Yes, Phoenix. Why Do You Ask?

Phoenix @ The Paradise from the HAD Archive

Yes, you can ask. And you'll get the same answer every time. Despite listening to tons of new records and getting a taste of everything under the sun, we at HAD also take a little time each day to dig around on the internets and find tidbits that might have otherwise passed us by.

Case in point: two items from Phoenix that we thought you might enjoy. The first is a bit dated, but still fantastic nonetheless: it's the video (below) for the band's 2005 track "Rally". It's a taste of stop motion goodness, never mind that the track is fantastic to boot. The second is more recent, and dates from the band's visit to World Cafe at the end of November. It's an acoustic take on the band's ubiquitous "1901", and for all the times that we've heard it, this version seems to hold a certain something. Yum.



mp3: Phoenix - 1901 (Acoustic, Live On World Cafe)

Grizzly Bear - "Dory" (Live On World Cafe)

While we have to admit we've been hesitant to jump on the Grizzly Bear hype train, there's no denying that these guys are making some truly interesting music, and that Veckatimest is quite the solid record. The more we listen to it, the more we like, and the band's live appearances aren't exactly hurting things either.

With that in mind, we were interested to discover that the band stopped by NPR's World Cafe last week and delivered some slightly stripped down versions of tracks from the new record. Takes like this really serve to underscore what solid musicians these guys are, and moreover how their songwriting is versatile to be delivered a number of ways. Head to NPR to check out the full program, or download "Dory" below!

mp3: Grizzly Bear - Dory (Live on World Cafe)