mintcurry

still alive!

2008-02-09T18:48:00.000-08:00

Hello humans! I am indeed still alive and still loving music. The main difference is that, since my last post over a year ago, I've been lost in film student land. (Here's an example of what that means: I went to a party last night, where after introducing myself to some people, I proceeded to tell them the difference between 16mm and 35mm film for no logical reason.) But I'm starting things back up again, because sharing the music love is fun. Let's celebrate the rebirth of Mintcurry with my absolute obsession of 2007-08:

belle & sebastian - your cover's blown (6:03) buy
Catchy 70s grooving, epic scale, several tempo changes, and some of Belle & Sebastian's cleverest lyrics, covering parties to isolation to sex to suburbia? What's not to love here? I've been listening to this song constantly for the past year and a bit, and it has still yet to get old. I can put it on repeat and listen to it over and over again. Addictive and always fresh, it's definitely one of the best things they've done.

and the meteorite is...

2006-12-12T00:33:00.000-08:00

joanna newsom - emily (12:08) buy
I had the pleasure of going to Joanna Newsom's Vancouver show last week. She was absolutely incredible. It was held in a church downtown (the same one Sufjan Stevens played in October), and her music filled up every single crack of the high ceilings, lit by the diffused suspended light. It was magical. She mainly focused on her new album, which slid perfectly into the venue: her latest album has an epic quality, like a poetic saga full of drama. Each song is long, creating a world with a sweeping, stretching story. "Emily", one of my favorite tracks, is a prime example: it's a romanticised, idealized middle ages where meteors shoot through the sky and land in pools of light. A gorgeous universe dripping with magic, love, and nights lit by torches and meteor showers.

everyday is like sunday

2006-11-26T21:43:00.000-08:00

Two months already without any updates? Oy. Blame the onset of art school, which is taking up my precious updating time although I am enjoying it far too much. On the positive side, however, winter break starts in three weeks AND I'm off to see Joanna Newsom next week. (happiness!) And it's snowing. So therefore, without further ado...

morrissey - everyday is like sunday (3:33) buy
I'm uploading this today because (a) it is a Sunday and (b) it reminds me of empty beaches when it is snowing. Nostalgic, melencholy empty beaches: think empty benches, grey skies, and falling snow against a waterfront. Empty skies; muffled noises.

pop rocks

2006-09-11T19:31:00.000-07:00

saturna - pop rocks (3:57) myspace
This song is fuzzy and shoegazy in the tradition of the Jesus and Mary Chain. It's like an out of focus photograph taken at a wild party - it paints blurry images that show moving bodies and flashing, moving lights. A face here, a crazed dance there, a light coming out of nowhere illuminating the scene, capturing intent and energy - swirling and wild.

autumn days

2006-09-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

the white stripes - we're going to be friends (2:22) buy
Simple and innocent, "We're Going To Be Friends" is one of The White Stripes' best known songs, describing idealized first school days and sweet childhood relationships. It's music for walking to school, jumping in piles of leaves, making new friends, stomping in puddles with rubber boots on, and doing other such activities related to this time of the year. Everyone should have autumn days that feel like these - even if they haven't been in elementary school in years and years.

sunday morning

2006-09-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

the velvet underground - sunday morning (2:53) buy
"Sunday Morning" is like waking up slowly on a weekend morning to a mix of emotions - both pleasant and unsettling, like feeling wonderful while awakening and anxious about having to face the world again. The song has a wistful, airy, peaceful quality, with the gentle bell-like sound of the celesta and the lulling music. However, this atmosphere is not a peaceful as it seems: the lyrics have a paranoid, restless tinge, warning "Watch out! The world's behind you". It's all still and serene, and yet also unsettling and slightly dangerous.

running

2006-09-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

eliane elias - running (dj strobe remix) (4:02) myspace
Eliane Elias is a jazz vocalist / pianist with a smoky voice and a relaxed style, which is highlighted by this remix, done by DJ Strobe, of her song "Running". It invokes sultry summer nights in the city, with blurred streetlights as seen from a car travelling alone in fading dusk.

when the sky was blue

2006-08-30T21:41:00.000-07:00

aaron schroeder - sky ain't blue (3:20) myspace
One of my favorite moments in Jack Kerouac's book The Dharma Bums is when Japhy, a main character and a zen and simple living lover, is explaining what makes a haiku great:

"A real haiku's gotta be as simple as porridge and yet make you see the real thing, like the greatest haiku of them all probably is the one that goes 'The sparrow hops along the veranda, with wet feet.' By Shiki. You see the wet footprints like a vision in your mind and yet in those few words you also see all the rain that's been falling that day and almost smell the wet pine needles."

This quote can easily be applied to folk music as well - much great folk is simple, and yet amazingly detailed. Aaron Schroeder's music is strongly displays this element. While being simple, it is crafted so well and effectively that you can feel the sun and the changing sky and the nostalgic loneliness.

don't download this song!

2006-08-23T01:05:00.000-07:00

weird al - don't download this song (3:54) myspace
Whatever you do, DON'T download this song! Without a doubt, this is one of the funniest parodies Weird Al has done in recent years, and, yes, I am biased. It hilariously focuses on the "perils" of mp3 downloading, especially when it involves Kazaa, Limewire, or other such volatile programs. For when you're ready to get into those record stores where you belong, you can find it on his upcoming CD Straight Outta Lynwood, which will be released on September 26.

everything is beautiful here

2006-08-22T01:38:00.000-07:00

neutral milk hotel - everything is (live) (3:16) www
Like late summer days where everything in the world seems perfect, life is absolutely beautiful within the perimeters of Everything Is. This version is from their March 4, 1998 show at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC, and it's infectiously idealistic - best deserving of being shouted from up high and allowed to spread upon everyone and everything below. Everything is beautiful in this song.

neutral milk hotel - everything is (3:41) buy
Everything Is is originally from their 1995 EP of the same name, which was re-released in 2001. This version, from the EP, is also worth a listen: it shows the band's sound at an early, not-quiet-yet-developed stage while still being infectiously happy. It is also much calmer, sober, and more relaxing - like daydreaming on a sunny day or sleeping in all day.

miracle drug and a new layout

2006-08-20T00:45:00.000-07:00

There's a couple of major changes around here. First, the blog's name has changed from I Wish to Mintcurry. This means we finally match the url! (Hurray!) Please adjust all links to reflect this change. Also, there's a brand new layout with black and white gel pen swirls. I love gel pens. (In a perfect world, we would still be able to bring them on airplanes.) Anyway, without further rambling, here's tonight's music.

a.c. newman - miracle drug (2:19) buy
Driving and kicky, this is the opening track of A.C. Newman's 2004 solo album The Slow Wonder. He is the leader of The New Pornographers and writes many of their songs, and his solo songwriting is every bit as strong as his work in the band. Here, the root - the base - of the song is the stable, thumping drum beat, which starts it off and drives to the end. Then, over this stability, comes his edgy vocals and bursts of frenzied musical climaxes. The whole package is addicting fun power pop, and over far too soon.

for those who know

2006-08-09T23:48:00.000-07:00

For Those Who Know is a psychedelic, shoegazey band hailing from Austin, Texas, and creates introspective and dreamy music. These are two of my favorite tracks of their recent self-titled EP, which you can stream in full on their website. "Competition" is laid back, yet rich. Soft and sparse vocals burst into the highlight: a soaring musical crescendo about halfway through. In contrast, "Night at the Danceclub" is faster paced, although it manages to stay light and flickery even when the music is thickly layered. The vocals are also more faded here - like a buttery, smooth, breathy instrument which works intricately as part of the whole.

for those who know - competition (3:27)
for those who know - night at the danceclub (3:44)

belated birthday!

2006-08-04T00:49:00.000-07:00

Somehow, I managed to miss I Wish's first birthday, which was a good two weeks ago. (errmmm...) To celebrate this (somewhat) belated birthday, here's one of my favorite birthday themed songs:

the sugarcubes - birthday (3:58) buy
Enormously sensual - creating the world of a five-year-old birthday girl who "scrapples in the earth with her fingers and her mouth" and her friend next door with a scratchy beard and the ravens that fly overhead. The Sugarcubes was Björk's old band before she was a soloist, and her presence heightens this sensuality: her voice is insanely wonderful even back in the 80s. It flutters back and forth between crazy, cute and divine, grappling the words. While the lyrics are few, each image it creates is solid and memorable. Absolutely delicious.

hit the road

2006-07-31T00:30:00.000-07:00

sufjan stevens - the avalanche (3:14) buy
Much of Sufjan Stevens' music makes me want to hit the road and set off on some great Jack Kerouac-esque cross country expedition - the kind of exhilarating travel where everything is fresh and the images keep coming and coming, hitting over and over again. "The Avalanche", the beautiful title track of Sufjan's most recent album, exemplifies this: this is music to hitchhike by, to ride in buses by, to listen to while riding in the backs of trucks down rain-soaked roads and fields.

the very hush hush & summer tour dates

2006-07-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

the very hush hush - slow destroyer (4:32) buy
This melts like lush colors at sunset. It moves like a high-speed train first moving in a dreamlike state before it picks up speed, passing decaying factories and abandoned cities at breakneck speed, tracing power lines and following storm clouds with blurred, wind-like vocals. Searching and racing.

The Very Hush Hush are also beginning their summer tour in a couple of weeks. Here are some of the dates they've confirmed so far:

Jul 28 2006
8:00pm Larimer Lounge (Denver, CO)
Jul 29 2006
8:00pm Mick's (Omaha, NE)
Aug 3 2006
8:00pm Tritone (Philadelphia, PA)
Aug 4 2006
8:00pm The Hook (Brooklyn, NY)
Aug 5 2006
12:00am Tonic (New York, NY)
Aug 6 2006
6:00pm Relative Theory (Norfolk, VA)
Aug 8 2006
8:00pm Spazzatorium (Greenville, NC)
Aug 9 2006
8:00pm The Pilot Light (Knoxville, TN)
Aug 11 2006
8:00pm Hi-Dive (Denver, CO)

Their website has more information, and they will be adding more dates to it.

i'll believe in anything

2006-07-12T01:01:00.000-07:00

wolf parade - i'll believe in anything (4:36) buy
Throbbing and raw and powerful. The vocalist's delivery is unbelievably honest - like he REALLY wants for the world he sings about where "nobody knows you / and nobody gives a damn" to be real, where the impossible can become true, and he sings with so much conviction it becomes solid. This is the kind of infectious idealism that forces the listener to BELIEVE; clear even when the song is a rough and raw musical tangle, and powerful enough to leave waves in its absence after it is all over.

summer night songs

2006-07-08T00:53:00.000-07:00

(each of these beg to be listened to with a good set of headphones.)

mùm - nightly cares (4:48) buy
Crackling, smooth, and sweeping - like a summer night where the darkness envelopes everything, yet seems refreshing after bright heat. Like a cool breeze you can hear in the air as it brings a ghost-like presence to the still, still world. Like intoxicating fresh night air, with dark clouds moving softly through the sky.

my bloody valentine - loomer (2:38) buy
Think of a city night where hazy neon and sparkles and lights are everywhere, as the song shimmers away into thick glowing layers of ethereal noise. Noise like light so strong it blocks out the starlight, yet creates its own patterns which glimmer densely all around.

In other news: ack, sorry about the long break! My stressful months are over, at least for a little while. School is finished, and my head has been filled up with moving - from Northwestern British Columbia to Edmonton, Alberta. (I like the endless horizons and the presence of record stores.) Things should be relatively calm over the rest of the summer, until university begins and I get to move again.

nellie mckay and marriage

2006-05-25T00:46:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, I saw Nellie McKay live. As she introduced her song "I Wanna Get Married", she made the comment to the effect of that there were people out there who didn't want "certain people" to get married, and she found that thought really sad. I figured that it was only a matter of time before she wrote a song about it - this song is more of a satire of longing for the stereotypical 50s housewife ideal, sung in a laid back, smooth, jazzy, and yearning tone.

In "Cupcake", however, off her upcoming album, she finally deals directly with the topic of gay marriage (with lines like "c'mon now honey stop denyin' / or I'm forever gonna be a bachelor / leave the steps of your house / get down to the courthouse / give me a G and an A, Y?!"), all in a giddy and bouncy and soppy smile inducing love song package. Both songs are wonderful, and each deal with different aspects of the ever popular marriage issue.

nellie mckay - cupcake (4:43) www

nellie mckay - i wanna get married (4:01) buy

flaming lips & neko case

2006-05-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

the flaming lips - the yeah yeah yeah song (4:51) buy
Completely delicious and addicting, this song begs to be played over and over again. I think it's the upbeat and uplifting atmosphere with the repeating "yeah yeah yeah" chorus that does it. The lyrics are great, as well, simultaneously criticizing those with power and those who think they could do a better job in the same position. To paraphrase it, you can never know exactly what you would do if you had power, even if you had good intentions before. Cynical while managing to be enormously fun and catchy.

neko case - star witness (5:16) buy
Melancholy and mournful like a ghost lamenting on a decaying, dusk-lit porch, fading away into the evening while trying to cling onto something tangible. The music moves like wind through this thick, late day sunlight, and the atmosphere is completed with Neko's smoothly sorrowful vocals, delivering such lines as "hey, there there’s such tender wolves ‘round town tonight / 'round the town tonight". Beautiful and surreal.

two songs & notes

2006-04-21T20:55:00.000-07:00

cocorosie - noah's ark (4:13) buy
Electronic samples and dreamy recorded playback play under voices varying from scratchy and childlike to soaring and smoky. The effect is smooth and minimalistic - like warm wind sweeping through thick mist.

hey hey my my - too much space (3:50) myspace
One of the perks of running an mp3 blog is when managers send you good music. This song - with its barely out of sync vocals against a throbbing tempo, intermingling with dark and melodic interludes - is a prime example. Hey Hey My My hails from Paris and plays acoustic and mellow folk music. Check them out.

Now, onto serious blog-owner type stuff: I'm graduating this year, and I'm currently in the thick of exam season. This will (unfortunately) continue until the end of June. ~~Until then, I'm aiming towards updating regularly on the weekend.~~ (we'll see how things go.)

2006-04-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

doveman - honey (5:09) buy
Think glowing fireflies. They switch on as laid back, late night, early summer sunshine fades all around, growing cooler as the dusk draws on. The vocals and music smoothly whisper like gentle breezes rustling grass and water, until it all fades into the dark melted night with firefly light illuminating everywhere.

who loves the sun?

2006-04-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

the velvet underground - who loves the sun (2:46) buy
A completely contradictory song, with upbeat and laid back music (complete with the happy little "pa pa pa pa pa" in between lines) and pessimistic and moody lyrics (such as "who loves the sun / who cares that it is shining / who cares what it does / since you broke my heart"). Perfect for cliched warm spring days when nothing is as perfect as the weather wants it to be.

(or, in my case, the anthem of the moment - the weather is summer-like, but exam season is only just beginning. beautiful days have become a backdrop to an absurd amount of studying and repetition. oh, the stress!)

the cat dreams about his food bowl

2006-03-25T13:22:00.000-08:00

animal collective with vashti bunyan - prospect hummer (4:40) buy
This is throbbing mellow movement, which bursts into a rich orchestra of "whoas" and Vashti Bunyan's soft, luring voice flowing over the background. It gradually grows simpler and more laid back as it progresses, like a campfire that slowly turns into glowing embers. (also, there's a verse about a cat which includes, incidentally, cute and true observations about these animals. such as, "and you cuddle for a half an hour / and he dreams about his food bowl". I think my cat dreams like that all the time.)

are you my lady?

2006-03-22T23:35:00.000-08:00

mew - the zookeeper's boy (4:43) buy
Think dark and jagged mountain ranges with surrounded by clear blue sky and covered with feathery mist, and you've got this: a mixture of heavy, powerful pounding with yearning, soaring vocals layered over the top. Solid, yet fleeting and mysterious.

Also, I am madly in love with all of the album this is from, And the Glass Handed Kites. (way back in October, I uploaded the Japanese version of one of the songs off it.) Maybe it's the way each song melts into the next, or perhaps it's the way the whole album carries on the longing and surreal tone of this song. Either way, it's wonderful.

aquatic

2006-03-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

merleon cedraeon - aquatica (3:02) www
Ethereal and ambient, this piece was made using Electroplankton, a Nintendo DS game consisting of very fun musical toys in the form of "plankton". While the game is suited to playing with sounds and music, as is evident here, it can also be used as an instrument. My favorite plankton is hannebow, which launches out of water and hits adjustable leaves to make melodies. You can hear it in this song: the plinking melody is actually this plankton. Beyond the fact this was created with a video game, the song also creates a swirling, watery, calming landscape of movement in rivers flowing to oceans, making soft sounds as it hits rocks in its path.

sweeter than reason

2006-03-06T22:15:00.000-08:00

stereolab - les bons bons des raisons (6:39) buy
Spring has definitely come to where I live. Seemingly overnight, we've gone from bitter frost to little green things growing along the side of road. The air is warm, and flowers are starting to bloom. It's around this time of the year that I like listening to Stereolab's album Sound-Dust - it slides perfectly into this environment, feeling perfectly comfortable amongst green grass, fresh flowers, budding trees, and ever-warming air. As the final song on the album, this is no exception. Think of this as springtime squeezed into a fresh, mellow, and sweet audio package, perfect for dew and grass and sucking on candy.

"you know best"

2006-03-04T00:18:00.000-08:00

laura barrett - robot ponies (4:06) myspace
Two great things about Laura Barrett and this song:

1) She uses a kalimba, an African instrument that can produce both plinking noises and rich, layered sounds, and she plays it well. (I just recently got one of my own. The noise is hypnotizing, and it's so much fun to play. Love this instrument.) With the kalimba all by itself, it gives the song a laidback and acoustic feel.

2) Its sci fi and tongue-in-cheek lyrics are all about futuristic toys - namely super hyped and easly outdated robot ponies that can do anything!

so my love is gone / it will be OK

2006-02-23T23:57:00.000-08:00

kissing book - your melancholy ways (4:00) buy
With gentle drums leading into sparkling chimes and mellow vocals, this is comforting like a warm mug of hot cocoa on a freezing day. Music for watching snow quietly cover streets and sidewalks, while sipping the previously mentioned hot cocoa, safely indoors away from all threats and cold weather.

is this it?

2006-02-20T23:19:00.000-08:00

royal city - is this it (3:01) buy
A laid back and mellow take on The Strokes' song "Is This It". The quietness brings out a lonely, melancholy side - making it suited to staying up late in the dark. This is the kind of "is this it?" which you ask late at night, feeling softly alone and sad, before falling asleep.

may day

2006-02-18T19:08:00.000-08:00

plastic tree - may day (3:28) buy
From their 1998 album Puppet Show, this is aggressive, dark, surreal, haunting, and one of my very favorite Plastic Tree songs. A major reason why I love them is the juxtaposition they do in many of their songs (including this one) of dark, guitar-driven rock with the vocalist's (Ryutaro) soft, ghostly and neurotic voice. The fragility and the darkness makes for a great mix.

people look at us cause they see us all the time

2006-02-16T21:15:00.000-08:00

belle and sebastian - we are the sleepyheads (3:33) buy
Swirling and optimistic, bringing to mind fast paced bike rides on sunny and open spring days in closed and stifling towns, where the air is clean, the sunshine is warm, and everything is so pleasant that nothing and no one is bothering. Even if "we've been in this town so long we may as well be dead / so long as people turn their heads / and cross the street whenever we walk on by", the upbeat and uplifting mood cannot be stifled.

As a side note: all of The Life Pursuit is wonderful. Yes, it is lacking in early B&S's low-fi goodness, but things should change. (Growth is important as long as soul-selling isn't involved, and there is none of that here.)

this post actually mentions the word "wuv".

2006-02-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

Generally, around Valentine's Day, there are two types of people: the kind in fluffy wuv and the kind who want the day to die a miserable, horrible death. The first song is ideal for the former, while the second is ideal for the latter. If you are lucky enough to fit into neither of the two categories, just enjoy both - each are uplifting and fun.

of montreal - lysergic bliss (4:03) buy
Of Montreal has released a ridiculous number of ridiculously happy, giddy, silly love songs. This psychedelic and optimistic song fits perfectly into that category. Danceable and bouncy and so very happy. The best way to feel on Valentine's Day. (Incidentally, yes, "lysergic" is indeed the L in LSD. Yes, drugs are not good. And, yes, this is more of a love song than a drug song.)

new buffalo - recovery (3:43) buy
And of course, for those of whom nothing turns out correctly, New Buffalo will make things all right in the end. Wonderfully uplifting and comforting - a "things can only get better from here" song.

there's a genocide ball to attend

2006-02-11T00:28:00.000-08:00

the robot ate me - the genocide ball (1:47) buy
Satirical and ironic, with lyrics describing genocide as entertainment ("Come put your shoes on / Let's go out tonight / There's a genocide ball to attend") contrasted with the light big-band crispy crackly phonograph music it is played over. (complete with a clarinet and echoing saxophones) The final effect is unsettling, funny, and critical of attitudes towards genocide in general.

and you weren't there, you weren't there

2006-02-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

broken social scene - ibi dreams of pavement (a better day) (4:27) buy
Starting deceptively quiet before bursting into amazing, gorgeous noise and melodic, wailing vocals, this is powerful and beautiful stuff. Made for blasting with headphones on until the noise explodes and the debris floats all around.

dreams of the old wake up the new.

2006-02-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

the olivia tremor control - dusk at cubist castle (7:35) buy
One of the more experimental and surreal songs on their album (which just happens to be also called) Dusk at Cubist Castle. Loose and ambient, with bells and chimes and saxophones and strange sounds abound. It brings to mind abandoned buildings with hallways full of empty rooms once filled with importance and meaning. Fleshed out and wonderfully weird.

the taxi lights were in your eyes

2006-02-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

the clientele - saturday (3:51) buy
A drifting and dreamy world of softly falling rain on late and quiet nights, with starlight and street lights reflecting off wet pavement and windows. (mellow happiness flowing through low-fi breezy vocals.)

2006-02-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

the smiths - ask (3:15) buy
A wonderful get-up-and-seize-the-day song, with classic lyrics such as "shyness is nice, and / shyness can stop you / from doing all the things in life you'd like to". Plus, it has some of their most uplifting and cleverly crafted music.

2006-01-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

the pillows - crazy sunshine (4:07) buy
Catchy, solid j-rock, with great lyrics. How many bands - Japanese or otherwise - have references to "banana roulettes" or "tightrope dancing"? Engrish, yes, but when paired with energetic and solid guitar based rock, it works.

don't you stop!

2006-01-26T19:45:00.000-08:00

le tigre - hot topic (3:44) buy
Extremely catchy, addicting, and powerful, this is essentially a list of people who deal with controversial subjects ("hot topics") in their work. Be warned - this is also a dangerously infectious song. Case in point: Le Tigre is one of those bands I've known about for years and years, but never really got off on until I heard this song. I'm hooked now, humming them everywhere like an addict.

2006-01-24T17:01:00.000-08:00

Today is a Belle and Sebastian day! With a new album, The Life Pursuit, out next month, I'm in a Belle and Sebastian mood, so I'm posting both their latest single and an old standard. The band's sound may have changed over the years, but each era has its own unique feel and charm.

belle and sebastian - funny little frog (3:08) buy
Cute and charming, this is Belle and Sebastian's latest single. With catchy and sunny music and optimistic lyrics, it is very likely to induce a big, happy smile.

belle and sebastian - judy and the dream of horses (3:40) buy
One of my favorite songs from their 1997 album If Your Feeling Sinister, this is beautifully soft and acoustic, with lyrics describing a character who has personified my teenagehood. (I don't know how many times I've fallen asleep reading books or going on random walks.)

2006-01-22T14:41:00.000-08:00

franz ferdinand - take me out (3:57) buy
Starting off softer and more melodic before changing time after one minute to a hard and pounding beat, the end result of this song is something very fun which is likely to make normally stoic people jump around the room lipsyncing and playing air guitar.

2006-01-19T23:20:00.000-08:00

spiritualized - don't just do something (6:53) buy
Open, expansive, and rambling, with a futuristic sing-songy, gospel quality. The music is uplifting and the lyrics are powerful - somewhere between inspirational and the slacker's anthem. Fun stuff.

2006-01-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

zoot woman - grey day (4:18) buy
Bouncy, mellow and breezy synthpop. I heard this song for the first time in the snowboarding film 91 Words For Snow. It's the kind of song which makes you want to go snowboard: the perfect thing for carving mountains.

2006-01-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

shadow of the colossus ost - home (main theme) (2:12) buy
Calm and beautiful, this is the main theme of Shadow of the Colossus, a videogame for the PS2 which involves traveling through vast landscapes to fight giant mountain-like bosses. Besides the amazing art direction, the game also has a superb soundtrack. This piece plays over the opening scene; it has a majestic feel very suited to the game.

2006-01-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

dir en grey - zan (5:03) buy
Dark, spooky, and wild visual kei. Be warned: if lots of screaming, psychotic laughter, and noise doesn't appeal to you, you'll hate this song. (it's very different from the stuff I've been posting lately.) Otherwise, you'll love it.

2006-01-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

cocteau twins - fifty-fifty clown (3:15) buy
Ethereal and dreamy with a throbbing beat, swirling electronic noise, and almost incomprehensible lyrics which highlight the smooth beauty of Liz Fraser's voice.

2006-01-06T15:19:00.000-08:00

galaxie 500 - listen, the snow is falling (7:48) buy
A cover of Yoko Ono's song by the same name. Super mellow, laidback, and wintery, with wonderfully sparkly guitars building to the end. Yummy.

2006-01-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

joanna newsom - the book of right-on (4:29) buy
Simple and beautiful and folkish music with gorgeously surreal lyrics. Her voice, meanwhile, is wonderful - it growls and whines and purrs while maintaining a cute tone. It may take some getting used to, but it is so absurdly varied and strange that she's worth listening to for that alone. Definitely worth a listen.

2006-01-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

tiger trap - supercrush (2:12) buy
Cute, innocent, and fluffy lyrics mixed with light and breezy music makes for fun indiepop.

2005-12-18T13:20:00.000-08:00

bob rivers - chipmunks roasting on an open fire (3:19) buy
For the times when you will go insane if you hear one more Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas song. Hilarious in a sadistic way.

2005-12-10T15:31:00.000-08:00

jeff hanson - this time it will (4:33) buy
Mellow and breezy and folky. Jeff Hanson's light and flowing voice is beautiful. Music for park benches in grassy and windy fields.

sufjan stevens - say yes! to michigan (2:46) buy
(yes, december is the month for beautiful folk music.) Lush and shimmery and dreamy with smooth background vocals. Music to lay around on rainy days and reminisce by, especially if the reminiscing involves Michigan.

2005-12-06T23:12:00.000-08:00

beulah - sunday under glass (2:57) buy
impossibly sunny pop, while still maintaining complexity in music and lyrics. the horns! the strings! the swirly ending! (things off elephant 6 make me happy.)

2005-12-04T19:36:00.000-08:00

my bloody valentine - feed me with your kiss (3:54) buy
from their 1988 album Isn't Anything. In general, this album is much more rockish with less guitar noise then the much more popular later Loveless, although, as in this song, you can hear their later sound developing. It's lush and dreamlike, but powerful and fast-paced with lots of gorgeous noise.

2005-11-27T10:50:00.000-08:00

saint etienne - lose that girl (4:04) buy
Dancepop the way it should be played on radios, in an ideal universe. Very fun - it's bouncy, swirly, 60s-esque, and I cannot stop jumping up and down when I listen to it. Perfect thing for warming up when there's an early snowfall outside.

Also, there's a new layout, because the last one was too wintery for winter months.

2005-11-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

the decemberists - los angeles, i'm yours (4:17) buy
I'm back from my vacation to LA. I listened to this song on the aeroplane ride back to Canada, while looking out the window at the sprawling freeways and buildings on the one non-smoggy day I was there. The lyrics of the song perfectly matches my impression of the city - highlighting its ugliness and shallowness and interestingness and strange beauty. Despite the statement of "how I abhor this place / its sweet and bitter taste / has left me wretched, retching on all fours", he still comes back to proclaiming "Los Angeles, I'm yours!" Love and hate combined. (perfection.)

2005-11-03T20:15:00.000-08:00

Harry and the Potters (website) (listen)
Harry and the Potters equals very cute indie rock songs about Harry Potter. Silly and fun stuff, with such titles as "Wizard Chess" and "Stick it to Dolores". Mmm, Harry Potter geekdom.

I'm going to be away for two weeks, leaving rainy British Columbia for (hopefully) sunny California. There will be no uploads while I'm away, so I've linked to their MySpace page - you will be able to access it whenever. (yay!)

2005-11-02T00:10:00.000-08:00

steriogram - walkie talkie man (video) www
I'm breaking from the mp3 mold today to bring you a video featuring knitting in the form of knitted guitars! Knitted people! Knitted everything! It was directed by Michel Gondry, and is very Michel Gondry-esque - original, amusing, and surreal all at once. (plus, to make things better, the song is crazy and energetic and very fun.)

2005-10-30T19:27:00.000-08:00

stereolab - bop scotch (3:59) buy
Stereolab is a wonderfully delicious band. This is off their 2004 album Margerine Eclipse - the whole album is yummy (although it didn't do as well with critics compared to their earlier albums). The song is smooth, warm, and fun, with bleeps and French vocals and a pace ranging from calm and mellow to fast and bouncy. (it's less ambient and much more song-like)

2005-10-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

neutral milk hotel - beautiful baby (7:16)
This is a live, haunting and wailing, Jeff Magnum special. The whole song is epic and surreal, though the second half (the “beautiful baby” part) is especially great. The lyrics go from being straightforward lovesong-esque (“I need to taste your voice in my mouth”) to being wonderfully bizarre and strange (“I need to fill your lungs with smallpox / And fill the glow of a sick and distorted life”). Great stuff.

2005-10-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

mew - shiroi kuchibiruno izanai (white lips kissed) (5:34)
The Japanese version of Mew's song "White Lips Kissed", the Japanese lyrics suit and add to the already lush and surreal music. Wintery and beautiful - think unnaturally quiet snowstorms in the middle of the night under glowing moonlight.

2005-10-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

Excuse my absence for the past few weeks. A major factor is that We ? Katamari rolled me up and has taken up precious music listening time. The nice thing about this is that besides the fact the game is insanely silly and fun, the soundtrack is excellent.

illreme - kuru kuru rock (5:10)
Completely crazy and very bouncy, with chanting vocals.

kahimi karie - blue orb (5:00)
Deliciously sparkly and space-like. (very bjork-esque.)

katamari robo - houston (4:16)
Oh so mellow and relaxing and sweet, and I will forever associate it with rolling up flowers in a very pink stage.

2005-09-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

the decemberists - the sporting life (4:38)
Ah, the excitement and the romanticism of amateur soccer! (or hockey or baseball or football or whatever) The situation painted in this song reminds me of a sports club I was in once. (picky coach? check! parents living through their kids? check! how easy it is to be wrapped in the infectious energy of everything, no matter what happens? check!)

sigur ros - glosoli (6:15)
Dramatic, sweeping, and glittering. Everyone compares Sigur Ros to winter landscapes, and so will I. It widens up to a winter night lit by bright lights and swallowed up by hugely large wide-angle panning photography scale and quiets down to the cozy coldness wrapped in scarfs and mittens and led by music boxes.

2005-09-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

isobel campbell - the breeze whispered your name
uber-mellow and breezy and calming. the title suits the music perfectly.

judth and holofernes - when drones leave the hive
moody and mysterious. (and it has lovely acoustic strumming! yay!)

2005-09-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

Just one song today; I'm trying out a different format of uploading this week. Let's see how it goes.

yo la tengo - little eyes
A mellow song with loads of movement - the kind which suits driving in a warm car with lights all around on wet and rainy nights.

2005-08-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

blonde redhead - misery is a butterfly (5:07)
Beautifully moody and sad, crafting a lush and haunting landscape within moments. Making misery seem gorgeous.

neutral milk hotel - gardenhead / leave me alone (3:14)
I adore these lyrics and the world they create. Very surreal, with some of my favorite quotes, like in the last verse - “but to take on the world at all angles / requires a strength I can't use / so I'll meet you up high in your anger / of all that is hoping and waiting for you”. And Jeff Magnum’s delivery is absolutely amazing – extremely powerful and really driving it all in.

my bloody valentine - lose my breath (3:37)
The vocals in My Bloody Valentine's earlier music is much more prominent then in their later songs, but even here, they sound ghostlike. Little clips of words stand out, but the majority fades into the dreamlike and surreal atmosphere.

2005-08-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

air - cherry blossom girl (3:39)
Soft and dreamy with idealistic and yearning lyrics sung by light and breathy vocals.

brighter - things will get better (3:52)
Low-fi, quiet, and delicate, with an underlying hopeful and optimistic tone. (the mood of the song fits the title - things really do feel better afterwards.)

yann tiersen - a quai (4:22)
A dramatic instrumental, with lots of movement and very a "french" sound (it's the accordian that does it). I was introduced to Yann Tiersen through the Amelie OST; this song was also featured in the movie. He is very talented in more ways then one - besides crafting beautiful songs, he plays more instruments then I believe is physically possible.

2005-08-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

more summer songs!

call and response - blowin' bubbles (4:47)
Mellow and fun. Call and Response creates silly and sunshiny pop music. (Very 50s/60s-esque in a bubble gum manner.) It's music for squeezing every last bit of warmth and summerness out of summer before fall comes around.

l'arc~en~ciel - natsu no yuutsu (4:13)
Ligh and clear, with a very fun quality to the music (with tambourines and piano) and rather melancholy and regretful lyrics if you understand Japanese or find a translation. Even if you don't or can't, it's still one of those classic "end of summer" songs.

lemongrass - comme toujours (4:01)
Calm, echoing, and liquidy - like a digital smoothie on a hot summer night.

2005-08-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

belle & sebastian - a century of fakers (4:30)
Much softer and folkier than Belle & Sebastian's more recent songs, with beautiful low-fi-ish music. Stuart's "lalalas" in here have to be one of my favorite moments in any of their songs - his voice sounds lovely and perfectly paired with the music.

the very hush hush - lovelikelove (5:48)
Beautiful and gorgeous in a lush, shoegazy manner.

the weakerthans - plea from a cat named virtue (3:48)
I adore the lyrics in this song - it describes a cat giving out a plea to its owner to stop sitting around and LIVE! Yes! (I can think of many, many people I would love to give this message to. It should be required listening for depressed cat owners.)

2005-07-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

nellie mckay - clonie (1:56)
Human cloning for narcissists! The lyrics are hilarious (who needs anyone else when you have clonie?) and, like many of Nellie McKay's songs, there's loads of pop culture references. Did I mention it's fun to sing along to, too?

2005-07-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

iron and wine - such great heights (4:12)
A lovely and simple cover of The Postal Service's song Such Great Heights. The lush original music has been paired down to guitar and whispering vocals, which really suits the lyrics and tone of the song. (It's very innocent, but also sincere and sweet.)

new japan philharmonic orchestra - one summer's day (3:09)
This song is off the Spirited Away soundtrack - it was the piece of music that played in the opening sequence. While it worked very well as part of it, it also is a wonderful standalone piece of classical music which echos the feel of the film. It starts out quiet with piano and leads into strings before going to full blown orchestration, going from simple and dreamlike to complex and tense.

schwarz stein - current (4:42)
Surreal and serene. Schwarz Stein is a now-disbanded visual kei group, which was produced by Mana of Malice Mizer and Moi Dix Mois. One of the reasons I like Schwarz Stein is because they have a very unique sound for a visual kei band, leaning more towards electronic then rock or pop. (I love Kaya's vocals as well.)

2005-07-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

the apples in stereo - strawberryfire
Psychedelic and dreamy. It reminds me strongly of Sargent-Pepper-era-Beatles.

the decemberists - july, july!
The Decemberists paint interesting images in their lyrics, and this is no exception. The whole song builds up a nostalgic image for summer days even when summer isn't half over yet. Besides that, it's upbeat and catchy with a chorus that seems to beg to be sung along to. "July, July, July!"

the magnetic fields - the luckiest guy on the lower east side
One of many (great) love songs off The Magnetic Field's album(s) 69 Love Songs, it has a sunny and happy low-fi sound - the kind of music for skipping around to. The lyrics are cute and innocent and sad at the same time.

2005-07-17T23:11:00.000-07:00

takagi masakatsu - rehome (2:45)
Soft flowing vocals set to swirling ambient bleeps. (Yummy.)

2005-07-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

Since this is the first post at I Wish, I will now bring you some pointless background information. I Wish is a mp3 blog, bringing you random music I like. (and hopefully you will, too.) If you like what you hear, please support the artists by buying their album(s). The name came from the name of my old rotating mp3 site, which was open from 2001 to 2004. Each week (roughly) I will be posting new files, which will stay online for 7 days. If you are unable to download a file, leave a comment and I'll reupload them for you. My name is Asahi, and I will be posting these. Anyway, enough background info! Onward to the music!

caribou - yeti
Caribou used to be known as Manitoba, and this song is off their most recent album, The Milk of Human Kindness. This song is wintery electronic music, bringing to mind snowstorm sounds across mountains and fields. Perfect music to listen to if it's hot enough to boil water outside.

neutral milk hotel - two-headed boy
One of my favorite things about Neutral Milk Hotel is how their songs create emotional landscapes despite being deceptively simple. This song is a prime example: it only contains guitars and vocals, but creates a world within it which is both otherworldly and intertwined with real life. Surreal and simple and gorgeous.

the olivia tremor control - courtyard
Bouncy, fun, summery, 60s-esque, and very infectious and happy. It's one of those songs which I find myself randomly humming with a huge smile on my face. (it's the ahs! the ahs!)