The Seedy Seeds- Count the Days (2008)

Take one banjo, a strand of Christmas lights, some electronic beats, two awesome beards, and a Tina Fey lookalike and you get the foundation of The Seedy Seeds, an indie-folk-pop band from Cincinnati, Ohio. I discovered The Seedy Seeds when I saw them play a show at a record store in the fall of 2009 and I wasn't quite sure what to think at first. There were some sort of synthesized beats coming from somewhere I couldn't see. Their drummer used a very minimal set wrapped in Christmas lights that flashed every time he hit a drum or symbol. One of their singers was a woman who kind of looked like Tina Fey dressed in what looked like black nurse's scrubs who alternated between guitar, synth, and tambourine. Their other singer was a balding guy with a beard and a banjo. I assumed they were some sort of novelty band that was just goofing off. But then when I listened more closely I realized they were not that in any way. Their songs were filled with emotion and were very well-written and they were being performed pretty well too. (Is that passive voice killing you? Well suck it.) This is the kind of music that can make you want to move and sing along at once. Or you can lie down in a quiet room and enjoy it just as much.

I can't help but get a nostalgic feel from this album. You don't have to look farther than song titles such as "Winter '04" or "My Roots Go Down" to think that there's something these three are reminiscing about. Plus it's called Count the Days so there's already the theme of time there. When I listen to it I feel at ease, as if I'm experiencing something familiar that I've experienced before. All from an original sound I've never heard anywhere else.


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Track of the Day: September 7, 2010

It's after midnight here so I'm counting this. It might be cheating a little but today's my birthday. Let me have this.

Terry Lee Hale- "Dead Is Dead"

Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People (2010)

I'm admittedly not a very big fan of Sufjan Stevens. I love his voice but I hate how his albums end up sounding long and drawn out. This led up to me not really picking up any of his albums post or even pre-Illinois. However I heard good things about this EP, and seeing as EP's are supposed to be short I decided to give this a shot.

Before I continue on, it's about an hour long, which is about the length of most albums. So those expecting a short, sweet collection of songs, prepare to be disappointed at that aspect of it. But behind it's considerable length, you realize that this is a really amazing EP, and it's probably the best I heard in years. Sufjan still has his beautiful voice, as you immediatly notice as your thrust into "All Delighted People", a track that had me singing along to it which is something I haven't done in a while. Enchanting Ghost has a more folk-ish feel to it, which is to be expected from Sufjan. But interestingly enough, this EP is has a lot more electronic than previous efforts but Sufjan "purists" will be happy to know that this isn't really common. You can hear only hear them prominently on the closing track "Djohariah" and "From The Mouth Of Gabriel". All in all, this is a great EP, and it's definetly one of the highlights for me this year.

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William Fitzsimmons - Goodnight (2006)

I think it was the beard that did it.

I first found out about William Fitzsimmons while searching through music videos on youtube and was drawn to his massive beard. He grew up as the (non-blind) son of blind parents, so he learned to communicate more with sound than with sight. His parents divorced when he was in college, and this seems to have heavily shaped his musical style, which is smooth, emotional folk.

Goodnight is pretty standard as a Fitzsimmons album (they all sound pretty much the same. The guitar and half-whisper/half-singing that he does is very relaxing. Sometimes he teeters dangerously close to being corny/cliche (with titles like "I Don't Love You Anymore" and "Never Let You Go") but it's still a blast to listen to.

If you want to chill out or cry over a break-up, you could do much, much worse. His other albums The Sparrow and The Crow and Until When We Are Ghosts are also great listens.


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Arcn Templ - Emanations of a New World (2010)

Singapore based musicians Leslie Low and Vivian Wang, both from the obscure rock band, The Observatory, step from that project to form the strange Arcn Templ. They set to project a totally wild atmosphere, building a very naturalistic, world music like sound, with a spacey ambiance.

Certainly one of the most surprising albums I've come across this year, they harken back to some of the older experimentalists, names such as Igor Wakhevitch or Klaus Schulze. But even they didn't really bother too much with the kind of intertwining folk with their primarily spacey ambient music.

Kind of a sparse post, but I just want to get something up here. Plus, it's a fantastically simple album, in terms of it's general sound. I could certainly go through, listing different movements, and the sort of theoretical placement of them, but I think there is such a primal reaction to this. To go through and pick at every chord, every measure, it would ruin what is going on. I think I'll spare this release the trouble.

Buy (There are plenty of places to buy this, even Amazon, if you so choose. Forced Exposure happens to be a personal favorite, though)

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The River Empires - Epilogue (2010)

As a kid, I always had something against Bluegrass music. I believe that stems from my 2nd Grade teacher and his habit of playing musicians like Doc Watson or The Dillards. Because of that I never really explored the genre, let alone go out of my way to buy something from it. However, this album changed my view on the genre as a whole.

The River Empires is a Bluegrass & Cinematic sideproject, created by members Jessy Ribordy and Josh Shroy of the Post-Grunge band Falling Up, with a little help from Casey Crescenzo from The Dear Hunter. The album has a sort of Illinois feel to it in a way that its a folkish sort of album that sounds slow and beautiful for the most part, with a few points of interest such as "A Toast To The Snake King" where the pace really picks up. Even as a 1 and half hour long album it manages to keep your attention the entire way through. It hardly seems as long as you'd originally think. The album is part of a series of albums covering the films The River Empires 1, 2, and 3 (Which I believe are yet to be made). However this, as the title suggests is the epilogue to the albums. It has a reflective kind of feel which adds to the feel and beauty of the album, and it inevitably sucks you into the story. The thing that might stand out the most to you though, is its lack of guitar. Throughout most of the album the main instruments you'd hear will be the piano and drums, but it doesn't really detract from it's sound, in fact it's sparse guitar work adds more to it's sound. Casey also plays a huge role in that sound, as you can in hear his influence of every damn track. Solid album as a whole, with stand out tracks like "Overture In Thales Summer" and "The Marching Of The Clocks", the latter of which is probably the highlight of the album.

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Official Site | Last.FM | Myspace

Current 93 - Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain (2009)

Through his musical project, Current 93, David Tibet has become known over the years for his visionary songs of the apocalypse. Perhaps inspired by his split-EP with Om, Tibet has embraced a much heavier sound than his previous work, echoing both the genres of doom metal and stoner metal. This new direction that Tibet has taken his band in has also created their most unique, unpredictable, and powerful release yet. Tibet sings of Aleph (an Adam-like character), murder, and destruction as a huge cast of musicians and vocalists create a backdrop worthy of his vision.

The lineup for this album proves to be one of the best yet for the band . Layers and layers of guitars, feedback, and distorted vocals play while Bill Breeze’s viola and John Contreras’ cello sound almost regal amidst the grinding fuzz that the rest of the group are pouring out. Doom metal riffs and face-melting blasts of guitar solos take center stage later in the album. This is probably the first time I've felt like air guitaring to a Current 93 song. Intense, exhausting, and filled with emotion, Tibet proves his genius once again with Aleph.

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Panda Bear - S/T (1998)

As the first Animal Collective related release, this is a must have for Animal Collective/Panda Bear fans if only for the completist in you. While most diehard fans are split on actual quality of music on this album, it certainly was a springboard for greater things. The Police are a major influence on this album, though most note that the influence has left Panda in his more recent ventures. This album was also released on the Animal Label (It is from this label that Animal Collective get their name), which was run by friend and later band-mate, Deakin. Panda Bear himself has stated that he has no plans to ever re-release it, so don't feel bad about downloading this. (Also of note, astute Animal Collective listeners will recognize that Panda Bear uses the same voice on this as he does for Danse Manatee/Hollindagain era AC; No Beach Boys-esque harmonies on this album.)

Best Tracks: Mich Mit Einer Mond, Fire!, O Please Bring Her Back, Ain't Got No Troubles, Sometimes When It Hurts Bad Enough It Feels Like This

1. "Inside a Great Stadium and a Running Race" (5:49)
2. "Mich mit einer Mond" (4:10)
3. "On the Farm" (4:00)
4. "Ohne Titel" (2:38)
5. "Fire!" (2:44)
6. "O Please Bring Her Back" (3:35)
7. "Ain't Got No Troubles" (3:59)
8. "Winter in St. Moritz" (2:13)
9. "Liebe auf den Ersten Blick" (4:41)
10. "A Musician and a Filmmaker" (4:30)
11. "We Built a Robot" (3:16)
12. "Sometimes When It Hurts Bad Enough It Feels Like This" (4:01)
13. "A Lover Once Can No Longer Now Be a Friend" (5:11)
14. "Ohne Titel" (2:50)

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Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum (2007)

Dandelion Gum is BMSR's best album and a treat for anyone who listens. Funky and folky at the same time, all the while being experimental pop, this album is well worth the listen. Here is the band's own description of themselves: "Deep in the woods of western Pennsylvania vocoders hum amongst the flowers and synths bubble under the leaf-strewn ground while flutes whistle in the wind and beats bounce to the soft drizzle of a warm acid rain. As the sun peeks out from between the clouds, the organic aural concoction of Black Moth Super Rainbow starts to glisten above the trees."

1. "Forever Heavy" – 4:16
2. "Jump Into My Mouth and Breathe the Stardust" – 2:33
3. "Melt Me" – 2:22
4. "Lollipopsichord" – 1:32
5. "They Live In the Meadow" – 2:33
6. "Sun Lips" – 3:16
7. "Rollerdisco" – 2:34
8. "Neon Syrup for the Cemetery Sisters" – 2:52
9. "The Afternoon Turns Pink" – 2:37
10. "When the Sun Grows on Your Tongue" – 2:40
11. "Spinning Cotton Candy In a Shack Made of Shingles" – 3:11
12. "Drippy Eye" – 3:13
13. "Lost, Picking Flowers In the Woods" – 3:22
14. "Caterpillar House" – 1:58
15. "Wall of Gum" – 0:59
16. "Untitled Roadside Demo" – 3:34
17. "Untitled" (Hidden Song) – 3:10

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Matt Elliott - Drinking Songs (2005)

"One of the most supremely melancholic albums I've ever heard, complete with songs about mass deaths, watery graves, suicides, meaningless wars and a world where nobody cares and nobody smiles. And for a few poisonous moments, you might almost believe Elliott's nihilistic worldview. The final track is the best electronica track of Elliott's career (including as Third Eye Corporation) and one of the most accomplished tracks in the genre, making 20 minutes shrink into 3 or 4. Elsewhere, The Guilty Party swims with European folk stylings and is possibly Elliott's best dabbling with the style, whilst Waste Of Blood turns 1950s dancehall on its head, turning the warm genre into something rather more gruesome and, well, bloody, before literally turning it on its head by reversing the entire track.

Overall, this is Matt Elliott's one great statement and probably one of the most depressing albums of all time- but it's no worse for it. That it manages to be all of this without losing listen-ability is testament to both its strength as an album and the odd addictiveness it holds to everyone who listens to it."

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