THE TWO MIRRORS

A Better Offer

2007-03-21T09:53:00.000-04:00

So, you may be wondering what happened to The Two Mirrors? We've moved our site and our mission. Here is what we are hoping to do at our new blog...

Our goal here is to spotlight a band for an extended period of time. We anticipate wrting about one band exclusively for approximately two weeks. If something really worthwhile comes up, We'll most likely post it over at the two mirrors and post a link on this site. Please support the bands featured on A Better Offer by purchasing thier music, wearing their t-shirts, seeing them live, or telling your friends about them. The majority of bands covered are independent artists that would love your support.

And big ups to Jeff at Out With The Kids, for giving A Better Offer the royal treatment! Read his post here.

A contest

2006-10-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

So I have been posting a little less than normal lately. It's for many reasons, but mostly because I've also been posting over at (sm)all ages while Clea is away. Read my guest posts here.

Also, you should all have bought Letting Up Despite Great Faults new EP by now. I mean for god sakes, did you listen to the song of the month? Go back down and listen if you haven't heard it yet. And if you didn't buy it yet, I have some great news for you. The guys from Letting Up... have graciously given the two mirrors a copy of thier new EP Movement to give away. So all you have to do is send an email to thetwomirrors@yahoo.com with the subject Letting Up and send your mailing address in the body. And in two weeks RD and I will randomly pick a winner. Come on its that easy. You might even say, easy like sunday morning.

And finally Jeremy Enigk has announced some more tour dates (thank you Brian Newton), this time opening for Cursive. I am one extremely happy camper. You can bet I'll be down in Gainsville for this show. Check them out if they happen to come near you.

10/31 - Marquee Theatre, Tempe, AZ
11/01 - Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ
11/03 - The Black Sheep, Colorado Springs, CO
11/09 - Sokol Auditorium, Omaha, NE
11/11 - The Blue Note, Columbia, MO
11/12 - Young Avenue Deli, Memphis, TN
11/13 - Bottletree, Birmingham, AL
11/14 - Variety Theatre, Atlanta, GA
11/16 - Satellite Ballroom, Charlottesville, VA
11/17 - Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte, NC
11/18 - Cats Cradle, Carrboro, NC
11/20 - The Moon, UF, Tallahassee, FL
11/21 - Reitz Union Ballroom, UF, Gainesville, FL
11/22 - The Club @ Firestone, Orlando, FL
11/24 - Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
11/25 - Emo's, Austin, TX
11/26 - Gypsy Ballroom, Dallas, TX

Song Whores--October ZC

2006-10-05T23:46:00.000-04:00

Song: Maybe I'll Hide With You

Band: Letting Up Despite Great Faults

Album: Movement

Time: 3:48

Photo by Ejen Chuang

So it's time for the post formerly known as song of the month. I cannot say enough amazing things about the Letting Up Despite Great Faults. I will definitely say this more than one time in this post...GO BUY THE RECORD. You can buy it from their website or amazon or cd baby. And now on to my review.

So Letting Up first and foremost has a very unique sound. I would say you could think Postal Service or Plus/Minus but that is just because of the electronic feel. Just think really good music. Music that evokes some emotion. There is a heavy emphasis on the piano and acoustic guitars. And an interesting side note is that the vocals are intentionally mixed as to not dominate the songs. The band feels that vocals are simply another instrument and should not dominate the mix. For me, my song of the month is undoubtedly Maybe I'll Hide With You. And as promised, I was able to spend some time talking (via email) with the Mike (the singer from Letting Up Despite Great Faults) about this track.

The first thing you will notice as you listen to this track is how beautiful the melody is. And around 2 minutes and 15 seconds there is a change that changes the way the song feels. I asked Mike specifically about how this musical change played into the story being told. Mike informed that lyrically this song was written about suicide and that when this musical change occurs it was for a very specific reason. "The "goodbye"-s came very naturally. It was a blatant statement about leaving the world but I think the fact that the music becomes more upbeat and the vocal harmonies (which later I re-recorded with Kent and Patrick) become brighter makes it ironically uplifting. This was something very conscious on my part when writing it b/c you can commit suicide (I'm not referring to the physical kind) and it frees you in ways you never thought possible." Now during this change in the song Mike sings "and we will all be there for you." He commented on how fake that statement can sometimes feel. How many times have we heard those words in tough times only to feel completely alone throughout. Mike calls it a, "play on the insincerity that can be expressed at our caring for one another."

Next I asked Mike about some specific lyrics in the song. He talks about a "town" that he can always hide from. I asked if this town was a real place or something more metaphorical. His response was, "The physical "town" I'm referring to is a suburbÃ‚Â well 2 particular suburbs in southern California. They exemplify how some people try their best to make everything picture perfect, but forget that sometimes that means sacrificing character and substance." We also talked about, in my humble opinion, the most prolific lyric in the song. Towards the end of the song Mike sings, "And all you say to me is hanging on to yesterday." I wondered how much that line played on the importance our past and how it affected our future. And maybe how other people view our pasts. Mike wrote me some amazing insight into this line. He wrote that the line, "was actually ad-libbed when I was recording. I needed an end so I just pushed record and sang (well sort of mumbled) that line. This is probably my favorite line in the song because I know I had to have meant it. I never wrote it down." He then expanded this idea with, "I think I meant that some people can be a bit over-obsessed about the past. Everything they say is something that is hanging on from the past. Sometimes it is best to let go as much as you can and not let the past devour the bright future you have. Sometimes you have to stop hiding."

Okay Two Mirrors readers. If you purchase one cd in the next few weeks, get your hands on a copy of Movement by Letting Up Despite Great Faults. Listen to Maybe I'll Hide With You and you'll understand. I assure you that it is worth your $9. That's right folks it's only $9 from their website.

Letting Up Despite Great Faults--Maybe I'll Hide With You

And you can also download a few other tracks from their website. Check them out.

And for even more Letting Up, listen to Shifted Sound Podcast #27

Letting the Tall Poppy Shine

2006-09-28T10:43:00.000-04:00

So my good friend Rachelle passed on to me a two disc collection of Australian indie musicians. She compiled some of Australia's finest and I'd like to share a sampling of my favorites. And as always if you find something you like, click on the link and buy their stuff.

Youth Group had some success recently as they opened up for Death Cab for Cutie on the first leg of their Plans tour. They are from Sydney and in July of 2006 they released Casino Twilight Dogs on Ivy League Records. I had some knowledge of Youthgroup's music, but didn't understand how stellar their stuff is. They have a nice rockin sound. Nothing too strange and a really easy listen. Check out these two tracks.

Youth Group--Shadowland

Youth Group--Catching and Killing

Goyte (pronounced goit) was next up and by far these two songs were my favorite songs from the Australia comp. His music is simply stunning. He has that quality in his music where it's almost uncomfortable to listen too. Think early Bright Eyes with an electronic edge. Both of these tracks are highly recommended! You will be hearing more from Goyte when I get the new record. You can order it here.

Goyte--Hearts a Mess

Goyte--Thanks for Your Time

Carly and Paul provided nice change of pace during the 2 disc compilation. Carly and Paul do not have a record out nor do they even have a webpage to view. They simply have a couple of stunning songs. This track is called Without Me. Clearly they have quite the influence of Tori Amos. And for those of you who really know me, know about my addiction to Tori. RD has even gone to a few shows with me in the past. Back to Carly and Paul. While this rough mix was recorded in one day, this teacher and milkman (its true) duo provide one of the smoothest melodies I have heard in a while. The piano mixed with an acoustic guitar is always a nice combination and Carly and Paul do a fantastic job with this track.

Carly and Paul--Without Me

And Finally is the spirit of Australia, I just need to post this cover of Ben Lee doing Modest Mouse's Float On. I blatantly stole this cover from I Guess I'm Floating from one his Thursday and Covers posts. So check out his site cause he's got some outstanding stuff over there.

Ben Lee--Float On

And on a COMPLETELY SEPARATE note, if you are not listening to the Shifted Sound Podcast yet, you better recognize. Shelby has turned me on to some really great bands lately and has played many a Two Mirrors favorite over time. So go to ITunes and download the podcasts. Also, while you are dowloading the podcast or these great Australian tracks, go over to Shifted Sound and vote for him at podcast alley. I want to see Shifted Sound in the top ten. Just follow the simple directions. Go do it, I promise it doesn't take long.

Check out (sm)all ages and Oh No! Oh My!

2006-09-24T23:15:00.000-04:00

So I RD and me are guest blogging over at (sm)all ages while Clea is away. Along with slew of other guest bloggers. I put the first guest post up over there tonight. Read it here. You may be wondering what the hell RD is going to post at site for kids (Cash reserve your teddy bear jokes if at all possible) but you'll see what he's got.

Anyway. I got some stuff you should be listening too. I think one of things I should make clear about my role in this site is that very rarely I am going to bring you a band that no one has ever heard of. In fact if you read often enough, you'll know that in the blog world, I am usually one of the last to know about a band. Having said that, maybe my role here is to remind you of a band that just blew up on the blogs and then faded away. With blogs wanting to give you the next big thing first, sometimes the old big thing (which was REALLY good) gets pushed aside. Anyway Oh No! Oh My! have a self released record that you can buy at insound and it's really good. Here is sampling of tracks from that record. Like I said these songs have floated around the blogs for a while but you may have forgotten how great they are. Listen especially to The Backseat. It's one of my current favorites.

Oh No! Oh My!--The Backseat

Oh No! Oh My!--Walk in the Park

Oh No! Oh My!--Skip the Foreplay

My mom is cooler than your mom

2006-09-23T15:09:00.000-04:00

So the story goes something like this...

We have Friday night family night every week at my folks house. My brother and his wife (who are expecting), my family of four, and my mom and dad get together every Friday for dinner. Madness ensues as we laugh and enjoy life. Anyway, last week mom says check out this band I heard on NPR. I obliged thinking what could she possibly have heard that I hadn't heard yet. My arrogance backfired as she turned me on to the Silversun Pickups. Somehow in my endless search for good music these guys went unnoticed. Not that others hadn't blogged about them, but I just didn't pay attention. I am really digging this track right now. The melody is just amazing and it has this great 90's indie rock feel. I have placed an order for their new album which can be purchased here...

Purchase Carnavas from Silversun Pickups from Insound

Go buy it.

And take a listen here...

MP3 Silversun Pickups--Three Seed

And they are on tour right now with Viva Voce. Check them out if they come near you...

September 28, The Rickshaw / San Francisco, CA
September 29, Howie & Sons / Visalia, CA
September 30, The Echo / Los Angeles, CA
October 1, Modified / Phoenix, AZ
October 3, Emo's / Austin, TX
October 4, Opolis / Norman, OK
October 5, Randy Bacon Gallery / Springfield, MO
October 6, Jackpot / Lawrence, KS
October 7, Courtyard Cafe / Champaign, IL
October 8, Southgate House / Newport, KY
October 10, Iota / Washington, DC
October 11, Mercury Lounge / New York, NY
October 12, Mercury Lounge / New York, NY
October 13, Johnny Brenda's / Philadelphia, PA
October 14, Boston University / Boston, MA
October 15, Middle East / Boston, MA
October 16, Bug Jar / Rochester, NY
October 17, Lee's Place / Toronto, ONT
October 18, Lime Spider / Akron, OH
October 19, Little Brothers / Columbus, OH
October 20, Empty Bottle / Chicago, IL
October 21, The M-Shop / Ames, IA
October 22, Mojo's / Columbia, MO
October 24, The Hi Dive / Denver, CO
October 26, Neurolux / Boise, ID
October 27, The Crocodile / Seattle, WA
October 28, The Doug Fir / Portland, OR

Now It's Overhead

2006-09-17T22:55:00.000-04:00

I know I know I should have gone to the show. I can't tell you guys how many times I have said those words to RD. I always seem to miss the really good shows. Now I have seen my share of amazing ones too, but life sometimes gets in the way. (It's a life that I wouldn't trade for the world by the way).

Anyway Now It's Overhead have been a band that I have listened to for quite some time now. Yet, for some reason they have never made it to that level of "the next greatest thing" (or something like that). Well this new record may just change that. I am really enjoying thier new album Dark Light Daybreak. I think the following two tracks are two of their finest. I think you should be listening too.

Now It's Overhead--Night Vision

Now It's Overhead--Nothing in Our Way

Take two

2006-09-14T22:07:00.000-04:00

So why is it that bands sometimes take a older song of theirs and remake it later on? I have struggled with this idea for quite some time. Before going any further, it is important to note that one of my favorite performers is quite guilty of this, yet he is the one of the few who is successful with the idea (Bright Eyes--When the Curious Girl Realizes She is Under Glass and When the Curious Girl Realizes She is Under Glass again; Feb. 15h and Happy Birthday to Me (Feb. 15th). Plus/Minus and Death Cab for Cutie are two other bands who have done this also to their music. For whatever reason sometimes it doesn't turn out as well as the listener would like. Below are two recent examples of songs that I absolutely loved, and then the artist rerecorded it and I don't enjoy it quite as much. Both versions of these two tracks are good, but the original is so much better. Take a listen and tell me what you think

The Dears--There Goes my Outfit (demo from Beneath the Surface Volume 2--A Bella Union Sampler)

The Dears--There Goes my Outfit (from the recent release Gang of Losers)

AND

The Long Winters--ultimatum (from the ultimatum EP)

The Long Winters--ultimatum (from their recent release Putting the Days to Bed)

For the record The Dears new album is super and so is The Long Winters. Check them out.

Song Whores--September ZC

2006-09-12T20:00:00.000-04:00

Song of the Month (now re-titled Song Whores)

Band: The Golden Dogs

Song: Never Meant Any Harm

Album: Big Eye Little Eye

Time: 2 minutes, 56 seconds

So my song of the month comes from The Golden Dogs. I must first give a shout out to Shifted Sound for turning me onto these Canadian musicians. They are making some really catchy and refreshing music. And Dave from the band was kind enough to send some info about the song over to the two mirrors for my song of the month. He also sent a full copy of the lyrics, which I'll be happy to post if anyone would like. Anyways here is my full review.

The song begins with a drum machine to provide the overall feel for the song. The recording process for Dave usually begins with an 8 track recorder and he uses a drum machine to “guide to get the main feel of the song” After which he “then replaces them with real drums on the actual recordings.” However, Dave enjoyed the “Kraftwork” feel of the song so he left the drum machine in the beginning of the song. However, “real drums get introduced in the break down after the bridge and eventually turns into a rock song for the last verse/chorus.” One of the defining aspects of this song is how it changes from a electronic type introduction into a rock type song in the middle. The song has such a nice feel to it and this change truly adds to the intensity of this song. Dave informed me that this change was intentional and he likes, “how the cold, staccato techno parts eventually turn into a very stripped down rock song.”

The lyrics of this track are especially amazing. Dave told me he feels like the song is, “about going head first into your dreams and realizing that you've pulled other people's lives into your dreams. Then dealing with the fact that it's a very risky thing to do and feeling the responsibility of it all.” In the opening verse he sings, “thought I wanted more, looked around, just to see what would happen.” I think we all know that feeling in our dreams where we explore a little too far, and then you do feel that sense of guilt in the morning. It’s such a crazy thing. Because we all know that it was simply a dream, yet we get that feeling of guilt when we wake up. And Dave giftedly captures that feeling in his lyrics. Finally, Dave did mention that there are a “few hidden meanings that I won't tell you about.” Spoken like a true artist. We all get to have some fun with the rest.

So, download and listen to the absolute brilliance of The Golden Dogs. And by the way, as always, if you like this track, go buy it here.

The Golden Dogs--Never Meant Any Harm

Some things I'd like to share

2006-09-08T23:06:00.000-04:00

First off, thanks for all the love and support for my award. It has just been an insane couple of days and I have a strange feeling this year is going to be just as wild. I am truly honored and humbled by the whole experience. Okay enough of that and onto the good stuff....

1. The illustrious Clea has posted my monthly guest post over at (sm)all ages. If you guys are reading her site yet, you gotta check it out.

2. The first contest from the two mirrors is over, and even though he did not follow instructions, Cash won the Arizona EP. Congrats Cash--hope you continue to enjoy their music. And the good news is he runs an amazing record store here in Jacksonville. You should be shopping there.

3. Arizona has landed a huge gig with the Whigs at the Mercury Lounge in New York. They are asking for your/our support. If you live in New York or know anyone who lives in New York, get them to that show. They really feel like this is a turning point for their band. Read the whole thing here.

4. My song of the month (soon to be re-titled) will be up by mid week. It's a good one, I've got some great stuff to share and I promise to keep it a little shorter.

5. Im off to Orlando for the weekend. You can believe my ass will be at Park Ave. cds for some new tunes.

And now for reading all of that, a song that I think is absolutely brilliant.

The Lovely Feathers--The Only Appalachian

I-Dee-Clair-War

2006-09-03T14:07:00.000-04:00

In honor of our first ever contest, RD and me (I know grammatically that should be I but me sounds so much better) played a little game of IPOD war. IPOD war is free, fun, and legal in most countries. You play the game just like the card game War. You put your IPOD on shuffle and the first song that comes up battles your friend’s first song. A long discussion follows about which song is better and winner is crowned. So we played five rounds (actually six—see below) to determine who was the winner in the first game of IPOD war here at the two mirrors. Hint: the winner was Sunday. Here is how the game went. Oh yeah you can download each song if you don’t know them and leave your comments about how we were wrong.

Sunday (ZC)

Versus

Broken POS (RD)

Round 1

The National Anthem (live) Radiohead, I Might Be Wrong

Versus

Happily Divided Sebadoh, Bubble and Scrape

Decision: Sebadoh takes down Radiohead because it was the live (and in our opinion sub par to the original) version of The National Anthem. Plus we are on a Sebadoh kick right now.

Round 2
Luna Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream

Versus

Jed Others Poem Grandaddy, The Sophtware Slump

Decision: Smashing Pumpkins in a landslide victory. One of the greatest songs of the 90’s from one of the best albums of the 90’s.

Round 3:

The Prophet (live) Sunny Day Real Estate, Live

Versus

Skip Divided Thom Yorke, The Eraser

Decision: The Prophet takes down Thom’s solo effort. RD described this song as the low one. And he was right. The Prophet is not the greatest Sunny Day song but this live version is outstanding.

Round 4:

Fix Up, Look Sharp Dizzee Rascal, Boy in Da Corner

Versus

In Particular Blonde Redhead, Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons

Decision: Blonde Redhead wins as Dizzee Rascal falls short. The Dizzee song is great yet Blonde Redheads sound beats out Dizzee’s crazy vocals.

Round 5:

The Tourist Radiohead, OK Computer

Versus

Man, Wife, the Latter Desaparacidos, Read Music/ Speak Spanish

Decision: Okay, we were tied 2-2 coming into this fifth round. We both agree that The Tourist is probably a better song, but being that it was the fifth and final round we wanted a clear winner. So onto round 6.

Round 6:

I Was Meant for the Stage Decemberists, Her Majesty The Decemberists

Versus

Title and Registration (demo) Death Cab for Cutie, B-sides

Decision: The Decemberists pounce all over Death Cab. This is probably one of the Decemberists’ best tracks. It is so grand and the lyrics are simply stellar. We had our clear winner.

SUNDAY. (3-2)

Song of the Month - r.d.

2006-09-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

I've been accused of being a "song whore*" in the past, but Brother is seriously one of the best songs I've ever heard. The Annuals are from Raleigh/Chapel Hill, NC and are set to release an Album on Ace Fu Records on October 17th and an EP on Terpsikhore Inc. (which I can find absolutely no info on).

Easily my song of the month - most likely my song of the year

MP3 The Annuals - Brother

rd

* song whore - A person who says "This is the greatest song I've ever heard" everytime they hear a new song they like.

Arizona strikes again

2006-08-30T22:16:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to throw up quick post to let you all in on some exciting news about Arizona. The guys sent me an email yesterday to let me know that they loaded three live songs up on their myspace page. These songs are available (for a limited time) for download. They were kind enough to give The Two Mirrors permission to post them here too. So below are the links to download them, but when they take them off the myspace page they will come down from our site soon. So get them now. They are stellar to say the least. And it ties in well with our contest. Don't forget to send us an email with the name of your IPOD and why. We will pick a winner next Friday.

Somersby (live)--Arizona. Wow. Wow. I don't know if I can say enough about this version of this song. Many of you know about my love affair with this track. It is one the best songs I have heard this year by far. And it translates so well live. You gotta listen to this version of the song. I think thier energy brings a new level to this song. And the outro is simply beautiful.

Stay Wit Who Ya Know (live)--Arizona. A rocking version of this track. It's a fun song that I actually like better live than I did on the album. Not to say that the recorded version of the song is not good, but I think this live version tells the story better. Check it out. You can tell how much fun they are having too while they play this song.

New Song/Surviving the Savior (live)--Arizona. So this is what the guys sent me about this song..."a new song from our upcoming EP". That is some of the greatest music news I have read in a while. I think we are all excited about where this band is headed and the fact that WBDC was just released and they are already planning a new ep release is outstanding. And wait until you hear how this leads into Surviving the Savior. Good stuff.

You can now buy thier fantastic record Welcome Back Dear Children at Insound. GO BUY THIS RECORD.

The Contest

2006-08-28T22:52:00.000-04:00

Ladies and Gentleman, may I present to you the first Two Mirrors contest. I have in my hands, not right now of course—it’s just a figure of speech, an extra copy of the fantastic EP from Arizona, The Sun and the Room. This EP consists of 4 super songs that is a must have for any music fan. These guys are making some of the most amazing music that we have heard in a long time.

What do I have to do you may ask. Well as you all know I just got my first IPOD. And I like to name things. My IPOD has a name, Sunday. That’s right Sunday is her name. My good friend DP once told me he was “easy like Sunday morning.” And since then I have stolen that motto and used it as my own. Now obviously DP stole that from Lionel Ritchie but hey who’s keeping track. Back to Sunday. She was so easy to use when I got her that I decided that her name should be Sunday. What in the world does this have to do with the contest. Well we are looking for the most creative, exciting, unique name for your IPOD (or faux IPOD). Just send us an email at thetwomirrors@yahoo.com describing your IPOD’s name and how you decided on his or her name and we will pick a winner. And if you don’t have an IPOD make a good name up. Hey we are easy here. And the winner will have the Arizona EP The Sun and The Room shipped to his or her door, free of charge. Make sure you email us your mailing address too.

Good luck.

Here is an MP3 from The Sun and The Room.

MP3--Jubilee

Oh and RD is going to drop the name of his IPOD in the comments.

The Rosebuds

2006-08-24T22:13:00.000-04:00

The Rosebuds have been one of my favorite bands for the last few years. I'm very happy to announce that they have released a new demo thru their myspace blog. Although they have used drum machines in the past, this sounds quite different than anything they have done previously. Buy Birds Make Good Neighbors - one of the best albums of 2005!

MP3 The Rosebuds - Hold On To This Coat

Taking on Goliath takes on music

2006-08-24T22:00:00.000-04:00

The magnificent DP has donated his musical knowledge to the two mirrors in this fantastic guest post. If you have not already, you should be reading Taking on Goliath daily. Okay enough of me, let's hear from the DP...

So, my boy Zak was kind enough to post my unsolicited music post, and we thank him greatly.

If you don't know me, I'm Flavobean, the guy behind Taking on Goliath. I don't do music, I do politics. Well, sometimes I do music.

But for all intents and purposes, you want music, you come to The Two Mirrors. These guys do music and they do music well.

So enough with the praise and self promotion. I'm writing here at TTM because I have come across an upcoming CD that sounds pretty awesome.

It's Colours Are Brighter, a children's album curated by those sad sacky bastards from across the pond Belle and Sebastian.

Easily, not one of my favorite bands.

But it has all these children's songs done by some pretty big names (Snow Patrol, Franz Ferdinand, Rasputina). I'm personally addicted to The Four Tet's "Go Go Ninja Dinosaur" but I love all things strange and Asian.

[insert inappropriate Asian porn joke here]

I'm also digging Snow Patrol's "I Am An Astronaut."

Anyway, the CD drops October 16 (I guess Oct 17 here). You can here the Snow Patrol and Four Tet track at the website, Colours Are Brighter. You can also check them out at their MySpace page.

Alright, like my boy Tom Cruise says...

Much Love.

Shifted Sound and the D

2006-08-22T22:26:00.000-04:00

The fine folks over at Shifted Sound are running a great podcast that you should be listening to. The Two Mirrors received an email from Shelby Miller, the host, about a recent episode that featured The Two Mirrors favs Arizona. So I went over and listened to my first ever podcast and was thouroughly pleased. Not only did Shelby provide a fantastic interview which provided much insight into the making of Welcome Back Dear Children, but he also played some fantastic tunes from Arizona. All of the tunes were preceded by an introduction by one of the members of the band. The Shifted Sound Arizona interview can be heard here:

Shifted Sound Episode 023

I highly suggest that you sign up and listen to Shelby's podcast. He has featured bands such as Bishop Allen, Irving, The Long Winters, Oh No Oh My, Maria Taylor, and many more. Upcoming podcasts will include exclusive live tracks from John Ralston, a show cohosted by Wintergreen's Drew Mottinger and more.

And for those of you who are wondering, the IPOD loading is still going on. I am up to letter T in my library and while I have been loading I have been reminded of some fantastic music that I own that I may have forgotten about. If you don't laugh at this song below than you should check your pulse. Good stuff that reminds me of Dinosaur World and mullets.

Tenacious D--Inward Singing

Another Reason To Be Proud Of Jacksonville

2006-08-18T10:35:00.000-04:00

Mogwai

2006-08-17T19:34:00.000-04:00

I can't understand why more people do not listen to Mogwai. Most people I know have heard of them but didn't really pay much attention. For the last ten years they have been putting out some really good records. They released Mr. Beast this year and it's definitely in my top ten of 2006 so far.

MP3 - Mogwai - Glasgow Mega-Snake from Mr. Beast (highly recommended)

MP3 - Hunted By A Freak from Happy Songs For Happy People

rd

Isn't she pretty

2006-08-16T23:11:00.000-04:00

So I got an IPOD. And I also got a Sounddock from Bose. Life is good. For years now I resisted getting an IPOD for reasons way to complicated and various to describe here. But I have one now. And life has changed. I know all you hipsters went through this life changing process years ago, but nevertheless I am here now. So I have been up countless hours adding music to my library and after tonight I will have added everything that I want on there up to the letter J. That is actually about half my cds. For those of you who don't know A-J is rather encompassing for me because of my obsession with Tori Amos, Bright Eyes, and Death Cab for Cutie. So in celebration of my first 1166 songs loaded on the old IPOD, I thought I'd try a little something. I just turned it one and pressed shuffle. Below are the first three songs that played. I did not edit or skip any songs. I kept it as real as it comes. I hope you enjoy the tracks.

Starlight Mints--Sidewalk. I posted this song before but it may have gotten lost in the shuffle. I actually really like the Starlight Mints. And this song happens to be one of top three favorite Mints songs. It got a great melody. The opening notes tell the whole story.

Bright Eyes--Everything Must Belong Somewhere. Oh you all can thank my IPOD another day. this track is so amazing. I think I may have mentioned my Bright Eyes obsession before. And this song is just stellar. Conor shows some of his most exceptional lyrics on this track. Please for your own good download this song. I can't promise it will stay up forever. I feel a little uneasy posting it as it is. But I set the rules for IPOD post and I had to follow them.

Death Cab for Cutie--Champagne From a Paper Cup. I really think this is the highlight from Something About Airplanes. The lyric "I think I'm drunk enough to drive you home now," tells the whole story.

Song of the Month--Somersby

2006-08-13T00:47:00.000-04:00

Song Title: MP3-- Somersby

Band: Arizona

Album: Welcome Back Dear Children

Time: 4:08

So I have been listening to Welcome Back Dear Children nonstop for a month or so now. And I still have not quite found a way to describe to you all how amazing this record is. But as I was driving to work on Monday—that’s right it's back to work for this teacher—I was listening to Somersby and I thought I gotta find a way to spotlight this song on the two mirrors. So I came up with the (unoriginal) idea of spotlighting a song each month. However, my intentions were to really go deep into the song and share with you all my feelings and hopefully gain some insight from the band about the track. Well Ben, from Arizona, was kind enough to share with me an abundance of information about Somersby and I am going to do my best to synthesize it all together for you below. Anyway, we hope to keep this feature going but it’s going to be hard to top this track.

Somersby finds itself nuzzled in at track 10 on Welcome Back Dear Children and it follows Surviving the Savior which is a tough act to follow. However, it quickly proves itself as the highlight of this record. Somersby begins with a keyboard piece that according to Ben, “is some kind of vibraphone/Wurlitzer hybrid patch on a Yamaha keyboard.” This keyboard piece is crucial to the song, as it comes back in the end in a reinterpreted form as if to remind of where we began. After this intro keyboard, this “absolutely wild guitar orchestra” explodes to begin the story of Somersby. This explosion was the result of a “stream of consciousness style” that was suggested by Nick. In my humble opinion Nick’s most valuable suggestion was to “follow its form a little bit.” I truly believe that songs can take on a life of their own. And while I am not a musician myself, I certainly understand the power that a song can take on. Ben explains that the band began to feel like Somersby was about “a kamikaze deep space scientist who had reached the end of his wits and had set his space craft on a collision course for the sun.” If you can stay with this idea for a moment, in my mind, during this sound explosion you can envision the scientist freaking out and heading for the sun. At the conclusion of this explosion, the opening keyboards are reinterpreted and I can just see this scientist in slow motion heading for the sun as his life flashes before him. Ben let me know that, “The final ending is a reinterpretation of a riff I recorded 2 years ago at the same time I wrote the piano part, but I never intended the two to go together.” It’s rather interesting to me that the beginning and ending keyboard pieces were not written for the same track.

There are so many more layers to this song but one of the more interesting things that Ben shared with me was about the lyrics. He originally had many more lyrics to the song. However the line “Somersby, oh Somersby, a man with a thousand eye's can't see that all that I want... and all I must get... is everything that ain't happened to me yet,” is the line that is the focal point of the song. According to Ben, “it’s the only original vocal part that made it to the final song” I really like this idea that even the most visually astute person can’t see that you will eventually get everything you need in life. That little word yet is so powerful in this lyric.

And I think I would be doing a disservice to the musicians out there if I were to try and interpret what Arizona was doing technically. So here a few quotes from Ben about the technical aspects of Somersby and the entire Welcome Back Dear Children album.

The song starts off with a reversed sample of Danny Kadar dropping my Jamison 2x12 combo amplifier and causing its reverb tank to go haywire.

Another funny little piece of information about Somersby is that during the mix, either Alex (bassist/engineer) or Danny forgot to unmute the kick drum channel on the console (for the technical minded out there, WBDC was mixed on a super nice big format Neve console to tape) or something, because it was mixed to tape without a bass drum.

Alex actually had to go back and line up the original kick drum track to the master and blend it in before the CD could be duplicated. So if you really listen, you can hear the kick is separated from everything else just a bit.

Also, I hope to do a sequel to Somersby one day- Arizona has a lot of "character" songs, like Jubilee, David, Sylvester Wheat vs. Finneas B, and I think it would be fun one day to do a song or an album that was all about the goings on of these characters.

Somersby is a great example of how the drums got done on Welcome Back Dear Children. The majority of the song is played by Nick on drums, but that very ending part is played by Alex. A lot of the drums on WBDC are hybrid performances with Nick playing most of it with Alex adding his touches in key parts.

Okay, Two Mirrors readers, it’s time listen up and go buy this record. You can get it at itunes from the link below. It comes with the highest recommendations possible from both of the mirrors, RD and myself. You really should go out a buy this album, it is truly amazing.

Arizona--Welcome Back Dear Children via Itunes

Reasons to Own a Record Player

2006-08-07T20:23:00.000-04:00

This is the first installment of "Reasons to Own a Record Player". There are quite a few hidden gems released on 7" or as extra tracks on Vinyl. I wasn't real high tech in transferring these songs. I just hooked up my record player to my computer and adjusted the volume. The first track is And Then by Pavement . This is an early version of the song The Hexx from Terror Twilight. In comparison to The Hexx, this song is very raw and rocking. Complete with off key vocals. One of Pavement's finest. The second track is a Blue Angels Air Show by Bright Eyes . This track is from a Devil In The Woods 7". This 7" came free with the magazine and was previously only available with limited copies of the magazine. The song will be included on the new Bright Eyes compilation Noise Floor.

MP3 Pavement - And Then - And Then from the Spit on A Stranger 7"

MP3 Bright Eyes - Blue Angels Air Show - from the Devil in the Woods 7"

I'm having troubles with EZarchive right now, so I had to use yousendit.com to post these songs. If you have trouble downloading them let me know and I'll refresh the link. thetwomirrors@yahoo.com

rd

8/5/76

2006-08-05T08:11:00.000-04:00

First and foremost, RD, my idea about song of the month is only unoriginal if you do it like you did. That was one sorry post. I may be a little dismayed too that you found that pic. of me after your star wars themed birthday party at your house last year. Just wait until I find the one of you as princess lea. And I am going to blow this thing song of the month thing up. I have been in contact with the band who is going to provide us with my song of the month and I have some AMAZING stuff.

On a more important note. I am 30 today and I am leaving for Tampa to watch my beloved red sox play. I will not be updating until mid-week and again I hope RD will hold down (and not bring down) the fort. Those pics above were from the whiffle ball/birthday party we held last night in honor of my last day in the twenties. My wonderful wife convinced all my friends and family to go in for the 60 GB ipod for me. So far I have taken it out of the box and put it back in the box three times. I know once I hook it up I will not put in down. So I am waiting. And I cannot say enough incredible things about what my wife, parents, friends, and family did for me last night. You guys are amazing. It feels good to be thirty when you surround yourself with such amazing people.

And on a final note, Clea, over at (sm)all ages, put up my guest post yesterday of the kiddies favorite tunes from August. Check it out here.

ZC (Happy birthday to me)

August: Song of the Month - r.d.

2006-08-04T12:02:00.000-04:00

Here at the Two Mirrors we wanted to find a way to be even more unoriginal so, ZAK came up with Song of The Month. The new feature will most likely last 2-3 months... that's my guess anyway. So now I guess I'm supposed to describe the song to you...

MP3 BRIAN BORCHERDT - MOTEL from the album The Remains of Brian Borcherdt

I feel kind of late to the party on this one. This album was released in 2004 but I didn't hear it until June 06. Motel is a very simple and straight forward song. Actually, it's perfect. Just listen to it.

A teacher and his deceiving songs

2006-08-02T23:01:00.000-04:00

I gotta say that this is gonna be a short post. For those of you who don't know I am a 4th grade mathematics teacher. Yeah that's right, out there saving the world one knucklehead at a time. For the record, I absolutely love my job and I wouldn't change it for the world. Anyway, I bring this up because I started school on Tuesday (we have four days of planning and the kids return August 7th) and life is gonna be a little wild for a little bit. But the other mirror (RD) is gonna hold down the fort over here at the two mirrors.

Anyway I was driving to work today listening to Control by Pedro the Lion, and track five, Progress, came on. For those of you who know that song it starts off really convoluted and messy. It sounds like it was recorded super indie and then about 50 seconds in these big drums kick in and the recording is great. It then reminded me of another song who starts off like it was recorded in the basement and was intended to be a demo of some sort, yet then kicks in like it was recorded with some of the best equipment and has a really big sound. That track is Title Track from Death Cab for Cutie. If you can think back to the first time you heard that song, I know I thought well this recording sucks. While this change is a little more subtle than Pedro the lion when it kicks in around 1:40, you understand.

Check them out

MP3--Pedro the Lion--Progress

MP3--Death Cab for Cutie--Title Track

So this leads me to your challenge. Are there other songs that I am forgetting that are structured similarly to those two above. As a matter of fact, I am sure that there are I just can't think of them right now. So leave a message in the comments if you can think of another track structured like this. Remember, I'm a teacher.

On a somewhat related note, if you go back and read the comments from my last post, Cash has an interesting connection with these two bands that I did not think of when I thought of this post. Again you should check out these two Cash related sites

Also Jeremy Enigk has released two MP3's from his new album on his website. Check them out and someday soon, I'll give my opinion.

ZC (It wasn't as short as I thought)

*THE TWO MIRRORS*

A Better Offer

A contest

Song Whores--October ZC

Letting the Tall Poppy Shine

Check out (sm)all ages and Oh No! Oh My!

My mom is cooler than your mom

Now It's Overhead

Take two

Song Whores--September ZC

Some things I'd like to share

I-Dee-Clair-War

Song of the Month - r.d.

Arizona strikes again

The Contest

The Rosebuds

Taking on Goliath takes on music

Shifted Sound and the D

Another Reason To Be Proud Of Jacksonville

Mogwai

Isn't she pretty

Song of the Month--Somersby

Reasons to Own a Record Player

8/5/76

August: Song of the Month - r.d.

A teacher and his deceiving songs

THE TWO MIRRORS