Audio

A few years ago, if you would have asked me to name everything I knew about the band Abandoned Pools, I could have told you exactly two things: 1) they play that song The Remedy and 2) the music video for said song features a super-hot chick bassist.  Yep, pretty thorough knowledge if I do say so myself.  Fortunately a friend of mine gave me a proper introduction to the band (which, it turns out, is really just one dude named Tommy Walter), and I haven't looked back since.  Really, the previous two Abandoned Pools albums have logged quite a high play count over here (if I kept track of such things, pshaw!).

Which brings me to the big news: a new album is finally in the works!  As per Tommy Walter himself:

After a five year hiatus it's great to be back making an Abandoned Pools album. I've had a lot of encouragement from fans over the years and I'm especially grateful for that. They've helped me realize that this is what I should be doing.

Sweet. And here's a taste from that upcoming goodness.

Buy Some: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them online: Official | Myspace

Probably my favorite post in the incredibly short history of sellthelie is Kraig's anniversary post of Easier by Glen Phillps.  I always really liked that it was just a little blurb with an attached song and then the lyrics, with the most meaningful in bold.  Short, simple, beautiful.

I made it a point to someday create a similar post of my own.  I had been waiting for that perfect song that would strike me at just the perfect moment in life, and make everything clear and beautiful and all that.  Well, life's short and I want to do this, so here's meaning for ya:

Riding around in my roommate's car over the Fourth of July weekend had me listening to a blast from the semi-recent past: Franz Ferdinand.  My roomie was (and sort of still is) in love with their self-titled debut, so we were rockin' it in his Honda Civic.  After having the infamous Michael of "come and dance with my Michael"-fame forced upon me, we moved on to The Dark of the Matinee.  After hearing and finally fully understanding the lyrics, it dawned on me that my new favorite lyric is something I have done and, in fact, still do.  Ya, it's weird, but I actually find it sort of romantic.  And it lets me continue living the dream that, secretly, she's doing the same thing.

Franz Ferdinand - The Dark of the Matinee

Take your white finger

Slide the nail under the

Top and bottom buttons of my blazer

Relax the fraying wool, slacken ties and I'm

Not to look at you in the shoe,

But the eyes, find the eyes

Find me and follow me through corridors, refectories

and files you must follow, leave this academic factory

You will find me in the matinee

The dark of the matinee

It's better in the matinee

The dark of the matinee is mine

Yes it's mine

Time every journey to bump into you, accidentally

I charm you and tell you of the boys I hate

All the girls I hate

All the words I hate

All the clothes I hate

How I'll never be anything I hate

You smile, mention something that you like

or How you'd have a happy life if you did the things you like

(Chorus)

So I'm on BBC2 now, telling Terry Wogan how I made it and

What I made is unclear now, but his deference is and his laughter is

My words and smile are so easy now

Yes, It's easy now

Yes, It's easy now

(Chorus)

Buy some: Amazon | iTunes
Visit them online: Official | Myspace

Again, this is me trying to catch up...I realize I'm late with this one.

For those of you who don't know yet, Rocky Votolato is releasing a new album - True Devotion.  The album is due out 2/23, and promises to be another fine folky adventure.  I have the first single, Red River, up for download.  Anyone into singer-songwriter or alt-country/folk seen will enjoy (think Mason Jennings, Pete Yorn etc etc.).  Take a gander.

If you like what you hear, the full album is streaming over at Paste.

True Devotion is available right now on iTunes!

If you pre-order a physical copy through barsuk.com before 2/23 you will receive a bonus 7" single (while supplies last) and be entered automatically to win a free private house show performance by Rocky. The bonus 7" single includes the two non-album tracks "Rushing To The Ending" (with James Bowman of Against Me! on guitar) and "Connections".  Both songs feature label-mate David Bazan on drums.  Here's the pre-order link:

http://www.barsuk.com/truedevotion

Visit him online:  Official | Myspace

Get his music:  Amazon | iTunes

It's been nigh a year since I first posted about The Motorcycle Industry, and this new EP brings even more of the slacker-voiced punk band.

Name dropping The Knitting Factory, super fuzzed-out synthesizers, summer beards, and pretending to like hip-hop are just some of the high points of the 4-song EP.  At times reminiscent of Fountains of Wayne, Stereophonics, or Say Anything, this is some good-times rock to get you through until summer.

Try this track on for size, it's called "Paul Newman and A Ride Home."

 When I first got an e-mail with this dude starting at me through my monitor I chuckled a bit.  I mean, seriously - who does he think he is?  I recognized him from that lame show my wife watches, One Tree Hill, and thought that'd be the end of it.

Of course, I received another e-mail with just an album cover and ended up giving it a listen....low and behold, this is why you shouldn't by a book by it's cover.  Or, rather an album by it's cover.  Umm...I guess an album by it's cover-boy?  That's it.  That's the ticket!

Anywho, what I'm getting around too hear is Wakey!Wakey! - a nice little indie-pop(ish) band that should help brighten up a case of the Mondays (or Tuesdays in this case, since some of us had a late start to the week due to the Holiday).  They just released their second album, and the lead off single "Twenty-Two" is pretty damn catchy.  

All you kids who like your Vampire Weekend and your Grizzly Bear (and other animal named bands) will dig what you hear.  Take a listen, smile with those "uh-oh, oh oh"s.  You'll love it.

The full album is streaming over at AOL.

Visit Wakey!Wakey! online:  Official | Myspace

Buy their music:  iTunes | Amazon

 Yes, yes - I know that I've blogged entirely too much about Black Lab lately.  Thing is, that probably isn't going to stop any time soon.  These guys consistently put out some of the best music no one listens to, so someone needs to be singing their praises.  I figure it may as well be me.

Besides, who doesn't like free stuff?

Speaking of free stuff, the point of this post was to let you all know that Black Lab has announced they'll be giving away a free MP3 every moth rather than continuing the MP3 of the Month club.  Now, don't go expecting them to release "Wash It Away" or anything - these MP3s are all going to be "demos".  I use that term lightly, since those of you who know Black Lab already know that their demos are pretty damn polished.  Paul and Andy are working on a new album, so the free MP3s we're getting a peak at are the first editions of songs that may make it on the full length.

I subscribed to the MP3 of the Month club for a few years, so I have a pretty good idea as to what's in store.  One of my favorites from the MP3s of the Month was "Ghost in Your Mind", which found it's way onto Passion Leaves a Trace.  "Ghost in Your Mind" is probably my second favorite track off the album, and in the top 10 of all the Black Lab tracks I have.  That being said, this demo of "The Pain is Gone" is a better starting point.  It looks like the boys will be delivering us another gem soon...

I'll be updating you all with their new free MP3s of the month.  It looks like they're a bit behind right now, here's to hoping they don't let this slide...any and all Black Lab is welcome by me.

Anyways, here's the download link from their site:

[mp3] The Pain is Gone

Get their music:  Blacklabworld | Amazon | iTunes

Visit them online:  Official (Blacklabworld) | Myspace

 Yumm....

I love me some BRMC.  Those of you who know me know that I have a long history with the band.  I first fell in love with "Love Burns".  I followed them brought Take Them On, On Your Own.  Interestingly enough, the first date I had with my wife was actually to see BRMC.  We didn't make it, a car smashed into us on the way and sent us to the hospital.

My wife wouldn't listen to BRMC after that until Howl came out.  Now Howl has claimed one of the few spots in her car's CD case, a truly honorable spot.  Since then I've enjoyed their output, but nothing has really blown me away like Howl did.

Here's to hoping Beat the Devil's Tattoo will.  The lead off single (of the same name) sounds promising.  Not quite as acoustic as Howl, but it sounds like we've got some soulful foot-stomping fun ahead of us.  

Beat the Devil's Tattoo will be out March 9th.  It's now available for pre-order on iTunes.

Take a listen, decide for yourself.

Get their music:  Amazon | iTunes

Visit them online:  Official | Myspace

For those of you who have been living under a rock the last few months: Spoon put out a new album.  It's called Transference.  Better late than never, eh?  Take a listen to the single, Written in Reverse.

Buy the new album, Transference.

Get their music:  Amazon | iTunes 

Visit them online:  Official | Myspace

 Well, I think it's time to get that damn picture of Train off the top of the page.  Blogging time has been limited lately, but I'm hoping that I'll have some consistent posts for all of you a few times a week going forward.

First up, Smashing Pumpkins news.  I'm sure most of you are scratching your heads at this - after all, Zeitgeist pretty much sucked.  And by pretty much sucked, I mean it was quite possibly the worst musical disappointment I'd had in the past 5 years.  The Pumpkins were always one of my favorites - always a bit more "out there" then the other 90's acts that I got first heard in my early "enlightenment era".  Things have certainly gone south since Melon Collie, but I'd still been holding out until I listened to Zeitgeist.  That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I'd heard some rumors about Jimmy quitting and Billy hiring a 19 year old drummer to keep on keepin' on.  This news didn't do much to encourage me to follow Billy anymore.

After shutting ignoring the Pumpkins for a few months I started hearing that not only was there new material, but it was actually good.  Shocking, I know.

It seems that Billy is starting up a new project - the 44 track Teagarden by Kaleidyscope.  When will it be done?  No one knows.  But Billy is releasing it for free, one track at a time.  Two tracks are up so far over at smashingpumpkins.com, freely available to download as many times as you'd like.  I've put a stream up of "Song for a Son", may favorite of the two here so you can take a gander before clicking away.  I'll do my best to keep you updated as more tracks become available.

[MP3]  A Song for a Son (via smashingpumpkins.com)

[MP3] Widow Wake My Mind (via smashingpumpkins.com)

Get their music:  Amazon | iTunes

Visit them online:  Official | Myspace

Black Lab is that classic tragedy of the music industry: 

Band makes brilliant album.

Label doesn't push said album.

Band goes to record second album.

Label gets bought by bigger label.

Bigger label drops band and prohibits the release of already recorded material.

Band breaks up.

I have a special place in my heart with bands who went through all this nonsense, but Black Lab reigns supreme even amongst all the Dishwallas and Semisonics.  Their quashed dream seemed a bit more harrowing than their contemporaries.  That and Your Body Above Me was just flat-out genius - a true masterpiece of the '90s.

The time between Your Body Above Me and See the Sun was excruciating.  The boys moved between websites, switched labels, leaked demos and eventually wound up going indie (with only lead singer Paul Durham surviving the whole mess).  Only the most devoted of fans could keep up with the whole mess.  To this day, despite the frustrations I'm thankful I stuck with them.  Ultimately I was rewarded with the brilliance of See the Sun.

Enter Give us Sugar.  With their latest release, Paul and co. have one-upped the previous expectations, hopes and dreams of the Black Lab faithful by releasing not 1, but 2 CDs worth of re-mastered demos, b-sides and soundtrack songs encapsulating (mainly) the band's time between recording their first and second albums.  All the demos that were leaked in really crappy MP3s 10 years ago now are ready for download in WAV format - full CD quality.  Never thought I'd see the day.

I won't stand here and pretend they've delivered 32 tracks of pure bliss.  This is essentially a b-sides album, and b-sides are hit and miss.  That's why they're b-sides folks.  That being said, Lost Dogs from Pearl Jam was one hell of a b-sides album.  Give Us Sugar falls more along those lines than say Pisces Iscariot.  It's more hit than miss.  At just $15 it's quite a deal for 32 tracks.  Take a listen to Like I Used To for a taste of what's in store.

Check here for a full track listing, lyrics, stories behind the songs or to order Give Us Sugar.

Buy their music:  Official | Amazon | iTunes

Visit them online:  Official | Myspace