Tuesday, October 25, 2005

She says

This week's episode features, for the first time, a couple of female singers. I actually considered at one point doing an all-female episode. But I decided against it which was probably for the best. As you can see I've also started naming each episode rather than just numbering them - just to make things more interesting. You shall be enjoying:

1) Postcard of a Painting - Maximo Park
Great British band who recently released a very solid (debut I think) album "A certain trigger". I've always found it hard to find a best song on this album however recently when listening to them live on the radio, this song in particulars stuck out. So here it is.....

2) Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
I know absolutely nothing about this girl - I'm not even sure on her name. It's something along the lines of Kate or Katie but then am I supposed to write her last name or is it already taken care of by the 'T' in KT? Who knows? What I do know is that I heard this song somewhere and really liked it. I only hope she isn’t mainstream pop singer 'cause then I’d have to renounce my likings....

3) I Was Born (A Unicorn) - The Unicorns
When looking for a Unicorns song I originally planned NOT to use this song. Due to the fact it's well known. However listening through "Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?" I get the feeling that this song is the 'single' while the rest are the 'album'. Choosing any other song here would not do the album any justice - you must listen to it in full. That being said this song is still great and will be enjoyed by Unicorn fans and ignoramuses alike

4) Bottlerocket - The Go! Team
This band is extremely uplifting - from catchy harmonica solos to female rapping (which against all my conventions is actually good) and is a pleasure to listen to. This song especially has a mix of everything they do best. It's actually the single version taken from their Australian tour EP so fans of the original may find it a bit weird - but despite the differences, I see neither as better or worse.

5) Eros' Entropic Tundra - Of Montreal
This band was pointed out to me by a friend in a time of fresh music need. Thankfully it did the job with more than a few good songs. This in particular is a very catchy song and I liked it pretty much instantly- so might you....

Man this exhausting. Expect to see my intros to get more and more half hearted as they go on.
In my self-righteous quest to open people's eyes, mine are slowly closing.........nah i'll be right

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Chilly Chimps

What an achievment, I've made it to episode two. This week consisted of agonisingly scrutenising over what the best song of various albums were and then ending up not using most of them. Maybe next week. Anyway here it is, some of the songs are a but strange but overall i think it's good. Songs are as follows:

1) Cigerette Smoke - Arctic Monkeys
I was recently introduced to this band and instantly liked them. They are British (i think) and only been around for a very short time, releasing their second EP days ago. They are very energetic with lots of variety. I have no doubt they will be big one day. This song would be my favourite though there are many other good ones

2) Munich - Editors
I really don't know how to explain this band. I guess you could say they sound a bit 'dark'. Either way it is good music which i have come to appreciate as i listen to more. This song is particularly catchy

3) Emily Kane - Art Brut
"Yes this is my singing voice!" States the singer in the first song of the album. If you listen to this song you'll understand. It's the kind of music that sounds more like talking than singing. Despite this its still good to listen to. Probably aided by lyrics so stupid its funny. This song probably isnt the funniest on the album but it's the best to listen to.

4) Complications - The Cants
This band is explosive and i liked every song instantly as the album played through. Admittedly, at the other end of the scale, it probably won't have much longevity but i am yet to get sick of them. As you can imagine they are also great live. This song is great as are most of the songs on their album 'Melbourne Vampires'

5) Walking Away - 67 Special
This is another of the many quality emerging Australian bands which i'm dying to see live. In fact I actually bought this album, something i NEVER do. So maybe including this song is just a way of justifying my money being spent. Or it could be the fact that its a really good song. You decide

There we have it. Another episode done. Keep listening and i'll keep making

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Welcome Listener(s)

Here is episode 1 of "Open your eyes". It doesn't have as much variety as i would have liked but it will do for the first episode and hopefully there's something here you'll like. If not, don't be put off, it may just be a bad week. Each song is introduced by me despite the fact i can't stand my recorded voice and you probably can't understand it. They are also very crudely put together so may not sound too good but hopefully once i become aquainted with the technology things will sound alot nicer. The songs are as follows:

1) Hey Kid - Red Riders
Red Riders are a fairly new Australian band who i am liking more and more each day. They are yet to release an LP however this is off their second EP 'Plan A'. They sound good on record but sound even better live.

2) We built another world - Wolf Parade
This is a canadian band who has been receiving alot of hype due to the fact that they share a member with Arcade Fire and their album, "Apologies To The Queen Mary" was produced by the man behind Modest Mouse. It is indeed a good album and i had a bit of trouble picking just one song to put here. However i felt this was the most "single-like"

3) Oi Frango - Super Furry Animals
This is a nice little instrumental with the only two words being "oi frango!". I find it very funny and enjoyable to listen to so i included it. It is definitely different to the rest of the Super Furry Animal's music which i find to be alright.

4) Is this love? - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
This band has stupidest name, however make some addictively good music. It's of a whiney/slurred nature however its good to yell to. Again i had trouble picking just one song.

5) Soul meets body - Death Cab For Cutie
This is an extremely good song off Death Cab For Cutie's new album 'plans'. It is on par with their best older stuff and it perfectly represents their style

Hopefully you enjoyed this and my time and effort wasn't wasted. Stay tuned for more hot stuff from my great big list of recommendations...........in next weeks installment!

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the information page associated with my podcast. For those who dont alreay know the address (thing you put into podcast software) of my feed is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/openyoureyes and the blog address (in case for some reason you aren't there now) is: http://xmondo.blogspot.com

If your are here and dont have any podcasting software, i suggest you use ipodder which can be found at: http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/index.php once downloaded and installed just add my feed and you're set. If you couldnt be bothered getting the software (it will make things simpler in the end) you can always just download the files off this site. Despite the fact it's only 9mb, some people may still whinge about the fact they have dial-up. If this is you, i have a program i can give you that speeds up your download as well allows you to resume it if you get cut off or have to leave.

You can't get it through itunes as that requires me to live in America and have a credit card........