It's been a while since I've done the new music thing, so let's jump right into it...
Okkervil River, my #10 favorite band on my continuing countdown, will be releasing a new album The Stand-Ins in September (9/9/08). They are referring to it as the second half of a double album that began with 2007's spectacular The Stage Names. While The Stand-Ins is not quite as immediately accessible as its predecessor (which exploded out of the gates with "Unless It's Kicks"), this album has grown on me as another in a never-ending line of wonderful releases from Will Sheff and the band. The album has 11 tracks, but 3 of them are throwaway interludes all less than a minute, so it's a very short album of 8 tracks. The notable misses ("Singer Songwriter" mostly) do detract from its strength, but there are a number of standout tracks, beginning with opener (track 2) "Lost Coastlines," a sprawling pseudo-dirge that brings to mind the early work of Okkervil, pre-Jagjaguwar. "Blue Tulip" fills the middle of the album and it's a bit over-the-top and dramatic, but it works pretty well, and then "Pop Lie" and "On Tour with Zykos" follow, two of the best tracks on the album. "Pop Lie" is certainly one of the best tracks of the year so far, a true pop song about crafting a pop song, and it's one of the catchier songs that Okkervil has ever created. All in all, this is an interesting album that requires multiple listens (and even more by me) before a fully formed judgment can be made. It's a bit of a departure from The Stage Names, and a dramatic departure from their singular Black Sheep Boy collection, but it has some definite merits. Take a listen to "Pop Lie" and tell me you don't want to buy the entire album. Oh, and then go pre-order the album. Thanks.
And now here's some other favorite tracks from recent weeks that I highly recommend. The Walkmen album is pretty great, as is the Brendan Canning release. Take a few listens and buy some copies of each.
- Pre-Order You + Me by the Walkmen
- Buy Something for All of Us by Brendan Canning (of Broken Social Scene)
- Download Oxford Collapse - "Electric Arc".mp3
- Download Noah and the Whale - "Five Years Time".mp3
- Download The Octopus Project - "Wet Gold".mp3
- And last by not least, for all my Jewish friends (just kidding), here's a track from Conor Oberst's new album:
- Download Conor Oberst - "Lenders in the Temple".mp3
Ummm...isn't today Monday?
Posted by: Dumb Question | August 11, 2008 at 09:47 PM
No.
Posted by: Good Answer | August 12, 2008 at 09:59 AM
Look at the posting time on the first comment Good Answer. This was originally posted Monday night sometime before 9:47pm. Blogger obviously changed the posting time to make this look legit. Try reading before you respond.
Posted by: Dumb Question | August 12, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Media outlets frequently post content prior to the actual published date. Did you ever receive a September edition of a magazine in early August?
This is a widely used and accepted practice in media to ensure content is provided on-time and give the appearance of 'fresh' news. It is also done to avoid last minute delays which could result in content being published after the listed date, which would be far worse.
Your initial post was silly and a waste of bandwidth. Maybe you should frequent another blog.
Posted by: Get A Clue | August 12, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Thanks to whoever is defending me!! I like to post the night before for a post the next morning. Vague Space has been doing that for years. And yes, this comment thread is the biggest waste of bandwidth yet, the variations on LegFu names thread notwithstanding.
Posted by: Bill | August 12, 2008 at 11:03 AM
Nothing beats the original. Besides, you are clearly posting on Beijing time, so it was Tuesday morning at the time of the post.
Posted by: LegFuJohnson | August 12, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Like the Beijing comment LegFu, nice, nice. Gotta disagree with you Bill on one thing -- as much of a waste of bandwidth as this might be, it isn't close to the biggest. We've wasted far more bandwidth here over the years.
Posted by: Dan | August 12, 2008 at 12:03 PM
What is most shocking is the claim from Rud that he was posting as "Get a Clue." I thought for sure he was "Dumb Question". And since Dan and Leg have also posted here and Switsky claimed not to have read this post, who is "Dumb Question"? Anyone? Bueller?
(Just wanted to continue the wasted bandwidth)
Posted by: Bill | August 12, 2008 at 04:01 PM
Clearly 'Dumb Question' had to be Larry Gerber. He checks the site more than anyone and he loves to use odd aliases.
Posted by: SeaDen Owner | August 12, 2008 at 04:34 PM
clearly I can not choose the wine in front of me
Posted by: LegChinkJohnson | August 12, 2008 at 10:50 PM
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