Friday, April 29, 2011

Kick Off Your Weekend Right: With My Morning Jacket – Holdin On To Black Metal

What a week! I knew things wouldn’t be quiet for too long. We have soooo much to get us pumped up for the weekend – how can things get any better?

First off, My Morning Jacket announced several new shows this week – including a hometown show at the Louisville Palace Theatre on Circuital’s release date, three Canada shows, and Lollapalooza and Kahbang Festival 2011! Hope everyone can make at least one of MMJ’s summer tour dates. It’s gonna be a wonderful summer.

Also on Monday, MMJ released a second single off Circuital via Facebook: “Holdin On To Black Metal.” If “Circuital” didn’t whet your appetite for Circuital, “Black Metal” sure should do the trick!

It’s a darkness you can’t deny
But it don’t belong in the grown up mind
Suppose you’ll find this place will suffice
Coming into life you needn’t cry

This dark, unruly track certainly brightened up my Monday morning this week. Inspired by the Thai-soul track “E-Saew Tham Punha Huajai” by Kwan Jai & Kwan Jit Sriprajan, “Black Metal” has the lyrical and musical fire to incite a riot – in the best possible way. In Jim James’ words, via Rolling Stone:

"I want it to sound like we're Cuban or Cambodian kids, and we're wearing berets and we're walking through an alley and we stumble upon this band, and it explodes into this crazy sing-along….”

Despite minor disapproval among some Facebook fans, MMJ clearly and respectfully pays homage to and credits “E-Saew” as an inspiration for this track. Additionally, Jim has been citing “Siamese Soul” as an influence for months! It’s unfortunate that some would assume otherwise. It’s fantastic that a band in this industry can draw from such diverse genres and time periods for inspiration. Few, if any, other bands are doing such amazing things. It is to be appreciated, not ridiculed!

Catchin’ waves on Lucifer’s beach
Takin’ shade underneath Lucifer’s tree
Gettin’ sustenance from Lucifer’s peach*

Hope you all enjoy (and have been enjoying!) this badass track and live it up this weekend!

*These lyrics are as accurate as I could get them!*

DOWNLOAD - Kurt Vile - 2011-02-01 - Live at Luna Music - Indy, IN


This guy is just cool. I think it's because he just doesn't care, maaaan. Or at least he doesn't seem to with his lazy vocals (meant in a good way), long hair and poor composure. His latest, Smoke Ring For My Halo, will easily be one of my favorite records of 2011.Catch part one and part two of these video's here and here.




01 Hey, Now I'm Movin'
02 Overnight Religion
03 Classic Rock In Spring
04 Monkey
05 Freeway
06 In My Time

Thursday, April 28, 2011

The General Specific


- 2011 is shaping up to be the year of My Morning Jacket. In the past week, the band have announced a Circuital release show in their hometown of Louisville (I got tickets!), they released a killer new song, as well as the tracking listening to their aforementioned upcoming album, and it was also announced this week that they will be headlining a night at this year's Lollapalooza. Can it please be May 31st now?

- A great batch of artists including Paul McCartney, The Black Keys, The Stroke's Julian Casablancas, and, yes, My Morning Jacket, have been tapped to record a Buddy Holly tribute album.

- Radiohead's newspaper album for The King of Limbs has been released early.

- Ryan Adams debuted new songs last week in Los Angeles when he opened for Emmylou Harris. Oh, and it was a surprise, too.

- Jeff Tweedy shed a little light on Wilco's highly anticipated eighth LP, tentatively titled Get Well Soon Everybody.

- The Beasties Boys' Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 can now be streamed.

Check back next week!

DOWNLOAD - Bright Eyes - 2011-03-18 - SXSW - Austin Club - Austin, TX



01 An Attempt To Tip The Scales
02 Hot Knives
03 Take It Easy (Love Nothing)
04 Jejune Stars
05 Falling Out Of Love At This Volume
06 Beginners Mind
07 Bowl Of Oranges
08 Poison Oak
09 The Calendar Hung Itself
10 Road To Joy

DOWNLOAD - The Greenhornes - 2011-03-22 - KDHX - St. Louis, MO


If you guys can't tell, I've been hot on The Greenhornes sound. New retro rock and roll perhaps? Listen to the slightly fuzzy, perfectly constructed guitar solo in "Go Tell Henry" or try NOT to sing "Better off without it!" every time it's sung in "Better Off Without It."


01 Underestimator
02 Song 13
03 Go Tell Henry
04 Better Off Without It

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

My Morning Jacket "Circuital" Gets Track Listing, Lollapalooza Announced


Circuital keeps getting more and more real. Below is the 10 song track list of My Morning Jacket's 6 record. And, it is now official that Chicago's Lollapalooza festival will play host to the gents from Kentucky as well as a slew of other fine musicians.



01 Victory Dance

02 Circuital


03 The Day is Coming

04 Wonderful (The Way I Feel)


05 Outta My System

06 Holdin On To Black Metal


07 First Light

08 You Wanna Freak Out

09 Slow Slow Tune

10 Movin Away

Monday, April 25, 2011

LISTEN - My Morning Jacket "Holding On To Black Metal" + Hometown Show Announcement


If "Circuital" and this newly released song (played via Facebook) are any indicators, My Morning Jackets 6th record is going to be one helluva a disc.


And on top of the new track, My Morning Jacket announced a Louisville, KY show the day Circuital hits the shelves, May 31st.


New Music Monday: Jim James, Adam Yauch and My Happy Place



Let me start the week right, with good tidings after the reanimated zombie Jesus celebration.  I trust you all ate lots of candy and got something good in your Easter basket.  If not, it's not big deal.  There's always next year.  I think we can all agree that this holiday is kind of ridiculous so I'm not going to devote any more time to it.  If you want to know what I REALLY think about Easter, you can find out here.

So here we are, summer virtually at our doorsteps banging down the door.  The flowers are blooming and the clothes are getting smaller and thinner to accommodate warmer temperatures.  Festival season is upon us and I caught up on a few Coachella sets.  The Black Keys, as always, burned the place down and The National were lively.  Kings of Leon was pretty much locked down as always, but nothing too impressive.  After watching those, I realized that in the next few months there are quite a few new albums coming out that I'm completely excited about.  MMJ is out soon, Wilco is coming up. Explosions in the Sky, The Flaming Lips, Bon Iver all have new stuff set to release, as well.  One of the biggest releases for me is the release of Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 by Beastie Boys.

I know that not everybody is quite as excited as I am about this, but that's ok.  I won't hold your lack to taste against you at all.  But, for me, Beastie Boys have a special place in my musical library.  I have just about everything they've ever done from the punk stuff on Aglio e Olio  to random imports from Japan and the U.K.  They remind me of how fun music an be.  I have a tendency to get really "heady" when I listen to music, getting obsessive about lyrics and song constructions.  I let myself get mired in the details of a song, so much so that I sometimes forget to step back and just smile at the sounds that leave the speakers and meander across the room to my ears.


We all have those songs . . .those songs that remind us to stop thinking and just get lost in the music.  One of those songs happens to by "I Needed it Most," by MMJ.  There's a simplicity and honesty to the song that just gets to me every time.  I stare off into space, attempting to keep the smile form creeping across my face, but I can't.  I hear Jim belt it out . . ."I needed it mooooooost . . . ." and I'm there.  It's a perfect moment in music that I can't, no matter how hard I try, get past.  No matter how bad of a mood I may be in before the song, by the end of it that mood has dissipated into the atmosphere, gone, and I'm left with a simple smile and a tiny reminder of how good music can break your heart (like Barber's "Adagio for Strings") or make your day.  Beastie Boys were the very first band/group that just made me smile.

It all started on a summer day in 1986 . . .I'm kidding.  I'm not going to bore you with nostalgia, but I will say that no matter where I've been, I've taken Mike D, Ad Rock and MCA with me.  I've traveled quite a bit to different countries and no matter where I happened to be, I always had two things in my possession: 1.) a copy of "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac and 2.) a copy of Ill Communication by Beastie Boys.  At the time, iPods had yet to hit the market, but I had this shock-proof, water-proof Sony Discman that wouldn't skip as I was making my way through the streets of London or Berlin or Rome or wherever I happened to be.  It was easy.  I went to a boarding school in England and travel was easy.  Just grab a backpack, my book, cd and discman and hit the bricks.  Headphones covering my ears, Ill Communication was the vagabond soundtrack to my travels.  Incidentally, I soon discovered that the headphones that British Airways provided on their flights were the best damn headphones in the world.  The bass was deep and the sound was just full as all hell.  Needless to say, I would always nick a few when I was on a flight.  Sue me, I was a teenager.  That's me on the right and my pal, Dodge on the left.  Don't ask me what I was doing, but you can ask me what was playing in the background . . .Beastie Boys.  Who else?


A couple of years have passed since this photo was taken.  I've graduated from high school and college and my musical palate has gotten more complicated with my discovery of the blues and outlaw country like Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash.  If you scroll through my musical library you'll find tons of stuff that doesn't really go together.  You'll find Beach House and Band of Horses, but you'll also find Deftones and Rage Against the Machine.  You'll find Tribe Called Quest and Gang Starr.  You'll find classical music and electronic stuff, as well.  So much music that, at times, I have to actually REMOVE stuff from my iPod.  Some things get shuffled off to make room for whatever I'm feeling on a given day.  There are, however, things that NEVER leave my iPod.  Jim James and the boys never leave.  The Black Keys never leave . . .and Beastie Boys will NEVER leave.

I know that I didn't actually introduce any new music this week, but don't worry, I'll make it up to you next week.  In the meantime, get ready for all the great albums coming out and, because I care about each and every one of you, I'm leaving you with what is, perhaps, the greatest video I've ever seen in my entire life.


Stay frosty, boys and girls.

chris

Start Your Week Right: With My Morning Jacket – Where To Begin


Here we are: the last week of April. We’re getting so close to hot weather, cold drinks, music festivals, and the release of My Morning Jacket’s sixth studio album, Circuital. I hope you all enjoyed the weekend and you are ready for the week ahead!

We had a pretty relaxing weekend over at The Countdown, covering the last two tracks from 2002’s Chocolate and Ice, “Holy” and “Sweetheart.” After celebrating “Chills” on today, we’ll move on to a more disorganized part of the countdown: individual tracks from movie soundtracks, covers, b-sides, and demos. If you have any requests, send ‘em my way!

Up and up and up I climb,

When I came up I was so far behind,

My head takes a lickin',

But my heart keeps on tickin,

Just the same.

Today let’s look at another down-tempo track from MMJ: “Where To Begin.” Featured as part of the 2005 “comedy-dramaElizabethtown, “Where To Begin” is another one of those underrated tracks for which the casual MMJ-listener might have to dig a little deeper.

Round and round and round I ride,

And just when I looked I hadn't even began,

To feel the effect,

A cool, dark fever,

On the brain.

“Where To Begin” examines uncertainty, insecurity, and intuition and how the three interact with one another as it relates to life in general. How do you decide which paths to take? Which goals to pursue? And yet somehow there are certain things that you naturally know are right for your life.

It's the art of feeling naked in your clothes.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I believe Jim writes in such an ambiguous way so that meaning is conveyed but whatever meaning can transpose on to any person. Anyone could relate to most MMJ tunes, and I think this is one of the most positive aspects about Jim’s songwriting.

Have a great week, everyone! See y’all Friday.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Kick Off Your Weekend Right: With My Morning Jacket – Chills

The weekend is finally here! I, for one, am especially elated that it’s finally Friday, as I am nearing the end of another hellish semester. I hope you all have something fun and/or relaxing to look forward to this weekend – be it visiting family for the upcoming holiday, seeing friends, or simply having good times as you would any other weekend. Whatever you’re doing, I hope that you all enjoy it!

It’s been a relatively quiet week this week regarding My Morning Jacket news. We’re all just fidgeting in our seats in anticipation for Circuital. I don’t know about you all, but I am wearing “Circuital” and “Octoplasm” out!

Over at The Countdown, we had a particularly unique and energetic week. Covering the first four tracks of Chocolate and Ice, including the epic, 24-minute gem “Cobra.” Yesterday we honored TV On The Radio in recognition of the tragic loss of their bassist Gerard Smith, celebrating one of their more famous tunes “Wolf Like Me.” We’ll have Smith’s family and friends (including TVotR) in our thoughts.

Still, feel that I'm getting ill.

Oh, chills.

Down on my spine


I do on a window sill.

Still, things that go away.

Today’s track veers slightly from the usual “epic jam” Fridays in that it is more hypnotic than euphoric. Rather than leaving us feeling pumped, “Chills” leaves us relaxed and tranquil as we ease into the weekend. I guess “Cobra” wore me out over the past week!

Still, No one else lives your life.


Except yourself. No one else lives your life.

Except yourself. No one else lives your life.


Still, no one else lives your life.

Hope you all enjoy this wonderful track from 2005’s Off the Record single. It’s truly a soothing track that hopefully brings in your weekend with some positive energy! See you on Monday.


DOWNLOAD - Fleet Foxes - 2011-04-20 - Live at Maida Vale - BBC1

Photo by: BBC
The Friday goodness won't stop. This is STUNNING everyone. The quality is amazing. Thanks SBB!



01 Montezuma
02 Bedouin Dress
03 Battery Kinzie
04 Sim Sala Bim
05 Mykonos
06 Your Protector
07 The Shrine/An Argument
08 Grown Ocean

LouFest Lineup Announced


The second ever LouFest announced their 2011 daily lineup. With the unfortunate passing of TV On The Radio's Gerard Smith I'm sure there will be some sort of alteration for Sunday's headliner. If you are a Midwester looking for a fun, incredibly affordable music fest that doesn't require the planning of a Bonnaroo type deal, check it out. Two day passes are $64.

DOWNLOAD & WATCH - Ryan Adams Debut New Tunes - 2011-04-21 - The El Rey - L.A., CA

Photo by: camrooz
L.A. based Emmylou Harris fans that attended her show last night the El Ray got the immensely amazing surprise of a Ryan Adams opener that included songs both old and new as well as hitting the stage with Emmylou for a version of "Oh My Sweet Carolina." The new perhaps part of his next record he's been working on with Glyn Johns? The two new songs sound truly fantastic, I hope it's a sign of things to come. All of this greatness can be watched and downloaded for your mobile listening pleasure below.



"Dirty Rain"


New


New II


New III



"Blue Hotel"


"Everybody Knows"



"Oh My Sweet Carolina"


Thursday, April 21, 2011

The General Specific


Here's what went down this week in the world of music.

- Wilco is finally releasing their first release on their new label, dBpm records.

- Radiohead's Record Store Day 12" can now be downloaded for free (if you bought The Kings of Limbs). It will be released on vinyl in the United States in June.

- The city of Nashville honored Jack White as Music City Ambassador last Saturday.

- Apparently, The National are Deadheads. Who would've guessed? They also released another awesome new single this week.

- LCD Soundsystem will release their epic final concert at Madison Square Garden on DVD. (Thank goodness ...)

- Along with many other bands, Arcade Fire absolutely rocked Coachella last weekend. But this was without a doubt the highlight of the weekend. They will also be hanging out at Wrigley Field this Saturday.

- The Strokes hit up Conan on Tuesday night.

Check back next week!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

DOWNLOAD - MGMT - 2010-10-08 - Live at Bataclan - Paris, FRA



01 Weekend Wars
02 Flash Delirium
03 Time To Pretend
04 It's Working
05 The Youth
06 Of Moons, Birds & Monsters
07 Song For Dan Treacy
08 Someone's Missing
09 Electric Feel
10 4th Dimensional Transition
11 Siberian Breaks
12 Kids
13 Destrokk
14 Brian Eno
15 Congratulations
16 The Handshake
17 I Found A Whistle


Monday, April 18, 2011

DOWNLOAD - My Morning Jacket - 2002-03-18 - Hi Ho Lounge - New Orleans, LA

Photo by: ? - Not from this show
This is a reasonably famous set with Mr. Jim James doing a little boss cover at the end. Listening to these earlier recordings really blows my mind, they've come so far. Thanks LowDog for taping.



01 Evelyn Is Not Real
02 Old September Blues
03 Just Because I Do
04 War Begun
05 Phone Went West
06 At Dawn (Jim James solo)
07 I'm On Fire (Jim James solo) (Bruce Springsteen cover)

DOWNLOAD - The Greenhornes - 2010-12-08 - Morning Becomes Eclectic - KCRW


These guys have such a retro feel. Their latest record, ****, is quite phenomenal but what I like even more are the bad ass jungle cat on the record cover.



01 Intro
02 Sparrow
03 Get Me Out Of Here
04 Song 13
05 Underestimator
06 Interview
07 Saying Goodbye
08 Better Off
09 Too Much Sorrow
10 Go Tell Henry
11 There Is An End

New Music Monday: Oasis, and Everything After


Over the weekend, I had to endure the Rockies beating up on the Cubs and my beloved Manchester United falling to Manchester City 1 - 0.  "Why," you may wonder am I going on about sports when I should be talking about music?  Well, I like the Cubs, so eat me.  I also spent quite a bit of time in the U.K., having gone to a boarding school there.  While I was there, I learned a lot of things.  For example, I learned how to cheat at soccer.  I also learned that I'm dangerous with a nine iron, having clocked my pal, Dodge in the head twice . . .in the same round of golf.  Depending on how you look at that one, I'm either deadly good or horrifically bad.  I'm going with the first option as a means of soothing any doubts I may have about my golf game.

Something else I learned in Britain is the power of a song, the power of a single song to really make a crowd stop and listen for a moment, then raise their glasses together and belt out every single syllable of a song.  My experience with this began in old school English pubs with cool names, like "The Antelope" and "The White Lion."  Even before we were legal  to drink there, we still got in.  I never had a problem walking into a pub and getting a pint.  It could be my smooth charm or the fact that I've been 6'3" since I was fourteen.  Basically, I was just bigger than everyone else.  Not that I was fat or anything, I was just tall and usually seemed a little older than I really was.  So, my young liver was about to get a serious introduction to alcohol.  I exercised it like it was a muscle and, pint after pint, it got stronger and stronger.  To this day if I go out with friends they tell me that I can't have eaten anything because if I have, there would be no buzzed Chris, just the one that smiles a little more.

So, as I'm training my liver for the Alcohol Olympics, I also get exposed to this sort of pub tradition that involves everyone singing together.  I'm not talking campfire songs or anything like that, but the patrons would hear a random song and all the sudden, break out into a beer hazed sing-a-long.  THIS, boys and girls, is how I became an Oasis fan.

We always popped into the pub for a beer or twenty because we could.  Like the rest of the Brits, it was less of a party atmosphere and more of an excuse for us sit back and down a few pints in a fairly calm setting.  There we were, having a pint of Guiness or, for me, it was usually Carlsberg.  This place is, by no means, packed, but there are enough people there that it seemed festive enough to not worry about laughing too loud.  It was then that I heard it.  Noel's opening chords just sort of whispered through the air and the pub got completely silent and as soon as Liam's raspy voice belts out the first lyrics, "today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you . . ." the entire pub raises their glasses and sings along.  THE ENTIRE PUB RAISES THEIR GLASSES AND SINGS ALONG.  Bartender, patrons . . .I think people passing by the door poked their heads into sing, as well.  I sat there, looking around in amazement.  Everything stopped and for the duration of the song, about four minutes, not a single person in that pub was different.  They were all the same, singing the same song, laughing and smiling for no other reason than the simple fact that a song was playing.  "Wondewall" by Oasis made them happy, totally happy for a few minutes out of what could have been a totally horrible day.  For those few minutes, a song made people happy and THAT, made me happy as well.

Great bands have come out of the U.K. throughout history.  You automatically think of The Beatles and the Stones.  Clapton is British, so he counts.  The Sex Pistols, David Bowie, Queen and The Clash based their music on their working class roots and inspired an entire generation to raise their arms and salute the world with one finger.  The 80's came along and saw tons of great bands leave the grey British weather behind and "invade" the U.S.  Bands like U2, The Police, Tears for Fears, Genesis, The Smiths, The Cure . . .the list is too long to keep going, but you get my drift.  Perhaps the kings of British music, Radiohead have been and will continue to be one of my all time favorite bands, so I think it's pretty safe to say that there's a wealth of talent in Britain.

This week's band, Flashguns is no exception.  They are inherently British, and if you've spent any amount of time there, you can spot a Brit from a mile away.  Even their names sound British, but this three-piece of Sam Johnston (vocals,guitar), Olly Scanlon (bass) and Giles Robinson (drums) somehow manage to incorporate the sounds of all the bands I mentioned above while putting their own jangly sound to the lyrics that are very heartfelt and sometimes bordering on Joy Division dark.  Take, for example, the song, "Bells at Midnight."  The intro could easily be confused with an early song by the Cure.  It's upbeat, but buried in the pop tinged sound are lyrics like, "a figure of fun for you, i never put a foot out of line for you, seems like a hell of a thing to do."  There's this quiet foreboding side to the songs that draws you in and the vast difference in the music and the lyrics give you the sense that something bigger is building. . . and it is.

By far, the one song that truly hooked me to these guys is a seven minute, dusty floor romp called, "Racing Race."  This song just simmers and simmers on the seemingly slow motion pace to the guitar and the drums.  Sam's wail just sits on top of the song giving it a desperate feel and, as the song progresses, so, too does this unidentified feeling of uncertainty.  The song seems to end about four minutes in, but just seems to drag on giving off this tension that's beyond description.  Sam's voice fades to the background, as if he's screaming at you from the distance and the song just meanders into this quicksand pace, just slowly fading into your speakers.  After I heard it, I just leaned back in my seat, stared at the ceiling for a minute, then played it again.  Because I care, I've provided you with the song.

Flashguns - Racing Race by Flashguns

I'll stop rambling now.  I have a tendency to do that when I'm trying to figure something out.  Check the guys out at all the regular social media spots:

Facebook

MySpace

Twitter

Until next week . . .

chris

Start Your Week Right: With My Morning Jacket – Cobra

Hey, do you feel that? That sometimes-overwhelming surge of excitement and anticipation as the weeks pass and we get closer and closer to the very last day in May? With each new week and every update, we My Morning Jacket fans are becoming more and more anxious for Circuital’s release!

Over the weekend, we celebrated the 5th annual Record Store Day, during which My Morning Jacket released a special, limited edition “Circuital” single on 12” vinyl. The very kind people over at Ear X-tacy even had it available online for a short period! We also celebrated two very interesting MMJ covers: “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” by The Velvet Underground and “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley. What a weekend!

Cobra comes up next to me.
Anywhere he goes: he’s silently.
How do you take speaking so much?
How do you live without a lover’s touch?

Today, as we continue to celebrate tracks from MMJ LPs (and take cover requests!) on The Countdown, let’s look at track number three from 2002’s Chocolate and Ice, “Cobra.” My Morning Jacket’s longest and arguably most experimental track, “Cobra” seems to be much like The Decemberists’ “The Island” in the sense that it’s composed of several, separate sections that employ elements of vastly different musical styles. These nuanced sections tell separate stories but still blend together seamlessly.

Why does all the soap always burn like the rope?
How come? How come? How come?
Why’s all my toes always seem so cold?
How come? How come? How come?*

The genre bending that this song effortlessly demonstrates aligns right along with another of Jim James’ beliefs: different genres of music aren’t so different after all. I’ve included a live version of “Cobra,” which is a great version, but I recommend that (if you don’t already have it) you pick up the original, 24-minute track. You will not be disappointed.

Also, I’d like to take some time to introduce a new band that I’ve come across in the past couple of weeks that I’d like to share! If you’re more into the folksy, Americana, country-rock styles, then you might like English band Count to Fire. Yes, it’s English Americana! They’re about to release their first 7” single of their song “I’m The Man You Need.” I recommend checking them out on MySpace, Facebook, or Spotify if you’d like to give them a listen!

Hope you all enjoy this track (and Count to Fire) and have a fantastic week! See you Friday!

*I'd like to thank the BH from forum for help with these "other" lryics*

Friday, April 15, 2011

Kick Off Your Weekend Right: With My Morning Jacket – Circuital

I can’t even believe the degree of excitement and wonder I have been feeling this week! So many amazing and thrilling things have happened over the past few days, it almost seems unreal. Let’s start with the major happenings:

-My Morning Jacket released the first single from Circuital, Circuital.”

-Circuital is now up for pre-order, with a sweet-ass Limited Deluxe Box edition option available.

-Announcement and registration for the new, official My Morning Jacket fan club, called Roll Call.

-A hint about a forthcoming LIVE BOX SET
And just this morning, as part of my Roll Call membership, I learned that MMJ will announce additional summer tour dates! Am I forgetting anything? Am I dreaming?

What an awesome week this has been indeed! And it’s only going to get better in the coming weeks. Over at The Countdown, we’re still covering the EPs and soon will be covering more demos, covers (at request!), and b-sides. Be on the lookout!

Today, it’s probably most fitting to cover a song that is relatively new to us all: “Circuital.”
Although many of us have been listening to You Ain’t No Picasso’s bootleg, live version of “Circuital” since August (or have been lucky enough to have heard it live already!), the recently released studio version really gives us a feel for how the full-length studio album is going to sound. So far, Jim’s description of “wholesome” seems right on.

Spinning out: gracefully.
Going nowhere: quickly.
I am older: day-by-day.
Still going back to my childhood way.


As I am getting to know this track, I realize its ever-increasingly positive effect on my mood. With its tinges of classic rock styles and older MMJ, “Circuital” simultaneously introduces new concepts and styles to us. This lovely seven-minute groove is entirely optimistic about how life is circular and brings us right back to the gorgeous and haunting melody it started out with. “Circuital” itself is circuital.

Circuital:
Round and round, patiently.
Getting lost, by the guide,
And I'm all worked up over nothing….

Ultimately, I think we should let this track (and MMJ) speak for itself:


I hope you all have been enjoying this track as much as I have (and have had it on repeat for the past four days!), and if this track is any indicator of what Circuital is going to feel like, May 31st can’t come soon enough. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!