SOUNDTRACK: DEERHUNTER-Microcastle/Weird Era Continued (2008).
Somehow, I can never remmeber what this disc is going to sound like when I pop it in. Once it gets going the songs are all familiar and very good, its just that initial listen, where I forget that the band is rather delicate and poppy. I tend to forget this because well, the bands name doesn’t sound delicate, and the album artwork has skulls all over it. So, to put it on and hear pleasant keyboard songs is alwaya bit of a surprise.
The guitarsd are jangly and have an almost 60s folk rock sound and yet the drums are very electronic (I presume its a drum machine) and the vocals stick out as rather unlike the 60s style. There is also a wonderfully low budget/hazy quality that pervades the disc. It sort of envelopes the disc in a layer of cotton keeping the sound consistent and sometimes narcoleptic.
And yet despite that sort of sleepy feel, the catchciness of the songs shines through.
The last few songs of Microcastle especially provide a really strong set of songs. And they lead into Weird Era very nicely. For although it is clearly the same band, Weird Era is a very different disc.
It is a far more rocking/noisy affair. And although there area number of very short instrumental pieces, for the most part, the songs are catchier and a bit more fun. Ideally, mixing the two discs together would provide an overall more well rounded listening experience.
[READ: September 15, 2009] Glister 1-3
This is a strange little series from Andi Watson.
I’ve enjoyed just about everything he’s written/drawn, mostly for his artistic style, but really because of his off-kilter and wholly fascinating sensibilities. So what makes this series so odd is the rather almost-sloppy style he uses for the backgrounds and other characters. Maybe it’s not sloppy so much as “fuzzy” which lend an air of spectralness to this supernatural tale.
The other thing that is odd about the series is that everything suggests that this will be a long running story. The story has a convoluted set up and a weird plot (and Issue #1 even includes an unrelated sub-story). The inside back cover also has all manner of things that suggest we’re in for the long haul: a letter-writing address, a contest to design a teapot, etc. But no, the series ends after three issues. Weird. (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: SONIC YOUTH-SYR 5: Sonic Youth Featuring Kim Gordon/DJ Olive/Ikue Mori (2000).
The fifth SYR disc is rather different from the others in that the only SY member is Kim. This is a sort of side project for Kim, 
SOUNDTRACK: FRIGHTENED RABBIT-Midnight Organ Fight (2008).
My friend Jarrett introduced me to this band. He rather casually called it his favorite album of the year, so I figured it was worth checking out.
I have a Periodicals page already, but I rarely look at it or update it. So, over the next few months I’m going to mention a magazine that I subscribe to. When I’m all caught up, I’ll remove that page.
They’ve also started a Green section (this latest one has a computer built into a cardboard CPU unit…very cool).
30,000 views may not be a milestone for many blogs. But, for a blog like this which was intended mostly as a record of what I’ve read, the fact that I’ve had 30,000 views is pretty exciting. And it seems appropriate to let you, the readers know what you the other readers have been reading here. So, here is the top ten most read posts on I Just Read About That… with a director’s commentary tacked on.
SOUNDTRACK: THE FLAMING LIPS-The Soft Bulletin (1999).
This album brought The Flaming Lips out from the underground (or one-hit wonder status) into the spotlight of Well Respected Bands. It made a whole bunch of best of 1999 lists and even a few best of the 1990s lists.
SOUNDTRACK: CITY AND COLOUR-Live (2007).
City and Colour is the solo project of Alexisonfire singer Dallas Green (get it?). I was really impressed by Dallas’ voice within the noisy metalcore of AOF. And I wondered what his solo stuff would sound like without the dissonance of the rest of the band. I saw this disc was available from 
I feel like I never really knew this song until I heard Cartman getting cattle-prodded for not knowing the words. I listened to that version all the time (but I can’t tell if I like that version or the one on Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics better [“Fall on your knees, and hear the angels… something” “VOICES!”]), and what it did was give me a real appreciation for what a cool song this is. The chord changes are very satisfying without being really obvious. And, it’s not an easy song to sing. But I have liked every 
version I’ve heard: from Cartman to Avril Lavigne (whose first two verses on Maybe This Christmas, Too are the most vibrato-free singing I have ever heard. I’m quite certain she’s flat all the way through, and yet her voice is so unaffected it’s totally disconcerting. Tell me what you think…it’s available 
I Just Read About That... 