A Mix Tape You Made - The Decemberists (USA)

I swear, I was planning on posting another HK band or two before the US hit the chart again, but I couldn't pass this up. There's a great video up by a band called The Decemberists called 16 Military Wives (torrent). (you'll need a program like Bit Torrent for PC or Tomato Torrent for Mac to download the file)

It's a tale that may hit a bit close to home for the American readers...a thinly disguised track about America marching off to war, the reasons behind it, and the price that may be paid. That being said, it's not a downer of a track my any means...

In fact, the song comes bouncy with quirky, Neutral Milk Hotel-sounding vocals, and a toe tapping structure that for some reason, evokes memories of The Beatles 'Life Goes On' (Ohblah dee, oblah dah...excuse me if I've got the wrong name). The required marching band horns and choruses including 'Lah de dah de dah de ditty ditty dah' go along with the dictatorial vocals exclaiming that America...well, you'll just have to hear it for yourself.

And bravo to the video, both for tongue-in-cheekily using a Model UN to show how the hurtin' goes down, and for sneakily tossing a copy of copy of Craig Thompson's Blankets in the locker of Luxembourg. You'll understand when you see the video. Anyway, those looking fora mature loo at childhood love in graphic novel form, Blankets is one to check out. I've bookmarked a couple pages for possible framing in my future-hopeful-big-boy-house...

Well, didn't bookmark the pages. Didn't wanna crease them.

Stay tuned for some Hong Kong music from Cheer Chen and the Keh Leh Feh recommended Eason Chan in the near future...