I wear my garment so it shows, now you know.

Bon Iver

Am I the only person who just found out that Bon Iver is not a person, but a band? I guess it would make sense now why whenever I'd say, "Oh I love Bon Iver, he's so good!" people would respond with puzzled looks, back away slowly, and then run screaming into the woods.

Anyway, Bon Iver is only a little pup of a band, having formed in 2007 by indie folk singer Justin Vernon (the face and voice of Bon Iver). The other lesser known band members include, Michael Noyce (vocals, baritone guitar, guitar), Sean Carey (drums, vocals, piano), and Matthew McCaughan (bass, drums, vocals). Vernon's credit is not undue either, as he independently released Bon Iver's first album "For Emma, Forever Ago," and had recorded most of the tracks sequestered in a remote cabin in Northwestern Wisconsin (um..). The ebb and flow of Iver's Lump Sum, Stacks, Flume, and Skinny Love may encourage a listener to stare into a puddle or sit in a rocking chair on a front porch in the woods of Northern Wisconsin, smoking a pipe and contemplating life. To name only a couple of the debut album accolades, "For Emma, Forever Ago" was released in the UK and gained immediate and significant acclaim. The album received 5/5 in album of the month in Uncut and Mojo Magazines and was rated seventh best album of the year on the review-aggregator site Metacritic. Bon Iver also recently collaborated with Kanye West on two of the tracks (Lost In The World and Monster) in Kanye's new (venerable) album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy." It looks to me as though Iver's career has only begun to gain momentum; we will hopefully be hearing and seeing a lot more of them in 2011.



Nice Iver "rerub" Thanks for helping me survive the workweek Raf








Phantogram


will be pumping this all weekend..


this video takes a minute to start. The Sun Recordings are fun to cook to and truly show you how amazing Elvis was, especially because of the fact that Elvis included all of his recording bloopers on the album.




Select Jazz. 26,000 views and not a single dislike. Thanks Andy




Sad Brad Smith

You have to go on and be crazy. Craziness is like heaven.

John Fahey's contribution to American music is extensive, underrated, and difficult to encompass in a short blog post. Ranked number 35 in Rolling Stone's top 100 guitarists of all time, John Fahey was the main pioneer in solo steel string guitar prowess. Often incorporating folk, blues, Brazilian, Portuguese, and even Indian sounds into his work, Fahey's original compositions paved the road for what is now known as "Primitivism" (also a term used in painting), used to describe a self-taught and minimalist style of play. Fahey, known for his aloofness and dry humor, could be described as living the typical "tormented artist" life. Despite his musical genius, his true musical credit was established only after his death; he suffered poor health, and lived mainly in poverty. During the worst of his health battles, Fahey would often live in cheap motels and relied on income made from pawning guitars and selling rare albums he found in thrift stores. Aside from the sad aspects of Fahey's career, his music is a peaceful and soothing listen.

thankfully someone posted this version on youtube. only 94 views so far.


shoutout to Har Pottttt


harmonica battle -these are awesome thanks Sarah


heard this at the Wiz opening had to find it






fave comment under this "I always thought this song reminded me of Ewoks."


word to the drum. Malcolm and Martin.


off the new j. cole mixtape


mykonos

Well if you're hot to trot you think you're slicker than grease.

Hello Nasty,

Happy Hump Day.

Love,
Jessica


classic throwback


New girl talk album? top notch.


the ole feel goods








triple double kinda like The Runs

'Cause G-E-D was it B-I-G, I got P-A-I-D

Last week's Pretty Lights concert was fun, and as many have said of Pretty Lights before, it was a perfect excuse to "dumb out." Stumbling out of House of Blues with the masses, I realized I was glad to have seen Pretty Lights; but I was blown away by Jurrasic 5 mastermind, Chali 2na. He was incredible live. Sadly, after listening to 2na's newest mixtape Fish Market 2, it became clear to me that 2na's appeal lies solely in his sonorous baritone voice and authentic rhyme flow. While many of the tracks off of his albums are rich with lyrical clout, the beats that 2na raps over are overly repetitive, vacuous, and unoriginal. With that said, I am brought back to an interview I saw a while back, in which Drake said "it's really hard to rap over other people's songs and have it be timeless... it's hard to tour off of that." This deja-vu sound is a downfall suffered by too many big hip hop artists-- we rush to get the newly released album or mixtape only to find ourselves groaning, "commme onnnnnn, we've heard that before." (Is this why everyone is now gravitating towards mash-ups?) Thus, I suppose I will have to suck up my occasional boredom; as it is the poetry rising above the beats and, above all, the publics' tendency to gush over apocryphal tracks, that allow the hip-hop industry to survive. Right?

This is my favorite track off 2na's most recent mixtape Fish Market 2, released in June. Unfortunately, the beat he raps over is flat, but as far as flow is concerned, 2na is talented.


somehow I missed this goodness that came out a while ago; thanks Mike.


cream cheese and a bagel
have a glass of milk and
an ego
... sounds Rafalicious


fire. thanks Chono


this song is beautiful. beautiful. beautiful.


why I DONT hate winter

NOW is the time, to be alive.

This is a performance everyone must see. Known as The Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva Masterpiece, this performance is made up of all deaf dancers. The dancers follow the light fluctuations, the vibrations from the sound, as well as the breathing and movements of the other dancers around them. As you can see, they are incredibly synced not only with each other, but also with the sound. Would they be able to be this synced if the dancers were not deaf? Of course, this performance undoubtedly shows that you do not have to be able to hear in order to feel, appreciate, and be moved by music.

ALSO! Do me a favor, and turn off the sound to this actual video and watch this video with the 1940 submarine remix (below) playing instead... you won't regret it.





Ready to back that up on a Wednesday? I know I am.


1940 Remix, WIll's on a role these days


The 1940 original by The Submarines is just as good as the remix


Know how to rock a house party at the drop of a hat


Oscar Peterson... also one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time


Anais Mitchell- Old Fashioned Hat
Get ready for bed, what a lovely lullaby...

If you love music, then you know

Antidotes
Feel each note
B flat, A flat, C-D Rest.
Sound pounds G D C sharp
in my chest. Down to my
toes, A clings so sweet, with
D flat, C sharp, F--
Repeat. B resonates, inside
my heart. My blood pumps
A minor-7 and D
sharp. Can't hear noise
outside my
bed. Just stroke the keys, and breathe
instead. I writhe, and sigh
and fall apart.
My bones, they heal
in darkest dark
to A flat B flat
end C sharp.



Featured artists of the day:
Check out Wayside, a local Boston band that I heard is pretty sick live. Not only are the band members a few of the coolest people I've met in Boston, but also their range of sound is notable, with hints of everything from classic rock, blues and folk to heavy metal and punk. My favorite off Featured Audio, their newest album, might have to be Days to Remember--here's the link to their website. Their album was released a couple of days ago on Nov. 5th and you can see them live at Copperfields on November 20th at 8pm. LETS GO!


whimsical


hopefully our dog days are far from over. Thanks Betsyyyyy


Mike Hammond. This is hilarious... and also really catchy


here's another good track off the Neutral Milk Hotel album, thanks Raf


There's always a lot of Mumford fans...
in these bodies we will live, and in these bodies we will die

Dis beat was bubblegum, so I had to chew it

A lesson in jazz:
Art Tatum was an American Jazz pianist that began his career as a musician at the age of three. A child prodigy with perfect pitch, Tatum was able to pick out rhythms off radios, records, and church hymns and convert them into innovative sound on the piano. Tatum was also nearly blind from childhood due to disputed complications involving cataracts. Known as one of the best jazz pianists of all time, Tatum sweeps his hands along the piano, titillating listeners with swinging jazz improv and elaborate cadenzas. Hints of later forms of jazz peek through numerous works of Tatum's, suggesting ingenious musical foresight during the era in which he performed. Sit back and enjoy.

relax with Art Tatum


insane hands


You wanted a hit?


You think you know everything about everything, but don't know a damn thing.


Local Natives


Here's a good band recommended by Sarah for those of you who may be looking for some new acoustic rock/pop
http://www.myspace.com/themorrisonbrothersband

Do D.A.T.
This is a new artist I had never heard of before that Ian introduced me to-- I think he's a pretty good rapper. If you like the stuff on his myspace I can send you his most recent album. I can't find any links to it on youtube though.
http://www.myspace.com/datamen/music/playlists/dat-39-s-what-39-s-up-468581?ap=1

thanks Stephan. Muse. Pretty solid concert.


Aparna's suggestion, so good.


Delhi to Dublin. After watching some of their youtube videos it looks like this band really gets the crowd going-- if they come to your town I highly suggest you go see them.