Say Hi
March 4, 2008
The artist formerly known as Say Hi To Your Mom (secret identity: Eric Elbogen), currently shortened to Say Hi (as in to no one in particular, and particularly not your mother), returns in 2008 with The Wishes and the Glitch, released again on Elbogen’s Euphobia imprint.
One might speculate that the last three words in the band’s name were lost somewhere in the midwest, amongst a trail of Brooklyn artifacts and shards of the east coast on their way to the Pacific Northwest. It may also be a case of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah backlash, though we’ll never know.
Despite the change in name and backing personnel, Elbogen continues on the trajectory towards catchy lo-fi indie-pop greatness hinted at on last record, Impecable Blahs, and the Invisible Friends’ favorite, “These Fangs.” Gone is the obsession with vampires, as adjustment to his new base of operations is the theme of The Wishes and the Glitch’s opener, “Northwestern Girls,” during which Elbogen seems to have found his inner Will Sheff.
Elbogen’s songs remain compact and appealing in their sense of deceptive effortlessness. Despite dropping topics related to all things undead, the overarching tone of the record is a dusky melancholy, but somehow retains a sense of pop-likability (see “Toil and Trouble”). It’s like the seasonal affective disorder shows, but Elbogen can’t help but sing about it accompanied by cute falsetto back ups and clever hand claps.
Order the record directly on the bands’ website below.
Listen: “Northwestern Girls“, “Toil and Trouble“, “Zero To Love” from The Wishes and the Glitch, available from Euphobia Records.
Invisible Songs vol. 16
March 3, 2008
Tokyo Police Club
1. Maritime - “Boy From School“
2. What Made Milwaukee Famous - “Resistance Street“
3. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - “Cold Son“
4. Devastations - “Mistakes“
5. Tokyo Police Club - “In A Cave“
6. American Music Club - “All the Lost Souls Welcome You to San Francisco“
7. Widespread Panic - “Boom Boom Boom“
8. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - “With a Heavy Heart (I Regret to Inform You)“
9. Astrid Williamson - “I Am the Boy For You“
10. Great Northern - “Telling Lies“
Grand Archives
February 24, 2008
Leaving behind the emerging success of Band of Horses and their excellent, Everything All the Time, may not have seemed like a great career move for guitarist Mat Brooke. It’s also hard to believe that Brooke wasn’t kicking himself when the Horses’ follow up, Cease to Begin, was released last year to a fair amount of critical praise.
But things are looking well on their way to being more than okay, now that Brooke’s newest band, Grand Archives’ new self-titled record is out on Sub Pop. (Mat Brooke was also in the band, Carissa’s Weird.)
At the outset of the record on “Torn Blue Foam Couch,” the Grand Archives start to invoke the sweet powers of Iron and Wine, but with enough reverb in place to evoke both Band of Horses and the bottom of a well. As the drum kicks in, the Archives soar out from those sad dark places and launch into some uplifting pop music; harmonies, whistles, rainbows, French horns, dancing ponies and all.
Listen: “Torn Blue Foam Couch” from their self-titled debut album available on Sub Pop Records.
Also listen: Band of Horses, “No One’s Gonna Love You,” from Cease to Begin.
Man Man
February 6, 2008
Philadelphia’s extraordinary Man Man bring the big-top carnivalesque sideshow back to town, with deference to (now label-mate) Tom Waits as ringleader in tow. The quintet’s last outing from 2006, Six Demon Bag, was a bizarro funhouse ride of a record. The first track to emerge from their new album, Rabbit Habits, places the Man Man back on that dizzying ride, showcasing their talents like the theme of some eerie cryptkeeper automaton saloon at psycho-Disneyland.
Listen: “Top Drawer” from the forthcoming Rabbit Habits, available on Anti Records 4/8/08. Also, “Van Helsing Boombox” from Six Demon Bag, available on Ace Fu Records.
An old exclusive interview from Pitchfork Media.
Man Man plays the Bowery Ballroom 4/10/08.
