The National - Ashamed of the Story I told

  pic: studiozoe



Another letter from home
I don't know why I even read it
There's one big question
I don't know why I must repeat it

 

The National - Ashamed of the Story I told (Polaris cover)

 

This is taken from the upcoming Mark Mulcahy tribute album, Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy.

 

Tracklist:

 

01 Thom Yorke: "All for the Best"
02 The National: "Ashamed of the Story I Told"
03 Michael Stipe: "Everything’s Coming Undone"
04 David Berkeley: "Love's the Only Thing That Shuts Me Up"
05 Dinosaur Jr.: "The Backyard"
06 Chris Harford and Mr. Ray Neal: "Micon the Icon"
07 Frank Black: "Bill Jocko"
08 Vic Chesnutt: "Little Man"
09 Unbelievable Truth: "Ciao My Shining Star"
10 Butterflies of Love: "I Have Patience"
11 Chris Collingwood of Fountains of Wayne: "Cookie Jar"
12 Frank Turner: "The Quiet One"
13 Rocket From the Tombs: "In Pursuit of Your Happiness"
14 Ben Kweller: "Wake Up Whispering"
15 Josh Rouse: "I Woke Up in the Mayflower"
16 Autumn Defense: "Paradise"
17 Hayden: "Happy Birthday Yesterday"
18 Juliana Hatfield: "We're Not in Charleston Anymore"
19 Mercury Rev: "Sailors and Animals"
20 Elvis Perkins: "She Watches Over Me"
21 Sean Watkins: "A World Away From This One" 

 

It's out in September and I suggest you go buy it. It's for a good cause.

 

** Big thanks to the rather lovely I Am Fuel, You Are Friends for the mp3 **

Festival Preview: Off Festival 2009 (Poland)

Festival season has once again walked into our thoughts, dreams and desires; scantily dressed, heavily perfumed, and looking pretty damn good; walked by our desk wearing nothing but a backstage pass and an inflatable hat, smiled provocatively (Hmpf, Dour!), shaken its ass in our faces (damn you Primavera!), tempted us to part with large sums of cash (leave me alone Reading!), sleep (For the last time, NO! Benicassim!) and sanity (Grrr, Glastonbury!). 

 

And, like sandwiches (sandwiches? is that really the best metaphor you can come up with!? ed.), festivals come in all shapes and sizes. Some tiny, some huge, some just plain weird (but you know we love you anyway, right, Standon Calling?). Line-ups too, vary hugely. Actually choosing from one of these however can prove rather tricky, a bit like standing in front of the counter at Subway (Ah, now I see where that was going. But still, sandwiches? ed.). This year LHNA simply decided to follow the best line-ups...

   

Pitchfork, the website everyone loves to hate and hates to love, recently published its annual Guide to Summer Festivals 2009 article to assist in this choice. LHNA, already planning a journey up, though, and across Europe this summer, and therefore already armed with a vague itinerary and before mentioned line-up criteria, chanced upon the festival we're featuring today: 

  

OFF Festival 2009

 

Held in what for many people may well be considered the middle of nowhere, this little brother of indie festivals has only been around for a few years, yet has already hosted the likes of Architecture in Helsinki, Of Montreal, Electrelane, Clinic, British Sea Power, Menomena and Iron & Wine on its stages. This year's lineup looks even more impressive:

 

The National, Final Fantasy, Spiritualized, El Perro del Mar, The Thermals, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Frightened Rabbit,These New Puritans, Maria Peszek, Marissa Nadler, The Field, Ólafur Arnalds, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, High Places,Handsome Furs, HEALTH, Fucked Up, Mark Kozelek, Crystal Stilts, Wavves, Karl Blau, Wooden Shjips, and many more  !

To be honest, we don't really know much else about it. The website is somewhat 'enigmatic', while everyone writing on its LastFM page is Polish. From what I've seen, it appears to be held in something of a park, and camping is available. For us, the not really knowing what to expect (at all!) is part of the fun. Anyway, here's a map:

 

 Follow the rabbit to Off!

 

Four-day tickets are already sold out, but 2-day tickets are still available and cost only 85 Polish Zloty, which is €19.50 (or $27), i.e. insanely cheap.

  

For flights, I suggest having a look at Ryanair or Easyjet. If you book now you'll probably be able to find something decent.

Off Festival 2009 on Last FM

Official website

Off Festival 2009 playlist on Spotify


-> and for those of you from Hype Machine or Elbo.ws, yes, we have a few songs for your listening pleasure:
  
The National - Mistaken for Strangers
The Thermals - No Culture Icons
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Killers
Final Fantasy - This Lamb Sells Condos

Ten songs you really should have heard over the past few months

Ten songs you really should have heard over the past few months

Ever open a music magazine or look at a website and think "who the fuck are these bands?" and/or "I've never even heard of these songs!!?"

It happens to the best of us. You return from a trip, get out of prison, wake up from a coma or have simply been spending way too much time on your Wii.

However, don't fret. If you've been in any of the above for the past one or two months, Letters have no Arms is here to assist.
 
We hereby present:
 

Wavves - So Bored

Bat For Lashes - Daniel

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead

Phoenix - Lisztomania

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks

Animal Collective - Bluish

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

The National - So far around the bend

Little Boots - Meddle

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

These are (some of) the songs that have been making the Land of Blog stand erect with excitement over the past few months.
 

 

Simply listen to these songs a few times and you'll soon be able to accept that drink/dinner invitation again! Join those conversations at the watercooler and climb back up on that slippery social calendar!
  

Hurray!

 
Caution: if you have friends of the so-called 'hipster' variety, these are the exact songs you should NOT mention/be listening to! And if, by some regrettable lapse in judgment, you do, be sure to do so in a "haha yeah that song was kinda cool, back in like January (of 2008!)" after which you should immediately exchange an ironic high five with the person nearest to you and quickly readjust your hair.