A.V. Club Madison and WUD Music present The AV Club’s Jarringly Obscure Trivia Challenge

Have an intense knowledge of useless information? Come down to the A.V. Club’s Jarringly Obscure Trivia Challenge this Friday at 5:00 at Der Rathskeller. Winning team of five gets a cool WUD Music Prize Pack. For more information, email jeash [at] wisc.edu.

Norway

Since pretty much every source on the internet seems to be gushing over the new Beach House album, I might as well, too. Beach House have been one of my favorite bands for a while — Devotion still gets plenty of plays around these parts. And Norway, the first track that I’ve heard from their new album out next year, proves to be pretty gush-worthy. It’s leaps and bounds better than Devotion. The tracks are fuller without compromising Victoria Legrand’s smokey singing or Alex Scally’s guitar work. The music is still very much in the realm of dream pop, but just a more fleshed-out dream. Check the song out below:

Norway — Beach House

-Dylan Hill

Club 770 Week 4: The Sound of Insanity

So following a really long night at College Library (I’m currently living in academic hell), I had a nice 5 AM trip to WSUM.

This morning’s show had absolutely no organization and was mostly requests and songs I like until I decided to do my job and play some Sunny Day In Glasgow and Common Loon before this weekend.

It’s not worth wasting words with the reasoning behind most of these tracks. A lot of them were requests from my eight online listeners. Ha.

Here. [download]

• Tenth Avenue Freeze Out – Bruce Springsteen
• Taking Control – Alberta Cross
• Taller Children – Elizabeth and the Catapult
• Old Old Fashioned – Frightened Rabbit
• Once In A Lifetime – Talking Heads
• I’ll Believe In Anything – Wolf Parade
• Hold The Line – Major Lazer
• Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) – The Arcade Fire
• Shy – A Sunny Day In Glasgow
• Dinosaur vs Early Man – Common Loon
• Stillness Is The Move [cover] – Solange
• Stillness Is The Move – Dirty Projectors
• New Morning – Bob Dylan

That’s what insanity sounds like.

watching this kind of makes me want to puke

it’s the video for passion pit’s “little secrets”. and it’s not because of the music. it’s the video. i have a weak stomach apparently. the imax always makes me want to throw up too so i guess i shouldn’t be surprised. check out the video here if you don’t get motion sickness. if you do, just close your eyes and listen to the song.

rock on folks,
margaret kaye

what in the hell?

this reminds me of a german beer hall. or the american version of one. and what’s with the wig on bob dylan? i already gave my opinion on christmas in the heart. what’s yours after seeing the video?

rock on folks,
margaret kaye

Summer

Yea, I know it’s November out. But couldn’t we pretend it’s summer? Because, I’ll be honest, winter fucking sucks.

Velvet (Gang Gang Dance Remix) — Big Pink

Surfin’ (Sail A Whale Version) — Memory Cassette

Deli — Delorean

Ambling Alp — Yeasayer

Spring (Air France Remix) — St. Etienne

Sunlight — tUnE-YaRdS

Walkabout — Atlas Sound (ft. Noah Lennox)

Summer Song — YACHT

Blessa — Toro Y Moi

6669 (I Don’t Know If You Know) — Neon Indian

Spritle — Deastro

Rome (Neighbors with Devandra Banhart Remix) — Phoenix

-Dylan Hill

 

you know what sunday means

it means i’ll be searching the web for a few hours for a video to post trying to justify my procrastination as doing my duty to the music fans of uw madison. this one didn’t take too long to find. i wish it did though so i could have an excuse not to study for my two upcoming exams. don’t you hate classes that have exams right before thanksgiving?

anyways, this is the new video from our generation’s version of the traveling wilburys. the video is of “say please” from the monsters of folk self-titled debut album. monsters of folk is made up of m ward, jim james of my morning jacket, and conor oberst and mike morgis of bright eyes. with a name like monsters of folk i expected a lot more banjo. perhaps some washboard. or spoons. or something that is characteristic of classic american folk music. these elements of folk music are missing from the album unfortunately. although their album isn’t as folk-ish as their name implies, it’s still worth a listen.

rock on folks,
margaret kaye

ps: in case the video doesn’t work on youtube or it’s removed or something you can watch it here on pitchfork.

Good Cover? Bad Cover?

The blogosphere has been all hyped up on Solange (little sis of Beyonce) releasing a cover of Stillness is the Move by the Dirty Projectors. She brings it a more contemporary R&B styling than the original song. It relies less on the quirky hooks that define the Dirty Projectors music, and instead focuses more on Solange’s vocals.

Solange — Stillness is the Move (cover)

The Dirty Projectors — Stillness is the Move

But I can’t decide whether this was actually a good cover. It’s obvious that Solange can is much more talented as a singer than Amber Coffman. Solange has a wider vocal range, and can hit notes more consistently than Coffman. But I can’t help but feel Solange’s version lacks character. She can hit all the high notes she wants, but replacing the original instrumentation with a pretty generic R&B backing doesn’t make the song stand out as much. It sounds like a thousand other songs I’ve heard on the radio, whereas the original was something that sounds unique and inventive.  This song confirms Solange’s talent as a singer for me, but I think that she still has work to do arranging songs.

Dylan Hill

Steve Aoki in…29 days!

hey hey

I would just like to remind everyone to get their tickets early for what will be the greatest night you could have a week before finals start and everyone closes themselves off in whatever is their favorite library. 

i’m feeling middle aged

or mature. or responsible. or lame. take your pick. i feel old when i do the right thing. the right thing this weekend is studying. so i’ll be stuck in the library (except for when i see real estate and miles benjamin anthony robinson). so to go with my mom-ish behavior this weekend, i’m posting some of the best the baby boomers have to offer. enjoy the flashback.

ahh those were the days. do you think our generation will still be listening to lady gaga and 50 cent when we’re all 40? god i hope not.

rock on folks,
margaret kaye