Happy shortened work week to you all (Americans, that is). Big four day weekend coming right up, and that includes Black Wednesday as well, the busiest bar night of the year. I hope you’ve been preparing your liver. As we wind down to the end of 2011, Pick Your Poison will be arriving in smaller, more infrequent doses. Not that I WANT it that way, but December is primarily devoted to “Best of” lists and new music releases all pretty much get thrown by the wayside. So I have less mp3s making their way to me, and in turn I’m only able to give you what I’m getting. For now, we’re still operating at about a normal level, but look for that to change starting next month. I’ll fill you in on those details as they emerge. Enjoy today’s edition though. I can recommend tracks from The Duke Spirit, Lambchop, Laura Gibson, Miracles of Modern Science, Swimming and Tycho.
It’s Friday. I heard the song of the same name by Rebecca Black today for the first time in a few months. As a result I was able to confirm that my ears do in fact still bleed upon hearing that song. Let’s jump right into this weekend-starting mp3 selection that is Pick Your Poison. I’ll advise you to affix your ears to tracks from Andrew Johnston, Damien Jurado, Hospitality, Imperial Teen, Mannequin Men and Mwahaha (which just so happens to feature tUnE-yArDs). In the Soundcloud section, please enjoy a new song from Little Boots. It’s pretty dynamite.
Thanksgiving is officially one week away. I don’t know about you, but I start to prepare my stomach well in advance for such an occasion. Turkey and mashed potatoes are my standbys, even as I personally dislike stuffing and cranberry sauce. Still, you pile food on multiple plates and just sit and eat for a few hours. Get a pair of extra stretchy pants just in case. Anyways, now’s typically when I begin to starve myself, eating lighter meals and snacking less, to create that hunger and arrive to the feast completely ravenous. I’m not overweight, but on Thanksgiving I eat like I am. It’s fun, and the holidays. So yeah, just a reminder to everyone as I tend to forget myself and it sneaks up on me. If you’re reading this from outside American shores, I hope this Thursday and next Thursday are both great, normal days for you. Let’s talk Pick Your Poison. Recommended tracks today come from Brown Shoe, The Lanskies, Monument Valley, Neal Morgan, Novi and Rejectioneers. In the Soundcloud section you should have a listen to tracks from Craig Finn (of The Hold Steady), Metronomy and Mint Julep. Joshua Hyslop has something for all you Christmas music fans as well.
In today’s music news bit, it would appear that Lou Reed now has his own pair of designer headphones. He’s partnered with Klipsch to create his own unique pair of earbud headphones that retail at $400. You read that right, earbud headphones for $400. They go on sale next month, and are signed by Reed himself. The first 50 people to buy them also get Reed’s signature on an album, though there’s no word on exactly what album that will be. Let’s all pray it’s not “Lulu”, right? My hope was that they’d be noise cancelling headphones you’d be able to wear while “Lulu” was playing nearby to keep your ears from bleeding. Okay, let’s move on to today’s Pick Your Poison. If you’re so inclined, some of today’s highlights include tracks from Ace Reporter, Boris, Electric Flower, Escort, The Lost Lovers Brigade and The Spinto Band. Also interesting is the collaboration between Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet) and legendary jazz drummer Steve Reid, joined by Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson. It’s definitely not what you’d expect.
New album release Tuesday. As we venture deeper into November, it’s becoming more of a holiday albums and greatest hits time of year. There’s still plenty good out there though. This week sees new releases from Annie Williams, Carter Tanton, Caveman, Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover of “Community” fame), The Do, Drake, Ed Hale, Goldmund, Korallreven, Los Campesinos!, Odonis Odonis, R.E.M. (greatest hits), and live records from Sigur Ros and Tegan and Sara. There’s a couple EPs from Crystal Stilts and Races out this week as well, along with Can’s 40th Anniversary reissue of their amazing “Tago Mago”. So you’ve got those to look at possibly purchasing. In today’s Pick Your Poison, be sure to consider downloading tracks from Apparat, Gary Go, Ice Choir, Rams’ Pocket Radio, Sick Figures and Zambri. Yes, you saw right, there’s an mp3 from Chris Carrabba aka Dashboard Confessional below. He’s covering R.E.M. and it’s not horrible. Also doing a cover, Cuff the Duke’s cover of Dum Dum Girls’ “Always Looking” is pretty solid as well. In the Soundcloud section, be sure to stream a song from Lo-Fi-Fnk if you’re so inclined.
Yargh. On Friday, I mentioned I was sick. I had just come down with a nasty cold. Guess what? A weekend’s worth of rest and vitamins and whatnot did not immediately cure my cold. Big surprise. It’s probably going to take a few more days. If I wind up babbling incoherently on this site about whatever topics, I apologize. That would be the cold medicine talking. Let’s get straight to today’s Pick Your Poison then. I’ll affix gold stars to tracks from Bridge Underwater, Dead Confederate, Futurebirds, Luke Roberts, A Place to Bury Strangers and The Valery Trails. In the Soundcloud section you might enjoy streaming tracks from Ellie Lawson, Kramies and Neon Hitch.
Ugh. I’m sick. If there’s one thing I hate with extreme prejudice, it’s getting sick. Some of my friends and family have labeled me a hypochondriac simply because I refuse to drink from the same glass/bottle/can as somebody else or share a utensil such as a fork or spoon. Occasionally I’ll open a door handle with my wrist as well, or avoid shaking someone’s hand by going for the fist bump. Pardon me for being careful. I’m not washing my hands more than a few times a day (99% of the time it’s only when I use the restroom or before a meal), and if that seems excessive, well then maybe I am scared of germs. Even a minor cold knocks me out of commission for at least a few days so I can recover. I’m not calling in sick to work or anything, but I’ll avoid going out to socialize and will sit around on the couch drinking hot tea and napping as a means of nursing back to health. The point being, this is the worst time for me to get sick. I’ve got about 10 crazy fun events planned for the next week, and if I’m sick I’ll either cancel going or will force myself to go and have a miserable time as a result. Not fun. So I’m going to keep my fingers crossed that this is a momentary illness, that my sniffles and sore throat will magically vanish with a couple days of vitamins and some good old R&R. We’ll know better on Monday. Until then, here’s a Pick Your Poison that’s sure to help what ails you. Tracks I’ll recommend today come from The Antlers (covering The xx), Elliott Brood, Paul Brill, Sunbears!, Walter Rose and Young Dreams. In the Soundcloud section there are a few interesting artifacts. You can stream tracks from Betty Wright and The Roots (with Lil Wayne), Dad Rocks! (with Charles Spearin of Broken Sosical Scene), and remixes of songs from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and Lady Gaga (done by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs).
There’s a certain sector of the North American population, namely those of us that don’t live on the East Coast, West Coast or select portions of Canada that have been missing out on the brilliance and wonderment that is Jeff Mangum. Since going into seclusion several years ago, apperances and performances by Mangum have been extremely few and extremely far between. For whatever reason, in the last few months Mangum has suddenly re-emerged from hiding and has started to play shows again. He’s confined himself to only about a dozen shows up until now, but it’s more activity than he’s had going on in quite awhile. There’s also a Neutral Milk Hotel vinyl-only box set that will be released in the relatively near future, and Mangum has started to give away outtakes and unreleased tracks via the Neutral Milk Hotel website. He hasn’t given a reason for his comeback, but nobody wants to ask why. We’re all just glad he’s back, and hope you feel the same way. That said, Mangum has just announced a winter tour across much of the U.S., making stops in a number of cities he hasn’t been back to in quite some time. He’ll be coming to Chicago for 2 dates in February, and I couldn’t be more excited about that. Check the official website for the full tour schedule. Now I’ve just got to hope I can get tickets. You don’t need any special pass to gain access to Pick Your Poison. It’s free and always will be. Highlights today include tracks from Lindstrom, Mandolin Orange, Nicolas Jaar, Orchestra of Spheres, Sandman Viper COmmand and Clams Casino’s remix of Washed Out. In the Soundcloud section you can stream some good stuff from Girls and Odd Future project The Internet.
Happy Hump Day. I don’t have a whole lot of time to write much, so I’ll say this: it snowed in Chicago today. First time in a long time. I’m not ready for winter to show up yet, are you? Ah well, at least it’s melting right away. Nothing worse than having accumulation. We’ll have to wait for next month to get some of that (hopefully it can wait until December). Okay, today’s Pick Your Poison is a great one. I can recommend tracks from A Classic Education, Buffalo Killers, Grimes, Julian Wass, Narrow Sparrow, Total Slacker and Western States Motel. There’s a new Tennis song in the Soundcloud section, as well as a Diplo collaboration.
New album release Tuesday, my friends. As we climb ever closer to the end of the year, the number of new albums gets thinner, while the number of greatest hits, deluxe editions and compilations gets much larger. We’re not quite there just yet though, so keep hanging on to some normalcy while there’s still time. This week sees new records from 13Ghosts, Al Tuck, And So I Watch You From Afar, Atlas Sound, Band of Bees, Built Like Alaska, Cass McCombs, David Lynch, Joker, King Midas Sound, Marissa Nadler, Noel Gallagher, Summer Camp and Treefight for Sunlight. In the EP department, there’s new short releases from Esben and the Witch, Kurt Vile and Modeselektor with Thom Yorke. Purely from a Pick Your Poison standpoint, today’s got a healthy number of good songs. I can give a thumbs up to tracks from Black Heart Procession, Canon Logic (covering Cinderella), Fall Fox, JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound (Chicago’s own), Keepaway, The Mountain Goats, The New Slave, Red Eye Fugu, and Balam Acab’s remix of Twin Sister. If you like reggae versions of Nirvana songs (who doesn’t, right?) Little Roy’s version of “Lithium” is for you.
It feels like a big music news Monday. Maybe it’s just that two big acts announced some tour dates. Radiohead are busy plotting out a 2012 tour, and as of now they’ll be going on a 10 date jaunt through much of the southern U.S., without any stops on the east or west coast or most of the midwest. Surely they’ll announce a lot more dates in the coming weeks and months, so keep an eye out if your city hasn’t been announced yet (see: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles). Then you’ve also got Jeff Mangum announcing a bunch of new dates, including a lot of markets he didn’t hit this fall (see: Chicago). It feels great to have him back around and touring again, even if it doesn’t result in any new music. So there’s that. And my special deluxe package of Sigur Ros’ “Inni” arrived in the mail today. I’m excited, and if you haven’t ordered yours yet, get on that. Today’s Pick Your Poison has me excited too, and it’s available on demand right here and now. Tracks I’ll recommend today come from Cuckoo Chaos, Doldrums, Golden Bloom (covering Philistines Jr.), Lil Daggers, Sleeping Bags, T.H. White, Virgin Forest and White Denim.
It’s Friday, the first weekend in November. I hope you’ve got some great fall plans and that the weather’s good where you are. Let’s jump right into Pick Your Poison for today. I can throw out recommendations for tracks from The Adamski Kid’s cover of PJ Harvey, Bad Passion’s Beach House cover, and Parenthetical Girls’ Kate Bush cover. Also excellent are songs from Carnivores, Cloud Nothings, Mood Rings, Two Wounded Birds and Way Yes. In the Soundcloud section, be sure to stream a new song from Field Music.
Allow me to take a moment and comment on the unfortunate split between Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel. They both seemed like people deserving of finding that special someone, Gibbard being the hopeless romantic at the center of so many lovelorn songs, and Deschanel being the ideal, coined phrase Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Sure, their divorce now opens the door for those girls and guys that all thought they were destined to be with either one of them. Try and, you know, stay with something more realistic for your goals. I’ve got a theory as to why they got divorced, and it’s more to do with life’s challenges than it does personal difficulties. He’s in a band and they’re doing a lot of touring around the country. She’s got her own TV show that consumes most of her time. How do you build a marriage around two people that are so busy they get to spend maybe an hour together each day, and primarily on the phone? It just doesn’t really work for a marriage. That’s my guess anyways. Okay, here’s today’s edition of Pick Your Poison. Tracks I’ll give the thumbs up to come from Holmes (covering Ice Cube), The Lowriders, Scout, Sea Lions and Writers Strike. Marissa Nadler has a new record of covers coming out next Tuesday, and she’s given out a few of those for free, so be sure to check out her covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Clinic and Bruce Springsteen below. In the Soundcloud section you’ll find some good songs to stream from Guided By Voices, The Internet and Washed Out.
Every now and then you encounter a live show that is so captivating and incredible, you want to tell everyone and anyone about it. This goes beyond your standard or casual mention to a friend or colleague – this is full on blind passion, a screaming from the rooftops level of incredulity where you just want to run up to somebody and violently shake them into waking up from the slumber of their everyday lives to bear witness to such a performance. Such moments are special, because of how rarely they occur. This past summer, I had such an experience, and I’ve been telling everyone about it since. I was all set to go through the motions and pretty sarcastically review most of the sets at this year’s Lollapalooza, when 45 minutes of magic happened. Those came exclusively from the band Le Butcherettes, a band I had only anticipated watching for a few minutes on my way to another set. After their first song however, I was hooked. Frontwoman Teri Gender Bender is a force to be reckoned with on stage, bringing such intensity to her performance that you can feel invisible daggers being hurled at you simply by looking at her in the eyes. She’s not afraid to get physical either, slamming her head into the microphone, doing cartwheels and somersaults, throwing her guitar around and crowd surfing. She’s a menace in the best possible way, and is backed by some equally intense work from Jonathan Hischke on bass and Gabe Serbian on drums. During their Lollapalooza set, Serbian was playing with such force in such hot temperatures he violently puked on stage and off. I’ve seen plenty of bands attempt to push boundaries and do crazy shit on stage, but very few have done it with such art and conviction. They truly leave it all out there, and I guarantee you won’t see much else like it in this day and age. I suspect Le Butcherettes are on their way towards much bigger and better things the more people catch onto them, and it’s one of the big reasons why you need to see them now as opposed to later. I’m making mention of this because Le Butcherettes are currently on a fall tour, and they return to Chicago this Friday, November 4th for a show at Subterranean. If you live anywhere in or around the city, I strongly advise you to come out to the show. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here. You can also buy them at the door on Friday night (provided it doesn’t sell out before then). White Mystery and Gypsyblood are also on the bill. Bring some friends and family too. Here are a few mp3s to help whet your whistle:
That aside, let’s talk today’s Pick Your Poison. There are a few real gems here, so I’ll advise you to check out tracks from Cookies, Esben and the Witch, Greenhorse, Howth, New Cassettes, Silverclub and Waxahatchee.
Welcome to November. It’s not quite as classy or nice as Rocktober, but it’s got Thanksgiving going for it, which is nice. Tuesdays I like to give a quick roundup of some of the new records available for you to pick up should the whim strike you, so here’s that. There’s new material in both digital and physical stores from The Beach Boys, Caroline Smith, Florence and the Machine, Jupe Jupe, The Loom, Lou Reed and Metallica, Rich Aucoin, Robin Bacior, and U2, who are unleashing a super deluxe remastered version of their classic “Achtung Baby”. Additionally there are new EPs out from AM & Shawn Lee, along with The Decemberists and The Soft Moon. I’m not going to speak to the worth of these releases, but if you’re an avid reader of the site then hopefully you’ll take to heart some of my album reviews. Going straight to today’s Pick Your Poison, I will throw a few recommendations your way. Check out songs from The Ambassadors, Det Vacka Livet, DEVO, Erothug, and Ladytron’s remix of Sonoio. While it’s by no means amazing, Snow Patrol’s cover of U2’s “Mysterious Ways” is worth a listen in the Soundcloud section.
