in rotation: Forest Fire

"I Don't Like What I've Become"

I have no idea how I found out about Forest Fire, but two days ago their infectious "I Make Windows" came on shuffle. After a little sleuthing, I found out that Forest Fire are a, surprise surprise, Brooklyn band, by way of Portland, specializing in atmospheric, bourbon soaked, tin-shack country folk. Sure, they fall into the extremely broad "Indie" category, but the songs off their record Survival feel more like urban twang or industrial hymns written in an abandoned warehouse in Bushwick than freak folk or goth folk or whatever the sweet folk the kids are digging this week is. Survival, released this summer, is an understated, overlooked gem that feels more like a stepping stone to something bigger than a master statement. Their bio notes that "Survival was recorded over an eight month period in two locations - Brooklyn, New York and Portland, Oregon. “Not all the members of Forest Fire live on the same coastline,” Mark Thresher explains, “So when certain friends roll through town, things happen pretty quickly.” Many of the tracks were recorded live in less than five takes, then maniacally overdubbed by a variety of players. Sometimes there was only one microphone for the entire band. Sometimes they pulled out a few more." If that's not enticing enough, NYC Taper favorite Sharon Van Etten and Nick Deiffs of the Shaky Hands lend their vocals on a few tracks. Oh yeah, and the album is available for free on archive.org, so what are you waiting for? Snatch Survival here, then go buy Cotton Jones Basket Ride's The Archery EP and chew on the wonders of the new East Coast atmospheric folk scene.

Forest Fire doesn't have any dates scheduled, but you can catch The Shaky Hands at the Mercury Lounge Saturday and Sharon Van Etten at Zebulon on Sunday. Both are Bobk-approved and highly recommended.

lost classic: Sun Dial Other Way Out

"Mystic Sounds of A Magical Fun Fair"

In terms of meandering, reverb drenched psychedelia, there aren't many who do it better than Sun Dial. The band, which emerged from studio experiment band the Modern Art, plays explosive, other worldy guitar based psychedelia, similar to first wave San Francisco psych acts, as well as the ecstasy fueled 80's Madchester gaze (Spacemen 3, Stone Roses). Dark, and best enjoyed whilst sitting under a black light, Sun Dial are truly far out, constantly reaching for the outer membrane of the atmosphere, while tugging at the core of your mind with blissful, often floating jams that would feel at home in the deepest, darkest part of a pyramid. Their debut record, Other Way Out, is a bonafide, under rated (and perpetually out of print) classic, composed of 6 extremely far out tunes, the sort of songs that easily could've been on the soundtrack to a film like Dazed and Confused, if Dazed an Confused were more like the Nicholson/Fonda/Hopper film The Trip or Holy Mountain. The opening cut, "Plains of Nazca", is a mountain climbing LSD adventure, a total trip, propelled by atmospheric keyboards and Jim Cippolina-esque guitar. The band specializes in climatic explosions of sound, but also knows their way around a hellbent ballad, best displayed on "World Without Time", which starts with acoustic guitar and is bolstered, and blown out of this world, by an absolutely massive, Middle Eastern riff which soars like Osprey in Hell's Canyon. A must for anyone with an affliction for lava lamps and good herb.

Sun Dial- World Without Time
Sun Dial- Plains of Nazca

new morning music: Kria Brekkan

"It Sounds Wonderful!"

(Photo from NYC Taper)
I finally got around to listening to NYC Taper's phenomenal recording of Kria Brekkan's semi-recent set at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah in Greenpoint a few months ago. Whoa! I remember the evening feeling as if the basement of the church were some hideaway on the great astral plane and the Taper's recording only cements that feeling. While the set isn't without its warts (chairs moving, blips, clicks, etc), it is an absolutely phenomenal capturing of an extremely intimate moment, one I haven't been quite able to shake since the evening. Kria's eccentric, hushed, utterly ethereal sound scapes are the stuff winter dreams are made of. That said, download this set asap before the chill of winter sets in and you feel like hibernating. It will aid greatly in the process.

PS-NYC Taper's got a new server and downloads are super fast. Highly rec'd snatching as much as possible, ya know, for the future.

Download Kria's set (and more) at NYC Taper.

election day: A Change Is Gonna Come

"Long, Long, Long Time Coming"

Vote. Then keep your fingers crossed. Optimism is the best policy.

new: Beach House

"It's Not The Same As It Used To Be"


One hell of a magical song from the new Beach House single, Used to Be b/w Apple Orchard (4-track demo).

Beach House will be in Brooklyn, Tuesday December 9th at MHOW. Tix still available.

Bruce & the Jersey Devil

"Born Anew"
Bruce+ Jersey Devil= Best Halloween Gift Ever.

Happy Halloween

"Prince of Sorrow"

Enjoy this classic episode of Goth Talk, the funeral for Asrael Abyss, Prince of Sorrow, while mowing down candy corn and putting your Zombie makeup on. Then go download Bill's ghoulish Vampire Bites mix on SoundBites. Classic goth.

bobkast #18: Stars In Your Eyes

"Oh Oh Oh I'm On Fire"
Thinking about taking a trip to Alpha Centauri? Well, if you just so happen to be making the 4 light year trek, here's a mix to aid in your intergalactic conquests and cosmic adventures. Remember to wear sunglasses as your breaking the Earth's atmosphere, you don't want to miss the view of the Milky Way from Alpha Centauri.

Bobkast #18: Stars In Your Eyes
M83- I Guess I'm Floating
Junior Boys- So This Is Goodbye
Bruce Springsteen- I'm On Fire (Cousin Cole's Bad Desire Mix)
Weird Tapes- Party Trash
Windsurf- Pocket Check
Diskjokke- Folk I Farta
School of Seven Bells- Half Asleep
Passion Pit- Smile Upon Me
John Cale- All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem cover)
Matthew Dear- Deserter

Bobkast #18: Stars In Your Eyes (Download: PC- right click + save as; Mac- option + click)

Animal Collective Listening Party

"Open Up Your Throat"

I was lucky enough to attend the listening party for Animal Collective's soon to be released Merriweather Post Pavilion. The album, built around a host of songs AC made live staples in 2008, is a typically kaleidoscopic record full of rhythmically aggressive, almost industrial polythytms, bombastic bass (as witnessed at All Points West), bouncing melodies and typical AC psychedelia. A friend noted that it sounded like it was recorded at the bottom of the ocean, possibly inside a mad scientists submarine lab where sounds fly freely in a steel casing.

Tour standout "In The Flowers" (formerly "The Dancer"), the albums opener, sounded closer to its live counterpart than any other songs the band chose to record. The line "If I could just leave my body for a day" seems like an apt introduction to the record, which grooves like a DXM induced dream or a spirited joy ride through Willy Wonka's psychedelic tunnel.

"My Girls", the new name for "House (Material Things)" sounded fucking fresh(!), almost like an aggressive Caribbean number with enough bounce to seriously get you moving, plus that incredible "I don't mean to seem like I care about Material Things" refrain, which may be the most sing-along-able AC line in the history of the band. The studio version doesn't include the echo'd out vocal boo's (the bomb dropping sound) that Panda and Avey drop in the live mix, but the fluttering synthetic chimes are all still in place.

"Summertime Clothes" is the new name for "Walk Alone With You", which sounded like AC dabbling in hypnotism, and is also notably smoother than the Avey scream filled live version. It's like a love song for neo-psychedelic, post-apocalyptic lovers of the future.

"The Daily Routine" is much the same as the band has been playing on tour, and that is A-OK with me. When the bass kicks in half way through Panda's first verse its like standing in front of a jet engine operating at full force. Maybe I was just wayyy to close to the subwoofer at the River Room in Harlem, or maybe its just Geologist gettin' all mad scientist and cranking the low end to world shattering extremes. Whatever it was, it was affecting, so much so that when the shimmering, hypnotizing synth loop comes back in, and Panda croons all ethereally, its as if you are being carried off into a distant land by Hot Air Balloon, or, similarly, like when the Baron of Vulgaria steals the car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It's a sort of frightening, sort of exciting and, in the end, an extremely rewarding adventure.

After "The Daily Routine" was a suite of three new songs that I won't touch on because I can't really remember each of them distinctly. Regardless, they were $. Not as standout-ish as some of the tour favorites, but that could be that I am just not as familiar with them as I am the summer tour jams. The one thing that really stood out about these songs was their almost industrial percussion, which is about as in your face as anything AC has ever done. However, at the same time, they each had their own uniquely whimsical charm, and a bit of shoulder shaking bounce that made them feel like tormented island songs rather than loop based avant-pop.

Merriweather Post Pavilion is rounded out by "Lion In A Coma", "No More Runnin'" and the epic "Brother Sport." "Lion..." and "Brother Sport" sounded mostly intact from the versions I heard this summer, while "No More Runnin'" almost serves as the albums ballad, although it is far from a ballad in the traditional sense of the word. "Brother Sport" now features an almost gospel-like upbeat, handclap rhythm section and, like the other songs, alot less screaming than its live counterpart. It too seemed like more of a dance number than anything else I can recall in the Animal Collective catalog. Appropriately, the album ends with the line " You've got so much inside/ Let it come right out", which, in the context of the new record, feels like an incredibly apt description of where AC stands artistically as we roll into 2009. I guess, to sum it up, all I can say is that now I'm really fucking excited for 1/20/2009. It's going to be epic.

A DMCA notice forced me to remove the two live tracks linked here. However, they are available on Archive.Org (in better quality, FLAC, and for free.)

cmj day 3: Cotton Jones

"If You See Him Floating Through The Atmosphere"

Thursday was quite the chill afternoon, even chiller considering it fell during the heart of CMJ. Gothamist had taken over the Bell House and collected quite an intriguing list of artists. Unfortunately, the Bell House's location in Gowanus isn't exactly easy to get to, nor close to any other CMJ venues. It was empty. So empty that I felt sort of awkward when I walked in, all eyes on me, as if the bands and few members of the Press (Gothamist & Stereogum) were shocked someone actually came to see the performance. I got to the end of the G-line just in time to catch 90% of the Chesapeake Bay's Cotton Jones Basket Ride, one of the bands I really wanted to catch this year. Cotton Jones, led by former Page France singer Michael Nau, sounded unbelievable on The Bell Houses's sound system (Eastern Acoustic Works, all venues should be equipped with these bad boys). Their down home blend of alt-country and folk, mixed with a considerable amount of atmospheric slide work, complimented the empty bar, as they sound like a country-tinged bar band from below the Mason Dixon line, only Cotton Jones's songs, and its players, are much more skilled at bringing whiskey soaked sadness to live than any jukebox in Anapolis is. They sounded so good I snagged a copy of their debut EP, out on Quite Scientific next week, which is one of the nicest CD's I've ever purchased. A miniature clothe bound book with a story inside, and 6 songs taboot. Easily one of my favorite shows of CMJ. Buy there EP here.

Cotton Jones Basket Ride- Midnight Monday and a Telescope


Cotton Jones Basket Ride "All Along The Year"

cmj day 2: Marnie Stern

This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That
Marnie Stern @ Cake Shop, 10/22 (photo by amandalynferri)
After missing Sam Champion next door at Pianos, I headed back to the basement of Cake Shop for my first taste of Marnie Stern. And what a taste it was. Hammer-ons and power chords had me salivating and headbanging as if I were back in my post-grunge youth. This is Rock and Roll music and Marnie, although she may not always think it, is most definitely a Rocker. This was clear from the sheer density of the packed basement, which was well over capacity, and hot as fuck. So hot I did not to return to Ludlow street for the rest of the week, in favor of more comfortable, albeit empty venues, like the Bell House, where I coincidentally saw Marnie Stern again on Thursday. And, as expected, she crushed it, even though there were only 4 people in the audience, excluding performers. The only person I can compare her consistently ass kicking show to is the Boss, who, regardless of venue size, always brings the heat, whether he's in Jersey or Fargo. Stern brings the heat. She's also one of the sweetest performers I've ever met.

Marnie Stern Rockin!

CMJ day 1: Ponytail/ Passion Pit/ Jens Lekman

"People Like Me Are Fond of People Like You"
Jens Lekman (and Hunter) @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, 10/21 (photo by pixelateit)
Our night ended with a DJ set by one of our all time favorites, a certain Mister Jens Lekman. Billed as "Singing DJ Jens Lekman", we weren't quite sure what to think, but were obviously intrigued, I mean, its Jens, right. So basically, Jens fooled around with a CD-DJ, played some choice European house and sang a few bars over a few songs. Didn't know much of what he spun but Lykke Li's "Dance, Dance, Dance", Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" (unfortunately not the ODB remix), The Hood Internet's remix of his "If I Could Cry (It Would Feel Like This)" were all fun and whatnot. Nothing spectacular, but it's Jens, so who cares.

Passion Pit @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, 10/21
(photo by Jalapeno)
(photo by pixelateit)
The last time we saw Passion Pit was their second NYC appearance at Pianos in August. Things have certainly changed since then. Besides the universal love they've received from every blog, webzine and independent radio station, not to mention releasing the kick ass Chunk of Change EP, it's safe to say that, like before, Passion Pit is blowing the fuck up. Not only that, but makes sense considering their live show is about 200x better than it was at the significantly smaller Pianos. Go see them before you have to catch them at the Garden.

Ponytail @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, 10/21
(photo by Jalapeno)
(photo by Georgia Kral)
Spastic, jubilant, ecstatic, Adderall. That's basically Ponytail in a nutshell. Personally, I dig their brand of euphoric spaz punk. Granted it's certainly not for everyone, but if the idea of Bjork yelping over two frenetic guitars, which rage with MC5 "Kick Out The Jams" intensity, then definitely give them a try. Their always playing and, presumably, their always fun.

CMJ day 1: Women/ Oxford Collapse

"Get Us Blacklisted"

Women@Cake Shop 10/21(Photo by The Roaring Twenties')
Our first show of CMJ this year was Canada's Women at the pretty rad Pop Tarts Suck Toasted day party at the Cake Shop. It was 4 in the afternoon and after a bike ride over the BillyBurg bridge to the LES, the basement of the Cake Shop really made it feel like it was 3am. Women played angular, shoegazey indie that felt appropriate in the warmly lit basement. It wasn't my favorite set of CMJ, and they were really F'ing loud, and since I've only heard them over the sorta lackluster Cake Shop PA system, I think they warrant a few listens on wax.


Oxford Collapse @ Cake Shop, 10/21(Photo by Bob Reich)
Brooklyn's beloved Oxford Collapse finished off the Pop Tarts showcase at Cake Shop Tuesday afternoon with a set combing heavily from their recently released Bits, which has found steady rotation at Bobka HQ. Their post-collegiate, askewed garage rock goes really well with Happy Hour and they were light years better than when we saw them play an acoustic set at Sound Fix a few months back. As most would note, Oxford Collapse pretty much rocks live. Go see them.

Found: Easier (radio mix)

"I've lost my head..."


I was cruising the massive music library at work (150+ gigs), and came across this so-called "radio mix" of the Grizzly Bear song "Easier". Instead of a verse or chorus being chopped off, it's a total rework of the song, with completely different lyrics. Such overachievers...

Grizzly Bear - Easier (radio edit)

video: Marissa Nadler "Thinking of You"

"All Through The Morning"

Marissa Nadler just posted this beautiful and heart-wrenching video for Songs III: Bird on the Water standout "Thinking of You." The song, written from the point of view of an abandoned and emotionally shattered ex-lover, is one of the most honest, and utterly affecting post-break up songs I've ever heard. The song, and this accompanying video by Jennifer Cox, represent exactly what it feels like when you can't stop thinking about an ex and the times you spent together. From Marissa's blog:

"I couldn't help posting this lovely and beautiful video that Jennifer Cox was nice enough to make for me. It is for the song "Thinking of You" of off my recent record Songs III: Bird on the Water. I held off on posting it for a while because I think that it was so emotional and perhaps brought me back to the darkness of the time when I wrote it. Thank you Jennifer, thank you the actors, and thank you.

Not the best way to kick off a weekend, but, if you can get through this and not feel absolutely devastated by the end, consider yourself to be in a very good place mentally. Either that, or you have no soul.

By the way, Marissa will be playing the Kemado showcase tonight at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Dungen, the Muslims, TK Webb and Cheeseburger. Should be a good one.

Marissa Nadler "Thinking of You"

CMJ filler: Girls

"It Won't Last Forever"

I thought Girls were playing CMJ. Turns out they are, just not San Fran's Girls, but NYC's Girls. Bummer. Anyway, SF's Girls, on True Panther Sounds, is easily one of my favorite new bands of 2K8. The Morning Light/Lust For Life 7" is epic and they've got great videos taboot. For instance, "God Damned"(above), which takes on a a very-Full House opening credits type feel, even down to the blonde baby girl getting ice cream. And if you haven't seen it yet, the stellar "Morning Light" video is below.

"Morning Light"

mix: El Guincho

Que?
Barcelona's El Guincho just did a mix for GvB and Imeem and, unlike today's previous post, it really makes me miss Spring and Summer. If Alegranza was the soundtrack to rooftop daydrinking and bike rides through parks, then this Gorilla Contra Bear mix will surely take you back to such lovely times. Bust out the blender, some bottom shelf tequila and pretend its summer and you're unemployed, or on a cosmic trip to Rio.

El Guincho :: gorila contra bear mixtape

Claustrofobia - Paris Nostalgic (edit)
The Congos - Ark Of The Covenant (edit)
MC Solaar - Temps Mort (edit)
Marina Rossell - Morí a Revensbruck
Yoruba Andabo - María Belén (remix)
Trío Matamoros - Reclamo Místico
The Mighty Sparrow - Wood in the Fire
Phyllis Dillon - Perfidia (edit)
Docteur Nico & L'Orchestre African Fiesta - Zadio (edit)
Fase Nuova - Ritmo Salvaje, Ritmo Bestial
Extraperlo - Esperando Nuevas Órdenes
Roberto Carlos - Quero que Vá Tudo Pro Inferno

GorilaContraBear Mixtape - El Guincho

CMJ filler: Belle and Sebastian

"If They Follow You"

It wouldn't be autumn without a visit into the Belle & Sebastian archives. So remember, even though the year's almost over, but "don't look back, like Dylan in the Movies."

"Like Dylan In The Movies"

CMJ filler: Bon Iver

"Who Will Fight"
(Photo by Ryan Muir)
Since were busy working day jobs, attending day parties and night time showcases, its pretty much impossible to post anything CMJ related. Yeah, it's been one day and I'm already thoroughly exhausted. So, in place of anything new and exciting, here is a video from the first show I attended at last year's CMJ, the Bon Iver set at the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at the Bowery Ballroom. If you didn't know, it single handedly assured the world that Justin Vernon is an undeniable talent. I was mesmerized, as were most, and walked away with one of the last handmade copies of For Emma, Forever Ago. A year later, For Emma... sounds just as fresh as the autumnal air.


Bon Iver "Skinny Love" @ CMJ 2007

daytrotter: Department of Eagles

"Send Us All Away"

Daytrotter is hosting a new session by Bobka-favorites Department of Eagles. The session includes In Ear Park standout "Herring Bone", which we were really hoping to hear at the Bell House, and non-album track "1997", which we did hear at the Bell House. Just in time for the first jacket and scarf days in NYC. Grab 'em while their hot. And remember, Election day isn't just for voting, it's for picking up In Ear Park on vinyl too.

Department of Eagles- Herring Bone
Department of Eagles- 1997
Department of Eagles- What is Your Deal?