whatfor: call that girl.

dl: WHATFOR - Call That Girl (YSI)
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Whatfor (not to be confused with THIS Whatfor) was described to me as "sort of like The Kinks collaborating with Rufus Wainwright". I wasn't sure what to think of that description, but the debut album Sooner Late Than Never will be released on May 20th through Science of Sound records. I'm generally a sucker for anything Science of Sound releases-- Sleeping In The Aviary, His & Her Vanities, She Is So Beautiful/She Is So Blonde...so even if I wasn't down with The Kinks and Rufus Wainwright getting down, I was still excited to hear this album.

"Call That Girl" was an immediate standout track, possibly because I am in love with short songs. Other possibilities? It's a fucking amazing pop song. It's amazing to the degree that it makes me want to compare Whatfor to The Beatles. And you know what? I hate when bloggers compare things to The Beatles, because the 1964 Beatles are almost indistinguishable from the 1970 Beatles. But I don't know enough about The Beatles (yeah I said it!) to make that distinction. Hell, maybe this isn't like The Beatles at all*. Maybe YOU are The Beatles.

And maybe this delightful indie-pop-rock album is made for summer. Listening to it makes me feel like this, except with more volleyball. And I'd actually be good at volleyball so I'd singlehandedly kick the other team's ass. And then sharks would eat all the people I don't like. You know?

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BONER TRACK: WHATFOR - I Want A Girl (YSI)
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- SPACE IT - HYPE IT -

* Even if the band's bio involves a comparison to The Beatles.

his & her vanities: moving forward.

d/l: HIS & HER VANITIES - Moving Forward (YSI)

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A while back, I went into total stalker-mode with the artists on indie-label Science of Sound. Okay, so I didn't actually stalk them, but I was totally in love after hearing Sleeping In The Aviary and She Is So Beautiful/She Is So Blonde. Mi amor led me to getting my ears on some of the labelmates, namely His & Her Vanities.

After much contemplation in my cubicle, I've come to the conclusion that "Moving Forward" is the shit...three years too late. This tune is off of the band's 2004 album A Thought Process, and luckily it still sounds good. Speaking of luck, the band is in the studio working on their third album. It ain't no secret that I look forward to hearing it.

- buy it - space it -

she is so beautiful/she is so blonde.

SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL/SHE IS SO BLONDE is the solo project of Elliott Kozel, the guitarist of Sleeping in the Aviary. Much like Cars and Trains, this is exactly the type of music I like. But in a totally different way.

I want to call it "atmospheric" but any time I hear that word describing music, it turns me off more than a herpes-ridden vagina dentata. Which is a lot. So to save you from such trouble, let me just tell you a story about this album:

Once upon a time, I received three packages. One contained several promo mixtapes. Another contained an album by an extremely offensive white rapper with a weak flow. And then there was She Is So Beautiful/She Is So Blonde, a self-titled album by a member of a band I already knew I liked. Given that my iPod/CD boombox had been stolen by my older sister so she could play Wonderpets for my nephew while he falls asleep, I had no way to play this disk. So I stole my shit back. Sewiously.

I suppose I could have just listened to the CD on my computer, right? Wrong. I was stuck in my basement cleaning off a shelf full of jewel cases from albums I have purchased since I was 13 years old. This process reminded me of looking through a stack of elementary school yearbooks-- reminiscing about how something so stupid meant so much to me back then, regretting my mistaken purchases, and reveling in the music that guided me through my teenage years. As I pushed aside my water-logged liner notes to Sisqo's *second* album Return of the Dragon, it suddenly occurred to me-- the music playing behind me was perfect for this moment. I savored it. And then I had to pee, so I paused it and listened to more later. THE END.

After several listening sessions of She Is So Beautiful/She Is So Blonde, I came to a conclusion that it was an amazing album for doing things. This is incredibly vague and makes it sound as if I am accusing the album of being nothing more than fabulous background music, but no. I actually feel a need to do things while listening to this album...it's like my personal aural adderall. Is that weird?

She Is So Beautiful/She Is So Blonde will be released November 6, 2007 on Science of Sound. Perhaps it will make you want to do things too.

dl: SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL/SHE IS SO BLONDE - Days (YSI)
dl: SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL/SHE IS SO BLONDE - Played Your Guitar (YSI)
(mellow stuff to do things to)
- space it -

sleeping in the aviary: oh, this old thing?.

SLEEPING IN THE AVIARY have been described as "the Thermals vacationing with some Buzzcocked White Stripes, sharing hot tubs with The Kinks and saunas with Nirvana--often sounding frenzied or angry, but strangely good-natured about it". Uh...okay? If you say so.

I just like these kids because they make short pop songs. There's a lot to be said about a song that is under two minutes and engaging enough to get you dancing alone in your bedroom, but not so short that you're left feeling like you didn't quite get enough. There's also a lot to be said about the fact that Sleeping In The Aviary make songs that fit into this category. But before I talk about that, it should be noted that this band is probably the only one I know with a section of their website called "Horny Teens". Relax! They're totally just illustrations, and each character still has their clothes on. Everyone knows that teenagers don't actually have sex.

A few other blogs have been talking about "Another Girl", and I have to admit that I would have dismissed it as another carbon copy indie-punk shit song. But after a few listens, it grew on me in the same way that bad pop songs do. You know? It's that feeling where you hear a song on the radio and dismiss it as fluff, but after hearing it many more times you start to realize that it was never shit all along. I feel that way about "Another Girl". I meant that as a compliment. Really.

"Pop Song" is just downright good. I'm always sold on songs with tambourines and hand-claps.

d/l: SLEEPING IN THE AVIARY- Pop Song (YSI)
d/l: SLEEPING IN THE AVIARY- Another Girl (YSI)
(not shit indie-pop)
- buy it - site it - space it - hype it -

BLOGWATCH: Cause=Time brings us the Kissy Sell Out remix of Gwen Stefani's "Wind It Up", as well as that "Starlett Johansson" song I've been absolutely obsessed with. Kissatlanta has a Boys Noize remix of Feist's "My Moon, My Man".