I found this album on Reddit; self-listed and published through bandcamp as a pay what you want and braced myself for the worst.  Thankfully, though, I was immediately drawn in by the ambiance of Sutures i, their opening track whose video is below.

In general, the production quality is fantastic. 

Though self-described as “indie psych-rock”, I’m not entire sure I see the “psych” side of the album; I can hear some major influence by the more modern ambient rock style, but a couple songs pack a nice punch through a screaming lead guitar—something which, I admit, I’m pretty partial to.  Particularly notable are Lawless and Disabler, both of which are the songs I’d suggest you listen to first.

Nevertheless, most of the songs on this album seem to be more down-tempo, like their Beach Boys cover, Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder).  Though I don’t know how often I’ll be coming back to it, the album certainly reaches toward a commendable emotional punch.

The only bad thing I have to say about this San Fransisco, CA band is that the outro of their album builds down much in the same way the intro builds up:  over a large amount of time.  Sutures ii is their definitive stopping point, but …to the West! seems to fall into a bit of a cliché; I’m not sure if there was really a point to including it except to add bulk to the album. I would have much rather had a well crafted last track instead of this 46 second homage to “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”.

Overall verdict:  throw some bucks at these guys; they definitely deserve it.  A fantastic first try which should put these guys in a comfortable position; and I’m certainly excited to hear what they’ll bring to the table the next time around.

image by Steve Stearns from the September 23, 2011 show in Chicago (Creative Commons, non-commercial)

They Might Be Giants was one of the first bands that I actually started consuming; mostly because of their involvement with Homestar Runner.  Needless to say, the way I regard them compared to the way I think of every other band I love is a little weird.

And, as always, they put on an incredibly energetic show, considering their fan base.  Notable moments include separating the band and the crowd into “people” and “apes”, having each section chant along to their assigned band members rocking out; accidentally confusing the National with the NorVa (for shame, John Flansburgh!); and thanking us for coming to the show, since we have a wide selection of, as a direct quote, “aging alternative rock bands to choose from.”

Not to mention Jonathan Coulton, who put on a fantastic, witty show as well. 

Make sure to check out TMBG’s new album, Join Us, which they mentioned quite a few times.  Possibly a bit too much.  They sort of seemed desperate.  Nevertheless, When Will You Die was particularly well performed and certainly worth the listen.

See you next time I’m not too lazy to write something up.

Okay, it’s been a while.  Sorry.  Some news:

1. Congratulations again Laura and David Woods.
2. I’ve been a bit busy.  Sorry.  I may do away with my schedule and do write-ups whenever I feel like it; this way, they’ll actually be well thought out and researched.
3. Coming soon:  album reviews of new releases.

Jim Lowe — “The Green Door” (2:17)

pub. Dot 1956, 45-15486 

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A number one hit in ‘56, this song (possibly named after a 1906 O. Henry short story) quickly entered the American consciousness after reaching #1 in the charts.  The Irish-American folk-punk band Flogging Molly even named a live album after it.

Blatant promotion gimmick ahoy!  First person to answer this question correctly gets a promo post for their website or tumblr:

This version’s B-side, the original from 1956, is hilariously racist.  Which other Jim Lowe song (also from ‘56) was released as this song’s B-side in other countries?

I accidentally deleted the B-side to Hanky Panky.  I may re-record it tomorrow, but probably not.

See you Monday.

Tommy James and the Shondelles — “Hanky Panky” (2:52)

pub. Roulette 1966, R-4686

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I guess they wanted to make it very emphatically clear that his baby does, in fact, do the hanky-panky.  Which is sex, by the way.  He has sex with his baby.

This is actually a cover song, originally by the pop group The Raindrops, this version, however, reached number one in 1966.

Oh, and Roulette is now owned by EMI. 

See you tomorrow.

Lesley Gore — “Danny” (2:05)

pub. Mercury 1963, 72119

Lesley Gore — “It’s My Party” (2:55)

pub. Mercury 1963, 72119

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I have been referencing this song for a while now, even though I don’t think I’d ever heard it before.

So, needless to say, my roommate and our cat were a bit annoyed at my repeated utterances of “what the what” as I put on this record.  I was just overcome.

But see, here’s the thing.  This blog?  It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to.

Anyway.  Lesley Gore recorded this song at sixteen.  Sixteen years old.  It was quickly a number one hit; and she didn’t have any songs in the top ten after ‘64—speaking of, this woman is still alive and actually 64. 

And she was on an episode of Batman, which is pretty cool.

See you tomorrow.

Bill Aliiloa Lincoln and his Hawaiians — “Pua Be Still” (2:55)

pub. Waikiki Records, 45-503, 1958-1966?

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See you Monday.

Bill Aliiloa Lincoln and his Hawaiians — “Beyond the Reef” (3:04)

pub. Waikiki Records, 45-503, 1958-1966?

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This record doesn’t exist.  That being said, Waikiki Records was a small publishing company dedicated solely to making Hawaiian music; though their legitimacy could probably be called into question.  Check out the art, though—pretty cool.

See you tomorrow.  Sorry the posts are getting short; school’s kicking my ass.