This is the excuse that I'm making (is it good enough?):

Okay, this is just a partial post today. I know I've broken blog-promises before, but after going on no sleep yesterday in order to get track 1 & 2 up on time, I had to nearly pull another all-nighter after my mom's laptop all but flatlined on me, and I had to fix it before the 'rents leave this afternoon for a long weekend in Naples, FL. Plus, I'm trying to set up a new computer, so I've had to shuffle quite a bit of media around as well. But I've got tomorrow free, so I should be able to flesh out my comments on today's songs & finally elaborate on what I didn't have time to get to on Thursday.

My apologies, but I'm in a hurry.



MP3 The Russian Futurists - "Our Pen's Out of Ink"
After Mix '05 began with a double dose of rock, with track three I take a diversion into something a little fuzzier with the Russian Futurists, aka Toronto-based bedroom pop specialist Matthew Adam Hart. I became a quick fan of the Futurists back in 2003 after stumbling across some mp3's from their Let's Get Ready To Crumble LP, so naturally I was looking forward to the next offering from Hart. This past spring, Upper Class dropped the fourth Futurists release, the highly enjoyable Our Thickness, and this is just one of the several standout songs off that disc. There's nothing new about contrasting lyrics about bleak subjects (this track seems to be about death by storm) with a more upbeat, cheerful instrumentation, but I can think of few who can make it sound as teeth-shattering, sugary sweet as Hart does.



The guy wears a Twins cap, he's alright by me. More at Hart's MySpace.

ETA: Upper Class has a video for "Paul Simon," also off Our Thickness:

MOV The Russian Futurists - "Paul Simon" (23.4mb)



MP3 Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)"
Staying north of the US border, it's no secret that I've got much love for indie darlings Broken Social Scene & just about all of their Arts & Crafts labelmates/extended family. Two years ago, BSS had my #1 song of the year with "MP3 Almost Crimes" (via bP), my favorite Feist-enhanced freakout on their breakthrough 2002 album, You Can't Forget It In People. This year, a similarly Feist-assisted BSS track is in serious contention for the coveted top spot with this knockout tune off the (loosely) Toronto-based collective's recently released, balls-out self-titled LP (aka Bless This Mess). Of course, this time they've got a kick ass horn section to take the whole enterprise to another stratosphere & leaves me utterly agape. While the esteemed Sean Said The Gramophone may be right in praising the remarkable power of "Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Half)", the track that precedes this one, I've known since I first listened (over & over) to the final studio version of "7/4" would find its way onto Mix '05.



DISC ONE
Track 01: The Constantines - "Draw Us Lines"
Track 02: Spoon - "The Beast & Dragon, Adored"

More to come, including pix galore. Check back this weekend for updates.

This entry was posted by mr gilbert at 12/02/2005 03:00:00 PM.