MUSIC: Macktronic Favorites Do Covers

There's a handful of bands that I'll always turn to when nothing else is ringing my bell, and here are three of them.

::: My Morning Jacket - It Makes No Difference (The Band Cover)
::: Band of Horses - End's Not Near (The New Year Cover)
::: Lucero - Kiss The Bottle (Jawbreaker Cover)

I've been having hosting issues, which I apologize sincerely for, but I'm working on it. I promise. Had to use a new service on these downloads, let me know if it works or not.

[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to blended with havana.]

Tags: mp3, music, covers, my morning jacket, lucero, band of horses

MUSIC: Silver Needles

I absolutely love this song by San Francisco's Silver Needles. Got the chance to catch these guys live not too long ago and immediately picked up their Black Mesa EP. Hopeful and desolate, this track captures a unique Northern California sound seen in the likes of Brightblack Morning Light among others. The lyrics are quite interesting, considering the title and how the first line is "Let's get invisible, let's get invisible, let's disappear, let's disappear". Anyhow, check it out.

::: Silver Needles - We Are Here

Just a warning, the volume is a little low on this mp3 track so you might have to crank it a little bit. There's a better mastered version on their myspace page.

[Silver Needles on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to refinne.]

Tags: mp3, music, silver needles, san francisco, indie stoner drone rock

MUSIC: The Sequential Number Mixtape

I'm kind of obsessed with numbers (on top of my many other obsessions) so it only makes sense to do a mixtape of tracks with numbers in the title. And, of course, in the correct order. I'd be happy to hear about others that I missed. Anyhow, here's a mixtape for your weekend.

The Sequential Number Mixtape

::: 01 - My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday
::: 02 - Fugazi - Two Beats Off
::: 03 - Neutral Milk Hotel - Three Peaches
::: 04 - Kings of Leon - Four Kicks
::: 05 - Johnny Cash - Five Feet High and Rising
::: 06 - MOFRO - Six Ways From Sunday
::: 07 - The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
::: 08 - Tapes 'n Tapes - Crazy Eights
::: 09 - White Whale - Nine Good Fingers
::: 10 - Electric President - Ten Thousand Lines
::: 11 - Film School - Eleven Eleven
::: 12 - M Ward - Scene from #12
::: 13 - Ben Kweller - Thirteen
::: 14 - Aphex Twin - Avril 14th
::: 15 - The Strokes - Fifteen Minutes
::: 16 - Two Gallants - 16th Street Dozens
::: 17 - Broken Social Scene - Anthem for a Seventeen Year Old Girl

[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to heiyu.]

Tags: mp3, music, mixtape, my morning jacket, fugazi, neutral milk hotel, kings of leon, johnny cash, mofro, white stripes, tapes n tapes, white whale, electric president, film school, m ward, ben kweller, aphex twin, strokes, two gallants, broken social scene

COVER: The Thermals on Elliott Smith

Even though I mistakenly thought Elliott Smith recently had a birthday (I'm going to blame it on bad internet information), I still recently revisited his entire catalog. Just an amazingly missed artist. I really would love to visit the mural shown in the picture above in Portland. A tribute album from Portland artists as released last year, including this track by The Thermals. It's a straightforward cover of the original, but they do the song proper justice.

::: The Thermals - Ballad of Big Nothing (Elliott Smith cover)

You can buy the whole tribute album here.

[The Thermals on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to idiot-kid.]

Tags: mp3, music, portland, elliott smith, thermals, cover

MUSIC: All My Pretty Ones

Another Bay Area band that I've happened upon recently is All My Pretty Ones out of the East Bay. This multi-instrumented band plays some dang fine indie pop, and their live show is quite engaging. Here's a fantastic track off the album I picked up at their DeliSF showcase last week.

::: All My Pretty Ones - In The Arms of the City

There's no info on their page about where you can get their album titled "The Arsonist" but I imagine if you message them then they'll tell you how to get a copy.

[All My Pretty Ones on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to astrocruzan.]

Tags: mp3, music, all my pretty ones, san francisco, indie, pop

MUSIC: Holy Fuck (New EP out soon)

My interest in Holy Fuck since the last post hasn't really changed. Thought I'd pass along a new track since they've got a new EP coming out. I really like where they're going with their sound.

::: Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen

Holy Fuck will be performing all new songs at Mod Club in Toronto on March 23rd. You can still get tickets through the normal outlets (Rotate This, Soundscapes, etc).

[Official Holy Fuck website.]
[Holy Fuck on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to highwaygirl67.]

Tags: mp3, music, holy fuck, instrumental, toronto

MUSIC: Isaac Brock / Modest Mouse / Ugly Casanova

The new Rolling Stone has a Q&A with Isaac Brock, of whom I'm a huge fan. I don't quite know what it is, but everything he says cracks me up. I think he's just a smart, tortured, honest fellow and that makes for an excellent songwriter. Here's an excerpt from the article which includes an awesome use of name calling, but the whole thing is worth a read.

"There's a new, unauthorized biography of Modest Mouse. Have you read any of it?"
"No. I don't know how you'd write a biography about a band without talking to any of the players or their families. I think it's written on speculation, from magazine articles and shit. I think the guy who wrote it is a fuckin' ass and an asshole."

In addition to doing fun interviews, Isaac does awesome side projects. My favorite 45 of late is the sub pop singles club release by Ugly Casanova. I wonder if we'll ever see new material from these guys, but for now we'll have to make do with 2002's Sharpen Your Teeth, which isn't a bad thing since it's brilliant. Here's a track off that album.

::: Ugly Casanova - Hotcha Girls

The new album by Modest Mouse titled We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank comes out on March 20. If you pre-order the album through Insound, you'll receive a limited edition 7" record which includes the single "Fire It Up" and an unreleased track, "King Rat". Now that's a hot deal. The album is available in CD and Deluxe CD formats. Here's one of the many leaked tracks, but it's my favorite.

::: Modest Mouse - Florida

(Side note: Modest Mouse have quite possibly performed the most exciting concert in my life as well as the most disappointing. The first time I saw these guys was at Clunk Records Hall in Fayetteville, Arkansas and they blew my mind. Then, I saw them here in Berkeley a couple years ago and it was incredibly flat. I've since been reaffirmed of their live chops, but that concert hurt my feelings.)

[Official Modest Mouse website.]
[Modest Mouse on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic contest (Free Stuff!)]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to clumsy bird.]

Tags: mp3, music, modest mouse, vinyl, ugly casanova, indie, rock, promotion, isaac brock

REVISIT: Ladybird

Another artist that I've received emails about of late is Ladybird. I posted on her a while back and I'm still into her tracks. She was kind enough to provide un-reduced bit rate files (as opposed to the myspace ones I had earlier), so I thought you might be interested in them as well. If you haven't heard her stuff before, you should definitely check these out. It's the bastard love child of CSS and a robot.

::: Ladybird - Transmitive Carriers
::: Ladybird - C Unseen Sea
::: Ladybird - Cold Switch

When these tracks load on my computer, it says they're from an album called Lovers Give Better Head, but I can't seem to find much on that. We can only wish that a whole album existed.

[Ladybird on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic contest (Free Stuff!)]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[This photo comes from Ladybird's myspace page, and it's a photo of a polaroid which fits with the current aesthetic around here.]

Tags: ladybird, mp3, music, electronica, laptop, awesome

REVISIT: Radiohead

The soundtrack to Baz Luhrman's Romeo + Juliet was recently re-released with some bonus tracks included. Nothing groundbreaking added, but this has to be one of the most popular soundtracks of all time. This Radiohead track is incredibly stellar, as expecting, considering Radiohead is amazing.

::: Radiohead - Talk Show Host

For more info on the 10th anniversary edition of the soundtrack, see here.

[Official Radiohead website.]
[Current Macktronic contest (Free Stuff!)]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to heiyu.]

Tags: radiohead, luhrman, soundtrack, mp3, music, romeo and juliet

MUSIC: Charlie Louvin

Charlie Louvin knows how to sing him some country music. His new self-titled album features some support by such stalwarts as Jeff Tweedy and George Jones. Not surprising since he got his start in gospel, most of tracks are laden in religious imagery. However, he captures the genre quite effectively and the album is an immensely enjoyable listen. One of my personal favorites is this track featuring Alex McManus of Bright Eyes fame.

::: Charlie Louvin - Kneeling Drunkard's Plea (Feat. Alex McManus of Bright Eyes)

A number of other folks have written on this album, including Aquarium Drunkard who provides some good thoughts and some more tracks. Specifically the awesome track featuring Will Oldham which you really need to hear.

[Official Charlie Louvin website.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to s2art.]

Tags: mp3, music, charlie louvin, bright eyes, country, gospel, oldham

CONTEST: Fader 44, Ltd. Ed. Vinyl, & The View CD

UPDATE: This contest has ended, congratulations to Laura of New Jersey!!! You can always find a direct link to the latest contest using the "current contest" link found in the sidebar.

The fine folks over at FADER are sponsoring this contest on Macktronic. Up for grabs are a copy of The View's new album Hats Off to the Buskers and a limited edition 7-inch record featuring Movado & Busy Signal. You can also download a copy of FADER 44 and the accompanying podcast at:

http://www.thefader.com/blog/articles/category/podcasts

If you're interested in winning this prize pack, email macktronic @ gmail (dot) com with the subject line "FADER 44 CONTEST" with your mailing address included in the body of the email. Here's an image of the 7 inch.



Here are some links as well. Enjoy.

[The View on myspace.]
[Movado on myspace.]
[Busy Signal on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

Tags: contest, music, free, fader, the view, movado, busy signal

MUSIC: F*ck This, It's Friday (6th Edition)

The quasi-anticipated return of the Friday Macktronic installment a set of songs meant to jump start your weekend. High fives all around.

::: Notorious B.I.G. - Party and Bullshit (Ratatat Remix)
::: Panther - You Don't Want Your Nails Done
::: Fat Joe & Lil Wayne - Make It Rain (Quarterbar Remix)
::: Lady Sovereign - Hoodie (Spank Rock Remix)
::: LCD Soundsystem - Yeah (crass version)
::: Death From Above 1979 - Sexy Results (MSTRKRFT Edition)

[Current Macktronic contest.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to PhineasX.]

Tags: notorious big, ratatat, panther, fat joe, lil wayne, quarterbar, lady sovereign, spank rock, lcd soundsystem, death from above 1979, mstrkrft, remix, friday, mp3, music

MUSIC: Gentleman Auction House

Stumbled across this band while checking out the St. Louis music scene last week. Ordered the EP right away and have been listening to it over the last couple of days. A really nice collection of songs, reminds me of a cross between Bear Colony and Bright Eyes.

::: Gentleman Auction House - A Hospital or Heaven

What's with my fascination with songs with "hospital" in the title.
See here and here for examples.

[Gentleman Auction House on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic contest.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to crackedpavement.]

Tags: gentleman auction house, saint louis, mp3, music, hospital, indie, rock

MUSIC: Roman Ruins

Decided to revisit one of Macktronic's favorite artists today since this track came up on my iPod during the work commute and it really did me right. Roman Ruins, out of Oakland, creates some amazing/intricate songs that have their own unique atmosphere. Do yourself a favor and listen to this one.

::: Roman Ruins - Familiar and Serene

You can download another song of his from a previous post here on Macktronic. Buy all albums/EPs/45s by Roman Ruins (formerly Delux) over on his myspace page. Also check out the tracks "Bird Island" and "Your House" which are awesome.

[Roman Ruins on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic contest.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to got2knit. It's the West Oakland station on BART!]

Tags: mp3, music, roman ruins, oakland, indie, pop

MUSIC: The Sammies

Once in a blue moon I'll get a promo email about and band and immediately like the music, and this happened today with The Sammies. Pretty straightforward indie rock, but some really strong tracks. Just thought I'd share.

::: The Sammies - Falling Out
::: The Sammies - Caretaker

[The Sammies on myspace.]
[Current Macktronic contest.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to kudar.]

Tags: mp3, music, sammies, indie, rock

REVISIT: Bobby Birdman (E*Rock Remix)

There's been a rash of re-post requests for this track, and deservedly so in my opinion. Brilliance abound from Bobby and E*Rock. If you haven't done so yet, check out the incredibly awesome 12" released on Fry Beat which features the original version, this remix, and another remix of "I Will Come Again" by Yacht (of The Blow).

::: Bobby Birdman - Victory at Sea (E*Rock Remix)

[Bobby Birdman on myspace.]
[Fryk Beat Records home.]
[Current Macktronic contest.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to bluecitrus.]

Tags: mp3, music, bobby birdman, ratatat, blow, yacht, erock, remix, frykbeat

CONTEST: Dean & Britta (Free CD!)

UPDATE: This contest has ended, congratulations to Patrick of Brooklyn and Tom of Washington!!! You can always find a direct link to the latest contest using the "current contest" link found in the sidebar.

If someone was to ask me what the five most influential bands were in my life, Luna would fall in there somewhere. They've been around me for long enough now that I (happily) associate certain feelings with certain songs. With this said, I'm extra excited about the new Dean & Britta album titled Back Numbers. The former Luna members (and present married couple) worked together to create a beautiful, sweeping, and expectations-meeting album.

One of my favorite tracks on the album is Lee Hazlewood cover "You Turned My Head Around", of which Dean Wareham had this to say: "I found this obscure 7” single in Boston years ago – it’s on Lee Hazlewood’s LHI label. Originally sung by Ann Margret, written and produced by Hazlewood. The song may be about a ménage a trois- we were three shadows in the night / doing what we thought would be right."

::: Dean and Britta - You Turned My Head Around

I'm also lucky enough to have a couple of copies of the Back Numbers CD to give away for free. If you're interested in receiving one, email macktronic @ gmail (dot) com with the subject line "DEAN AND BRITTA CONTEST" with your mailing address included in the body of the email. I promise you won't be disappointed by this amazing collection of songs by some extremely talented musicians.

[Dean and Britta on myspace.]
[Official Dean and Britta webpage.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]

Tags: mp3, music, dean and britta, luna, contest, indie, rock

MUSIC: The Attachments

Don't know what it is about March, but I keep finding out about excellent local bands. Here we have The Attachments out of Berkeley and their unique brand indie pop. Sounds like Weezer had a love child on the beach with one of The Beatles. Here's a song off their latest release.

::: The Attachments - Karla-la

You can buy their debut EP over on the myspace page.
(What's up with all the girl-titled songs?)

[The Attachments on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to honeycut07; the title of this photo is "your ironic belt is so stupid" which i think is more than awesome.]

Tags: mp3, music, attachments, berkeley, indie, pop, rock

MUSIC: Les Breastfeeders

I absolutely love the barreling sound of Les Breastfeeders. Although their songs are in French for the most part, the feel of the lyrics and music are quite infectious. Take a listen.

::: Les Breastfeeders - Tout Va Pour Le Mieux Dans Le Pire Des Mondes

(Interesting enough, babelfish translates this song into English as "All Is For Best in the Worst of the Worlds")
You can hear live concert tracks over at I Heart Music.

[Les Breastfeeders on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to marmod8.]

Tags: mp3, music, montreal, breastfeeders, rock, french

MUSIC: Bear on Bear

Ah, the debut EP. It's something that I hold near and dear. The hint of greatness, the excitement of creation, and the growing pains in between are all evident. Santa Cruz act Bear on Bear certainly embody this stereotype. Stylistically diverse but not wandering too far from their indie rock home base, the talent is certainly evident. A little ramshackle (see "Magpies), a little anthemic (see "Better than Nothing"), and a whole lot of promise.

::: Bear on Bear - Magpies
::: Bear on Bear - Better Than Nothing

You can buy the EP (for 5 bucks) and listen to a couple more songs over at their myspace page.

[Bear on Bear on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to thecurtis.]

Tags: mp3, music, bear on bear, santa cruz, california, indie, rock

MUSIC: Handsome Furs

Handsome Furs are another brilliant Wolf Parade related project, this time from Dan Boeckner. (I can't call them side projects anymore considering there's so many incarnations at this point). A little more minimalist than WP, and I love it dearly. Do listen.

::: Handsome Furs - Handsome Furs Hate This City

Additionally, The Merry Swankster has some more tracks and thoughtful thoughts. Word on the street is that a record on Sub Pop is in the works, but nothing official at this point (especially considering this).

[Handsome Furs on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to JoanLovesPaper.]

Tags: mp3, music, handsome furs, wolf parade, sub pop

MUSIC: Port O'Brien

Continuing along the Bay Area independent music track we've been on of late, we come to Port O'Brien. I couldn't decide which song to post, since they're both equally impressive, so I went with both. This Oakland band crafts some intense tracks around their unique indie folk stomper sound. On top of the catchy sounds, I'm immediately drawn to the vocals as well; the way they fit with the music is spot on. It's safe to say, I'm excited about this here band.

::: Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today
::: Port O'Brien - Tree Bones

You can buy both of their albums, full-length and new EP, over at their myspace page for only 12 bucks.....

[Port O'Brien on myspace.]
[Gold Robot Records on myspace.]
[Buy music from Insound.]
[Find/Listen/Download music at The Hype Machine.]
[Photo credit goes to fliegender.]

Tags: mp3, music, port o'brien, indie, california, oakland