This is Just a Modern Rock Post...

So, by the time that you are all reading this at your office desks on Wednesday morning the whole "What did everyone do this weekend?" question might seem beside the point. However, I don't care! I would still like to know.

I was personally quite impressed with the set that A Sunny Day in Glasgow put on at Pehrspace on Saturday night. It was completely different from the last time I saw them live, and even more completely different from their recorded sound. It was loud, it was kind of raw, and it was more than kind of great. We had a more than kind of great dance party afterwards as well. It was actually one of the most fun Saturday nights that I have experienced in a long while despite the fact that it made work the next day ever so slightly painful. No matter, it's something that I would repeat every weekend if given the chance. Which I *ahem* luckily enough do have the chance to do next weekend. We'll be spinning records at Pehrspace again, this time in between sets from Mad Gregs, One Trick Pony, and The Slow Demise. Naturally we would love to see you there...

I took a spontaneous trip to San Luis Obispo this week so I imagine that most of my days for the rest of the week will be spent walking around, and spending an unhealthy amount of time in record stores, and an unhealthy (but necessary) amount of time in a car. I would like to spend my extra days off writing though, so hopefully there will be some of that as well...


~sqg marion

Sleeps on Water, Walks on Ice

Good morning. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. Most of mine was spent working, and trying to catch up with a few records that I hadn't yet been able to spend enough time with. I was able to make it out to Part Time Punks for the first time in several month last night; therefore rendering me exhausted enough to almost mispell the word Spoon on Morning Becomes Eclectic's playlist... in two different ways! A little exhaustion is completely worth having a new local band to adore. WEAVE! fell onto my radar on Saturday night when I saw a Part Time Punks bulliten that described them in this way, "Female group chants backed by minimal tribal post-punk thump. Brings to mind Y Pants & The Raincoats . . . which is very, very good." Yes, it is very very good, and very, very accurate. Another friend brought up the fact that they reminded him of early B-52s which didn't come across to me last night, but kind of makes sense now that I think about it. They are also a bit similar in nature to my South by Southwest 2008 highlight Finally Punk except from what I saw none of the vocalists in WEAVE! played an insrument, and no one in the band played a saxophone.

You could see them this Saturday at the Tiny Creatures Gallery, and if it were any other day I would whole heartedly advocate that you do just that. HOWEVER, A Sunny Day in Glasgow are playing at Pehrspace this Saturday, and I have to advocate much more strongly that you go to this show. If for nothing else than the fact that you have another chance to see WEAVE! a few weeks later (on May 13 to be specific) at the Smell. We have no idea when A Sunny Day in Glasgow will be able to grace us with their presecnce again, but it will likely not be anytime to soon. You might also remember that A Sunny Day in Glasgow's first full length Scribble Mural Comic Journal was my favorite record of 2007. This will be my second time seeing their live show, and based on what I saw from them last time, the sound translates beautifully from record to stage, every intricate layer and distorted effect that interweave to fill every square inch of the songs that they inhabit sounds just as impressive in a live context. In fact, live, the intricacies are able to spill out and fill every square inch of the ROOM that they inhabit. Oh, and we will be spining some records in between sets from the bands who also include State Bird, and No Little Kindness who both promise to be fantasic. We'll also be joined by the staggeringly great DJ Ale (Dublab, Languis.) His sets will likely be good enough to make us question our life choices. So come out and play with us; dance, drink (if you forget to bring your beverage of choice we might even be persuaded to give you a free beer while supplies last,) and well, be merry. We'll see you on Saturday!

~sqg marion

The Blue Light from the Christmas Strands is Beautiful

Hello all! I hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas complete with seriously great Christmas music. We switched to Michael Jackson's Number Ones, and Wolfie 7 inches by about 11 am where I was, but the day did begin with Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald singing the classics.

I'm up early contemplating whether or not I realistically have time to make a compilation of my favorite songs of the year (normally, I have it together to give people in addition to their Christmas gifts.) Though, I am pet sitting this week which means a lot of nights in, and so many good songs to sort through...

Also, as a bit of a late Christmas present, and further proof that 2008 is going to be an awesome year for music. That song that the makers of my favorite album of 2007, A Sunny Day in Glasgow will have released as part of the Slumberland 7 inch series? A Pastels cover!!! They describe it like this:

"Slumberland Records will release our cover of the Pastels' "Sometimes I Think About You" on 7" in March of 08. We think it's a pretty cool cover. For reasons we don't understand at all, it kind of sounds like Underworld and maybe Neu! covering the Pastels? We don't know how it happened."

You can read that directly from the source, as well as some other interesting tidbits (other new singles, a potential new album, a vinyl release for Scribble Mural Comic Journal, etc.) here.

Listening Too Long To One Song: A Sunny Day in Glasgow "C'mon"

It's time of year when everyone who likes to write about music feels the urge to present a best of list, and I'm no exception. Okay, I'm actually giddy over the fact that I get to present a best of list, although I'm presenting more of a favorites list. I'm nowhere near qualified, nor did I hear enough new records this year to determine which ones were actually the best. For the past few days I've been going back to the records that really stood out to me this year. I've also been trying desperately to catch up on the ones that I know I will enjoy, but just haven't been able to purchase yet. Even though there are still one or two that I need to spend more time with, I'm fairly confident that Scribble Mural Comic Journal the first full length from A Sunny Day in Glasgow will end up as my favorite. Needless to say, I've been listening to it a lot lately.

C'mon wasn't necessarily the song that grabbed me when I first fell in love with this record earlier in the year, but for some reason this time around it really has. Something to do with the slightly off instrumentation, the effects given to the vocals to make them sound like a beautifully distorted children's song, the way it all sounds so perfect in my headphones while walking around Echo Park on a chilly, dark, and slightly rainy afternoon. The video is posted below so you can hear it for yourself.
You can read an interview with Ben Daniels, the mastermind behind this project, here.
Oh! And did you hear that A Sunny Day in Glasgow are planning to release a 7 inch for Slumberland Record's Searching for the Now series sometime in 2008? I can hardly wait for that to start. Who's ready to jump immediately into the next year with me?