If you’ve read this blog before you might remember that we at (((withoutsound))) enjoy ourselves some Lily Allen. Well, yesterday, Capitol Records finally released Lily Allen’s debut album stateside.
Read the previous post.
Buy Alright, Still from Insound.
Music blogs can introduce you to a wealth of fantastic music, which is really one of the main reasons Seamus and I started (((withoutsound))). Prior to last February, I learned about new music from music blogs about 50% of the time. Since then that percentage has grown to about 75%. However, as you have probably realized by now, most of the blogs out there (or is it in here?) are full of shite, overloaded with tracks with little to no discussion of the music. There must be some who find such a posting-style perfect; I’m guessing these folk are just looking to fill their DAP with free tracks; but I’ve found that this just leaves me with a surplus of mediocre songs. And since most publicly available music is mediocre, I need some sort of filtering system to help me separate the tasty tasty wheat from that nasty nasty chaff. So I’d like to thank the good soul behind *SixEyes for introducing me to Toronto-based rawk band Femme Generation, my new wheat (not to be confused with Wheat).
Listen to Hearts in Stitches.
In the last couple of years some great bands have sprouted up seemingly from a love for the jangly guitars, driving beats, and clever songwriting of classic English indie rock from the 80s. Canada spawned the Dears, England sired Bloc Party, and now the US has given juicy birth to Soft Complex. Soft Complex currently hails from D.C. and claims members from atmospheric psychedelic group Phaser and the more aggressive rock outfit Burning Airlines, but knowing this may provide little introduction to what this quintet sounds like.
Listen to Barcelona.
I‘ve liked Franz Ferdinand since I first heard Darts of Pleasure a couple of years ago, but after this weekend, they’ve settled into an even cozier section of my heart. I was listening to the syndicated radio show the Splendid Table on my local NPR station. This is one of my favorite reasons for owning a radio. My brother Craig introduced me to the food show a year ago saying “it doesn’t matter what it is, the way the host speaks just makes me want to eat anything she talks about it.” I tuned in soon after and understood immediately. I’ve since been hooked. When the host, Lynne Rossetto Kaspar, discusses recipes or restaurants, she imbues each word with the comfort of creamy mashed potatoes. It’s almost like she’s describing a Calgon bath or a luxurious spa treatment. And Craig’s right: it doesn’t matter what she’s talking about.
Anyway, this weekend Lynne interviewed Franz Ferdinand singer Alex Kapranos. As it turns out, he’s somewhat of a foodie. Since touring with the band, he’s had the opportunity to try many different local cuisines from around the world and his palate seems quite adventurous; perhaps, as discussed on the show, this is due to having a Greek father and growing up in Haggis Central. At some point, the Guardian tapped Alex to write some food articles about the places he’s been. The articles must have been stimulating enough that a book seemed inevitable and that book, Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand, came out earlier this month. I never imagined I’d hear Franz Ferdinand discussed on NPR, at least not the band, let alone on a food show, and Alex came across as rather charming and down-to-earth.
If you get a chance, listen to the Splendid Table. Here’s a link to this past weekend’s episode: January 13th, 2007
Buy the book from the NPR store.
Listen to What You Meant
The Sad Little Stars‘ video for “Don’t Fuck With Love” was making the rounds earlier this past year and sadly, little stars, it’s taken me this long to listen to their 2003 album The Stars Below to feel them up enough to post a track or two.
- Listen to Don’t Fuck With Love
- Listen to We Were Just Waking Up
The Sad Little Stars’ 2nd album Stop Motion Breakdown is due out any moment now.
Buy The Stars Below from 
.