Unreleased Neutral Milk Hotel Songs

So Shannon has an amazing story that you just have to read. She lived in the same house as Jeff Mangum from Neutral Milk Hotel and her roommate passed on some tapes with demo recordings that Jeff made.

She has three of the demos on her site and will be passing one to Matt over at YANP. In addition to the songs by Jeff, there are several pieces by E6er Will Westbrook (of the Gerbils), and an unidentified female singer as well. As soon as she has some names for the other tracks, you'll be able to find them all here and at NeutralMilkHotel.org. This is extrememly rare, and most people not connected to Elephant 6 members probably haven't heard this stuff.

Anyway, she was awesome enough to pass one to me too...here it is:

Neutral Milk Hotel (Shannon's Monroe House Demos) 15 - Say Goodnight (unconfirmed title)



In The Blogs:
I don't get to link to Lindsay very often because her site is blocked here at my work. I know! Anyway, MJ and I both love her, in another life I think we'd both seek her out and ask for her hand in marriage...or at least a one night stand. Er...more to the point...she gives some great advice to all fans/bloggers out there who have been guily of bad camera etiquette in the past. Read up, it's great advice.

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The Silos & more...

Back in 1985 Walter Salas-Humara wrote and recorded a few songs and thus The Silos were born. 20 years later they are still going strong even if not in the public eye as much. In that time they have actually only produced 4 studio albums, but have still been one of the pioneering bands in the alt-country genre. I picked up last year's When The Telephone Rings the other day and really enjoyed it.



The Trouser Press Record Guide, describes Salas-Humara as an "unflashy auteur whose alt-rock amalgam drapes country, punk, baroque stateliness and pop in an abiding sadness." According to Buzz McClain in The Washington Post, the band creates "powerful earthy pop that sounds like the result of Nirvana riding on R.E.M.'s tour bus."

The Silos - Innocent
The Silos - Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young Cover)


In The Blogs:
Done Waiting has launched it's annual SXSW blog. I'm going to get my arse down there this year...even if I have to sell MJ's plasma.

David Gray covered The Killers Smile Like You Mean It and The Test Pilot has it.

Marathon Packs has NPR's interview/oral history of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. It also documents the importance blogs play in the promotion of small time bands, especially this one. It name drops a lot of the big boy blogs out there.

Aquarium Drunkard has Sonic Youth's 2004 KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic show. Are you cool kids still listening to Sonic Youth? I hope so.

Muzzle Of Bees has My Morning Jacket B-Sides.

YANP has a live Colin Meloy performance. Outstanding.

Dreams Of Horses lets us know about the new Belle & Sebastian tune, Another Sunny Day from the upcoming The Life Pursuit LP .

In Other News:
The Earlies will perform on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic tomorrow - Thursday, Dec. 1 at 11:15 a.m. PST (2:15 p.m. EST). They will perform two 15-minute sets, and will answer some questions. I'm all ready working on Kevin to rip that for us all.

I gotz 37 illegitimate kids to feed! SUPPORT MOKB and Shawn Kemp: all you gotta do is click, not buy, but if you wanna buy, that's great too! Thanks!

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Beck - Guerolito Preview

You can check out the media player for Beck's new remix album, Guerolito, here. You can watch the video for Hell Yes and listen to all the remixed tracks.

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How else can I say it? I don't speak no otha languages...

For you rap fans out there, and I am one as well, Spine Magazine has put up some good stuff lately. I found out about most of it though through Prefix Mag's forum boards. Bubba Sparxxx gets a lot of shiz, I know a lot of rap fans don't have a lot of love for him I guess, but this is a good joint. The Vicious Beat Posse joint is the real gem of the bunch though.

Bubba Sparxxx - Hey
The Vicious Beat Posse - Give The People What They Want - (Highly Rec'd!)
CL Smooth & J.R. Writer - Mezmorized (Remix)
Jay-Z, Too Short & Chyna White - Ya'll Can't F**k Wit This - (.wma)
The Game Ft. Paul Wall - Say Goodbye - (SIRIUS radio rip)

This is the real treat. Great mix by ?uestlove of The Roots. I found this over at No Inspiration.

?uestlove - Sample Lesson Mix - (49 Minutes - 49MB) - Here is the tracklisting for the mix.

Unrelated Goodness:
Check out Marathon Packs today for a good song by Detroit's Deadstring Brothers. I like it.

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Sufjan Stevens - Hark! Songs For Christmas

Well, ya'll know how I feel about him, but I know many of you love him, so knowing that, I'll pass this on...

The Indie Connection offers up 3 Volumes of unreleased Sufjan Stevens Christmas songs.

Here's one of the tracks - thanks to MMR - Sufjan Stevens - Come On! Let's Boogey To The Elf Dance!

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Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins

So, it's so weird that I went to college with The Watson Twins, I know that sounds like I'm name-dropping or whatever, but really, I never even knew this side existed, at least in Leigh. I mean they were both incredibly artistic and talented, so it's not as if I'm suprised at all. Chandra was in the theatre program at UE and Leigh and I had art classes together, so yeah, not really a suprise, but last I really knew, they packed up a truck and drove out to California to get involved in more of the technical side of showbiz. Leigh is/was designing wardrobe for video shoots and things like that, and then I hear they were recording with Jenny Lewis...wow. So, of course I'm kicking myself for not asking one of them out now...stupid! stupid! So really, I'm just really excited for and proud of them. Leigh and I used to seriously goof off in a printmaking class with some other yahoos...we were not highly motivated in that class, but we had a good time. The class was like 3 hours long, so there was a break in the middle and we'd just sit outside and shoot the shiz, bitching about how long the class was and how it sucked and all that...ahh, memories...now I wish for 3 hour printmaking classes and no responsibility some days.

Anyway, Rabbit Fur Coat will be released at the end of January 2006, so go buy it. I've been checking out some of the tracks and there is definitely a great alt-country feel to them, very Neko Case-ish is a comparison I read, and that's pretty good, but a little poppier. I'll be excited to hear it all when it comes out.

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - You Are What You Love (Highly Rec'd!!)

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - The Big Guns (live)
Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat (live)

Leigh still says they'll get some of their solo work to me soon, so I'll get that up if she does. I'm really looking forward to hearing that too. Now you can stream Rabbit Fur Coat at Scenestars. MySpace them too!

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Digby & Hives Contest Winners

Let's go back to my hometown today. Digby is a Louisville powerpop band. Their music is catchy and clever, nothing ground-breaking, but they also bring an emotional maturity in their sound and songwriting. Digby may never make it to "the next level", but they are a good little band to enjoy at a bar showcase. They should go into production of their new album in 2006, so I'll be anxious to see how they've grown.



Digby's debut release Falling Up (produced by Todd Smith, whose credits include platinum-selling artists Days of the New) was released on June 1, 2004 by Toucan Cove / Label X. Check out Digby's MySpace.

For fans of Weezer, Matthew Sweet, The Elms, Fountains Of Wayne, early Squeeze and Superdrag.

Digby - It's Not Over
Digby - So Low
Digby - Falling Up To The Stars

Hives DVD Contest Winners:
The first place winner is Daniel K. and the second place is Jenny R. I have sent you emails requesting your addresses so I can forward them on to Cornerstone Promotions and they will send you your winnings! Congrats! Don't worry if you aren't a winner in the Hives contest, more great contests to come!

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BOAT & more...

Ahh, welcome back. Good holiday? I hope so. I had a good one. Friends and family are good things. Driving home hungover the next day is not.

Thanks to MOKB reader Khalsa for today's first band. BOAT is out of Seattle and working on a new album, but have posted loads of older work at their site. They're a fun pop band. For fans of The Boy Least Likely To, Magnetic Fields and the like. Check out their MySpace too.



Boat - After All
Boat - A Call To Ears
BOAT - Holding All The Globes
BOAT - Trained By Trains

Loads of BOAT tunes to listen to here.

The Watson Twins:
Got a cool email from Ryan this past week about The Watson Twins. The twins and I went to college together and sister Leigh and I took a few art classes together and hung out quite often. Moreover, they are Louisville girls and our grammys hang out together. How funny. It turns out they are going to be touring with Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley this Spring. The girls will be singing on Jenny's new album, set to drop January 2006. I emailed with both Leigh & Chandra (congrats on your recent nuptials!) this week and they are going to try and send some roughs my way. As soon as they do, I'll put them up. Check out their site and MySpace until then.



In The Blogs:
Grant Manship makes me wanna cry for missing My Morning Jacket & VHS or Beta in MMJ's final date of their fall tour at The Palace in Louisville this past Wednesday. He makes the ache greater with all these great photos from the show. From the Elizabethtown: Song From The Brown Hotel EP, My Morning Jacket - I Will Be There When You Die (Live)

Torr has put up his Top 11 of 2005.

Scenestars is definitely one of the more underappreciated blogs out there. They got a fresh new look going!

Fellow Indiana blogger, Eric, of Marathon Packs has Jose Gonzalez & Junip's new video for Black Refuge.

Last, but maybe most importantly, Ryan has his first in a series of "Get To Know Your Bloggers" features. This week? The main man himself: Chris from Gorilla Vs. Bear. Man, he's dreamy.

SUPPORT MOKB: all you gotta do is click, not buy, but if you wanna buy, that's great too!

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MOKB's Best Of 2005

Well, it's upon us. It's essentially the end of the year, so let's break out the best of's here at MOKB. I meant to have this up this morning, to coinside with Chris' list, but we had all sorts of work fires to put out and I'm rarely prepared these days it seems, so I'm sorry for such a late post today...BUT it's a doozy. Anyway, he started your day well, so hopefully I can end it well...

TOP 25 ALBUMS OF 2005:

25. Deathray Davies - The Kick and the Snare






24. Kanye West - Late Registration (MP3 - Gold Digger)






23. Tim Fite - Gone Ain't Gone (MP3 - 45 Remedies)






22. Blackalicious - The Craft (MP3 - Powers)





21. Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak (MP3 - The Bucket)






20. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy






19. Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures (MP3 - Are You On My Side)





18. Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die





17. Iron & Wine & Calexico - In The Reins (MP3 - A History Of Lovers)





16. VHS or Beta - Night On Fire (MP3 - No Cabaret)






15. Fruit Bats - Spelled in Bones (MP3 - Lives Of Crime)






14. The Subways - Young for Eternity (MP3 - Rock N' Roll Queen)






13. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment (MP3 - Na Na Na Na Naa)






12. DangerDoom - The Mouse & The Mask






11. Stars - Set Yourself On Fire (MP3 - Ageless Beauty)






10. Lucero - Nobody's Darlings







9. Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary (MP3 - Shine A Light)







8. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (MP3 - Banquet)







7. Nada Surf - The Weight Is A Gift (MP3 - Do It Again)







6. Brendan Benson - Alternative To Love (MP3 - Cold Hands Warm Heart)






5. Spoon - Gimme Fiction (MP3 - Sister Jack)






4. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - S/T (MP3 - Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood)






3. The Decemberists - Picaresque (MP3 - The Mariner's Revenge Song)






2. Jose Gonzalez - Veneer (MP3 - Slow Moves)






1. My Morning Jacket - Z (MP3 - Anytime)







TOP "Almost Top 25 But Not Quite":
5. Beck - Guero (MP3 - Que Ondo Guero)
4. White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
3. M.I.A. - Arular
2. LCD Soundsystem - S/T
1. Hot Hot Heat - Elevator


The Fast Moving 5: On any given day, these could break all the way into the TOP 10...they're that good, I just haven't listened to them enough.

5. Damian Marley - Welcome To Jamrock (MP3 - All Night)






4. The Light Footwork - One State Two State (MP3 - Exit Row)






3. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene






2. The Spinto Band - Nice & Nicely Done (MP3 - Brown Boxes)






1. Tapes N' Tapes - The Loon (MP3 Insistor)






TOP 5 ALBUMS I DIDN'T KNOW I'D LIKE AS MUCH AS I DO:
5. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl (MP3 - Ain't No Easy Way)
4. Harvey Danger - Little By Little (MP3 - Wine Women & Song)
3. The Cardigans - Super Extra Gravity (MP3 - I Need Some Fine Wine And You, You Need To Be Nicer)
2. Animal Collective - Feels
1. Dolly Parton - Those Were The Days (MP3 - Crimson & Clover)

TOP 2 "I'm sorry, it's just not my stizz." ALBUMS:
2. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
1. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

TOP 3 DISSAPPOINTING ALBUMS:
3. Ryan Adams - Quantity does not equal quality.
2. Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
1. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better With Franz Ferdinand

In The Blogs:
I went over and humped Jax today...er, I mean, I did her hump day picks. Check it out!

CLICK HERE SO I CAN EAT THIS THANKSGIVING! (& help support MOKB's turkey addiction) - Buy a Nano for someone special...or me. I love you all thanks for everything this past year. I am thankful for all of you...even Darwin.

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File Under: Shake Your Ass

James Iha, formerly of Smashing Pumpkins remixed Stellastarr*'s Sweet Troubled Soul. It's awesomely good.



Stellastarr* - Sweet Troubled Soul (James Iha Remix)

In The Blogs:
I Heart Music, much like Information Leafblower compiled a list of the 33 best bands of the year in Canada. Who's number one? Come on, you know that, but more importantly, who else made the list? There's a mouse in this here beer, ay.

New stations at Radio Indie Pop!

Kevin at So Much Silence posted a new Bloc Party B-Side for the Tulips 12". Also a Death Cab B-Side for Jealousy Rides With Me.

Kathleen Edwards is so good. Check her out at *Sixeyes.

HIVES DVD & AUTOGRAPHED MATERIALS CONTEST:
This is the last day to enter, winners will be announced tomorrow!

Plug Independent Music Awards: Go Vote!

What's old is new:
MJ and I bought a new house in downtown Indy. I'm pretty stoked. It's a total rehab, so it's gonna be a struggle not to go broke in the process of restoration. We won't be able to move in for a couple months at least. I'm excited though. I gotta house for rent on the Northeast side now if anyone local needs one.

Personal grouch: I hate when bloggers say, "Oh man, I've known about this band for so long, I can't believe I didn't post on them sooner! I meant to like 4 months ago!" Especially after a bunch of other bloggers have posted about said band in a day or week or month or whatever. Don't do that. It sounds so pretentious, even if it is true, but it's probably not true. AND even if it is true, I don't care...it's not a contest. Is it?

Sports:
My University of Kentucky Wildcats already suffered their first loss of the year to Iowa last night. A four point loss. It's too early to worry, but it still makes me wanna cry a little.

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Digable Planets : Beyond The Spectrum - The Creamy Spy Chronicles

Few groups could blend jazz and hip-hop better than the Digable Planets, furthermore, they were the group that brought it to the mainstream. They epitomized the laid-back charm of jazz hipsters better than any group before or since. They debuted in 1993 with Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) and took off when Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) was a hit on the pop charts. They even won a grammy for Best New Duo or Group. The Planets then followed up this success when they returned in late 1994 with their best album, Blowout Comb. The Planets are the complete opposite of some of today's rap trends, they bring intelligence and sophistication to the rap game.

Butterfly (Ishmael Butler) met Ladybug Mecca (Mary Ann Vieira) while attending college in Massachusetts. The two later hooked up with Doodlebug (Craig Irving), in Washington, D.C., and began recording. After Blowout Comb, Digable Planets basically disbanded due to "creative differences", but, now 10 years later, have reunited and are touring the US. I've seen them twice so far and both times have been spectacular.

Beyond The Spectrum - The Creamy Spy Chronicles is basically a greatest hits collection from their two albums that adds new remixes and previously unreleased (in the US) b-sides. This disc helps introduce Digable Planets to a new generation of hip hop and jazz fans in hopes of bringing these innovators to the forefront again. If you do not know a lot about Digable Planets, this is the best place to start...you won't be sorry you did.

Digable Planets - Three Slim's Dynamite (Previously only available as a vinyl b-side single)
Digable Planets - Dial 7 (Axioms of Creamy Spies)

Ladybug: Ask Butter how I zone,
Butterfly: Man, Cleopatra Jones.

NPR's Christopher Johnson reports on Digable Planets, the Grammy-winning hip-hop trio that has reunited after a decade.

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Two Gallants - New Single: Las Cruces Jail

The two musicians of Two Gallants seemlessly blend punk with honky-tonk, country, folk and blues. Adam Stephens has a gritty, potent voice and intricate picking that is propelled by Tyson Vogel’s muscular and sensitive rhythms.





Childhood friends and San Francisco natives Stephens and Vogel founded Two Gallants in 2002 and Las Cruces Jail marks Two Gallants’ first release on Saddle Creek Records. Two Gallants’ second record What The Toll Tells will be released on Saddle Creek in February 2006. For fans of The Pogues, Bob Dylan and Neil Young.

Two Gallants - Las Cruces Jail

Older Two Gallants works:
Two Gallants - Train That Stole My Man
Two Gallants - Nothing to You

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Ian Love

Ian Love is a veteran of the New York hardcore scene and made his mark playing in groups such as Burn, Cardia, Die 116 and Rival Schools. He has since gone solo and taken a very different approach to his music, showing a more mature side. He records everything in is home in Brooklyn and plays all the instruments.



Ian Love - The Only Night
Ian Love - Butterfly

Ian Love's MySpace. Love's new record will be released on Limekiln Records.

Sports:
By the way, the Colts...yeah, 10 and 0. All that really stands between The Colts and home field advantage are The Pittsburg Steelers, but they lost this past weekend too. I'm 9-2 in my money fantasy football league and still sucking it up in the Blogger Fantasy Football league...not even sure what my record is now...but it's a losing one.

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Broadcast - Tender Buttons

Broadcast's Tender Buttons is a mysterious sonic experience full of space-aged minimalist soundscapes, warbling, ghostly shrieks, chirps and synth distortions. It's experimental pop heavily influenced by 60s and 70s psychedelia and avant-garde pop brushed with modern electronic tones.





Vocalist Trish Keenan and bassist James Cargill, both from Birmingham, England, were the only two involved in the making of Tender Buttons due to the departure of guitarist Tim Felton.

Both Highly Rec'd!
Broadcast - America's Boy
Broadcast - Tears In The Typing Pool

Broadcast have swapped the rich textures and multiple layers of previous records for a much rawer and grittier sound, based on dry electronics, bass, processed guitars and singer Trish Keenan’s deadpan voice. - The Milk Factory

Good interview with Trish Keenan of Broadcast @ Poptones. For fans of Sigur Rós, Boards of Canada, Stereolab, Ladytron & LCD Soundsystem.

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