Good Weather for Airstrikes

All my music blogging is now done for Good Weather for Airstrikes, over at goodweatherforairstrikes.blogspot.com. Poof Gone will be updated very sparingly, so kindly turn your attention to the on-the-rise GWFAS.

artist profile 3: the epochs

Check out up-and-coming music blog Good Weather for Airstrikes for my write-up (featuring mp3's on The Epochs, available here.

show review: sigur ros 9/11/05

This is a late post considering this concert was a week and a half ago, but the experience is definitely still fresh in my mind. Basically, seeing Sigur Ros in concert is a mind-blowing experience. They performed a fair amount of new songs, hitting on my favorites from Takk (Glosoli, Saeglopur, Hoppipolla) and worked in my favorite song from ( ), Untitled 1 (Vaka), and my favorite from Agaetis Byrjun, Viorar Vel Til Loftarasa.

The Music Center at Strathmore was an unbelievable venue, and the bands accompanying videos were excellent. For Viorar Vel, the video looped a close-up of the dolls in mid-air from the songs music video (available here.) The most moving visual was definitely during Sigur 9A and 9B (Smaskfa), featuring a darkened silhouette of a telephone wire where blurry birds would settle and fly off in slow motion. If anybody can locate a video of that I would be most appreciative, it was truly unbelievable.

Here you will find some information on the band from NPR, who recorded the show in it's entirety and has it available for streaming. I have the entire concert saved as one file that I haven't had time to break up yet, if anybody wants it, just drop me a comment with your IM and I can send it over when I get a chance.

For anybody not familiar with Sigur Ros, I can't think of a band I would give a higher recommendation to. Here are some mp3s that will help you familarize yourself with one of the greater bands currently recording music.

Untitled 1 (Vaka) from ( )
Svefn-g-englar from Agaetis Byrjun
Saeglopur from Takk
Glosoli from Takk

artist profile 2: sage francis

Sage Francis is a straight-up badass MC. Born in Miami, FL on September 11, Francis was a slam poet before becoming an MC; he is a celebrated freestyle rapper. Francis won a Freestyle Competition in 2000. In response to the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks, Francis released the song "Makeshift Patriot", a harsh attack on the United States on numerous levels. The song was featured on Epitaph Records compilation Punk-O-Rama 8. This lead to Francis signing a 3-disc record deal with Epitaph, a historically punk label. Sage Francis has the distinction of being the first hip-hop artist to sign to the label. His first Epitaph-released disc, A Healthy Distrust, came out earlier this year. Three mp3s from that album are below.

Sage Francis, "Sea Lion (featuring Will Oldham)"
Sage Francis, "Sun vs. Moon"
Sage Francis, "Slow Down Gandhi"

New 'Ye

So I just got the Kanye West leak, and after listening to it straight through I'm pretty sure it can't stand up to College Dropout. Other than Diamonds From Sierra Leone, only one song stood out to me. Here it is:

[drive slow (f. paul wall & glc)]

upcoming shows II

Upcoming Shows I'd Like To See

At the 9:30 Club:

Friday, September 2
Jedi Mind Tricks [i against i]

Saturday, September 3
Will Hoge [she dont care about me], Army Of Me [these hands], Bicycle Thieves

Wednesday, September 21
M.I.A. [amazon]

Tuesday, September 27
Sufjan Stevens [chicago]

Wednesday, September 28
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club [aint no easy way], Mark Gardener

Saturday, October 1
Brazilian Girls [homme]

Sunday, October 2
The Decemberists [july! july!], Sons and Daughters [johnny cash]

Monday, October 10
My Morning Jacket [one big holiday], Kathleen Edwards

Tuesday, October 18
Atmosphere [trying to find a balance], Blueprint, DJ Rare Groove, P.O.S. & Turbo Nemesis

Sunday, October 23
Death Cab For Cutie [we looked like giants], Stars [your ex-lover is dead]

Tuesday, October 25
Social Distortion [ball and chain], Mest [what the dillio], The Dead 60's [riot radio]


At the Black Cat:

Sunday, September 18
Dungen [festival]

Monday, September 19
Rogue Wave [kicking the heart out], Fruit Bats [a bit of wind], Chad Van Gaalen

Friday, October 7
Architecture In Helsinki [city calm down], Aqueduct [hardcore days & softcore nights]


At Larger Venues:

Merriweather Post Pavilion
Friday, September 9
Jack Johnson [wasting time], Matt Costa [darling be home soon], ALO

Merriweather Post Pavilion
Tuesday, September 27
The White Stripes [seven nation army], The Shins [new slang], M. Ward [carolina]

Patriot Center
Wednesday, October 5
Beck [scarecrow]

MCI Center
Wednesday, November 2
Nine Inch Nails [the hand that feeds], Queens Of The Stone Age [little sister], Death From Above 1979 [romantic rights]

I've also heard a rumor that sometime in the last three months of 2005, Depeche Mode will be coming to my city of Washington, D.C. to play a show. So, you get three bonus mp3's today from the Mode, one of my favorite bands.
[enjoy the silence], [policy of truth], [dream on (final long concept mix)]

artist profile 1: engineers

If you've attended any of Bloc Party's U.S. shows in the past month or so, you should have made it a point to show up early enough to see Engineers. This four-piece out of London, England make music that, in the words of Spin magazine, "sink in like a deep tissue massage from the Snuggle bear... nuanced, delicate, and a bit trippy."

Engineers create lush and beautiful music that has a calming effect without being boring. If that doesn't do it for you, rather than listening to what Spin or myself have to say about this band, here's what they have to say about themselves:

"The thing with us is that we're just so different... We don't sound like anything current."

Engineers are a breath of fresh air in current music, and a thoroughly satisfying listen.

mp3's:
Home
Come In Out Of The Rain
Forgiveness