Of Miles Rausch

I’ve been patient, but enough is enough. For instance, two years is enough. More than that is more than enough. I realize, some of these bands may have broken up, gone seperate ways, or what not, but I still feel cheated. I’m holding on to the hope that they’ll release a full length within six months. (I apologize if most of this stuff is inaccurate. My research is spotty this late at night.)

Desaparecidos: Read Music Speak Spanish (2002)

Bright Eyes‘ Conor Oberst fronted this side project. It was a heavier, louder alternative to Bright Eyes with a cynical, almost bitter, tone to the lyrics. Topics of industrialization, profiteering, identity loss, and more, seemed aimed like arrows at the middle class of Omaha. That being said, i don’t live in Omaha, so I liked it. Having been a side project means that this “new” album will probably never come to alight, unfortunately for me.

The Postal Service: Give Up (2003)

This was also a side project. However, this side project featured Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie (see below). Despite being four years old, music from this album continually gets licensed for commercials all over the place. In particular, the track Such Great Heights has taken on a life of its own, being covered time and again by other artists. I’m hoping The Postal Service can release at least one more album in my lifetime.

The Faint: Wet From Birth (2004)

The Faint isn’t a band I get super-excited about. I do like their music, though. As a sound, they fall into an unusual place, combining “harder” rock with electronica, in a sort of 80s synth revival plus indie music orchestration from Hell. It’s hard to explain, but I’d like more, please.

Mason Blake: Where I Belong (2004)

Mason Blake used to live around Madison. I got to see him perform a number of times live, some times of which I was in the single digits of audience members. He’s since moved to California (presumably) to persue a music career. I’ve heard a new album is coming soon, but it’s yet to materialize.

MC Chris: Eating’s Not Cheating (2004)

MC Chris is a rapper. Not only that, but he has a high-pitched voice. You know him better (if you know him at all) as MC PeePants from the [adult swim] show Aqua Teen Hunger Force. When he’s not doing character voices, however, he’s putting down geeky rhymes. Who doesn’t love a rapper that has a song called Fett’s Vette?

Radiohead: Com Lag (EP) (2004)

Radiohead is in the studio. They are making music. They are taking their time. I want a new album now. Being subscribed to an official band’s blog is a bit like smashing your fingers with a hammer on purpose. Sure, you got something accomplished, but it hurt a lot. I get to read straight from the minds of the musicians themselves, but it only makes me want their album to come out sooner. Without the blog, I probably wouldn’t even think about it.

Death Cab for Cutie: Plans (2005)

Death Cab really took out all the stops for this last album. Plans really took on an epic scale as songwriters and musicians go. One of the songs, I Will Follow You Into The Dark, has kinda become our song (Holli and I). I’ve read that they are heading into the studio, and let’s hope they get something cooked and shipped rather soon.

Kunek: The Flight of the Flynns (2005)

Kunek is a small-time band. They’re indie, and they’re bringing about quite a following, thanks entirely to the internet. They’re last album was cold and startling, like a sudden winter’s breath. I lived in this music for a while when I first heard the tracks on Garageband.com, which inspire me to buy the album. I’m very interested to see in what direction they take their next album, assuming they make a second.

OK Go: Oh No (2005)

OK Go made a lot of waves with this album. Their songs are catchy, poppy, and their music videos are quirky, fascinating and choreographed. These are the guys who did the long dance to A Million Ways and then followed it up with the treadmill dance in Here It Goes Again. They have fully embraced the “new” medium of internet distribution. Not so much in distributing their album, per se, but in distributing themselves. YouTube is a haven for any OK Go fan as the band posts videos semi-regularly. However, I think we have all the mileage we can get out of this album. Next please!

The Secret Handshake: This Is Bigger Than You And I (EP) (2005)

I know for a fact that The Secret Handshake has been working on an album because he sent me a link to some demo tracks. There was an EP released last year, but I want full lengths, so he makes the list. This is another band that is indie but up-and-coming. Thanks to his unique sound and his full embrace of the MySpace culture, The Secret Handshake has been making a name for itself, touring and selling records and t-shirts, for a while now. You can preorder the new album now, and I can’t wait.

Sigur Ros: Takk (2005)

Sigur Ros brought me back into their fold with that album. I had, at first, loved the () album, but then I found it hard to go back to. Takk welcomed me in. It was like all the best parts of () and Agaetis Byrjun with a helping dash of fantastic arrangements. I know that they’re releasing a DVD and double CD set in November, but I don’t have it yet, so they need to get on the ball.

Sufjan Stevens: Sufjan Stevens presents: Come on, Feel the Illinoise (2005)

I was cautious of Sufjan Stevens when I first heard of him. Pitchfork Media was waving his banner tall and proud, and I didn’t know what the deal was, but everyone was talking about him like he was the Indie Music Savior. So I resisted jumping on that bandwagon. I resisted until a couple months ago. And, boy, was I wrong. Sufjan is, above all things, subtle with his music. He favors simple arrangements with delicious melodies, and his vocals are quiet and thoughtful. In particular, I like his lyrics. He, apparently, has a Christmas album out from 2006, but I’m not calling that a full release. At least, not until I go out and buy it.

Wolf Parade: Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005)

I need a new Wolf Parade album. I’ve been satisfied by the Handsome Furs and Sunset Rubdown, but neither of those bands are Wolf Parade (they are, in fact, “spin-offs”). And I so fell in love with that album. I remember my brother, Bryce, asking me what new music he should listen to, and I said “Wolf Parade”, and I was ignored. But I was right. I even went so far as to shoot a music video for this album, a rare occassion. The album has carried me through, but how much longer it will last, I do not know. Come to my rescue, Wolf Parade.