Jan 25 2008

Rock Band Meme

Category: Uncategorized — dryvetyme @ 01:22

Thanks Courtney!

To start off, go to Wikipedia’s homepage and hit the “Random Article” link in the left-hand tool bar. The article title that emerges is your band’s name. For me, this means I’m Tom McRae, a British singer-songwriter & his backing band (literally, according to the link).

From there, head over to this Random Quotations page and scroll down to the bottom of said page. Use the last four words on the last quote on the page to determine the name of your band’s debut album. Tom McRae is releasing an album entitled “Will Instantly Fill It”. This is obviously an homage to an idealized childhood when kids think that the fridge & cupboard are always full of food; i.e., Dad/Mom always have the resources to instantly fill any lack the kids might perceive.

And, last but not least, mosey on over to Flickr and click the “Explore” link, located near the bottom of the page. The 3rd picture that pops up will be your album’s title.

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(P. S. — Thanks to Mike Dillamore for the pic!)

And thus, it seems that with the copious amounts of wood on the cover, Tom McRae’s debut album, “Will Instantly Fill It” is not an homage to childhood, but an album rife with sexual innuendo and ruminations of his heady years of pub-crawling and bar-hopping during and immediately after his time in college.

Enjoy the album folks! Feel free to play along on your blogs!

Jan 24 2008

Loom - Angler

Category: Music In My Ears — dryvetyme @ 11:09

Loom
Angler
Exigent Records; 2008

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Music reviews of all shapes and sizes tend to have the annoying habit of throwing adjectives about like candy in a parade to the point that the words have as much meaning as those trampled pieces of sugar have nutritional value. This by no means the fault of the group whose music is being discussed — they might honestly the energetic, eclectic act the review purports them to be, but too often the reviewer is out to make a statement about his/her own literary finesse without actually talking about the actual music. So, when an EP like Angler from the Salt Lake City, UT-based outfit Loom jumps out of the speakers with intensity and ferocity, it’s time to leave the sugar-coating behind and talk about some rock. This five-piece has composed five songs that emanate ferocity and fervor, employing a jagged, angular, and often discordant post-rock sound that calls to mind bands like Cursive and At The Drive In. The band features big throaty gang vocals, guitar lines that wind and twist artfully about with the group’s violinist, and evocative lyrics like “We pay cash for petty dreams. You can’t duplicate, copy, and paste,” (from “Castles”) or “We’ve whispered for too long. It’s time to yell and set it straight and start anew,” (from “Yell”). Loom is a band whose music is brimming with intensity and passion, and there’s no adjective needed to modify those nouns.

Jan 23 2008

Pomegranates - Two Eyes EP

Category: Music In My Ears — dryvetyme @ 10:41

Hot off the presses comes my review of the Two Eyes EP by Pomegranates, a rather delectable little piece of music. The band’s debut full-length should be dropping in April 2008, courtesy of Lujo Records.

Jan 22 2008

Slingshot Dakota - Their Dreams are Dead, but Ours is the Golden Ghost

Category: Music In My Ears — dryvetyme @ 01:29

Slingshot Dakota
Their Dreams are Dead, but Ours is The Golden Ghost
Self-Released; 2008

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As any testosterone-filled, indie-rock-loving male can openly attest, women who make music are ridiculously attractive, for a variety of reasons. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re attempting (with various degrees of success) to inject themselves into the male-dominated hegemony that is rock-n-roll. Then again, it could be because guys actually do tire of looking at other guys on stage all the time. Whatever it might be, there’s something unbelievably appealing about an intelligent, creative, passionate woman pouring her heart out through her music, without having to worry about whether or not she’ll show up in the tabloids hanging out with some sleazy reality show “star” or flashing her crotch for the world to see. Even so, women are typically confined to two musical camps: the coquettish, over-sexed tarts who smile demurely from their PR material or the abrasive, antagonistic grrrls who serve as the over-the-top foils to the sex kittens.

Thus, the most amazing aspect of Brooklyn-based duo Slingshot Dakota’s sophomore album, Their Dreams are Dead, but Ours is the Golden Ghost, is that the active attempt to defy musical convention regarding the places normally inhabited by female musicians. Carly Comando’s clear, strong voice projects a world-weary romanticism evident in her lyrics, but they run beautifully counter to her thick, fuzz-drenched keyboard lines and the powerful, hardcore-influenced drumming of Tom Patterson. The result is a 10-song album that is neither sweet nor sour, saccharine nor surly — instead, the listener is presented with a refreshingly strong, emotionally honest album, filled with compelling indie-pop anthems. Songs like “Until the Day I Die,” “Tour Song,” and “Ohio!” make this album a great companion for long-distance drives with friends and/or lovers. Their Dreams are Dead, but Ours is the Golden Ghost is a record that calls to mind the best in musical synchronicity and could serve to restore people’s faith in the ability of good music (and a good woman) to defy marketing trends.

**Download “Ohio!”**
**Download “Tour Song”**

Jan 21 2008

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Category: Uncategorized — dryvetyme @ 01:06

For those of us living in American, today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a day set aside for Americans to remember the contributions of the great civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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For me, a 20-something white male who grew up in the South but came to be of a rather liberal political persuasion, this day holds an assortment of meanings for me. 1) Because of Dr. King, I was bussed across town for most of Elementary and Middle School, thus exposing me to cultures outside of those in my neighborhood (African-American and Vietnamese-American, to be specific). 2) Because of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement, I and other Americans have an amazing model for grassroots activism, for how to stand up for one’s beliefs, principles, and rights, without resorting to violence. 3) Because of Dr. King, I’m able to grasp how to live, breathe, and dream, even though there are attacking coming from all sides. In those three instances (and I’m sure that there are more that I can’t think of at the moment), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gives me a blueprint on how to both follow Jesus and to model my life after the example that Jesus set out for all humanity. Dr. King wasn’t perfect (and none of us are), but he also knew that God had grace for him each time he did fail — and that is something with which I can truly resonate.

In the end, to me, what Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is all about is first to honor the memory and accomplishments of a great American and then to dig deep within our individual and collective psyches in order to possibly bring about some of that same greatness in each of us and in our nation. If we do not learn from the past, we are bound to both repeat our horrible mistakes and to forget how we accomplished our beautiful successes. Thank you, Dr. King, for your words, your lessons, and your life.

A Collection of speeches from Martin Luther King, Jr.
Highlights include:
I Have A Dream
Letter From Birmingham Jail
Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech
Beyond Vietnam
I’ve Been to the Mountaintop

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