"Listening To" update

Take a look to the right and I think you'll notice a fully updated "Listening To" section to properly reflect what's been spinning (hard drives, much like records do spin) on my iPod lately. No wasting time on introductions, let's get in to it. Link headers lead to a legal sampling of the music. Enjoy!

Beach House - Beach House
This album has been sitting on my list since Pitchfork praised it a couple years ago. finally having few other ideas as to what to download from eMusic this month I gave it a whirl. The music is synth-focused, droning and ethereal.
I'm not sure if I like it for attentive listening as much as I do for sitting down to read a book or a newspaper while I've got it going in the background.
Note on the video: 2 minutes and 40 seconds in the dude in the band is seen playing a guitar with a long mop of hair and wide-rimmed glasses and looks uncannily similar to my dad when I was much, much younger. Like 1-year-old young.
I wish I had something more significant to say here, but I'm still digesting this one.

Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 - Olé! Tarantula
I've got a theory going about Robyn Hitchcock albums. Much like the best Star Trek films are odd-numbered (or was it even?), the best Robyn Hitchcock albums have green covers. I'm sure there'll be some disagreement among die-hards, but lemme list my favorites: Moss Elixer, I Often Dream of Trains, Queen Elvis and the ever-brilliant psych-folk gem that is Eye. All with a green hue (note that some of the albums are far more green when seen in person compared to these shoddy jpegs.)
Olé I'm happy to say doesn't disappoint, and might well be one of Hitchcock's greatest albums released with a formal band. No disrespect to The Egyptians, but this psych-rock album jangles in ways that few of his other band-backed albums have. Kudos to the Venus 3!

Sera Cahoone - Sera Cahoone
It's autumn, and to me the season is best appreciated with the soft strum of an acoustic guitar and the ethereal cry of a slide guitar. That's where Sera Cahoone comes in, with her music being equal parts Cat Power, Neko Case ("Furnace Room Lullaby" era) and Patsy Cline.
This might be my favorite album from this batch here, and I'm glad I finally nabbed it after Chris recommended it sometime before he moved to Germany. It's been a while, but it stayed on my "Download" list the entire time.

Andrew Bird - Live in Montreal
Little need be said. My man Bird, backed by percussionist/looper extraordinaire Martin Dosh and bassist Jeremy Ylvisaker. Two non-album tracks to whet my appetite for the forthcoming "Noble Beast" in January!!!!

Lambchop - OH (Ohio)
Autumn also deserves the mellow piano-guitar combination brought via Kurt Wagner's expansive troupe of Tennessians. I'm amazed that a band this size (Wikipedia lists 13) can produce such quiet and controlled sounds. But it's due to the band being first and foremost Kurt Wagner and his guitar. I've loved this alleged alt-country band ever since they went lounge on their album Is A Woman in 2002. That was by far their sparsest (and best) album to date. But since then they've fleshed out the background sound but without sacrificing the mellow tone and steady rhythm. Video linked above is gorgeous too.

Emiliana Torrini - Me and Armini
I'm trying to write a review of this album for Nadamuch.com, but my words are failing me. Whatever comes out will probably explain that this album explains why mp3s and iPods are so successful - it's half an album of out-freakin-standing stracks with a number of others that are pretty quickly forgettable.
The best track, and reason I grabbed the album, is linked above. "Jungle Drum" sounds almost like Nancy Sinatra meets Feist's backing band. But where Feist is able to put together an album that sounds instantly classic from beginning to end, Torrini so far cranks out a handful of great songs.
Not that I'm complaining. The songs are great.


Flobots - Fight With Tools
I can write my blog with no internet, no internet, no internet.
Ahem. Yeah I love that song. And the whole album ain't too bad either. Very socially conscious hip-ish and hop-ish group of kids that want you to know that there's a war going on for your mind, and to explain why Anne Braden is a badass. Fun violin plucking weaves in and out of lyrics that can only be described as angry and empowering.

Petra Haden and Woody Jackson
Another oddball release from the world's favorite backup vocalist. I keep wondering if Haden will ever put out a mildly conventional album, and I'm glad to see that she hasn't yet. From the entirely vocal (all the way down to the drums) "Petra Haden Sings The Who's Sell Out" to the also entirely vocal "Imaginary Land," Haden's bread and butter is music that tries to straddle pop-sensibilities and experimentalism at the same time.
In this one, Haden provides her layered vocals with no lyrics and a little violin over Jacksons guitar.

That's it folks!