What I'm Listening To - 10/26/08

"I will be the flounder on your southern shores On your southern sandy beaches If you would only show me where your sunshine reaches. I will be the steward of your southern lands if you would only take my, take my shaking hands. Will you build your half of the bridge?"
- Sunshine State by Superchunk

I thought it might be a neat idea to make an entry maybe once a week about music I've listened to lately. I don't know how well it'll work, but let's give it a try. At the worst, at least you'll have something to read if you're bored during the zombie apocalypse. Oh you didn't know? Yeah, during the Great War between Pirates and Ninjas, a mysterious third faction came to light. A faction that completely changed the tide of battle and ultimately the course of history. Of course, it was the zombies.

Those undead bastards.

Anyways.

The Cure - 4:13 Dream

The first Cure album in four years releases this Tuesday. It's currently streaming on their myspace page though. So, of course, I had to check it out. So far it sounds like this is a throwback to The Cure's lovey, happy, poppy years. The cool thing is The Cure still have the same sound they did back in the early 90s even with all the recording magic they have today. So if you dug "Pictures of You", "Just Like Heaven", "Inbetween Days", and "Friday, I'm in Love" then you'll feel right at home here. If you prefer The Cure's darker songs, you might not dig it so much. Robert Smith said he might release the darker counter part to the album at some point. I'm really liking this though. A lot.

http://www.myspace.com/thecure


In Harbour - The Hardest Part is Learning to Swim

In Harbour hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and this is their debut EP. I just listened to a few songs by them today. They sound pretty serene and ambient. It really does sound sorta like how the cover of the EP looks. It kind of reminds me of Explosions in the Sky. Just a bit. The singer's voice is alright. He sings really well and all, I'm just not super into the sound of his voice. It's almost like a slightly higher pitched version of the guy from Copeland's voice. I hope I get to hear more songs from them later but they've definitely caught my interest.

http://www.myspace.com/inharbour


Superchunk - Here's Where the Strings Come In

Ooooo, buzzing guitars whizzing by my ears with thoughtful lyrics tagging close behind. Such is the delight of Superchunk. What does it sound like? Basically, like one of the many rock/grunge bands from the early 90s such as Weezer. It's catchy, noisy, clever, and a whole lot of fun. This group hails from good ole Chapel Hill, NC, and were a big part of the music scene back in the day. Mac MaCaughan, the front man, went on to found Merge Records. The name may sound familiar. They're home to bands such as Arcade Fire, Camera Obscura, She and Him, Spoon, Buzzcocks, Conor Oberst, Dinosaur Jr, Neutral Milk Hotel, and others.

http://www.myspace.com/superchunkmusic

For a few other tracks


Allison Weiss - No album in particular

I feel the need to pimp this girl out. She's pretty great at what she does. Her guitar work is really good, and her singing is pretty good. Her lyrics are quirky and honest. She doesn't do a whole lot of "cute" songs. Her area is more about relationships and some of the complications involved. It gets a little old sometimes, but she's adoringly catchy, her style's neat, and they're all well done. I think she's younger than me too, which makes me feel old. Anyhoo, you can see her live if you're ever around Athens, GA or western NC. She has a great YouTube channel full of her performing her songs. I think some of her songs sound more impressive on there with just her and her guitar. So check her out if you're into her kind of music.

http://www.myspace.com/allisonweiss

Her YouTube channel

Her pretty neat cover of Kids by MGMT

Well that's all for now, I'll see what I can find for next week.