Hot Pursuit

Summer Song (mp3, Mediafire)

It's late September and it is officially fall in Ohio. This morning I was woken up by the sound of pouring rain and this Monday has felt more like a capital-M Monday than any other Monday I can remember in recent months.

"Summer Song" by Hot Pursuit really seems more like a fall song to me. The lyrics are very much about summer, but the overall tone seems more nostalgic, more indicative of fall. It seems like a song that's about remembering summer afternoons and evenings, a song that's trying to recapture those things and preserve them, however imperfectly.

For some reason, whenever I hear this song I think about my best friend growing up and her younger brother -- his birthday was in October and every year it was celebrated with a bonfire at the side of the river. I remember cold nights, hot cider, climbing trees, making s'mores. I don't know why "Summer Song" brings up memories steeped in fall, but I'm glad that it does.

Hot Pursuit's album, The Thrill Department, is available via Teenbeat Records and InSound. I would also recommend picking up their Basketball 7" -- the A-side is insanely catchy and wonderful.

& in case you're curious, AllMusic's keywords for Hot Pursuit include: earnest, intimate, amiable, poignant, & a bunch of other complimentary things.

Summer Song (mp3, Mediafire)

Little Red Car Wreck

Breaks (mp3, Mediafire)
Crashing Cars (live) (mp3, Mediafire)

I've been listening to Little Red Car Wreck for a long time now. Maybe seven or eight years? Still, they were something I didn't discover until high school and, every now and then, I find myself rediscovering them.

A few days ago I was driving home late at night. It was dark and the traffic was bad because of night-time construction. My car was stopped on the highway and the song "Breaks" came on and it felt like I was hearing it for the first time.

I'm trying hard to think of the right way to describe how "Breaks" makes me feel -- just the first few lines: The brakes on my car just went out, the brakes on my bicycle, too. The brakes on my heart just got up and walked out of the room. And my rollerskates, well, they didn't have any to start with. (These lyrics are paraphrased because I cannot remember exactly how they go and there's too much noise for me to hear the CD right now.)

Anyway, when I think about this song, I think about varying degrees of autonomy and control. I think of wishing that you had the means to spare yourself from something, but knowing that you are ultimately powerless.

"Crashing Cars" is simpler for me -- I think of the friend who gave me a ride home through mose of my high school days, how she drove her sister's beat up Chevy, a boombox duct-taped to the dashboard so that we could listen to music. I think of the years when it felt good and right to have so little and live so fully.

From an AllMusic review of Motor Like A Mother:

As one of the best -- albeit one of the most unheard -- debuts of the late '90s, the album feels like one young woman's coming-of-age diary of family, love, life, and adult responsibilities. These are songs of grocery shopping, roller skating, and dishwashing; these are songs of laundry, dirty diapers, and car seats. And while it may not sound very glamorous, that's exactly the point. Motor Like a Mother chronicles with almost obsessive, and sometimes whimsical, detail the day-to-day routines and dreams of -- as one song title states -- a "Teenage Welfare Mother." The result is an album that's wise beyond Water's years, a startlingly honest, impressive, and introspective look at life's ups and downs, ins and outs. And, quite simply, it just may be the most compelling album of 1998.

Little Red Car Wreck releases on Yo Yo Records
An interview with Mary Water (excerpt from the Hip Mama book)

Breaks (mp3, Mediafire)
Crashing Cars (live) (mp3, Mediafire)

Sufjan Stevens

Joy! Joy! Joy! (.mp3, Mediafire)

When my boyfriend told me that Sufjan Stevens had announced a show at one of our favorite venues, I had mixed feelings about whether or not I wanted to go. I was concerned that the venue would be oversold, resulting in wall-to-wall hipsters with digital cameras (not too far from what the show ended up being like) and I was also worried that I just didn't like Sufjan that much anymore. (My peak Sufjan listening years were probably 2003-2005, with a brief resurgence in the summer of 2007 when one of my housemates and I would spend hours lying on the dirty, carpeted floor or our miserable sublet listening to "The Dress Looks Nice On You" on repeat.) But, tickets were only $15 and the show fell pretty close to my birthday so I thought, why not? And, you know what? It was a pretty nice night.

The show was an almost even mix of new and old songs -- the newer songs were, I think, a shock to many of the fans there. I mean, the opener was 11+ minutes & a lot of it was a severe, guitar-driven noise collision. So, you know, people who were there for the soft banjo tunes ended up being a bit thrown. While my boyfriend and I were walking back to the parking lot after the show he said (he's not much of a Sufjan fan at all), "I didn't know Sufjan was such an interesting guitarist," so, I guess you can take that for whatever it's worth.

Personally, the new songs left me feeling sort of cold (probably because of their length & structure, honestly, I'm a 2-3 minute, verse-chorus-verse sort of music fan about 90% of the time, so it's not at all surprising that I wouldn't respond to something sonically and structurally unconventional). I did like the last new song that he played quite a bit. It was called "Too Much Love" and it reminded me quite a bit of "Joy! Joy! Joy!" (easily my favorite song off of A Sun Came! & the song I've chosen to post here & now). You can hear "Too Much Love" (& see a live video of it) over at I Guess I'm Floating. "Too Much Love" was played as the first encore and we left before the second, if there was a second.

& I guess that leaving is the second (and smaller) part of this story. I found out that a friend of mine passed away this past Wednesday and while we were not especially close, I found myself reeling with small memories and to hear songs like "Casimir Pulaski Day" and "All the Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands" was, honestly, a little much for me. But, "Joy! Joy! Joy!" is an oldie & a goodie & is celebratory in spirit. I think it meshes perfectly with the new song & yes, yes, I'm glad that I went.

Joy! Joy! Joy! (.mp3, Mediafire)

Rose Melberg

Bear in a Cave (.mp3, Mediafire)
Moon Singer (.mp3, Mediafire)

I was, I think, about to explode with excitement when I heard there was going to be a new Rose Melberg album out this month -- so, I've been pretty much on the verge of explosion since July.

The first time I heard Rose Melberg's voice, I was in middle school. My ambiguously employed uncle (he works for a record company in, uh, some capacity -- I don't know, his basement is filled with boxes of promo albums and label comps) gave me a Lookout Records compilation featuring Go Sailor and I was in love -- I ordered the Lookout album that compiled Go Sailor's 7"s and would spend hours lying on the floor listening to my favorite Go Sailor songs ("I'm Still Crying" and "Dreaming" on repeat). When I was older (high school age), I got into the Softies (Jen's two girls with guitars project with Jen Sbragia) and when I was older still (college age) I got into Gaze (a Vancouver based pop band that Rose drummed for).

Rose's solo efforts are soft -- they're perfect music to read to, to have on in the background while you make dinner -- I can already tell, this is a record that I am going to listen to when it gets cold, when the sun starts to set at 5PM.

I chose two songs from Rose's new album to post here -- "Bear in a Cave" and "Moon Singer." I love their melancholy air, the use of animals, the way they seem to amble along. I know that this album with ultimately be a "grower" for me, that it doesn't have the raw urgency and immediacy of some of Rose's other work, but with a few listens, it will be there.

This interview with Rose in Vancouver's Westender is almost a year old, but it's great reading. I especially love this bit:

Motherhood inevitably took precedence in Melberg’s life during the next several years, so when she finally began writing again in 2004, setting aside a block of time each Sunday, she was concerned about what her efforts would produce – if anything at all. “It was difficult, and I was really afraid of what I would find,” she says. “And I remember one thing that [K Records founder] Calvin Johnson said to me when I was having difficulty writing. He said, ‘Rose, it’s a river; it’s not a well. It’s not going to run dry. It’s always there.’”

Rose's new album is out now on K Records. You can order it here.

Bear in a Cave (.mp3, Mediafire)
Moon Singer (.mp3, Mediafire)

Tattle Tale

Erica (.mp3, Mediafire)

It's been something like 10 or 11 years since a penpal told me about Tattle Tale and those nights I spent lying in a too-small twin bed listening to a cassette tape that concluded with an incomplete version of "Erica" seem so far away and so close at the same time -- I can still remember the streetlight coming in through the window, the sound of the train racing by a few blocks away, feel the hum of the tape turning in the walkman (I always set it to rest on my chest, just beneath my collarbone, because I liked the weight of it).

"Erica" is, at least, as far as I can figure, the last song that Tattle Tale released together. And it's certainly the one that hit me the hardest -- it's all too easy for me to picture my teenage self scribbling the lyrics down in my diary thinking, as teenagers do, "Oh my god, you don't even understand, it's like this song is my life! Etc., etc.!" The thing, I think, that I really loved (and still love) about Tattle Tale is the use of both space and dissonance in their songs -- I felt like there were gaps there, gaps that I could fit into. Something about the moments of emptiness followed by the intense collision of vocals and cello and guitar and drums drew me in and kept me there.

"Erica" appeared on a compilation album called Move Into the Villa Villakula which you can read more about here. It was released on both vinyl and CD and is certainly getting hard to come by, but if you can track it down, it's worth it. Tattle Tale contributes two beautiful songs and I'm also exceptionally fond of Sleater Kinney's contribution (a cover of Boston's "More Than A Feeling.")

Erica (.mp3, Mediafire)

Mirah

Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover, version 1) by Mirah (mp3, Mediafire)
Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover, version 2) by Mirah (mp3, Mediafire)

So, for people who know me in real life, it sort of goes without saying that I have this thing when it comes to Mirah and I've had it for something like 8 or 9 years now. It began when I first heard her Small Sale EP and it only intensified with the release of You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This. While it was riot grrrl that made me think, "I could potentially be in a band," it was Mirah's deeply personal (but funny and sad and complicated) songs that helped me to feel at home and also helped me to think of the non-musical writing and creating I was doing as being valid and interesting.

Of course, the songs I'm posting today aren't actually original works of Mirah's -- instead I have two delightful versions of the same song: Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark." It seems sort of like a weird choice -- you know, a song by the Boss -- but when you think about it, it works. It's a song that explores loneliness and insecurity and desperation, a desire to be something more and a fear that you are somehow incomplete and will never be completely whole, no matter how hard you struggle.

Semi-related: I really recommend reading this excerpt (written by Mirah) from the Rock 'n Roll Camp for Girls book. The essay is called "How I Got Out of My Bedroom (in Eleven Lessons)." It's short, sweet, and more than worth a read. My favorite part (well, one of them):

You will have plenty of time to have other people help you make things later. In the beginning, and maybe forever, make it yourself.

Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover, version 1) by Mirah (mp3, Mediafire)
Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover, version 2) by Mirah (mp3, Mediafire)

Mission of Burma

Mission of Burma (studio electro-acoustic live sessions, Mediafire)

Sometime last year I read Michal Azerrad's Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 (easily one of the best music-related non-fiction texts I've ever read) and while it rekindled my love for bands that were long time favorites of mine (Beat Happening, Sonic Youth, Hüsker Dü, & others), it also inspired me to check out bands I otherwise probably wouldn't have listened to, and one of those bands was Mission of Burma.

A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend and I had the chance to see Mission of Burma for free and I was, obviously, super, super stoked. The show was a part of WRUW's annual Studio-A-Rama concert showcase. The band was amazing! Absolutely brilliant & in spite of bad traffic an an awful crowd (including a total jerk who wouldn't stop playing air guitar or screaming, "PLAY IT LIKE YOU WROTE IT!!!") & the fact that I somehow managed to open the car door into my face post-show (I don't even drink! How do I do these things?!), I don't regret the decision to attend.

Semi-related: The kids in the pit kicked up so much dirt that when my boyfriend and I got home our teeth had been blackened by dirt and we were sneezing out black snot. Dirt had also dried to any part of us that had been sweating, so I had dirt caked on my neck and face. Ridiculous. I did feel a little "too old" to come home covered in dirt (and beer and, probably, spit), but oh well.

That said: Here is some (studio) live Mission of Burma, probably more interesting to fans than newcomers, but still a very enjoyable listen. For those who haven't heard any Mission of Burma, have a video of "Academy Fight Song."

Mission of Burma (studio electro-acoustic live sessions, Mediafire)

Sonido Uzumaki

Sonido Uzumaki (compilation, Mediafire)

It's hard to find music that I can listen to in the office -- most of my office mates are more or less okay with a bit of noise, but there's just one who's opposed to people listening to music at their desks. Sonido Uzumaki is a great compromise -- just poppy enough to keep my attention, but generally subdued so that no one in the office has a complaint. Which -- I guess -- means it might be in the vein of elevator music? Maybe not. It's definitely more enjoyable than most elevator music.

Via Music Related:

sonido uzumaki is a joint project between visual artists Friends With You, Mumbleboy, GAGA Inc., and Music Related. we put togeather a sound track for their group artshow ‘Aqui Uzumaki. Sonido Uzumaki compiles a wide range of musical styles, and collection of known, and unknow groups. original songs from groups within the music related, and audio dregs camp. plus songs from artist from around the world, never heard before. acoustic pop, to glitched out electronic romps. songs by, phofo, yacht, lem jay, ymck, marxy, kiiiiiii!, e*rock, shugo tokumaru, pandacrash, red colour cat, messer fur frau muller, dim dim, digiki, crusher, midori hamada, mikimi tablets, and lullatone, round out this eclectic collection of songs.

A quick look around the internet turns up copies of Sonido Uzumaki at ToneVendor for $9.99, so if you like what you hear, definitely pick it up!

Sonido Uzumaki (compilation, Mediafire)

Manhattan Love Suicides

The Manhattan Love Suicides (S/T album, Mediafire)

Sometimes I don't want to listen to a band because I think they have a goofy name. I often make the decision not to listen based solely on instinct. And, honestly, I very rarely find out whether or not I'm wrong, so I have absolutely no idea how many great bands I'm probably missing out on, which is a bummer if you think about it.

So, I guess my instinctual snobbishness is what led me to almost miss out on the Manhattan Love Suicides, who I probably never would have listened to if my boyfriend hadn't brought a copy of their first album for us to listen to in the car. His lure to get me to listen to them was two part:

1. "They're on some label that the All Girl Summer Fun Band released something on." (I had to prod to get at the root of this, but it turned out that he was talking about Magic Marker Records.)
2. "They cover "Indian Summer" by Beat Happening." ("Indian Summer" is easily one of my favorite songs of all time.)

So, we gave their first album a listen and I was honestly really, really impressed and pleased. They have a really blissful sound -- guitars that are both fuzzy and jangly (sometimes when I use these descriptors I find myself wondering what I even mean, but I suppose they'll do well enough.) I also love the echo-y vocals. At any rate, I find them very, very fun to listen to and am extremely happy that I was goaded into giving them a chance.

I would (obviously) recommend buying this. If you're in the US, check out Magic Marker Records (you can currently get this album on CD, they also have Burnt Out Landscapes and the Kick It Back &".)

The Manhattan Love Suicides (S/T album, Mediafire)

Churchbuilder

Microdancer EP (Mediafire)
Patty Darling (album, Mediafire)

One of the things I've always loved about growing up in Cleveland is the sheer number of fantastic bands from Ohio. True, the local pop scene is a touch on the small side, but there are some real gems if you're willing to dig.

Churchbuilder was a favorite local (enough) band of mine in high school; I've practically worn out my copy of Patty Darling. They have the perfect blend of upbeat and melancholy and I love, love, love their lyrics. "Castle of Blood" and "French Kiss Conspiracy" are perfect snide pop songs and "New Critics" and "Hey Flannery" are topical, but catchy as well, and "Spanish Song" is just all around delightful.

Patty Darling is, to the best of my knowledge, out of print and I get the feeling that the Microdancer EP is on its way out as well -- though if you're quick you can snag a copy for just $1 as a part of Shelflife Records' September Sale.

Though it's been several years since Churchbuilder disbanded, they do have a MySpace where you can preview some of the songs from Patty Darling.

Microdancer EP (Mediafire)
Patty Darling (album, Mediafire)

Lois (Maffeo)

Shy Town (m4a, Mediafire)
Never Last (m4a, Mediafire)
Not Funny, Ha-Ha (mp3, Mediafire)
Strumpet (mp3, Mediafire)
The Way I Feel Inside (Zombies cover) (mp3, Mediafire)
Davey (Live) (m4a, Mediafire)

There is certain music that I turn to (have turned to) over and over again, music that is powerful, reassuring, and hopeful. Songs that comfort me when I feel like I'm being overcome with despair while simultaneously nurturing sorrowful feelings. Much of this music is of the girly variety -- girls with guitars, with cellos, with violins -- and one of the girls at the top of my list is Lois Maffeo, who often releases her work under just the first name "Lois" (you know, sort of like Madonna.)

I honestly can't remember how old I was when I started listening to Lois, though I am 99% sure that the first song of hers I heard was the live version of "Davey" on Yo Yo A Go Go: Another Live Compilation (which is still available on both CD and LP for just $5). "Davey" was one of those songs that I listened to over and over, particularly during my freshman year of college -- it's actually #7 in my top-played tracks on last.fm. (That whole Yo Yo LP is amazing, expect more selections from it in the future.)

So, here are some of my favorite Lois tracks and if you like what you hear, be sure to seek her out. A bunch of her releases are still in print and are available from K Records on vinyl, CD, and cassette.I also recommend reading this really excellent interview with Lois, it's several years old, but really wonderful and inspiring.

Shy Town (m4a, Mediafire)
Never Last (m4a, Mediafire)
Not Funny, Ha-Ha (mp3, Mediafire)
Strumpet (mp3, Mediafire)
The Way I Feel Inside (Zombies cover) (mp3, Mediafire)
Davey (Live) (m4a, Mediafire)

Le Tigre

Sweetie, Le Tigre (mp3, Mediafire)

The main things that helped me to sustain (and grow) my interest in music throughout my tenuous middle and high school years were 1) college radio and 2) small mail order record labels. Without labels like K Records, Yo Yo A Go Go, and Mr. Lady, my interest in music would be completely different.

The main amazing thing about small labels is the samplers they put out. Many of my favorite songs have been culled from label samplers & "Sweetie" by Le Tigre is no exception. "Sweetie" was featured on Mr. Lady's 2001 comp, Calling All Kings and Queens. Honestly, I think it's the perfect Le Tigre song -- Kathleen's vocals are right on and are more in line with wistful yet powerful songs like Bikini Kill's "For Tammy Rae" and Julie Ruin's "Apt. #5." I love the funky electronic additions (especially the harp sound effect) and am not kidding when I say that I listened to it something like 5 times in a row while I was stuck in traffic the other day.

Sadly, both Mr. Lady and Le Tigre are no longer with us, but Le Tigre does continue to maintain a pretty comprehensive official website.

I'm scouring my shelves for favorite label comps & will definitely be posting more tracks from small label compilations. Until then, enjoy "Sweetie."

Sweetie, Le Tigre (mp3, Mediafire)

P.S. Eliot

Introverted Romance In Our Troubled Minds (album, Mediafire)

I'm only slightly exaggerating when I say that I am heartbroken by the fact that I missed the opportunity to see P.S. Eliot several times on their summer tour with Hop Along. But, I'm really jazzed about the fact that they toured to promote a full-length album and that their album is out now on Salinas Records. (You can order a copy via PayPal or mail order here for either $7.50 or $10, depending on how you choose to pay).

P.S. Eliot is a four-piece from Birmingham, Alabama that plays fantastic fuzzed-out pop with catchy hooks and lyrics that are easy to learn and sing along with (which is fantastic -- honestly, most of the time, if it's not fast-paced and you can't sing along with it, I'm really not all that interested).

"Like How You Are" is one of my stand-out favorite tracks from the album (it appeared on the band's Bike Wreck demo and I'm really glad they found a place for it on their full-length). Whenever I listen to it, I can't help but be reminded of My So-Called Life and an intense conversation between Angela Chase and Jordan Catalano that culminated with Angela saying, "Why do you have to be like that?" (Jordan: "Like what?") "Like how you are."

I love this record because it sounds like something I could have made with my best friends. These are lyrics we could have written, hooks we could have fumbled through in my parents' basement, sentiments we could have shared sitting on the edge of the railroad bridge over the river. These songs are young, but in the most adult and aware of ways.

I really want to see P.S. Eliot next time they're in the area. You can check them out on their MySpace

(Side note: You do not even want to know how many times I listened to their demo before I caught onto the fact that their name is a pun on "T.S. Eliot.")

Introverted Romance In Our Troubled Minds (album, Mediafire)

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

103 (mp3, Mediafire)

Honestly, I am super-stoked about the upcoming Pains of Being Pure at Heart releases. I got my copy of the Come Saturday 7" in the mail yesterday (this blog sharing a name with the b-side, "Side Ponytail," is a happy (and welcome) accident -- I registered this blog 4 or 5 months ago and have been in the process of figuring out what to do with it ever since) and listening to their most recent 7" has only heightened my anticipation of their upcoming EP.

I saw a lot of concerts this summer (and am slated to see quite a few this fall) and the Pains are one of the only bands I committed to seeing more than once. (The only other groups that I'll be seeing more than once this year are Girls and Dinosaur Jr.) They put on a fantastic show and they totally blew me away with their enthusiasm on two totally different sides of the country. I wish that I could say I'll be catching them again, but I don't think it'll be happening any time soon.

The first time I heard "103" was when I saw the Pains perform in Cleveland back in April. I loved it the first time I heard it and am thrilled that it will be included on their upcoming Higher Than the Stars EP.

103 (mp3, Mediafire)

More information on the Pains (including tour dates and discography) is available on their website. The Pains have been releasing records with Slumberland and Fortuna Pop. They also have a MySpace.

The Smith Westerns

Be My Girl (mp3, Mediafire)
My Heart (mp3, Mediafire)

I saw a number of shows this summer but one of the best came unexpectedly -- Los Campesinos!, Girls, and the Smith Westerns at the Grog Shop. I knew that Girls would be great (I saw them earlier in the summer at Backspace in Portland, OR) and had high hopes for Los Campesinos!, but the Smith Westerns were new to me.

Honestly -- it was a summer of bad openers, so I wasn't expecting much (well, I was expecting mediocre songs and a bad mix at the sound board), so I was super stoked when they started to play and turned out to be fantastic!

There are a couple of things that I really like about the Smith Westerns:

• They play super-catchy pop songs
• They look like they have a really great time playing said super-catchy pop songs
• They are actual teenagers writing teenage songs about teenage feelings and experiences

Their album is currently out on HoZac and I definitely recommend ordering it. For a sample, check out my two favorite tracks: "Be My Girl" and "My Heart."

Be My Girl (mp3, Mediafire)
My Heart (mp3, Mediafire)

More Smith Westerns:

The Smith Westerns on MySpace
Buddyhead reviews the Smith Westerns full-length
Pitchfork reviews the Smith Westerns full-length
Pitchfork interviews the Smith Westerns