I’ve been helping the company for a little more than 6 months now and I’ve got to tell you that their iTunes plug-in is legen-and I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because the last half of that word is-dairy.

You drag and drop songs into the TuneUp sidebar on iTunes, and it finds the correct album, artist, genre, year, title, etc. in seconds.¬† With a collection that’s more than 10 years old and includes tracks from friends,remixes, stuff I’ve collected from world travels and everything I’ve downloaded for the podcast, TuneUp was able to miraculously clean about 85% of my collection.

While it didn’t clean everything it certainly made the task of manually cleaning the rest of my music feasible and after a little bit of work every song in my library has an artist right now.¬† That in itself is an accomplishment.

In addition to cover art and song information, TuneUp also lets me know when artists are coming to town and shows music videos and eBay merchandise from any playing track.¬† It’s been a great way to explore my music in a way that I never would have taken the time to otherwise.

Get on the road to a cleaner music collection at www.tuneupmedia.com

I’m fortunate enough to have great friends in this fine city by the bay.¬† One of them happens to work here, another shoots photos like this, and Bryan, a past colleague, helps Puma throw killer parties in the city.¬† A few weeks back they did an in-store party with The Morning Benders.

I’m sure everyone comments on this, but they look¬† young, real young.¬† I think the guys with razors are faking it.¬† There was no alcohol in the store, (unlike previous parties) protecting the under-age crowd (and band) from going wild and ransacking the place I assume.¬† The Benders sat down in front of mics on the top floor of the store and proceeded to woo us with their¬† melancholy pop.¬† Think Vampire Weekend and The Shins shaken, not stirred.¬† The group mixes rock, pop, country, and folk across the CD and within songs to drive forward heartfelt and sometimes sorrow-filled lyrics showing that while lead singer Chris Chu may look young, his heart’s been put through its paces.

One reviewer says of a previous album, “the songs evoke exuberance and melancholic introspection without drowning in sonic ambition.” On Talking Through Tin Cans, the Morning Benders have become sonically more ambitious without losing the exuberance that makes them instantly attractive, or the melancholy which has me looking for mix-tapes to include them on.¬† While not all the songs are worth consistent listens, the rise and fall melody of “Patient Patient” will quickly get stuck in your head.

The second song of the album, “I Was Wrong”, opens with “I’ve seen love kick a man while he’s down” and wonderfully proclaims, “I was wrong… when I said you were right”.¬† Too many people from the past have deserved something similar delivered with the same tongue-in-cheek pause between admission and admonition. Other stand-outs are the ode to crumbling relationships in “Heavy Hearts” that kicks into high gear around 2:40, and “Chasing a Ghost”, the album’s most raucous track.

Below is a song called Morning Fog from a previous album… one that he performed live and I highly recommend (although this recording doesn’t do it justice).¬† The band has also released a collection of songs called “The Bedroom Covers” that are, as you expected, cover songs from Chris Chu’s bedroom.¬† Download them from their blog before the link dies!

My good friend Justin Miller of Phonofly is plugged into the music scene and a very good judge of things and people (and if not, he’ll buy you a Newcastle) so when he mentioned some sort of “bus” show last night with local musician Goh Nakamura I was instantly intrigued.

Goh has gained quite the following from his Youtube video for Embarcadero Blues, and is playing shows on both coasts.¬† His fingers slide easily across the fretboard, and his voice owns its “fall in love again for the first time” feel without trying too hard.¬† Shegeek, Justin, and I arrived promptly late at 6:23 and were quickly waivered, signed, stamped with rouge stars and ushered into the upstairs of the British double decker bus from City Sightseeing Tours.

The back of the bus enshrined Goh as he played.¬† Patrons sat in pairs listening to the concert on headphones sprouting from the middle of the seats (I’m guessing the retro-fitting on this bus took quite a while to pull this off).¬† Odessa Chen, an acquaintance of Justin’s, sat down across from us.

As we prepared for the trip, the wind started to howl through our skin and I lured Odessa over to my seat with the promise of warmth.  She quickly hopped over and introduced herself and then we were off.  Goh began with a song from his first album as we started our journey down Mission street.

Right about the time that Goh started his cover of the Cure’s Just Like Heaven I noticed Odessa looking to the heavens – there was something magical about that moment, feeling like we were canoeing across the sky, the current turned to clouds as we meandered among the skyscrapers defining our route.¬† Soon after, we turned onto the Embarcadero and watched the Bay Bridge build its way across the way.

Odessa and I pretended to be tourists in this city reborn before us, if only I had brought my camera! Pictures have never done her justice though.  We rolled through his stories from the Embarcadero to Dogpatch to Potrero Hill.  And just as the city arched its back to show us the beauty of her rolling hills, we descended quickly underneath the highway and up through Mission Bay.

At times, with eyes closed, I lost myself in the music; at others, I let my eyes lose me in stories I was creating for the streets and sky before me.  At the best of times, my brain took input from both and bound something within my chest that began to swell. It felt infinite.

Odessa’s Show: 08/08

Ben Sollee is that artist you keep in the clip for special people in your life. He’s that song on a mixtape that everyone always asks about after it’s given.¬† It’s the album that shifts among political, upbeat and fun, to sensitive so you can find something to relate to no matter what the phase of your life.

I first heard Ben from http://aurgasm.us.¬† Apart from my natural inclination to give any song with a cello a chance, the first song posted at Aurgasm had me hooked. It’s a remake of “A Change is Gonna Come”, originally a 1964 civil rights song by Sam Cooke, Sollee has turned it into an upbeat song about the war and the hope that a change is gonna come for America… Starting with a simple cello and vocal, when the drums and French Horn (?) hit, it feels like coming home to summers on a lake, surrounded by good friends and an intimate comfort.

The first track on the album, “A few honest words”, is a charming, slow, and plodding track that will immediately draw you in.¬† Speaking to the deceit of our current administration the track begins with, “If you’re gonna lead my country/if you’re gonna say that it’s free/I’m gonna need some honesty.”¬† The song’s slow and simple nature allows listener the chance to imbibe the somber reality of the lyrics.

Other highlights include the raucous “Bury Me With My Car” (When I’m gone / bury me with my car / cuz if anywhere is where I end up when I’m gone / I’m gonna need my ride to get around ), the dance inspiring “It’s Not Impossible”, and the sentimental “I Can’t”.¬† Sollee’s debut album leaves you wanting a private backyard concert, at times twirling among friends, at others watching the maestro play and taking in all that his music means… what they mean to us…

Visit www.bensollee.com for more information
Click on the album title above to buy his music from eMusic, non-DRM goodness.

Tracklisting:
To Build a Home by The CineMatic Orchestra
Stay (Madonna Cover) by Malcolm Middleton
Sun! by Tujiko Noriko
Nantes by Beirut
Sad Sad City by Ghostland Observatory

Graveyard Girl by M83
Keep Your Eyes Ahead by The Helio Sequence
Run Into Flowers by M83
Going Back to Harlan by Emmylou Harris
Baby In Two by the Pernice Brothers

Cinders and Smoke by Iron And Wine
Re:Stacks by Bon Iver

Tracklisting for March 31, 2008

Fantasy by Mariah Carey
I Think We’re Alone Now by Tiffany
Mony Mony by Billy Idol
Heaven Is A Place On Earth by Belinda Carlisle
This is How We Do It by Montell Jordan

Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson
I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston
Maniac by Michael Sembello
Straight Up by Paula Abdul
Borderline by Madonna

Escapade by Janet Jackson
All 4 Love by Color Me Badd
Maneater by Hall & Oats
Hangin’ Tough by New Kids On The Block (by request).

Perfect for wind-blown trips and Sunday afternoons in the sun, Vampire Weekend are 4 young chaps who mix African, Indie, and Pop music. While I’m no expert on ethnic music, I definitely hear hints of Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel who have both been greatly influenced by the music of Africa. Already dubbed “The Year’s Best Band” by Spin Magazine, Vampire Weekend’s garnered attention for making music fun to listen to again. More specifically, their songs like “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” are upbeat, universally appealing, tongue in cheek and impressionistic enough to let anyone find some meaning (or meaninglessness) in the words.

Driven by drums, guitars, and organs the album’s tracks are speckled with extra-curricular instruments including violins, violas, cellos, chamberlins, harpsichords, synths, and shakers. One member plays 8 different instruments on the album – should Sufjan be worried? The band describes their, “ideal avatar [as] preppy African with equal parts of fresh and clean. Preppiness with West African guitar pop, a perfect fusion of happy world music with Western, New England preppiness.”

If that ’s what it takes to get great rhythms like this then I say, “Give them a trip to Africa, a LaCoste gift certificate, a Guitar, and drums. They’ll work out a second album in no time.”

Tracks:
Vampire Weekend – I Stand Corrected
Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Jenny Lewis, lead singer of Rilo Kiley, stares down at you from her throne of indie rock princess… but will she stay there? There are tons of new albums from some of the best indie (and other) artists this week! A lot of new albums have bands taking different directions like Rilo Kiley’s Under the Blacklight, an album that shows Jenny Smith and the crew are no longer the awkward artsy misfits that we had them pegged for (and fallen in love with). VHS or Beta shies away from their 80s style vocals but keeps the driving guitar riffs – not sure if I’m quite down with that. Federico Aubele shines on his new album Panamericana – one of my favorite downtempo albums in a long time. San Diego’s Pinback also comes out strong with ‘Autumn of the Seraphs’ staying true to their melodic guitar backings and the unmistakable vocals from frontman Rob Crow.

They’re all in the podcast this week so check it out… Click on podcast and follow the directions for some aural pleasure.

Sweet Dreams are Made of Seven Nation Army – DJ Poly
Smack my Sexyback – Bass211.com
Young Folks Rehab – DJ Topcat
Toop Toop Groove – Loo & Placido
Promiscuous Lola – DJ Earworm

Feel Good Roboto 2 – Victor Menegaux
Hella Dare You To Smoke – Party Ben
Close to Konichiwa Bitches – A Plus D
Pour Some Hot Sugar On Me – A Plus D
W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E. – Wale

Check out each of these artist’s pages for some crazy mashups – these are the top people in the scene right now and they’ve got a ton of banging tracks.