Saint Motel’s “At Least I Have Nothing,” the A-side from the band’s first 7″ single from late last year, doesn’t exactly paint a pretty picture of twentysomethings in the Twenty-First Century. Lamenting a general lack of goals, the song doesn’t spare anyone the band’s disdain, though it’s said to be open to interpretation. It’s strange, however, that a song that is as bleak as this one can be so damn catchy. It’d be a miracle if you could listen to it and not have “we are just stuck inside their business model” wrapped around your brain.
In the end, though, the band is onto something. There’s a certain freedom to having nothing, and it’s that pulling oneself up feeling that will undoubtedly work in their favor. Saint Motel is bringing their live act out on the road starting later this month on a tour that includes a few dates with Toronto’s Young Empires, as well as a stop at The Bug Jar here in Rochester on Monday, March 5th.
The video for Good Old War’s “Calling Me Names” features the band driving ’round town in an 50′s-era automobile and singing the song while they do it. It might not be particularly noteworthy in concept, but it’s still a damn good track. That said, I’m not sure I’d still be singing it if I had to push that car up a giant hill like the band does.
Come Back As Rain, the album this track is off of, will be released on March 6th, and is available for pre-order now in various bundles and such. If you do decide to pre-order, the album will ship around the First of March, so you’ll have it before all your friends.
SPIN exclusively premiered this new track from Brooklyn’s finest dream-pop players yesterday afternoon in addition to providing readers with a glimpse of Beach Fossils’ new LP, straight from the mouth of frontman Dustin Payseur. The magazine describes the track, “Shallow” (the A-side off of a forthcoming 7-inch, due on February 21st) as being the band’s “first attempt at aggression” and frankly, I don’t get it. Faster beats doesn’t necessarily equate to aggression, especially when so many characteristics that we’ve all come to love from these guys continue to dominate their sound.
The trebly reverberated guitar with the lo-fi echoed vocals are as present as ever on “Shallow,” and show that the band is dedicated to sticking with the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra. With that said, the rhythm is sped up and we get a hint of distortion in the opening measures, but it’s nothing that takes away from the ease and chilled-out feeling that you succumb to when listening to Beach Fossils. Grab the track below and decide for yourself whether the band’s sound has ventured into a more aggressive territory. Regardless, it’s a solid, enjoyable track that will be spun often in anticipation of the LP.
[mp3] Beach Fossils // Shallow from the Shallow 7″
From their 2011 release, A Strange Kind of Fix, here is the video for Bombay Bicycle Club’s new single, “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep.” Created by the band’s close friend, Anna Ginsburg, it’s about the epic journey of a little boy who one night dreams of going to the moon. The making of the music video has been documented by Ginsburg on Tumblr, in the vein of an online scrapbook. The additional commentary on the photos provide more depth to the story, and give you a true appreciation of the six months of work it took to make the video.
Chaz Bundick, better known to music fans as Toro Y Moi, is best known for his funky atmospheric cuts. But before he went in that direction, Bundick was busy making lo-fi bedroom type pop, more in the Ariel Pink vein, which would have been a crowded field had he decided to say in it. Instead, he opted for the jams he’s putting out now, but he’s got pre-funk material available as well.
Bundick is going back and releasing a grip of the recordings from before his first single, entitling the compilation June 2009, which might mean he has years and years of this shit in some kind of backlog, waiting to be unleashed upon the world. That’s neither here nor there, as this particular compilation is going to be released on April 24th through the folks at Carpark, and it’s going to be available in normal CD and mp3 formats, as well as a set of five 7″ vinyl singles, with two tracks per single.
Take a listen to the B-side of the second single, a weirdly catchy gem entitled “Dead Pontoon.” (And if you grab the mp3, make sure to sign up for updates in the widget below. It’s only fair.)
001: Joywave - Ridge/Traveling At The Speed Of Light 7"
tympanogram on Facebook
Upcoming Western NY Concerts
NOTE: Concerts are in Rochester unless otherwise noted.
1/5: Les Racquet
1/12: Joywave with Old Tapes, Dave & Marissa
1/13: The Dads
1/14: My Brightest Diamond
1/17: Josh Netsky Band with Cuddle Magic
1/18: Tycho (Buffalo)
1/26: Avicii
1/26: A$AP Rocky (Buffalo)
1/28: The Crystal Method (Syracuse)
2/11: Blind Pilot (Ithaca)
2/22: William Fitzsimmons
2/24: Mike Doughty
2/25: Charles Bradley (Buffalo)
2/29: Summer People
3/3: Matthew Good
3/5: Evening Man
3/23: The Men
3/30: tympanogram’s 3rd Birthday with Born Gold, Old Tapes, TBA
4/20: fun.
4/23: Cults (Buffalo)
5/6: Bear In Heaven (Ithaca)
5/7: M83 (Buffalo)
an examination used to test the condition of the middle ear and mobility of the eardrum, and the conduction bones by creating variations of air pressure in the ear canal.
Basically, it sounded like a cool name for a blog intended to be primarily about music. We’d both had other blogs previously, but over beers it was decided that more damage could be done as a joint venture. And here we are.
We share a passion for the undiscovered and under-appreciated, and hope that you’ll be able to find something you love as well.
Disclaimer
The music offered on this blog is for sampling purposes only. If you enjoy something you hear here, please go out and buy the music, see a show, or purchase some merchandise. Posted mp3s are available for a limited period of time only.
If there are any materials featured here that are your intellectual property, and you would prefer them removed, please notify us and we will be happy to oblige.
Contact Us
Do you have an artist or band you think we should hear? Please feel free to let us know and we'd be glad to give it a listen.
Submissions can be sent here, or email us for an address if you wish to send physical submissions.
Please note that we try our hardest to respond to all submissions, but we get a lot of requests, so we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Also, if you're interested in advertising on Tympanogram, feel free to get in touch with us here.
About the Author: Dave
I like music. I can't describe how I came to like the music I do, because I don't know how or why, I just do.
Many years ago, Napoleon's brother, my great-great-great-great-great-great Grandfather, came to America. He was asked his name on Ellis Island while being processed as an immigrant. Not understanding English, he was under the impression that he was being asked how he had arrived in the new land. So he turned around and pointed at the sea vessel and said, 'LaBarge.'
About the Author: Andy
I come by my music taste of my own free will. My friends listened to 2Pac, my parents to contemporary Christian and me? Sunny Day Real Estate. I can’t explain it.
“Music, true music, not just rock ’n’ roll, it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone, listening to your headphones…” - Lester Bangs
![saint motel [mp3] Saint Motel // At Least I Have Nothing](http://tympanogram.com/files/saint-motel.jpg "saint motel")
![Beach Fossils Shallow 7 [mp3] Beach Fossils // Shallow](http://tympanogram.com/files/Beach-Fossils-Shallow-7.png "[mp3] Beach Fossils // Shallow")
![Toro Y Moi June 2009 cover [mp3] Toro Y Moi // Dead Pontoon](http://tympanogram.com/files/Toro-Y-Moi-June-2009-cover.jpg "Toro Y Moi June 2009 cover")
