Just got featured in Tuvan’s finest online news source. Click the pic to see the article. Google Translate if you don’t know Russian.
my favorite quote:
Брендан Мульвихилл, США, исполнил песню в стиле кантри, сыграв на мандолине (струнный щипковый музыкальный инструмент небольших размеров) – удивил многонациональную аудиторию.
lol @ not actually playing country.
The USSR - Tuva Isn’t As Close As I’d Like It To Be
download at http://theussr.bandcamp.com
![Guess I just ‘released’ my newest Norwegian Arms ep type thing called ‘jttrbg’ and it’s now available on my (bandcamp) 4 free n stuff. Two songs on this one, one that ya’ll may know because it’s been around a little bit but without a ‘proper release’. Also includes a super duper old song [written circa 2007] while living in Germany but also had yet to be recorded or what not. enjoy if you enjoy things like this.
Also now available there is my first ep release from last summer ‘Louise’ in its entirety. Also free. Share away friends.](http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kz5qwr15DP1qzbilro1_400.jpg)
Guess I just ‘released’ my newest Norwegian Arms ep type thing called ‘jttrbg’ and it’s now available on my (bandcamp) 4 free n stuff. Two songs on this one, one that ya’ll may know because it’s been around a little bit but without a ‘proper release’. Also includes a super duper old song [written circa 2007] while living in Germany but also had yet to be recorded or what not. enjoy if you enjoy things like this.
Also now available there is my first ep release from last summer ‘Louise’ in its entirety. Also free. Share away friends.
Big big big fan of Jose’s Seattle project (Neighbors). He just linked me to the (EP) called Finalist they just ‘released’ on bandcamp and it’s absolutely fantastic. Makes me think if Pavement had a noisy baby with the quiet earnest observant kid next door. Nice touches of tasteful dissonance throughout.
Jose’s lyrical ability has always made me a bit jealous, and coupled with his ‘I’m sorta apathetic about this’ vocal delivery these songs shine.
It’s also free. Always a plus.
he also has a (tumblr)
Buffalo Stance - Maya
Everything about this song by these Philly natives appeals to me, the bouncing beat, the layers of keyboards, the vocal delivery that reminds me of Paul Simon in a You Can Call Me Al sort of way (the good kind).
The Pharmacy - Warm and Untorn
Decided to give these Washington guys a listen because they’ll be playing at my ex-house OX in Philadelphia on April 1st (No fools here) and I wanted to check them out. I feel shades of Philly’s ownish The Spinto Band here, but a little more discombobulated, in a good way.
Norwegian Arms - Quite the Contrary to a Rainy Day
Today was my friend Yana’s birthday and I decided that instead of doing the usual gift certificate thing, I decided to write a song inspired by her/my experiences so far here.
This method proved not only cheaper and more personal, but it put me in the position where I needed to write a song, instead of dilly-dallying like I so often do with other material. This may become a project I try to continue at least during my time here, because of the forced-output it requires.
As usual, I decided to create the case myself, and found a nifty little guide on instructables as to how to accomplish this.
To be entirely honest, I wish I had worked on this a little longer and could have fleshed
it out more, but Yana called me this evening to let me know that she very much likes her present, and that really was the goal. So I guess I’m satisfied.
So if you have a birthday and you’re a person I like, don’t be surprised if you become a part of the Keith Birthday Birthday Song Project.
Either Siberia or Depression: Я нeнавижу зиму.
Think the Siberian winter is starting to get to me, even though it’s not fully winter yet. These are the following things I see as evidence towards my Siberian based depression:
1. Not wanting to leave the apartment
2. Less desire to interact with people
3. Don’t feel like going to stores/buying things because it involves going outside/talking to people
4. Not cleaning up my mess
5. Sorta dropping the ball on a prospective roommate (via not cleaning up to show him the place)
6. Less desire to do work
7. General frustration with the Russian language
8. Not reading in Russian like I promised myself
9. Watching only TV shows/movies in English
10. Not getting dressed
Think that if I actually got a roommate things would probably be better (through increased human interaction). People keep saying I need a girlfriend, don’t want a girlfriend. Don’t even really want a girl heavily/emotionally involved with me. Trying to focus on music/work/writing. Not really working out as well as I planned. Need to start forcing myself to follow a ‘recording schedule’ so I can actually get stuff done. Need to not get so quickly frustrated when recordings sound bad. Need another musician to hang out/support my cause/make me do stuff.
If it is depression, I hope it’s the constructive kind that makes me good at expressing my emotions/creating ‘art’/communicating myself so I feel as though my output is representational of my current feelings. Need to make it not sound ‘whiny’ or ‘lame’ or ‘cliché’.
Dias De Garage
Found this 60s psych music blog today in Spanish, it seems pretty sweet. José will probably extra like it because it’s in Spanish and he can speak it and sometimes seemed to get flustered when I drew attention to this fact.
The Dovers- What Am I Going To Do
Not only is this a good song, but it’s also the one that Atlas Sound sampled for his collab song with Panda Bear. So it’s classic AND culturally relevant. Impress your parents AND your friends this Thanksgiving.
This is a silly composite picture of the Dovers
A Starburn Hurts More Than A Sunburn
Do yourself a favor and go listen to The Armchairs’ Deep Sea/Frogs in the Bogs
Additional crappy thoughts
I’m supposed to meet with some Russian guy named Alex in a little bit to get together and talk about ‘jamming’. He wants me to be the front man in his band. I told him I don’t have a guitar and he said he didn’t care. Our text messages/conversations are sometimes in English and sometimes in Russian. Usually the switch occurs when one of us fails to be able to communicate an idea in the current language. Makes me think of Uno/other games where the direction can suddenly change.
Jose Diaz mentioned me in his blog post. I was used as an example for hyperbole. Even though the use was pretty benign/not really that interesting, I felt like a special person. So I promised myself I would put Jose’s name in a post and I already did.
I should probably work harder on actually staying on one topic for these posts. Too much ADD, not enough amphetamines in Russia to compensate. Sorta wish college kids here ‘loved adderall’ as much as those in the US. Then I could get some more.
‘Louise’ - Norwegian Arms
So I finally finished what I guess could be called my first release. There are four other songs on it besides this one. They cost whatever amount of money or goods you feel is fair to give me in exchange.
I guess you could call this song the ‘title track’ considering it is also called Louise. Either way, it’s about a cat that lives in my house. She looks like the cover.
I hope to put out newer/more relevant material in the near future (aka before I leave for Russia). I just have to get my butt in gear.
go to this, have fun, maybe meet your future girlfriend, love the Armchairs
Jose Diaz & The Ninas - Hipsters Riding Dinosaurs
I finally finally finally finished mixing and mastering all of the songs for The Chadwick EP (thanks dad!), to be out at Jose’s discretion. This one came a long way.
