Panda Riot

Since the writing done for both websites usually happens late at night, I almost thought it would be a small treat to give myself an early evening and let everything go for a day. The weather here in Ohio is unseasonably mild for late November and for once it might have been nice to take a walk or get outside at night. Of course I probably would have ended up stumbling back from the pubs with "thank you" bags full of bar appetizers in Styrofoam boxes, so it's probably a good thing I found worthwhile music to write about instead. Today's featured artists were found on our own MML MySpace friends list when they posted a bulletin regarding tracks that were newly available. After visiting the music, it was immediately necessary to re-schedule our features in order to accommodate this wonderful sound. If you are listening to the song now, it won't be difficult to realize this as being a shoegaze-tastic piece (with a good beat!?!)and dreamy vocals to seal the deal. There will be none of my blathering on about what does or does not constitute the good and bad of this particular genre. I think enough was said about it in our previous posts both here... and here. The numerous MBV fans who visit our group and haven't already heard this band will surely be thinking of the song 'Soon' when listening.















Panda Riot is the duo of Brian Cook (guitar/drum programming/sampler) and Rebecca Scott (soprano vocals/guitar/keyboard) from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band's extra little helper would be a drum machine for both live and recording situations. They have only been making this music for a year and a half now but are getting some solid attention as a result. Just last month they were part of the Skipping Stones Records sponsored New England Popfest 2006 along with several bands previously featured here. If you visit the Panda Riot MySpace you can find and today's featured track as well as the 3 new ones I mentioned above. From what I read on the Panda Riot Website, what you are listening to is only a current version of a song that will appear on their upcoming release. Also on the website are previous CD's for $5 and t-shirts for $10 USD. This is great music that brings me to wonder how thunderous it would be live with the addition of just the right drummer and bassist in support. Anyway... this is great as is.















MP3: She Dares All Things

The Lovekevins

I read somewhere on a music forum when trying to find information on today's featured artists that, no matter how much better we think Swedish indie pop is compared to what we have, the mainstream garbage they are subjected to is far worse than ours. I find that hard to believe but can only imagine how funny the R&B/rap scene is over there. Actually, I'm not sure I want to imagine. By now you can probably guess that it's time, once again, for my weekly post on another incredibly talented band from Sweden. There really wasn't much information I could find since some of the older reviews of this band's previous material consisted of nothing more than a few sentences. I'll just give you a couple of links below and also add that this is a very catchy new pop song you might end up keeping in heavy rotation to brighten up your winter days. Michelle and I were both listening to this track at the same time while on MSN webcam and both found ourselves bopping around to it. This is very fun music.













The Lovekevins are primarily the duo of Fredrik and Ola from Malmö, Sweden. They enlist the assistance of various other regional musicians to record and perform live. I tried to visit the band's website at lovekevins/laparole.se but it seems the site has been taken down or is under construction. For this reason you will need to visit The Lovekevins MySpace Page. Once you arrive, the first thing you might notice is that most of the band's top friends are named Kevin. If you are a Kevin, you might want to become a friend. There are 4 songs available to download on the myspace page from both of The Lovekevin's 2005 EP releases Blame The English and Max Léon. The track you are listening to here is the brand new single that was released on the Songs I Wish I Had Written label and will be a part of the upcoming Lovekevins full length album in early 2007. There will be a limited UK tour to coincide with the new material as well.













MP3: Private Life Of A Cat

Nethers

Well well well... Look who is Mr. 4Late4 in finding today's featured music. The album this song belongs to was actually released last year and received a modest amount of attention in music blogland. Luckily, I was making a project of visiting some unfamiliar music sites when I discovered that Information Leafblower has something of an ongoing fondness for this particular band. It's not difficult to figure out why now that I've been listening. When I first heard the beginning of this track, I was almost certain it was some muddy live performance recording, but at exactly the 24 second mark everything kicks in nicely. As is usually the case, my second thoughts were immediately directed towards the vocals. I did a triple take and had to check to make sure this wasn't Claudia Gonson's voice coming through my computer speakers. If you are one of 'them there' Magnetic Fields fans you can probably hear it also. Front woman/bassist Nikki West really does have an amazing voice. After checking some other blog reviews from earlier this year, I was kind of disappointed to find that this band was only linked as a side note or opening act. In most cases the feedback to these reviews overlooked the band in exchange for inane banter among those I could only guess were annoying ex-dormmates of the blogger. Anyway, this music is a great find for folks like myself who hadn't yet discovered it. There's not much detailed information I could locate on the band but I'll give you what I found.















Nethers were once a Washington, D.C. area garage rock band known as The Carlsonics. They decided to give the noise thing a break a few years ago and moved to a northern area of Virginia (Nethers, Virginia... or so I read) and started recording new and much different material. The product of those recordings is what you are now listening to. The album titled In Fields We Will Lie, as mentioned above, was released in 2005 through the band's Philadelphia based label Theory Box Records. The physical CD can be purchased through Insound for $16.99 USD but if you would rather download the entire album you can do so at ApolloAudio for half the price. To hear more folky sounding songs and make a new friend, check the Nethers MySpace page. There is also an official Nethers website with tour dates and a few more tracks to download. As stated before, Nikki West (vocals/bass) has a wonderful voice and is easily the reason this ended up being today's feature.















Photo by: Kyle (used without permission)

MP3: Hung Herself In A Birdcage

Lily Frost

The long weekend was nice and restful besides a few minor computer problems that plagued a better part of Sunday morning. Who knew a wireless router could cause so much distress?? After all was not straightened out, I hopped around in music blogland and found a great artist at one of my favorite MP3 weblogs. Alan at Sixeyes featured this one last week and I kept going back to listen to the tracks he posted. When hearing something like this that grabs me, I usually (and wrongly) suspect the music of having already traveled it's way into currently acceptable mass consumption media. Once I figured that not to be the case, a different problem presented itself. All songs are amazing and could easily have been the one posted today, so an hour or so was spent clicking back and forth. I finally settled on this track and, after running it by a few folks on my friends list, was asked more than once if this was Hello Saferide. Of course my answer was: "Are you kidding me??...this is Bobby Baby!!" My beer soaked humor might not seem funny to you right now but I can assure I am laughing like a loon after the fun I had at the expense of those close to me. Let's get to the links, facts and anything else I can find that makes sense here.



















Lily Frost is a musician from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The supporting cast for live performance and recorded material include her husband Jose Miguel Contreras, Jay Ball, Simone Grey and Morgan Doctor. The song you are listening to is part of the mid September 2006 full length release Cine-Magique which is available through the Aporia Records label for $14 CAD. It is Lily's 4th release and was finished in the production stages by her husband while she was pregnant with their first son. Upon entering the Lily Frost MySpace Page something besides the music jumped out at me immediately. 1970 eurovision runner-up Mary Hopkin is on her top friends list. If you have no idea who she is, here is a YouTube clip of her big hit from the late 60's.



She also did Donovan cover songs. Paul McCartney probably could have made anyone famous back then (even me beating a bucket with a stick.) Anyway, getting back on topic, there are more songs for download on the Lily Frost MySpace and a few from past releases on the Lily Frost Website. All of the music I heard was impressive, the vocals beautiful and most of the above mentioned links are very much worth a visit. A good way to start off the week for sure.




























MP3: Enchantment

liger

Every once in a while I run into an artist that blows my mind with both musical talent and/or an idea of what music is all about. The DIY thing can be done by just about anyone these days but it takes something of a non-entrepreneur to do things in just the spirit or path chosen by today's featured artist. In this case, we didn't find the music...the music found us with the band's friendly request to the MML profile on myspace. I listen to every band that befriends us and have to say this was a very pleasant addition to our growing list of pals. The song you are listening to instantly reminded me of the Xiu Xiu song Muppet Face we featured last year. The sound explodes with no warning, then warms you up with countless simple instruments and samples that present themselves as a well packaged whole. Michelle and I spent well over an hour going through the below listed links and to be honest, I could probably take at least half a day to listen and download all of the material there. Don't be surprised if you end up with several browser windows open after visiting the below links. Everything seems to pop up that way but it is well worth the confusion even for uni-taskers such as myself.















Liger, as well as any and all related links I post today, are the one man project of Dino Spiluttini from Vienna, Austria. For the purpose of today's portion of his work, I will mention that he utilizes the assistance of multi-talented musician Gernot Scheithauer. Together they formed what was once just a side project in 2005 and now have a brand new EP available titled Smapples on Dino's very own label Beat Is Murder. If you visit that page (and you must) click on the right hand side for the net label and be prepared for a ton of downloads under the "Releases" section. I am fairly certain Dino has his hand in most every cookie jar listed there. Where the label is concerned, there is also the Beat Is Murder MySpace for more good music. Your next stop should be the liger MySpace page where you can download this track, get more info and gleefully join as a friend. Dino also has his own personal MySpace with flash versions of additional cuts (racoon is very nice) as well as a site that doubles as the Official liger website. After poking around on these links, experiencing the amount of effort put forth and listening to the music, you might agree with our highest MML recommendation. This is outstanding stuff.













MP3: smapples

I Am Bones

UPDATED 11/24 with bonus MP3.













Well... It's Thanksgiving Day in the US and most people here will sit down for a big supper with parents, siblings, cousins and those chosen to enter any given family dysfunction without a prayer of survival. Falling asleep with a full stomach watching meaningless televised sporting events with those poor souls is a wonderful thing. It's a day to celebrate Europe's brilliant exile of thousands o' religious extremists, on poorly crafted boats, to explore and conquer vast western lands and the brown people who inhabited them. In case you didn't wonder, I am nearly full blooded Croatan/Lumbee Indian and love to poke fun at our tragedy. Today's featured artist is yet another product of blog hopping in the early morning. I ended up on 3hive this time and found this band halfway down the page. The only comparison I will make is that of Built To Spill in minor parts of just about every track I listened to. The lyrics here are perfect for Thanksgiving and the song might just be another personal favorite.















I Am Bones is the music of Johannes Gammelby from Århus, Denmark. He started making DIY bedroom music in 2001 and has since enlisted the assistance of several regional musicians to complete recordings and live performance schedule. The song you are listening to is actually a demo that is available only on the I Am Bones Website. There are plenty of other songs there to download as well as the finished version of this track. "Building Hospitals" is from the full length Oct. 2005 release Wrong Numbers Are Never Busy which is available through Danish label Morningside Records. If you visit the I Am Bones MySpace Page there are more songs and an opportunity to make a new myspazz friend. Finally, I also found a YouTube video of the song Walk Don't Run from the band's 2004 self-released If You Really Love Me, Send Me More Medical Supplies. Great album title ah?



Update: Turkey Day is over and the food coma still has me slumbering around in zombie mode. Since yesterday's feature was a late post, I thought it might be a good idea to put up another really good song by I Am Bones to give you a better idea of how good this band actually is. I'm on the road today en route to check out the new office in Cincinnati but will return in time to update the music for Saturday. Up next is an experimental Austrian duo that remind me quite a bit of Xiu Xiu. Stay tuned.

"I'll hook you up... with alcohol and valiummmmm"

MP3: Building Hospitals (demo)
Bonus MP3: The Ostrich Approach

Spotlight Kid

I featured For Those Who Know on here around a month ago and had a few things to say (click here for review) regarding nouveau-shoegaze and the lack of quality interpretation currently being put forth. It's mostly just my hang up where shite male vocals and limp or absent guitars are concerned. The late 80s and early 90s saw two completely different camps when it came to this sound. On one hand, you had a majority of folks that picked up on the related but empty music of Ride or completely non-related mainstream involving bands such as JAMC, Charlatans, etc. The other hand, of course, would consist of the MBV, Swervedriver and, yes I am going to say it, Hüsker Dü and Dinosaur Jr. crowd. If you are (or were) a fan of the genre of which I speak endlessly, you can probably tell by now that today's featured song falls into the latter category of true footwear-fixation. It's one of the best interpretations I've heard lately and deserves repeated listens. Really nice guitar noise here.















Spotlight Kid is primarily the music project of ex-Six by Seven drummer Chris Davis (vocals/guitar/drums) and Katty Heath (vocals) of the band Bent. They also enlist the guitars of Karl Skivington as well as the assistance of other Six by Seven members and friends for the purpose of recording. I believe the band is from London, UK or at least the surrounding area although it was not mentioned anywhere I could find. The Spotlight Kid website is a work in progress but currently has an interactive retro radio thingy to play with when you visit. I thought it was pretty cool. For the complete info you will need to check out the Spotlight Kid MySpace page for more songs and news. The track you are listening to is from the band's late September 2006 release Departure which is available for £10 through London based Promotion/Label Club AC30. There is also a Club AC30 Myspace to investigate for more good music. Happy Wednesday!! It's almost Turkey Day here in the states and we don't have to go to work.













MP3: Can't Let Go (This Feeling)

Ohbijou

I had some music lined up for today, but as is usually the case, ended up finding something that needed to be featured right away. I was floating around blogland after work and visited one of the better Canadian blogs I always forget about. Mocking Music did a brief piece last week on today's featured musicians and I was smitten at first listen. They also mentioned some other controversy surrounding a couple of music blogs having "hot" or "best" bands of Canada lists and I saw a few second generation posts regarding those blog entries as well. I suppose whenever you decide to make a list like that there are going to be plenty of unhappy people. I found what I read amusing but also disturbing in that most bands listed were ones already given the golden foot-in-door award where both fashion and horrible retro disco/bland folk meet. Don't get me wrong here... I love and feature plenty of Canadian bands and was glad to see mention of a few Paper Bag Records artists. There were, however, quite a few others that left me scratching my head. Anyway, let's forget about that and get on with a great band that was not a part of those silly lists. The arsenal of various musical instruments incorporated here is refreshing and worth the time to investigate. Each track I heard stands well enough on it's own but I still get a sense that the album is only complete once absorbed entirely.













Ohbijou was originally the musical project of Casey Mecija (vocals, guitar) from Brantford, Ontario Canada. She soon enlisted the musical assistance of sister Jennifer Mecija (organ, violin, vocals) and eventually Ryan Carley (keyboard, percussion), Heather Kirby (bass, banjo, guitar), James Bunton (drums, trumpet) along with Anissa Hart (cello) to complete the full 6 piece outfit. When you visit the Ohbijou MySpace Page, the bottom song titled Misty Eyes should be your first listen there. It's one of the sweetest songs I've heard in a while. The vocals are an outstanding listen and might just seal the deal for you. Their brand new debut full length release Swift Feet For Troubling Times is available on the very same MySpace page for $15 CAD if you have a pay pal account. The Ohbijou Website has current band info as well as a really good 22 minute mp3 format interview with Eric Peterson of Guelph, ON college radio station CFRU. Finally, I found a live YouTube video of the band from this past summer.



Enjoy!!













MP3: St. Francis

The Twilight Sad

Photo by Neale Smith (check his MySpace).

First, the useless news: I ended up taking the weekend off in order to move forward with my relocation to Cincinnati, Ohio. I drove there yesterday and leased around 1200 square feet of loft space downtown overlooking Paul Brown Stadium and the Ohio River with all of its bridges. It is a beautiful view and also a new urban landscape for Milk Milk Lemonade to call home. Michelle will hopefully be moving in before Spring 2007 so long as the US government sees fit to process "the paperwork" without determining either of us a potential threat to national security. I should have included the fact that neither of us should be given large quantities of Tequila. Anyway, lets get to the music. Is this shoegaze or not? I will go with a big yes here since what starts out a delicate buzz eventually (and beautifully) builds into the frenzied wall of sound we are all so familiar with. In the initial part of today's featured track, the beat slowly takes hold followed by what can only be described as an awkward vocal introduction. At first listen, I was almost put off but luckily let the song continue long enough to discover that the voice of James Graham eventually becomes an addictive keynote. I'm not one to fawn over male vocals but the commonly described off-kilter here is just wonderful. Influences? All you need to know is one word: Swervedriver.













The Twilight Sad is an indie rock quartet consisting of James Graham (vocals), Andy MacFarlane (guitar, noise), Craig Orzel (bass) and Mark Devine (drums) who are all from Glasgow, Scotland. The band formed in 2003 and eventually sent a demo in to Brighton based label Fat Cat. If you like what you are hearing right now, your first stop should be The Twilight Sad Myspace page. There you can listen to more good music and check their blog to see what big media is saying about the band. Before you leave their myspace page check out previously featured MML favorite Frightened Rabbit on their top friends list. You won't be disappointed. Today's featured song is from the band's debut EP which was released on Fat Cat Records (myspace link) for the US and Canada last week or November 14th to be exact. They just finished a limited North American tour and are headed back to Glasgow where a Tuesday November 21 show is planned with above mentioned band Frightened Rabbit at local venue King Tut's. I've been slacking with my updates on music lately but hopefully this band makes up for a bit of it. This is quite a way to start off the week ah?













MP3: ... and she would darken the memory of youth

The Muggabears

I returned home from work yesterday with absolutely no clue what music I was going to post for Indie Rock Friday here on MML and in the MySpace group. I had been listening to The Diggs, who we featured around a year ago, during the day and decided to check their myspace profile when I got settled in with a beer. It only stands to reason that good bands have other good bands on their friends list... right? In this case, it worked out all too well as I'm sure you can already gather. I'll have to admit that the band name originally threw me off since I was probably expecting something more along the lines of Scandinavian twee pop. I couldn't have been more happily wrong in my festinate name association/genre classification and might just have a new favorite band (again) as a result of clicking my mouse despite my reluctance. The musical influences listed by The Muggabears, and that are commonly applied in the reviews I read are of Sonic Youth and Pavement. Of course you can hear both of these influences within their music, but this band takes away something far more important from the music they love. Somewhere between the unpredictable guitar hooks and tension baiting breaks they create is a common understanding that traditional song structure is capable of patiently waiting it's turn... indefinitely. Not many current rock bands have a clue how to make this happen, so I am fairly ecstatic to have found one that can and does.















The Muggabears are an indie rock trio consisting of members Travis Johnson (guitar/vocals), Emily Ambruso (bass) and Kevin Murphy (drums). The band is originally from Norman, Oklahoma but now, in a recent decision to move, call Brooklyn, New York home. They began making music in 2003 and one year later released their DIY debut full length album Kim Berlin which is still available through CD Baby for only $7.98 USD. Today's featured song is from the new 2006 EP Teenage Cop, and I have to say this thing is getting nice big reviews. You can grab it at Insound for $4.98 USD. (note to Michelle: stocking stuffer?) If you would like to listen to more of this good music, visit The Muggabears MySpace Page and for an easier time downloading stuff check out The Muggabears Website. The next performance will be held the day before Thanksgiving at Union Hall November 22 in Brooklyn so if you live close or are headed back home in that direction for the holiday, stop in and see them play live along with The Diggs! You might just thank me by giving me bus fare on the street one day.














MP3: I'm Coming True

The Upsidedown

Sometimes having a ton of brand spanking new MP3 files sitting on my computer desktop and a few unopened packages from record companies (the big ones in silly sheep clothing) are no comfort for me at all. I'd rather find musicians on myspace or other sources that actually deserve mention. In many cases, the songs I find are a couple of years old and have already run their course in major league blogland. It amazes me how quickly musicians who rely on the Internet are relegated to the sidelines these days. I can think of a few bands that might as well have planned a reunion tour (first gig) before their debut album was released. I'm not kidding. Honestly, this has nothing to do with today's feature beyond the fact that the song is from 2004. I just get carried away with things and hope people read "blah blah blah" between the glowing links provided. Let's get to the music at hand shall we?





























The Upsidedown is an indie rock sextet from Portland, Oregon consisting of Jsun Atoms (vocals/guitar), Tristan Evans (bass/vocals), Matt Moore (guitar/vocals/harmonica), Rob Scrivner (lead guitar), Brett Kron (keyboards) and B. Mild (percussion.) The track you are listening to belongs to the band's debut full length album Trust Electricity which was released in 2004. It is currently available through the Reverb Records label for $12.00 USD. When I first heard this song, early Urge Overkill material came to mind for some strange reason but I didn't see UO listed among their influences. If you'd like to check out more of the music and get current updates on the band, I suggest you visit The Upsidedown MySpace Page first. If you get the chance, The Upsidedown website is also nice and has music available for download. Both places have another remixed version of today's featured song which is very much worth a listen. I'm hoping this band comes out with new stuff soon.





























MP3: Wake Up Drive Thru

Bedroom Eyes

Before I begin the writeup, I just want to inform all that we've opened the MySpace group page up to the general MySpace population once again (be very afraid). We had to keep things private for quite a while as a result of those quirky playmate spam-bots posting threads there. Hopefully things are all sorted now so random people can just stumble in accidentally as once was the case. If you know people who like music and/or bands that create great music, you (yes you) can now invite them to join the Listening Room... (well, if you're a member yourself, that is. So if you're not, and you feel like joining... please do!) I think it works so give it a try!! That said, I can now move on to my favorite weekly obligation in featuring yet another great band from Sweden. Today's featured track is as sweet and jangly as guitar pop gets. It's just too bad we couldn't have posted this song while the leaves were still growing on the trees instead of crunching around my ankles. This deserves a warm spring day for sure. It's no secret that some of the musical comparisons around here can be ridiculous but hopefully not in this case. This song could easily be a lost track from The Lemonheads' 1992 release "It's A Shame About Ray" if only Juliana Hatfield and Evan Dando had been the vocal contributors. The other tracks available each have their own flavor featuring various accompanying folk instruments. All songs are equally wonderful so you might want to check the links below.
















Bedroom Eyes is the musical project of Jonas Jonsson of Östersund, Sweden. He currently enlists the assistance of Mattias Andersson (bass), Patrik Zackrisson (keyboards) and Emil Karlsson (percussion) to complete the full band. Emil is also part of the indie pop outfit The Way We Wear Our Heads. The female vocals you must have noticed by now on today's feature are that of Penny Century's Julia Hanberg. This song is one of four which are a part of the September 2006 debut Embrace In Stereo EP. The entire release is available to download for free on the Bedroom Eyes Website. Also stop by the Bedroom Eyes Myspace Page for more info on the band. I'm really enjoying the horns in this song.





























MP3: Blueprint For Departure

Skist

During the past year I think we've featured 3 or 4 musicians from Japan and, for once, have a non-shoegaze outfit from that part of the world to share with you. In the case of today's feature, the rhythm and minimal fluttering sounds set a perfect backdrop for some of the most beautiful vocals I've posted here on MML or in the MySpace group. When I find artists who send a warm chill up my skeleton at first listen, it makes this whole music searching thing well worth my time. Plenty of you have the same hobby, I'm sure, and can probably relate to the music buzz of which I speak. Upon visiting the Skist MySpace Page you will find 3 more tracks both new and old as well as an informative interview with Lawrence English of the Australian label/musical organization Room 40. The interview is definitely worth the couple of minutes it takes to read and the additional songs are all really nice. This track proves to me that the human voice can be an amazing distraction. I had today's song playing while trying to write this and had to stop it after catching myself in the middle of a daydream on more than one occasion.















Skist is the ambient music project of Haruna Ito (vocals, feedback, field recordings, plastic) and Samm Bennett (wavedrum, percussion, synthesizers, gadgets) from Tokyo, Japan. After a few appearances on various compilation projects, they released the full length CD Ellipsis on what I am guessing is their very own label Polarity Records in 2002. Today's song is part of the brand new September 2006 release Taking Something Somewhere. Both are available on CD Baby for $15 USD (each) if you click on the above highlighted titles. December 8-10 will see Skist performing in Shinsekai, Osaka during the Bridge At Festival Gate event. For more information visit the Skist Website. Very high recommendations on this one!















MP3: If there is any news

Squirrel Nut Zippers

Today's featured song was supposed to be the Sunday Classic here and on the MySpace group, but the weekend was extremely busy (sleep marathon) and I had to put things off a bit. If only I were a machine... hrmm. This was originally going to be our Halloween song last month but I forgot to grab it from the classics file folder on my computer desktop. In any case, this afterlife wonder from the 90s deserves a warm little place here on MML. Yep, you guessed it. This is a live version of a great song that 30 to 40-somethings will most likely remember while early 20-somethings might be left scratching their heads. I can't believe how quickly this band made the MTV video heavy (and I mean heavy) rotation list only to disappear a couple of years later. I guess it's just a good thing this band climbed out of NPR's Mongolian goat-skinned guitar/Buckwheat Zydeco lineup... or was it? It often amazes me how short the popular life span of an artistic collective can be. You would think something like this, even with the MTV curse, was built to last. The band never officially called it quits, even with pending lawsuits regarding their name, so that might be of comfort to fans. There are only a few links I have to share so lets get to them already?












Squirrel Nut Zippers formed sometime around 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. From what I read, the original lineup consisted of Tom Maxwell, Ken Mosher, Katherine Whalen, Jim Mathus, Don Raleigh, Stacy Guess and Chris Phelps. The song you are listening to is from the band's breakthrough album Hot which was released in 1996 on the Mammoth Records label. Of course this is a live version, so you will need to visit the Squirrel Nut Zippers MySpace Fan Page to hear the studio track. Post-SNZ projects include founding members Tom and Ken in an aptly titled band Maxwell/Mosher as well as Katherine Whelan's wonderful solo work. After poking around a bit more I found a Squirrel Nut Zippers Fan website as well as the moment you've all been waiting for. **drum roll***** A YouTube video for the song HELL! Seeya in church.



MP3: Hell (Live Version)

Low

Low

Alright... I know Fridays are supposed to be reserved for indie rock but in a way this song trumps any raucous "up and comer" I could possibly feature. I don't make a habit of presenting remixed tracks here on the blog or in the MySpace group but in this case a grand exception needs to be made. The song being remixed is one plenty of you are familiar with and probably love. It was originally posted during the first week of our Listening Room's existence last year when there were around 25 members (most of my friends list) on board. Of course by now you probably realize the band is Low from Duluth, Minnesota and the song is Monkey from the band's 2005 Sub Pop release The Great Destroyer. If you've never heard the original version of this song you will need to visit the Low MySpace page to check it out. Today's remix is from Low's April 2006 EP Tonight The Monkeys Die which was also released on Sub Pop featuring various interpretations of the song from some big name artists. The EP also includes an incredible video for Monkey. I found a YouTube version of it for you.



Here's the kicker folks... Bob Mould (yes that Bob Mould!) of Hüsker Dü, Sugar and solo fame is doing the remixing. By numerous accounts, Bob's influential music defined the genre we now refer to as indie/alternative rock... read up on it. Besides various projects, not unlike the song featured here today, he is also currently recording his next full length/full band indie rock release and is a part of the pop duo Blowoff along with Washington DC musician Richard Morel. If you couldn't tell by now, I'm a big fan whose MySpace page might give some indication. Stop by the Bob Mould MySpace page for Blowoff and solo dates as well as Boblog for a good read. I will be apartment hunting today (moving to Cincinnati Jan.1st) so this music will most likely spill into Saturday. Jumpin way to start the weekend ah?













Bob Mould

MP3: Monkey (Bob Mould Remix)

The Silent Years

This week turned out to be a nice mix of music here in the group without going too far in any direction...well. At least that was my plan (or hope.) Before the weekend starts I want to post a really solid band I've been listening to recently. I'm guessing quite a few of you have already heard of them since their myspace page is visited more than frequently. They have a radio friendly sound to the extreme but for some reason I wasn't scared away by it at all. Instead, I was drawn in easily but have to say that after visiting The Silent Years MySpace page, the 2 least played songs ended up being my favorites. Today's featured track is from the band's October 2006 self titled debut and is newly available on the No Alternative Records label for $9.99 USD. There are more songs for download there as well.













From what I read, The Silent Years currently consist of band members Josh Epstein, Jonathan Edwards, Jeremy Edwards and Pat Michalak who all grew up together just outside of Detroit, Michigan. They went separate ways for some time to pursue different interests/studies but are now reformed and wasting no time getting back into things. The Silent Years website is another place to visit for info, tour dates, merchandise, etc. As is usually the case, there is also a YouTube video I found. It's of the song Someone To Keep Us Warm which seems to be the popular one on MySpace.



Also, the band will be performing Friday evening, November 10th at Relative Theory Records in Norfolk, Virginia with opening act French Fish Face for a mere $5 at the door. Check em out if you happen to be in the area.













MP3: Someday

X.Lover

Oh... do I have a fun one for today's feature! I honestly can't remember where I found this track but it may have something to do with an extended Happy Hour I came home from after work last week. I remember having a mouthful of fried pub appetizers I brought back to the house in styrofoam boxes while clicking various MP3 blogs and exclaiming in a muffled voice "best mmm fucking mm band mmm ever!!!.." after every song. I'm just glad I downloaded this drunken treasure onto my desktop, otherwise I probably would never have found it again. The first thing you might notice is the wonderfully reckless/lazy guitar sound that is soon overwhelmed by an 80s-tastic dance beat. For some of you older hardcore punk fans, the beginning and background guitars of this one will bring to mind early 80s Tar Babies material (Respect Your Nightmares.) If you are having fun with today's feature, the X.Lover MySpace page is a definite must visit. I was not so surprised to find them listing Pussy Galore as an influence on their music profile there. Just play the 3rd song down titled "Sunday Never Comes" and you will eventually know what I mean about the PG thing. All songs on myspace are 2005 demos (I think) and there is also a cover of the Salt-N=Pepa classic "Push It" on the MySpace player for your enjoyment. I laughed anyway.























X.Lover is a self described electro-junk-death-disco quartet from Oslo, Norway. Jin Dim (Guitars, Vocals, Cheap Synthesizer), Therese (Vocals, Guitars, Expensive Synthesizer), Elen (Bass, Banshee Screams, Moaning) and Thea (Electric Drums) started making music collectively in 2001. The band has a brand new debut self titled EP that was just released this Monday, November 6 through the Honeymilk Records label. You can listen to the new song "Kick It...!" and buy it there for NOK 9,50. There is also a newly created X.Lover website and I found a really good YouTube video for that "kickin" new song.















Thea is dreamy and this band is great.

MP3: Prostitution

The Juliet Kilo

I've had some computer problems during the past 24 hours and was unable to change music yesterday. If it isn't one thing... blah blah. Anyway, I was looking forward to getting this one up and now have the chance. I've been attempting to find different experimental artists and happened upon today's feature at the Indie MP3 music blog. It was fairly difficult to decide which song to post since all of the tracks I eventually found were markedly different in flavor. Much of the music is sparse and minimalist while some of the material is an extremely warm listen. In the case of the song I featured today, the Banjo and vocals might just have you forgetting the low key electronic rhythms that surround them so nicely. I was looking for a way to incorporate the word organic somewhere in the writeup but it kept sounding forced and cliched so I will move on to the links for more music... The important stuff.















The Juliet Kilo is the music and video arts of current Boston, Massachusetts resident David Levin. From what I read, he is originally from Northern Ohio and found his craft in 2003. The song you are hopefully listening to by now is from a compilation titled Local Collections 2005 that was made available by the Compound 440R Collective of which David is a part. To hear more of this music you can first visit The Juliet Kilo MySpace page and add on as a friend while at it. There are more songs for download and several quicktime videos on The Juliet Kilo website as well. You can also purchase the debut EP titled Please Excuse Me If My Heart Stops Beating there for $8 + $2 shipping USD. After reading a bit more, it seems that a new 3 song EP, Careers In Radio, is done and will be available soon. Enjoy!















MP3: Poison Water