Tortoise Video

Here is a nice little music video video by S.M.S. favorite Tortoise. Tortoise is (mostly) instrumental rock band from Chicago. They play what i like to call "intellectual rock", but wikipedia calls "post-rock". Whatever you call it, the new video is good. The song is "Prepare your coffin".

Dark Night of the Soul

Dark night of the Soul is an album written by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse. It is the latest work by Dangermouse, who has been producing and writing prolifically since his never-released 2004 The Grey Album. Dark Night of the Soul is a deep and mysterious album that would have been packaged with a 100 page book with original photographs by the director David Lynch that go along with the music.

Unfortunately due to yet another dispute with EMI (see Grey Album), this album my never be released. The 5000 lucky owners of the package set featuring David Lynch's work received only a blank cd (presumably for burning your own copy) with the word's "For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will." For now the only way to listen to this album is streaming over NPR's first listen series. check that out before it dissappears into EMI's own tomb of lost records.

Other places on the web...

We have found a particularly cool blog that posts some great and sometimes weird stuff from Africa. The Blog is called Awesome Tapes from Africa. In africa the preferred medium for recording is still the tape. This author uploads his favorite tapes he collected while living in Africa. So check that out. Obviously I'm putting this in our links bar

This picture is the cover of a tape by Na Ramata Diakite from that blogs latest. I'll let you read up on that musician at Awesome Tapes from Africa.

A drink & A Song

So we have decided to start up a little column called A Drink & A Song. We will pick our favorite mp3 off the web, and combine it with a tasty mixed drink to match. This week's mp3 is a fantastic song called Furr off of Blitzen Trapper's new Album Furr. This week's Drink is a bourbon Sour.

Furr(mp3) + A Bourbon Sour

The Bourbon Sour complements the Blitzen Trapper's coming-of-age song perfectly. The wild roaming of youth is captured in the drink's sour ingredients. The settling down metaphor fits the slightly smokier, more pungent taste added by the bourbon. coincidentally the bourbon is how this drink distinguishes itself from its cousin, the Whiskey Sour.

Instructions for the Bourbon Sour.

1) fill a glass with ice

2) add bourbon (2 oz.)

3) add lemon juice (1 oz.)

4) add simple syrup (1 oz.)

5) stir until thoroughly mixed

6) add maraschino cherry to the bottom of the glass

and a lemon wedge on the rim

7) enjoy Blitzen Trapper's wonderful tune Furr

directions from www.ehow.com

The BLK JKS

The BLK JKS are a awesome combination of indie- rock, psychedelic, and South Africa grooves. The band is from Johannesburg, South Africa, and they just released their new EP called Mystery. I just finished listening to the EP, and I think its great. They a have a winning combination of clever lyrics (most of which are in english), and psychedelic south african grooves.

The label has been generous enough to allow you to download one fourth of the four song EP off their website. I have linked to that song called Lakeside below. Unfortunately, I think Lakeside is the song on the EP least likely to make an impression in swirl of promotional indie-rock songs floating through the blogosphere. So I have embedded a Youtube video of another, more jam-band-y song of that EP for your enjoyment.

Lakeside (mp3)

departureTunes

...ahhh, the sweet triumphant release of finals! the last one is the kicker, so now i can begin to write at great length on this here blogosphere. i've also melted a little bit, so some possible loose-tongue may give it away! The playlist for driving home so far:

Departure Tunes 1

So far, I give 10/10 Watermellies to Manitoba's song "Schedules & Fares" from Start Breaking My Heart as well as Sufjan Stevens' Seven Swans title track. I hear a lot of people don't like Sufjan Stevens. Some of the those people feel the same way about Iron & Wine. Well, I'm sorry. This Sufjan song is just massive, so listen to it.

"AT 6 OR 7:30 THIS MORNING, THE WORDS STARTED SWIMMING OFF THE PAGE. EVERYTHING GOT ALL WOBBLY," says Eric. Wowie.

Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood

As Smitchell aptly noticed, St. Vincent's new album Actor is quite good.

Part I of my anti-Effexor binge was spent listening to Actor on Lala.com's app. on Pitchfork. Bring on the electrical brain jolts. I might melt a little and recommend a few more albums, such as Animal Collective's Meriweather Post Pavillion. If you do not own it, buy it. 100 Watermellies.

So, I wholeheartedly recommend St. Vincent's Actor.

Dan Deacon

I think of two words when I think of electronic artist Dan Deacon-sensory overload. That being said he has the ability to make some of the most amazing sounding electronic music i have ever heard. His new album is called Bromst, and from what little I have heard of it I think it is very good.

Dan Deacon has been very good to his fans by providing a whole Mp3 page full of goodies. I have to admit I haven't had time to filter through all of them.My favorite free mp3 so far is My Name is Robert, but I am also linking to a song only identifiable on his site as 1201 Extended. I think this song shows more of his orchestral abilities.

My Name is Robert(mp3)

1201 Extended (mp3)

I have also posted a nice little music video called crazy cat to illustrate my point about sensory overload. enjoy

NPR First Listen: St. Vincent

Here at Sounds Make Sense We like to support Public Radio, Hearing Albums before they are released, and we also like the former guitarist for the Polyphonic Spree, Annie Clark. That being said its easy to recommend her new album "Actor" under the name St. Vincent. It is being played over at NPR's First Listen Series here.