February 16, 2008
Success!
Can I get a w00t w00t?
The perfect way to start a three day weekend.
Anybody else score? My ticket buying experience was surprisingly easy.
Posted by Kyle at 10:07 AM | Comments (1)
February 3, 2008
Radiohead on Later...With Jools Holland
"Weird Fishes / Arpeggi"
Is it me or does Ed O'Brien totally make this song? He's the new Mike Mills. His band's songs don't work (or perhaps I should say work MUCH better) when his backing vocals are up high in the mix. But I digress...
"Body Snatchers"
"House of Cards"
Posted by Kyle at 8:13 AM | Comments (1)
February 1, 2008
File Under: These Guys Should Be HUGE
Elbow's new track “Grounds For Divorce.”
Wow. Just amazing.
Posted by Kyle at 9:36 AM | Comments (2)
January 22, 2008
Does It Bore You? Yeah.
*Yawn*
Wake me when MMJ, The Verve, Portishead and Spiritualized all do proper tours.
Otherwise...meh.
Posted by Kyle at 9:14 AM | Comments (1)
January 15, 2008
Coachella East?
Let's hope it comes off better than Field Day or Across the Narrows did.
Posted by Kyle at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2008
R.E.M.'s Accelerate Is Apparently Going To Be Pretty Good
At least, so says Editors lead singer Tom Smith. Here's a snippet of the interview I conducted with him yesterday.
I've also read that you personally are a big R.E.M. fan and last year the band recorded a great cover of "Orange Crush." How do rate their more recent records? I used to be a huge fan but they've lost me with the last few albums.
The first records are the records that I continue to listen to. I'm still intrigued by new R.E.M. material. I still think there are moments of greatness on all of their records, but I was disappointed by the last record. But I still listen to New Adventures In Hi-Fi quite a bit.
That is by far their most underrated record.
It's too long and there are too many songs on it but as far as ideas go, there are some great songs on there. It's a record they wrote and recorded on the road, which is quite an accomplishment. But yeah, they've had a bit of a shake up and now their recording with Jacknife Lee.
I think they needed things turned on its head. I've heard half of the record and it sounds like they're having fun. A lot of fun. And it sounds loud as well. I've only heard it once and it hasn't really sunk in yet, but yeah, I think they're doing the right thing.
-----------------------------
Head over to DCist early next week for the entire interview.
Editors are on currently on tour here in the States. They hit the 9:30 Club next Tuesday.
[mp3] Editors | Orange Crush
[mp3] R.E.M. | Just A Touch (live in the studio)
[mp3] R.E.M. | Crush With Eyeliner (live on T.V.)
Posted by Kyle at 10:35 AM | Comments (3)
December 19, 2007
Told Ya
Me on Nov. 29th about In Rainbows:
"I think the big story here isn't the "pay what you want" sales model. It's the new time line for releasing records and figuring out how a band can take advantage of it. Instead of recording an album and sitting on it for four months while the label gets their marketing plan together, just release it for cheap on the internet (low bitrate files aimed squarely at people's iPods) as soon as it's done and then follow it up with the proper physical release when the label is ready. This way the band "leaks" their own album... "
Thom Yorke as interviewed by David Byrne:
Byrne: I'll start by asking some of the business stuff. What you did with this record wasn't traditional, not even in the sense of sending advance copies out to the press and such.
Yorke: The way we termed it was "our leak date." Every record for the last four — including my solo record — has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it, then.
Byrne: Previously there'd be a release date, and advance copies would get sent to reviewers months ahead of that.
Yorke: Yeah, and then you'd ring up and say, "Did you like it? What did you think?" And it's three months in advance. And then it'd be, "Would you go do this for this magazine," and maybe this journalist has heard it. All these silly games.
Byrne: That's mainly about the charts, right? About gearing marketing and prerelease to the moment a record comes out so that — boom! — it goes into the charts.
Yorke: That's what major labels do, yeah. But it does us no good, because we don't cross over [to other fan bases]. The main thing was, there's all this bollocks [with the media]. We were trying to avoid that whole game of who gets in first with the reviews. These days there's so much paper to fill, or digital paper to fill, that whoever writes the first few things gets cut and pasted. Whoever gets their opinion in first has all that power. Especially for a band like ours, it's totally the luck of the draw whether that person is into us or not. It just seems wildly unfair, I think.
Posted by Kyle at 1:31 PM | Comments (1)
December 18, 2007
Oh Dear Lord
I got my first promo email for SXSW 200-and-effing-8 today.
Make it stop!
Posted by Kyle at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2007
[Lists] Concert Photos of the Year - 2007
Rueters has released their photos of the year. Pitchfork too.
Time for mine! Here are some of my favorite photos from my year in concerts.
Sidenote: The alternative title for this post was "I shot a shitload of bands this year."
Row One:
Superdrag, Ben Kweller, Pela, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, Jay-Z
Row Two:
My Chemical Romance, Velvet Revolver, LCD Soundsystem, Blood Baby, Kings of Leon
Row Three:
Ted Leo, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, The Hives, Peter Bjorn & John, Bad Brains
Row Four:
Morrissey, M.I.A., Jay-Z, The National
Row Five:
Bloc Party, Spank Rock, Wu-Tang Clan, Maroon 5
Row Six:
Morrissey, Bjork, Taking Back Sunday, The Arcade Fire
Row Seven:
H.I.M., Travis, Amy Winehouse, Andrew Bird
Row Eight:
These United States, Middle Distance Runner, The National, Silversun Pickups
Row Nine:
Common, Kenna, The Pipettes, Pela
Row Ten:
The Rosebuds, Be Your Own Pet, Silversun Pickups, The Bravery
Row Eleven:
Jet, Spoon, TV on the Radio, The Dance Party
Row Twelve:
Modest Mouse, Interpol, Snow Patrol, OK Go
Row Thirteen:
Bjork, Blood Baby, Incubus, These United States
Row Fourteen:
Spoon, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wu-Tang Clan, Linkin Park
Row Fifteen:
Gruff Rhys, Wilco, Ben Harper, Panic! at the Disco
Row Sixteen:
Mew, The Decemberists, Middle Distance Runner, Nelly Furtado
Posted by Kyle at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)
December 13, 2007
Thursday Linkage
I'm in meeting hell today, so here are some music files to keep you busy:
[mp3] Saul Williams | Sunday Bloody Sunday
RCRD LBL has some new MP3s up:
Dirty on Purpose - Leaving
Sam Champion - Your Party Was Yesterday
I heart Sam Champion. They need to come play D.C. again ASAP.
[mp3] Beach House | Gila
I think BH are incredibly boring, but here's their new track.
Some holiday themed tunes:
[mp3] Mink | Little Drummer Boy
[mp3] Robbers on High Street | Seasons Greetings
Posted by Kyle at 12:44 PM | Comments (0)
December 11, 2007
Please Explain
Oh no! First Liam and now Captain Rock!
Yes, that's Richard Ashcroft at last night's Led Zep gig. Yuck. [via]
Posted by Kyle at 1:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 7, 2007
Cover Me
No shows for me this weekend, I have two Xmas parties and an art show opening, which sadly means I'm going to miss both shows at the 930 Club by my email buddy Ted Leo. Boo! It's always hard to carve out time for shows in December. It is, after all, the 31 days of drinking.
Ted's always good about dropping an awesome cover song into his set. Here are a few of my favorites:
[MP3] Ted Leo | Dancing in the Dark (live)
[MP3] Ted Leo | Since U Been Gone (live)
[MP3] Ted Leo | Ex-Factor (live)
Posted by Kyle at 1:32 PM | Comments (0)
December 6, 2007
More Gifts
Q: What's better than a holiday themed video with a twist (make sure you watch it all the way through) for one of my favorite songs of the year by my favorite band?
A: Goldenfiddle's recap of the Victoria's Secret fashion show.
Posted by Kyle at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2007
Re: In Rainbows
While I was in Seattle, KEXP played "House of Cards" while we were driving around and it occurred to me that maybe everyone is missing the point regarding In Rainbows.
I think the big story here isn't the "pay what you want" sales model.
It's the new time line for releasing records and figuring out how a band can take advantage of it.
Instead of recording an album and sitting on it for four months while the label gets their marketing plan together, just release it for cheap on the internet (low bitrate files aimed squarely at people's iPods) as soon as it's done and then follow it up with the proper physical release when the label is ready. This way the band "leaks" their own album and hopefully makes a bit of cash before the P2P users do their thing. Ideally they (and the label) won't lose all of their retail sales because people will want to get the physical product, especially if the band does the normal touring and press behind the proper release.
We won't know if this actually works until January, when the physical copies of In Rainbows hit the record shops.
[MP3] Radiohead | Reckoner (Live webcast version)
[MP3] Radiohead | Faust Arp (Live webcast version)
[MP3] Radiohead | Nude (Amplive Remix)
[MP3] Radiohead | Nude Instrumental (Amplive Remix)
PS - "Bodyguards" "Bodysnatchers" is totally about Coldplay.
Posted by Kyle at 1:25 PM | Comments (2)
November 20, 2007
[Product Review] Miscrosoft Zune - 4GB
Early last week I got an email telling me to keep my eye out for a special package containing a pea green 4GB Microsoft Zune that I was supposed to take for a spin and review. I was actually very excited about this and looked forward to comparing the Zune to my beloved iPod. But that was before I tried to load all the software onto my Dell laptop. First I had to update the Windows Software Updater. Then I had to upgrade all sorts of other programs, which made me wary, since I was worried that half the software on my laptop would stop working once I installed all these "upgrades."
Well, the screenshot above is the result of me trying for over an hour to load the Zune Marketplace software onto my machine and format my loaner Zune. Obviously it didn't work, so my loaner Zune sits on my living room coffee table, little more than a paper weight. It won't work until I can sync it with my machine.
It goes without saying iTunes works just fine on my machine. In fact, I'm listening to it right now as I type this.
Once I get some free time I'll give it another shot, but I'm not holding my breath.
Posted by Kyle at 12:51 PM | Comments (2)
November 19, 2007
Oakenfold Ticket Giveaway
I have a pair of tickets to give away for Paul Oakenfold's Washington D.C. gig on Wednesday night at the club Ibiza. To enter, all you have to do is email me with "Oakenfold Giveaway" in the subject line. I'll pick a winner at the end of the day.
Oakenfold is currently touring behind the release of his "Greatest Hits" disc. Check out the album sampler and eCard.
Posted by Kyle at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2007
Agh! Almost Forgot!
When I was at the Black Cat on Monday I saw a poster for Buffalo Tom (nice site redesign BTW) on January 25th! John Stewart's favorite band ever (mine too!) back in D.C.!!! Exclamation points abound!
I started jumping up and down I was so happy. People looked at me like I was weird. I did not care.
So effing excited for this show. I saw B Tom at least eight times in college. I hope they still got it.
Check out this recent setlist:
1. Gravity (bill, chris joins)
2. Butterscotch (chris, bill)
3. Porchlight (chris, bill)
4. My Responsibility (chris, bill)
5. Taillights (tom joins on bass)
6. You’ll Never Catch Him (acoustic band)
7. CC & Callas
8. 4th of July (Tanya Donelly joins)
9. Wiser
10. Scottish Windows (Tim)
11. Crutch (Tim)
12. Pendleton (Bill on piano)
13. Oh Sister (Hilken Mancini joins)
14. Good Girl (Hilken and Chris Toppin)
15. Spider and the Fly
Intermission
1. Sodajerk
2. Kitchen Door
3. Frozen Lake
4. I’m Allowed
5. Bottom of the Rain
6. Late at Night
7. Tangerine
8. Hearts of Palm
9. Larry
10. Thrown (Tim)
Now I just have to track down my Let Me Come Over t shirt from 1992. It's around here somewhere.
Posted by Kyle at 3:49 PM | Comments (1)
November 13, 2007
Love of Diagrams Ticket Giveaway
Hi all, I have a pair of tickets up for grabs to see Love of Diagrams open for Enon on Thursday at the Rock and Roll Hotel. To enter, all you have to do is tell me who Love of Diagrams opened for last time they played D.C. For a hint, you could look here or here.
Just email me with your answer and I'll choose a winner by noon tomorrow.
Posted by Kyle at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)
November 10, 2007
Radiohead Covers The Smiths
Drool.
Even though I still think In Rainbows is majorly overrated, props to Yorke and Co. for doing stuff like this. They are one of the few bands that can cover The Smiths and not sound like total wankers. Call it the Ed O'Brien factor (see "Knives Out")
Via Dead Flowers, who also has the MP3.
Yes, I'm up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday. Don't ask.
Posted by Kyle at 8:28 AM | Comments (2)
October 25, 2007
Mistakes and Regrets
I'm kind of regretting not being able to see ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead when they came through town last week. But at the same time, I'm not regretting staying home to watch glorious Game 7 of the ALCS. Still, from what I've read, ...Trail of Dead have gotten their fastball back (if I may use a baseball term). Here are some tunes from back in the day when they seemingly could do no wrong:
[MP3] ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead | A Perfect Teenhood (live)
[MP3] ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead | Baudelaire (live)
[MP3] ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead | Mark David Chapman (live)
They are getting ready to embark on a college tour sponsored by Adult Swim. Here are the dates:
10/29/07: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M. *
10/31/07: University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nev. ^
11/01/07: University of California, Los Angeles, Calif. ^
11/02/07: University of California, Berkley, Calif. *
11/05/07: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo. #
11/07/07: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. #
11/08/07: University of South Dakota, Vermillian, S.D. #
11/11/07: University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo. #
11/13/07: Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill. #
11/14/07: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. #
11/17/07: University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan. ^
11/18/07: Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill. #
* Free concert. Open to students and non-students. No tickets.
^ Students only. No advance tickets. Show ID night of concert for entrance.
# Students only. Contact box office for ticket information.
For more information visit: www.adultswimpresents.com
Posted by Kyle at 12:30 PM | Comments (1)
October 16, 2007
Photos: Stellastarr*, Pela & Exit Clov
I am super swamped at work today so I'll have to keep this semi-short. Saturday was my third time "seeing" Stellastarr*, a band I really do not care for at all. But I absolutely love it when they tour!
Why?
because they have this cunning knack of bringing along opening bands that totally blow them off the stage. To wit:
Oct. 6th, 2005 - I helped get Cedars on the bill for this show, so I went early to see their set. The middle band? Giant effing Drag, who totally blew me away and quickly shot up to "my new favorite band" status.
March 30, 2006 - I go to see this opening band from England called Editors. I walk out with my jaw on the floor. They were that good. Also worth noting, that was my very first gig with my then brand-new Canon Rebel XT.
October 13, 2007 - They play again and Pela is on the bill with them. Now, I've obviously seen Pela a few times by this point, including the year before at a DAM!Fest show. I liked that performance so much that I booked the band to play Unbuckled for DCist. That was another great show, but while it was easy to see that while the band had all the tunes they needed, they were more energy than anything else at that point. The chops still weren't there. More of the same when I caught them in San Fran a few months ago, although they showed improvement. Then the gig on Saturday. Holy hell. They were brilliant. Forced to do a 30 minute set due to the schedule, they wasted no time and pulled no punches, delivering one of the best sets of music I've seen this year. They were damn near perfect. The choruses were big and soared when they needed to and Billy showed a newfound talent for pulling back a bit and showing a bit of restraint during the slower songs. Nate supplies and endless supply of killer riffs and hooks while Eric and Tomislav keep it all in check. That was a fucking good show.
The venue certainly added a bit to the atmosphere. It was at the Historic 6th & I Synagogue, which has fabulous acoustics and and superb soundsystem. I'd go see another show there in a heartbeat.
I spoke to Nate for a minute before they went on and he said after that festival thing in NYC this week that I've promised not to mention, they'll be going into the studio and the band plan to have a new record out by middle of next year. I, for one, cannot wait.
I did stick around a bit for a few Stellastarr* songs, but I just couldn't get into it, so I split and caught a bit of Craig Wedren at the Rock n Roll Hotel. I got my "Red House" fix after a while (props for playing it mid-set) and went home and crashed. Not a bad Saturday night in D.C. Not bad at all.
Overall, attendance at this year's DAM!Fest seemed spotty at best, which I assume doesn't bode well for the future. Not sure why that was. Seemed like a lot of people were out of town last weekend, but the ones that were here didn't show up.
Posted by Kyle at 1:25 PM | Comments (1)
October 10, 2007
Obligatory Radiohead Post
I'm currently giving In Rainbows its second listen.
"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" is brilliant.
"Nude" (aka Big Ideas [Dont Get Any]) sounds absolutely gorgeous.
I can't seem to get all the way through "Reckoner." I keep starting it over and listening from the beginning.
I wanted more rawk, but so far so good.
Also, my mancrush on Ed O'Brien continues unabated.
Hey did you hear the one about the Radiohead Tenspiracy?
No matter what you think about the record, big ups to the band for returning the element of surprise and air of significance to album release day. Not previewing the album or sending out an MP3 before the release date couldn't have worked better for them.
Posted by Kyle at 1:58 PM | Comments (1)
October 8, 2007
Spoon on SNL
Awesome. I love this song, especially with the horn section.
Posted by Kyle at 9:15 AM | Comments (0)
October 6, 2007
Pipettes Skip D.C. On Rescheduled Dates
The Pipettes had to cancel their already scheduled US tour due to visa issues or something like that, but they've gotten that all straightened out now and booked new dates. Great news, right? Not for D.C. The group's previously scheduled show at the 9:30 has been moved up 95 to Baltimore's Sonar. Doubt I'll be making that trip.
Here are the new dates:
October
25 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Echoplex
29 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Bimbo's 365 Club
31 - Portland, Ore. @ Wonder Ballroom
November
1- Seattle, Wash. @ Crocodile Cafe
2 - Eugene, Ore. @ John Henry's
3 - Vancouver, British Columbia @ The Plaza Club
5 - Denver, Colo. @ The Walnut Room
7 - Austin, Texas @ The Parish
9 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Vinyl
11 - Baltimore, Md. @ Sonar Club Stage
12 - New York, N.Y. @ Blender Theater At Gramercy
15 - Boston, Mass. @ Great Scott
16 - Montreal, Quebec @ Petit Campus
18 - Toronto, Ontario @ Lee's Place
19 - Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Diesel
20 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Beachland Ballroom Tavern
21 - Chicago, Ill. @ Double Door
And some MP3's for you:
[MP3] The Pipettes | The Burning Ambition of Early Diuretics
[MP3] The Pipettes | I Think We're Alone Now
[via a la discotheque]
Posted by Kyle at 9:37 AM | Comments (1)
October 5, 2007
An Airbag Save My Life
Via StopOkayGo, a marching band plays Radiohead.
Posted by Kyle at 11:43 AM | Comments (1)
October 4, 2007
Obvs.
From the Rock n Roll Hotel website:
Clearly the space-time continuum was not going to let this happen.
PS - Copycat.
**UPDATE** The Oughts were on KEXP's Chicago remote broadcast.
Posted by Kyle at 1:06 PM | Comments (0)
October 1, 2007
WaitWaitWait
There's a band called 1990s and a band called The 1900s?
Seriously?
I'm not listening to either just out of principle.
There's no way I could ever keep them straight.
They have no one to blame except each other.
Posted by Kyle at 1:42 PM | Comments (2)
Ha
I'm listening to WOXY while doing a bunch of other stuff, and they're playing this Pavement-like indie song with a killer guitar riff and I think to myself "Wow, this is great. Who is it?"
So I click over to see who it is.
Clearly, I need to get with it.
Posted by Kyle at 1:15 PM | Comments (1)
September 27, 2007
Concert Tickets Giveaway!
Hey now! I have some concert tickets to giveaway!
If you would like to win 1 pair of tickets to see Patrick Wolf at the Black Cat on Monday, October 1st, then email me the name of the movie that Mr. Pink gets his name from.
If you would like to win 1 pair of tickets to see Voxtrot at the Black Cat on Saturday, October 6th, then email me the name of the band's home town.
Please indicate which show you are entering for in the subject header.
The Patrick Wolf winner will be chosen tomorrow and the Voxtrot winner on Monday.
Thanks and good luck!
Posted by Kyle at 3:20 PM | Comments (0)
September 20, 2007
Tonight!
As if I haven't been busy enough lately, tonight kicks off a show filled week for me (so much so I had to skip the Dan Deacon/Girl Talk show at the Cat last night). Here's the schedule:
Tonight: Gruff Rhys @ Rock and Roll Hotel
[MP3] Gruff Rhys | Gyyru Gyrru Gyrru
Unlike the link last week, this one works. So get to downloading. I'm interviewing Gruff later tonight and I'll have the results next week. His tour is just starting, so be sure to catch him when he comes through your town.
Friday: The Mountain Goats @ Sonar in Baltimore
First time seeing these guys. I've heard great things.
Sunday: Kings of Leon / Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ 9:30 Club
Finally! I'm very excited about seeing two of my favorite albums of the year played live.
When this is all done, I'm totally going to pull a Mr. Pink.
Posted by Kyle at 1:44 PM | Comments (1)
September 11, 2007
Ruh Roh
Rumor (unconfirmed as of now It's been confirmed) has it that the White Stripes are canceling their Austin City Limits performance. Drat. I was hoping to have the Arcade Fire photo pit all to myself.
The Kaiser Chiefs just canceled their US tour but they are still doing ACL and two other shows.
Posted by Kyle at 2:28 PM | Comments (0)
September 7, 2007
Also...
After something like 18 months, I finally "get" My Morning Jacket. Z, specifically "Gideon" and "Knot Comes Loose," has been stuck in my head for the better part of this week. Which is a bit strange because some of Z screams Jimmy Buffet.
I bring this up only because I am having a hell of a time choosing between covering MMJ or Wilco at Austin City Limits next week. They both play at the same time. Right now I'm leaning towards taking photos of Wilco (who I've never seen) and then rushing over to catch the end of MMJ's set. Mostly because Jim James is a mountain of big hair (see above) that doesn't move around very much on stage. If this is a bad idea, please advise.
Lastly, Ticketmaster just sent me an email to let me know Morrissey is playing Baltimore and Tijuana(??). As if I didn't learn anything from my last Morrissey road trip.
Posted by Kyle at 12:47 PM | Comments (6)
Friday Playlist
SeeqPod Music beta - Playable Search
I was playing around on the net last night and came across Seeqpod, a cool little app that lets you form playlists of all the available MP3's on the nets, so I made a playlist for the weekend. Now if only it could export the MP3s and playlist order directly into my (and your) iTunes. That would be hott.
I can't recommend the Gruff Rhys track enough. Figures I find the perfect summer song just after Labor Day. Oh well, definitely give "Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru" a listen, it's absolutely brilliant and would have fit in perfectly on Guerilla. Quite possibly my favorite song of the year. I've probably listened to it 20 times since yesterday. Head over here to download the MP3. Also, here's the video that was directed by Dylan, who does all the visuals during the Super Furries live show. Gruff is touring the US at the end of the month and I've set up an interview with him during his stop in D.C. on the 20th, so look for that later this month.
I'm heading out of town for the weekend, which is a shame because there are some great shows tonight and tomorrow. Tonight is the Kora Records Third Anniversary party tonight at the Black Cat featuring Meredith Bragg and The Terminals, Donny Hue and The Colors and Olivia Mancini and The Housemates. I'm a big fan of Olivia and the Housemates, so I'm a bit bummed that I can't make the show. Instrumental Analysis has all the details on the show as well as some MP3s for you.
Tomorrow is the big Blisspop Presents show at the 9:30 Club with Georgie James, Soft Complex and The Dance Party and the DJ stylings of the one and only Will Eastman. Again, totally bummed I'm missing this. It should be a good time. Doors are at 11 p.m. (it's a late show) and tickets are a mere $10. If you need some MP3s, head over to I Guess I'm Floating.
MTV was on the set during filming on Chuck Palahniuk's Choke. How excited am I for this movie?
Posted by Kyle at 8:22 AM | Comments (1)
August 29, 2007
New(ish) Travis Video
It's a week or two old, but here's the video for "My Eyes" by Travis, perhaps my favorite track off of their new record. The video is typically cheeky and totally awesome.
Posted by Kyle at 4:08 PM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2007
Top Gear, Man
Let me be the latest person to express their regret at the passing of Tony Wilson, the man behind Factory Records and author of one of the greatest quotes about the music industry ever - "You either make money, or you make history." Truer words were never spoken.
Also, let me also express my condolences to Jen Chung and her hubby Jay as they recently lost their cat Travis. I've been keeping tabs on Travis' plight via Jen's Flickr account and was incredibly sad to read the news this morning. Losing a cat is like losing part of the family, something I definitely have experience in.
Posted by Kyle at 2:07 PM | Comments (0)
August 3, 2007
Out Like Shout
If you want me this weekend, I'll be here. Visual evidence across multiple media outlets to follow on Monday.
Posted by Kyle at 1:27 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2007
Weekend Listening
I'll be posting my photos from Whartscape next week, but until then, here's a shot of Spank Rock, who turned in the best set of the weekend (even though I only stayed for like 5 songs of it). He was awesome. But don't take my word for it. Butterteam has some audio from the performance.
Also for your listening pleasure:
[MP3] Robbers on High Street | Married Young (The Glass Remix)
New album out now.
[MP3] OFFICE | The Ritz
Album out 9/25.
[MP3] Sea Wolf | You Are A Wolf
Touring with Nada Surf in October. Album out 9/25.
[MP3] Parts & Labor | Fractured Skies
Parts & Labor need a new drummer. Seriously. Their's just left to become EIC of Paper Thin Walls. Send them an email if you're interested.
Lastly, in honor of Beyonce's recent tumble at her show in Orlando, I give you this cover song:
[MP3] The Magic Numbers | Crazy In Love
Posted by Kyle at 8:14 AM | Comments (3)
July 26, 2007
Virgin Festival Schedule
Click for bigger version.
Posted by Kyle at 4:32 PM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2007
Consternation
Apparently an interview I did last year with John Vanderslice is causing some among the "media elites." At least according to Popmatters (scroll down a bit). Sweet.
Speaking of interviews, I conducted another awesome one yesterday with Ed Lay, the drummer from Editors. Unfortunately I had a technical malfunction and my tape recorder only recorded my questions during our chat and not his answers. Worst. Still, I'll try and make something of it and have it up soon. It's a shame too, because he was incredibly nice and had some great thoughts. And I'm not just saying that because he thought the name "information leafblower" was "brilliant."
Posted by Kyle at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2007
Not As Cool As "Dancing In The Dark"...
but still pretty fucking awesome.
Posted by Kyle at 4:03 PM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2007
Today Is A Good Day
Got two pieces of great news today!
But you won't find out until Friday at the earliest.
Maybe tomorrow.
It'll be worth the wait.
Promise.
Some MP3's that found their way to my inbox:
[MP3] White Rabbits | The Plot
The White Rabbits are touring with The Cribs and they will be hitting the Black Cat on August 11th.
[MP3] Blitzen Trapper | Sci-Fi Kid (Principal Participant 'Kingswood' Remix)
Blitzen Trapper is at the Rock n Roll Hotel with David Vandervelde on Sunday, July 22nd.
Also, absolutely loving the Dappled Cities remix over at The Tripwire. Go get that shit and put it on repeat.
Posted by Kyle at 2:44 PM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2007
It's Shite Being Scottish*
Before we recap our weekend, let us first look forward to tonight.
Allow me to geek out for a moment. I heart Travis. Much more than any music snob should in fact. I can't really explain it. If I had to try, I'd chalk it up to a bunch of good memories that their music brings on. I worked on their first record when I was an intern at Epic Records, The Man Who reminds me of living in Queens right when I moved to NYC, hearing everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) singing along to "Why Does It Always Rain On Me" in between bands at the 2000 Reading Festival... the list goes on. I even like the much maligned 12 Memories.
Funny thing is, best I can recall, I haven't seen them since they opened for Oasis at Radio City Music Hall on the Standing On Shoulder of Giants tour. That was ages ago. So obviously, I'm stoked for tonight. And assuming my photo pass is there when I get to will call, I'll have some visual evidence for you all tomorrow.
That's the band performing "Selfish Jean" on Jools Holland above. Check out The Hype Machine for tunes from their latest disc, The Boy With No Name. Instrumental Analysis also has some MP3's for your listening pleasure.
* completely untrue
Posted by Kyle at 11:24 AM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2007
On Call
The Kings of Leon have just announced a US tour with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I have yet to see either band, so color me excited. Above is KOL performing "Fans," my favorite track off of their latest record.
Here are the dates:
Minneapolis, MN First Avenue (August 2, 3)
Chicago, IL Grant Park Lollapalooza (5)
Seattle, WA Bumbershoot Festival 2007 (September 2)
San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre (4)
Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre (7)
San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air Theatre (8)
Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre (10)
Las Vegas, NV The Joint- Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (11)
Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre (14)
Council Bluffs, IA Stir Cove at Harrah's Casino (15)
New York, NY Radio City Music Hall (19)
Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre (21)
Washington DC 930 Club (23)
Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre (28)
Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (29)
Detroit, MI The Filmore (October 4)
Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre (9)
Birmingham, AL Alabama Theatre (10)
Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium (18)
New Orleans, LA Voodoo Island City Park (28)
Posted by Kyle at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2007
Editors Giveaway
My favorite records of the year so far (in no particular order)
- Favourite Worst Nightmare / Arctic Monkeys - Half of this record is absolutely amazing, the other half I skip over.
- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga / Spoon - Reminds me of Girls Can Tell. Solid.
- An End Has A Start / Editors - Without a doubt the record I have listened to the most so far this year.
The Editors record isn't out until next week, but I'm giving you the chance to win one of three Deluxe-Editions of their new album. All you have to do is email me and tell me the name of one of the two awesome cover songs of the Editors have recorded and released. One was one a single from their first record and the other was on a compilation from Q Magazine. I'll keep the contest open until Monday.
Here's the band doing the first single from the record live on Jools Holland:
Click here to buy the album from iTunes.
Posted by Kyle at 5:25 PM | Comments (0)
July 11, 2007
I Think He Wants His Guitar Turned Down
Questionable fashion choices aside, this is some great footage of New Order performing "Temptation" live at the BBC studios some time in 1984. You'd think they were in Ibiza, not the Radio 1 studios, by looking at those outfits.
Here's the studio version:
[MP3] New Order | Temptation
Posted by Kyle at 1:27 PM | Comments (3)
July 10, 2007
Hott Ness
Yes!
Straight from the inbox:
Superdrag will be back on tour this Fall, with all four original members. Last seen onstage together more than 8 years ago, the original line-up of John Davis (guitar, vocals), Don Coffey Jr (drums), Brandon Fisher (guitar) and Tom Pappas (bass) have 6 performances scheduled for 2007.
Though Superdrag may be best-known for their 1996 major-label debut Regretfully Yours and the hit single “Sucked Out” that helped launch the band towards international success, the follow-up Head Trip In Every Key, issued in 1998, was widely regarded as the band’s creative peak. Amidst label woes and line-up changes, namely the departures of founding members Pappas and Fisher, the band would issue their third and fourth full-lengths In The Valley Of Dying Stars and Last Call For Vitriol to universal critical accolades, and expand their hard-won fan base through incessant touring, with the help of bassist Sam Powers and guitarist Mic Harrison. Many of Superdrag’s latter-day fans have never had an opportunity to see the original line-up onstage together…until now!
Tickets will be available pre-sale Thursday July 12th at 12 PM EST at superdrag.ducatking.com
For more information regarding Superdrag visit superdrag.com or myspace.comsuperdragofficial
Dates:
10.05.07 City Hall Nashville TN
10.13.07 Metro Chicago IL
10.20.07 Barley’s Tap Room Knoxville TN
11.02.07 The Fillmore @ Irving Plaza New York NY
11.03.07 Paradise Rock Club Boston MA
11.08.07 Nightclub 9:30 Washington DC
I've gone on record before about my love for the criminally underrated Head Trip In Every Key.
Also, I humbly submit the following tune as an example of the perfect pop song:
Posted by Kyle at 7:07 PM | Comments (3)
Virgin Fest Lineup Additions
I got a press release from the Virgin Fest yesterday announcing three new acts to the lineup:
With less than a month to go, Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile is heating up with even more acts signing on. Theatric pop band Panic! At the Disco; post-rock, instrumental act Explosions In the Sky and Baltimore-based ‘absurdist’ electronic music composer/performer Dan Deacon will join the Sunday lineup as nearly forty artists and DJ's take to the stage over two days on August 4 and 5 at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course.
Looks like those Alice In Chains rumors were ultimately untrue. Still, that's a pretty strong lineup up there. I, for one, am certainly looking forward to it. I'll be there taking photos so expect a full report come August.
Posted by Kyle at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)
July 6, 2007
Your Friday To Do List
Well, Moz canceled the NJ gig I was scheduled to go see today, so there's been a slight change of schedule. Here's a gameplan for me and you over the weekend:
Watch Spoon's video for The Underdog. I'm pretty much over music videos at this point but every once in a while I see one that really grabs me. This is one. It's brilliant and does a great job of showcasing Britt Daniels' knack of not overdoing anything in his songs. He doesn't fill up space that would be better served with nothing there. Watch the drummer. I never really noticed how little he plays on this song. Great stuff.
Watch the seven stages of British Indie Rock documentary. Great footage here, although no Verve, no Radiohead and NO ELASTICA. I think people tend to forget how big Elastica were during the Britpop days. They were bigger than Blur was over here in the States and they are the spiritual forbearers of bands like The Libertines and The Strokes. Don't sleep.
Download and listen to my favorite Dandy Warhols song, which I saw last night featured in a Saturn commercial.
[MP3] The Dandy Warhols | Dandy Warhols TV Theme Song
The "ooh ooh oohs" are killer.
Also here are some other MP3's that I've been meaning to post:
[MP3] Fields | Song for the Fields (Ewan Pearson Remix)
[MP3] Fields | If You Fail We All Fail (SebastiAn Remix)
[MP3] Fields | If You Fail We All Fail (Badlands Remix)
[MP3] Fields | Song for the Fields (Album Version)
[MP3] Stars | The Night Starts Here
From their upcoming album In Our Bedroom After the War which will be released in September.
[MP3] The Cribs | Men's Needs (CSS Remix)
Also, tonight at the Black Cat:
Middle Distance Runner / Myspace
Unbuckled alums all. Be there.
Posted by Kyle at 10:15 AM | Comments (1)
July 5, 2007
I'm Sure It Was
Grambo, Peabs, Damore, your work here is done.
Posted by Kyle at 10:36 AM | Comments (2)
July 2, 2007
Here's The Deal (Kinda)
Without trying to be too vague, this stands to be a VERY exciting week for yours truly for reasons other than "Hey, I get the chance to see Morrissey three times in the next five days." More on that when the time comes. Apologies in advance for being so mysterious.
So then, the plan is:
Tonight: D.C./Northern Virginia - Wolf Trap
Tuesday: Baltimore - Rams Head Live
Friday: Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
*fingers crossed* I might even throw in some Robbers On High Street action on Thursday. We'll see.
Semi-related: Ms. Smith and I booked our hotel in Philly via Hotwire, which meant we couldn't cancel the room, so off to Philly we went on Friday. We were in a good mood when we left, despite the canceled show, but that soon changed when our quick drive north turned into a five hour ordeal with traffic backups in every state we passed through once we left good ol' Virginia. Long story short, we left at 7 and finally pulled into our hotel just before midnight, just in time for the hotel bar to close up right when we walked in. Joy.
Saturday we tried to go to the Phillies / Mets game but it was sold out. So we spent the afternoon at the McFaddens attached to the baseball stadium and just enjoyed what turned into a tremendous people watching experience. Wow. You had the blue-collar Philly peeps on one side of the bar, all the douchebag Mets fans (gel in hair, collars popped) from NYC in the other and the McFaddens waitresses walking around pretty much falling out of their "uniforms." I kept telling Ms. Smith that was much more entertaining than the game would have been.
Hey, I finally finished putting my photos from Europe online. Maybe one day I'll actually go back and tag them appropriately.
Photos - Koln, Germany
Photos - Rhine River Valley (St. Goar and Bacharach)
All you could ever want to know about the upcoming concerts for the next three or so months in the D.C. area.
Yay!
Boo!
Posted by Kyle at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)
June 28, 2007
Memo to the NME
That's not John Squire. Obvs.
Posted by Kyle at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
June 26, 2007
A New Decade?
Is Captain Rock getting back in the saddle? The Verve are reforming and touring the UK in November. Like woah.
The Verve are set to reunite for a winter tour.The original band of Richard Ashcroft, Nick McCabe,Simon Jones and Pete Sailsbury have got together for the first time in almost a decade.
In a statement, the band have announced they were: "Getting back together for the joy of the music."
It is believed they will take a summer break and then return to the studio to complete their next album.
While this is certainly intriguing, I'd be more excited for this if Mad Richard hadn't spent the last few years becoming a house-trained pussycat, writing music for married people. That said, I certainly got chills when Ashcroft graced the stage with that lot of students during Live 8:
Can he become Capitan Rock again? Can he make The Verve relevant again? Hell, can he even make music that's relevant again? I hope so, but if The Verve aren't at least going to be as good as the following two videos, don't bother:
Posted by Kyle at 11:25 AM | Comments (1)
June 22, 2007
Fire Hazard
It's Friday. I'm exhausted. I could barely keep my eyes open last night. So what did I do about it? Went to two shows. Tried to see Le Loup at the Velvet Lounge but I was running late and it was already packed by the time I got there. I listened to one song while I was standing on the stairs and decided the 20 people also perched on said stairwell constituted a fire hazard and Le Loup aren't worth dying over. That and some really sweaty and VERY smelly bike messenger decided to start rubbing up against me. Yuck.
So off I went to the Black Cat to check out The Slip. I wanted to like them but in the end I gave up after about four or five songs. Don't believe anything you read about them ditching their jam band past for their new-found pop glory. Lies. They kept doing this "Let's see how many weird sounds we can coax out of our guitars" thing before every song that was just driving me crazy. I wanted to grab the collar of the lead singer's shirt, yank him down to my level and yell "Just fucking get on with it already!" The 20 minutes they made us wait after they set up before starting their set was also pretty ridiculous considering there were maybe 75 people there. On the plus side, they have their own lights as part of their show (their gear was crazy insane, the guitarist and bassist each had two HUGE groups of pedals) so I finally know that it is indeed possible to have some sort of light show at the Black Cat. Although, for the record, the Cat has been much, much better with the lights the last few shows I have seen there. But I digress...
I took some photos with my new lens (happy birthday to me!) last night but decided I didn't want to stay up and edit them. Maybe this weekend.
J. Freedom of the Lake's review of Wednesday's National show is much more eloquent than mine and hits the nail on the head. I'm pretty sure I was standing in front of the WaPo photographer for the first few songs. We have similar photos.
The great blogger mock draft of 2007. Cool idea. yes, I'm on top of the whole KG-to-Boston, wait nevermind, saga. We don't need him. He won't put us over the top (Doc Rivers is still our coach). I'd rather keep Al Jefferson and just make the pick at #5.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhh...Don't tell Ms. Smith. We're going to Philly in a few weeks.
Ha. Everyone else can fuck right off, I guess.
While I am very excited that the Furries have added 'Northern Lights' and 'Torra Fy Ngwallt Yn Hir' back into their set, dudes need to retire 'God! Show Me Magic' and 'Do Or Die.' Perhaps next week I will do a post on what I consider to be the perfect SFA set.
Check out Editors perfomring "Racing Rats" on Jools Holland:
Posted by Kyle at 10:57 AM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2007
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm....
I wonder if these guys support and approve of this. While they are most definitely down with Okkervil River, I can't help but think they would not approve of lending their name to any music festival that does not include The Hold Steady. Or maybe Wolf Parade. Perhaps I should summon the awesome power of the information leafblower!
Posted by Kyle at 4:49 PM | Comments (2)
Carbon Monoxide Handshake
Happy 10th Birfday (tomorrow) OK Computer. Until today I hadn't listened to this record in ages, but after giving it two consecutive spins on my iPod, I put forth the two immutable truths:
1) OK Computer is a classic record, but The Bends is still better. You absolutely cannot convince me otherwise.
2) OK Computer is probably the best sounding headphone record ever made. It sounds heavenly on my iPod and crappy $40 Sony earbuds. Respect to you, sir. Have I ever told you my "Meeting Nigel Godrich story?" A quick check of the archives, says no. I really need to write that up for posterity's sake. It's a doozy.
Winner of headline of the day?
No alarms and no surprises, pliés. You know, about the Radiohead ballet? Get it? Nevermind.
Speaking of Birfdays, mine is next Wednesday. Yes, next week the worlds oldest music blogger gets even older. Trust me, it's more traumatic for me than it is you. Since I already got what I asked for, what I want is for you to come to the show and come get a drink with me beforehand at DC 9. Rock!
Speaking of Nevermind. Totally overrated. So is Meat is Murder. And Pet Sounds. And Marquee Moon. And a bunch of other "classic" records.
If you do one thing today, you really need to watch this nutter pushing Robbie Williams off the stage during one of his shows. Hilarious. And while you're at it, be sure to watch the two interviews with Liam where he calls the new batch of Brit bands "indie shitheads" and someone asks him a question about The Darkness and he replies, "WHO?" Awesome.
Posted by Kyle at 12:06 PM | Comments (2)
June 14, 2007
Eff You Maximo Park
Seriously. Other than opening for the Pixies in Maryland (a scant two weeks after the Pixies did two nights at DAR), they've never played a D.C. date. A disappointing trend that will continue on the forthcoming MP tour.
July 11th – Great Scott – Boston, MA
July 12th – Webster Hall – New York, NY
July 13th – LaTulipe – Montreal, QC
July 14th – Mod Club – Toronto, ON
July 15th – Double Door – Chicago, IL
July 17th – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
July 19th – Larimer Lounge – Denver, CO
July 20th – Club Sound – Salt Lake City, UT
July 22nd – Chop Suey – Seattle, WA
July 23rd – Richard’s On Richard’s Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
July 24th – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
July 26th – Popscene – San Francicso, CA
July 27th – El Rey – Los Angeles, CA
July 28th – The Casbah – San Diego, CA
Monsters Are Waiting will be opening on all the dates above.
Posted by Kyle at 9:34 PM | Comments (2)
May 16, 2007
Get My Snob On
Pizfork! (from last night's Veronica Mars episode)
Posted by Kyle at 10:55 AM | Comments (1)
May 15, 2007
Giving You The Slip
One of the wonderful (or horrible, depending on your POV) things about iTunes is that because of the sheer amount of music most of us have, your library tends to have a few undiscovered little gems hiding in plain sight, songs you added long ago and never listened to. And when they get served up, occasionally they make you perk up and say "This is fucking awesome, but who the hell is it?" and when you see who it is, you're all like "Really?"
This happened to me a few weeks ago. The song was "The Children of December" by The Slip. I saw The Slip open for My Morning Jacket last year at the 9:30 Club, but didn't remember much about them other than their funny hats. I had another song of theirs, a happy-go-lucky space-rock jam named "Even Rats" that I liked, but for some unknown reason, I never listened to "Children of December." But when I finally did, it made me sit up and take notice. The song sounds like Matt Pond PA playing a long lost Sloan song and it is, in a word, brilliant.
Anyway, I gave them the short shrift when they came through last year, so I'm going to have to do some research and get some more of their stuff. In the meantime, here are those two songs for your listening pleasure:
[MP3] The Slip | Children Of December
[MP3] The Slip | Even Rats
Posted by Kyle at 12:22 PM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2007
Worst, But Yet, So Best!
Last night, after winning 60 bucks on slots at Paris, Las Vegas and wandering around the Strip drinking crappy draft beer while trying in vain to get a hold of a decent beer (seriously, the beer selection in Vegas casinos is teh suxxor), I came back to my room at the relatively early for Vegas 11 o'clock (effing jetlag) and checked my email before hitting the sack. In it was a message from someone named "Teddy" that basically said, in a somewhat playful way "'Treading water?!?' Do you have any idea how hard I worked on that you no good so and so..." I'm thinking to myself, "Who the fuck is this? I don't know anyone named Teddy." And then a light went off and I realized who it was.
That email was from Ted Leo.
He was emailing me about an unrelated matter and I guess he was poking around on my site and found my half assed review of Living With The Living. Ouch. Imagine trying to explain to one of your favorite artists why you aren't really feeling their latest release. Let's just say I was backpedaling like a motherfucker. Luckily for me Ted was just taking the piss and we've exchanged emails since then. Best.
Seriously, I ask you, how can you not heart Ted Leo?
He's on tour in Europe right now, but next time you see him, tell him "Fuck information leafblower!"
Posted by Kyle at 11:31 AM | Comments (2)
May 10, 2007
Festival Check
While I was in Europe, the lineup for the Virgin Festival at Pimlico was announced and, while it's not exactly a slam dunk, it's still pretty good and strong enough not to make me regret not ponying up for a flight to Chicago for Lollapalooza. Of course, it doesn't hurt that many of the bigger bands on the lineup are playing both festivals.
Here's how the lineup shakes out:
Day 1
Amy Winehouse / Beastie Boys / Ben Harper / Booka Shade / Cheap Trick / Danny Tenaglia / Sasha & John Digweed / Felix Da Housecat / Fiction Plane / Fountains Of Wayne / The Fratellis / Incubus / LCD Soundsystem / Miguel Migs (Petalpusher) / Modest Mouse / Paolo Nutini / Peter Bjorn And John / The Police / Sander Van Doorn / Shout Out Out Out / TV On The Radio
Day 2
311 / Bad Brains / The Crystal Method (DJ Set) / CSS / Deep Dish (Dubfire and Sharam) / Dieselboy & Andy C / Girl Talk / Infected Mushroom / Interpol / James Zabiela / M.I.A. / Matisyahu / Regina Spektor / Smashing Pumpkins / Spoon / Velvet Revolver / Wu Tang Clan / Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Chris Cornell was originally announced as part of the lineup but has since decided to pass. Accordingly, chatter on the 9:30 message board says there are still a few more bands to announce.
Overall, the lineups for the festival circuit in general is kinda lacking this year. Lolla is meh, same for Pitchfork. I can't ever see me going to Bonnarroo, no matter how great the lineup is, because leaf doesn't do camping. I'd have to say the best festival lineup of the year has to be the newly announced Austin City Limits which has somehow booked all of the available heavy hitters in one place.
Posted by Kyle at 9:30 AM | Comments (0)
May 8, 2007
Fun In The Sun
Alternate post title: Damore, You Can Just Skip This One
Depending on your tastes, Saturday's DC101 Chili Cook-Off either got considerably worse or much better with the addition of indie rock whipping boys The Bravery. Count me among the latter. We've been through this all before, but I'm a fan and am curious as to how their upcoming album, produced by Brendan O'Brien, will sound. I'm hoping it will be better than The Music's abysmal Welcome to the North, although I have to say most of the material I've heard so far has been middling mid-tempo indie meh. Drummer Anthony Burulcich recently said The Sun and The Moon will see the band "branch off and get experimental - slow tempo songs, mid tempo. We all sing background harmonies on this record as well." Hmmmmmmmm...
Here's the band's new video for "Time Won't Let Me Go."
Slightly related: This probably only interests me, but it wasn't so long ago that I thought photos like this were pretty good. Yikes. I've come a long way in just two years.
Posted by Kyle at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
April 20, 2007
Spring Forward
Finally, some warmish weather for D.C.! To celebrate, here is my favorite Pulp b-side, from the "Disco 2000" CD single:
[MP3] Pulp | Ansaphone
Easily one of my favorite "guy gets dumped by girl" songs ever. I've listened to it many a time.
And just for the heck of it, here's the video for "Disco 2000":
Won't it be strange when we're all fully grown?
Posted by Kyle at 1:56 PM | Comments (0)
April 16, 2007
The Freaks of the Industry
Could it be? If so, I am so there.
Doowutchyalike, ya'll!
Posted by Kyle at 2:19 PM | Comments (0)
April 13, 2007
Squalor Victoria
When the D.C. area Arcade Fire show was announced way back when, I didn't pay much attention to it because I quickly figured out that I would still be in Europe on that date, so there was no need for me to get worked up about it. And while I like Neon Bible, I honestly haven't listened to it THAT much and it hasn't really blown me away when I have. I'm sure I'll go back and revisit it in-depth in a month or two when the hype dies down a little, but until then I am secure in the feeling that there was no way the upcoming DAR show would ever top their show in January of '06 at the 9:30 Club.
That was, until today. The National were announced as the openers for the Arcade Fire's DAR show show and six others. Holy fucking hell. I doubt I'll even remember the gig is happening while Ms. Smith and I are frolicking around in German beer gardens and eating our weight in schnitzels, but I'm sure everyone that already has tickets is a very happy camper today. At least, they should be.
In case you were (like me) unaware, The National have set up a new website for their new album Boxer. Here it is. Also, here's a a promotional video by Vincent Moom for one of my favorite tracks off the new record:
I heartily encourage you to go buy the record when it drops in late May, but if you can't wait that long, you can get the above song a few others here. At the very least, be sure to catch The National on their headlining tour around the country in June. As I've mentioned before, they're playing D.C. on my birthday!
Posted by Kyle at 2:12 PM | Comments (0)
April 11, 2007
Lollapalooza Lineup?
For 2007? If so, I say meh.
Pearl Jam, Daft Punk, Ben Harper, Muse, Iggy & The Stooges, Modest Mouse, Interpol, My Morning Jacket, Satellite Party, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Snow Patrol, The Roots, Patti Smith, Kings Of Leon, The Black Keys, Regina Spektor, Spoon, Lupe Fiasco, TV On The Radio, Pete Yorn, G. Love, Paolo Nutini, Amy Winehouse, LCD Soundsystem, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Silverchair, Femi Kuti, Yo La Tengo, Hold Steady, Jack's Mannequin, Stephen Marley, STS9, MIA, Slightly Stoopid, Blonde Redhead, Sparklehorse, Sean Lennon, !!!, Blue October, Son Volt, Motion City Soundtrack, Polyphonic Spree, Peter Bjorn & John, Silversun Pickups, CSS, The Rapture, The Wailers, Roky Erickson, Tapes N Tapes, Heartless Bastards, The View, The Cribs, The Fratellis, Ghostland Observatory, Tokyo Police Club, Rhymefest, Soulive, Cold War Kids, Annuals, Fields, Electric Six, Jim Noir, Elvis Perkins, Sam Roberts, Black Angels, Charlie Musselwhite, Aqueduct, Juliette & The Licks, Dios, Viva Voce, David Vandervelde, Los Campesinos!, Chin Up Chin Up, Ryan Shaw, Colour Revolt, Satin Peaches, Illinois, Arckid, Mickey Avalon, The 1900s, Bang Bang Bang, Bound Stems, High Class Elite Carey Ott, Matt Roan
We'll know for sure when the official line-up is announced tomorrow. More here...
Now the big question. Is this line-up good enough to make me travel to Chicago and skip this year's V Fest at Pimlico?
[thanks Chromewaves]
Posted by Kyle at 4:54 PM | Comments (0)
April 10, 2007
Live Earth Line-Up Revealed
The line-up for the Concerts to Combat Global Warming on July 7th, 2007 have been revealed, and as usual, the US gets shafted in the line-up department. The U.S. leg of the show, to take place at Giants Stadium in scenic East Rutherford, NJ will be:
AFI
AKON
ALICIA KEYS
BON JOVI
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
FALL OUT BOY
JOHN MAYER
KANYE WEST
KELLY CLARKSON
KT TUNSTALL
LUDACRIS
MELISSA ETHERIDGE
RIHANNA
ROGER WATERS
SMASHING PUMPKINS
THE POLICE
And the line-up for the London leg of the show, to be held at Wembley Stadium will be:
BEASTIE BOYS
BLACK EYED PEAS
BLOC PARTY
CORINNE BAILEY RAE
DAMIEN RICE
DAVID GRAY
DURAN DURAN
FOO FIGHTERS
GENESIS
JAMES BLUNT
JOHN LEGEND
KEANE
MADONNA
PAOLO NUTINI
RAZORLIGHT
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
SNOW PATROL
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 16 and will be available at livenation.com/liveearth or by calling Ticketmaster.
Posted by Kyle at 8:09 AM | Comments (0)
March 31, 2007
Ticketmaster Can Bite Me
Thanks for waiting until noon to put tickets on sale and then not having any available.
**UPDATE** - Thanks to loyal reader Chad, I went to the venue's website and got a ticket for Moz's Baltimore show! Talk about best case scenario...I have a ticket and didn't pay Ticketmaster a dime. Thanks Chad!
Posted by Kyle at 12:08 PM | Comments (1)
March 30, 2007
Venus and Serena Understand!
Super Furry Animals have titled their forthcoming album Hey Venus!.
The record, the follow-up to 2005's Love Kraft, will be released at the end of August.
Frontman Gruff Rhys told NME.COM earlier this year to expect a "speaker-blowing" LP, though no further details have been made available at the moment.
Related:
On the road with the SFA: Washington D.C.
On the road with the SFA: Norfolk, VA
On the road with the SFA: Chapel Hill, NC
On the road with the SFA: NYC
Posted by Kyle at 3:37 PM | Comments (1)
March 22, 2007
Tony P, Wassup?
Yep, that's San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker with the ill flow. It's hard to sound gangsta when you're rapping in French. You sound like a wussy Sean Paul. Le bounce!
[via Popbitch]
Posted by Kyle at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2007
Blog. Repeat. Blog.
Thanks to my latest source for online music (I can't reveal my source, but here's a hint: He's gorgeous. Just ask him.), I have a ton of new music that I'm going through right now: Ted Leo, Humble Rodent, Kings Of Leon, Travis, Maximo Park, etc. I'll have some short record reviews in the next day or two. Yes, you read that correctly, actual content! Combine that with tonight's Mew show and shows this weekend by the Silversun Pickups and The Changes, and I might be able to sneak some music content onto this here blog. Developing...
Until then I want to direct you to two sites that I have been reading quite regularly for the last week or so. The first is Recordreviews.org, straight outta Tha D, written by the incomparable Gorilla with lots of help from Damizz, Peabs and Nummer. If you have some money burning a hole in your pocket and you want to know what's worth buying, these guys will lead you in the right direction. I loved Damore's recent Idlewild review and I'm not just blowing smoke when I say that Nummer's Brief History of Badly Drawn Boy in Detroit is one of the finest blog posts I've read in a while. And Gorilla runs down the big releases for you every week as only he can. I say Buzz.
Also back online is Kegzies, formerly of the dearly departed Glamorama, now of Sendmedeadflowers.com. An anglophile after my own heart (and much more informed than yours truly) Kegzies was singing Mew's praises a good two years before anyone else had even heard of them. Peep his interview with the original Libertines drummer and sample some of the great MP3's he's throwing your way (even if he is totally copying me by posting "Gravity Grave").
Seriously though, it's great to have these guys back online and writing again. It's like 2003 all over again. We'll be doing Friday Afternoon Topics again before you know it.
Posted by Kyle at 1:15 PM | Comments (3)
March 8, 2007
C.R.E.A.M.
Dolla, Dolla bill y'all. From Popbitch:
Vanity Fair have invited "pop-humanitarian" Bono to be guest editor of the July issue, to try and "rebrand Africa". Some magazines have been sharing some other facts about Bono:
* In the year since it was founded, his Red campaign (licensed to Gap, Motorola, Apple etc) has raised $18 million - but companies have spent $100 million to market it.
* Bono doesn't invest his own money in Red.
* Apple sells a Special Edition U2 iPod. Its profits are not donated to Red.
* U2 made $389m from the recent Vertigo tour. Its revenue was then funnelled through companies mostly registered in Ireland and structured to minimize taxes.
* U2 moved its music publishing company to the Netherlands from Ireland in June 2006, six months before Ireland ended a tax exemption on musicians' royalty income.
* Richard Murphy, adviser to lobbying group the Tax Justice Network, says "This is somebody who's exceptionally rich taking the opportunity to shift his tax burden to somebody else, but then asking governments around the world to spend that tax take in the way that he would like."
Posted by Kyle at 9:40 AM | Comments (0)
March 1, 2007
A Mistake! A Mistake!
Hmmmmmm...This Pitchfork interview with The National reminds me of this other great interview with the band I read last year. Both interviews mention the new record, the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah tour, Beggars Banquet, day jobs...I see a pattern here. I also asked Matt about his baseball allegiances but didn't include it in the finished product.
Seriously though, I say all of this with tongue planted firmly in cheek. I'm not trying to imply that Pitchfork copied me (even though they did*), only that perhaps I'm a better interviewer than I give myself credit for.
All that said, I can't wait to hear their new album.
Want more? Check out all of my interviews from 2006.
* Again, kidding.
Posted by Kyle at 1:10 PM | Comments (0)
February 26, 2007
An Actual Reason To Watch Starz
I am so ready to jump back into all things Ted Leo. I listened to Shake The Sheets so much that I got burned out on him a bit, but I am totally salivating over his upcoming record.
Accordingly, tonight Starz Cinema (East) is airing the Ted Leo documentary "Dirty Old Town: Ted Leo/Pharmacists vs. Coney Island" as part of their monthly series "Musiac". Hottness. I have this DVD and watch it every now and again. I was at the show too, one of the first I went to post knee surgery.
The Touch and Go website has more details.
Posted by Kyle at 4:00 PM | Comments (1)
February 20, 2007
Finally!
The USA will get to see the mighty Mozzer live starting April 27th. He'll embark on a 40 date North American tour, details still TBA. My guess is he comes through D.C. in early May, which is when I'm going to Europe. Bah.
Posted by Kyle at 12:55 PM | Comments (1)
February 16, 2007
Malajube Ticket Giveaway
I have a pair of tickets to giveaway to the Malajube show at the Rock n Roll Hotel here in D.C. on February 21st. I can't make it that (more on that later), but I'm here to hook up one lucky reader.
Malajube
w/ Snowden & The Vita Ruins
Rock n Roll Hotel
Washington D.C.
Wednesday, February 21st
To enter, all you have to do is send me an email and tell me the record you're most looking forward to hearing this year. I'll pick a winner on Monday.
Here are some Malajube MP3's for your listening pleasure:
[MP3] Montréal -40 C
[MP3]Ton Plat Favori
[MP3] Pâte Filo
Posted by Kyle at 10:55 AM | Comments (1)
Yay Music!
Central Village has a new Kings Of Leon track.
Fluxblog has new Feist.
Mr. Brightside has new tracks by Arcade Fire and Maximo Park. (thanks Kegzies)
Posted by Kyle at 10:42 AM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2007
This Is Not Toward
Read it here yesterday, read it on Idolator today. Unattributed, obvs.
I'm sure it's just a coincidence, right?
Anyhoo, if you want a copy of the song, grab it on their dime. The citizens of the Hype Machine maxed out my bandwidth until the 16th.
Posted by Kyle at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)
What's More Boring Than The Grammys?
Posted by Kyle at 8:05 AM | Comments (3)
February 12, 2007
Back Like That
I survived Orlando and made it back to D.C. over the weekend. And by survived, I mean that I did not:
1) Collapse and die at a Florida casino.
2) Get arrested for attempted murder at the Orlando airport after driving for 9 hours in a pair of diapers.
3) Die at the animal shelter fire.
4) Get arrested for child porn while working at Disney.
So I guess that means it was a good trip! Dude, Florida is nutty.
I ordered some Moo cards before I left and they arrived Saturday. Be warned, if I see you this week, I'll probably slip you one. And there's a good chance I'll see you this week, as I have a hectic schedule.
Thursday
Unbuckled 5 @ DC9!
Pela w/ These United States
Only $8. I put this show together, so you better come out and represent.
Friday
Lily Allen @ 930
Saturday & Sunday
In NYC
whew...
As you might guess, I'm totally swamped at work today, so here are some MP3's to keep you busy:
[MP3] Sloan | Another Way I Could Do it
I played this song constantly while I was in Orlando. You really need to buy the new Sloan record. It's teh awesome.
[MP3] Keane | She Sells Sanctuary
Yes, this is a cover of The Cult. it's 10x better than you'd think it would be. Thank Torr for this beauty.
[MP3] Lily Allen v. Stone Roses | Waterlily
LDN meets Waterfall. Brilliant.
Posted by Kyle at 11:04 AM | Comments (2)
February 8, 2007
It's That Little Souvenir
Believe it or not, I wasn't into the Britpop when I went to college back in the halcyon days on the early 90's. The grunge revolution was at hand and I was all about Seattle and the Beastie Boys. Yes, Kurt Cobain turned me on to Teenage Fanclub, but other than the odd Ned's Atomic Dustbin CD, that was about as close to Britpop as I ventured.
My freshman year at ECU, my next door neighbor in Belk dorm was a guy named John Smith. Everyone called him Jellybean (long story). He was from Charlotte, aka "the big city." He listened to Ride, The Smiths and a whole bunch of bands with weird accents that I had never heard of before. He more or less turned me on to Morrissey. But the first CD of his that I couldn't stop listening to was Reading, Writing and Arithmetic by The Sundays. This CD changed my whole musical landscape. Pretty soon I got a CMJ sampler with a song called "Live Forever" on it and away I went. If it wasn't for Jellybean, this blog might be all about Mudhoney and Skinny Puppy. I also had a huge, huge crush on Harriet Wheeler, so that didn't hurt.
Also, quick story. The second night we were at college, Jellybean got hammered while we were out party hopping and went back to the dorm by himself. He forgot his keys so he did what any trashed college kid would do, try to climb up into his second story room and enter via the open window. Unfortunately the AC unit he started climbing on to make it up there belonged to the RA of the dorm, who was female. Oh, and did I mention that Jellybean took off his jeans, which were too tight, to make his climb easier? The RA thought someone was trying to break into her room and sexually assault her, so she called campus police. And when they showed up, Jellybean soon realized he didn't have his ID on him. The cops would ask him his name and he would said "John Brown." They didn't believe him. "No, seriously, what is your name?" etc. This line of questioning went on for quite some time.
It eventually got worked out and he didn't get in (much) trouble, but from that point on, I knew living beside him was going to be an adventure. And it was. Ah, college.
Posted by Kyle at 10:45 AM | Comments (4)
February 7, 2007
Radiohead On Arsenio
I like short hair Thom much better than 80's hair metal Thom.
Posted by Kyle at 10:32 AM | Comments (1)
February 6, 2007
This Band Changed My Life
The Archers of Loaf performing "Form and File" and "Scenic Pastures" on Australian TV. Fuck The Police, this is the reunion I want.
Posted by Kyle at 4:25 PM | Comments (5)
January 29, 2007
A Summer Song You Wasted
I'm probably showing my age here, but does anyone else remember the Jon Stewart show on MTV? Wikipedia says it ran from 1992-1995. Anyways, they used to have great musical guests on this show. Here's one of my all time favorite groups, Buffalo Tom, performing "Summer":
Posted by Kyle at 12:45 PM | Comments (2)
January 26, 2007
Give It Away Now
No, I didn't go see the Chili Peppers at the Verizon Center last night, but with them in town, at least I have an excuse to run a photo or two from my pictures from the Virgin Fest.
Also - slightly related, but not really - I have a ton of promo CD's taking up valuable frolicking space for Mr. Pink in my apartment. So I'm going to give them to some of you all. All you have to do is email me here and give me your Superbowl pick. Horsies or Bears. That's it. I'll fill as many jiffy's as I can with a few CD's each and send them out sometime next week. Make sure you leave me your address.
Posted by Kyle at 2:32 PM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2007
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
I saw Bono walking down 16th street on my way into work today. He was scruffy looking and shorter than you'd think. Not that I'm one to talk. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me and I couldn't think of anything smart-alecky to say to him.
Other awesomeness:
Keane covering The Cult!
Buddyhead has Noel Gallagher's Melbourne Australia gig for your downloading pleasure. I have a big Oasis post that I've been working on for a week or two and I just can't seem to finish. Hopefully I'll have it for you guys next week.
Posted by Kyle at 10:18 AM | Comments (2)
January 24, 2007
Sometimes
Re: The reunion of the James gang. If someone put a gun to my head (please don't) and said to me "All right you effing Gemini, Mr. I-have-to-have-two-of-everything, no good, talentless blogger. I want you to tell me your favorite song of all time. Not two, just one," well, we'd probably be there for a while while I weighed my options. But this song might very well be the pick:
[MP3] James | Sometimes (Lester Piggot)
I also found some live goodies on my hard drive:
[MP3] James | Runaground (live)
[MP3] James | Laid (live)
Let me be the 48th person to welcome both the Gorilla and Peabs back to the interwebs. Both were sorely missed. Flazzum!
They nuked Valencia! I finally get to watch 24, Heroes and Veronica Mars tonight. So my embargo on these shows lasts one more day. Shhhhhhh.
Does anyone else read Lefsetz Letter as obsessively as me? Good stuff. To wit:
and...
Oh, and the Suns? They laid the smack down last night. Like woah. It was unreal, but a joy to behold. Steve Nash is The Maestro.
Posted by Kyle at 12:30 PM | Comments (5)
January 23, 2007
How Was It For You?
James are reforming! With Booth, Gott, Glennie, Davies, Hunter and Baynton-Power, the line-up that recorded Laid! They are one of my favorite bands ever. Unfortunately the only time I was able to see them was on their ill-fated Lollapalooza jaunt, where they were just before KoRn on the bill. Yep, they went over like gangbusters. Not only that, they played a craptastic set full of songs from their album Whiplash. I've never seen them play a full on set of hits. Which reminds me, I need to get a copy of Getting Away With It... Live.
PS - Come to the USA!
**UPDATE** - Here are some downloadable James songs for you.
Other reasons why I'm happy today:
- Suns v. Wizards at the Phone Booth tonight! Nash v. Agent Zero. Butler v. Marion.
- New Veronica Mars on tonight! Which, like 24 and Heroes last night, I will have to DVR and watch later. So breathe not a peep here!
- Lastly, new Travis! I have no idea why I like this band so much, but I do. So there. I really like this tune. Anyone got the MP3?
[via Stereogum]
Saw Camera Obscura last night. Not the most energetic live performers if you know what I mean. But they were great, if a bit mellow. They played "Lets Get Out Of The Country," "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken," and "Looks Could Kill" in succession about 3/4 of the way throught he set, so that was the high point (and pretty great). They closed with a wonderful "Razzle Dazzle Rose" and Ms. Smith and I both thought it was a great show to start the year out with. I took some photos but didn't have the time to upload them. Tomorrow hopefully.
Posted by Kyle at 1:27 PM | Comments (4)
January 19, 2007
Get Those Lily Allen Tickets
For the DC pre-sale, click here. The password is LILYMTV.
Pre-sales for other cities (same password):
NYC
Chicago/Philadelphia/Los Angeles/Boston
Posted by Kyle at 7:06 PM | Comments (0)
Gear Stolen! Help!
Ian and the boys in Middle Distance Runner ran in to some troubles in New York yesterday when their gear was stolen out of their van. Somebody broke the window on their van and helped themselves to the following:
-Fender Jazzmaster 1962 re-issue (sunburst w/ tortoise pick guard)
-Fender American Telecaster (sunburst w/ white pick guard)
-Fender 5-string Jazz Bass, HM model (white w/ paint chipping off near pickups)
-Drum hardware ... cymbals, stands, tambourine, cowbell, shaker, etc...
If you happen to see any of this stuff in a local pawnshop, holler at the band.
Posted by Kyle at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2007
Ouch
Sucks for any recently signed bands to that label. Hope they got a big front end. I doubt it.
I guess this is where I say karma's a bitch.
Posted by Kyle at 9:15 PM | Comments (0)
January 9, 2007
Misc. Music Notes
Last night I read this and then I got so excited that I went here and bought this and have listened to it three times so far today. I figure I can get another three in before the day is out. It's. that. good. I only "saw" Spiritualized once, at The Supper Club in NYC when they were touring behind Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating In Space. We got there late and I simply could not find a place where I could actually see the stage, and since I was still relatively unfamiliar with the band and their work, I spent the show at the bar with a few friends half paying attention and mostly drinking. I stupidly passed on seeing them twice opening for Radiohead when they played Radio City Music Hall on consecutive nights at the end of the OK Computer tour. But I digress... Lazer Guided Melodies is the shit. Go get a copy if you don't have it in your collection. Oh, and about that possible gig at the 9:30? Yes, please.
The Mighty Mozzer kicks Mikey and and Gary out of the band (**sniff**) and announces three shows in Pasadena in February. Tix on sale this weekend. *taps foot impatiently waiting for a U.S. tour.* I am dying to shoot Moz in concert.
Related: Take a bow Morrissey, saviour of Eurovision.
I'm skeptical, and I honestly wonder if anyone gives a shit about Madge anymore. But I think the Thin White Duke's remix of Starsailor's "Four On The Floor" is teh hottness. Track it down if you've never heard it.
OK, back to waiting for the iPhone details.
**Update** Like Woah. Although methinks it's a little too pricey for me right now. And I wouldn't exactly be thrilled to have to switch to Cingular.
Posted by Kyle at 12:59 PM | Comments (1)
January 8, 2007
Help A Little Guy Out
I am totally on the record as being a recent D.C. transplant so you know I don't claim any connection to the old "D.C. scene" as it was. Frankly, I was relieved to find, upon moving here, that D.C. is full of wonderful, non-hardcore bands. But I digress...
Former Jawbox frontman J. Robbins recently found out his son Callum was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy which is as bad as it sounds. Many medical procedures and medical bills are in the little tyke's future and, let's be honest, working in the music industry doesn't pay that well. So, if you are so moved, head over to the DeSoto website and make a donation to the family. Or if you're in NYC or Chicago, you can go see some rock shows while you get your charity on.
Posted by Kyle at 3:15 PM | Comments (0)
January 3, 2007
Come Sit Next To Me
One band that I somehow could not find space for in my year end round-up posts that definitely deserves some love is Pela. I caught them on a whim during last fall's DAM!fest and they were so much awesome. I bought their EP via iTunes a few days later and it's been in heavy rotation for the last two months or so. The above video is from last year's SXSW festival and should give you a good idea as to what they're all about. Simply put, if you like thinking man's rock, like The Hold Steady, then you need to give these guys a spin. This tune, "Waiting At The Stairs" is a bit more Okkervil River than the rest of their stuff, which tends to lean towards War-era U2 at times, but, like I said, it's the hotness. I can't recommend their EP Exit Columbia Street enough. But then again, I heart EP's.
[MP3] Pela | Lost to the Lonesome (AAC file)
But don't take my word for it. Jeff pegged them as "Big in '07" over at Gothamist.
Also, if you want more, and I know that you will, the good folks over at World's Fair pointed me in the direction if RySpace, which has a recent Pela gig from the Bowery Ballroom up for your downloading pleasure. I just grabbed it and am going to see how it sounds. I suggest you do the same.
Posted by Kyle at 1:03 PM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2006
James Brown R.I.P.
I logged into 1115.org today, just like I do pretty much every day, and was deeply saddened to read that The Godfather of Soul passed away yesterday at the age of 73. I just started immersing myself his vast back catalog over the summer, but as most everyone knows, if you've listened to any hip-hop in the last 15 years, you've heard plenty of his work. Matt 1115 gives The Hardest Working Man In Show Business a proper sendoff and also has a mixtape for those of you that want to pump some JB today in remembrance.
Posted by Kyle at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)
December 20, 2006
Top Albums of 2006
Ghostface Killah | Fishscale - He ain't been this hungry since Supreme Clientele. I might have given up on hip hop if not for this record. It's that good. If you you would have told me waaay back in 1993, when I was listening to Enter The Wu-Tang non-stop, that Ghost would have been the Wu's most prolific and consistent MC, I would have never believed you.
Goldfrapp | Supernature - I'm totally late to the Goldfrapp party, but now I'm trying to cut to the front of the line. This is the record I probably listened to the most this year. There's a wealth of different electro grooves on this record, enough that something new will grab you every time you listen to it.
The Changes | Today Is Tonight - A late edition to the list. I just got this CD last month but it's been in heavy rotation since. Part Fountains of Wayne, part Tahiti 80, part Cars...If you like pretty pop records that hit you over the head with killer hooks, you need to buy this album.
Morrissey | Ringleader of the Tormentors - THIS is the record I wanted two years ago when The Mighty Mozzer made his "comeback." You Are The Quarry, to me, sounded like Moz trying to be all things to all people. This record showcases a more confident and focused Moz, all the while giving his band a bit more room to do their thing. This album will age really well and be looked back as one of his best when it's all said and done.
Camera Obscura | Lets Get Out of This Country - I hate twee but the appeal of this record is undeniable, from the Motown leanings of "If Looks Could Kill" to the pure pop genius that is "LLoyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken." Detractors say this sounds too much like Belle & Sebastian, but I don't really listen to them, so it sounds fresh to me.
William Orbit | Hello Waveforms - Perhaps the most enjoyable album to listen to out of the entire bunch listed here, for no other reason than nothing else you hear this year can come close to the tunes floating around in Billy Bubbles' head. Just gorgeous. I can guarantee you that this record is much more enjoyable than any "chill" compilation that you have. In the interests of full disclosure, I used to help manage William, so I am a bit biased.
Maximo Park | Missing Songs - A collection of odds n' sods that I enjoy much more than the record they came from. Hey, I have to indulge my b-sides fetish somehow. "Fear of Falling" and "Stray Talk" are better than anything on A Certain Trigger.
Silversun Pickups | Carnavas - I think DCeiver put it best in this year's Top 40: "The rest of you music bloggers and your darling, pointyheaded folk princes and twee-pop bullshittery bore the fucking hell out of me. So: here's a rock band, bringing actual rock. Listen to them." That pretty much says it all.
Art Brut | Bang Bang Rock n' Roll - I played "Good Weekend" for as many people as I could this year. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a song that is more fun to listen to. The same thing can be said for this album. And their live show.
Editors | The Back Room - A slow burner that definitely didn't grab me on the first few listens. But seeing them live made me listen to this album with a new outlook. It suffers a bit from a lack of dynamics, but the tunes are there if you give it a chance.
Posted by Kyle at 9:39 AM | Comments (5)
December 18, 2006
What I Can't Be Today, I Can Be Tomorrow
I'm in meetings all day, so instead of hastily throwing together some random linkage, I leave you instead with a Paul Weller primer, for no other reason than he's so hot right now and I am totally bummed I won't be attending his upcoming career spanning shows in NYC and LA.
I had the pleasure of seeing him during the US leg of the Days Of Speed tour, a show that was mind-blowingly awesome. I have never seen someone plays the guitar as effortlessly as Paul Weller. It was incredible, like the instrument was simply an extension of his body.
I was introduced to the Modfather through the one and only Noel Gallagher. He did a cover of The Jam's "To Be Someone" on an Oasis tour in the mid-90's and I went out and bought The Jam's Greatest Hits the very next day. After devouring their catalog, I moved onto Weller's solo work (I skipped the shaky Style Council period that made up the middle of his career). Weller's influence touches many of the British bands I love, Oasis in particular. He is credited as the father of Britpop (a term he detests) and after watching the above performance of "The Changingman," you can see the inspiration for Liam's hairstyles and Noel's fashion sense, right down to his love of scarves.
Here's a Later with Jools Holland Session from 1993:
[MP3] Paul Weller | Sunflower
[MP3] Paul Weller | Has My Fire Really Gone Out?
[MP3] Paul Weller | What's Going On (Marvin Gaye cover)
Posted by Kyle at 11:14 PM | Comments (1)
December 13, 2006
The Year In Interviews
I had the chance to talk to a wide range of musical artists this year. Some highlights:
John Vanderslice
How do you feel about blogs compared with the mainstream music media?
"...It was very clear to me then that all that print media shit doesn't matter anymore. It totally does not matter. I mean, no offense to Spin or anyone like that, but people right now, hard core music people that pay attention, they're online. The big national glossies just don't have that kind of impact anymore."
Aberdeen City
What was it like working with Steve Lillywhite?
"Looking at his discography, it's pretty intense. He's one of these producers that has a real big picture approach to songs. The producer we were working with we love, he's almost part of the band. So it was great to have someone come in and look at everything from a bit of a distance and making some subtle suggestions that had a big impact on the songs. It was a pleasure to work with someone that has been making records as long as he has. You know his stuff is proven over time. It's hard to say no to the guy but everything he had to say resonated with the band."
Hopewell
You don't hide the fact that you have ties to Mercury Rev. How do you walk the line between dropping their name and making your own?
"Generally we let the people who's job it is to sell us mention Mercury Rev. It gets fairly annoying when it is in every review, every interview etc. But, I have made some peace with it. It was a formative time for me and it was a pretty life changing thing so it's worth mentioning..."
The National
Does that help the whole recording process to go out and play some shows?
"Yeah. When you're in the studio and just kinda writing stuff for a while, sometime you don't get much perspective on what you're doing. So for us it's nice to be able to walk away for a couple of weeks and just listen to the stuff and enjoy it. Sometimes you can forget where the gut of the song is and just start piling stuff on. It gets us back so we can hear where it needs to go. That's the spot we're in right now."
Silversun Pickups (Scroll down)
What's it like being an up and coming indie band in L.A.? In New York the blogs are hyping new local bands every week, whereas L.A. doesn't have as big a blog community or online presence. Did it help to be left alone for so long and be given time to grow?
"I think so. We've noticed that alot of the blogs in New York, and not in a detrimental way, but it reminds me of the press in England, where they find a new band to champion pretty often. I don't want to call them fickle, they're not like the NME,they're just horrible. But there seems to be alot more of the championing of those kind of bands whereas in L.A. maybe since it has the reputation of being the place where shitty bands go to make it big, maybe people don't pay attention to bands from L.A. as much. And in a way, that's kind of nice, not having someone constantly looking over your shoulder."
We Are Scientists
The last time we spoke was in October of 2005 and I don't even think the record was out in the US. So obviously alot of things have happened since then. Looking back, how has the year been for you guys?
"It's been amazing. There's really no way to quantify it, it's been fantastic. Obviously we do way better in the UK than we do in the US. Unfortunately or otherwise, we spent a bulk of our time in the past 21 months in Europe, which is definitely fun and it would be ridiculous of us to complain about the fact that we do really well over there and therefor have to go over there frequently. There's something nice about playing in the States, both in familiarity and just the fact that I've been to D.C. so many times in the past as a visitor and then playing really tiny, crappy places, that it's nice to play a big show and have people come out and have a good time."
Posted by Kyle at 2:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 12, 2006
Interview with We Are Scientists
I had the pleasure of interview Keith Murray of We Are Scientists last week. The full interview is up over at DCist. It's nice to talk to a band that likes D.C.:
What made you guys decide to do this one last tour before the end of the year?
We had done a co-headlining tour with Art Brut over the summer and we had a UK tour booked before then that sort of cut into the Northeastern part of that tour. So Art Brut got to hit all the good towns, Boston, D.C., New York, etc. and we got to play Lawrence, KS. You know, nothing wrong with Lawrence, but it's no D.C. We've got to stop touring eventually and start working on our next album, and we thought this tour would be a delightful way to delay that. We wanted to hit the good towns that we were so cruelly robbed of last time.
That's funny because alot of bands don't make it a point to come through D.C.
Really? We love D.C.! D.C. is definitely one of the core towns for us. Nobody in our organization, our booking agents, managers, label and those people, nobody was that interested in us doing these last few shows. But we were mad that we missed them on that last tour, so we wanted one last round in all those towns before we had to sit at home for a while.
Posted by Kyle at 3:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 7, 2006
!!!!!!!!!!!!
Super Furry Animals have enough material for three new albums, frontman Gruff Rhys has told NME.COM.
"We've got about 20 hours worth of music recorded. The next record's a bit of a racket. By the end of the last tour we had dumped all the slow songs are were just doing rocky numbers. At that point we were rehearsing a batch of new songs and that influenced their direction - they're pretty energetic and extreme. It's very melodic, and there are a couple of mellow tunes too."
Pitchfork has the details of Gruff's upcoming solo record, Candylion along with a video. You can check out some tracks on Gruff's MySpace.
Lastly, and perhaps most exciting, is Daf's band The Peth! Check out these MP3's:
[MP3] The Peth | Let's Go Fucking Mental
[MP3] The Peth | Skin Up For Jesus
"Skin Up For Jesus" is an old, but never recorded SFA song that die hards like me have been waiting over 10 years to hear. Best.
Posted by Kyle at 11:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 5, 2006
Best Shows of 2006
Off the top of my head, and according to my quick perusal through the archives, there were the 12 best shows I saw this year.
Bicycle Thieves w/ Cedars and Nethers @ 9:30 Club - January
"Nethers is a weird hybrid of folk and shoegazer/drone rock. And by weird, I mean incredible. At times they sounded like Luna, other times like Mazzy Star and others like Sonic Youth if they went folk. It's nice to go see a band that doesn't churn out your typical indie-rock and Nethers fit the bill nicely."
Billy Bragg @ The Birchmere - February
"Bragg was in top form (apparently his voice has been pretty ragged on this tour, but not last night) and any night that you can hear "The Milkman of Human Kindness" and "A New England" is a good one. And again, even moreso when he plays the entirity of Life's A Riot With Spy vs. Spy as the encore. Best."
Wedding Present @ Black Cat - March
"The setlist (yes, I got the setlist, I am a big dork OK) wasn't as hit heavy as the last time they came through town, but I did get to hear "Go Out And Get 'Em Boy", which was the second to last song I ever played in my college radio career as well as "Brassneck" which is probably one of my 10 favortist songs ever."
Elbow @ Webster Hall - April
"Elbow was/are fucking mega. Webster Hall wasn't so bad. Big space, great lighting, tall stage. No complaints at all."
Art Brut @ Black Cat - April
"Holy shit. Art Brut were teh awesome last night. I honestly can't remember the last time I had so much fun at a rock show. Ever go to a gig and know that it's going to be incredible after the first 30 seconds? That was me last night."
Echo & the Bunnymen @ Black Cat - June
"The Bunnies ripped through a set that focused mostly on their vast catalog, so much so, that I was actually disappointed not to hear more from Siberia, but I will stop short of complaining. "The Cutter" was to die for. And the transition form "Scissors In the Sand" right into "All That Jazz" was just incredible."
Editors & Cedars @ 9:30 Club - July
"Last night was the second time I had seen them [Editors] this year and they were just brilliant. No matter what you think of the record, you owe it to yourself to go see this band in the live arena. They sound huuuuge."
Pitchfork Fest in Chicago, Day One and Day Two - July
"Overall I really enjoyed my experience at the Pitchfork Fest. Yes the writers on the site can be pretentious wankers at times (unlike the writer of this site), but they did a great job with this event. Everything there was super cheap, from the tickets ($30 for two days), food (most dishes under $5), beer ($4 for 12 oz.), and water ($1 for 20 oz.) The lines got a bit out of control at times, but most of them moved fast and everyone inside the gates was super friendly. I felt like I got a lot for my money."
Virgin Festival, Baltimore - September
"I'm a bit ashamed to say that up until Saturday, I never really "got" The Who. Sure I liked them, but I failed to see why Eddie Vedder spontaneously blows a load whenever anyone so much as mentions their name. Well, after seeing them live, I get it. I was really nervous about taking photos of them and don't really remember much about the first song they played, but "The Seeker" was second in the set and it made me step back and just take it all in. I was about 4 feet away from Bee Thousand while he was windmilling around everywhere. Wow. I stayed around for the next four or five songs and discovered a newfound admiration for a band that everyone already loves."
Massive Attack @ 9:30 Club - September
"Horace Andy and Deborah Miller in particular, really shined last night. Andy's voice was magnificent, better than any of his recorded output. And Miller brought down the house with her vocals on "Safe From Harm" and "Unfinished Sympathy."
The National w/ Nethers @ Black Cat - October
"Let me be the 3,476th blogger to go on record as saying The National are really fucking good. Transcendent at times. Last night I was struck by how U2-y their sound is. I mean Unforgettable Fire U2 (i.e.good U2), not "One, Two, Three, Fourteen" U2. I couldn't get over how beautiful "All The Wine" was. It's really understated on Alligator but live, it packs a wallop."
Beck @ Black Cat Backstage - October
"Beck and his band, all five of them, crowded onto the stage around 12:30 a.m. and worked their way through a spirited 19-song set, full of requests from the crowd, that spanned his whole career. Amazingly, out of all the requests being shouted, I don't recall hearing anyone ask for "Loser." The best part about the show? The band seemed to be having just as much fun as the crowd. At one point Beck joked, "The club owner said if we do good at this show, we can play the upstairs next time."
HONORABLE MENTION:
Scott Stapp @ 9:30 Club - March
"As for my thoughts...hmmmm....take every rock cliche you can think of for the live arena and multiply them to the nth degree and that is Scott Stapp. He'd done every move in Eddie Vedder's book in the first 45 seconds he was on stage."
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December 4, 2006
Nooooooooooooooo!
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November 28, 2006
The Way That He Sings
I scored a pair of tickets for tonight's sold out My Morning Jacket show at the 9:30 Club. I'm not a huge MMJ fan, but it will be nice to see what all the fuss is about. I have a copy of Z and it's grown on me a bit, so we'll see. I have "Knot Comes Loose" and "It Beats 4 U" rated fairly highly in my iTunes so lets hope they play one of those tracks so I'm not completely in the dark all night. The Slip is opening. They sound a bit OK Go-ish from the two MP3's that I've heard.
[MP3] The Slip | Even Rats
[MP3] The Slip | Children Of December
Still working on a photo pass. I hear MMJ have a great light show. Fingers crossed.
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And I'm Back
A funny things happens when you don't post anything for over a week. All your content falls off the front page of the site.
I had a few technical difficulties over the holiday break that prevented me from posting anything and now I'm swamped at work, so sit back and enjoy the following and let's agree to try this again tomorrow.
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November 10, 2006
Corporate...Culture?
I am at a loss for words. I hate u2 but even they don't deserve this. Good lord.
[link via the The Stranger Blog, thanks Ms. Smith!]
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November 9, 2006
You Look Like A Kiddie Fiddler
I'm off to see Borat tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow with a few announcements. In the meantime, check out this appearance by Jarvis Cocker on the UK version of Da Ali G Show and peep this smokin' version of "Help The Muthafuckin' Aged." Pure genius.
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November 6, 2006
The Bravery Are Back
Damore, beware! Your least favorite band ever is back! New album The Sun and the Moon, produced by Brendan O'Brien, out next year. Lets hope it's better than this trainwreck. In the meantime they are doing some warm up shows.
NOT SO SECRET SHOWS
With Special Guest: The IV Thieves
Mon Nov 13
TT the Bears - Cambridge, MA
$12 * 8pm Doors * 18+
Tue Nov 14
Century Lounge - Providence, RI
$10 * 8pm Doors * 18+
Wed Nov 15
Ottobar - Baltimore, MD
$10 * 8pm Doors * All Ages
PRIVATE SHOWS
With Special Guest: Radio 4
(Very Limited Tickets Available to the Public)
Wed Nov 29
Webster Hall - New York, NY
$15 * 8pm Doors * 18+
Thu Nov 30
The Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
$10 * 8pm Doors * 21+
Sat Dec 2 -
Lincoln Theater - Raleigh Durham, NC
$10 * 8pm Doors * 18+
Mon Dec 4
Music Farm - Charleston, SC
$10 * 8pm Doors * 18+
Tue Dec 5
Roxy - Atlanta, GA
Wed Dec 6
Firestone - Orlando, FL
(On Sale 11/9)
Thanks to Coolfer for the heads up.
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October 31, 2006
One More For The List
The first Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco
The NC State Basketball Arena
The Reading Festival
The First Union Center in Philiadelphia
Field Day at Giants Stadium
and The Backstage at the Black Cat. Capacity approximately 150.
Above are the venues where I've seen Beck perform. Actually, he got hurt at Field Day and didn't perform, but I'm going for scale here, so work with me.
Last night's Beck show was pretty incredible. Half of the set was his new record, the other half was requests from the crowd.
I had to sign a photo release to take pics at the show, so head on over to DCist to read all about it.
Even though I got to bed really, really late last night, I can't complain. I caught The Decemberists and Beck in a matter of hours and got to cover both shows. Not bad for a crappy little music blog.
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October 30, 2006
Breaking News: Beck at Black Cat Tonight
I have info from a very reliable source that Beck will playing a surprise set at the Black Cat tonight. He'll be taking the stage sometime around midnight. I have no idea what this means for the Apples In Stereo show already scheduled.
Don't forget, you heard it here first!
**UPDATE** Here's the review of the show.
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October 27, 2006
New Spoon!
Stream "The Book I Write" from the Stranger Than Fiction Soundtrack:
Windoze Media
Real
Glorious Quicktime
Also, Brooklyn Vegan has a Lady Sov remix by Spank Rock for you to download.
Lastly, stream "History Song," the new track by that poof Damon Albarn's new group The Good The Bad and the Queen.
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October 25, 2006
I Wanna Go 'Gator
My interview with Matt Berninger of The National is up over on DCist. Matt was extremely nice during our interview and he really opened up and talked about how much he hates me, D.C., Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Yankees, the follow up to Alligator, Bruce Springsteen, touring and Nethers*. I can't wait for their D.C. show on Thursday!
* Disclaimer: Matt doesn't hate any of those things at all. In fact, he really likes them. Except for the Yankees. The whole band hates the Yankees. Sweet!
Here's an excerpt:
I remember reading about the tour you did together [with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah] when they were opening for you and supposedly everyone was coming to see them. What was that like? I know you guys are friends...
The first few shows of that tour were really awkward because between when we set up the tour and when we hit the road, they blew up and became a phenomenon...I'd say there were four or five shows where that happened and you could really tell that half the crowd had left. But at the rest of them, we didn't get that feeling at all. But we kind of just swallowed it and said that's the way it's going to be and I think we played really well. I think ultimately we ended up getting more attention than we would have if we'd have gone out without them...And after that tour, we suddenly started getting the feeling that more people were paying attention to us than before. But during the tour, between the two bands, it was just constant joking. They were ribbing us and it was a really playful thing. We've been talking about potentially doing another tour in the Spring with them.
Go read the whole thing. I'll (hopefully)be back later today with The Linkage.
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October 23, 2006
Land Of Confusion
In yet another sign of my approaching senility, I find it harder and harder to figure out who is who on the ever-expanding indie rock landscape. I'm always confusing one band for another (and this is off the top of my head):
Brakes, The Rakes, The Grates
The Cassettes, Cassettes Won't Listen
Cloud Cult, The Cloud Room
Dirty Pretty Things, Death By Sexy, Dirty On Purpose
Wolf Eyes, Wolf Parade
Wolfmother, Guitar Wolf
Guillemotts , Two Gallants
Califone, Calexico
Catfish Haven, Hootie and the Blowfish (just kidding!)
The Black Keys, Black Heart Procession, The Black Angels
Rock Kills Kid , Boy Kill Boy
Mates of State, Hope of the States
The Noisettes, The Pipettes
Engineers, Editors
French Kicks, King of France
Mya, M.I.A., Sia
Pony Up, The Ponys
There's also a band I keep confusing with TV on the Radio, whose name escapes me at the moment. I'll add more as I think of them. Feel free to add your own in the comments.
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October 20, 2006
Yuck
Behold the latest cash grab alternate road unis for the Washington Wizards. I vote Fugly. meh.
We Are Scientists are playing the Black Cat in December. I missed them last time around, so maybe I'll go check out this gig.
Jarvis Cocker takes over as guest editor for the Observer and initiates a round table discussion with Nick Cave, Beth Orton and others. Highlights:
Nick Cave: People have been married to my music ... and I just don't think it would be very cool for them to switch on the TV and "The Ship Song" comes on a Cornetto ad or something.Paul Morley: All those things we thought were important ... they've been co-opted by the capitalist world to give what it has to sell the illusion of hipness and cool, so that the whole world feels as if they're in on the revolution and that they're hip and they're cool. But the meaning of it has been sucked dry. I blame Busted. Before Busted there was no guitar music anywhere; it had been wiped away by pop groups and by Pop Idol ...
Nick Cave [quietly, to Beth Orton]: Who are Busted?
I got a copy of the new Wowee Zowee reissue last night (and in the interest of full disclosure, Beggars/Matador, unbenkowknst to me, bought an ad on my site for said CD this morning) and am really loving it. I was going to post some MP3's for everyone to download, but Pitchfork has done it for me. P4K, good for MP3's, not so good for photos or puncutation. Head over there to download a live version of "Fight This Generation," (my fave song by Pavement), a live version of "Heckler Spray/In the Mouth of a Desert" as well as "Rattled By The Rush." Sweet! And of course, click on the ad for more info.
Ooh, I almost forgot. I interviewed Matt from The National yesterday and we had a great conversation. I learned why they hate Washington D.C. (they don't) and we talked about their new record and that tour with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I'll have it up next week.
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October 16, 2006
Raise Your Hand If...
...you, like me, think Catfish Haven sounds just like Hootie and the Blowfish.
[MP3] Catfish Haven | Crazy For Leaving
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October 6, 2006
I Know Something Else Worth "Nothing"
Thanks to Matt 5500 for spotting the latest in a growing number of Pitchfork typos in today's Pet Shop Boys album review. He's guessing they meant "worth noting" and I have to agree. Am I gonna have to make a separate category for Pitchfork typos? If anyone else spots one, send it along.
Maybe if another blog wasn't so busy trying to become the new Entertainment Weekly while showing us all what great tastemakers they are, they could get around to doing the things they laid out in their ballyhooed "manifesto" and calling P4k out on this stuff. But it's not like anyone's sticking around to read them...
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October 5, 2006
Time To Start Training Mr. Pink
Whenever I play records, he just curls up and takes a nap.
[Thanks to Ms. Smith for the link.]
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October 3, 2006
I Don't Get It
Continuing yesterday's post (hey, I'm not above beating a dead horse), I just don't get Pitchfork's photo based concert review posts. The reviews are all well and good, I just think it's curious that the photos get the main billing when they are generally pants. The images they post are rarely more than passable and look like they were taken on a 3 year old Canon Powershot. Couldn't Pitchfork get a photographer with a decent set up to tag along with the reviewer and take some shots worthy of the bandwidth from mightiest indie rock news source in all the land?
For the record, I'm not trying to say that I'm Mr. Super Duper Blogger Photographer Extraordinaire. I take lots of photos with my camera(s) and have improved alot from the beginning of the year, but I will be the first person to say I have a LONG way to go before I start to get a big head about my photos. But if and when it happens, you'll be the first to know.
Yay! Yeserday was Celtics Media Day! The season tips off four short weeks from now. Even better, the Wiz open at home against the C's.
Hey, if it's October, it must mean the A's get the first game (10 o'clock in the a.m. on the West Coast) and the Yanks get the primetime slots. Whatevs. For the record, I'm pulling for Red Sox West The Dodgers.
A music blogger's personal manifesto. I have some thoughts on this whole thing that I've been meaning to put together, and hope to soon, as soon as I'm done beating dead horses.
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October 2, 2006
Copyeditor Wanted
Can you spot the error in Pitchfork's review of Mansun's Legacy: The Best of Mansun?
Not as egregious as the last time I caught them fucking up, but still...Does anyone read these things before they go up?
And not even 10 minutes ago I left a comment (which doesn't seem to want to show up - or maybe they won't post it *shrug*) saying "Sports bloggers ripping The Sports Guy is about as tired as MP3 bloggers ripping Pitchfork."
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September 29, 2006
Lord Don't Slow Me Down Trailer!
Interviewer: Has the live show changed much?
Liam Fookin' Gallagher: Not really. Five lads walk on stage AND FUCKING HAVE IT!
Brilliant.
Someone needs to get me a copy of this film ASAP.
[Via The Tripwire]
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September 19, 2006
The Importance of Being Idle
A good friend of mine is interviewing Noelly G. in person today. This good friend of mine is lucky he is indeed a good friend of mine because I am insanely jealous (and that's an understatement). We traded quite a few emails last night and I sent over roughly 25 questions for The Chief, some of which have a very good chance of being asked today. I am all a-flutter with anticipation. And yes, I am a little girl. Thanks for asking.
Apparently Noel is doing phoners with some bloggers, and somehow I AM NOT ONE OF THEM. But I'm not bitter or anything. grumblegrumblegrumble. The good news is that my friend's interview will soon be podacastafied so everyone can hear it. In the meantime, I will have to console myself with my just acquired photo pass for Virgin Fest this weekend.
Can we get a show of hands of people bored to tears by Idolator. I believe Jen put it best when she said, "it reads like an MLB.com writer and an EW writer are attempting to write about music...oh, wait." Bo-ring.
Spiral Stairs on the Wowee Zowee reissue.
Zune = viral DRM.
Pics from Bansky's LA exhibit. Yeah, the one with the elephant.
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August 23, 2006
Interview With Silversun Pickups
Last week your truly had the opportunity to chat with Joe Lester (that's him on the right with the glasses) of the Silversun Pickups about their recent D.C. show, their future touring plans and those pesky Smashing Pumpkins comparisons.
So how is the tour going?
It's been really good. It's kinda crazy because it's not like a regular tour. It's like, fly to the East Coast, drive around to a bunch of places, head back to New York , fly to Chicago, drive around a bunch in the Midwest...It's not linear at all. It's like hopping to and fro and we have all this publicity stuff during the day time, it's kinda starting to wear on us a little bit. Well, not wear on us, but it's catching up to us.
Well, it's kind of a new experience for you guys, right?
Yeah. We've never done anything like it.
Have you toured the East Coast before?
Yeah. We did a three and a half week tour with Earlimart two years ago. The tour actually started, for us anyway, in Boston and went all the way down the East Coast and all the way across the South and then back to L.A. But that's the only time. And we've been to CMJ a couple times and that kind of stuff, but no real proper touring until this time.
And now you have all these press commitments eating up your downtime...
We've done touring where were used to being in the van for long drives and things like that, but when we have to be somewhere at 1 p.m. for an interview as opposed to 7 p.m. for soundcheck, that starts to catch up with you a little bit.
Is it just the band in the van? Do you have a soundman or a roadie?
Our manager has been with us for bits and pieces of the tour and we had a defacto tour manager on the Midwest leg of the tour because renting his tour van with him driving it was cheaper than renting from a place like Avis. We've never had that before, so that was pretty cool.
So where are you located?
I'm in Washington D.C. I saw you guys play the Black Cat last week.
Oh nice.
That was a great gig. I was really blown away. I was telling everyone how impressed I was with the show. I loved that your amps were as big as the stage was.
[Laughs] That show was kind of funny because we got there and the opening band was soundchecking and they told us "We usually only soundcheck the openers here," and we were like [puzzled] "Ooohkay." Because that's kind of backwards, but were just like "Whatever, that's fine." We've played so many little clubs, especially in L.A., where all you can hope for is that you're loud enough and that's it. So we're used to that.
That has to be tough for you since you do the keyboards and effects.
I've managed to figure it out. I just keep turning up until I can hear myself a little over Brian's guitars and that's usually a pretty decent indicator that I'm sort of where I need to be. But not always. We had fun at that show. All these shows have been crazy because we didn't really know what to expect because it's the first or second time we've been through these towns, so we're like "where the fuck did all these people come from?"
Thats easy, they all listen to KEXP. They really took a liking to you guys.
They've been super great.
I would imagine that's how most of the people heard about you guys. They played "Kissing Families" like crazy.
They've played the shit out of the E.P. and whenever they ask us to do anything, like "Hey, we're having a party," and we're like "We'll be there," because they've been so great to us.
That's how I found out about the band. They put "Kissing Families" as the first track on one of their Music That Matters podcasts.
We didn't realize how much reach they had. We get crazy emails from all over the place from people hearing us on KEXP, like from South America.
It's crazy how internet radio has changed everything, especially since real radio sucks so much right now. It's driving people all online. People can sit in their cube all day and just listen to WOXY or KEXP or something like that because they know that's how they'll find the good music.
Absolutely. It's a great equalizing force. Now good bands who aren't able to get on some major label and get heard, they're saying "Fuck it, we can make a CD in our hometown and if one of the internet stations hears it and likes it, we can still have people hear out music." And that's pretty amazing.
And then you do things like visit the WOXY studio and perform and they make it available for streaming and downloading. It's just more material for your fans to hear.
It just feels nice to do stuff like that. Like going to WOXY and seeing that they're people who really love music as much as you do and they honestly are there just because they want to have a radio station that plays the music that they want to hear.
What size venues are you playing on this tour? All they all tiny rooms?
Yeah, mostly rooms that hold between 150 and 250 people. We played at Schubas in Chicago and they said it held like 200. So it's all smallish rooms. I'd say the Mercury Lounge in New York was the biggest place we played. We're just surprised when there's more than 20 people there.
Obviously you guys are going to be playing bigger venues pretty soon. Have you thought about that at all?
Not really. You hope that some day you'll be able to do that but this next tour we're on with Viva Voce is all places about the same size as what we're playing on this tour. We don't want to get too big for our britches. We've played some bigger places on tours when we've supported other people, like The Wiltern in L.A., and you just don't realize how great stage sound can be until you do that.
That's what I kept thinking during the D.C. show. I can't wait to hear you guys with a big sound system behind you.
That's something to look forward to. We may have a sound guy with us on the next tour. We've talked to Viva Voce about maybe splitting one for the whole tour. I've just started looking at where we're playing on the next tour. Dates have sort of been filtering in to us.
Bloggers love you, but the one criticism I generally read in regards to your band is the dreaded "90's influence." How do you feel about that?
It's funny. In one way it's weird because everyone wants to give us a tag like "New New Wave" or something like that. A 90's revival sounds sort of weird, because the 90's weren't that long ago, but at the same time the bands we keep get compared to, at least they were good 90's bands. The first three Smashing Pumpkins records were great. I'll take My Bloody Valentine comparisons all day long. It's better than Toad the Wet Sprocket or something like that.
The first time I heard Carnavas, it reminded me of Gish, which is one of my favorite records.
I think that's because it has alot of big fuzzy guitars on it and I guess when you think about it, there aren't a whole lot of bands that are doing that right now. It's more that jangley, dancey, Strokes-y guitar, so maybe that makes it more of an easy comparison. It's just what happened when we started playing together, there was definitely no thought that we were going to make "the new Gish," you know? Honestly I haven't heard Gish in probably 10 years. It's just one of those things. Everyone needs something to grab on to, and that seems to be our thing. It's an easy comparison to make for a lot of people. I don't really think of it as slanderous or anything. It's bound to happen.
The band has been together for a while now, like five years, and you're just now starting to take off. Do you feel like this attention is a long time coming or is it more of a natural progression?
None of us have really thought about it that way. We'd done some demos with some friends of ours in 2001 or 2002 that was every song or song idea that we had, and we didn't really feel like any of them were done. So we just kept playing and figuring out what we wanted to do and what we wanted to sound like and eventually a few different labels approached us about putting something out. So we were like "Oh yeah, we better do that." I think we're at a point now where we can out forward a pretty good representation of what we are. We were just playing so much that we never really though "Oh fuck, we have to get a record out." We were playing alot and it was fun and it was what we like to do. So when it was presented to us, we decided that we should probably record something and put some shit out for real.
What's it like being an up and coming indie band in L.A.? In New York the blogs are hyping new local bands every week, whereas L.A. doesn't have as big a blog community or online presence. Did it help to be left alone for so long and be given time to grow?
I think so. We've noticed that alot of the blogs in New York, and not in a detrimental way, but it reminds me of the press in England, where they find a new band to champion pretty often. I don't want to call them fickle, they're not like the NME,they're just horrible. But there seems to be alot more of the championing of those kind of bands whereas in L.A. maybe since it has the reputation of being the place where shitty bands go to make it big, maybe people don't pay attention to bands from L.A. as much. And in a way, that's kind of nice, not having someone constantly looking over your shoulder.
And that gives you time to develop before you have hundreds of people coming to see you play.
I think it's much nicer that way. If people want to talk about us, great. We're not going to collapse in front of them. We've been doing this long enough that we know how to play shows.
Earlier this year some friends and I went to see an unnamed, over-hyped band from Brooklyn in concert and they were horrible. It was one of the worst shows I've seen in a while. They could barely play their instruments.
It's funny because I heard a few of the songs from their record and I really liked them but then we saw them on Conan last night and I don't know if I really get it. They were all just standing there and I...I just don't know.
Yeah, so my friend wrote a spot on review calling them out on this bad show and some people commented that we should take it easy on them because they'd only played x number of shows up to that point. But that didn't stop them from going out on tour and charging people $15 or $20 to see them play.
There shouldn't be apologists for that. With live shows, you're selling a commodity of sorts. You're presenting yourself as someone that's going to entertain people for an hour or whatever. And if you're going to charge people $20, tell me you've played more than six shows together. I don't want to slag off on other bands, but that is kind of weird. There's been a couple of instances that we've come across that's kind of like that where we were wondering where all the press was coming from. It's much more interesting to me when you go see a band that you've never heard of. Where we're from in L.A., you go to venues just like people in other parts of the country go to bars. Cover charges are like $5 and you just go see bands. Sometimes you want to go see them because you've heard of them and sometimes you just go with a bunch of friends. We'll just go get a drink and see if anyone good is playing. Those nights are the most fun, when you see something that makes you say "Holy fuck, where did these guys come from? They're amazing."
What's the scene in L.A. is like?
It's weird. And I mean that in a good way. The places that I end up going to most of the time, It's all over the map. Like this band Darker My Love that are this crazy, super freaky, fuzzed out, awesome droney space rock and The Movies, who have this awesome 80's Talking Heads kind of vibe. And here I am using the same comparisons that we were talking about earlier, but...[laughs] There are alot of really great bands. Like the Cold War Kids, they're great. We tried to get our label to sign them and now like every major in the world is courting them. We toured with them a bit and they're awesome. There is a band whose live show is fantastic. They're really fun. There's always good stuff in L.A. if you know where to look. We get slagged of alot by people saying there's no scene here, but they just don't know where to look.
-----------
As mentioned earlier, the Silversun Pickups have a few West Coast dates left on their current tour before a short break and their tour with Viva Voce at the end of September. You can visit their media section or their MySpace page for MP3's, audio streams and videos.
Other interview by information leafblower:
Aberdeen City
John Vanderslice
We Are Scientists
Robbers On High Street
Mike Doughty
Record Producer Chris Shaw
Jeff Lin from Harvey Danger, Part One and Part Two
Sea Ray
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August 21, 2006
Am I Wry? No
So I had planned to do a post on Mew today, but it seems like the rest of the blogosphere beat me to it. So go read up ion them atthe following places:
- Mew on AOL's The Interface podcast. The group performs live in the studio and there is also an interview.
- Culture Bully has the Interface broken down as MP3's.
- Chromewaves on Mew, with some downloads for you.
- GVB on Mew.
Honestly I can't decide if their record (Thanks Peabs!) is brilliantly over the top or a bombastic hodgepodge of falsetto vocals and prog-rock extravagance. Honestly it probably falls somewhere in between. It has it's moments but it also loses me in some places. My favorite track of theirs is "Special," which you can go here to download.
Natalya was nice enough to lend me her copy of Mew's The Zookeeper's Boy EP which has a brilliant b-side which I offer to you:
(MP3) Mew | Am I Wry? No
Enjoy!
Aside from the Snakes On A Plane movie going extravanganza I laid low this weekend. SOaP was awesomely bad. It was kinda like a porn in the fact that they just got right ot the plot. We were on the plane with the snakes being released like 10 minutes into the film. There was no messing around. If you haven't seen it yet and want to, I recommend getting alot of people together(We rolled in about 20 deep on Friday) and having a few drinks beforehand.
I did watch the two USA Basketball games over the weekend. The team looked much better yesterday v. China. The Purto Rico match was a little rough at times but they pulled it out. The US team was hitting their jumpers more in the second game and their halfcourt offense was working much better. 'Melo is playing great and my jaw drops every time the cameras focus in on Dwight Howard. Dude is HUGE. Also, Shane Battier is the man, get over it. He's perfect for this team.
And on the other end of the spectrum is...my Boston Red Fizzle.
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August 10, 2006
Consolation Prizes
My set at iPod Jukebox last night:
1) If Looks Could Kill - Camera Obscura
(Get a live version here)
2) Consolation Prizes - Phoenix
(Download the MP3 here)
3) Car Radio - Spoon
4) Ghostface Observatory - Car Stereo (Wars)
(Go here to download it)
Natalya and I got home in time to watch Project Runway (her) and The Wire on HBO on Demand (me).
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August 9, 2006
Wednesday Linkage
New Brazilian Girls MP3 for your listening pleasure:
Download "Jique"
New-ish Aberdeen City mix:
Download "God Is Going To Get Sick Of Me" (Steve Lillywhite mix)
Interesting setlist (Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before!) in Mozlo. Come to the effing US already!! I have vacay saved up and everything.
Sigh. No DC date for Harvey Danger.
Timbaland. Modesty is not his strong point.
Quintessential Irishmen u2 move their financial affairs to the Netherlands to avoid Irish taxes. Because they obviously don't have enough money. Hey, if it's good enough for the Stones...
Sad. I went to a few Madonna recording sessions there. The collection of platinum records on the walls in the lobby was simply INSANE.
The moral of this story? If MTV approaches you about a reality show, just say no.
Hi-Lar-Ious, but watch out for that audio. BTW, audio for website frontpages...so 1998.
Has Steve Jobs lost his magic?
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August 8, 2006
The Concept
Lollapalooza downloads from Sleater Kinney and Sonic Youth. Looks like Lolla was tons o' fun, and yes, I am jealous that they had better weather than Pitchfork.
Will Zach Braff go two for two with his indietastic soundtrack compilations? His new one looks fairly promising (Turin Brakes!) but at least Braff has the good mind to just say no to Nickleback.
So apparently Hawthrone Heights aren't a bunch of racist douchebags, it's their label that was sprouting all that "down with hip hop" rhetoric. So the band is suing their label, Victory Records. Also worth noting in the article, HH has made over $10 million in revenue for the label behind this record but still have not recouped! Jeezy Creezy.
DJ Shadow tours everywhere but DC. Boo! Hiss!
Add Secret Machines to the list of bands avoiding DC on their next tour, although after hearing their new album, maybe that's not a bad thing. It must work better live, because it sounds pretty lifeless on CD.
Anyone have the Mew album? It's next on my "to buy" list. I think I'll buy the MP3 version so I don't have to look at the awful cover art. Who approved that? Seriously.
I want to go! I 've never heard them play "December," although it was on the set list for the gig I saw them play in 1993. Sadly, they didn't play it. Bandwagonesque is easily in my Top 10 Records Ever list. Best.
This makes me want to buy a Macbook, but I keep telling myself to wait for version 2.0.
Related: Steve Jobs unveils the Mac Pro.
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June 26, 2006
Stormy Weather Now
I've wanted one for ages, so I finally bought a Roomba (for fairly cheap) a week or so ago. This thing is teh awesome! It picks up cat hair like there's no tomorrow. I run it every two or three days and my carpets look brand new. Mr. Pink is still getting used to it though.
Echo & The Bunnymen at the Black Cat tonight. I was led to believe I was going to get an interview with Will Sargeant but I never heard back from the Bunnymen PR company with a firm time or date. Which is too bad because I had some great questions for him. If nothing else I hoped to finally end the controversy of Ampersand or "the." Alas, it was not to be.
For those of you not lucky enough to be in the DC area tonight(or, if we're talking about the weather, lucky enough to be nowhere near here), I have some downloadable goodies for you:
Echo & the Bunnymen | Going Up (MP3) - They are opening each show with this, the opening track from Crocodiles.
Nouvelle Vague | The Killing Moon (MP3) - I loved their first record, but am not liking Bande A Part as much. Maybe it has to do with the song selection. Most of it is too upbeat, and I liked the slower stuff off the first record.
Anyways, the good folk at Ear Farm have a full live set from Nouvelle Vague, so go grab your favorites. The set includes some Blondie, Frankie Goes To Hollywood and The Smiths!
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June 21, 2006
Linkage
Go to the 14th Floor to get some new Futureheads tracks.
Sonic Youth on Morning Becomes Eclectic from 2002.
Sonic Youth on KCRW from 2004.
Metro Distortion has Silversun Pickup tour dates and a SSPU MP3 for you to download. Is it me or do these guys sound like what would have happened if Billy Corgan wanted to be a humble indie rocker instead of a SuperDuper Rawk Star?
Secrets of the Radiohead set list. I'm actually coping well with not being able to see them on this tour. Better than I thought I would. Of course, I'm avoiding all the new material like the plague...
Stream the Racontuers video for "Steady As She Goes."
We Are Scientists video tour journal. Looks like I'm going to miss them when they play DC. I have two other shows that week and I'm moving, so something had to give.
Download:
Razorlight | In The Morning (MP3)
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June 19, 2006
My Thoughts Kept On Turning to Billy Bobby Peru, How Would He Handle This One?
Perhaps by hiring a copy editor?
Paging Tuning Fork!
Posted by Kyle at 11:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 3, 2006
Late Birthday Presents
How's this for three days of the rock?
Monday, June 26 - Echo & The Bunnymen / Black Cat
Tuesday, June 27 - We Are Scientists / Black Cat
Wednesday, June 28 - Futureheads / 9:30 Club
I also just bought very good seats to Belle & Sebastian, Broken Social Scene and Ted Leo at Merriweather Post Pavillion on July 8th. And a little birdie told me Editors are back at the 9:30 on July 27th.
Rock!
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May 1, 2006
John Vanderslice Is A Wonderful Human Being...
...and he might just be the nicest guy in indie rock.
I'll explain later, but for now, go read my interview with JV over at DCist.
Posted by Kyle at 2:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 18, 2006
Upcoming
The summer concert schedule is shaping up quite nicely:
April 20th - Elbow in New York
Apr 27th - Citizen Cope @ 9:30
Apr 27th - Elf Power @ Iota
May 6th - Phoenix @ 9:30
May 8th - Hockey Night @ Iota
May 10th - Mogwai @ 9:30
May 15th - Giant Drag @ Black Cat
May 19th - Aberdeen City @ Black Cat
June 2nd - Super Furries in New York
June 11th - Spinto Band @ Black Cat
June 27th - We Are Scientists @ Black Cat
July 23rd - Diplo @ Black Cat
July 29th & 30th - Pitchforkfest in Chicago
Listen to Elbow on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic.
Here is my DCist concert review from Saturday.
Here's something else for your listening pleasure.
Make the most of your iPod when you travel.
Anyone else getting buried under a mountain of movie related comment spam?
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April 12, 2006
In The Future When All's Best
NYC peeps, I just bought my ticket to see Elbow perform next Thursday night at Webster Hall. Holler at me if you're going too. I guess I'm finally taking the plunge on Webster Hall. Hopefully Central Village is right and it won't be as bad as I'm envisioning it. Side note: In Detroit, the opening band is named American Mars.
My next trip to NYC? This summer for the (as yet TBA, although I'm hearing June 2) FREE SUPER FURRY ANIMALS SHOW. Say it with me people...FREE...SUPER...FURRIES! Although, technically most of the Furry shows I see are free, but that's not the point! I am hoping, nay, praying, for a full length tour to follow. I got the news on the show last week and I've been giddy ever since. And yes, in case you had forgotten, I am a huge dork.
Now this is a set list. "Reader Meet Author" and "Still Ill?" Nice. For the record, I'm totally loving Ringleader of the Tormentors. The production is clean and snappy, although not overtly shiny like the last record. Moz's voice is in fine form and there are some great tunes for him to sing. Much, much better than You Are The Quarry in every way, except the cover art. The first two songs are the worst and I just skip over them and rock out to the rest of the record. Thumbs up.
Sweet. Although Kid A over The Bends and Bona Drag over Your Arsenal? *shrug*
Drool. I still listen to Days of Speed constantly.
Editors live & acoustic @ SXSW
Stream the new Eagles of Death Metal album. I like what I've heard so far.
Here's a new song to download:
The Streets | When You Wasn't Famous
Okay, now book some good acts and I might come.
Quoth Fred Durst: "I can sleep at night knowing that I have and will never sell out and make music or do my vocals for any reason other than my soul needing to express itself through my art." Whatever gets you though the night buddy.
Posted by Kyle at 12:33 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
April 7, 2006
Radiohead Tour Plans
The band are set to hit the road Stateside this June and are rumoured to be setting up residencies in Montreal, Toronto, Philadelphia and Chicago.
Posted by Kyle at 4:38 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 22, 2006
Editors Contest
Listen up kiddies, I have a present for one lucky reader.
As you may know Editors, whose debut album Back Room was released yesterday, just started their US tour opening for Stellastarrr***. Well, next Wednesday, they are coming through Washington DC and I will be there. And so will you if you answer this trivia question:
One of the singles by Editors shares the same name as a film nominated for an Oscar for Picture of the Year. What is the name of the single/movie?
The winner will get two tickets to see Editors next Wednesday at the 930 Club here in Washington DC. Just email me your answer and I will pick a winner at random and notify you next Tuesday(the 28th). You have until Monday the 27th at midnight to enter.
**Update** - Email link fixed. Thanks David.
Posted by Kyle at 12:16 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
March 10, 2006
Elbow Tour
NYC, get ready for me to holler at you in April! Here are the Elbow tour dates:
Sat April 8 - Los Angeles - Avalon
Sun April 9 - SF - The Independent
Tues April 11 - Seattle - Showbox
Wed April 12 - Portland - Dougs Fir
Sat April 15 - Minneapolis - Ascot Room
Sun April 16 - Chicago - Double Door
Mon April 17 - Detroit - Magic Stick
Tues April 18 - Toronto - Opera House
Thu April 20 - NYC - Webster Hall
I guess I had to break my Webster Hall cherry sooner or later.
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February 28, 2006
NewNewNew
Downloaded a ton of music last night, some new, some old.
Over at iTunes, I was searching around for some trip hop and came across Tricky's Maxinquaye, which cost a paltry $5.99 for the ENTIRE ALBUM. I hadn't heard that album in ages (someone at the radio station in college stole my copy) and had forgotten what a classic it is. Damn, what happened to Tricky after this? The follow up wasn't bad, but wasn't great either and he's just faded from the spotlight since then. Last I saw him was on the WB or UPN on some live action teen dramady on a random Saturday morning. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
I would be buying alot more music from iTunes if all albums were just $6 (even thought it's hard to argue with $9.99) but I do have to admit that my main online music purchase loyalties currently belong to eMusic. And since today is the last day of the month, I had 40 downloads burning a hole in my digital wallet. Here's what I got:
Belle & Sebastian: The Life Pursuit - I am by no means a B&S fan(I think all the "They're the new Smiths" talk when the debuted really turned me off) but I kept reading that this record was sort of a departure for them, so I picked it up. I like it alot so far. It's more varied (and goofier)than any of the older material I've heard from them. Only about six tracks in, but so far so good.
Help: A Day In The Life - I'm almost ashamed to say I jumped up and down with joy when I found this was available on eMusic. This is the WarChild charity album released in the UK last year and it has some amazing stuff on it. Check out that tracklisting! New stuff from Radiohead (a Thom at the piano type b-side), Elbow, Mylo (like "Softrock", only better), Maximo Park (more great stuff from them, do they write bad songs?), The Go! Team (live in the studio sounding track with no vocals), Bloc Party (great tune with fast, plucky guitar sounds), Gorillaz (a slow Damon-solo type track), and those effing stoodents Coldplay. So far the best tracks are from the Manic Street Preachers (who are so fucking awesome when they just shut the fuck up and RAWK), The Zutons (on fire on this track, I have to go get their record now) and Kaiser Chiefs (everyday I hate them less and less). I've been wanting this album for a few months. I wonder why eMusic isn't promoting the shit out of this? It's a charity record with new material from Coldplay & Radiohead. It's an easy sell. *shrug* Sign up for your free eMusic trial just for this album. It's teh hottness.
I had 5 downloads left and eMusic was actually advertising their new Ninja Tune catalog, so I clicked on the ad and found a five song live EP from Kid Koala, Live From the Short Attention Span Audio Theater Tour, which I haven't had a chance to listen to yet.
Yay internets!
Speaking of Yay internets watch this and then read this. [video from Coolfer and almost as good as the Toy Story Requiem video mashup from Grambo]
Homeless man blogs about his experience
You'll never guess who I am going to see in concert tonight.
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February 17, 2006
No More Romantic Comedies
Ha! I have today off bitches! I have lots to do today before The Agenda tonight and my upcoming weekend in Philly. So here are two downloads to get you through the long weekend.
Super Furry Animals | Lazer Beam (Live + Acoustic) (MP3) - Listening to this sing will give you 65% more intelligence. Plus, it's fucking awesome. This is from Minnesota Public Radio or something like that.
Sing Sing | Come Sing Me A Song (MP3) - Strummy new goodness from Emma Anderson (ex of Lush).
Posted by Kyle at 11:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 6, 2006
More New Moz
Go here for another new Moz track, "Dear God, Please Help Me." You're welcome.
Postage is due for companies sending e-mail
How to create your own ringtone.
How boring was the game last night? Grey's Anatomy was much more exciting. I would be complaining about the officiating but that bogus offensive pass interference call in the first quarter netted me a nice sum of money thanks to my magical square. Thanks crappy refs! More over at Slate.
Posted by Kyle at 1:49 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 2, 2006
New Moz Has Leaked
The track "I Will See You In Far Off Places" is available for download here or here. Go get it. It's one of the most un-Moz-like tracks I've ever heard him do. Almost heavy metal. Big and bombastic. But is it any good? I'm not sure. His voice is in fine form though.
Posted by Kyle at 3:12 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
February 1, 2006
Area
Superbusy again at work, so I give you the February/March tour dates for Nethers, my new favorite band. Make sure you go see them when they come to your town!
Feb 15 Washington, DC Black Cat
Feb 16 New York, NY Knitting Factory
Feb 17 Charlottesville, VA Twisted Branch
Feb 18 Raleigh, NC Bickett Gallery
Feb 19 Winston Salem, NC House show
Feb 20 Rock City, SC House show
Feb 21 Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn
Feb 22 Pensacola, FL Sluggo's
Feb 23 Baton Rouge, LA Red Star Bar
Feb 24 Austin, TX Red's Loft
Feb 25 San Antonio, TX Wiggle Room
Feb 27 Phoenix, AZ Trunk Space
Feb 28 Ventura, CA Billy O's
Mar 1 Los Angeles, CA Mountain Bar
Mar 2 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland
Mar 3 Santa Cruz, CA Cafe Pergolesi
Mar 4 Oakland, CA Lobot Gallery
Mar 5 San Francisco, CA Hemlock Tavern
Mar 6 Berkeley, CA Fort Oregon
Mar 7 McKinleyville, CA Six Rivers
Mar 8 Eugene, OR Sam Bonds
Mar 9 Portland, OR Towne Lounge
Mar 10 Seattle, WA Sunset Tavern
Mar 11 Boise, ID Neurolux
Mar 13 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
Mar 14 Denver, CO Rhinoceropolis
Mar 18 Austin, TX TBD (SxSW)
Mar 20 St. Louis, MO The Way Out Club
Mar 21 Madison, WI Indie Coffee
Mar 23 Chicago, IL Hideout
Mar 25 Detroit, MI Trumbellplex
Mar 26 Grand Rapids, MI DAAC
Mar 28 Pittsburgh, PA Garfield Artworks
Mar 29 Brooklyn, NY Southpaw
Mar 30 Philadelphia, PA Khyber
Mar 31 Baltimore, MD Talking Head
Apr 1 Washington, DC DC9
I command you to go see them! Looking at the dates here, it looks like they'll be playing on the West Coast when I'm out there on holiday in March. Good timing!
Posted by Kyle at 1:17 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 31, 2006
Inbox Cleaning
The Raconteurs web site has launched. That's the new band with Brendan Benson and Jack White in it.
The Vice Recordings blog has a new Bloc Party remix by MSTRKRFT. You can also check out the trailer for the Bloc Party live DVD, entitled God Bless Bloc Party.
Go here to listen to the singles "Hey Now Now" and "Blackout" by The Cloud Room. Personally, I think "Waterfall" is their best tune. *shrug*
Stream the new single by Editors, entitled "Munich". (Windoze Media Player)
Stream the new Flaming Lips single "The Wand" in Quicktime. Here it is in Windoze Media for you non-Mac heads.
Seedy Gonzales has a new digital EP out. Here is a download for you:
Seedy Gonzales | Page 28 (MP3)
Here is a Dios Malos b-side in anticipation for their upcoming tour supporting Matt Pond PA(my newest obsession, but more on that later).
Dios Malos | Dumb After All (MP3)
Lastly, I am decidedly "meh" on the new Moz album cover. Love the B&W, but that pose is a little... [via Moz-solo]
Posted by Kyle at 12:24 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 20, 2006
Best!
Blogging = Power.
Matt was kind enough to pass along the latest email from The National to their mailing list. Check out item #2:
2. We are planning a short East Coast and West Coast tour in mid/late March, which will include, finally, a show in Washington DC. The rumors that we have something against playing DC are, alas, untrue! We have a few dates to announce already - the rest will be announced shortly:
3/15: Black Cat, Washington DC
3/22: Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
3/24: Double Door, Chicago
You knows it!
Definitely not related: Rasheed v. IIIII-KEA FURN-I-TURE. [via Deadspin]
Posted by Kyle at 4:26 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 4, 2006
Recognize
Effing sweet. Oasis will have a new summer EP, and best of all, the lead track will be penned by Liam!
Meg White, the new face of Marc Jacobs.
Moz plans UK tour to coincide with his new album.
New old Radiohead demos surface online.
Rejoice! Stereloab will be playing the 930 Club on March 21st! I'm having a bit of a 'Lab renaissance of late so I will definitely be there.
Also, I am officially addcited to WOXY.
Posted by Kyle at 1:06 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 28, 2005
Ten Memorable Gigs From '05
The Wedding Present at the Black Cat.
Echo & The Bunnymen in Pennsylvania.
We Are Scientists at the Black Cat.
Paul McCartney at the MCI Center.
Super Furry Animals in Norfolk.
Super Furry Animals in Chapel Hill.
Annie at the Black Cat (if only for the pictures).
Posted by Kyle at 2:02 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
December 27, 2005
Top 26 of '05
According to my iTunes, here are the 26 songs I played the most in 2005.
Posted by Kyle at 12:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 22, 2005
A Year Is A Long Time In Music
Bang goes another year / In and out of one ear / Everybody's doing it / So do it too
I'm going to have my blogging license revoked if I don't give everyone my Top 10 Records of the Year for the year 2005, so I'd better get on with it. Below were my favorite records of the year, not necessarily "the best", but my favorite, i.e. the one's I listened to the most. I was too lazy to put up downloads from each selection, but I'm pretty sure I've put up at least one song from each album at some point in the year. If you click around there might be a few MP3's from past posts still available. So without further ado (the suspense is killing you, I know), here we go:
ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
1) Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll
I found this record in February and haven't stopped listening to it since. I'm not big on dance music but the appeal of this record is undeniable. Killer hooks, genius samples, I keep telling people this is dance music for people that don't like dance music. I believe this is getting released in the US in January.
2) Elbow - Leaders of the Free World
It's a testament to the band that 10+ years into their career they make what is easily their best record. Less prog and more rock than their previous efforts, Leaders of the Free World gives you something new each time you listen to it.
3) Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
These guys are making the kind of records The Strokes should be making, plain and simple. Easily the catchiest rock record I heard all year. The southern accents just add to their charm. Why these guys aren't huge on these shores I'll never know.
4) Feist - Let It Die
Part folk, part pop, part trip hop, this collection of originals and covers has serious crossover potential. Probably the record I recommended most to all my friends.
5) Spoon - Gimme Fiction
This record was a grower for me and it took longer to click than a Spoon record should. But once it did, Gimme Fiction showed surprising depth, especially on the latter part of the album. Funny how this record gets forgotten in the conversations about danceable indie rock, but it's the easiest to shake your shit to.
6) Cut Copy - Bright Like Neon Love
Two dance records in my Top 10. Two! I hesitate to call this record Mylo or Daft Punk-lite, as it's a serious disservice to Cut Copy, but that's basically what it is. But it's catchy as all hell and has grooves for days.
7) Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask
THIS is what the latest Gorillaz record should have sounded like.
8) Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft
Their most ELO-riffic record, Love Kraft took a quite a few listens for me to appreciate fully. During the first few listens, I couldn't find enough Furrypop goodness for my tastes, but repeated listens revealed that they were just buried farther in the record than they usually are. In all honesty, the Furries needed to shake up their sound a bit and they did a hell of a job.
9) Brendan Benson - The Alternative To Love
I can't even begin to describe this record. I immediately thought of Sloan when I heard it, for the straight up pure pop chops, but this record is more than that. Buy it and you won't be disappointed.
10) Tom Vek - We Have Sound
A record that lived up to the immense hype, at least for me. Lo-fi white boy hip pop, this record has insanely catchy hooks and gets better and better with each listen.
Honorable Mention: Oasis - Don't Believe The Truth, Giant Drag - Hearts and Unicorns, Annie - Anniemal, Echo & the Bunnymen - Siberia, Maximo Park - Apply Some Pressure, New Order - Waiting For The Sirens Call, Bloc Party - Silent Alarm, Kasabian - Kasabian
RECORDS I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD LIKE AS MUCH AS I DID
Idlewild - Warning/Promises
Supergrass - Road To Rouen
Beck - Guero
BEST EP
Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey
Silversun Pickups - Pikul
BEST RECORDS FROM '04 (AND BEYOND) THAT I FOUND IN '05
Phoenix - Alphabetical
St. Etienne - Finisteere
Futureheads - The Futurheads
Stars - Heart
Laila Puna - Faking The Books
RECORD THAT I LIKED THAT NO SELF RESPECTING BLOGGER WILL COP TO LIKING
The Bravery - The Bravery
Posted by Kyle at 9:49 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
December 1, 2005
Destroy Rock & Roll
Oh hell yeah! Mylo tour dates for the US! Pencil me in for the NYC date on Feb. 11th. Jeezy Creezy. I am jump-up-and-down happy right now. Pleasepleaseplease book a DC date too. Thanks to the ever present Chromewaves for the heads up.
Tour news from Mylo is about the only thing that can take top billing over this rant statement from the Mighty Mozzer about Mike Joyce. So how much would a Smiths reunion cost? Quoth the Mozzer neverever:
In legal fees alone, Joyce has cost me 600 thousand pounds - this is quite apart from any payments made to him, and is quite apart from any money seized by him. In total, Joyce has cost me 1 million, 515 thousand pounds. This is an approximate figure - it could even be higher.
Moz goes on to explain that Joyce is also holding back money from Andy Rourke, Johnny Marr, John Porter, Stephen Street, Grant Showbiz and Steve Lillywhite.
The Joyce action is continuous. Because of his Default Judgment he continues to take my royalties, and the royalties of others mentioned above, from Warner Music - consequently I have not received record royalties since 2001.
Since 2001, the money claimed by Joyce is charged, to me, at 100 pounds a day in interest.
Fascinating stuff.
Only slightly, only slightly less fascinating, Scott Stapp v. 311.
Yes, they get some cool points for this, but u2 still suck.
Airline security is a waste of cash. I read somewhere (I forget where) that the government spends a little over $9 in security for each airline passenger, but only 1 cent for each person that rides public transportation.
Maybe we should start calling JJ Redick The Mamba. Duke is now 7-0 in the ACC/Big 10 challenge. Not much of a challenge is it? It must have pained Pat Forde to write something positive about Coach K and the Dookies. I have only seen brief glimpses of the team so far this year, so I will write something on them once I get a gander.
Welcome to the NBA Kendrick Perkins. Big Perk recorded career highs in points (12), total rebounds(19), offensive rebounds (8), assists (4) and minutes (27:43) in a win over the Sixers last night. It was the second highest rebound total by a Celtic in five years. It's about time something positive happened to my beloved C's. Tony Allen may be back tomorrow against Chicago, so hopefully this be the start of a trend. I DVR'ed the game last night and can't wait to watch it.
Can you believe this is still going on?
Posted by Kyle at 12:42 PM | Comments (3)
November 18, 2005
Amateurs!
I shouldn't even waste my time responding to this shite, where an anonymous author spends over 700 words telling everyone why the Top 40 list sucks, but apparently doesn't even take the time to read the thing.
First—the actual voting panel is composed of 20 people including Mr. Information Leafblower. So he’s off by 20...Unless Mr. Information Leafblower can’t add. This would be bad news since he has assumed the role of pollster...There is the caveat: “I emailed over 40.” If that caveat is true than he got a shit response. That’s good enough reason to skip the poll. If more than half your participants failed to bother, doesn’t that tell you something?
Right, becuase all us pajama clad bloggers don't have lives or anything. God forbid people are too busy to send in their lists. I was quite happy with the number of people that did. I obviously invited more people than I thought would participate. And this douchebag obviously can't count. There were 21 panelists from 20 different websites. Next...
These bloggers have a vested interest in who they pick. At worst it’s a victory lap of we-told-you-so’s. At best, it’s just a lazy and boring—in the way lists are lazy and boring—way to promote themselves. We buzzed therefore these artists must be good and we must be good for telling you so.
How do I have a vested interest in what bands I like? Over 700 words telling everyone why my "lazy and boring" endeavor is a failure isn't self-masturbatory and self-promoting? We're bad, so you must be good, right?
In the end, though, Sufjan Stevens was still the No. 1 choice with 19 votes or points or whatever.
What part of this do you not understand?
So here is this year's list. Numbers in parenthesis indicate a band's ranking on last year's list.
To quote Christopher Walken, "You are a, how you say, Douchebag."
But wait it gets better!
The bloggers should not have conducted this poll. It only exposes their own provincial, white bread tastes. It exposes their main weakness and that is that they are navel gazing, jerk off vessels for wanna be rock critics...This just displays their limitations as open-minded, critical thinkers.
The main page of their site features content pertaining to Rocket From the Crypt, Deerhoof, The Fiery Furnaces, Harvey Danger, The Spinto Band, Gogol Bordello, Giant Drag, Broken Social Scene, The Pixies, Dischord Records, Ted Leo and John Vanderslice. They also have a NEW FEATURE, a blog roundup (how original! There are some forward thinkers manning the boards on this site!) featuring friends like Coolfer and Fluxblog.
Hello kettle? This is the pot. You're black.
**UPDATE**
Looks like some of the guys behind Pitchfork-lite work here at the Washington City Paper. Since they are gutless bastards, posting their work anonymously, let's take a look at the musical tastes of the Econoculture staff, shall we?
Jason Cherkis is a senior writer for the Washington City Paper. If this piece is any indication, he's definitely the bitchy sort. According to his 2004 Pazz and Jop ballot, he likes the Fiery Furnaces, Madvillian and Brian Wilson. Not exactly unconventional as far as his picks go, in fact pretty safe. Let's see if we notice a trend here.
Mike Kanin is an editorial assistant at the Washington City Paper. According to this, he digs Fugazi, Ted Leo, Bjork and Aphex Twin. So he likes dance music you can't dance to.
Matt Kirkpatrick has his own website, trolls Craigslist and is starting a "melodic hardcore" band. The world absolutely needs another one of those. According to this he likes Sunno))) (hey, it's metal for the Other Music set), Bjork, Snoop Dogg(he is so keepin' it real!) and Q and Not U.
Constantine Caloudas also had a Pazz and Jop ballot. He likes The Fiery Furnaces, Madvillian, Brian Wilson (Groupthink! Sheep!) and The Mountain Goats. Groundbreaking stuff here. These guy are really thinking outside the box with their picks. He likes to name drop Bob Pollard when reviewing R Kelly and is also the guy that wrote the I-pee-on-you-for-an-iPod article that made Daniel Lubrano so happy.
Brian Montopoli, another contributor, wrote something for the NY Times explaining how little known bands gain buzz when blogs write about them. So, say we include a little known band in the Top 40 list, people might go check them out and listen to them? Sorry, that just sounds self-mastubatory to me.
Another contributor, David Dunlap Jr., likes the Fiery Furnaces and Madvillian too! I tell you, the worst thing about all these lists "is their predictability. It’s like a white boy polled his dorm. OK. A smarty pants dorm."
I could go on, but I think everyone gets the point by now. I guess it's OK for these guys to contribute their own "provincial, white bread taste" top 10 lists to something like Pazz and Jop or (god forbid) the Washington City Paper, but if some bloggers get together and do the same thing amongst ourselves, then we are self serving, self-mastubatory douches, exposing our "main weakness and that is that we are navel gazing, jerk off vessels for wanna be rock critics." As opposed to being real life navel gazing, jerk off rock critics.
Posted by Kyle at 4:18 PM | Comments (28) | TrackBack
In The Margins
I have quite the weekend coming up:
Tonight: Echo & the Bunnymen @ the Black Cat
Saturday: bluestate @ the Black Cat Backstage (where we vow to play Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and Hillary Duff, indie hipsters be damned)
Sunday: Fly to Chicago, meet up with Catherine, see the Super Furries @ the Metro.
I'm going to have to wait until next week to see Harry Potter and Walk The Line.
I'm almost embarrassed to admit that, by my rough calculations, the Chicago show will be the 28th time I've seen the Super Furries play live, give or take one or two. It's kind of eye opening when you think about it. I mentioned to the band that the Norfolk show was my 26th gig and the band seemed kinda stunned. It got eerily quiet in the room. I mean, what can you say to that? "Get a life" comes to mind.
To be fair, my number is inflated a bit because I'm counting TV appearances(Carson Daly and Conan) and, because I was unemployed at the time, I saw them eight times on the Rings Aroound The World tour. And it's very easy to go see a band when I can just show up anywhere in the world, pop backstage, say hi and get put on the list. So I am very appreciative of the band and crew making it all very easy for me. I'm also looking forward to (hopefully) catching up with Matt and Charles the apple blogger while I'm in Chi-town. And sleep? Fuck sleep.
The list, which has taken on a life of it's own, was mentioned over at The Morning News and even Entertainment Weekly. And for the record, while I am by no means a fan, if anyone doubts Kelly Clarkson's credentials to be included on the list this year, I give you this. When we play "Since U Been Gone" at bluestate, people go apeshit and start bouncing off the walls. No other song gets people so worked up. But I digress...
One of the NME's photogs was mugged in Stoke and is selling some of his prints to replace his camera since his insurance company told him to fuck off. He has some great stuff available. Prints are only 15 pounds each. I think I'm going to buy this one and put it over my toilet.
The Cure are going back into the studio in January.
Supergrass is touring the US in early '06.
Strokes video for "Juicebox".
Real Player / Windoze Media / Quicktime
This is the funniest thing you'll read all day. [thanks Coolfer]
This is all I want for Xmas.
Posted by Kyle at 11:23 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
November 17, 2005
All 114 Nominated Bands
A-frames, Akron/Family, American Analog Set, Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, Antony & the Johnsons, Birdmonster, Black Keys, Blood Brothers, Bob Dylan, Brazilian Girls, Brendan Benson, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Bright Eyes, Calla, Cary Brothers, Cass McCombs, Cat Power, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cloud Cult, CoCoRosie, Coheed & Cambria, Crooked Fingers, Death Cab For Cutie, Deerhoof, Devandra Banhart, Diplo, Doveman, el ten eleven, Explosions in the Sky, Fall Out Boy, Fiery Furnaces, Fiona Apple, FischerSpooner, Giant Drag, Gnarls Barkley, Goldspot, Gossip, Green Day, Greg Dulli, Gretchen Wilson, Gwen Stefani, Harvey Danger, Iron & Wine, John Vanderslice, Juan McLean, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Kelly Polar, Kings of Leon, LCD Soundsystem, Little Brother, Man Man, Mariah Carey, Mars Volta, menomena, MF Doom, Miss Fairchild, Morning Wood, Mountain Goats, My Morning Jacket, Nada Surf, NERD, NIN, Notorious BIG, Okkervil River, Oneida, Out Hud, Pinback, Pixies, Polyphonic Spree, Rilo Kiley, Robbers on High Street, Rogue Wave, Ryan Adams, Saints & Lovers, Scissor Sisters, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Silver Jews, Sleater-Kinney, Some Girls, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Spinto Band, Spoon, Stellastarr**, Stnnng, Strokes, Sufjan Stevens, Sunno))), Surefire, System of a Down, Tapes n Tapes, Ted Leo, Tego Calderon, The Decemberists, The Hold Steady, The Joggers, The National, The Ponys, Thunderbirds Are Now, Tift Merrit, TV on the Radio, Two Gallants, VHS or Beta, Walkmen, We Are Scientists, White Stripes, Wilco, Will Oldham, Wolf Parade, Wrens, Xiu Xiu, Young Jeezy
Posted by Kyle at 12:55 PM | Comments (13)
November 16, 2005
The Top 40 Bands in America Today - 2005 Edition
And we're back!
It's time for this year's edition of THE TOP 40 BANDS IN AMERICA TODAY.
For those of you that are new to the process, here's the back story. Two years ago I read a piece from The Guardian that ranked what they thought were the 40 best bands/acts in America. I wasn't impressed with their results, so, on a whim, I emailed a bunch of blogger friends and we made our own list. Last year we did it again, only on a slightly larger scale. It caused quite a commotion all over the internet and provided a stark reminder that, hey, people actually read these things (and some of them take it a little too seriously). Well, ever the gluttons for punishment, we're back and bigger than ever this year.
THE PROCESS: I emailed over 40 "music/MP3 bloggers" (since we are our own genre now) and asked them to send me a list, ranked 1-10, of the 10 best American bands that they've seen or heard in the last year. The purpose of this list is to reward bands for generating buzz in the year 2005. This isn't a ranking of career longevity. I wanted to know who people are using their bandwidth to talk about. Once I got the lists, I gave each slot a corresponding numerical number (similar to the way MLB tallies their MVP voting), and the list was born. In case of a tie, the higher slot was awarded to the artist with more votes (i.e. someone with 15 points from one vote was ranked lower than someone with three votes of 5).
THE PANEL(in no particular order):
Gorilla Vs. Bear, Largehearted Boy, Music for Robots, 5500, My Old Kentucky Blog, Catbirdseat, Central Village, Bradley's Almanac, Chromewaves, Dceiver, Byron Crawford, Catherine's Pita, Tuning Fork, Jason and Rajeev from One Louder, Brooklyn Vegan, Soviet Panda, Melody Nelson, Seeking Irony, Coolfer and myself.
A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER:
Just a few things to get straight so I won't have to repeat them ad nauseam in the comments section.
1) This process has inherent flaws. It rewards bands that have released records or toured recently. A band that played Pianos four times in the last month might do better than a band from Portland that managed one national tour in February. We know this. For instance, I might have nominated The National, but for some reason they hate Washington DC and refuse to play here even though they've played NYC approximately 47 times this year.
2) There is quite a bit of indie rock on this list. What, music bloggers like the indie rock? Well, obvs. For the record, I tried very hard to address this problem this year by reaching out to a number of hip-hop and dance bloggers, asking them to participate. Unfortunately most of them, for whatever reason, chose not to. So be it.
3) Due to the large number of panelists, the more popular bands rose to the top. That's the whole point, right? Just keep in mind that the 21 panelists (including myself) nominated over 114 bands, so don't blow a gasket if your favorite band isn't in the Top 40. Chances are they were nominated but didn't get enough votes. I will reveal the complete list of nominees tomorrow. Also, last year a number of panelists revealed their own lists on their personal blogs, so if you read something you like, click through on the links provided and chances are you can see the other bands that panelist nominated.
4) I tried to link to (legal) MP3's when possible, but if you know of any more floating around, leave it in the comments and I'll try and update the post. If you're a band or label and you want an MP3 taken down, just email me.
5) Due to a Movable Type malfunction, the first draft of this intro was lost before I could completely finish it. It was quite witty and flowed better than this attempt, but you'll just have to trust me on that. Remember, save early and often kids.
So here is this year's list. Numbers in parenthesis indicate a band's ranking on last year's list:
1) Sufjan Stevens (19)
- What can you say about Sufjan Stevens except that this is the year he went huge. Illinoise may not be his best album, but it has to be the most talked about indie record of 2005. - 5500
- Illinoise is the album of the year, hands down. - Gorilla Vs. Bear
- With his mix of sincerity, spirituality and humor, Stevens rode the wave of media adoration for his album, Illinois, to a well-deserved crest of popularity. - Largehearted Boy
"Chicago" [mp3]
"Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" [mp3]
2) The National
- There is no better band in the US today than these five (and sometimes six) boys from Columbus, OH. Alligator is --start to finish-- the best, most complete album of the year. - Music for Robots
- Seeing this act live will convert even the uninitiated. Watching so much pathos on display is almost draining, but then the chorus of "Mr. November" kicks in and the only thing you can do is bang your head. - 5500
- Perhaps the most underrated band in America. - Central Village
[video] Daughters of the SoHo Riots
3) Kanye West
- Kanye's just too dynamic to not make a top 10, ya know? It's so obvious, but so necessary. - Music for Robots
- The proof of his heat is self-evident when you consider the fact that he went on live TV to excoriate the President and nobody even attempted to knock him off the block. Kanye came out more beloved than ever, appearances and sponsorships intact. Dan Rather wishes he were that untouchable. - Dceiver
- Kanye West is probably going to rule the world. Literally. You can't go from hit producer to a Grammy-grabbing debut rapper, and then release a hit sophomore album the VERY NEXT YEAR, scoring tons of singles, sales, and the cover of TIME. That just doesn't happen. Bill Gates better watch out. - Soviet Panda
4) LCD Soundsystem
- "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" should be playing in everyone's house. - 5500
- Ground-breaking singles, a classic debut album, live shows that turn venues around the globe into discos, a refreshing sense of humor, exciting videos… Much more than the sum of its parts, - Soviet Panda
5) Sleater-Kinney
- Mad props for not coasting. - Dceiver
- The Woods captures the raw, fuzzy, and energetic spirit of one of the best live shows touring today. - Largehearted Boy
"Entertain" [mp3]
6) The Hold Steady
- The Hold Steady rammed an adrenaline shot into the heart of rock and roll with an absolutely peerless album in 2005. That album, Separation Sunday is the anti-Weezer. It is, for emo, an extinction-level event. It returns the glories of rock to the corner-bar boozers, the Chilton-heads, the Springsteen acolytes, and people who prefer their music to take precedence over trendoids and fashion icons. - Dceiver
- Separation Sunday is so epic you can't hear it enough times. - Byron Crawford
- No other band is so original, or so powerful. Craig Finn takes his old band Lifter Puller's world of burnouts and vagabonds and creates a parallel universe, rife with drugs, sex, and classic-rock riffage. This was the year the world woke up and noticed: they made the cover of the Village Voice, received endless hosannas for their second album, Separation Sunday, and won a boatload of venue-packing new fans eager to be rocked silly. - Catherine's Pita
Go here to download some Hold Steady MP3's
7) Green Day (26)
- Green Day may have some haters, but there can be no doubters. These guys are the most important American rock band as of this moment, and if you beg to differ—well, you’re wrong. Hell, in the wide world, only U2 can plausibly claim to be a bigger band. Now, a year removed from the release of American Idiot, these guys are still embedding themselves in our cultural consciousness. But more importantly, they’ve branded themselves as a beacon of integrity. - Dceiver
- They've revitalized a played-out genre, made a conceptual, political record that is miraculously unpretentious, regained their original fan-base, scored props with critics, and won over the hearts of TRL watching America. And did you see them live? They had fire. FIRE!!! - Soviet Panda
8) The Fiery Furnaces (5)
- Yes, Rehearsing My Choir was crap. Doesn't matter. The FFs are one of the most important bands of our time. - Catbirdseat
- When a band makes an album featuring their 83 year-old grandmother, and the result is one of my favorite albums of the year, they are surely special. - Largehearted Boy
"Seven Silver Curses" [mp3]
9) The Decemberists (20)
- They came through New York so many times this year it would be easy to get completely sick of them, but from the Colin Meloy shows in January that got me hooked to their most recent set in October (which was the best I've seen them do), this year was defined for me more so by The Decemberists than any other band. - Central Village
10) Spoon (10)
- They continue to be the perfect union of Prince, Wire, and the Kinks, distilled down until only the important stuff remains. Long live Britt Rock. - Catbirdseat
- In my first ever blog post I wondered why Spoon wasn't the biggest band in the world. I'm still wondering. - ILB
11) The Mountain Goats (14)
- John Darnielle's been around for so long, it's tempting to take him for granted. Still, The Sunset Tree is such a masterwork, taking it for granted would be nothing short of a crime. - 5500
- John Darnielle finally waxed autobiographical on 2005's The Sunset Tree, and the resulting record was the strongest lyrically for America's premiere songwriter. - Largehearted Boy
Go here for some Mountain Goats MP3's
12) My Morning Jacket
- "A Wordless Chorus" does better than any song to reflect the feelings of this fucked up nation. It's nervous and delicate and dangerous. These guys are doing it right. And the live show? Holy sheeaattt. - Music for Robots
- Always growing artistically, MMJ's Z album showed a poppier side of the band without losing Jim James' signature storytelling knack. - Largehearted Boy
13) Fiona Apple
- An extraordinary machine indeed. The long-delayed album was worth the wait. - Seeking Irony
14) Rogue Wave
- Stepped out of the Shins' shadow with new record. One of my favorite of the year. - Gorilla Vs. Bear
15) Bright Eyes
- With two studio albums and a live release this year, Conor Oberst led the world in "the next Dylan" references. - Largehearted Boy
16) Kelly Clarkson
- This nomination belongs in part to the Swedes who produced "Since U Been Gone," but since they're not eligible, Kelly gets it all for choosing the right songs and singing the hell out of them. - Seeking Irony
17) Death Cab For Cutie
- These guys are determined to be an important band, and they’re going door-to-door gathering followers and playing some peerless, beautiful music. - Dceiver
- Nice guy better than average smart indietronica has never sounded so safe and inoffensive. In turn this makes Death Cab perfect for the brooding masses to gobble up and worship. - Tuning Fork
18) Animal Collective
- Feels is one of the best records of the year, and these guys refuse to do what anyone else is doing. A one of a kind band. - Gorilla Vs. Bear
- Animal Collective manages to sound absolutely retarded and brilliant at the same time, and they keep getting better. I don't understand why people like them so much – including me, which is a good thing, I think. Also, the band should be recognized for an approach to live shows that differs from almost any other rock band, today or otherwise. - Soviet Panda
- Not only is Feels one of my favorite records of 2005 but also I predict if AC remains on this path to blissful trimmed down epic pow-wows they could be the biggest commercial crossover success story since Modest Mouse. - Tuning Fork
19) Ryan Adams
- Nobody had a year this good since the year Jose Canseco did Madonna. - Byron Crawford
- Everyone thought he'd gone soft and lame and self-indulgent, and let's face it, he often is. But Ryan Adams created his best record in years with Cold Roses, full of those sweetly melancholic songs he showed us back in his starless years. He's a heartbreaker all right. - Catherine's Pita
20) Crooked Fingers
- The Big E is fully out of the shadow of his old band and flourishing. But I still yell Archers requests whenever I see him play live. - ILB
21) Kings of Leon
- Calling these guys the “Southern Strokes” was probably meant to be complimentary but feels more like a write-off, especially after the release of Aha Shake Heartbreak, which finds the band in expert control of some elemental rock power. They match revelry with regret, power with vulnerability—you get the feeling that the world is open to these guys. - Dceiver
- Aha Shake Heartbreak has to be in the conversation for album of the year. - ILB
22) We Are Scientists
- Their upcoming debut album is everything I wanted Hot Hot Heat's sophomore album to be, and more. The next big thing to make the indie kids dance. - Seeking Irony
- I can't remember the last time I heard a three piece with such a full and rich sound. I'm still talking about the show they played in DC last month. A lock for a high ranking on next year's list- ILB
23) Devendra Banhart
- Took the leap this year to full fledged icon. I never thought I'd see this sort of confidence from him. - Central Village
24) Okkervil River
- Will Sheff has hit his peak with this year's incredible "Black Sheep Boy" material. - Catbirdseat
Go here for some Okkervil River MP3's
25) MF Doom
- I'm still trying to get my head around the Danger Doom record. - ILB
- One of hip-hop's hardest workers (and most intricate lyricists) teamed up with DJ Dangermouse for DangerDoom's the Mouse and the Mask, one of the most anticipated hip-hop albums of the year. - Largehearted Boy
"Mince Meat" [mp3]
26) Gwen Stefani
- I nominated her last year, but it was hard to imagine the way she'd flat-out take over. - 5500
- As a 15-year-old, I was singing along to "Just a Girl." Ten years later, I'm singing along to "Hollaback Girl." - Seeking Irony
27) Andrew Bird
28) Black Keys
29) Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
- These kids came from the middle of nowhere and almost swept me away (bad pun totally intended) with their debut, Broom. Simply amazing. - Catbirdseat
30) Two Gallants
- It's amazing what these two are able to do at such a young age. The upcoming record on Saddle Creek should boost their stock tremendously. - Central Village
- Two dudes bashing out raw folk-punk tunes about self-destruction, longing, and boozing. The true heir to the throne of Modest Mouse, They played two of the most thrilling shows I saw all year. And they got signed to Saddle Creek. Respect. - Catherine's Pita
32) Sunno)))
Amplified subsonic vacuuming tones have not only sprouted forth into the realm of popularity thanks to this band but Sunno))) has redefined black and blue and doom all over. Metal isn’t just for metal heads anymore, it can even earn a top chart position at Other Music. - Tuning Fork
33) The Juan McLean
- It's 2005, and this is what pop music is supposed to sound like. - Soviet Panda
34) Giant Drag
- With singer Annie Hardy's little girl voice and bizarre storytelling, you love 'em or you hate 'em. I love 'em. - Seeking Irony
- Another band that just blew me away with their live show. Annie is a rock star. Sure, she comes off as a tad deranged, but she knows how to work it to her advantage. Yes, I have a crush on her. - ILB
35) Iron & Wine
- Released two awesome EP's this year and their current tour with Calexico is one of the best of '05 - Gorilla Vs. Bear
36) Wilco (2)
37) Antony & the Johnsons
- Buzzzzzzz. Although eligibility for the Mercury Music Prize might make this act apparently ineligible to be called American, I'm not buying it. Hauntingly gorgeous. - 5500
Antony and the Johnsons are so good, the American residents (and citizens) won the Mercury Prize for best album by a British band. Soulful, touching, and sincere, their album, I Am and Now, lives up to its hype. -Largehearted Boy
"You Are My Sister" [mp3]
"Hope There's Someone" [mp3]
"For Today I Am a Boy" [mp3]
"Fistful of Love" [mp3]
"Spiralling"[mp3]
38) Out Hud
- Music that appeals equally to body and mind. A live show where the band is having just as much fun as the audience, and everybody's dancing. Reinvention, innovation, and great songs (with the best titles). Whether its instrumental or the girls are singing, Out Hud is a great fucking band. -Soviet Panda
39 John Vanderslice
- The "Nicest Guy In Indie Rock" has put out 5 of the best albums of the past 5 years. - Catbirdseat
- Those who haven't yet absorbed the exquisitely beautiful Pixel Revolt really don't know what they're missing. - Catherine's Pita
- This meticulous talent writes, produces and performs with equal flair and talent, and his albums are intellectual song cycles instead of mere collections of tunes. - Largehearted Boy
"Exodus Damage" [mp3]
"Trance Manual" [mp3]
Many thanks to each of the panelists that took time out of their busy schedule to participate in this year's list. Cheers. I think the list is pretty representative of what bands the blogging community was talking about this year. If you look at last year's list you'll see that a large number of bands were left off of this year's list, which is the whole point of this little exercise. Keep an eye on the bands near the bottom of this year's list, some of them may be due for a big 2006. Just look at Sufjan Stevens and Green Day as examples. Stevens was just beginning to build some major buzz during this time in '04 and Green Day had just released American Idiot. Quite a few indie rockers cried bloody murder at their inclusion in the list last year, and look at the year they had in 2005.
Again, keep in mind that there were 74 other bands that were nominated. The complete nominee list will be revealed tomorrow.
Until then, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
**UPDATE** - For some reason, the permalink isn't working for this entry. Ok, permalink and comments have been fixed. Many thanks to Tom from unrequited narcissism for the tech support. Cheers.
Posted by Kyle at 9:45 AM | Comments (135) | TrackBack
November 8, 2005
Nice One
Big ups to Will Eastman and Bliss. They are hosting a gig by Annie at the Black Cat on December 2nd!
Posted by Kyle at 6:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 3, 2005
Wherever I Lay My Phone, That's My Home
Hoboken
Boston (twice)
Athens, GA
Atlanta
Philadelphia
Portland, OR
Chapel Hill, NC
Reading, UK (twice)
Leeds, UK
Dublin
All cities I have excitedly traveled to in order to see the Super Furry Animals play. This doesn't count the 11+ times I've seen them play in NYC. After this tour I will be able to add Norfolk and now Chicago to that list. Catherine was throwing the big guilt trip around like glasses of water at Matt Yglesias so I begrudgingly checked airfare to the Windy City for the Furries Nov. 20th gig at the Metro and you won't believe how much round trip tickets are. $78! From National! With tax and all, it's a whopping $103. I can't afford NOT to go. The lesson, as always, is peer pressure is a bitch. Catherine, prepare the magic futon. It's on! Same for you Charles. And you Matt. People get ready. Yay for impulse travel! It doesn't seem like a proper SFA tour if I don't get to see them at least four times. And yes, I am a dork. Thanks for asking.
Stylus plays Yahweh with The Joshua Tree.
Noted by Frank yesterday, the new Moz album will be out on March 20 of next year. A new single drops in Feb.
The Wu Tang gives Apple a shout out.
Funny cats video. [via The Oculus]
Write effectively for the web.
Myspace has been getting a ton of press lately. Here's the big piece in Wired and something from the Guardian.
The Sports Guy gives us his NBA preview. Part One. Part Two will drop today.
Delonte West messed around and almost got a triple double as the C's beat the Knicks in OT last night. Unfortunately, most of the press outside of Boston has been focusing on Larry Brown. It's going to be a long season for him. Not that I care. PP had 12 rebounds to go along with his 30 points. Ricky Davis added 27 and to top it all off, Mark Blount dropped 19. So far, so good. We host Detroit on Friday.
Posted by Kyle at 11:23 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
October 25, 2005
Happiness, More or Less
(In lieu of actual content) Here's a list of some of the things that have been occupying my time lately:
Directors Label DVD's Boxed Set Vol. 2
I scored these last week and they haven't left my DVD player since. There is some fascinating material on here, and I'm not just talking about the videos. I love listening to the director's talk about their creative process, their lighting techniques, their editing decisions, etc. In fact, I like the documentaries and commentary more than the videos themselves. I'm not exactly the biggest Mark Romanek fan in the world, but if wants to talk about his inspirations and techniques for each of his videos, I'm listening. The funniest thing about these four DVD's? Bono is interviewed on at least three of them (and he's probably on the Glazer DVD, I just need to doublecheck). The Corbijn DVD is easily my personal fave, although they left off the video for Depeche Mode's "I Feel You" (The really stark black and white one) in favor of some of his weaker work. *shrug*
Tom Vek - We Have Sound
The first few times I listened to this CD I thought half of it was brilliant and the other half was crap. A few more listens have really brought me around. His "sound" is basically playing an acoustic guitar over some drum loops and samples, but it works. He's playing the Black Cat next week and I'm very excited to see how he recreates his sound in a live setting. Especially in a room like the Black Cat's backstage.
Beta Band - The Best of the Beta Band
So best. I love this band, although I'm a bit puzzled as to why they left off "Broken Up A Dingdong" off of this disc. The extra CD with the live concert is incredible. I've been searching for a decent live version of "Dr. Baker" since their first disc came out and I finally have it! Also, best greatest hits cover art ever.
Beatles - 1962-1966
So essential. It's been on endless repeat ever since I saw Macca a few weeks ago.
Emusic - I've been using my subscription much more than I thought I would when I signed up. This really is a great option to try out new music for just $10 a month. It's hard to beat. This month I picked up the new Ladytron album, Alligator by The National, Underworld's seminal classic Second Toughest in the Infants (thanks for the heads up Coolfer), and half of the Danger Doom record.
Goldenfiddle.com
Spencer gets a special shout out (in addition to his top notch blogging skillz) for totally hooking me up with two entire discs of live Super Furry goodness. Man, I am so looking forward to their upcoming US tour (which starts next week!). Which leads me to my next item...
I think I have decided on the Canon Powershot G6 for my next camera. It's bigger than I originally wanted, but it should take much better pictures than what I'm used to. Hopefully I'll have it in time for the Super Furry tour madness at the start of next month. Thanks to Frank Chromewaves for the advice. You talked me into it.
People, it's time to party! We are making progress!
Coolfer has a We Are Scientists MP3 for your downloading pleasure.
Although I am very mich an East Coast kind of guy, IF I lived on the West Coast, I would be making some plans to catch The Silver Sun Pickups touring with Brendan Benson. That is a great bill with two artists I'm dying to see. Benson's latest record, The Alternative To Love is climbing my year end Top 10 list by leaps and bounds each time I listen to it.
Loving these concert posters. [via Largehearted Best]
Oh no! I'm 100% sure I'm the only person on the planet that cares about this, but now who's going to annouce the second round of next year's NBA Draft? Yes, these are things I think about.
My We Are Scientists interview will be up on DCist later today.
Posted by Kyle at 1:39 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack
September 29, 2005
Tonight!
Last Night!
To be honest, last night kind of sucked. The Sox lost and then after arriving at the Black Cat, it turned out that, contrary to what I was told earlier, I was not on The Lemonheads guest list, so Sommer and I decided not to pay $20 to see them play. This Echo & the Bunnymen gig in November has really skewed my concert ticket value system. Those tickets only cost $20, so I keep comparing everything to that total. $20 for The Lemonheads? Not hardly. I'm thinking like $15. $25 for Death Cab? As if.
When I got up this morning, there was an email from the tour mamanger, sent at 2:17 a.m., explaining that he didn't check his email until AFTER the gig. Right, because why in the world would even think about doing it BEFORE the gig? So I didn't get to hear "My Drug Buddy" or "Hannah and Gabi" or anything like that. Did anyone go? How was it? And I also missed Lost, so do not breathe a fucking word of it over here until I spend some quality time with my DVR. I guess no visits to the land of Zunta for me today.
Thankfully Mark Gardener fucking ruled during his short set at the 930 Club. He played about eight songs and had a small but vocal crowd of grizzled shoegazer fans down in front of the stage. He played two Ride songs, "Vapour Trail", which was lovelier than words, and also "In A Different Place". I had seen him once before, playing solo at the Knitting Factory, when I lived in NYC (before I started blogging, if you can believe it), but this time he was backed by another guitar player and a female keyboard/tambourine player that also did backing vocals. Oh, and she sang a song too. The other people on stage really added alot to the songs, filling in all the little flourishes that you rememeber from the records. The keyboardist did the string parts in "Vapour Trail" while the other guitarist filled in the secondary guitar parts, and it was tiggs. Mark Gardener: worth $15! He says he'll be back in December with a full band! w00t! Peep my photos here.
What's causing all the traffic in Houston?
You knows it! Peep the Jackie Christie Collection!
Deadspin crashes the Sports Guy book signing in NYC, which was at...The Riviera Cafe? WTF?
El WaPo disses Dcist yet again. Also under discussion today, isn't the term "web blogger" redundant?
Related: A survey of British taxi drivers, pub landlords and hairdressers -- often seen as barometers of popular trends -- found that nearly 90 percent had no idea what a podcast is and more than 70 percent had never heard of blogging. [via Becca] Silly rabbit, Blogs are for dogs. And pictures of Mr. Pink.
Did Moz re-sign with Sanctuary?
Damon Albarn: We will continue soldiering on (and sucking) without Graham.
Can we start a petition to stop Coldplay from playing "Ring of Fire" ever again? Or is this another sign of the impending apocalypse?
Will you bite the hand that feeds? / Will you chew until it bleeds? What if this whole crusade's a charade? And behind it all there's a price to be paid. For the blood on which we dine, justified in the name of the holy and the divine.
Some links I've been meaning to pass alomg:
Music sampler for The Magic Numbers. I've heard good things about this UK group. Can anyone fill me in?
Watch 10 minutes of footage from the upcoming movie, Dandelion. The soundtrack has Doves, Cat Power and Creeper Lagoon(?!?) on it.
Download the Living Things track Bom Bom Bom. Watch the video.
Go here for that NPR brodcast of the White Stripes/Shins/M Ward gig a few nights back.
Stream the new track from The Subways, the lead track from the new OC Compilation.
Download some MIA Remixes:
"Galang" remixed by that ugly System of a Down dude
"Galang" remixed by Dave Kelly
Head over to Myspace to stream the Elizabethtown soundtrack.
Oasis! Tonight!
Posted by Kyle at 11:16 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
September 28, 2005
The Apocalypse Is Nigh
Limp Bizkit to cover "Bittersweet Symphony". Apparently it's not enough for Fred Durst to have a Kurt Cobain tattoo on his chest or be seen wearing his Hatful of Hollow t shirt everywhere. Quoth the Sports Guy: I just threw up in my mouth.
Posted by Kyle at 10:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 21, 2005
Back On A Roll!
It's on bitches! Super Furry tour dates for the US!
Nov 01 - Montreal, QUE - Club Soda
Nov 02 - Toronto, ONT - Phoenix Concert Theatre
Nov 05 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Nov 06 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Nov 07 - Boston, MA - The Roxy
Nov 08 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Nov 09 - Philadelphia, PA - TLA
Nov 11 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
Nov 12 - Atlanta, GA - The Loft
Nov 15 - Houston, TX - Meridian Red Room
Nov 16 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
Nov 17 - Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea room
Nov 19 - Lawrence, KS - Granada
Nov 20 - Chicago, IL - Metro
Nov 21 - Minneapolisa, MN - Fine Line Music
Nov 24 - Vancouver, BC - Richard's on Ricahrd
Nov 25 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
Nov 26 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
Nov 28 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Nov 29 - Hollywood, CA - Avalon
Nov 30 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
Dec 01 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
w/ Caribou on all dates
Information leafblower will be in full effect for the dates listed in bold.
Anyone know anything about the openers, Caribou?
Much respect to L Boogie for keeping me in the loop.
Posted by Kyle at 10:29 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
September 1, 2005
Mark Your Calendars
See pics from Tuesday's bluestate here.
Ruh roh. Tony Allen wanted for questioning regarding a shooting in his hometown of Chicago.
Off to North Cackalack. Everyone be safe this weekend.
Posted by Kyle at 9:37 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
August 29, 2005
Autobahn Music Box
I finally got through some of the promo CD's people have been sending me this weekend.
Cut Copy - Bright Like Neon Love
This CD really surprised me. It sounds (roughly) like a live mix of Mylo and recent New Order stuff. TimeOut NY thinks they are the Postal Service crossed with Daft Punk. Either way, it's dancey, house pop with an 80's vibe. It's already been added to the tracklisting of Podcast #4 (hopefully due later this week) and I'm definitely rocking this at the next few Bluestate's. Recommended. They're opening some upcoming dates for Franz Ferdinand (go here for tour dates), so if you're going, be sure to get there early and let me know how they are live. Unfortunately, the only Washington they are going to is Seattle. Here's some goodies for you:
Future (Chromeo Mix) (MP3)
Video for the track "Saturdays"
Levy - Rotten Love
New release from One Little Indian Records. Sounds like Snow Patrol Jr. If you can't wait for their next release, you could do worse than picking this CD up. Brooklyn Vegan saw them over the weekend and compared them to Coldplay, except, you know, they don't suck.
Nouvelle Vague - Self Titled
Not exactly a novel idea; bossanova versions of alt "classics" by the Cure, The Clash, Depeche Mode and the um, the Dead Kennedys. I liked this CD alot more than i thought I would. It has a fun vibe and great musicianship. The kitsch factor is kinda high but if you can get past that, you'll dig it.
The Washington Post had a decent take on comparing the different online music stores over the weekend. They also lamented the loss of Tuesday as album release day and had a nice comparison on Sirius and XM satellite radio.
So in the interests of synergy, here are my thoughts on eMusic. First the obvious. 50 free downloads for signing up. 40 downloads a month for $10. Downloads are in MP3 format and compatible with pretty much anything that plays an MP3. That's hard to beat.
The selection skews decidedly indie and while I'm not floored by the overall selection, there's enough newer stuff and back catalog to at least keep me subscribing for a few more months. Basically I plan on using this as a source to get all the records the cool kids are talking about that Tower wants $14.99 for.
Now then...the bad. First of all, the navigation is atrocious. Unless you do a direct search for a band, browsing by links is very hit or miss and seemingly completely arbitrary. Available downloads are broken down into categories. For example, the main category of Alternative/Punk is broken down into the following subcategories: Alt/Punk Ska, Alternative, Alternative Experimental, Alternative Hard Rock, Brit Pop, Emo, Garage Rock, Goth, Hardcore, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Industrial, Live Alt/Punk, Math Rock, New Wave, Post-Punk, Psych and Punk. Now if someone can just explain the difference between Alternative, Emo, Garage Rock, Indie Rock, and Math Rock I might be able to make some headway. I don't even know what Psyche is.
Users are labeled on the site with names like "EMUSIC-0082973D". Ooooohkay. Would it have been so hard to let people chose their own log ins or go with something a tad less generic? I can't see me wanting to download something I've never heard of just because EMUSIC-00439277F likes it.
A potentially great search feature is the ability to seek out music by label, but this is hampered by poor organization. When you click through to a label, the homepage lists top songs by that label, not top artists. You can also search for albums by release years, in decades, but again, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the order of the results once you click through. Basically be ready to spend some time clicking around to find something.
That being said, eMusic definitely has merits. I've been pleased with it so far. I spent my 50 free downloads on The Streets Original Pirate Material, Echo & The Bunnymen Live in Liverpool, The Wedding Present's Take Fountain and Fosbury by Tahiti 80. They also have albums by Spoon, Arcade Fire, Nuetral Milk Hotel, The National and others. So I would recommend signing up, if only for the freebies.
Apparently Elbow rocked Reading over the weekend. Setlist here. Drool.
Captain Jack Sparrow to interview the Mozzer for a BBC documentary on James Dean.
Johnny Marr working with Humble Rodent? Marr/Brock doesn't have the same ring to it, now does it?
Some people have way too much time on their hands. Others are pissed at Flickr for getting in bed with Yahoo.
Two and a half years after the music business lined up behind the chief executive of Apple, Steven P. Jobs, and hailed him and his iTunes music service for breathing life into music sales, the industry's allegiance to Mr. Jobs has eroded sharply. Because the higher ups at the labels just can't help but bite the hand that feeds them.
Posted by Kyle at 1:37 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
August 26, 2005
Tagged!
Editor's Note: I wrote this entry Wednesday night but forgot to save it (D'oh!), hence no post yesterday.)
I was tagged yesterday by the Upstate Life, so below is my list of 10 songs I'm rocking out to at the moment. Yes, I'm aware there's not much "new" music on it. That's because I currently have 21 23 CD's in my "to listen" pile, hence I'm somewhat behind on that "new" stuff. I'm also in one of those phases I get into where I would rather go back in time and search for music as opposed to troll MP3 blogs for the latest thing. *shrug* Click on the song title to download.
1) ...Trail Of Dead - "Let It Drive"
Trying desperately to like their latest record but it's just not clicking. This song came on the iPod the other day and I was digging it, so it's been in heavy rotation lately.
2) The Ravonettes - "You Say You Lie" (MP3)
Best guitar riff the Bunnymen never wrote.
3) Stevie Nicks - "Stand Back"
The night I got home from seeing Mac Attack, I downloaded a ton of Mac/Nicks. This song has been on repeat ever since. Love it.
4) The Cloud Room - "Waterfall" (MP3)
This is the only one of the NYC blog buzz bands that I've thought was anything special (Yes, I'm looking at you CYHSY). But I've only heard this one song from TCR so take that with a grain of salt.
5) Kaiser Chiefs - "I Predict A Riot"
I finally succumbed to this song. The verses are still complete and utter shite, but when they kick in with the chorus, it goes to 11. Not unlike old Supergrass actually. A great chorus in search of a decent verse. The "la la la's" don't hurt either.
6) Super Furry Animals - "Frequency"
Off of their new record. This track has gotten mentioned exactly once in all the reviews I posted for Love Kraft and that was in passing. It's my favorite song on the record, and for once it's not the most complex to play, so maybe I'll get to hear it played live.
7) Steve Winwood - "Valerie" (MP3)
Gl*mrocker is obsessed with this song and so was I after I downloaded the track and heard that opening synth riff. Fucking classic. "Come and seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee me." Why hasn't some cooler-than-you indie band co-opted a cover of this as their set closer? It would bring down the house!
8) Spoon - "Was It You" (MP3)
OK, I'll admit I bit at the whole play the Spoon record backward hoax. But when I tried it out (yes, I like it better backwards, I think the album opens with more energy that way), this track really stood out. You have to spend time with Spoon records, otherwise you'll miss gems like these buried in side two. I asked this way back in my first post ever (cringe), but why isn't Spoon the biggest band in the world?
9) Soul Coughing - "City of Motors"
I pulled out Irresistible Bliss earlier this week since I have an upcoming interview with Mike Doughty for DCist. And then yesterday I saw this picture I kept singing "Manuela said she saw the brakes fail" in my head.
10) The Supremes - "You Can't Hurry Love" (MP3)
Straight fucking butta. Obvs.
I'm supposed to pass this on to other bloggers, but since I'm already on the back end of this thing, if anyone else wants to do it, leave me a url in the comments as I'll update this post with links next week.
Some other things of interest:
Moz back in the studio next week!
This might only appeal to the 14% of my readers that live in the UK, but if you visit this site, you can order the Elbow record I keep raving about and get the album (in either MP3 or CD format) up to a week earlier than the 9/12 release date.
Arcade Fire to open for u2 in Montreal.
Brilliant. Why didn't someone come up with that idea earlier? We need to call Ladbrokes and see if we can get some odds down.
The Foo's cover Lyla at their Reading warm up gig. I have an MP3 of it but forgot to upload it. Next week.
Did you know the universe was really created by a flying spaghetti monster?
Wired on Google Talk. So far, so good for me. But I'm just happy to finally have IM at work.
Posted by Kyle at 9:26 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
August 12, 2005
It's Official
Echo & The Bunnymen @ Black Cat
Friday November 18th
Holy Fucking Shit.
First night of the tour.
Thanks Frank.
Posted by Kyle at 3:35 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
July 21, 2005
I Need Direction
What a show last night. I almost didn't go because I was out LATE the night before, but it was well worth it. And I scored the setlist, so my streak of getting a TFC setlist on every tour I've ever seen them on is still alive. And in case you were wondering, yes, I am a huge dork.
I went a little overboard on the pictures. I took 79 overall and totally drained my camera's battery. My faves are here, here and here. Peep the full set. My review for DCist is here and pretty much covers everything. I had to go by myself since someone bailed on me, but it was still alot of fun. I probably would have stayed home myself had it been anyone other than Teenage Fanclub.
I have to leave work early today to go and sign the lease for my new place. Very excited. I'm equally excited to go home and sit on my ass all night, staying out late the last few nights has taken it's toll. It's tough being the people's champion.
Posted by Kyle at 1:40 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
July 5, 2005
Top Five of Oh-Five
Everybody else is doing it, yada yada yada. Although for the record, I wrote this entry on Friday. Here are the five albums I've been digging the most this year.
1) Mylo - Destroy Rock N' Roll
Record of the year, no doubt (keep in mind I'm saying this with a Super Furry release on the horizon). Dance music for people that don't really like dance music. I listen to exactly two "dance records" on a semi-regular basis (Exit Planet Dust and Everything, Everything), this will be the third. I got this record back in February and I haven't stopped listening to it since. They need to hurry up and release this domestically before I've made copies for all my friends and they have no reason to go out and buy it.
Download: Mylo v. Tegan & Sara - Walking With a Ghost In Paris (mp3)
2) Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
I absolutely hated this record the first two times I listened to it. The singer's pronounced Southern accent really turned me off, but their fantastic guitar playing kept drawing me back in. These guys out-stroke The Strokes in that department. Their axes don't exactly shred, but they fit together perfectly and they have some killer riffage, dude. Part of me wishes I was still in NC, because this is probably one band I could turn all of my DMB listening college friends on to no problem. I can't recommend this record enough. I also like that the longest song on the entire CD is exactly four minutes long.
Download:King Of The Rodeo (mp3)
3) Spoon - Gimme Fiction
Not as immediately attention grabbing (at least to me) as their last two records, but Gimme Fiction still wormed it's way into my brain after a few listens. This is the sound of Spoon going for it, but Britt never strays far from his tried and true "less is more" formula. The record has a bigger sound than any of his past work, but that's mostly because of the production. There are some killer songs on here, and best of all, it's good entry point for anyone wanting to give the band a try.
Download: The Two Sides Of Monsieur Valentin (mp3)
4) Feist - Let It Die
Yes, there's alot of covers on here, but when I first listened to this record, I had no idea they were other people songs. Feist steps in and out of genre's like she owns them. This is another record I've turned alot of people on to since I heard it. And every one of them has liked it.
Download: Secret Heart (mp3)
5) Futureheads - self titled
Technically this record came out in October of last year, but I didn't hear it until this year. When I saw them earlier in the year, I described them as "Teenage Fanclub if they started a Jam cover band and dressed in business casual wear from J Crew," and I'm sticking to it. The four part harmonies on this record are great, but what really gets you is the energy in the songs. It's really infectious. I can't listen to this CD on the metro because I start playing air guitar and dancing around and everyone starts inching away from me.
Download: First Day (mp3)
Some media links I've been meaning to run for a while now:
The Fader is running a contest for some MIA vinyl.
Watch the new Kasabian video for "L.S.F." in Real Media or Quicktime.
Watch the new video for Louis XIV's "God Killed The Queen" in Windoze Media.
Stream the new Jonathan Rice track "So Sweet" in Quicktime.
New Doves video for Snowden in Quicktime or Real Media.
Win you some Ren & Stimpy DVD's, all free like.
w00t! Billy Bragg reissues on Yep Roc.
How was everyone's weekend? Mine was v. relaxing. I watched a bunch of movies (again with the movies!), went to Kanishka and Martin's cookout on Sunday, started preparing my setlist for this Saturday and then watched the (quite underwhelming) DC fireworks display last night. I got home too late to post any pics, but I did snap this one yesterday during my practice time on the 1's and 2's:
Posted by Kyle at 9:53 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 30, 2005
What You Need
Look, just drag your ass to the Black Cat tonight, ok? Catherine and I have put in quite bit of time and effort on behalf of DCist to bring you the rock. Now is when you come out, drink heavily and have a good time. For serious.
Posted by Kyle at 1:31 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 19, 2005
Annie Tour News
Tour dates! Come to DC dammit!
June 28 New York Hiro Ballroom
June 29 New York Scenic
June 30 Chicago Sonotheque
July 1 San Francisco Mighty
July 2 Los Angeles tbc
July 3 Los Angeles Standard Downtown Rooftop
July 5 Los Angeles Cinespace
The live show will consist of Annie singing with Timo Kaukolampi on
turntables and electronics.
Check out the first single, Heartbeat:
Windoze
Posted by Kyle at 4:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack