Bobkast #22: Listen, The Snow Is Falling

"I Need Another World...This Ones Nearly Gone"
(Photo by automaticbobby)
It's funny how a little bit of snow can bring a city to a stop. Aimless and carefree, it floats amongst smoke stacks and skyscrapers, lulling the avenues to a quiet hush. Quickly, it builds, hypnotizing wide-eyed onlookers as it dusts dirty streets with crystalline sparkles that shine under street lights like diamonds in a summer sky. Quiet. It swirls, whirls and falls. You stick your tongue out and taste its frozen delight. "Ahh, nurishment." And all of the sudden, the world is anew.

Bobkast #22: Listen...The Snow Is Falling
Galaxie 500- Listen, the Snow is Falling
Yo La Tengo- Nowhere Near
Alela Diane- White As Diamonds (Daytrotter)
Bjork- All is Full of Love
Grouper- Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping
Koushik- Morning Comes
Apollo Sunshine- Happiness
Japancakes- Blown A Wish
Julianna Barwick- You Were Waiting
Mum- I Can't Feel My Hand Anymore, It's Alright, Sleep Tight
Mogwai- Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home
Antony & the Johnsons- Another World

Download Bobkast #22: Listen...The Snow Is Falling (PC: right click+ save as; Mac: command (apple)+ click)

Favorite Videos of 2008

"Warning: This Video Contains Flashing Lights"
Bjork "Wanderlust"

It's been a good year for music videos. We like them. They make the work day go by that much faster. And with the exception of "Parisian Goldfish", they probably won't get you fired. Here are some of our favorite videos from 2008. Enjoy.

M83 "Graveyard Girl"


M83 "Kim & Jessie"


Flying Lotus "Parisian Goldfish"


Hercules & Love Affair "Blind"


Evangelicals "Midnight Vignettes"


Efterklang "Illuminant"


My Morning Jacket "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. 2"


Fleet Foxes "Sun Giant/Blue Ridge Mountains"



Yeasayer "2080"

covers: Bjork

"My headphones, they saved my life"

Stereogum dropped a bomb today with the third incarnation of their covers project. We were big fans of the Drive: Automatic for the People(especially covers by Bodies of Water and Shout Out Louds), and, of course, the fantastic OKX: Tribute to OK Computer. This time they've tackled Bjork's Post, the Icelandic princesses second solo record and some say her best. Personally, my favorite is Homogenic, but who cares.

After a first listen we're really digging Atlas Sound's version of Post closer "Headphones", which sounds like it was recorded in an underwater garden. S'gum really couldn't have picked a better candidate to deliver the classic lyric "My headphones, they saved my life/ Your tape, it lulled me to sleep." While Bradford gets dreamy, Dirty Projectors transform "Hyperballad" (aka the best Bjork song ever) into a jangly tropical jam akin to the sound of the Belizean jungle. In a similar use of summery sounds, Barcelona's El Guincho does his loopy SP-404 shit on "Cover Me."

Also really feeling the distortion fueled, shot gun blasts of "Army of Me" by the Liars, which is so sinister it makes the original sound like a lullaby. Some covers don't stray too far from the original, as is the case with High Places "The Modern Things" and Bell's "It's Oh So Quiet". Another highlight, one sure to end up on mixtapes for years to come, is Final Fantasy & Ed Droste's (Grizzly Bear) cover of "Possibly Maybe", which gets the blessing of Owen Pallette's signature string arrangements and Ed's ethereal voice. Also pretty impressed by White Hinterland's "I Miss You." Basically, this covers album is the f'ing shit, so download it asap. Full .zip file below, as well as a few of our favorites.

Oh yeah, if you haven't seen the new Bjork video for "Wanderlust", do it now. While the quality kinda sucks online, we're gonna highly recommend picking it up on DVD, especially for the 3-D version. Bjork, CGI and 3-D equals a stoned evening in heaven.

Enjoyed: A Tribute to Bjork's Post Full .Zip

High Places- The Modern Things
Final Fantasy & Ed Droste- Possibly Maybe
Atlas Sound- Headphones

viddyo: Aphex Twin

Time to get weird

Who knew that Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin, AFX, Caustic Window, etc.) was such a player-hater? In this Chris Cunningham (Bjork, Madonna) directed video for Aphex Twin's single "Windowlicker" (1999, Warp Records), James picks up some girls in his ridiculously pimped-out stretch limo, beating out two foul-mouthed playas in the process. The video was meant to be a parody of contemporary American rap music, but in the end, the viewer is mostly left with a taste of James' usual creepiness. (Fast forward to 4:15 to get directly to the music)

The music itself is one of my favorite Aphex Twin tracks, a "smooth yet erratic" tune that exemplifies one James' many, many unique (often bizarre, sometimes disturbing) styles. Oddly enough, the track has been featured in a number of advertisements, including Mercedes-Benz and Nickelodeon. Buy the single at Amazon, or get your download on at Bleep or Beatport.