The King Is... Great

I've listened through a few times, and with the vinyl currently spinning on my record player, I can now officially say: I love The King Is Dead.

The Decemberists' latest is slightly stripped down and firmly on the folk side of their usual folk-prog-rock. I have to admit, as awesome as The Hazards of Love was, it often lost me. "The Rake's Song" was the only takeaway. BUT The King Is Dead is way more accessible without losing that distinct sound they've come to cultivate. Definitely on the lighter, jauntier side, leaving some of their epic sensibilities behind.

If you haven't already, go buy this album. It's seriously making me consider getting tickets to their Beacon Theater show. Yes, I would go uptown to hear this album!

Revamp, Reactivate!

"My poor little blog has gone dormant too long. TOO LONG!"
- People all over the interwebs circa January 1st, 2011

But seriously, along with my other New Year's Resolutions and some recent blog envy, I'd like to start writing this blog again. Lucky you!

Welcome to the new Dinosaur in Brooklyn!
Featuring the very finest musings (I have) about music (and dinosaurs).

Let's start with the dino news:

In April, a display of sauropods, the WORLD'S LARGEST DINOSAURS, comes to the American Museum of Natural History! (via NewYorkology)

Now the music stuff:

1. The new Decemberists album, The King Is Dead, is streaming on NPR! It is very good! You should listen to it!

2. On December 21st (aka my birthday) Vampire Weekend released an iTunes Session featuring my favorite Bruce Springsteen song, "I'm Going Down." It sounds a lot like this version:




Good to be back, guys.

This Is Your Song...

I remember this one episode of Gilmore Girls (bear with me) where Lane's boyfriend was naming every song their band wrote after a girl's name. He explained that songs named after girls got better radio play (or something, i don't really remember), like Roxanne, Leila, etc. Anyway, it's true that a lot of bands have songs that are girls names. And at some point every girl will probably have a song with their name in the title (or in the song).

Unfortunately, this is mine.....



Who would have guessed? And now I know that Madelyn rhymes with again. Thanks Hanson!

Let me just say, that if my 11 year old self knew about this, she should have been really mad. She hated Hanson. A lot. At this point, I guess it's not so bad. It's a little cute.

AT LEAST I still have "Apology Song."

The Decemberists cover Heart and it's SICK

"Crazy on You" is one of my favorite Guitar Hero 2 jams, and the Decemberists rock so hard on it, thanks in no small part to vocal powers Shara Worden and Becky Stark (but mainly Shara Worden). This was live in St. Louis, and pretty great for a fan vid. CHECK IT!



Absolutely killer.

Side note: when I say Shara with My Brightest Diamond, I was less than impressed, but her work with the Decemberists has been stellar! Maybe it all happened when she cut her hair.


(via Stereogum)

Liveblogging Decemberists on Colbert

11:50 Colbert calls the Hazards of Love a list of STD's set to music. this will be fun

11:51 Starts with the personal questions I see, might as well just ask if they're getting any... Just Colin and Chris, interesting....

11:52 Very little love for Portland. Ha! Guitarmageddon. Remember that? What a great title.

11:53 Colin's bangs are so much cuter than mine. sigh. Sideburns joke! But no mention of Funk's near-handlebar.

11:56 Who's that dude?

11:57 OH! they're all there, but only Colin and Chris get to talk. I see how it is.

11:58 I don't know which song this is. I'm embarrassed of myself. I was hoping for "The Rake's Song." .... But this is nice.

11:59 I love Nate's blue Fender Jazz Bass.

12:00 Shara Worden, you look so different from the last time I saw you. Where's the hippie hair and peasant dress? but damn, she is wailing.

12:01 ...And Becky Stark gets to shake a tambourine. ... I swear Stephen built that stage to have more musical guests. I love it.


Hm, best song choice? Not sure. But that interview was adorably awkward.

I'll post the video when I have it!


UPDATE: vids vids vids.

The Interview.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Decemberists
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Gay Marriage Commercial

The Song. "The Wanting Comes in Waves."

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Decemberists - The Wanting Comes in Waves
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Gay Marriage Commercial

BONUS! Colin's Twitter about the event:

colinmeloy Would've tweeted more from the show but there was a cell lock-down in the studio. Think Stephen was afraid I'd mobilize my twitter legion.

Set your Tivo!

The Decemberists are returning to The Colbert Report on April 27th. Neat-o.

An Ode to My Old Play Counts

Switching operating systems means there are going to be a few casualties.

Some people don't care about their play counts. Personally, i don't take them too seriously, but they are a good way to make "Top #" playlists and are some times pretty surprising. But as soon as i plug my iPod into my new (still unnamed) macbook, everything will be reset. So for posterity, here is my old top 50 most-played songs (i won't even edit it for embarrassing things. except my own band. that's actually pretty embarrassing).

The songs I Love(d) the Most:
A Tribute to My Dead PC

1. Think I Wanna Die - Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin
2. Firecracker - Voxtrot
3. Who Do You Love? - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
4. Walking to Do - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
5. Australia - The Shins

6. Trains to Brazil - Guillemots
7. Tell Balgeary, Balgury is Dead - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
8. Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe - Okkervil River
9. Unless It's Kicks - Okkervil River
10. Sunndal Song - The Apples in Stereo

11. The Start of Something - Voxtrot
12. Bridges, Squares - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
13. La Costa Brava - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
14. Firecracker - Steel Train
15. Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives - Voxtrot

16. A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
17. 101 - Albert Hammond, Jr
18. Flathead - The Fratellis
19. The First Single - The Format
20. Made Up Love Song #43 - Guillemots

21. Glue Girls - Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin
22. A Bottle of Buckie - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
23. In Transit - Albert Hammond, Jr
24. 2nd Ave, 11 AM - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
25. Rebellion (Lies) - The Arcade Fire

26. Evil - Interpol
27. Me and Mia - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
28. Electricityscape - The Strokes
29. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) - The Arcade Fire
30. Phantom Limb - The Shins

31. O Valencia! - The Decemberists
32. I Feel Weird - Steel Train
33. Who Left the Lights Off, Baby? - Guillemots
34. Kissing the Lipless - The Shins
35. I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You - Black Kids

36. Look Me Up - Georgie James
37. Hearts of Oak - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
38. So Far We Are - French Kicks
39. The Magic Position - Patrick Wolf
40. Soft & Warm - Voxtrot

41. I'm a Cuckoo - Belle & Sebastien
42. Marching Bands of Manhattan - Death Cab for Cutie
43. Stereo - Jared Scharff and the Royals
44. Biomusicology - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
45. Oceans - The Format

46. The Compromise - The Format
47. Hold On, Hold On - Neko Case
48. Colleen - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
49. Is There a Ghost - Band of Horses
50. Wait, Wait, Wait - The Format


The top 6 songs were played 100+ times. Every song was played at least 49 times.
Ted Leo shows up 11 times. I'm surprised it's not more, actually.




Sorry. This post is more for me than for you.

"I've got a mountain in my pants, and that is not a metaphor"

If I were planning to have children, I would want Stephen Colbert to father them.

As we all know, Stephen has a history of clashes with the music world. First "Rock and Awe: Countdown to Guitarmageddon," the guitar solo battle against Chris Funk of the Decemberists, then the star-studded musical EXTRAVAGANZA that was his Christmas special, followed by an attempt at a feud with Kanye West. And now this.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Stephen's Remix Challenge

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

Holy crap. I don't know what I liked better, the glowing face paint or the way he did a face-wipe to get himself to stop laughing afterward.

As far as the challenge itself, it goes way beyond his green screen challenge. Green screens are so played. As Pitchfork so elegantly explains it: " A fan remix of a talk show chat about remixing. Meta-tastsic."

Granted, most of what comes out of this will be shit. But hey, some of it's bound to be fun, right? It was already worth it for that video of his own remix. Or is it a mash-up? oh, semantics.

New Decemberists!

GET EXCITED!

Mr. Meloy and Co. are breaking us off a piece of their upcoming rock opera The Hazards of Love. Shit, this is going to be good.

head to www.decemberists.com for a free download of "The Rake's Song." (or head to Stereogum if you want to skip the email list sign-up).