By way of my 7 am Myspace check this morning I saw that the incomprable Voxtrot have added a new song on their page. The song is called “Brother in Conflict” and is from their forth-coming self titled release, due out May 22.
Stop by their page and take a listen.
And if you don’t already have tickets to their June 2nd Seattle show, go and buy them now! Join me for a dance in the front row.
It’s true. I love me some Voxtrot. There’s something so saccahrine and lovely about the music they make. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that their tunes are so catchy they play on repeat in your head after a single listen. Of all the bands Josh was getting to see in Austin, I was probably most jealous of having the chance to see Voxtrot perform in their hometown. So I was thrilled to see some tour dates on the bands myspace, including a Seattle date set for June 2nd at The Crocodile. You think it’s too early to start counting down the days? I don’t.
I was also thrilled to see after a number of stellar ep’s, the band will be releasing it’s self-titled debut full length on May 22nd. The first taste you can get of the new cd is the song Kid Gloves, which is available for a listen on Gorilla vs. Bear and the bands above mentioned myspace. Take a listen and fall in love!
A number of Seattle bands, including a few of my favorite, are making the trek to SXSW this March. As confirmed by bands MySpace pages and this handy list “Austinist” has up:
Ice Age Cobra Thee Emergency The Trucks Aqueduct Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter Rocky Votolato
Some of my favorite non-Seattle Bands are playing too:
The Mountain Goats Cold War Kids Ghostland Observatory Amy Milan (of Stars) Interpol Voxtrot
Now if I could only find a way there….
2006 was a great year for music and a great year to be a fan of music. It seemed like every month, some unheard of band released a great album, making you ask “where have you been all my life?!” And for every album I heard and thought this, I am quite certain there are three others released the same time… which could’ve made me think exactly the same thing. I’ve been checking out other bloggers best of lists and have been thoroughly impressed at the breadth of music that was released this year. Sure, there were over-hyped bands and acts that I just didn’t get… umm Artic Monkeys anyone?!? And genius artists who it seems got no press (outside of SOTS)… like my personal favorite, Elvis Perkins or up-and-coming Seattle band, The Sea Navy. But all in all, the way technology is increasing, it seems like you could be almost anywhere in the US and find a great band. Sure there’s still Top 40 Radio (which makes no sense to me) and somehow acts like Fergie and dribble like “My Humps” get massive amounts of air play, but then there’s things like KEXP, music blogs like largeheartedboy and goodweatherforairstrikes, and even the dreaded, MySpace which gives all of us without ‘payola’ or major labels a chance to be heard and beloved.
The following are abbey’s random reflections on 2006…. enjoy!
* What a great year to be a music fan in Seattle! KEXP continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and has perfected it’s incredible website… compelte with searchable live archives, streaming playlists, and a blog. With all our great local venues, you could easily catch a show a night. Even better We have great neighborhood venues for live music, all within walking distance of your house or apartment! Like Georgetown’s “Jules Maes,” Ballard’s “Sunset Tavern” and “Tractor Tavern,” Fremont’s “High Dives,” and my hood’s “Chop Suey” and “Neumo’s.” And to go with all those great venues… we’ve got GREAT FUCKING BANDS! Sure there’s the biggies, local/national acts like: “The Decemberists,” “The Shins,” “Pearl Jam,” “Death Cab for Cutie,” “Neko Case” and this year’s breakout success “Band of Horses.” But many of the best Seattle bands don’t get national press or play like: “Thee Emergency,” “The Sea Navy,” “Ice Age Cobra,” “Speaker Speaker,” “Awesome!,” “Man Plus,” “A Gun That Shoots Knives” and “The Long Winters.” For you Seattle hip-hop fans, the 206 has also been having a revival… “Blue Scholars” and “Common Market” have had the city abuzz all year long.
* 2006 just might have been the year of the EP. I’m hoping 2007 features full length releases from the following EP Stars: Voxtrot (who can do no wrong in my mind…. or at least, they haven’t yet), Tokyo Police Club, The Little Ones, Wild Sweet Orange, Joanna Newsom, Cold War Kids (whose EPs were immensely better than their full length… which was filled with… redone songs from their EPs.)
* Even though I wasn’t crazy about The Avalanche, Sufjan Stevens still completely rocks my world. I mean, the guy did the impossible: release a 5 cd set of Christmas music, that I like! Since Sufjan’s a young, talented, prolific song-writer, he get’s the Dylan Label… but I think Sufjan is our generations answer to Woody Guthrie. His work, like Guthrie before him, is a cohesive musical narrative about America and life in the United States.
* and since I’m sharing… I’d like to let you in on Abbey’s fan-geek accomplishment of the Year: travelling to middle of nowhere Illinois (champaign-urbana) to see Cursive kick off their US Tour at a great venue, The Canopy Club, with Sound On the Sound’s biggest mid-west fan, Chris Mayne. Then catching one of the tours last shows in my hometown, three months later. And still getting my mind blown. Completing the perfection: grabbing the Seattle set list from Tim Kasher. Cursive, and many of the bands I’ve loved this year, are easily worth the trip to the midwest.
Happy New Years!
This month’s list is shorter than usual, because I spent much of December re-listening to the Best of 2006 to prepare my year end lists.
Sister Winter- Sufjan Stevens *
Xmas Cake – Rilo Kiley *
Every single Track of Oh These Troubled Times – The Sea Navy (fantastic! clever! catchy! unsigned?!?!)
The Only Living Boy in New York- The Long Winters (Paul Simon cover) – Live at KEXP from 2003
Wild Sweet Orange – liked everything I’ve heard
Orinda- The Antiques (who’s entire album Nicknames and Natives is solid)
All of The Time- Locksley (ahhhh! they cloned the beatles!)
Intervention – Arcade Fire (from the forthcoming Neon Bible)
Elvis Perkins live from the Living Room in NYC- circa 2002 (featuring early versions of what would become Ash Wednesday)
Underwater (You & Me) – Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah (from their forthcoming album)
Sway – Voxtrot
Power Doesn’t Run on Nothing- The Thermals
all of Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - Neko Case (seems to get even better with each listen)
The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton – Mountain Goats
Menomena’s Friend and Foe Album (it’s gonna be big in ’07)
* the only Christmas songs I can stomach… and they’re so gorgeous they get all year play.
Here is Sound on the Sound’s favorite EP’s of the year.
1. Cold War Kids – Up In Rags 2. Voxtrot – Raised by Wolves 3. The Little Ones - Sing Song 4. Wild Sweet Orange – House of Regret 5. Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings Shirley Collins
And as a side note on this topic, mad props go out to “Silversun Pickups,” whose 2005 EP Pikul reinvigorated the EP. Ever more props for releasing a full length album of great tunes, without re-using a single song from the EP, even if they were all great. (cough, cough… Cold War Kids?!?!?)
I am pleased to say that choosing the best songs of 2006 has been a daunting task with all the incredible tunes that have been released this year. The following are, after much consideration, a thousand listens, and just about as many changes… my favorite songs of 2006:
1. (Gasp! A Tie!) “Hospital Beds” and “We Used To Vacation” – Cold War Kids – Up In Rags EP Hospital Beds 2. “Hold On, Hold On” – Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood Hold On, Hold On 3. “While You Were Sleeping” - Elvis Perkins- Ash Wednesday 4. “Fire Island, AK” – The Long Winters- Putting the Days to Bed 5. “Here’s Your Future” – The Thermals – The Blood,The Body, The Machine Here’s Your Future 6. “Samson” – Regina Spektor – Begin To Hope 7. “The Phantom Limb” – The Shins – Phantom Limb Single 8. “Flag and Family” – Cursive – Happy Hollow 9. “The Funeral” – Band of Horses- Everything All the Time 10. “Cream”- Thee Emergency- Can You Dig It? Cream 11. “Moon Over Goldsboro” – The Mountain Goats – Get Lonely 12 “Future Foe Scenarios” – Silversun Pickups – Carnavas 13. ”Sad Sad City” – Ghostland Observatory- Paparazzi Lightning Sad Sad City 14. “Just A Thought” – Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere 15. “Bad Education” – Tilly and The Wall – Bottom of Barrells 16. “Start of Something” – Voxtrot – Raised by Wolves EP 17.”Good Weekend” – Art Brut- Bang Bang Rock & Roll 18. “All Fires” – Swan Lake- Beast Moans All Fires 19. “Handle With Care” – Jenny Lewis with guests Ben Gibbard, Conor Oberst, & M. Ward- Rabbit Fur Coat 20. “Jah Didn’t Kill Johnny” – Sage Francis – A Healthy Distrust
Beloved Songs of 2006, That Were Not Released in 2006
“Lisa” – Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers “The River (live)” – Atmosphere w/Heiruspecs – from First Avenue, Mpls “No Children” and “Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton”- The Mountain Goats “I Found a Reason” – Cat Power “Breathe Me” – Sia “Heartbeats”- Jose Gonzalez
A curious sample of what I’ve been listening most to in November. Randomly rounded off at selections from 20 Artists:
“Here’s Your Future” – The Thermals “Sleep Sandwich” and “How’s Forever Been Baby” – Elvis Perkins “Black Wave” – The Shins (from the forthcoming Wincing the Night Away) “Trouble” and the “Raised by Wolves EP”- Voxtrot “All Fires” – Swan Lake “Rotation of Crops” – The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers “I Found A Reason” – Cat Power (velvet underground cover) “Cold Wind” – The Arcade Fire (from the Six Feet Under Soundtrack) “Woman is Nigger of the World” – John Lennon (acoustic) “Girl From The North Country” – Bob Dylan, featuring Johnny Cash “The Trees Get Wheeled Away” – Bright Eyes (live at the Gypsy Tea Room, 10/05/02) “Paint’s Peeling” – Rilo Kiley “Connect For” – Common Market (complete w/KEXP shout-outs, from Live at KEXP, Vol II) “Nature of the Experiment” – Tokyo Police Club “90-Mile Water Wall” and “Mr. November” – The National (from Black Sessions # 230 04/29/05) “Lucky” – Radiohead “Worked Up So Sexual” and “Call, Call” – The Faint “The Eraser” – Thom Yorke “Race You” – The Figurines Neutral Milk Hotel: the near perfect In The Aeroplane Over the Sea. Which, if I can be so bold– is my favorite album of all time.
Lots of interesting stuff this week. Here is what we are interested in.
Built to Spill – Ultimate Alternative Wavers (reissue)
Joanna Newsom – Ys
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris – Real Live Roadrunning
Math and Physics Club – Math and Physics Club
Voxtrot – Your Biggest Fan EP
Largeheartedboy has the full list.
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