guest performs two songs.
The first song performed by The Shins was "Phantom Limb" their first single off Wincing the Night Away, their upcoming album. The song itself is pretty good, and was a great pick for the opening song on SNL. It's probably their most accessible song to date. However, maybe it was just the shock of seeing The Shins live, but it felt like the band wasn't really the type of group that SNL fans would typically enjoy. Playing on the same stage as Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Nickelback just doesn't feel right. At least to me. But the song was great. Anita from Viva Vocé lent her vocals she made a huge difference in the performance. The song felt a little less full than it does on the album, which is more of a minor annoyance than a complaint. Regardless, it's The Shins, so I didn't really find anything to hate.
The first song performed by The Shins was "Phantom Limb" their first single off Wincing the Night Away, their upcoming album. The song itself is pretty good, and was a great pick for the opening song on SNL. It's probably their most accessible song to date. However, maybe it was just the shock of seeing The Shins live, but it felt like the band wasn't really the type of group that SNL fans would typically enjoy. Playing on the same stage as Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Nickelback just doesn't feel right. At least to me. But the song was great. Anita from Viva Vocé lent her vocals she made a huge difference in the performance. The song felt a little less full than it does on the album, which is more of a minor annoyance than a complaint. Regardless, it's The Shins, so I didn't really find anything to hate.
Viva Vocé - Photo by Alicia J. Rose
Their second song was far superior to their first in almost every way. "New Slang," arguably their most popular song since Natalie Portman's classic endorsement of it in Garden State, was flawless. Anita once again hit the back up vocals on this song and it really gave the song more beauty than it would have had otherwise. The Shins looked and played more confidently during this song than they did on the previous song, no doubt due to the fact that it's several years old. it felt full and complete, whereas "Phantom Limb" felt more like a crowd-pleaser gone awry than anything else. It definitely gave me new respect for the song, as it was never really a favorite before.
Overall, The Shins did a fairly decent job of playing to an audience that, let's face it, would rather hear Top 40 bands than an obscure indie band with a chance gig on Saturday Night Live. They held their own and did what they do. No more, no less. Anita's voice was flawless and I would be disappointed to not see her involved in future projects with the band. For my first time seeing The Shins live, it was not a letdown at all. I just hope they come to Texas soon. I may cry if they don't.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Dntel's Next Album Due In April
Hey Dntel fans (me)! Jimmy T's next Dntel album, Dumb Luck, will be released by SubPop in the Spring. Here's a tracklisting!
01 Dumb LuckYou can expect a review in April or whenever it comes out. Word up!
02 To a Fault [ft. Grizzly Bear]
03 I'd Like to Know [ft. Lali Puna]
04 Roll On [ft. Jenny Lewis]
05 The Distance [ft. Arthur & Yu]
06 Rock My Boat [ft. Mia Doi Todd]
07 Natural Resources [ft. Fog]
08 Breakfast in Bed [ft. Conor Oberst]
09 Dreams [ft. Mystic Chords of Memory]
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Shins to Perform on SNL!
Hey all you fans of The Shins! You read that title right. The Shins will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this Saturday January 13. Jake Gyllenhall will be hosting. That, friends, is what we in the business call a double whammy!
Of course, if you can't catch that performance, there's always The Late Show w/ David Letterman on January 23. FYI, that's the same day their album Wincing the Night Away releases! You don't want to miss these performances, especially since they never ever tour near you!
Friday, January 05, 2007
I Need a Break
Needless to say, the task of writing a 300-500 word entry every day for 31 days can be pretty tough. Especially when it's left up to one person. I got through it though, and I hope all of you who kept up with it got some sort of enjoyment out of it. There were a few surprises there towards the end, like Camera Obscura being the #31 album but having the #2 song, but overall it was pretty straightforward.
So as a result of all this "work," and because there's noting really good to write about yet, I'm going to take a week or so off to regather my thoughts and prepare for a new year of Audio Overflow. Expect me back on January 23rd, when both The Shins and Of Montreal release their new albums! Both reviews will be up that day. I promise.
Until then, be safe and peace out!
--Cale
Monday, January 01, 2007
3rd Annual Cale Awards - Reader's Choice
Best Album
The Decemberists: "The Crane Wife"
Best New Artist
My Brightest Diamond
Best Male Performance
Sufjan Stevens: "The Avalanche"
Best Female Performance
My Brightest Diamond: "Bring Me the Workhorse"
Best Band of '06
The Flaming Lips
Best Hip Hop Album
The Streets: "The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living"
Best Rock Album
Tie!!
Mastodon: "Blood Mountain"
The Killers: "Sam's Town"
Best Indie Album
Mates of State: "Bring It Back"
Best Pop Album
Mates of State: "Bring It Back"
Most Surprising Album
The Flaming Lips: "At War with the Mystics"
Most Disappointing Album
Tool: "10,000 Days"
Most Overrated Album
Tie!!
Evanescence: "The Open Door"
Pearl Jam: "Pearl Jam"
Most Overrated Artist
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best Song
"Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" by The Flaming Lips from the album At War with the Mystics
Worst Album
Paris Hilton: "Paris"
Worst Song
"Turn it Up" by Paris Hilton from the album Paris
Worst New Artist
Paris Hilton
Best Live Show
n/a
The Decemberists: "The Crane Wife"
Best New Artist
My Brightest Diamond
Best Male Performance
Sufjan Stevens: "The Avalanche"
Best Female Performance
My Brightest Diamond: "Bring Me the Workhorse"
Best Band of '06
The Flaming Lips
Best Hip Hop Album
The Streets: "The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living"
Best Rock Album
Tie!!
Mastodon: "Blood Mountain"
The Killers: "Sam's Town"
Best Indie Album
Mates of State: "Bring It Back"
Best Pop Album
Mates of State: "Bring It Back"
Most Surprising Album
The Flaming Lips: "At War with the Mystics"
Most Disappointing Album
Tool: "10,000 Days"
Most Overrated Album
Tie!!
Evanescence: "The Open Door"
Pearl Jam: "Pearl Jam"
Most Overrated Artist
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best Song
"Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" by The Flaming Lips from the album At War with the Mystics
Worst Album
Paris Hilton: "Paris"
Worst Song
"Turn it Up" by Paris Hilton from the album Paris
Worst New Artist
Paris Hilton
Best Live Show
n/a
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)