July Mix - 13. Wolf Parade - You Are A Runner And I Am My Father's Son

This song comes off one of my favorite records of 2005 Apologies To The Queen Mary and sets off one of the best one-two punches to start an album I can think of. "You Are a Runner..." begins with a punchy kick/open hi-hat drum beat and sets the tone for the rest of the album. This is a perfect place in the mix for this song with it coming off the heels of Modest Mouse's track. Isaac Brock is responsible for signing this band and produced most of the album (and you can tell WP borrowed a lot from him, especially vocal stylings.)

Zach Galifianakis and Will Oldham - Can't Tell Me Nothin'

Via KanyeWest.com: In another brilliant move by Kanye West to garner indie blog attention, he has commissioned funnyman Zach Galifianakis and folkster Will Oldham to redo his music video for "Can't Tell Me Nothin'." The original video and single was catching a lot of flak, because, well they both kind of suck. This video parodies the seriousness of the song, and seeing Kanye's more lighthearted side makes me like the single more. Even though he doesn't appear in the video, I've read that the spoof was his idea. Check it out for yourself here at KanyeWest.com. It's worth the couple minutes especially for fans of Zach's. If you watch you can catch Will cracking up in the silhouette shots.

July Mix - 12. Modest Mouse - 3rd Planet

I originally wanted to include "Teeth Like God's Shoe Shine" off of The Lonesome Crowded West, but at six minutes plus, it breaks every rule for a mix tape. "3rd Planet" is a classic Modest Mouse track and has always been one of my personal favorites and The Moon and Antarctica is their second best album. This song is the perfect way to kick off the album and will make for a great addition to the mix.

Ben Kweller Will Play All 3 Albums in LA

In the wake of the Pitchfork Music Festival getting classic indie bands to play their magnum opuses (sp?) in their entirety (Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation or The GZA's Liquid Swords) Ben Kweller announced that he's going to do something similar in NY and LA. Over the course of a three night stint at The Echo, Ben will play Sha Sha the first night, I'm On My Way the second night, and the newer self-titled album on the third night. For 18 bucks you can see just one album, or for 50 bucks (yikes) you can buy a pass for all three. Click here if you're interested in buying said tickets. The NY shows are already sold out (besides the I'm On My Way show. Ha!) I'm definitely going to check out the Sha Sha show.

Fuck Yeah Fest in L.A. Times

Today's Times edition features a writeup of Echo Park's Summer music festival. Fuck Yeah Fest takes place this August and with bands like Deerhunter and The Explosion slated to play, the Los Angeles mass media is taking some notice. Read the article here. We're all still waiting to hear who the "special guest" will be, who is supposedly being announced the week of the shows. For the time being check out this Deerhunter music video for their song "Lake Somerset" off the newest LP Cryptograms. If you don't know anything about this band click here and read up, their controversy is actually more interesting than their music.

July Mix - 11. Joanna Newsom - Bridges and Balloons

The fact that Joanna Newsom is such a divisive artist has baffled me for a couple years now. I was in love with her lyrical imagery, her musicianship, and her one-of-a-kind voice from the first half of a song that I heard of hers. But I have met more than a handful of people that just plain cannot stand her - and I honestly don't see how. This song opens up one of my favorite albums of 2004, The Milk Eyed Mender. The melodies that Newsom weaves throughout this song (and the entire album) are remarkable. There is also a Colin Meloy (Decemberists) cover of this song that is pretty great as well. Check out both (live) versions of the song for yourself:
Joanna:

Colin (live in studio):

Jeff Mangum: Live At Jittery Joe's

I came across this album today while surfing through a co-workers iTunes library and was baffled as to how this slipped through the cracks for me all these years. Recorded in 1997 and released 2001, this album was released to try and capitalize on eBay sales of bootlegged Neutral Milk Hotel concerts. The sound quality is higher than the typical bootleg but still has a rustic and authentic "live" feel that gives Mangum's voice and guitar the perfect saturation. Here's a cut off the album, one of NMH's classics "Two Headed Boy" complete with baby/child screaming in the background (and the first time the child chimes in it's so perfectly timed, it feels staged.)

New Vanderslice Song, Album Drops Tomorrow

With John Vanderslice's new album Emerald City hitting stores tomorrow there's been a lot of buzz today. I found this new song called "Tablespoon of Codeine" that is being tagged as the "centerpiece" of the album. Featuring an ethereal soundscape and some nuanced drum loops this song is laden with interesting instrumentals. The song starts innocent enough but slowly becomes more urgent and dissonant before dying out to the lone piano and drum loop. Pretty cool effort from JV, but I'll be more excited to hear it in context with the rest of the record. Check it out for yourself: