Tastemakers Predict The Next Big Thing: Arctic Monkeys. And Smaller Big Things.

A reporter at The Guardian talked to some music "tastemakers" for a let's-predict-the-next-big-thing article in today's paper. Music tastemakers are basically people who influence the artists and songs the public (in this case the U.K. public) is exposed to, and ultimately is more likely to embrace with their hearts and dolla- make that pounds. But success in Great Britain doesn't happen on an island -- well, okay, it does. You know what I mean! Commercial and/or critical success there often has an impact elsewhere. Even though Damon Albarn had to become a cartoon to make it big in the States that is only the case for about 30% of U.K. artists.

Ten times reporter Alexis Petridis asked "Who's going to be big next year?" Six of the answers mentioned Sheffield, England's indie sensation Arctic Monkeys. If you weren't bowled over by the track I posted by them a few days ago, well then by gum you'd better like the tracks I'm posting today. Or learn to like them. Arctic Monkeys are the future. The future of rock. Indie rock. Alt rock. British rock. The soundtrack of your life. You will do everything to them, from this moment forward. You will love the band and think of them as family. Their names are, uh, Pinky, Bluey, Richie, and Junior. Wait, I'm thinking of Pimp My Ride U.K.. Arctic Monkeys are: singer/guitarist Alex Turner, bassist Andy Nicholson, guitarist James Cook, and drummer Matt Helders. Great lads' names, then... (though I confess to some measure of disappointment upon learning that some of those Pimp My Ride names are in fact "nicknames"!) Anyway, Arctic Monkeys has been together since 2002 when they were all about 15 and 16 which just goes to show that not turning that damn music down can be a valid and profitable lifestyle choice.

To wit, they're already topping the NME chart and moving to a bigger venue for an upcoming London concert due to heavy demand for tickets -- oh, and the whole tour has already sold out. Predicting their success seems a bit obvious at this point. I guess the question is how big they will get, and how long will their success last. Many in this article think the guys will be very successful.

Conor McNicholas, the Editor of NME assures us that "The Arctic Monkey are going to be the biggest band this country's seen since Oasis." Aside from getting the name of the band wrong (possibly the paper's typo, not McNicholas'), I find both McNicholas' endorsement and his level of enthusiasm entirely spot-on and trustworthy. He speaks for NME, after all. They bring us headlines like "Jack White to get coked up!" (for an article about Jack White being asked to write a jingle for Coca-Cola). No way is this dude going to exaggerate! If he says Arctic Monkeys are going to be the biggest band England's seen since Oasis, then you'd better bet your bottom dollar they will be! (I mean this figuratively; you don't really "have" to bet anything). Notice he didn't say they'd be the biggest band his country's heard since Oasis. Cheeky monkey, leaving an out! McNicholas also thinks We Are Scientists will "make a splash." No indication as to the expected size of the splash is mentioned.

Helen Marquis, a music buyer from Amazon.co.uk interviewed for the article mentioned Arctic Monkeys right off the bat. She said, "We have a report each week called unresolved search results, which tells you what things people have typed in on site and not been able to find anything by and they were massive on it." Hey, they notice all those "unsuccessful" searches we do at Amazon and Amazon.co.uk! Other frequent "unresolved" search results Marquis noted are for Test Icicles, Lady Sovereign, Morning Runner, and Be Your Own Pet. HMV's Steve Owen and Mel Armstrong mention you-know-who, Louis XIV, White Rose Movement, and Kubb, among others... (For anyone who might not know, HMV is a major music retailer in the UK)

Alison Howe, a co-producer of the TV show "Later with Jools Holland", raves about Arctic Monkeys and says she "likes" the Rakes and the Cribs. She thinks "the Joseph Arthur record is good." The head of music for Radio 2, Colin Martin seconds the nod for Joseph Arthur: "I really think he's going to do it." Suzi Aplin, who produces the program "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" thinks Louis XIV will be big. She mentions their "filthy lyrics" and says they're "really entertaining." She also mentions Kubb, but doesn't say a word about them. Judging from the streaming songs at their website, they might well lack filthy lyrics and maybe they aren't "really entertaining" either. Or maybe the paper thought whatever she said was boring... or it had to be cut for space.

Sarita Jagpal, the acting head of music policy for Radio 1, after the semi-mandatory Arctic Monkeys rave, says, "I'd love to think Pendulum would do something, but I doubt it. It would be interesting to see if Morning Runner do anything, and Bedouin Soundclash." These are among the most intriguing groups mentioned, I think. Not so much Morning Runner, because I'd already heard one of their songs, and seen them mentioned in Q, but the other two. I'd like to hear more from both of them before I go mouthing off about their commercial potential, though I'm really tempted to do so now... I do like what I've heard so far from both Pendulum and Bedouin Soundclash, though. I also liked that Jagpal named some bands I hadn't heard of before, which is especially in the spirit of this article, I think (more so than naming bands who obviously are already doing really well; I feel like the tip about Arctic Monkeys may be more future-oriented for those outside of the U.K. than for most readers of the Guardian).

Radio and TV presenter Michael Parkinson says the two best albums he's heard in a long time are by Lizz Wright and Madeleine Peyroux. He says Wright has "some voice, she could be a huge star."

I want to mention that this article has a lot of content I'm leaving out, for multiple reasons -- for one thing, I obviously don't want to pillage the whole thing. Several other artists are mentioned in the piece, but not here. I didn't talk about every tastemaker, or mention some rappers and metal bands, but even if you're not partial to those genres I might have not mentioned some artist(s) you'd like to know about -- I do recommend checking out the article. There's also some cool discussion about each tastemaker's job -- the influence they wield and some of the artists they've helped "break" (eek, nice expression, that!).

Songs from artists who might be "the next big thing":

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - Still Take You Home

MP3:Arctic Monkeys - A Certain Romance

mp3:Joseph Arthur - Marmalade Eyes (from Junkyard Hearts II)

mp3:Joseph Arthur - In the Middle of the Night (from Junkyard Hearts III)

mp3:Louis XIV - Louis XIV (from The Best Secrets Are Kept, available both in the U.S. and in the U.K., and on the Illegal Tender EP, available in the U.S. and of course available as an import in the U.K. That EP is also available on vinyl in the U.K.)

mp3:Louis XIV - Marc (from the Illegal Tender EP)

mp3:The Rakes - Work, Work, Work (Pub, Club, Sleep) (from Capture/Release, available in the U.K. Import copies are wildly expensive at Amazon -- $29.49 -- but third party sellers there and doubtless elsewhere offer new copies for around $17, which is cheaper than plenty of non-import CDs)

mp3:Morning Runner - Gone Up In Flames (a single in the U.K.)

mp3:Pendulum - Plastic World (from Hold Your Colour, available in the U.K., Amazon sells it as an import for $18.49)

mp3:Pendulum - Streamline (from Hold Your Colour)

mp3:Bedouin Soundclash - Santa Monica (from Root Fire, available in the U.K., going by Amazon, is not currently available in the U.S. other than as an import)

mp3:Bedouin Soundclash - Music My Rock (from Sounding a Mosaic, currently available in the U.S. as well as the U.K.)

mp3:Bedouin Soundclash - When The Night Feels My Song (from Sounding a Mosaic)

mp3:Madeleine Peyroux - You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go (Bob Dylan cover, from Careless Love, available now in both the UK and the US, and likely elsewhere as well)

mp3:Madeleine Peyroux - I'll Look Around (from Careless Love)

More Arctic Monkeys: I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor video (at their website)

You can check out songs and videos from We Are Scientists at their website's songs page

Streaming songs from Kubb at their website; you can also buy downloads of songs there.

Argh!

Long post... lost ... gone... Blogger conspiring against me...

I will not be defeated. With my soda-containing "coffee" tumbler, my Mentos (the Freshmaker!), and assorted other clutter-creating items on my desk as my witnesses to this oath (albeit better witnesses were they not inanimate), I vow that I will not go postless again!

At least not today. Unless the power goes out in the whole freaking county. Or I get food poisoning. Or I'm asked to go on some sort of top-secret mission that sounds really valuable and like I'd be helping people and/or it sounds really cool and fun (and I wouldn't be hurting people!). Or other reasons to be determined. I love disclaimers.

Alright, that was a good palate-cleanser. I can go back to re-creating the other post now (and hopefully finishing it, though I may not be able to just now). Sigh. Lots of good music to come in the next post, much more than one song.

mp3:Johnny Cash - Cry, Cry (from all sorts of places)

(No actual tears were shed)

Ring of Fire: the Johnny Cash Musical

Apparently Johnny Cash mania is afoot. Or not so much a foot as a sort of lively, effervescent presence in the air. (Because when you think "Johnny Cash", you think "effervescent") There's Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic, opening November 18 (in the U.S. at least), with Joaquin Phoenix in the lead role. I saw the trailer at the movie's website and it looks like it might be good, although I had no idea Johnny was once with Reese Witherspoon, before June I guess. Movies teach us so much and ask so little. Well... they do ask us for about $10. They also often require us, as a captive audience, to sit through something like a half-hour of commercials and a bunch of trailers (which aren't so bad, and many are highly mockable) before allowing us to watch the movie we paid to see. But other than that, they ask so little!

Anyhoo, Johnny Cash's music will also be coming to broadway, in the form of a musical next February when "Ring of Fire: The Johnny Cash Musical Show" opens. The show does not have a storyline; rather it's described by producers as like a "theatrical concert of his songs", a whopping 38 of them in fact. Among the songs included in the "jukebox musical" are "Ring of Fire" are "Five Feet High and Rising", "I Walk the Line", "Ring of Fire", "Daddy Sang Bass", "I've Been Everywhere", "The Man in Black", and "Hurt". The producers decided to have several actors handle the singing duties, and not have just one person playing Cash.

The show is now playing, through Oct. 9, in Buffalo, NY at the Studio Arena Theatre. The show's program notes indicate that shortly before his death, Cash gave his approval to the musical. The reviews have been good, with Variety saying the show leaves an "overwhelmingly positive impression" and the Buffalo News calling "Ring" "a fabulous piece of entertainment, a show that gracefully, beguilingly, transcends its own limits at every turn." Variety did say the ending could be "much stronger" and there's a "stretch" midway through the first act where the focus grew fuzzy. They still were very fond of it.

(I love Johnny Cash, by the way).

MP3:Johnny Cash - Five Feet High And Rising (from Man in Black: Very Best of Johnny Cash, among lots of other albums)

mp3:Johnny Cash - I Walk The Line (from The Essential Johnny Cash and oodles of other albums)

mp3:Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire (from 16 Biggest Hits and lots of other albums)

mp3:Johnny Cash - Hurt (Nine Inch Nails cover, from the Unearthed box set, etc.)

mp3:Johnny Cash (with Bob Dylan) - Girl From the North Country (from the U.K. release Man in Black: Very Best of Johnny Cash, for one)

mp3:U2 (starring Johnny Cash) - The Wanderer (from The Mystery of Life, etc.)

29 Songs for September 28th

Feeling slightly random and a tad excessive. Why 29 instead of 28? Perhaps you'd like to see the PowerPoint presentation I've prepared that explains my reasoning. Hey, it's very colourful and edutaining! Fine, be that way. A lot of the reasons are pretty secret anyway. So, as for the 29 songs -- some are fairly recent, including one from the upcoming Metric album, a couple from Richard Hawley's latest album, and one from Minus the Bear's recent album Menos el Oso. Some are new spins on something old, including a couple cool remixes of old tunes by the Chordettes and the Elegants by Ursula 1000 and Static Revenger for the Playstation 2 game Destroy All Humans. Some songs are older, though not that old. No Stones, no Beatles. Lots of U.K. music did somehow found its way into this post, though, oddly enough. The Charlatans (U.K., naturally), Sloane (the London ones), Pulp, Ride, Longpigs, Embrace, and others are included, among others. Some actual American music has also been allowed in, including REM, Tanya Donelly, Minus the Bear, Yo La Tengo, a Tobias Funke-free Blue Man Group (Arrested Development reference)... Metric are Canadian, right, easy enough. Brazilian Girls are neither Brazilian nor girls (you really should have agreed to the PowerPoint presentation...) Cibo Matto are a New York band... okay, not originally from New York, but they live there now (really, this was very challenging, charts-and-graphs-wise). Oodles more... In no real order, other than keeping certain tracks together for obvious reasons (they're by the same artists, etc.) Hopefully, there's at least one song here you'll like!

1) MP3:The Charlatans U.K. - My Beautiful Friend (from Us And Us Only and the Queer As Folk: The Final Season soundtrack)

2) MP3:REM - Find the River (from Automatic for the People. Beautiful, a classic)

3) MP3:Richard Hawley - Coles Corner (from Coles Corner. Very lush, sweeping Britpop. Play count-the-retro-influences or just enjoy...)

4) mp3:Richard Hawley - Born Under a Bad Sign (from Coles Corner. I especially like this track)

5) MP3:Longpigs - She Said (from 1997's The Sun Is Often Out. Richard Hawley was a Longpig...)

6) MP3:Yo La Tengo - Cherry Chapstick (from And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out)

7) mp3:Suede - She's in Fashion (a.k.a. London Suede, from Head Music and Singles)

8) mp3:Pulp - This is Hardcore (from This is Hardcore and Hits)

9) mp3:Tanya Donelly - Pretty Deep (from Love Songs for Underdogs, also on two CD singles. Nifty solo song from former member of Throwing Muses, the Breeders, and Belly)

10) mp3:Cibo Matto - Sugar Water (Soft Fade Edit) (from Heck On Wheels, Volume 7 - Songs To Sell Records By, also on one of the EPs... I think)

11) mp3:Blue Man Group - Rods and Cones (from Audio)

12) mp3:Tahiti 80 - I.S.A.A.C. (from Puzzle)

13) mp3:John Martyn - Solid Air (from Solid Air. It's about Nick Drake, who was a friend of his)

14) MP3:The Virgin-Whore Complex - Four-Alarm Fire in Lovers' Lane (from Stay Away From My Mother. Fun song)

15) mp3:Luna - California (All the Way) (from Bewitched. One of my favourite groups, yet I've never posted anything by them)

16) mp3:Momus - The Minus Five (from Stars Forever. Momus needed cash, so he offered to write a song for anyone who would give him $1,000. The 30-song Stars Forever was the result)

17) mp3:Embrace - Yeah, You (live) (from NME Presents A Bunch of Fives)

18) mp3:Ride - Leave Them All Behind (from Going Blank Again. A shoegazer classic)

19) mp3:The Cells - I Go Out (from We Can Replace You. Fun pop-punk)

20) mp3:Brazilian Girls - Lazy Lover (from Brazilian Girls, also a single. There are no actual Brazilian girls in the Brazilian Girls -- three guys, one woman -- call her a girl if you like, but none are from Brazil. Good song, though)

21) mp3:Metric - Handshakes (from Live It Out, out Oct. 4 in the U.S.)

22) mp3:The Outer Loop - Oh Yeah! Alright! (from The Outer Loop's promo EP. All four songs on the EP are available to download for free at The Outer Loop's website. Four previous songs are also there)

23) mp3:The Chordettes - Lollipop (Ursula 1000 remix) (from Destroy All Humans, a Playstation 2 game. I love this remix... the little blips and such... great)

24) mp3:The Elegants - Little Star (Static Revenger Mix) (from the soundtrack to Destroy All Humans, a Playstation 2 game. Also really good)

25) mp3:The Magnetic Fields - The Book of Love (from 69 Love Songs ... many of them not all that romantic...)

26) mp3:Mixel Pixel - Pink Shirts (from Rainbow Panda)

27) mp3:Ken Nordine - Magenta (from Colors. Because last night I was told "Then you must think a song called "Magenta" would be really wacky" when someone misheard me and thought I said "Grey" was a "slightly-silly" song title. I actually said "Hooray")

28) mp3:Ken Nordine - Grey (from Colors)

29) mp3:Minus the Bear - Hooray (from Menos el Oso. The title I was referring to; it's less silly in comparison to previous Minus the Bear titles such as "Hey! Is That A Ninja Up There?", "Pantsuit... Uggghhh", and "Thanks For The Killer Game Of Crisco Twister")

NME CD: The Soundtrack of Your Summer

NME takes a look back at summer with their freebie The Soundtrack of Your Summer CD, featuring "14 summer festival hits". Didn't make it to many of the UK festivals this year (none, actually). Some of these songs were very familiar, and I'd never heard some of them before. The NME cover boasts "CD includes INDIE supergroup track!" All the words are in caps, but indie is especially huge." The groups on that track are identified in smaller print (The Rakes, Bloc Party, and Towers of London). How does it sound? Does it matter? It's INDIE! (I think it's great). I like the CD overall, and am thinking of starting to use "indie" as slang for "great" or "awesome" just to inject it with some real meaning. Sample uses: 1) "Have you heard the new Rilo Kiley song? It's really indie, man!" 2) Did you see Martha Stewart's Apprentice? "You didn't fail, you just didn't fully succeed." She is so indie.

The Soundtrack of Your Summer Track Listing:

1. Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
2. Kaiser Chiefs - Take My Temperature
3. mp3:Arctic Monkeys - Fake Tales of San Francisco
4. The Little Flames - Put Your Dukes Up, John
5. mp3:Editors - Lights
6. mp3:The Cribs - You Were Always the One
7. mp3:Maximo Park - Graffiti (live in Japan)
8. Boy Kills Boy - Last of the Great
9. Juliette & the Licks - American Boy Vol. 2
10. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
11. The Longest - Dead Man
12. mp3:Art Brut - Formed a Band (I love Art Brut)
13. British Sea Power - Please Stand Up (just posted this the other day).
14. mp3:The Rakes feat. Bloc Party, Maximo Park, and Towers of London - 22 Grand Job (Live at the Carling Weekend: Reading Festival)

Wonkavision Magazine Issue 29 and CD

Purchased an issue of Wonkavision Magazine the other day. Their slogan is "Your source for independent music and thoughts". ("That's right. That means when it's time for you to have some independent thoughts, you come to us for them, pal. Hey, saves you the trouble and they're only $2.95! Or $5.00 if purchased online! Plus you get music! Independent music! No griping.")

In contrast to that slogan (and the hideous oppressive mind-control philosophy I playfully imagined might inspire it), this issue is "the do it yourself issue", right down to the cover. It's mostly blank, and the mag invites... hmm... actually the mag orders its readers to "Make your own damn cover! Draw, paint, spray paint, destroy, do your thing to this cover and send it to us. We will display all submissions in next issue's art and design special."

Within the covers the magazine checks out DIY venues in the US. There's also an article about about "artivists" a.k.a. political independent filmmakers who make films that encourage their audience to "look beneath the surface, to question, to research, to think, and eventually to take a stand against the injustices we encounter." There's plenty more, such as poetry, reviews (of music, DVDs, books, and zines) and an interview with Blake Schwarzenbach, formerly of Jets to Brazil (he says they broke up two-and-a-half years ago, although it was never formally announced). He is now working on his Master's in English Literature, while teaching a couple of courses.

The mag also included a CD sampler from "The Platform Group". The track listing:

1. mp3:New London Fire - Different (from Sing The Body Holographic, out Feb. 7 2006, at least in the U.S. I quite like this song, enough that I sought out the band's website (although then I decided to be consistent and snag similar info for all the bands I'm posting mp3s for here). On New London Fire's website, I found the aforementioned album release info, along with the news that the band plans to release a digital EP (download-only) "very, very soon" (that was posted on Sept. 19th). New London Fire will be playing some shows in New York in New Jersey in October; tour info is available at that very same website)
2. My Epiphany - Final Battle
3. Secret Lives of the Freemasons - It Only Took a Whisper
4. The Valley Arena - Into the Lion's Mouth
5. mp3:Baumer - Take What's Mine (from Come On Feel It. Baumer has several concert dates posted on their website, including October shows in Maine, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina)
6. The Blackout Pact - We Drink So You Don't Have To
7. Jettie - Nyanian
8. mp3:The Static Age - Vertigo (from Neon Nights Electric Lives. The Static Age toured this Summer and played a couple CMJ New Music Marathon dates and now they think they never have to tour again! I possibly made the part after "and" up. This much is certain -- no future tour info is listed on their website at the moment, not on the "shows" page, anyway. I suppose it could be tucked away in some other location, but it probably isn't)
9. Mommy and Daddy - Pretty Loser
10. Post Office Gals - Right Click My Heart, Save As Broken (Cute title, can't take the song. Too screamey for me)
11. mp3:Tourmaline - Blank (from Strange Distress Calls. Tourmaline has a show scheduled for October 1 in Montclair, N.J. with The Vacancy and The Semester)

Filter Mag and Urban Outfitters Announce Benefit Compilation

Filter Magazine and Urban Outfitters, who teamed up earlier this year to produce and sell a double CD to raise funds for tsunami relief, have announced a new benefit compilation. This time, the compilation will benefit the American Red Cross, with funds directed toward their Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Like the tsunami relief collection, Filter Magazine/Urban Outfitters Hurricane Benefit Compilation is a two-disc set. It will include some previously unreleased tracks, including "Mercy" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and a Tom Waits and the Kronos Quartet song, "Little Drop of Poison" (a version of the song without the Kronos Quartet was on the Shrek 2 soundtrack). Rare songs, remixes, and some album tracks are also included. Artists contributing songs include Death Cab for Cutie, British Sea Power, Sigur Ros, Calexico, Laura Cantrell, and Of Montreal.

The compilation is expected to be available in mid-October both at Urban Outfitters stores and at their website. Supplies will be limited, as only 10,000 compilations will be sold; Filter and Urban Outfitters say they hope to raise $150,000 for the Red Cross.

The Filter Magazine/Urban Outfitters Hurricane Benefit Compilation track listing:

Disc One:

Little Drop of Poison (previously unreleased) - Tom Waits w/ the Kronos Quartet
Dry Drunk Emperor (previously unreleased) - TV On the Radio
Natural's Not In It (Ladytron remix) - Gang of Four
Be Gone - British Sea Power
Mercy (previously unreleased) - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Pull the Curtains - Grandaddy
Jealousy Rides With Me (previously unreleased) - Death Cab For Cutie
Blessing In Disguise (previously unreleased) - Tom Vek
Don't Give Up - The Noisettes
A Kiss To Tell - Diamond Nights
Freaky Freedom (previously unreleased) - The Double
Smashing - Giant Drag
Blackout (previously unreleased) - Amusement Parks On Fire
Micro Melodies - The Album Leaf

Disc Two:

Broken Drum (Boards of Canada remix) - Beck
Quattro (Gotan Project remix) - Calexico
Melody (French version) - Blonde Redhead
Hands Are Tied - Hail Social
Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games - Of Montreal
The New American Apathy - Mazarin
Empty Vessel, Half-Full - Joggers
The Salty Seas (previously unreleased) - Devics
It Dawned On Me - Calla
Things That We Do To Each Other (previously unreleased) - Favourite Sons
Monkey (Fog remix) - Low
First Response - Lansing-Dreiden
Hammer and Nails (previously unreleased) - Laura Cantrell
Glosoli - Sigur Ros

mp3s by some of those artists (but not those songs, of course):

mp3:Tom Waits - Barcarolle (from Alice)

mp3:British Sea Power - Please Stand Up (from Open Season)

mp3:Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Still Suspicion Holds You Tight

mp3:Grandaddy - I'm on Standby (from Sumday)

mp3:Death Cab for Cutie - The New Year (from Transatlanticism)

mp3:The Album Leaf - Eastern Glow (from In a Safe Place and Music from the O.C. Mix 2)

mp3:Calexico - Alone Again Or (from the Convict Pool EP, also a single)

mp3:Of Montreal - Friends of Mine (Zombies cover, from If He Is Protecting Our Nation, Who Will Protect Big Oil, Our Children?)

mp3:Low - Transmission (from the Transmission EP)

mp3:Laura Cantrell - Wishful Thinking (from Humming by the Flowered Vine)

mp3:Sigur Ros - Gong Endir (from Takk)

The American Analog Set: Set Free

Cute album cover on The American Analog Set's new Set Free, and there's plenty of room in the corner for a little warning: "May cause drowsiness. Do not operate heavy machinery while listening to this album."

It's not that the album is bad, though it is uneven, with some pleasant, but pointless filler ("Immaculate Heart 2") and a couple of somewhat annoying tracks (like the meandering "Jr"). The American Analog Set is a low-fi rock band, and for the most part, Set Free is more low-fi than rock. It's mostly pretty mellow listening, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, if it's your cup of tea. I do think several of the tracks are strong, including the ones where AmAnSet rocks out (kind of, the beat at least sometimes picks up a bit, such as on the opening track "Born on a Cusp").

If you're not already a fan of American Analog Set or in general a fan of low-fi/quiet rock, listening to more than a few songs at once from Set Free may make you a bit sleepy. On the other hand, Set Free could also likely serve as a good soundtrack for smooching & groping for those who either wouldn't mind or notice songs about broken hearts and in particular the one called "Fuck This... I'm Leaving".

The band is touring Europe, Japan, and the US this Fall and Winter. More cities will be added, and there are already many dates/cities listed on their tour schedule.

mp3:The American Analog Set - The Green Green Grass (from Set Free)

mp3:The American Analog Set - Sharp Briar (from Set Free)

Mojo Magazine Oct. CD: Made in Britain: The Sound of a New England 1977-1983

October's issue of Mojo Magazine includes a CD called "Made in Britain" which promises "The Sound of a New England 1977-1983". Appropriately enough, given that description, Billy Bragg's classic "A New England" is featured on the CD, along with cuts by The Jam, Soft Cell, The Damned, and oodles of other bands. According to the liner notes, the "Made in Britain" CD was "compiled to coincide loosely with
Janette Beckman's remarkable book of the same name". Only, the book pictured on that very page is actually called Made in the UK: The Music of Attitude, 1977-1983. The UK, not Britain. They're not the same; silly Mojo. Maybe sometime after writing the liner notes, the Mojo folks decided to retitle the CD and forgot to change the notes to reflect the change. Ah well, writers and proofreaders are only human. The book will be released on Oct. 6 in the U.K. and it's already available in the U.S., which is kind of amusing, unless you live in the U.K. and want the book now. It contains 132 pages of photos of punks, mods, rockers, and the other assorted music-loving whippersnappers, Johnny Haircuts, Susie Shortskirts, and ne'er do wells that populated the U.K. during that era.

Track Listing for Made in Britain: The Sound of a New England 1977-1983:

1. mp3:The Jam - The Modern World
2. mp3:Billy Bragg - A New England (I love this song. Mojo left the "A" off the title, but it does belong there; Billy Bragg says so... lyrics at that link too, FYI)
3. The Ruts - S.U.S.
4. The Selecter - Too Much Pressure
5. The Pop Rivets - Lambrettavespascoota
6. The Chords - Maybe Tomorrow
7. The Redskins - Kick Over the Statues!
8. Steel Pulse - Ku Klux Klan
9. mp3:Medium Medium - Hungry, So Angry
10. mp3:Soft Cell - Bedsitter
11. The Damned - Problem Child
12. mp3:The Members - Goodbye to the Job
13. Sham 69 - George Davis is Innocent (live)
14. The Meteors - Out of Time
15. Alien Sex Fiend - I'm Doing Time In A Maximum Security Twilight Home

New Saddle Creek Benefit Compilation Announced

Saddle Creek is releasing Lagniappe, a compilation to raise funds for hurricane relief. The CD costs $11 and all of Saddle Creek and its artists' profits will be donated to Red Cross relief efforts. The CD version can be pre-ordered at the Saddle Creek online store now. They expect to ship the CDs on Oct. 4 and to have it in stores in mid-October), or you can download it from iTunes now (or tomorrow, or the day after... you get the idea).

Lagniappe isn't a common word in many places; its origin is Louisiana French, from American Spanish and it's still used most often in the Gulf states, especially southern Lousiana. The word is used to refer to "a little bonus that a friendly shopkeeper might add to a purchase. By extension, it may mean 'an extra or unexpected gift or benefit.'"

Saddle Creek says: "Old favorites, new faces, and friends of Saddle Creek recorded these 13 tracks in bedrooms, basements, kitchens, living rooms, and even in a couple of studios. The album was put together in one week. It's a menagerie of mostly new songs, a few tracks that should have made it onto albums but for whatever reason didn't, a couple of B-sides, a demo song - whatever people could contribute."

Track listing for the Lagniappe CD:

Cursive - Ten Percent to the Ten Percent
Maria Taylor and Andy LeMaster - Breathe
Criteria - Booketa
The Elected - San Francisco Via Chicago Blues (this is a new song)
Broken Spindles - Move Away (Broken Spindles Remix)
Cocoon (Jake Bellows and Todd Fink) - She's a Ghost
Bright Eyes - Napoleon's Hat
The Faint - Hypnotised
Orenda Fink - No Evolution (acoustic)
Mayday - Footprints
Sorry About Dresden - Sunrise: Norfolk, Virginia
Two Gallants - All Your Faithless Loyalties
The Good Life - New Year's Retribution

mp3:The Elected - My Baby's a Dick (from Me First)

mp3:Orenda Fink - No Evolution (from Invisible Ones - the regular album version)

mp3:The Faint - Worked Up So Sexual (Death Cab Mix) - from the audio page at the Faint's official website).

Lots of mp3s from the bands on the compilation are available at the download sections of the artists' pages at the Saddle Creek website, although the quality of most of the tracks provided is not exactly top-notch. You can still check out what an artist (sort of) sounds like with a 32 or 64 bitrate mp3, but you might find yourself thinking they sound a bit tinnier than they likely do. Still, in my day there weren't even any mp3s! And we had to walk five miles in the snow for a giant "record" or tiny "cassette" we had to play them on either a weird, antique-y looking machine or in a "walking man" or "booming box" (I'm a little fuzzy on the details; this was a while ago). We could only choose from a selection of five "records" or "tapes" (which, oddly, were not sticky) at any given time, and that's only if er, "we" were the first one there that day! And we were grateful for that much!

'Till tomorrow...

The Uncyclopedia: Wikipedia's Less Accurate, Funnier Cousin

Read about this at Slashdot; it's Uncyclopedia, an "adoptive first cousin" to Wikipedia that serves the same function, except it spreads misinformation, and is intended to be funny. Awesome idea. Only why isn't there an entry for Trillian yet? It has nothing to do with my handle... but where's the Trillian love? There's also no entry for Encyclopedia Brown! Or The Three Investigators, for that matter. Granted, there's a funny entry on cheese and Britney Spears is at long last, given a pretty appropriate amount of text, and a good, silly entry.

Fun site. Here's a semi-random smattering of some of the other entries I've looked up:

MP3 (there's an "mp3" link on that page too... which was actually the first one I read. Check out that one as well if you like. It would have been cruel to link to that one instead of the MP3 link. Funny good, cruel bad)

CD

truth (awesome)

Donald Trump

England (I like the "Accents" part best)

pirate (can't believe I forgot Talk Like A Pirate Day this year)

coffee

angst (great)

encyclopedia

Earth

Morrissey

Bloom County

mp3:Duran Duran - Too Much Information (from Duran Duran 2 (The Wedding Album))

New Kate Bush: "King of the Mountain"

Ken Bruce played Kate Bush's new single "King of the Mountain" today. It's the first single from Aerial, which will be released in the UK on Nov. 7 and in North America on Nov. 8. You can check out Ken Bruce's Radio 2 programs online -- Wednesday's show, when he played Kate Bush's song, about 37 minutes into the program, is here. Playlists are available as well, and my gosh what an ecclectic program. Barbra Streisand is essentially the cheese in a Kylie Minogue-Roxy Music sandwich at one point. I suppose your ears (and brain) never quite know what to expect, which... may be a good thing to a certain extent.

I love the Kate Bush song and can't wait to hear the rest of Aerial. Twelve years in between albums. I'll be happy with any number of good songs she gives us. During the Radio 2 show, Ken Bruce says someone asked him about whether he might put "King of the Mountain" on a loop. It will be hard to not overplay it...

mp3:Kate Bush - King of the Mountain (radio rip, from the forthcoming Aerial)

Garbage to Go on "Indefinite Hiatus", Much Like Cool TV Shows Sometimes Do

Singer Shirley Manson has said that Garbage will take an "indefinite hiatus" once their Australian tour concludes this month. Manson hastened to add that everyone in Garbage still loves each-other very much and this has nothing to do with how they feel about us. Not much about us, actually, but otherwise pretty close to the mark. Her comments in this interview with the Melbourne Herald Sun make it sound like it was just time to take a break... like everyone was tired.

Manson said, "Things feel really positive in the band, which makes it a good time to take a break." She said the hiatus was discussed in "an adult fashion over dinner one day." "I'm tired and I feel my life is out of control to a certain degree. I just need to get home," Manson told the Herald Sun. "The rest of the band feels the same." I haven't seen any comment yet from Garbage's Butch Vig, Steve Marker, or Duke Erikson.

While she anticipates solo work is "undoubtedly" part of her future "at some point", Manson told the Herald Sun "I don't think I'll ever make music with another band". Still, a reunion with Garbage is possible.

A breakup had been rumoured for a long time, and the band acknowledged tension during the making of Bleed Like Me. Some bands move on from those sorts of troubles, but sometimes it's the better decision not to. It's better to "take a break" or break up than to go on if their hearts or energies can't really be in it. They would possibly start to dislike each-other as well, and that's not good for anyone. Garbage was/is a great band, though my feeling is the breakup is likely a good and timely idea... at least for now. Certainly if they think it was time... it is. I doubt we've heard the last from any of them.

mp3:Garbage - Vow (from garbage)

Garbage - Queer (Danny Saber mix) (from one of the versions of the Australian CD single of "Stupid Girl")

mp3:Garbage - Milk (Butchered Vegas mix) (a.k.a. Rabbit in the Moon mix, from least one of the "Milk" singles. Thanks and props to the Garbage Discography, an unofficial site that helped me sort out which Rabbit in the Moon mixes of "Milk" were which. The official Garbage website has a pretty good and well-organized discography, and lyrics are easy to access from the discography. I especially recommend this unofficial site for trickier things)

mp3:Garbage - You Look So Fine (from Version 2.0)

mp3:Garbage - Push It (from Version 2.0)

mp3:Garbage - Thirteen (Big Star cover, from one of the "Push It" singles. Muse has a song called "Hate This And I'll Love You" -- which is awesome -- and no, I haven't forgotten about the song title posts to go on a huge tangent for a moment. There's a sense of kinship formed by mutual dislike for something, but also the cheerier flip side to that. I won't go so far as to say loving/covering Big Star/"Thirteen" means I'll definitely love a band... but it's likely to increase the fond-o-meter... especially if it's a cover I like. I like this cover)

mp3:Garbage - Cup of Coffee (from Beautiful Garbage)

mp3:Garbage - It's All Over But the Crying (from Bleed Like Me. I wonder whether they've been playing this lately...)

Synth Music a go-go at the Nova Express Cafe

Who doesn't love synth music in a comfy, space-influenced environment? Aw, you do too, stop being a curmudgeon. I do, anyway, and it's my blog. Ha! So I get write headlines that include "a go-go" (yay!) and write about this kind of thing. No one's making you read this, pal. Aw, now I'm all defensive. Sorry. Sniff. Let's never fight again until the next time. (We should be realistic, after all)

I had never been to the Nova Express Cafe but it looked intriguing, and it sounded like an especially good night to go. Reed Rothchild's music was described as "very cinematic in nature, conveying emotion and telling stories, while traversing a range of styles including electro, ambient, and breaks."

The description for Henry Strange mentioned all kinds of groovy-sounding gizmos he's worked with... DOS based sequencer/samplers, modern MIDI software and softsynths, E-MU and Moog modular synths... Aw, we've all done that stuff!

I arrived promptly, well before I had intended to, as far as you know -- and met up with my friend. While you may question whether I was in fact "on time", before you start interrogating me, let me ask you this: what is "truth"? Hmm? Yeah!

Fortunately, parking had been a snap and the club was easy to find (it's right by Largo, on Fairfax). Nova has a space theme, as you can tell from their website. It doesn't look intimidating, though (so I hope that isn't their goal. I don't think it is, though, because the atmosphere is casual and friendly). The place is comfy, too. For instance, the chairs are not twisty, weird, clubby "space" chairs. I'd already eaten, which was a mistake because the food looked great and they even have vegan burgers and pizza. I wasn't given any funny looks over not ordering more, though and everyone seemed to get equally great service (everyone might not get a recommendation for the tiramisu, but everyone probably doesn't ask about dessert)


This instrument is called a melodica, which I was later reminded was used on Sarah Harmer's All of Our Names, an excellent album.

As for the music ("oh yeah, that!"), Reed Rothchild was the first performer I saw (there was an impromptu performance by Raphael earlier). Reed Rothchild is secretly not his "legal" name except it's not a secret because that's in his bio. I just like saying "secretly". Both Rothchild and Henry Strange used projection screens to play a variety of images during their performances. Rothchild included a lot of movie images, appropriately enough. His music had been described as "cinematic" which is apt. It has a thoughtful quality to it, sprinkled with a dreaminess (it didn't strike me as crossing over into trancetown, at least not as more than a tourist). The playing of instruments in addition to the synth and all of the pre-recorded sounds is something I really like. It's possibly quite enough work, without that, but it makes the performance even more unique and interesting. And I love the melodica in particular. It's awesome. Nifty performance... and cool robot shirt.



There are lots of mp3s at Rothchild's website (click on "downloads"). Why, there are songs from his discs (Five Oceans and And So On and So Forth), the track "Repititions and Variations", which appeared on the compilation Nophi Compilation 2, and clips from new tracks. If you're a bit overwhelmed by all the tracks, and want a place to start... I haven't yet listened to every song, but I'm especially partial to "In a Sleep, In a Dream" and "Up Again" (from Five Oceans. Igloo Magazine praised it as "a soundtrack to accompany a long journey" and form "lasting memories") and "Arrival in Sight" (from And So On and So Forth). Both are available from Nophi Recordings.

Reed Rothchild will be performing two 30-minute evening sets October 8 at Create/Fixate, a multimedia art event in downtown Los Angeles at the Spring Arts Tower at 453 S. Spring St (5th & Spring) on the Mezzanine level. Tickets are $10 each or free before 7:00 PM. Rothchild says to "Expect the usual laptop, melodica, and maybe even some geetar!" Create/Fixate will include DJs aplenty, bands, both "visual art" and "video art" as well as live painting. Rothchild has also scored some films and you might have heard his music on some TV shows as well.

Henry Strange's music has been featured in the Wes Craven movies "Cursed" and "Red Eye" and he got a rave from Keyboard Magazine under his old name, Trace Element in July. The images accompanying his songs included some symbols and in general were often a bit more enigmatic than Rothchild's images. The "noise"/fuzz content was sometimes higher, in some songs... but it was pretty transient... when a song needed to go somewhere, it was a part of that. The songs were sometimes crunchy, sometimes a bit screechy, and sometims swooned, but not in an especially ladylike way. Overall the set was fairly intense, and made for a good companion to Rothchild's set -- one a bit more mellow with less of that "noise" factor, both enjoyable. Streaming audio of loads of songs is available at
Strange's website. I'll single out "Chilly", "It's Time, "Low Strings", and especially "Kast" as ones I quite like (accidentally playing "Kast" and "Low Strings" at the same time was really cool too. At first I was frustrated -- "which one do I like?!" Well, both. Together, and separately. Awesome).

Linkage:
Nova Express Cafe's Journal - for announcements about the Weds. night performances.

The next ones are:

Wednesday, September 21 The Fuxedos 10 PM
Wednesday, September 28 Andre LaFosse
Wednesday, October 5 Hop-Frog's Drum Jester Devotional
Sunday, November 13 Cold Meat Industry Showcase 2005

Nova Express Cafe (Alcohol/Dinner/Coffee)
426 N. Fairfax Avenue
West Hollywood, CA

These mp3s are not entirely unrelated to the Nova -- met a chap there who recommended Squarepusher (though it turns out I already had stuff by them. If an artist covers "Love Will Tear Us Apart", it's usually a good way to get my attention, although apparently not a good way to hold my attention. I have the Lost in Translation soundtrack, so I heard them there as well)

mp3:Squarepusher - Love Will Tear Us Apart (from Do You Know Squarepusher)

mp3:Squarepusher - Tommib (from Go Plastic and the Lost in Translation soundtrack)

mp3:Squarepusher - My Red Hot Car (from Go Plastic)

mp3:Squarepusher - Venus No. 17 (Acid Mix) (from the Venus No. 17 CD single)

mp3:Squarepusher - Dedication Loop (from Selection Sixteen)

mp3:Squarepusher - Port Rhombus (from Big Loada)

New Bloodhound Gang: "Ralph Wiggum" (and Go Team/Thunder-induced stuff)

The Bloodhound Gang's new album is out next Tuesday, Sept. 27 -- apparently both in the U.S. and the U.K., at least according to Amazon.co.uk. Australia is standing strong and not conforming to this Tuesday-album-release thang of which the U.S. is so fond. Their citizens and non-citizens alike (you just have to be in Australia, really) get Hefty Fine a day early. Well... they may be laughing at us, but they're upside down! Also vegemite seems unappetizing, although my feelings are likely affected by not having grown up with it.

I'm hearing a bit too much thunder for comfort... and am slightly concerned about losing power/the Internet, which has happened a bit too often for my liking this year. There should be another post this afternoon, about a well-spent evening at the Nova Express Cafe last Wednesday (yes, I'm late in writing about it, hence my eagerness to scurry, but the thunder calls for a concern-induced post).

You can keep current on what's going on at the Nova at the Nova Express Cafe's Journal -- tomorrow night the Fuxedos have a 10 PM show. Check out the pic. Heh. I like that one bunny, but I don't want to say which one because I don't want to make the other ones feel badly... though I guess I'm saying I just don't give a damn about how "skull guy" feels! Poor skull guy. He's not all skull; he has a heart too. So easy to overlook it... focus on the giant skull, and the flashy tux... nope, not working for me. I still like the bunny. Skull guy is trying too hard. Anyway, the description matters too! Power-permitting, those links will appear again in an actual Nova post this afternoon, and I'll talk more about upcoming events there. I wanted to give an early head's-up about the Fuxedos in case any of you fellow SoCal folks wanted to call the kids and wake the neighbours (trademark, Letterman) and make planz to go see them this Wednesday. (Obviously) I quite liked the Nova and recommend it.

Interesting "fan" quotes from the Fuxedos' website, such as:

"That was...interesting." -- Mother of two from suburban San Carlos, CA

"I don't know what makes you act like that, but you might as well do it here!" -- Chicken John, Odeon Bar

and

"How come you guys don't have your own show on Comedy Central?" (uncredited)

mp3:The Bloodhound Gang - Ralph Wiggum (from Hefty Fine)

mp3:Go! Team - The Power Is On (from Thunder, Lightning, Strike. This is such an interesting album. It practically crackles with energy and enthusiasm and it feels so creative and confident... I like it a lot. They're like indie rock cheerleaders, not in a Sufjan & co. way, but both are good. I'm curious to see what the next album is like -- how their sound may change)

Rock Sound Magazine: September 2005 CD

Rock Sound ("music with attitude" "No, not rap! Is it unclear? Please, don't make us come up with a new slogan! Our website is a year out of date. Just imagine how long it would take us to think of a new slogan. Just take the band stickers and the CD and be happy. Everybody loves stickers!")

I'm not so much about stickers, but I do love a good CD. My expectations were scaled-back for this one, as I thought many of the tracks might be more hard-edged than the music I usually favour. My tastes are reasonably eclectic, though and I figured I would probably like at least a few songs. The intensity of the metal-noise factor varies throughout the CD. Some of it is fairly loud and abrasive; some considerably softer. I liked several tracks, basically a mixture of the loud, the soft, and the cheerful (how did that sneak in there?).

On a side note: The latest issue of Uncut, another UK import, includes a CD called "The Beatles Press Conferences 1964-1966". It was an easy pass for me. Not that dedicated a fan of press conferences, I guess. The issue seems popular, though. If you're a diehard fan of either press conferences and/or the Beatles, you might want to check it out.

Rock Sound September 2005 (Issue 76) Track Listing:

note: Rock Sound's album availability info referred to U.K. availability (which makes sense), and was out of date by the time the issue crossed the pond and reached my hot little hands. I checked the U.K. info for all the albums; they're all now available there. I looked up Amazon.com album info only for the bands I'm posting a track from, and that's the of the disclaimer.

1. Transplants - Not Today (feat. Sen Dog) (from Haunted Cities)
2. mp3:Reuben - Lights Out (from Very Fast Very Dangerous. $17.30 to download it from a Z Shop seller; otherwise unavailable at Amazon.com)
3. Opeth - The Grand Conjuration (Edit) (from Ghost Reveries)
4. Every Time I Die - Champing At the Bit (from Gutter Phenomenon)
5. Torche - Mentor (from the album Torche. I'll flag this as another track I like)
6. The Bled - She Calls Home (from Found in the Flood)
7. Chimaira - Nothing Remains (from Chimaira)
8. Forward Russia! - Thirteen (from the single "Thirteen/Fourteen")
9. October All Over - John Faust (previously unreleased)
10. mp3:27 - Windows And Glass (from Holding On For Brighter Days. Not at the US Amazon; 9.99 pounds at its UK sister store)
11. Criteria - Run Together (from the album When We Break)
12. mp3:My Awesome Compilation - Put Up A Fight (from Actions. $21.49 import at Amazon, new/used copies from third party sellers currently around $16-17)
13. mp3:T. Raumschmiere - A Mess (feat. Quasimodo Jones) (from Blitkrieg Pop, which is available in the U.S.)
14. mp3:The Robocop Kraus - In Fact You're Just Fiction (from They Think They Are The Robocop Kraus. Epitaph released it, but at Amazon, it's currently only available from third-party sellers)
15. mp3:Within Temptation - It's The Fear (from The Silent Force. Amazon has imports of this album from the "popular Dutch melodic/goth metal outfit" for as little as $14.49, new, if you're willing to forego the cover art)

The New Pornographers on "Conan"

So the New Pornographers played their single "Use It" on Late Night With Conan O'Brien. Cool. They changed the line "Two sips from the cup of human kindness and I'm shit-faced" to "Two sips from the cup of human kindness and I'm replaced". Not cool. I'm replaced?

Looking at the good ol' Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (well, okay, the good relatively new Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary):

Main Entry: re-place:

1 to restore to a former place or position
2 to take the place of especially as a substitute or successor
3 to put something new in the place of

Which one of those can take the place of shit-faced without changing the meaning of the line? Grr, I say. Grr. The original line is great; the new one isn't. Sure, the new word could have been in reference to the old, naughty word being replaced. It probably was. I'd still prefer a bleep. If the folks at Conan wouldn't let the New Pornographers bleep the word instead of replacing it, I boo in their specific direction.

With the exception of the word "replaced", the performance was great. Bassist John Collins was not at all stoic, probably just to make me look like a bad judge of stoic. Or possibly because the stage at Tower was smaller. But it wasn't tiny.

There are videos and songs aplenty at The New Pornographers media page at Matador, including videos for the obscenity-laced "Use It" (though they use the obscure-it-with-silence technique in the video), "All For Swinging You Around", and "The Laws Have Changed", and mp3s of "Twin Cinema", "Mass Romantic", "The Laws Have Changed" and this song:

mp3:The New Pornographers - Use It (from Twin Cinema)

Streaming audio of the album Electric Version is also available there.

Paramore - Yet Another Teen Band?!?!

Yes, it's yet another teen alt-rock band. Yet another one with a female singer even. Fortunately, Paramore is another really good one. Paramore is led by 16 year-old singer Hayley Williams, whose powerful voice was just praised in a CMJ Music Marathon write-up at Spin.com. Spin said Paramore, a band from Franklin, Tennessee, "blew the crowd away" and Williams "had the distinction of being of being one of the only vocalists whose live belting matches the perfection of her voice on the record." The rave from Spin is what prompted me to seek out Paramore's album, All We Have Is Falling. It's pretty strong. The tracks are very catchy, and the vocals and music are excellent. Several are pretty radio-friendly, incidentally, with strong modern-rock-to-top-40 crossover potential. Standout tracks, in addition to the ones I'm posting, are "Emergency", "Whoa", "Franklin", and "Let It Go". That's more than half the album, so there ya go. In addition to Williams, Paramore is comprised of brothers Josh and Zac Farro (guitar and drums) and Williams' next-door neighbour Jason Bynum (rhythm guitar). All sound excellent on the album, and based on the videos below and the Spin review, Paramore can deliver live as well. Their touring scheudle for September and October is posted at their website. Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island are among the states Paramore will be visiting -- well, likely not the entire states. They'll be playing in those states, though.

Any of us who spent a moderate amount of time at 16 engaging in, say, water fights... although there was not a lot of glamour or money in it, know that we were not wasting our time. It was good for our hand-eye coordination, and bonding with our peers. Also, as it was not allowed at our snooty school, the rebelliousness allowed us to "stick it to the man" without actually risking life or limb. It was worthwhile. I'm sure of it.



mp3:Paramore - All We Know (from All We Know Is Falling)

mp3:Paramore - Pressure (from All We Know Is Falling)

Linkage:

Meet Paramore video

All We Know video (hey, singer Hayley Williams is wearing a "42" shirt!)

Here We Go Again (acoustic) video

Hallelujah (acoustic) video

Allegedly Life-changing "Indie-Rock" "Bands"

The Associated Press, in covering the CMJ Music Marathon, writes about "indie music" moving closer to the mainstream. Nah, they don't mean alt. music is starting to sound more generic. They mean it's becoming more popular.

The AP also names several "indie rock bands" that it claims will "change your life". Sufjan Stevens is an "indie rock band"? Oh, I get it. Sufjan Stevens now has a band named after him. An indie rock band evidently. I couldn't find a website for them or any record of their existence, so they must be pretty underground. Cool, but that made posting an mp3 by them "umpossible". So I'm just posting a song by the "regular" Sufjan Stevens and remind you that the AP didn't promise he'd change your life. I guess he may, but don't expect miracles. If you've been listening to him for a while, maybe if he was going to change your life, he would have by now.

What the-John Vanderslice? Is there a band named after him too? Screw it. Just posting a song by the dude John Vanderslice too. I don't know about this trend; life is confusing enough already.

The AP's "Indie Rock Bands That Will Change Your Life":

mp3:Arcade Fire - Old Flame (from Arcade Fire)

mp3:The Flaming Lips - Spongebob & Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy (from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: Music from the Movie and More... )

mp3:Thievery Corporation feat. The Flaming Lips - Marching the Hate Machines (Into the Sun) (from The Cosmic Game) (actually just the Flaming Lips will supposedly change your life. I really shouldn't let Thievery Corporation grab any of their glory)

mp3:Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Our Time (from the EP Yeah Yeah Yeahs)

mp3:Antony and the Johnsons - Perfect Day (Lou Reed cover, from Lou Reed's The Raven. I think this is okay... I guess... but I prefer Lou Reed's version. Also prefer the version done by a ton of people for a commercial for... the BBC, was it? Kirsty MacColl and Evan Dando have a nice version too)

mp3:Spoon - I Summon You (from Gimme Fiction)

mp3:Sufjan Stevens - All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace! (from Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lakes State)

mp3:John Vanderslice - My Old Flame (from Time Travel is Lonely)

Rock Hall of Fame Snubs the 80s

Or 1980 at least -- it's the only part of the 80s they were able to snub at this point. If they could have, maybe they would have snubbed as much of the 80s as they could. Oh, the injustice of it all! It's been 25 years since '80, so artists who released their first record then were first eligible this year, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee did not include any of the "Class of 1980" on their ballot, which was sent to voters this week.

Those who were nominated include eight-time nominee Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd (seven-time nominees), the Sex Pistols and the Stooges (who were both five-timers), and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, first nominated last year. Other repeat nominees include the J. Geils Band, John Mellencamp, the Patti Smith Group, Chic, and Joe Tex. Blondie, Miles Davis, Cat Stevens, the Paul Butterfield Band, the Dave Clark Five, and the Sir Douglas Quintet were all nominated for the first time. The artists who garner both the most votes and greater than 50% of the vote will be inducted. In November the announcement of the inductees (most likely around five to seven) will be made. The ceremony will be held in March in New York.

Although Miles Davis was not a rock artist, Terry Stewart, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum -- who also sits on the nominating commitee (wonder who gave him that gig) -- cited his influence over other musicians as a reason for his appearance on the ballot. His music and attitude were both mentioned as having influenced rock artists.

mp3:Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant (from Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols)

mp3:Iggy Pop & the Stooges - T.V. Eye (from Telluric Chaos )

mp3:J. Geils Band - Centerfold (from Freeze-Frame)

mp3:Patti Smith - People Have the Power (from Dream of Life)

mp3:Patti Smith - Dancing Barefoot (from Wave)

mp3:Blondie - Heart of Glass (from Parallel Lines, The Best of Blondie, etc.)

mp3:Blondie - Dreaming (from Eat to the Beat, The Best of Blondie, etc.)

mp3:Miles Davis - Nature Boy (from Blue Moods, The Talented Mr. Ripley soundtrack, etc.)

mp3:Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Work Song (from East-West, An Anthology -- The Elektra Years, etc.)

mp3:Dave Clark Five - Glad All Over (The History of the Dave Clark Five. The song that ended the reign of the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" at the top of the British singles chart)

New Pornographers on Conan tonight/Mr. T's Pity the Fool

The New Pornographers are on Late Night With Conan O'Brien tonight -- his show is scheduled for 12:37AM EST. TV airtimes are getting increasingly weird. Set yer TiVo and/or DVR and/or VCR -- should be cool.

Also at the Conan site, I noticed quotes and a pic from a Mr. T-enhanced In the Year 2000 sketch from before Mr. T gave up his gold chains. After Hurricane Katrina, the deeply religious Mr. T gave them up because he felt they were an insult to God. The above linked USA Today article discusses Mr. T's TV Land program Pity the Fool, in which he plans to help people in various sorts of predicaments. Examples given were Mr. T "suiting up to work at a car dealership to assist a saleswoman who is being harassed by her male co-workers" or helping a parent whose kid is hanging out "with the wrong crowd." He has moved from Chicago to Sherman Oaks, California to film the show. Tough break, Chi-town. Feel for ya. Mr. T provided the following possible sneak preview of a variation of one of his classic, beloved catchphrases, "I might say, 'Don't be disrespecting no lady, fool.'" I can hardly wait. <- not sarcasm

mp3:The New Pornographers - The Laws Have Changed (from Electric Version)

mp3:The New Pornographers - Letter From an Occupant (from Mass Romantic)

mp3:The New Pornographers - Mystery Hours (from Mass Romantic)

mp3:The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (from Twin Cinema)

mp3:The Mr. T Experience - Crash (from ...And the Women Who Love Them and the compilation Before You Were Punk)

One Way Magazine Aug/Sept. CD

One Way Magazine is a freebie music-promoting mag that includes a CD. According to the cover of my issue, it's "free in L.A. and San Francisco." According to the One Way website, it's distributed to targeted locations in Los Angeles County and Orange County and by subscription "all over the world." A subscription is $25 for 6 issues/year in the U.S, $55 for an international subscription. Their website tells us their "mission" is to "showcase new music by both established and developing artists to adult eclectic listeners and to promote a music lifestyle." But not to all adult listeners. 24 or under? Not in or around L.A. or the O.C.? Eh, you're not really their target audience and I'm not so sure you should download any of these songs. They may not be for you, pal. No offense. May I suggest Kidz Bop?

Hey, no hard feelings. I was a whippersnapper once myself. Here's a song.

mp3:Kidz Bop Kids - Since U Been Gone (from Kidz Bop, Vol. 8)

Now why not stop loitering here and move along to the next post. I didn't post any of the dirty Tenacious D tracks, so it's relatively nice and kid-friendly. Enjoy!

Streaming audio for the current and previous issues of One Way is available online and those 25+ are invited to enjoy it at the One Way website.

One Way Aug/Sep (Issue 16) Track Listing (since it's a freebie promotional CD, I figure it's cool to post the whole thing):

1. mp3:Anoushka Shankar - Beloved (from Rise)
2. mp3:Raul Midon - Keep On Hoping (from State of Mind. Initially had this mistitled and mistagged -- sorry about that! Reuploaded it with corrected title/tag)
3. mp3:Amos Lee - Arms of a Woman (from Amos Lee. I think this is really good)
4. mp3:Les Paul, Keith Richards, Buddy Guy - Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (from Les Paul and Friends)
5. mp3:Dandy Warhols - Smoke It (from Odditorium or Warlords of Mars Hey, it's the "I think I could happily never hear this song again" song! Never let it be said that I am dogmatic, or unwilling to revisit an issue or a song. But, uh, yeah... still not terribly fond of it. There was some toe-tappage, but this is unlikely to become the song in my heart at any given moment)
6. mp3:Idlewild - Love Steals Us From Loneliness (from Warnings/Promises. I've posted this song before. I like it, I like the pronounciation of "stupid" in particular, like Idlewild in general. Oh, and I like that album title)
7. mp3:Low Millions - Here She Comes (from Ex-Girlfriends)
8. mp3:Waking Ashland - I Am For You (from Composure)
9. mp3:Anberlin - A Day Late (from Never Take Friendship Personal)
10. mp3:Dizmas - Let This One Stay (from On a Search In America)
11. mp3:Number One Gun - We Are (from Promises For the Imperfect)
12. mp3:Emery - Studying Politics (from The Question. Quite like this)
13. mp3:The Evan Anthem - Zeroes and Threes (from Sens)
14. mp3:Mae - Suspension (from The Everglow. Pretty good, catchy)
15. mp3:Robbie Seay Band - Better Days (from Better Days. The opening lyrics turned me off to this pretty quickly; the rest mostly was mostly an improvement with the exception of an order to "listen to me now", which made me want to not listen to him. Order me around, will ya? Hmph. Come up with a song I really adore and I might be slightly more receptive to bossy lyrics)
16. mp3:Marjorie Fair - Empty Room (from Self Help Serenade. Another song I've posted before; I like this a lot)
17. mp3:Tristan Prettyman - Love Love Love (from Twentythree. Tristan Prettyman is the name of a female person, and not a band. I'd wager she has never met another Tristan Prettyman).
18. mp3:Bethany Dillon - New (from Imagination)
19. mp3:Bernadette Peters - Children Will Listen (from Sondheim, Etc.. No, they won't. I asked them to move on to the next post. They're obedient these days, aren't they? If you bribe them? This is not something I would post if not for posting the entire contents of the CD. It's pretty out there)

Tenacious D to Host L.A. Concert for Katrina Relief

Tenacious D has announced a Sept. 22 concert at the Wiltern in Los Angeles to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina relief. Along with "Tenacious D and friends", the line-up includes Fiona Apple, Dave Grohl, Josh Homme with Jesse Hughes, David Cross, Sarah Silverman, and "special guests." All net proceeds will be given to The American Red Cross.

Tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 16, at noon, and will be available through Avalonattractions.com, Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, The Wiltern LG box office, or you can charge by phone at: (213) 480-3232, (714) 740-2000 or (805) 583-8700. Seating on the floor is general admission, standing only; those tickets are $65 each. In the Loge and the Mezzanine (the Loge is closer; the Mezzanine higher up), there is reserved seating. Mezzanine seats are $65 and Loge seats are $100 each.

All this info is available at Tenacious D's website (click on "tours"), except for the seating/pricing info, which is available at Avalonattractions.com.

mp3:Tenacious D - Tribute (from Tenacious D)

mp3:Tenacious D - Wonderboy (from Tenacious D)

More Songs to Learn & Sing from Echo & the Bunnymen

With the confident Siberia, Echo & the Bunnymen has created an album that neither feels like a nostalgia trip nor an attempt to imitate any of the alt-rockers the kids like nowadays. The music alternates between brash/rocking and flat-out shimmering and lovely, but is pretty consistently infectious and excellent. No one needs to buy Siberia (out Sept. 20 in North America, in the U.K. on Sept. 19) as a "thanks for the other albums"; it stands on its own (literally, if you purchase the CD and prop it up carefully).

The angst-rock title track -- a combo Echo has always excelled at -- features jangly, slightly exotic music. A bit of it reminded me of The Cure's "Killing an Arab", but there isn't a great similarity. Ian McCulloch warns "Cold as ice/on my knees/every night/Snow White" and asks "And where were you you? leaving this listener to wonder whether the person in question might have been hiding from the dude comparing himself to Snow White? If however he meant she was like Snow White, nevermind, and yeah, where were you? Answer the question! By the end McCulloch invites -- or is it taunts? -- "come and get me now." (I'm goin' "taunts").

More angst in "Parthenon Drive", which addresses the aging issue. These guys released their first album in 1980. That same year John Lennon was killed, Jessica Simpson and Christina Aguilera were born, and the Rubik's Cube "made its international debut at the toy fairs of London, New York, Nuremberg, and Paris". The older McCulloch knows that "dreams will fall" but he doesn't sound too unhappy about it and Will Sergeant's guitar rocks too much for these guys to be old.

"Everything Kills You" shimmers beautifully. This one mostly owes its charms to Sergeant. The lyrics and vocals are good, but the guitarwork is particularly distinctive and lovely.

"Of A Life" gives a wink to longtime Echo fans, acknowledging the need for "a song to learn and sing" (as in the title of a past best of album). First single "Stormy Weather", a pretty straightforward catchy love song, suffers from unfortunate timing as the title may seem to be in bad taste at the moment. I don't know whether that really has anything to do with the single debuting at only #55 in the U.K. The band hope the album, and the next single, out at the end of October in the U.K., will do better. I don't know what sort of promotion the album and single received in the U.K. I have not been seeing much promotion for Siberia, which is disappointing but hopefully it will pick up soon. I think it can do well, but not if people don't even know it exists.

People can buy a download of "Stormy Weather" from anywhere in the world and influence its UK chart position (as explained the Echo & the Bunnymen website). "Stormy Weather (Radio Edit)", "What If We Are (Vocal & String Version)", and "Stormy Weather (Instrumental Version)" are available for 79p each (U.S. $1.29 or $1.52 Canuckian bucks) or there's a flat fee to subscribe to the service. Tracks from Echo's album Flowers are also available at the same price, and there are tracks from other bands... White Rose Movement, Minibar, Cocteau Twins, The Rakes, and many more.

There's a Siberia miniwebsite at the Echo & the Bunnymen website -- the video for "Siberia" has been posted there. I haven't checked it out yet so I can't vouch for it.

The album, I'll vouch for... it's quite good. I've only given it one listen, and I usually like to listen to an album more than that before reviewing it. Maybe their confidence is contagious (or maybe I'm eager, or impatient; it's really hard to say)

mp3:Echo & the Bunnymen - Of a Life (from Siberia)

Echo & the Bunnymen tracks from other albums:

mp3:Echo & the Bunnymen - Pictures On My Wall (from Crocodiles, etc.)

mp3:Echo & the Bunnymen - Bring On The Dancing Horses (from Songs to Learn and Sing, the Ballyhoo box set, the Crystal Days: 1979-1999 box set, etc.)

mp3:Echo & the Bunnymen - Nothing Lasts Forever (from Evergreen)