holy liberty

People it is here. Libbie Linton has finished her first full length album, some of which you can listen to at her myspace. It's beautiful and thrilling. Please go see her upcoming shows in Logan and SLC. Especially the CD release on April 23 at the TSC Auditorium at USU. Oh, and how much do you love that album cover designed by Jory Jory Dayne? ps. Libbie's birthday is July 4th so it is fun to think that Libbie is short for Liberty, even though it's really Elisabeth. Banjo for freedom!

aadoratiion

It's family time extravaganza here, from which I'll pause for a moment to celebrate the release of The Faint's Fasciinatiion today. I picked up a copy last week during my evening with The Faint, a night that made up for my last Faint show in which the douchey In The Venue oversold (which they do consistently and illegally) and turned away half the ticketholders when the fire department decided to show up and enforce the capacity.

Last Wednesday night began with with a tortuous local opening band. I don't know how I've never seen the Cave Dolls before, but I sure hope I don't have to see them again. This is the hateful face their performance elicted from Rosie.

Because I'm just so embarrassed for them, I won't even bother with a photo or detailing why it was the dregs. Rather, what joy it was when I found out that Shy Child, who's last show I attended was quite eventful, was opening also. Today Megan points out another eventful Shy Child performance that is not to be missed.

The Faint can do no wrong, so I can't be objective about the show or the new album. It's been almost 10 years since the first time I saw them play and they changed my life. They always deliver a dark dance fest and this time it continued into the wee hours at the after-party where Todd and the boys dj'd and there was plenty of frolicking room. My photos are sort of sad so check out Jory's better photos of the evening. My camera battery was dead, so I didn't get my photo with the guys, which is probably a good thing because I would have accosted them with hugs for the night they gave us.

I particularly enjoyed Todd's lab coat and goggles.

mp3: The Faint - Get Seduced

Faded Paper Figures

When my brother goes to the movies, he likes to purposely butcher the movie name when he buys his tickets. Just slightly. Getting Smarter, The Mr. Hancock, you know. Just enough so the ticket guy knows what movie he wants, but thinks, what an idiot. This kind of tempted me to entitle this post something like Fading Papered Figurines. But then I decided to be respectful to the band. But then I told you about it anyway.


So a few days ago I received the Faded Paper Figures upcoming album Dynamo to review, which I was a pretty pretty excited about. But my excitement did not even prepare me for how good Dynamo is. Like, Postal Service or Stars good. FPF balance the electric and the organic, the catchy and the honest. I don't always care a lot about lyrics, but in this case it only adds to the charm, something about the lines in the chorus of "Metropolis": Just south of here utopia/For sixty bones euphoria... The lyrical talent in FPF is especially apparent after the struggle I've had listening to The Long Blondes recently because of their laughable lyrics. With FPF it's like a game to see if you can catch the philosophical and historical allusions.

You don't know it yet, but you love FPF. Maybe you've seen Kael's work on that Lexus commercial? Not to mention, John is brother-in-law to the Libbie Linton. And a fellow Mormon academic. So get listening. Check out "Polaroid Solution" here, and a few more on their myspace. They have saved some serious gems for the album, like "Geneva's Gone" and "The Persuaded," so be sure to get it on iTunes when it's released next week or just grab it now from CD Baby.

mp3: Faded Paper Figures - Polaroid Solution

fadedpaperfigures.com

New Tilly & The Wall Out Today!

And it is good! The last album was a bit of a disappointment, so well done on o. The first ep and album will always be my favorite. The sound on this album is more full, more produced, more complex. Having to accept that Tilly won't ever be the same as they were back then is easier when they can put out a record like this. iTunes has it DRM-free with a bonus track and digital booklet, which was worth the extra dollar over the Amazon download. Upon the first few listens, this is one of the standout tracks.

mp3: Tilly & The Wall - Falling Without Knowing

Tillky & The Wall are touring, starting in SLC! They are a must see. See dates.

we are not crazy, we are not afraid

Like I said, I have already found what is sure to be one of my favorite albums of 2008. Ok, I fell in love with them in 07 but it's an 08 release. So I can be done with whining about the music of the last year because things are looking up. I haven't yet been able to take The Do's A Mouthful off repeat. I first wanted to hear it because I was sucked in by this photo of bandmates Dan and Olivia which was supposedly the album cover...

But the real cover is below. It's being released in France today, though I can't quite get a straight answer from the band about how one would obtain the album legitimately in the States. In the mean time, you may be able to find a rar file of it here.


Olivia's vocals are the first reason you'll fall in love with The Do. Sometimes the sound is volatile, like a cry, a scream, or a combustion is around the corner, yet I'd bet she has excellent control of her voice. They create their own little world on this album with the range they attempt, and actually get away with--a child's chant, a melancholy lullaby, an ethnic jaunt, and a rap are all in the mix. Here I'm including "The Bridge is Broken" because it's pretty representative of them, and "Stay (Just a Little Bit More)" because it's at once snarky and dainty, and I cannot get it out of my head. Be assured, you'll be hearing more about these guys.

mp3: The Do - The Bridge Is Broken
mp3: The Do - Stay (Just a Little Bit More)

The Do on myspace

Stars hate Utah

Stars announced their US tour dates and they're not coming to Salt Lake. Or Boise. Or Vegas. boo.

Update: I already have to forgive Stars because they've done the smartest thing in music I've seen in a while. Their new album In Our Bedroom After the War, not officially out until September 25, is available for legal download now, just days after they finished it. And you better believe I immediately paid my 10 dollars. Their full explanation at their myspace. [via Stereogum]

Buy it now from Arts & Crafts.

mp3: Stars - The Night Starts Here


Hopefully the rest of the music industry is paying attention and will clue in to the kinds of changes they need to make that won't actually alienate us, unlike the liner notes of the new Interpol album that tells me I can't even lend my cd to a friend.

oh well oh well oh well

There are a million music blogs out there but only a choice few I still check on a regular basis after all this time. My intention is not really to do what they do. I've been rethinking this whole blogging thing recently, wondering to myself what my objective and intended audience has become. I couldn't really answer that question, so I'm sort of starting over. One of my main reasons for doing this whole thing in the first place was to share my daily obsessions with my friends spread all over, and I want to get back to that. But without limiting myself to just talk of music. So things here are going to be changing up a bit. There will still be lots of mp3s, but plenty of other stuff too. We'll just see where it goes.

Blah blah. That said, what I really want to tell you about is how my Jack and Meg USB drives came the other day! (3,333 were produced with the new album on it in Apple Lossless.) I was being a purist and avoiding all the streams and leaks and waiting until they arrived to listen to Icky Thump at all. I should have known they'd ship late and just bought the CD on release day.

So it was a pretty exciting day, what with these little adorable flash drive dollies and listening to what I was sure would be a better album than Get Behind Me Satan. And I believe it is. The Whites will never be as innocent and childlike as they fancied themselves in the beginning, as seems clear in "Little Cream Soda." But they can evolve and still give me silly banter and raw blues slide guitar, so I'm happy.

mp3: The White Stripes - Party Of Special Things To Do