You know, I didn’t listen to the newest Band of Horses album much last year; I think I maybe made it once or twice through and then it got shelved. So when I heard this song come up again the other day (on Friday Night Lights, yes) I didn’t remember it. I probably won’t revisit the whole album, but I’m glad that my attention was brought back to this one song because it’s a gorgeous reminder of what Band of Horses does best – a dreamy, soaring brand of rock.
I said on Twitter that this sounds like lazy Sunday afternoons; I like to enjoy mine napping on the couch with a baseball game on. On the other hand, listening to it at work won’t increase productivity. Avoid it unless you’re well caffeinated or ready to nod off for a while.
As I’ve got two kids now, it’s inevitable that I’ve begun to be subjected to various children’s programming. There are many shows that are atrocious, but there also happens to be a few shows that are both educational for children while at the same time take efforts to maintain the sanity of the parents viewing alongside. One such example of the better shows out there is Yo Gabba Gabba. They sing an awful lot on the show and they often bring in current musical guests from the world we reside in here at Tympanogram. For example, Datarock had an awesome song about taking pictures. How cool is that? Just the other day Band of Horses went on and sang a song about nature. Watch the video below.
I like Cee-Lo, but boy did he destroy this song. This is just an absolutely wretched cover of a song I happen to like quite a bit. The inevitable comparison to Ben Bridwell’s vocals is quite unfavorable. Cee-Lo is a great singer in his own right, yet this particular song and comparison are rather damaging. I have to believe he could have come up with something better than this. The musical accompaniment isn’t memorable, and is actually a bit grating. The vocal arrangements are poor and are my main complaint. Odd lyrics and notes are extended in weird place, and all it does is throw the balance off, not take the song in a new and interesting direction. I understand the desire to take a cover and have your own take on it, but this isn’t the direction anyone should have chosen. After hearing this song, all I wanted to do was erase it from my memory by listening to the original. It made me sorta sad because I actually thought the video was effective, albeit rather predictable.
On a more positive note, and for a bit of retribution, I tossed in the buzziest song in quite some time in Cee-Lo’s “Fuck You.” You don’t need my take on it, because it’s already been mentioned nearly everywhere else. In comparison to the above cover, all I can simply say is, much better.
I am not a big fan of Infinite Arms. I think it is a watered-down version of Band of Horses’ prior work, and ultimately I have not been at all impressed. It’s taken this long to write about the record, and in the past with this band, I’d have worn the record thin by now if I’d enjoyed it. The band is at its best when it is rocking out or utilizing Ben Bridwell’s honey-seeped voice in slower tracks. Not much of either of those things happen on this record. Sure their not so great is better than a lot of other band’s best, but Andy wondered when the band became a Yacht-Rock outfit, and the question is valid. I sure hope this sound doesn’t last.
I don’t even know which song to use from the album it’s that blasé.
Ambulance LTD’s lone album LP is a personal favorite of mine. I’ve listened to the physical copy of the album that I purchased countless times. Approximately two years ago the actual cd – not the case or liner notes – went missing. It literally vanished into thin air and I couldn’t find it for the life of me. The album was a few years old at that time so it wasn’t as if I had been keeping close tabs on it. When I went to find it one day, it was just gone. Every so often I would check the case to see if I had lost my mind instead of the disc, always to no avail. Until three days ago. I opened up the case and there sat the disc, good as new. I seriously have no clue what the hell happened between then and now, but I’m not complaining.
This is all very curious because I also have had another incident vaguely similar to this recently. Towards the end of last year my wife got a call from her credit card company regarding suspicious charges on a card she hadn’t used in several years. It seems someone had entered my home and picked up the card from its place upon our computer desk and used it to purchase tickets from Air Canada. Certainly people have come in and out of my house, but no one that I could possibly imagine stealing from us. I bet we have a ghost.
001: Joywave - Ridge/Traveling At The Speed Of Light 7"
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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.
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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
![Band of Horses Infinite Arms cover [stream] Band of Horses // Infinite Arms](http://tympanogram.com/files/Band-of-Horses-Infinite-Arms-cover.jpg "Band of Horses Infinite Arms cover")
I am not a big fan of Infinite Arms. I think it is a watered-down version of Band of Horses’ prior work, and ultimately I have not been at all impressed. It’s taken this long to write about the record, and in the past with this band, I’d have worn the record thin by now if I’d enjoyed it. The band is at its best when it is rocking out or utilizing Ben Bridwell’s honey-seeped voice in slower tracks. Not much of either of those things happen on this record. Sure their not so great is better than a lot of other band’s best, but Andy wondered when the band became a Yacht-Rock outfit, and the question is valid. I sure hope this sound doesn’t last. 
Ambulance LTD’s lone album LP is a personal favorite of mine. I’ve listened to the physical copy of the album that I purchased countless times. Approximately two years ago the actual cd – not the case or liner notes – went missing. It literally vanished into thin air and I couldn’t find it for the life of me. The album was a few years old at that time so it wasn’t as if I had been keeping close tabs on it. When I went to find it one day, it was just gone. Every so often I would check the case to see if I had lost my mind instead of the disc, always to no avail. Until three days ago. I opened up the case and there sat the disc, good as new. I seriously have no clue what the hell happened between then and now, but I’m not complaining.
