This song can connect on so many different levels. At the time, one of Pink Floyd’s former band members Syd Barrett was going through serious health and mental issues due to heavy drug abuse. He visited the band in the studio while they were recording the Wish You Were Here album and they didn’t even recognized him at first. He seemed completely detached from reality, which possibly rooted the meaning behind this song.

Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd

So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skys from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade
Your heros for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We’re just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

The Angels and Airwaves Say Anything Tour dates are now posted. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster for some shows, with presales announced for others.

They recently released their new album Love which was available for free download starting last friday.

04/05 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
04/11 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Event Centre
04/12 – Calgary, AB – MacEwan Hall
04/15 – Des Moines, IA – Val Air Ballroom West
04/16 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
04/17 – Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Club/The Rave/Eagles Ballroom
04/18 – Minneapolis, MN – EPIC
04/19 – St Louis, MO – The Pageant
04/22 – Columbus, OH – Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
04/23 – Cleveland, OH – Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City
04/25 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts
04/27 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
04/28 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
04/29 – Rochester, NY – Main Street Armory
05/02 – Allentown, PA – Crocodile Rock
05/07 – Philadelphia, PA – The Electric Factory
05/08 – Wallingford, CT – Toyota Presents the Oakdale Theatre
05/10 – Norfolk, VA – The Norva
05/11 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
05/13 – Ybor City, FL – The Ritz Ybor
05/14 – Pompano Beach, FL – Pompano Beach Amphitheatre
05/15 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live Orlando
05/18 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Houston
05/19 – San Antonio, TX – Lonestar Pavilion at Sunset Station
05/20 – Dallas, TX – The Palladium Ballroom
05/22 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
05/28 – Las Vegas, NV – The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas

I checked the local weather forecast for this week and saw upper 20’s and even 30’s all across the board. Now, to many people, this may seem awfully cold. Maybe unbearable. But for those of us in the heart of Minnesota, it can only mean one thing: It’s almost spring! And just in time for the most refreshing season of the year, let me introduce to you Promegranates.

This cheerful indie pop quartet has been making more than a small splash in the Cincinatti scene and beyond, and their latest release, 2009’s Everybody, Come Outside! is a treat. Their brand of fresh and fun indie pop rock is more pleasing with every listen. Influenced by the likes of Modest Mouse, Wolf Parade, and Talking Heads, Pomegranates also bring a touch of 60’s pop to the mix.

Everybody, Come Outside! starts with the title track, singing exactly that (“Everybody, come outside!”) in the form of cheery, Arcade Fire-style gang vocals. Each song is structured in a fairly unique way with different musical interludes led by different instruments, but some things are wonderfully consistent. A few of these things include drummer Jacob Meritt’s creative and energetic percussion, Joey Cook’s high-register and bubbly vocals with light and curious vocals, catchy reverb-soaked rhythm and lead electric guitars, and last but not least, every song is just overwhelmingly fun.

On their myspace, Pomogranates describe the album as “a conceptual album of sorts, weaving an interesting tale of a man who leaves home, only to be abducted by a time traveler.” Reading a few other reviews on the album, I saw some complain that the lyrics do not heed enough to this claim. I say relax. Who cares? Let me paint the concept of what I get when I listen to this album: Vacation. WIth lots of friends. And lots of sunshine. So relax and enjoy Everybody, Come Outside! for what it is: fresh and fun indie pop that you can’t (and wouldn’t want to) take too seriously. These guys are just getting started.

It’s only February. This Twin Cities’ heat wave of 30’s and sunny most likely won’t last till April. That’s ok. At least I’ve got Pomegranates to keep me warm.

“Gimme Shelter”
Rolling Stones
Let It Bleed (1969)

Originally the first word was spelled “Gimmie” on the album, but later it would be spelled as “Gimme” due to how other artists spelled the word. The song has an instrumental version as well that equally does the song justice.

“Be My Lover”
Alice Cooper
Killer (1971)

Mr. Cooper is one of the most underrated songwriters of all time. Something to listen for at the end of the song is the falling of a drumstick down the hardware of the drum set

“Housequake”
Prince
Sign ‘O’ The Times (1987)

“Shock-a-lock-a boom! What was that? Aftershock!” Enough said.

“Golden Blunders”
The Posies
Dear 23 (1990)

Looking forward to becoming an adult? listening to this song shouldn’t make you want to. Stay young!

“Lady Faire”
The Cassettes
‘Neath The Pale Moon (2006)

A band who has seen its share of changes through the years, managed to write a fun tune in “Lady Faire”.

Philly’s psychedelic rock group Dr. Dog’s highly anticipated new release Shame, Shame is due out on April 6. The band has been playing and working on many of the songs on the album for several years, and are intended to provide a more accurate representation of their energetic live shows than former albums.

Dr. Dog’s style is reminiscent of Beatles-era classic rock meets modern lo-fi indie rock, though labeling their music is not an easy task, and really doesn’t do them justice. Especially for Shame, Shame. Speaking of the new album, co-frontman Toby Leaman said “Sometimes I listen to our songs and think we are the weirdest f—ing band in the world… These songs don’t make sense at all.”(via Spinner) And that’s what makes them. Fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

The band recorded in woodsy upstate New York, and is their first release under Anti Records, to whom they chose to sign with instead of cashing in on a major label deal with Warner Bros.

Leaman said of the decision:

“We were really close to signing with Warner Bros. And they were good to us. I didn’t feel like they were bulls—-ing us. But you could tell that their trajectory for us was to be a huge band right away. That’s not how we see ourselves, at least not suddenly. I mean, if we get there on our own, sure. But, really, I feel like we’re just too weird.”(via Spinner)

We’ll see what happens with Shame, Shame.

You can listen to the first single, “Shadow People,” at Stereogum.
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I think you’re in for a real treat.  This week’s playlist is brand new, as in finished yesterday.  It’s also been in the works for some time now, which (hopefully!) means it’s especially beautiful and well crafted.

The theme for this week should be pretty clear: fairly mellow songs with the acoustic guitar being the centerpiece.  A few of the songs have an “Old West” feel to them as well, like the title-track, Jon Foreman’s “I Am Still Running” from his Winter EP.

I Am Still Running also bears resemblance lyrically to the track that bears its name.  Many of these songs relate in some way to the concept of running, whether it be from a person or a place; from life, time, or even love.  Listen carefully and you’ll find all sorts of pleasing subtleties in the lyrics.  One such aspect, found near the end, really helps bring the playlist to a good finish as M. Ward softly sings the refrain “Try as you might to fight it, love will get you in the end.”

I’d also like to point out that although Feist’s “I Feel It All” is actually driven by electric, not acoustic guitar, I was feeling it as I created this mix.  On that grounds, it remains settled nicely in the middle of the playlist.

A good mix of old and new songs, with a variety of acoustic sounds and beautiful vocal melodies and lyrics, I Am Still Running has something to say to everyone, musically or lyrically.  Listen up.

There are about 700 independently owned record stores today in the U.S. Every third Saturday of April, Record Store Day officially celebrates these stores and the art of music in general. This April 17th will be the third annual Record Store Day, which was founded by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner. According to Record Store Day’s website, “festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on.”

Along with the burgers and brats, there will be plenty of exclusive promotional products and CD and vinyl releases for that day, including:

Beach House – Zebra EP
The Thermals – “Separate”
The Cribs – “So Hot Now”
Pavement – Quarantine the Past, exclusive Record Store Day version

You can watch Muse here in the studio recording for their latest single, Resistance Watching Matt Bellamy record with their large vintage synth is worth the ticket price alone. You can watch it on NME.com.

Muse also released one of the three b-sides off of Resistance. It’s a heavy-hitting cover of Mega City Four named “Prague,” and you can also hear it on NME.com.

The single is due out on the 22nd.