There are so many places to listen to free music. But i prefer places where you can (legally) download free music. So here’s a place I’ve just discovered: WNYC Radio’s website which features a section called “Gig Alerts.” The feature talks about a different interesting band playing that night (in New York). After a small blurb, there is (almost always) a free downloadable track. There’s twenty listings per page and 86 pages. Do the math and that’s a lot of songs.
The feature covers virtually every genre, although there is a preponderance of alt- and indie- rock (mostly lesser known bands). If you are interested in new (to you) music and in exploring different artists, this is a great resource for a ton of free music. So, check out Gig Alerts here.
[READ: May 20, 2014] McSweeney’s #44
I was pretty pleased with myself when I got caught up on the McSweeney’s issues. But I remember wanting to take a break when this one came in. I now see it has been almost a year since I read the last issue. So the break was too long and now I have three issues to catch up on again. Sigh. But this one proved to be a great issue to return on.
This is a pretty quintessential issue of McSweeney’s. It’s got letters, some fiction, a special section dedicated to Lawrence Weschler (which includes a lot of art), and a cool, interesting section of plates with full color art. It’s also got an interestingly designed hardcover with a kind of raw cardboard in the back, a slightly raised colorful section for the spine and then a further raised section for the giant 44 on the front cover.
This is a wonderful pop song from Justin Roberts. Roberts is regarded as a top-notch children’s song writer. I hadn’t heard him before, but i was totally sold by this one.
It’s a poppy almost dancey song–it certainly makes you want to move around, anyway. There’s a catchy acoustic guitar and a fast beat and Roberts’ voice is really solid and warm. Interestingly I didn’t even realize this song was about baseball when I heard it on the radio (I missed the song title). I was totally hooked by the pa pa pa pa pa pa chorus.
And there’s a great third section of the song that changes the mood but not the tempo. This reminds me a bit of Ralph’s World, but a bit…more full, perhaps? Or maybe like something from Phineas and Ferb. I’m going to have to check out more from him.
Oh, and the video, while cheaply made, is quite funny when the chorus kicks in.
[READ: April 8, 2014] Stickman Odyssey, Book 2
I enjoyed Book 2 of this series more than Book 1. It felt like it had a little more plot and was a little less slavish to the original myths. or maybe I just like quests.
The story starts in the middle, with Nestor having captured Zozimos and having tied him up for failing to avenge Sticatha (which was Nestor’s plan all along). He says that Zozimos has been doing nothing all this time. But Zozimos says no, he has been on an epic adventure.
Which brings us to where book one left off.
Praxis (the strongest man in the world) Atrukos (a guy who looks like a frog) and Zozimos set off to find a piece of the sky. In book one, Praxis had knocked a piece of the sky out when he hurled a cyclops at it. He wanted to retrieve it to prove to his love that he was actually a worthwhile person. This story is left all of a sudden (in a very funny way) so they can help Atrukos with the witch who cursed him before Book 1 even started. That’s when Nestor captured Zozimos, as he was on his way to help Atrukos. (more…)
Danny Weinkauf is one of the Band of Dans that plays with They Might Be Giants. In 2014 he successfully funded a Kickstarter campaign to create his solo album, No School Today. (I knew nothing about the Kickstarter campaign).
The album comes out this month and I have to say I really like what I’ve heard so far. This song has been played on Kids Corner a lot. It’s very catchy and reminds me of good indie pop music. There’s even a feel of 70s British pop (or like Davy Jones singing). It’s super catchy. The chorus and the oft-repeated “arc” “arc” “arc” before “archaeology” can be a bit much at the end of the song, but for the most part this is a real winner.
Danny also wrote “I am a Paleontologist” from They Might Be Giants Here Comes Science album, so his bona fides are good. And the lyrics are clever and smart, too:
Archaeology It’s human evolution From the Caveman to you and me analyzing their solutions (yeah now)
/Archaeology the secrets they left for us We can study activities Of those who came before us
[READ: April 7, 2014] Stickman Odyssey, Book 1
While I was looking for Stickdog books for C., I came across Stickman. There are two books in this series (with book two being set up for a third, but no sign of it yet).
This book is a kind of spoof of Homer’s Odyssey, but not really. It is set in the time of the ancient Greek gods and some of those gods make appearances. Even the style is done in a generically Homeric epic storytelling style. But none of the characters from Homer appear. This is an alternate reality of sorts. The Great Whirlpool exists (shades of Scylla and Charybdis), but so does Candy Island and a place called Odonoros and Stickman’s home world of Sticatha (which made me laugh once I pronounced it correctly). So, you don’t need familiarity with Homer to appreciate this, indeed, it kind of confused me at first because I wasn’t sure if I should be looking for parallels.
Stickman’s name is the awkward Zozimos (which I want to be significant but can’t figure out any reason why it would be).
The gods do play with the humans, though. On the second page we see that Athena wields a giant pen and makes Zozimos a raft while he is struggling in the ocean. Days later he lands on what he thinks is Sticatha, but no, he lands on an island with fair maidens. He tries to charm one of them, Asteria, but is immediately grabbed by a golem and dragged to jail. The evil King Marnox imprisons every castaway who lands on the island–he has his reasons.
But Asteria is mad that her father is locking up all of these eligible men, so he brings Zozimos out of the jail for him to tell his story. And it is…epic! (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: LEE RANALDO AND THE DUST-Live at KEXP (December 8, 2013).
This show was recorded before the holidays in 2013. For some reason, it wasn’t posted online until Jan 31. But whatever the reason, I’m glad it was featured.
During the dissolution (or whatever) of Sonic Youth, much has been made of both Thurston and Kim’s new projects. But Lee Ranaldo tends to get lost in the shuffle (which is probably how he likes it). During the break, Lee has been plugging away on two solo albums. His latest one, with The Dust, is more of a band effort, with contributions from everyone: Steve Shelley (talk about getting lost in the shuffle, poor Steve) on drums, Tim Lüntzel on bass and Alan Licht on guitar. Licht plays some wonderful guitar solos and sounds (although Lee handles most of the weird sounds). I think what’s interesting about these songs is that although they feel like Sonic Youth, they have a “pretty” guitar solo which really changes the overall feel of the song.
Ranaldo has written (and sung) some of my favorite Sonic Youth tracks. I always assumed that his tracks sounded great when they were balanced with the rest of the album. But these songs sounds very Ranaldo and they are all fantastic.
The first song, “Keyhole” is part beautiful melody and part beautiful noise. Ranaldo writes chords that work perfectly together and yet which don’t sound like an obvious pairing. And his vocal phrasing is always perfect for the music he makes–his voice is not spectacular but it is really quite perfect. The second song, “Off the Wall” has the most commercial-sounding chorus I’ve heard from a Sonic Youth alum. I almost don’t like it, although the rest of the song is very cool.
They play a cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Rock n Roll” which fits in perfectly with their sound (even if Lee doesn’t hit the falsetto “fine fine” notes). The final song, “The Rising Tide” is perhaps my favorite. Clocking in at 10 minutes, this song is expansive and full of textures and sounds. It goes in a bunch of different directions and is really fantastic.
There’s a very long interview in the middle of the four songs, in which we learn what Lee has been up to, about how Hurricane Sandy affected him and about The Dust’s tour in India. Lee’s an engaging talker and the interview flies by.
I don’t have any of Lee’s solo albums, but I think this one Last Night on Earth (and it seems like perhaps the previous one, Between the Times and the Tides) are total keepers. You can watch the whole show below.
[READ: January 5, 2014] “Take It or Leave It”
I was surprised and pleased to see a piece from Zadie Smith in here. Her article is mostly a comparison of take out food in New York and in London (or more broadly, the U.S. and England).
She tells how the first time she ordered Chinese food in New York, she wondered why the delivery guy just stood there after getting paid. So she closed the door on him. Her companion was shocked. They just don’t tip delivery people in England. British people grumble about it when they come here and have to tip. They say that people should be compensated fairly for their work (although Smith notes that no one actually says if delivery boys are fairly paid in England) .
She says that a guy comes to your door, gives you food, gives you change and leaves (sometimes without even taking off the motorcycle helmet). And they never say to have a nice day. (“Have a good one” is the best you’ll get). (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: TALLEST MAN ON EARTH-Tiny Desk Concert #26 (September 14, 2009).
I was not aware of The Tallest Man on Earth before hearing him on All Songs Considered. And then WXPN started playing one of his songs, so he became somewhat familiar to me. I have since listened to some of his concerts and this Tiny Desk Concert and I really like him a lot.
So the Tallest Man on Earth is Kristian Matsson, a Swedish folksinger with a great guitar picking style and a deep powerful gritty voice. He plays three songs in this set. “I Won’t Be Found” has wonderful fast guitar picking that contrasts wonderfully with his simple singing melody. It’s a great song. As is “The Gardener” which sounds very different. This one is largely strummed–a bouncy, jaunty strum. It seems to contain the origin of his unusual stage name (or perhaps it just a fun allusion to it).
“Pistol Dreams” has more great finger picking (and reminds me a little of Richard Thompson). It’s a sweet song, and his gruff voice once again provides excellent contrast.
I hope to hear more from The Tallest Man on Earth. Check it out.
[READ: January 30, 2014] “Find the Bad Guy”
This story was surprisingly dark (I don’t think of Eugenides as quite so dark). It starts out with the narrator talking about the house that he and his wife have owned for 12 years. And yet they still haven’t gotten the smell of the previous owners completely out of it. (There’s a nice payoff to this idea later in the story).
But that’s not the point. The point is that he has recently been kicked out of his house—given a restraining order, in fact. But since he knows the plans of his house he knows that he can stand right where he is—just inside the front fence—and know that he’s not too close.
The story has trappings of being current—he plays Words with Friends with his daughter (her name is mrsbieber), which I found to be just slightly out of touch. But that’s irrelevant.
The narrator is Charlie Daniels (not that one—he goes by Charlie D to avoid confusion, especially since he works in music). He met his wife at a radio station. She worked at a country station, although she didn’t like country music. Johanna was from Germany (her name was Lübeck, but everyone pronounced it Lubbock). But the thing about her was that she was very tall (not that tall in Germany, she said). And Charlie D was suave, so he asked her clever things like how the weather was up there and if she ever played basketball. She didn’t fall for this, of course, but then one day she asked if they could get married so she could get a green card. He said sure. (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: NOBEL PRIZE PLAYLIST-CBC Radio 3 (2013).
In honor of Alice Munro’s Nobel Prize, CBC radio has a playlist of “Literary Music.” Now, I have made many literary playlists over they years myself (including “My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors” by Moxy Fruvous which is not included here), but this one consists of a few bands that I don’t know (and two that I do).
Library Voices–“Generation Handclap”
The Darcys–“Pretty Girls”
Kathryn Calder–“Right Book”
AroarA–“#6”
Arkells–“Book Club”
Dan Mangan–“Road Regrets”
John K. Samson–“When I Write My Master’s Thesis”
Samson is the only artist I know well, although I know Dan Mangan a little. It’s a good listen and I’m sure if you scrutinize the lyrics you’ll find their literary worth.
I’ve been a fan of Alice Munro for a while, and I’m always happy to see her in the New Yorker. Strangely, I have never read any of her collected short stories. Maybe some day….
When Munro won the Nobel Prize for Literature, I imagined she’d get a lot more press. And then I realized that it’s a literature prize. And she’s Canadian. So, perhaps a few columns in Canada’s The Walrus is all she’ll get.
But this article, which is really entirely this below letter and a brief introduction, explains that on November 18, 1976, Charles McGrath, a fiction editor at The New Yorker, sent Alice Munro her first acceptance letter from the magazine for her story “Royal Beatings.” Soon after this, she signed a first-reading agreement with the magazine, which I gather means that they will see any of her short stories before she can send them anywhere else.
I am including this letter in its entirety because I assume that most people, like me, have never actually seen an acceptance letter from a magazine for a piece of fiction (I have several rejections). But even if you have seen an acceptance letter, I can’t imagine that it will every be as thoughtful and considerate as this one. i also love that as recent as 1976 The NEw Yorker was kind of prudish about their fiction. I mean, now, the cursing is rampant, but back then the fiction was a more genteel breed.
I have not read “Royal Beatings,” but you can bet I’ve added it to my short list. (more…)
The Plants are Kids Corner favorites. And why not they are Philadelphia locals. I have enjoyed several of their songs but I wasn’t familiar with this one. And so I was surprised that it made the Top ten Kids Corner Countdown.
This song is another story song. It’s about a Chinese dragon called Aziphrale. It has a cool horn sound, reminding me of some mellow ska or like the Squirrel Nut Zippers. The song is bouncy and jaunty and has a kind of moral to it, which is always nice.
It even features a lengthy pirate section with people sailing a ship across the sea–(perhaps making future Decemberists fans?).
It’s an engaging story and a good song–a sea shanty about gold and dragons, what could be better? And I actually thought it was quite different from their other song that I reviewed–Monster Under My Bed, but that song is also a story and features prominent horns and is bouncy and jaunty. I bet they’d be fun to see live.
[READ: January 5, 2014] Desmond Pucket Makes Monster Magic
Although this book is about a sixth grader, C. loved it and encouraged me to read it. Which I did. And it is quite enjoyable. It reminds me of Captain Underpants in spirit. But it’s very different in execution.
Desmond Pucket is a kid who loves horror movies and special effects. And he is a great artist and creator. Which doesn’t always fly in school. So he gets an F on his math test but he draws a cool picture on the back. The teacher tells him that if he spent as much time on his math as on his drawing, he’d get straight A’s. Sigh. (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: RATBOY JR.-“Champion of the Universe” (2013).
Ratboy Jr was also in the Top Ten of WXPNs 2013 Kids Corner countdown (and was also on the Kids Corner CD). This is a fun song told in a story. It opens slowly with acoustic guitars and tells the story of a young boy with a very big head who wants to be a luchador.
When the chorus comes around, it kicks into full Mexican style swing with horns and flamenco style guitars. Young Santos goes to a store where he gets a beautiful red wrestling mask. And we all sing “La Cabeza Grande, champion of the universe!” in full chanting chorus (complete with yips and yee hees!).
I actually wish the songs was about five minutes longer. But at just under 4 minutes it tells a good story and is super catchy.
[READ: January 2, 2014] Boom
I’ve read one adult book by Mark Haddon (but not his famous Curious Incident…). I didn’t know that he wrote kids books at all. But when this came out I learned that this was originally published in 1992 under the title Gridzbi Spudvetch! (and yes it was in English). He says in the Foreword that kids and teachers loved it, if they were able to pronounce it (and that with a title like that he was lucky that 23 people bought it).
So it went out of print. But fans said he should get it back in print. So he decided to rename it a more reasonable name. He also says the technology in the book was horribly out of date (which shouldn’t really matter, but if you’re going to update it, you might as well do it all). And as since he was updating, he decided to rewrite, as he puts it, “every sentence.” So I gather the story is the same, but it’s a very different book (and me being me, I’m very curious to read the original).
But now with the simple name of Boom, we get this fast paced and very enjoyable story. (And yes, gridzbi spudvetch is still in the book). (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: LUCKY DIAZ AND THE FAMILY JAM BAND-“Thingamajig” (2013).
This song made the XPN Kid’s Corner Top ten. When the played it on the radio, I was surprised at how ..quiet it was. Even now listening to it, it just seems like all of the sounds are at the same level, it all kind of blends together, which is a shame because the song is really kind of fun.
Now that I’ve listened a few times I like it more. It actually has a kind of Death Cab for Cutie feel. The bass is particularly nice, but of course the fun part is the lyrics (a thingamajig, a whatchamacallit, who what where why).
So a couple of listens and I’m won over by the song. I wish it was a bit more dynamic in the production, but it’s a catchy little number. And I’m curious to hear what the rest of the album sounds like.
[READ: December 27, 2013] Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck
Clark was so excited for this book! This is the first one that he knew about before I did. We decided to save it for a Christmas present, and man was he chomping at the bit. He even borrowed it from a friend (because there were 100 people on the waiting list a the library). And yet, even though he had already read it, when it arrived on Christmas, he was still really excited. And has already read it four times.
And what was sweeter was that he really wanted me to read it. He thought it was the best one yet.
I was surprised by this as the whole first section is about how lost Greg feels now that Rowley has a girlfriend, Abigail. I can’t really imagine how he related to that as it’s not an issue for an 8-year-old (in fact the whole series is skewed a little old for an 8-year-old, but he still loves it). Mostly Greg isn’t so much jealous that Rowley has a girlfriend so much as he is jealous that she is keeping Rowley from being Greg’s slave, I mean, friend. Normally, Rowley walks in front of Greg to look out for the (newly added, I think) Mingo kids who threaten anyone who comes close to their wood (which is on their way to school) or for dog land mines–the scene where the dog figures out how the electric fence works is so funny. And speaking of dogs, Clark absolutely cracked up about the joke with the little dog Sweetie who sniffs herself if you make a raspberry sound near her. (more…)
Every year I’m curious to see what the kids who vote for Kids Corner music will pick as their top ten. It is usually reliably silly. But this year I have to say I was a bit disappointed in their selections. Here’s the Top um, Eleven (two were tied of tenth) from 11 to 1.
Allan Sherman – You Went The Wrong Way Old King Louie
Dan Zanes – Turn Turn Turn
The Plants – Aziphrale
Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band – Thingamajig
Shine And The Moonbeams – Bully Bully
Trout Fishing In America – My Sister Kissed Her Boyfriend
Weird Al Yankovic – The Saga Begins
The Doubleclicks – Worst Superpower Ever
Ratboy Jr. – Champion Of The Universe
Sara Hickman – Radiation Man
The Board Of Education – Why Is Dad So Mad?
I am especially surprised by Allan Sherman as I can’t imagine that too many kids would enjoy that song (which is funny if you know your history, but not really otherwise) and while I love Dan Zanes, “Turn Turn Turn” is not exactly a rollicking fun Top Ten song. I actually dislike “Bully Bully” and while I love Trout Fishing in America and like “My Sister,” it’s certainly not their best song (and this list isn’t just new songs obviously). The rest of the list is quite good, though.
And it’s a great choice for number one. But next year, kids, more silliness!
[READ: January 1, 2014] The Flying Beaver Brothers: Birds vs. Bunnies
We were unreasonably excited to see that there was a new Flying Beaver Brothers book out! We loved the first two quite a lot, so any return of Ace and Bub is a good thing. But to also have the return of a nasty villain is quite nice too.
Yet it’s not all the same faces, because this time there are birds and bunnies causing havoc with our heroes.
Bob and Bob (the penguins who get a brief cameo) are rebuilding Beaver Island and Bub and Ace are heading there in a boat. But a storm rages and makes them crash. They walk around an island where they are quickly captured by an angry bunch of bunnies who accuse them of being bird spies (those are real?). Indeed, the birds have been playing a very loud sound that hurts the bunnies ears and makes them go underground. So the bunnies are fighting back with a wind machine that makes the birds leave the sky. Both of these machines were funded by a mysterious fellow named Wally (unbeknownst to the others). (more…)
SOUNDTRACK: WNYC SOUNDCHECK GIG ALERTS (2009-).
There are so many places to listen to free music. But i prefer places where you can (legally) download free music. So here’s a place I’ve just discovered: WNYC Radio’s website which features a section called “Gig Alerts.” The feature talks about a different interesting band playing that night (in New York). After a small blurb, there is (almost always) a free downloadable track. There’s twenty listings per page and 86 pages. Do the math and that’s a lot of songs.
