“Was it Something I Said” by The La’s. The La’s (who’s name actually comes from a slang shortening of “The Lads”) are one of my favorite bands. I hadn’t heard of them before hearing “There She Goes” in the movie So I Married an Axe Murderer. I bought the soundtrack and then happened upon their only studio album at a flea market. Since then I’ve read a book about them and have come across some really great bootleg and demo recordings. This song is from a recording known as The Kitchen Tape, which features many unreleased songs. It’s a bit rough and ad lib, but to me it really shows off Lee Mavers’ creativity and vocal grit.

by Jim Hance - ‘The Sith In Black’

This is a very nice online app for guitarists. Unfortunately, I foresee the RIAA will be none too pleased and it probably won’t be around for long. [via Lifehacker]

They Might Be Giants have been making music since the 1980’s and I find it impressive that they’re still going.  I also think that it’s really cool that they have been writing albums for children lately.  I’ve just recently discovered their Friday Night Family Podcast, which is a video podcast showcasing their recent CD/DVD offerings.

Poor Man’s Whiskey performing Pink Floyd’s “Breathe”.  Be sure to check out the full set: Darkside of the Moonshine.

To me, Fleet Foxes sounds somewhere in the realm of the Beach Boys and My Morning Jacket.

Bret McKenzie, James Bobin, and Jemaine Clement working on Flight of the Conchords’ second season.  I wonder if the purple index cards are songs…

Glossary (who I discovered via Hem) offers their album The Better Angels of our Nature freely on their site.  They’re good…and this song may end up on my muxtape someday.

patrickcassels:

Toward the end of the 2000 movie “High Fidelity,” John Cusack’s love-struck record store owner/narrator tells the audience, “The making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many Dos and Don’ts. First of all you’re using someone else’s poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.”

…

While I enjoy the sentiment of the quoted post, it bothers me that the author gives John Cusack so much credit for things he probably had little to do with.  High Fidelity was originally a novel written by Nick Hornby…who also wrote some excellent music-related essays that were collected in Songbook. Also, Cameron Crowe wrote and directed the movie Say Anything…he also wrote and directed that little musical gem called Almost Famous, which happens to be semi-autobiogaphical.  These are the true sources of that musical passion that you see in those movies (not to knock Mr. Cusack, of course).  So…uh…check out my muxtape ;)

I started a Muxtape today.  I really love the concept.  Get a username at Muxtape.com then upload up to 12 songs to share as your online mix tape.  Of course, you can arrange the songs any way that you’d like and change them at any time.  So your mix tape changes as your musical tastes change.  Very cool…