« November 2007 | Main | January 2008 »
From the band via Dead Air Space:
Dear Reader
Hope you are having a peaceful christmas.
As you may now have heard we will be broadcasting a pre-recording of some songs and other bits on New Years Eve..
you will be able to view it online from here at midnight new years eve, uk time that is...
as well as other places that i am not sure about.
this is a wee celebration of the release of the physical manifestation of 'in rainbows'.
yours hopefully
I absolutely can't wait to see this film. Say what you will about the Rolling Stones and their age or whatever but when you pair two legends like the Stones and Scorsese, you're going to get nothing but amazing results. The film will be in theaters April 4th.
It's been a big year for the Odawas with the release of their second album Raven, and The White Night in March. This year has also seen a decrease in Brad Cash's role in the band after moving to North Carolina and Michael Tapscott and Isaac Edwards moving to Chicago. While it's been a busy year, that hasn't stopped them from prepping a Christmas tune for you all to enjoy.
Maybe I shouldn't say enjoy. We all know that the holidays can be a stressful time of year and this song is specifically for anyone with a case of the Christmas blues. The song was originally crafted for Odawas front man, Michael Tapscott's side project More Animals Of The Arctic and has now been lovingly remixed with a new mix by Isaac Edwards and vocals from Mr. Tapscott. Instead of enjoying it, just kick back and let it soothe those wintry ills.
At risk of losing whatever small amount of sweet indie cred this site affords me I have to post about Clash of the Choirs because I have a strict bros before street cred policy. That's right, my buddy Scott Metcalf was selected to be a member of the Queen City's choir fronted by Cincinnati's own Nick Lachey. Scott's one of those ridiculously talented people who has taught himself how to play everything. Piano, guitar, you name it.
So with that being said if you find yourself with nothing to do tonight through Thursday, check out the show or at the very least, go here and vote for Cincinnati's choir. If they win it'll mean a $250,000 donation to help support Children's Hospital here in Cincinnati. If nothing else, vote for Cincinnati to help Scott in his quest to take down Michael Bolton and his choir. Developing...
Danielson is getting into the Christmas spirit with a new Christmas song called "Christmas Eve Nite" as part of his label Sounds Familyre's digital compilation "A Familyre Christmas". A choir of children help Danielson on this organ-driven carol about the restless wait for Santa and Christmas morning. You can hear the track below.
After giving it a listen, make sure you go here to get the rest of the compilation. The album will contain new interpretations of traditional Christmas carols as well as original songs. There will be a new song posted each day for thirteen days with seven up so far. The best part is the songs are all free to download so you can make A Familyre Christmas - Vol. 1 CDs for stocking stuffers!
There was a flurry of blog activity about White Williams a few months ago but I never got a chance to really give the music a listen. Now that I have I think I love it! As far as the delay in getting around to it, better late than never right? I mean, if anything, I should give the man some kind of recognition since he's a graduate of Cincinnati's very own DAAP. Cincinnati and an unwitting resident were also the source of inspiration for the the album cover seen at left. Mr. Williams told Dazed magazine the cover was inspired by the story of, "a girl from Cincinnati, who was really upset about something, a boy or something, and she was bawling over it but it didn't keep her from hitting from this bong." Sounds about right... Anyway, I finally got a chance to listen to what all the fuss was about and I'm pretty disappointed in myself. This should have been in heavy rotation around my place for quite some time now. I guess I have a lot of catching up to do.
There's plenty to keep my ears busy here with the perfect touch of T. Rex, Beck, etc... thrown in for good measure. The laptops, synths and other various instruments provide the perfect backdrop for Williams' impressionistic lyrics. Give the following track a listen and see for yourself. That is, if you've been living under a rock like me for the past few months and haven't already heard it. Then again, that's not to say you can't listen to it again... and again...
Okkervil River have made a 9-track mixtape of cover songs called Golden Oppportunities available as a free download on their website. Not only do you get the music but they're offering liner notes and printable artwork for download as well. The album features songs from The Fugs, John Cale, Randy Newman, and Serge Gainsbourg among others along with thematic ties to "The Stage Names".
The songs from Golden Opportunities were recorded at various radio stations, concerts and empty hotel stairwells while the band was on tour in Europe and America over the last year. Make sure you download the mixtape here. The Serge Gainsbourg cover below should be more than enough reason to hurry up and get that done.
Baltimore duo Beach House are set to release their sophomore album Devotion on Feb. 26th. The basic formula everyone came to know and love is still present here but Alex and Victoria have definitely filled out the sound this time. Devotion is like a fire on a cold winter night, it will definitely help fight off these cold winter months.
In what has to be the coolest thing happening on the planet right now, Led Zeppelin has taken the stage for their show in honor of the late, great Ahmet Ertegun. They kicked off the show with "Good Times, Bad Times" and I think it's safe to say that all those in attendance would unanimously agree this would qualify as one of the good times. If you're interested in following the action you can get updated setlist info at NME's Live Blog of the event. That being said, the first and only update so far came over half an hour ago so it looks like lil' Alan may have passed out from the excitement of his assignment.
I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be than at that show but instead I'm sitting in a Starbucks, being rudely assaulted by the "bubbly" sounds of Colbie Caillat which "makes me crinkle my nose", trying to studying for my Evidence final. Yes, very Rock n' Roll I know but I have a feeling the O2 Arena is just a tad more rockin' right now. Here is to hoping and praying the band plays a few shows stateside. Anyway, for those of us who can't be there, let's enjoy this raucous performance of "Whole Lotta Love" below.
P.S. The NME blog is having some technical difficulties so I can't confirm this as 100% accurate but the updated setlist I've seen so far is: Good Times Bad Times, Ramble On, Black Dog, In My Time of Dying, For Your Life, Trampled Underfoot, Custard Pie, Nobody's Fault But Mine, No Quarter,
Since I've Been Loving You, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, The Song Remains The Same, Misty Mountain Hop, Kashmir, [Encore] Whole Lotta Love, Rock and Roll. Thank You and Goodnight!!!
P.P.S. It appears the above setlist is correct and NME has decided to post an ongoing news story to combat the live blog problems. You can now get the updated setlist as it happens here. Or maybe this page has/will crash too. Either way, I'll try to keep updating the setlist as well. Enjoy!
P.P.P.S. You would be remissed to NOT take a look at the pictures on the Getty Images website from tonight's show. The rock royalty in attendance includes Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Jeff Beck, and Ryan Cabrera... WAIT!!! Ryan Cabrera? Who let him in there? Better yet, who decided they needed to take a picture of him? Looks to me like someone is trying AWFULLY hard to fit in. Oh well Ryan, maybe image makeover #4 will be the one.
The Diamond Hoo Ha Men (i.e. Supergrass) are coming and I couldn't be more excited. I'm always anxious to get my hands on anything new they put out. As far as I'm concerned I'd take them over their Britpop counterparts any day of the week so it was with great pleasure that I downloaded the free mp3 the band is giving away of "Diamond Hoo Ha Man". The track is a live version of the song from this year's Guilford Festival. You can check the track out below:
While we're on the subject of Supergrass and my affection for them. You should definitely watch the video for "Low C" while you're here. The song is my favorite track from their previous album Road to Rouen which I think was vastly under appreciated here in the States. According to ilikemusic.com, the Director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith came up with the idea of the video to help support the cause of the Mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida. The 'Save Our Tails' campaign was started by the citizens of Weeki Wachee to help prevent the springs and mermaids from extinction at the hands of the local authorities and Supergrass decided to lend their support.
Director Garth said: "I went to Weeki Wachee as a kid and have always wanted to go back. When we heard the song it seemed to fit perfectly with the place, the people and the cause. It was all shot in documentary style rather than the traditional music video approach. Luckily the local people were extremely friendly and gave us total freedom to shoot what we wanted. We even held a Save Our Tails party at the local bar and it turned into one of the best party's I have ever been to! Supergrass played two sets and joined in with the local band too!!!"
I love the documentary approach to the video and its reminder of days gone by. It's definitely an endearing video for an absolutely stellar song. Check out the video below and save some tails too if you're so inclined.
For the first time, one of John Lennon's very last interviews is available for download as Testimony - The Life and Times of John Lennon "In His Own Words". The interview was recorded a few hours before his life was cut short, nearly 27 years ago on December 8th, 1980. John and Yoko recorded a 75 minute interview to be used for radio broadcast content to promote Double Fantasy.
Testimony showcases Lennon and his thoughts on topics ranging from how he met Paul McCartney to how he and wife Yoko came to create Double Fantasy. After Lennon was finished with his infamous “lost weekend” in L.A. with Harry Nilsson, Double Fantasy was set to serve as his triumphant comeback. His humor and passion are on full display during the interview. It's definitely bittersweet to hear how excited John sounds about his new found creativity considering he'd be lost to the world so soon after he gave the interview. That being said, I always enjoy watching or listening to interviews with Lennon regardless of the circumstances because they serve as a reminder of how amazing he was. You can hear part 1 of the interview below.
Buy Testimony at: iTunes
Dead Oceans artist
Evangelicals have contributed "The Last Christmas on Earth" to
Mistletonia, a Christmas compilation put together by Mistletone
Records, which is the bands label in Australia. "The Last Christmas on Earth" was recorded after the band finished recording their new album "The Evening Descends" which will be
released on January 22nd, 2008.
In addition to recording this little bit of holiday cheer, Evangelicals singer/guitarist/main madman Josh Jones posed for the very special holiday photo seen at left. Now that's a Christmas card worth sending to your friends and family.
