Ben Gibbard - Live at the Bowery Ballroom, 2006

Ben Gibbard is, as you almost certainly know, frontman of Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service, and has made many guest appearances all over indie music. I'm not really very interested in his work with either of these groups, especially The Postal Service - songs which could have been enjoyable just seem lifeless thanks to the overworked music. I personally much prefer the rawer feel of this solo Gibbard bootleg, which I originally found on the excellent indie blog, rbally. That particular post is long since gone, however, so here it is, re-uploaded. This is the highest quality I have, but a great part of this bootleg's charm is its slightly lo-fi atmosphere anyway, in my opinion. This was performed on the 10th of January, 2006.

Tracklisting:

Brand New Colony
Photobooth
Title and Registration
You Remind Me Of Home
(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan
Why You'd Want To Live Here
It'll Be A Breeze
Recycled Air
Crooked Teeth
405
Title Track
I Hate to See You Cry
Farmer Chords
Lookout, Here Comes Tomorrow
Sound Of Settling
Such Great Heights
I Will Follow You Into The Dark
A Lack of Colour
Hold On

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Elliott Smith - Abused ("Basement II" Demos, 199?)

I like this song. So I'm posting it.  For more unreleased b-sides and demos etc, go here.  More rarities (esp. live stuff) can be uncovered here. You can and should buy Smith's (excellent) studio albums from any self-respecting record store, if you haven't done so already.

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Carina Round - The First Blood Mystery (CD, 2001)

I've had this cd for a while, and paid a pittance for it, but I seem to have been lucky, given the prices on amazon.com ($75 US bucks is freaking ridiculous - I paid 10 of a much less valuable currency!). Prices on amazon.co.uk seem substancially more realistic, but still, all the copies seem to be used, maybe because I can't find any trace of the label that released it (Animal Noise).

Anyways, I like this album a lot, about as much as her second album, The Disconnection (which, being on a different label, is easy to find in most places). I'd avoid her latest album though. Too commercial. Yucky. The only flaw on this album is the arrangement of 'Let It Fall', which I have attempted to remedy by including her far superior (i.e. there's more screaming, and Pixies and Iggy Pop references) live version of the same song.  She gets compared a lot to PJ Harvey and Patti Smith, because that's who all loud female singer-songwriters are compared to, but she isn't that similar. Her vocal and lyrical theatrics are the things to watch out for here. Highly recommended.

The First Blood Mystery

Straitjacket Fits - Melt (1990)

A slice of excellent homegrown music today! I found this album at my grandparents' place a while back, left there when my uncle emigrated to the UK an aeon ago. For some inexplicable reason, it is out of print, so I thought I'd post it. Straitjacket Fits are legendary round these parts, but if you haven't heard of them, read this bio for info on their career up to 1993 (update your website Flying Nun!). Anyway, after this bio so abruptly stops, Straitjacket Fits unfortunately broke up. They reunited for a tour a few years back, but the members remain focussed on their new projects, the most notable of which is Shayne Carter's Dimmer.

This is definitely one of my favourite kiwi rock albums (which is saying something), so I highly recommend that you download this. You can buy their best of here, and you should. For more obscure releases by them (some links are dead unfortunately, but a couple are still active) and their contemporaries, visit KiwiTapes.

Melt