The Dø -- "Bohemian Dances"

I apologize for taking a bit of a "vacation" from blogging this past week (school work has finally caught up), but if I were going to take a week off I am glad it wasn't this one. Today marks releases from so many great artisits: Crystal Stilts (In Love With Oblivion), Foo Fighters (Wasted Light), Meat Puppets (Lollipop), Panda Bear (Tomboy), and TV On The Radio (Nine Types Of Light). As I ready my ears for some great tunage this upcoming week, I don't want to forget some of the serious gems of I have heard from the past month.

The Dø are a French/Finnish indie pop duo who formed in 2005. Their newest album, Both Ways Open Jaws, came out a little over a month ago, but hasn't gotten the grand attention here in the states that it deserves. Singer, Olivia Merilahti, certainly is influenced a great deal by Björk, which you can hear in the music, but I also hear a lot of Charlotte Gainsbourg's IRM, which is an album from last year that I absolutly adore. I could have chosen many songs from Both Ways Open Jaws, but I chose "Bohemian Dances" specifically for its addivitce melody and percussion. The song also builds phenomenally. If you like "Bohemian Dances" I highly recommend Both Ways Open Jaws; certainily worth a listen.

-- Greg

I don't enjoy studying!

I haven't posted in a few days and I felt as though this was a more productive form of procrastination compared to facebook-ing... This is awesome! Enjoy!

-- Greg

VIDEO: Woodkid--"Iron"

Not much is known about Renaissance man Yoann Lemoine a.k.a. Woodkid. In many ways, he's a compelling mystery that leads you to search the ends of the inter web just to find out who he is and what he does. Looking at him, he looks plain enough. But look even deeper, the man literally does it all. In his small bio for his website, he toys between his playgrounds of New York and Paris, "mainly working as a film director in media such as video, 8 to 35mm film, 2D and 3D animation, Stop Motion, photography, illustration, painting, screen printing, sculpture, collage, knitting, holograms, and more…" Lemoine calls himself "a very curious person, constantly looking for avenues of expression that combine those different mediums."

And like any respectable Renaissance man, Lemoine intertwines his music under the name of Woodkid with his theatrical talents. In his latest video for his amazing "Iron," these elements comes together to form something to beautifully scary and exhilarating, that it's disgusting. "Iron" features all shots of various warriors and beserkers in a black and white filter that has epic written all over it. This is by far the most beautiful video I've seen this year.

--Mike

March Release Party

Hello again, back for another round of my monthly album review for Fordham University's The Observer. This month, I review new albums by Kurt Vile, The Dodos, and Bibio. Support your college newspaper!

http://www.fordhamobserver.com/march-release-party-1.2526419


--Mike

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart -- "Heart In Your Heartbreak"

While I never understood it, people often write off the music of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart as just “annoying” (i.e. the name of the band). Their music is too cute; it tries to hard to sound "twee", but I can’t deny how much I enjoy hearing this band. I fell in love with their self-titled debut record and their newest album, Belong, hasn't disappointed me yet. While their music isn't for everyone and even I can admit that listening to their records more than once or twice in a row gets kinda annoying, their is no denying that Pains have some of the catchiest songs in the indie world.