I am certain this song will be in a ’summer fun” commercial at some point. I know it! Anyway, here’s Metric’s little homemade video for “Sick Muse.” Enjoy!
This hilarious spin-off cliche Norwegian Metal videos is perfect for NYC’s trash metal champions, children. Their debut album, “Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World” is great throwback to fun and loud metal. Jolly good show!
Amazing Baby have a album out on the 23rd of June, a tour with Phoenix this summer, and now this surrealistic video for you people. They’re going to be known as the “Next Best Thing” so you better jump on this now before they get too cool.
Amazing Baby – Smoke Bros.
As a huge fan of pretty much every Michael Jackson video (minus this one….eww), I absolutely love this video for Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Heads Will Roll.” Plus it has werewolves…win.
I had to post this. Ever wish songs just sang what was happening in the music video? Well now they do. Brilliant and silly.
We Vs The Shark – Head Over Heels (Tears For Fears Cover)
You’ve probably noticed that I am totally gay for spazz-rockers The Mae Shi. So you can imagine my childlike glee when I found out about this video from SXSW of the song Run To Your Grave featuring Slow Club and Kid Static. Many thanks to the Brooklyn based music blog Hooves on the Turf.
The Mae Shi – Run To Your Grave
This Deco Dawson video for Metric’sHelp I’m Alive is kind of like a bubbly version of Luis Buñuel’s Un chien andalo. Which makes for a pretty interesting watch…
A sweet video from a sweet band (Carina Round) playing a sweet (yet sad) song.
Happy Record Store Day! So what’s going on in your neighborhood? Here in the bay we’ve got Amoeba Records hosting Kylee of Loquat at 2pm, Kelley Stoltz at 3pm, John Vanderslice’s DJ Set at 4pm, and Aesop Rock’s DJ set at 5pm. Up at the Rasputin Berkley, Silversun Pickups play at 4pm and Mr. Loveless play Rasputin Concord at 5pm.
Oh and here’s my favorite quote on Record Store Day by Gavin Hayes of dredg, “Record stores are cultural gathering places where people go to share a common interest…their love for music. They are nostalgia and hot summer days. Record stores are ditching class to buy a record the day it comes out. They are Amoeba, Rasputin, and Aquarius and the distinct smell of the old records in the basement of the local mom and pop store. The record store is Run DMC on cassette tape. They are Iron Maiden posters, metal t-shirts and the magazine rack. The record store is a yellow and red Tower Records bag littered with CD labels. They are the listening stations, in store performances/signings, and staff recommendations. They are the used and local section and the free publications and zines at the front door. They are distributors of a product made up of dreams, effort, and heart that have the capability to change lives and outlooks, determine individuality, and divide or unite.”
Oh and this one by Patton Oswalt, “The idea of, ‘The journey is the destination’ is put into action by browsing in an indie record store. Besides, a human being is a much better guide than a ‘More Like This’ link on the internet.”
John Vanderslice – My Old Flame
If you have noticed that some of our mp3 have mysteriously disappeared…you can take it up with the hosting site Boxstr. We are currently using Box.net from this moment on until they figure things out.
Feel free to follow us at Kata Rokkar. We’re kind of new at this so…tweet?
A handful of exciting releases this past Tuesday.We’ve got The Boy Least Likely To’sThe Law Of The Playground, Ida Maria’sFortress Round My Heart, Metric’sFantasies, Papercuts’You Can Have What You Want, Silversun Pickups’Swoon, and Medeski Martin & Wood’sRadiolarians II. I highly recommend the new Metric and Papercuts albums. In fact, I’ve really been digging Papercuts with their Dinosaur Jr meets Notwist sound. Plus they’re local, so that’s a plus.
Metric – Help I’m Alive (The Twelves Remix)
Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch (Chin and Troublemaker Remix)
Papercuts – Future Primitive
Atmospheric rock band Water & Bodies (ex-Kaddisfly) have released some new tunes and they seem to be finding their niche. I hear potential, but these tracks still need to grow on me. We’ll see…
Jeremy Enigkhas released yet another song entitled Life’s Too Short from his upcoming album, OK Bear on his myspace page. The vocals are similar to Return Of The Frog Queen but the song is way heavier than anything off Frog Queen. I am loving this direction he’s going in. May 12th Baby!
As previously posted on Stranger Dance; local venues like Bottom of the Hill, Great American Music Hall, Slim’s and Café du Nord might have to be forced to shut down unless they can meet the ABC’s requirement stating that half of their sales come from food. However, according to this recent article at SFgate, it seems as though there will be some peace and understanding among the ABC and San Francisco business owners. Including talks of a new type of license. This is very good news for the Bay Area concert goer, so we’ll see what happens over the next few weeks.
Since you won’t be seeing much on Bay Area shows or anything else for that matter in the next few days. I’ll post this Spring themed mix to tide you over until I return from Boston on the 14th. Enjoy!
That is the first line you hear from Metric’s latest album, Fantasies. After a few listens, ’stumble’ is not exactly what this album does in the least bit. First off, they are gradually eliminating that 80s synth sound and seem to have morphed slightly; this follow-up is a little more guitar-based and slightly less electronic than their last, a move likely to broaden their fan base even further. Metric has always been known for their cross-genre appeal party due to frontwoman Emily Haines’ witty and smart delivery.What Fantasies does is strengthen that appeal and further secure themselves in the ranks of classic indie pop rockers. One song in particular sticks out for me though and that is Sick Muse. I’m torn by it’s annoying catchiness and it’s lovely lyrics (”I’ll write you harmony in C”). The song has a distinct ring to it that would make it a perfect candidate for an iPod or Corona commercial. In fact, I’d put money on this song to be featured in an ad that features “carefree young adults.”
All in all, this album is a good anthem to the Spring of 2009. Stumbling or not, it’s nice to know that Metric still knows how to pump out the tunes.
You can purchase the album here in digital download (3/31) format or physical (4/14).
Metric’s last and third album, Live It Out, was a joyful rock-meets-new-wave record that made indie rock critics swoon, and kept fans dedicated. On April 14th, the band returns with Fantasies, which was written in a farmhouse outside Seattle and by frontwoman Emily Haines while on a soul-cleansing sojourn to Argentina. The album apparently is a densely textured modern mix of psychedelia, electro, and rock with a “really big and really dreamy” sound, explains guitarist/co-founder Jimmy Shaw. From what I’ve heard and judging from this heartfelt acoustic version of Help I’m Alive, Mr. Shaw seems to be quite accurate with his description.
Kata Rokkar is a place where you can download free mp3 from artists and bands that I currently love and listen to. They are only for sampling purposes and to influence you to go out and support these artists by purchasing their records and going to their concerts. If you are a record company or an artist that is displeased with a song being displayed, feel free to contact me and I will remove it ASAP. Thank you and enjoy!
Amazing Baby – Smoke Bros.
A handful of exciting releases this past Tuesday.We’ve got The Boy Least Likely To’s The Law Of The Playground, Ida Maria’s Fortress Round My Heart, Metric’s Fantasies, Papercuts’ You Can Have What You Want, Silversun Pickups’ Swoon, and Medeski Martin & Wood’s Radiolarians II. I highly recommend the new Metric and Papercuts albums. In fact, I’ve really been digging Papercuts with their Dinosaur Jr meets Notwist sound. Plus they’re local, so that’s a plus.
As previously posted on 
“I stumble…”
