Second Stage TAB the Band: 'Backseat Lover' October 31, 2008 For a group that has been around less than two years, TAB the Band knows how to rock hard. Brothers Tony and Adrian Perry teamed up with friend Ben Tileston to form TAB (an acronym of their first names) at the start of 2007, and things have come together quickly for the trio. They've since released two EPs and two full-length albums, the latest of which is Long Weekend. Backseat Lover Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96387607/96417812" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Song Of The Day No 'Lost Verses' In Sun Kil Moon's Epic October 31, 2008 Sun Kil Moon's Mark Kozelek is remarkably adept at crafting somber, epic ballads like the gorgeous "Lost Verses," which opens April. Affecting and engrossing in spite of its nearly 10-minute running time, "Lost Verses" fits seamlessly alongside Kozelek's best work with Red House Painters. 'Lost Verses' by Sun Kil Moon Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/89888541/89859306" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Second Stage Willoughby: 'Intentions' October 30, 2008 Released last month, Willoughby's I Know What You're Up To is an entirely alluring album with a decidedly retro vibe to it. Imagine a 1960s-era lounge, the sort that James Bond would casually visit for his shaken-not-stirred vodka martini, and you might start to get a feel for what frontman Gus Seyffert has created. Intentions Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96329061/96353672" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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'Tell-Tale Signs' Exposes Bob Dylan Bootlegs Fresh Air October 30, 2008 Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews Tell-Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series, Vol 8. It is the latest in Columbia Records' officially-released collection of previously unreleased or alternate tracks by Bob Dylan. 'Tell-Tale Signs' Exposes Bob Dylan Bootlegs Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96321222/96321220" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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Song Of The Day Matthew Herbert: 'Breathe' More, Buy Less October 30, 2008 From workplace politics to personal relationships to stock-market volatility, it's easy to live under a cloud of fear, anxiety, anger and sadness. In his glorious "Breathe," Matthew Herbert reminds listeners to exhale, while maintaining a tone that's both cautionary and celebratory. Breathe Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96317152/96288211" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Sex, Gender Equality In New Girl Talk Album October 29, 2008 Gregg Gillis is a Pittsburgh DJ and musical mixologist who was known only by his stage name, Girl Talk, until his music took off and he could quit his day job as a biomedical engineer. Often, music by mixologists sounds esoteric, but that could hardly be claimed of Girl Talk's latest mashup album, Feed the Animals. Sex, Gender Equality In New Girl Talk Album Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96284161/96292400" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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Second Stage Darren Smith: 'Dogtown Mines' October 29, 2008 Though he now lives in Seattle, folk musician Darren Smith grew up across Washington's eastern border in the small college town of Moscow, ID. With a secluded population of only 22,000, Moscow bills itself as the "Heart of the Arts." It might sound like an unlikely title, but Moscow, ID is also the home of singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. "Maybe it's the cold winters and isolation that brings out the artistic drive in people," Smith says. Dogtown Mines Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96264660/96294190" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Song Of The Day Crooked Fingers: Fun With Cannibalism October 29, 2008 For a singer who's spent years honing his weary, Neil Diamond-esque croak, Crooked Fingers' Eric Bachmann seems to be having something approximating fun on his new album. In "Cannibals," he immerses his voice in an arrangement that positively sparkles with chiming guitars and sunny harmonies. Cannibals Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96259209/96255898" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Aterciopelados: Optimistic Rock From Colombia October 28, 2008 Local Colombian music permeates the soundscapes crafted by the band Aterciopelados. But what gives the group's music its universal appeal is something less tangible: a quality of dry-eyed optimism that proves both persuasive and reassuring in these troubled times. Aterciopelados: Optimistic Rock From Colombia Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96222642/96232444" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
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Second Stage Small Sur: 'Everyone' October 28, 2008 On its MySpace page, Small Sur facetiously claims its style of music falls into the reggaeton genre. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, as this Baltimore-based group instead creates strikingly peaceful folk that feels as if it has sprung from the Pacific coasts of California rather than the East Coast. Everyone Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96220222/96234957" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Song Of The Day The Heligoats: A Bright Mind Gets 'Brutal' October 28, 2008 Throughout The Heligoats' "Kind/Brutal," singer Chris Otepka keeps piling on the ideas. But at some point along the way, they actually cohere, forming a bittersweet look at two misanthropes who stay together, in large part, because they don't deserve better. Kind Brutal Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96212131/96211535" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Second Stage Chop Chop: 'Play' October 27, 2008 Chop Chop is, for the most part, the work of songwriter Catherine Cavanagh. For Screens, her upcoming sophomore release, Cavanagh wrote each song, provided vocals and also performed many of the instruments by herself. She did receive help from her friends and family, though, including her brother and U.S. military sergeant Frank Cavanagh, who was once the bassist for Ohio-based band Filter. Play Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96177521/96196081" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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All Songs Considered Swedish Pop, Exotic Creatures of the Deep, The Elephant 6 Orchestra, More October 27, 2008 Hear Swedish pop singer Lykke Li, the quirky group Sparks, and more in our latest music mix. Swedish Pop, Exotic Creatures of the Deep, The Elephant 6 Orchestra, More Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96168359/96126836" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Song Of The Day Of Montreal: The Absurd And The Sparkly October 27, 2008 "Nonpareil of Favor" is the closest thing to a single on Of Montreal's Skeletal Lamping, and also the closest thing to a love song. By pop standards, it's an odd track: Grating guitar and dissonant melodies challenge even the cute, upbeat moments, and it can't quite seem to decide on just one tempo or key. Nonpareil Of Favor Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96167980/96168179" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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Second Stage Milosh: 'Awful Game' October 24, 2008 On his third and latest album, iii, Canadian musician Michael Milosh serves up a collection of seductive, down-tempo electronica, inspired by his year living and recording on Thailand's tropical Koh Samui island. A classically trained cellist since the age of 3, Milosh writes on his MySpace page that he's "always had an intense attraction to songs that are sad, soft and beautiful" and that in his music, he attempts to "ride that thin line of mixing technology with some heart." On iii, he's succeeded in doing just that. Awful Game Toggle more options Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/96100143/96126635" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
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