march music dump.

happy march, everyone!
i realized i had a couple of posts i wanted to do: one on concerts i want to see, and one on my monthly binge/emusic purchase....and then realized that they could easily be combined in a single, convenient monthly format. so, i give you: monthly music dump, march edition.

march concerts
these are concerts i want to hit in the months of march and april. most are in new york, although some are in new haven (toad's turned out a surprisingly good lineup). i'm open to pretty much anything, though, so send me a concert and i'll update this post.

3/7 Toad's: Common

3/15 (Music Hall of Williamsburg) 3/16 NYC (Terminal 5): Ting Tings

3/16 Toad’ s: Less Than Jake

3/25 Terminal 5: Bloc Party

3/26 Music Hall of Williamsburg: The Harlem Shakes (nb: yale alums)

3/31 Toad's: Digable Planets (yeah, that's right)

3/31 Wellmont Theater: Ray Lamontagne

4/4 Mercury Lounge: Ra Ra Riot

4/8 Toad's: Margot and the Nuclear So and So's

4/9 Mercury Lounge: Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin

4/19 Toad's: Of Montreal

4/20 Toad's: Jedi Mind Tricks

4/21 Terminal 5: Ratatat

4/27 Toad's: KRS-One


emusic binge
so, as i've mentioned before, my personal music downloading venue of choice is emusic (and yes, i often, if not exclusively, BUY my music, like the sucker i am). emusic doesn't carry a lot of big contemporary names, which is what lets them get away with selling their music for what they do: anywhere between .60 and .25 per track, depending on your plan. what's great is that they sell by the track, so, for instance, i get 40 downloads a month, of any length, in any configuration. although it's not the place to find that one addictive radio single (you'll inevitably end up augmenting from itunes or similar), the price, eclectic selection, copious free downloads*, and smart (if self-consciously indie) editorials and features make it a no-contest win for my primary service. the only major downside is the monthly "refresh" function of your downloads: if you don't use 'em, you lose 'em. for me, this results in dawdling all month, then purchasing in one big binge...and hoping i don't lose track of the date...and all my downloads.

anyway, i got my shit together this month, so here goes:

jay-z reasonable doubt

those of us who came of age after 2000 know jay-z as much for his crossover efforts, entrepreneurship, and tumultuous romances as for his individual artistic efforts. i think we can lose sight of the fact that he's a brilliant lyricist and heir to the legacy of some of new york's greatest, as reasonable doubt, his debut album, attests.

the pains of being pure at heart the pains of being pure at heart

this album invites the inevitable comparisons to morrissey, velvet underground, the cure, etc [insert john hughes reference here]. but i'll go ahead and use the word "derivative" without any negative connotation (although you may not agree). regardless, as often happens, just when i feel like pop is dead (thanks, katy perry), emusic gives me a little something to hold on to.


beirut march of the zapotec & realpeople: holland

as usual, zach condon pulls together a whirling, swooping carnival of influences, from mexico to his usual balkan-inspired sounds. recorded half in oaxaca, mexico and half in his parents' basement...SO INDIE IT HURTS.

bon iver blood bank

a sort of amuse-oreille follow up to the wistful, sighing balladry of 2008's for emma, for ever. at 4 tracks, also rounds me out to 40 for the month.

free music haul: nacional records sampler 2009, wages of syntax (syntax records sampler from 2002), an introduction to truth and soul (great sampler, this one), and an ok remix album from the rosebuds.
see you next month: sharon jones and the dap kings, ted leo and the pharmacists.

*the free downloads can be a major mixed bag, but i've picked up a couple of new favorites artists from the samplers i've gotten there. they're always worth sifting through.