Jack's Track of the Day Thread

[Jack of Arcades]

Because I'm a) bored and b) completely full of myself I figured I'd start a music thread so people can both simultaneously laud and deride me for being an "emo gay hipster."

I'll be posting individual tracks that I get into with short write-ups. I'll try to keep them both obscure and accessible so while you might not have heard of a band, I'll make it as easy as possible to download and listen immediately (even if that's hard with some of these bands). Most of them will be recent as the bulk of music I listen to comes from the last 5 years, but I'll probably throw it back every now and then. Others are encouraged to chime in, post stuff of their own, and rip me a new [censored] for liking whatever.

The first track I'm posting is Why?'s "Sanddollars." Why? refers to a band fronted by Jonathan Wolf, a member of cLOUDDEAD and a former Anticon MC (that went by the moniker). If you don't know what Anticon is, you'd probably hate them. They were a label full of angsty white rappers that occassionally said something witty, but usually made you want to punch them and tell them to grow balls.

Thank god Wolf isn't like that.

Wolf blurs the line of rapping, speaking, and singing with a nervous, yet, pleasant nicotine-stained voice. Backing him is a live band with guitar, drums, and whatever else they feel like using. The songs range from charmingly catchy to awkwardly catchy, with music and lyrics that sometimes don't quite fit but I can't help but love anyway. The album's probably best described as a rapper trying to rock, not quite succeeding, and making something both uncomfortable and accessible at the same time.

"Sanddollars" is the closest thing to flat out rock on the album with an infectious dance riff playing throughout the song and accompanying Wolf's voice here, which really shines in the chorus.

Click Here to download "Sanddollars" by Why?

[zephed]

eh.

[Jack of Arcades]

In 2003 you couldn't discuss indie rock without hearing somebody rave about Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It In People. It inspired a wave of people to proclaim it the best record of the year, and another wave of people to say "eh, 'Cause=Time' is nice.'" And while many of the first group are disappointed with Broken Social Scene's self-titled follow up, the rest of us finally have something to talk about.

Click Here to download Broken Social Scene's "7/4 (Shoreline)"

[ClassicBob]

This is a great idea, thanks for doing it.

[JackWilson]

Quite an interesting idea. Should keep me amused for 5mins every day. Carry on.

[diebitter]

Nice work. Though this is not my sort of thing at all, this sort of thread lifts OOT, so game on!

[GuyOnTilt]

I really like Broken Social's new disc. Not as much as You Forgot it in People, but it's still good stuff.

GoT

[Jack of Arcades]

Like most others, I heard the hype of Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary. Before I'd even pushed play, I'd heard all about how the band's good friends with the guys of Arcade Fire, how Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse had produced much of the album, how it's one of the best releases of 2005, and how if you don't like the album you're a [censored]. I'm here to tell you if you don't like the album you're a [censored].

When I first heard "It's a Curse" my initial reaction was "Arcade Fire meets Lonesome Crowded West." My second reaction was "no [censored]." My third reaction was "this is pretty good."

So, download Wolf Parade's, "It's a Curse." It's pretty good.

[Jack of Arcades]

I first heard My Morning Jacket about 3 years ago after getting reccomended the album; everything I heard about the CD At Dawn was true: it was haunting, unlike anything I'd heard before, and lead singer Jim James's voice was beautiful. I hated it. Iron and Wine dipped in two tons of reverb did not appeal to me in the slightest, but I couldn't doubt the talents of Jim James.

I decided to give It Still Moves a shot, because sometimes an artist surprises me with the second album I hear. I was pleasantly surprised and liked the more accessible disc, but it still didn't click for me.

That is, until one night while watching Conan, I heard My Morning Jacket would perform. They played "Anytime" off of their new album Z and I was hooked. The reverb from the previous albums has been cut by approximately 50%, and the electric guitars have been kicked up a notch while still maintaing an ethereal and free feel that keeps me double-clicking on this track in iTunes ten times a day.

Download "Anytime" by My Morning Jacket so you can double-click it 20 times a day in iTunes

[Jack of Arcades]

By the way, if any of you have requests or suggestions, feel free to pm me. If you like any of the music here, I'll be more than willing to hook you up with full albums or similar artists.