Artist Name: Ravens and Chimes
Hails from: NYC
Plays Songs That: make your heart ache with meticulously crafted lyrics and orchestration.
Latest Release:  Reichenbach Falls
You’ll Adore Ravens & Chimes if the Headliner You’re Most Excited For is: Death Cab for Cutie

Of all the up and coming bands I was most excited to see on the Bumbershoot line-up this year, New York’s Ravens and Chimes was at the top of the list. The bands debut album Reichenbach Falls has been a constant companion since first listen. Ravens & Chimes is led adeptly with quiet confidence by singer-songwriter Asher Lack. The band and their songs have echoes of Arcade Fire and Lifted era Bright Eyes – however, what is truly laudable and lovable about Ravens & Chimes, is that they inhabit their own sound and style. If you need a few new hopeful and haunting songs to fall in love with or to help you make it through the Fall, Ravens & Chimes is that band and Bumbershoot is your opportunity.

Ravens and Chimes play Sunday August 31st at the EMP Sky Church from 5:00-6:00pm

Ravens & Chimes with Lenin ::: photo by Abbey

My favorite not-Seattle album of the summer? Hands down,Reichenbach Falls from NYC’s Ravens & Chimes. The album is an intricately crafted masterpiece. Listening to Reichenbach Falls, it is obvious the album was a labor of love. Every note appears to have been fretted over, that there is nothing happenstance about the album. The song placement is perfect, taking you on a journey that is at once sparsely poetic, yet still so full and rich. Few albums in recent memory have conveyed a place or a feeling so well. The albums that have–Arcade Fire’s Funeral and Bright Eyes Lifted or The Story is in the Soil– led to deserving critical and commercial success for both bands. I expect Reichenbach Falls to do so for Ravens & Chimes.

The band will be back in Seattle for Bumbershoot. And by then they just might be recognized as ’08’s breakout band. If so, they will have earned it with sonic grace and an intense commitment to their craft. You can expect this album to make a strong showing in my best albums of 2008 list.

The most shocking part of yesterday’s Super Bowl, wasn’t the NY Giants beating the undefeated Patriots in the last 3 minutes of the game. No, the most shocking part of the Super Bowl was hearing the perfectly orchestrated strings of an Arcade Fire song being used for a FOX Sports/News Commercial. Once I picked my jaw off the floor, I asked out loud “Why would the Arcade Fire let FOX use their music?”

Turns out, they wouldn’t.

FOX Corporation had apparently not gotten clearance to use the brief clip from “No Cars Go” from the band or their management, and The Arcade Fire is talking about taking FOX to court. Win vs. Murdoch… it could be quite the show down!

And my vote goes to the scrappy Canadian!

 Like an insane person, I attempted to drive in Seattle, while it was snowing. Bad idea. And like a true Seattle-ite, it was because my coffee maker’s broken and I needed my fix. I love Seattle in the snow, my city rarely looks more beautiful. I do not however, love Seattle drivers in the snow. If you live here, you know we can barely drive as it is, add in snow and it’s basically a large scale version of slow motion passive-agressive bumper cars.

What would usually be a ten minute errand turned into an hour long adventure, but KEXP was good company. DJ Jack Walters was playing snow songs, which are distinctly different than rainy day songs it would seem. Lovely and bare folk tunes seemed to be the common string, though he also played some songs specifically mentioning winter and snow. It inspired me to come home and share a few of my favorite snowy day songs, hope you enjoy.

Sufjan Stevens - Sister Winter  Sufjan Stevens - Sister Winter

I was going to post this later this month, as an example as one of the very few Holiday/Christmas songs that I actually like. Unfortunately, my Christmas song loving co-workers informed me, despite the wishing everyone a happy Christmas at the end of the song, this does not qualify as an actual Christmas Song. It does however, in my mind, make a perfect snowy day song.

Bright Eyes - Something Vague Bright Eyes - Something Vague

This song doesn’t sound nearly as good when you listen to it in the summer-time. There’s an achy moodiness to “Something Vague,” as well as some great early imagery in the song which clearly declares this to be a lonely and lovely winter song. It happens to be one of my favorite Bright Eye’s song, which curiously all come off his earlier records.

Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) The Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1

I know part of my winter association with this album, was the time of year I fell in love with it. But I always imagined the tunnels Win sings of, were being dug in snow.

Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Rain Coat

“It’s 4 in the morning, the end of December.” Even if it’s 80 degrees outside, the combination of this first line and Leonard Cohen’s voice, which sounds like a cold and dark grey day, makes my teeth want to chatter instinctively. A classic winter song.

The temperature starts going below freezing, and out come the weepy string songs. This is of course, interspersed with the sparse acoustic tunes, which also dominate my winter listening.

Take a look at a few of my most played tunes as of late:

* the entire lovely album, Manressa Castle - The Solvents
 here’s one of my favorite songs on the album, All Your Demons Pulling: All Your Demons Pulling - Solvents

* Majesty Snowbird - Sufjan Stevens

* Cold Wind - The Arcade Fire

* I Found A Reason - Cat Power I Found A Reason - Cat Power

* and a whole lot of Andrew Bird and Elliott Smith

By now every faithful music blog reader knows about Bruce Springsteen joining the Arcade Fire on stage this weekend, but now there’s a video to make us feel extra jealous. Sure the video quality isn’t that great. But I’d be jumping around screaming “fuck yeah!” if Bruce joined Arcade Fire on stage during a show I attended, and I’m not even that big of a fan of The Boss. Here’s the perfect pairing playing “Keep the Car Running” - enjoy!

Today, via a Myspace bulletin, The National announced that they have been invited to open for The Arcade Fire on the first leg of their US tour. As I scrolled down to see if this miraculously included the PNW my heart beat faster with hopeful anticipation. But, no such luck. Here are the dates for you lucky Eastern dwellers:

01 MAY: Atlanta, GA / ATLANTA CIVIC CENTER
02 MAY: Asheville, NC / THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM
04 MAY: Washington, DC / DAR CONSTITUTION HALL
05 MAY: Upper Darby, PA / TOWER THEATER
07 MAY: New York, NY / UNITED PALACE THEATER 
08 MAY: New York, NY / UNITED PALACE THEATER
09 MAY: New York, NY / RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL

My money is on the Washington DC show, which appears to be at The Daughter’s of the American Revolution Constitution Hall. Talk about a perfectly trippy venue for a show by a band who just released a seethingly lovely concept album that would send chills down any good DAR’s spine.

Courtesy of the folks at Spinner here are some worthwhile links and full album streams to check out:

A Podcast and live Performance from blog, indie, and KEXP darlings Peter Bjorn and John
In case that expire’s here’s the permanent mp3 link

Every week Spinner (i.e: AOL’s music site) posts lots of full albums to stream and listen to and this week is no different.  Of course, this doesn’t include, tomorrow’s biggest release The Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible. Josh is currently working on a full review of the album. But I’ll put my two cents in on this: Neon Bible might just be my most anticipated release of 2007. Pleased to say: no sophmore slump for The Arcade Fire, which doesn’t surprise me at all. Funeral was just about perfection and Neon Bible certainly follows in its footsteps. Neon Bible shows growth (lyrically and musically) but has all the quirks, intensity, and loveliness of their previous releases. Ack! Arcade tangent… back to tomorrow’s other releases… take a listen:

Bright Eyes: Four Winds EP
Air: Pocket Symphony
Maria Taylor (from Azure Ray) Solo Release: Lynn Teeter Flower 
   (she’s also featured as a drummer and vocalist on Bright Eye’s EP)
!!!: Myth Takes
The Cinematics: Strange Educations
Sun Volt: The Search

And because, he’s something of a personal god to me… here’s an old video of Neil Young recorded circa 1971 and North of the Border.

Also, one of our favorite music bloggers, An Aquarium Drunkard, will be hosting Spinner’s Blogger Radio podcast. I can’t access it (damn you pop up blockers!) but knowing his taste in music, it’s NOT to be missed!  Maybe one day we’ll be letting you know about Sound on the Sound hosting the program!!

Intervention - Arcade Fire (of the forthcoming Neon Bible)
Brilliant Ideas from Amazing People - Ice Age Cobra
Lies, Lies, Lies and Cold Ground (lay me down) - The Hands
Lavender Lunchbox and the Psychadelic Light Bulb
This Canary - A Gun That Shoots Knives
Slow Down Gandhi - Sage Francis
Tourist Trap - Bright Eyes
Neon Golden- Notwist
Wincing the Night Away - The Shins (just like everyone else in Seattle….)
Watch Out for This Thing - The Whore Moans (my favorite band name, possibly ever)
On The Breaks - The Heavy Hearts
Stuck Between Stations - The Hold Steady
Kid A - Radiohead
Cinnamon - The Long Winters

… the more I look at it, the more this list is completely non-sensical, i’ve been really scattered this month…

check out this goofy video from darlings Arcade Fire.

You get a sneak peek/listen of the upcoming “Neon Bible”  and a track list! oohh!