Sometimes I remember I have a blog

I've developed a mild obsession with The Saturday Knights and an intense obsession with this video:

The Saturday Knights - "Count It Off" from Lincoln Leopard Films on Vimeo.

Don't you love authentic looking Sesame Street shiz? And the chorus will be in your head for like 95 days.

Pause and Consider

Because sometimes it's a busy day and you're (read: me) doped up on Benadryl. Enjoy this beautiful song and dance piece.

Visual and Aural Stimulation

Alright, I've been delinquent, I know, but let it be known that I am at work being busy and important...or, you know, banging my head on the wall. Difficult stuff people. I will make this brief.

Who: The Senors of Marseille - Matt Swope, Graham Bishop and Vlad Gutkovich
What: The video to their new music video for their first single "Coolest Girl in New York."
Where: Brooklyn/California/Queens/whatever

Their music is so sweet you'll need an insulin shot. In a good way.



Check out their EP on iTunes (I'm working on the streaming music thing. Bear with me lovers.) and check them out this Thursday, Feb 5th at Parkside Lounge, 9PM

For Shits and Giggles - My Brightest Diamond and Clare and the Reasons "Moon River/Ice, Ice Baby"

Alright, so I made the personal decision to only post about artists that you have little to no hope of finding on the interweb and not those who...well, have been covered by the BBC. Whatever, call me a hypocrite, but this is pure, weird, hipster-y entertainment:


My Brightest Diamond & Clare and the Reasons - "Moon River & Ice, Ice Baby" from Paste Magazine on Vimeo.

Check out Clare and the Reasons at the Abrons Art Center, Jan 31st 8:30 pm, you know, before they leave on tour for Japan.

Fetus Music: The Unusuals

Recently, I caught up with the 3 month old trio, The Unusuals, at Wonderful Studios (which, P.S. was hot as goddamn Africa) to shoot the shit about their just released EP, As Usual. But before we get to that, let's get the basics over with.

Who: The Unusuals, a New York City based trio made up of Daniel Lynas, Yoni Rabino and Brian Trent

What: Feel good, sonic electro folk that makes such perfect use of auto-tune you forget that you hoped and prayed for it's demise every waking moment of your life for the past year. The Unusuals put together an album of upbeat tunes that are so incredibly sunny you're about two seconds from putting on a pair of Wayfarers and pulling out the lounge chair.

Where: Check them out here: The Unusuals on Myspace or download here: The Unusuals - As Usual EP. For instant gratification check them out below:

**Okay, mentally insert here the streaming music player that, because I am vaguely technologically challenged, I just spent an eternity trying to figure out how to embed, but instead I ended up with a midi player that plays Für Elise on repeat. True story. Just...click above, eh?**

Now, back to the tale of Lillian, The Unusuals and the Africa heat.

As previously stated, I met up with the guys at Wonderful Studios (heretofore known as The Lab) while they were hanging out making, well, unusual music, which, later would come to involve interplanetary development, shit tons of vocal delay and auto tune, and a guest appearance made by me in the role of "cosmic dust." No joke. But that's just them at the height of abstraction.

On this first effort The Unusuals have displayed an incredible skill for seamlessly weaving simple vocal ideas over pretty impeccably layered arrangements. Of course, it's made all the more impressive given that they rarely re-record tracks and tend to record parts in under 3 takes. The guys made one thing very clear: there's no pre-meditation to their music.

Daniel defined their work process as "Very vibe-y. We spend a lot of time just playing shit and then it's 'Oh that's a good groove' and then we spend ten minutes getting it down, getting it right. So then it's just, alright let's lay it down. And usually we don't do more than two or three takes of anything."

Adding to the energy is their proclivity to run, not walk, into the booth whenever an idea comes to mind. Literally. I saw it with my own eyes. Do not question. That being said, watching their creative process was one of the most fun musical experiences I've ever been a part of. It was like pre-school music circle time, but with beer. I watched as they deftly hopped from synthesizer, to guitar, to cello, to recording booth without batting an eye. They credit the absence of concrete musical roles with giving them the freedom to experiment and feel equally responsible for their awesomeness.

When it comes to their process The Unusuals described it as very "free flowing and blurry," and opined (yeah I used the word opined, so what?) that "music should be like a thought, like a creative thought," with a "definite aesthetic." As loosey goosey as it all sounds, their music is tight.

Last night I got a rough cut of a new song in my inbox and can't wait until you guys can hear it. Long story short: these guys are good. Like so-much-fun-and-joy-in-your-heart good. How? Is it the beer? No. Is it the sticky icky? Heavens, I don't even know what that is. Should you be telling all your friends about them? Nod your head and say yes.

I'll keep you posted on them.

The Mission

I read blogs. A lot of them. If I could get paid to read music blogs all day I would be the happiest little clam on the planet. That being said, we're missing something in the blog realm and personally I'm ready to fill it. I love the blogs I read but too often they recycle from each other or call someone new that in reality they picked off of NME or Spin. What about the littler, totally unsigned guys? The ones who are sicker than sick but you never hear of, or the guys playing Sunday night gigs just because they're new and/or unlucky, or, whatever, [insert scenario here, kids]? You get the picture.

That's where me, and you, come in. I'll be giving you the tools to be a musician's best friend (music reviews, interviews, upcoming shows and whatever else I can get my hands on) and you will be hearing some seriously new artists that deserve love. Oh, and musicians...don't worry, this will be your space too.

Suckle on the warm gentle teat of musical appreciation.