Tag Archives: dan deacon

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Poetic Memory: Man Man (List)

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Full album stream: Man Man – Life Fantastic
MP3: Man Man – “The Ballad of Butter Beans” (from 2008’s Rabbit Habits)

The gloriously wacky Philadelphians known as Man Man are coming to San Diego on May 11, and we couldn’t be happier. The upcoming Casbah gig is one of O&B’s most anticipated shows of the year, and the band’s fourth album, Life Fantastic (out today), is already shaping up to be one of 2011’s best releases.

Produced by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk), the new disc builds upon the schizophrenic sound of Man Man’s O&B-acclaimed third LP, 2008’s Rabbit Habits. As should be expected, Life Fantastic‘s tracks are at times morbid and hilarious, but always musically impeccable. The new album is a little more melodic — and dare we say, more accessible — than their past efforts, and while catchiness has never been a problem for the group, this time around the songs are more infectious than ever.

In anticipation of tomorrow’s Casbah show, drummer Christoper “Pow Pow” Powell sent us a list of his favorite YouTube videos, which include everything from Salt N Peppa to The Muppet Show. Check it out below…

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Watchlist vol. 8: Cloud Nothings (MP3s)

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MP3: Cloud Nothings – “Hey Cool Kid”
MP3: Cloud Nothings – “Can’t Stay Awake”

In recent years, Ohio has found itself on the receiving end of many jokes. Yet despite some unfortunate sports teams and economic problems, the Buckeye State remains fertile ground for great music.

In particular, the Akron, Ohio scene has produced legendary punk bands like The Cramps, Dead Boys, and Devo. More recently, The Black Keys exploded onto the national scene with their intoxicating mix of garage rock and blues. And, if it wasn’t for Oberlin College, the world may never have heard of Yeah Yeah Yeahs — singer Karen O and drummer Brian Chase met while attending the school and were both inspired by Ohio’s legendary 80s and 90s-era punk scene. Continue reading…

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Poetic Memory: Boy Without God (List)

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Boy Without God

Fact: there are more albums in existence today than ever before, and, as more albums are released in the future, that number will most likely increase. We, the intrepid writers for Owl&Bear, stand at the frothy frontline of this constant deluge of new music, bravely filling buckets with the good stuff and presenting it as sweet sustenance to our parched readers. We perpetually receive music from PR people, begging us to check out undiscovered artists, and a lot of it is, quite frankly, underwhelming. But once in a while we come across a diamond in the rough, something that grabs us by the ears and doesn’t let go. And so it happened that, mere seconds into hearing “If You” (MP3), I became a fan of Boy Without God.

Hailing from Massachusetts, famed home of the sassy Congressman, Boy Without God is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Birnbaum. His new album, Your Body Is Your Soul, which sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel if they’d been fronted by Johnny Cash, has been on constant rotation in the Owl&Bear offices lately and is shaping up to be one of the best albums of the year. Birnbaum was kind enough to share his influences with us for our newest installment of Poetic Memory.

Poetic Memory is a regular Owl and Bear feature in which musicians disclose their influences—whether it’s albums, songs, artists, or something random. If you’re interested in being featured here, send us an email. Continue reading →

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Pitchfork Music Festival 2007 (II)

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Note: Photos in this essay depict re-enactments of actual events, not the events themselves.

Thursday, July 12
McCaskill picked me up at my folks’ house at 9PM. We weren’t planning to leave Jackson until about 1 or 2AM, but we’d decided to hang out a while and say goodbyes because, naturally, we may never come back.

Instead of going to the bar, for obvious reasons, we opted for dinner. Regardless, as with alcohol, we are both bottomless pits for food. The meal was uneventful, save for the fact that our waitress had apparently served McCaskill once before, and had taken offense to a conversation about foreskins. Despite this, the food was palatable and (hopefully) spit-free.

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