New Beginnings - We've Moved!

This post is to direct anyone coming to this website that fork/knife has moved! The new URL is forkknifemusic.com. We started fork/knife 9 months ago today with literally zero aspirations of ever having it continue into... well, anything really, but we're proud to announce that we've acquired a URL so that we can add exciting things we never thought we'd be able to. Much thanks to everyone who made this possible, and if you were one of those people, you know who you are already, so thanks a ton for your help, we wouldn't be anywhere without you.

fork/knife's new website

-f/k

Whoa. Dirty Projectors.

Hey there everyone!! Fork/knife has moved to http://forkknifemusic.com

This particular post can be found at http://forkknifemusic.com/?p=532
Thanks!!

-f/k

Song o' the Week #28

Donovan and I took an impromptu drive up to Cornell to visit Bishop, as well as to see some bands including The Rural Alberta Advantage, Deer Tick and Hold Steady tomorrow. On the drive up, we played every Radiohead album from The Bends to In Rainbows. I felt like I needed to post this song because it was right when our excitement was at the peak, before it slowly formed into frustration.

Radiohead- A Punch Up At A Wedding (No No No No No No No No)
iTunes / amazon

-Chandler

Mix: Goodbye Summer

Here's a short and sweet mix to mark the end of what has been a great summer. Goodbye humid weather, hello.....schoolwork. I'm headed back to Minnesota on Saturday for another year of midwestern education - along with months of bone-chilling, teeth-rattling, snot-freezing cold. You won't hear from me until I'm settled in - until then, enjoy!

Haikuesque (When She Laughs) - Bibio

Eat Street - People Under the Stairs

In The Summertime - The Rural Alberta Advantage

Evelyn - Dabrye

I'm Not (Phaseone Remix) - Panda Bear

-Chris

Norm Kills on Conan

The best thing in this world is when Norm appears on Conan. Such a spectacle occurred last night when Norm told a joke about a moth that was an instant classic. It sent our room into a laughing frenzy, so I hope it has the same effect on you.



-Chandler

Forgotten Album of '08

These past few weeks I've been obsessed with Blitzen Trapper's underrated 2008 release Furr. Now I know that this got pretty significant attention, but I still feel that it deserved as much attention as Fleet Foxes or Bon Iver.

The simple, old-fashioned sextet from Oregon plays "experimental folk music" like no other. Whatever "experimental folk music" is, they play it like no other...

Anyway, all that people need to know is that with Furr, the band let the world know that they can be a Sub Pop band, and that is a big deal.

I won't say anymore. Simply, listen to it.

Blitzen Trapper - Lady On The Water
iTunes/Amazon
Band's myspace

-Bishop-

Perusing iTunes

Well Donovan and I are back at school, which can only mean one thing: it's time to sift through our neighbors iTunes connected to the same network. This is the standout so far.


Les Miserables- Master of the House

-Chandler

How About Some Men At Work?

I'm of the opinion that the 1980s were, musically speaking, forgettable. Unfortunately, the first images I have of the era involve the hair-metal glam of groups like Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, and Twisted Sister. Bleh. Frequently, though, music from groups like Talking Heads and The Beastie Boys reminds me that there was indeed good music quietly circulating through the decade. Like today, when a friend played a cool version of "Who Can It Be Now?" by Men At Work. It's an acoustic version by frontman Colin Hay, who has gone on to have a moderately successful solo career. I think I might even like this stripped down version a little more than original, which featured a jazzy saxophone playing the main melody that you'll most likely recognize. The mp3 is downloadable below, and to boot, another another acoustic version of a classic Men At Work tune. Enjoy!

Colin Hay - Who Can It Be Now?

Colin Hay - Overkill

Amazon / iTunes

-Chris

A Little Pop

I took a trip to New York the other day, and on the way my friend requested this song by Matt & Kim. Shockingly, they have indeed made songs other than "Daylight." This one has been a frequent choice lately simply because it's so irresistible, so I thought I'd post it before I went to bed in hopes that it may have the same effect on you. A little poppy? Yes. But a little pop here and there never hurt anyone.

Matt & Kim- Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare
iTunes / amazon
Matt & Kim MySpace

-Chandler

Them Crooked Vultures

Prepare yourself for October 23rd. That's the release date for the album called Never Deserved The Future, from supergroup Them Crooked Vultures. The band consists of Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters/Nirvana), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age/Eagles of Death Metal), and John Paul Jones (f-ing Led Zeppelin). I'm still trying to figure out how these three guys got together, and how it must feel for Grohl and Homme to be playing with Jones. Given the quality of the members' collective albums, there's little doubt in my mind that this will be one of the most notable releases of '09.

Here are the two seizure-inducing teaser videos released to date. Ohhhh mama.

Them Crooked Vultures Official Website

-Chris

I ♥ the Decemberists

Below is a video of the Decemberists covering "Crazy on You" by Heart a few months ago, featuring Shara Worden and Becky Stark on vocals. To say that Shara killed it on vocals would be an understatement, she was god-like.



PS. Fellow blogger Chandler found this and was kind enough to inform me!

-Donovan

He's A Genius

**Correction: Sorry, I embedded the wrong video. Now, watch it!

The title really says it all.

As I was doing my daily scanning of the blogosphere I came upon a new Pitchfork.tv video - Andrew Bird playing a few selections at the Cemetery Gates. All I ask is that you watch.

-Bishop-

BLK JKS Debut Due Out Soon!

BLK JKS (Black Jacks) are set to release their debut LP After Robots Sept. 8th, which is drawing closer. Hailing from Johannesburg, BLK JKS are creating fresh sounding music that's hard to pin down in one genre. In addition, they have a pretty awesome album cover for their debut:
Anyway, you can hear a few songs from this anticipated release at their Daytrotter session, pre-order the release from Secretly Canadian, and hear a song from their EP below.

BLK JKS- Lakeside
iTunes / amazon
BLK JKS Myspace

-Chandler

Birds Mimicking Birds

A while back I ran across this band, Mimicking Birds, and was immediately hooked. It's nothing groundbreaking, just the home recordings of a man by the name of Nate Lacy.

Hailing from Portland Lacy attracted the attention of another local band that has gotten a little bit more attention, Modest Mouse. Isaac Brock and his band mates even brought Mr. Lacy out on tour, having him open for the band.

Since then Lacy has recruited some help for his live shows, Tim Skellenger on guitar and Aaron Hanson on drums. According to their myspace page, we should be expecting their first LP sometime in the near future. I look forward to it.

Mimicking Birds - Home and Somewhere Else
Modest Mouse - The World At Large
iTunes/Amazon
Mimicking Birds - Rivers, Veins and Roots

**Also, be sure to go here for more songs/free downloads.

-Bishop-

Just A Song Before I Go

I'm headed off to work, but before I go I'll leave you with a wonderful song from 1973. I only found this song a couple years ago, but every once and a while the lyrics hit the spot and it ends up on repeat for a week or so. This is one of those times.

Faces - Ooh La La

Amazon / iTunes

-Chris

Ah, Weezer...

Weezer has seen better days. Led by frontman Rivers Cuomo, they've taken a turn towards painfully simple melodramatic pop ever since the fateful Make Believe album of 2005. Over the past couple days, I've been reading about their upcoming album, entitled Ratitude. The album (which was named by Rainn Wilson of The Office) will be released October 27 and will include two songs called "I"m Your Daddy" and "The Girl Got Hot," which have both gotten lukewarm reviews. With song titles like that, I'm not holding out much hope but I'll definitely give the album a listen.

Anyways, I've been listening to Alone, Cuomo's 2007 release of home demos. It features a few early versions of songs like "Buddy Holly" and "I Was Made For You," but largely the demos are self-indulgent ventures that range from bubble-gum pop to straight up hip-hop. Keeping this in mind, I think it's still worth your time. Sifting through Cuomo's erratic demos, it's easy to see how Weezer's albums have taken the turn they have. And it's not as if the songs are all terrible. Here's a notable standout, "Lover In The Snow."

Rivers Cuomo - Lover In The Snow
Amazon / iTunes

-Chris

80 Minutes for Life

So I've been absent from blogging for a little while, mostly out of laziness (and I can shamefully admit a little bit because of Madden 10...), but over the past few days I stumbled upon a cool site with an even cooler concept, called 80 Minutes for Life (courtesy of our blog buddy Liz at the Blisslist, who gave it some love). The website makes an 80 minute long mixtape for you of a particular band, in an attempt to introduce you to said band if you're not already a fan. The Wilco post is my favorite, but there are a lot of good 80 minute mixes to start off the site, and the best thing is that there are going to be many, many more to come in the future. So it's a site where paradoxically, the less you know about music, the more use you can get out of it. And even if you do know the band, it still gives you a pretty awesome mix for you to give other people. So check it out, and keep checking in because I'm sure a lot of new stuff is in on the way soon

80 Minutes for Life
The Blisslist

-Donovan

The Music of Bibio

Having spent a full week away from the world in Maine, I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. To be honest, blogging has started to feel like a pesky job lately. When I start to worry about how often we post or whether or not we're staying up to date on the latest music, all the fun gets sucked out of fork/knife. I've got to remember that it's really just about sharing the music we love with the wonderful people that read along (i.e. you). After nine months of nurturing and growth, our little blog fetus is just getting going (I'll avoid any questionable birth metaphors). And so, this post is a much a note-to-self as it is a thank you for reading. Whether you simply stumbled onto f/k, or if you're a dedicated reader (slightly preferred), I hope you like what we're doing. If it wasn't for your comments and emails, I'm sure we would've quit long ago.

I can think of no better music to wrap up this novella than that of Bibio. A friend recommended him to me just yesterday, and already I'm in love with his acoustic/electronic vibe. NOTE: make sure you make it to the 1:29 mark in "Lovers' Carvings."

Bibio - Lovers' Carvings
Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue
Amazon / iTunes

Bibio's MySpace Page

-Chris

Song o' the Week #27

I've had this song stuck in my head for a while now, and I don't really know why. I haven't listened to it in a long time, yet somehow it continues to pleasantly plague me many times throughout the day. Maybe it'll help those who are experiencing the heat like I am with it's wintry lyrics. Or maybe not.

Animal Collective- Winters Love
iTunes / amazon



As an added bonus, I was getting all Tarantino'd out to prepare for his latest film Inglourious Basterds by watching a few of his past endeavors, and I decided to help you do the same. To get you in the mood I figured I'd post the theme from True Romance and "Little Green Bags," the song that plays during the opening credits of Reservoir Dogs. Hopefully you'll enjoy both and go to see his new film, which I can't give enough praise for.

Hans Zimmer- You're So Cool (True Romance)

George Baker Selection- Little Green Bags
iTunes

-Chandler

Re-Release of Hospice

Yesterday The Antlers re-released their stunning debut Hospice through Frenchkiss records, which also made it available on vinyl. When I first heard it, I wasn't blown away. There were many people and publications saying that it was one of the finer releases of the year, and I just didn't see it. Yet, with more listens it has indeed won me over and proven why it has gotten all the accolades it has received. I strongly suggest picking up a copy of this haunting album and discover why there's so much buzz about it. In addition, they released a video of the best stand alone song from the album "Two" which is embedded below. And finally, feel free to check out all that the blog has done with The Antlers in the past, including Bishop's interview with the band and review of Hospice.



iTunes / amazon / Insound

-Chandler

Ellipse Stream

If you're not one of the 888, 133 people who follow Imogen Heap on twitter, then you may not know that her album Ellipse is now streaming for free off her website. I liked it a lot, and I'm sure that I'll like it even more on subsequent listens. It's below, take a listen, you might just like it!!
PS. I listened to them when they had like 15 listens each!!! I feel ultra-special.



-Donovan

Covering

So, on Friday night, I finally got to see Phish live! I was supposed to have seen them three times prior to this show, but alas, people suck.

Anyways, they were amazing and seeing as I would get shit from my blogmates for posting Phish songs, I give you the two songs they covered.

Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps

-Bishop-

Cone Of Light

Photo by David Waldman

I'm somewhat impartial to both Black Lips and King Khan & BBQ, but there's something about this song that makes me keep playing it. Maybe it's just because I've been starved of good music the last couple of weeks (or haven't been looking hard enough). Or maybe it's because the song doesn't really sound like many other artists today....except maybe a combination of the Black Lips and King Khan & BBQ.

The Almighty Defenders- Cone Of Light
The Almighty Defenders MySpace

-Chandler

ASXCVS@#&$! Mix

Wow, has it been an exhausting couple of weeks. Between working non-stop at my just-above-minimum-wage job, playing a couple of fun (yet stressful) shows with my band, and helping out with some general housework, my brain is fried. Lucky for me, I'm waking up in four hours and taking a nine hour drive to Maine, where I'll vacation for a week with my family on the coast. Since I'll be gone for the week, I thought I'd leave you all with a mix! Perhaps it might be more accurate to call this a miniature mix, but it's a mix nonetheless. These four songs are rather reflective of my current state, somewhere between a stress induced meltdown and the unabashed enthusiasm that comes along just before such a life-saving vacation. Crank up the volume and freakkk outttt.

The Black Keys - Have Love Will Travel
Broken Social Scene - Cause = Time
Queens Of The Stone Age - No One Knows
Arcade Fire - Wake Up


-Chris

I ♥ tUnE-YaRdS

tUnE-YaRdS is the project of a woman called Merrill Garbus. She released her first album, BiRd-BrAiNs, almost exactly a year ago. And so began the journey it took for the music to finally reach my ears. And so the music has reached my ears, and I am currently all the better for it having happened. The album is, in a word, magical. It's hard to describe in words what it's like, it's perhaps the ultimate lo-fi listening experience, it's ultra experimental, extremely intimate, and distinctly original. Her live performances are extremely different from her studio recordings, and even though both sound great I'm going to take a stand and say I prefer the live recordings. This could potentially be because I've had a video of her playing "Hatari" on repeat for several hours now, because I think it's brilliant and extremely offbeat. Here is the video, and spend money buying her album if you like it because I think she deserves it. It's hard to believe that I missed this for the past year, and the thought of how much could be out there that I haven't heard kind of scares me sometimes, but in a good way.




tUnE-YaRdS on MySpace
Buy BiRd-BrAiNs on Amazon
-Donovan

The Verve Break Up Again!

photo credit: Ben Blood photography

Oh wait. No one cares. Instead, here's a song from The Globes. I've plugged these guys once before (we even did an interview!). They're a young band from the Seattle area with a ton of potential. Get your hands on their 2008 EP (here amongst other places) and definitely take a minute to go head over to their MySpace page. I'm really digging their newest song, "A Stitch Couldn't Save the World." Good riddance to The Verve. It's time for some new talent.

The Globes - Killers/Saints

iTunes

fork/knife interview

The Globes on MySpace

-Chris

Happy Birthday!

Happy 33rd birthday to a f/k fave, Ben Gibbard!! Ben has been an integral part of both Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, both of which have serious indie cred and are all around fun to listen to. In fact, Ben is responsible for three of my all time favorite albums (We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes, Transatlanticism, and Give Up if you care) and has arguably the most popular pure indie act of all time on his hands. Recently Gibbard has gotten as much publicity for his engagement to Zooey Deschanel as he has for his music, and while that's to be expected, there's an unfortunate amount of people who probably know him as the guy with Zooey Deschanel (by the way, Zooey was excellent on Craig Ferguson a few night ago!). Ben has recently been promoting the very nice The Open Door EP, but we don't know when anything new might be coming out. I'll leave you with one of his early gems off The Photo Album.

Death Cab for Cutie - Why You'd Want to Live Here
Amazon / iTunes

-Donovan

Dry The Rain

On our way home from New Hampshire this weekend my sister, Allie, brother-in-law, Charlie and myself decided that the music for the ride would work on a shuffle/veto system. Simply, the iPod was on shuffle and each person was given two vetoes.

The first song was Dry The Rain by The Beta Band and it just got better from there; no vetoes were used.

The Beta Band - Dry The Rain
iTunes/Amazon

-Bishop-

The Rural Alberta Advantage @ Middle East, 8/5/09

(Nils killed it the entire night)

I have to admit that I expected the Rural Alberta Advantage to put on a good live show. I had read a few concert reviews which were all glowing and I have learned in my musical experiences to generally trust live reviews. I knew I loved the material as well, I can remember listening to the few songs I had on repeat constantly during studying (I know, I actually studied!) for finals semester one. A lot of people have gone through the same transfixion with their debut album, Hometowns, over the past eight months. I know this because I can remember when their MySpace had 8,000 hits, and now it's approaching 200,000. But I especially know it because of how many people jammed themselves into the Middle East club to see these guys. It was the first time in my personal concert going experience that I can truly say that I was front row, as I was reaching out and touching Paul Banwatt's drum set between songs.

(This is actually what he looks like when he's drumming!)

And I would have to say that the enthusiastic turnout was warranted, and then some. Simply put, and I think my two fellow blogmates would agree (Boobhead Bishop was absent), it was the best live show I've ever seen. Every beat of every song was flawless, and the band flowed with energy of a band that is overflowing with talent. In awe of the performance, we kind of forgot to take a setlist, and subsequently can't remember the exact order, but setlists are overrated anyway, right?! (Please say yes...) Their hour long set really seemed to fly by, and before we knew it they were out for their encore (not tremendously special) and then their second encore (tremendouly special) in which they played their "closer" which has yet to be recorded, entitled "Good Night." If you don't already know, the band comes down off the stage and finishes playing in the crowd, completely acoustic. I must say, being one foot from the band as they finished their set was a pretty special way to end the show. All in all, just the most solid, energy filled hour of music I've yet experienced.

(Amy sets the atmosphere with backing vocals and keyboards)

However, despite all the hoopla over the RAA, I would be seriously remiss if I didn't mention the artists that opened, and there were three opening acts. The first was Jennifer Greer, who I thought was very good. I will admit that I have never heard of her before this performance, but that's what opening shows is all about! She had almost a Tori Amos vibe about her, with complex piano based song structures and sudden tempo shifts. I really liked her, but I will give an unfortunate thumbs down to the bassist, who was rocking out like he was possessed despite laying down less than awesome beats. Oh well. Baby Teeth was.... strange. Really, everything about the performance was strange. There's not really much for me to say about it, they rocked kind of an 80's vibe and the lead singer had some pretty stellar moves up on stage. I don't think it was a bad performance, but I don't know if I was ready for it. Then came easily my favorite of the opening acts, Joshua English, accompanied by fantastic viola player (violist??) Lisa Molinaro. They played an incredibly solid set and really seemed to have a lot of experience and chemistry onstage. Joshua spun beautiful guitar driven folk songs, and while the songs certainly can exist without viola, it was always a welcome addition whenever it entered. Joshua claims to have only recently shaved his head, but it seems odd for me to picture him with hair after seeing the show. I was surprised to see that he seems to be out of the public eye, so look for f/k to keep you up to date on him, because I think a lot of people will find him worthy of their attention. For more pics, check out the f/k flickr!

(Joshua English with a harmonica and a shaved head.)

The Rural Alberta Advantage MySpace
Joshua English MySpace
Baby Teeth MySpace
Jennifer Greer MySpace
f/k flickr

-Donovan

Song o' The Week #26

(Not me and not my grandma)

Like previously mentioned, us f/k fellows have been working quite a lot lately, and as a result our post output has decreased a bit. In fact, I'm mustering all my remaining energy of the day to do this one, so I hope you enjoy it. I blast this song sometimes when I drive to my grandma's for some grub on my lunch break, because it seems to fit very nicely with the warm weather and sunny days we've had recently. It's Wavves before he hit it big via Pitchfork, had a meltdown, and broke some bones skateboarding.

Wavves- Wavves
amazon

-Chandler

Remix 16: The Notwist

In the spirit of summer, I'd like to share with you a great remix by Panda Bear. Noah Lennox (the man behind Panda Bear) has become one of my favorite musicians over the past year or so, due in large part to his amazing album, Person Pitch. It's an album that I've poured over for months, to the point where I feel like I need to explore the rest of his work. Looking around, I found this remix of a song by The Notwist. It was released a while ago, but listening to it today reminded me of its greatness. The remix is a huge departure from the original, and I love the way everything sort of floats around the drums. If you haven't checked out Panda Bear yet, I hope you will. Enjoy!

The Notwist - Boneless (Panda Bear Remix)

Amazon / iTunes

-Chris

Woops.

Every once and a while, things get busy and we become the four laziest bloggers in the world. Recently, Chandler and I have been working so much our brains are melting. Today was even worse than usual, because both of us were running on two and half hours of sleep. How come we got no sleep? Well, Chandler, Donovan, and I took a drive to Cambridge, Mass. yesterday in order to go see a wonderful band called The Rural Alberta Advantage. We got home at 4AM and started our eight hour shift at 730 this morning. Ooph. Long story short, we had a great night (but not such a great morning). You can expect some pictures of the show soon!

But right now, I've got to take care of something. I just noticed that somehow, I've never posted any Bjork! How has this happened? She's a total oddball and I couldn't love her more for it. Here's a song off of Homogenic.

Bjork - Joga

Amazon / iTunes

-Chris

Heath Ledger Modest Mouse Video

Today, a music video for the Modest Mouse song "King Rat" was unveiled on MySpace. It was directed by none other than Heath Ledger, and was an uncompleted project at the time of his death. It's an animated video, that starts a little bit strangely and ends more than a little gruesomely. Yes, I do think that the video is getting more attention that it otherwise would've if Heath was still alive, however I also think that it's worth watching. Viewers beware, it does get gross.

Watch the Video

-Chris

Going To NH.

I am saddened yet again by the fact that I have to sit on the bench for a few days. For the first time in almost two years all three of my sisters, my parents and I will be in the same place, so we decided to rent a house on Lake Winnipesaukee for the rest of the week. This means that I will be unable to post, or often, at least. I will miss all of you dearly.

With that being said I will leave you with a song that I've had on repeat for a few days now.

Ice 9 - Small Can Be Big

-Bishop-

Floored by Four & M. Ward @ Central Park: 8/1/09

When I showed up to this show, I expected to see Nels Cline as it was billed. Surprised was I to find that Cline was actually part of a band that call themselves "Floored by Four" that consists of iconic bassist Mike Watt and two people who I didn't know, Yuka Honda and Dougie Bowne (apologies to Yuka Honda and Dougie Bowne!). Their opening performance was...interesting to say the least. It was potentially the most self-indulgent performance I've ever heard, but I say that in a non-judgmental way because it was enthralling to see a band that so obviously just wanted to jam. There were 10 minute long solos, moments when you couldn't hear the band playing, moments when you couldn't hear yourself think, and everything in between. By the end however, the performance was tending to get a little tedious, as evidenced by a large portion of the audience sitting down and more than a few people reading and conversing. I would say that they are extremely talented and I await hearing their album whenever it comes out, because it's a little scary to think what they might be capable of after getting a little more comfortable with each other. Overall, I think this a band that should be headlining shows rather than opening them, so they can perhaps attract an audience more suited to them.

Photo Credit: Hippies Are Dead

After about 30 minutes of intermission between acts, M. Ward came onstage right as it was getting dark outside and put on one of the most solid sets I've yet seen. The only slight complaint I may have had with the performance is just how comfortable M. Ward and his band looked up there. M. Ward has claimed that he's not a big fan of doing live shows in the past, and it kind of looks that way when he's performing. It's a small qualm, because the performance was technically exceptional, and the diehard M. Ward fans seemed very pleased with the set. But there definitely is an element of seeing an artist really engaged in his/her performance that was missing. Overall, an extremely solid performance, and I would recommend him to anyone if he's coming near you. Also, there are no original pictures that accompany this post, because M. Ward is a stickler for no cameras, and I respect that. (aka I snuck a couple of pictures that were too low quality to post)

Photo Credit: Hippies Are Dead

M. Ward Setlist

Sad Song
One Hundred Million Years
Post War
Chinese Translation
Rave On
Never Had Nobody Like You
Hold Time
Jailbird
To Save Me
Poor Boy, Minor Key
Poison Cup
Fool Says
Magic Trick
Big Boat
Bean Vine Blues (John Fahey Cover)
Fisher Of Men
Requiem
Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry Cover)

Encore #1
Helicopter

Encore #2
To Go Home

-Donovan

The 'I Feel Left Out Without Making a Mix' Mix

It appears as though f/k has caught a mix bug. Normally I don't like to follow what Chris and Bishop do, but this time I have to make an exception because it's just too much fun to refuse. It's really nice out, but the sun themed mix was already taken, so my songs don't really have a theme. Except that they're kinda old.
I wanted to post a Monks song, but this video is just too cool, so it will have to suffice. Hard to believe they made this sound more than 40 years ago...

My Bloody Valentine- Come In Alone
Galaxie 500- Blue Thunder
Guided By Voices- Queen of Cans and Jars
R.E.M.- Radio Free Europe
Pavement- Gold Soundz
Hall and Oates- Maneater (Original 12" Extended Club Mix)

-Chandler

Nickelback

Via www.wikipedia.org:

In 2004, Nickelback were playing at a heavy metal music festival in Portugal when the crowd started throwing debris at the stage. Front man Chad Kroeger put down his guitar and announced on the microphone, "Have we got any Nickelback fans in Portugal?" As this resulted in only a minimal positive response, he added, "Are you sure? Up to you. You guys wanna hear some rock 'n' roll or you wanna go home?" Kroeger then turned around and he was hit by an object in the back of the head, he then said "See you", before leaving the stage with the finger raised.

-Donovan

Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

Time for a confession. I've completely ignored The Flaming Lips for years. To be honest, I never even gave them a shot until about a year ago. Even a month ago, they were a band that I rarely listened to. Something happened, though, when I played Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots all the way through last week. I'd heard it before, but not like this. All at once, the album unfolded and I was left stunned, sitting there looking at layer upon layer of genius that I'd never heard before. Here is the first and last track from the album, which I think come together nicely to convey the band's larger position as pioneers of electronic pop. And hey, here's to being surprised by music you foolishly tossed aside.

The Flaming Lips - Fight Test

The Flaming Lips - Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon (Utopia Planitia)

Amazon/iTunes

-Chris

"Sun"ny Day Mix #1

With the weather being what it has in the Northeast this summer, it was a fantastic to awaken to the birds chirping and the sun shining today. In light of this seldom occurrence I give you a "sun"ny day mix.

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Sun Lips
Yeasayer - Sunrise
Local Natives - Sun Hands
Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant
Iron & Wine - Sunset Soon Forgotten

-Bishop-

Regina Kills It on Conan

I have to admit that Far doesn't stack up to her previous efforts in my mind. "Laughing With" is one of the tracks off the album that I didn't really care for much. But last night she dominated on the Tonight Show. I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much from the performance, and when I heard the opening chords I cringed a little bit, I was hoping she'd do "Blue Lips." But about 10 seconds in, I was cool with it and really liked it. There's something about being over-production that takes a certain beautiful edge off her voice, and it's much more present in a live performance, which is all the better for it. This is also a logical explanation for why each album she has released I've liked less and less, each album keeps getting more and more "clean." Anyway, even if you didn't like the album, I think there's a lot of merit in the performance, so here it is.



-Donovan

Rainy Day Mix #1

Well, it's another rainy day in the northeast. It seems that we've been cursed with a sopping wet summer, but things could be worse. Waking up to the sound of pouring rain, I thought I'd put together a small mix of songs for a rainy day. Admittedly, these specific songs are pretty introverted and moody, for quiet mornings when you don't want to be bothered. I hope there's a few you like, and keep an eye out for more mini-mixes 'cause making this one was too much fun.

Jeff Mangum - Engine

Deep Blue Sea (Daniel Rossen Home Recording) - Grizzly Bear

Last Songs - Dntel

3 AM - Jim Guthrie

Ocean Night Song - Laura Veirs

Death Cab for Cutie - Tiny Vessels

Sad Song - Peasant

-Chris

Song o' The Week #25

It's been a long time since a song o' the week for two reasons. One is that there actually hasn't been a song that's captivated me for most of a week lately, but also because work takes up a lot more time and energy than school does. So when classes start again you can count on rather steady song o' the weeks. If that's what you guys look for.

Anyway, I listened to this song before we left for VT, and it was stuck in my head the whole time. Incidentally, I heard it when I listened to Thom Yorkes solo set from the Latitude Fest the other day, but have the earlier recording from I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings basically on repeat. The more I listen the more I feel like it's becoming one of my favorite Radiohead songs. Yorke's voice just sounds so sincere and vulnerable as he's pleading throughout the song, I can't help but fall in love with it. Can you?


Radiohead- True Love Waits (Acoustic)
iTunes / amazon

-Chandler

...And We're Home

As you may or may not have known, 3/4 of the fork/knifers have been gone on vacation since Friday. We've been camping in Vermont, enjoying some time away from technology and our pesky summer jobs. Anyways, we're back, and glad to see that Donovan kept things running smoothly. Time for more music! Here's a great song that I've been listening to a lot lately, an oldie from Kings of Leon before their days as arena-rock stars. Enjoy!

Kings of Leon - Taper Jean Girl

Amazon / iTunes

-Chris

Old School Death Cab

I liked Narrow Stairs and Plans to an extent, but nothing beats the awesome lo-fi ness of We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes. My favorite song is the upbeat "Company Calls." Everyone should hear it if they haven't already.

Death Cab for Cutie - Company Calls
Amazon / iTunes

-Donovan

Shuffle Mania

Sometimes music really scares me. I was having a nice shuffle session earlier today when "Lonely Soul" by UNKLE came up. It was simply the perfect song to listen to at the time, and it made my spine tingle. This song is definitely one of the strongest off Psyence Fiction, probably behind the Thom Yorke led "Rabbit in Your Headlights" and of course "Getting Ahead In The Lucrative Field of Artist Management." DJ Shadow was the brains behind the operation, and the UNKLE moniker definitely hasn't been the same since he left. He just really understands good music. Maybe this will be the perfect song for you listen to also. Or maybe not. Either way, if you haven't heard it in a while or never at all, take a listen.

UNKLE - Lonely Soul
Amazon / iTunes

-Donovan

P4k Fest Highlights: Day 3

Day 3 kicked off for me with Women, who turned in a wonderfully noisy and enjoyable set. The Walkmen continued the streak of great bands, and were much better than the last time I saw them. Hamilton's mic was at the perfect volume where it wasn't too loud, but was loud enough at the right times. Grizzly Bear was apparently what everyone came to see, because the crowd waiting for them was the largest that I saw other than Flaming Lips. Anyway, they were fantastic, with the exception of a couple sound hiccups. The Flaming Lips closed the fest with balloons, giant plastic balls, and even bigger sonic vaginas. It was quite a show, but not really for me. All in all I had a blast, and strongly suggest it for y'all next year, depending on the lineup.

-Chandler

fork/knife vacation

Three out of the four of us will be gone for the weekend. We're taking a much needed trip up to the gorgeous state of Vermont for some camping, hiking, and biking. Donovan will be home here at the helm, leading fork/knife faithfully, with unparalleled vigor and a steady hand. Now to the music. As a soundtrack for your weekend, here's some Sigur Ros. It's from Takk, one of my favorite albums ever. See you in a few.

Sigur Ros - Hoppípolla

Amazon / iTunes

-Chris

P4k Fest Highlights: Day 2

Because I had to stay at the C stage the whole day to get good pics for Beirut, I missed a lot of bands I wanted to see. I also got there a little late, and missed what I heard to be the best act so far. Apparently Plants and Animals was amazing, and all I heard throughout the day was how good their set was. Oh well. I managed to catch some solid acts, Beirut probably being my favorite of the day. They were also joined by Final Fantasy towards the end, whose set I kind of heard from across the park (did he open with a "My Body Is A Cage" cover?) Yeasayer surprised me again and turned in an energy-filled set that I was more than pleased with. And the National was, you know, the National: they were solid. Click da pic for a bigga view.


-Chandler

P4k Fest Highlights: Day 1

The best act day 1 was Yo La Tengo followed closely by Built to Spill. Jesus Lizard was a little too hard for me, and Tortoise was a little too suck for me (sorry Tortoise fans). But YLT played a whole bunch of classics, including the relatively new epic "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind." I really liked the whole "write the playlist" feature, and it worked well with BTS also. Overall, it was a solid day, but it would eventually be outdone by day 2. Anyway, here's a couple pics from a decent digital camera. As always, click any of them to see a bigger version and to be brought to the f/k flickr account, where there are more from this show and others for your viewing pleasure.


-Chandler

New Thom Yorke Cover

This song is gorgeous. Originally by Mark Mulcahy, cover by Thom Yorke of Radiohead. As an interesting note for Yorke fans, his brother Andy sings vocals with him on this track. It's part of a tribute album dedicated to Mulcahy, with covers by various artists. More info over at stereogum.

Thom Yorke - All For The Best

-Chris

The Tennessee Fire: Side C

Let it be known that all members of the f/k crew are audiophiles. Donovan has his signed copy of The Hazards of Love; Chan has, well, Miles; and Chris has the utterly brilliant Veckatimest.

So what do I have to bring to the table? One of my favorite albums, and a Side C which contains the most succulent physical representations of sound ever to run under my needle. Once you drop the needle on the second LP of My Morning Jacket's Tennessee Fire and are greeted by "War Begun", you know it's going to be a fantastic 14 minutes and 28 seconds (which I am currently in the middle).

Although it is nothing like the vinyl version, I leave you with the eerie, yet comforting "I Will Be There When You Die".

My Morning Jacket - I Will Be There When You Die
iTunes/Amazon

-Bishop-

No One Does It Like Kaki

Kaki King (pronounced "khaki") is a master of the guitar. With an untouchably unique style, Kaki slaps, taps, and beats on her guitar like it's nobody's business. Since 2003, she's released four full-length albums, full of intricate guitar compositions that she perfected during her time as a performer in the New York City subway system. In 2006, she was named a "Guitar God" by Rolling Stone, the first female to ever earn that honor. She's occasionally worked with the Foo Fighters, and was featured on the song "The Ballad of Beaconsfield" from their album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. To quote Dave Grohl, frontman of the Foo Fighters: "There are some guitar players that are good, and there are some guitar players that are really fucking good. And then there's Kaki King."

Kaki King - Solipsist

Kaki King - Open Mouth

Amazon / iTunes

Kaki King on MySpace

-Chris

Video: Awesome Grizzly Bear On Letterman

Late night performances tend to be lackluster and awkward. Not this one. Holy smokes. Here's Grizzly Bear on Letterman, playing "Ready, Able" from their fantastic album, Veckatimest. Enjoy.

-Chris

Will Sturgeon

I have made it known that our blog inbox is a complete craps shoot. A large portion of the music we receive is not very well made and often clearly not our taste (see "Tha Pumpsta"). That's why when we get something good in there, it's often surprising to me. And what I found was really good. Will Sturgeon is a 19 year old kid out of California who makes "laptop folk" as he describes it. And that's a very interesting and apt description for what the music sounds like. I listened through it this morning and was instantly hooked. His recent EP, geo geo, consists of seven succinct and very beautiful songs most built around acoustic guitars and melodies. On his website, he said that he did everything himself, and I believe it, it's hard to imagine a more lo-fi listening experience. Not that I'm complaining, because I thought that it still sounded great and very campfirey. Another cool bonus is that the entire album is streaming on Facebook and you can get most of the songs off his MySpace. Big ups to Will for sending this to us, and I strongly recommend that everyone go give his album a shot. If you happen to be too lazy to click the link, you can listen to my favorite song, "Sea/Moon" at the bottom of the post, and hopefully some hype people can get an introduction to Will's music if they don't already know it.

Will Sturgeon - Sea/Moon

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-Donovan