The Decemberists escape to the country on The King Is Dead

When I fired up this new Decemberists album for the first time I was blown away by how much it sounded like Tom Petty. That’s right, Tom Petty. Specifically, Tom Petty’s hit “You Don’t Know How It Feels.” During the course of those first strange 15 seconds of “Don’t Carry It All,” the […]

The Decemberists debut two new songs live

Rejoice, English majors! At the Newport Folk Festival, The Decemberists played two new songs live, and they sound less like that totally out of date prog rock and more like The Decemberists. The Decemberists with a harmonica, I guess, which is cool even though “Down by the Water” (estimated title) sounds kind of […]

The Decemberists + “Crazy on You” + professional recording = neat

The title says it all. Here’s a video of The Decemberists covering Heart’s “Crazy on You” in Minneapolis. I know a video of this cover has surfaced in the past, but this is, like, the real deal, mang.

But seriously. It’s great quality video, different angles, super good sound, all that jazz. The band’s […]

Today in unexpected covers: Frightened Rabbit takes on Neutral Milk Hotel

Right on the heels of The Decemberists’ excellent take on Heart’s “Crazy on You” from a few days ago, we have an episode of Off The Beaten Tracks which finds Frightened Rabbit singer Scott Hutchinson covering Neutral Milk Hotel’s “Song Against Sex.” The song certainly isn’t the same without its near-gratuitous distortion and trumpet […]

Pinkberry vs. Red Mango. Band vs. Band. Which would you rather?

pinkberry-red-mango

This is intended as a fun post, something a little different around here which stemmed from my thoughts yesterday as I passed yet another Pinkberry and knew to look across the street to find a Red Mango. For those unfamiliar with the terminology here, Pinkberry and Red Mango are both frozen yogurt places – as in, if you take the yogurt you eat in the morning for breakfast and freeze it, you’d get this type of yogurt (essentially). You then choose from a bunch of options and fresh fruit as condiments. There has been hot debate as to which one is better. I personally think they are exactly the same, and would not be surprised if they’re secretly run by the same parent company in an effort to keep other competitors from popping up. But most people are strongly devoted to one or the other, usually Pinkberry. They say Pinkberry was the first in the U.S., which is true, but I say back, Red Mango was the actual original which started internationally. Which do you prefer?

All this being said about yummy yogurt, I’d like to expand the idea to a mini artist competition (all for fun of course). Know that I enjoy each of these following musicians’ work, i’m just comparing ones I find to be similar. Anddddd go!

  1. Travis vs. Athlete. Britrockers actually from the UK, Travis and Athlete create swooping melodies with catchy vocals that range higher than most and an underlying electronic sound. They draw the line between their music and Coldplay’s, though of course there are similarities in this type of pop. Travis has been the more popular group, but Athlete has delivered some fantastic stuff themselves. Which would you rather?
    Travis – “Re-Offender” [MP3]
    Athlete – “Airport Disco” [MP3]
  2. Iron & Wine vs. William Fitzsimmons. Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) is more lo-fi, but I couldn’t help from making this comparison, as most people do, to the two men with beards who make gorgeously earthy music. Acoustic and sublime, Beam and Fitzsimmons have a stranglehold on the recipe to singer/songwriter success for the folk genre. Which would you rather?
    Iron & Wine – “Fever Dream” [MP3]
    William Fitzsimmons – “You Still Hurt Me” [MP3]
  3. Continue reading Pinkberry vs. Red Mango. Band vs. Band. Which would you rather?

New Decemberists track: “Hazards of Love 1”

From the Decemberists’ upcoming release “The Hazards of Love” is “Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won’t Wrestle the Thistles Undone).” The album is set to drop March 24, and will probably be all politically charged and full of cute and sad romance and despair. Check out the track list […]

2009 Bonnaroo Lineup Announced

Not to be outdone by Coachella, Bonnaroo, that other music festival, has released their lineup of fantastic music. Here are some highlights; be sure to check the full listing on the official website. In bold are artists we have blogged about.

Bruce Springstreen and the E Street Band Phish (2 shows) […]