
Blog: Archives: 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 About/Contact	A Reflection Of Albums I Can't Afford Doreen Barber on Fleet Foxes, Black Kids, Flight of the Conchords, and being a broke music fan in Florida I hate being broke. It entails missing out on a whole lot of stuff. No nights out at the bars, no new clothes, no music shows and, especially, no new music. I am no longer hailed with aplomb at the local music store. Instead, I am stared at blankly by the new salesperson as she rings me up for... a birthday card. So, in lieu of money, I have been using something else in order to get my hands on new music. No, no, not THAT. I've been using my library card. Thankfully for me, the local library carries a good number of these releases I've been missing out on, allowing me to check them out in three-week periods (with two renewals!) for free. It's a sweet set-up that I am grateful for, because it allows me to listen to these albums and preview them before I shell out money to buy them. Granted, there's always file-sharing, but it's illegal to download music you're not paying for. I would NEVER do that! Nope, not ever. (:::proceeds to cover up her music listings on her computer's library:::) So, let's take a look at some albums I've checked out from my friendly neighbourhood library that I've been too broke to buy. Earlier this year, Seattle-based record label Sub Pop released a preview sampler CD, containing songs of artists with expected releases for 2008. Through this album, I was introduced to Fleet Foxes through their song, "White Winter Hymnal”. The sweet harmony of the song, folksy and fun with a slight tinge of the bittersweet, was an enticing preview, and later in the year, I had heard of the release of an eponymously-titled debut LP and pined with my little heart for it, but alas, so far, the money for it hasn't transpired. Having checked it out from the library though, the lush choral tunes are irresistible, perfect for Indian Summers and the autumnal days and snow-lined nights that come after. Another album I’ve checked out from the library is Partie Traumatic by Florida-grown band Black Kids. Containing newly recorded tracks from last year's EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, Partie Traumatic showcases more party-pop along the likes of MGMT, mixing fun and irreverence with youthful energy coupled with vocals that are at times smooth and debonair, and at others urgent and fierce, but at all times utterly danceable. Those of you familiar with Ahhhs tracks like "Hurricane Jane" and "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" will welcome tracks like "Listen to Your Body Tonight" with its hand-claps, synthscapes and sassy delivery… Black Kids are on a mission to get that ass to shake. And can I mention they get points with me for mentioning grits, that classic southern/soul food breakfast dish, in their song "Partie Traumatic"? Seriously, grits are the bomb. Another pick from Sub Pop, a label apparently determined to bankrupt audiophiles this year, Flight of the Conchords' again eponymously-titled set was a surprise to see at the library. Since there is no "clean" version of the album, I was able to listen to it as intended, and enjoyed the vast spectrum of hilarity presented in tracks heavily-dosed with their inimitable humour and, yes, skilled musicianship. It's a perfect antidote to our respective bleak realities, whether your girlfriend left you, you lost your job, you're all out of cereal, or you're broke and living with an idiot president you didn't elect (holla!). In Flight of the Conchords, some of the songs from 2007's The Distant Future EP are familiar features, including the uber-popular R&B-drenched "Business Time" and the ballad "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)" "in the whole wide room." Further comic delights are found in "Inner City Pressure", which sounds like something discarded from a Pet Shop Boys album, and "Bowie", done in an imitation of the icon with the discoloured lens of smirking humour provided by Flight of the Conchords. Needless to say, it's brilliant and spot-on. The only trouble is, I've got to return these CDs promptly -- the last thing I need are overdue fines. © 2008 Doreen Barber
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A Reflection Of Albums I Can't Afford

Doreen Barber on Fleet Foxes, Black Kids, Flight of the Conchords, and being a broke music fan in Florida

I hate being broke. It entails missing out on a whole lot of stuff. No nights out at the bars, no new clothes, no music shows and, especially, no new music. I am no longer hailed with aplomb at the local music store. Instead, I am stared at blankly by the new salesperson as she rings me up for... a birthday card.

So, in lieu of money, I have been using something else in order to get my hands on new music. No, no, not THAT. I've been using my library card. Thankfully for me, the local library carries a good number of these releases I've been missing out on, allowing me to check them out in three-week periods (with two renewals!) for free. It's a sweet set-up that I am grateful for, because it allows me to listen to these albums and preview them before I shell out money to buy them. Granted, there's always file-sharing, but it's illegal to download music you're not paying for. I would NEVER do that! Nope, not ever.

(:::proceeds to cover up her music listings on her computer's library:::)

So, let's take a look at some albums I've checked out from my friendly neighbourhood library that I've been too broke to buy.

Earlier this year, Seattle-based record label Sub Pop released a preview sampler CD, containing songs of artists with expected releases for 2008. Through this album, I was introduced to Fleet Foxes through their song, "White Winter Hymnal”. The sweet harmony of the song, folksy and fun with a slight tinge of the bittersweet, was an enticing preview, and later in the year, I had heard of the release of an eponymously-titled debut LP and pined with my little heart for it, but alas, so far, the money for it hasn't transpired. Having checked it out from the library though, the lush choral tunes are irresistible, perfect for Indian Summers and the autumnal days and snow-lined nights that come after.

Another album I’ve checked out from the library is Partie Traumatic by Florida-grown band Black Kids. Containing newly recorded tracks from last year's EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, Partie Traumatic showcases more party-pop along the likes of MGMT, mixing fun and irreverence with youthful energy coupled with vocals that are at times smooth and debonair, and at others urgent and fierce, but at all times utterly danceable.

Those of you familiar with Ahhhs tracks like "Hurricane Jane" and "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" will welcome tracks like "Listen to Your Body Tonight" with its hand-claps, synthscapes and sassy delivery… Black Kids are on a mission to get that ass to shake. And can I mention they get points with me for mentioning grits, that classic southern/soul food breakfast dish, in their song "Partie Traumatic"? Seriously, grits are the bomb.

Another pick from Sub Pop, a label apparently determined to bankrupt audiophiles this year, Flight of the Conchords' again eponymously-titled set was a surprise to see at the library. Since there is no "clean" version of the album, I was able to listen to it as intended, and enjoyed the vast spectrum of hilarity presented in tracks heavily-dosed with their inimitable humour and, yes, skilled musicianship. It's a perfect antidote to our respective bleak realities, whether your girlfriend left you, you lost your job, you're all out of cereal, or you're broke and living with an idiot president you didn't elect (holla!).

In Flight of the Conchords, some of the songs from 2007's The Distant Future EP are familiar features, including the uber-popular R&B-drenched "Business Time" and the ballad "The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)" "in the whole wide room." Further comic delights are found in "Inner City Pressure", which sounds like something discarded from a Pet Shop Boys album, and "Bowie", done in an imitation of the icon with the discoloured lens of smirking humour provided by Flight of the Conchords. Needless to say, it's brilliant and spot-on. The only trouble is, I've got to return these CDs promptly -- the last thing I need are overdue fines.