I guess it never really gets any easier to lose your favorite musician. In the decade since discovering Elliott Smith, I’ve listened to thousands of bands and albums — and as much as I love them, nobody comes close. Since his death, I’ve tried to use Rawkblog as a gathering place for some of his lost or otherwise unknown material; below, some links to explore. If you’ve never listened to him, well, you’ll need everything he’s ever recorded, but here’s a good place to start. We miss you, Elliott.
Grizzly Bear at the Troubadour, 2007 | Photo by David Greenwald
Tonight’s Grizzly Bear show will be my fourth time seeing the band at their own headlining gig — sixth overall if you count their brief performance at the 2007 New York Revenge of the Bookeaters show and running into co-frontman @edwarddroste in Central Park after they’d opened for the Decemberists that summer. Notably, though, it’s the first chance I’ll have to hear the band burn through their tremendous Veckatimest material. I expect glory — and to see yr smiling faces there. P.S., folks, epic dude Kurt Vile headlines Spaceland on Friday, file that one under can’t miss, too.
The latest jam from Reverie Sound Revue’s fantastic self-titled album, which coincidentally bears some weird similarities to The Evil Dead, which I just watched for the first time. Don’t turn the lights off.
The new Ravens & Chimes song finds the New York band in a different mood than their usual autumnal, post-Funeral blues. “Hearts of Palm,” in fact, finds frontman Asher Lack and company sounding downright joyful. Could it be Where The Wild Things Are? Signs of life in healthcare reform? The abundance of pumpkin ale? The abundance of pumpkin everything? Whatever it is, let’s hope it’s as contagious as swine flu. (New Yorkers: the band plays CMJ this Friday at the Mercury Lounge at 8:30. I expect a full report.)
Five years ago tomorrow, Jon Brion played a rare set at Amoeba Music in honor of his soundtrack for I Heart Huckabees — the last time Jon released a set, even a small one, of new vocal recordings. Here are my freshly Vimeo’d videos from the show (including his Tom Waits-plays-”Creep” cover), posted with the hope that someone will send this to Jon and remind him to put out another album, please. After the jump… Read the rest of this entry »
Just one tour date, actually: Jens Lekman, The Empty Bottle, Chicago, Ill. New Year’s Eve, 2009. I’ll be on a boat (don’t you ever forget!) but man, I know exactly where I’d be if I wasn’t. New album in 2010, Jens?
Because I just watched a mylar balloon chilling on CNN for the last hour like the camera bro in American Beauty, I present to you the Heene family’s foul-mouthed rap video. One of these kids may or may not have gotten in the already infamous balloon and flown around Colorado for a minute just now. Let’s, uh, hope he’s alive and hiding in a tree house or something. Update: 6-year-old Ryo was found safe at home. Balloon Boy, I’mma let you finish, but Max from Where The Wild Things Are had the best crazy escape of all time. Of all time! (Via Gorilla Vs. Bear)
The new Ravens & Chimes song finds the New York band in a different mood than their usual autumnal, post-Funeral blues. “Hearts of Palm,” in fact, finds frontman Asher Lack and company sounding downright joyful. Could it be Where The Wild Things Are? Signs of life in healthcare reform? The abundance of pumpkin ale? The abundance of pumpkin everything? Whatever it is, let’s hope it’s as contagious as swine flu. (New Yorkers: the band plays CMJ this Friday at the Mercury Lounge at 8:30. I expect a full report.)
Concert Photos: 
Five years ago tomorrow, Jon Brion played a rare set at Amoeba Music in honor of his soundtrack for I Heart Huckabees — the last time Jon released a set, even a small one, of new vocal recordings. Here are my freshly Vimeo’d videos from the show (including his Tom Waits-plays-”Creep” cover), posted with the hope that someone will send this to Jon and remind him to put out another album, please. After the jump… 
