The Animal Show » Crookers

Swedish Fish

dfjacobs — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:20:15 +0000

The Sweet Nectar of Corn Syrup

As I sit patiently at the computer, waiting for the clock to strike midnight so that I can finally get my hands on Battle Studies (see bonus track, Bruce favorite “I’m On Fire”), I listen to the harmonious sounds of Scandinavia. If I told my parents I was listening to the sweet sounds of Sweden, they’d immediately assume I was being serenaded by 70’s pop sensation ABBA or possibly the Cardigans. And while ABBA is great (Yeah I said it, what? Listen to “Does Your Mother Know” and tell me they’re not classy), Sweden has a new generation of musical luminaries, who happen to be far more respectable to the average hipster than their predecessors.

The young Swedish indie elite include the likes of Lykke Li, Jens Lekman and Miike Snow (and many more, most notably Air France and Robyn). Ms. Li who is featured on many classics such as N.A.S.A’s “Gifted,” Drake’s “Little Bit” and, of course, her critically drooled over LP, Youth Novel. While I almost passed along Youth Novel’s hit single “I’m Good, I’m Gone,” which really is quite grand, I’ll leave you with a more recent release, the Rodeo remix of Kings of Leon’s “Knocked Up,” which is taken to the next level by the Swedish gem.

Jens Lekman, perhaps my favorite of the Swedish Phish (Woah, pun fiesta), quickly wins over any hipster who snags a copy of Night Falls Over Kortedala. His unmistakable voice coupled with a big band creates infectious and brilliant tracks. On “A Postcard to Nina,” he sings about meeting a pen pal for the first time in Germany. I won’t ruin the song, but suffice to say, the lyrics tell a hilarious, Larry David-esque story. His encounter with the girl’s father is so awkward, culminating in the moment when, “I put my hands on a metal object/ He jokes and tells me it’s a lie detector.” It’s a creatively crafted song with fantastic horns and a dreamlike introduction. And, for those of you itching for more of “Lekman the Lethario,” check out “The Opposite of Hallelujah” and “Your Arms Around Me,” both off of Night Falls Over Kortedala.

Finally, Miike Snow has been receiving quite a bit of press, in addition to a plethora of samples (see “Cult Logic Forever” by the Hood Internet). The producers turned artists of Miike Snow have not been receiving the same love from the critics as their country woman Ms. Li, but in their defense, who even reads Pitchfork anymore? Snow dominated the hypemachine for a long while, proving that the blogosphere’s wannabe elite do not always speak for listeners everywhere (full disclosure: I am an avid reader of Pitchfork and quite often a big fan). As all of you readers remember, Edward has already given you their outstanding “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance” remix, as well as their hit “Animal.” So, I’m going to combine the two, and give you the Crookers remix to “Animal” (Both a remix and an “Animal”). A decent song in its own right, Crookers steps it up to turn this track into a keeper, just like they did with Kudi’s “Day n Nite”.

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Knocked Up (Lykke Li vs. Rodeo Remix) – Kings of Leon (YSI)

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A Postcard to Nina – Jens Lekman (YSI)

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Animals (Crookers Remix) – Miike Snow (YSI)

You’re Doing It, Internet!

Edward — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:35:20 +0000

NB: In all seriousness, I've never actually used the Pirate Bay to get music. It stands as a handy image representation, though.

I was reading an article on my Kindle* today from USA Today** that suggested that 95% of music downloaded via the internet was stolen. At first I was outraged, and then I reasoned out that, if the Animal Show represents 95% of the traffic on the internet (and it does) and the Animal Show supplies music free of charge (and it does), then it would make sense that the 95% of the music downloaded on the internet came from the Animal Show, and was therefore stolen. Right?

In all seriousness, the proliferation of music piracy represents something much bigger than falling album sales — customers (like you and me) are perceiving less value in an album of music than they did 9 short years ago. Listening is beginning to be seen as a right, not a privilege. I often rationalize blogs like the Show as the radio of the 21st century (because this helps me sleep at night), which is a parallel that only makes sense up to a certain point: while the internet undeniably provides fora for new music to be heard and enjoyed, it also provides unparalleled access for free. As a blog-reader, I’m going to go ahead and assume you have a relatively high amount of tech-savvy. Therefore, you would know that finding and enjoying new music doesn’t take the path that I am forced to act that it does. I’ve seen the click-through data for the Amazon links I put at the bottom of each post, and can say with some degree of certainty that they end up having basically no impact on the album sales for the artist I’m writing about. And I don’t mean in terms of “album sales” (ie on a scale of thousands or more), but instead in absolute terms — if I’ve made a post where 10 out of the 1000+ people who read it click through to Amazon to even think about buying the album, I’m doing something right. And to shoot for a 1% success rate is somewhat depressing.

But I know that, as tech-savvy readers (and, theoretically, as music lovers) you have sought out more from artists whom I’ve posted about and whom you enjoyed. Instead of purchasing their music, this takes the form of downloading the album from any number of free sources, from torrent servers like The Pirate Bay (which is dumb, and you shouldn’t do it) to online hotspots like megaupload, Yousendit, or mediafire (which provide the more intelligent way to download).

Is this worrisome? Yes. Certainly. Do I use these services? Yes, all the time. I’m proud of the fact that I spend the most considerable portion of my disposable income on music, whether it’s concert tickets, merchandise, or albums. But I simply don’t really believe in paying for digital music. Like most consumers, I want to be able to hold in my hand the item I’ve laid money out for. As a result, I probably end up buying 25% of the albums I consume. Sometimes I’ll download first and then buy and sometimes I’ll never buy. I don’t feel bad about it. I’ve grown tired of spending $18 on an album which I don’t know if I’ll enjoy. It’s much lower risk to download and delete bad albums. Hard drive space is hardly at a premium. For a long while I’d been an outspoken supporter of buying cds (which the amount of near-worthless plastic cluttering my room at home can attest to), but I’m growing tired of trying to right a sinking ship by throwing money at it.

I’m writing about this mainly because I think there are a lot of interesting issues in the music business that need discussion, and, as music bloggers and consumers of music blogs, we are the decisionmakers, tastemakers, and, at the most basic level, thieves. Again, I’m not losing much sleep at night, but that’s also because I’ve convinced myself that artists make music, first and foremost, to be heard. Not to make money. They have to earn a livelihood, definitely, but I’d bet that 98% of the up-and-comers playing weekly club-stays would say that they’d rather see a full house of people who hadn’t payed than a 60% capacity crowd that had.

This is an issue we at the Show are going to be coming back to with some semblance of frequency (fortnightly? monthly?) to discuss, from each of our different perspectives. Hopefully it’ll be really rewarding for you, the listener. Or it’ll strengthen our already-impressive bounce rate, as more people coming from Hype Machine for the songs stick around for the words. Writers are like musicians in that they want to be read. Jot that down.

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Krazy Day N Nite (Pitbull vs. Lil Jon vs. Kid Cudi vs. Crookers) – A plus D (YSI)

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My Girls (Gigamesh “Proper House” Remix) – Animal Collective (YSI)

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Animal – Miike Snow (YSI)

*Nobody actually owns a Kindle

**Nobody actually reads USA Today

We're gonna have a partayyy

Edward — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:22:34 +0000

Damn right, it's gonna be a theme party.

Here at the Show, we have a strictly-enforced policy of self-congratulation. Therefore, on the 22nd of every month, we are compelled to celebrate. Why, you new readers ask? Because it’s our birthday. Grab your party spork, because we’re having ice cream cake after Domino’s delivers the pizzas. Fistfuls of Smarties for everyone!

You probably remember how, at the last birthday, I unveiled Animal Show 2.o, Snowleopardtigerspots, complete with 4 new staffers. Now you’re wondering what the 2nd birthday surprise is: nothing. Expect the blog to become more petulant and obnoxious as it enters its terrible twos, and be grateful that I don’t start taking things away from you. These dire economic times have been hard on the Show — whereas we used to sip champagne when we thirstayy, a la Biggie, now we are forced to drink Crystal Light instead of water. A very unfortunate corporate tie-in. Anyway, we did start streaming mp3s, maybe you noticed. Isn’t that enough? And we’ll continue to deliver jams and gems, old and new, to make you laugh, cry, or poop your pants. Keep reading, and I’ll keep writing. Until the next meta-post, enjoy some birthday jams: an original, a remix, and a mash-up. It’s the Show’s version of “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue,” except it’s for a birthday and there are only 3 things. Just go with me on this one.