"The perfect dad band"
Look, this is not going to come out right but Band of Horses is the perfect dad rock band. Whiskey, cigars, silent trips out to western scenery. This is what dad is listening to while you shut the fuck up in the back and play the license plate game. And then when you get old enough to raid your dad’s record collection, you go see them play at that awesome psychedelic club in Tuscon or wherever that is in this video. Then when you become your dad you show old videos of your youth like in this video. Band of Horses is the male cycle of growth distilled. Just because you have tattoos doesn’t mean you can’t raise a family and just because you’re a dad doesn’t mean you can’t jam.
Of the legacies I’d like to leave for Gus, cultivating a taste in good music is one that is particularly important. I do believe that Band of Horses is part of that plan. Since receiving Infinite Arms for Father’s Day (see?), and after seeing them play in Minneapolis last weekend, my love for the band has been growing, as evidenced by their meteoric rise to the upper tier of my Last.fm library.
(I’d also like for Gus to appreciate good beer and violently oppose all coercion by his future uninformed teen-aged peers to rip it up at a bonfire with a case of Old Miller-Bud Genuine Light 2025 Bull. Yes, I have high hopes for that boy.)
Just a Little While
Michael Gregory, of Auto-Tune the News, has penned a gem of a pop song. Though the mp3 of the song misses the 2:42 mark of perfection by a couple of seconds, it’s close enough to lend credible evidence to the theory.
$0.98 for the song, and the thought that my small contribution may help genius like this continue, seems like a good deal to me.
The Dandy Warhols pull through
I’m a bit behind the curve on this one, but did you know that Michael Jackson died? I was reminded of this fact while listening to “Welcome to the Monkey House” by the Dandy Warhols. Recorded in 2003, the title track contains this contractual line:
When Michael Jackson dies / We’re covering Blackbird
Intrigued by this six-year old promise of a future song, I did a little digging. Sure enough, they did it. While initially caught off guard, they got together and put out a single soon thereafter.
Classic Hits by Microsoft Songsmith: "White Wedding" by Billy Idol
It doesn’t get much better than this.
Sharing the music
As part of my renewed appreciation for the cloud, I’ve been uploading my collection of live television music performances, circa 2001-02, to my YouTube account. This is, of course, in blatant disregard to all copyright law. Sue me (or at least send me a strongly-worded takedown notice).
So far my efforts have been successful, save for live performances from Saturday Night Live. NBC Universal has a tight hold on those, and all four attempts I have made at uploading different clips have been rejected.
NBC, through Hulu, has made great strides in recognizing the usefulness of digital distribution. It’s disheartening, then, to find out that three-minute clips of shows aired over six years ago remain taboo.
Joy Division Zune
Mark my words: This will make it to Daring Fireball in the near future, and will be mocked.
Six-Word Reviews of 763 SXSW Mp3s
Wow. Just slogging through these is enough for me. To write reviews of each is a truly superhuman feat. These reviews are also far more kind than mine would be.
Hopewell - Echo and His Brother
The video is charming in a kids’ show public-access sort of way, but the real winner is the song. I can’t get it out of my head.
Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Radio Radio on SNL
30 years ago yesterday, Costello and his band pissed off Lorne Michaels so much that they were banned from the show for years. The energy during the switch is awesome, as is the anger on Costello’s face during the close-ups.
