Arcade Fire

What's been dominating my car stereo:

Arcade Fire, The Funeral

Supposedly, this is all Spike Jonze listened to when writing the screenplay for "Where The Wild Things Are." I bought the album unaware of any of its connections with the film until I heard "Wake Up" and recognized it as the song on the commercial trailer. I had heard other singles from the band, including Intervention and Keep the Car Running, and waited way too long to buy The Funeral.

I was surprised to find out there are like 12 band members in Arcade Fire playing guitars, whistling, banging pots and pans and what have you; yet, it is surprisingly well-orchestrated its complexity only adds to the sound.

Go get this album if you don't already own it.

Casual Listening: Greyspoke

So here's my second installment of Casual Listening; a weekly or bi-weekly (or more!) thread where I will present some bands/artists that are under the radar or perhaps under appreciated.

Last week I introduced UK rock band, The Kooks. When I first heard them it was like a breath of fresh air. I feel they offer today's rock some much-needed punkishness and good-old flick-your-cigarette grit. But that is for you to decide.

I'm doing a 360 in presenting this week's artist so bear with me. The band is Greyspoke, a jam band via the saturated Burlington, Vt., bar circuit.

Greyspoke (photo courtesy of the band's MySpace page)

I saw Greyspoke once, at a small bar across from the Saratoga Race Course in 2007. I chatted with the lead guitarist, Rob, over drinks following the show and gained a respect for the band as I learned that they work very hard day in and day out to refine their sound and stand apart from their jammer counterparts. Not to mention, a lot of my friends that attended Postdam in Upstate New York know them as the "band next door," the guys that played all the house parties; so I figure I will give them a shout.

Yes, I suppose they would be classified as a jam band; but the modern type: modeled after the Grateful Dead, rather than Phish, mixed with a splash of funk and Americana. From what I understand, the lead singer's dad is a member of the festival staple Grateful Dead tribute (for lack of a better word) band Dark Star Orchestra, which performs GD set lists song-for-song (I've also had the chance to see DSO and it was great). That said, it's evident they take plenty away from the Dead's music, and I've heard them do covers of some very difficult electric Dead songs, but what impresses me is that they have created their own sound while still retaining some of the qualities that made the Dead great.

Here is their bio from their MySpace page:

"In their sixth year as a band, Greyspoke is gaining notoriety in the live music community with a blend of hard rock, funk, jazz and an occasional tangent of psychedelia. These longtime friends have taken the stage at venues, parties, and festivals, from New England to Ohio, upstate New York, NYC, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and up and down Vermont, where all four of the band’s original members grew up and started to write and jam together. This spring they will release their first live album, a compilation of tracks recorded at their fall Nectar's residency. The band is currently finishing up their first studio album, which is due out come late summer/early fall."

I look forward to getting my hands on a copy of their live release. In the meantime, keep on the look out for these up-and-comers.

Give em a listen!

Good luck guys!

(Notice the new Casual Listening logo! subject to change)

-J

The Kooks

I am going to start a new weekly department (yet to be named/designed), where I highlight some bands that I feel need a little recognition.

I will try to embed playlists like I did this week; otherwise, it will be my thoughts and links/photos.
Week One highlights UK punk/rock act The Kooks. The Kooks have been blowing up the scene both in America and overseas. They invoke thoughts of vintage UK punk acts like the Clash, Kinks, The Smiths and I'm sure they spent a lot of time listening to the Rolling Stones, The Ramones and Velvet Underground. Here is a link to their site:THE KOOKS.

The Kooks