Audio Drums

Latest release from their fortch coming album, “Skeletal Lamping”, which is due out October 7th, 2008.

last.fm bio:

of Montreal (formed in 1997) are an indie pop band from Athens, Georgia, United States, fronted by Kevin Barnes.

They were among the second wave of groups to emerge from The Elephant 6 Recording Company and the group has a style that is typical of many Elephant 6 bands due to their interest in combining musical experimentation with the basic tenets of pop i.e. catchy melodies and sing-along choruses. The band’s style has been influenced by conventional indie pop, psychedelic music, vaudeville and music hall on their earlier releases and by afrobeat, funk, krautrock and reggae on their recent releases.

The band’s style has been known to change between albums. At first, the band embraced a more simple, quirky, lo-fi indie pop sound, which occasionally bordered on twee pop. The band was created by Kevin Barnes and named after a failed romance with a woman from Montreal, though the story changes in various interviews. Barnes was the only member of the “group” prior to his relocation to Athens, Georgia. There, he met Derek Almstead, later of Circulatory System, M Coast, Elf Power etc., and Bryan Poole, who also performs as The Late B.P. Helium.

Together, they recorded their first album, Cherry Peel, as well as The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit’s Flower and The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy.
A number of singles and a re-release of The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit’s Flower occurred before the release of the band’s third album, The Gay Parade in 1999. With contributions from several members of the Elephant Six collective at the time, it also featured artwork from Kevin’s brother David Barnes, who would continue to do artwork for future albums.

This album marked that the band had moved to a fuller sound, which is also found on its follow-up, Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse. These two albums contain more narrative lyrics, as opposed to the rather personal lyrical matter of those preceding it, and often imitating the style of old 1950s radio plays.
After production on The Gay Parade began in 1998, Poole left the band to focus on his duties with Elf Power, another Elephant Six band from Athens. Barnes also recruited Jamey Huggins and Dottie Alexander, who had been performing together as Lightning Bug vs. Firefly, to play various instruments. Derek moved from drums to bass. The band was joined soon after by Marshmallow Coast’s Andy Gonzales.
Following the release of The Gay Parade, the band signed with Kindercore Records, who would release a number of singles and compilations. It wasn’t until 2001 that Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse would be released as a new album with original material. The album again featured contributions from across the Elephant 6 spectrum.

In 2002, Aldhils Arboretum was released, with a slightly different sound than its predecessors, as the songs were more directly structured. This album marks the beginning of the change in of Montreal’s sound, with more danceable rhythms than ever before, especially on the album’s closer, “Death Dance Of The Omipapas and Sons For You”. A successful tour ensued, including of Montreal’s first trip to the UK, along with a tour-only EP.
Kindercore Records would fold shortly after the release of Arboretum, and of Montreal’s status was also threatened. Kevin got married, and Andy and Derek left the band. Barnes, being uncomfortable with the unrest, as well as some divisions within the band, took to writing and performing their 2004 album Satanic Panic in the Attic mostly by himself. Released by Polyvinyl Records, it became one of their more successful efforts to that point. The 2004 tour saw The Late B.P. Helium (Bryan Poole) rejoin the band, with some bass played by Kevin’s partner Nina Barnes. The album marked a shift to an The sound shifted to something more electronic with traditional structures, to be further advanced in later albums and new songs. In their most recent releases and concerts, the band has fully embraced a sort of techno-pop glam image, with little of their previous incarnations surfacing. This style is featured in singles such as PlayDisconnect the Dots. The style would continue to evolve into 2005’s The Sunlandic Twins, which was even more a Barnes solo effort. Recorded in Athens, with the exception of one track recorded in Norway, it was a much more pronounced electronic album. The album became a success, mostly due to the singles “So Begins Our Alabee” and the MTV clip for “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (and Other Games)”.

The band released several collections of singles in early 2006. Barnes recorded most of the band’s 2007 release, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, by himself while living in Norway and Athens, Georgia. The switch to autobiographical themes of suicide, depression and isolation of the album was a direct product of his troubled personal life during that period.

of Montreal’s next album, Skeletal Lamping, is scheduled to be released in October 2008.

Lyrically, their style has changed dramatically throughout the years. In the beginning, many songs were narratives of personal or humorous situations, such as “Tim, I Wish You Were Born A Girl”, from Cherry Peel. This style, however, changed with The Gay Parade, where many songs involve small narratives surrounding invented characters (in songs such as “Jacques Lamure”, “The Autobiographical Grandpa”, “Mimi Merlot” and “Rose Robert”). Others act as extracts from fictional conversations (“Advice From a Divorced Gentleman to His Bachelor Friend Considering Marriage” and “Good Morning Mr. Edminton” as examples). With Aldhils Arboretum came a slight return to the previous writing style, except following more poppy, classical lyrical structures (such as the use of choruses, which are generally absent in the Gay Parade/Coquelicot years). This style continued throughout Satanic Panic and The Sunlandic Twins to some extent. On the band’s most recent album, Hissing Fauna: Are You the Destroyer?, the lyrics are much more personal than previously used, with songs detailing emotions within the speaker.

Another unique quality of the band is the fusion of ostensibly gloomy lyrics with bouncy, upbeat melodies and hooks. On Aldhils Arboretum, for example, the lyrics for tracks like “Doing Nothing” and “Old People in the Cemetery” focus on apathy, loneliness or death while being contrasted with cheerful instrumentation. Another example of this tendency is shown in their choice of covers; for example, Yoko Ono’s “I Felt Like Smashing my Head Through a Clear Glass Window” from The Bird Who Continues to Eat the Rabbit’s Flower.

True to the style of most Elephant 6 recording artists, of Montreal’s members have been in a variety of side projects and other bands:
The band itself has performed as the backing band for Marshmallow Coast on record and on tour.

My First Keyboard was the pseudonym used by Dottie Alexander to release the song “The You I Created” on the Kindercore singles club. of Montreal acted as her backing band.

Kevin Barnes did a comedy tour with his wife, Nina, and his brother, David, called “A Pollinaire Rave”.
Jamey Huggins released an album under the name James Husband, which featured a cover of The Beatles’ “We Can Work it Out”.
Bryan Poole has a solo career as The Late B.P. Helium.
Kevin Barnes has recently been collaborating with Andrew VanWyngarden from MGMT, on a project called Blikk Fang (formerly Ocelot Fang).
Derek Almstead has worked with many artists as a musician and engineer including his collaboration with Andy Gonzales - M Coast, Elf Power, Circulatory System, and many more.
Kevin Barnes played keyboard in a song on Bright Eyes’ album Letting Off the Happiness.
The song “Wraith Pinned to the Mist (And Other Games)” can be heard on radio and television commercials with words changed for an advertisement for Outback Steakhouse. Similarly, their song “Every Day Feels Like Sunday” was used in television commercials for NASDAQ and Garmin GPS systems.

of Montreal - Nonpareil of Favor

Playful midtempo track from Jack Johnson’s 2005 release titled “In Between Dreams”.

Last.fm bio:

Jack Johnson (born May 18, 1975) is a Hawaii-born singer-songwriter, accomplished professional surfer and filmmaker who has achieved commercial success and a dedicated following since he first appeared on G. Love & Special Sauce’s album Philadelphonic. The release of his 2001 debut album, Brushfire Fairytales further cemented his popularity.

Jack learned to play the guitar at age 14, and was a professional surfer until an accident at Pipeline in which his front teeth were knocked out and he received more than 150 stitches. While he was recovering in bed, he spent his time writing songs and playing guitar. However, Jack didn’t seriously pursue a career in the arts until his college years at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Jack Johnson also played rhythm guitar for the party band “Soil”, and graduated with a degree in film.

He has written, recorded, and released the albums Brushfire Fairytales (2001), On and On (2003), In Between Dreams (2005), Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies For The Film Curious George (2006) and Sleep Through The Static (2008), he has also been on 3 soundtracks “September Sessions” from the film The September Sessions, “Thicker Than Water” from the film Thicker Than Water, “Sprout”, “A Broke Down Melody” Ep and “Some Live Songs EP”. Several of his songs are also featured in the movie “Out Cold”. His latest album - Sleep Through The Static - is among the top 10 of the US charts at present, as can be seen at http://mp3walls.com/.

Lryics:

I hope this old train breaks down
Then I could take a walk around
And, see what there is to see
And time is just a melody
All the people in the street
Walk as fast as their feet can take them
I just roam through town
And though my windows got a view
The frame I’m looking through
Seems to have no concern for me now
So for now I,

I need this here
Old train to breakdown
Oh please just
Let me please breakdown

This engine screams out loud
Saying the beat gunna crawl westbound
I don’t even make a sound
Cause its gunna sting me when I leave this town
And the people in the street
That I’ll never get to meet
If these tracks dont bend somehow
And I got no time
That I got to get to
Where I don’t need to be
So I,

I need this here
Old train to breakdown
Oh please just
Let me please breakdown
I need this here
Old train to breakdown
Oh please just
Let me please breakdown

I wanna break on down
But I can’t stop now
Let me break on down
But you cant stop nothing
If you got no control
Of the thoughts in your mind
That you kept in you know
You dont know nothing
But you dont need to know
The wisdoms in the trees
Not the glass windows

You can’t stop wishing
If you dont let go
But things that you find
And you lose and you know
You keep on rolling
Put the moment on hold
The frames too bright
So put the blinds down low

Jack Johnson - Breakdown

Crackling vinyl always gets me, and this track has a wonderful sample with that old friendly sound.

last.fm bio:

The Russian Futurists are a Canadian indie-pop band based in Toronto. Their music has been defined as lo-fi and indie-electronica. Although The Russian Futurists initially had only one member, Matthew Adam Hart, the band was later enlarged. The band debuted in 2000 with The Method of Modern Love, which was praised by music stars such as Graham Coxon and Peter Buck. In 2004 the band toured in the U.S., Canada and Spain.

Russian Futurists - Still Life

Off Greg Weeks 2001 release, “Awake Like Sleep” is this very personal and slightly disturbing tale of pain. Think Elliot Smith with a Moog and Mellotron.

Last.fm Bio:

Greg Weeks is a singer-songwriter. His music has been described as folk, acoustic, psychedelic and experimental. He is now a member of Espers, a neo-psychedelic folk band from Philadelphia.

His song “Made” was featured in the “Pink” adicolor video, which was directed by Charlie White.

Greg Weeks - Made

Lryics

“Made”

A silence a sway/
A gesture a wild sashay/
Can make your today/
And then take it all away/
They made us this way/
For what they can never say/
Sent us on our way/
It’s useless to make them pay/

Holding ground

“Just live for today”/
‘Least that’s what they try and say/
They say “Pay, pay, pay/
And we’ll take your pain away/

Holding ground

So much for today/
So much for the days of May/
So much is passe/
Please just make it fade away/

Update: This song was also featured on Weeds (Showtime) at the end credits.

Great indie rock from these boys (aka Longwave) from New York, who have a special ability of making very emotionally charged indie rock.  Reminds me at times of Death Cab for Cutie.

last.fm bio:

Since 1999, Longwave has been one of the New York City’s leading exports. After the success of Endsongs , their 2000 independent release, the band signed with RCA Records and began work with producer Dave Fridmann, known for his efforts with the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. The resulting album, The Strangest Things, led to critical raves and tours across all parts of this earth with the likes of The Strokes and The Vines. Longwave followed up on the success of The Strangest Things by entering the studio in 2004 with famed producer John Leckie, whose work with Radiohead and Pink Floyd endeared him to the critical taste of the band, and There’s a Fire was released in 2005. With a return to the studio planned for late 2007, Longwave finds itself on the list of indispensable listening for the first part of this millennium. Expect them to stay there.

Longwave - Sirens in the Deep

Fans of Crowded House and Bishop Allen will surely fall for “Sunny Day Sets Fire”, with their brand of indie psychedelic pop.

myspace bio:

Sunny Day Sets Fire have five members, hailing from four countries with three singles under their belt in the past two years; all leading up to one very anticipated debut album.

Multi-instrumentalists Mauro and Onyee met while working as ushers at a London repertoire cinema. The two shared a vision of theatre, art and music and when Mauro began writing a collection of ambitious sunshine psych songs, mutual friend Max was asked to join the group. The founding members of Sunny Day Sets Fire (the name came simply from an internet band name generator) began experimenting with every possible trick to realise the impossible task of performing music written for a small orchestra. Over the next two years, the original members released a succession of singles across Europe, the US and Australia and saw the incremental additions of Ed (bass) and Matthew (drums). Collectively hailing from Italy, Hong Kong, Sardinia, England and Canada; Sunny Day Sets Fire built a nest in East London and began working on their debut album, Summer Palace, throughout 2007.

The band will be touring throughout Europe and the US in 2008, supporting the release of Summer Palace, as well as the upcoming Stranger remix EP featuring remixes by the likes of CSS, Diplo and the Cool Kids. It’s enough to make you burn your passport and declare yourself a converted citizen of the world.

Sunny Day Sets Fire - Wilderness

Feeling like a some what lost acoustic track from The Beatles White Album, this track from Hallelujah hovers and glides like a paper airplane on gorgeous fall day. This track was originally released back in 1971 on their album titled, “Hallelujah Babe”.

Hallelujah was made up of :
Paul Vincent - guitars, vocals
Keith Forsey - drums, vocals
Pete “Funk” Wood - keyboards
Rick Kemp - bass

Hallalujah - The Winter Song