Jon’s posterous

The Shoreline, Jubeltane.

Check it out

Blind Pilot sounds something like a wistful mix of The Shins with a bit of Iron & Wine folksiness. But these comparisons dont give a full representation of the unbelievable beauty of this album. Dont take our word for it. As Willamette Week immediately proclaimed: 'Every once in a while a band comes along that knocks me so flat on my ass that I wish I was in the PR business or an A&R guy instead of a critic, so I could throw myself wholeheartedly behind it. Blind Pilot [gave] me that sensation. Frontman Israel Nebeker sounds like a less theatric version of James Mercer: every bit as sincere and captivating, with vocal control and style to spare. And this band has songs coming out of its ears: deep, clever guitar-driven tunes fleshed out with soaring horn arrangements. Listening to and thinking about these songs has kept me awake at night lately.' It would be hard to imagine a better review, but 3 Rounds and a Sound is just that good.

One listen to Leaving on a mayday, Anna Ternheim’s third album, silences the harbingers of doom, with their talk of the “difficult third album”. With producer Björn Yttling, she has recorded a set of songs with a self-evidence and rough authority which few artists are able to reach. Instead of taking the safe road, Anna and Björn approach the music without compromise: the songs are crystal clear, direct in their approach and refuse to hide behind any big arrangements or sonic tricks. The instrumentation is sparse, and the focus on Anna is total.

Leaving on a mayday saw the first light of day during the summer of 2007 when Anna contacted Björn about working together on the new record. She’d just finished her spring tour following the Separation Road album, culminating in a sold out show at Stockholm’s 3500 capacity Annexet venue. All she knew then was that she needed to take the new album in a different direction. To let it build upon the vocals and the lyrics. Björn understood what she was looking for and told her: “Listen to Nina Simone, Bob Marley and Cornelis Vreeswijk. Be inspired, and call me in six months!”

Having stood astride on Annexets stage, playing bombastic, dark pop, it felt natural to walk a different path this time. For me, the end of each album recording has been the start of the next album, like some sort of reaction against what you’ve dug deep into, dreamt about and worked fanatically with… until you get bored and end up not wanting anything to do with it, says Anna Ternheim.

Taj Tunes-

The Gift that keeps on giving.  To set this up for you, my boss was in the bathroom stall next to me, he didn’t know I was there.  He gave me a courtesy flush….I gave him this..

Click here to download:

103008 TajTunes from Jonny Atencio to Dustin Robertson.mp3 (1129 KB)

Hi Jon Atencio,

Thank you for using TajTunes to surprise your friend with a singing telegram! This is to inform you that a TajTune has been delivered to Dustin Robertson. Attached is the digital recording of the phone call for your listening pleasure.

We appreciate your business and value your feedback. Please send an email to info@tajtunes.com with any feedback on how we can improve our services. We look forward to making your next TajTune even more entertaining!

Enjoy the recording!

The TajTunes Team

www.tajtunes.com

Become an official TajTunes fan in our Facebook community!

Sent to you via Google Reader

Arkells - Jackson Square (2008)

Sent to you via Google Reader

Honeyhoney - First Rodeo & Loose Boots EP (2008)

Hello. Rock band bios are interesting things. Much of the time they are a laundry list of approximate comparisons, a few quotes from reputable sources, and a quick update on the current activities of the band. Change is in the air however. Inspired by the band Tenacious D and 70's game shows, we have decided to engage in a "Friendship Test" format: Ben will be answering for Suzanne and Suzanne will be answering for Ben. All band disputes will be settled privately. If you are disappointed, please direct your concerns to our management.

1. What is your musical background?

Ben: Suzanne learned how to sing from musical theater and was obsessed with Mariah Carey and Disney cartoon movie soundtracks. She sang "Part Of Your World" as her fifth grade choir solo while wearing a fin.

Suzanne: I believe it to be true that Ben Jaffe came out of the womb crying as most babies do, except his crying had rhythm and incredible pitch. In his adolescent years, young Jaffe started off in the percussion realm, playing the drums in various jazz bands and being way too cool for his age. He also had a mentor named Randy Kaye who taught him about the importance of the sounds he was creating.

2.Where are you from?

Ben: She's from Strongsville Ohio.

Suzanne: Ben was born in New York and lived there for a short time before heading off to the great state of Massachusetts.

3. How did you meet each othe...