KEROSENE BEARS HAVE FUN

ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT IT’S A DANCE PARTY

FEATURING THE DJ SKILLZ OF KEROSENE BEARS

INVITE ALL YOUR FRIENDS

THIS FRIDAY!

September 28, 2007 at 10:30pm

Apartment #7, Deerfield I
443 Harper Avenue
Auburn, AL

BYOB

Animal Collective - “Leaf House”, “Who Could Win a Rabbit”, “Sweet Road”, and “Good Lovin Outside” off the album Sung Tongs

That’s right. I played not one, not two, not three, but four(!) songs by the band Animal Collective. I guess it would make perfect sense to assume that I’m a big Animal Collective fan (or at least a big fan of this album). Well, I do like these songs alright–some more than others. But all in all, I’ve realized recently that I’m not very much of an Animal Collective fan. They seem like the type of band that I’d like a lot. And they also seem like a band that the other Kerosene Bear would have little use for. But we seem to have flip-flopped on this one. Andy’s a fan, at least of their latest album Strawberry Jam (released just last week). I do like that song Banshee Beat off of Feels though, and maybe the more I hear of their music, I’ll begin to appreciate them a little more.

The Clientele - “My Own Face Inside the Trees” and “K” off the album Strange Geometry

This is probably the third time (at least) that I’ve played songs off this record by the Clientele. But they deserve it. And their live show confirms their musical greatness in my mind. Kerosene Bears, their family, and their friends had the pleasure of seeing the Clinetele play a show with Peter Bjorn & John this past Wednesday in Atlanta. Both bands were enjoyable, but for some reason we couldn’t stop talking about the Clientele set in particular. Alasdair amazed me with his guitar playing abilities which were, until the seeing the Clientele live, hidden to me by his mellow guitar tone. And by the end of the night, everyone in both bands and in the audience had serious crushes on the Clientele’s newest member Mel Draisey.

Starflyer 59 - “I Drive A Lot” and “Fell in Love at 22″ off the album The Fashion Focus

I was happy to stumble upon this album at the station among some of the older CD’s in WEGL’s collection. This band is so often overlooked! Starflyer 59 has been around since 1993, and aside from some occasional misses, they have been consistently releasing great records ever since. Maybe it’s the fact that they are still on Tooth & Nail records that’s kept them from the credit they’ve deserved. But don’t let a mediocre record label keep you from enjoying them. This album, Leave Here a Stranger, Everybody Makes Mistakes, Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice are all great records.

Battles - “Tonto”, “Layendecker”, “Rainbow” off the album Mirrored

Drummer John Stanier on drums (Helmet, Tomahawk), Ian Williams on keyboard/guitar (Don Caballero, Storm and Stress), David Konopka on guitar (Lynx), and avant musician Tyondai Braxton combine their highly technical talents to create something like 21st century math rock. Their 2007 album Mirrored is chock full of testosterone but still manages to not sound pointlessly angsty, not confined by the math rock genre, and is surprisingly catchy. Watch them live or on their video for their song “Atlas”, and check out John Stanier’s crash cymbal.

Deerhoof - “Heart Failure”, “Flower”, “L’Amour Stories” off the album Apple O’

Over the past year, I’ve become a pretty big Deerhoof fan. It mostly started with their recent Friend Opportunity album, but since then I have listened to their older music as well. While Apple O’ (2003) may sound a little harsher and quirkier than Deerhoof’s more recent releases, it is still an excellent album. In fact, in comparison to Friend Opportunity, this album probably better typifies the overall sound of Deerhoof as band since their creation in 1994. Harsh and quirky, yet catchy is exactly what Deerhoof’s sound is all about. Friend Opportunity may be the best introduction to the band, and may be helpful in starting to appreciating a great album like Apple ‘O that otherwise might be disregarded as too obnoxious or weird.

Peter Bjorn & John - “Start to Melt” and “Up Against the Wall” off the album Writer’s Block

As I mentioned earlier, seeing these guys live in Atlanta was a real treat. Although the Clientele definitely rivaled PB&J’s set, PB&J certainly put on a fun show. One thing that struck me was how much the vocal duties were among the members. For instance, a slow-but-sure version of “Start to Melt” was superbly sung by John, the drummer. The encore of the show ended with the song “Up Against the Wall”, a song I had been waiting all night for them to play. It still amazes me how that song is so simple, yet so effective–a nice ending to a concert and a nice ending to another late night episode of Radio Magic with Kerosene Bears.

Sometimes I get so busy that I don’t quite have enough time to write about the music I play on Radio Magic. Oh no! Well this has been one of those weeks. So here’s the song list all by its lonesome. It’s even a week late, too. Hopefully I will will be less tardy on my next post, and actually have time to write more.

And just a reminder–tune in to Radio Magic with Kerosene Bears every Thursday night starting at 11 PM only on WEGL 91.1, Auburn University radio.
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Wilco - “Either Way”, “Impossible Germany”, and “Hate It Here”

Patrick Wolf - “Overture” and “Augustine”

The Turtles - “Me About You”, “You Showed Me” and “Too Young To Be One”

The National - “Mistaken for Strangers” and “Start a War”

Innocence Mission - “Brotherhood of Man”, “Into Brooklyn, Early in the Morning”, and “A Wave is Rolling”

Jens Leckman - “Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo” and “The Opposite of Halleilujia”

El Perro Del Mar - “Party” and “Don’t Wanna Talk About It”

Unfortunately, I’ve never belonged to a close knit youth group. Alas, I don’t know how I came out so well considering the circumstances! But I have visited many youth groups and known many youth pastors in my growing up in the bible belt. Here are some things I observed a Youth Pastor must absolutely have:

• Cargo Shorts (the more pockets the better).
• Sandals (it was flip flops back in my day, but I’m sure it’s Chacos now).
• Goatee and frosted tips that portrays your extreme love of Christ.
• A “Clever Christian Phrase Made Surprisingly Relevant to Today’s Youth” T-shirt or you know… just one from last year’s Passion Conference. Overdone graphics with irony and subtle Biblical references are a must.
• Typically Overweight: teens love fat people because it comforts their insecurities and provides a topic of endless self-deprecating humor that can be utilized by the Youth Pastor. The weight issues are often from drinking too much beer in college, which is a great boost to their edgy testimony.
• Likes Shane & Shane, Casting Crowns, and any of those bands that utilize vocals much the same way you would utilize a toilet while dramatically constipated (i.e. straining to feign emotion).
• Says “guys”, “ya know”, “crap” (and other softcore cursewords), “just”, and other casual words or phrases as much as possible not only in conversation and teaching, but also in prayers. There’s nothing cooler and more genuine than someone who talks to the Almighty God of the universe like He’s you’re drinking buddy, or your middle school lab partner.
• Can you feign emotion to the point of actual tears when presenting today’s relevant lesson? this some time will be necessary when talking about your fatness and how people use to judge you for it in High School… but you’re now totally comfortable with it and even make jokes about it constantly to emphasize your comfortability.
• Must have a wild and crazy past that you have since reverted from so that you can relate to the “lost” kids and the “found” ones just as well… or you know, just be fat.

If you are a youth pastor and you’re looking for some relevant names to call your youth group. Try this site: www.youthpastor.com

This post is really late! I’ve had a busy past several days, so I haven’t had time to post this until now. But this blog was not created for Kerosene Bears to whine and vent about their personal lives. No. So I’ll stop this useless chatter and get to the important stuff. Alright!

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Black Lips - “Not a Problem”, “Hippie, Hippie, Hoorah”, and “Dirty Hands” off the album Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo.

Black Lips are from Atlanta. Black Lips are from Atlanta. Woo! It seems like every music writer can’t stop talking about how these guys, (even more so) Deerhunter, Snowden, etc. are from Atlanta. I guess people are kind of surprised that some decent music is being created there. Sometimes it surprises me, too. Either way, I want to encourage my hometown Atlanta music scene, so I figured I’d mention the fact that Black Lips are from Atlanta a couple of times. I remember hearing about them a few years ago from my sister. My sister had a “Jewish friend who plays in this punk band called Black Lips.” I never really listened to them until maybe a year ago though. I hear their live shows are all wild and crazy, and that they were banned from playing at the 40 Watt in Athens for a while. These songs come from a live album they released earlier this year on Vice Records. It’s called Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo, and it was recorded just over the border in Tijuana, Mexico. Black Lips are from Atlanta.

The Beatles - “She Said She Said”, “Here, There and Everywhere”, “And Your Bird Can Sing” off the album Revolver

“She Said She Said” just goes to show that Ringo Starr is an amazing drummer. I’m tired of people talking trash about him. Sure, he may not be the best songwriter in the Beatles, but he was essential to the band. In a lot of ways, he created a new style of drumming. There are some awesome beats and fills that can really only be described as Ringo Starr-like. Where do people get the idea that he was a bad drummer? It must be something like a dirty rumor that people like to spread just so they can sound like they have a critical ear when it comes to music.

Band of Horses - “Is There a Ghost” off the album Cease to Begin

This is a new song of Band of Horses’ forthcoming album Cease to Begin that’s being released on October 9.

Explorers Club - “Don’t Forget the Sun”, “Forever”, and “Last Kiss”

Explorers Club is from Charleston, South Carolina, and yes, they sound like the Beach Boys. But they do it so well and manage to write creative and original songs without sounding like one of those awful tribute bands. These songs are various singles they’ve released over the past couple of years. “Last Kiss” is a single from their new album that will probably be released sometime in the next few months. Last time I heard, they were adding the finishing touches (e.g. sweet harmonies) in the studio in Atlanta. C’mon Explorers Club!

Bats for Lashes - “What’s a Girl To Do” off the album Fur & Gold

Bat for Lashes is the music of Natasha Khan from Brighton, England but originally born in Pakistan. I first heard a couple of songs and wasn’t too impressed. She sounded like just another Feist or Cat Power wannabe. But I found the video to this song (off of her 2006 album Fur & Gold), and both the video and the song kind of blew my mind. Please search for it on YouTube. Sweet claps and jumps!

Interpol - “The Scale”, “Pace Is The Trick”, “Rest My Chemistry” off the album Our Love to Admire

Mmm. Since I’m usually a fan of Interpol, I thought I wouldn’t get sucked into all the negative hype surrounding the album. I figured, even if it’s not their best, I’d enjoy it because it’s Interpol. Unfortunately, now that I’ve listened to it, I can’t help but be disappointed. Sure, there are some solid songs on it, like these. And I liked that single called “Heinrich Maneuver” (despite the fact that it had all the angst and intensity needed to be a radio hit). But overall, it’s just not near as successful as their previous releases. I knew it would come eventually though. They’re distinct sound was always great, but pretty limiting. Oh well, I will try not to judge them too harshly from now on. My expectations are much lower now, but maybe they’ll make a grand come back one of these days.

The Soulsavers - “Revival” and “Through My Sails” off the album It’s Not How Hard You Fall, It’s the Way You Land

Wikipedia describes the Soulsavers as an “English production team” and in the “electronica” genre. I found this interesting, because their album It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s The Way You Land seems to have quite the opposite sound than what I’d expect from an electronic production team. It sounds more in the realm of old gospel tunes, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, and Woven Hand. I still have to figure out why in the world the Soulsavers are associated with electronic music. But either way, I’m very impressed with the little I bit I’ve heard. This album was released in the UK in April of this year, but will just now be released in the States this October (I can’t wait!). The song “Through My Sails” features Will Oldham (Bonnie “Prince” Billy).