Ted Leo Releases ‘Brutalist Bricks’, Announces U.S. Tour (MP3)
Photo credit: Matias Corral
Ted Leo’s The Brutalist Bricks — released last week on Matador — differs substantially from its predecessor, 2007’s Living With the Living, and that’s a good thing. Continue reading.
Download: Sparklehorse – September 21, 1998 (FLACs)
Photo credit: Getty Images
Spirit Ditch/Someday/Saturday/Heart of Darkness/Junebug/Cruel Sun/Hundreds of Sparrows/Tears on Fresh Fruit/Maria’s Little Elbow/Painbirds/Sunshine/Homecoming Queen/All Night Home/Happy Man/Saint Mary/Pig
‘I Don’t Recall Our Founding Fathers Using Teleprompters’
On last night’s Daily Show, Jon Stewart talks Tea Party.
From the Archives: Beach House Interview
Since Teen Dream, the new record from Baltimore-based Beach House recently received a 9.0 rating and coveted Best New Music badge on Pitchfork, I thought I’d resurrect this 2009 interview with Alex Scally. (more…)
‘You Can’t Resort to Childish Attacks as Hominem as they are Nauseum’ (Video)
On Thursday night’s Daily Show, Jon Stewart took Keith Olbermann to task for being a blowhard, and it was awesome.
Announcing Our 1,001st Post (and More)
We at Owl and Bear — your favorite combination San Diego-based music blog and live Wilco Archive — are happily celebrating our 1,000th anniversary. That’s right, you’ve loved us for that long.
It seems like only yesterday that we were merely Owlet and Cub, and a lot has happened since then. Writers, records, and redesigns have come and gone since our 2006 inception, but we’ve always moved forward — even when contributors moved on and bands-of-the-moment disappeared along with their silly names.
It goes without saying that we’ll keep up our efforts to entertain you well into the future. We’ll continue to follow the best bands and introduce new features as opportunities present themselves.
One such opportunity involves our new partnership as writers for a blog called SoundDiego. It just launched today, and it’s going to be great. No other blog in San Diego has brought so many great writers and contributors under one roof. If you’re from San Diego, you’ll soon find that SoundDiego is indispensable. Naturally, we’ll be cross-posting our entries here at Owl and Bear, along with special “director’s cut” content that you won’t find anywhere else.
And don’t forget, there are many ways to read O&B. You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter, subscribe to our RSS feed, or even (gasp) regularly visit our site.
Here’s to the next 1,000 posts!
Poetic Memory: Boomsnake (List)
MySpace
Gabriel Rodriguez of San Diego’s Boomsnake initially met our Poetic Memory request with skepticism. In his own words, “I naturally become enthralled or influenced by the artist more than a record…I like becoming immersed in the creator: to view the world from their perspective, whatever it may be.” He adds, “The major influences of my life are probably those of most music listeners. Yes, I delve deep into the obscure, but those are not ‘life’ influences.”
For Rodriguez, though, the bottom line is this: “I enjoy music. All forms of music. If you put on ‘Thriller’ at a party, I’ll be dancing; ‘War Pigs’ at the bar, I’ll be drinking happily; ‘Sex in the Kitchen’ while making out, I’ll get freaky.”
Rodriguez’s list chronicles records that “strike the very being of the listener; records that play as if they were written for you.” His Poetic Memory is below. (more…)
Win “End Times” by Eels (Contest)
Your favorite slithering Southern Californians are back, having never left in the first place. To celebrate, we’re giving away three copies (count ‘em) of Eels‘ newest record.
End Times, the band’s eighth long player, will be released by Vagrant on January 19, and it follows up Hombre Loco, released just six months ago. For a nibble of the new material, check out ”In My Younger Days” (m4a) and “A Line In The Dirt” (m4a).
We’re happy to offer the latest effort from the band known for “offending” the Bush/Cheney 2000 presidential campaign; clearly, the title End Times was picked to please our praying president. Hopefully, he signs up for the contest.
For your chance to win the CD, comment on this post and include your email address in the form (your email won’t be visible to the public). Three winners will be chosen at random on January 31, 2010.
Owl and Bear’s Best Albums of 2009
Owl and Bear writers’ favorite albums of 2009. (more…)
The Daily Show’s ‘Decade in Review’ (Video)
Remember the year 2000? Neither do I. Fortunately, your friends at The Daily Show have made it possible to relive the painful past—in all its attention-deficit glory.
And after you’re thoroughly worn out by year one, you can inflict upon yourself recaps of the rest of the painful decade; as an added bonus, you can also watch Jon Stewart slowly get old.
Merry Christmas from the Wilco Archive (Download)
It’s been a while since the last Wilco Archive update, so this one’s a doozy (35GB). Hope you enjoy; full list is below. (more…)
Win Neil Young’s ‘Dreamin’ Man’ (Contest)
On December 8, Neil Young released Dreamin’ Man, a live compilation of songs from his 1992 album, Harvest Moon.
It’s just Neil and his instrument on Dreamin’ Man, so his signature sound and nostalgic lyrics take the fore—and the vocal harmonies are left for you to fill in. In a way, it’s a great re-introduction to the more layered Harvest Moon; in another way, it stands for itself as a collection of great songs that you may not have heard in a while. If Harvest Moon is like an old friend, Dreamin’ Man is like an old friend who hasn’t aged a day since you last met.
A few of the tracks are now available for streaming, including “Dreamin’ Man“, “One Of These Days“, and “Harvest Moon.” You can also visit the Warner website to purchase the album.
For a chance to win the CD, comment on this post and include your email address in the form (your email won’t be visible to the public). Three winners will be chosen at random on December 30, 2009.
Neil Young – “I’m a Dreamin’ Man, Yes That’s My Problem” (Stream)
Neil Young has pioneered a lot of things, from grunge to Uggs (apparently, as evidenced above), so for better or worse, we always give him leeway to do what he wants. These days, his output has been, shall we say, spotty (see concept albums about biodiesel and hippie families), but believe it or not, there was a time when he still wrote entire good albums. (more…)
Pit Er Pat to Flexibly Entertain on January 26, 2010
Just the other day, I was sitting here with my abacus, thinking that it’s been 10,992 hours since I last heard from Pit Er Pat. So I says to myself, I says, “It’s High Time that they put out something new.”
Well, someone must’ve heard me. Fay Davis-Jeffers and Butchy Fuego, a.k.a. Pit Er Pat, a.k.a. one of O&B’s favorite bands of 2008, will release their next album, The Flexible Entertainer, on January 26, 2010. (more…)
Download: Tortoise – July 8, 2009 (FLACs)
Soundboard (FM)/README/Download
Chicago’s Tortoise recently released Beacons of Ancestorship, one of this year’s best albums. They play several tracks from the new album on this excellent recording. They’re currently on tour, but nowhere near the ‘States. Dates are below.
Downloading tips: Visit our FAQ for information on how to download these files. If you don’t like to right-click/download files individually, check out DownThemAll, a handy Firefox plugin that allows you to do it in bulk. If you like the downloads, let us know in the comments. Also, requests (for your favorite bands, not specific shows) are always welcome. (more…)
Download: Fleet Foxes – November 22, 2008 (DVD)
Soundboard (TV)/README/Download
Sub Pop’s highly-acclaimed Fleet Foxes just finished a gig with Neil Young at his 23rd Bridge School Benefit, but now they’re taking a break. Fleet Foxes band member J. Tillman, however, is about to start a U.S. tour—with plans to stop December 1 at San Diego’s Casbah. We’ll definitely be in attendance. Full list of dates are after the jump.
Downloading tips: Visit our FAQ for information on how to download these files. If you don’t like to right-click/download files individually, check out DownThemAll, a handy Firefox plugin that allows you to do it in bulk. If you like the downloads, let us know in the comments. Also, requests (for your favorite bands, not specific shows) are always welcome. (more…)
Download: Bon Iver’s last show ‘for the forseeable future’ (MP3)
Soundboard (FM)/README/Download
On October 11, 2009, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon announced that the band would be “taking a break from public performance.” That night, the band performed their last show ‘for the forseeable future’ at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee. The next day, Radio Milwaukee made the show available to download, and the quality is excellent. If you’re a fan of Bon Iver, don’t miss this one.
Download: My Morning Jacket – September 5, 2008 (FLACs)
Photo by Robert Massie
Soundboard (FM)/README/Download
If you don’t like downloading the files individually, check out DownThemAll, a handy Firefox plugin that allows you to download files in bulk. If you like the downloads, let us know in the comments. Also, requests (for your favorite bands, not specific shows) are always welcome.
Tom Waits is the Devil (Links)
Owl and Bear contributor Marty responds to our post highlighting Califone’s Pitchfork review “While I like much of what Mr. Tangari says, I respectfully disagree that Califone has but one song to sing…[Funeral Singers] perfects the Califone project with more than subtle variations on the whole Califone/Red Red Meat oeuvre.” Flavorwire interviews Califone Hear what band leader (and filmmaker) Tim Rutili has to say about pairing visuals to songs, working with cult film star Angela Bettis, and more. Tom Waits is the devil At 59, Tom Waits has finally landed the role he was born to play: the devil. Former Beulah frontman Miles Kurosky plans solo disc After releasing beloved albums like 1999’s When Your Heartstrings Break and 2001’s The Coast Is Never Clear, Beulah broke up, and we haven’t heard from them since. Noah and the Whale’s gear stolen “I used that guitar for everything. I used that guitar to record the album…that’s my guitar. I feel like a part of my personality has been removed. It defines so much about the stuff we do, the way that stuff sounds.” Music video for “The Ruminant Band” by the Fruit Bats The Ruminant Band is out now on Sub Pop Records. The psychosocial complexities of ‘Mr. Ed’ When you blaze through an entire season’s worth of TV episodes all at once, some things stick out a little more plainly than they otherwise might. With Mister Ed’s first season, released on DVD today, this truth emerges: that horse is obnoxious. The different kinds of strangers (video) Featuring fake Philip Seymour Hoffman. Daniel Martin Moore: “Flyrock Blues” (Daytrotter MP3) I can’t get enough of “Flyrock Blues”, a coal mining song by the SubPop folkster Daniel Martin Moore.
Westboro Baptist Church Plans 29 Anti-Gay/Jewish/Military Protests in San Diego (Links)
California: America’s first failed state? The state that was once held up as the epitome of the boundless opportunities of America has collapsed. Westboro Baptist Church planning 29 anti-gay/Jewish/military protests in San Diego The Kansas-based church known for its anti-gay, anti-Semitic and anti-military protests is planning four days of demonstrations at 29 locations in San Diego County next week. Happy birthday, War in Afghanistan (photos) Violence in Afghanistan has reached its most intense of the eight-year-old war despite record levels of U.S. and NATO troops being sent to fight the Taliban. War: Bipartisanship Republicans can get behind Up until now President Obama has been unable to round up any Republican backing for his major initiatives. Finally, though, it appears that the GOP will come to his rescue—because he doesn’t have enough backing within his own party. Earth feels ‘massive relief’ that Obama is in office “What’s really remarkable is that in all my years studying national reputation, I have never seen any country experience such a dramatic change in its standing as we see for the United States for 2009.” Census Bureau: U.S. lost ground on every major economic measurement under Bush Thursday’s annual Census Bureau report on income, poverty and access to health care-the Bureau’s principal report card on the well-being of average Americans-closes the books on the economic record of George W. Bush. They tortured a man they knew to be innocent We now know that torturing a human being to get proof that he deserved to be tortured was not just a theoretical fear of mine. It happened. Bob Dole: now or never on health care If the reform proves popular, then the GOP will forever be tarred as the party that refused to help more people get health insurance or to tackle healthcare costs. Dick Cheney’s daughter to bring another ‘innocent child’ into her ‘lesbianic home’ The right-wing base loves Dick and Liz, but it dislikes the way Mary Cheney is gay and having children with her life partner. Texas gov. Perry acts to derail wrongful execution hearing Texas Gov. Rick Perry has shaken up a state commission looking into whether a man was wrongly executed in 2004. Life without parole for minors: cruel and unusual? The United States Supreme court will soon weigh in, and the question will be an early test of whether Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a former prosecutor, will align herself with the court’s tough-on-crime conservatives or join with its liberals to strike down prison policies perceived as going too far. Raines: Safire’s ‘rigid’ GOP loyalty contrasted with his openness to new information Bill Safire’s “rigid loyalty to the Republican Party stood in contrast to his intellectual habits, which were liberal in the old-fashioned sense of being comprehensive and open to new information,” writes Howell Raines. Glenn Beck uses Vaporub to get the “tears” flowing Now we see how Glenn Beck gets himself properly weepy for the cameras: a little Vicks Vaporub. He also can’t explain what he meant by ‘white culture’ Er, well, oh, er… Bill Gates has fifty thousand million dollars It’s that time of the year again when Forbes publishes their annual list of the 400 richest Americans, and the rest of us look at the billions they own, dream away for a minute or two, and then get back to reality, remembering we’ve forgotten to pay our cell phone bill.
Hummer Drivers Believe They’re Defending America’s Frontier Against Anti-American Critics (Links)
Krugman: ‘most widely respected climate models’ show ‘hurtle toward catastrophe’ These days, dire warnings aren’t the delusional raving of cranks. Our relationship to the natural world is a Ponzi scheme Beyond the illegality of Madoff’s scam, why didn’t he consider his responsibility to his clients, to their future, and even to his own? Give birds a break. Lock up the cat Free-ranging felines do a lot of damage to the baby bird populations in neighborhoods. Gila National Forest threatened by off-road vehicles The well-funded off-road vehicle lobby is pressuring forest managers to add unnecessary roads and permit other destructive practices in the forest. Hummer drivers believe they’re defending America’s frontier against anti-American critics Hummer drivers believe they are defending America’s frontier lifestyle against anti-American critics, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, which researched attitudes toward owning and driving Hummers, which have become symbols to many of American greed and wastefulness. Children who are spanked have lower IQs Children who are spanked have lower IQs worldwide, including in the United States, according to groundbreaking new research. Pennsylvania gun nuts shoot, kill each other A car parked in the driveway bore a badge-shaped sticker that read “NRA law enforcement.” Boing Boing offers ‘nourishing soup and sandwiches’ to Ralph Lauren’s deathly ill models “Dude, her head’s bigger than her pelvis.” Ted Williams’ frozen head abused in cryogenics lab Workers at an Arizona cryogenics facility mutilated the frozen head of baseball legend Ted Williams—even using it for a bizarre batting practice, a new book claims.
