Grant Manship

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 31st, 2006

Test Icicles - "Circle. Square. Triangle." from For Screening Purposes Only

WOW!!! That's all I have to say...

I'm pretty sure you'll want to check out The Raconteurs website.  I'd hate to ruin the surprise so I'll let you check out the band bio to see who is involved if you don't already know.  I'll also let you listen to, and be blown away by, the two songs in the Media section. 

"Store Bought Bones" anyone???  Looks like I know what I'll be listening to for the entire month of May and beyond.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 30th, 2006

Bloc Party - "Tulips" from Tulips - Single

Costa Rica

Hello all!  I've finally returned, much to my dismay, from my working trip to Costa Rica.  If you ever have the chance to go to this beautiful country, don't pass it up!  The country and the people are amazing.  To all my friends who I work with there, hola!

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 27th, 2006

The Beta Band - "Dry the Rain" from The Three EPs

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 26th, 2006

Film School - "Pitfalls" from Film School

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 24th, 2006

Sufjan Stevens - "Super Sexy Woman" from A Sun Came

Favorite New Release of the Week - Jan. 24th, 2006

Cat Power - The Greatest

The dirty little secret about Chan Marshall is that she may actually have her shit together. As a recent Harp magazine interview pointed out (in between Marshall's musings on interest rates, real estate, and finances), she's spent the past decade building a successful career without even employing a manager. It's a feat that few, if any, of her contemporaries have been able to pull off-- and given that, at this very moment, a significant portion of the indie music world is salivating for tomorrow's release of the seventh Cat Power record, it would seem she's pulled it off quite well.  (more)

-Amy Phillips, January 23, 2006 via Pitchfork

The Strokes Announce U.S. Tour Dates

The Strokes have announced their preliminary U.S. tour dates.

03-03 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
03-06 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
03-08 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
03-10 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
03-11 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
03-14 Austin, TX - Stubb's
03-15 Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater
03-17 Grande Prairie, TX - Nokia Theatre
03-19 Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
03-21 Mesa, AZ - Mesa Ampitheatre
03-24 San Francisco, CA - Concourse
04-02 Portland, OR - Roseland
04-04 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
04-07 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
04-08 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
04-10 Milwaukee, WI - The Eagles Club
04-11 Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 23rd, 2006

Seu Jorge - "Tive Razão" from Cru

This Week

I'm going to be out of the country this week so my attempts to keep the site updated daily may not work but I'll do my best.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 20th, 2006

The Doors - "Moonlight Drive" from Strange Days

Coachella 2006

Nothing has been confirmed yet but if the Coachella lineup looks like this you should go ahead and cross April 29-30 off your calendar.  I think it would be fine if they stopped adding groups and just let these bands play over and over.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 19th, 2006

Silver Jews - "The Farmer's Hotel" from Tanglewood Numbers

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 18th, 2006

Eels - "Souljacker, Pt. 1" from Souljacker

History of Punk on the Lower East Side

Some of you may have already heard this but I hadn't and was just sent a link to Jeffrey Lewis' History of Punk on the Lower East Side.  As WFMU's Beware of the Blog states, "It's a nine-minute tour de force tracking New York punk from Harry Smith to the New York Dolls."

I could only get the Real Audio stream to work.  Download Real Player if you don't already have it.

If You Want

Thanks to So Much Silence for digging up a performance by Tom Vek on KCRW.

Get Your Prize-Pack On!!!

Head over to gorilla vs. bear for their Merge Records contest.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 17th, 2006

The Flaming Lips - "The W.A.N.D." from The W.A.N.D. - Single

Six Organs of Admittance Interview

Pitchfork sat down for an interview with Ben Chasny so you should sit down and read it.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 16th, 2006

The Strokes - "Red Light" from First Impressions of Earth

Cat Power

If you're interested in hearing the new Cat Power album it's streaming on MySpace.  (via Stereogum)

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 13, 2006

M. Ward - "I'll Be Yr Bird" from Transistor Radio

WAKE UP!!!

There's nothing like starting your day off with a video of Axl Rose rocking out during his pre-GNR days fronting Hollywood Rose.  I'll let you decide if you think it's as funny as I did. 

Despite the potential humorous nature of the clip, you really have to appreciate it's historical value.  Here we see a young Axl Rose beginning to develop, even if ever so slightly, that famous side-to-side Axl Rose strut/dance thing that I've found myself, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, emulating at so many random times throughout my life.

While we're on the topic of videos.  Here is a 1969 clip, via goldenfiddle, of the Grateful Dead performing "Mountains of the Moon" and "St. Stephens" on Playboy After Dark.

The Best "Best of 2005" List

It is clear to me and several of my peers that the brain of my Constitutional Law professor, the esteemed Kenneth Katkin, could quite possibly contain an all-encompassing knowledge base related to both the U.S. Constitution and anything related to good music.  If you want to know anything about either topic, he's your man!

To prove my point, here is his "Best of 2005" list which I've been meaning to post.  I haven't been able to post it until now because I've been busy staring in awe at the list, and it's sheer magnitude, ever since he sent it to me. 

Top 12 New Albums of 2005 (in order)

1. Bonnie "Prince" Billy & and Matt Sweeney - Superwolf LP/CD (Drag City)
2. Wussy - Funeral Dress CD (Shake It)
3. "American Primitive Volume 2 - Pre-War Revenants 1897-1939" 2CD comp (Revenant)
4. Bright Eyes - I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning LP/CD (Saddle Creek)
5. Jeffrey & Jack Lewis - City and Eastern Songs CD (Rough Trade UK)
6. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema LP/CD + bonus disc (Matador)
7. Negativland - No Business CD (Seeland)
8. The Double - Loose In The Air LP/CD  (Matador)
9. The Evens - 12 songs LP/CD (Dischord)
10. "Hilarity And Despair: American Answering Machine Tapes Volume 1" LP (Sebastian Speaks)
11. Bob Dylan – Live at the Gaslight 1962 CD (Starbucks/Columbia)
12. Bill Fay Group - Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow CD (Durtro Jnana)

Top 12 Singles/EPs of 2005 (In Order)

1. Jeffrey Lewis – “History of Punk on the Lower East Side” CDR (GUFF COMICS)
2. Sage Francis & Will Oldham - Sea Lion 12"EP (Epitaph)
3. Bonnie "Prince" Billy & and Matt Sweeney - “I Gave You” 7"/CDEP (Drag City)
4. Bright Eyes – “First Day of My Life”/“When The President Talks To God” 7" (Saddle Creek Europe)
5. Xiu Xiu/ Devendra Banhart - The Body Breaks b/w Support Our Troops Oh! 7" (Kill Rock Stars)
6. Silver Palace - Mr. Jews 7" (Sea Note)
7. The Ridiculous Trio - "No Fun"/"Down on the Street" 7"45 (Slovenly Records)
8. Major Stars- "Black Road" 7"EP (Twisted Village)
9. Jumpers – s/t CDEP (self-released)
10. Jack "Laissez Faire" Lewis - Hero Worship and the Animals We Love 7"EP (Smoking Gun Records) (UK)
11. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness – “According to Plan”/“Thoughts on the Floor” 12"single (Artikal)
12. Mumps - “Crocodile Tears”/"Waiting For The World To Catch Up" 7" (Sympathy For the Record Industry)

Honorable Mention (Alphabetical Order)

• Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow LP/CD (XL)
• Bastro - Antlers: Live 1991 CD (Blue Chopsticks)
• Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Summer in the Southeast 2LP/CD (Sea Note)
• Noam Chomsky - The Imperial Presidency CD (AK)
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – s/t LP/CD (self-released)
• Cobra Verde - Copycat Killers CD (Scat)
• CocoRosie - Noah's Ark CD (Touch & Go)
• Bob Dylan - Bootleg Series Vol 7: No Direction Home 2CD (Columbia)
• Danny & the Nightmares - Freak Brain CD (Sympathy For the Record Industry)
• Dirtbombs - If You Don't Already Have A Look 2CD (In The Red) 
• Tod Dockstader - Aerial 1 & 2 CDs (Sub Rosa) • Eyeball Skeleton - #1 CD (My Pal God)
• "Fonotone Records (1956-1969)" 5CD (Dust To Digital)
• David Grubbs & Nikos Veliotis - The Harmless Dust CD (Headz) (Japan)
• Heartless Bastards – Stairs and Elevators CD (Fat Possum)
• Jennifer Gentle - Valende LP/CD (Sub Pop)
• Jeffrey Lewis - Collaborations with Diane Cluck & Kimya Dawson CDR (Orange Juice Distribution)
• Minus Story - No Rest for Ghosts LP/CD (Jagjaguwar)
• Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree CD (4AD) 
• Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy LP/CD + Appendix 12"EP/CDEP (Jagjaguwar)
• Pajo- Pajo CD (Drag City) • Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures CD (Sub Pop)
• Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster - Hippy Justice Volume 3 2CD (Stereolaffs)
• Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers LP/CD (Drag City)
• (smog) - A River Ain’t Too Much To Love LP/CD (Drag City)
• So Percussion - Steve Reich: Drumming CD (Cantaloupe)
• Television Personalities - And They All Lived Happily Ever After CD comp (Damaged Goods) (1982-2005)
• Laura Viers - Year of Meteors CD (Nonesuch)
• M. Ward - Transistor Radio CD (Merge)
• White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan LP/CD (XL/V2)

Reissues of Special Note (Alphabetical Order)

• Belfast Gypsies – “I Want You”/”It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” 10” (Break-A-Way) (Germany) (1966)
• Belle and Sebastian - Push Barman To Open Old Wounds 3LP/2CD (Matador)
• Chinaboise - Greatest Story Ever Told CD (Gulcher) (1975)
• Todd Tamanend Clark - Nova Psychedelia 2CD (Anopheles) (1975-1985)
• John Cooper Clarke - Ou Est La Maison Du Fromage? CD (Castle Music) (1978)
• Tony Conrad - Bryant Park Moratorium Rally CD (Table Of The Elements) (1969)
• Detention - Too Noisy 7"EP (BCT/Ponk) (1984)
• Roky Erickson- I Have Always Been Here Before: The Roky Erickson Anthology 2CD (Shout! Factory)
• The Ex - Singles. Period. CD (Touch & Go) (1980-1990)
• The Fall - Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004 6CD BOX (Castle Music)
• Bill Fay - "Bill Fay" & "Time of the Last Persecution" CDs (Eclectic) (UK) (1970-71)
• Flamin’ Groovies - Shake Some Action CD (DBK Works) (1977)
• Fun Things – “When the Birdmen Fly” 4-song 7"EP (Penniman) (Spain) (1980)
• Galaxie 500 - Peel Sessions CD (20/20/20) (1989-90)
• Ghost - Metamorphosis: Ghost Chronicles 1984-2004 DVD & CD (Drag City)
• Guided By Voices - Propeller LP/CD (Scat) (1992)
• Gary Higgins - Red Hash CD (Drag City) (1973)
• Holland/Dozier/Holland - Heaven Must Have Sent You 3CD (Hip-O/Motown) (1961-2003)
• Baby Huey - Living Legend CD (Water) (1970)
• "Keats Rides A Harley" comp CD (Warning Label) (1980)
• Moondog- Moondog And His Friends 10"EP (Honest Jon’s) (UK) (1953)
• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - B-Sides and Rarities 3CD (Mute)
• "No New York" LP/CD (Lilith) (Russia) (1978)
• "Ohm+ - The Early Gurus of Electronic Music" 3CD/1DVD comp (Ellipsis Arts)
• Orange Juice - The Glasgow School CD (Domino) (1980-81)
• Iggy Pop & the Stooges - Heavy Liquid 6CD (Easy Action) (UK) (1972-73)
• Real Kids - Foggy Notion 10"EP (Norton) (1974)
• Terry Reid - Superlungs CD (Astralwerks) (1969)
• Silver - Do You Wanna Dance 7" (Pop Con) (1980)
• Slits - Cut CD (Koch) (1979) & Live At The Gibus Club CD (Castle Music) (1978)
• Small Faces - Immediate Album Collection 3CD (Castle Music) (1966-67)
• Spacemen Three - Translucent Flashbacks CD (Fire UK) (1986-88)
• Tall Dwarfs - Weeville & Fork Songs CDs (Cloud Recordings)  (1990-91)
• Toy Love - Cuts 2xCD (Flying Nun) (1978-80)
• Troggs - The Singles As & Bs 3CD (Repertoire) (GERMANY) (1966-1980)
• Unrest – Imperial F.F.R.R. Deluxe Edition CD (Teenbeat) (1992)
• "WarfRat Tales (Unabridged)" comp CD (Avebury) (1983)
• Patty Waters - Complete ESP-Disk Recordings CD (ESP-Disk)
• Watts Prophets - Things Gonna Get Greater CD (Water) (1969-1971)
• Jimmy Webb - The Moon's A Harsh Mistress 5CD box set (Rhino Handmade) (1970s)
• "Where In The World Is Wendy Broccoli?: A Collection of Out-of-Print Flying Nun Singles 1981-1996" CD (Flying Nun) (1981-1996)
• X-Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescents (Expanded Edition) CD (Castle Music) (1978)
• Yo La Tengo - Prisoners of Love 3CD (Matador)
• 101ers - Elgin Avenue Breakdown (Revisited) CD (Astralwerks)(1975-76)
• "2001: Music from the Films of Stanley Kubrick" CD (Silva America)

Some New Records That Came Out in 2005 That I Wish I Had Heard (But Didn’t)

• The Bats - At The National Grid CD (Magic Marker)
• Bobby Beausoleil - Dreamways Of The Mystic 2xCD (Arcanum Entertainment) (Italy)
• Chris Brokaw - Incredible Love CD (12XU)
• Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering CD (Dicristina Stair Builders)
• Diane Cluck - Countless Times CD (Voodo Eros) • Dirty Three – Cinder CD (Touch & Go)
• The Fall - Fall Heads Roll CD (Narnack)
• Freakwater - Thinking Of You CD (Thrill Jockey)
• Gays In The Military - People Is Beautiful CD (Gulcher)
• David Grubbs - Two Soundtracks for Angela Bulloch (Semishigure) (Germany)
• Neil Hamburger - Great Moments at Di Presa's Pizza House CD (Drag City)
• Susan Howe & David Grubbs - Thiefth CD (Blue Chopsticks)
• Calvin Johnson - Before The Dream Faded LP/CD (K Records)
• Eugene Kelly - Man Alive CD (Sympathy For the Record Industry)
• Jeffrey Lewis - 2x7" + DVD box set (Hallso UK)
• Fred Lonberg-Holm - Other Valentines CD (Atavistic)
• Magik Markers - I Trust My Guitar, etc. (Ecstatic Peace)
• Magik Markers - N.C.H.C. Vol. 1 LP (Ecstatic Peace)
• MX-80 - We're An American Band CD (Family Vineyard)
• My Dad Is Dead - A Divided House CD (Unhinged)
• Scout Niblett - Kidnapped By Neptune CD (Too Pure/Beggars)
• “Not Alone - Songs For Doctors Without Borders” 5CD comp (Durtro Jnana)
• Robert Pollard - Bubble 7"/CDEP (Recordhead)
• Mike Rep & The Quotas - Black Hole Rock (Old Age/No Age)
• (International) Tall Dwarfs - In the Dying Days of Helen Young (Tall Dwarfs)
• Nick Tosches - Fuckthelivingfuckthedead CD (DSA) (France)
• Wingdale Community Singers - s/t CD (Plain Recordings)
• Carrie Yury - Mutter CDEP (self-released)
• Zip Code Rapists - Here At Last - Live CD (Freedom From)

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 12th, 2006

The Long Winters - "The Commander Thinks Aloud" from the Ultimatum - EP

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 11th, 2006

Supergrass - "Low C" from Road to Rouen

Group Therapy

New York Magazine has a little "group therapy" with The Strokes.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 11th, 2006

The Walkmen - "Thinking of a Dream I Had" from Bows + Arrows

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 9th, 2006

Wilco - "Handshake Drugs" from Kicking Television - Live In Chicago

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 5th, 2006

The Velvet Underground - "I'm Waiting for the Man" from The Velvet Underground & Nico

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 4th, 2006

Modest Mouse - "Trailer Trash" from The Lonesome Crowded West

Favorite New Release of the Week - Jan. 3rd, 2006

The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth

You would usually find the text from a review about the album that is selected as the favorite release of the week here.  Basically, there's no need for that.  The album's excellent so just buy it.  I don't care if you buy it here, just go somewhere and get it.

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 3rd, 2006

The Rolling Stones - "Memory Motel" from No Security

iTunes Song Suggestion of the Day - Jan. 2nd, 2006

The New Pornographers - "The Jessica Numbers" from Twin Cinema

The Best of 2005

10.  Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers - Buy It

9.  Andrew Bird - Mysterious Production of Eggs - Buy It

8.  New Pornographers - Twin Cinema - Buy It

7.  Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - S/T - Buy It

6.  Animal Collective - Feels - Buy It

5.  Spoon - Gimme Fiction - Buy It

4.  Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy - Buy It

3.  My Morning Jacket - Z - Buy It

2.  Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary - Buy It

1.  Sufjan Stevens - Illinois - Buy It

 

The "Best of 2005" iPod Nano Winner

Ladies and Gentlemen!  I'm happy to announce that the winner of the "Best of 2005" iPod Nano is, frequent reader and commenter, Vince Lewandowski.  If you're reading this Vince I'll be sending the iPod out this week and thank you for entering the contest.  Thanks to everyone who entered and I want you all to know that we'll be doing more of these contests in the future.

Vince's "Best of 2005" list was:

10.  My Morning Jacket - Z

9.  Jennifer Gentle - Valende - Buy It   

8.  Adam Green - Gemstones -  Buy It

7.  Smog - A River Ain't Too Much To Love - Buy It

6.  Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower - Buy It 

5.  Deerhoof - The Runners Four - Buy It

4.  Wolf Parade  -  Apologies to the Queen Mary   

3.  The Fiery Furnaces - EP - Buy It

2.  Sufjan Stevens - Illinois

1.  Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - S/T