Jennifer O’Connor
Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars
Matador Records

After releasing two full-length records on a variety of miniscule independent labels, Jennifer O’Connor is finally getting her due. Having signed to Matador Records early this year, she was able to afford to put together the record we all knew she had in her. Her plaintive, country-tinged songs have always carried with them a stark immediacy that the small-time recording budget helped amplify, but even with a few extra dollars in the coffers, O’Connor’s songs are as affecting as ever. Continue Reading »

It’s no secret that we love Baby Dayliner.  The man with the trademark cheeks is responsible for one of the year’s freshest and most fly releases and he did an interview with us back in April, making him one of only 5 musicians to ever return our e-mails. 

Since we last spoke to the Dayliner- real name Ethan Marunas- he has been quietly chilling poolside, recording some videos, and more recently he has hit the road with friends The National for a US tour.  If it’s anything like their last run in March, this show will be off the chain.  Much recommended.

In the meantime, here are a handful of Baby Dayliner videos for you to oogle over.

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This is the hilarious (intentional or non-intentional?)  ‘Silent Places’ video from Critics Pass Away.  Since watching this I have decided my #1 goal in life is to float backwards through a crowd while chanting the chorus to this song.

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This is the poolside chilling I was talking about.  Recorded on Marunas’ rooftop.  The song is an unreleased cut called ‘The Morning Sun’, which is currently available for download on his Myspace page.

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Live video/studio track splicing of the song ‘The Way You Look Tonight’.  A great number for wooing the ladies down to seduction.

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‘Raid!’ is off the debut album High Hearts and Low Estate.  Not very representative of his current style but still one bad jam.

BONUS!
Three tracks from Critics Pass Away have been made available for download on Baby Dayliner’s Myspace page.  Go snatch them up while they’re hot.

[link] Baby Dayliner Myspace page

Continuing in today’s trend of posting about bands I am actually friends with, allow me to introduce you to the hip, sexy Pasadena band Stratageme.  Their layered electronic madness and dirty guitar riffs have earned them a pretty good amount of press in these parts, including a spot on Music for Robot’s recent compilation.  The main guy who writes all the music is 19 year old David Vine, who I have known for a handful of years now.  

The following songs are off Stratageme’s debut full length, Mis Amis, an album his label calls “daring, textured, and dark”.   First track ‘Scripts’ is a fast paced, frenetic mash up of electronic and organic sounds, while ‘Spend the Day in Solitude’ is a more sultry number, making great use of it’s jazzy guitar and bass lines.  Both tracks are bomb diggity IMO.

Fans of drum kits, bleeps, and bloops should find themselves well with these.

[mp3] Stratageme - Scripts
[mp3] Stratageme - Spend the Day in Solitude

[link] Stratageme Myspace page

As I sit her pondering the irony of running a music blog whilst having no friends in bands or the ’scene’, I am reminded of a couple of years ago when I used to roll with this local Pasadena, CA band called Up in Arms.  You have probably never heard of them, but I went to high school with brothers Paul and Joel, and they asked me if I could build their website and do graphic design stuff for them, so I did.  It was a pretty cool gig!  I remember going to house parties with them, designing the cover of their last EP, and basically helping them out until they broke up in 2004.  It feels so long ago.

Anyway, I recently discovered that a new Myspace page has been erected in their memory containing some of the classic songs from their now out of print EP, Good Morning, Pasadena.  If you want to, you can download the songs below and then hit up their Myspace for more info.  Think raw pop punk without any of the qualities that would attract bigger indie labels.  Also, the second track Highways and Heartstops gives huge shout outs to the city of Pasadena so if you are a native, download it and try to catch all the references.

Spread the post mortem word.

[mp3] Up in Arms - I’m Down
[mp3] Up in Arms - Highways and Heartstops

[link] Up in Arms Myspace
[link] Hush Hush Myspace (singer from UIA’s new project)

BOOM!  Upside your head like Bluetooth!  InvisibleLimb.net and The Birdman Group have teamed up to deliver one stellar giveaway.  Two lucky winners will recieve 8 albums from Birdman’s sweet catalogue including the new Nice Boys, Cuts, and Howlin Rain records!  Now that’s what I call a contest!

Here are some siiick mp3s from some of these HOT albumz!

Gris Gris - Year Zero
Howlin Rain - Roll On the Rusted Days
The Nice Boys - Johnny Guitar
The Cuts - Demons

To enter the giveaway, just fill out the following fields and hit submit!  Contest is open until October 15th!  Open to US residents only!  ENTER! ENTER! ENTER!

So there is this new record label on the street.  Nobody has ever heard of them before.  They are called SubPop Records.  From what I’ve researched, they are run out of the basement of a fellow named Filipe Martine in Portland, Oregon and they just released their first two albums:  Wolf Eyes’ Human Animal and Oxford Collapse’s Remember the Night Parties. 

The reason I am posting about this new start up label is because I discovered them all by myself on Myspace and if anyone else is going to post about SubPop they have to link back to this blog;  because I discovered this shizzle.  I deserve the credit for introducing them to the world.

Wolf Eyes are a multi-instrumental free jazz ensemble.  There is a guy who plays the fog machine, another who plays exploding car battery, and I think the third member plays what sounds like a tupperware lid scratching against a banana- but it may be an apricot, the liner notes aren’t specific.  The thing that seperates Wolf Eyes from other free jazz ensembles, however, is that they incorporate the sound of a monkey and a cat being genetically spliced in a telepod.

This song is called ‘The Driller’ and it’s a cover of my grandfather’s favorite oldie, ‘The Sound Our Amp Made When We Spilled Beer On It’ by the Monkees.

Wolf Eyes - The Driller

Oxford Collapse are a mixture between Mock Orange and another band whose name I can’t remember.  But they sound exactly like this song.  If you remember which band I’m talking about, e-mail me or leave a comment.  Unlike Wolf Eyes, the boys in Oxford Collapse cheat and use real instruments like a guitar and bass.  They also sound like a band that plays music.  If you like bands that play music with instruments I recommend you check out the Oxford Collapse.  If you like the sound your car makes when you crash into a telephone pole and start a wild electrical fire, then download the song above this one.

Oxford Collapse - Please Visit Your National Parks

I am pretty sure that Invisible Limb is the world’s worst mp3 blog.  We hardly post anything and when we do it’s usually a music review, and not an essay or a dissertation on a new gossip website or the new iPod.  I guess you can blame this on our inexperience or you can just say we are weak music bloggers.  Anyway, if we ever really want to be taken seriously and get mad hitz I am going to have to remember where my priorities are.

MP3 BLOG #1.
All else a distant second.

In time, as I adjust to spending 15 hours a day inside on my laptop, I can promise you all a cooler Invisible Limb, but for now, here are some mp3s for you to download and spoon with.  Some of these are from albums that have already been released (so sorry!).

Adrian Orange - While You Live

Adrian Orange is connected to Phil Elvrum.  Phil Elvrum is awesome.  Adrian Orange is close to being awesome.  His newest album, Bitches is Lord, isn’t my favorite album of the year but it’s got a handful of great songs on it.  ‘While You Live’ is one of them.

Pigeon John - Higher

Pigeon John isn’t the greatest rapper in the world, but I like his new album And the Summertime Pool Party and liking his album is good enough for me.  If you are actually into rap music, I’m not sure if you’ll like this, but I do.  Did I already mention that?  Listen to another track from his album at our Myspace page.

Nada Surf - Concrete Bed (Original Version)

Man, I love Nada Surf.  I mean I love, love, love them.  They don’t use a glockenspeil and there are only three people in the band, and they don’t dress in black vaudeville attire, but I love them.  They rock.  This song is an accoustic version of their song ‘Concrete Bed’ which is the opening track on their latest album ‘The Weight is a Gift’.  This is from the bonus disc that came with the record when it was first released.  Soooo goood.

The Big Sleep
Son of the Tiger
(French Kiss Records)

One of New York City’s most prized independent music possessions, The Big Sleep is a rock band that combines the driving and defined beats of today’s rock music with the mind-expanding influences of their predecessors. New York media rave about them, and things are sure to continue heating up as more and more fans pre-order their copy of Son of the Tiger, which is due out on September 19.

Touted as one of New York’s best rock bands, The Big Sleep’s latest is sure to hit the streets with a bang. Psychedelic sounds combined with well-articulated drums allow listeners to let their minds wander without getting lost. “You Can’t Touch The Untouchable” is one of the defining tracks on Son of the Tiger. The bass and drums tightly hold everything together while the guitar and synthesizer take the listener to another place with drones and melodic nuances. “New Strings” is hopeful, expansive, carefree, and an excellent conclusion to the album. Melodically simple, the song gradually builds around a basic but beautiful three-cord guitar line.

Catch The Big Sleep’s exciting and energetic wave early–their music will carry you for miles.

MP3
Murder
You Can’t Touch the Untouchable

Websites
http://www.thebigsleep.net/
http://www.myspace.com/sonofthetiger
http://www.frenchkissrecords.com/

What Made Milwaukee Famous
Trying to Never Catch Up
Barsuk Records 

When I think of Barsuk Records, I think of John Vanderslice, Nada Surf, the Long Winters, and Death Cab for Cutie- in that order. After listening to the Seattle label’s newer signing, What Made Milwaukee Famous, my mental picture hasn’t changed one bit. This isn’t a complete knock on WWMF, it’s just that their debut Trying to Never Catch Up, never seems to match the unique voice of the aforementioned artists. The reason may be it’s sporadic and genre-hopping sound. Album opener ‘idecide’ is a dark, electronic-drenched keyboard fiesta, while the third track ‘Hellodrama’ is a pure bones radio rock song. Both good songs, but the casual listener would never guess they were by the same band, let alone on the same album. Again, WMMF are a very competent band but compared to their Barsuk predecessors they still have a lot of growing and defining to do. When that times comes, which should be sooner than later, prepare to be wowed.

MP3
idecide
Sweet Lady

Websites
http://www.whatmademilwaukeefamous.com
http://www.barsuk.com

The Thermals
The Body, The Blood, The Machine
SubPop Records 

Sure, songs loaded with harps, xylophones, and harmonicas are fun, but sometimes what you really need is a swift kick in the pants. The Thermals latest full length The Body, The Blood, The Machine is not only swift, it is also impetuously entertaining. From the opening church organ of ‘Here’s Your Future’ to the final discordant moments of the final ballad ‘I Hold the Sound’, the Portland, Oregon trio wring the most out of their two-chord pop punk formula and manage to get some toes tapping with a much appreciated shot of melody. Continue Reading »