« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »
Ian MacKaye's band The Evens, which also includes Amy Farina will be performing in Cincinnati on Friday night. Tickets are only $5 and are only available at Shake It Records as of right now. There may be a limited number available at the door but I wouldn't wait until the night of the show to get tickets as they're selling fast!
Saul Williams has decided to follow in the footsteps of Radiohead, as well as his heart, and will be releasing his new album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! as a free download of 192Kbps MP3's or offering fans a choice between 192Kbps, 320Kbps, or FLAC lossless MP3's if they pay $5 to support the cause. The following letter, or prose, was posted by Saul as a way to express his feelings and reasons for pursuing this avenue of dissemination.
My Dearest Friends and Fans,
It is my greatest honor to present to you The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!, my new album produced by Trent Reznor and mixed by Alan Moulder. The wall of sound that we've created is tagged with such graffiti that a passerby would seek out doors and ways to ENTER. Once inside a world defined by dreams come true they'd find aligned with the simplest act of sharing what we treasure. Most people aren't aware of the world of art and commerce where exploitation strips each artist down to nigger. Each label, like apartheid, multiplies us by our divide and whips us 'til we conform to lesser figures. What falls between the cracks is a pile of records stacked to the heights of talents hidden from the sun. Yet the energy they put into popularizing smut makes a star of a shiny polished gun. The ballot or the bullet for Mohawk or the mullet is a choice between new times and dying days. And the only way to choose is to jump ship from old truths and trust dolphins as we swim through changing ways. The ways of middlemen proves to be just a passing trend. We need no priests to talk to God. No phone to call her. And when you click the link below, i think it fair that you should know that your purchase will make middlemen much poorer...
NiggyTardust!
love,
Saul
Here is the link that Saul spoke of in the letter. I hope his efforts are as succesful as it appears Radioheads were. I strongly suggest supporting his and Trent's efforts, I for one already have!
Boris + Damon & Naomi w/ Michio Kurihara
Fri Oct 5 on the Mershon Stage at the Wexner Center for the Arts (Columbus, OH)
On a perfect October evening that felt like spring, I sojourned 100 miles up I-71 to commune with Tokyo's polymath power-trio Boris. How could I pass up the opportunity? The band's voyage from Japan to Columbus, Ohio was 100 times the distance that I traveled. And although Boris has been together since 1992 and has played America's coastal cities fairly frequently, this was my first-ever opportunity to see the band play live.
The name
"Boris" is said to derive from the title of a song
by The Melvins, though I think it's at
least as likely that the name was selected strategically to ensure that the
band's records would be filed in US record stores right next to those of their
philosophically compatible countrymen, The
Boredoms. The New
York Times once referred to Boris as possibly "the Kraftwerk, or the
Ramones, or even the Jimi Hendrix Experience, depending on the album" of
contemporary experimental metal music. I mostly concur with the Gray
Lady's description, except that even the phrase "experimental metal"
fails to capture the range of musical styles and genres in which Boris works
comfortably. Pop and experimental, heavy and light, NYC-postpunk and
arena-rock bombast, psychedelic and slowcore and speedmetal: Boris's
stylistic catholicism has actually forced the band to develop a semiotic
typographical scheme that tips would-be record-buyers what they're getting
themselves into. (CD booklets upon which the band-name "BORIS"
is printed in uppercase letters rock out; CD booklets upon which the band-name
is "boris" printed in lowercase letters are slow, light, or
experimental)
As always, it's a great pleasure when a concert review or other piece from Professor Katkin lands in my inbox. I'm sure you can understand my joy at seeing not one, but three reviews sitting there for our enjoyment. There's also word of more reviews to come which I can't wait to read!
In honor of this, as well as past and hopefully many future occasions, I'm now unveiling "Katkin's Korner" here to act as a landing pad for any and everything the good professor wishes to expound upon. So without further ado, check out his reviews for recent shows by Spectrum, Rafael Toral and Lee Ranaldo, as well as The National after the jump.
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Much has been said about Radiohead and the way in which they've released this album. Now it's time to finally see what's at the heart of all this discussion, the actual record. This album is all about escape and/or freedom. Freedom from the daily worries of war, terrorism, the environment, or whatever else might be bothering you. It also represents the attempts of a band to free themselves from the constraints put on them by a lumbering, out-of-touch record industry. The same band is also giving a voice to millions of fans who want to escape from being told how the world they're living in should operate.
The goal of escaping these everyday doldrums by approaching things from a fresh angle is at the center of Radiohead's plans. The move should serve as notice to the establishment that their days are numbered. Part of me thinks that Radiohead has shifted away from the more abrasive approach (i.e. like calling an album Hail To The Thief) to a more subtle, calculated, and what some might call a more intuitive one. If those in power won't listen, why not change the game thereby removing the old guard and creating a more progressive arena to let things play out in? That's exactly what Radiohead is advocating. It's clear the systems currently in place aren't working. It's rather obvious that things, in fact, are crumbling around the proverbial "man" despite his best efforts to hide this fact. The various governments, corporations, and individuals that Radiohead are railing against are fighting tooth and nail to protect their empires but thanks to the innovative thoughts of bands like Radiohead, it's a fight they're destined to lose.
As far as the actual music, the songs are extremely vibrant. It sounds like Radiohead was invigorated by the plans they cooked up for this album. "15 Steps" is a perfect album opener. It preps your ears for what's coming and showcases all of what Radiohead has been up to in just under 4 minutes. One of my favorite moments on the album occurs during this song when you first hear a group of children cheer at about the 2:13 mark. Another great aspect of this song, and several others on the album, is the inclusion of guitar sounds remnant of the OK Computer era. The album is a great example of a band satisfying their appetite for experimentation while reaching back and incorporating some of their greatest assets from previous works. They've certainly come full circle on this record armed with the knowledge of where they've been. Aside from the guitars, the orchestration on this album is, as to be expected, brilliant. The songs on In Rainbows are so dense that it will take forever to figure out everything that is going on. Fittingly though, one of the simplest songs on the album may be its greatest. I'm going to go ahead and say I think "Videotape" may be the most beautiful Radiohead song ever written. It could be one of the most beautiful songs ever written by anyone for that matter.
Normally, I would post an mp3 or two from the album but right now I'd encourage you to download the album from Radiohead (even if you don't pay anthing) and hear how great this album is, in its entirety, as Radiohead prefers. You can, however, watch the video below of Thom performing "Videotape" solo while you're waiting for your download to finish.
The most creative press release I've received in recent memory award definitely goes to Kris at Domino Records celebrating today's release of Cass McComb's new album, Dropping The Writ. At least, it's pretty creative to me after having been required to read a bunch of legislation similar to what the press release was based on for a recent Advanced Legal Research class in law school. I have to admit that I laughed a little while reading it, sad but true. It's becoming more and more apparent with every passing day just how burnt out I am with law school and actually laughing out loud at this is all the proof I need.
Luckily, for those of you who might not see the humor in the press release, it happened to include links to mp3's of two great songs off Dropping the Writ along with tour dates for Rep. McCombs on his upcoming shows with Ariel Pink and José González. One thing is for sure, this is certainly a piece of legislation I can get behind. You'll be able to find the rest of the legislation, with the mp3's and tour dates, after the jump. Enjoy!
Expressing the sense of the Domino Recording Company Ltd. that this day marks the release of Dropping The Writ, a longplaying sound recording from Cass McCombs on this day, October 9th, 2007.
Whereas Cass McCombs was born in the state of California in 1977. He began playing guitar at the age of 14 and has a public high school education. Since, he has traveled and lived in many places.
Robert Pollard is ready to unleash not one, but two new albums. This time he's exploring the age-old debate/dichotomy of The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones on Coast to Coast Carpet of Love and Standard Gargoyle Decisions.
Pollard explores the poppier, "Beatles" side of his musical personality on Coast To Coast Carpet Of Love and the punkier, "Stones" side of things on Standard Gargoyle Decisions. When discussing the Freudian divisions of his psyche, Pollard has said Coast To Coast Carpet Of Love represents his id while Standard Gargoyle Decisions represents his ego and himself his Super Ego.
Check out a track off each of the albums below to get a look into Robert's above-mentioned psyche and how The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have affected it.
The following message/suprise has been posted on Radiohead's blog:
Hello everyone.
Well, the new album is finished, and it's coming out in 10 days;
We've called it In Rainbows.
Love from us all.
Jonny
The fact that the album will be out in only a week and a half was one thing but that's not all. Another surprise are the options you have for purchasing the album. You can either purchase a deluxe discbox for around $80 (£40.00) or you can get a digital download of the album for an amount to be determined by you. Yes, YOU decide how much you want to pay for the digital download. You're basically making Radiohead an offer that they can't refuse!
If you decide to buy the deluxe discbox option you'll get the new album, In Rainbows, on CD and on 2 X 12" heavyweight vinyl records. A second, enhanced CD containing more new songs, along with digital photographs and artwork. The discbox also includes artwork and lyric booklets. All are encased in a hardback book and slipcase. The digital album download is also included with this. You'll be able to download the file digitally on October 10th. The discboxes are being made to order and the price includes postage with shipping set to begin around December 3rd so just in time for the holidays!
Well... How's that for an October surprise? Once again, Radiohead proves everyone else is just playing catch up.
P.S. I would be remiss if I didn't give a big thanks/shoutout to my dear friend Neena who delivered this news to me via text in the wee hours of the morning. She's now in line to be my East Coast correspondent.
