Damn you Woody’s and your stiff drinks! I got a late start today (read: I woke up on the couch with my clothes, shoes, and coat still on) and totally missed the Radiohead presale on Waste. Don’t bother, the site is fucking clogged to shit and the presale is sold the fuck out. Not to mention, my waking call was a friend rubbing it in my face that he got three tickets to for Radiohead’s Camden show. Three? Why not get the max of four? Ugh.

Anyway, a couple of quick things. Gui Boratto was brilliant last night at Woody’s in Philly, it was great to finally see/hear him live. If you can make it out on Saturday to see him at Studio B, definitely do so, he spun and incredible set with a whip cream topping of “Beautiful Life,” sending us off into the early morning streets of Philadelphia happy.

Philadelphia faves and friends The War on Drugs are giving away their Barrel of Batteries EP. Get it here FREE of charge. The psych/country/shoegaze outfit will be releasing their debut full length, Wagonwheel Blues, via Secretly Canadian later this year. Catch them tonight at the North Star Bar in Philadelphia.

FRICTION alums HEALTH are set to drop a remix album titled HEALTH/DISCO, which sees their debut remixed by the likes of CFCF, Curses!, Philly’s Pink Skull, and more. Full details here.

Lastly, I’d like to say happy birthday to my little beast, Ms. Shelby, who turns seven today. I know she’s not much of a blog reader, but I hope she sees this.

[MP3]: Gui Boratto  ”Sozinho”
12″ Single, K2; 2006

[MP3]: Low “Sunflower”
[MP3]: Phosphorescent “Cocaine Lights”
[MP3]: Rare Bird “Passing Through”

Guilt can be a Bitch. I understand it can make people act in strange and different ways. I forgive them. Sure they can call me an ‘asshole’ and be mad at me. Maybe it was for telling them that she died, or maybe it was for some other reason. But they’re the sort of people that would probably call me that anyway if they found out that I didn’t tell them the news. I guess it would be my mistake either way. Remember, I was the only one that adopted and took care of her when they decided their time with her would be done. Funny they always accepted news about her. And I’m sure they still loved her. This monster can feel sadness too. I apologize for telling them that she died, I can be such an ‘asshole’ sometimes. Maybe its best for all of us to sweep it under the rug that she ever existed. Anyways, ignore all this. Thats fine.

Artefacts For Space Travel are a young dystopian three piece from South London consisting of Joseph Walsh, Sam Walsh, and Alex Griffiths. The trio plays a loud and energy packed mix of punk and apocalyptic pop. Themes of the group’s songs are centered on death, childhood, the cosmos, romance, and a dystopian future. Songs bend from noisy and growling psychedelia to panic stricken punk packed full of modern and haunting melodies.

I’ve had “Recoop,” the b-side of the band’s single “Lucy” on repeat for the last week or so, sucked in by the catchy chorus line sung by guitarist Joe Walsh; “recoup because you’re so young”. It’s funny that I discovered the track (and band) around this time, because it’s perfectly fitting for my dad, who’s currently recouping from a busted up arm. The poor guy took a nasty fall about two weeks ago and not only broke his radius in half, but also dislocated his ulna from his wrist sending it tearing three-inches out of his skin. The image accompanying this post is the actual x-ray from his left arm about two hours after the accident took place. Awesome! Here’s to “recooping” dad and also providing some rad “exclusive” content for the site. Ha! Try not to bust yourself up any more and make sure to get your ass to physical therapy!

Artefacts For Space Travel embark on the “Stolen Tour” in the UK on April 8th followed by an appearance at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton and more local shows in June. “Lucy” is out now on Stolen Recordings and available for download. More info on the band’s MySpace page.

[MP3]: Artefacts For Space Travel  ”Recoop”
Lucy Single, Stolen Recordings; 2008

Favorite site Fecal Face has some horrific images and a personal account from photojournalist Lyle Owerko moments after the events of 9/11. These are truly intense and saddening photographs of that dreadful day. Here

NYC based photojournalist, Lyle Owerko, was one of the first photographers to the World Trade Centers on September 11th and captured some disturbingly intense photographs, one of which ended up on the cover of Time Magazine. These are his words and images of that horrible day.

[MP3]: Queen  ”Who Wants To Live Forever”
A Kind of Magic, EMI; 1986

Being from the midwest, I actually find it nostalgic to indulge myself in a little Chili’s or Outback sometimes. Pure kitsch. You can’t tell me that you didn’t have a good time at the Time’s Square Olive Garden or Red Lobster. There’s something about being so bad, it’s actually good. But looking at this recent analysis from Men’s Health, I might think twice about getting the bloomin’ onion. Some of these appetizers have 2900 calories! 200g of fat! I must admit, I would have thought the Chipotle Grilled Chicken Burrito would be relatively healthy. Anyone have favorites on this list? Suprised by the numbers?

Then songs start sounding the same because you’re in some sort of melancholy funk. Then it literally happened to me, the songs were the same. I listened then I realized all you need is yourself.

[MP3] Al Green “I Wish You Were Here”
Al Green Is Love, The Right Stuff, 1975
[MP3] Nas “Shootouts”
It Was Written, Columbia, 1996
[MP3] Consequence “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly” featuring Kanye West
Don’t Quit Your Day Job, Columbia, 2007

Above pic via Fen Branklin

So, as everyone knows, last Tuesday was Election Day. It was a pretty big day for Philly, with new mayor Michael Nutter being elected and all. If you’ve been following the news, you may have seen that Philadelphia has one of the worst murder rates in the entire country giving our new mayor a lot to deal with in his first couple months. To date, we’ve tallied up 351 murders, something like 1.1 per day. In the most recent Philadelphia Weekly, a writer referred to Philadelphia’s current state as “Baghdad with cheesesteaks” and Killadelphia.

I like to consider myself somewhat politically active, but I didn’t vote on Tuesday. Given Philly’s current “state of emergency,” I was disappointed in myself by not voting, not only did I space on the date, but I never even took the time to register to vote in Pennsylvania or change my ID. As stupid as it sounds, I guess I’m still clinging to my last ties to my former New York address.

I love New York, I always have and I always will. Philly, with its grittiness, empty streets, state stores, die-hard Eagles fans (seriously, I made the mistake of walking into the local pub the second the Eagles lost to the Bears a few weeks back and thought someone was going to rip my head off), last-calls, peculiar show attendance, violence, and crime has been a tough place to truly embrace. On top of that, I’ve constantly been traveling from DC, to Baltimore, to Chicago, to New York (of course) and back again. I’ve maybe spent a total of a half a dozen full weekends in the City of Brotherly Love since moving from Manhattan. With all this running around, I don’t think I ever felt settled here.

It wasn’t until last night; on the way back from one of these jawns to DC that I finally felt like this city was my home. I was with a friend of mine who absolutely loves Philly, but recently moved away and really misses it. We were coming up 95 and she said we’re almost there and I said “I don’t see it (Philly)” and she’s like “its right there.” I made a typical “me” comment about the lack of a skyline as I strained my eyes to see it while cruising by Lincoln Financial Field. It was in fact there, a dozen skyscrapers or so, not very impressive and mostly unlit for some reason; PSFS (I always wondered what that stood for), the liberties, the Comcast center, and that damn scrolling marquee. She said “it’s not New York.”

Trust me, I know this is a music blog and this “story” is in fact going somewhere, musically related that is. As we came into Philly, my friend put on “After Hours” by The Velvet Underground and it was just perfect. VU drummer Maureen Tucker sang “one, two, three…if you close the door…” as we drove past City Hall with its yellow clock face, gorgeous black statues, and gleaming white granite topped with William Penn. It’s a beautiful and impressive building to say the very least. I haven’t listened to The Velvet Underground since moving here, but for some reason it just fit…the mood, the time, the city. After we said our goodbyes and I got home, I put on the entire record (I’m still listening to it as I write this) and for the very first time (with the help of a friend and Lou Reed) I can honestly say that this city, given its shortcomings, has finally won me over. My friend is right, it’s not New York and it doesn’t have to be…

[MP3]: The Velvet Underground  ”Some Kinda Love”
The Velvet Underground, MGM/Verve; 1969

Above pic via loops3n

I’ve spent the last few weeks listening to a lot of music that I’m pretty familiar with. I haven’t been too inclined to listen to anything new, more or less focusing on albums that are comfortable and memorable. I’ve consciously made the decision to listen to some of the records or songs and others more or less just floated into my head.

That gets me to the point of this post, because most of the music I’ve been listening to recently literally drifted past me in the guise of various scents. I’ve always noticed this, but it’s never been so blatantly obvious as it’s been in the last couple of weeks. For example, you know those air fresheners shaped like little pine trees that you hang in your car to make it smell better? Well, the “new car” version of that freshener always reminds me of Fountain of Wayne’s 1996 self-titled debut, a record my girlfriend (at the time) introduced me to while said aroma lofted about.

[MP3]: Fountains of Wayne  ”Sink To The Bottom”
Fountains of Wayne; Atlantic, 1996

Fast forward eleven years later to present day and I’m walking down the street, the aroma of eggs frying on the street vendors’ griddle mixes with the faint smell of sewage, exhaust, brake dust, and humid stagnant air. It smells like New York in the summer (but I’m in Philly and it’s October, but still feels like summer), reminding me of my first days of work in early June and bringing to mind an album I was semi-obsessed with at the time, Eyedazzler 1992-1996 by Alison’s Halo.

[MP3]: Alison’s Halo  ”Slowbleed”
Eyedazzler 1992-1996; The Orchard, 1996

Even weirder, I took a trip to visit my parents in middle of nowhere Pennsylvania this weekend and went for a walk in the forest. The smell of freshly fallen leaves drifted up from the ground with every step and on the drive back to the city I have a strong desire to listen to Broadcast’s Tender Buttons. It’s a record that was on repeat two autumns ago and during trips to the country, songs from Tender Buttons were usually playing.

[MP3]: Broadcast  ”Corporeal”
Tender Buttons; Warp, 2005

Two of my best friends used to constantly smoke clove cigarettes. I caught the scent of a clove two weeks ago, instantly reminding me of my friends and Arcade Fire’s Funeral. I actually mentioned this to them and they agreed that cloves brought back memories of the same time period, the fall of 2004.

[MP3]: Arcade Fire  ”Neighborhood #2 (Laika)”
Funeral; Merge, 2004

While the associations I mentioned above were positive, I thought about what could spark a negative connection. If there’s “ruined music” (ie. music that brings back memories of pain and heartache), is it possible to have a ruined smell associated with that music? Possibly the perfume of a lost lover or smell of a lost loved one? Maybe I’m crazy and feeling nostalgic or something, but I don’t think so, there’s definitely something in the air.

Photo: Storming the beach at Normandy

For the past two weeks, from 8-10PM, I’ve been glued to my TV to experience the captivating series on The War from the documentary master, Ken Burns. Of course when I say The War, I mean WWII, since it was the last world war where many veterans are still alive. Most of us have family members that were veterans of the war and there are many stories to tell. 16 million Americans have gone through this war and today, the veterans are dying.

These are the reasons Burns took on this 15 hour series that took 4 years to make. The War is told through letters and present-day interviews, highlighting several small towns throughout the series to give us a personal perspective from the home front to the frontline. Add in numerous hours of live footage and thousands of pictures and you gain a real understanding of the war.

Check the PBS website for TV schedules in your area. I think our local PBS will be broadcasting 1 of the 7 episodes each week on Wednesday night.

On a lighter note, these modified military hand signal diagrams are pretty hilarious. Subtle, but brilliant.

I love this shirt from threadless that plays on Joy Division’s famous album, Unknown Pleasures. It made me think of someone I know right away. I think we can all relate to that message sometimes.

Speaking of heartbreaks, my favorite podcast had a great show a couple weeks back. Check out Ira Glass’ This American Life episode on breakups here, including the perfect breakup song and whether really sad music can actually make you feel better.