This band is a Canadian band, but instead of following more in the footsteps of other Canadians, I think they follow more in the New York/LA Indie Band Scene (i.e. Vampire Weekend/Deadly Syndrome). To me they have an upbeat lively energy that is lacking in the new Vampire Weekend songs. I feel that they should/will take the void (oh yeah, it's gonna be a big one *sarcastic*) created by a... bad... new Vampire Weekend album. Even though these songs came out in 2008 (ages ago...), I've just recently come to love it, and will be really looking forward to what they do with their 2010 LP, so here ya go.
mp3: Foxes Mate for Life
mp3: Hummingbird
They also have an ambitious (if you can still be that without being much different from the original) cover of Grizzly Bear's "Knife." As much as I absolutely love Grizzly Bear and 'Knife' (it completely captures the sound of Yellow House with its ethereal creaking and crooning), I'm undecided on which I like better. I feel like the cover shows us what Grizzly Bear would sound like if they had followed a more typical indie band sound. Another thing I really like about the song is that it (at least the beginning of it) sounds as if it could be in the soundtrack to a movie about the late 50's early 60's. Anyone agree?
mp3: Born Ruffians :: Knife (Grizzly Bear Cover)
-- A Teenage Elephant
P.S. Something that makes me like them even more... They have a song called Kurt Vonnegut.
I'm going to start a segment that I will try to do weekly/at least I will have a bunch of videos right now because I have just recently started my blog so there is some stuff I need to catch up on but here we go anyways. The Vampire Weekend review is really late.. but I had to review it anyways.
Small Black :: Despicable Dogs
This is really interesting video by Small Black (who I wrote about in an earlier post). I don't really know what to say about it/if there is anything to say about it... I think you should just watch it. It reminds me a little of the Wrestler... Tell me what you think. I really love this band and their sound.
Grizzly Bear :: Ready, Able Veckatimest had to be one of if not my favorite album of 2009. Everybody about it is awesome, from the album artwork to everything about the songs. The album flows really well and is truly a full album... both in terms of the sound and the fact that there isn't a single dud on it. Here is the new video to possible my favorite song on the album, "Ready, Able." It's a really cool, beautiful, and fun music video to watch. It must have taken forever with the stop-motion animation, but it looks incredible.
Ready, Able
Vampire Weekend :: Cousins, Horchata
Vampire Weekend is one of my favorite bands - their first album blew my away when I first heard it... I love their multi-instrumental sound and I really feel like all their songs have a lot of emotion/are really fun. "I Stand Corrected" has got to be my favorite song by them. They have a second album coming out January 12thon XL Records called Contra. I've been getting the feeling that it is going to be a sophomore slump... I feel that the first album had a unique sound that duplicating would be pointless and even trying to duplicate wouldn't be very good... It was just a complete album that doesn't need anything else. They have already released two singles from the new album, the first of which, "Horchata" is pretty stereotypical VW: preppy lyrics (especially the rhyming in the beginning), african sounding drums, preppy sound... but I don't think it's very good. I don't like the xylophone (is that what it is) in the beginning, the sound of the vocals in the beginning... I feel like they are taking the "We're Preppy, Deal With It" too far, even if they are trying to make a joke out of it. I do like the part with the violins in the song a bit more, but still as a whole I don't love it. It has grown on me (it is worth listening to a bunch... I promise your opinions will change) but I don't think it's great. You can download it for free over at their website.
I like "Cousins" a bit more, but again I feel like it's not as great as the first album, and even if it was...It's been done already! My theory though is that Vampire Weekend should just not put out any albums. The first album should be all we have to remember them by...Greatness. Maybe what I'm saying is crazy and call me an idiot... but that's just what I feel. If the new album comes out and I love it...I PROMISE I WILL COME BACK AND ISSUE AN APOLOGY. Plenty of bands have had great first albums and then great second albums, so I understand. I really love the video for "Cousins" though... It really captures the upbeat-ness and peppy-ness of the song, and is visually awesome. I'm sure it took loads of time to make, what with the countless arrangements of location, wardrobe etc.
Cousins
mp3: Horchata
Also check out this awesome video for Ambling Alp by Yeasayer in an earlier post.
Summer chillwave breakout Neon Indian just put out two warm and fuzzy remixes of Grizzly Bear's 'Cheerleader' off of this year's Veckatimest. He brings his 80's/synthpop/washed sound to the track really effectively (especially in the first remix). The two remixes though are really just continuations of each other. Check out both the remixes at P4k until I can get the other one up.
