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Listen to This: Caribou - "Odessa"
Michael Carney
January 28, 2010
I came across this new track from Caribou over at Aquarium Drunkard today. Have a listen:

Caribou - "Odessa"



Head there to get the skinny from him‚ but I will say that this taste got me all nostalgic for Caribou's excellent 2007 release--Andorra--and super stoked for his forthcoming record‚ Swim.

"Melody Day" from Caribou's Andorra:


Stoked:


Swim is out April 20th on Merge. Video: The Bottle Rockets w/Jeff Tweedy "Walk On"
Mike McKinley
January 28, 2010
One look at this video and you know these guys have lived this Neil Young song. The chicken fried steak story is a little much‚ but the song is worth it. Neil Young is a beautiful‚ amazing language.

New Dan Deacon Video for "Woof Woof"
Matt Bushlow
January 22, 2010
Dan Deacon's Bromst is all over our "Best of 2009" lists‚ and for good reason. And while I love the record's maniacal‚ mad-scientist analog/digital beat chemistry‚ I can't help but remember how I first learned about Deacon: the infamous viral video "Drinkin' Out of Cups." There's nothing quite like the video's headful-of-LSD non-sequiturs and absurdity‚ plus the fact that it makes you and your friends say things to each other like‚ "Who's this guy? Mr. Balloons? Mr. Balloonhands? No way."

And while there's no direct connection‚ other than Deacon's tendency towards madcap humor‚ Pitchfork recently debuted a new video for the Deacon track "Woof Woof" off Bromst. Produced by Baltimore collective Showbeast‚ it stars a man wearing a zebra jumpsuit‚ two felt dolls‚ and a bashful‚ yet evil Deacon in a cat costume. That's all before the magic "grow powder" and the band arrive.... It weighs it at around 11 minutes‚ so pour yourself a beverage and get ready to join the circus.


State of Mind's Best of 2009 - Mike McKinley
Mike McKinley
January 20, 2010
1. Marco Benevento - Me Not Me (See review here)


2. Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild‚ Set 'Em Free (See cover story)


3. Wilco - Wilco (the Album)


4. Dan Deacon - Bromst (See cover story)


5. Vetiver - Tight Knit


Honorable Mentions
Matt Wilson Quartet - That's Gonna Leave A Mark
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic


The words and delivery on the last track of Akron/Family's record Set 'Em Wild‚ Set 'Em Free summed up the vibe of 2009 in a lot of ways:

"Last year was a hard year/for such a long time
This is year is going to be ours."

It was a challenging year‚ and every other day I took it like a Buddhist monk: accepting peace with every step and realizing that the ending of anything important in your life should naturally be a healthy‚ new beginning. I embraced that shit. For the days in between that were filled with haunting sadness and annoying anxiety‚ I was thankful for the classics that subconsciously rose to the top of a massive collection of tunes and helped me get through so many mornings: Bob Dylan's new one‚ Together Through Life‚ and the release of his outtakes collection‚ Tell Tale Signs (that rendition of "Most of the Time" is crushing); Tom Petty's Wildflowers‚ George Harrison's All Things Must Pass‚ Neil Young's On the Beach‚ and The Kinks' Lola vs. the Powerman all had the same effect on me. I think all these albums tap into something deeper than just great music and songs -- there's an acceptance of severe flaws. There's irrationality‚ failure and acceptance. It's empowering to hear it on that level -- a level that's always been there‚ but I've never heard it before with such clarity and immediacy.

When it comes to live performances‚ the old guys continued to teach me the most. In 2008‚ it was Ornette Coleman and Ray Davies who both shook me out of a way of listening and thinking‚ and in a lot of ways‚ how I view the world. The experiences seeing them provided me something that was truly inspiring about aging and the potential wisdom that comes with it. It came in the form of abstract honesty and again‚ the depth that comes with acceptance and understanding of flaws. It allowed me to hear a band sound incredibly tight and at the same time completely loose and free flowing. This year there was a similar parallel between seeing The Dead in Albany and Bob Dylan in Burlington. Both concerts were a true exhibition of the magic that comes with age and understanding. I heard a lot of flack about The Dead show in Albany‚ but what my ears heard was a higher level of improvisational communication (similar to Ornette Coleman a year before) that only comes with musicians who are continuously searching for something new‚ and when the core part of the band has over forty years of experience playing together. As for Dylan‚ he never plays his songs the same way twice‚ and every time I see him his voice gets more and more desperate and ragged--but it also sounds deeper to me. His band swings in their own time and with every measure it's like they're playing to find something new and exciting. On the surface‚ it might sound like some loose‚ old-timey‚ bluesy‚ jumbled-up band. I heard several times after the show I saw last summer -- a co-bill with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp -- that people claimed‚ confidently‚ that opener John Mellencamp "blew Dylan off the stage." I can confidently respond‚ "Clean the shit out of your ears." Not even close to being on the same level.

Most of 2009 was consumed by the return of Phish. The magic is still there. There's still nothing like seeing the chemistry of these four guys improvising and playing together onstage. Even after seeing a bunch of shows‚ it feels like they were just starting to crack it open and really letting it spill out. They had a great year -- a triumphant three-night return at Hampton Coliseum (also known as the Mothership)‚ a show at the historic Fenway Park‚ a very energetic summer tour that included a four-night run at Red Rocks‚ a three-day festival in California where they covered the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street in its entirety‚ and an incredible four-night New Year's run in Miami where they played with absolute passion and fire (12/30 was as transcendent as any show I can remember out of my 90-show history dating back to 1994). And they came really close to releasing a great album too (Joy)‚ with the exception of one tune they released as a single that is the epitome of a third-tier jamband's opus‚ the 13-minute "Time Turns Elastic."

It's nice to get to that point in our relationship where there are serious (sober) flaws. It makes all the revelations‚ moments of transcendence and intense listening and learning that I've gained from them over the years even more relevant. I'm thankful as hell that I'm still evolving with it and that over the course of the year‚ even with the release of a real shitty single‚ their music still works for me incredibly well.

Other notables of my 2009: Jeff Tweedy's solo show in March kicked my ass with raw emotion‚ and then Wilco inspired tears of joy during a daytime set at Bonnaroo. And if that wasn't enough‚ they got me again in the car on my way home after the Thanksgiving holiday with "Either Way‚" the first track off of 2007's Sky Blue Sky. Bastards made me tear up three times in the same fucking year (and I think they're the Band of the Decade). Video of the Day: Disco Biscuits - "Killing in the Name" & Planet Anthem
Mike McKinley
January 19, 2010
Last week I received an advance of the Disco Biscuits' new studio record Planet Anthem. My first impression left me feeling similar to a lot of experiences I've had with the Biscuits over the years: It surprised the shit out of me. In 2001 when they released They Missed the Perfume it felt like a massive sonic breakthrough with layers and layers of electronic sounds that made headphone listening a revelation. Nothing sounded quite like it. In this case with Planet Anthem‚ it's a little more perplexing in its surprise factor. What I've heard so far tells me‚ for the most part‚ that the Biscuits made a record that potentially has club dance hits on it (and of course‚ there's more) -- complete with auto tune vocals‚ poppy-beats‚ etc. It hasn't sunk in enough yet to say if that means its good or band. Surprising to hear? You bet your ass.

The Disco Biscuits have announced a big winter/spring tour to support themselves and to support the release of Planet Anthem -- due out February 2‚ 2010. Check the dates here.

Here's another surprise I recently stumble across: the Biscuits covering Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" from Buffalo‚ June 5‚ 2008. Wowie.

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