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(01/08/15 3:29pm)
Frankie and the Witch Fingers is a four piece psychedelic garage rock band who's home town is our very own Bloomington. The "Witch Fingers" in this group are Dylan Sizemore, Glenn Bridgman, Josh Menashe and Alex Bulli, with Frankie being Dylan's feline companion. The video, which features what seems to be three sorceress calling and tempting a man towards a possible ritual sacrifice, was filmed out in Cedar Bluffs Preserve in Monroe County, Indiana and was directed by Dante Augustus Scarlatti.
Frankie and the Witch Fingers was featured on Pitchfork earlier today. But why read about it anymore when you can just watch the music video below?
(01/04/15 7:00pm)
5/7
This week’s throwback review of Grizzly Bear’s Yellow House sends us to year of 2006, which was the year of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart – if any of you were curious.
Yellow House is Grizzly Bear’s second full length album after their 2004 album Horn of Plenty and was named for lead singer Ed Droste’s mothers house where the band recorded the album. Grizzly Bear was originally a solo moniker of the Droste but by the time of Yellow House it had grown into a psychedelic folk four piece based in Brooklyn, New York that also included Chris Taylor, Christopher Bear, and Daniel Rossen.
Yellow House is a hodgepodge of instruments built together into an experimental folk album that is dominated by vocal harmonies. Included in the assortment of instruments utilized are: drums, xylophone, glockenspiel, auto-harp, saxophone, banjo, piano, guitar, clarinet and flute. For Grizzly Bear, this is a common collection that can been heard in many of their other albums and EPs. Grizzly Bear later got recognition from Childish Gambino sampling Grizzly Bear's song “Two Weeks,” from 2009's Veckatimest, in Gambino's track “Bitch, Look at Me Now.”
With a ghostly flute intro that gives way to an upright piano, the first track on the album, "Easier”, entrances with the eccentric, inconsistent use of instruments and is reminiscent of a scene from Disney’s Fantasia. The words being sung are often just vehicles to project the instrument of a voice, and they are woven into the deep texture of the song but occasionally find their way back to the forefront. This blanket of vocal harmonies carries throughout the entire album. “Lullaby” – which is not something I would suggest to play to sleeping babies as it would more likely wake them back up during the peak cacophony of melodies – subtly chants the melancholy lyrics “cheer up, cheer up” like subliminal messaging to all those in ear shot. It feels exotic and intricate, something that pulls you back into listen again, something pulls you back to the spacey fantasy that concocted it. Next the ballad “Knife,” which was the lead single from the album and is a personal favorite track, asks “can’t you feel the knife?”.
The albums shifts to a more sober track in “Plans” which has an amazing whistle accompaniment that slowly transforms into an almost robotic march. There is a huge step in the production quality of this album from Horn of Plenty (2004) which can be heard throughout the album but especially in the quieter tracks like “Plans.” Droste’s deceased aunt wrote the song “Marla” which they slowed down into an eerie melancholy ballad with beautiful strings that lift up the spirit as the track progresses. Yellow House takes a brighter turn in the folky love song “On a Neck, On a Spit.” With building banjo picking and breaks that fill with rumbling percussion like thunder across a prairie. Eventually this ventral storms breaks into what could almost be a part two of the song that highlights the vocal efforts. The banjo flows on and into “Repris,e, as if like the same suggests it is comprised of bits of the previous track presented softer and calmer.
Since Yellow House’s release Grizzly Bear has released two more albums, Veckatimest in 2009 and Shields in 2012 and they opened up for Radiohead on the second leg of their North American tour. Although Grizzly Bear is still together, recently Rossen embarked on a solo tour for his other band, Department of Eagles stating “We don’t have a clear plan… I think towards the end of the year, if it feels natural, [Grizzly Bear will] start again.”
The track list is as follows:
Easier
Lullabye
Knife
Central and Remote
Little Brother
Plans
Marla
On a Neck, On a Spit
Reprise
Colorado
Granny Diner (Japanese release only)
(01/02/15 8:36pm)
Are you born before 1995 want to feel old?
You probably don't, but too late you’re already reading this.
Are you born after 1995 and want to make your older siblings/friends feel old? Awesome, you’re in the right place. We may be ringing in 2015, but I’d like to take you back in time 20 years to 1995. If you have forgotten what happened in 1995 – or like me happened to only be 1 years old and don’t remember it at all – don’t worry! I’ve compiled a list of some of the things that will make see how long ago 1995 really was.
The American government stops funding the NSFNET, making the Internet a completely privatized system.
The DVD, a disc computer storage media format, is announced.
The first Toy Story came out.
Yahoo! was founded.
Mississippi finally ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment, becoming the last state in America to approve the abolition of slavery. It was nationally ratified in 1865.
Oasis’s album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? was released.
So was Smashing Pumpkin’s Mellon Collie and the Infinite.
And Radiohead’s The Bends.
But if you really want to feel how far we have come in the last 20 years, watch this Windows ’95 video guild that starts off with a “Cyber Sitcom” featuring Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston who had at that point had just finished their first season of freinds.
(12/24/14 10:49pm)
No matter which holidays you do or do not celebrate this winter season it is hard to argue the life lessons that can be garnered from Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” which was originally published in 1843. Since the story has been around for over 150 years most will know it. For those of you who haven’t read or watched this classic tale, it is the story of the rich and heartless Ebenezer Scrooge who after being visited by the spirits of Christmas past, present, and future has a transformation into a kinder man full of love, generosity and the ‘Christmas Spirit’. It’s a story of redemption that has been parodied in everything from The Simpsons to Sesame Street. Over the years there has been countless film adaptions to this tale, so if you’re looking to mix it up this holiday season with a different version to your favorite tale some other versions.
1) Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983) – In this Disney twist on a the Dickens’ tale Mickey Mouse (Bob Cratchit) is the employee of Scrooge McDuck (Ebenezer Scrooge). The first ghost – of Christmas Past – is none other than the guide to our conscience, Jiminy Cricket. It is an animated short but it packs the same moral punch, but in bite sized bits you can show the kids you babysit for (or have, if they happen to belong to you). Of note, this film was the last time Clarence Nash voiced Donald Duck.
2) The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992) – With Micheal Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge and a whole array of Muppets – including Kermit and Miss Piggy as the Cratchit – as many of the other main characters in this musical rendition, The Muppets Christmas Carol is a must see adaption. While it may be comedic film with contemporary songs, it follows the original plot closely. The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come is Dementor-like and spooky enough to haunt the younger kids. A must see.
3) Scrooge (1970) – Yet another musical adaption of Charles Dickens’ story, but this time filmed in London and starred by Albert Finney. Finney won a Golden Globe for his acting in this as he plays both the young and old Scrooge, so it must be stellar. Only downside to this adaption is the extended Christmas Yet To Come, when Scrooge falls into his grave instead of waking up he first falls all the way down into Hell and sees Marley yet again.
4) Scrooge (1935) – If ghosts are too spooky for this holiday season this old school version featuring Seymour Hicks as the miser Scrooge might be the one for you. Most of the ghosts are not actually visible on screen, their voices can just only be heard. The only ghost visable it the least spooky of them all, the Ghost of Christmas Present. It is also the first feature length film based on A Christmas Carol that had sound to it. This version is relatively truncated with Scrooge’s sister Fan as well as Fezziwig omitted from the script.
5) A Christmas Carol (1999) – Sir Patrick Stewart (who also played Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men series and Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek) plays Scrooge in this turn of the century adaption. It is more grim than other telling’s of this classic, but is still good to the plot. Good luck seeing him as only Ebenezer Scrooge and not a powerful telepath super hero.
(12/24/14 10:39pm)
A new species of snail that lives thousands of feet underneath the ocean, near mouths to hydrothermal vents, has been officially named Alviniconcha strummeri after Joe Strummer according to NPR’s interview with Shannon Johnson of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Strummer was the front man to the punk rock band The Clash and according to Johnson was “also kind of an environmentalist, he started a foundation that was planting trees all over the world.” Johnson often skips the technical Latin name and refers to these spiky gastropods as “Punk Rock Snails” due to not only their appearance but the dangerous place they call home. These hydrothermal vents by which the snails live with no fear bring to mind the nuclear error mentioned in “London Calling” from The Clash’s London Calling (1979). Listen to the Clash below or check out the rest of Shannon Johnson’s interview here.
(12/16/14 5:01pm)
Last month local Bloomington band Dietrich Jon released the official music video to "S.Y.B.G." from their debut EP Higher. This track was recently featured on the Indiana Memorial Union Boards' Live From Bloomington 2014 album which itself had a warm reception. Dietrich Jon is made up of Diederik van Wassenaer (Vocals, Strings), Connor Grimm (Bass), Peter Doyle (Electric Guitar), Mark Edlin (Drums), and Austin Davis (Auxiliary Percussion). They are currently in the studio recording their full length album but you can check out Higher here and watch the video to "S.Y.B.G." below.
(12/13/14 6:07pm)
Welcome to Indiana University! The land of pinstriped pants, great academics, great tailgates and where pizza is a big game in the midnight snack mentality. Whether you are a freshman newly becoming acquainted with the IU campus or returning to school and are just looking for a new way to fill your belly here is some pizza places stacked up for your knowledge.
*with comments, opinions and suggested by Jessica Yarvin
Pizza X
The smell of Pizza X brings back memories of coming home from late nights out with friends. Super fast, open late and comes with tootsie rolls in the box, it’s a perfect pizza heaven. Serves Coke products, and when you order a drink you get a cool cup to keep. Pizza X is only for pick up or delivery. Watch out for free breadstick day in early fall.
Jessica says: Pizza x ranch is the greatest. There is literally nothing better than Pizza x ranch and this is coming from a girl that didn't know that dipping pizza in ranch was a thing until like 3 years ago. But if you want to go for the holy trinity, order cheesy bread (it saves lives) with a side of ranch and buffalo sauce. Though always delicious, order it when you're drunk cause the realization that you're eating Pizza x cheesy bread sober is enough to lose your appetite.
Mother Bears
Mother Bears is great for weekend visits from mom & dad or to take someone on a first date. With secluded booths it is very intimate and great for conversation while you drink your Pepsi product. While you can pick up or get it delivered, sitting in to eat means carving or coloring your name onto the booths and walls for eternity. Arguably a favorite pizza place in B-Town.
Jessica says: get the brownies. They will change your standards for brownies in the best way possible.
Café Pizzeria
On Kirkwood in downtown Bloomington, Café Pizzeria is the pizza place to go for thin crust. This has a family friendly feeling to it but can also be intimate if you want to go there with your special someone. And if you don’t have a special someone the pizza could easily become your new special someone. If you get sausage though, it is of note that it comes in a thin layer across the entire pie and not just in simple chunks.
Jessica says: I've been here once. It was decent.
Buccetos; Smiling Teeth
This is gourmet pizza for gourmet taste buds. Since this is steps above the typical cheese pizza, it might be an acquired taste for some. But if a fancier side of pizza is your thing, this is a good place to go. Unfortunately despite the name, there doesn’t seem to be a correlation between eating their pizza and no longer having to go to the dentist.
Jessica says: this is the most peculiar name for an Italian (as Italian as you can get in southern Indiana) restaurant. I was very confused about it until I went once last year and had really really good spinach lasagna. But this is about pizza. So my friend got the meat lover's pizza and she still talks about it.
Aver’s Gourmet Pizza
Highly suggested is the Cream and Crimson well done with extra potato. With a pizza buffet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. it’s a great place to eat a lot. Sometimes if you get there late they will give you boxes to take home food, but only if you’re lucky.
Jessica says: meh
Potbelly's
Not a pizza place, yes, but they have a pizza sandwich which is pretty darn good. If you are hankering for a pizza, just get a pizza, but if you want to try something new here’s something to go for.
Jessica says: side note, sort of irrelevant, but why doesn't BBC offer pizza bagels?
Other pizza options by Jessica:
-Rockits next to the Bluebird, I don't know anything about it (update: apparently they sell pizza by the slice)
-The new pizza place that opened where Taco Rocket used to be across from Taco Bell/Sports. It looks good
-Butches. Yeah they offer a lot more than just pizza, but it's the only place in Bloomington where you can get a slice of pizza and that's just a really important thing to be aware of
(12/10/14 7:32pm)
Vampire Weekend front man Ezra Koenig is very into the twitter game. Vampire Weekend, who formed in 2006 out of NYC, has three albums out now (Vampire Weekend, Contra, Modern Vampires of the City) which Koenig reminds his followers of frequently from his account. But my favourite trend in Koenig twitter feed is the re-occurring mentions of goths. Is he the world's front most goth scholar? That's for you to decide.
Here are two bonus tweets: not about goths but full of life lessons. If you want to see some more of these golden gems of world wisdom from the mouth of indie rock that brought to light the important question of "who gives a f#&! about an oxford comma?" check out his twitter @arzE
(12/04/14 5:38am)
6/7
Local Natives, who were previously known as Cavil at Rest, are an indie rock band with infectious almost barber-shop style three part harmonies and hyperactive drumming whose debut album Gorilla Manor (2010) is the focus of this week’s throwback Thursday review. The full original line-up of Local Natives start with Kelcey Ayer, Ryan Hahn, and Taylor Rice who all attended high school together, and were joined by Andy Hamm and Matt Frazier after they graduated college at UCLA. Andy Hamm (bassist) did not stay with the band for their second album Hummingbird (2013) and was replaced by Nik Ewing in 2012. Local Natives consider themselves more of a vocal group, rather than a guitar band, and this is showcased by the intricacies in the arraignments of a band where all three singers – Ayer, Hahn, and Rice – could be lead singers in their own right. The Guardian has called Local Natives “the Weekend Foxes, A Fleet of Arcade Vampires On Fire” as a combination of Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, and Arcade Fire in repose to their SXSW performance in 2009, which paints an accurate foundation of their sound.
Gorilla Manor, named for the house that the quintet shared in Orange County in 2008 where they wrote the album, was a self-funded complex indie rock tapestry that was well received both in Europe, where it was released a few months earlier, and in North America. Opening up with “Wide Eyes” and a twisting guitar intro that slowly introduces more instruments and patterns until there is a small break down for the chorus, Gorrila Manor intertwines the listeners immediately. “Airplanes”, which has subtle mooing at the beginning is a personal favourite track from this album. It’s not just the mooing, it is an honest song about love lost, unrequited love. It is also a tribute song to one of the band mate’s pilot grandfather where the buoyant harmonies lift up tokens that show his life well lived: like a well-thumbed encyclopedia.
Each song is a short story, a vignette that encompasses a hopeful nostalgia pulled into larger tale with light afro-pop rhythms and intertwining harmonies.
The entire second half of the album has a slower push to it and “Cards & Quarters” who’s marching haze marks the shift to the slower side. But stuck in the middle of the album is a Talking Heads cover that pulls at the elasticity and puts a new eclectic flavor into “Warning Sign” to make it truly their own (originally on More Songs About Buildings and Food, 1978). The beginning of “Who Knows Who Cares” is a soft ballad that wraps the vocal harmonies in with the softened guitars, keys and building strings to ask “I can’t stay…is my life about to change?”. Finally, led in by the growth in a shimmering cymbal the percussion joins in to add energy to the track. Near the end is the waltz “Stranger Things” that pulls on itself like the ebb and flow of an ocean tide that creates a soft addition and a yearning for more.
Gorilla Manor is a cohesive unit that even shuffled in order are puzzle pieces that prove to solve exactly what kind of band Local Natives wanted to be. It is an album for late night drives, through the woods or under the stars, on the way to an adventure somewhere. This may be a throwback Thursday, but Gorilla Manor is just as enchanting today as it was almost 5 years ago.
1. "Wide Eyes"
2. "Airplanes"
3. "Sun Hands"
4. "World News"
5. "Shape Shifter"
6. "Camera Talk"
7. "Cards & Quarters"
8. "Warning Sign" (Talking Heads cover)
9. "Who Knows Who Cares"
10. "Cubism Dream"
11. "Stranger Things"
12. "Sticky Thread"
PS. Local Natives also has a myspace which is the real #tbt
(12/03/14 8:46pm)
I love cover bands.
But some other people have their qualms with cover bands, and I’d like to put to rest some of their reasons that have no weight.
a) They aren’t as good as the real thing***
Obviously.
The songs these bands cover are amazing because of the original bands that created them. A cover band simply can’t be Smash Mouth and Fall Out Boy and Spoon and Lynyrd Skynyrd all at one time. And they aren’t trying to be. They are trying to do each song justice. If cover bands don’t sound exactly like Dave Grohl on their cover of Foo Fighter’s “Learn to Fly” that’s alright because Dave Grohl is amazing and interviewed the president so cover bands should get a pass on not sounding exactly like him. And really, would you want to sit through a 2 hour long Smash Mouth concert? Maybe not - but you probably would love to hear "All Star" and "I'm a Believer" live at some point.
Next time a song isn’t 100% as good as the original studio version please cut them a break – remember you’re probably overly opinionated, drunk, and in a dark bar, so just dance and have fun. That’s why you went out isn’t it? Instead you’d just be reading about cover bands online… oh you’re reading about them right now, eh? This is awkward.
***This is only for cover bands that do a mix of artists. If you are a Kiss cover band I may have a different opinion on you.
b) They only play crowd pleasers
Sure, they only play crowd pleasers – but there is a reason they are called crowd pleasers. They are the songs that make you want to dance and sing along (though to be honest you’re really just shouting the chorus). They remind us of our youth, warm summers, amazingly awkward middle school dances, and the music your siblings blasted so that it could heard from two rooms away. It’s the songs you wish you could have written – or have had written about you.
c) They don’t encourage people to listen to good music
This is hog wash. Here are some classic bands to cover as a cover band:
The Beatles
Foo Fighters
Nirvana
Franz Ferdinand
The Rolling Stones
The Who
Wilco
The White Stripes
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Cake
Smash Mouth
Counting Crows
MGMT
Outkast
Say what you will about Smash Mouth but “All Star” is pure gold.
d) The musicians aren’t any good.
I can’t exactly put this one completely to rest. But anywhere you look there are bad musicians from grunge rock to polka to me as the second to last chair clarinet in 5th grade band. Just as there are great grunge rockers, polka players and people who actually know who to play the clarinet. The same goes for cover bands. They can be amazing musicians
So go kick up your shoes, let you shirt tails fly, and throw inhibitions to the wind. Because some band it going to cover The Kink’s “You Really Got Me” and you better bet your bottom that they want you to think they are playing it just for you.
(12/02/14 8:27am)
5/7
Delicate harmonies - that seem to trace their way back and linger in the endless starry nights of their home town in Des Moines, Iowa - entrance the listener in the debut EP Reverie State from the Nashville based folkwave duo Field Division. Made up of Nicholas Frampton and Evelyn Taylor, Field Division’s Reverie State brings in a set of warmth just as the winter approaches. Currently on tour in London, but sure to come back to the Midwest soon, Field Division is soft dream like folk rock in the vein of Fleet Foxes or The Staves.
Taylor says their “music is grounded in the peace that comes from growing up in Iowa, surrounded by miles of fields and sky”. The opening track “’Faultlines” exemplifies this with tribal drums almost reminiscent of Local Native’s Gorilla Manor and tender vocals from Taylor that float and drift though the dusk light of Midwestern prairie land. Building from just a guitar and voice “Hollow Body Weather” buds with energy at the end chanting “I’ll remember now”. The highlight from Reverie State is “Modest Mountains”. It wanders into the realm of dream-pop with Taylor’s vocals reaching peaks as the calm acoustic guitar picking follows her with quieter drums like a heart beat in the background. This is the song you can hear Frampton’s harmonies most clearly, and while Taylor is still in the forefront Frampton adds warmth that blend smoothly with her soaring notes.
Although by the end of the EP the songs tend to blend together, it is a worthwhile listen if only for “Faultlines” and “Modest Mountains” and shows the talent of where this duo could go in the future.
Reverie State is out now. Check out the track list below.
1) Faultlines
2) Of Lives We’ve Never Known
3) Hollow Body Weather
4) Modest Mountains
5) To Innisfree Land
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(12/02/14 4:43am)
Triptides is back with a shiny new music video for their old song "Set You Free" off of their 2013 album Predictions. It has the same lo-fi surf rock mentality as their Colors EP with an added dose of dream like psychedelia. Although they are now based out of Los Angles, California this once upon a time Bloomington band is still considered local music in the hearts of WIUX.
Check out the video below.
(11/27/14 3:58pm)
6/7
I don’t know how I came across it, but in late summer of 2007 I listened to a lot of ALO’s Roses & Clover. I also listened to a lot of Jonas Brothers that summer, began my love for Ben Folds and that was the summer I found out Freddy Mercury wasn’t alive anymore. A lot changes in 7 years. But what hasn’t changed is the feel good vibe that this Caribbean infused soft rock band projects; which is why it is this week's throw back Thursday review.
With a dash of funk, folk, and pop thrown into the mix, Roses & Clover is the second studio album released by ALO and has less of a jam band feel than their first album Fly Between Walls (2006) did. The first listen of Roses & Clover feels like turning on the records your parents played for you as a kid, it’s like an old friend who you’ve known for years. Roses & Clover opens up with the celebratory love song “Maria” who’s elated intro piano riff sets a relaxing and warm tone that is present in the entire album. It is a personal favorite off of the album and a key introduction into who ALO is. Reggae rhythms emerge in “Try” – and then later again in “Monday” – showcasing the versatility of ALO’s feel good attitude. After slowing things down for the sweet ballad “Shine” that flows seamlessly into “Plastic Bubble”, Roses & Clover builds up the energy again to make room for the funk filled groove of last song “Lady Loop”. The four piece band builds on each other's harmonies, creating a cohesive album that is able to breath.
ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) was formed at the University of California at Santa Barbra and in their early years had 9 members. After graduating, the band’s principle members Zach Gill (Keys), Steve Adams (Bass), and Dan Lebowtiz (Guitar) moved north and recruited Dave Brogan (Drums) to join the band. ALO toured around the San Francisco area catching the attention of Jack Johnson who signed them to his own record label and was featured on a few songs on Fly Between Walls.
ALO is a soft rock must listen, one that wouldn’t offend anyone you try to listen with. An intimate quality runs through the album, inviting you into a warm embrace with well-crafted feel good songs. It is easy –going music you feel like you grew up with and since it is from 2007 you just may have.
The track list is below:
Maria
Empty Vessel (A Pledge Of No Allegiance)
Try
Roses And Clover
Monday
Shine
Plastic Bubble
All Alone
Lady Loop
Water Song
(11/20/14 4:09am)
5/7
Disco never died.
I can’t be sure of that, frankly I wasn’t alive until quite a while after discos stopped grooving on the airwaves. What I am sure of is that disco elements are making a comeback. The 2014 Grammy award winning album of the year was Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories which is arguably a 21st century disco album. Techno, electro-Pop, and EDM are all (grand) nieces or (grand) nephews to Disco on the music genre family tree, so let’s listen a little more to their ancestors.
Todays’ throwback Thursday (#tbt) review is on my favourite album in the genre that is alive and well at least in my heart, if not anywhere else. Released in 1978, Instant Replay was Dan Hartman’s third studio album, but one of his highest charting. While it can be found on Spotify or other digital locations, today I’m listening to a vinyl record version that was passed on to me by my mother from her days in the disco era.
Side A leads with an exuberant and peppy 10 second countdown the first track “Instant Replay” will start you moving sometime between the 2nd and 3rd bar. It was number 1 on the US dance charts in 1978, 28th on the billboard top 100, and some 30 years later I would still consider it ‘far out to the max’. After the caffeinated sculpted disco of the opening, Instant Replay hits a groovier rhythm in “Countdown”/”This is It.”“This is it” is reminiscent of Donna Summer’s work, with top 40’s pep with the sole purpose of getting people to boogie, with a set of violins doing runs up and down the scales and trumpets calmly proclaiming their excitement. “Countdown” slowly morphs into “This is it” while tying in melodic sequences from “Instant Reply” making the entirety of Side A cohesive unit meant to be listened to in one stretch all the way through.
Excuse me while I flip the record.
Side B is notably more funk then the disco-pop that drives the first side of the vinyl. Hartman has experience with many genres including having recorded Chicago blues musician Muddy Water’s 13th studio album I’m Ready in his studio in Westport, Connecticut. The second song on this side, “Chocolate Box” is a nonsense song about wanting a box of chocolate. They say the lyric “chocolate box” almost as frequently as Big Sean says “ass” in his song “Dance” (Finally Famous, 2011). A string section joins in on “Love is A Natural”, showcasing Hartman’s complex melodic structure and ability to combine instrumentation “Time & Space” is a piano ballad that wraps up the album in a romantic sensuality that draws the listener in. The backing vocals performed by Vinnie Cusano, who later as Vinnie Vincent was the replacement for Ace Frehley in Kiss, creates a full sound that rounds the album out.
The track list is below.
Instant Replay 5:19
Countdown/This Is It 14:07
Double-O-Love 5:56
Chocolate Box 2:52
Love Is A Natural 6:17
Time & Space 4:55
(11/17/14 7:39pm)
Watford, England sweethearts Emily, Jessica, and Camilla Staveley-Taylor make up the acoustic folk trio The Staves who’s tight and intricate harmonies intertwine within their music and into your heart. In support of their sophomore studio album If I Was, produced by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and which comes out Feb. 2, The Staves released a short documentary on of the creation of the album at 'April Base.' The Staves grew to know Vernon from being Bon Iver’s support band on a North American tour in the summer of 2012, but after working to create this album they have become close and even spent Thanksgiving with his family. The whole video highlights a love and kinship that develops when making music with others. “I think this feels like the most natural and kind of honest we’ve been able to be in front of a microphone” Jessica says in the documentary about If I Was. The single "Blood I Bled" is already a gorgeous growth from the sturdy roots that were shown in their last album Dead & Born & Grown.
The Staves were on WIUX’s top ten British bands to listen to on the fourth of July, but I know they are also what I’ll be listening to this Feb 2.
Watch the mini-documentary here:
If I Was tracklist:
1) “Blood I Bled”
2) “Steady”
3) “No Me, No You, No More”
4) “Let Me Down”
5) “Black & White”
6) “Damn It All”
7) “The Shining”
8) “Don’t You Call Me Anymore”
9) “Horizons”
10) “Teeth White”
11) “Make It Holy”
12) “Sadness Don’t Own Me”
(11/09/14 10:43pm)
Halloweekend is over, and while some of you might be counting down already to next year’s spooky festivities I’d like to do a quick run through of why dressing up like a cat is one of the most perfect Halloween costumes there is.
1) People Know Exactly What You’re Dressed As. Being a cat takes off the pressure of explaining exactly why which ever historical figure you are dressed up as is awesome (ex: “No, I’m not just dressed like a boy. Tesla was really cool. He has over 300 patents. Okay a patent is a….”). At a certain age, you really should know what a patent is, but being a cat will avoid you haven’t to cite more U.S. Law terminology than you regularly do.
2) You Don’t Need to Spend A Lot of Money. If you were a cat for Halloween in 5th grade, chances are you can still fit into the same cat ears.
3) Appropriate for any weather. It is up to you to actually dress to avoid hypothermia but a cat costume at least gives you the option. Is it really warm in the region you’re located? Black Shorts and a black tank top or black dress. Is it really cold? Black Pants and a Black Sweater. So long as you have cat ears and whiskers (maybe a tail) you will still be a cat.
4) It is quick. Running late it is something you can quickly throw on and instantly not be a human anymore.
5) The Pun Options. Always go with the pun options. Here are examples:
Business CAT-ual. Dress business casual + whiskers + ears = Instant pun
Cat-Dwag. Rapper outfit + whiskers + ears = instant pun
Cat-Dog. “Spot” Dog Collar + whiskers + ears = instant pun OR Couple costume one person is a cat one is a dog.
Cats Pajamas. PJs + whiskers + ears = instant puns
Cat-tastrophe. Spiked/frizzed hair + sign that reads “Help!” + alarmed expression + whiskers + ears = instant pun
(10/29/14 3:27am)
I will proudly admit that I’m an avid cloud watcher. I’d rather have huge ominous dark clouds rolling into town than a pure blue sky without a single dot of my favorite part of the water cycle in site. Unlike my electronics, I love the rain even when caught in it unawares. The fact I’ve been a member of the Cloud Appreciate Society for longer than a) I’ve done radio b) the government has allowed me to watch PG13 movies c) been able to spell the word ominous both means I need to be more on top of my spelling words and that I’ve been in the cloud loving game for long enough to give a 7 step crash course into how to cloud watch.
1) Dress weather appropriate. Clouds don’t stop being breath taking when the seasons turn colder, so don’t let hypothermia’s sharp bite prevent you from enjoying some real 3D entertainment (4D if it starts to rain/snow). Pull out that sweater and wool socks at head outside.
2) Sunset is key. Clouds are amazing any time of day, but in the waning hours of the afternoon just as the hectic day slows into evening the light can open up into a colorful kaleidoscope that is caught in clouds to the west.
3) Take time to sit down and look up. The 21st century is busy enough. Find a park bench, a nice patch of grass, put down your smart phone (unless you’re snapping pictures of the clouds you’ve got your eye on), and breath. Clouds have always been here, and they always will be – but you won’t so take the time to fill up your life enjoying the beautiful little things.
4) You don’t need to set aside time to enjoy them. Yes this contradicts the step above this but bear with me. Sometimes you don’t have time between hustling from work or class to every other commitment you might have in the world to actually stop. Just while you’re jogging to your third meeting of the day, take a peek up to the sky as say “You’re looking fine** today, water cycle”. **this is the two syllable use of the word fine.
5) Know some cloud names! You can mix and match the below names to create other cloud classifications. There are more types of clouds, but these are the basics.
Cumulus: Puffy, the kind you see in children’s books or paintings of cherubs.
Cirrus: Thin, wispy and high in the sky.
Stratus: Thin and very low to the ground.
Nimbus/Nimbo: rain clouds.
Fog: Fog is Fog. Fog is ground clouds.
6) Play eye spy in the sky. With ‘imagination’ you can see anything in the sky, and this makes group cloud watching more enjoyable. Occasionally people will agree that it definitely looks like “a three headed dragon playing the cello,” but it might be best to start with a basic cat/dog/triangle description for your new cloud collogues.
7) Remember how long it took to make that specific cloud. All of the little water droplets that are floating in the one cloud conveniently shielding the sun from your eyes could have once been spread around the world. Some of the cloud could have been the same that was drank by Cleopatra, made into stew that Lewis and Clark ate, or from the kiddie pool you played in one time when you were 6. Similar to the above step, use your imagination because your wildest guesses could be accurate and no one will ever find out. Isn’t the water cycle amazing? #yes
Next time it is a cloud day, don’t get bummed, finger point out the window at the prettiest part of the water cycle and say what’s up. Clouds, while inanimate objects, will probably appreciate it.
This is the Cloud Appreciation Society's cloud of the month for September
(10/28/14 7:00pm)
Black Friday's Record Store Day (November 28th), the Autumn counterpart to the official spring Record Store Day, which falls on April 18 this year, has a few surprises.
One notable surprise is the 7-inch which side A contains “My Bitch Ain’t No Hobbit,” South Park's parody of Kanye’s song “Bound 2.″ Side B is in titled "James Cameron" and makes fun of the blockbuster director from which the song gets its name. Whether creators, Matt Parker and Trey Stone, of South Park truly thought that is parody was iconic genius that needed to be press on vinyl or it is the extension of a long run of jokes, we may not know. But, old school vinyl loving South Park (or Kayne West fans) are sure to get a chuckle as they sift through the records in their local record store or find the vinyl wrapped up in the winter as a holiday present from those who truly know them the best.
If you want to know what other treasures are coming out this Black Friday the Record Store Day website has the info you need.
(10/23/14 10:48pm)
A music festival you might think would only find a home in the world of Willy Wonka might just place you in a chocolate coma this Friday, Oct. 24 in the courtyard in front of IU's Collins Living Learning Center.
Nutella Fest is the annual free autumn outdoor music festival honoring of the chocolate hazelnut spread. Nutella Fest is dedicated towards expanding upon the many ways to consume Nutella - in the past the festival featured Oreos, fruit, crackers, and ice cream as other ways to consume the spreadable chocolate/hazelnut combo - all for free to those in attendance.
Last year the festival was set up inside of the IU Art Museum, but this year it is returning to the original Nutella Fest venue outside of Collins which means that the music festival can once again fit the hundreds of students and members of the Bloomington Community who are drawn to this event. Past performers include Dan Deacon, Charlie Patton's War, Sleeping Bag, Rodeo Ruby Love, Fluffer, The Main Squeeze, and Patchwork among many others.
I will stick by the firm belief that more festivals should be dedicate to delicious things you can spread on toast, but until that fad catches on I will just eat Nutella and catch the acts that are set to play this year - here are the bands and where to get a taste of their music.
Faux Paws: Formed in 2011, Faux Paw is an alternative folk band originally from Lafayette, IN.
Check Out Their Music
Free Radical: Traveling from Burr Ridge, IL Free Radical is a four piece progressive rock band with Nutella Fest marking their second show in Bloomington.
Check Out Their Music
Fudgers: Is a local Bloomington chiptune/electropop artist who describes his music as "Beep bops and electronic craziness set to soothing rhythms and beats"
Check Out The Music
Pnature Walk: Hailing from Lafayette, IN, Pnature Walk is an experimental band that opened for White Reaper at WIUX's annual Pledge Drive show on October 17.
Check Out Their Music
Stone Irr: A solo act from Bloomington, Stone Irr is an indie acoustic act who also played at Big Red Eats Green earlier this year.
Check Out His Music
Sunspots: Self-described as "sunpunk," Sunspots is a feel good lo-fi local Bloomington band.
Check Out Their Music
No matter if you go for the free food and seemingly endless Nutella or the diverse live music, Nutella Fest is not to be missed. It has become become a staple in Bloomington's live music scene and builds a community on Indiana University's campus all with the help of some chocolaty goodness.
(10/21/14 6:49pm)
Last Thursday, Oct. 16 the Foo Fighters released the first single, "Something From Nothing," from their upcoming album Sonic Highways in preparation for the first episode of their new HBO mini series who's first episode aired the following day. Last week the Foo Fighters had a week long residency on the Late Night Show with David Letterman - that included a tag team cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" with Zac Brown Band - in support of the TV premiere of their HBO series named after their new album. Recorded at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago "Something From Nothing" draws on the history and stories of Chicago including lyrics alluding to the Great Chicago Fire "here lies a city on fire… it started with a spark, and burned into the dark." The Foo Fighters premiered their live rendition of this song last Friday at a small venue in the Wrigleyville area of Chicago called The Cubby Bear. I can't wait to hear if Sonic Highways lives up to the taste that "Something From Nothing" has given us.
Listen to "Something From Nothing" below: