Company Pants

Quote: John Gruber

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 22:00:09 -0700

“I think, clearly, of all the superheroes, Batman has the best logo. So, in addition to being a billionaire industrialist and crime-fighting crusader and the world’s greatest detective, Bruce Wayne is also a remarkably talented logo designer.”

- John Gruber, from Episode 3 (“Superman Didn’t Even Make His Own Logo”) of The Talk Show.

Mix #30

Thu, 31 May 2012 18:35:56 -0700

Just sneaking this one out in time to call it the May mix. Here you go, friends. Listen, listen, listen. Share, share, share. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

Company Pants Mix #30 (May 2012)

01 Kelley Stoltz / “My Jacqui”
02 House Shoes & Danny Brown / “Sweet”
03 Long Walks On The Beach / “We’re Growing Up”
04 Heavenly Beat / “Messiah”
05 Lemonade / “Eye Drops”
06 Liars / “Ring On Every Finger”
07 Jeremiah Jae / “Money And Food”
08 Holy Balm / “Take It”
09 Polly Hi / “In The Morning”
10 Rockie Fresh / “Never Lose”
11 Sonnymoon / “Watersboiled”
12 Grape St. / “Charmed Life”
13 Beat Connection / “The Palace Garden, 4am”
14 Fly Moon Royalty & InferKnow / “I’m The Shit”
15 Husky Rescue / “Sunrider”
16 How To Dress Well / “Ocean Floor For Everything”

[Download]

“The answer will only arrive after we stop looking for...

Thu, 31 May 2012 14:37:48 -0700

“The answer will only arrive after we stop looking for it.”

Quote by Jonah Lehrer. Illustration by Wendy McNaughton.

See more of Wendy McNaughton’s fantastic illustrations depicting the quality speakers from this year’s 99% Conference in New York City. Then, make yourself even happier by reading Jonah Lehrer’s Imagine: How Creativity Works.

Company Pants Mixlet #4 (download) 01 Chastity Belt / “God...

Tue, 29 May 2012 17:23:42 -0700

Company Pants Mixlet #4 (download)

01 Chastity Belt / “God Damn”
02 Onra / “L.O.V.E.”
03 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros / “One Love To Another”
04 Oh No & Damani / “Let’s Roll”
05 Masha Qrella / “Take Your Time”
06 Lands & Peoples / “Restless Legs”

Song To Get You Through The Goddamn Day #136: Foxygen:...

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:38:36 -0700

Song To Get You Through The Goddamn Day #136:

Foxygen: “Make It Known”

My favorite thing about working on Company Pants would have to be those moments where I see that I have close to thirty tabs open in Chrome that are all focused on some aspect of an artist that I’m thinking about posting on here. I love being trapped within the wormhole of learning about an artist that I’m just discovering or sucked into the wealth of information that accumulates when a more established artist makes some sort of move.

Foxygen are the most recent signees to Jagjaguwar that have also received Richard Swift’s undeniable seal of approval, but from the sound of the first single released from their new EP, it’s clear that this is a duo that has spent more than a short while developing and shaping their unique sound together. “Make It Known” sources a rather large amount of musical touchstones without ever coming across as unwieldy or feeling like traversing the wealth of influences isn’t worth the ultimate journey. Instead, the Olympia/NYC duo practice an exciting, but carefully measured reverence to the past rather than creating a schlocky parody.

“Lord, I talk, talk, talk, talk to the voices, but there’s no voices, I just talk to myself alone.”

[The Take The Kids Off Broadway EP drops July 24, 2012 on Jagjaguwar]

Quote: Hamilton Leithauser

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:37:34 -0700

“Give me a life that needs correction. Nobody loves perfection.”

- Hamilton Leithauser, from The Walkmen’s “We Can’t Be Beat” from Heaven.

Even after the hundredth listen, Hamilton’s voice never wears this profound line out. Easily one of the finest vocalists working in music.

“Old Sailor Talk” by Brad Woodard

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:23:05 -0700

“Old Sailor Talk” by Brad Woodard

Mixlet #3 features six songs instead of the usual five. Can...

Tue, 22 May 2012 16:40:29 -0700

Mixlet #3 features six songs instead of the usual five. Can something be considered “the usual” after only two previous instances of such “thing” have occurred? Well, it really doesn’t matter because CP is mine and you’re getting six tracks today.

I need a nap.

Company Pants Mixlet #3 (download)

01 Girls Names / “A Troubled See”
02 Azealia Banks / “Jumanji”
03 Sick Hyenas / “Weather Of Death”
04 World’s End Girlfriend / “The Little Finger”
05 Summer Camp / “Life”
06 Tomemitsu / “In Dreams”

“Unicorn Mix Tape” by Marc Johns Check out more of...

Sun, 20 May 2012 12:20:46 -0700

“Unicorn Mix Tape” by Marc Johns

Check out more of the illustrations from the second edition of the Everything Wants To Be A Unicorn series here.

Selection from The Retired Kid by Allison Kerek Recent Tyler...

Sat, 19 May 2012 15:56:43 -0700

Selection from The Retired Kid by Allison Kerek

Recent Tyler School Of Art graduate, Allison Kerek brilliantly re-illustrated John Agee’s The Retired Kid for a school project. You can view the entire re-illustrated book on her website and I highly suggest that you do.

“I’m the Vice President, you little...

Sat, 19 May 2012 13:15:05 -0700

“I’m the Vice President, you little fuckers!”

- Julia Louis-Dreyfus from Season One, Episode Four (“Chung”) of Veep. Written by Sean Gray, Armando Iannucci and Will Smith.

Yes, the turmoil surrounding the eventual fourth season of Community is pretty alarmingly awful. Things are changing and people appear to be getting royally screwed over by the old men holding the proverbial reins at NBC. But let’s not forget that there’s still some pretty great television available out there. Give Veep a chance, kiddos.

Ozarks: “Pyramids Of Love”(directed by Robbie...

Sat, 19 May 2012 12:53:13 -0700

Ozarks: “Pyramids Of Love”
(directed by Robbie Augspurger and Eric Lee)

Robbie Augspurger is a Portland fixture and his Ozarks project’s debut full-length has quickly become one of my most anticipated releases this year. The stark video for “Pyramids Of Love” is fashionable and creepy in all of the best possible ways.

[Ozarks drops July 10, 2012 on Will-Ru]

Song To Get You Through The Goddamn Day #135: John Maus:...

Sat, 19 May 2012 11:49:14 -0700

Song To Get You Through The Goddamn Day #135:

John Maus: “Mental Breakdown”

I will follow the music of John Maus to the ends of the earth. Few musicians have inspired me as much as this man has in the past three or four years with the onslaught of impressive music that he’s introduced to the world. I’m refuse to be one of the sad folks that take his “questionable” feelings to heart and ignores his work. “Mental Breakdown” is a track from 2004 that is finally seeing a proper release along with a heaping collection of Mr. Maus’ unreleased tracks.

[A Collection Of Rarities And Previously Unreleased Material drops July 17, 2012 on Ribbon Music]

Song To Get You Through The Goddamn Day #134: Serengeti:...

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:08:25 -0700

Song To Get You Through The Goddamn Day #134:

Serengeti: “Amnesia”

The past year has seen a flurry of activity from Chicago’s Serengeti. A full-length (Friends And Family), an EP collaboration with s / s / s (a side project featuring Serengeti, Sufjan Stevens and Son Lux) and an EP revolving around an alter ego of his own design (Kenny Dennis EP). As if that wasn’t enough, come July he will release yet another full length of material recorded with his friends Jel and Odd Nosdam. “Amnesia” is a little more filled out production wise than Serengeti’s last few efforts, but retains every bit of his sinister wit and smooth sense of rhyme.

“If I could get amnesia, I wouldn’t have to fake my death.”

[C.A.R. drops July 31, 2012 on Anticon]

The Illest Bills: Bill Callahan by Nicko Phillips Nicko’s...

Thu, 17 May 2012 13:00:29 -0700

The Illest Bills: Bill Callahan by Nicko Phillips

Nicko’s series featuring the world’s illest folks named Bill also includes Bill Cosby, Bill Murray and Bill Hicks. Quite a collection.

“It’s OK” Affirmation Banner by Ashley Anna...

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:58:30 -0700

“It’s OK” Affirmation Banner by Ashley Anna Brown

Alright, let’s see how week number two of this thing...

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:45:59 -0700

Alright, let’s see how week number two of this thing turns out. Go for it.

Company Pants Mixlet #2 (download)

01 Last Days Of 1984 / “River’s Edge”
02 Family Band / “Night Song”
03 Air Waves / “Horse Race”
04 Fergus & Geronimo / “Roman Tick”
05 Total Warr / “xxx HATE xxx”

Song To Get You Through The Goddamn Day #133: The Tallest Man...

Tue, 15 May 2012 06:30:01 -0700

Song To Get You Through The Goddamn Day #133:

The Tallest Man On Earth: “1904”

It feels like just yesterday that a small contingent of dear friends and I were heading home from a particularly successful day trip to the Oregon coast. Our bellies were full of roadside diner fare and beach wine as we silently took in Kristian Matsson’s first release under The Tallest Man On Earth moniker, Shallow Grave. Hardly a word was uttered on the journey home that night; partly from exhaustion, partly from the unreal amount of tourist trap smoked meats and cheeses we had all inhaled, but mostly from not wanting to interrupt the campfire spirituals that were being released from the speakers of the car.

Now, just a few short years later, Matsson is about to release his third full-length collection of lo-fi gems. If anything, his songwriting output has been remarkably consistent as it’s evolved and matured over such a seemingly short amount of time. Even on first listen, “1904” sounds like a song that you’ve been humming along with for most of your life and one that you will continue to be reminded of for many years to follow.

[There’s No Leaving Now drops June 12, 2012 on Dead Oceans]

Beastie Boys: “Sabatoge”/Adam Yauch Tribute(directed...

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:45:59 -0700

Beastie Boys: “Sabatoge”/Adam Yauch Tribute
(directed by James Winters)

James Winters enlisted the help of his wife, his kids and his nephew in order to craft this hilarious, kid-centric recreation of the Beastie Boys’ original groundbreaking video for “Sabotage”. Quite a fitting and heartfelt tribute in honor of the recent passing of Adam Yauch.

Bodies Of Water: “Rise Up, Careful”(directed by...

Wed, 09 May 2012 20:33:35 -0700

Bodies Of Water: “Rise Up, Careful”
(directed by Bodies Of Water)

Over the years, the projects that Bodies Of Water tackle have morphed into massive family affairs. The band records their own music, releases their own music and can now add the special skill of “Music Video Director” to their always expanding résumé. “Rise Up, Careful” is a track that hails from my second favorite record of 2011 and it’s just released video matches the wealth of creativity and range the band so daringly explores on the whole of Twist Again. Featuring images of interpretive dance along with an endless job interview, the video encapsulates a thought often felt by artists, but never before put so succinctly as in one of the few lines of captioned dialogue featured in the clip: “Self expression has only brought me more problems.”

[Twist Again is available now on Thousand Tongues]