In an unexpected turn of events, it seems that Stars may be leaving long-time record label Arts & Crafts. An A&C bulletin appeared briefly before being taken down. Here is the bulletin:

“Arts & Crafts would like to formally wish the members of Stars – Amy, Chris, Evan, Patty and Torquil – the very best in their future endeavours as we officially announce our parting of ways. As foreshadowed in past A&C news postings and following in the footsteps of last fall’s self-released Sad Robots EP, Stars are now entering a new chapter of their career and have decided as a group, to move outside of the A&C roster. The band has been a key figure in our collective successes over the past five years and we are grateful and appreciative of our continued friendship. We know they will continue to make amazing records outside of Arts & Crafts. At the same time, we look forward to sharing details for albums in the works from Amy Millan and Memphis (Torquil Campbell) which are due for release on Arts & Crafts this fall.”

Stars is tied with of Montreal for my all-time favorite ensemble. I only hope that they will continue to make beautiful, creative, intellectual music together. On the bright side, I am extremely thrilled for the release of the new Memphis album. Memphis (in case you didn’t know) is Torquil Campbell’s side project; think a dreamier, less rock-driven version of Stars.

For more on these topics, visit the Stars message board.
http://www.arts-crafts.ca/brokentelephone/viewtopic.php?t=3782&sid=19515402f9a0e32a05dbeb4486e59ba2

Lately I can’t get enough of Sneaker Pimps. Their songs are both eerie and sexy, a strange dichotomy but it works. I stumbled upon Sneaker Pimps a couple years ago when trolling the internet for trip-hop blogs. I got their albums, Becoming X and Bloodsport, and they sat in my library anonymously until recently. “M’Aidez,” off Bloodsport, was the track that got me hooked. It’s on heavy rotation on the Frozen Beats internet radio station, and it always caught my attention. Its one of those songs that bounces around in your head at the most random moments, and I absolutely love the layering of male/female vocals.

Another great song that you may be familiar with is “6 Underground,” which has been featured in a variety of film and television productions, including the Will Smith movie “Enemy of the State.” One of the best archetypal examples of the trip-hop genre, “6 Underground” features an amazing sample from the James Bond movie “Goldfinger.”

If you like trip-hop or bands like Portishead, Thievery Corporation, Morcheeba, and Tricky, I highly recommend that you give Sneaker Pimps a shot.

…All I’ve gotta say is, “Thank you Andrew VanWyngarden.”

I’m hoping to start blogging more often… as a college student triple-majoring, its tough to find the time lately. Keep your ears open and eyes peeled for new posts.

Sigur Ros, Gogol Bordello, Vampire Weekend, Evangelicals, Hot Chip, and Rocky Votolato have been added to the SCRAPBOOK 2008 page. Please check them out

Tonight I’m going to Girl Talk and will probably be dancing too much to take photos.

Animal! and Not Animal! are great, but they are not my gripe. As a Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s fan who has religiously listened to all of the available bootlegs and live sets, it pains me that many of the songs on A! and NA! have had major lyric changes. I’ve been listening to “Broadripple is Burning,” for example, for years. But the album version is completely different. I don’t like it as much, sadly. Here is what I mean:
Honey, Broadripple is burning {Children, Broadripple is burning}
and the girls are gettin sick,
off snorting coke up in the bathroom {off huffing glue up in the bathroom}
while their boyfriends pick up chicks.
And darling, I’m lost
I heard you whispering
that night in Fountain Square
trash-filled streets made me wish we were headed home
there was love inside the basement
where that woman used to lie
in a sleeping bag we shared upon
the floor most every night…
Oh darling, I’m drunk
everything that I have loved has turned to stone
so pack your bags and come back home.
Yeah I’m wasted,
you can taste it.
Don’t look at me that way
cause I’ll be hanging from a rope
I’ll be hanging from a rope… {I will haunt you like a ghost}
If my woman was a fire,
she’d burn out before I wake
and be replaced by pounds of whiskey,
cigarettes, and outer space.
Then somebody moves
and everything you thought you had has gone to shit…
We’ve got a lot,
don’t ever forget that
and I wrote this on airplane where the people look like ants
and when the woman that you love is gone,
she was bombing east Japan,
Don’t fucking move
cause everything you thought you had will go to shit…
We’ve got a lot,
don’t ever forget that.
Yeah, I’m wasted,
you can taste it,
don’t look at me that way
cause I’ll be hanging from a rope,
I’ll be hanging from a rope. {I will haunt you like a ghost}

Huffing glue? Are these girls in kindergarten? /facepalm.

The lyrics are not the only change. There is also the puzzling addition of some creepy piano chords in the background, and Richard almost sounds… happy. The raw, bitter tone of his voice in previous versions made the song so much more powerful. His vocals also had more range, whereas in the album version he seems to be holding back.

Comments, anyone? Do you agree with me? Or is the new version better?

Its been a while since I posted a playlist, so here is my latest creation. One of my best friends recently had an emotional conflagration after getting righteously wasted at a party. The event inspired me to make a playlist about imbibing and its ups, downs, highs, lows, and loop-de-loops. I’ve called it “In Vino Veritas” which (for those of you who don’t speak latin) means “In wine there is truth.” So, cheers!

-edit- I removed the download link, please let me know if you want this playlist -edit-

In Vino Veritas

1. Port O’Brien – The Whiskey Song

2. Sia – Drink to Get Drunk

3. Sondre Lerche – Virtue and Wine

4. Oasis – Champagne Supernova

5. Memphis – Incredibly Drunk on Whiskey

6. Port O’Brien – In Vino Veritas

7. Modest Mouse – Long Distance Drunk

8. Rocky Votolato – Whiskey Straight

9. Gogol Bordello – Alcohol

10. Cold War Kids – Red Wine, Success!

11. Death Cab for Cutie – Champagne from a Paper Cup

12. Voxtrot – Whiskey

13. Amy Winehouse – Rehab

Disclaimer: These songs are for preview purposes only. Purchasing music is the best way to support hard-working and talented artists such as those on this playlist. Downloading music is an ethical grey area and I encourage you to weigh the risks before downloading any music on the internet. If you are an artist on this compilation and would like the song removed, please contact me and I will do so promptly. ~ST

new ep by canadian band stars

1. Maintenance Hall, 4 am (2:18)

A quiet and haunting piano melody overlaid with electronic buzz sets the mood of this EP, and an unexpected robotic trill lends some mystery. This track leads into “A Thread…” quite nicely.

2. A Thread Cut With a Carving Knife (5:51)

This is Stars at their best. The epic moments of this song call to mind “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” and “One More Night (Your Ex-Lover Remains Dead).” Torquil Campbell’s voice soars, and listeners are launched from quiet piano to epic electronic crescendo within the span of seconds. This song epitomizes the new direction of Stars – a more electronic and futuristic aesthetic.

3. Undertow (4:12)

Oh so catchy. This is Amy Millan’s turn to shine. I love the echo effect added in production – it makes her voice sound flawless and positively angelic. Even with the softer sound of this track, the electronic aesthetic is still apparent with breakbeats and synthy goodness.

4. Going, Going, Gone [Live] (3:53)

An old favorite, updated. This track originally appeared on Nightsongs, Stars’ first full-length release. Its incredible to see their artistic progression. And as always, Torquil and Amy sound fantastic live.

5. 14 Forever (3:48)

I don’t know how I feel about this song quite yet. It’s good, but not great. I think I need to listen to it at least twelve more times to be fair.

6. Sad Robot (2:11)

Beeps and bloops lead into a soft and lilting French chorus heavy with acoustic guitar. A soft and pretty end to the EP, although I don’t understand a word!

I have been restraining myself from making daily fangrl posts counting down the time until the release of Montreal’s ground-breaking Skeletal Lamping. But I can’t restrain myself any longer!!!

Today Pitchfork debuted the first single, and last track on, Skeletal Lamping. It is called “Id Engager” and I nearly peed myself when I got it. This is a giddy and disco-rific track with a spirit which really reminds me of oM’s live shows.

I’ve transcribed the lyrics, here:

“[inaudible shriek] Yeah! Is that my Concorde on a launcher? Looks good! Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!

One, two, three four! Ooh ooh ooh ooh ahhhhh [repeat x 4]

He’s just a slutty little flirt, and sister, he’s only gonna hurt you.

[whispers] watch yourself.

Ladies, I’m screaming out to you from the depths of this phallocentric tyranny

My self-concept is awaiting your invasion, clumsy penetration punishment… oh yeah!

When the hope of another wet nightmare is all we have to live for.

Can’t help it if its true, don’t wanna be your man, just wanna play with you…

play with you, play with you [repeats]

I can’t help it if its true, don’t wanna be your man, just wanna play with you…

play with you, play with you [repeats]

He predicted the 8-bit empire, now he occupies the blur as well.

When asking why their kisses are sorrowful, remember the howl of our first verse

Oooh ooh ooh ahhhh [repeats]

And again. [shrieks]

Ninjas… Prove it… Right

I can’t help it if its true, don’t wanna be your man, play, play, play, play with you…

I can’t help it if its true, don’t wanna be your man, just wanna play with you… [repeats]

[musical boogie break followed by crescendo crash]“

This song is mind-blowingly funky. Now, pardon me, I’m going to dig out my platform boots…

Admit it: banging pots and pans was a really entertaining childhood pastime. I certainly enjoyed it – even added a finger-plucked melody on the egg slicer. My parents were so proud. XD

Port O’Brien is bringing this nostalgic pastime back into style. At their recent show at Club Congress, Van and the crew encouraged all of the audience members to break out the musical accompaniment while singing the chorus of “I Woke Up Today.” To be honest, I haven’t so much fun in years.

When I listen to Port O’Brien’s intimately-crafted songs, I feel extremely inspired. Don’t ask me why. Their music is wistful and artistically unique, as deep and peaceful as the ocean it describes. I listened to The Wind and the Swell on a long transatlantic flight to sooth my anxiousness about airplanes, and I found myself playing it again as I drove through the wide-open Hungarian countryside. What an irony – songs of the sea fit so perfectly into my landlocked life.

The core members of Port O’Brien are Van Pierszalowski, a sometimes seaman, and Cambria Goodwin, a baker. They write music with an intriguing strategy. Each will work independently on lyrics or melodies, piecing together fragments of what may well be their next song project. Then they reunite and mesh all of the pieces together. The result? Pleasantly simple, well-constructed and nostalgic songs that have the ring of authenticity. Port O’Brien don’t sing about abstract concepts – to them, the ocean is a very real and tangible being.

Download “My Eyes Won’t Shut” by right-clicking and save-as’ing.

Same with “Five and Dime.” These tracks are legal downloads courtesy of Port O’Brien.

I highly recommend both The Wind and the Swell and All We Could Do Was Sing… this is a truly talented band who are sure to gain a lot of recognition in years to come.

Visit Port O’Brien’s website here.

Today is yourfavoritescandinavian Sarah’s birthday! In celebration, I made a little mini imeem playlist with a birthday related theme. Enjoy! Don’t forget to leave her lovely birthday wishes…