Brace Yourselves.

I'd be willing to bet that this isn't new news to a handful of my fellow Wesleyan students, because lets face it the cliche is somewhat true and, in my opinon, there's really nothing wrong with that. BUT. for those of you who don't know, Animal Collective is set to release a DVD set entitled "Oddsac", featuring a "53-minute film, with new songs and score" complete with a 40-page hardcover art book. As if their music wasn't enough, Animal Collective lovers around the world I'm sure are about to be blown away with the introduction of 2 new mediums of their magic. I'm stoked. And apparently, if you pre-order the DVD you get $5 off and a free poster.... my bet is that it's completely and utterly worth it.

Pre-order "Oddsac" here.

The Future Is Fervent, To Say The Least

This past Thursday, I went to Amoeba for a free show to see Future Islands, a new-wave/ electronic trio from Baltimore that emerged sometime around 2006 and whose latest album, In Evening Air, was released in early May. I am not hard to convince to attend a free concert, at Amoeba nonetheless, but the experience seeing this group live was quite unexpected. To quote one of my friends that came along, the guys in the group look more like accountants than musicians; however, upon taking the stage, the lead singer pretty much stunned every onlooker with the amount of passion and vein-popping intensity he put into his performance. In some ways he reminded me of a broadway musical antagonist, in others he seemed to be an 80's punk rocker trapped in the body of a man going through some sort of mid-life crisis. I was left pretty unsure about how I felt about this group, but nevertheless anyone who puts that much passion and energy into putting on a show has my respect. The music itself, in my opinion, is much better recorded than it is live; I quite enjoy listening to songs like "Walking Through That Door" and "In The Fall" on my iPod, and I fear the lead singer's over-exuberance detracted from the quality of the songs. Their music is worth giving a try, it definitely caters to a very specific demographic but I will let you all decide for yourselves.

Listen to their music @ myspace.com/futureislands

I would never have thought I'd be caught dead saying this but...

The Eclipse soundtrack....is fucking good. I don't watch/ have never seen any of the Twilight movies but it really took me by surprise how many of my favorite artists and artists I have a lot of respect for (Florence + The Machine, The Dead Weather, Vampire Weekend, Bat for Lashes, Fanfarlo, Band of Horses, etc.) have all contributed to the album. The album as a whole, as expected, is seductively dark but really quite beautifully strung together. I'm really impressed! If you get a chance to listen to the album I (well, quite predictably) recommend "Rolling In on a Burning Tire", "Heavy In Your Arms", "Jonathan Low", and "Let's Get Lost". Listen to Flo's song HERE.

Flo's "Cosmic Love" Music Video: The Most Aesthetically Pleasing Thing I've Ever Seen

This video is so gorgeous and perfect in every way, I think it's impossible not to be moved by it. Watch.

Mumford and Sons at The Fonda- 6/4/10

Now I know I am one to be deeply affected by seeing live music, but very few shows have the ability to give me the heart-wrenchingly overexcited feeling that I may actually pass out because of how incredibly elated I am..... Mumford and Sons was one of these shows. Hearing songs like "Timshel", "The Cave", "Roll Away Your Stone", with their beautiful harmonies and cleverly strung together musical compositions, would've been enough; however, I was really blown away by the group's incredible dynamic and Marcus Mumford's effortlessly unique and powerful vocals and, who would've known, closet drum skills?? To top it all off, they decided after much heckling by the crowd to play an all acoustic version of "Winter Winds", using no electronics and only a mandolin, banjo, accordian, and bass. Maybe it was something about standing right underneath them that made it so moving, but I actually burst into tears. All I have to say is, if you EVER get the chance to see this incredible band play live, do not pass it by.

The opening act, The Middle East, was also incredibly talented... and played a song which my friend Eliza and I have been trying to find about the Vietnam War that was sort of spoken word but had all-instrumental segments that were just so epic the entire audience couldn't help but shriek with joy and jump recklessly around the floor of general admission. All in all, this show was phenominal and probably one of the best from 2010 thus far (which is saying a lot, let me just tell you). Here are some of my photos from the show and a video of Mumford and Sons playing "Winter Winds":