Really sad story

I wrote a little piece about a Philly benefit for Dave Sommer, who is the guitarist for a band named Cloud Minder which is sort of in the epic, Explosions in the Sky instrumental category and pretty good. Sommer was diagnosed late last year with brain cancer…it’s a really terrible thing. He’s only 27. They are trying all kinds of experimental therapy and he’s fighting hard but god, it’s just so sad.

Anyway, his record label Anthropic Records is offering Cloud Minder’s first CD as a donate-what-you-want download with all proceeds going to Sommer’s medical expenses. Here’s the link for that.

Also there was a benefit show last week, and you can read about it here.

Like music in another language

Kandinsky Improvisation #31, Sea Battle

If you're in NYC before January 13th, go see the Kandinsky show. It's amazing.

good morning new york

I'm in New York today, going back later tonight. Had a pretty good day yesterday, mostly working, but it's good to work. I was too tired to do anything afterwards (getting to an 11 a.m. meeting in NYC entails leaving by 5 a.m.), even though Dave Halstead put me on the list for a Mountains and The For Carnation (!!!) show in Brooklyn...I just couldn't. Anyway, I'm going running now in Central Park, which is, like, my favorite thing in NYC and then having breakfast with my friend Bill and then going to the Guggenheim to see the Kandinsky show (who is one of my very, very favorite painters) and then buying some stuff and going home.

Meanwhile, I have a couple of things up over at Blurt. There's a review of Radian's Chimera. Also a short feature on King Khan.

See ya later.

I’m not here for a long time, I’m just here for a good time

My year-end essay is up today at Dusted. I’m not thrilled about it as a piece of writing, but it does have some really good records on it.

Also, if you’re looking for a little sonic wallpaper to go with it while you read, I have made a mix out of some of my favorite songs from 2009.

You can download it here.

Or just read the track names and nod your head sagely. (Some of you have already heard most of this...back to new stuff soon.)

Tracks
The Clean “Back in the Day”
Akron/Family “River”
Lotus Plaza “What Grows?”
The Fresh & Onlys, “The Mind Is Happy”
The Feelies, “The Boy with the Perpetual Nervousness”
The Bats, “The Guilty Office”
Sharon van Etten, “Consolation Prize”
Richard Bishop, “Solzenara”
A.C. Newman, “All of My Days and All of My Days Off”
Jack O and the Tennessee Tearjerkers, “Switchblade Comb”
Tyvek, “Hey Una”
Red Red Meat, “Carpet of Horses (Cleversly Version)”
The Obits, “Widow of My Dreams”
Gods Gift, “Discipline”
Zero Boys, “Forced Entry”
Volcano Suns, “Jak”

I’ll be in NYC tomorrow and Friday, not sure if I’ll post, but maybe…

Emperor Machine

I’ve been slacking lately on the review CDs and listening to a big pile of stuff that various people recommended. I’m pretty unqualified to review electronic music, like Emperor Machine’s Space Beyond the Egg, but I have been enjoying it a whole bunch. It’s Andrew Meecham’s project, as he describes it “born on last day of the last century spawned from a desirous and dirty relationship between an EMS VCS3 and a Roland System 100.”

Kind of a cool video for “Kananana”

I'm now accepting nominations...

for best band EVER.

I'll start.


Anyone want to raise?

Wiretree

Fred Mills from Blurt has been all over Wiretree, an Austin-based power pop band centered around Kevin Peroni. The band's second album, called Luck has been out for a couple of months...and it's a grower. Check them out.

"Back in Town"

Here they are doing an instore at Waterloo Records in Austin.