Orange Alert's Music Minute

It was a hectic day at work, filled with spreadsheets, accruals, reclasses, meetings, etc. I felt out of control, a little lost and completely out of place. Downing endless cups of the most vile black coffee imaginable, I thought to myself, life is hard. Life, at least during the working day was not worth the struggle and strife, the strut and the smile, the suit and the... well you get the picture. And then the phone rings, it's my wife, and she says something that I never thought I would hear he say... "You just got Real Live Tigers in the mail." Still distracted by the day, I say "excuse my what was that?". "Real Live Tigers!" Confused and slightly concerned because a townhouse is no place for a tiger, and what about the kids. She explains it is a CD, with a interesting antique photo on the cover. I now have something to look forward to and the rest of the day is easy.


Tony Presley sings in a deep lamenting tone filled with pain and struggle. His voice gracefully floats in and out of focus while the steady strums of his acoustic guitars hold the rhythm. However, Tony sings uses his somber sound to sing about how easy life can be and is. His stories paint a picture of hope in the middle of a world filled with sorrow. The war traumatized soldier returning home to marry the love of his life, or the rescue from flood plains and the eternal flood of love and compassion within us all. Real Live Tigers, This is Sometimes a Riverbed, is an honest and passionate product of a man who has travel this land, fought his own battles, and now realizes how easy life can be. This album, released November 1st by Sanitary Records, is worth every penny of the $7 you will pay to receive some genuine Real Live Tigers in the mail.

Listen to: Beard of Bees (mp3) and Flood Plains (mp3)


This past week Dent May (a.k.a. d$) was kind enough to leave a comment on the site, and what a valuable comment it was. In case you missed it, he announced that he had finished his new e.p. and that it is available for free on his myspace page. Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele, from Oxford, Mississippi, croons wonderful melodies, and his debut full-length, The Good-feeling music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele will be out next year. Listen to: College Town Boy (mp3)

Kate Tucker & The Sons of Sweden have created an album full of beautiful pop tunes, and it is all focused on tender voice of the compelling Kate Tucker. At times soft and atmospheric, at times roaring this self-titled debut is something this Washington State band should take pride in. You can stream their debut here. Listen to: Faster Than Cars (mp3)

Au Revoir Simone is a group that I have been wanting to mention for quite sometime. Their mix of beauty, grace, electronics, and great all harmonies gets me every time. When I saw that they were being featured on Daytrotter this past week, I knew this was my time. Their full-length debut, The Bird of Music, has been out for most of the year, but it is definitely one for the "best of" lists this years. Stop over at daytrotter today to download the live set the played while stopping by. Listen to: Sad Song (mp3)

The Peel Back: "Louder Than Bombs" The Smiths (1987)

I wasn't exactly old enough to know The Smiths when they were "The Smiths", in fact my first taste was on a mixtape given to me in 1991. The song was "Rubber Ring", and I was hooked. The cleverness, the sly grin in the face of agony that so vividly came through the speakers, the little recorded voice at end of the song ("You are sleeping, You don't want to believe"). It seemed so perfect, yet strangely off in some indie novel or film. That year for Christmas, I asked for "Louder than Bombs" and to my surprise received it. That cassette tape became my soundtrack for the next five years. Nights spent screaming "Shakespeare's Sister" because I was not allowed to attend a party, or the dreams that followed falling asleep to "Asleep". I had a story and a visual short film associated with every song, and I took the tape with me everywhere I went. Obsession, maybe... The greatest band every formed without a doubt.

Louder Than Bombs (1987, Sire Records)

Is It Really So Strange?/Sheila Take a Bow (mp3)/Shoplifters of the World Unite/Sweet and Tender Hooligan/Half a Person/London/Panic/Girl Afraid (mp3)/Shakespeare's Sister/William, It Was Really Nothing/You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby/Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now/Ask/Golden Lights/Oscillate Wildly/These Things Take Time/Rubber Ring (mp3)/Back to the Old House/Hand in Glove/Stretch Out and Wait/Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want/This Night Has Opened My Eyes/Unloveable/Asleep