Friday, September 29, 2006

The Veils

As the son of keyboardist Barry Andrews (XTC, Shriekback), the Veils' Finn Andrews knew nothing else except a world full of music and art. He had plans to become a painter as a young lad; however, a move to his grandmother's abode in Devonport, New Zealand (near Auckland) with his mother pointed Andrews in a different direction during his teenage years. He frequented the local folk scene to escape the ho-hum of country living. Once consumed with his father's electronic work from the 1980s, Andrews was now interested in Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, and Tom Waits.

In 2001, Andrews (vocals/guitar), then 18, returned to London. He befriended Ben Woollacott (drums), Adam Kinsella (bass), and Oliver Drake (guitar), and in a few months time the Veils were born. By fall, Rough Trade's Geoff Travis signed the foursome to the Blanco y Negro imprint, and immediately the Veils began working on their first album. They issued the single "Guiding Light" in 2002; however, contractual disparities and artistic differences with Blanco y Negro turned into a two-year battle until Travis signed the Veils to Rough Trade proper in mid-2003. Luckily, the Veils were able to keep songs recorded during that time. A second single, the lovelorn "Lavinia," was well received at indie rock radio in the U.K.. Shared dates with the Raveonettes, Beth Orton, and British Sea Power preceded the spring 2004 release of the Veils' debut, The Runaway Found. The album had only been out two months when Andrews announced the departure of Woollacott, Kinsella, and Drake. In late June 2004, Andrews explained via The Veils' website (www.theveils.com) that a second album was already in the works, but that the original members would not be involved.

After two years of break, the Veils are back with a brand new album, named Nux Vomica. The album is released at September 16th and has already received some positive critics. The album sounds extremely good and is certainly one of the best thing to come out this year. It's Highly Recommended!

The Veils - Advice For Young Mothers To Be (from Nux Vomica)
The Veils - Lavinia (from The Runaway Found)
The Veils @ MySpace


Bonus:
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife (2006) !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ora7b
Tiger Lou - Is My Head Still On + The Loyal !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/q8ntp
Ok Go - Ok Go + Oh No
Röyksopp - Melody A.M. + The Understanding
The Rollinstones - Sticky Fingers + Beggars Banquet
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/n4mo6
Jedi Mind Tricks - Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell (2006)
Outerspace - Blood Brothers
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/r25gt
Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/p7g5w
Angels & Airwaves - We Don't Need To Whisper
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/geul8

Thursday, September 28, 2006

The Hidden Cameras


A mix of queer politics, explicit sexuality, symphonic indie pop, and theatrical spectacle that borders on the religious, Toronto's the Hidden Cameras are the brainchild of singer/songwriter/guitarist Joel Gibb. The 2001 debut album Ecce Homo -- a collection of four-track demos released on Gibb's own Evil Evil imprint -- introduced a stripped-down version of the Hidden Cameras' witty, acoustic-based songwriting, which drew comparisons to the Magnetic Fields and Belle & Sebastian. Ecce Homo also caught the ear of Rough Trade, whose signing of Gibb made the Hidden Cameras the first Canadian artist on the label in its 25-year history. Meanwhile, the group's elaborate live performances, which include up to 30 go-go dancers, strippers, and musicians, as well as videos, projected lyrics, and heavy audience participation, won the group a widespread and devoted following in Canada. 2003's Rough Trade debut, The Smell of Our Own, reflected some of the group's more elaborate sound more so than Ecce Homo did and spread the Hidden Cameras' subversively catchy music further afield. In 2004, the band released their long-awaited follow-up, Mississauga Goddam, named for the Toronto suburb of Gibb's youth.

Awoo, which presented a slightly tamer version of the Cameras' "gay church folk music," arrived in 2006. Produced by Hidden Cameras frontman Joel Gibb, AWOO was recorded by Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith) and Ohad Benchetrit (Do Make Say Think) at the Gas Station on Toronto Island. The whole 13 track affair was made available in the US this week by Arts&Crafts, the Cameras own Evil Evil label has made AWOO available in Canada. The Hidden Camers are touring US in November. Be there!

The Hidden Cameras - Death Of A Tune (from AWOO)
The Hidden Cameras - AWOO (from AWOO)
The Hidden Cameras @ MySpace


Bonus:
Bonnie Pink - Golden Tears
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/gfft4
Rock/Alternative/Punk Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/j4xh7
Eva Cassidy - Songbird
Lilly Allen - Alright Still
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/k2wru
Avant - Director
VA - Big Mike And Evil Empire - Interstate Trafficking 3.0
Ginuwine - Back II Da Basics
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/jptmg
Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/km2zh
Matisyahu - Youth + Live At Stubbs
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/fqjns
Lostprophets - Liberation Transimission (2006)
Emberghost - The Anti Scene [EP]
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/hoexo
Saosin - Demos
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/zkjtp
Saosin - Saosin + Translating The Name
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/kcvlr

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Adem

British singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Adem Ilhan writes pastoral pop that's augmented by eclectic instrumentation and wistful and irreverent lyrics. He began recording in his teens as the bass player for the popular post-rock trio Fridge, recording four full-length records and releasing numerous singles and EPs. In 2003 he signed with Domino, home to a diverse group of artists including Franz Ferdinand and Juana Molina. He released his debut (Homesongs) in 2004, followed by Love and Other Planets in 2006.

The first single from Adem’s second solo record, Launch Yourself, is availabe via Domino and includes remixes from Hot Chip, Four Tet and Thomas Ericsson.

Adem supported Vetiver on their Europian tour this year and played number of festivals. Currently, he is touring US with Juana Molina.

Adem - These Are Your Friends
Adem - Launch Yourself (Original)
Adem @ MySpace


Bonus:
Daniel Johnston - Why Me (Live In Berlin '99) !!!
Amadou & Mariam - Dimanche A Bamako !!!
Razorlight - Razorlight (2006)
Lily Allen - Alright Still
Camille - Le Fil
Polar Bear - Held On The Tips Of Fingers
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/k2wru
The The - Nakedself
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/fyjdv
The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ecn8m
The Distillers - Coral Fang + Sing Sing Death House
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/f8t4n
Slipknot, System Of A Down, A Perfect Circle, Matisyahu, Depeche Mode, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/n8r95
NOFX, Slayer, Still Motion
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/sxgho
Slightly Stupid - Everything You Need
Matisyahu - Youth
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/hqpdu
Matisyahu - Live At Stubbs
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/oe893

Friday, September 22, 2006

British Sea Power - Live On KEXP 25-02-2004

A rather conceptual indie band -- one that's been compared more than once to Joy Division -- British Sea Power is a quartet from Brighton, England, comprising members named Hamilton, Noble, Yan, and Wood. Formed in late 2000, their live shows began to receive notice early on, thanks in no small part to the large stuffed birds that perched on stage and the militaristic uniforms worn by the band members. Rough Trade's Geoff Travis was taken aback by one of the group's (literally) wild performances and signed them; by the end of 2001, they had two singles in the racks: Fear of Drowning on Golden Chariot and Remember Me on Rough Trade. After an amazing showcase at SXSW in 2003, British Sea Power prepped for the fall release of The Decline of British Sea Power. Open Season follwed in 2005.

British Sea Power - Live On KEXP 25-02-2004


Bonus:
The Killers - When You Were Young Remixes [EP] !!!
Keane - Under The Iron Sea
Zero 7 - The Garden
Asobi Seksu - Citrus
Something Corporate - Songs For Silent Movies
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/l6nkr
Plus Minus - You Are Here !!!
Bark Psychosis - Codename: Dustsucker !!!
Converge - You Fail Me !!!
Mike Ladd - Nostalgialator !!!
Tara Jane O'Niel - You Sound, Reflect !!!
Washington Social Club - Catching Looks !!!
Fuck - Those Are Not My Bongos !!!
Prosaics - Aghast Agape [EP] !!!
Stina Nordenstam - The World Is Saved !!!
+ Jean Grae, Lansing-Dreiden, Metal Boys, Girls Aloud, Muse, Neko Case, Stars,
The Muffs, Travis Morrison, The Mary Jane Girls, Rachel Goswell, DFA Compilation, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/rrz69
Elliot Smith - XO
Animal Collective - Feels
Godspeed You Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/rcvop
Ratatat - Classics (2006)
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/lspdx

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Scissor Sisters

Scissor Sisters made a splash in late 2003/early 2004 with their neon-bright reimagining of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," the B-side to the band's first single, "Electrobix." The song made quite a name for the band, which features singers Jake Shears and Ana Matronic, keyboardist/bassist Babydaddy, guitarists Del Marquis and Derek G, and drummer Paddy Boom: along with becoming the calling card that got the band signed to Polydor in the U.K., "Comfortably Numb" was heralded "Single of the Month" by Dazed and Confused and Jockey Slut magazines, named an "Essential New Tune" by Pete Tong on Britain's Radio 1, and also received considerable play by DJs including Felix da Housecat and Tiga.

Scissor Sisters (whose name is slang for a lesbian sex act) came from the cutting edge of New York's nightlife and gay culture, incorporating elements of burlesque and drag shows, as well as performance art, into their theatrical live shows. This was the perfect setting for their music, which gleaned the best of Elton John, the Bee Gees, the B-52's, David Bowie, and many other artists with a campy sense of humor and impeccable style. After proving themselves as one of the city's most dynamic live acts, Scissor Sisters won over British and European audiences on a tour early in 2004 that coincided with the release of their self-titled debut album. That March, they returned stateside for a South by Southwest gig with Junior Senior and the B-52's before returning to the U.K. to tour with Duran Duran in support of the "Take Your Mama Out" single. The band continued to have a busy spring and summer, launching their first U.S. tour in May -- coinciding with the stateside release of Scissor Sisters -- and returning to Europe in June and July. These dates included two gigs supporting Scissor Sisters' spiritual and musical godfather, Elton John, as well as appearances at festivals such as Glastonbury, T in the Park, Roskilde, and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Late that year, Scissor Sisters were nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Record for "Comfortably Numb." The band kept busy with touring and producing remixes in 2005, and returned with new material in fall 2006, when Ta-Dah was released.

Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah (stream)
Scissor Sisters - Filthy Gorgeous
Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb
Scissor Sisters - Laura


Bonus:
Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor (2006) !!!
Audio Bullys - Generation (2006)
Roots Manuva - Awfully Deep
VA - Junglemania
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/qvx7n
Doujah Raze - Past, Presence And Features !!!
Deaf In The Family - For Those About To Rock
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/oqqay
Strange Fruit Project - The Healing (2006)
VA - The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift OST
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/lnm7e
Movie Soundtracks
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/pfmfa

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Final Fantasy

Owen Pallett, under his acclaimed Final Fantasy guise, has won the inaugural Polaris Music Prize for the sophomore album He Poos Clouds. Final Fantasy beat out the popular groups Wolf Parade, New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, and Metric, among others, to take home the $20,000 cash prize, which he plans to donate to his Canadian independent record label, Blocks Recording Club, after paying off some student loans. The Polaris Prize, modeled after the venerable Mercury Prize in the UK began this year to highlight recent Canadian musical accomplishments.

In addition, to the winning of the award, Owen is debuting a new video for the title track, “He Poos Cloud.” The beautifully shot video, a live-action and animation combination featuring cartoons and zoetropes, was directed by Jesse Ewles of Nude Mouse Media. This is the final version, with the highest fidelity—early versions were not sanctioned by either of the artists. The video is available for download or viewing in a variety of sources:



Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
Final Fantasy - This Lamb Sells Condos


Bonus:
Lily Allen - Alright Still
Snow Patrol - Eyes Opens + Final Straw
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/kq2u9
Brian Eno - Ambient 4: On Land
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/owerh
Punk/Emo/Indie Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ntc3h
Lemon Jelly - Lost Horizons
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/gy8eg
The Clash - Rat Patrol
Warsaw - Warsaw
PIL - Commercial Zone
The Replacements - Fat Roadie
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/gueah
Of Montreal - Satanic Panic In The Attic + The Sunlandic Twins
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow + Oh, Inverted World
Thom Yorke - Eraser
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/kmezd
Albums: The Stars, The Streets, Imogen Heap, Incubus, The Faint, Ratatat, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/gn4jp

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

News

The Arctic Monkeys say they hope to release the follow-up to their debut album early next year. The band say most of the new album is written and they are about to go in the studio to start work, reports NME.com. Alex Turner also revealed that the band was planning some UK live shows before the end of the year. He said: "We'll do a few gigs in December, but we're going to start rehearsing for the new record and we're going in next month to do some recording." When asked how many songs he had written for it, Turner revealed: "About 13 or 14 songs, but it's in different states. " It might be just an idea, it might be something I've done with someone played on acoustics and some of them we all know it already, all the arrangements and s*** like that." When asked if their target release date of January was still possible, drummer Matt Helders admitted: "It will probably be a bit later, but you never know." ...

Oasis have released the official tracklisting for their forthcoming best of album. The band have confirmed the 18 choice cuts to feature on the compilation, reports Gigwise. The list includes the tracks Talk Tonight, Morning Glory, Songbird, Slide Away as well as two of their earliest efforts - Live Forever and Cigarettes And Alcohol. Stop The Clocks will be released on November 20 on the group's own label Big Brother ...

Portastatic has released the first digital-only effort from Merge Records. The band's Sour Shores EP, which is available directly through Merge's website, hit the 'net last week. The four-song effort collects the title track, which surfaces Oct. 10 in all formats on Portastatic's next, Be Still Please and a few other exclusive tracks.
Sour Shores' track listing is: Sour Shores, Sour Shores (acoustic), And I Was a Boy From School, Portraits From Before the War ...

The Flaming Lips will have a deluxe version of their latest album in stores this fall. The act's At War with the Mystics will hit stores Oct. 24, boasting 15 new audio tracks and a DVD portion that collects the album's videos. The album, from Warner Bros., pulls seven cuts that didn't make it onto the album's first release as well as eight live, studio recordings for various radio appearances ...

Albert Hammond Jr.'s solo album contains songs deemed unworthy of being recorded by his full-time band, The Strokes. Hammond told the NME that some of the songs on his upcoming solo debut, Yours to Keep were rejected by his band mates when he brought them into the practice room. While he didn't name names, he said it wasn't primary songwriter Julian Casablancas who shot them down ...

Pete Doherty's band Babyshambles have signed a new record deal. The band, who left Rough Trade after their contract expired, have joined with Parlophone division Regal. The band will now record an EP, called The Blinding, for release in November, Music Week reports ...

Deerhoof' unveiled the details of its next album. Friend Opportunity follows up last year's The Runners Four (5 Rue Christine), hits stores Jan. 23, and wraps up another 10 tracks of the band's trademark quirky pop ...


Bonus:
Optiganally Yours - Exclusively Talentmaker !!!
Page France - Live On KEXP !!!
Belle & Sebastian - Tigermilk
Stereolab - Fab Four Suture + Emperor Tomato Ketchup
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/lsu9v
Built To Spill - You In Reverse
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/pdkr2
Krezip - What Are You Waiting For
Tom Helsen - More Than Gold
+ Massive Attack, Kaiser Chiefs, Placebo, Three Doors Down, Arsenal, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/s25f5
Nirvana - Bleach
Beastie Boys - To The 5 Boroughs
+ Level 42, T.I., Gorillaz, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/q2gwb
Alternative/Indie Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/pkuhr
Alternative/Metal Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ooolq
My Chemical Romance - I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/qhpwj
T.I. - King
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/nt8bg

Friday, September 15, 2006

Thom Yorke - Live Acoustic @ Trade Justice Rally 04-16-05


Few rock singers of the '90s were as original and instantly unforgettable as Thom Yorke, as his band, Radiohead, became one of the biggest bands of the 21st century after making a career out of specializing in challenging and unpredictable rock. Born October 7, 1968, in Wellingborough, England, Yorke was born with a vision ailment: his left eye was paralyzed and shut and until the age of six. He underwent a total of five operations; the last operation was botched and he almost lost all sight out of that eye (only after wearing an eye patch for a year was he able to see, albeit slightly). His family moved often since his father worked as a chemical engineering instruments salesman, and by his teens, he had turned to music as an inspiration, namely Elvis Costello, Queen, and the Beatles. After his family finally settled down in Oxford, Yorke was sent to an all-boys school, where he first met future Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien and bassist Colin Greenwood, soon after discovering such '80s alternative bands as the Smiths, R.E.M., and the Cure. The seeds of what would eventually become Radiohead were planted at this point, as the trio jammed with a drum machine before replacing it with another friend, drummer Phil Selway, and inviting Greenwood's younger multi-instrument playing brother Jonny to join up, too.

The group's original name was On a Friday, before being changed to Radiohead, which they'd swiped from the title of a song on Talking Heads' True Stories. By late 1991, the band was signed to Parlophone in the U.K. and Capitol in the U.S., as an EP, "Drill," came and went without much fanfare. 1993's full-length debut, Pablo Honey, appeared to be suffering the same fate, until American radio/MTV made a surprise hit out of the Nirvana-esque alt-anthem "Creep." The band's fan base grew considerably over the course of their next two releases, 1995's The Bends and 1997's OK Computer, the latter being voted Greatest Album of All Time in the British magazine Q shortly after its release. One of the world's top rock bands by this time, the group attempted to alienate their newly found Top 40 audience with their next release, 2000's abstract Kid A, but instead found it debuting at the top of the U.S. charts (despite the absence of a video or single being released from the album).

While Radiohead remains his top priority, Yorke has also found the time to guest on other band's recordings as well. Some of these "cameo" appearances include the songs "El President" by Drugstore (off the album White Magic for Lovers), a cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" with Sparklehorse, "Rabbit in Your Headlights" by UNKLE (Psyence Fiction), Björk's "I've Seen It All" (Selmasongs), and PJ Harvey's "This Mess We're In" (Stories from the Cities). Yorke has also appeared as part of the ad hoc alternative supergroup Venus in Furs for the soundtrack to the 1998 glam rock film Velvet Goldmine, lending his vocals to the tracks "2HB," "Ladytron," and "Bitter-Sweet." In May 2006, he unleashed a surprise by announcing an imminent solo album on Radiohead's weblog. The Eraser, made with extensive assistance from Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, was released on XL in July.

The presented set is from the Trade Justice Movement Rally, held at April 16th, 2005 in London.

Thom Yorke - Live @ Trade Justice Rally 04-16-2005


Bonus:
Frou Frou - Details
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/lq3qr
Rock Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/q7x6w
Franz Ferdinand - Singles
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/p3hk6
Hot Hot Heat - Make Up The Brakdown
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/pwng7
Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/nnv3n
Indie/Alternative Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ov22c
OST - V For Vendetta
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/lruwp
Nelly Furtado - Loose
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/o95u3

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Poor Bailey


Poor Bailey are Scott Vicknair (Vocals, Guitar), John Snapp (Bass), Travis Harris (Guitar, Keys) and Danny Casentini (Drums).

In late 2002 Poor Bailey begins as a homemade solo project but quickly transforms into a four piece indie rock band and emerges onto the San Francisco music scene. In 2003 Poor Bailey is voted “Best Emerging Artist” at a California Music Awards showcase. In November 2004 the band releases a three song demo consisting of the two singles “Time Well Wasted” and “A Common Cold,” both of which receive consistent airplay on San Francisco based radio station, Live 105. In December “A Common Cold” earns Poor Bailey an opening slot at 2004’s “Not So Silent Night” - a Christmas showcase held at The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco featuring such bands as The Killers, Modest Mouse, Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, Muse and Taking Back Sunday. In May of 2005 the band performs “Oxy Moron” and “Time Well Wasted” on “Soundcheck”, a radio show broadcasted by San Francisco’s Live 105. In August of 2005 the band releases “The House is a Headstone” EP as a precursor to thier first full length L.P. In September of 2005 the single entitled “Gateway to the Delta” enters radio rotation on San Francisco’s Live 105. Among other things the band has been busy writing, recording and playing shows at San Francisco’s premier venues including Slims, Cafe Du Nord and Bottom of the Hill.

Poor Bailey are currently working on a double album to be released at 3rd November. The new record is going to be called "Pyrite & Gold" and it should have around 20 songs on it. There is a huge CD release show scheduled for 3rd Novemeber at Bottom Of The Hill at San Francisco.

Poor Bailey creates very catchy indie rock music that will grab you after the first listening. The songs are melodic and well-crafted. Listening to Poor Bailey, you may feel that you've heard this guys on a local radio station a number of times before. On the other hand, they sound original and fresh, combining different genres in their songs, from country-like (20 Drugs) to post grunge and punk-pop (Common Cold, Time Well Wasted). Some of the highlights are noisy Gateway To The Delta and acoustic Oxy Moron.

Poor Bailey brings an excellent rock music to enjoy from the first to the last song, it's a band for the big things. Recommended!

Poor Bailey - Neon Camo
Poor Bailey @ MySpace
Poor Bailey - Songs (stream)


Bonus:
Lilys - Everything Wrong Is Imaginary (2006) !!!
Margot & The Nuclear So And So's - The Dust Of Retreat (2006) !!!
Pink Mountaintops - Axis Of Evol (2006) !!!
Aloha - Some Echoes (2006) !!!
+ Giant Drag, Stars, Sebadoh, The Books, Metric, YYY, Liars, Feist, Lush, Built To Spill, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ffs76
Jega - Spectrum !!!
The Flaming Lips - Albums
Björk - Medulla
+ Do Make Say Think, Tally Hall, Plone, The Presidents Of USA, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/h86w8
Indie/Noise: Boredoms, Koenjihyakkei, Lightning Bolt, Korekyojin, Konono No.1, Melt-Banana,
Ruins, OOIOO,
Animal Collective, Deerhof, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/hxu8g
Sonic Youth - Sister
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/e8o8h
Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
Cake - Comfort Eagle + Prolonging The Magic
Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism + Something About Airplanes
The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
Medeski Martin & Wood - Shack Man
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/enany

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Damien Jurado


Urban folk singer/songwriter Damien Jurado quietly built up one of the strongest catalogs on the indie scene, earning high critical praise yet somehow never quite getting his proper due. Nick Drake had a definite impact on much of his work, but Jurado modeled his career on more idiosyncratic, unpredictable figures like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, or Randy Newman -- songwriters who followed their own muse wherever it took them, whether fans and critics agreed or not. His independent-mindedness was born at least in part from the influence of punk, and one of the results was a concern for emotional authenticity that led him to delve into other people's lives instead of his own. Many of Jurado's best songs spun concise, literate tales of quiet everyday despair, which often earned him comparisons to short story writer Raymond Carver. But his storytelling bent -- not to mention his ambivalence toward confessional material -- arose from a stronger grounding in traditional folk than spiritual compatriots like Elliott Smith or Cat Power. And with detours into pop, roots rock, full-fledged electric indie rock, and even found-sound experiments, Jurado ensured that his body of work was impossible to completely pin down.

Jurado issued his proper debut album, Waters Ave S., in 1997, and followed it with a spare, home-recorded EP for Made in Mexico, Gathered in Song, a year later. Jurado's sophomore effort was also his breakthrough; released in 1999, the excellent Rehearsals for Departure established him as a singer/songwriter of tremendous subtlety and skill, and won near-universal critical acclaim. For his next move, Jurado confounded fans and critics alike with 2000's Postcards and Audio Letters, a compilation of conversation fragments found on the audio cassettes that Jurado collected obsessively (from sources like thrift-store boom boxes and answering machines) and often used for songwriting inspiration.

The proper follow-up to Rehearsals for Departure was Ghost of David, issued on Sub Pop later in 2000. Jurado next turned to the Burnt Toast label to issue the one-off EP Four Songs in 2001, then formed a full band dubbed Gathered in Song for a change of pace from his typically mellow style. Featuring guitarist Eric Fisher, bassist Josh Golden, and drummer Andy Myers (all of whom played more than one instrument), Gathered in Song debuted on Jurado's next album, 2002's fully electrified I Break Chairs.

Jurado subsequently parted ways with Sub Pop, looking to scale back his recording and touring activities in order to spend more time with his family and, to a lesser degree, his day job as a preschool teacher. He landed on the Indiana-based Secretly Canadian label, for whom he debuted in 2003 with Where Shall You Take Me?, a return to his trademark low-key folk-ballad style. In typical fashion, he followed it with an EP for a smaller label (Acuarela) titled Holding His Breath. A year later, he returned to Secretly Canadian for another EP, Just in Time for Something; early in 2005 his next full-length, On My Way to Absence, arrived.

Damien Jurado will be touring coast to coast beginning Sept. 26 and on through the month of October in support of his new album "And Now That I'm In Your Shadow" which will be out in stores on October 10.

Damien Jurado - What Where The Chances (from And Now That I'm In Your Shadow)
Damien Jurado - Lion Timer (from On My Way To Absence)
Damien Jurado - White Center (from On My Way To Absence)
Damien Jurado - Texas To Ohio (from Where Shall You Take Me?)
Damien Jurado @ MySpace


Bonus:
Nellie McKay - Get Away From Me + Pretty Little Head (2006) !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/zantn
Ani DiFranco - Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/grxws
Alternative/Punk Albums
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/eno55
Tv On The Radio - Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes
Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm A Machine
Regulations - Electric Guitar
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/l49y4
Tv On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain + Desperate Youth
Cotton Mather - Kon Tiki
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/zdu73
Albums: Pantera, Tool, Incubus, A Perfect Circle, Chevelle, John Rutter, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/gwghm

Friday, September 08, 2006

The Hold Steady

The Hold Steady are a Brooklyn-based musical group, although the members have strong connections to the Minneapolis region of Minnesota—something that is frequently reflected in the group's lyrics. Frontman Craig Finn was previously vocalist for Twin Cities band Lifter Puller. Their first album Almost Killed Me (2004) was a sleeper hit among music critics, later appearing at #31 in the influential Pazz & Jop listing in New York's Village Voice. Some months later in May 2005, they were the first rock group to grace the Voice's front page in 15 years. The group's second album, Separation Sunday, was released later in the month. Their third album and Vagrant Records debut, Boys and Girls in America is expected to be released on October 3, 2006. Prior albums were released under the Frenchkiss Records imprint.

The title - Boys and Girls in America - refers to a line in Jack Kerouac's 1957 novel On the Road. On August 18th, 2006 the track 'Chips Ahoy' was released online as a free single on popular indie music site Pitchfork Media.

The Hold Steady - Your Little Hoodrat Friend ( from Separation Sunday)
The Hold Steady - The Swish (from Almost Killed Me)
The Hold Steady - Chips Ahoy (from Boys And Girls In America)
The Hold Steady @ MyMusic


Bonus:
Baxter Dury - Floor Show !!!
Emiliana Torrini - Fishermans Woman
Serge Gainsbourg - L'Integrale
Peter Von Poehl - Going To Where The Tea Trees Are
Supergrass - Road To Ruen
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
David Bowie - BBC 50th Birthday Broadcast
The Life Aquatic - OST
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/s8o3s
(+,-) - Simple Math - A McShep Mix !!!
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/m577z
Electronic/OST
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/p8ba5
William Shatner - Has Been
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/oc5e4
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I'm, That's What I'm Not
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/nz2d2
RHCP - Stadium Arcadium
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/o4snc
Kid Koala - Your Mom's Favorite DJ (2006) !!!
The Format - Dog Problems (2006) !!!
The Roots - Game Theory (2006) !!!
Bob Dylan - Modern Times (2006) !!!
+ Nuyorican Soul, Robinella, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/n9vcg

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

After his stints performing as Palace, Palace Songs, Palace Brothers, and under his own name throughout the '90s, by the end of the decade Will Oldham seemed to finally settle on the Bonnie "Prince" Billy moniker as the main outlet for his work. Regardless of the name he used to release his music or the musicians supporting him, Oldham's style remained largely the same, pitting shambling and often sparse music against his creaky, world-weary voice and literate lyrics. The Louisville, KY, native worked as an actor during the late '80s and early '90s, starring in John Sayles' 1987 mining film Matewan and appearing in the 1989 TV movie Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure and the 1991 big-screen film Thousand Pieces of Gold.

Oldham debuted as a musician in 1992 with the Drag City single Ohio River Boat Song, which he released as Palace Songs; his debut album, There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You, arrived the following year as a Palace Brothers offering. By 1995's Viva Last Blues he was beginning to work as Palace Music, a name that stuck until 1997's Joya, which Oldham released under his own name. However, with 1998's Black Dissimulation and the following year's I See a Darkness, the Bonnie "Prince" Billy name seemed to stick, for the most part: aside from the soundtrack Ode Music and Guarapero: Lost Blues 2, the majority of Oldham's work from then on was credited to Bonnie "Prince" Billy. Ease Down the Road arrived in early 2001, featuring collaborators David Pajo, Catherine Irwin, Mike Fellows, and Harmony Korine. Master and Everyone appeared two years later. In 2004 came the release of a rather surprising project for Oldham -- Bonnie "Prince" Billy Sings Greatest Palace Music, in which his usual collaborators were joined by a band of Nashville session musicians for a set of polished re-recordings of songs from his back catalog.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy's next project found him collaborating with guitarist Matt Sweeney (who had previously worked with Chavez and Zwan, as well as playing banjo on Ease Down the Road) for the evocative January 2005 release Superwolf. Reflective, bittersweet, and achingly melodic, it was praised as one of the year's first truly strong albums. Oldham and Sweeney followed up Superwolf that July with an extended single, I Gave You, featuring two non-album tracks. Sweeney was also on hand for the live album Summer in the Southeast, issued by Sea Note in November 2005. Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Sweeney were joined by a full band for the shows, and the singer released another solo album, The Letting Go, in September 2006.

Bonnie Prince Billy - Beast For Thee
Bonnie Prince Billy - Ruby
Bonnie Prince Billy - I See A Darkness
Bonnie Prince Billy - Daytrotter Sessions


Bonus:
Albums: Editors, KT Tunstall, Kaiser Chiefs, The Strokes, The Magic Numbers, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ek64f
New York Dolls - One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This (2006)
Primal Scream - Riot City Blues (2006)
+ Cat Power, Devendra Banhart, Judee Sill, Cat Stevens, Gram Parsons, 10cc, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/gchth
Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love + The Dreaming
Eurythmics - 1984 (For The Love Of Big Brother)
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/jy2hk
Modest Mouse, Kasabian, From Monument To Masses, GSYBE, Cat Power, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/hujur
DJ Kannon - Chillin Like Villain Vol.2
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/f929o
VA - The Wizard Women Of The North
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/fnlo8
Balto - OST
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/hgxga

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

News

The Arctic Monkeys have won this year's coveted Mercury Music Prize. The Sheffield-based band won the award for their album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. Accepting the award, lead singer, Alex Turner, said their success was down to "good tunes" and "no tricks." The band added that they were "surprised, honoured but very pleased" to win the £20,000 award. Their album became the fastest-selling debut in chart history in February, selling more than 360,000 copies in its first week. Arctic Monkeys were up against nominees including Muse, Editors, Thom Yorke, Richard Hawley, The Guillemots and Hot Chip ...

Jack Black's band Tenacious D are to tour Britain and Ireland following the release of their new album. The actor and bandmate Kyle Gass release their album, The Pick Of Destiny, on November 13, reports NME.com. The dates are at: Dublin RDS (December 10), Glasgow SECC (11), Manchester Evening News Arena (12), Birmingham NEC (15), Brighton Centre (17), London Hammersmith Apollo (18/19). Tickets go on sale on Saturday September 9 at 9am. For availability after then, go to NME.COM/Gigs. The album is the soundtrack to the duo's new movie of the same name which is due out on November 17 ...

The Magic Numbers say their new album - Those The Brokes - will be released on November 6. The album was produced by band members Romeo Stodart and Michele Stodart, reports NME.com. The record was partly recorded at New York's Alaire studios. Percussionist and vocalist Angela Gannon said: "I think the pressure was on us to make a better record, and I think we did. If this record tanks we know that we've made a better record than our first one." ...

Guerilla artist Banksy has tampered with hundreds of copies of Paris Hilton's new album. Banksy replaced Hilton's CD with his own remixes with titles such as Why am I Famous?, What Have I Done? and What Am I For? He has also changed pictures of the heiress on the CD sleeve to show her topless and with a dog's head. A spokeswoman for Banksy said he had doctored 500 copies of her debut album Paris in 48 record shops across the UK. She told the BBC News website: "He switched the CDs in store, so he took the old ones out and put his version in." But he left the original barcode so people could buy the CD without realising it had been interfered with. He visited cities including Bristol, Brighton, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and London, she added ...

Kim Deal's other band, The Pixies , can't pull it together to record a new album, but she's leading The Breeders into the studio this month to record new material. The band's slated to head into a Los Angeles studio with producer Steve Albini to record the follow-up to 2002's Title TK. No title or projected release date for the album has been revealed ...

After taking a short break from recording, Jimmy Eat World is back at working on its next album. The band took a couple weeks off to play some late-summer live shows, but went back to work on the follow-up to 2004's Futures (Interscope) (read Aversion's review). No hints about the release date or title for the new effort were revealed, though the band previously revealed it was tackling recording by finishing tracks up in five- and six-song chunks ...


Bonus:
RHCP, Tonic, Jewel, Coldplay, Travis, Audioslave, Hoobastank, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/q5sgg
Massive Attack - Collected (2006)
Katie Melua - Piece By Piece
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/p2ctn
Les Wriggles - Moi D'Abord
+ Radiohead, U2, RHCP
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/pvzpo
Muse - Black Holes & Revelations
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/lw8r3
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/pqcoz

Monday, September 04, 2006

Veruca Salt


Veruca Salt is an alternative rock group of the 1990s and 2000s, named after Veruca Salt, a character from the novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Louise Post (guitar/vocals), Nina Gordon (guitar/vocals), Steve Lack (bass) and Jim Shapiro (drums) formed in Chicago, Illinois, releasing "Seether"/"All Hail Me" on Minty Fresh Records, an independent label, in 1994. The single was a success and Veruca Salt accompanied Hole on a tour, then released their debut full-length LP, American Thighs.

After signing to Geffen Records, the band quickly gained in popularity as "Seether" became an MTV hit. The EP Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt was released in 1996. Veruca Salt's popularity skyrocketed after their second full album, Eight Arms to Hold You (1997), was released. The album, produced by Bob Rock, generated the hit single "Volcano Girls." Shapiro left the band soon after the record was released and was replaced by Stacy Jones (of Letters to Cleo and now American Hi-Fi).

In 1998, Gordon left the band acrimoniously to pursue a solo career (her debut album Tonight and the Rest of My Life was released in 2000). Post recruited a new band, consisting of Stephen Fitzpatrick (guitar), Suzanne Sokol (bass) and Jimmy Madla (drums), and continued to record and perform under the name of Veruca Salt. The new band signed with Beyond Records. The debut album with the new lineup was 2000's Resolver.

December 2002 saw Resolver released in Australia, led by the single "Born Entertainer", which charted at number 1 on Australia's most well known and biggest alternative radio station Triple J. Following the release of "Born Entertainer", both "Yeah Man" and "Officially Dead" were released to radio and also charted in the top 20. "Officially Dead" was released as a digi pack single in July of 2003 and featured the two new demos "Straight Jacket" and "Blissful Queen". Veruca Salt toured Australia during July of 2003, played to sell out shows, and were one of the headline bands, along with Placebo, Coldplay, and Goldfrapp, at the Splendour In The Grass festival.

2005 saw the release of a new EP and saw the band complete a tour of America during the fall. The EP, released independently at the band's live shows and via their website, aptly entitled, Lords of Sounds and Lesser Things, includes six new songs and is a prelude to a full length album, due in September 2006. The title of the EP is an extract from Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.

The new album is named IV. Produced by Rae DiLeo (Filter, Army of Anyone), "IV" features the classic heavy guitar thunder, pop sensibility, and soul-wrenching lyrics of previous Veruca Salt efforts, coupled with the stirring musical maturation of Louise Post and Co. Songs written and performed live to worldwide acclaim over the past six years (such as "Blissful Queen," "Save You," and "The Sun") have been combined with powerful new material, and the resulting effort promises to be the greatest Veruca Salt album to date.

Veruca Salt - Volcano Girls
Veruca Salt - Seether
Veruca Salt @ MySpace


Bonus:
Lo-Fi-Fnk - Boylife (2006) !!!
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - #3 !!!
Hot Chip - The Warning !!!
Junior Senior - D-D-Don't Stop The Beat + Hey Hey My My Yo Yo !!!
+ Sufjan Stevens, Clor, Shout Out Louds, Moving Units, Tiga, Asobi Seksu, Of Montreal,
Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Cut Copy, The Rapture, Jens Lekman, Fischerspooner
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/rar8j
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Suede - Movin' (Live In '92)
Primal Scream - Echo Dek + Screamadelica
The Jesus And Mary Chain - The Speed Of Sound + Vengeance + Barbed Wire Kisses
My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise [EP] + Feed Me With Your Kiss [EP]
+ Marvin Gaye, Front 242, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/s7x4k
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have it So Much Better
Interpol - Antics

[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/orp5a

Friday, September 01, 2006

The Fits


The Fits are indie-pop band from Oakland, California. The band was started in 2004 by Ben Riesman, who plays guitar and sings. The other band members are Seth Warren (drums), Jason Landry (guitar, synth), Gene V Baker (Rhodes, Trumpet) and Chris Chu (bas) from The Morning Benders who recently replaced Eric Carlson.

In 2006 the band has released the debut "Near Fits" for Ufi Records. The record was finished in January 06 and was produced by Ben Riesman (Lead Fit), all 12 tracks recorded in the Ufi Pet studio and mixed with Myles Boisen (Tom Waits, Dream Kitchen) at Guerilla Recording, Jamie Durr at Tiny Telephone Studios, and a couple songs were mixed by Ben and Jonathan Segel (of Camper van Beethoven). It was layed out by Sean Garrison and hand silkscreened by Ben and Joshua Short.

The music of the Fits is enjoyable, well-crafted pop and is recommended to all the fans of Elephant 6 tunes and those who liked the Morning Benders, who were also recently featured at Indie Surfer Blog.

The album "Near Fits" can be purchased at CDBaby or via Aquarius Records.

The Fits - Ball Of Twine
The Fits - Mad Method
The Fits @ MySpace



Bonus:
The Kooks - Inside In, Inside Out !!!
Girls In Hawaii - From Here To There !!!
Keane - Under The Iron Sea + Hopes & Fears
Daniel Powter - Daniel Powter
+ RHCP, Muse, Jack Johnson, Maroon 5, Eric Prydz, Madonna, etc.
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/mpvqr
Blue October - Foiled (2006) !!!
Outcast - Idlewild (2006)
Eric Clapton - The Cream Of Clapton
Disiz La Peste - Les Histoires Extra Ordinaires D'un Jeune De Banlieu
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ko2q9
Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous
Fiona Apple - Tidal
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I'm, That's What I'm Not
Panic! At The Disco - A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
Hellogoodbye - Hellogoodbye
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/pbvqu
Muse - Live Concerts & Rare
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/ncab3
Muse - Absolution
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/muntj
Muse - Black Holes & Revelations
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/lpe3s
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/lz4d3
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/lwnrk
The Fray - How To Save A Life
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/qozad
Anouk - Update
[CODE]http://tinyurl.com/qvsy5