Just about a year ago, I started up this here blog for the sole purpose of sharing my newfound crush on Times New Viking with a few pals. Since then, I’ve affectionately etched a well-worn groove into each of their proper LP’s Dig Yourself, The Paisley Reich and my own gateway drug to the euphoria that is TNV: Rip It Off. Not sure if I’d finally over-listened them a bit (we’re talking constant rotation for a good 9 months) or was just totally distracted by the Marnie Stern explosion of awesomeness last Fall, but for whatever reason, never quite embraced Cousin Oliver the Stay Awake EP. And that was, sort of, that for a few months.
Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say. So thanks Pfork TV for reminding me that yeah, that record actually kicked much ass too. Still not as sublime as the main releases but man what an appetizer for my most eagerly anticipated album of 2009.
Here’s “Sick and Tyred” in — what else would you expect? — lovely lo-fi video (is that some kinda PixelVision filter… or even the real thing?)
The notorious Safetybear (aka David Bratton) — all-around swell dude and one of Tass Times’ most reliable sources for great new music to check out — also happens to comprise 50% of the rad electro-pop duo Oars. They were recently profiled over at Stay Thirsty Media and answer the question you know you’ve been dying to ask them yourselves:
“What happens when you put a self-described jazz geek from Seattle and ex-BMX rider from east of LA in a recording studio for half a year?”
Check it out, then do yourself a big favor and iTunes up their debut album, full of irresistible ants-in-your-pants-so-just-dance tunes by two super-talented, multi-instrumentalist, knob-twiddling (and guitar rocking, keyboard pounding, microphone checking…) electronic evil geniuses. OK, fine, they’re not evil. More like a ray of headphone sunshine peeking through your dour-as-of-late heavy rotation MP3s.
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Sometimes, when the weather in NYC on a Sunday in February hands you a little tease of the springtime to come, makes you feel just like… a sexy kid.
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I won’t bother trying to concoct a sounds-like-xyz-filtered-through-soandso thing here which would only restate what becomes immediately obvious when you just take TPOBPAH for a spin and just further delay the moment of pure bliss to ensue after hitting play on this here super-8ey fun video for “Everything With You”
Crystal Stilts‘ US label Slumberland describes the band as “50s/early 60 rock thump meets Suicide buzz and post-punk chill. Essential garage-pop for these troubled times.”
Is it just me or does everything feel really good right now?
Awesome new president (who can speak English — well! — and actually knows what a blog is!)… the last year we have to deal with not really knowing what to call this decade (naughts, or, something?)… and an economy that, despite its heinous effect on our collective job security has at least, for once, made Manhattan real estate seem like it’s actually affordable (well, OK, make-a-bid-way-below-our-insane-price-and-we-might-actually-CONSIDER-it-able).
What more could you ask for than that, friends?
OK, OK, I hear you… but we’ve already got that!
Yes, pals, the nostalgia machine has kicked in and we’ve got ourselves some gen-u-wine, awesome turn-of-the-90’s-retro indierockgoodness for your fin de siècle heavyrotationcelebration (oh, well hello there Bill Clinton, Pavement, and studio apartments under a grand!)
Just about a year ago, I started up this here blog for the sole purpose of sharing my newfound crush on Times New Viking with a few pals. Since then, I’ve affectionately etched a well-worn groove into each of their proper LP’s Dig Yourself, The Paisley Reich and my own gateway drug to the euphoria that is TNV: Rip It Off. Not sure if I’d finally over-listened them a bit (we’re talking constant rotation for a good 9 months) or was just totally distracted by the Marnie Stern explosion of awesomeness last Fall, but for whatever reason, never quite embraced 
The notorious 
You know how on some rare and exhilarating mornings you wake up to a “new favorite band”?
Crystal Stilts‘ US label Slumberland describes the band as “50s/early 60 rock thump meets Suicide buzz and post-punk chill. Essential garage-pop for these troubled times.”
Is it just me or does everything feel really good right now?
