New Countdown. Recorded in 3 Parts, Stitched Together

And so it was that, in 3 different sessions, at 3 different levels of fatigue and frustration, I stitched the latest Countdown together and truly I believe it to be a thing of beauty. Enjoy it...if you dare!!!!

(When did I start writing like Stan Lee? It won't last long, bub!)


Countdown #72

***Featuring***
311
AWOLNATION
Blink 182
Bush
Foo Fighters
Foster the People
Jane's Addiction
The Joy Formidable
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rise Against
Smash Mouth

Review: The Antlers - Burst Apart

[This was the review I wrote to apply for the gig at Listen Before You Buy that didn't work out due to my overbooked life. You might find that it has kind of a more serious tone than we normally see me having on this blog (I phrased that weird, don't you think?). Think of it as me putting on my "Review Voice". I'm going to try to start writing all my reviews with my "Review Voice"]

Burst Apart, the new album from Brooklyn trio The Antlers is a journey through a gothic Southern nightmare where nothing is certain. Images of teeth falling out, loose knots, drunken one night stands and loyal dogs being euthanized reinforce the themes of tentative devotion and eventual betrayal that The Antlers do so well.

One of my concerns with Burst Apart was that, because it’s not a concept album like Hospice, their previous album, I wouldn’t find the songs compelling. This is never a problem on any of the ten songs. Sure, there are lulls, but they serve to build tension and suspense. It was only on my fifth or sixth listen that I realized that “Tiptoe” is an instrumental. Each song conveys an atmosphere that is both exclusive and cumulative. It’s the same kind of thing you see in a collection of short stories.

Another concern that had troubled me was the drone. On Hospice, The Antlers had sewn a middle-pitch drone into all but two or three of the songs. The drone was about the same volume as Peter Silberman’s falsetto, so I was forced to turn the volume up in order to hear the lyrics, but quickly back down each time he hit a high note. It created a stress that actually helped solidify the tension of the story, but I hoped it wouldn’t find its way to this album. And it hasn’t. Silberman’s voice sounds gorgeous and the lyrics are perfectly clear.

Burst Apart is the kind of album that rewards repeated listens. The songs are simple, yet chilling. The Antlers aren’t breaking new ground, but they do find ways to cultivate a much-tilled soil. At the end of the day, Burst Apart won’t be one of those, “Where were you when you first heard this?” albums, but not every album can be. This is a solid album from a band whose best days are still ahead of them.

The Antlers - Putting the Dog to Sleep from Burst Apart

An Unprecedented New Countdown.

This is not the longest Countdown of all time. Countdown #47 and Flashback Countdown #2 were longer. The unprecedented part comes from the number of bonus songs on this episode. Here's a hint: It's more than one!

This is what happens when you let rappers influence your programming via Twitter (And Astronautalis, if you're reading this, Hi! Leave a comment and let folks know I'm not crazy!)

Countdown #71

***Featuring***
311
Astronautalis
AWOLNATION
Blink 182
Bush
Foo Fighters
Foster the People
Jane's Addiction
The Joy Formidable
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rise Against
St. Vincent

Liveblogging the First Listen: Me First & the Gimme Gimmes - Sing in Japanese

If you click on the tag at the bottom of this post, you'll see that the Sing in Japanese EP by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a highly anticipated release around these parts.

So I thought I would do a liveblog of my first listen. I have listed the songs' English titles below and I will write whatever crosses my mind while each song is playing. I'm kind of wary about doing this because...well, they'll be singing in Japanese!

If someone familiar with these songs could comment with some context on the songs, that would be very helpful.

1. Hero

It's so strange. I mean, it could a) be gibberish or b) be a classic song...wait. Did he just say James Dean? I can tell that this is going to be an enjoyable EP. I'm already ready for the chorus... HERO...something something. Love it. It's amazing how the music makes it completely relatable. Kind of makes you think about how unimportant the lyrics of a song can be. This is amazing. Haha HAI HAI. Love it.

2. Kokoro No Tabi

Lol. I feel like I've suffered brain damage. The crowd vox always make me Singh along, but I can't sing along! I don't know the words! Or the language! Me first can do anything. This EP is proof. I wonder they'd ever perform these songs live in America. I also wonder if, someday, I'll be able to sing along....kind of makes me want to learn Japanese. Haha. The other thing is that I'm not sure what level of irony these songs are supposed to be heard at.

3. Kekkon Shiyoyo

Ooh. A little social d reference there. I wondered if they'd do that thing where they quote the melody of other classic punk songs. And they did! Hey there was the title! I can sing that too! Kekkon Shiyoyo! Mmm mmm mmm! He really sings that! Haha how many of you are actually going to hear this EP? It's not like when I was doing radio dad. Lots of people listened to that. I bet I'm the only person in my city that has this EP.

4. C-C-C

Haha. It's really strange to have song after song of this. I saw a review that was like, I didn't think they'd ACTUALLY sing in JAPANESE. Fuckin Weridos. Hey there was a little bit of English! "I'm so high...I'm so down...I'm so blue...no no no." haha this is such a surreal listen, guys. If you can pick up this EP, do. It's a trip.

5. 22 Sai No Wakare

But I mean, the songs are completely great. If I didn't know better, I would guess that Spike was making up "Japanese-sounding" lyrics. But I know that he didn't. Well, I suppose I don't KNOW it. Can I get some confirmation that these are actual Japanese songs and that spike is singing them at least close to correctly? I think this might be my favorite song so far. Good, drums and guitars. It sounds like a Japanese western song.

6. Linda Linda

Ok this song is twice as long as the others...oh wow. It's gonna be all ska-ey. I love it. Move over, 22 Sai No Wakare. There's a new sheriff in town. And those horns are by El Mariachi Bronx. Tricia, you know them! I hope you're reading this! Oh man. This song is so great. It's cool to hear the Gimmes play so chillish. This whole EP is going to get lots of plays. I can now confirm that. I'm absolutely speechless about how I'm enjoying this! Ooh fat mike can sing the chorus of this one! Repeatedly! Incessantly. And a nice little stereotypical Japanese accent at the end. Nice.

Well, that was a quick 15 minutes. Far more enjoyable than I feared. You should definitely pick up this EP. It's on amazon. I think you can DL it from iTunes. It's a bold next step in this bands illustrious discography. I suppose Glee is going to have Kekkon Shiyoyo on the show this season. Thanks for reading. Arigato. Sayonara.

New Countdown: LXX Edition!

It's time for another fun-filled episode! We're getting soaked with some 90's revival stuff on the countdown! I love it!

Countdown #70

***Featuring***
311
AWOLNATION
Blink-182
Bush
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Foster the People
The Joy Formidable
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rise Against
Sims

Stop your giggling and enjoy Countdown #69

It's taken me all weekend to get this out but I'm excited for you to hear it! I'll be back with another one very soon.

Also, watch this space for another guest review, an actual album review, the start of another Russian Roulette session and hopefully another Off the Charts episode!

Countdown #69

***Featuring***
311
AWOLNATION
Blink-182
Bush
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Foster the People
The Joy Formidable
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rise Against
Sugar Ray