[Teen represents] passion, obsession, excitement, energy, spontaneity, mystique, yeah, like kind of irrational love you know, deep, irrational love, being wild. Dream represents fantasy, leaving reality, it represents so many things, it represents distortion, it represents one tiny feeling becoming a huge feeling.
Thank you to Wow Magazine for sharing this video with the world and allowing us to share it with you.
Also, swing by The Alternate Side for two amazing studio performances of ‘Zebra’ and ‘Better Times’ accompanied by none other than another great interview!
Usually, I am not a fan of snow but today, only if even for a little while, I am grateful to the weather. With nothing to do (there’s always a paper, though), no where to go (except to find a source of hydration) and not a thing to worry about (okay, that’s never true but let’s pretend) I am going to take advantage of this opportunity; my world on pause, under blankets of white and glide, effortlessly, through as much of the Beach House catalog as I can before reality creeps its way into my day like the green, slimy leech that it is.
Are you snowed in? Join me! It doesn’t snow where you are? Join me anyway! The Sheep might be a little late though, she has a date with destiny philosophy. The world only stops for snow in America, it seems.
Today, February 4, 2010 is Pick Apart The Past: Wolves Among The Sheep’s one month birthday! It may seem like a month is not monumental enough to be celebrating but for us, it is a pretty big deal. We entered this vast and intimidating world of blogging with, I can truly say, no expectations what-so-ever.
We are beyond grateful for the minds that have been curious enough to pay us a visit, the eyes that have been interested enough to read our words, the ears that have trusted our opinions enough to listen, the fingers that have been generous enough to share us with others that are way out of our reach and to the blogs that have been nice enough to befriend us in our fetus-like days. We thank you from the bottom of our wild and slightly animalistic hearts and we appreciate you all immensely and please always feel free to leave your thoughts and opinions – they matter to us!
To all of the bands that have created music that is too beautiful to not be hunted, chewed, digested and praised – we thank you as well because none of this would have been inspired without your music. Especially to those musicians who have been wonderful enough to contact us, let us know that they have stopped by and offered words of encouragement – it means more to us than you will ever know! Thank you.
I would also like to thank my blogging half; it has been a long, slightly bitter but entirely enjoyable experience, which without you and your do-er and push-er ways, I would never have had the pleasure of becoming a part of. You are so annoying the best!
In exactly a month, we have had the privilege of featuring music from 21 bands which include:
and the days only look brighter from this point forward! We have a few new ideas in store for the future along with tons of music to discuss and we can not wait to let it all unfold – we only hope that you continue to stick around! Yes, you! You! You! You gorgeous creatures!
Forever blogging and feeling,
The Wolf & The Sheep
What a fantastic way to begin a brand new month! Ladies, gentlemen, sheep, wolves, tigers and robots alike, we present you with Beach House’s Daytrotter session! The song selection for this session is great and includes a bunch of our own personal favorites (one being ‘Zebra,’ of course).
What would life be like without Daytrotter? I never want to know.
Where you thinking that you gotta run to now with the beating of a tiny heart?
For the last two months or so, I have found myself entrapped in an undertow brought on by the whirling, haunting and dreamy sounds of Beach House. (While they are by no means a recently discovered band, it seems as if a full appreciation for their artistry had not made its full circle around my mind until a certain Sheep that I can always count on, found a home for one of their new tracks on a fabulously constructed mix.) It has become a familiar process as of late; no matter the time of day, I find myself finding time to put the real world on pause, reach for whatever sound producing device may be near by and select any song by the aforementioned Beach House. The result is an instant lull, followed by a sheepish smile, a deep cleansing breath and staring contest between my eyes and the sky or the space between my current state of mind and the baggage that has fallen, so effortlessly, from my conscious. Eventually, I am overcome with the desire to make some sort of contact with the outside world and let them know just ‘how much I love this band.’ (Fortunately, the Sheep has unlimited texting and, um, patience.)
You’d think this was some sort of religious experience, or perhaps one involving illicit drugs but neither of the above are true, really. What it is for me is simple. It’s Beach House‘s ability to elevate the simplicity of sound to such heights – where the air is too thin to breathe, forcing the overcharged and underpaid synapses in my brain to finally come to a rest and allow my subconscious to get lost for a while. Perhaps, Rebecca Solnit, author of “A Field Guide to Getting Lost,” said it best: “To lose yourself: a voluptuous surrender, lost in your arms, lost to the world, utterly immersed in what is present so that its surroundings fade away.” And that is what Beach House does for me. Their sound, so perfectly layered – like a big fucking ice cream cake – completely melts the taste buds of my mind, drops the temperature within my soul to somewhere deep below the point of zero and then transports me, stumbling gracefully through every note and hollow word, to a place where I am lost, yet comfortable with the idea of it all.
In an endless night,
could you feel the fright of an age that was and could never be?
So we hold it close when we feel the most
like a love that we could not leave behind
Turn the wheel to each way we feel until
I’m lost and I cannot find you there
Don’t forget the nights when it all felt right,
are you not the same as you used to be?
For the most part, my last two months have been spent procrastinating papers, cramming for exams, celebrating holidays, spending time with friends, learning how to speak Canadian and um, oh – that’s right – reevaluating the plans that I’ve been counting on and peeking through my hands as I fear for their unravelling. So, yeah, that might have something to do with needing an escape, but that does not take away from how amazing this band actually is at what it does.
Have I gone too far? Personally, I don’t think so. A band has not had the power to make me feel this way in a very long time. I believe that when one is lucky enough to have something affect them so strongly, it is important to realize how rare of an occurrence it truly is and to appreciate it, open up to it and allow it the space that it needs to consume, fulfill and eventually repair you.
With that being said, Beach House‘s third full length album, Teen Dream (head over to NPR for a free preview), hits stores today, 1/26/09. I believe I can speak for both myself and our little wooly friend when I say that it is an album that needs to be heard, even if only once, you owe it to your soul. My superfreaky friend was cool enough post a great entry about the Teen Dream vinyl, including pictures – you should check it out.
Maybe this was not much of an album review but sometimes, some things are better left unexplained, especially when the opportunity exists to experience them. Take a deep breath, let your mind go and enjoy.
I’ve been stuck in a Teen Dream and I never want to wake up. Thank you, Ms. Legrand and Mr. Scally for creating such ‘sad shit.‘
01-24 Park City, UT – Sundance Festival
01-26 Brooklyn, NY – The Bell House
02-10 Glasgow, Scotland – King Tuts
02-11 Manchester, England – Islington Mill
02-12 Leeds, England – Brudenell Social Club
02-13 Dublin, Ireland – Whelans
02-14 Belfast, Northern Ireland – Speakeasy
02-16 Cardiff, Wales – Arts Centre
02-17 London, England – Bush Hall
02-18 Lille, France – L’Aéronef Club
02-18 Saint-Malo, France – La Route du Rock
02-20 Paris, France – La Maroquinerie
02-21 Ghent, Belgium – Vooruit
02-22 Brussels, Belgium – Botanique
02-23 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
02-24 Groningen, Netherlands – Vera
02-25 Berlin, Germany – Roter Salon
02-26 Copenhagen, Denmark – Loppen
02-27 Stockholm, Sweden – Debaser
02-28 Oslo, Norway – Parkteatret
03-02 Gothenburg, Sweden – Pusterviksbaren (Club Woody West)
03-03 Hamburg, Germany – Molotov
03-04 Leipzig, Germany – UT Connwitz
03-05 Munich, Germany – Feierwerk
03-06 Zurich, Switzerland – Abart
03-08 Newcastle, England – The Sage *
03-09 Edinburgh, Scotland – The Queens Hall *
03-11 Brighton, England – The Corn Exchange *
03-12 Coventry, England – Warwick Arts Centre *
03-13 London, England – Roundhouse *
03-14 London, England – Roundhouse *
03-17 Lisbon, Portugal – Lux Fragil
03-18 Guimareas, Portugal – Centro Cultural Vila Flor
03-26 Washington, DC – Black Cat #
03-27 Middletown, CT – Wesleyan University
03-28 Boston, MA – Paradise #
03-29 Montreal, Quebec – La Sala Rosa # 03-30 Toronto, Ontario – Opera House #
04-01 Pontiac, MI – Pike Room #
04-02 Chicago, IL – Metro #
04-03 Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater #
04-04 Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center #
04-05 Omaha, NE – Waiting Room #
04-06 Lawrence, KS – Jackpot Saloon #
04-07 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater #
04-09 Boise, ID – Neurolux #
04-10 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge #
04-11 Vancouver, British Columbia – Rickshaw Theater #
04-12 Seattle, WA – Neumos #
04-14 San Francisco, CA – Bimbos #
04-15 San Luis Obispo, CA – Downtown Brewing Co. #
04-19 Phoenix, AZ – Rhythm Room *
04-21 Dallas, TX – Granada Theater %
04-22 Austin, TX – Emo’s %
04-23 Houston, TX – Walter’s %
04-24 Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon %
04-25 Tallahassee, FL – Engine Room %
04-27 Birmingham, AL – Bottletree %
04-28 Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge %
04-29 Atlanta, GA – The Earl %
04-30 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle Tavern %
05-01 Chapel Hill, NC – Cat’s Cradle % 05-06 New York, NY – Webster Hall
05-07 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
05-08 Baltimore, MD – 2640 Space
* with Grizzly Bear
# with Bachelorette
% with Washed Out
Make sure to check out a show in your town, we know we are!
While on the subject of Beach House, be sure to pick up a copy of Teen Dream, their third album, which will be out on January 26/10.
We care for one thing here - to share sounds and words and melodies and ideas that are so beautiful, they'll make you want to fall apart and sleep forever.
Come say 'Hi!' at: soundsofwolvesamongsheep@yahoo.ca we don't really bite (that hard) or shed (that much) despite being creatures who hunt and graze for fun! Regardless of whether you love or hate what you see here, we hope that you find what it is you are looking for, eventually.
Bookmark! Share! Subscribe! you gorgeous, gorgeous people! Thank you for stopping by and we will see you soon, right? :)
PS: We apologize in advance that we are a little too addicted to using emoticons.. Nobody be thrown off, its all in good spirit! :D
disclaimer
The MP3's posted on this blog are intended for previewing purposes only. If you ENJOY what you hear, do what you can to support the band (purchase a CD, go to a show, buy some merchandise, invite the band to a sleep over, have the lead singer sign your face then get it tattooed, etc). If you HATE what you hear, turn the volume down and get over it! More importantly, if you represent an artist or a label and would prefer that we take down an MP3, please email us at soundsofwolvesamongsheep@yahoo.ca and we'd be happy to!
pick apart the past 