At times, I either hear or read a name of a band online before then proceeding to go and download what I can find available from them. Of course there are times I like what I hear and many I do not. In certain instances I decide to write about these bands, but only usually when I find something within what I’ve heard to connect to. While I really enjoyed what I heard from Still Corners enough to likely write about the Londoners regardless, my decision was cemented when I heard the final song I had downloaded from them: the Rogue Wave cover, “Eyes.”

[mp3] Still Corners // Eyes

Whether you happen to be a friend of mine or have a particularly incredible memory coinciding with a deep from-the-beginning loyalty to this blog, you’ll know the personal significance of that song to me. So when I started listening to the track and soon realized it was a stunningly beautiful rendition of a song I adored, I immediately called my wife and told her to give it a listen as well. I gave her the instructions to listen in entirety before judging, and her response was surprisingly measured, which speaks even more to quality of the track.

Throughout each track I’ve listened to thus far, Still Corners’ dream-pop is filled with lush melodies and attractively breathy vocals. Their take on “Eyes” follows this path, and to great effect. It would be impossible to measure up to the original in my estimation, but the band doesn’t do a poor job at making it their own.

Still Corners // Bandcamp | Web | MySpace | Facebook

While browsing around the interwebs, I came across this track on I Guess I’m Floating. I hadn’t heard of the band prior, but my interest was piqued when I read their write-up concerning a favorable comparison to Grizzly Bear, Dan Rossen in particular. As for what I wrote about Rossen yesterday, this comparison would be most enticing to me. Luckily for me, the comparison is apt.

When writing up new music it is often quite easy to throw in a band name people might be familiar with, that would compare to some new work in efforts to give it perspective. I might never have listened to this song otherwise, so for that I am grateful to the guys over at IGIF. I truly hope this same sort of thing happens for people with our write-ups.

The band is currently out on tour supporting Rogue Wave. While I haven’t gotten my hands on the entire Gamble House LP just yet, that failure should be remedied quickly.

Gamble House – Bonny Doon (mp3) from Gamble House

This is another slow-ish week for new music. If you want our recommendations, we’ll probably pick up the Rogue Wave and Athlete albums, the Little Boots album (if you didn’t get it last year), and the album from The Ruby Suns. Like we always do, there are a some tracks after the list, only this week we’re feeling generous and putting up three. Maybe it has something to do with the changing of the calendar to March.

We hope everyone has a stellar week. We’re busy tying up loose ends for our birthday show this coming Saturday, if you hadn’t heard.

Almost Alice
Athlete – Black Swan
Citizen Cope – The Rainwater LP
Danny Gokey – My Best Days
DJ Khaled – Victory
Flogging Molly – Live at the Greek Theater
Groove Armada – Black Light
Jamie Cullum – The Pursuit
Lifehouse – Smoke & Mirrors
Little Boots – Hands
Peter Gabriel – Scratch My Back
Rogue Wave – Permalight
Songs of the Sarah Silverman Program
The Ruby Suns – Fight Softly
These New Puritans – Hidden

Citizen Cope – Bullet and a Target (mp3) from The Clarence Greenwood Recordings

Rogue Wave – 10:1 (mp3) from Descended Like Vultures

The Ruby Suns – Oh, Mojave (mp3) from Sea Lion

Both of us here at Tympanogram have a great affinity for Rogue Wave. I think I am the bigger fan, but each of us have included at least one song from the band in our respective 1000 Minutes. On March 2nd 2010, Rogue Wave is set to release their latest album, Permalight. If you peruse Hype Machine often you’ve probably come across it already, but try out a new track from the upcoming album if you haven’t.

Rogue Wave – Good Morning (The Future) (mp3) from the forthcoming Permalight

I’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean.  I’ve been west – out to Phoenix and up to the Grand Canyon, but I’ve never been to the coast.  This coming summer I’m the best man in a friend’s wedding in Portland, Oregon, so I’ll get my chance; until then, I’m busy holding onto it as a kind of personal Manifest Destiny.

This song feels to me like the process of getting to California, despite its less than flattering take on the state.  This song is the middle of a long drive, lost somewhere in the Central Plains, forging westward.  It’s skies that are larger than I’ve ever seen, and mountains that pierce the clouds.

Rogue Wave – California (mp3) from Descended Like Vultures

I’m an idiot and didn’t write this until this morning while I have a house full of guests. So I’ll make this quick I suppose.

33. Rogue Wave – Publish My Love (mp3) from Descended Like Vultures (3:43) [Time Remaining: 864:32]

This song was my first introduction to this band I love so dearly today. Upon hearing this song once, though I do not remember where and how, I immediately went out and purchased this album. I listened the shit out of it and made copies for Andy, and forced it on my friend Ryan and anyone else who cared. I went crazy and bought their back catalogue right away, I went to a Guster concert merely to see them open, and later used the band’s song Eyes as my wedding song. This album is one of my all time favorites and this song is perhaps still the highlight.

34. The Anniversary – I Believe That The End of the Reign Of Terror Is Soon Near (mp3) from Devil On Our Side: B-Sides & Rarities (8:34) [Time Remaining: 855:58]

I got into The Anniversary back in college. I wasn’t strictly into emo but I went through a phase were I went to see Get Up Kids shows as well as Dashboard and Saves The Day, in addition to numerous other Vagrant bands I saw live. The Anniversary was the second head liner at two of these shows I attended. They were definitely an excellent and engaging live band and I loved when they rocked out and extended their song Perfectly to end shows. This particular song was actually on a Vagrant sampler I bought several years ago though the band included it on its B-Side anthology last year. It is perhaps fitting that I write about this song the day after we ask what music you like to drive to. This song works great in the car due to its length and multiple pace and tone changes. It is a sprawling opus that allows for shifts in emotion and thought, which works amazingly well for me in the car as I get bored and space out easily. The song’s nature allows for easy mind shifts so you can start on one topic and by the end of the song be somewhere else even crazier than six degrees.

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We have a perfectly valid reason for not posting yesterday – it was Opening Day, and we were at a bar. The Mets won their opener, which is not a real indicator of anything in the larger theme of the 2009 baseball season, but it was nice to see the bullpen lock it down for Johan.

If you’re interested in what comes out today, you can check it out here.  New Doves, new one from The Tragically Hip, etc.  Not a bad week.

Also, we’re breaking things up a bit, rearranging days, so my 1000 Minutes will be today, the weekly Smörgåsbord will be tomorrow, and Dave’s 1000 Minutes will come Friday. I think that’s what we agreed on, but don’t hold me to it.  Let’s get after it.

15. Rogue Wave – Salesman at the Day of the Parade (2:37) (mp3) from Descended Like Vultures [Time Remaining: 943:57]

In an album that is full of songs I love, this one stands out above the rest.  It’s simple, apologetic and accompanies regret well.  You know those times when you make a large choice, but aren’t sure then if you’ve made the right one?  You know, like getting medium fries instead of paying 20 cents more for a large?  Or breaking up with a significant other?

Rogue Wave isn’t as polished on this album as they are on Asleep at Heaven’s Gate.  It’s a bit more sonic, swirly guitar than what they have done since.  It’s a beautiful album.

16. Pete Yorn – On Your Side (5:03) (mp3) from musicforthemorningafter [Time Remaining: 938:54]

I remember buying musicforthemorningafter at the recently defunct Circuit City, dropping a sawbuck down on someone I hadn’t heard before.  It was a good chance to take.  “On Your Side” was my end-of-a-night-of-drinking song for a while, and it ended up on a more than a few mix CDs.  It reminds me of the smell of cigarettes in the summer and $5 all-you-can-drink Labatts on Wednesday nights – a cheaper, more hazy time of my life.

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Tonight we have our second Tympanogram concert experience with a band hailing from our own neck of the woods. We’ll have our info up about that either over the weekend or early next week. For today, as you have surely seen, we’ve talked about music on the television show Chuck but I don’t believe we have mentioned many other shows. Today we are giving mention to a longtime favorite that has a history of excellent music use as well.

I’ve been watching the show Scrubs pretty much since it began. I was in college at the time it premiered so I didn’t watch it regularly at that time but I currently do. I also have all the seasons on dvd for repeat viewings. Music often has great importance as an emotional augmentation for the show, no doubt largely due to its star and his own personal musical tastes that were on display in his movie that all those indie kids out there have seen. While much of the music used in the show is from bands I’m already familiar with, they surprise me at times. Here are two songs the show has used this year.

Grand Archives – Torn Blue Foam Couch (mp3) from Grand Archives

Rogue Wave – Chicago x 12 (mp3) from Asleep at Heaven’s Gate

Hope everyone got their brackets finished up.  I personally didn’t pay as much attention to it as I think I should have, so I’ll probably lose in grand fashion, but I think Dave will have better luck.

Rogue Wave – Basketball (mp3) from At the Crossroads: A Benefit for Homeless Youth

I can’t explain to others why I like certain types of music, let alone explain or understand its importance to myself. Some music is instantaneously appealing to me and at other times it’s a slow process to appreciate a song or band. Because music is so important to me it was the only detail of my wedding in which I truly had or wanted vital input. I’ve wanted to do yesterday’s break up songs post and today’s for some time. I drafted something for each on my old site but we decided to wait so we could incorporate the symmetry of Friday the 13th and Valentine’s day this year. I usually have trouble at weddings I’ve attended in the past because of the music that is played during down times before dancing begins. Rather than listening to muzak or crappy jazz I gave a list of music I wanted played during our cocktail and dinner hours. I gave a list of 37 songs to choose from for the calmer portion of the evening, as well as 18 songs to be interspersed during the usual dancing favorites. I would start a riot of downloading if I uploaded all of the awesomeness that was my entire playlist so perhaps I’ll hold more of the list for a slow day another time.

This was the first song played as we were greeting arrivals to the reception. Andy loves this song as well but he hadn’t arrived just yet and missed it:

D.J. Shadow ft. Chris James – You Made It (mp3) from The Outsider

These are just two more that were played. I’ve chosen these two as they better fit the theme of love songs rather than many of the others on my list.

Nada Surf – Always Love (mp3) from The Weight is a Gift

Delays – Long Time Coming (mp3) from Faded Seaside Glamour

Skipping into the main music selections.

For the cake cutting:

Feist – Mushaboom (mp3) from Let It Die

Wedding party dance:

Ambulance Ltd – Straight A’s (mp3) from New English EP

Jumping ahead in the timeline of the evening to the last song. I requested the D.J. play this song last as it is a band both my wife and I like quite a lot and this is their best song.

Voxtrot – The Start of Something (mp3) from Raised By Wolves EP

And finally the most important song selection for a wedding. My wife had always thought she would want a wedding song that she could hear on the radio to remember. This was not my line of thinking at the time of my wedding or really in any circumstance. I wanted a unique song that was more important to just us. She came over to my way of thinking when we discussed this song. Not that many people know it and it will never be played on the radio. Just about everyone that has ever heard this song likes it.

Rogue Wave – Eyes (mp3) This song was made before a certain movie added it to the soundtrack. As such I’m not listing that particular soundtrack.