Port of Morrow

James Mercer is back, at his finest...in my favorite Portland based band--The Shins. In 2007 I winced every night away with the Shins, and now with the completed 4th studio album, I am hoping to create a new soundtrack for 2012. 'Simple Song' is the first single of the much anticipated album, and it has a little bit of the 60's nostalgia, mixed with the classic Shins pop aesthetic.

Hear it here first:


Album Release Date: March 20th, stream it on ITunes starting March 13th

All We Know Is Falling

There are a lot of things in life, that make us tick. Music is the constant tick-tock that I hear in my head. As of late, I can't hear anything ticking.

 I see my record player sitting in my living room, covered with dust. The records on the shelves perfectly preserved in plastic, untouched. CD's stacked and scratched unable to be played even if I wanted to. A computer filled with years of music, that has lost all power to start.

I've lost the passion for the HUNT. The ever ending quest to discover the latest and greatest. Instead I find myself distracted, my head clouded with the sounds of mediocre pop music. It haunts me in my day to day, as it blares through the speakers at work. I am always asking, could this really be it? Have my musical tastes fizzled out and faded away. Is it a curse of my surroundings, in combination with my lack of passion for the chase?

Maybe.


Today I found myself searching...falling back on my laurels if you will.
Tonight, I am gonna open up that record player...pull some records off the shelves, and remember how I fell in love this "hobby" in the first place. The places, the people, the music...if only I could relive all those "perfect" moments all over again. Maybe the playlist is a little embarrassing, but nostalgia always is...

"I fear I might break, I fear can't take it. Tonight I'll lie awake, feeling empty."

Grow up, and blow away.

Like every angst filled teen, I longed for the day that I could finally get a tattoo. It was something that I was definitely NOT supposed to do. In good teenage FASHION, I just had to do it (you know exactly what I am talking about). It was sure to be my stamp that I was a "rebel without a cause", a real big middle finger to the "man"(my parents, of course). Not something too big, but not too small...indiscrete enough so my Mom wouldn't see it, this train of eternal age of teenage wisdom could only lead to a "TRAMP STAMP".  It seemed so genius in the moment, a music note.

I am sure we all have a phrase that our parents never let us live down. The day that my Mother found that treble clef in the small of my back is that day for me. I can remember it vividly. In fact, it almost seems like yesterday. She was furious and asked me WHAT WAS ON MY BACK, and I screamed with rebellion..."MUSIC IS MY LIFE MOM!" In my 18 year old mind, it was...and in my 26 year old mind it still is. I just don't know that at my current age, I would get a tattoo to "symbolize" my musical rebellion.

As the years have progressed from 18 to 26, a lot of things about me have changed. My love for music, is one passion that has resonated in me through out time. Though I have had my romances with certain genre's here and there, one band has always stood out for me--METRIC.


Emily Haines, and not to sound the slightest bit crazy, has the voice of an ANGEL. Yep, I said it. I first heard of Metric, from the girls I worked with at my first MAC counter. At the time I would have never admitted my obsession with Haines, as I was far too "hardcore" for my own good. Old World Underground--got me hooked. It was from that moment on that my secret obsession with Haines began. Old World Underground would find itself on my constant rotation until 2005, when Live It Up and then their debut album re-release Grow up, and Blow Away in 2007.

In 2009, I finally got to see Emily face to face. Fantasies had just been released a couple months before, and I had noticed a distinct change in the musical direction of my favorite band. She was standing on the stage covered in silver sequins, strobe lights bouncing back and forth off the dress, singing my favorite song DEAD DISCO. Even though Fantasies didn't hold the tiniest candle to the passion I felt for OLD WORLD UNDERGROUND, I realized that standing before me was my favorite band, and all of the sudden I fell in love with Fantasies. That concert, will always be one of my favorite memories. The energy, and the passion she exudes makes me love the band even more. Haines will always be my favorite singer, and Metric is STILL my favorite band, and guess what? MUSIC IS STILL MY LIFE.

Sidenote...if you haven't listened to Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton, you should do that NOW.

Bon Iver-Calgary

"Calgary" is the first single of Bon Iver's self-titled Sophomore LP.  Andre Durand and Dan Huiting directed (Justin Vernon co-wrote)  the beautifully haunting high-concept clip for Bon Iver's first single "Calgary".

When talking to Pitchfork recently, lead singer Justin Vernon said the song is one of the materials on the album that he is proud of lyrically. "I really like the opening line: 'Don't you cherish me to sleep.' There's that whole thing that happens in relationships-- you can love someone but, as soon as they stop loving you so unconditionally that they stop being themselves, it can be so dangerous." 


There might be a "fire going out" in the hearts of the two people in this video, but not in the heart of the man who created it. 

Let's go find an ocean, cause I think we need a swim

On Tuesday June 7th, two albums I have been waiting on pins and needles for will be showing there must anticipated faces! Cults self titled full length, and my most highly anticipated album of 2011 Arabia Mountain from the Black Lips.

Arabia Mountain, the latest and greatest from the socially rebellious, garage rocking, vomiting on stage ensemble Black Lips, finds the band remastering their craft with assistance from an unlikely choice in producer Mark Ronson. Ronson best known for his work with Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, clearly helped the Black Lips restore there roots, and get back to the basics of what the group is about.  Even though you have to wait til June 7th to get your hands on the album, you can listen to it on Grooveshark, now! Hopefully, after a good solid listen you will agree, the BLACK LIPS ARE BACK, and this ain't know two hundred million thousand, or whatever that garbage was called.

Arabia Mountain, real "Modern Art".

TY REX

What could be better than one of my favorite singers, Ty Segall covering T-REX exclusively for Record Store Day yesterday? I am gonna lean towards nothing!! Ty releases "Ty Rex" exclusively for Record Store Day April 16th, and will be available for full distribution on the Monday April 25th. Ty covers 6 songs, including SLIDER...can't wait for this release, hope some of you catched it yesterday!
Ty Segall: "Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart" (T. Rex Cover) by alteredzones

visit www.goner-records.com on April 25th to get your copy!