So what's new? Really.

[Slosh]

Here's a sneak peak at my YEC. That's kinda new, I guess. I'm still waiting for my copy of the new Holopaw CD to arrive. I know which track I want to use because I've had it on mp3 for a while but can't bring myself to put mp3 on my YEC. Anyway, there are currently 21 tracks in the folder.

Slosh 2009 YEC in progress

[Mr MidFi]

My YEC is still in a state of feverish flux as well. But it will certainly include tunes from the following titles:

The Boxer Rebellion – Union
Wilco (the album)
The Doves – Kingdom of Rust
Porcupine Tree – The Incident
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
Built to Spill – There Is No Enemy
Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
Umphrey’s McGee – Mantis
Cage the Elephant (s/t)
Steven Wilson – Insurgentes
Gomez – A New Tide
U2 – No Line on the Horizon
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
Ida Maria – Fortress Around My Heart

[Davey]

Here's a sneak peak at my YEC. That's kinda new, I guess. I'm still waiting for my copy of the new Holopaw CD to arrive. I know which track I want to use because I've had it on mp3 for a while but can't bring myself to put mp3 on my YEC. Anyway, there are currently 21 tracks in the folder.

Slosh 2009 YEC in progress

Where'd you order the Holopaw? Waiting for mine too, but I only ordered a few days ago from the label, along with the new Old Canes from their label. I checked on preordering the Holopaw last month, but they didn't have secure ordering set up at the time, so I skipped. But prompted by your reminder a few days ago...it's paypal now. Looking forward to the Old Canes. I played the first one a couple times on Sat, one of my favorites of this decade, and really holds up well.

Holopaw - Oh Glory. Oh, Wilderness. ($8 + s/h from Bakery Outlet Records)
Old Canes - Feral Harmonic ($11 + s/h from Saddle Creek)

[Slosh]

Where'd you order the Holopaw?
Holopaw - Oh Glory. Oh, Wilderness. ($8 + s/h from Bakery Outlet Records)

I ordered mine from No Idea Records ($10 + $2.75 s/h), the second time around. Originally I ordered it from Barnes & Noble just because I had a gift certificate that covered their rip-off price but they canceled on me a few weeks ago.

FWIW, the new 'Canes doesn't quite measure up to the debut but is still worth owning (and is better than the new Appleseed Cast).

[Davey]

FWIW, the new 'Canes doesn't quite measure up to the debut but is still worth owning.

The CD sounds like it was sourced from crappy sounding mp3 (I guess it was recorded in his basement studio - should probably ask for a new cassette deck for xmas ), but the packaging is first rate and the music is too. You're right, probably not the equal of the debut, that one is pretty special (though it sounds pretty crappy too, mostly just too loud), but this one does share a lot with it musically speaking, even opens up in a similar fashion, with "Little Bird Courage" replacing "Blue Elanor".
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http://toolshed.biz/promovuz/291
Well worth the wait, the music on Feral Harmonic is bold and loud. While folk music at heart, the presentation is far from traditional, with the songs drawing elements from different influences (such as indie and even punk rock), and the rulebook of contemporary recording thrown out the window. “Production value, fidelity, a low noise floor, whatever, are all beside the point,” says Crisci. “The only things I care about are the idea and the energy. When folk, traditional music, punk, rock...so many styles of music lose out when the focus is on slick production, and not on expressing what matters most in a song.

[Davey]

I'm still waiting for my copy of the new Holopaw CD to arrive. I know which track I want to use because I've had it on mp3 for a while but can't bring myself to put mp3 on my YEC.

Ya know, I think the mp3 sounds a little better than the CD. Got a bit more dynamics, guess it was made before the CD was mastered since it isn't quite as squashed. The guy that owns the label sent it to me in a folded brown paper envelope with a little bubble wrap, just like I used to do with my comps. Heehee, talk about homemade music! Too bad it doesn't sound a little better. I was kinda hoping that by now the indie trend would start to go back to decent sound instead of this idiotic perceived need to make all CDs as loud and distorted as possible. But then again, it probably could be a lot worse.

To be honest though, after a couple listens, I don't think it is a very special album. Just doesn't have that sense of enchantment that was all over the debut. They had a sparkle back then,something in the air. Doesn't happen very often these days, but it did. Not on every song, but more than once. Maybe because it was more acoustic, or had more subtle effects, I don't know.

Orth's singing is getting kinda precious too, with all that warbling in every song. But you know me, in a couple weeks I'll probably be calling it best record of the decade

[Slosh]

Ya know, I think the mp3 sounds a little better than the CD. Got a bit more dynamics, guess it was made before the CD was mastered since it isn't quite as squashed.

Really? The debut and Quit +/or Fight, as well as Sharpen Your Teeth, all have pretty decent sonics (for lo-fi). I wouldn't know as my CD still hasn't shown up.

Trust me - it does grow on you. I guess using the same little phrases (clipper ships, lazy looping, palominos, telephone wires, etc.) across an entire career can get a bit tired but the music behind it is still excellent. Peppering the music with a brass section now and then helps keep the songs a little more interesting (Calexico and Richmond Fontaine must have rubbed off some). It's a keeper.

[Davey]

Really? The debut and Quit +/or Fight, as well as Sharpen Your Teeth, all have pretty decent sonics (for lo-fi).

Yea, the debut and Sharpen Your Teeth were done by Brian Deck, along with Moon and Antarctica and the Califone debut, all excellent recordings, and mastered well too. That's what I was hoping for here too, but completely different engineer and mastering, and I guess the band must've wanted a different sound to go with the new music. Just for fun, to contrast the mastering and recording style (along with the music), I opened the first song on the debut vs the new one in Audacity below ... which one do you think sounds more natural





But I'm sure you're right that it will grow on me. Just kinda taken aback at first by all the horns and other sounds, wasn't expecting that sound. And definitely more warbling

[jonnyhambone]

Wow, that's a barrage of sound ^^.
I've been really diggin' on the new Old Canes. I only know a handfull of songs from their first one that I have on a comp. This one seems much more experimental, or at least he's wearing his influences on a more obvious sleeve. A few times I forgot what I was listening to and would've sworn it was Neutral Milk Hotel if asked on the spot. Also has a lot more toy piano than I remember from the earlier one - brings to mind the lo-fi plink-plunk genius of the Tall Dwarfs. The drums are amazing on this one too - very up-front in the mix and has these fluttering fills and rolls (kinda like the Dodo's Visiter album or Jim White's playing on that Nina Nastasia collab. they did). Great songs and a nice blend of folky, punky, noisy-ness that will put it high on my list for the year's tunes.

Anyone ever check out Grails? - wow...curious what others think cuz' I don't know anyone else into them. Black Tar Prophecies =

[Davey]

Wow, that's a barrage of sound ^^.

Well, to be fair, it's not really any worse than most other CDs these days, I was mainly highlighting the stylistic differences between the two, and my preference for the 'good old days' of mastering that ended sometime around the mid 90s. It is available on vinyl now, or soon, so probably has more dynamics that way, as usual.

I've been really diggin' on the new Old Canes. I only know a handfull of songs from their first one that I have on a comp. This one seems much more experimental, or at least he's wearing his influences on a more obvious sleeve.

Doesn't "Flower Faces" sound kind of like "Don't Fear the Reaper"? More cowbell! Hehehe, it is a really good record, gonna be one of my favorites this year too. Just wish some of these guys had the backing to record in a real studio, with a real engineer, and good tape machines. But then again, a 'weekend spare time' record like this would never happen. He tells the story that he went with Saddle Creek for this release in conjunction with Second Nature because he still owes money to that label for touring the debut 5 years ago, after a couple van breakdowns and the like. So I guess a lot of the proceeds from this one go back to the old label. But apparently they are gonna try to take Old Canes on the road again since this one has been getting a lot of good feedback. Both this one and the debut on vinyl too, but I kinda have the feeling there won't be a very big difference. Do you have the CD?

[jonnyhambone]

yep, got the cd - it's a beautiful lil' package actually that I think was assembled by hand...ribbon glued on to tie it shut and all. I'll have to pick up the first one...maybe I'll look for the vinyl.

[Slosh]

Anyone ever check out Grails? - wow...curious what others think cuz' I don't know anyone else into them. Black Tar Prophecies =

Not really a post-rock fan but I'll give it a listen. Thanks!

New Old Canes is much more like The Appleseed Cast than Early Morning Hymns, which is pretty much all acoustic.