Frankel - Anyonymity is the New Fame

Frankel - Anonymity is the New Fame (2009)
Download via Rapidshare
Official band site.

I got this record by association really. I was looking for new pop record. I can't remember how I found this but the cover, I think, is what got me. It reminded me of Arcade Fire's Funeral, probably because of the similarity between diagonal composition of this album art and the feather on Funeral.

The music is very soft with clear vocals, gentle guitars, defining keyboards, pianos, and subtle to amplifying percussion. It was exactly what I was looking for. I think this record is like 3 parts Elliot Smith, 2 parts The Shins, 1 part Catpower, and 1 part Blur. Among other tastes and satisfactions, the record makes for perfect Sunday music.. Favorite songs thus far include:

• Faux Science
• Nowhere
• Weather Balloon
  
• Comfortable
• Keep You Inside

Videos inspired by the new Akron/Family record.

Over the past couple weeks there are a few records I keep going back to and the new Akron/Family "Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free" is one of them. There's something about the sound that keeps me locked in. I found two videos on Vimeo where there music is featured and wanted to share them here.

One of the videos includes what is currently my favorite song on the new album "River." I have no idea what the video montage is about but I think the song is so good that I get mesmerized and end up watching the whole video. Towards the end of the video there's a closing clip with zombies that seems out of place. On that closing clip the music changes featuring a different band called St. Vincent. Not to be confused with a different Akron/Family title.

The other video is actually of them performing someplace in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. On this video they're playing "Sun Will Shine" which I think is the masterpiece on the new record. It's a public performance in an outdoor area and the band really lets the audience have it face to face.

Random 4th of July Links

Lately, I seem to have lost some steam with the blog. It just doesn't feel like it used to. I've considered deleting it because it seems to be missing awesome. It's not that I don't have anything to say but by the time I get to the computer to blog all the things I thought I'd want to write about go away. Even these top 10 posts are getting kind of lame. This was the best I could muster this morning. Some aren't so bad.

• Happy 4th of July, preserving the Declaration of Independance - WIRED.
• The fattest states in the US - nom nom nom.
  
• I would not want to be on this train.
• There should be more bloody mary's in our lives. These mixes look promising.
• Checkout this Vimeo video showing off some fixed-gear biking goodness. I'm inspired to get a road bike and a fixed gear bike. Priorities, priorities... sigh.
• ffffound.com is a pretty cool site. I found this photographer's site off of it. This is one of his pictures. I think it shows a beautifiul young moment of love.
• Awesome Soup of the Day!
  
• The coolest outdoor sport's spaces. Of course it's in the Netherlands.
• I remember seeing a lot of these posters in college.
• My favorite pizza.
• The most badass wolf t-shirt belongs to this guy.