Far From Noise

Comic borrowed from xkcd

 
Happy Singles Awareness Day or SAD. My friend Arlie just informed me of this rather appropriate name for the fake holiday made-up by greeting card companies. It seems like people celebrate it either on or one day near the 14th. Not all of the songs in this week’s mix fit the theme, but a few do. Hope you enjoy.

1. Don’t Do It by Salvador Santana
   From: Los Angeles, CA
   Album: Keyboard City (Dig) 
   Can you say “funky”? There’s also a dash of techno and the singing style is spoken word/rap. Salvador Santana is originally from San Francisco but started his band in the southern part of the state. I’m sure you can guess by his last name that he’s the son of Carlos Santana. This is his second LP and it dropped earlier this month.
   
   
2. I’m An Animal by Shark?
   From: Brooklyn, NY
   Album: Noise Maker 
   This is the second EP from this up and coming band out of NY. I love the voice on the lead singer. To me it sounds like a raspy Jim Morrison. Noise Maker is an appropriate title for the sound of this garage (almost lo-fi) band. You can download the whole thing for free over here. So what’s stopping you?!?!
   
   
3. The Book of Love by The Magnetic Fields
   From: New York, NY
   Album: 69 Love Songs Vol. 1 (Vinyl Remaster) 
   I included The Magnetic Fields last week for their more recent release Realism but this is an older song. They are re-releasing their 1999 box-set on vinyl in April and this song seemed appropriate with the upcoming pink-heart day. Again, his voice and lyrics draw me in. Beyond that this song is rather naked with very little accompaniment. I can’t resist.
   
   
4. Drumming For Pistols by Puerto Muerto
   From: Chicago, IL
   Album: Drumming for Pistols 
   Puerto Muerto is a husband and wife duo that have been releasing LPs since 2001. One of their more interesting endeavors was a supplemental soundtrack to the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre which they then took on tour and had the movie showing while they played. Drumming for Pistols was released just a couple weeks ago and the title track gives you a pretty good taste of what to expect.
   
   
5. Beg You To Stay by Smile Smile
   From: Dallas, TX
   Album: Truth on Tape 
   Another duo, however this couple used to be an item and broke up after their debut CD. They decided to keep working together and made this latest LP all about breaking up. Reminds me of local Oakland band The Lovemakers. Even if it’s a depressing topic, you can guess that with a name like Smile Smile that it’s still going to have an upbeat sound. Folk-pop to be specific. Do you think they planned to release a CD about breaking up around Valentine’s Day? You can listen to the whole CD over here.
   
   
6. Gotta Have You by The Weepies
   From: Topanga, CA
   Album: Say I Am You 
   Nothing new about this song released in 2006, but I just stumbled across it and fell in love with it. It kinda goes with my semi-attempt at a theme. The Weepies are another married couple/singing duo and you’ve probably heard several of their songs on various TV shows.
   
   
7. Anna by Taken by Trees
   From: Stockholm, Sweden
   Album: East of Eden 
   A beautiful, dreamy song off of Taken by Trees second LP that came out last September. This is the solo project of Victoria Bergman, lead singer of The Concretes. You can stream the whole CD here. She recorded this in Pakistan and you can definitely hear the eastern influences.
   
   
8. Real Life (Memory Tapes Remix) by Tanlines
   From: Brooklyn, NY
   Album: Settings 
   Tanlines debut EP comes out in early March I prefer this remixed version of their first single but it’s not so over done that you can’t hear the original sound. It’s a sound I would call either tropical or beach-rock. And I don’t say that in a mean way.
   
   
9. Dear Boy by Bodies Of Water
   From: Highland Park, CA
   Album: RAM On L.A. 
   RAM On L.A. is a fascinating project that came out almost a year ago (yeah I’m behind the times, sorry). The idea was to exhibit some of the great L.A. talent and to make it a cohesive endeavor, they each did a song off of Paul McCartney’s 1971 solo album, RAM. And it was all in the name of charity. The music was given away free and people were asked to donate to the non-profit No More Landmines. You can read all about it, and download the entire CD, here. This song is my favorite from the compilation and Bodies of Water was a band I heard about two years ago but I wasn’t really into their music. It’s another damn married couple that forms the core of this group with other band members making different appearances.
   
   
10. North by North by Faded Paper Figures
    From: Los Angeles, CA/New Haven, CT
    Album: Dynamo 
    This song gives me flashbacks of The Postal Service. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I wish The Postal Service would release another CD so I’m glad to hear someone continuing the sound but adding to it as well. Their debut LP came out in late 2008 and some how I completely missed it.
    
    
11. Lying Around (Sharam Jey Remix) by Cassette Kids
    From: Sydney, Australia
    Album: Lying Around 
    Yeah I know this won’t be liked by everyone, but it’s not everyday that I find a house song that I really enjoy. I don’t really like the Cassette Kids. I find them to be a diluted, emo version of Blondie. But this remix kicks ass! Sharam Jey is from Germany and you can hear more of his remixes here.
    
    

Illustration borrowed from barkingbirdart

 
I may not be consistent but I’m not giving up! The whole daily/single song post thing just didn’t work for me. There are plenty of people already doing that and doing it way better than me. The mixtape format just suits me better. In an effort to make it a little less time consuming I’m just using the Yahoo media player. You can play the songs individually but it will also just play through all the songs if you let it continue. Enjoy.

1. Sunday by Field
   From: Los Angles, CA
   Album: Be Brave 
   I have to thank Angela for this song since I probably would have missed it otherwise. It’s a hopeful and upbeat song which I really appreciate these days. There is something about the voice that feels angelic to me which I find interesting since the song is named after a day of worship (well, at least the way I was taught). Field is Spencer Berger and I guess I should have heard of this guy. Apparently he wrote and starred in this movie that won quite a few awards last year, Skills Like This. Look for his debut record, Be Brave, to drop later this year. Look at the bottom of this post for the video to his other song, “I’m the Enforcer”. It’s not half bad.
   
   
2. The Darkest Side by The Middle East
   From: Australia
   Album: The Recordings of the Middle East 
   These guys have proven themselves in Australia for the past couple years and finally released this record state side last October. It’s a little long, but beautiful guitar picking and harmonies. I find the style unusual and I hope to hear more from them.
   
   
3. Let Go by jj
   From: Sweden
   Album: n° 3 
   jj released their debut album early last year and was just signed to an American label in December. This song follows “The Darkest Side” really well with it’s ethereal sound. Their sophomore release, n° 3, drops on March 9th.
   
   
4. Only Pieces by Here We Go Magic
   From: Brooklyn, NY
   Album: Here We Go Magic 
   This folk and electronic sound swirling around each other comes from Luke Temple under the band name Here We Go Magic. I feel like he was heavily influenced by Paul Simon for this song. This LP was released February of 2009 and we should see another one later this spring.
   
   
5. You Must Be Out Of Your Mind by The Magnetic Fields
   From: New York, NY
   Album: Realism 
   The vocals on this track makes me immediately think of the Crash Test Dummies. Remember that song “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”? The Magnetic Fields is the musical project of Stephin Merritt with different incarnations of band members and sound. Mostly recognized for a synthpop sound, Realism is the band’s third (and supposedly last) folk-pop LP and was just released this past January. Stephin Merritt is also known for his lyrics about love and loss and this song is especially humorous in that regard.
   
   
6. Bring It On Home To Me by Britt Daniel
   From: Portland, OR
   Album: Bridging The Distance 
   This is by no means a new song. Not only is it a remake of a Sam Cooke song from the 50′s, but Britt Daniel recorded this back in 2007. That doesn’t make it any less of an awesome song. If you don’t know, Britt is the lead singer of Spoon which is currently on tour for their latest release, Transference. Apparently Britt Daniel likes to take a break from the large stage and plays solo gigs once in awhile. I’m hoping he might be so inclined when they come to the Bay Area in April.
   
   
7. Teenage Girl by Darlings
   From: New York, NY
   Album: Yeah I Know 
   Jangle-rock…pop-rock…surf-rock…I don’t know but I like it. And they tear it up just for kicks once in awhile. If someone can tell me what they are saying in the chorus I’ll be your best friend. I want to know why this guy has the heart of a teenage girl. This came out August last year and expect to hear more from these guys.
   
   
8. Titus Andronicus Forever by Titus Andronicus
   Glen Rock, NJ
   Album: The Monitor 
   Titus Andronicus released their debut album, The Airing of Grievances, back in 2008 and was well received. The Monitor comes out March 9th and is ambitious to say the least. It’s a double LP entirely about the Civil War and almost every song is over 5 minutes long. There is an obvious post-punk sound but these guys are definitely doing something most bands aren’t willing to try.
   
   
9. IRM by Charlotte Gainsbourg
   From: Paris, Francs
   Album: IRM 
   Something about this song just drew me in and then when I heard that Beck wrote and produced it, well no wonder I like it. It’s like dark-pop. I’m bopping my head to it but it also has a hard industrial edge to it. Charlotte Gainsbourg is the daughter of Serge Gainsbourg and is apparently really famous in France…sorry but I don’t know him.
   
   
10. One Life Stand by Hot Chip
    From: London, England
    Album: One Life Stand 
    I always like to end with a driving beat if I can. Hot Chip is an electropop band that’s been around for awhile now. You can pick up their latest release digitally right now or pick up a physical copy after February 9th. They’re coming to the Fox in April with The xx and I read that jj is touring with The xx so I hope they will be there too.
    
    

And here’s Field’s new video: