Happy Friday: On the Headphones...

There's been a lot going on this fall. Let's stick with what has really stuck. In a snapshot. I fully endorse these albums:

Department of Eagles - In Ear Park (2008)

Grizzly Bear's Daniel Rossen has hit this one out of the park. What really shouldn't be called a side project, In Ear Park is certainly one of this year's finest and fullest. They mix the sunny tones of Grizzly Bear with a more classic guitar drive.

TV on The Radio - Dear Science, (2008)
This is a monster album. It will likely make all the lists and break on a large scale (if it hasn't already). TVOR continue to make music that matters. Dear Science, has a warmer feel to it. A career-defining welcome sign. Strings, Doo-wop, vocal loops, soul-gaze... a lot of sounds are brought together, again making them impossible to classify. "Crying" and "Family Tree" offer up its highest moments. I'm looking forward to their show in November.




Kings of Leon - Only By The Night (2008)

Boy did I want to join the haters on this one. I laughed at the "heavy" lyrics and the grand stadium-rock arrangements and the awfully funky video for "Sex on Fire"; I yearned for the old, fun Kings of Leon. But then something strange happened: I couldn't stop listening to it. I'm totally fine with these guys wearing the indie-rock title belt. Somebody has to. Rockstars are a dying breed nowadays.





Deastro - Keeper's (2008)

He's 21, and this thing is all over the place. For fan's of LCD Soundsystem and M83.

Todd Burns (formerly of Stylus): "This guy's got pop star written all over him."

Yancey Strickler (emusic): "Keeper's' ten songs are culled from demos and home recordings Chabot pieced together in his parents' basement, a land decidedly far from the dance floors and neon-lit city streets of his music, a place where his bald yearning and incredible talents find no boundaries, a place where he still lives."

Download | Deastro | The Shaded Forest

Electric President - Sleep Well (2008)


Marnie Stern - This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That (2008)

Well that album title took up my whole description box. Marnie Stern is back and she's still shredding. Not for everyone, but it is something to marvel at.






Chairlift - Do You Inspire You (2008)



Air France - No Way Down EP (2008)

This one has been getting consistent plays for a few months now. With chirping birds, ringing bell towers, dreaming children, and crying horses, No Way Down exists in some ambient Swedish town in the clouds.

So I've always wanted to make a music video using images of solar wind mills (ask anyone who's driven through Palm Springs with me). That dream has collapsed due to this video for "Collapsing At Your Doorstep."

Sorta like a dream?...no better... Sorta like a dream?...Isn't it?...no

Deerhunter - Microcastle (2008)

No previous interest in Deerhunter required. The band is at its most listen-able here. The noise has been turned down and replaced with sincere 60s dream-pop.








The Walkmen - You & Me (2008)

Another solid release from one of New York's best, straightforward indie bands. Hamilton Leithauser's trademark vocals again carry their distinct sound. But everything has matured. Vintage organs and pianos can be heard throughout. "In The New Year" is such a good song.






Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971)

Thanks to some friends for sharing this one with me. The key ingredients here are pop, funk, orchestra and French spoken word. I'd head to the wikipedia page for a detailed background on this "concept album by the controversial French songwriter. The Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical plot involves the middle-aged Gainsbourg unintentionally colliding his 26-horsepower 1910 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost into teenage nymphet Melody Nelson's bicycle, and the subsequent seduction and romance that ensues."

I recently re-declared my love for Beck's 2002 album, Sea Change. It's nice to hear what he was listening to when he wrote it. You'll also hear where the Hanes underwear jingle comes from.