Passion Pit: The Reeling music video

Tremendous.

Passion Pit - The Reeling from phantomcolor on Vimeo.

Thanks Kevin.

Peaceblaster: The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes

STS9 continues their history of giving with a release to help build homes in New Orleans

Sound Tribe Sector 9 has always been a socially conscious group, collecting canned food donations at every tour stop and registering voters via the Head Count organization. For those who don't know, STS9 (as they like to be called) are an electronic jam band that creates amazing grooves and tight songs that they play slightly differently at each live show.

Here's what inspired the band to act and the result of their dedication, in their own words:

"During a day off the members of STS9 had arranged to help deliver food which they had collected, with the help of their generous fans, at each stop of their tour. The band were welcomed with open arms and even invited in for dinner to one of the many trailers so many called home. There they met families, friends and neighbors all sharing in one unfortunate common denominator. To say the experience was humbling is an under statement. It was life changing. It was with this visit STS9 began to manifest what we are so proud to announce today. An example of people helping people because we can, and quite simply, should. A effort that honors the people of a city so rooted in music, art and celebration and reminds us all there is still hope and determination to complete what we all know needs finishing. The rebuilding of New Orleans.

PEACEBLASTER: THE NEW ORLEANS MAKE IT RIGHT REMIXES is a collection of 30 tracks, all donated by generous artists from across the globe, being released in an effort to build a home in New Orleans which we hope will serve as a permanent reminder of what the combination of art and love can accomplish.

100% of the profits from this release will go towards the Make It Right Foundation. We invite you, starting June 23rd, to help us spread the word as we work together to change a little bit of the world."

The Make it Right Foundation was created by actor Brad Pitt to help build sustainable, green new homes in the Lower 9th Ward, the area of New Orleans hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. Check out the link, it's a great cause.

To support their release STS9 leaked three tracks from the album, which you can sample below. The album features remixes of STS9 songs from their 2008 album Peaceblaster. In addition, they created this very cool ecard. Check out the tunes, and if you like what you hear and want to support a great cause for a great city, buy the album.

Hidden Hand, Hidden Fist (The Flying Skulls feat Abstract Rude Remix).mp3
Metameme (Alex B Concepts Remix).mp3
Shock Doctrine (Welder Remix).mp3

Stew

Tortoise Fail

We havent had many negative posts in the brief history of TSAD, but here comes a good one.

Here's what AllMusic has to say about Tortoise:
Tortoise revolutionized American indie rock in the mid-'90s by playing down tried-and-true punk and rock & roll influences, emphasizing instead the incorporation of a variety of left-field music genres from the past 20 years, including Krautrock, dub, avant-garde jazz, classical minimalism, ambient and space music, film music, and British electronica.

That's super. Because you know what they've been up to for the last 10 years? Making shitty music, that's what.

And this upsets me, not because I dislike them, but because I thought they were better than this. Their self-titled album released in 1994 is incredible, and what got me into their jazzy, slow-beat groove style in the first place. But after the worst concert-going experience of my life last summer, and the literal throwing away of my money when buying their latest cd 'Beacons of Ancestorship,' I think I'm done with these guys.

You know what though, to their credit, they make extremely talented noise. And so much of me wants them to be back at the top of their game. But all I can think about when I listen to them is the Simpson's episode where Lisa goes to hear some artsy electronic violinist and the guy next to her says:

Guy: [Unimpressed] Hmph, sounds like she's hitting a baby with a cat.
Lisa: You have to listen to the notes she's NOT playing.
Guy: [Still unimpressed] Pssh, I can do that at home.

Do better.

RIP Michael Jackson

Pop icon Michael Jackson has died of cardiac arrest. Say what you will about the man, but he did give us this all-time, legendary classic:

I Want You Back - The Jackson ...

And, of course, Thrilla:

Thriller - Michael Jackson

RIP you strange man.

You Know Those Guitars That Are Like, Double Guitars?

OneSideZero's 2001 Masterpiece

Some nostalgia: sitting in mr walsh's first period logic class senior year of high school, a good friend of mine passed me a cd to check out. This is said cd.

Rock is hard to come by these days. And by that I mean true rock. Not alternative rock, not indie rock, not jam rock. Just fuckin rock. The 90's were full of it, bands like soundgarden, alice and chains, and rage.

Here's some more rock. Onesidezero has had a rough go of it. After releasing the album 'Is This Room Getting Smaller?' they were dropped from their label (try to comprehend this AFTER listening to the album). They floundered, breaking up several times, and then releasing a half-hearted second disc in 2007 that's not even worth the sentence I'm mentioning it in now.

That said, 'Is This Room Getting Smaller?' is an incredible record. Onesidezero has three guitarists(!), and they interweave the rhythms and riffs between the three seamlessly. Throw in the fact that they also harmonize vocally, and that (on this disc at least) can write a super dope song, and the album doesnt disappoint (maybe that's why I'm blogging about it 8 years later...).

Here's the whole cd, give all of it a listen. Front to back. Rock rock.

Enjoy.

Instead Laugh.mp3
Holding Cell.mp3
New World Order.mp3
A Point In Time.mp3
Tapwater.mp3
Shed The Skin.mp3
Awake.mp3
The Day We Lied.mp3
Soak.mp3
Eight.mp3
Never Ending.mp3
Underground.mp3

Til Next Time.

A Lyrical Response

Seems fitting after all of yesterday's GoodYear talk.

The People Under The Stairs - The Breakdown
Enjoy.

The Breakdown.mp3

"floating over the city like the goodyear pimp..."

You can't spell Akron without Ro[c]k?...If These Trees Could Talk

If you are from Akron you are undoubtedly, and constantly associated with The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. However, I say that it is time for America to stop craning their collective necks upward in search of that iconic blimp of the past and start paying attention to what is "Above the Earth, Below the Sky"; the latest release from the Ohio post-rockers, If These Trees Could Talk.

Following their self-titled debut, the instrumental 5-piece has expanded upon a sound that starts with a foundation of Tool and Mogwai and then develops into something with a much more kinetic and accessible flow. As with most post-rock acts, dynamic range in the music is apparent, however things never get too "spacey" like Kevin. As their namesake may suggest, these Mid-Westerners bring a "roots-rock" approach and solid foundation to their music, not unlike their Akron-brethren, The Black Keys .

After speaking with bass player Tom Fihe, he had this to say about the band's efforts and future intentions:

"We never really thought things would get to where they are, and they seem to be continually building. We take a lot of pride in what we do. In fact, we do everything ourselves, from artwork to booking to merch. So there is an extra sense of satisfaction in knowing all our hard work is paying off...We want to continue to evolve and grow our stage shows by adding more visually stimulating elements such as lighting and video as well as incorporating live performances from time to time from local artists. We also plan on growing and refining our sound and style as we move forward, all the while remaining distinctively...The Trees."

Trees will be going on tour this summer playing in Kent, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Brooklyn & Boston. Be sure to check out their myspace for dates. www.myspace.com/ifthesetreescouldtalk


Malabar Front.mp3

Signal Tree.mp3

Whats In the Ground Belongs to You.mp3

The Sun Is In the North.mp3

Below the Sky.mp3

I Have No Idea What You're Talking About So Here's a Video of Ricky Skaggs When He Was 7 Years Old

Folks, I just spent a ridiculous 5 nights in Telluride Colorado for the 36th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival. I had ambitions of providing a full review for you all but I am still recovering my ability to create a coherent thought at this point.

I really want to do it justice as well so it may take a while to gather all of my thoughts together. So in the meantime, and in observance of our new format, here is a somewhat related video.

Ovulation Station

some porno music first thing on a monday morning

flying lotus - gumdrop.mp3

Yes.

Happy Fathers Day, Ya Bastards

Stamford, CT--

Happy Fathers Day to all my unknown, illegitimate children.

Today I'm sampling the wildly inconsistent Oakland antics of Andre Nickatina. Andre is a convicted felon and drug trafficker (shock!). He keeps it realer than most. Apparently, keeping it real means that your production is generally substandard and the quality of your recordings follows suit. Keeping it real also means that you're depraved enough to have actually perpetrated some of the outlandish tomfoolery you rap about.

Whoa. Regardless of my assessment of the majority of Mr. Nickatina's music, two songs stand out. To say that both involve cocaine would be a gross understatement. As a non-coke-fiend, I'm intrigued by his visceral and nightmarish depiction of dealing. I'm also amused by his matter-of-fact revelry in both the lifestyle and the occupation.

Oddly enough, the main attraction of these tunes is the production. Ayo is catchy, addictive, and fast paced. Fears of a Coke Lord is downright beautiful. My gal even thought so...until she began to listen to the lyrics.
Ayo for Yayo.mp3
Fears of a Coke Lord.mp3
Anyway, hope you've called your father. Stay off the snow.

Big L Brings Me Back to Ninth Grade

Here's a dose of some hip hop, which I needed myself after only listening to indie rock and folk for the past two months.

I procrastinated at work today, it's a Friday... I got into a discussion about old hip hop with our guys in the mail room (who help make up the very small majority of dudes who actually work at my company), and we went from Blackstar to Eric B and Rakim, Pharaoh Monch to Company Flow, and finally finished on Big L. If you've never heard of him, he's another one of those prodigies who was killed in NYC before he could make it big - which at this point sounds way too casual to say.

Of the many things he's famous for, his song "Ebonics" sticks out by far, along with a freestyle he did on the Stretch and Bobbito show when he said 'ask Beavis I get nothin' Butthead," which still sticks out today. "Ebonics" is basically a quick ebonics to 'proper' English translation via a song - it's just all out original and different, things I don't always find these days in new hip hop.

Check out "Ebonics" below - the video is a bit cheesy.



And here's the famous freestyle, fast forward to 1:40 if you'd like

Phish Tour 2009

The summer of jam band love continues with a guest post from Marcus Gebauer

We're all familiar with the old cliche "sex, drugs, and rock and roll." In the case of Phish it had always been about the rock 'n roll. It's said that in the early nineties they were so obsessed with perfection that they would head back to the tour bus after a grueling four hour show to practice and perfect transistions in their complicated compositional masterpieces. However, life on road for more than 20 years started wearing on the group, especially in the case of front man and bandleader Trey Anastasio. It became more about the drugs than the rock 'n roll. When the band decided to call it quits in 2004 after the Coventry festival, 'phans' could more than see that the music was suffering. Flubs and song restarting were becoming all too commonplace. Their trademark jams had hit the wall and were sounding more like long, unenergetic repeating measures at the end of songs. It was for the best that the Phish touring machine hung it up, at least for a while.

Well, 5 years later, Phish is back and better than ever. A drug related run-in with the law and the death of his sister from cancer seem to have put things in prospective for Trey. For this tour, he is completely sobered up and we're all reaping the benefits with some of the most impressive guitar and vocal work in decades. Listening to shows on the first leg of the tour so far, this tour is sounding like a throwback to the mid-nineties Phish we've all come to know and love - tight, polished, and climatic rip your face off jams.

With the tour in full swing, it is clear Phish is not embarking on some nostalgic, obligatory reunion tour. They are noticeably excited to play each night and seem intent on taking the old songs to new places. They've also been debuting new songs off their yet to be titled album set to drop later this summer (its rumored to be titled "Party Time"). The songs may not be groundbreaking artistic achievements especially lyrically but we've never expected that from Phish. What they do provide is an embodiment of everything there is to love about Phish songs. Melodic, fun, up tempo songs and most excitedly absolute rocking jams at the end of some of the new tunes. My favorites which are linked below include "Kill Devil Falls," the bluesy "Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan," and the (very) Dead-esque "Alaska." For me summer does not feel complete without a Phish show so hopefully you're able to join me in checking them out live this summer and 'sharing in the groove.'

Phish is playing Alpine Valley this Saturday and Sunday before heading west to Red Rocks and the Gorge, then stopping through Chicago to play Toyota Park before traveling back to the eastern seaboard for the final four shows of the tour. Everyone should see at least one Phish show, it's an experience that cannot be matched by any other band, period.

Kill Devil Falls.mp3
Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan.mp3
Alaska.mp3

Phish.com
LivePhish.com - To purchase any of their recent live shows

Mid-Nineties Phish

Greatest Video of All Time

Presented without comment.



Song: Santigold "Unstoppable" Location: Sasquatch Festival at The Gorge

Bibio

the appreciation of one album and the anticipation of another


In a matter of days Bibio releases an album entitled "Ambivalence Avenue." It will be the latest in a string of new releases, but is undoubtedly the most highly anticipated. For those unfamiliar with Bibio, the only way to describe it is 60's folk-infused electronica. I dig. You might. Below is Bibio's entire 2005 release "Hand Cranked," a phenomenal album, perfect to work to or commute to.

Just click the little playhead and let it roll. Oh, and be sure to check out his new stuff in a week or so.

Quantock.mp3
Black Country Blue.mp3
Marram.mp3
Aberriw.mp3
Zooprakiphone.mp3
Dyfi.mp3
Above The Rooftops.mp3
The Cranking House.mp3
Cherry Go Round.mp3
Ffwrnais.mp3
Woodington.mp3
Snowbow.mp3
Maroon Lagoon.mp3
Overgrown.mp3

Bonus! Another dope-ass track!
Ted (Bibio Remix).mp3

Bat For Lashes

No doubt you guys will be hearing more and more about Bat for Lashes. It is the work of one Natasha Khan who was born in Pakistan, but raised in Brighton, England. She just put out her second album Two Suns, which has been pretty well received. I think the best way to describe her music is a combination of Feist, Fiona Apple and Bjork. She'll be playing Lollapalooza this year Sunday from 1:30-2:30 so be sure to check her out if you're going. However, Portugal. The Man will also be playing at that time so in a later post I might tell you to go see them instead.

Below are two tracks off of Two Suns. If you like the music at least go support them by seeing them live. I don't necessarily condone buying their albums because artists, for the most part, barely make any money off of them (which might be a subject of another later post).

http://www.mediafire.com/?nd41mlzz5zm

http://www.mediafire.com/?dmfdmif4ziw

Here's Bat for Lashes on Letterman:

Mixed Signals

An awesome infographic for an awesome song
Wired magazine always has a way with infographics, and this one is no exception. It details the many different samplings in Girl Talk's "What It's All About." Click the picture for a closer look at it, and click the link below for a closer listen to it.


What Its All About.mp3

Enjoy.

The Airborne Toxic Event

Their Website

More stuff

After a one week hiatus I am back! And my seven year old computer is once again firing on all cylinders. I hadn’t heard of this weeks band, The Airborne Toxic Event, until a few weeks ago when, remarkably enough, I heard their song “Sometime After Midnight” on local radio (105.5mmm Madison’s only good radio station). It has been quite sometime since I have found something new to listen to via radio, it seems like every new discovery comes from the internet these days…

The Airborne Toxic Event has seemingly exploded in popularity. They started playing together only three years ago in Los Angeles, and are now touring internationally. The band is made up of singer and guitarist Mikel Jollett, guitarist and keyboardist Steven Chen, drummer Daren Taylor, and keyboardist, violist Anna Bulbrook, and bassist Noah Harmon. The band was founded by Jollett (who is also a writer) in 2006 when a series of traumatic events in his personal life led him to writing songs instead of prose. Jollett’s writing abilities carry over into song very well and strong lyrics are just another thing that this band has going for them.

The Airborne Toxic Event has a wide range of musical influences, and this is very evident in there music. Up to now their releases have gotten mixed reviews. I am by no means familiar with everything in their catalogue. But I do know that when I heard their single “Sometime Around Midnight” for the first time I was very impressed, and have enjoyed the other stuff that I have come across.

**and they will be at Summerfest next weekend!

Enjoy, Ben.

Collie Buddz

Gonna be a short post this week as I'm knee deep in getting ready to head to Southwest Colorado for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival this weekend. Watch this space in about a week for a full trip report.

Lately I've been listening to a Podcast at work called Endless Boundaries Jam Radio. Its a weekly Saturday night radio show broadcast out of the Northeast that archives their shows and releases them in podcast form. I like it because they play a lot of my favorite bands but also feature a lot of music that is completely new to me. One genre that gets a lot of play is dub reggae which I have really taken a liking to.

Because the copyright restrictions for podcasts are different from live radio play, some songs that were on the nightly show cannot be put on the podcast. Recently the host Jaybird has used the song "Herb Tree" by Collie Budzz a couple of times to fill that blank space on the podcast.



Obviously, its not difficult to see what the subject material of the lyrics are but that's not why I like it. The guy's voice is so chill and the song so relaxing that I can't get enough of it. He has only released one album, a self titled effort from 2007 but there is a new on in the works. To hear more, check out some tracks from "Collie Buddz" below.

Collie Buddz - Collie Buddz

Musica Tipica de Ecuador

QUITO, ECUADOR --



Guest posted Maritza Gallardo from Quito, Ecuador:

As I try to find the best of Ecuadorian music, I can't help it but to feel a little nostalgic. Music, after all, transports me places. The particular type that comes to my mind first is the "pasillo" y "bolero". Basically played with a classic guitar. It is the type of music that my mom would listen to and I would absolutely hate when I was a little girl. Now it brings me back to the times when she would be cooking and singing to these romantic-nostalgic-just plain sad songs out loud. One of the biggest and most famous "pasillo" singers was Julio Jaramillo. I never thought I would own on of his CDs. But I do. It brings me back home. This is one of the most famous songs: Nuestro Juramento (Our Promise) and now, I can sing to all the lyrics just like my mom.



There are songs that with time become more like an anthem for a country's people. Specially for some of us that now live thousands of miles away. This video contains music from our Indigenas who are a great part of our culture and where we come from. A video worth watching, since it would show you the beautiful country where all this music comes from. BTW the lyrics are not spanish, they are in "quechua" the indigenan language...enjoy!



But not everything is nostalgia and romanticism in Ecuadorian music. Some tropical beats are also part of our ancestors and they are part of some of our music.
Now days, there are so many rock, ska, punk bands in our small country that it would be impossible to show them all in one post. This one in particular: Crucks n' Karnak modifies a pretty old song with new and more upbeat rhythms showing the new generation of ecuadorians and their preference in music.





Pictures are from personal travels in Ecuador in 2006

fatal bazooka

http://www.fatalbazooka.com/

Modern day Frenchman



thank you d. a. miller

The Crown and Two Chairmen

New Post Rock Band from Chicago

"The Crown" is comprised of local Chicagoans Ken Bonner on guitar, Chris "The Captain" Poynton on bass, Chris Solano on drums, and my buddy Kevin McAfee also on guitar. The band is sonically similar to fellow post rock acts Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai. With one live show under their belts the boys are ready to release their first EP at their concert next Tuesday at the Elbo Room, in Chicago at 2871 N Lincoln.

The EP is entitled "A Purpose of Human Life," which apparently is short for "A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved," which was written by Kurt Vonnegut in The Sirens of Titan (thanks Kevin). You can give two tracks off the EP a spin below. I personally am a big fan of Look to the Morning. If you like what you hear and live in the Chicago area, check em out next Tuesday and pick up the EP.

Between Context and Silently Sear.mp3
Look to the Morning.mp3

The Crown and Two Chairmen on myspace

Support Local Music!

Efterklang

I just couldn't do it

So I had this great poppy indie-rock disc to share, banking on the fact that the weather here would be at least spring-esq, but alas, as I write this it's 57 and raining, again. So Eff that, instead, something a little more introspective to listen to today.

This is Efterklang, a collective from Copenhagen. Interestingly, an actual member of their group plays the video camera, or is more accurately, a VJ. They make music, he makes art for their music, we get to enjoy both.

Here's a sweet video exhibiting said collaborations:



These guys have a penchant for epic, multi-tiered songs, tons of instruments, and interesting vocals. This next song is just beautiful, and is one of my favorites:


Him Poe Poe.mp3

...and here's a few more:

Caravan.mp3

Falling Horses.mp3

Hands Playing Butterfly.mp3

Himmelbjerget.mp3

Anyways, thanks to Amy for introducing me to these guys a while back. Hope ya dig.

til next time...

Ptarmigan

Boredom has its moments.

Ever spend time on Google just searching for random things for no good reason? No? Well, I do. And recently one of the things that came to my mind was my place of employment, Ptarmigan Sports. After finding our comically out of date webpage I looked through the remaining results and stumbled upon a band from Toronto called Ptarmigan.

At the time, they were allowing for free downloads of their new album "Our Ancient Friends". Being one to never turn away from free new music, I snatched it up and gave it a casual listen. Well it didn't take long for that casual listen to turn into a fully focused aural experience.

If you at all liked my review of the band Tapes 'n Tapes then it won't take you long to get into the musical offerings of Ptarmigan. They have a spacey, reverb heavy sound with guitar work and crescendos that are often reminiscent of post-rock. You can listen to the entire album below thanks to lala.com

Our Ancient Friends - Ptarmiga...

Fore more from Ptarmigan check out their MySpace page

Dick Dale and the Del-Tones

LEFT COAST, CA --

Dale's 1961 West Coast hit, "Let's Go Trippin,'" released two months before the Beach Boys' "Surfin," is considered the beginning of the Sixties surf music craze.

Dick Dale invented surf music in the 1950's not the '60's as is commonly believed. He was given the title "King of the Surf Guitar" by his fellow surfers whom he surfed with from sun-up to sun-down.

MURS ft. EL-P

Nice flow gents. You know my man El breaks down some futuristic shit.

grupo cinco

grupo cinco

el embrujo

theme song of peru 2008

enjoy

Dan Deacon

No not that Dan Deacon

Crazy but lovable electronic stuff. Maybe too out there to put on at a party, but always a party when you listen on headphones. Snookered and Of the Mountains are amazing and it's all worth a spin. Have fun! Also, anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the Dan Deacon who attended Evanston Township High School and UW-Madison, please let me know.

Bromst - Dan Deacon

Holy Hell


Of the mountains.mp3

Snookered.mp3

Spiderman of the Rings - Deacon's first major label release

Dan Deacon on Myspace, Amazon

Grizzly Bear

cooler than a shark high-fiving a gorilla

It goes a little something like this...a phenomenally instrumentally talented dude gets together with a killer composer and two other guys, all of whom can sing, and you get the backstory for Grizzly Bear. Well, that doesn't really do it any justice, but if you dig these guys (you might!), you can further delve into how they came to be on your own time - this isn't fucking behind the fucking music people.

Anyhoo, Grizzly Bear just released a new album Veckatimest, and while some of their previous albums have been admittedly weird, this disc is solid. For example:

About Face.mp3

While You Wait For The Others.mp3

Also, here's their REALLY CREEPY new music video.


---

Also, a shout out to local design studio Baroke Clothing for this sweet-ass design that always reminds me of these guys' music.


---

Good morrow to thee.

Stoically,
Nate

One Be Lo

Short post this week. I’m going to step outside of my normal musical genre for this one. I came across One Be Lo a couple of months ago while listening to imeem. I don’t have any sort of expansive knowledge of hip hop musicians, so for all I know everybody has already heard this guys music. All I know is that I heard his song “True Love” off of the album S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. and really enjoyed it.

- Ben

MySpace Page

My main source of knowledge these days

Raq

Raq is a jam band. Phish are a jam band. Raq are from Burlington, VT. Phish are from Burlington, VT. Raq recorded their third studio album "Ton These" in The Barn, Trey Anastasio's recording studio. People have even said that Raq guitar player Chris Michetti tries to look like Trey on stage. The comparisons between Raq and Phish could (and have) gone on and on but the fact of the matter is that Raq just rock.

Or at least they did...

I didn't expect my research into the band to lead to the revelation that they are no longer touring together. While not officially broken up, things don't look good. The quartet of Michetti, Jay Burwick (bass), Greg Stukey (drums) and Todd Stoops (keys) have called it quits for the time being but have tentative plans to play again in the future. This is really too bad as they were one of the most energetic and entertaining live bands I've seen.

Michetti absolutely rips on guitar with intense and intricate face melting solos. Stoops is also super talented on the keys and makes sick, technical progressions look easy. Plus the guy has such a goofy, infectious stage presence that you can't help but smile when hes tearing it up.

On another personally depressing note, all of the good video I could find of Raq's live performances come from an '05 recording at Vail's now defunct Club 8150. The loss of that place was a huge blow to the area's music scene and, coupled with the devastating fire at State Bridge, basically saw the end of Vail's days as a touring stop for up and coming jam bands.

Anyway, I'll stop crying into my mustache and give you what you all came here for.

First up is Beauregard, a fast paced pure rock song.


Next is Brother From Another Mother, a funked out rocker that segues into a spacey psychedelic jam.


If you don't think they're at least Phish disciples yet, then listen to Nancy's Jig.


At the end of the day, Raq are (were?) a great band to see live, especially in an intimate venue surrounded by like minded individuals.

If you want to hear some more live Raq, check out their recordings at The Live Music Archive by clicking here.

My personal favorite show is from January of 2004 at Cervantes in Denver. The set kicks of with an unbelievable "Carbohydrates are the Enemy". You can hear it by clicking play below.

Isolee - Minimal House

FRANKFORT, GERMANY --From Wikipedia: Isolée is microhouse artist Rajko Müller. Isolée is a minimalist house producer whose music is reminisent of indie electronic pop music of the early eighties and ambient techno from a decade on. Isolée is credited with creating the very first microhouse record to reach the club charts. Isolée's 2000 album, Rest, containing the hit "Beau Mot Plage", was arguably the first microhouse full-length.

Minimal house as a genre will certainly not appeal to the masses, but it has a perfect time and place. Some people maybe haven't experienced that perfect time and place, but that's their fault and not mine ...