Everything Is Fine - "1000 Seconds". Everything Is Fine looks like a pretty hilarious fellow. But that doesn't matter because his music is beautiful. Alan passed me "1000 Seconds," and there are many more mp3s here. The song is low bass notes and the resonant touch of hands to electric strings. That, and Marc Manning's voice - high, certain, forlorn. It is very, very sad, this song. Manning carries us, but what truly lifts "1000 Songs" above the rabble of weepy singer-songwriters is the squall of feedback that slowly grows, a fierce grey ache that rises and overwhelms - a mouth that opens wider and wider, sound without words. The yawning maw of death, or perhaps the terrifying struggle of truly living. [buy]
Warsawpack - "Year of the Car Crash". Warsawpack, it seems, are defunct. Which is a pity. Over the course of two very similar records, they played snarling, musical and cohesive funk rock - gloomy guitars, sharp horns, the slick knife of DJ Aaron Sakala. Recalling a wordier Zach De La Rocha, Lee Raback raps with deftness and fury: he rages singlemindedly against big business, fat cats, and Republican presidents. Although the records can sometimes be a little much, "Year of the Car Crash" is short and cutting, a blazing rant against SUVs and gasoline, whispery scratching amidst guitar atmospherics. [buy]
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As you can see, I've updated my blog-roll. While places like The Tofu Hut have a terrific, encyclopedic list of mp3blogs, the links on this page are to the sites that I most eagerly recommend - the sites that I visit daily. Anything that's on the right is totally fantastic - and I'm sure that there are many others worthy of attention that either I haven't yet discovered, or that haven't yet secured my interest. If I'm overlooking something wonderful, please do let me know.
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I was just reading about the Conet Project at Stereogum - strange garbled radio broadcasts, spy messages or the illuminati or something else. As Aquarius Records says,
"The Conet Project is possibly the most incredible, and weirdest, item of sound art/documentation that we've EVER [sold]... Mesmerizing, fascinating, unique, massive, scary, but sometimes even soothing."I made a mental note to try to track them down and sample. Lo and behold, in a show of synchronicity, t3poh discovers this treat: download all 4 discs from Irdial, the album's label.
A wonderful thing: Maciej's description of The Velvet Underground. (You may have to scroll down to find it.)
Listen to Devendra Banhart's psychfolk comp, Golden Apples of the Sun (featuring Joanna Newsom, Little Wings, and more), here. [via mefi]
If you're on a mac, Camino 0.8 is out, and it's great.