Around the Blogosphere: New Pornographers, Low Budgets, Schroeder, Hives, Dinosaur Jr, Weakerthans, Screaming Trees, Said The Whale, Young Galaxy

A good way to end the year, imho. (That "h" could mean "haughty.") Some of these are on "Best of" lists, so you might have to scroll. Sincere appreciations to the hosts.

The New Pornographers – Mutiny I Promise You – Battle of the Midwestern Housewives
The Low Budgets – Plastic – Battle of the Midwestern Housewives
Aaron Schroeder – Fake Crimes – Battle of the Midwestern Housewives

The Hives – Tick Tick Boom – Dead Flowers – Maybe you got it elsewhen; if not, maybe now. Certainly one of my favorites of the year.
Dinosaur Jr – This Is All I Came To Do – Can You See the Sunset from the Southside?
The Weakerthans – Tournament of Hearts – Can You See the Sunset from the Southside?

Screaming Trees – Cold Rain & Bed of Roses & No One Knows – Gaper’s Blog - Good job, Gape! These Ellensburgers are long-time faves.
Said The Whale – Live Off Lamb – i (heart) music
Young Galaxy – Come And See – i (heart) music

Contrition, cont'd: Myracle Brah, British Sea Power, Bob Mould, Donnas, Faintest Ideas, Second Hand Furniture, Helio Sequence, Air Miami, Tall Dwarfs

Maybe we've been a little lax during this here "holiday" season. Maybe we'd like to say we're sorry.

Myracle Brah - Big Mistake mp3 - From 2007's Can You Hear the Myracle Brah? - Here are some of my favorites at the Rainbow Quartz Myracle Brah page. Others await you there as well.
This is Where We Belong mp3
I'd Rather Be mp3
Song 37 mp3

British Sea Power - No Lucifer mp3

Bob Mould - The Distance Between Us mp3 - Hüsker Düde makes nice. Thanks to AOL's Spinner.
The Donnas - Don't Wait Up For Me mp3

The Faintest Ideas - The Anatomic Bomb mp3

Second Hand Furniture - Nice Try Sunshine mp3

Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead mp3

Air Miami - Airplane Rider mp3
Tall Dwarfs - Baby It's Over mp3
The Voyces - Kissing Like It's Love mp3

As always, further enlightenment can be gleaned by clicking artists' names.

Seasons' Greetings

May each bring you what you want and need.

Sambassadored

"I adore this Swedish band." I'm quoting myself in hopes Labrador will again take notice. You see, the label recently quoted me in their email circular to the folks on their mailing list. Yeh, that's right, the guy who never says anything got quoted the one time he did. Anyway, the sentiment still holds, only deeper, and I'm posting everything I legally can by this incandescent (use that, Labbies?) group. The playing of Daniel Permbo, Joachim Läckberg, and Daniel Tolergård rings true, and Anna Persson's voice flows dangerously deep into this particular "soul." Ooooh, I like that one, too, and it happens to be true. Enough of barely making sense, though. Sambassadeur has final say.

Sambassadeur - Migration

Final Say mp3

Subtle Changes mp3

From Sambassadeur:

Between the Lines mp3

Kate mp3

From the New Moon EP:

New Moon mp3

Well, okay, I'll add this, but it will, finally, lead you back to the band. Clicking the yellow titles takes you to eMusic pages where you can buy the rest of the albums and EP. Not only does Labrador front some of the best music on the planet, they are wise and generous in making free downloadables available at their label site. This gives their artists great exposure while creating myriad warm, fuzzy feelings in the "souls" of potential customers. I know the links work as well as Labrador's policy: I've bought everything there I didn't already have.

Around the Blogosphere: Hives, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Chromatics, Frank Black, Afraid of Stairs, Magnetic Fields, Ramones, Godfathers, et. al.

Were I hosting these myself, I'd have to buy the same brand of Depends-type thingies Astronautess Nowak uses. Maybe the actual hosterposters are made of sterner stuff, but I do thank them all the same.

The Hives – You Dress Up For Armageddon – BadmintonStamps
The Hives – Return the Favour – BadmintonStamps
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Kiss, Kiss – BadmintonStamps
Chromatics – Night Drive – Badminton Stamps

Frank Black – I Gotta Move – The Modern Music
Sounds Like Sunset – Frequency – mp3hugger
Eat – Shame – mp3hugger – Catchy

Michelangelo – Soon (We’ve Kept the Room. . .) – Raven Sings the Blues
Afraid of Stairs – When Nothing – My Little Ghost Friend
The Magnetic Fields – The Nun’s Litany – a Plague of Angels – Catchy

The Ramones – Somebody Put Something in My Drink – Bag of Songs - a personal favorite by the happy fam, as are 40 or 50 others; live at the Armadillo on the Leave Home tour was a seminal experience (again with the loins; sorry)
The Godfathers – I Want Everything – Bag of Songs - Come to think of it, The Ramones wanted this, too.
Gary Myrick And The Figures – She Talks in Stereo – Bag of Songs - A long-time faveorite

Mars Needs Gui- . . . Ears

One of the most enjoyable things about doing this blog has been hearing from bands new to me and, sometimes, just plain new. After I posted songs by Boston's The Prime Movers, Chris Gorham invited me to take a listen to him and fellow Beantowners Mars, and I'm awfully glad I did, as you'll soon hear. Their self-titled EP drops tomorrow, and they'll be having a CD release party January 5 at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge (Mass., that is). Words cannot express how much I wish I could be in one of my favorite cities in the world for the gala occasion! How 'bout it, Chris? Airplane tix, luxury accomodations, all expenses-paid-payola-kinda-thing? Oops, must avoid all appearance of evil (whatever's going on behind the scenes, i.e., nada). XTC had five senses working overtime; Mars one-upsy daisies them in this song. Good luck, guys.

Mars - Treat Me Right mp3

Click their name to go to their MySpace site to hear more.

Around the Blogosphere: Ride, Tilly, High Violets, Blowoff, 11hz Robot, Raveonettes, Ronderlin, Love Like Fire

Hosts make nice, and we thank them.

Michelle's and Casey's archives continue to transform lactose and citrus tolerance into healthy addiction. Today's vintage: June 2006.
Ride – Today – Milk Milk Lemonade
Tilly and the Wall – Black and Blue – Milk Milk Lemonade - My fave by them
The High Violets – Love Is Blinding – Milk Milk Lemonade
Blowoff – Hormone Love – Milk Milk Lemonade - Fabulous project by Bob Mould & Richard Morel
11hz Robot – Let’s Go to Bed (The Cure cover) – Milk Milk Lemonade – Electronica, if it please you.

The Raveonettes – Uncertain Times – Headphones On
Ronderlin – Come With Your Heart and Soul – Hits in the Car
Love Like Fire – Unlighted Shadow – Music for Kids Who Cant Dance Good

Cheer and Death and Stuff: Dog Day, Pants Yell!, Swimmers, Bods of Water, Radio Dept., Depreciation Guild, December Sound, Evangelicals

Cheerio, popperazzi. Have a great week.
Dog Day - Oh Dead Life mp3
Pants Yell! - Magenta and Green mp3 - Yell what?
The Swimmers - Pocketful of Gold mp3
Bodies of Water - I Guess I'll Forget The Sound, I Guess, I Guess mp3

Gaze
The Radio Dept. - Against the Tide mp3
The Depreciation Guild - Sky Ghosts mp3 - Thanks to Pitchfork.
The December Sound - Kill Me Before I Kill You mp3 - Repeat performance here and still loving it. Apropos, wot?
Evangelicals - The Last Christmas on Earth mp3 - Have yourself a gazy little Xmas.

Click green stuff for more info.

What's the Buzz? Tell Me What's A-Happening: Charlatans, Craft Economy, Pinto, Zolar X, Darling Buds, Ludvico Treatment, Freezepop, Shumai

Modeling the new Grados and flirting with Phil. Tart.
What a strange but affecting little accumulation we have today. Classics, newbies, newbies by classics, space cadets, a b-boy. Best just to listen, I think. (Some visitors have wondered how many different ways I'll contrive to say nothing. You have no idea, my unknown buds. I have not yet begun to say nothing.)

The Charlatans - You Cross My Path mp3

The Craft Economy - Drag-On mp3

Pinto - I Can't Feel My Heart mp3

Zolar X - They're from Plutonia, if that tells you anything. I guess that's kind of a warning, although I like the songs.

Jet Star 19 mp3 - Is Geddy helping with vocals?

I Pulled My Helmet Off (I'm Going To Love Her) mp3

The Darling Buds - Baby Head mp3

The Ludvico Treatment - Everything, Fire and Notebooks mp3

Now to the apiary to cop a quick buzz from the immaculate, blissed-out, highly embraceable percussionist, Phil! Mind the stinger.

Freezepop - Here Comes a Special Boy mp3

And finally, an apt shummation.

Shumai - Are You Jeff Corwin Experienced? mp3

Click artistes' names to visit other venues of the 'sphere.

Rocks: Eux Autres, Motion Sick, Canadians, Let's Go Sailing, Red Sun Band, Dora Steins, Arcade Fire, Robbers on High Street

This picture rocks.
Thank you, dear visitors, for not insisting on long expositions. You don't know how much that means to me. To tell you would require a long exposition, which we do not want. So what shall we do? Maybe. . .some music?

Eux Autres - When I'm Up mp3

The Motion Sick - 30 Lives mp3

Canadians - 15th of August mp3

Let's Go Sailing - Sideways (remix) mp3

The Red Sun Band - Like an Arrow mp3

The Dora Steins - Stay You Don’t Have to Go Yet mp3

The Arcade Fire - No Cars Go mp3 - Thanks, Toolshed.

Robbers on High Street - Seasons Greetings mp3

Click artist names for more.

Disclaimer: I didn't mean to steal the Aerosmith LP name, but it doesn't bother me that much either.

Sykosonics

Hi, hope you're well.

Sykosonics – I didn't hyperventilate when I first saw this rummaging around at the ever-excellent Milk Milk Lemonade. A few sonic seconds later I was huffing and puffing, my tiny world turned upside down or rightside up, whatever, it was oodles better. Good bandname, too, divided as it is into two meaningful two-syllable sections. I left "Ultralite" at MML, so go get it before or after checking out the following from the bandsite. I'm probably going to post "Ultralite" myself soon, but Casey and Michelle deserve your custom. They're doing a great job of getting me in Dutch, first with überneato Utrechtians The Happy Few and now these A1 Amsterdammers.

Hyper mp3

Snoozer mp3

d.i.y. mp3
Safety Net mp3

Around the Blogosphere: Beatles, Ultra Vivid Scene, Dramarama, Hives, Sex Pistols, Objects, Subways

Nice bloggers keep doing nice things, for which we do give them thanks. Examples:

The Beatles - I'm Only Sleeping (acoustic) & Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite & Happiness Is a Warm Gun & Across the Universe - Speed of Dark

Ultra Vivid Scene – It Happens Every Time – Milk Milk Lemonade – My admiration for the tastes of the MML crew continues to grow; i.e., we like lots of the same stuff.
Dramarama – Work for Food – Come Pick Me Up

The Hives – Try It Again - Mewzick - Mewzick also has a great Beatles thing going. If you didn't notice on Sunday, click here. (Moreover, feel free to click if you did notice Sunday--or any other day [or night].)
Sex Pistols – Holidays in the Sun - Mewzick - This and the next two are at the same post.
Objects – P.O.P.S.O.N.G. - Mewzick
The Subways – Holiday - Mewzick

Collect: Hard Lessons, Choir Practice, Harmonica, Helen Love, Shout Out Louds, Dog Day, Whitsundays, Mashup

Cool, calm collective. Almost as purty here.
Here we are again, barely believing it ourselves.

The Hard Lessons - See and Be Scene mp3 - More downloadables at MySpace.

The Choir Practice - Red Fox mp3 - Thanks, Toolshed. - More dls at MySpace.

Harmonica - Friday Night mp3 - Early every week lately I've intended to post this on Friday and then get to partying so hard I forget. Yeah, that's why.
Helen Love - Debbie Loves Joey mp3

Shout Out Louds -Tonight I Have To Leave It - I've always liked it, but this one has really grown on me, especially since hearing it live on the radio on a crisp fall day. Sorry, poetry moment.

Dog Day - Use Your Powers mp3

The Whitsundays - Sorry James mp3 - Thanks to spinner.com

Achtung!

Purists and the faint of heart, beware. Perhaps turn back, even. That is all.

The Knack and The Beatles - My Sharona/Love Me Do mp3 - Thanks, WFMU. At this same page you can hear Brian Wilson do rap. Yeah, me neither.

Beatles Posts at Mewzick

As a hardcore Beatlemaniac, I've got all these, but I just came across two excellent posts at Mewzick, an excellent blog that's new to me but won't be for long. If you're interested, move quickly because they've been up for a couple of weeks now. Yeah x 3.

The Beatles – 13 songs – early to mid - Mewzick
The Beatles – 14 songs – mid to late - Mewzick

Around the Blogosphere: Stars, Tegan and Sara, Dinosaur Jr, OK Go, Saturday Looks Good To Me, White Hills, Toad The Wet Sprocket, New Order

Thanks to those making these available. Hope you're having a nice weekend.

Stars – Ageless Beauty – Music for Kids Who Cant Read Good - Transcendent, each and every time

Tegan and Sara – Walking With a Ghost & I Know I Know I Know – a Plague of Angels - + 3 others

Dinosaur Jr – Just Like Heaven (The Cure cover) – Instrumental Analysis

OK Go – Here I Go Again – Untitled Records

Saturday Looks Good To Me – The Americans – 5 Acts

White Hills – Oceans of Sound & Eternity – Raven Sings the Blues – Loud, fuzzy, wah-wah psych = Good

Toad The Wet Sprocket – Fall Down – a Plague of Angels + others

New Order – Temptation – Bag of Songs