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.
Between the release of the Hospitality album yesterday (which you need to get your ears on, if you haven’t already) and the upcoming album from Princeton, the market for 2012 indie pop has already been effectively cornered. The Santa Monica band released the second single from their new album Remembrance of Things To Come, entitled “Florida,” yesterday amidst the horror of the Republican primary taking place in that state.
The band has always been adept at creating lilting, saccharine tracks, and “Florida” is no exception to that. The song itself brightened by piano and filled with references to tanagers, waiting for a phone call from an agent, ending up in Brooklyn before heading back to the Keys.
The album itself will be released on February 21st through Hit City U.S.A., and can be pre-ordered now on 12″ vinyl. All pre-orders come with another 7″ single from the band of their track “To The Alps,” which will also be on Remembrance of Things To Come. The wax is limited to 500 copies, so if you’re picking up what the band is putting down, you might want to get on picking up a copy for yourself soon.
Though I’m not quite certain what fly-fishing has to do with Active Child’s “Hanging On,” but it seems like whoever came up with the concept for the video might have taken the title a bit too literally at the end. Regardless, the video itself is a pretty gorgeous one, and with it soundtracked by one of my favorite songs of the past year, it’s too good not to watch.
It’s been a bit since we heard something new from Los Angeles’ Princeton, though one of their ranks is part of saccharine pop duo Kisses who were everywhere last year. That could be the reason for Princeton’s hiatus, but with this first single, the title track from their forthcoming album, Remembrance of Things To Come, the wait seems worth it.
The track is a building, chamber pop jam, filled up with bright strings and a driving beat and the falsetto vocals. The album itself was recorded with the Los Angeles New Music Ensemble, a septet that promotes “new music, collaboration within the arts, the commissioning of new works, and the creation of multimedia presentations within innovative live performances.” If the rest of the album is as dense as this first single is, then we’re in for something impressive. It’s instantly memorable, easily put on repeat and wholly arresting.
Remembrance of Things To Come will be released on February 21st through Hit City U.S.A./Easter Everywhere, and can be pre-ordered now on 12″ vinyl (limited to 500 copies).
Tyler Lyle’s been kicking around my head for the better part of the past three months, slipping in and out of my consciousness; after reading about him on Folk Hive, I headed to his Bandcamp page and streamed his fantastic debut The Golden Age & The Silver Girl for the entire work day. That happened often that week, and I’ve had to listen to it on a bi-weekly basis since then. Finally, after seeing his album end up on I Am Fuel, You Are Friends‘ Favorites of 2011 list last week, I pulled out my wallet and paid the man for all my previous enjoyment of his hard work.
Lyle has such an arresting story to tell; The Golden Age & The Silver Girl is wholly about a girl with whom he’s no longer involved; a girl who facilitated a move from his native Atlanta to his new home in California; a girl who caused him to compose such a completely wonderful and honest album. We’ve all had those types of watershed relationships – connections that will forever alter our personal trajectories for better or worse.
While listening to the album, it struck me that Lyle reminds me of Patty Griffin; lyrically, their songs share a similar honesty and a simple richness, and both rely of their vocals to help tell their stories. They are both impeccable storytellers.
I’m posting the album’s title track for myriad reasons – its accessibility, its energy, the fact that it’s just a damn good song. But I think, more personally, it’s the song I wished I could have written about various relationships I’ve had, and a connection to the music on that level is something I wish I could have more often.
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
![saint motel [mp3] Saint Motel // At Least I Have Nothing](http://tympanogram.com/files/saint-motel.jpg "saint motel")
![Princeton Florida Single Cover [mp3] Princeton // Florida](http://tympanogram.com/files/Princeton-Florida-Single-Cover.jpg "Princeton Florida Single Cover")
![princeton remembrance of things to come cover [mp3] Princeton // Remembrance of Things To Come](http://tympanogram.com/files/princeton-remembrance-of-things-to-come-cover.jpg "princeton remembrance of things to come cover")
![tyler lyle the golden age and the silver girl cover [mp3] Tyler Lyle // The Golden Age & The Silver Girl](http://tympanogram.com/files/tyler-lyle-the-golden-age-and-the-silver-girl-cover.jpg "tyler lyle the golden age and the silver girl cover")
