Do you remember The Soup Dragons? If you’re from the UK and / or of a certain age (the certain age that means you actually remember buying albums on cassette), you probably do. If not, this band probably passed you by completely. Which would be a shame because, while Hotwired isn’t necessarily one of the very best albums ever, it’s a classic of my 1990s and can definitely still stand up tall today.

Although I only really listened to Hotwired, a little research shows that The Soup Dragons were more than I realized – or, at least, here in the UK they were. Nevermind that they were already six years old by the time I heard of them, or that Hotwired was actually their third LP – they’d also had a pretty decent hit in the UK with “I’m Free” in 1990. The Wikipedia says that single charted higher on the U.S. Modern Rock chart, whatever that is, but I definitely don’t remember it being a presence. I do, however, know every note of it, though I couldn’t have even told you it existed before yesterday. Isn’t it weird how that happens sometimes, as if you just absorb songs somehow without ever consciously hearing them?

Anyway, it turns out that the band had had some indie-world success even earlier than that, and – enough to secure their place in indie music history alone – were included on the NME’s legendary C86 cassette compilation. If you don’t know about that cassette, check out this great post from Indie-MP3. (Also, you can still download the whole compilation from Stupid and Contagious, though I can’t promise for how long.) The track included on C86 is wildly different from how we came to know them on Hotwired in 1992 – very much a Buzzcocks-inspired messy-punky-poppy sound which is very pleasant but, honestly, not terribly unique. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great track, but I doubt I’d have remembered it if I didn’t already love them from their later work.

I don’t know exactly what caused the change in sound, other than just the change of times and trends, but when they hit upon the sound featured on Hotwired, they made a classic album. Personally, I had no idea The Soup Dragons existed before “Divine Thing” came along and rocked my MTV. I didn’t know from baggy, or rave culture, or C86. I had no concept of British music being cool or anything in particular; I’d never heard of The Stone Roses or the NME. But I do remember this album soundtracking the summer of 1992 (along with Stereo MCs’ Connected). And you know what? It’s actually still pretty great. The sound might be a little bit dated, but not nearly as much as I’d expect after nearly 20 years – and even if it is a little dated, it’s in a wonderfully nostalgic way (rather than a cringey embarrassing way). These guys deserve to remembered fondly.

It’s no secret that I love Cornershop. Yeah, I say I’m a big fan of a lot of bands, and it’s always true, but this is special. Like on equal footing with how I feel about the Beatles. One of those rare, one-in-a-million bands whose music you love so much it almost makes you feel a little sick to your stomach.

Me and Cornershop go way back. In fact, I remember the day – like most people, I got into the band via “Brimful of Asha”, just as it was turning into a monster single, and it was my night out with my friends for my 18th birthday. A little silly on the bus ride home, my friends and I couldn’t stop singing the ‘on a 45′ bit of that song, it being the only part we really knew yet. It didn’t take long for me to get myself When I Was Born For The 7th Time and, as they say, I’ve never looked back. I would pledge my undying love to Cornershop’s music (erm, if I had to for some reason), so 8 pounds seems like nothing.

Cornershop is asking us, their listeners, to pledge as little as 8 pounds to get a minimum of a pre-order of the new album they’re working on with – my heart just stopped a little – Bubbley Kaur. She of the magical single “Topknot”, one of my most beloved songs of all time. In fact, this new album seems to be based around the amazing results of that recording, finally turning it into a full-length LP. For 8 pounds you’ll get yourself the album and the knowledge that you had a little part in making it happen. For more money, you’ll get more stuff, but the list of possibilities is pretty fun to look through so I’ll let you check it out yourself.

This pledging / investing-in-the-making-of-albums isn’t really brand spanking new; I’ve seen similar offers by other bands. It’s a really interesting thing going on, releasing bands from big labels who don’t seem to give much of a crap about the bands they represent nor the listeners who pay for the music. Wouldn’t you much rather give your money directly to a band you care about and have a wee hand in helping get an album made? Cornershop is the first band to do this that I do feel that strongly about, and I will definitely be making my pledge asap, – how about you? There’s only 27 days remaining so have a think about how great it will be to hear Cornershop and The Double ‘O’ Groove Of for the first time and get pledging.

Hear Tjinder and Ben tell you all about it themselves, and find out more about the pledge options over at PledgeMusic – and remind yourself how amazing this band has always been below.

Not that there wasn’t enough good music out in 2010. It’s been a long-ass time since I made one of those numbered lists – I used to love doing it, but I think I might have taken it a little too seriously and they would always end up taking me so long to compile, it wasn’t worth posting them anymore by the time I was finished. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to mention really great albums by Mark Ronson, Hot Chip, She & Him, Tunng, Son Of Dave, Frightened Rabbit (especially Frightened Rabbit – The Winter Of Mixed Drinks really stuck with me), and The Black Keys (always, always The Black Keys) – all of which got a lot of airplay on my iPod.

I’m thinking as I type this that a badass mix tape (the old school kind) could be made of some of my favorite singles of the year. If I did that, the tracklist would probably look a little something like this:

“The Arsonist”, Our Lost Infantry (thanks to Saam at Faded Glamour for letting us know about this one)
“Superfast Jellyfish”, Gorillaz
“Bang Bang Bang”, Mark Ronson (probably my single of the year, if I had to pick one)
“New York Is Killing Me”, Gil Scott-Heron
“Taos”, Menomena
“Best Friend”, The Drums
“The Opposite Of Adults”, Chiddy Bang
“The Cities That You Burn”, Adam Haworth Stephens
“King Of The Beach”, Wavves
“Kentucky Pill”, Johnny Flynn
“Ghost Train”, Summer Camp
“O.N.E.”, Yeasayer

Among others. Hmm, maybe I should make that mix.

Anyway, the point is that, although I loved all of this music dearly, they aren’t the artists I’m going to forever associate with 2010. It wasn’t really my best year ever and, I suppose I really latched on to the way Tom Petty, Langhorne Slim, and Mark Oliver Everett AKA Eels approach music.

Tom Petty?! Yeah, I know, I’m at least 20 years late and it’s not like I didn’t love Tom Petty before last year. But I got to see that amazing Peter Bogdanovich documentary earlier this year and then couldn’t get enough. Same with Langhorne Slim, whose eponymous 2008 album had been wasting away in my iTunes library until I finally remembered to check it out this summer. I snatched up everything else he’s recorded within weeks and at least one of his albums has been on my iPod ever since, no exaggeration. As for Eels – yeah, I listened to a lot of Eels last year too, but again – Mark Oliver Everett’s voice and songwriting just took hold me of me this year even more than before. I loved Tomorrow Morning but listened to everything I have as much as I could; Eels music is, for me, definitely something I love even more the more I listen.

All three play and sing from the bottom of their hearts, reaching deep, deep down for a level of true emotion (both happy and sad) that most other artists can’t dream of – but they all three also infuse their music and lyrics with the kind of hope that just refuses to give up. And I guess that’s just what spoke – or sang – to me in 2010.

Chiddy Bang ft MGMT – Opposite Of Adults (myspace, Amazon.co.uk)

The Drums – Best Friend (official site, Amazon.co.uk)

Allo Darlin’ – Dreaming (official site, emusic)

Beach House – Zebra (official site, emusic)

* No theme, these songs are totally random – but I will say that three of them are songs I first heard and loved on BBC 6music. You’ll probably know by now that this station is under threat, something we’ll be talking about around here very soon, so I just wanted to give credit where it’s due and all.

Soundtrack Day is an older 100b category that I had to bring back for this post, because this song is definitely a part of my personal soundtrack. Indonesia’s day of independance is celebrated on August 17th, but we will be celebrating the joyous freedom of my motherland this saturday. And by “celebrating”, I mean eat. I thought it’d be fun to introduce Indonesia’s flavours to my 100buddies with a grand feast … assuming I don’t burn the food and bring shame to my country. I always talk about how I would love to live in Spain for a year or some other exotic country, but never Indonesia. And yet when I haven’t been there for a while I get homesick for a country I’ve never even lived in. I miss absolutely everything about Indonesia; from the language, to the nature, to the heat, to the smells on the street. It even turns me all poetic and stuff. It’s been four years since I was there last and I miss it dearly. I may not live there or even consider it as a country of residence at the moment, but it’s never far from me.

This song, by the mega popular band Ada Band, was a huge hit four years ago. It is a bit of sentimental, pop rock, but it makes the memories of that vacation so vivid. The title literally means stupid person, it’s about a man who’s being played by the woman he loves. It’s not an especially remarkable song, it’s not a ground-breaking sound, you can’t dance to it, and most of you would probably forget it the moment it’s over, but it means the world to me. Oh yeah my people LOVE karaoke … if you wanna bypass all the amateurish introductory stuff, the song starts 44 seconds into it.

   Michael Jackson – Thriller
]]> http://onehundredb.com/2007/10/31/soundtrack-day-its-close-to-midnight/feed/ 0 Bean http://onehundredb.com/2007/09/26/soundtrack-day-invasion-of-the-body-snatchers/ http://onehundredb.com/2007/09/26/soundtrack-day-invasion-of-the-body-snatchers/#comments Wed, 26 Sep 2007 20:56:08 +0000 tamboosh http://onehundredb.com/2007/09/26/soundtrack-day-invasion-of-the-body-snatchers/ ]]>

Is it common knowledge that Jerry Garcia plays Harry the homeless guy’s banjo bits in Philip Kaufman’s Invasion Of The Body Snatchers? I had no idea. I was watching the movie earlier today and I really liked Harry’s songs and his dog – NOT the alien doggy pod clone that wears Harry’s face … yuck. But I digress, I looked up the actor, because I thought he might have been a musician. It turns out that though the actor who plays the banjo man is called Joe Bellan, Jerry Garcia is the one who plays over Joe’s ass kicking faux-finger picking. I also learned that it is impossible to find a sample, a name, or even a clip of the banjo song played in the movie. So I’m calling on all you movie buffs and Deadheads out there, if anybody knows anything about it, please do share your awesome smarts.

Here’s a great song that shows off Jerry’s banjo skillz:

   Jerry Garcia – Catfish John

Next month another version of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers comes out starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, called The Invasion. I’m curious what it will be like, because the original movie from the fifties was influenced by the communist witch hunts at the time, and the first remake from the seventies was set against the background of the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate paranoia of (political) conspiracies. I wonder if the current political climate is also somehow represented in this new version. Other than what’s on the IMDB, I don’t know anything else about The Invasion, but they’re gonna have a really hard time trying to top the 1978 one.

   Nine Inch Nails – Survivalism

Back in the day, grunge was the shiznit. Ah, to think of those times again. When it was acceptable to look like a bum. When plaid flannel was de rigour. Good times. Good times, indeed. Actually, good grunge and much about that scene is still the shiznit.

Most probably think of Nirvana and Pearl Jam when they harken back to those days of yore. For me, though, among the flood of great, good, and downright upsetting groups coming out of Seattle between 1990-1994, Alice In Chains really stands out. Dark and introspective lyrics over heavy metal-esque instrumentals. They really left an impression on that time in my life.

And, when I think about Alice In Chains I always think of “Rooster”, off the 1992 release Dirt. It might not be their best song or even my favorite (that’d be “Man In The Box”). But, the track got significant videoplay and I watched MTV a lot back then (before MTV become less Music Television and more Moron Television). The rooster pecked and crowed its way permanently into the recesses of my brain, where it still lurks today.

   Alice in Chains – Rooster

If you’re just a casual fan and don’t already know, check out the Wikipedia write-up about the song’s background and meaning.

Interested in what Alice In Chains is up to now? Visit the official Alice In Chains site.
]]> http://onehundredb.com/2007/09/12/soundtrack-day-they-come-to-snuff-the-rooster/feed/ 0 aDawgg http://onehundredb.com/2007/08/29/soundtrack-day-the-cardigans-life/ http://onehundredb.com/2007/08/29/soundtrack-day-the-cardigans-life/#comments Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:33:20 +0000 Julie http://onehundredb.com/2007/08/29/soundtrack-day-the-cardigans-life/ ]]>

Back in high school, The Cardigans’ Life was one of my favorite albums. I didn’t know anyone else that listened to it at the time so I don’t know where I first heard about them, but from the moment I took that album home, I fell in love. The swingin’ 60s melodies and Nina Persson’s wonderfully soft yet semi-saucy voice made for an album that I would listen to for years. 12 years later, Life is still a fantastic album. Although I was also very fond of First Band On The Moon, I’ve never been as much of as a Cardigans fan as much as I was back in 1995. I got to see them live in Amsterdam, around about the time Gran Turismo came out, but it was still those early songs that I wanted to hear.

   The Cardigans – Tomorrow
   The Cardigans – Fine
]]> http://onehundredb.com/2007/08/29/soundtrack-day-the-cardigans-life/feed/ 1 Bean http://onehundredb.com/2007/08/01/soundtrack-day-nina-sky-guilty-pleasure-shhh/ http://onehundredb.com/2007/08/01/soundtrack-day-nina-sky-guilty-pleasure-shhh/#comments Wed, 01 Aug 2007 17:38:48 +0000 aDawgg http://onehundredb.com/2007/08/01/soundtrack-day-nina-sky-guilty-pleasure-shhh/ ]]>

With Nina Sky due to release their delayed second non-mixtape album (The Musical) later this summer, I thought I’d make public that the duo is one of my guilty pleasures. Yes, the soundtrack of my life features groups and artists of the softer, female-based variety. Of course, I make this confession in confidence, so you shouldn’t spread it around.

There’s something about their simple harmonization that’s just plain ol’ catchy and easy to listen to. Oh, and they have the obligatory ‘sex appeal’. That helps, too. To prove it on the harmonization front, I’ve dug around in my bucket-of-fun for some collaborations they’ve done. Tell me you aren’t mesmerized. Of course, if you’re not a hip hop fan – and the samples below are pulled from my hip hop collection instead of their more R&B solo tracks – then definitely pick up their self-titled debut while waiting to buy the second album.

   The Alchemist – Hold You Down (ft Prodigy, Nina Sky, Illa Ghee)
   Garcia – Let Me Hear You Say (ft Pitbull, Nina Sky, NORE)(Hood Remix)
   Pitbull – Turnin Me On (ft Nina Sky)(Remix)
   Sean Paul – Connection (ft Nina Sky)

Visit the Nina SkySpace to have a listen to other tracks and, even better, the Official Nina Sky site, at which you can download a few 100% free mixtapes.
]]> http://onehundredb.com/2007/08/01/soundtrack-day-nina-sky-guilty-pleasure-shhh/feed/ 0 aDawgg http://onehundredb.com/2007/07/18/soundtrack-day-settling-in-new-albums/ http://onehundredb.com/2007/07/18/soundtrack-day-settling-in-new-albums/#comments Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:53:30 +0000 Julie http://onehundredb.com/2007/07/18/soundtrack-day-settling-in-new-albums/ ]]> I thought doing Soundtrack Day this week would be easy. But as it turns out, spending many weeks unpacking, sorting, organizing, re-organizing, and sleeping while listening to barely any music (sad but true) doesn’t make for really good music-related anecdotes. Hmm.

However, I have managed to pick up a bunch of albums that I’d been looking forward to. That little stack is seriously all I’ve listened to for ages. It goes without saying that Icky Thump is my favorite recent release. Taking that whole album out of the running, here’s my favorite tracks from the stack so far:

   Ryan Adams – Pearls On A String
   Blanche – I Can’t Sit Down
   Interpol – All Fired Up
]]> http://onehundredb.com/2007/07/18/soundtrack-day-settling-in-new-albums/feed/ 0 Bean http://onehundredb.com/2007/07/04/soundtrack-day-quiet-riot-metal-health-accept-balls-to-the-wall/ http://onehundredb.com/2007/07/04/soundtrack-day-quiet-riot-metal-health-accept-balls-to-the-wall/#comments Wed, 04 Jul 2007 14:20:32 +0000 aDawgg http://onehundredb.com/2007/07/04/soundtrack-day-quiet-riot-metal-health-accept-balls-to-the-wall/ ]]>

Following a suggestion from the Bean, my run-in with Soundtrack Day today recalls the first album I can remember buying. Well, actually, the first album I can remember asking my parents to buy for me and and another album I recall listening to an awful lot for an 11- and 12-year-old.

First, Quiet Riot’s history-making 1983 mega-album Metal Health. History-making because it was the first metal album to top the Billboard Album Chart and first to have a single in the Top 5 of the Singles Chart (the “Cum On Feel The Noize” Slade cover). Mega-album because it was multi-platinum and really marked the launch of metal in the early-1980s. Dude, it’s a classic and a number of the tracks still rock hard to this day! (Devil Horns! Yeah!)

And, second, oh, yes, 1983 was a good year for rock. Udo Dirkschneider’s Accept – a dark and vaguely absurd Teutonic bridge between early speed metal songs by various groups and the later speed metal genre. I hadn’t listened to Balls To The Wall in yonks and (Devil Horns!) “Balls To The Wall” really throbs (weak pun intended). Heavy, grinding, weird. Excellent.

The soundtrack of 1983 and 1984! (Devil Horns!)

   Quiet Riot – Cum On Feel The Noize
   Quiet Riot – Metal Health (Bang Your Head)
   Accept – Balls To The Wall

I had to wade through a pool of some scary homemade gothic rap acts, but I was surprised to come across some nice new bands too. If some of these songs sound a bit sucky, please do not adjust your set, it’s probably because they were recorded in Bobby The Bassplayer’s basement.

   Dakar Rally – Confidence Trick

These guys have a really fun London-ish Indie pop sound. That’s code for they’re most likely inspired by the likes of The Libertines and Bloc Party, but on uppers. This song is great, it makes me want to bust a move and that’s never a bad thing.

   The Operation – Sing For The People

These guys compare themselves with The Magic Numbers, but I don’t hear it … not in this song anyway. It’s a very catchy rile up the masses type of song reminiscent of Kasabian.

   The Steeples – Samples

This a medley of samples of a few of The Steeples surprisingly good songs. Geez, I tried but they make it impossible to buy full songs from them. Anyway, if you mourned the demise of Larrikin Love earlier this year and you’re in love with The Kooks and Mystery Jets, The Steeples are your band.

   The Bedroom Orchestra – Walls (Bedroom Version)

Folksy crooner with a pleasant voice in the vein of James Morrison and John Mayer. This was my favorite of the three songs he had up for free.

   The Hornblower Brothers – Courtship Prior To Coïtus

Aw, these guys sound so sweet! Can I keep them, can I? Great lyrics and a swinging, summery melody. My favoritest line is ‘It’s scary that there are really twats that read the Daily Mail and believe Pete Doherty drank from the Holy Grail’. Hee. This band is my favorite of the bunch, just for being the most adorable thing ever. They even managed to make the words ‘Al Qaeda’ sound cute!

An international move is in the works and for the past week I’ve been sitting in my empty apartment and sleeping on an air mattress, eating take out, sandwiches, cookies, various chip-type foods, watching weak television on a small, old set, and surfing the Internet when a public wireless connection allows. I’ve completely lost track of time and days, despite the television and Internet.

Here’s an illustration of what being in this empty apartment and rarely leaving is doing to me.

I participate in a simulation baseball league and run the games every Wednesday, almost like clockwork unless I warn everyone in advance. The Swiss might be able to set their clocks using me instead of some secret alien atomic clock. Not this week. I woke up Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday. Seeing the wireless connection was working I decided to run the games and upload them. I only realized it wasn’t game day when I checked later and a few people pointed out – with justifiable indignation if you know competitive simulation baseball – I’d run the games 30 hours early and could have given them a bit of notice. Of course, I felt like a dumbass because we don’t re-run games. History is history, come what may. Anyway, someone in the forum said it sounded like I could be having a Captain Benjamin Willard Apocalypse Now experience.

I think that strikes the right chord.

So, to complete my point (finally), I lost track of the days again yesterday, not realizing a) it was Wednesday and b) I was scheduled for Soundtrack Day. I think I’m losing my mind. This is probably a time warp, days are jumping around and getting lost. Definitely a case for “Mulder And Scully” from Catatonia’s International Velvet (1998).

   Catatonia – Mulder And Scully
]]> http://onehundredb.com/2007/06/07/soundtrack-day-a-case-for-mulder-and-scully/feed/ 0 aDawgg http://onehundredb.com/2007/05/23/soundtrackday-tamboosh-ost/ http://onehundredb.com/2007/05/23/soundtrackday-tamboosh-ost/#comments Wed, 23 May 2007 12:22:35 +0000 tamboosh http://onehundredb.com/2007/05/23/soundtrackday-tamboosh-ost/ ]]> I’m normally not a quiz taking kinda girl but so many bloggers have done this one and I wanted to be one of the cool kids too! Plus I got bored with playing digital Sudoku, so here it goes:

Directions: If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?

1. Open your mp3 library
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press Play.
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the Next button.
6. No skipping to up your cool.

My Movie:
1. Opening credits: White Stripes – God Makes No Mistakes
2. Waking up: Poor Boy Johnson – Ain’t Doing Too Much Talking
3. First day of school: The Boy Least Likely To – I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes
4. Falling In Love: Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird
5. Breaking up: Band Marino – Every Time I Make A Girl Cry I Know I’ve Done My Job
6. Prom: The Coup – Underdogs
7. Life’s okay: Goran Gora – Slow Down
8. Mental breakdown: Good Shoes – Photos On My Wall
9. Driving: Oh Brother Where Art Thou – Didn’t leave Nobody But The Baby
10. Flashback: The Maccabees – About Your Dress
11. Getting back together: Jesus H Christ &The Four Hornsmen Of The Apocalypse – She’s A Six
12. Wedding song: Tapes n Tapes – Ten Gallon Ascots
13. Birth of first child: The Most Serene Repubic – Content Always Was My Favorite Color
14. Final battle scene: The Mountain Goats – Woke Up New
15. Death scene: Ima Robot – STD Dance
16. Funeral song: New York Dolls – Pills
17. End credits: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Satan Said Dance

Some of them are a bit mean, like my Breaking Up and Getting Back Together tracks. First of all, if that Band Marino song wasn’t so damn good I would boycot it, because that hurts. Second of all, my mom says I’m a TEN, dang nabbit! There also seems to be some confusion as to how I died, was it an STD or all the pill poppin’? Or a happy combination of the two? I do love the fact that my movie soundtrack starts with God and ends with Satan … just like real life.

No person or group left an early hip hop impression on me like the uncompromising Carlton Ridenhour (bka Chuck D) and the crew of Public Enemy. The first PE album I bought was the 1988 It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back around the time of its release. There was no turning back.

I must have listened to It Takes A Nation Of Millions … a sonnuvabitchin lot back because I can still hear it banging in my head. You know, back in the day, when we used tapes? And we listened to them so often the track listings and information would rub right off? And how you’d pop it into your Walkman and it’d be the wrong side and you’d have to pop it out again to get to Side A. Unless, of course, you had one of them fancier Walkmans that let you switch directions on the fly to listen to the other side.

Sweet.

As one of the most influential and historic hip hop albums of all time – and, more importantly, one of my favorites – the album features prominently on the soundtrack of my life.

School yourself on the album.

Then rock these bells.

   Public Enemy – Night Of The Living Baseheads
   Public Enemy – Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos

Finally, close the circle by picking up your own copy of the album.

It’s worth it.

If the orange line represents Chutes Too Narrow and the blue line is Wincing The Night Away, you can see an estimate of the frequency with which I’ve listened to these two albums since their releases. (A few notes about the graph: 1. I’ve not included Oh, Inverted World because I didn’t buy that until well after I’d already fallen in love with Chutes Too Narrow, which therefore excludes it from this study. 2. Time Passing data for Chutes Too Narrow is not proportionally correct on this graph, as including the appropriate space between the release of the two albums would have made it far wider than your browser window and totally messed up our column layout.)

Let’s have a look at the data, shall we?

Like every album ever listened to by man, The Shins do take dips in my listening habits. This usually starts with new releases that dominate my stereo for a while, which lead to other albums being played, etc. The interesting thing to notice is that, once The Shins get into my stereo, the Listening Frequency always climbs steadily. They don’t get played once here and there and then get put away again. I attribute this phenomenon to those things that make The Shins unique. Their lyrics are one of the few current bands (that I know of) that could just as well be read on paper as poetry – there’s no rhyming love and dove, they write about the world as they know it with a mastery of the English language that most bands could only dream of. James Mercer’s phrasing inspires compulsive listening – his voice never quite does what you expect it to, which you only really notice the more you hear him sing and makes him fascinating to listen to. Their combination of country, pop, and indie sounds make them suitable for any listening occasion – while working or reading, traveling, dancing, singing out loud and proud, nursing heartbreak, or quiet contemplation.

Although it’s not clear (see note 2 above) from the graph, Chutes Too Narrow’s Frequency climb was relatively gradual. But by the time Wincing The Night Away was released, I knew to expect greatness and, as a result, its rise to the top was much more rapid. In addition, the release of the newer album caused a bump in the Listening Frequency of the older one.

So what have we learned? Listening to The Shins just makes me want to listen to them more. Which makes them a very special (and rarely found) band indeed.

   The Shins – Turn On Me
]]> http://onehundredb.com/2007/04/25/soundtrack-day-fond-of-y-o-u/feed/ 0 Bean http://onehundredb.com/2007/04/20/soundtrack-day-we-danced-together-in-the-melkweg/ http://onehundredb.com/2007/04/20/soundtrack-day-we-danced-together-in-the-melkweg/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:51:45 +0000 tamboosh http://100b.wordpress.com/2007/04/20/soundtrack-day-we-danced-together-in-the-melkweg/ ]]> The last few days the Bean and I went to see three cool bands and one band with a whole lotta attitude play in the Melkweg. Wednesday was Good Shoes and The Rakes night. We always have so much fun at The Rakes’ gigs, part of that is due to the crowd’s crazy energy and the singer Alan’s excellent moves. They may not have taken Holland by storm yet, but the fans they do have here are hardcore. I thought I loved their music, but the audience, including the Bean, LOVES them. And deservedly so, their new songs sound even better live and for a smallish band they put up an amazing show.

Check out The Bean’s review of their latest album Ten New Messages.
Watch the concert in full over on Fabchannel.

We were so lucky to have Good Shoes support The Rakes, as they are a 100b New Band Day favorite. It’s nice to see a band who is still genuinely surprised to see people singing their songs back at them, but they seemed way more comfortable being on stage now than the first time we saw them last year. I’m still amazed at how these boys manage to create a new exciting, poppy but arty sound that’ll have you dancing on the ceiling like a bad Lionel Richie flashback.

   Good Shoes – We Are Not The Same

Yesterday it was Maxïmo Park’s turn to dazzle us, but first we had to get through the support act, Hasselhoff. We always support the support even when their music is not our thing at all. We actually thought that the band was good at what they do, so it wouldn’t have been so bad if they didn’t have more bravado and hubris than ten Howlin’ Pelles combined, except without the irony and good music. They came off so contrived, it got a bit painful to look at them.

Maxïmo Park more than made up for the support. They’re the kind of band that’s great on record, but really blows your mind live. Their energy and enthusiasm is contagious and they always make us feel like it’s the first time anyone has ever appreciated their music the way we do. The audience sang, danced and screamed along with Paul Smith like he was their cult leader. We’ve seen them play a couple of times now and they’re always a concert highlight for us. Here is a new and an older favorite of mine:

   Maxïmo Park – Nosebleed
   Maxïmo Park – Fear Of Falling
]]> http://onehundredb.com/2007/04/20/soundtrack-day-we-danced-together-in-the-melkweg/feed/ 0 Tam http://onehundredb.com/2007/04/13/soundtrack-day-japan-is-an-island/ http://onehundredb.com/2007/04/13/soundtrack-day-japan-is-an-island/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2007 21:19:53 +0000 Julie http://100b.wordpress.com/2007/04/13/soundtrack-day-japan-is-an-island/ ]]> When Tam and I go to concerts, there’s always at least one song that the DJ plays that we know but can’t figure out where from. Sometimes one of us will remember and blurt it out, but we usually have to give up so as to not drive ourselves insane. Earlier this week, I listened to The Spinto Band’s Nice And Nicely Done for the first time in months. I got that album not long after it came out but, as much as I enjoy it, I’ve only listened to it a few times. I kind of forgot I had it. So I was pretty surprised to find that at least half of those songs that Tam and I puzzle over are Spinto Band songs! I didn’t realize exactly how many great, catchy songs they’ve got on there. This is one I definitely knew without having any idea who sang it and, as my punishment for being so ignorant, I’ve had it stuck in my head on and off all week.

   The Spinto Band – Japan Is An Island
]]> http://onehundredb.com/2007/04/13/soundtrack-day-japan-is-an-island/feed/ 0 Bean http://onehundredb.com/2007/04/06/soundtrack-day-viva-voce/ http://onehundredb.com/2007/04/06/soundtrack-day-viva-voce/#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2007 11:07:30 +0000 tamboosh http://100b.wordpress.com/2007/04/06/soundtrack-day-viva-voce/ ]]>

The Bean and I went to see The Shins play at the Paradiso yesterday and it was excellent. We were expecting them to be great, but their support band Viva Voce, was the surprise of the evening. They easily won over the crowd with their big noise and sweet voices.

I have to admit I don’t own any of their three albums (yet), because I only knew one song and though I loved it, it soon got buried under a pile of new music yet to be listened to. Now that I’ve seen them live I want everything they’ve ever touched. Anita Robinson is my new hero, she is a guitar fiend!! She could make her instrument sing with the best of em and was very serious, whereas Kevin Robinson obviously loved entertaining the crowd. His super cool headband was not just a nice accessory, it was also sweat absorbent and Bean remarked that it had the added bonus of making him look like Richie Tenenbaum. On top of being a keen dresser, he is the first person I’ve ever seen play the guitar and drums at the same time. Last night they definitely made a believer out of me.

   Viva Voce – Alive With Pleasure
]]> http://onehundredb.com/2007/04/06/soundtrack-day-viva-voce/feed/ 0 Tam