Happy Amanda Fucking Palmer Day

This is her and some friends running around like crazy people and recording another live version of Missed Me in the Moog Factory in Asheville. (21 Nov 2009)

Video Bonus: Evelyn Evelyn

Evelyn Evelyn - Elephant Elephant (2010)

also, hooray puppets!

Song-a-Day 015: Evelyn Evelyn

Evelyn Evelyn is Amanda Palmer's new project with Jason Webley.

Evelyn Evelyn - Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn? (2010)

DJ Flashbacks 001: Swingy Edition

So. In college I managed and periodically DJ'd for a monthly student techno/industrial dance. These are some tracks I played in a particular set that is currently rotting in my infected desktop that I'm afraid will try to eat me if I turn it on.

They are particularly swingy. I am not sure how I got away with what I did.

Jean Gabin - Doo Uap Doo Uap Doo Uap (2002). This is a downtempo techno-ish version of Ella Fitzgerald singing Duke Ellington's It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (1931).


Apollo 440 - Krupa (1997) Jesus that track is old.


Propellerheads - History Repeating feat. Miss Shirley Bassey (Ankle Length Remix) (1997) Gah old also!


I have a not-so-secret weakness for breakbeat. Now Batman really knows how to take me out if I go rogue.

Song-a-Day 014: Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats - Southwood Plantation Road (2002)

The Hold Steady - Southwood Plantation Road (2009); Live cover recorded in Leeds, UK

This cover is really not Remake Arena material as there's not much to judge. They basically just do it straight up. It's good, and I like hearing Craig Finn most anytime, but they didn't really do anything to it. It doesn't deserve a WIN or FAIL: it's just not a question that it makes sense to ask.

Song-a-Day 013: The Avett Brothers

I like this one for two quirky reasons:
A) Lyricised stuttering
B) Though it's pretty smooth-sounding, head-bobby pop, the singer is screaming! More of that yes. Good friction.

The Avett Brothers - Kick Drum Heart (2009)

Album Absorption 005: Taphead

By now you might be getting the impression that the denizens of Whitechapel are brilliant motherfuckers. Good. That is the correct impression.

Risto Paalanen (aka Taphead) is one of them. His new album, 800 Memories Per Second, is available streaming online.


via Mr. Paalanen himself on Whitechapel

Song-a-Day 012: Weebl and Bob / Justin Timberlake

First and foremost: I generally don't believe his music should exist. For a long time, I would have shot it into the sun if I could have. In fact, the Weebl and Bob version was the only one I acknowledged for years.

(Also I gave you some good stuff earlier today. I only feel a little bad now.)

Weebl and Bob - Pastry (2008)


But, due to some unknown and unasked for shift in my brain chemicals, I can now stand the original and get it stuck in my head periodically. I should be glad, because if I couldn't actually stand it, I'd have plucked out my eyes long ago. Also, the estrogen or whatever tells me he's attractive now? WTF, brain. WTF. If I didn't need you for my goddamn bones, estrogen, I would shoot you into the sun as well.

Justin Timberlake - SexyBack (2006)


(I will admit that the fact that the title is glommed together with a mid-word capitalization still makes me want to rip a cow in half with my bare hands.)

Johnny Cash Followup

So, yeah I kinda threw down with Johnny Cash earlier. But let those among us who have not put this on repeat and cried disconsolately throw the first stone.

Johnny Cash - Hurt (2002)

Remake Arena 003: Flume

I spoke ever-so-briefly of Bon Iver yesterday. Perhaps you are aware of Peter Gabriel's new cover album - I'm ambivalent about it so far.

Bon Iver - Flume (2008)


Peter Gabriel - Flume (2010)


The problem with Peter Gabriel's voice is that everything he does sounds like something I've heard before a million times. I also feel like he took everything that made the original weird and a little uncomfortable and raw out of it and smoothed down the edges and made it safe. It's pre-chewed.

So I'm going to have to FAIL this one, even though I'm glad it exists, and I understand what he's trying to do with the cover album. But he's no Johnny Cash; he can't steal the soul of Bon Iver and make it his own. He doesn't know where to find it.

Video Bonus: St. Vincent

So, St. Vincent's sophmore album, Actor, came out last year, which I totally missed. Here's the video from the single Actor Out of Work (2009).

Shameless Plug: Dwarfcraft Devices

Man, speaking of pedals, a good friend from back home makes some bitchin' pedals.

Like these:


This is fellow Eau Clairean Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) testing the Shiva prototype:


You might have noticed that a link to Dwarfcraft went up a couple of days ago (points for attentiveness). I was excited to link to Ben, and didn't want to wait to tidy up this post before showing the love.

Song-a-Day 011: St. Vincent

Here's that St. Vincent I promised:
St. Vincent - Now, Now (2007)


St. Vincent - Your Lips are Red (2007)


She performs live with two microphones, one of which goes through a pedal that makes her sound like the sexiest 1940s radio-hour hostess you have ever heard, with that gorgeous bell-like sense of space and crackly edge of static.

Remake Arena 002: Need You Tonight

INXS - Need You Tonight (1987)


St. Vincent, Beck, Liars, Os Mutantes - Need You Tonight (2010) You all know Beck, yes, but St. Vincent is a personal favorite. More from her later.

Record Club: INXS "Need You Tonight" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo. Via Minneapolis Fucking Rocks.

WIN. Full of win.

Album Absorption 004: Ruxpin

Good old Bob Cluness of Reykjavik Sex Farm tweeted a link to I Wonder if This is the Place (2010), an album streaming online, by Icelandic electronic artist Ruxpin.

It is very very good. I have listened to it a few times now yes.

Sunday Song Set 002: Slow and Sexy

Smashing Pumpkins - Eye (1996)


Fischerspooner - Emerge (2001)

Video Bonus: Spoon

This is from 2007 and is a public service announcement for anyone who missed this on any of its many rounds of the internet.

Spoon - Don't You Evah with Hideki Kozima and Marek Michalowki's robot, Keepon (2007)


Oh, hey. Looks like they were also at the Current in 2007, and performed Don't You Evah.

Song-a-Day 010: Spoon (Live)

Spoon - Written in Reverse (2010) performed and recorded live in St. Paul, MN on 2 April 2010.


Now, all browsers seem to have recently decided to hate my computing resources, so watching video has been an issue lately. For those of you in the same boat, here's a plain mp3.
Spoon - Written in Reverse (2010)

You may note that they sound basically the same. What's the point? Well, I do like having a face to put on music. You may not agree. That's OK.

Here's the radio segment from that day in The Current studios.

I think Written in Reverse goes really well after yesterday's Tighten Up, playlist-wise.

Black Keys Followup

I told you I would look into the Black Keys and try to overcome my personal failing in not appreciating them. So. Until this afternoon sometime, there was a video on the youtube of a dinosaur puppet singing this song. That video has been pulled, which is a sad, sad thing. It was a pretty good dinosaur puppet. But this is a track from their forthcoming Brothers album that I like. This may have something to do with it being produced by Danger Mouse.

Black Keys - Tighten Up (2010)

Noise Diary 004: Elephant Orchestra

The Thai Elephant Orchestra:

"Elephants in the Thai jungle playing specially designed musical instruments. The elephants improvise the music themselves. The Thai Elephant Orchestra was co-founded by Richard Lair of the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang and performer/composer Dave Soldier."

Temple Music (2002)


Thung Kwian Sunrise (2002)


Ganesha (2005)


Little Elephant Saddle (2005)


Yes, you may have noticed a pattern of human chauvinism in my calling music made by animals 'noise.' I admit it. Also, I suppose a human composer is involved in these works, though I'm not sure of the extent. But seriously, dudes. Elephants made this.