Archive for January 11th, 2010

5 Songs For the Monday Blues

January 11, 2010

When that alarm goes off and the work week begins, sometimes you need to know someone is sharing your angst. Though not all about the woes of the working class, these five songs give you something to sing about, and help out Monday’s poor reputation.

Monday- Wilco, Being There
The Folk-Rock band offers us this track about Choo-Choo Charlie cutting class, his band that no one would listen to, and his left arm tan as penance your Monday blues. An easy listen that frankly, doesn’t make a whole lot of relatable sense, we still love it for its Alternative Country roots and the crooning of Jeff Tweedy.

Monday, Monday, Monday- Tegan and Sara, If It Was You
Canadian twins Tegan and Sara are known for their catchy indie tunes, and this track off their second album is right up there with one of our favorites. The singable chorus “Oh, and I/ I say damn your mood swings/Damn your mood swings” feels like something that is a frequent thought of those forced to listen to the Monday gripes of others.

Is It Monday? - The Blissters
With a sound that goes back and forth between New Wave and Power pop, The Blissters are Chicago band that keeps us moving on those slow mornings. With their Tragic Kingdom-esque vocals and elusion to The Bangles and Letters to Cleo, The Blissters offer a simple poppy push to pour your coffee too. Read our past artist profile of The Blissters here

Monday Morning- Maria Mena, White Turns Blue
 Norweigan Pop singer Maria Mena’s first international album, White Turns Blue is a compilation of ”teenage girl deals with life”, and while that may deter some listeners, we say don’t knock it until you try it. This song, though not of the same kick start caliber as the others on our list is a smooth, easy way to begin the day, with lyrics such as “Monday morning came too soon/It’s entering my forgotten room/Diguised as the morning sun/and I should be on the run/But I’m here, waiting for you/To come and rescue me from this awful blue” Aw, now isn’t that sweet?

Manic Monday- The Bangles, Different Light
No Monday list would be complete without this 80′s throw back to The Bangles. The song speaks for itself and always seems pop up on the radio as we’re rushing to work, offering a moment of “Hey, I like this song” before we dive into the mayhem, wishing for our “I don’t have to run day”. Pop-punk fans be sure to take a look at the Relient K cover of this song featured on Punk Goes 80′s.

Bonus Song:

Oversleeping- I’m From Barcelona, Let Me Introduce My Friends
Though there’s no Monday in the title, this is our ultimate “It’s WHAT time?!?!” start of the week song. With lyrics we’ve all thought of , “I can make it in time if I jump out of bed/ if I skip to wearing clothes and get running instead ” and cute enough to make you forget you’ll most likely get chewed out by your boss, we suggest this song for your Monday morning playlist.

Reviewsic wants to know what gets you moving in the morning. Leave a comment or email us at: [email protected]

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The Field Auxiliary

January 11, 2010

Chicago based project The Field Auxiliary is an eclectic blend of the creative process, offering a sound that is both accessible and experimental. Evolved from the solo work of member Dan Smart and his life long obsession of “taking simple structure and kind of cracking them open to let a little bit of the oddness out.” the group became what it is today after the break of up Smart’s band, and his decision to explore this previously solo interest with accompaniment. Their first record, The Mass Ordinary or Don’t Come Unwound Windwaker, began in 2008 as a solo record to be later finished during the summer of 2009, and will be released within the next month. Having joined Smart in his creative endeavor are a number of Chicago musicians from such projects as The Redwalls, Brighton MA, and active Chicago band This is Cinema.

The music of The Field Auxiliary is perfectly explained by Smart in his description of their musical vision. These songs that glean certain characteristics of groups we love, but also add unexpected elements bring a refreshing sound to the Chicago music scene. From light indie/pop, to suspended synth, all the way over to abrasive and vocally slacked grit, The Field Auxiliary explores and splices a variety of styles, creating music that is not to be missed. The band prides itself on their “intensive live performances, in which songs and pieces are consistently re-imagined with an eclectic mix of guitars, synthesizers,drums, electronics, samples, and loops.
The result is a visceral and determinedly human music in layers; sometimes disarming, sometimes challenging, never perfect, always changing.” An ambitious and obviously focused project, Reviewsic applauds The Field Auxiliary on what they’ve created. Put simply and honestly, about their work the band offers the statement, “We are The Field Auxiliary, and we are trying.”

Listen to The Field Auxiliary on Myspace

Telegram Sam had the chance to speak with The Field Auxiliary about their upcoming show at the Beat Kitchen, musical preferences, what’s to come in 2010.

T.S: Where does the Beat Kitchen rank on your list of venues to play?

The Field Auxiliary: BK is always a pleasure to play. The room is always friendly and the stage is quite comfortable. It’s somewhat spacious, which in our case is very helpful, as we use a lot of different rigs at our shows these days.

T.S: What are your top three musical influences as a band?

T.F.A: The sound of the band really changes almost seasonally; it’s a very fluid project. Currently there are two pretty odd ends of the musical spectrum that are somehow both fighting it out in our sound and performance: 90′s Grunge/Art Rock vs.Vintage/modern Noise/Psychedelia. Think The Pixies, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Deerhunter type moments tangled up with Flaming Lips, Animal Collective, Grandaddy, Terry Riley, and Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour era Beatles (the key phrase being ‘tangled up’).

T.S: Any big plans for 2010?

T.F.A: We just hope to get out more and play more shows, put out our current record, and being work on a new one. Our goals are pretty uniformly to 1: Keep making records and creating new music and 2: To share this stuff with as many people as possible. These are things that we are compelled to do. Not sure why.

T.S: Last album you bought/listened to?

T.F.A: Some of our recent purchases and/or listens: Sonic Youth “Experimental Jet Set Trash and No Atar”; Flaming Lips/White Dwarfs “Dark Side of the Moon”; Philip Glass “Glassworks”; Burning Airlines “Identikit”; Dana Hall “Into the Light”; Atlas Sound “Logos”; Pixies “Come on Pilgrim,” U of I Gamelon Ensemble Recordings

The Field Auxiliary will be at The Beat Kitchen this Saturday, January 16th along with:
Joie De Vivre Empire Empire Mountains for Clouds
Doors at : 8:30pm Show: 9pm $8 Advanced, $10 at the door 17+

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