Pick of the Week: The Wrestle - Frightened Rabbit

Up until two years ago, I knew three things about Scotland. They were Sean Connery, the Lochness monster and that a mass mooning is sound military strategy.  But then Midnight Organ Fight came out and thanks to Frightened Rabbit, I learned one more thing about the country: it is a breeding ground for amazing and earnest rock n’ roll. Frightened Rabbit are like cultural ambassadors; they’ve opened up my little brain to a wondrous new world through label mates We Were Promised Jetpacks and The Twilight Sad.

With Frightened Rabbit’s new album Winter of Mixed Drinks, they’ve kept the epic nature of the previous record, but with the addition of band members, they’ve widened their sonic pallet. No song exemplifies this better than the pulsing, melodic and grandiose sound like “The Wrestle.” It’s certainly a Frightened Rabbit track, with lead singer Scott Hutchison’s warbling voice, and choral “ooh ooh oohs” throughout. But the band is also more refined these days and have added layers of sound and shoegaze to their pop/folk/rock/what have you.

They’re currently touring, and even though they’re skipping Los Angeles, I’ll post the dates for people living in luckier cities.

-DJ Bears!

Pick of the Week: When I Go - Slow Club

My eighth grade self would hate me. In eighth grade I only listened to bands like Minor Threat and spent a lot of time trying to perfect Sharpie drawings of the Dead Kennedys “DK” symbol on my desk. Now I find myself listening to “When I Go” by the cute and folksy duo Slow Club. I can just imagine younger-me stumbling upon modern-day-me and staring with mouth agape as modern-me sashays across the room to lyrics like “If we’re both not married by twenty three/Will you make my year and ask me?”

And I’m totally fine with that. Because Slow Club are damn good. And because every time I hear “When I Go” I find myself smiling. The song is catchy, the vocal interplay is gorgeous and fun and the words are reminiscent of a more pessimistic “When I’m 64.” And if you think I’m being an overly mushy mush-brain, then I dare you to listen to this song and not feel the same.

-DJ Bears!

Pick of the Week: Under Control - Good Shoes

I want to give a hearty thanks to Good Shoes for releasing the first single of 2010 meant to embarrass me. For the London based quartet, “Under Control” is just another tight and riff heavy post-punk jam that’s insanely catchy. It also happens to be about sex. The melody is so in-your-ears delicious that you’ll be forced to sing it wherever you are and it doesn’t discriminate based on age or sex or appropriateness of lyrical content.

Imagine for a moment that you are me and you’re sitting at work. Maybe you start by lightly humming the song. It may be annoying to the others in the office, but it’s still well within the realm of decency. But then imagine that you begin mouthing the words like “We’re side by side/with her legs between mine.” Perhaps a little unsettling, but so far security doesn’t have a need to remove you from the property.  Then imagine that you start really feeling the song and without realizing it you’re full on American Idol-ing lyrics like “Lips on lips/Meet salty skin/And her muscles tense/As I tighten my grip.” When you snap back to reality, you realize you might have a sexual harrassment suit on your hands and it’s all thanks to the fine young gentlemen in Good Shoes.

And the video, which I linked to above but will do again here, is a perfect and hilarious fit to the song which should be viewed immediately. Unless you’re at work and they have a policy against women weightlifters in bikinis.

-DJ Bears!

Pick of the Week: You Must Be Out of Your Mind - The Magnetic Fields

It’s a really great time to be depressed and wallow in self pity. With the Eastern seaboard buried under two feet of snow, it’s the perfect time to get in bed, pull the blankets up and stare at the ceiling while mulling over every wrong decision you’ve ever made. Luckily, The Magnetic Fields have come out with a new album, Realism, to soundtrack these not-so-halcyon days.

If after listening to their last album Distortion, you’re worried Realism might not be calming enough—stop. The Magnetic Fields have returned to their poppy folk wheelhouse and opening song “You Must Be Out of Your Mind”  highlights those strengths. It’s full of a plucking banjo, strings and Stephin Merritt’s distinctive drone. It’s also full of classic Merritt lyrics like, “I want you crawling back to me/Down on your knees, yeah/Like an appendectomy/Sans anesthesia.”

The Magnetic Fields are also touring, so if you can find the inner strength to get out of bed and possibly take a shower, you might end up having a great time with fellow Seasonally Affected music fans.

-DJ Bears!

Pick of the Week: Robot - The Futureheads

Sometimes I feel like I’m a robot. I wake up, go to work, come home, make macaroni and cheese, and repeat. And just as robots use motor oil and Tesla coils to recharge their energy cells, I use Saturdays and root beer.

That’s why I love “Robot” by The Futureheads. With jagged, punchy guitars I get to stomp around the apartment shouting “I have no mind” in my best “Danger Will Robinson, Danger” robot voice. My neighbors would hate my little act, if it weren’t for The Futureheads being so damn irresistible. And just wait. Once the robots gain sentient thought and take over the world, “Robot” will be their marching song; blaring out of the speakers set into their chests. No one will be too upset though, because we’ll all be too busy dancing.

Pick of the Week: These Old Shoes - Deer Tick

My twenty minute commute took over an hour the other night. It was one of those nights when all I needed was to be back at home. I was starving, tired, stressed and I knew if I could just get to my apartment, there would be frozen pizza and pajamas waiting for me, begging to embrace me in their loving arms. But no, I was ass deep in traffic and every side street and shortcut I thought to use was just as blocked up. My Ipod, despite holding every album I’ve ever owned, seemed full of absolute garbage. And then my check engine light came on even though I had just taken the stupid thing in to the shop a week before. I lost it. I became one of those drivers who pounds the steering wheel and makes exaggerated hand motions at parked cars. I thought a heart attack was possible, and an aneurysm likely. But luckily God, or Fate, or Luck stepped in and “These Old Shoes” came on.

I paused and took a few deep breaths. I was calmed by the down home stylings of the Rhode Island based Deer Tick. In the song, the protagonist is desperately trying to get home to some mysterious lover. He takes a plane, and it crashes. He hops on a train and is kicked off. He buys a car and it breaks down. Eventually all he’s left with is his old shoes and that’s not stopping him. And here I was complaining about a little LA traffic? What right did I have to get upset? If I could just sit this out and not kill myself, I’d make it in time for the 7:30 rerun of Seinfeld. For the next two minutes and twenty four seconds, I was blissed out. Like how I imagine parents are when they go see Jimmy Buffet.

And when those two minutes were up and I was still stuck behind the same traffic light that I had been for seemingly forever, I didn’t blow my top or make a scene. I just swallowed all those feelings and let them simmer inside of me, waiting for the next night when no song, no matter how good, could bring me back from the brink.

-DJ Bears!

Mea Culpa

There are times when I’m a really bad music fan and I want to apologize for that. Sometimes I’m lazy and don’t want to give difficult, less catchy releases time to win me over. Sometimes when a band I like goes in a new direction, I don’t want to go with them. And then there are those “friends” (who are actually jerks) that recommend albums that I don’t listen to out of spite.

That’s what happened with Girls debut album “Album.” For months I refused to listen to them in an attempt to prove some self righteous point. Soon I had to start coming up with elaborate lies to cover for my stance. “Oh, yeah, I’ve heard a couple songs,” I’d tell people straight faced. “And it just didn’t do anything for me.” Or when that wasn’t enough I’d say “Naming your album ‘Album’? Seems like they’re just trying too hard.” Looking back, it’s embarrassing. I missed out on months of good music before I hit rock bottom. Thank god I did, because “Album” is gorgeous.

And now it’s a new year, a new decade. It’s time to put the mistakes of the past behind us and work on self-improvement. So from now on, when those friends of mine who I kind of hate give me an album recommendation, I’ll give it a chance. But if they’re wrong? I will rain a world of passive aggressive pain and torment down upon them.

-DJ Bears!

Wait. The Rakes Broke Up?: A Monologue

Hold on a second, just—just wait a minute. You’re telling me that the Rakes broke up? Over a month ago? And just when were you planning on letting me know?

You thought I knew? Yeah, right. You just didn’t want to be the one to break it to me. You let me walk around like an idiot thinking the Rakes were still together. How could you do this to me?

Yeah, I hope you’re sorry. Do you know how often I listened to Capture/Release on my walk to class? A lot, okay? I listened to it a lot. I used to laugh at “22 Grand Job“  and now? You know, I don’t even earn twenty-two grand. They can’t break up before I earn twenty two grand.

It was their time? It was their time? Bullshit. They had plenty of music left in them. Tons of songs!

Just give me a minute, alright? I need to collect my thoughts. Wow…just wow. It doesn’t matter that I hadn’t listened to them recently! There’s plenty of bands that I take breaks from. Doesn’t mean I can’t still have feelings for them.

I know I’m overreacting. And I’m sorry I yelled at you. It’s just, well, Drew Bledsoe retired a few years ago, Ken Griffey Jr has maybe one year left in him, Morrissey collapsed on stage last month and now this.  Can’t anything stay awesome forever?

-DJ Bears!

Pick of the Week: Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End) - The Darkness

When I think of Christmas, I think of three things: family, presents and mind-melting guitar solos. Despite what your totally square grandparents think, Bing Crosby never had a mind-melting guitar solo on any of his Christmas albums. Luckily though, the Darkness left us this one golden Christmas nugget in their short existence. Say what you will, but until I get that Whitesnake Christmas album that I’ve been begging for, this is the Christmas song I’ll be listening to on repeat. Oh, and that Josh Groban one because he has the voice of an angel.

-DJ Bears!