All My Life Spent Alone

Okay, so it's over a week. Congratulations to those of you who bet against me. You've won. Anyway, I had considerable trouble when trying to come up with the subject for this post. Then Autumn happened. I stepped outside Sunday morning and was immediately taken with how crisp and clean the air was. I love this time of year. It makes me want to huddle close to someone on a park bench and watch the sun go down as a brisk breeze blows over us by the lake. It makes me want to fall in love.


And so last night, I did what I always do when I feel all dovey and nostalgic for a past that's not yet behind me. I put James Iha's "Let it Come Down" on the turntable.


James Iha - Be Strong Now

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For anybody who somehow doesn't know, Iha was a guitarist in The Smashing Pumpkins before they broke up and subsequently "reformed" without him. He went on to work with an eclectic variety of musicians including A Perfect Circle and members of Hanson and Cheap Trick (yes, THAT Hanson). But in 1998, before the Pumpkins' released "Adore" he quietly released this solo album. Critical reaction was mixed and it didn't sell very well. To be honest, I was a HUGE Pumpkins fan and I didn't bother to buy the album until after the band broke up, but it eventually found its way into my collection.


James Iha - Sound of Love

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I remember going to some awful record store on the south side of OKC that was run by a local promoter when I was first getting into vinyl. The shop is long-since gone and the former owner has done less than his fair share of jail time, but that's another story for another day. Anyway, I was thumbing through everything they had when I happened upon a used copy of this record. I'd never listened to it, but I knew right then and there that I had to have it. I put it on as soon as I got home and immediately fell in love with it.


James Iha - Silver String

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There are few things that hit the spot like this album does for me. Sure, it's kinda cornball, James' voice isn't the strongest thing in the world and the word "love" makes more appearances than "sun" on a Polyphonic Spree record, but (and this is important) it feels sincere. So often, I listen to a record that's this heavy on "love" songs and it sounds forced or contrived. Not so here. It has that same honest, heart-on-the-sleeve quality that I love so much about all of The Avett Brothers' records. James genuinely sounds like a young dude head-over-heels for some sweet little thing from a small town in the midwest who has a good relationship with her father and loves "Pet Sounds" and Fleet Foxes in equal measure. But enough about me. All in all, this record is a fantastic little slab of alt country that would stand up well next to most of Ryan Adams' and Wilco's early respective outputs. Sappy, sweet and saccharine love songs that would make any feeling person with good taste melt a little on the inside.


James Iha - No One's Gonna Hurt You

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The bad news is that It's out of print and it's not on iTunes, but with rumors circulating that he's working on a second solo album (over ten years later mind you), it might be a good time for him to consider a deluxe reissue with bonus tracks and such. Otherwise, it's readily available used on ebay and amazon or, if you feel so inclined, illegally. And since you won't be taking any money out of his pocket by downloading an album that's been out of print for some time now, I see no harm in linking you to this. Yeah, I know that I'm asking for trouble, but whatever. Just don't expect me to make a habit out of this sort of thing. Bear in mind that the songs are probably out of order and I can't vouch for the bitrate. I may up a higher quality version with some bonus tracks eventually if I can track down my CD copy. Just keep checking back and you'll probably see it here at some point.


For a preview of coming attractions: More Nostalgia!!!


**EDIT**


Changed the last link since the video got taken down due to a "terms of use violation." Looks like Square is really living up to their name/reputation.

Walls of Giant Waves and Ice Fleets

Last week I was fortunate enough to see mewithoutYou (one of my favorite bands ever) with David Bazan (one of my favorite songwriters ever) at The Diamond Ballroom and experience an overload of amazing. Both will get their own posts in due time, but this post is dedicated to the pleasant surprise of that evening, a boisterous little band called Rubik.

Now, the term "little" is pretty much non-applicable, except maybe when used in reference to their currently modest fan base, but I get the feeling that's going to change very soon. Rubik is currently touring with eight members and can have a pretty big, celebratory sound when they go for it. These cool cats hail from Helsinki, Finland, which I once heard described as "a land without sun." I guess when you live in a city that averages around 9.8 hours of daylight in June and 36 minutes of daylight in December, you have to create your own sunshine (can you tell a did a little research for this post?).

Rubik - Wasteland

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The album opener "Goji Berries" is a fun romp through shifting time signatures and what sounds like an army of recorders (probably keys in actuality) that gives you a fairly good idea of what to expect from their second album, "Dada Bandits." Early on they briefly demonstrate their ability to turn from catchy, melodious passages to jarring blasts of not quite consonant joyful noise on a dime, without warning and to brilliant effect. It's the second track "Radiants" that really starts my toes a-tapping, triumphantly bursting forth with bombastic drums and a veritable wall of guitars and synths. It brings to my mind some of the best bits of Grandaddy and the aural theatrics of The Flaming Lips' masterful "The Soft Bulletin," but is still something quite special in and of itself.

Rubik - Radiants

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Now, there's something about the song "Fire Age" that makes me want to ingest a bunch of psilocybin mushrooms and spend a whole day watching children's television (although given the current state of children's television, that might be a spectacularly awful idea). Thus, I feel compelled to post that song here. Let me know if you get the same urges.

Rubik - Fire Age

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Much of the album has this same upbeat, quirky feel and the high energy doesn't let up often. I can't recommend it enough. However, if you're still not sure that this is up your alley, they do have a free EP available to download from their official website, cleverly titled "Data Bandits." You need to have a WordPress account set up (also free) in order to download it, so sign up and get yourself some sweet free tunes. Or, swing on over to the always reliable Daytrotter and nab that live in studio session. Spend some time with these and I can almost guarantee that you'll be ready to drop some dough on the album. Those of you strapped for cash have officially been warned.

I Set My Body on Fire Today

Stillwater, Oklahoma, home to the Oklahoma State University Cowboys, isn't exactly the place one would expect to find a thriving music scene (the godawful "Red Dirt" sound notwithstanding), but this Oklahoma college town has been home to many amazing artists over the past couple of years. Colourmusic, Other Lives, Sherree Chamberlain and Mayola, all fantastic artists in their own right, have called this place home at one point or another. Ladies and Germs, it's time to add Deerpeople to that already impressive list.


Deerpeople - New Dance (Find the Naughty Word, Kids!)

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This debut self-titled EP is a healthy mix of indie rock and folk that you can dance to. It's seriously catchy and at times, melodramatic. Some of the instrumental arrangements bring to mind The Arcade Fire's good album (if you have to ask, please don't) and the lyrical content at times resembles John Roderick's (of The Long Winters) blunt and deadpan snarkiness. As far as I'm concerned, this is a winning combination and those who I've shared this record with so far seem to agree wholeheartedly. Live, they're a little rough around the edges in the best way possible, minimizing down time by filling empty space with all sorts of wonderful noise between songs. In short, they bring the MF'n ruckus. If you want to know what I'm talking about firsthand, you can catch them at The Conservatory this Saturday, June 5th. I know I will.


Deerpeople - Canada (There's Another One Here!)

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It doesn't look like there's a physical release floating around as of yet, but you can acquire this fantastic 5 song EP here and pay what you want. I paid $5 because I'm a nice guy and felt that $0.05 over the iTunes price is more than fair for a record this good. If you want to prove that you're nicer than I am, I would encourage you to pay more. Of course, they won't hold it against you if you pay nothing for it as far as I know. Either way, you can get it in high quality 320K mp3s or FLAC or both if you're feeling ambitious. Get it, familiarize yourself with it and hit up their show on Saturday if you know what's good for you.