Song of the Week

Ben Gibbard is now a certified rock star. To emphasize the point, he even married a movie darling (and decent musician in her own right). While The D Man has it on good authority that Gibbard has recently big timed a few friends, at least he is returning to the ebbuliant indie-pop that got him here. Check out the bouncy guitar riffs from "You Are A Tourist," the first single from Death Cab for Cutie's forthcoming record, Codes and Keys. You will like them. Sounds like they belong in The Photo Album.

Song of the Week

Smart kids need dance music too. Chaz Bundick delivers more than that on his second full-length, Underneath the Pine. A warm, electro-pop affair that leans on the past for inspiration, the album is filtered through an analog lens with groovy beats and ambient immediacy. Combining some of the best elements of chillwave (think Neon Indian) with a deep immersion into sonic textures of yesteryear (think Deerhunter but for dance/pop music), Toro y Moi comes off as the coolest, smartest, grooviest disco-technician in the neighborhood. The new beat, indeed. Enjoy the music video for second single "Still Sound." (Yes, the album cover is a little creepy--Bundick took a self-photo in the mirror as he ate some delicious grapefruit).

Invitations

The D Man is all about largesse. A generosity of spirit and attitude has always been the aspirational calling card for this blog. The D Man seeks to share the best in popular music. He is sincerely excited about what he shares, and he sees little value in wasting his loyal cadre's precious time in pointing out everything that is wrong with contemporary music. (Plenty). The D Man seeks after music that is enjoyable, artistic, aesthetic, or arresting. Music that is, simply put, praiseworthy. (Enough).

Now it is time to share in the giving, to share in the gift of musical wordsmithing. For the first time ever, The D Man's Music will feature a few guests. To add some wrinkles. To provide some perspective. To bring some much needed copy. So enjoy. In the coming days, these guests will be properly introduced. Hopefully you will check in often and get to know them.

Arcade Fire

Epics. Anthems. Climaxes. Choruses. Swells. Crests. Builds. Drops. Handclaps. Righteous handclaps. Hey! Ohhhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhhh. Ohhhhhhhh. Hey! Arcade Fire's communal earnestness, via eight hard-playing musicians, was on full display during Monday's concert. The band was vibrant, energized, and connected. Their righteous fervor permeated song after song, and there was a sense of militancy in the music that penetrated the heart and made one an instant follower. Sign me up.

The D Man named The Suburbs the Best Album of 2010. So the Grammys followed suit. A towering musical achievement in the field of rock'n'roll deserves to be played out live. (Especially in the same gym where The D Man took home the 2001 three-point contest title). So The D Man went to the concert with Mrs. D Man in tow. Rizzo tagged along. Call it Family Night. After all, Win Butler is married to the chick who plays the accordian and drums, right?

Enjoy some random thoughts on a fantastic set. Eight songs from The Suburbs. Three songs from Neon Bible. Six songs from Funeral (one of the best albums this century). No complaints here. Mrs. D Man had a blast and that is always enough.

Set List

• Month of May. They came blistering right out of the gate. With their arms folded tight!
• Rebellion (Lies).
• Neighborhood #2 (Laika). Alexander. Older brother. If you want something, don't ask for nothing! Absolutely rocked.
• City With No Children
• Rococo. This song's second half was striking. Maybe my least favorite song on the new album, it came alive during the show. Love it when that happens.
• Intervention
• The Suburbs. The best moment of the night in a night with best moments? This song's nostalgic childhood potency--in my dreams we're still screaming and running through the yard--arrests your adult heart. The Spike Jonze images from the video played in slow motion throughout, and I was transported to the neighborhood of my youth. Win Butler played the piano and came to a drawn out, solo finish. Sometimes I can't believe it, I'm moving past the feeling again.
• Suburban War
• No Cars Go. How good was this song live? Very, very good. Hey!
• Haiti
• We Used to Wait. I used to write letters, I used to sign my name. Butler explained that the handwritten letters in the multimedia video were from his Grandpa Vino, who resided in Sandy, Utah.
• Neighborhood #3 (Power Out). Maybe the fiercest song in the band's catalog. The power is out in the heart of man. And everywhere else. Only the grooviest, heaviest guitar solo of the night could possibly save us all.
• Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels). Butler explained that he played ball that afternoon and was the direct answer to Jimmer fever. (Cough, cough). After all, he said, how many middle-aged white guys can hit shots from ten feet behind the arc? Besides The D Man, not many.
• Wake Up. The D Man named this one of the ten best songs of the last decade. For tonight, it was the best song you've ever heard.
• Encore
• Ready to Start. Yes, I'm ready. You know I would.
• Keep the Car Running. The keys are in the ignition. You will not be leaving without me.
• Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains). Regine Chassagne looked lovely and funky most of the night. She brought things home with her lilting, key-board infused march through the mountains. A great closer.

Song of the Week

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's second album is no sophomore slump. Belong takes the band's propulsive shoegaze pop from their pleasurable debut and adds a lush layer of early 90's guitar crunch. The hooks are everywhere and the results are accessible, enjoyable, and downright dependable.

Check out the video for the delightful ditty "Heart in Your Heartbreak." The Brooklyn band fools around as guitar store archetypes and manages to bring a smile to your face despite stern opposition. The moral? Don't be the heart in someone's heartbreak. Or the miss in their mistake. Just plug it in, play, and make them happy.

Yuck

Yuck. A terrible band name. But the music? Tasty. With a melodic core dipped in alt-rock goodness (Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, and The Breeders to name a few), Yuck transcends pastiche with arty guitar noodling that is propulsive, catchy, and endearing. Whatever early 90's touchstones float your boat, you can bet they also float the London-based band right across the pond. Check out opening track "Get Away" from Yuck's self-titled debut or the perfect pick-me-up in "Georgia" below.