Local Pairings: Or, The Whale - Or, The Whale (paired with Cafe Beaujolais, Mendocino, CA)

The San Francisco indie-Americana seven-piece Or, The Whale know how to pen heart-clenching ballads and floor-board stomping rockers. This is amply demonstrated on their self-titled sophomore release, an album which also showcases considerable song-writing prowess and maturity. The record was recorded at Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco and features all of the hallmarks of a great folk/country album: a beautifully sad song about a dog that has passed away, bluesy tunes about heart-break, banjo, slinking bass, acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar, five excellent vocalists, light percussion and a weathered sounding piano. The band presumably takes their name from the full title of the book Moby Dick (the full original title of which is Moby Dick, or, The Whale), which seems appropriate considering that one of the bands many strengths include literate, narrative lyrics.

Or, The Whale opens with a saloon-suited piano riff, which leads the way for a smooth bass line, finger-picked banjo, and rootsy co-ed harmonized vocals on the haunting tune "No Love Blues." The song "Rusty Gold" is one of a number of tracks on the album that could be described as a "standout" and begins with simple, acoustic strumming as guitarist/vocalist Alex Robins sings "my dog died and it broke my heart" and continuing "now that she has been set free, I hope her ghost will visit me" before waves of pedal steel flow over the tune courtesy of guitarist Tim Marcus. The next track, "Never Coming Out," clicks out time like an antique-watch as singer Lindsay Garfield sings "I have always lived in this house / and I'm never coming out." It is a reclusive, solitary song that shines like a light through the peeling-paint of a old, dirt-covered window pane. The album's biggest rocker is born from the thumping rhythm section and grimy, fuzz-covered guitar-riffs of "Black Rabbit" which sounds like it could have been written as a country rendition of an unreleased Pink Floyd track. "Giving Up Time" is another strong anthem that stomps and rolls before coming to a stop at the creaking floor boards that open the acoustic ballad "Shasta." Washed in warmth and earthiness, Or, The Whale's latest offering is a rewarding album worth spending some quality time with.

Follow the link above to pick up a copy of the album from the band's website, or, even better, if you live in the Bay Area stop by and pick up your copy in person when the band performs at Cafe Du Nord on Saturday, November 14, 2009.

Or, The Whale - Black Rabbit

Head back to eating/sf to read Kasey's review for Mendocino's finest culinary jewel: Cafe Beaujolais.

New Music Buffet feat. Spoon, The Lower 48, The Get Busy Committee, and Camp Out

You've probably heard of Austin, Texas' Spoon. If not, you should go out and buy one of their albums today. Any one of 'em because they are all great. Heck, buy them all. Read one of our previous Spoon posts. Also, if you are following Musical Pairings on Twitter you are probably also aware that they have finished a new album titled Transference with a January release date. Below is the MP3 that made the rounds yesterday of the album's third cut "Mystery Zone." Track removed by request. We are officially excited.

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The Lower 48 is a classically-trained indie-acoustic quartet who hail from Minneapolis. Their rootsy instrumentation plus the smokey croon of their lead-singer Sarah is sure to win the affection of a number of indie-folk loving hearts. Their five-track debut EP Everywhere To Go was released only yesterday and features a number of irresistible, intelligently crafted tracks including "Transmission Pt. 1," "Miles From Minnesota," and "Bedroom." Check out a sample below!

MP3: The Lower 48 - Transmission Pt. 1
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The Get Busy Committee (a.k.a. The G.B.C.) features Ryu (Styles of Beyond, Demigodz) and Apathy (Demigodz, Army of Pharaohs). The track "My Little Razorblade" is set up upon The Knife's cut "Heartbeats" (the same track A-Trak used for his remix of Kanye's "Get Em' High") with slick rhymes piled in heaps all over the tune. Their album "Uzi Does It" is available now from the band's website (including on a 2GB Uzi-shaped USB) and will be available on all other digital outlets on November 10th.

MP3: The Get Busy Committee - My Little Razorblade
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Camp Out is a San Francisco based duo that plays catchy indie-pop that spans through rock, folk and synth. There are hints of Mates of State, the Cardigans and Blondie coloring the edges of their self-released debut album which is slated for a December release. I especially enjoyed the tracks "Car Crash," "Closer," "Make Myself Sick," and "Crossed Out Face." San Franciscans can catch them at the beautiful Hotel Utah on 11/19/2009.

MP3: Camp Out - Closer

Musical Pairings: The Cure - Japanese Whispers (paired w/ spicy almond-butter noodles)

This almond-butter noodle recipe is fun, and easy. It's great for a night when you want a slightly spicy, flavorful dish to lift your spirits, but don't want to put in a lot of work. And, it is a colorful eye-catching dish with the carrots, red pepper and snap peas. Something about the color scheme seems very 80s to me. So for these reasons, I dug into the greatest albums of the 80's section of my iTunes and pulled out the Cure's fantastic Japanese Whispers.

Japanese Whispers is a compilation album that the band released in 1983 to collect three otherwise album-less (at the time of its release that is) singles: "Lovecats," "Lets Go To Bed," and "The Walk." The album also included most of the singles' b-sides including "The Upstairs Room" and "Lament." It also serves as the best demonstration of the band's move away from the darker, moodier work they recorded on albums like "Pornography" and "Faith" towards more danceable, synth-based tunes that previewed the style they would pursue on albums The Head on the Door and Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. More importantly, it just sounds great. "Lets Go To Bed" is playful and cute. "The Walk" is synthed-up and jazzy. And the final single on the album, "The Lovecats" is probably the most ridiculous and silly, yet successful and permanently enjoyable tracks ever recorded by any band ever. The CD is available at Insound and (even better) copies on wax aren't too difficult to find at most local record stores.

The Cure - The Walk

You can find the corresponding recipe for the spicy almond-butter noodles at eating/sf.

Single Serving: Girl Talk - Live at Chop Suey, Seattle, California

Girl Talk puts on a great live show. Of course no recording of a live gig can possibly capture the energy of one of his gigs, but this recording is still fun because it demonstrates some of the spontaneous mash-ups he incorporates into the set. Plus it is a great quality recording. This has made the rounds on a few other sites in the past, but I've not seen any sites that still have live links to it - so I'm keeping it alive. Enjoy. The first link is to the zip file of the whole gig, and then below that are a few samples to enjoy.

Girl Talk - Live at Chop Suey in Seattle, Washington (zip file)

Girl Talk - Doin' It Bossy
Girl Talk - Just Need to Stay Fly
Girl Talk - Gulangnologic
Girl Talk - Ain't No Other Love Triangle
Girl Talk - Lay It Back and Drop It

Musical Pairings: Jeff Buckley - Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk (paired with caramel cake)

Kasey prepared this caramel cake for my birthday. It is smooth, sexy, buttery and celebratory. For this reason, Jeff Buckley's posthumously released Sketches For My Sweetheart the Drunk is perfect pairing for this recipe. Buckley's songwriting and amazing vocals are a perfect comparison for the way this cake tastes: sweet, smokey and caramel. Sketches For My Sweetheart the Drunk didn't receive the same degree of critical acclaim as Buckley's legendary first album, Grace, but the songs that compose this two disc collection are still stunning, complex and solid.

The first disc collects a number of tracks that Buckley recorded prior to his death while working with producer Tom Veraline. Buckley wasn't quite satisfied with the results of these sessions, and took the album back the drawing board. The second disc, then collects a series of demos and unreleased tracks he had worked on outside of the Veraline sessions. Both discs are excellent. The track "Everyone Here Wants You" on the first disc is easily one of the sexiest songs ever written, featuring smokey, jazz-tinged rock and sultry lyrics as Buckley croons, "and our eyes locked in downcast love / I sit here proud / even now you are undressed in your dreams with me." The upbeat tapping rhythm of "The Witches' Rave" is fun and fantastic. The track "Nightmares By The Sea" appears on both discs and is grand, shimmering and driving in both incarnations. One of the most eye-archingly uncharacteristic cuts included in the collection is the roguishly, lecherous "Your Flesh Is So Nice" which draws upon fuzzed-out electric guitars as Buckley growls "I want to tell you a story / about a little cutey / she's ass-slappin' pretty." "Jewel Box" is equally simple and sexy, and Jeff promises, "I'll tell you secrets so good, you'll never tell a soul." This is a record that should be a pre-requisite for any collection. It is also one I suspect I'll never find on vinyl (much to my dismay).

Jeff Buckley - Everybody Here Wants You
Jeff Buckley - When The Levee Breaks (Led Zepplin Cover)

Head back to eating/sf to read the recipe for this caramel cake.

Single Serving: Arcade Fire - Various Covers

I love Halloween. That could in part be because October 31st isn't just Halloween - it is also my birthday. It is a great time to celebrate! And what better way to celebrate Halloween at Musical Pairings than with a few covers by the Arcade Fire (after all a cover is like the musical equivalent of dressing up in costume)? There are a number of other covers out there, but the quality of the recordings are not great so I'm not going to post them here. But if you have one that is pretty good - share the link in the comments section!

Arcade Fire - Maps (Yeah Yeah Yeahs Cover)
Arcade Fire - Five Years (David Bowie Cover)
Arcade Fire - The Guns of Brixton (Clash Cover)
Arcade Fire - State Trooper (Bruce Springsteen Cover)
Arcade Fire - This Must Be The Place (Talking Heads Cover)

Musical Pairings: Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs (paired with kabocha squash gnocchi w/ sage butter)

The kabocha squash gnocchi with sage butter recipe is perfect for a Fall meal. It is warming, flavorful and filling. To find the perfect pairing for it, I needed to find an autumnal, but upbeat album; something complex, but fun. In other words, I was looking for Yo La Tengo's latest release, Popular Songs. A collection of beautifully crafted indie-pop tunes, Popular Songs is warm and fuzzy like your favorite sweater that you'd stored away throughout the summer at the bottom of your dresser. It's an album to listen to while carving pumpkins, drinking spiced wine, or... preparing kabocha squash (a type of pumpkin) gnocchi with friends.

Popular Songs opens with the tune "Here to Fall" with ambient drones which give way to a rat-a-tat drum blast and backing violins that blend into a tender, sympathetic pop song: "I know you're worried / I'm worried too / but if you're ready / I'm here to fall with you." "Avalon or Something Similar" is fuzzy and warm, a shimmering and sweet song. They double down on the fuzz with the feel good blast of "Nothing to Hide" featuring rough, felt-like electric guitar which is nicely contrasted by cheery keys. One of the album's many standouts, "Periodically Triple or Double," features a slinky r&b rhythm centered around a funky bass line. The next cut, "If Its True," is a feather-light slice of indie-soul similar to some of Belle & Sebastian's recent tunes, and is another happy highlight on a solid album. The trio give in to their inclination towards experimental song-writing for the last three songs on the album, "More Stars Than There Are In Heaven," "The Fireside," and "And The Glitter is Gone." Its available on wax over at Insound.

Yo La Tengo - Here To Fall
Yo La Tengo - Periodically Triple or Double

Head back to eating/sf to read the recipe for kabocha squash gnocchi with sage butter.