thebunk

For those of us not in the know, can we get a hint? I am seriously on the fence to going and need a bit of a nudge.

And in terms of local acts I wish would play, I would love to see The Lemonheads or my favorite band, Buffalo Tom.

Hi fake "The Bunk"

never once said it was a pet peeve, just an obvious influence

You are right, my bad.

Still, to brand them as a "nob-twiddling Beach Boys" is just so inaccurate on many levels. Have you actually heard Sung Tongs, Campfire Songs, Here Comes the Indian, or even Feels? I am not saying this to sound negative and it probably sounds that way, but you should really check out some of their older stuff or at least re-visit it if you already checked it out in the past.

this album deserves a better thread.

Yes it does.

I do not get the Beach Boys comparison at all. Is there an influence? Sure thing, but no more or less then there is an influence from other sources (Pink Floyd, solo Syd Barret, Grateful Dead, etc.) that is unless you are talking about Person Pitch only.

Solace, if the apparent Beach Boys rip has been your biggest pet peeve then you should check out their earlier stuff, namely Sung Tongs, Here Comes the Indian and Campfire Songs. You can also check out Spirit . . . if you want but it might be pretty difficult to get through. It is essentially a love or hate it album.

Frightened Rabbit's "Midnight Organ Fight" REQUIRES more love!!!!!!!!!!!

NOW!!!!!!!!!!

So, I actually came to the forum today to ask where I can find used CD places in the Lawrence, MA or Portland, ME area, as I have to go there next week for work. Instead of starting a new thread immediately, if anyone can help, PM me.

 

Thanks.

I am VERY familiar with Portland as my wife and I go there about twice a year. You really want to check out Bull Moose Music. They are a large indie music chain in Maine and New Hampshire. They have two locations, one downtown (Middle Street location) and in South Portland which is near the malls (South Portland/Scarborough location). If you can only hit one, go with the South Portland/Scarborough location as it is quite big and they have a very good selection of CDs (new and used), boxed sets, vinyl and even video games and DVDs. The staff are top shelf as well. YOu can get more info here:

www.bullmoosemusic.com

I really do not get the Shins reference. MMJ, yes. The Shins, no.

Buffalo Tom

Thanks a lot for posting that. Man that was a great performance.

I missed this and I cannot find it on Youtube or any torrent sites. Does anyone know where I can view this performance?

And will play "September Shirt."

Awesome news! It is my favorite song on the album!

This is a very excellent disc. People should really check this out.

you're welcome

LOL. What did you expect? A blow job or something for giving a half-assed answer?!

I've seen them live a couple times now - at SxSW in March and just this weekend at NxNE. Great live show - not the tightest performance, but so much energy and both the old stuff and new stuff sounds great. One of my favourite bands in the 90s whom I never thought I'd get to see live, let alone twice.

 

Photos from both shows, if you want to see how they've aged:

 

SxSW: http://www.chromewaves.net/sxsw2007.php?autoID=30

 

NxNE: http://www.chromewaves.net/concertPhotos.p...=481&y=2007

Man I envy you!

not yet, just one song but i liked that... i really need to soon

Yeah you do. It been up on that pig site for about a month now.

Have you listened to their new album yet? It is to what Beyond is for Dinosaur Jr. Nothing ground breaking, but an amazingly consistant and great rock\pop album.

I said this in another thread, but I think it is their best since Let Me Come Over.

No, that would be Big Red Letter Day, then again, that is better then Let Me Come Over

Buffalo Tom are excellent. I still pull out Let Me Come Over all the time, and the self titled album, too, though less so. Interesting coincidence seeing Buffalo Tom making a new record at the same time as Dino Jr's, given that J mixed their debut (as well as contributing a little guitar). I never did hear Birdbrain or the other stuff - anyone know if its any good?

BT are my favorite band of all time so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I personally think their best album is Big Red Letter Day, the follow-up to Let Me Come Over. I know LMCO gets all of the love and is lauded by most people as being their best album I disagree. There is not a poor song at all on BRLD and every song is filled with incredibile hooks and great lyrics.

Sleepy Eyed and Smitten are both very good as well. I would rank the BT albums like this:

Big Red Letter Day > Let Me Come Over > Sleepy Eyed > Three Easy Pieces (new album) > Smitten > self titled > Bird Brain

Bump. You guys really need to check this out. It has become one of my top 3 fav albums of 2007 (below Boxer and on par with Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga).

Buffalo Tom (I am sure many of the oldsters around here have heard of them)

The Scrimshanders (great alt-country rock band that sound like a jacked up Uncle Tupelo)

The National Lights (one of the best beautiful yet dark sounding singer-songwriter albums ever created . . . and it came out this year!!!)

Seasons change and I have found you

Looks like you've been here a long time

Looks like you're here to stay

And I reason that that's ok

When though, when will you be leaving

You're way up in the trees

Or afloat on the seas

I can't afford your voice

but I have no choice

Your bird drizzles forth twice nightly

And I once held on to you so tightly

You were made of wood and cried that no one understood

But I had splinters in my fingers

Tears welled in my eyes

no surprise

Washed swiftly from the sands

Into my hands

Into my hands

Treehouse, your mind is like a treehouse

And I climb up the shaky ladder

Your bird flies with you in claws of orange hue

I watch you flying over my head

You could not care less

So you got more

Like driftwood from the shore

You were rotten to the core

rotten to the core

Seasons change...

Boxer

I really debated whether to give Boxer a 10, but decided to wait just because you don't really know whether a record is a 10, in my opinion, until it's been a few months and you're still enamored with t.

You know, that is a very fair comment to make and I think you may be right. I find I myself call albums "great" only for their shine to wear off in a few months. I cannot see that happenig with Boxer but i think I agree with you.

So am I the only one who has downloaded this album and been loving it? It is not the same BT that put out Let Me Come Over and Big red Letter Day but is an excellent, mature rock record. I love Bill and Chris trading off vocals in songs (i.e. Three Easy Pieces, Bad Phone Call) and Chris has really improved his songwriting. Damn great album. While it will not top my fav album of year (Boxer) it will be in my top 5 for sure.

Excellent record. One of the year's best, definitely, and I really doubt it won't be in my top 5 by year's end.

 

It's so wonderfully cohesive.

 

Anyway, here's how I rank the National material I have:

 

The National 7/10

Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers 8/10

Cherry Tree 8/10

Alligator 9/10

Boxer 9/10

I agree with everything you have except I think Boxer is a 10/10. Really, what more could you want from a band that has already put out two 8 to 9/10 albums?

didn't mean to step on any toes. my last order from acoustic sounds for 4 records only cost 5.50 shipping and was going to be over 13 dollars on elusive disc. it arrived in about 3 days too. just passing along my limited experience that may be helpful. i didn't price the order on musicdirect.

Thanks for the input Willy!