Wavves Meltdown

Thanks to this wonderfully hilarious recap of an awful live event in Spain, my opinion of this band has been cemented.

Wavves Self-Destruct in Barcelona (UPDATE!: Frontman Issues Apology, Band Cancels European Tour)

Quite frankly I think So Bored sucks. Throwing a bunch of noise together to make music doesn’t quite do it for me. And it isn’t so much that this song bores me as much as it annoys me. Why the crowd was anticipating this song, let alone any of the band’s songs bewilders me. Like I said above my opinion is now cemented in that I will never be getting anything else off of this record. If a band can’t play live that leads me to believe there isn’t much talent present and what goodwill they have received is based on production. As an attestation, here is the song.

Wavves – So Bored (mp3) from Wavves

1000 Minutes: Dave #15

Today for my 1K I have an unofficial cover and then a song that is pretty much about nonsense. For the weekend I’ll be gone and most likely not writing, so if nothing gets done blame it on Andy. And if you love the posts more than anything else we’ve done then he probably asked me for input and/or I wrote most of it. But I kid.

29. Jon Solo – Blue Light (mp3) from the fan driven Blag Party as developed by Bloc Party (dot) net (3:05) [Time Remaining: 881:08]

We put up another piece of Blag Party this week in the Smörgåsbord and it prompted me to include this cover sooner. The original Blue Light is off one of my favorite albums of all time in Bloc Party’s Silent Alarm and is a standout track. One of the slower tracks on the album, whomever Jon Solo happens to be, slows and strips the song down further to acoustic guitars and ever more aching vocals. One of my favorite covers indeed.

30. Jimmy Eat World – Sweetness (mp3) from Bleed American (3:46) [Time Remaining: 877:22]

I’ve already written about one Jimmy Eat World effort as being an essential album. Right around the time I was enjoying that album I got this song, before the album was released. This version is actually a demo and different from what most have likely heard on the radio and on the disc. If my memory is correct I think the song was written but never actually intended for Bleed American. This is the only version I’ve ever kept on my computer since I found it way back when, because it is better. It is a more raw and emotional version without, what is in my opinion, far too much production on the cd version. I still love the song, and if I had never heard this demo, would probably love the album version as well. But you feel everything, including those irrational whoa-ohh’s, much more here.

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The Static Jacks, and Our First Giveaway!

Today marks the start of a new feature we’re going to try here at Tympanogram.  We lauded praise on Amie Street earlier in the week, so we decided that we’re going to dive into their collection headlong, finding albums, EPs and singles that we believe are worth your time and money.  We’re already spending an inordinate amount of time on the site, but now we can tell our significant others that it’s for research.

We’re going to limit the price of the album (when we review it) to $3 or less, and we’re going to give you the opportunity to win the music we’re talking about as well.  We won’t be posting any mp3s, because we want to support both the band and the site as much as possible, but we will stream a couple tracks for you.  So, if you like the music, please go and support the week’s band and Amie Street by purchasing it.

With that said, this morning, we’re talking about the Bridges and Tunnels EP from The Static Jacks:

I’ve been wondering lately about my inability to maintain zeal over the years, and I imagine that this holds true for most people.  Moods change, fervor lessens, attitudes merge and ebb and are influenced by competing sources.  I’m certain that eighteen-year-old Andy would be surprised to learn of all the things I once held dear that are barely a passing concern now.  I’m somewhere along my “long journey to the middle.”

But now and again I still catch sparks, that excitement in other people, and that makes me happy.  The Static Jacks give me that feeling.  They’re garage rock at it’s finest – all lo-fi, handclaps, and testosterone.  And it makes me happy that 18-year-old guys haven’t changed all that much in the intervening years since I was 18; there’s always a girl to be passionate about.  There’s always an issue that needs promoting, from vegetarianism to animal shelters, from going green to hybrid vehicles.

The band’s talent has already allowed them to share the stage with Tympanogram favorites Youth Group and Tokyo Police Club, and their follow-up EP is slated for the fall, to be produced by Andrew Maury, who has worked with TPC and Ra Ra Riot, and who runs the RAC (Remix Artists Collective.)  That’s high company for a band with just 2 four-song EPs to their credit.  I’ll be looking forward to hearing that when it’s released.

The quintet has a very short summer tour lined up, with just four dates in CT, DC, MA and PA.  If you’re around the Northern East Coast, check their site or their MySpace for the details of where and when they’re playing.

Stream two of the songs below, purchase the whole thing over at Amie Street, and/or leave a comment for your chance to win a copy for yourself from us.  To win the EP, tell us about the cause most dear to your heart right now, along with your e-mail address.  (You should also sign yourself up for an account at Amie Street.)  It’s that simple.  We’ll pick our favorite and send you the goods.  Make us laugh, inspire us with your passion, whatever.  Good luck!

The Static Jacks – Stay a Lover (stream) from Bridges and Tunnels EP

The Static Jacks – Resistance/Self-Control (stream) from Bridges and Tunnels EP

The Static Jacks – Fire on the Bridge and the Tunnel Below (RAC Maury Mix) (mp3)

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mp3 Smörgåsbord #16

I’m tired of washing the dishes, so you and your sister are doing them after today’s Smörgåsbord.  Today we’re starting off with a recently rediscovered Bloc Party cover, then moving on to a nice k-os track (my favorite off of Yes! so far), and finally we’ll cleanse your palatte with some Junior Senior.  And no TV until the dishes are finished and put away.  Eat up.

Tempera[mental] – Like Eating Glass (Bloc Party cover) (mp3)

k-os – I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman (mp3) from Yes!

Junior Senior – Rhythm Bandits (mp3) from D-D-Don’t Don’t Stop the Beat

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Tympanogram Recommends: Amie Street

Even before we were proprietors of a blog, Dave and I were constantly looking for music – new music, old music, cheap music, free music. We have the musical metabolisms of hummingbirds, consuming constantly, sometimes to our own detriment. Speaking for myself, I know that in my quest to accumulate music, I can often miss a good song when I first get it. It sometimes takes weeks/months/years for me to discover something I’ve owned for a long time.

The folks at Amie Street aren’t making anything easier on me in that regard. Since being drawn in by the allure of a half price album through their ads on Hype Machine, I’ve spent $42.50. But with that $42.50, I’ve purchased the following:

1. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
2. Au Revoir Simone – Still Night, Still Light
3. Au Revoir Simone – Reverse Migration
4. Au Revoir Simone – The Bird of Music
5. Au Revoir Simone – Verses of Comfort, Assurance & Salvation
6. Harlem Shakes – Technicolor Health
7. It Hugs Back – Inside Your Guitar
8. k-os – Yes! (Deluxe Edition)
9. Pelican – The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw
10. Jeremy Enigk – The Missing Link
11. The Black Keys – Chulahoma

In addition to those 11 albums, I purchased 34 songs to complete some albums, and I still have a balance of $21. (To be fair, the Au Revoir Simone was a package deal – if you purchased their new album, you got their other three for free.)

This type of purchasing on Amazon would have cost me about $130 altogether, and I’ve only spent $42 on Amie Street. In addition to offering excellent pre-pay deals (they match the amount you pre-pay over $25, but they are running a special right now where they match whatever you pre-pay from $5 and up), the community at Amie Street is consumer driven. If no one purchases a song/album, the music remains free or very cheap. (There are albums that sell for less than $1.) Popular albums generally cap at $8.98, and popular songs cap at 98 cents.

Finally, once you’re purchased a song, you have the ability to recommend it to other listeners. If the price of the song you’ve recommended increases, you receive a kickback to your account – keeping the music socially driven, and creating a sense of community on the site itself. (I have yet to try this, although I know I should.)

It’s nice to be a part of a site that is so clearly focused on word of mouth – the backbone of what good music always has been about anyway, and one that strikes a happy medium between artists and fans. While they don’t always have what I’m looking for, they’re fast becoming the first place I look for an album or song.

Please, go and check out Amie Street. Pre-pay $25 (or more!) and look around the site. Get some albums you were intending to but haven’t. Take a chance on an artist who has an album for less than $1. Find something you didn’t know you loved. Involve yourself in talking about what you already do love. You won’t regret it.

1000 Minutes: Andy #15

I hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday weekend. We obviously took a couple of days off to do a bunch of grilling and beer drinking. Today, however, we’re back to the proverbial grind.

This week I’m going to skip the New Releases post I usually do on Mondays, and just tell you to buy the Grizzly Bear album – even if you’ve found it somewhere else for free – and the Phoenix album, which sees its official release today as well. (If you were paying attention, however, you could have had the Phoenix one through iTunes two weeks ago.)

Here’s the latest chapter in my ongoing 1000 Minutes series.

31. The Black Keys – Just Got To Be (mp3) from Magic Potion (3:01) [Time Remaining: 821:31]

I’ve waxed poetic already on this blog, and on another one, about my great affection for the Dan Auerbach album that was released earlier in the year.  And while I certainly like that album, my favorite songs by The Black Keys tend to be the ones with the bruising blues riffs, and “Just Got To Be” nails that requirement.  It’s hard-charging and potent, a song that is perfect for swilling beer, or for making you wish you were.

I haven’t been a fan of The Black Keys for a long time, but once I found them, I acquired nearly their entire scope of music.  And in that scope – one that is vast and without a misstep – this is the track that personally shines the brightest.

32. Youth Group – The Frankston Line (mp3) from Skeleton Jar (3:47) [Time Remaining: 817:44]

Moving in an altogether different direction from The Black Keys is the thoughtful, building indie rock from this Aussie band.  In a literal sense, the Frankston Line is a train in Melbourne, Australia. (Read up on it’s Wikipedia page if you’re interested.)  While I’m obviously unable to speak with any authority regarding what the song means to the songwriter, on a personal level it’s an effective reminder about the constant push/pull of leaving – home, a relationship, anything loved.  It’s a song that stays, grows, changes meaning over time, and it has taken on multiple meanings for me in the time I’ve known it.

Ear Ticklers

I have a day full of family as I am required to attend a suprise 50^th birthday party for my uncle. The day is sure to be filled with mass amounts of canned beer and grilled meats, and perhaps just a little bit of crying.

But here are a couple of songs I was listening to a few weeks ago that I wanted to talk about. I haven’t really listened to them all that much since then but that is because I’ve been preoccupied with newer stuff. Not to say these are bad songs, in fact I quite enjoy both of them albeit on completely different levels. So today is as good as any to shoot these out there. Allow them to tickle your tympanic nerves.

N.A.S.A. – Gifted (Feat. Kanye West, Santogold & Lykke Li) (mp3) from Spirit of Apollo

Crooked Fingers – Luisa’s Bones (mp3) from Forfeit / Fortune

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1000 Minutes: Dave #14

I wrote this big intro that had nothing to do with music, but I didn’t like it so I decided to scrap it and go simple. So, if you are new to our page and curious just what the hell those numbers next to the music below mean, check out this link to see our 1K Minutes idea laid out and prepare to be amazed with our genius and innovation.

27. Bjork – Army of me (mp3) from Post (3:54) [Time Remaining: 887:27]

While there are certainly many other songs I could choose to be the first of my list with a female singer, I decided now was as good a time as any to add this particular track to make it the first. I was a mere youth when this song was initially released and I first stumbled across it and its author. I recall getting a sense of something evil and foreboding as I heard this on the radio, and I dug it. For one reason or another I relate this song closely with the other track in this particular edition as well. This is certainly my favorite Bjork track, although ‘It’s Oh So Quiet’ off the same record is fairly close.

28. PJ Harvey – Down By The Water (mp3) from To Bring You My Love (3:14) [Time Remaining: 884:13]

Both songs are from albums released in 1995. Both were played by the local radio station I’ve mentioned a few times before and likely will again, WBER. Both are dark songs thematically as well as musically. And somehow when I came upon these songs, dark appealed to me. Both are great songs and forever linked in my mind, so shall they remain linked forever on the interweb….that is unless we happen to take this page down.

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Thursday Afternoon’s News

A couple things we’ve seen today that warrant a post.

- Have you seen the interactive video for Cold War Kids‘ “I’ve Seen Enough?”  No?  Well go and watch it at MTVMusic.  (Which is a redundant title for the website, if you ask me.)  You can switch the parts each band member plays, or shut them up altogether.

- Irish band Ash is releasing 26 songs over the course of the year, starting in September.  In anticipation, they’ve put a song up at their website for free – as long as you give them a valid e-mail address.  The song’s entitled “Return of White Rabbit,” and you can get it through the band’s official website.  I wonder if the songs for their singles project are already written, or if they’re restricting themselves to writing one song per two weeks.  That would seem to be a difficult task.

Ash – Sometimes (mp3) from Free All Angels

- The full length effort from Vampire Weekend/Ra Ra Riot electronic hybrid Discovery is set for release on July 7, NME is reporting.  Get some.

Discovery – Orange Shirt (mp3)

Grizzly Bear

Let me preface this by saying I’ve never been a big fan of Grizzly Bear. I also must at the same time admit that I had never given them much of a chance. I believe my only experience with the band was a video or two that I had seen on Subterranean. I don’t quite recall which song(s) I may have heard, but nevertheless I was none too impressed and therefore did not attempt to learn more about the band. Recently I came upon a video of the band playing their song Two Weeks. I was mesmerized by the song and can now easily say that it will surely be somewhere high on my year end best-of list and that I am eagerly anticipating the pending release of Veckatimest. So much so in fact that I believe I am more eager to hear this album than I have any other release thus far this year, and that includes the Doves record. I hope the rest of the album lives up to the promise of this song, and that others enjoy it as much as I do. Watch the song played live and then view an unofficial video, before you grab the song if you haven’t already.

Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks (mp3) from the forthcoming Veckatimest