I've been a Vampire Weekend fan since "A-Punk" and although they've been accused by some, of looking like frats boys that probably roofie vulnerable sorority girls, I still like them. With their latest release in May, Modern Vampires of the City, I've become an even bigger fan.
Described as indie-rock, Vampire Weekend has always had a hint of baroque, island and African influence. Sometimes even sounding like Paul Simon or Simon & Garfunkel. Today's song, "Step" has the familiar sound Vampire Weekend fans have come to expect and love. Not much to the video, unless you want to figure out what lead singer Ezra Koenig is singing about. It's a lyrics video with New York City as the background. I hope you have a great Monday and as always remember to live your soundtrack out loud.
Because I missed last Monday, I'm gonna sneak in another video from VW. Also from MVOTC, here's the video for "Diane Young".
Once upon a time a boy started a feature called The EH List. His intention - a pure one - was to highlight the music that he, his blog mates, and their friends shared on a monthly basis into one Spotify playlist. But it was not to be...
Yeah, I didn’t do one of these last month (or the month before). I meant to but LIFEHAPPENED. Anyway, I figured I’d make this installment three times as awesome. Hope you enjoy.
This is just an excellent tune by M&S that Tiff and I discussed a few months back. It’s a fantastic song about love lost and love rejected.
M&S are playing in St. Augustine in September. Just a stone's throw from The EH Team's stomping grounds but we don't have tickets...at the moment. Actually, probably forever. That thing is crazy sold out.
“Walking on a Dream”
Empire of the Sun
Turns out this awesome song has a really kooky music video, as witnessed in Tiff’s MVM from February.
“Landslide”/“Go Your Own Way”
Fleetwood Mac
Chris over at Movies and Songs 365 did a very thorough series on the music of Fleetwood Mac. Two of my faves were “Landslide” and “Go Your Own Way”. As I mentioned to Chris, the latter always makes me think of Forrest Gump.
“Hot Chip”
Shake a Fist
Mike from 20 Something Awesome shared this track back in February. I’d never heard of Hot Chip before. It’s a very catchy tune - and I haven’t even listened to it with my headphones on!
“Yamaha”
Delta Spirit
Nick shared this tune as a Music Video Monday after hearing it featured in Warm Bodies. He wasn’t crazy about the zom-com and I still haven’t seen it. Maybe I’ll give it a whirl in October.
John from The Droid You’re Looking For featured this track as part of his look at the music of the Coen Brothers. The tune is from Hatch favorite The Big Lebowski. Nick actually put this track on a CD for me a long time ago and I couldn’t believe it when he told me that Kenny Rogers did it. Still blows my mind.
While we’re on the topic of the Coen Brothers, check out the Red Band trailer for their new flick, Inside Llewyn Davis, which also looks to be brimming with tunes.
“Inhaler”/”Blue Blood”
Foals
Mike from 20 Something Awesome was kind enough to handle Music Video Monday for us one week in March. He chose the Foals track “Inhaler”. Mike had previously shared “Blue Blood” (and its awesome video) on his own site and I’ve included that here as well.
“Drift Drive”/”Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out”
The Antlers
Virtually every MVM from late February to April was chosen because the artist was set to perform at the Shaky Knees Music Fest in Atlanta (and we still weren’t issued press passes...grumble). Case in point, Pat chose these two Antlers tracks and they performed that Sunday afternoon. I was a little fuzzy at that point but I’m sure they were great. Hopefully Pat or somebody else can attest to that.
“Diane Young”
Vampire Weekend
Our last track from Mike is a catchy one from Vampire Weekend’s new album “Modern Vampires of the City”. I wanna say it’s a little different from their usual style, but, then again, I’m not familiar with their entire catalogue. In any case, it’s a fun tune.
“Don’t Break the Needle”
J. Roddy Walston and The Business
Another MVM pick by Pat, “Don’t Break the Needle” is (wait, is it about a record player or drug use...okay, the latter) a song about DRUGS. Anyway, Pat chose this track after some unmitigated praise for the band by Nick.
“The Funeral”
Band of Horses
As I mentioned in my MVM from April, I was very excited to catch Band of Horses at Shaky Knees. And I have to admit, watching the band perform in the rain surrounded by the EH team and friends is one of the highlights of my year so far.
“Elephant Gun”
Beirut
I was completely unfamiliar with Beirut until Pat brought the band to my attention with a recent MVM. Great song. You could listen to it chillin’ on the beach but it’s also a little sad.
It’s always a good thing when I’ve listened to an album for a week and a half straight and I’m not tired of it. So if you’re done giving the aloof Lana Del Ray a chance, I urge you to jump on board the Dr. Dog train because BE THE VOID is just the palette cleanser you’re looking for. It’s no secret that I’ve expressed my love for this band in the past and at some point it’s just realistic to think that I’m in for a painful let down. Well good for us, we’ll have to keep waiting. The band that brought you Easy Beat, We All Belong, Fate and Shame,Shame,*** delivers once again. I didn’t think it would be possible to continue this run of excellence, but BE THE VOID has everything fans love about this band, the soulful 60’s & 70’s sound, crowd chants, harmonies and it's all done with just the right pinch of quirk. With all that being said, I promise that this won’t be a fanboy review. These guys are the real deal and if you give them a listen I think you’ll agree.
“Lonesome”, one of my favorites, kicks it off. It’s a chugging, chanting song. No doubt, with just the right amount of background “Hey!”, this will be a concert favorite. The song showcases one of the best lines of the album, “And I had my fill of the whippoorwill, when he broke into song I shot him.” I guess I like it because some days I just feel like that.The pace stays up beat with the lead single, “That Old Black Hole”. If you missed it last week, they performed this song on Conan. It was a typical Dr. Dog performance. Never seen them live? I suggest you do, it’s a must. See Conan performance below.
Another gem is “These Days”. It’s a fast paced, 2 minutes and 47 seconds, that sounds a lot like The Strokes, without the Casablancas' sound. I can’t wait to hear this performed live. “How Long Must I Wait?” slows things down just a bit. As usual, Scott McMicken makes you feel the song with lines such as, “I walk with you everywhere I go, but it don’t seem like you know” and later he pleads, “how long must I wait?” “Get Away” builds slowly into an Arcade Fire - esque group harmony, minus 3 or 4 members and a guy running around with a helmet on. Before you go gettin' all, “oh no he didn’t” on me and really I’m just talking to Tiff, I’m a fan of Arcade Fire.
“Do the Trick”, I have one word, cowbell. This one’s a funky jam about finding love or at least finding someone to do the trick at that moment. “Vampire” brings some respect back to the undead. It’s a track about a bloodsucking woman who “destroys all that’s good here at your will.” Speaking of vampires, “Heavy Light” has a bit of a Vampire Weekend sound done Dr. Dog style. If you like keyboards, this track’s for you. “Big Girl” isn’t a favorite. I would’ve rather seen the bonus track, “Control Yourself” here instead. However, it wouldn't work in this spot because as another Dr. Dog fan pointed out to me, "it would mess up the back and forth between Toby(Leaman) and Scott." With flow still intact, check out the video for "Control Yourself" below.
“Over Here, Over There” is another love song with some great lyrics like, “Me and you, two continuous waves. So let us fill the air. We are over here. We’re over there.” “Warrior Man”, my least favorite track on the album, has a pretty cool sound, but misses on the lyrics. I just don’t get it. “Turning the Century” closes the album in true Dr. Dog introspective fashion. There are three bonus tracks. I’ve mentioned “Control Yourself”, but there's also “Exit for Sale” and “What a Fool”. All are quality tracks that very easily would’ve fit into the vibe of the album.
If you go digital and like what you hear, I recommend getting the vinyl too. It includes lyrics and a sweet color. The one, I actually bought for Tiff but is currently in my possession, is blue with red and black specks. For some reason, the album sounds even better as I watch the blue vinyl spin on the turntable. I hope you find something to love on BE THE VOID and if you already have, then you know what I mean by this, “You keep sayin’ nobody cares if I’m here, except me, well baby that’s enough”.
*** Although I really dig “Mystery to Me” and “I Can’t Fly”, Toothbrush was just too raw and lo-fi for my taste.
