Arcade Fire

I'm pretty sure everyone already has most of these Arcade Fire songs (except for Elizabeth Jones), so this post is probably unnecessary (except for Liz). Anyway, here you go (Liz):



Wake Up mp3 (right click/save as)
Wake Up (Live On KCRW) mp3 (follow link)
Wake Up (Live @ Kings College, London) mp3 (follow link)
No Cars Go (CBC Radio Sessions) mp3 (follow link) Highly Recommended!

Good Luck Parises...You're Going To Need It

In honor of the Parises' engagement, I offer an mp3:

Mu "Paris Hilton" mp3

and even better, Here's the Video! Awesome!

You've gotta love the lyrics to this song...fu**ing greatness:

Shake your body body
Move your body body
Jump your body body
Paris Hilton!

Go ahead!
Say What!

I'm the richest party dumb girl
Would you like to look at my sex tape?
Natural beauty, photogenic
Always ready to pose for nice shoots
Put my poppy Chanel dress
He sleeps Louis Vitton bag
Silver spoon, champagne bath
Mom! I want that one, please!

In other Paris news: Today is Geri Parris' birthday...happy birthday Geri!

Love As Laughter

Prefix calls Love As Laughter's new record, "Laughter's Fifth", "smart rock completely devoid of pretentiousness. . .there’s no disputing that this is the happiest rock album of the year so far."

Hard to disagree w/ that after listening to "In Amber" about 5 straight times...I'm loving this song right now. Listen for yourself:

"In Amber" mp3 (thanks to The Crutch)
"Dirty Lives" mp3 (from the band's SubPop page)

I Heart Detroit

Here's some music from Detroit (like me):


The White Stripes "Instinct Blues" (New! courtesy of The Crutch)
The White Stripes "Blue Orchid"
The White Stripes "The Hardest Button To Button"
The White Stripes "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground" (the End Sessions)

UPDATE: get two more new tracks from "get behind me satan" at Daily Refill


Brendan Benson "The Alternative To Love"
Brendan Benson "The Pledge"


The Dirtbombs "Sun Is Shining"
The Dirtbombs "I'm Through With White Girls"


The Von Bondies "Please Please Man" (Live)
The Von Bondies "C'mon C'mon"

and for those of you who love the girl in the "I Heart Detroit" shirt, here's an added bonus:

Rachael Is So Underrated

Congratulations to Rachael over at The Underrated Blog for a couple of huge reasons this week:

First, Issue Six of her magazine comes out this Thursday (June 2), and she's holding an Issue Release Party/Concert featuring The Go Station and This Radiant Boy (among others) at Tribeca Rock Club. Unfortunately I'm stuck in Dallas and I can't attend, but if you're anywhere near NYC you should definitely check it out.

Second, Thursday is also Rachael's 21st birthday!! If you see her at the party, buy her a shot or three for me. Happy Birthday Rachael!

Oh, also, I have been tagged (by Rachael), so here you go:

01. Total amount of music files on your computer?

3600 songs (about 14 gb), not nearly as much as Rachael.

02. The last CD you bought was?

the last cd(s) i bought were "Kick and The Snare" (Deathray Davies), The Cloud Room, and Akron/Family.

03. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?

The Stranglers "golden brown"

04. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.

Wow this was hard...

Brendan Benson "Metarie"
Beulah "If We Can Land A Man On The Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart"
The Streets "Empty Cans"
The Polyphonic Spree "When The Fool Becomes A King"
Joanna Newsom "Sadie"

that list came out kinda weird, but those were the first 5 songs i thought of...i must be in a sentimental mood this morning or something.

05. Who are you going to pass this stick to and why?

umm, i think it's been passed to everyone already....let's go w/:

Melissa (because she's really cool)
and
Lindsey (because she's crazy)

Bjork + Thom Yorke

Okay I think the problem w/ my file host has been fixed, sorry about the fu**ed up tracks...if you weren't able to download from the last couple posts (the Diplo and Bright Eyes stuff), try again, they should all work now. just don't right click/save as, you have to follow the link. here's a nice song from Bjork, featuring Thom Yorke.



Bjork "I've Seen It All" (featuring Thom Yorke)

My First and Last Race Car Driving Post

Anybody watch car racing (besides Dodge, that is)? Well, I've never been able to understand the entertainment value of watching a bunch of rednecks driving around in circles, but i'm considering watching the Indy 500 tomorrow, for a couple of reasons. First, FHM model Danica Patrick (pictured above) apparently has a legitimate shot of winning. Second, this redneck douchebag is whining about it. Dude's scared of losing to a girl, apparently. Here's hoping she like, drives way faster than him, or something.

Free File-Hosting Services Kick Ass

More music from the Gorilla Vs Bear hard drive. One is from a Diplo live set in Montreal, the other two are from Diplo/M.I.A.'s "Piracy Funds Terrorism" mixtape, and they are all badass: (let me know please if there's any trouble downloading these)

Update: okay, sorry about that. there was a problem over at savefile.com, but apparently it has been fixed. all these tracks should work now. let me know if they don't. enjoy.



Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Diplo "Maps" (Diplo remix live)

Diplo/The Bangles "Fire Fire/Walk Like An Egyptian"

M.I.A./Diplo "China Girl"

When The President Talks To God

I'm experimenting w/ a free file-hosting service. Not sure how well it works yet (i'm assuming you get what you pay for, and since i'm cheap i went w/ the free service). You can't right click/save as, you actually have to follow the link. Sorry. Anyway, here's the first of what will hopefully be many Gorilla vs. Bear-hosted files:



Bright Eyes "When The President Talks To God" (live in Washington, D.C.)

oh, also, for the super-lazy, you can now get to this blog by simply typing Gorillavsbear.net in your address bar.

that's hot

I hate this band , but i LOVE this video (not safe for work, school, old people, etc.). Probably the best video ever. (put speakers on mute before watching).

Bullette is Your New Favorite Artist

Wow, since i've started this little blog i've received an e-mail or two from artists asking me to feature their music, and I do it as often as I can. But when I recieved the email from Monika Bullette as i was about to go to bed, I had a listen to one song and was instantly compelled to post...i felt like i had to do my readers a service by doing it right away.

All I could think as I listened to song after song was, "where did this come from?" On Bullette's website, Nancy Sinatra, Marc Bolan, Loretta Lynn, and Stereolab are all listed as influences, but make no mistake, this woman is an original.

I'm a little late on this post, as much has already been written on other blogs about the greatness of Bullette (Spoilt Victorian Child and The Mythical Beast both have real nice writeups), plus it's past my bedtime, so i'm just going to recommend you download these beautiful songs right now. Absolutely an early contender for best album, and most original artist, of the year. No question.

And thanks to you, Bullette, it is now nearly 2 a.m. and I have to call in sick to work tomorrow so i can listen some more.

Don't Start Believin' mp3
We Are Not From Sugar mp3
I Can't Tell You Why I'm Smiling mp3



I had a hell of a time deciding which songs to post...so go right now and Download, or better yet, purchase, Bullette's entire album, "The Secrets", at her website. And if there's any justice in the music world, this will receive a wide release sometime in the near future. You heard it here first (or second or third, but who's counting?).

Imogen Heap

I had never heard of Imogen Heap before I downloaded "I am in love with you" from Scenestars...but immediately i was drawn in by her vulnerable, sexy, and familiar voice...so i did some searching around and found some songs for you guys...tough work, blogging is. I also discovered she is a member of Frou Frou. By the way, if you saw the season finale of The O.C., you'll recognize the track "Hide and Seek" from the scene in which Marisa shot that Ashton Kutcher-looking dude...it's a beautifully haunting song that really fit the scene perfectly (or so i heard, i don't watch that crap). anyway, i highly recommend you download it right now...i've been listening to it on repeat all morning.

Imogen Heap:
Hide and Seek mp3
Meantime mp3
Sweet Religion (bulletproof sounds remix) mp3
Breathe In (cholera mix) mp3

Bonus:

Tricky Christiansands mp3

Here You Go, Lizzy

okay now i'm taking requests from my friends' girlfriends, apparently...


The Killers Mr. Brightside mp3

Plus a couple more Lizzy/Marcel-approved jams:

Franz Ferdinand "Matinee" mp3
Death Cab For Cutie "the sound of settling" mp3


Bonus:

"Your Mama" jokes, but for Blogs.

my personal favorite:

"Your blog is so stupid Rosie O’Donell made fun of it in free verse on her blog."

Introducing.....Silver

Update: Silver Goes out for Ice Cream!!

Okay I'm going to apologize in advance for this one...sorry. I was made aware of this crazy woman's blog thanks to Lindsey over at Immoderation. Thank you, Lindsey, for the night terrors this disturbing broad will inevitably cause. Disclaimer: go to this link at your own peril. i guarantee it will creep you the fu** out, and the images will be burned onto your retina all day. this woman is weird. i don't know if she knows it, or if it's intentional, or who the hell is taking all those pictures, but i'm scared of her, and you should be too.

If that is just too much for you, go check out the NBA All-Ugly Team. This guy is their MVP:




Okay now some music to make up for that:

Coldplay "See You Soon" mp3
The Shins "Gone For Good" mp3
Nancy Sinatra "Bang Bang" mp3
The 5.6.7.8's "Woo Hoo" mp3

ALSO....

This little kid is awesome.

Download: the DJ Low Budget (of Hollertronix) May Mix mp3

Detroit

Well, the Dallas Mavericks were knocked out of the playoffs Sunday night, but i'm not going to cry about it. No, instead, i'm switching my allegiance over to a team that is not full of a bunch of punk-ass losers. My original hometown squad, the Detroit Pistons (yeah, i was born there, so don't mess w/ me...you've seen 8 Mile, right?), beat Shaq and the Miami Heat last night, and they're most likely going to sweep the series and beat the Spurs/Suns in the NBA Finals for their 2nd consecutive championship. You heard it here first.


Back to Music...

What's New On Insound?

You could honestly spend hours on Insound.com downloading hundreds of songs. trust me on that. and it's all legal, for the 2 of you out there that care about that sort of thing. plus, you can like, buy stuff there too. anyway, here's a quick sampling of some of the newer stuff they're offering:

Belle & Sebastian "Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It" mp3
Dressy Bessy "Ringalingaling" mp3
Head of Femur "Elliott Gould" mp3

Another Fu**ing Diplo Post

I know ya'll are probably getting sick and tired of my excessive Diplo posts, but this is my blog, so deal with it. This will be the last one for a while, promise. But the new Diplo website is up, and it's really cool, so check it out.




Here's an mp3:

Diplo Haiti on Blast

Also peep:

Hollertronix
Lamborghini Doors

Other Music:

Air "Surfing On A Rocket"
Snow Patrol "Tiny Little Fractures"
Spiritualized "I Think I'm In Love"
Daft Punk "Robot Rock"

Petra Haden Can Do No Wrong

From That Dog, to covering the entire album, "The Who Sells Out" (acapella, bitches!), to her current stint w/ the Decemberists, I love pretty much everything Petra Haden does. I mentioned on this blog recently, after seeing Petra and the Decemberists perform in Dallas, that her cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" was the highlight of the show for me. Well guess what? Petra Haden's cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" is Chromewaves' mp3 of the week. (Thanks to Frank from Chromewaves for hooking us up)

Marjorie Fair

"Waves" captures the essential elements of Marjorie Fair's sound, from the lush, reverb-laden instrumental interplay that evokes everything from Pet Sounds to the Smiths to leader Evan Slamka's emotional, intimate vocals and lyrics

"Waves" mp3

Bears are wusses

There has been some discussion lately about the name of this blog (mostly how stupid it is), some of it revolving around which beast would win in a no-holds barred fight. The name of this blog was inspired by one of my friends' obsession w/ this hypothetical match-up. Anyway, a gorilla would obviously win, so we can pretty much squash all that. If you disagree, and would like to leave a comment, go ahead, but you'd be wrong. I mean look at that thing.

update: you make the call



i don't think so, mike

Moving on,
There's quite a bit of good shit floating around what the nerds call the "blogosphere", and since some of you may be to busy to go find it all yourself, i thought i'd hook you up w/ some of the highlights of the past few days:

Mike over at Take Your Medicine has changed up his format a bit, giving it a slightly more personal touch. Don't worry though, he still hooks us up daily w/ hot shit, including recent offerings from bands like The Cribs and Wolf Parade.

Can't get enough Sufjan Stevens? Well then head over to Each Note Secure, where you'll find yet another track from his upcoming "Illinois" ("Man of Metropolis"). Also, Copy, Right? has Sufjan's cover of R.E.M.'s "The One I Love".

Womenfolk is a really cool, appropriately titled blog that focuses mainly on women in folk music. Highly recommended are the 4 tracks you'll find there from New Buffalo, an Australian who, according to Womenfolk, "creates some of the most beautifully odd music to come out of the 'land down under.'"

Rachael over at Underrated has been on fire lately, giving us tracks from a diverse selection of artists such as Babyshambles, Brendan Benson, Tegan & Sara, and like, way more. Also be sure to check out her magazine, the new issue of which will be out soon.

I've recently discovered Ending East, and it is good. I suggest you go there and download tracks from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Benzos, and other similar bands that are so cool you haven't even heard of them yet.

Of course, it goes w/ out saying these places should be visited daily.

and since this is (sometimes) an mp3 blog too, here are some mp3s that you can't find anywhere else (besides the places i stole them from):

Benzos "It's Amiable"
Pete Doherty "Lady Don't Fall Backwards" (acoustic)

Fu**ing Steve Nash

son of a bitch

Ryan Adams Covers Oasis

Ryan Adams "Wonderwall"

Joanna Newsom

"There's something about her music--it's honest without trying to be folk, but it is...I don't know if heartstrings are real, but if they are, she's damn good at jerking on them."

--Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, on Joanna Newsom



Joanna Newsom is a classically-trained harpist/folk singer-songwriter. Some (including me) find her child-like vocals enchanting, while others find her voice to be shrill and annoying. According to Billions.com, "she frames her unique vision of the world with words that seem dug up after a century underground -- — and while the material she tills from the dirt can seem as familiar to the listener as potatoes, it also glimmers in the spade like loose jewels."



When asked if she ever downloads music, Joanna replied "I would if I knew how. At this point, I don't mind if people download my music because that means there's a person that wants to listen. I give away CD's at shows if someone wants a CD but doesn't have any money...I would be happy for someone to download my music."

How cute is that? Well, go on, make Joanna happy:

Peach, Plum, Pear mp3
Sprout and the Bean mp3
Bridges and Balloons (Pocket remix) mp3

Read interviews w/ Joanna Newsom here, here, or here.
Go here to watch Joanna Newsom perform, and to see a video of "Sprout and the bean".

Bonus mp3!!
Final Fantasy Covers Joanna Newsom:
Peach Plum Pear mp3

Of Montreal Covers The Shins

Know Your Onion (The Shins cover) mp3

I Hate You, Steve Nash

Why did the mavericks let this guy go? You just knew it would come back one day to bite them on the ass. Well that day was yesterday, my friend. Last night in game 5, one game after dropping 48 on the Mavs in Dallas (although the mavs still won that game), Nash messed around and got a triple double, and the Suns won, 114-108. This puts some serious pressure on the Mavericks, who have to win tomorrow night in Dallas to force a game 7. I'd be attending if i hadn't blown my entire life savings for tickets to game 4 (okay, not quite my whole savings). By the way, I don't really hate you, Steve Nash.

This is dedicated to the Suns.

hollaback

my mind is elsewhere today, guys, so here's some music. i'll try to add some more throughout the day, so check back later.

The Postal Service "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" mp3
Caesars "Jerk It Out" mp3
The Flaming Lips "Fight Test" mp3
The Flaming Lips "Do You Realize?" mp3
Jeff Buckley "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" mp3
Ambulance Ltd. "Stay Where You Are" mp3

Guilty pleasure of the day:

Gwen Stefani "Hollaback Girl" mp3

The Secret Machines

The Secret Machines are from Dallas, TX (Ben Curtis was once a member of Tripping Daisy), and they are often compared to Pink Floyd.



Here are some Secret Machines mp3s:

It's A Bad Wind That Don't Blow Somebody Good mp3
Nowhere Again mp3

Like those photos as much as i do? Then go check out some more, as well as photos of Brendan Benson, Interpol, etc. at Spitfire Press

Beulah

so try, try lifting all your weight
for a man, a man gone wrong
and try, try wasting all your days
on a man, a man like me

Beulah broke up last year, shortly after releasing "Yoko", a masterpiece of '60's-style pop. Beulah's music has been described as "a trippy pop explosion drawing influence from albums such as The Beatles' Revolver and The Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society...Beulah adds a melee of percussion, strings, horns, and a ton of other instruments to most of their songs without sacrificing the lovely melodies. Beulah is a necessity for fans of the sixties pop and/or THC"...not a bad description. Man I miss these guys.

"If We Can Land A Man on the Moon, Surely I can Win Your Heart" mp3
"You're Only King Once" mp3
"Waiting For Sunset" mp3
"Gravity's Bringing Us Down" mp3
"A Man Like Me" mp3

Beulah Live on KCRW:
"Emma Blowgun's Last Stand" mp3
"If We Can Land A Man On the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart" mp3
"Popular Mechanics For Lovers" mp3

Go here for Beulah Lyrics.

Some Afternoon Downloads

Rainer Maria "Artificial Light" mp3
Mates of State "Goods" mp3
Stars "Your Ex-lover is Dead" mp3
Elliott Smith "Waltz #2" mp3
Jem "Maybe I'm Amazed" mp3

Deathray Davies

The new Deathray Davies album, "Kick and the Snare", comes out today. And if you follow only one recommendation from this stupid little blog, do yourself a favor and buy it. These guys are one of the best Dallas has to offer. Here's what Prefix said about the new album:

"The ‘60s remain vital soil for indie-rock’s pick-ax, and John Dufilho and his Dallas-based Deathray Davies have been steadily sharpening their blades over the course of four albums. With Kick and the Snare the boys are set to release their Kinks cum Pixies pop on the world once again. Thankfully, Dufilho has managed to pack a three-chord wallop with new tunes like “Plan to Stay Awake” -- a soundtrack as fit for the Wonder Years as for your iPod."

okay you can download now:

"Plan To Stay Awake" mp3 (from "Kick and the Snare")
"The Girl Who Stole The Eiffel Tower" mp3 (from "Midnight at the Black Nail Polish Factory")
"Maggie Doesn't Blink" mp3 (from "Midnight at the Black Nail Polish Factory")

Some Bonus Unrelated Educational Material:

The Vice Guide to Picking Up Chicks

Sigur Ros

Sigur Ros is probably one of the most divisive bands that i listen to...most critics love them, but most people i know personally can't stand them (except for my friend marcel, who attempts to sing along like he knows the words). I really like them, but I can understand why people wouldn't like their music...the lyrics are often unintelligible jibberish, and their songs are more atmospheric compositions than actual "songs", in the traditional sense. here's a couple songs from "agaetis byrjun" and a couple from "( )". Enjoy. or not.

Svefn g englar mp3 (that song from "Vanilla Sky")
Staralfur mp3 (that song from "The Life Aquatic")
Untitled #4 mp3 (that other song from "Vanilla Sky")
Untitled #1 mp3

Bonus: go here to get tons of live sigur ros.

Mavs Win

UPDATE: I've posted the link to get your "Dirk Is My Homeboy" shirt a couple times, only to have it die on me....okay this should be the right link if you want to be the first on your block to have one.

Despite a dominant performance by ex-Maverick little Stevie Nash (who scored a career-high 48), the Mavs cruised to a 10 pt. victory in game four of the western conference semis, tying the series w/ Phoenix, 2-2. We went to the game (now we're broke, but it was worth it), and the playoff atmosphere was awesome. It was never really close after the first quarter, and the Mavs held a double-digit lead for most of the 2nd half. Now if they can just get a little more out of Dirk, we'll be okay.



Some (unrelated) Music:

Interpol

"Untitled" (Live) mp3
"Stella Was A Diver and She Was Always Down" (Live) mp3
"PDA" (Live) mp3

Operation Ironman: Ghostface & MF Doom

"Fazers" mp3
"Iron Maiden" mp3
"Windpipe" (featuring the Rza and ODB) mp3
"Mic Line" mp3