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Don't Cry Because It's Over, Smile Because It Happened.
2008-01-24 20:17:00
As many of you know already, and, I'm sure, a few of you have guessed, Three Pints and a Towel is now on hiatus. I began this blog as an outlet for myself, both a creative one that would allow me to write, and a more practical one that would allow me to share and explore music. Lately, with more on my plate in my day to day life, I've found less and less time for this site, and have stopped enjoying the routine of listening, analyzing, and posting.Running this site over the last 10 months or so has been a pretty wonderful experience. I've met a few rather awesome people, listened to tons of great music, and had a chance to go to several shows that I otherwise wouldn't have attended. Thanks to all of you that came here regularly to check out what was new in the world of whatever music I was listening to at the time. All of you that visit and comment are the ones that keep bloggers going.This isn't a complete goodbye, though. I'll still do the occasional mix update as I come acr...
More About: Smile

Happy Christmas, Ye Gentlepeople.
2007-12-23 05:24:00
Humblest apologies for my recent short hiatus. The Christmas season can really eat up your time.I would very much like to make up for my relative silence, and also wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I can think of only one way to do both these things: a super-awesome Three Pints Christmas Mix.Enjoy!"Blue Christmas" - Johnny Cash"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - Bright Eyes"Christmas Song" - Chris Garneau"Rock of Ages" - Ben Kweller"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" - Belle and Sebastien"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" - Death Cab for Cutie"Merry Xmas Everybody" - Rooney"That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!" - Sufjan Stevens"You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" - Asylum Street Spankers"O Holy Night" - Benji Cossa"Father Christmas" - The Kinks"Strings and Ribbons" - The Details"Just Like Christmas" - Low"Shake Hands With Santa Claus" - Louis PrimaZip file.
More About: Happy , Happy Christmas

Something Old, Something New; Something Snow, Something Blow.
2007-12-13 20:43:00
(photo credit)In that very same order:"...and I will hang my head, hang my head low.""Crane Wife 3" - The DecemberistsDeceptively low-key? Deceptively."Fools" - The DodosThe Glorious Hum gives us a glorious snow! mixtape.here, it be.Déjà vu? This could also fit under the something old category, but The Blow really do deserve their own slot."Parantheses" - The Blow
More About: Snow

Schoolhouse Rock
2007-12-10 20:21:00
What do you get when you mix 6 or more 13-16 year-olds, sunny California weather, and a nice selection of musical instruments? Apparently, as Please Quiet Ourselves has shown, you get some pretty awesome indie-pop and a feeling like you're listening to the younger, West-Coast version of Broken Social Scene."Antibodies" - Please Quiet Ourselves"The Light" - Please Quiet OurselvesI'm loving the layered sound in "The Light". Keep it up guys!Please Quiet Ourselves: Official SitePlease Quiet Ourselves: Myspace
More About: Rock

The OaKs: Masood
2007-12-07 04:53:00
I have something pretty special to share with you. Not only do I have a great song, by a great group, I have a great story to go along with it. For full effect, read while you listen."Masood" - The OaKsIt was early December, 2004. 26-year-old Ryan Costello had just moved into a new house on the west side of Kabul with a South African family, having lived there only one month. With only a scant knowledge of the local language, Farsi, Costello began walking the streets near his house during the day determined to make friends in the neighborhood. After several days of hanging out with and taking photographs of the local school age children, he was invited by a middle aged man into his mud-walled shop and offered tea. Not knowing the local custom of declining invitations at least three times, Costello said “yes”, which surprised the man who frantically looked around, realizing he had no tea to serve. At that moment another, younger man with a beard and leather jacket who had b...

Guest Post: H from Random Mindless Ramblings
2007-12-04 04:48:00
I love guest posts. Courtesy of H, from Random Mindless Ramblings, our very own rambling. (with mp3's)!--------------------Hello all! My name is H, and I have been asked by Jad to do a guest post. Some of you might recognize me and my horrible writing from Random Mindless Ramblings. Random Mindless Ramblings is a blog; Three Pints and a Towel is a blog. That's all they have in common.But Jad and I have developed a friendship over this here Internet (an internship, you might say) and Jad "loves" my writing. I am not sure why. I mean, did you read any of the last six sentences? In fact, he loves my writing so much that he created a Facebook group in my honor.It is called the 'Retarded H Fanboy Club.' It is not just for boys, though, so if you're a girl and you love the H you can still join.Right now the group has six members. This includes me, Jad, and my boyfriend, who didn't even know what the group was until I explained it to him because he doesn't "get" Facebook. ...
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A Plea, In Earnest.
2007-11-30 09:51:00
Something to think on.Normally I wouldn't discuss politics, but I don't believe this topic to be political. Rather, I think it to be an important moral stand that we as Canadians need to make. When, due to international and corporate pressures, we start chipping away at our rights and our sovereignty, we degrade our culture and ourselves. Let us not move backwards, toward draconian, ignorant legislation. Instead, let us move forwards, acting as a much needed beacon.Tomorrow, back to my musings.

No One Heard A Sound.
2007-11-29 05:38:00
(photo credit)Running down a staircase after a blow-up. Adrenaline pumping, remorse seeping in. Already making excuses, and making excuses for your excuses. Not entirely sure where you can go, but knowing exactly where it is that you can't go. At least not yet."Everything Went Down" - Kate Tucker and the Sons of SwedenKate Tucker: Official SiteKate Tucker: Myspace
More About: Sound

Quantity over Quality... It Just Might Work.
2007-11-27 05:01:00
(photo credit)An experiment: would you all prefer a lesser quantity of my quality words, and a greater quantity of quality songs? Here are a few songs that I've been enjoying this week. The links to all of them are below, all at once, rather than spread over a few posts and attached to my impressions of them. This might make the rest of the week a little tougher for me, but it's in the name of science, so it's ok.Song names lead to track downloads, band names to band sites."Unless It's Kicks" - Okkervil River"Tonight I Have To Leave It" - The Shout Out Louds"Lost and Found" - Taken By Trees"Restorative Beer" - Fiery Furnaces"Draggin' Around" - Rilo Kiley"Holding All The Globes" - BOATSome serious quality here. Especially that Okkervil track. Enjoy the (mostly) wordless post while you can. I'll be back with wordy, singular track posts in the next day or two.
More About: Work , Quality , Ality

Covering the Basics: An Unlikely But Wonderful Cover
2007-11-24 18:00:00
I really don't know what to say about this one. I'm almost hesitant to say how much I actually enjoyed it, in case everyone else out there (except the friend that sent it to me) thinks it's bunk. A line from her e-mail that pretty much says it all:"...this is both fantastic and hilarious, as well as vaguely disturbing..."I couldn't agree more. This will make you smile, laugh, and cringe - all at once."Like I Love You" (Justin Timberlake cover) - Maximo Park
More About: Cover , Wonderful , Basics , The Basics , Erin

Three Pints: Respecting Other Cultures, Even If They Don't Know How To Time
2007-11-22 09:50:00
I was recruited to do a Thanksgiving guest post over at Random Mindless Ramblings, one of my very favourite non-music blogs. Quite the honour, I tell you.You can check that post out here. At the very least, it has some pretty decent music tacked on to it.Happy Turkey (or Tofurkey, depending on your dietary preferences) Day to all you Americans out there.-Jad, fulfilling the "token Canadian" role since 1985
More About: Time , Cultures

Manchester Orchestra cover Annuals; Annuals cover Manchester Orchestra
2007-11-17 19:37:00
They've been touring together for the last little while, so they each decided to record a cover."Brother" (Annuals cover) - Manchester Orchestra"Where Have You Been" (Manchester Orchestra cover) - AnnualsI've been playing that cover of Brother over and over, seeing if I can possibly get sick of it. 7 plays and I'm still sort of singing along. That's pretty good. I'm still loving how hard that drum hits too. Way to go Manchester Orchestra.The Annuals' effort is good too, though a little more electronic than I would have liked. If they polished it a little, and cut the last 45 seconds or so out, it would be a pretty epic track. A cover is a cover though - they had to put their own spin on it.3 shows left:November 17 – The Clubhouse – Tempe, AZNovember 19 – HI-Dive – Denver, CONovember 20 – The Bottleneck – Lawrence, KS
More About: Cover , Chester

The Videos of Tomorrow, Today.
2007-11-14 17:17:00
In honor of Reminisce on the Future Day, I present three awesome videos... from the future! Ok, maybe not from the future, but they do use some darn fine animation. And this Cribs song is, just, wow."Mirror Kissers" - The Cribs"D.A.N.C.E." - Justice"Whoo! Alright Yeah.. Uh Huh" - The RaptureBonus: "Whoo! Alright Yeah.. Uh Huh" (Simian Mobile Disco remix) - The Rapture
More About: Videos , Today , Tomorrow , The Videos , Morrow

The Remix is Dead. Long Live the Remix.
2007-11-12 18:58:00
How often do you come across a remix and think it's better than the original, or vice-versa? I think about it constantly. It's starting to upset my sleeping and eating patterns, really. So I figured I'd give my weary mind a rest and let you guys decide for me from now on.Today, Klaxons are taking on Klaxons + Justice.First, the Original:"As Above, So Below" - KlaxonsThe Remi x :"As Above, So Below" (Justice Remix) - KlaxonsMy thoughts? The remix blows the original out the of the water. They made it that much more crisp and listenable, I think. Also, those radio tuning effects are amazing.Cast your votes!
More About: Live , Dead , Long

The Forms: Self-Titled LP
2007-11-10 18:36:00
It's interesting to me that The Forms would choose to start their album with the track "Knowledge in Hand". Even further, that they would decide to make it their first single. It's not because it's not a good song. Quite the opposite, it's a great song. It's just not as representative of the rest of the album as another song could have been. It's definitely more of a "radio" single, with catchy vocal patterns, upbeat melodies, and the like.I think a more representative song would be the short track "Oberlin" with it's chanting, almost unintelligible vocals. The way it makes you just sit back, close your eyes, and feel the music is what I think The Forms were really going for. It seems to me that the album is even structured in a way that you really miss something if you don't listen to it in track order. My first listen through was cut in half by my finishing an Agatha Christie mystery novel that I had been reading. I couldn't help but think The Forms would make a great sco...

I Could Not Do So, Because To Do So Would Jeopardize My Heart.
2007-11-07 19:34:00
It's not complicated. It's definitely not over-produced. It doesn't come on CD. And every second of it will put a smile on your face."Tooth" - Kyla DSplit-cassette available here. A cassette, you ask? A glorious cassette.(via saidthegramophone)
More About: Heart

Feist: SNL performance on 11.03.07
2007-11-06 05:47:00
This woman can seemingly do no wrong. Also, she looks ridiculously cute with that massive guitar."I Feel It All" (live @ SNL 11.03.07) - Feist "1234" (live @ SNL 11.03.07) - Feistmp3's via: deaf indie elephants.
More About: Performance , Perform

Three Pints Mixtape Vol. 1: Music For Your Mom
2007-11-04 02:30:00
Almost 6 months ago we planned and held a sort of blogger mix cd exchange. Chris over at PoL set it up, and it was a great success. We're soon to have another, so I thought I'd look back on the wonderfulness that was the first exchange, and share my contribution with all you great people.The cover is fantastic, I know. If you'd like a larger version for printing purposes, just click here. A zip file with all the tracks is included after the tracklist.1. Benjamin Gibbard - You Remind Me of Home2. The Swimmers - Fighting Trees3. Au Revoir Simone - The Lucky One4. The Good, The Bad, & The Queen - 80's Life5. Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left6. The Good, The Bad, & The Queen - History Song7. Beirut - Elephant Gun8. Unbunny - Nightwalking9. Rogue Wave - Postage Stamp World10. Rosie Thomas - Say Hello11. Julie Doiron - I Left Town12. Bright Eyes - I Must Belong Somewhere13. Mates Of State - California (Phantom Planet cover)14. Laura Gibson - Hands In ...
More About: Music , Mixtape

Aaron Schroeder: Black & Gold LP
2007-11-02 05:42:00
Dear Aaron Schroeder,I'm sorry. You sent me an e-mail almost a month ago, and I filed it as "to post" but never got around to posting it. I didn't even send you a little thank you e-mail for the nice message and music you sent me. I'm horrible and, again, I'm sorry.Dear Three Pints readers,I'm sorry. You guys come here expecting to hear some fresh, awesome music and I hoarded Aaron Schroeder for nearly a month. He writes great indie-pop, and compares his style to Billy Bragg, The New Pornographers, and Belle & Sebastien. Sounds like something you'd like? Of course it does.When he wrote to me, he had just released his second album Black & Gold , and I have a great track to share from that release. Listen along to "What We Don't Know" and swing by his site or myspace to hear/buy more. Apparently the album is only $7.99 and you get some free swag with it."What We Don't Know" - Aaron SchroederI really like the piano in this track. It's not that noticeable unless you're ...

Paste Magazine: Pay what you want
2007-10-30 17:46:00
It seems Paste Magazine has caught the Radiohead bug. They've decided to offer their standard 11-issue (and 11-CD sampler) subscription for... whatever you want to pay for it. This even goes for current subscribers who want to renew as well.It's not entirely like the Radiohead campaign, in that you do actually have to pay something - minimum is $1 - but it's certainly an interesting way to, as Paste put it, "know what our customers [think] we're worth." Apparently, if you pay more than the standard $19.95 they'll run your name in a thank you article in an upcoming issue.Though not exactly as revolutionary as what Radiohead did, Paste is dealing with an actual, physical product so I can see why they might have to make the rules slightly different. Either way, it's definitely a step in a provocative new direction. Way to go Paste.

The Heartbreak Kid: Soundtrack Giveaway
2007-10-29 03:31:00
Ben Stiller says, "stay in school".The movie itself centers around a guy (Ben Stiller) who proposes way too quickly to a girl (Malin Akerman). They head off on their honeymoon and he realizes she's a nightmare and simultaneously meets the real girl of his dreams. Hilarity ensues.The soundtrack centers around a guy (David Bowie) and a bunch of other guys (The Flaming Lips) and even more people (Ozomatli, Matthew Sweet, Buva, etc). It's really quite good, and I have a copy to give away.Here's the deal. Just leave a comment with your name, e-mail, and a pun-derful phrase and I'll enter you into the contest. The greatest of puns will win. In case of a tie, I'll draw randomly.Let the punnery begin.
More About: Soundtrack , Heartbreak , Heartbreak Kid , The Heart

West Indian Girl: 4th & Wall LP
2007-10-27 04:06:00
Sounding very much like Doves, or Polyphonic Spree, West Indian Girl have recently (like, 3 days ago) released their sophomore LP 4th & Wall via Milan Records.Here's the first single off of 4th & Wall:"To Live and Die in L.A." - West Indian GirlThis record, and specifically this song with its sweeping, inspired melodies, really evokes images of coastal California. Artful, west-coast pop of this nature is just awesome to listen to on a long drive. Or while studying one of the more boring maths.Couple shows lined up for now:11.01.07 Billboard Conference - Los Angeles11.10.07 The Independent - San FranciscoWest Indian Girl: Official SiteWest Indian Girl: Myspace

Apes: LP and Newest Member
2007-10-25 06:10:00
Apes will release their fourth full-length album, Ghost Games through Gypsy Eyes on February 19, 2008. This is the follow up to 2005's Baba’s Mountain and is the first album to feature the new singer, Breck Brunson.When Apes’ former singer, Paul Weil, left the band in 2005 to start a family after six years, three EPs, three full-length albums, and hundreds of legendary live shows, Apes found themselves scrambling for a replacement. Bassist Erick Jackson and keyboardist Amanda Kleinman met fellow visual artist Breck Brunson at a party in their hometown of Washington, DC, and – on nothing more than a hunch – asked him to come out to drummer Jeff Schmid’s house the very next day to play music.By the end of that first jam session, Apes knew they had found their man. Always an eclectic group – coming from varied musical backgrounds and tastes ranging from 60’s and 70’s rock, pop and psych to 80’s hardcore to Providence noise to reggae to hip-hop – Apes found a singe...
More About: Apes

Hangar 18: Sweep the Leg LP and Tour
2007-10-23 05:28:00
I definitely had a good time away these past few days, but I'm glad to be back and sharing some new music with you guys. The next few posts should be pretty awesome, since I seem to have a small backlog of really good stuff that I want to share.To start, one of my rare hip-hop posts. I seem to only post anything of this sort when it's really worth posting, and Hangar 18 are definitely worth the mention. I've been a little disappointed with hip-hop the last couple of years, but recent releases by artists like Common and Little Brother have renewed my faith. Hangar 18 could be the straw that breaks my rap-avoiding camel's back.Hangar 18's three members, Tim "Alaska” Baker, Ian “Windnbreeze” McMullin, and DJ paWL have been honing their skills for over a decade in the NYC hip-hop scene. Their sophomore LP Sweep the Leg, to be released tomorrow (!) on Definitive Jux Records, is a solid, conscious hip-hop album with great beats and even better lyrics and flow. I hope you enjoy...
More About: Tour

Hasta luego!
2007-10-19 03:41:00
I'll be out of town for a few days so regular posting will be interrupted. See you guys on Monday with some new stuff!-the management

The Pendletons: Oh Me!
2007-10-16 20:21:00
Via new label Indie Outlaw comes the first full-length from Athens, GA hometown favourites The Pendleton s. Oh Me! brings the ultra-catchy melodies, flashy nature, down-home feeling, and straight garage rock energy all together into one very entertaining place.They've released two mp3's from Oh Me! One is a typical but great garage rock number. The other is a more country tinged ditty. I'll let you decide which is which."Not Gonna Stop" - The Pendletons"Sad Songs" - The Pendletons(You can go here and hear a really good Pendletons song while reading an article about why vinyl will outlive the compact disc.)There are a couple of shows coming up. I'll let you guys know if any more are announced.10/24 New York, NY Arlene’s Grocery11/03 Orlando, FL Back Booth11/08 Athens, GA CaledoniaThe Pendletons: Myspace

Stereogum Presents Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic for the People
2007-10-14 19:29:00
Stereogum has done it again, it seems. Their OK Computer tribute was off-the-wall awesome, and this compilation seems to be quite amazing as well. I was all of 7 years old when REM's Automatic for the People was released, but I've still managed to hear almost every song on the album since then in some way or another and most of you probably have too. It's a real timeless pop album.As Stereogum remarks, this album stood out of step from the angsty grunge and brainy indie rock of that era. I hear they're putting out an album early next year, so this is a good primer for all of you soon to be fans who haven't heard much of their work before.I've compiled a few of my favourite covers. The links are interspersed in the tracklisting. Enjoy!1. The Veils - "Drive "2. Dappled Cities - "Try Not To Breathe"3. Rogue Wave - "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite"4. Meat Puppets - "Everybody Hurts"5. Figurines - "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1"6. Sara Quin (Feat. Kaki King) - "Sweetness Follows"7. Ca...
More About: Presents , The People

Robbers on High Street: Tour Dates + mp3
2007-10-13 00:29:00
This October & November, Robbers On High Street will be making their rounds across the country (with Great Northern) in support of their new album Grand Animals, which is available now via New Line Records.Check out a great track from Grand Animals, and check out if RoHS is coming to your area:"Crown Victoria" - Robbers on High Street"Crown Victoria" - (Daytrotter Session) - Robbers on High StreetOctober 23 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NCOctober 24 - The Village Tavern - Mt. Pleasant, SCOctober 25 - The Bottletree - Birmingham, ALOctober 26 - The Earl - Atlanta, GAOctober 27 - Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FLOctober 28 - The Social - Orlando, FLOctober 29 - Beta Bar - Tallahassee, FLOctober 30 - House of Blues Parish - New Orleans, LANovember 1 - The Mink - Houston, TXNovember 2 - Club Deville - Austin, TXNovember 3 - The Cavern - Dallas, TXNovember 4 - Opolis - Norman, OKNovember 6 - Modified - Phoenix. AZNovember 7 - The Casbah - San Diego, CANovember 8 - Echoplex - Los Angeles, ...
More About: Dates , Tour Dates , Tour

Radiohead: In Rainbows -- cover art
2007-10-10 11:54:00
Courtesy of sub_atomic, lazydog, J. Medley, and K. Whitney.Front cover [1] [2] [tons more]Back cover / TracklistExample [1][2][3]Good night, all. Time for me to get some sleep and dream Rainbow dreams.
More About: Radiohead , Cover , Cover Art , In Rainbows , Rainbows