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I'm definitely looking forward to the Walkmen's Oct. 24th release of their rendition of Harry Nilsson's Pussy Cats. You can now stream a few tracks off the upcoming release via the album's e-card. Be sure to send it to all your friends!
Coyote - "Sugar" from The Elements: Coyote/Bottom of the Hudson - EP
Midlake - "Roscoe" from The Trials of Van Occupanther
Beck - "Nausea" from Nausea - Single
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (40th Anniversary Collection)
When The Beach Boys returned from their 1966 tour of Japan they found a project that would be called 'Pet Sounds' waiting for them. The twenty three year old precocious talent, genius, maestro Brian Wilson whatever you may call him - had embarked on what would become probably the greatest record ever made.
It was something the public, the record company and even the Beach Boys themselves were not ready for. Brian Wilson had created a masterpiece. Vocal harmonies that took weeks to record, perhaps months as Al Jardine recalls saying "..it was exquisite torture..." lush symphonic arrangements, baritone saxes, accordions, car horns, bells, harps you name it. It seemed that if existed it was on the album - and not just for the sake of it. Wilson's arrangements were carefully planned, thought out, crafted and created. Its an album that still stands the test of time some forty years later and has influenced many musicians over the years and many still each and every day.
2006 is the fortieth anniversary of the legendary album and EMI has released this incredible collection of the original recordings, unheard of versions, classic interviews, rare promo films, stills and chats with musicians from the sessions and of course the Beach Boys themselves.
Brian Wilson was not only lauded by his peers but he even appeared on a TV show at the time hosted by the great classical composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. He saw his talent and what a talent it was.
Wilson admits that the inspiration behind the album was 'Rubber Soul'. He felt competitive with the Beatles and wanted to top it. The lyrics written by Tony Asher were poetic, poignant and a mix of popular and much darker and revealing words. It matched Wilson's incredible melodies and arrangements.
Songs like 'God Only Knows', 'Good Vibrations', 'Wouldn't It be Nice' stand tall as some of the best songwriting ever. Add to that the arrangements, production and performance and you have 'Pet Sounds'
Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary release takes the listener into the mind of Brian Wilson and reveals the process, the pain and the joy of making a classic album.
- ATM, August 16, 2006 via Sound Generator
Bob Dylan - Modern Times
It's fitting, really, that "Spirit on the Water," the second track off Modern Times, contains the lines, "You think I'm over the hill/ Think I'm past my prime." Those thoughts likely race through the minds of Dylan fans everywhere these days whenever a new album is announced. At sixty-five years old, it's safe to say Dylan's best years aren't in front of him. Each release brings stronger suspicions that it may be his swan song, and no one wants to see such an icon embarrass himself with an ill-advised last kick at the can. Thankfully, those fears can be cast aside -- at least for now. With Modern Times, Dylan has managed to conjure up a classic album that matches anything he's produced since his '60s heyday.
In terms of style, Modern Times is quite the misnomer. There's certainly nothing modern about the classic rockabilly tunes or country waltzes that make up most of the album. If anything, that's one of its strengths. In bypassing contemporary sounds, Dylan's songs achieve a level of timelessness -- a true measure of any great work of art. Obviously, it takes more than just the transcendence of time to make an album great, and with Modern Times, that greatness is as much the product of what isn't present as what is.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Dylan is not allowing his twilight years to be spent contemplating his mortality. Instead, Modern Times showcases a defiant Dylan who's going to live life to the very last drop. If he chooses to occupy his time recounting pillow-talk promises ("When the Deal Goes Down") or complaining how "some lazy slut has charmed away [his] brains" ("Rollin' and Tumblin'"), then so be it.
Of course, Dylan still has plenty to say about the state of the world (the album is called Modern Times, after all), but he's much too sly to come out with an almost embarrassingly heart-on-sleeve rallying cry like "Let's impeach the president." Dylan knows the score when he sings "The writing's on the wall, come read it, come see what it say," or "If it keeps on raining/ the levee's gonna break," and he's respectful enough to assume you do, too, without beating you over the head with it.
Modern Times may not contain a single song that would rank among Dylan's all-time best, but it doesn't have to. He might not be able to pull a lyrical tour de force like "Mr. Tambourine Man" out of his sleeve anymore, but Dylan's still gifted enough to craft poignant lines about life and love and, more important, he still has the conviction to do so. We'd be wise to ask that he maintain this spirit of defiance for as long as he decides to stick around. Or, to quote another Dylan:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
- Justin Sheppard, August 28, 2006 via Prefix Magazine
Junior Boys - "Count Souvenirs" from So This Is Goodbye
M. Ward - "Chinese Translation" from Post-War
Ratatat - "Loud Pipes" from Classics
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Diamond Sea" from iTunes Session - EP
There have been several documentary films I've become aware of recently that I can't wait to see. The most recent being "loudQUIETloud" which documents the Pixies tumultuous 2004 reunion tour. You can check out the film's site for upcoming screenings or pre-order a copy of the DVD here which will be released 11/09/06. Check out the trailer below:
Chad VanGaalen - "Flower Gardens" from Skelliconnection
Ratatat - Classics
Rock critics are scared of instrumental albums -- scared because they can’t defer to the lyrics; scared because they can’t point out the similarities to the vocalists of the bands they actually like; scared because deep down they don’t know shit about inverted fifths and the dreaded mixolydian mode. On their unquestionably brilliant Classics, Ratatat obliterate this fear, igniting a primal urge in the listener to connect with the music on an instinctual level that renders context and pretext not just useless, but inadequate. This is music to be heard, music to be lived in, music to absorb.
It doesn’t take long to see why Classics commands such authority. Songs like “Lex,” “Loud Pipes” and “Tropicana” all drip with effortless cool. The patented sound from the group’s debut is still in place -- twin guitar leads soaring atop fizzy, hip-hop beats – but Ratatat has expanded their brushstrokes into every corner of the painting so that each listen yields new, greater rewards.
Although the title for Classics originated as a joke, Stroud and Mast may have subconsciously felt a need to live up to it. In a way, it was a brilliant move on their part. Instrumental bands tend to speak through their song and album titles, and titles like that tend to get people talking. Even the song titles are evocative. “Wildcat,” the album’s most immediately appealing track, not only features a recurring sample of a howl, but the loping gait of the guitar leads suggests the grace of a cat.
But wait. See how I’ve gotten fixated on the titles? That’s what us critics do. See, I told you.
- Mark Griffey, July 31, 2006 via Junk Media
M. Ward - Post-War
Two words usually come arise when describing neo-folk troubadour M. Ward – hush and weathered. On his fourth album, Post-War, Ward makes vintage sound like the present, as the 31 year old paints pictures with his "hush and weathered" atmospheric folk, as if he’s been doing this since ’59.
Ward's "Fahey" fashioned guitar talents, are set in the background this time around in favor of his welcoming vocals and orchestrated melodies, which have developed two-fold since 2005’s Transistor Radio.
With the help of Neko Case and Jim James, Ward ironically records the happiest song of his career – notable in the cover of Daniel Johnston’s “To Go Home” as he recites - “God it's great to be alive / Takes the skin right off my hide / To think I'll have to give it up / Some day." Pick me-ups (“Requiem”), instrumental playfulness (“Neptune’s Net”), hot-shot finger picking (“Chinese Translation”), and a toe tapping folk (“Rollercoaster”) all strut their stuff on this golden effort. Ward sets a true “mood” on Post War, as each song flows effortlessly, and as the disc suddenly concludes, you can't help but want more from this American original.
- Shane Handler, August 15, 2006 via Glide Magazine
TV on the Radio - "Wolf Like Me" from Wolf Like Me - Single
Cold War Kids are featured on Daytrotter this week so be sure to check out the band's story and free songs.
Like many a classic New Zealand record, Over the Atlantic’s Junica recalls many days spent in and out of flats, of drums recorded alongside rooms by a road, of endless tracks recorded and discarded, of coffees scraped together and shared. Confessional letters are written and read, songs get sculpted on old sofas, dust hazy sunlight days prompt dreamy reminiscences.
The Over the Atlantic of Junica is Bevan Smith and Nik Brinkman, who came together through shared involvement in a A LOW HUM compilation; Smith mastering the record and Brinkman submitting a track under the Over the Atlantic name. Two and a half years of work, of flat pop-ins, of recording and re-recording resulted in Junica; a sugary pop-indie treat.
Junica smoothes its indie sound on pop structures. Romantic and wry by turns, layered vocals are set against tart and clipped drum beats which snap like frost laden branches against the window of a warm room. With sneakily fun basslines and immaculately timed pop-breaks, Smith and Brinkman show off their influences worn lightly but boldly.
Bevan Smith makes music and sound, built and manages the Involve label and is a noted conjurer of extinct birds. As composer/creator he has worked on music for art projects, theatre shows, museums, dance works, Japanese TV adverts and films, notably the Bafta award winning “Touching the Void”. Nik Brinkman went to film school, broke out of high school with the band Ejector who supported Pacifier, D4, and Cassette and can’t put down a telecaster for long. Single and a scorpio is a dangerous combination for the slideshow of indie girls that adorn his myspace page.
Junica is a record destined to be savoured over time, discovered and rediscovered, saved for mild summer afternoons and early winter evenings. Kick your shoes off on the old couch and settle in, there’s a groove worn in it for you. (from the album's one sheet)
You can check out a featured track from Junica (due 09/19/06 from Carpark Records) below:
I can't wait to see Who Is Harry Nilsson... (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?. Ain't It Cool News' very promising review suggested it was the best film they'd seen at the Santa Barbara Film Festival where it made it's debut. You can check out the trailer below as well as an extended version on the film's MySpace page.
Oh No! Oh My! - "Walk In the Park" from Oh No! Oh My!
Vetiver - "I Know No Pardon" from To Find Me Gone
The Whitest Boy Alive - "Above You" from Dreams
Alice Cooper - "Clones (We're All)" from Flush the Fashion
Aberdeen City - "God Is Going to Get Sick of Me" from The Freezing Atlantic
The Sleepy Jackson made their appearance on AOL's The Interface. You can listen to the podcast here. (via MOKB)
Matthew Friedberger - "The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Co., Resignation Letter" from Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School
The Walkmen recently covered all of Harry Nilsson’s, John Lennon-produced, Pussy Cats as something fun to do in light of their Marcata Studio closing. The band's own version of Pussy Cats will now be released Oct. 24th with an accompanying DVD. Here is one of the tracks from the upcoming release and it sounds great:
Sebadoh - "Total Peace" from III
The Rolling Stones - "Play With Fire" from Out of Our Heads
Golden Smog - "Frying Pan Eyes" from Another Fine Day
Nikki Sudden's final album The Truth Doesn't Matter was completed just a week before he left for his final American tour in March of 2006. The album will now be released by Secretly Canadian on Oct. 10th.
The album was recorded in Berlin towards the end of 2005 and is said to feature hints of Marc Bolan glam, Rolling Stones' honky blues, Bobby Womack's soiled R&B, and '70s disco comps (with some repeated Isley Brothers doses). While the listener will definitely find these influences on the album it's clear that Nikki Sudden, and his incomparable spirit, will be far out front. Check out "Seven Miles" from The Truth Doesn't Matter below:
Matthew Friedberger - Winter Women/Holy Ghost Language School
Melon Collie & the Infinite Sadness, Stadium Arcadium, Use Your Illusion, Michael Jackson’s HIStory – more often than not, the double album is an undertaking in overindulgence. And when that double album arrives in the form of the solo debut from the figurehead of an established band, cue the warning bells. Leave it to Matthew Friedberger to dodge both bullets. He shares his birthplace with Hemingway, but, where the Oak Park author swore by brevity, the songwriter vouches for a sonorous verbosity, crafting couplets to make creative writing teachers cream in their khakis (“September sun and the ablative case / you’re tutoring Timmy by the Finger Lakes” from “The Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company Resignation Letter”). Penetrating detail, story arcs – what Friedberger achieves in three minutes, most novelists cannot scrape up in 300 pages. The Decembrists seem like Dr. Seuss by comparison. Characters including a would-be pimp at a brothel in Cairo and a dissatisfied secretary with a Chinese typewriter populate these dense and literate songs, for which melody is seldom sacrificed. Seafaring saga “Don’t You Remember?” is a close cousin to Fiery Furnaces’ astounding “Here Comes the Summer.” Sister/foil Eleanor is certainly missed but in taking on the twin menace of Solo Album and Double Album, Matthew Friedberger has prevailed.
- Josh Cox, July 31, 2006 via Glide Magazine
As most of you know by now, Albert Hammond, Jr. will be releasing his solo album entitled Yours To Keep exclusively in the U.K. through Rough Trade Records on Monday, October 9th. While your waiting for Oct. 9th to roll around, you can check out some of the songs off Yours To Keep on Albert's MySpace page.
Ladyhawk - "The Dugout" from Ladyhawk
The Knife - "From Off to On" from Silent Shout
The Rosewood Thieves - "Los Angeles" from From the Decker House
Isaac Brock has announced, in an interview with Rolling Stone, that former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr (who was known to have been collaborating on the band’s next record) is now a full-on member of Modest Mouse. This definitely sounds like it will lead to some interesting musical results in the studio and onstage. You can read the article here.
Swan Lake is the new band featuring Daniel Bejar (Destroyer, New Pornographers), Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown) and Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes).
Beast Moans is their debut record featuring, among other things, beast moans, starling voices, cobra hi hats and arpeggiating pianos. The songs are great weaves, showcasing the famous and very distinctive songwriting styles of Bejar, Krug and Mercer. The sum is definitely greater than the parts, and at distinct points on the record a new "combined" style emerges that throws whole heaps of magic into the air, sounding like nothing else.
When the three "come together" (as if stuck in a sea-storm, in a sinking boat, forced to bail together), we first glean some grudging camaraderie. But, like rugged individualists after the storm, parting at dry crossroads, their work on Beast Moans can still be the sounds of each individual muttering under his breath, and not the chorus of exclamation and supplication to the raging maelstrom that is the hallmark of "collaboration". It's good either way.
Beast Moans was recorded in a summer cottage town in Canada, and in Victoria, in a house where Krug and Mercer are familiar with and Bejar feels comfortable enough. It was "self-produced." (from the album's one sheet)
You can check out a featured track from Beast Moans (due 11/21/06 from Jagjaguwar) below:
My friend Brian works in the IT world and, as one would expect, gets calls from friends and family in need of some free tech support. The special calls highlighted below were phoned in from his brother Brandon (pictured) and are an example of what could potentially happen when you download music by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from a group of wacky Russians.
Pretty soon you might find yourself, along with your computer, under attack from Iraq, the Taliban, and al Qaeda all at the same time. Remember, no one's safe!!!
Brandon a.k.a. MC Not A Computer Genius - Hey Oh Brother!
Spoon - "Towner" from Telephono
Bright Eyes - "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" from Digital Ash In a Digital Urn
