Take a taste:
The Presets - "If I Know You" (mp3)
February 26, 2009
Dance Jukebox: The Presets - "If I Know You"
The Presets—Australia's second biggest dance party after Cut Copy—made a giant international splash last year with Apocalypso. The duo recently released its fifth and final single off the record—"If I Know You." The song is worth checking out (mp3 below), but not before you watch its music video. The story line's hard to follow, so here it goes: On the way to school, our teenage protagonist—angry at the world—begins a cathartic dance routine a la Kevin Bacon in Footloose. After a few leaps and pirouettes, he ends up loosing his shirt, meeting a few friends, and dancing around a bonfire. Just your average teenage morning.
February 25, 2009
Brighten Your Day with...The Tallest Man On Earth
The Tallest Man On Earth is the solo project of Scandanavian folk singer Kristian Matsson. And he makes timeless music. Whether it's popping and crackling off an LP or being delivered crisply through your iPod's headphones, Matsson’s songs have an inherently pre-listened quality to them. Hearing the song “Pistol Dreams” is like remembering you have an old pair of sneakers in the closet. You already know what they feel like, but when you try them on again your reminded of just how comfortable they really are.
Try on a pair:
The Tallest Man On Earth - "Pistol Dreams" (mp3)
February 23, 2009
Live: M. Ward at 6th and I
Review via Washingtonian:
I learned two things Saturday night at the 6th and I Synagogue. First, the Vivian Girls, who opened the show, are not very good. Lead singer Cassie Ramone’s reverb-drenched guitar and droning vocals sounded like a puddle of undecipherable mud. The trio’s banter between songs turned out to be equally as bad when, at one point, the girls giggled over whether “Obummer” or “Obomber” would be a more apt title for a failed Obama administration.Second, M. Ward is even more captivating in person than he is on record—and that’s no easy feat. Armed with just an acoustic guitar and harmonica, the achy-voiced songwriter showed more variety in his opening song, “Fuel For Fire,” than the Vivian Girls did in their entire monotonous performance.Ward’s set, which he played half solo and half with his five-piece band, consisted of a carefully chosen collection of obscure gems (“Undertaker”), fan favorites (“Poison Cup”), and classy covers, including “Let’s Dance” (David Bowie), “Story of An Artist” (Daniel Johnston) and “Rave On” (Buddy Holly). Ward, who recently gained attention for his collaboration with actress Zooey Deschanel, also tried out lead vocals on the She & Him penned-track “Change Is Hard.” The song, like the rest of his performance, was a roaring success.The oft-restrained musician even revealed himself to be a bit of a showman when he finger-picked his guitar into an intricate frenzy during the John Fahey tribute, “Bean Vine Blues #2.” The maximum-capacity crowd responded with dutifully raucous and appreciative applause.Ward saved his biggest crowd pleaser for last: the harmony-fueled sing-along “Magic Trick”—a satisfyingly bittersweet farewell.
Try out the set opener off 2005's Transistor Radio:
M. Ward - "Fuel For Fire" (mp3) (featuring Jim James of My Morning Jacket)
February 20, 2009
February 19, 2009
Dance Jukebox: Cut Copy - "Saturday"
Cut Copy, a couple of dance-happy and synthesizer-obsessed Aussies, formed back in 2001 in Melbourne. Many of the band's influences date back to the 1980's New Wave movement, but their 2004 single, "Saturday," is all about the disco. It works best when played loud.
Take a taste:
Cut Copy - "Saturday" (mp3)
February 17, 2009
Brighten Your Day with...Vetiver
“Swing the bass / And the sing the praises of a love so fine,” sings Vetiver frontman Andy Cabic on the band's new album Tight Knit. The song, “More of this,” is a celebration of the narrator's last moments with someone before heading out onto the road:
It won’t be long before I have to leave.
I could use more time alone with you.
That just might carry me through.
The song is a happy mess of dancing acoustic and electric guitars over a steady bass and popping snare drum. Cabic, a longtime collaborator of lovable oddball Devendra Banhart, steers away from his more experimental side on the record. Here, he's just having fun.
Take a taste:
Vetiver - "More of This" (mp3)
February 16, 2009
Introducing: Gentleman Jesse
Jesse Smith plays a short, sweet, and hook-filled brand of rock and roll. His self-titled debut— Gentleman Jesse & His Men—is an assortment of foot-stomping rhythms, jangling guitars, and catchy vocal harmonies akin to Buddy Holly & The Crickets.
Formerly a bassist and guitarist for Atlanta punk outfit The Carbonas, Smith brings a straightforward and aggressive approach to his music. There’s no soloing or needless wandering; it’s fast and direct pop music that immediately catches your ear.
Formerly a bassist and guitarist for Atlanta punk outfit The Carbonas, Smith brings a straightforward and aggressive approach to his music. There’s no soloing or needless wandering; it’s fast and direct pop music that immediately catches your ear.
Smith is a flag bearer of sorts for a style of rock perfected by Elvis Costello, Wreckless Eric, and most recently, the Exploding Hearts. The Exploding Hearts released one of the greatest pop-punk records of all time in 2003 with Guitar Romantic. Tragically, just four months after the record’s release, three of the four band members were killed in a car accident.
Gentleman Jesse & His Men keep the Hearts’ classic sound alive with songs like “Highland Crawler,” “Black Hole” and “All I Need Tonight (Is You)." It's a simple formula—power chords, snare drum, sing-a-long choruses—and it's nothing new, but who really cares? It's damn good.
Take a taste:
Gentleman Jesse - "All I Need Tonight (Is You)" (mp3)
The Exploding Hearts - "Sleeping Aides and Razor Blades" (mp3)
Buy Gentleman Jesse: Amazon, EMusic, iTunes
Buy Gentleman Jesse: Amazon, EMusic, iTunes
February 12, 2009
Digging for Covers: Al Green meets The Beatles
Al Green recorded his take of the Beatles’ classic “I Want To Hold Your Hand” in 1969, six years after its original 1963 release. It’s a daunting task taking on the Beatles best-selling single of all-time, especially when the band was still together. But it was no problem for Green. He dialed up the funk and transformed one of Lennon and McCartney's best rock songs into sweet honey-dripping soul.Al Green - "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (mp3)
February 9, 2009
Look Out For: M. Ward - Hold Time
M. Ward's songs chug along like an antique coal train where—if you listen—you can hear the clunk and creak of every movement. His train is worn and filled with spit and grime, but it produces a beautiful racket. On Hold Time, due out February 17, Ward greases the wheels on the tired singer-songwriter genre and produces his best and most complete work to date.
The classically-trained guitarist finger-picks, strums, and scratches his steel strings into shuffling rhythms that crackle and pop like they're playing from an old AM station. But Ward's not just banging pots and pans. The songs on Hold Time drift just as beautifully as they drive, often providing a quiet backdrop for his achy voice.
On the album’s second track, “Never Had Nobody Like You,” Ward teams with Zooey Deschanel, the other half of throwback pop-duo She & Him. The tandem's harmony on the chorus—"Now it's just like A, B, C; Life's just like 1, 2, 3"—is a warm blanket of sweet and throaty vocals paired with fuzzy distorted guitars.
The classically-trained guitarist finger-picks, strums, and scratches his steel strings into shuffling rhythms that crackle and pop like they're playing from an old AM station. But Ward's not just banging pots and pans. The songs on Hold Time drift just as beautifully as they drive, often providing a quiet backdrop for his achy voice.
On the album’s second track, “Never Had Nobody Like You,” Ward teams with Zooey Deschanel, the other half of throwback pop-duo She & Him. The tandem's harmony on the chorus—"Now it's just like A, B, C; Life's just like 1, 2, 3"—is a warm blanket of sweet and throaty vocals paired with fuzzy distorted guitars.
Take a taste:
M. Ward - "Never Had Nobody Like You" (mp3)
Buy: Amazon
February 1, 2009
Show Reviews
- Deer Tick (Kennedy School, Sept. 16)
- Flamings Lips, Stardeath and White Dwarfs (Edgefield, August 20)
- Gentleman Jesse & His Men, The Black Lips (Black Cat, March 5)
- Grizzly Bear (930 Club, June 1)
- Langhorne Slim (Iota, April 2)
- Local Natives (Black Cat, June 7)
- M. Ward, Vivian Girls (6th & I, February 21)
- Marah (Iota, February 27)
- Phoenix (Rock and Roll Hotel, June 21)
- The Soft Pack, Friendly Fires, White Lies (Black Cat, March 24)
- TV On The Radio (930 Club, June 8)
- Vetiver (Iota, May 2)
Contact
Please send all music submissions to Everybody Taste via email. For questions about a particular artist or album, please use the comments section below each post. Thank you.Email:
Digging For Covers: The Guide
The Beatles
Bruce Springsteen
The Cure
David Bowie
Harry Nilsson
INXS
Jimmy Cliff
Johnny Cash
Kinks
Leonard Cohen
- Johnny Cash - "Bird On A Wire"
- Serena Ryder - "Sisters of Mercy"
- Nina Simone - "Suzanne"
- Vandaveer - "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
- Rufus Wainwright - "Chelsea Hotel, No. 2"
- Walkmen - "Passing By"
Oasis
Prince
The Smiths
The Velvet Underground
Various
- Deer Tick covers Sean Kingston - "Beautiful Girls"
- Jack Johnson and G. Love cover Madonna - "Holiday"
- The Jags cover Cat Stevens - "Here Comes My Baby"
- Jim James covers George Harrison - "Behind That Locked Door"
- Miles Fisher covers The Talking Heads - "This Must Be The Place"
- Redbird covers REM - "You Are The Everything"
- Sharon Jones covers Kenny Rogers - "What Condition My Condition Was In"
- The Soft Pack covers Phoenix - "Fences"
- Vetiver cover Bobby Charles - "I Must Be In A Good Place Now"
- Clem Snide covers Ritchie Valens - "Donna"
Photo by Cherry Pickens
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