The Animal Show » Video

Cymbals and O-faces

marquismeowmersiv — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:44:17 +0000

Dude, this guy has the best guitar/O-face of all time.

Hi kids, I’m still alive. I’m in NYC with my good friend Edward Gottfried. Being in NYC grants me access to all kinds of fun and awesome things. Like seeing Cap’N'Jazz and Lightning Bolt and No Age for free. Or eating ungodly amounts of delicious burritos. Or being bothered on the street by a shivering gentleman who is holding his nose for fear of it falling off. Or not showering and having no one notice how bad I smell because the garbage behind me is emitting the foulest of foul odors (3 week old shrimp that’s been basting in an old canvas shoe resting in a literal river of shit). Or going to Siren fest.

Siren fest was fantastic. There was a nice mix of middle-to-mainstream bands playing decently long sets for the best price: nothing. Also, it was at Coney Island, so if the bands were dull, you had an ocean to play in or a freak show to watch. Man, what a great place. Suck it Pitchfork Fest. Although I did not make it there in time to catch one of my favorite new bands, Dom, I did get to see the likes of Ponytail, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Apache Beat, and Holy Fuck. But my favorite performance by far was Cymbals Eat Guitars. I was ecstatic the hear them open their set with the words “we’re going to play a few new songs” because I was honestly afraid of Cymbals Eat Guitars being a one-and-done band. For those who are unaware (all of you), I was a huge fan of CEG’s debut Why There Are Mountains. Although many called it overly-derivative, I preferred to think of it as a positive expression of postmodern pastiche. In a year filled with fairly excellent releases, Why There Are Mountains is one of the only albums that continues to get regular play 1.5 years later (for the record, Edward has expressed similar sentiments). A debut as strong as WTAM that received as much press as it did often results in lofty expectations from fans and critics a like. It can also influence an artist to develop in an unnatural way, either experimenting too much or lying too dormant to be a followup worthy of similar praise. Luckily, Cymbals’ new material sounds just as strong as their previous stuff, with no influence rising above the others to pull their music in an unnatural direction. The Pavement is still there, but so is The Modest Mouse, Guided By Voices, Explosions In The Sky, Tullycraft, Cap’N'Jazz, etc. All of their songs retain the baroque-strength of WTAM while adding an unexpected maturity in both song structure and song writing that is beyond the band’s average age (25). Below the jump you will find the videos of these as-of-now-untitled songs, in decent quality, for your viewing and critiquing pleasure. All the videos were taken by Jay “Shapster7″ Sharp, who apparently like, “Glam, wacky shit, and acoustic covers.” Thanks Jay.

Of the new songs on YouTube, this is by far the best. Lead singer Joseph D’Agostino said that it might be the lead-off to their as-of-now-untitled and undated and officially unannounced 2nd album. It has the same intensity as Wind Phoenix, though it feels a little more contained and makes use of the synths a bit more. It’s thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended by yours truly.

Driving me crazy!

Dave — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:30:22 +0000

Yeah, I thought of this, too. But not this.

For the past few months, I’ve approached few things with such a singular purpose as the cause I am about to present. I bring it to you perhaps for this reason: though I’ve put so much effort into it, I’ve come up empty, and I’ve reached the end of the road as far as my options.

Some months ago, I was at a friend’s house watching TV. It was a commercial break and I very rarely expect good things from commercial breaks. I glanced down to my laptop, deciding to try to publish another one of my hastily-written and published pieces for The Animal Show, when I hear music. Sweet cello sounds, undoubtedly copped from a Yo-Yo Ma recording of Bach’s Cello Suites (and indeed, upon looking it up, it seems to be from Yo-Yo Ma’s interpretation) came drifting from still-yelping television. Both my friend and I look up to find none other than Hugh Laurie in his Emmy-nominated role as Dr. Gregory House. He’s on the phone, delivering lines of snarky wittitude. This much I expected, and there was something soothing about hearing sarcasm over Bach. But after the line, the music stops–then suddenly, it turns into many cellos, many instruments, transforming the piece into something you’d have tea over to something you’d play as you siege Helm’s Deep. In slow motion. Epic. See for yourself below.

I’ve probably overrated the piece, but it’s what obsession is wont to do. It’s this piece that I’ve been trying to locate for the better part of three months since seeing that House preview. I can’t find it, and judging by the fact that comments on that YouTube clip dried up about a month ago, I don’t think anyone else can either. Anyone out there wanna help a brotha out?

In the mean time, I’m left with the plain old Bach Cello Suites. Which is, by the way, not a bad thing at all.

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Bach: Cello Suite #1 In G Major, BWV 1007 – 1. Prelude – Pierre Fournier (YSI)

And music to take over Poland (or Helm’s Deep) to:

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Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries – Leonard Bernstein (YSI)

And music to encourage peace and prosperity in your new world:

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Dvorak: Symphony #9 In E Minor, Op. 95, B 178, “From The New World” – 2. Largo – Rafael Kubelik: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (YSI)

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BQE In Review: Sufjan’s Triumph

Edward — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:14:36 +0000

I'd advise not judging albums by their covers, too.

Recently, Sufjan Stevens gave an interview in which he confessed

I’m tired of these grand, epic endeavors, and wanting to just make music for the joy of making music and having it be immediate and nothing to do with the industry itself, which, y’know is suffering right now of course. And I think it has to do with a creative crisis too. I’m wondering what am I doing?

While it’s easy to take that quote out of context, torque and sensationalize it to turn it into some sort of indication of imminent retirement, the heart of his point pulses through nonetheless: he is the master of a dying form. At his finest, Sufjan is the essence of the perfect album, with an ear suited for the variegated themes (musical and lyrical) necessary to sustain a listener through the 40 to 80 minutes an album commands. And The BQE has the strength to stand up among Stevens’ other contemporary classics, delivering the feeling and range of emotion we’ve come to expect from the troubadour with the impronounceable name.

I’ll be the first to admit that, when I heard Sufjan was going to be composing an entirely instrumental suite, I was dismayed. The fact that this suite was in honor of a highway did little to assuage my fears. It seemed another flight of fancy, sure to delay the long-awaited follow-up to my potentially favorite album of the aughts, Come On, Feel the Illinoise! But I was and am an unstoppably ravenous Sufjan fan, a Sufjan omnivore, a Sufjan scavenger, searching endlessly through the internet trashcans outside his proverbial house, looking for scraps of songs and discarded ideas. I found videos, heard cell-phone recordings, and hula-hoops, some of which I would later share with you. He was starting to win me over with his trademark nerdy grace and gentle melodies.

An expressway is an odd choice for an orchestral suite. I know there are some who see emotion even in the most brutalistic and nonfeeling of concrete structures (for example, icebergxc, in his short-lived tenure on our high school’s prom committee, was uniquely outspoken in his insistence that the event be held in a parking garage; needless to say, he was one of a very select few with that opinion), but it’s certainly uncommon. Still, if there’s one musician capable of projecting Americana onto a blank gray slate, it’s Sufjan Stevens.

In many strange ways, BQE is his greatest triumph as a songwriter. It’s no easy task to convey emotions wordlessly; it’s hard enough to do so lyrically. Sufjan had already shown himself as effortlessly brilliant with tunes like “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!,” “Casimir Pulaski Day,” “For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti,” or “Springfield,” whose lyrics are inexplicably more tear-inducing with every additional play.* Similarly, with sweeping strings and grating guitars in “Chicago,” “Sister,” or “Majesty, Snowbird,” he showed his versatility. But this tour de force knows no boundaries. It accumulates all the styles of Sufjanic brilliance from along the ways — the distortion of Seven Swans, the accessibility of Illinoise/Avalance and the electro-pop of his new songs all seamlessly combine to make an album that’s beautifully varied and eminently listenable.

Sufjan dances and moves throughout, shape-shifting between Brahms in “Movement VI — Isorhythmic Night Dance with Interchanges,” Brubeck piano-hyper-rhythmic in “Interlude III — Invisible Accidents,” and wandering with a Miles Davis Sketches of Spain horn in “Sleeping Intruder.” And all this is done with a signature Sufjan Stevens smirk, a little twee twinge or a familiar echo of a string quartet. It’s homey, familiar, and intriguingly innovative.

More than that, it’s a powerful album. You may have heard of the “Mozart Effect” on infants; I propose that there’s a “Sufjan Stevens Effect” on 20-year-olds, because I’m certainly feeling it now. But even if you aren’t like me, where every note hits as more perfect and beautiful than the last, there’s something for everyone. Even if you can’t lose yourself in it entirely, it could easily be used as a study aid (see: “Mozart Effect”) or background music for your next philosophical debating society meeting.

Simply put, I love this album. A flight of fancy it may be, but Sufjan has the musical capacity to pull it off accessibly and wonderfully. There aren’t adverbs positive enough to describe his composition. Moreover, the joy he discussed in that interview above is palpable in every one of his songs, which can easily be ascertained in one quick listen.

Let’s just hope he releases his follow-up to Illinoise soon. Some of us are dying out here.

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Movement I: In the Countenance of Kings – Sufjan Stevens (YSI)

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Movement IV: Traffic Shock – Sufjan Stevens (YSI)

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Movement VII (Finale): The Emperor of Centrifuge – Sufjan Stevens (YSI)

*I’ve never been moved to tears by a song though, because, what am I, a wuss? Losers.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Edward — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:40:04 +0000

They know how to get there

If I were to make a list of places I wish I could go tonight, coming in right between “Endor” and “Someplace warm” would be Carnegie Hall, where several thousand lucky fans have the chance to see the miraculous Punch Brothers unveil new tunes and fill the sacred space with their beautifully melodic and thrilling folk/pop/bluegrass/classical amalgamated masterpieces. If you’re in the NY area, you have to go. I don’t do much ordering, but this is one. Plus, I’m told that rush tickets are only $10! LET ME LIVE VICARIOUSLY THROUGH YOU.

Any faithful reader of this blog has heard plenty about our collective adoration for Thile + co. If not, below are a few youtube videos to whet your proverbial whistle, one of which (the first) was a bonus track from 2008’s delectable Punch (the track is available exclusively on iTunes). Watch, listen, go. Then tell me all about it. In great detail.

I Know You Know

It’ll Happen

Rye Whiskey

Lightning Has Just Struck My Brain.

Edward — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:25:58 +0000

Chills.

In 3,000 years, after the h1n1 outbreak of 09-10 has destroyed the earth (no joke. have you washed your hands yet? WASH THEM NOW. I’m not having my site get the swine from your grubby keyboards) and dolphins finally take their rightful place atop the earth, dolphin historians will uncover the great monoliths throughout the civilized portions of this country (aka THE REAL AMERICA) planted in honor of the ONE TRUE PERFECTION, Steven Spielberg’s 1991 masterpiece Hook. The reasons for its greatness have been documented at length elsewhere; let’s just skip straight to the good stuff:

Pogo, that dude I posted about once, has made a Hook remix. It’s like most of his other remixes, in that it’s a better video than it is a song, and it can only hold my interest for 90 seconds. But those were 90 awesome seconds. Prepare to have your mind blown. Briefly.

I know what you want, so I’ll hook you up (lololololmao). Buy the damn movie here, watch it twice, then tell me why you love it in the comments.

Thanks to faithful reader Javonnah for the tip.

A HOT NEW ARTIST FOR LISTENING PURPOSES

Edward — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:14:09 +0000

Put down the lard; I've got important news.

I have found the NEW HOT ARTIST™ of Month #8/9 of 2009. This dude is so new and hot, I found him using my heat-seeking music missiles. Does your mom know about him? No, your mom does not know about him. Will listening to him make you cooler than your mom? Yes, listening to my NEW HOT ARTIST™ will make you a million times cooler than your mom (unless you’re like my friend Paul D., whose mom, affectionately known as Mrs. D., was the coolest mom in school. Man, if you were over at Paul’s house and you really needed to fart, you should just let that thing rip! Mrs. D. wouldn’t care; in fact, she’d probably out-fart you. And while you choked through her noxious fart, you’d have to give her props. And then, just when you thought she couldn’t get any cooler, Mrs. D. started throwing the bitchingest parties this side of Michael Vick’s inaugural DOG FIGHTING IS APPARENTLY ILLEGAL, YOU GUYS blowout. Or at least I heard they were that insanely bitching. I was too busy sitting at home, blogging to try to put food on the table for my old, indigent parents. >:( High school sucked.). Will knowing about this dude make your girlfriend love you more (sorry, Marquis, but heteronormativity and gender-neutral language be damned)? Sorry bud, that ship sailed long ago. But don’t let me kill you with the suspense. You need to know all about the NEW HOT ARTIST™.

Wh0 is….

VAMPIRE WEEKEND COLDPLAY WALE BOYZ II MEN DISCOVERY ROYKSOPP!!!!

JUSTIN BEIBER.

I was just chillin out with my Dell*, and I stumbled upon** this hot youtube vid of my little bro*** singing about this bitching (but not Mrs. D. bitching) party he was throwing at his bff Usher’s house. The words made my heart bounce, the tune made my booty rock, and JB’s moves made me think I could dance worth a damn. Srsly, dude, throwing up an upside-down peace sign is so before you were born, and not in a cool way. Anyway, this is giving “I Gotta Feelin’” a serious run for its BEST SONG OF SUMMER 09 money. Jock these jams, ya’ll!

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One Time -- Justin Bieber (YSI)

*Don’t actually have a Dell

**Don’t actually use Stumble

***Not my little brother

Words and Some Verses on the Passing of a Friend

Edward — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:50:50 +0000

SPOILER ALERT: Scrubs is over, dudes.

I like to think of The Show as a place where friends can come together and share important things from their lives. For example, when Dave posted a few days ago, he was trying to tell me, “yes, Edward, I am alive and well, despite the fact that we haven’t heard from one another in two weeks. Also, you’re an asshole for never contacting me.” I know, that completely went unnoticed by our general readership, but you’ve got to learn to read between the lines, guys. I’ll teach you. Later. For now, it’s time to come together to mourn the passing of a great friend and partner in crime: the late, great Scrubs.

I’ve never read the Torah or anything, but I have a Jewish friend who once told me that Jewish funerals serve to commemorate the life of the deceased, rather than mourn their passing. I like that, and figure I’ll do the same by taking you through some of my favorite musical moments of the show. Scrubs gave me more, musically, than it ought to have. At ages 13 through 16, I used to crawl the internet to figure out what the songs were that had appeared on the last episode I’d seen, and then Limewire those tracks. Yes, I have the entire “Blanks” album (Ted the Lawyer’s band, for the uninitiated). And yes, I had an “Air Band” with several friends in high school. It was a lot cooler than it sounds when you’re blogging about it, I promise. The point is that I got more really good and memorable music out of Scrubs than could possibly be contained in just one post. Maybe I’ll take the time later when I’m so inclined (or if anyone tells me they want more) to draw attention to some other really good Scrubs-featured music. But, for now, I want to focus on some of my favorite dancing moments, which gave me reason to hunt down and love some truly classic songs, including Bell Biv Devoe’s immortal “Poison.” Watch, laugh, remember, listen:

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Still D.R.E. – Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg (YSI) (mega)

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The Theme From Sanford and Son – Quincy Jones (YSI) (mega)

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Get Up (Sex Machine) – James Brown (YSI) (mega)

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Poison – Bell Biv Devoe (YSI) (mega)

IF ANYONE CAN LOCATE A YOUTUBE OF THE MOMENT WHERE TURK SINGS ROB BASE & DJ E-Z ROCK’S “JOY AND PAIN” IN THE O.R. IN SEASON 1 EPISODE 23 TITLED “MY HERO” AND SEND ME A LINK TO IT I WILL BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL. SO WILL THE INTERNET, PROBABLY.

Some Thile to Tide You Over

Edward — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 04:08:33 +0000

So talented. And such great hair. I hate you. Did you know that, Chris?

I’ve got a few pretty huge posts in the works, which are really word-heavy (which Drew, for one, hates, but I’m really not ever trying to please him). Because of that, I’m going to warm you up with something I stumbled upon just recently, which is yet another phenomenal Chris Thile bluegrass reinvention of an indie favorite. This time, it’s Radiohead’s “Morning Bell.” Beautiful.

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Morning Bell (Radiohead Cover) -- Chris Thile (megaupload)

It's like hyping a kitten

marquismeowmersiv — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:24:56 +0000

It's like Little Tim and Kimya Dawson had sex and crapped out a baby made entirely of kittens, polka dots, and 'that artsy girl you totally had a crush on in High School'.

Edward told me to start watching Scrubs, and since I always do what Edward tells me to do (”Grow a mustache!” “Jump off of a cliff” “Change the picture!” “Start writing for animalshow.wordpress.com [tell your friends]“) I sat down one day, pushed aside a wonderful paper about the stages of development in the Navajo culture, and watched quite a few of the most recent Scrubs episodes. I used to be a huge fan “back in the day” (inside Dr. Cox joke) but I fell off the bandwagon when the guest stars they started bringing in became less interesting and more recognizable (also it wasn’t funny anymore, but apparently you can rectify that by firing all the old writers and hiring a bunch of Jewish people [sorry]). Anyway, it seems that they’ve reverted back to their old ways, as one of their most recent guest stars happened to be a wacky young Californian by the name of Kate Micucci, who is (and, bear with me here, I know it’s crazy) a good singer/songwriter/actress. Holy crap…

Kate Micucci was born in New Jersey (which means she’s related to both Bruce Springsteen AND Bon Jovi) and has been a semi-transient/art student (is there a difference) ever since. I’m not sure when she started writing songs or how she got a hold of a ukulele, but it was a very solid choice for her. Her songs are absolutely beautiful in that overly simplified, childish way that Kimya Daweson tries way too hard obtain in her solo work. Kate’s slightly nasal voice, combined with her superb ukulele skills, brings the level of “awwwwwww” in her songs to a spectacularly high level, but what really stands out on her small 5 song EP is the potential she has to be a legitimate song writer after her “cutesy Kimya” phase passes. Of course Kimya’s ‘cute phase’ isn’t a phase, per say, but an undiagnosed developmental disorder that forces her to continually write songs that only appeal to girls between the ages of 13 and 17. So, unlike Kimya, Micucci shows promising maturity on songs like ‘Just Say When’, which showcase not only a more “adult” voice, but a more “adult” subject matter as well.

Additionally, Kate is part of a small and significantly less serious side project entitled Garfunkel and Oats. This was well before Kate’s debut on Scrubs, and a bit before some of her more mature songs on her debut, but it still retains that adorable feeling that is similar to the one you got when you first saw Love Actually (Hugh Grant, eat my heart out). I honestly think that if the Moldy Peaches had not been so stuck on the “anti-folk” movement they could have sounded like this. Songs like “Fuck You” retain the both the humor and the childlike innocence that The Peaches were aiming for. You can find Garfunkel and Oats’ EP for free on Kate’s website, however, I would recommend that you search elsewhere because her copies are of terrible quality.

But why listen to me talk when you too could fall in love with Kate Micucci (for the mere price of clicking on one or more of these buttons):

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Kate Micucci – Mr. Moon (mediafire)

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Kate Micucci – Just Say When (mediafire)

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Garfunkel and Oats – Fuck You (mediafire)

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Garfunkel and Oats – Worst Song Medley [this one is worth your time no matter what kind of music you like] (mediafire)

Additionally, I beseech you to buy Kate’s EP at this website and watch her only music video NOT on YouTube but rather at this website (it’s both adorable and disturbing at the same time…). Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go wash my hand-bronzed Kate Micucci statue in a bath of goat’s milk… it’s almost time for the eclipse.

Trippy: "Alice" by Pogo

Edward — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:21:48 +0000

Doesn't that creepy little moustache just scream "substance abuser?"

It’s been a cooky day here at the post. We kicked it off by getting our faces melted by Dan Deacon’s new album. Then, for lunch, I had a sandwich with pesto in it. Can you believe it? A normal turkey sandwich, but with pesto instead of mayonaisse. And you thought pesto was just for pastas and pizzas! Ha! I’m a trendsetter, kids — stick with me. And, to continue our crazy streak, I’m sharing with you a video/song a friend showed me a couple of weeks ago, which I’ve probably watched/listened to 50 times in the two weeks since: a video/audio remix of Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland.

I don’t know if you’d heard this, but apparently ol’ Walt suffered from a nasty morphine addiction. That’s right. Gobble up that information quickly, because Buzz Lightyear’s Star Command is going to hunt every piece of that knowledge down and incinerate it with his cool wrist-blastery thing. Just like they did to the original bearer of truth, Snopes. Perhaps the film that best demonstrates this bizarre drug need is Alice in Wonderland (although that scene in Dumbo could give it a run for its money). Pogo’s remix draws out the trippiness, adds a sick bassline, and delivers the party. Watch/listen/download.

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Alice (Audio Remix of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland) – Pogo (mp3)

Februaremedy: 24/28