July 11th, 2008 r8e8rcom
I am back logged with lots of good stuff to send. Not a lot of life changing records, but a lot of “nice” tracks and interesting stuff. I’ll try to keep up and send something everyday and keep the editorial light. Lemme know if anyone has issues with the new user/pass.
Andriy ‘Paranoid’ Prokopenko (drum-machine, programming, vocal), and Yura ‘Dorialan’ Marchenko (guitar, keyboard, back vocal) decided to combine their efforts in order to compose music and share it via the Internet. Initially, their music was heavily influenced by Bjork and NIN. Band’s name was inspired by the incidental phrase “…not now, I’m too sleepy”. “2sleepy” used Internet to share their music and thus gained support among Ukrainian (and foreign) audiences. They were later joined by bass player Yurko Kozy. The new album called ‘Art Fraud’ was released in Ukraine in April of 2008 on CD with the support of “Esthetic Music” label. New LP was a proof of band’s evolution: a warm romantic electronic sound filled with leisurely rumbles of analogue synthesizers and drum-machines came in the stead of raw digital sound. Musicians claim that their “bedroom pop” album has a wide range of influences – from “The Doors” to “Au Revoir Simone” and “Notwist”
-mark
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June 27th, 2008 r8e8rcom
Another one of those days I just don’t feel like wasting words. Well, that’s not entirely true, I just spent the past 20 minutes talking with Casey discussing why the kids won’t share the Trix with the rabbit. Just doesn’t seem right to us.
Peter von Poehl is a Swedish singer-songwriter, composer, musician and director. His first album, Going to Where the Tea-Trees Are, was published by the French label Tôt ou tard on 9 May 2006. I’m not sure how I slept on such a great album, but I’m glad I ran across it now. He’s working on a new release, “May Day”, which is scheduled be release sometime this fall.
Going To Where The Tea Trees Are
The Bell Tolls Five
Global Conspiracy
Actually I just found out how I overlooked this record, it just released in the US last week. Buy it here:
http://www.insound.com/search/showrelease.jsp?from=76213&p=INS45380
-mark
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June 17th, 2008 r8e8rcom
Lately, I’ve taken to the habit of watching classic movies before going to bed. It’s lead me to become quite the savvy classic movie torrent hunter. Occasionally, in my search I’ll come a across a movie that affected me at a pivotal time in my life, perhaps as a young teen or a child. There is a certain nostalgia attached to those movies, and watching them again sometimes reminds me of the seemingly important life decisions of the time. But I think the reason why I keep watching them is not to be reminded of what my life was like then, but what it is now. Remembering that it can be nice to grow older, to see things from a different angle. The greatest gift time ever gave me is perspective, all those important decisions have already been made, all notions of cool seem to disappear and my life suddenly just is and can never be any different. Unless, of course, the movie happens to be Debbie Does Dallas, that’s a whole other post for an entirely different kind of website.
Somewhere between Los Campesinos, Futureheads, and Bloc Party, LOOK SEE PROOF are brothers David and Lee Sells (lead vocals & bass / vocals & guitar respectively), Jason Slender (guitar) and Jonny Harry (vocals & drums). After a whirlwind 6 months of existence LOOK SEE PROOF have supported The Rifles, The Fratellis, Breaks-Coop, The Heights and The On Offs and build a loyal local fanbase in the dingy bars of Bedford. In less than a year of existence they released two singles on Tigertrap Records (one of which sold out within a week of its release), released two singles on Weekender Records, performed live for Steve Lamacq’s show on Radio 1 at Maida Vale, performed on Lily Allens talk show, and released a full length release on Tigertrap Records. These track are from their debut release, Between Here And There, released on Tigertrap Records June 08.
local hero
you dont get it
casualty
-mark
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June 16th, 2008 Trevor
A few weeks ago, I directed a music video for Brice Woodall + the Positrons. The thing is, Brice lives in Chicago and the band lives in VA which made it a bit difficult to get them together to shoot a music video, especially when they were prepping for a tour. the solution was that they are in the video, but only as cardboard cutouts, which makes for an interesting aesthetic. The cardboard cutouts are still sitting in my apt, but the actual band Brice Woodall + the Positrons are in Brooklyn tonight, live and in person.
They are playing Trash Bar in williamsburg tonight at 10pm, and Brice and Josh are doing a scaled down set tomorrow evening at Spike Hill on Bedford Ave in williamsburg as well.
Brice Woodall + The Positrons are in brooklyn tonight at the trash bar on grand st. here are a few tracks from their just released album ‘Sine Wave Sea’
pulses
nova scotia
winter break down away
http://www.myspace.com/bricewoodall
http://bricewoodall.com
The Trash Bar is located at:
256 Grand St. between Driggs and Roebling
Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY 11211
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May 12th, 2008 r8e8rcom
“Yo”, he heard them yell as they passed, not sure if it was directed at him. “Yo, man”, they shouted once more. This time he knew they were addressing him, but he continued his drunken phone conversation pretending not to hear them. As he heard them approaching he tried not to think about the kind of people that you typically meet at four AM on a Saturday night. He tried to reassure himself that maybe they just needed directions as he turned to see what he would have to deal with. “Yo, kid, lemme use your phone, we just got robbed.” the short scrappy one explained. The thick Brooklyn tinged Ebonics matched his over sized clothes, but not his pale white skin. “Yea, son, some black kids just took all our money.” his taller partner added, his face hidden by the shadow of his over sized baseball cap. “That sucks man. Alright, but lemme dial the number, what number you want?” he replied, wanting to believe their story yet still apprehensive. He began dialing the number when the scrappy one wrapped a rigid arm around his neck, pulling him close and grabbing the phone with his other hand. Not sure if the gesture was friendly or aggressive his hands began to shake nervously feeling the weight of the situation. Still locked in the scrappy ones clutches he could feel the taller one patting his pockets. “What the fuck man, just give me my phone back, I gotta go”, he impotently shouted, the alcohol in his blood slurring the words. “Yo, son, Ima ’bout to knock you out”, the tall one threatened. He thought about swinging first, but he knew his inebriated body wouldn’t afford him the energy or the precision for such a defense. He thought about being honest with them, showing them that he didn’t have any cash or credit cards, that he was probably more broke then they. Realizing that a cell phone and an ipod would probably be prize enough for these two he thrashed about, simultaneously grabbing his phone back and breaking himself free. “Where you gonna go”, he heard them yell as he turned and ran. He ran for nearly two blocks, his tired body somehow managing to keep a few feet of distance between him and his assailants.
Exhausted, his legs forced him to stop, hands resting on his knees laboriously sucking air into his chest. He turned slightly to see if they had followed, and watched them slow down as they drew closer. He wondered if he was too drunk and had possibly overreacted as he crossed the street just to be safe when he noticed a car pull up beside him. The window rolled down and a beam of light flashed out at him. “Hey, are those kids bothering you”, a voice from the car asked. “Fuck, man. Yeah, they are.” he replied relieved to see the blue and white cop car.
As he limped to his girlfriends house he thought about all the people on the streets that really needed help. He thought about all the beggars, the pan handlers, the hopeless dispossessed that simply desired a comforting word and some company. How it was assholes like these two that made us indifferent to the people on the streets that really needed help.
New FatCat band, kinda shoe gazy/noisey. Don’t know much else about these guys ‘cept that they are from Glassgow. These tracks are from their latest EP release on FatCat, Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did.
Mapped By What Surrounded Them
Some Things Last A Long Time
Walking For Two Hours
buy it here: Insound.com
-mark
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May 5th, 2008 r8e8rcom
In the days of my aspiring youth talk of an out of town college gig brought visions of well run shows with kids crowding the stage, professional sounds crews, and detailed riders where even the most obscure requests would be fulfilled. With time and experience these visions were replaced with memories of poorly run shows in large venues occupied by a handful of drunk kids eager to heckle, under skilled over confident stage crews, cafeteria food, and cheap beer. If we were really lucky maybe a night on some kids hardwood dorm room floor while he kept us up talking about his band and how “we should play some shows together”. While I will say both depictions are a bit unfair, I still have to admit that my general experience resembled that of the later rather than the former.
And so, it was with reluctance that I loaded a rented SUV to play a show at Harverford University last week. I packed myself in with my partners in blue album crime, an hour or so late due to a botched car rental experience. It only took another hour for my reservations to be further justified when we got a call from the promoters telling us that the show was cancelled due to a scheduling conflict with the sound crew and the consequent lack of a PA. Holding back a vindictive, “I told you so”, I listened quietly as we resolved to continue the trip to pick up the already cut check. A borrowed PA, drum kit, bass rig, and another few hours later we were rocking out on a campus sidewalk with a wall of kids crowding around us, everyone singing and bouncing along. And just like that all was well. Its frightening how seductive a good show can be. I think Michael Corleone said it best, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in”
http://www.vimeo.com/978231
Wolf Parade is an indie rock band from Victoria, now based in Montreal. Wolf Parade was formed when Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown, Frog Eyes and Swan Lake) was offered a gig supporting Arcade Fire. He called Dan Boeckner (Atlas Strategic, Handsome Furs) and they wrote songs with a drum machine before calling Arlen Thompson to play drums. Hadji Bakara joined in 2004. Dante DeCaro (Hot Hot Heat, Johnny and the Moon) joined in Summer 2005 as second guitarist and percussionist. These tracks are from their upcoming album, At Mount Zoomer, scheduled for release on June 17th 2008 on Sub Pop.
Call It A Ritual
buy it here: insound.com
-mark
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May 1st, 2008 r8e8rcom
When I was in the third grade I was enamored of Katie Kibbler. Looking back now I can laugh at all my feeble attempts to engage my crush and make my feelings known to her without giving myself away to my peers and risking social ousting. It’s funny how dreadfully important it all seemed at that age, even funnier to be reminded of what it was like to be a kid with a crush heavier than the weight of his years. One story in particular, however, still conjures the hot sting of shame I felt then when I think about it.
It was during one of those silly school fund raisers that pit student against student to see who could sell the most overpriced useless shit just to win more useless shit. I planned a sales route that required me to pass Katie’s house at least five times. Each time I passed I contemplated knocking on her door, each time imagining a different scenario. Would I wow her parents with my extraordinary sales skills, leaving them in awe of such a successful, highly motivated young boy that they would insist I date their daughter? Would I abandon the ‘impress the family’ tactic and go straight for the girl, take her into my nine year old arms and kiss her passionately right there on her stoop? Each pass building my confidence as the imagined outcome grew more and more appealing. Finally on the fifth pass, I sauntered up to her door, cool as can be, when a wave of panic swept over me and I found my self face to face with her screen door. Where was the doorbell? Should I open the screen, what if it was locked? Should I knock on the screen door? Do I use the knocker, or do I simply wrap my knuckles on the door? If I knock, how loud should I knock? As I scanned the entrance for a doorbell my eyes rested on a small sign in the front window that read, “NO SOLICITATION”, in big red letters. I can’t say that I knew what that meant at such a young age, but I imagined it meant something like, “Don’t bother us. Go away now.” Wouldn’t I be soliciting them with my sales pitches? Wouldn’t I be soliciting Katie with my romantic attempts? Wouldn’t I be soliciting her attention even if I simply asked if she could come out? Left without options, my pride lost to a screen door, I turned and sulked my way home.
The Notwist is a German indie rock band. They have been very strongly influenced by the electronica scene, along with the other groups of Morr Music. Te band formed in 1989 in Weilheim, near Munich. In 1990 they recorded their self-titled debut, a grunge-metal oriented LP. The album Neon Golden (released in 2002) put them on the map for American listeners, with its heartfelt sentiment and catchy tunes. These tracks are from their upcoming record, The Devil You And Me, scheduled for release sometime in June this year.
gone gone gone
boneless
gravity
-mark
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April 29th, 2008 r8e8rcom
My friends call me a failure and tell me that I’m overly complex, lazy, and my work is shit. I swear I don’t know what they are talking about. I would write more, but I’ve inadvertently caused the swelling of my bladder by orally consuming generous amounts of hydrogen combined with oxygen and now I’ve got to piss like a racehorse.
Port O’Brien began early in 2005, as a folk-ish duo of Van Pierszalowski and Cambria Goodwin. In the summer of 2007, the band released a compilation of previously self-released songs titled The Wind and The Swell on American Dust Records. Their latest release marks Port O’Brien’s first full band release. One half of the record was recorded at the legendary Tiny Telephone Recording Studios, where Sun Kil Moon, the Mountain Goats, and Death Cab for Cutie have been recorded. Jason Quever, of the band the Papercuts, recorded the other half of the songs at his Pan-American Recording Studios. The songs on, All We Could Do Was Sing, reflect on Van’s summer work on his father’s commercial salmon fishing boat, the Shawnee, on Kodiak Island in Alaska. Pithy lyrics and lush arrangements paint pictures of long days spent working in the freezing cold, lament for home, frustrations of accepting your fate, yet remaining inspired by the world he finds himself surrounded by. There are so many beautiful songs on this record that it was hard to choose what to post. These tracks are from their upcoming album, All We Could Do Was Sing, scheduled to be released May 13th.
I Woke Up Today
Pigeonhold
Stuck on a boat
Preorder it here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/portobrien
-mark
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April 25th, 2008 r8e8rcom
I was sitting on a crowded train this morning when this pudgy round guy decided to stand right in front of my seat. He stood there in his grey mid-town power suit; jacket unbuttoned as if flaunting the protruding bloated mass, and sort of leaned towards me pushing his infantile round belly closer to my face. Considering the capacity of the car it didn’t really bother me much, but when the train slowed towards my stop I adjusted my bag and leaned forward to stand, he wasn’t budging. I didn’t expect him to move completely out of my way, but there was plenty of space to give me some room to prepare and I think it was pretty clear that I needed to get out. But instead of getting angry my first instinct was to put my hands on his fat belly and say, “who’s gotta a big fat belly. you’ve gotta big fat belly…yes you do’, in my most condescending baby voice. I smiled and relented to wait until the train stopped to gather my things. As I stood and moved past him I realized how strange the thought was, hoping it wasn’t some deep-seated Freudian bullshit hiding somewhere in the recesses of my brain. Wouldn’t it be funny to spend an entire day talking to everyone you meet like they were a baby.
Electric President is the second of Ben Cooper’s projects, this time with Alex Kane. Both were in Helicopter Project prior to its break up though no music from this group was ever released. Afterwards the pair decided to continue to make music together. They subsequently completed three albums in six months. Ben Cooper is also a member of Radical Face (Formerly know as Radical Face Versus Phalex Sledgehammer), Iron Orchestra, and Mother’s Basement. These tracks are from the new record, Sleep Well is scheduled to be released June 25, 2008 for the US according to Ben Cooper’s official website.
Bright mouths
Lullaby
A drift in space, or whatever
This entire record is great and is highly recommended. Not sure where you will be able to buy the record yet, but you can check Ben’s blog for updates: http://www.radicalface.com
-mark
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April 24th, 2008 r8e8rcom
tawdedsharkstudio (2:11:50 PM): yo
tawdedsharkstudio (2:11:57 PM): r u doing anything tonight?
r8e8r_mark (2:14:00 PM): rehearsal
r8e8r_mark (2:15:24 PM): why what are you up to?
tawdedsharkstudio (2:15:55 PM): might go out with som work peeps after work
r8e8r_mark (2:17:29 PM): work peeps, they are little marshmellow chicken shaped candies that produce ad campaigns for corporate conglomerates that want to seem “hip” and “with it”
r8e8r_mark (2:17:52 PM): and they’re really good at their jobs
r8e8r_mark (2:17:56 PM): becuase after all
r8e8r_mark (2:18:16 PM): everyone knows “peeps” will always be ironically “cool”
tawdedsharkstudio (2:18:41 PM): totally
r8e8r_mark (2:20:19 PM): I like to bite their heads off
tawdedsharkstudio (2:20:30 PM): and suck their yellow blood
r8e8r_mark (2:21:29 PM): or lick the sugary goodness from their bloated bodies until they glisten with saliva and stick to my fingers
r8e8r_mark (2:21:48 PM): and you can tell them I said that
tawdedsharkstudio (2:21:56 PM): you are quite articulate today
r8e8r_mark (2:21:56 PM): cuz I dont even give a fuck what they think about me
tawdedsharkstudio (2:22:05 PM): fuck their little yellow holes
Wye Oak (formerly known as Monarch) are Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack. Jenn & Andy have been playing music together and apart in Baltimore, MD, and chose their name from the honorary state tree of Maryland. If Children is the culmination of many months of recording, polishing and perfecting to achieve what Any Given Tuesday best described as, “. … . mingling in a room full of shoegaze, alt-country, folk, and noise, shaking hands, kissing cheeks, and making friends with everyone.” If Children is an exuberant debut – noisy and restrained in turn, Wye Oak describe their philosophy: “We’d like to think that if a song is good enough, it’ll stand on its own regardless of how much noise you pile on top. On the other hand, we do like noise.” - last.fm
Please Concrete
Family Glue
Fair
buy it here: Insound.com
-mark
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