Guilt By Association Vol. 2 Tracks:
01. My Brightest Diamond - Tainted Love
02. The Bloodsugars - Self-Control
03. Robbers on High Street - Cool It Now
04. Frightened Rabbit - Set you Free
05. Matt Pond PA - I'm Not Okay
06. Takka Takka - In the Air Tonight
07. Kaki King - I Think She Knows
08. Francis And The Lights - Can't Tell Me Nothing
09. Lowry - Africa
10. The Forms - We Didn't Start The Fire
11. Rafter - If You Leave
12. Cassettes Won't Listen - Need You Tonight
13. Jukebox the Ghost - It's A Beautiful Life
14. Max Vernon - I Kissed a Girl
From the first comp:
Petra Hayden - Don't Stop Believing (Journey cover)
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Selective Service - 2008-11-17 17:04:06
- Billy Joel, “The Ballad Of Billy The Kid”
This is one of the highlights off of Billy Joel’s second album, Piano Man. It’s a sort of “Piano Man” meets the theme to “The Magnificent Seven.” He gets into the realm of classic-era Elton orchestral pop here, but roughs it up with a little western twang. What’s surprising is the country-ish influences here…probably a byproduct of the album’s recording in Los Angeles. It’s definitely one of the more epic and sweeping songs in the Joel canon and commonly misconceived as an autobiographical song thanks to the twist in the coda’s lyrics. Oh…and STRING INTERLUDE! WHEE!
- Elton John, “Ticking”
This sprawling song about a young man who snaps capped off Elton’s 1974 album, Caribou. Compared to other songs Elton did at the time, the arrangement was quite sparse featuring Elton, a piano, some mellotron, and an organ. The lyrics are quite eerie thinking about since the song’s release events like Columbine and the UVA shootings have happened. An overlooked gem by Captain Fantastic…one that may not strike you at first but eventually grows on you.
- Jim Steinman, “Dance In My Pants”
Originally envisioned as part of the followup to Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell, this song, along with the others for the original Bat II, found a home on Jim Steinman’s 1981 solo album, Bad for Good. Many critics hated this album, but I love it. In fact, a number of the songs on Bad for Good have been given the Meat Loaf treatment throughout the years, but this story of a man’s journey to cut the rug hasn’t been touched in a recording since Jim’s attempt. Meat Loaf duetter Karla DeVito provides the female vocals for this campy, but oh so awesome second stab at “Paradise by the Dashboard Light’s” success. How I wish there was a karaoke version of this!
- Klaatu, “Long Live Politzania”
For a brief period in the 70s, Beatles fans began to think that a Canadian band named Klaatu were really The Beatles recording under a pseudonym. The debut album had some Beatles-ish tedencies, but this song - one of the centerpieces of Hope (Klaatu’s 2nd album about a long lost civilization in space that destroyed itself after a deadly war) - takes the band into Pink Floyd territory. I personally adore the Politzanian anthem towards the end of the song…Delicious prog-rock goodness.
- Jukebox the Ghost, “Fire In The Sky/Where Are All The Scientists Now?/A Matter Of Time”
Continuing the streak of destruction is this three-song suite about the apocalypse. It closes out the debut album of Jukebox the Ghost, one of my favorite new bands and CDs of the year. The band is a three piece consisting of piano, guitar, and drums. Ben Thornewill (the piano player) and Tommy Siegel (the guitarist) trade off vocals and Siegel takes the lead on this mini-epic. It’s the most perky, upbeat song you’ll ever hear about the destruction of the world! I actually got to see them live a couple of months ago and they’re the real deal…every bit as good on stage as they are on recording. HIGHLY recommend getting the entire CD: Let Live and Let Ghosts.
Download: Billy Joel, “The Ballad Of Billy The Kid” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)
Download: Elton John, “Ticking” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)
Download: Jim Steinman, “Dance In My Pants” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)
Download: Klaatu, “Long Live Politzania” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)
Download: Jukebox the Ghost, “Fire In The Sky/Where Are All The Scientists Now?/A Matter Of Time” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)
The Devil Has The Best Tuna - 2008-11-14 20:00:01  Miracles of Modern Science
Genre: Classical / Progressive / Pop
From: Brooklyn, Princeton, Australia
Odd. There's no other word that captures the essence of six piece Aussie self proclaimed orchestral space-pop band Miracles of Modern Science. They eschew the staples of the modern rock band such as electric guitar in favour of a motley collection of classical instruments, perform in shiny space suits that look like they raided an Alcan factory and their singers called Evan Younger (geddit Even Younger, oh that's his real name not a stage name!). In other words the sort of band that you'd normally cross the street to avoid. But hold on, don't cross the street just yet. Incredibly MOMS are rather good. No better than good, they're great. Their orchestral pop, complete with sinuous strings and ghostly mandolin, is reminiscent of Beirut stripped of his Balkan folk influences or a party hearty Arcade Fire. everything from the sinuous strings to the ghostly mandolin to the thumping upright bass is packaged for home deliveryAfter opening for Beirut (figures) and Evangelicals and packing Brooklyn's Glasslands Gallery at CMJ, MOMS have released an EP of four staples of their ecstatic live show. The EP has been released through Amazing Wow, a new label that courageously rejects the notion of music piracy and offers all its music for free download. Not sure that this is a business model that will bring them untold riches but you have to admit they're a principled bunch.Go TryMP3 - Miracles of Modern Science - MR2 MP3 - Miracles of Modern Science - LuminolGo VisitMiracles of Modern Science - MyspaceLabel - Amazing Wow // Amazing Wow MyspaceGo View
Miracles of Modern Science
MR1If you like this you'll love Miracles of Modern Science...
MP3 - Beirut - A Sunday Smilelinked from Beirut websiteBuy Beirut 'The Flying Club Cup' from Amazon
MP3 - Evangelicals - Skeleton Manlinked from Evangelicals website
Buy Evangelicals 'The Evening Descends' from Amazon
Metro Distortion - 2008-11-12 10:57:25  Cloud Cult, Bowery Ballroom Every time I see Cloud Cult in concert, it's another reminder as to why they are one of my favorite bands. They truly are one of the kindest, most gracious, and talented bands on the scene today. While still largely unknown, it's that much more rewarding to look around Bowery Ballroom last night and know that we all share the same secret. The songs last night focused entirely on their last 3 albums. I was a little bit disappointed that they didn't play "Living On the Outside of Your Skin" but I'll deal. Here is my attempt at the set list: "Light At the End of the Tunnel" --> "Intro" "Brain Gateway" "No One Said It Would Be Easy" "Chemicals Collide" "Everybody Here is a Cloud" "When Water Comes to Life" "Million Things" New Song? --> "That Man Jumped Out the Window" "Pretty Voice" "You Got Your Bones to Make a Beat" "The Ghost Inside Your House" "Bobby's Spacesuit" "Must Explore" --> "Journey of the Featherless" "Start New" "Love You All" "Story of the Grandson of Jesus" "The Tornado Lessons" ---------------------- "Transistor Radio" "Take Your Medicine" The Devil Has The Best Tuna - 2008-11-09 14:00:02  It's Sunday, a day to rest, relax and reflect. So to celebrate the most relaxing day of the week the Devil brings you an all you can eat buffet so that you can gorge yourself on great new music, and one classic, in the cmfort of your own home.
First up a classic starter...
 Would Be Goods Genre: Indie
From: United Kingdom
Old school indie with perfectly pitched pronunciation from former members of Adam & The Ants, Thee Headcoats and The Monochrome Set. With a name inspired by the 1899 adventure story by children's author E. Nesbit and a love of the 1960s expect fifth album 'Eventyr' (Danish for adventure or fairy tale) to be loaded up with intelligent homages to the best pop of the 1960s. RIYL - Belle & Sebastian, Arab Strap, Sandie Shaw Go TryMP3 - Would Be Goods - Sad StoriesMP3 - Would Be Goods - The Ghost Of Mr MintonBoth tracks posted with permission.
Go VisitWould Be Goods - Myspace // WebsiteLabel - Matinee Recordings // Matinee Recordings Myspace Swiftly followed by a light and airy main course... Audrye SessionsGenre: Indie
From: Oakland, California United States Oakland indie quartet will be releasing their self-titled debut album early in 2009 on Black Seal Records. It's destined to be another of the early contenders for album of 2009 courtesy of the remarkable pipes of singer Ryan Karazija (28 score on scrabble, 84 if on a triple word score!). Achingly sensitive one minute, emotionally charged the next, Ryan's voice shudders with the sadness of a fallen angel. With a voice reminiscent of Elliott Smith and Nick Drake at their most vulnerable it's no surprise that Audrye Sessions cover of Elliott Smith's 'Waltz #2 (XO)' sends shivers down the spine. RIYL - Elliott Smith, Nick Drake
Go Try MP3 - Audrye Sessions - Waltz #2 (XO) (Elliott Smith cover)
MP3 - Audrye Sessions - Turn Me Off
Both tracks posted with permission
Go Visit
Audrye Sessions - Myspace and as an inter course treat here's a track from Elliott Smith to sharpen your appetite for the final course... MP3 - Elliott Smith - Stained Glass Eyes
Link from Elliott Smith Website Sweet Adeline.
and a sweet dessert to complete the buffet...  Hari and AinoGenre: Pop / Indie
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Confusingly Hari and Aino aren't a Japanese techno duo but a Scandinavian indie pop five piece band from Stockholm. Their latest single 'A Considerate Kind Of Home' (Cloudberry Records) starts off with a drum beat reminiscent of Toni Basil's 'Mickey' but just as you think that the cheerleader chants are going to start it morphs into a slice of jangly twee pop topped off with singer Andrea's best Debbie Harry impression. Go Try
MP3 - Hari and Aino - A Considerate Kind Of Home
MP3 - Hari and Aino - Your Heartache and Mine
Tracks posted with permission
Go Visit Hari and Aino - Myspace
Label - Cloudberry Records // Cloudberry Records Myspace
Largehearted Boy - 2008-11-02 14:48:18 The Minneapolis Star Tribune lists its favorite albums of summer and early fall.
The Toronto Star examines the rise in protest music aimed at the current U.S. president.
RIP, author William Wharton
The Press of Atlantic City examines the emergence of video trailers for books.
Amazon is offering several mp3 albums for $5 apiece through tomorrow:
Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend
Carl Orff: Carmina Burana
Slipknot: All Hope Is Gone
My Bloody Valentine: Loveless
David Bowie: Scary Monsters
The Huffington Post examines U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's support of the arts in his platform.
In Senator Obama's opinion it appears the arts have become essential to reengage our standing in the world. According to an article in Bloomberg, he is the first White House contender to include a far- reaching arts-plank in his platform. Quoting Robert Lynch, president and chief executive officer of "Americans for the Arts" a highly respected Washington based arts advocacy group, "no presidential candidate in recent times has addressed cultural issues in such detail."
The Guardian examines the connections between the literary world and the U.S. presidency.
"You would be surprised," the young JFK was informed by his ambitious father, "how a book that really makes the grade with high-class people stands you in good stead for years to come." But nothing in Dreams from My Father hints at such up-market self-promotion, or indeed at the ghost-writer who actually authored JFK's Pulitzer-winning book Profiles of Courage. Rather, its taut, sharp sentences reveal a remarkable capacity for self-examination and a finely developed negative capability; and its frank confessions of doubt and ambiguity make it possible to see Obama's paeans to American exceptionalism as election-time expediency.
T-shirt of the day: 1996 Obama for State Senate in Illinois shirt
NPR's Weekend Edition profiles the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
"Clive Davis felt that too many executives in the music industry were simply operating from a purely corporate point of view in terms of the making of music," King says. "What he wanted to do was establish a school at NYU where students would be trained in a number of different areas: production in the recording studio, business, as well as the history and criticism aspects. But he wanted to train the sort of well-rounded creative entrepreneur."
At the Guardian, John Mullan lists 10 of the best circadian novels (books where the action takes place in one day).
At NPR's Weekend Edition, Evan Eisenberg ponders the sci-fi future of music.
More than 20 years ago, Evan Eisenberg looked at how recorded music had changed human society. His book, The Recording Angel, examined the idea of music as a commodity, and the evolution of how people make, buy and listen to it. But with recorded music going digital, Eisenberg felt it was time for an update. The book was recently republished with a new afterword, which projects the future of music in a science fiction fantasy.
Minnesota Public Radio's The Current has Nikka Costa in the studio for an interview and performance.
also at Largehearted Boy:
daily mp3 downloads
Try It Before You Buy It (mp3s and full album streams from this week's CD releases)
this week's CD releases
tags: music books popculture indie news
 Mainstream isn't so bad..is it - 2008-11-01 08:20:12 While Iceland's economy might be going down the tubes, by no means does that mean there are less beats coming out of the small island. While Bjork, the Sugarcubes, and comparatively more recently Sigur Ros (who contribute a track to this collection) might be the best known musical exports, there are a wide range of artists simmering in the tiny country. Need proof? Look no farther than the Iceland Airwaves Festival. Started in 1999, the festival not only brings in top shelf acts from around the world but also showcases numerous locally grown bands. Need more proof that you can listen to in the comfort of your own home? Check out Made In Iceland, a compilation of fifteen tracks from fifteen different Icelandic artists put together by Iceland Music Export. Just like with any compilation, there will be a few tracks that don't spin your wheels, but if you give it a chance, it also just might turn you on to some new bands that you wouldn't have experienced otherwise. Here are a few of my favorite tracks:  Seabear plays a dreamy sounding indie-pop that jaunts along at the speed of sunshine resplendent with angelic choruses echoing in the background. With its seven members, its sound has a lot of different parts all woven together to form a sound fuller than the initial comparison that springs to mind: Belle and Sebastian. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
 This is the fourth track from the album and is a relatively simple sounding number with extremely light instrumentation backing up Emiliana Torrini's charming vocals singing about "stalkerly love." If you happened to see the Lord of the Rings movies, Emiliana sang Gollum's Song for the soundtrack. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The CD was supposed to be available on iTunes as an iMix on October 28th, but I haven't been able to spot it yet. Keep your eyes open for it and enjoy the above two tracks in the meantime. Flowering Toilet - 2008-10-30 12:01:29  Speaking of Halloween compilations, the always-reliable Little Steven has released a pretty cool looking Halloween compilation, Little Steven's Underground Garage Halloween A Go-Go. Our first Halloween collection finds us probing the subconscious to confront our most persistent demons on Garage Rock's favorite holiday. We are visited by some of the usual cast of characters one would expect, Dracula, the Wolfman, Ghosts, Zombies, and Witches, but are far more horrified by that which cannot be touched, controlled, bargained with, or avoided. Our own dreams. During the course of these proceedings you will find yourself dancing with the Devil, laughing in the face of the apocalypse, transported to the mystic forests of your deepest darkest secrets and insatiable lusts, and shocked by the helplessness of your own confessions of the sacred and the profane. But afterward, if you live, one fact above all will remain clear. Now you will learn why you fear the night!
It looks like a good line up of songs, and Little Steven made the inspired decision to include Roky Erickson & the Aliens' classic "I Walked With A Zombie" from Roky's first solo album, The Evil One. He could just as easily have chosen "Two Headed Dog," "I Think Of Demons," "Don't Shake Me Lucifer," "Night Of The Vampire," "Creature With The Atom Brain," or "Stand For The Fire Demon" all from the same genuinely terrifying album.
I don't really mean to quibble with Little Steven's choices (who am I to quibble with Little Steven?), and it's good to see The Stems and The Fuzztones get a nod, but this album does not look 100% complete to me without a track from the Cramps. "I Was A Teenage Werewolf, "Zombie Dance," "Human Fly," "I Ain't Nuthin' But A Gorehound," or "Surfin' Dead" would have fit in nicely.
If I were putting together a Halloween compilation, here are a few other tracks I might consider for inclusion (other than what I've already posted):
The Flaming Lips - "Halloween On The Barbary Coast," or perhaps "Unconsciously Screamin'."
Mudhoney - "Halloween" (face it Mudhoney's version kicks butt over Sonic Youth's original).
Robyn Hitchcock - Lots of Hitchcock's music would be appropriate for Halloween (perhaps a legacy of his name). Likely suspects include, "Eaten By Her Own Dinner," "Let There Be More Darkness," "The Pit Of Souls," "Sleeping With Your Devil Mask," "The Ghost Ship," "The Man With The Lightbulb Head," "My Wife And My Dead Wife," "Demons And Fiends" and probably about a dozen other spooky Hitchcock tracks I'm forgetting about.
Brian Eno & David Byrne - "The Jezebel Spirit" What could be spookier than a genuine exorcism set to music?
Jonathan Richman - "Vampire Girl" Not really a scary song, but I do love Jonathan.
Bo Diddley - "Bo Meets The Monster" No purple people eater is going to mess with Bo Diddley. Bo Diddley is a gunslinger.
Aimee Mann - "Frankenstein" Mann's song is too much of a brainy allegory to be frightening, but it's a good song nevertheless.
Pink Floyd - "Scream Thy Last Scream" One of Syd Barrett's last recordings with the band he founded was rejected by his bandmates as being too disturbing. It's hard to argue with that assessment; forty years later it still has the power to disturb. Despite dozens of Pink Floyd reissues, neither this song nor "Vegetable Man" has ever seen official release.
Meat Puppets - "Attacked By Monsters" " Snakey is awakey and he wants a little piece of the pie." Lock up your daughters, this is scary stuff! "Vampires" isn't nearly as frightening, but it's a good rejoinder to anyone who claims the Meat Puppets didn't make any good music after leaving SST.
Meat Puppets - Vampires (Live) [right click to download] This one sounds good anytime of the year. Ben Vaughn - She's A Real Scream [right click to download] I make a point of re-posting this Velvet Monkeys' rarity every Halloween. Velvet Monkeys - Spooky [right click to download] Anybody have other suggestions? ÜœberDrivel - 2008-10-28 02:29:24  Our long CMJ hangover is finally over. Full coverage is coming up, but first, here's a short and sweet acoustic set from Trembling Blue Stars, a band that unfortunately seems to have given up touring. That's a shame, because their most recent album, The Last Holy Writer, is filled with pretty, jangly pop songs. The highlight is "Idyllwild," which ranked pretty high on last year's song list, and that's a great place to start - the song really showcases Beth Arzy's lovely vocals. But it's her counterpart, Robert Wratten, who sings lead on most the songs, and his wistful voice gives the band much of its character. This set is from a while back, recorded around 2001 in something called Sesion Polar. Enjoy! MP3: Trembling Blue Stars - Idyllwild1. The Ghost of an Unkissed Kiss
2. Moonlight On Snow3. Kensington Gardens4. If I Handle You With Care5. Missing the MoonMySpace: Trembling Blue StarsOfficial Site: Trembling Blue StarsThe Devil Has The Best Tuna - 2008-10-25 14:34:04  Six Red CarpetsGenre: Rock / Alternative
From: Milan, Italy
Italian trio Six Red Carpets have taken a leaf out of the Radiohead book in releasing their debut album 'Nightmares & Lullabies' as a free download via their website. Yes that's free, gratis, without the need to part with any money! And there's not even an honesty box in which to deposit any of your virtual currency! Whilst this was considered a bit of a risk for a band with the international profile, back catalogue and impressively large and loyal fanbase of Radiohead it's tantamount to commercial suicide for an unknown Italian band making their way in the cut throat music industry. Unsurprisingly the bands free release has been received with a little more than a bored yawn compared to the world wide fanfare and 'new musical commercial model' hyperbole that accompanied the release of Radioheads' 'In Rainbows' . But gradually the blogging community has started to cotton on (check out Six Red Carpets - The Dream Of Billy Kite on MP3 Hugger earlier this month), started to twig that if the best things in life are free then 'Nightmares & Lullabies' with it's late 80s alternative rock affectations recalling Smashing Pumpkins in their pomp is no exception. The band even manage to make a track that reminds this critic of 'Message in a Bottle' by The Police ('Angels' Vanity') sound like a must have addition to any music lovers collection. Check it out at the link below what have you got to lose? Go Try MP3 - Six Red Carpets - Twenty Two and the Charm of Gravity
MP3 - Six Red Carpets - The Dream Of Billy Kite Go Download 
Six Red Carpets 'Nightmares & Lullabies' Go Visit Six Red Carpets - Myspace // Website Go View Six Red Carpets
I Dream Of Billy Kite
If you like this you'll like Six Red Carpets... MP3 - Smashing Pumpkins - Glass & The Ghost Children (Live)
MP3 - Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Live) Buy Smashing Pumpkins 'Melon Collie & The Infinite Sadness' from Amazon 33/45 - 2008-10-25 12:26:11  Spooky ooky ooky Halloween show www.viva-radio.com/deadheatFrank Comstock - On the Dark Side of the Moon Mothers of Invention - Return of the Son of Monster Magnet Liars - Broken Witch Tom Waits - Underground Zombies - Butcher's Tale (Western Front 1914) Band of Bees - These Are the Ghosts Bo Hansson - The Black Riders Goblin - Theme From Profondo Rosso Lone Ranger - Barnabas Collins Vampire Sound Inc. - The Lions and the Cucumber The Vamps - Oba Oba Macumba Gary Numan - Observer Suicide - Ghost Rider A Frames - Death Train Roky Erickson and the Aliens - Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer) Dead Moon - Graveyard Flaming Lips - Lucifer Rising Donovan - Season of the Witch And if yer going out Friday, swing by the Viva shindig at Royal Oak (click for larger image):  Circles of Concrete - 2008-10-22 07:55:16  Emo band Joie De Vivre comes to us from Chicago. They describe themselves as American Football meets The Promise Ring, Death Cab For Cutie, and Mineral as far as sound goes. I like what I'm hearing. A little rough around the edges, but honestly I think these guys have real potential. Some of the tracks I'm not too keen on, but others are just right. They've got room to grow and once they do, the world won't know what hit it. Handshakes Local Localfrom The Ghost (not available digitally, but bug the band if you like it) The Post-Rockist - 2008-10-20 22:36:10 
Download audio file (EarPark.mp3)
Department of Eagles - “In Ear Park”
(from In Ear Park)
It’s finally starting to feel like fall, and as much as I love the brisk weather and taste of cider there’s always a pungent, bittersweet feeling that accompanies autumn that I just can’t shake. I see the trees change hues and it’s like a clock noting the passage of time, reminding me that yet another year that started full of hope and good intentions has fallen prey to old habits. I start to feel nostalgiac, so I put aside the hyperactive records of summer and instead seek out tunes that exhibit a bit more restraint and reverence; something that reflects the reddening leaves and my own sense of nostalgia.
Department of Eagles’ In Ear Park is just the sort of palliative I need. It’s a quiet, calming album, full of balmy ballads couched in a distant reverb, and it’s one of the better records I’ve heard this year. With Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen handling vocals and acoustic guitar and his old NYU roommate Fred Nicolaus managing the beats and samples, their music has sometimes been misleadingly referred to as “folktronica,” but their approach to songcraft is decidedly more old fashioned. Hints of Van Dyke Parks waft through the crisp, ginger arrangements, and the ghost of Harry Nilsson hangs around every corner. The subdued “Herring Bone,” for instance, sounds like a dusty relic from A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night.
What distinguished Parks and Nilsson from their contemporaries, however, was their ability to reach back to bygone musical styles and infuse them with their own eclectic pop sensibilities. Department of Eagles does much the same thing, creating music that sounds old and familiar and refreshingly new at the same time. The title track opens with a nervous fluttering of acoustic finger picking that builds into a regal Victrola orchestra, which ebbs and flows over Rossen’s wan and wispy remembrances of his deceased father.
Be sure to check out the Dept. of Eagles Daytrotter session before you forget.
Download audio file (Canadian.mp3)
The Walkmen - “Canadian Girl”
(from You & Me)
But Department of Eagles aren’t the only band out there with a penchant for nostalgia and old Nilsson records. The Walkmen, who released a note-for-note cover album of “Pussy Cats” two years back, are continuing to fly in the face of convention. Unlike their earlier records, You & Me is a patient, understated affair. I didn’t give it much credit when it came out a few months ago, and honestly I was a little perplexed by so many people calling it the best album of the year, but it’s been a sleeper hit with me this year. It’s a really solid, mature album.
For a band most known for their thundering drones and gourd percussions and Hamilton Leithauser’s vocal cord abuse, it’s the restrained, bare-bones moments on You & Me that really linger with me. The gentle, mournful horns on “Red Moon”; the jittery shuffle of “Canadian Girl”; the cracked optimism of “In the New Year.” These songs just continue to sound better the colder it becomes outside. The Walkmen are a band that could easily have chosen to re-write “The Rat” over and over again, but instead they found the confidence to work on these wry, vulnerable tomes that speak much more to their ability.
The Walkmen - “In the New Year”
Instrumental Analysis - 2008-10-18 22:07:50 This is a list of some concerts of note that will be happening in the future. We will try to update this at least once a week. If we missed anything or you hear of something after this was posted, send us an e-mail. Are you going to any of these? Feel free to comment. October10/19/08: Lykke Li/Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson @ Black Cat10/19/08: The Little Ones/Via Audio/The Postelles/Pash @ DC910/20/08: Benjy Ferree/The Griefs @ Black Cat10/21/08: The Octopus Project/Yukon @ Sonar10/21/08: Ben Kweller @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel10/21/08: The New Year/The Ugly Suit @ DC910/22/08: The Octopus Project/Jeans Team @ Black Cat10/22/08: Minus The Bear/Annuals/Sylvie @ 9:30 Club10/22/08: A Place To Bury Strangers/Ceremony/Sian Alice Group @ 9:30 Club10/22/08: Broken Socoal Scene/Land of Talk @ State Theatre10/22/08: Loquat/Greycoats @ The Red and The Black10/23/08: The Rosebuds/The Oranges Band @ Black Cat10/23/08: An Albatross/Yip Yip @ Talking Head10/23/08: The City Veins/The Hard Lessons @ IOTA10/23/08: The Everyday Visuals/The Public Good/Gary B & The Notions @ DC910/24/08: Born Ruffians/Plants and Animals/Feral Kids @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel10/24/08: Ane Brun/Theresa Anderrson/Tobias Froberg @ IOTA10/25/08: Born Ruffians/Plants and Animals/sBach @ Talking Head10/25/08: Mother Mother @ DC910/25/08: Mirah/No Kids @ Black Cat10/25/08: Low Red Land @ The Red and The Black10/26/08: The Magnetic Fields @ Lisner Auditorium10/26/08: Deerhoof/Experimental Dental School/Flying @ 9:30 Club10/26/08: The XYZ Affair/FFHH/E Joseph/Person Parcel @ Ottobar10/26/08: The Payola Reserve/Gentleman Auction House/US Royalty @ Talking Head10/26/08: The Royalties/Professor Pez @ DC910/27/08: Crystal Antlers/The Strange Boys @ Black Cat10/27/08: David Ford/Passenger @ Rams Head Tavern10/27/08: Billy Bragg/The Watson Twins @ 9:30 Club10/27/08: sBach/Grammar @ DC910/27/08: Andy Zipf/Modern Skirts/The Brakes @ IOTA10/28/08: Jay Reatard/Cola Freaks/Turbo Fruits @ Black Cat10/28/08: Rachael Yamagata/Thao Nguyen/Samantha Crain @ 9:30 Club10/28/08: Billy Bragg/The Watson Twins @ Rams Head Live10/28/08: Hot Panda @ The Red and The Black10/28/08: Eureka Birds/All The Saints/The Snowmen/Northernmost @ Ottobar10/29/08: Will Hoge/The Everybodyfields @ Rams Head Tavern10/29/08: Neva Dinova/McCarthy Trenching @ DC910/29/08: Portugal. The Man/Earl Greyhound/Wintersleep @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel10/29/08: Matthew Sweet @ State Theatre10/30/08: Polysics/Jaguar Love/Black Gold @ Black Cat10/31/08: Coldplay @ Verizon Center10/31/08: Junior League/The Resurrectionists @ IOTANovember11/01/08: Bishop Allen/Drink Up Buttercup/Electric Owls @ Black Cat11/01/08: Deleted Scenes/Feral Kids/Nunchucks @ IOTA11/02/08: Hercules and Love Affair @ 9:30 Club11/02/08: Seabird/Ten Shekel Shirt @ Jammin' Java11/03/08: Henry Rollins (Spoken Word) @ Birchmere11/03/08: Deerhunter/Times New Viking/ Aids Wolf @ Ottobar11/03/08: Amos Lee/Priscilla Ahn @ 9:30 Club11/03/08: Locksley/Hymns @ Jammin' Java11/03/08: Illinois @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel11/03/08: Tereu Tereu/Head-Roc/Petworth @ Black Cat11/03/08: Federal Reserve Presents @ IOTA11/04/08: Deerhunter/Times New Viking/Knyfe Hyts @ Black Cat11/04/08: Jolie Holland @ IOTA11/05/08: Pelican/Kayo Dot/Stephen Brodsky @ Black Cat11/05/08: Fredrik/Meredith Bragg/Pree @ DC911/05/08: The Subjects @ The Red and The Black11/06/08: The Mountain Goats/Kaki King @ 9:30 Club11/06/08: David Mead @ Jammin' Java11/06/08: Fredrik @ Metro Gallery *Free* 11/07/08: The Gutter Twins/Afterhours @ Black Cat11/07/08: Nicole Atkins/Salt & Samovar @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel11/07/08: Williams Fitzsimmons/Slow Runner/Caitlin Crosby @ Jammin' Java11/07/08: The Bloodsugars/The Lisps @ Metro Gallery11/07/08: Eureka Birds (CD Release)/The Lonely H/The Names @ 8x10 Club11/07/08: Scott Miller/Vandaveer @ IOTA11/08/08: The Sea and Cake/Death Vessel @ Black Cat11/08/08: Murder By Death/J-Roddy Walston & The Business/William Elliot Whitmore @ Ottobar11/08/08: The Bloodsugars/The Lisps @ Dahlak 11/08/08: The Decemberists/Loch Lomond @ Rams Head Live11/09/08: The Shaky Hands/The End of The World @ DC911/09/08: Stellastarr* @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel11/09/08: David Byrne @ Warner Theatre11/09/08: The New Frontiers/Brooke Waggoner @ Talking Head11/10/08: Conor Oberst/The Felice Brothers @ 9:30 Club11/10/08: Exit Clov/Cloud Cult/Mason Proper @ Black Cat11/10/08: Kings of Leon/We Are Scientists/The Whigs @ Constitution Hall11/10/08: Health/Video Hippos @ Sonar11/10/08: The Rosewood Thieves @ Baltimore Chop11/11/08: Mates of State/Brother Reade @ Black Cat11/11/08: We Are Scientists/Liam and Me @ Sonar11/11/08: Colour Revolt/Sonic Bloom @ Ottobar11/12/08: Diplo/No Age/Ape Vigoda/Boy 8 Bit/Telepathe @ Black Cat11/12/08: Colour Revolt/Rose Hill Drive @ DC911/12/08: Bob Schneider @ Birchmere11/13/08: M83/School of Seven Bells @ Black Cat11/13/08: Diplo/No Age/Abe Vigoda/Boy 8 Bit/Telepathe @ Sonar11/13/08: Calexico/Bowerbirds @ 9:30 Club11/14/08: The Spinto Band/Middle Distance Runner/Title Tracks @ Black Cat11/14/08: Bob Schneider @ Recher Theatre11/14/08: Brightblack Morning Light @ Talking Head11/14/08: Brett Dennen @ Rams Head Tavern11/14/08: The Oranges Band (CD release)/Gary B & The Notions/Deleted Scenes/Dead Mechanical @ Ottobar11/15/08: The Dance Party/Ra Ra Rasputin @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel11/15/08: Luego @ The Red and The Black11/18/08: Iron & Wine/Blitzen Trapper @ Rams Head Live11/18/08: Gabriel Kahane @ DC911/18/08: Eagles of Death Metal/The Duke Spirit @ 9:30 Club11/18/08: Goldcure @ The Red and The Black11/19/08: Electric Six/Local H/The Golden Dogs @ Black Cat11/19/08: Centro-matic/One Baptist General/South San Gabriel @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel11/19/08: Grails/Silver Apples @ Ottobar11/20/08: Phosphorescent/Virgin Forest @ DC911/20/08: Rosewood Thieves @ The Red and The Black11/21/08: French Kicks/Bear Hands @ Black Cat11/21/08: Cobra Collective/US Royalty/The Payola Reserve @ IOTA11/21/08: Subtle/Pattern Is Movement @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel11/22/08: Bombadil/A.A. Bondy @ IOTA11/22/08: The Oranges Band/Deleted Scenes @ The Red and The Black11/23/08: Mates of State/Brother Reade @ Ottobar11/23/08: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson/Castanets @ DC911/24/08: The Gay Blades/Young Coyotes @ DC911/24/08: Sondre Lerche/Sylvie Lewis @ 9:30 Club11/25/08: Ingrid Micahelson/David Ford @ Birchmere11/26/08: Marnie Stern @ DC911/28/08: They Might Be Giants @ 9:30 Club11/30/08: Sebastien Grainger @ DC9December12/01/08: Vampire Weekend @ 9:30 Club12/02/08: Vampire Weekend @ 9:30 Club12/02/08: Illinois @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel12/02/08: Noah & The Whale @ Black Cat12/02/08: Snowden @ DC912/02/08: The Everybodyfields @ IOTA12/03/08: Yeasayer @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue12/03/08: Dr. Dog @ 9:30 Club12/04/08: O'Death/Wye Oak @ Black Cat12/04/08: Vienna Teng @ Rams Head Tavern12/05/08: Nada Surf @ 9:30 Club12/06/08: Love Is All/Darker My Love/The Strange Boys @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel12/06/08: The Old Ceremony/Modern Skirts @ IOTA12/11/08: My Brightest Diamond/Clare & The Reasons @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel12/11/08: Jukebox The Ghost @ Talking Head12/11/08: Manchester Orchestra/Dead Confederate/Kevin Devine/All Get Out @ Ottobar12/12/08: Ted Leo (solo)/Cale Parks @ The G-Spot12/12/08: Radar Brothers @ Talking Head12/12/08: Parachute Musical/Pianowire @ Metro Gallery12/12/08; Jukebox The Ghost @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel12/13/08: Ghostland Observatory @ 9:30 Club12/13/08: Ted Leo (solo)/Cale Parks @ Black Cat12/13/08: Jeremy Enigk @ Jammin' Java12/13/08: The Spinto Band/Oxford Collapse @ Talking Head12/13/08: Soft Complex/Cedars/Jupiter One @ Rock 'N Roll Hotel12/15/08: Aimee Mann @ Birchmere12/16/08: Aimee Mann @ Birchmere12/16/08: Ra Ra Riot/So Many Dynamos/Princeton @ Ottobar12/16/08: SSION @ Metro Gallery12/19/08: Lake Trout @ Ottobar12/20/08: Oasis/Ryan Adams @ Patriot Center12/20/08: Yeasayer/Chairlift @ The G-SpotJanuary01/19/09: Frightened Rabbit @ Rock 'N Roll HotelFebruary02/28/09: Tapes 'N Tapes @ Rock 'N Roll HotelArmagideon Time - 2008-10-18 20:46:33 Ladies and gentlemen, bats and ghouls, I give you...  ...Josie McCoy, Prophet of Doom!While it may seem unusual that a promising teenage pop star would turn her back on her music career in favor of issuing cryptic warnings about the End of Days, one needs to remember that Josie has shown a certain sensitivity to supernatural influences. Perhaps it's her red hair. Or maybe because she once listened to South of Heaven and "kind of liked it." Or it could be that Mr. McCoy pledged his infant daughter's soul to the Horned One in exchange for a really sweet deal on a gas-powered leafblower. The true cause may never be known, but the fact remains that the perky frontwoman for the Pussycats walks in the shade-haunted borderlands between the natural and supernatural worlds, and even the most mundane activities, such as buying a piece of costume jewelry at a yard sale...  ...can invite the attentions of the Dark Powers.  Fortunately for Josie, she is blessed with friends both pure of heart (Melody) and hep to the sinister snares of the occult (Valerie). Val determines (by making a check against her Lore skill) that Josie's necklace is actually the Falcon's Claw, a totem associated with the Falcon's Nest, one of the many places of unholy evil which surround the Greendale-Midvale-Riverdale metropolitan area. The girls pile into Val's VW Beetle to check out the place, which has been abandoned since a "vigilante committee" drove the resident suburban death cultists out of town. While axe handles and baseball bats are suitable countermeasures against amateur hour Satanists, they are not quite as effective in dealing with unclean spirits. The spectral inhabitants of the Falcon's Nest, suffering from abandonment issues and hungry for human company, rush in to greet their young visitors, though perhaps a little too rambunctiously for their guests' comfort...  Before the ectoplasmic shenanigans get too out of hand, however, Josie finally cops wise to the connection between the yard sale trinket and the ghostly manifestations (and they call Melody the "dumb one" of the group), and violently casts the pendant away.  In the process, she also casts the candle she was holding in the direction of the drapery, causing a catastrophic blaze which quickly consumes (or in terms that would please Cotton Mather, "purifies") the Falcon's Next in a matter of minutes. The girls manage to escape the flames and the story concludes on a cheery, upbeat note...  ...followed by an pointed warning about the dangers of buying things from yard sales, because "sometimes you get more than you bargain for." Sure, that second-hand salad shooter seems like a steal at three bucks, but is the convenience worth the cost to your immortal soul? The road to utter damnation is paved with incomplete skittle ball sets. Think about it.(from Josie & The Pussycats #68, April 1973)
The Groovie Goolies - Goolie Get-Together (from The Groovie Goolies, 1970) - I never chew..... bubblegum. Produced by Richard Delvy, the former drummer of The Belairs and the man behind the greatest movie theme song ever recorded. Paul`s Ramblings - 2008-10-12 09:58:31 The Ghost of the Terrible Blues - (Peerless Quartet) Mystery - (Harry A. Yerkes Dance Orchestra) Who Dat Up Dere? (Woody Herman & His Orchestra) Midnight Mama - (Jelly Roll Mortons Levee Serenaders) Suicide Blues - (Arthur Collins) The Ghost of the Terrible Blues - (Henry Burr) Graveyard Blues - (Earl Fuller's Rector Novelty Orchestra) The Ghost of The Mayor Overture - (Edison Symphony Orchestra) The Vampire (Sodero's Band) Hallowe'en Dance (American Symphony Orchestra) The Devil's March (John Yorke Altee) I'm Afraid to Come Home in the Dark (Billy Murray) More Work for the Undertaker (Daniel M. Quinn) The Vamp (Fred Van Eps Banjo Orchestra) burning world - 2008-10-11 14:26:35 Download Here1. Wild Billy Childish & The Musicans Of The British Empire - Little Miss Contrary (Damaged Goods)Taken from Billy's latest offloading of angst "Thatchers Children".24 th October - London, Dirty Water Club @ Boston Arms 2. Deerhoof - Fresh Born (ATP)Taken from the new album "Offend Maggie" which I think sounds a lot more more mellow than their previous outings. 3. Oblisk - Beruit (Double A)I do like bands who have mastered the art of sounding bleak and solitary. Sorry it's probably just me, I've been at the wine again. Taken from the album "Tune In/Tune Out".
4. Superchunk - The Question Is How Fast (Merge)Single from.... erm..... ages ago. Nice purple vinyl too (just in case your interested).
5. Fuck Buttons - Colours Move (Mogwai Remix) (Tour CD)This is one of the tracks on the limited edition tour CD which will be available at the forthcoming Mogwai/Fuck Buttons gigs. I don't think this is the best version of "Colours Move" but that's probably why it's on the tour CD.
21st October - Edinburgh, Corn Exchange 23rd October - Manchester, Academy 24 th October - London, Hammersmith Apollo 6. Disconcerts - Chance Remark (Structurally Sound)Track from the longf awaited new single by Chichesters finest.
19 th October - Southampton, Hamptons (with The Bishops) 31st October - Chichester, Chi Inn 7. Marnie Stern - Shea Stadium (Kill Rock Stars)This is one of the nice surprises of the week. I've never heard anything by Marnie Stern before this week and already it feels like she's part of the family. It's actually the second Marnie Stern album and I'm going to try and track down a copy of the first record asap. The album has the really annoying title "This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That. Hereafter referred to as the new record. (phew)
8. The Dentists - Little Engineers Set (Spruck)Taken from the 1985 album "Some People Are On The Pitch They Think It's All Over It Is Now". 9. Loyal Trooper - Nottingham Wasn't Built For Me (Self Released)Loyal Trooper is Andy Waller who has spent much of his recent life recording this 6 track EP in his bedroom in London. The more you listen to this the more it gets stuck in your head. The "One Day All This Will Work Out" EP will be available from somewhere (try his My Space page) from the 3rd November. Recommended!12 th October - Brighton, The Globe 13 th October - London, Rhythm Factory 14 th October - London, The Old Queens Head 16 th October - London, The George & Vulture 17 th October - Luton, George II 20 th October - Nottingham, The Golden Fleece 21st October - Derby, Barracuda 22 nd October - London, Marie Lloyd Bar 25 th October - Leeds, Adelphi26 th October - Sheffield, West Street Live 27 th October - Leicester, Musician 28 th October - Manchester, The Ruby Lounge 30 th October - Kingston, Willoughby Arms 3rd November - London, Cocomo6 th November - Glasgow, Bloc 11 th November - Colchester, The Twist 14 th November - Birmingham, The Sunflower Lounge 22 nd November - Leeds, Cardigan Arms 10. Bromheads Jacket - You'll Lose It (Marquis Cha Cha)Taken from the Sheffield bands new album "On The Brain" which has seen some less than favorable reviews in some places. Personally I think it's certainly as good if not better than the first album "Dits From The Commuter Belt".
11 th October - Barnstaple, Inn On The Square 12 th October - Exeter, Cavern 13 th October - London, Kings 15 th October - Stoke, Sugarmill16 th October - Leicester, Charlottes17 th October - Leeds, Cockpit 18 th October - York, Fibbers 19 th October - Aberdeen, Moshulu20 th October - Glasgow, King Tuts 21st October - Sunderland, Independent 11. Kid Canaveral - Smash Hits (Straight To Video)
13 th October - Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete's (with The Ghost) 1st November - Preston, Mad Ferret 4 th November - Leicester, The Shed 5 th November - London, Cross Kings 7 th November - Peterborough, Met Lounge 12. Skywave - Don't Say Slow (Amendment) 7" single. 13. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Ice Cream Truck (Tomlab)Taken from the "Town Topic EP". If you buy it from itunes you can get no less than thirteen tracks! This track is simply gorgeous. Casiotone are currently on tour in the U.S.14. Motionless Battle - Dissinterlude ()Taken from the album "The Fortress Of Dischord".15. The Jams - It's Grim Up North (KLF Communications)Mr Vincent said "KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHERF****R"..... so I did. This still sounds really nice as well. How many songs do you know that mention Cheadle Hulme and Lytham St Annes without batting an eyelid. inkiostro - 2008-10-08 14:27:34 Sentire un nome in una canzone, soprattutto quando è il nome di una persona realmente esistita, mi fa sempre un certo effetto. Non so bene nemmeno io perché. Forse perché mi ricorda un pezzo di Billy Joel per cui andava matta mia madre circa una ventina di anni fa, che si chiamava We didn't start the fire. Fu proprio lei a spiegarmi che il testo della canzone, che a me sembrava fatto di parole confuse di una lingua a me ancora sconosciuta, era composto unicamente da eventi di quarant'anni di storia. La maggior parte dei quali erano nomi e/o cognomi di celebri americani. "Senti, che in questo punto dice joe-di-mag-gi-o?". Quel giorno, scoprii chi era Joe di Maggio.
Allo stesso modo, mi ha fatto effetto sentire come Knickerbocker, la canzone che apre Lightbulbs, il terzo disco di Fujiya & Miyagi - e il loro lavoro migliore, a mio avviso - sia basata sulla ripetizione della frase "Vanilla, strawberry, knickbocker glory, I saw the ghost of Lena Zavaroni". Anche perché, al di là della vaniglia e della fragola, io non lo sapevo, chi fosse questa Lena Zavaroni. Adesso lo so.
Chi era Lena Zavaroni?
Lena Zavaroni era una cantante. O meglio: una bambina-prodigio. A tutt'oggi, la più giovane artista ad aver mai conquistato la top10 nel Regno Unito. Scozzese, classe 1963, Lena pubblicò infatti il suo primo album nel 1974. Uno di quei piccoli mostri che ogni tanto spuntano fuori, e diventano famosissimi, e tutti a dire ma quanto è pucci Lena, e quanto talento la piccola Lena, ma guarda come canta Lena, cielo, e poi purtroppo Lena diventa adulta, e muore.
Lena Zavaroni è scomparsa nel 1999 a causa di un'anoressia nervosa che le aveva reso la vita impossibile fin dall'età di 13 anni, peggiorata dalla morte della madre per overdose di tranquillanti, un matrimonio fallito dopo un anno e mezzo, una denuncia per furto per aver rubato un pacchetto di caramelle all'età di 35 anni, diverse overdose, diversi tentativi di suicidio, diversi elettroshock, e un'operazione psicochirurgica definitiva che invece di guarirla le provocò una polmonite, uccidendola. Alla sua morte, Lena Zavaroni pesava 32 chili.
Flashback. 1974. Lena Zavaroni ha di nuovo 10 anni. Ed è ospite di Johnny Carson, al Tonight Show.
Mi è sembrato di vedere un fantasma. A voi no?
Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire (mp3)
Fujiya & Miyagi - Knickerbocker (mp3)
(Fujiya & Miyagi saranno in Italia nei prossimi giorni: a Milano al Rocket il 9 ottobre, il giorno dopo a Bologna al Covo Club, e l'11 a Roma al Circolo degli Artisti)
[Update by ink: pare che un membro della band abbia appena perso il passaporto e che sateranno quasi sicuramente la data di Milano e probabilmente anche Bologna e Roma. La notizia non è ancora confermata ufficialmente, quindi rimanete sintonizzati per aggiornamenti (e incrociate le dita). (via e via)]
[Update all'update by ink: E' confermato: il tour italiano di Fujiya e Miyagi è rimandato al 4-5-6 dicembre. (via)]
Pubblicato da kekkoz | Commenti (7)
Tags: indie-gestione, guarda te, namedropping, blogcrossing, midlife crisis
       
Information Leafblower - 2008-10-03 18:07:10 Jeebus! Look at all these great shows on Saturday!
Black Cat
Jukebox The Ghost, Say Hi & Junior League Band, $12
I STILL haven't seen Jukebox The Ghost (although I really cannot get into their album), but I am more bummed about missing Say Hi. They were great when I saw them earlier this year.
9:30 Club
Chromeo & Treasure Fingers - SOLD OUT
Chromeo was pretty damn good when I saw them at the Virgin Festival in August. Should be a fun show.
Rock and Roll Hotel
Evangelicals, These United States (CD RELEASE PARTY), Parenthetical Girls, The Silent Years, $12
Man, I haven't seen tUS in what seems like forever. it's been really satisfying to see them get love from Daytrotter, Brooklyn Vegan and other bigtime online outlets. So happy for Jesse, Tom and Co. You'd be hard pressed to find nicer people in this town.
Velvet Lounge
Matmos and a whole bunch of other bands as part of the Sonic Circuits Festival.
Which one will I be at? None of the above. I'll be at the D.C. United game on Saturday.
I'm going to a gig tonight, though: Glasvegas & Soft Complex at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Looking forward to it. If you need a Glasvegas primer, head over to Gotham Acme, aka Glasvegas-central. Not only did H.W. interview the band, he interviewed their producer. Producer interviews: Some say best.
See you there! The Post-Rockist - 2008-10-03 13:48:11 
For a Tuesday night, the Duck Room was bustling. As I walked down the stairs a little after 9:00 p.m., the place was already packed with happy, drinking fans who were all smiling up at the long, tall Langhorne Slim.
Slim, in his tight gray floodpants, black boots, and porkpie hat, looked like he had hopped off a train cart filled with hobos to get to this show. But while there seem to be a lot of alt-folk rock acts out there today aching to perfect the outward persona of the Dust Bowl refugee with a busker’s ingenue, Slim actually has the songs and the showmanship to pull it off without reducing himself to mere novelty.
I entered mid-song, just Langhorne alone with his six-string, but it wasn’t long before he brought out his backing band the War Eagles, consisting of drummer Malachi DeLorenzo and upright bassist Paul Defiglia (whose names he never tired of repeating to the crowd). DeLorenzo, the son of Violent Femmes’ drummer Victor DeLorenzo, kicked and shuffled through some mighty impressive drum fills on his stripped-down set, while Defiglia plunked through a number of upright bass solos that reminded me of Femmes’ bassist Brian Ritchie.
But Slim is no Gordon Gano — he’s carefree and cavalier, not angsty and insecure, and if he sings about occasional heartache, it’s not filled with regret and anger. Slim bounded through all his songs, managing to hit all the high notes while wiggling his hips, shaking his boots, and lunging from side to side.
The crowd, meanwhile, was eating it up. Beatle Bob darted to the front to partake in his dip-dap-dancing that he does so well, and I’m pretty sure I saw Pokey LaFarge in the back studying his competition.
The set was mostly upbeat, like the raucous “Rebel Side of Heaven,” but it was the tender “Colette” near the end of the set that got the biggest cheers.
The Heartless Bastards were next. The last time I saw them they were playing a free show on a makeshift stage steps away from my old apartment in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati, to the delight of local hipsters and homeless alike. Since then a lot has changed: lead rocker woman Erika Wennerstrom relocated to Austin following her split with Mike Lamping, and the old Lamping/Kevin Vaughn rhythm section has been replaced with Jesse Ebaugh, the bassist for Pearlene, and Dave Colvin, the ex-Shesus drummer, both of whom appeared on the original Bastards’ demo. And, apparently, they’ve garnered quite the following.
It’s strange to see an old hometown band play in another town, because when the setting and crowd is all local there’s no real way to tell how well the band is actually doing. To see a sizable turnout on a Tuesday night for a road show, where half the crowd is singing along to the words, was pretty damn impressive.
I was afraid that the Bastards’ slow, deliberate rock and roll was going to drag on the energy created by Langhorne Slim, but the opposite was true: people were really getting into it. When Wennerstrom started the riff to “Searching for the Ghost,” there was a pair of androgynous emo kids dosey-doing to my left; Beatle Bob was making air love to the monitor directly in front of me; and to my right, a woman in lumberjack flannel and a mini-skirt nearly broke my foot when she decided to do the twist in her thigh-high boots right on my big toe.
The dancing was also a bit unexpected, because the Bastards’ music seems better suited for lumbering, slow-motion head-banging (of which there was plenty to go around). Like electric blues rock demigods Led Zeppelin before them, the Heartless Bastards manage to achieve total rock heaviosity not by playing louder and faster than other bands, but by remaining in complete control of all the dynamic shifts in their music. The new Colvin/Ebaugh rhythm section were in total lockstep, and the new material from The Mountain, due in January, sounded exceptionally polished.
Wennerstrom, slinging her hollow-body Gibson, absolutely stole the show. With one of the most distinctive and powerful voices in rock and roll today and a wildly avid fanbase, I can only imagine the size of the venues they’ll be playing in a year from now.
Instrumental Analysis - 2008-10-02 17:19:37   It almost never fails. Jukebox the Ghost plays a show and wouldn't you know it, These United States is playing somewhere else nearby. It has happened a few times in the past, and occurs again this weekend. After narrowly avoiding each other Thursday and Friday, it all comes to a head Saturday in DC. TUS took it up a level and dropped an open letter to another area blog, slapping Ben, Tommy and Jesse's face with the figurative gauntlet. Who will reign supreme? It's up to you fine folks to make the hard decision of which show to see. There is a rumor they will hook up for a showdown after their DC shows at Dahlak. After this weekend, both groups head west and yet again, end up in California over the same dates. These guys must be mystically linked. These United States10/2: Philly @ Johnny Brenda's w/ Buried Beds, The Mural & The Mint 10/3: Baltimore @ Metro Gallery w/ The Payola Reserve, U.S. Royalty 10/4: DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel w/ Evangelicals, The Silent Years, Parenthetical Girls *CD RELEASE* Jukebox the Ghost10/3: Philly @ Johnny Brenda's w/ Say Hi, Caves of Mercury 10/4: DC @ Black Cat w/ Say Hi, Junior League mp3: Jukebox the Ghost - Hold It Inmp3: These United States - West WonMann`s World - 2008-10-01 20:50:39  (Red Collar at James Joyce) OK, this is a little skimpy on the details, but at least I'm saddling up again. Will try not to go two weeks without a This Week's Shows update again! THIS WEEK'S SHOWSWednesday, Oct. 1: Secondhand Freespace, Meet the Press, Local 506Secondhand Freespace presents: Meet The Press A forum to discuss music press in the triangle. Panelists include: Grayson Currin - Music Editor, The Indepenent Martin Hall - Ex-Publicist, Merge Records Davin Menconi - Music Editor, Raleigh News & Observer Jamie Williams - Diversions Editor, Daily Tar Heel Moderated by Martin Anderson - Trekky Records (and the band I Was Totally Destroying It ) This Event will be NON-SMOKING! SHOW OF THE WEEK!
Thursday, Oct. 2: The Loners, Red Collar, Goner, Tir na NogTwo Raleigh favorites (Loners and Goner) with Durham's high-energy, Jawbox-channeling Red Collar. Plus, it's free, and there are always free Big Boss samples at Tir na Nog's Local Band, Local Beer shows. Thursday, Oct. 2: First Thursday Art Opening with works by CJ Irwin, with Black River and The Ghost of Saturday Night, Slim'sCJ is the singer/guitarist for Black River, and the bass player for The Cartridge Family. I have no idea what his artwork is like, but I think this will be a good show. Black River has come rockin' alt-country tendencies, whereas The Ghost of Saturday Night is angsty pop-punk. CORRECTION: Black River is NOT playing this shoe, but CJ's artwork WILL be shown.
Friday, Oct. 3, The Curtains of Night with In the Year of the Pig, Local 506CD-release show for The Curtains of Night. I still haven't seen this hard-rocking female duo live, but I like what I've heard on their myspace page. In the Year of the Pig will simply melt your face.
Friday, Oct. 3: The Names, Sadlack'sFrom Maryland, for fans of The Plimsouls and The Knack. Check out the video I shot of them back in June.Saturday, Oct. 4: Valient Thorr, Local 506Constantly-on-tour locals make another swing through the area. Saturday, Oct. 4: The Bleeding Hearts, Slim'sStill riding high after their success with the Little Steven-approved "Rehab Girl." Saturday, Oct. 4: Tooth, The BreweryThis article by Grayson tells you more about Tooth than I ever could. I will say it's good to see The Brewery adding more local shows.
Saturday, Oct. 4: Viva la Venus, Volume 11Heavy local (mostly) girl band. I haven't seen them since they added a new bass player.
Sunday, Oct. 5: Man Will Destroy Himself, The BreweryAnother great local show for the Brewery. Sunday, Oct. 5: Carolina Rollergirls benefit with Tokyo Rosenthal, Sadlack'sThe last Rollergirls benefit I went to included a pie-throwing contest. I imagine this one will be just as much fun.
Sunday, Oct. 5: Triangle Blues Society open jam, Blue MartiniPA, amps and drum kit provided. 8 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 5: Caitlin Cary with The Whistlestop, Pour HouseCaitlin will be performing with a full band for this show. Tuesday, Oct. 7, Of Montreal, Carolina Theatre
NEXT WEEK'S SHOWSThursday, Oct. 9: I Was Totally Destroying It with Rongorongo, Tir na Nog
Thursday, Oct. 9, Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise, Local 506From the Cradle's Web site (they're sponsoring the show): Featuring Julian Koster, William Cullen Hart, Scott Spillane, Laura Carter, Eric Harris and more performing the music of The Music Tapes, Circulatory System, Scott Spillane, The Gerbils, Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control, Nesey Gallons and more. Including the world premiere of the movie "Major Organ and the Adding Machine." Friday and Saturday, Oct. 10 and 11: Slave to the Metal Fest, The BreweryI don't know anything about this fest or any of the bands. Here's the lineup: Hosted my Mistress Juliya One Less Hero Sigalia Redemption Was Never Promised Armored Uprise Fates Burden Age of Despair Cloacal Kiss One Shot One Kill Killing Avarice The Lineage Doors at 6 pm October 11, 2008 Slave to the Metal Music Fest - Day 2 Hosted by Mistress Juliya Six Foot Orchard Steryle Any Port in a Storm Seventh Denial Kauchn The Harbingors Way BroadSlab Hellrazor IV Chambers Broken Worse Than Birth Doors at 5 pm
Saturday, Oct. 11: Tinfoil Fuse, Dive BarSaturday, Oct. 11: The T's with The Magic Babies, J. Betski'sI'm a little surprised at this one. J. Betski's is an upscale (and delicious) German restaurant in Raleigh's Seaboard area, so I really wouldn't expect to see a rock show there (even though T's guitarist Andy Kerr is one of their waiters).
UPCOMING IN GENERAL
Tuesday, Oct. 14: The Heartless Bastards, Cat's CradleThursday, Oct. 16: The Magic Babies with Violet Vector & the Lovely Lovelies, Tir na NogFriday, Oct. 17: The Red Elvises with The Poonhounds, The Pour HouseSaturday, Oct. 18: Monsters of Mock, Lincoln Theatrewith Tres Hombres, Night Prowler Tuesday's Gone and more Sunday, Oct. 19: Richard Bacchus & the Luckiest Girls, Slim'sMonday, Oct. 20: Dirty Little Heaters, Local 506Thursday, Oct. 23: Hearts & Daggers, Tir na NogEarly show
Thursday, Oct. 23: RTX with Radio Moscow, Volume 11
Friday, Oct. 24: Caltrop with Blag'ard and In the Year of the Pig, Local 506Friday, Oct. 24: Opeth with High on Fire, Lincoln TheatreFriday, Oct. 24: Steep Canyon Rangers, The Pour HouseAlso at Cat's Cradle on Dec. 5 Saturday, Oct. 25: Squirrel Nut Zippers, Cat's CradleSunday, Oct. 26: Benefit with The Dry Heathens and Black River, the Pour HouseBenefit for Stephen Campbell Friday, Oct. 31: Halloween Party with Straight 8's, Tremors and Killer Filler, Slim's
Friday, Oct. 31: The Avett Brothers, War Memorial Auditorium, Greensboro
Nov. 1: Bowerbirds, Slim'sRaleigh acoustic folkies return to Slim's after an extended European tour.
Sunday, Nov. 2: Leadfoot with Bad Checks, The Pour HouseMon, Nov. 3: Drive By Truckers and The Hold Steady, Lincoln TheatreWednesday, Nov. 5: the Mountain Goats, and Kaki King Cat's Cradle"Present: the last happy hour of your life" Saturday, Nov. 8: the Black Crowes, Lincoln TheatreTuesday, Nov. 11: Diplo with Abe Vigoda, Cat's Cradle
Nov. 29: The Loners with Pinche Gringo, Slim'sDec. 6: Death Metal Fest, Volume 11An Idiot`s Guide to Dreaming - 2008-09-24 11:30:48  Here's a post that never was. I was flicking through some old posts on the blogger dashboard and found some that I never published, due to forgetfulness or loss of heart or whatever... since this blog has recently re-animated I figured I might air a few of these (and there are others that I swear I've never written - anyone own up? That piece on Nico?) in their original, unfinished, unvarnished form...
This one comes from three years ago when the world was very different. I think I still believe what I was saying but some of the phrasintg and the spelling is just... well, maybe something told me back then that this shouldn't be out there, not without thought and research and rigour but, I dunno, research and thought and rigour is never what this has been about and won't be. It's about half-remembered events and theories and ideas and songs, it's about knowledge as it's actually used; half-arsed, semi-thought, attenuated:So, several things coincided. I was re-watching Children Of The Stones with 8 year old middle Loki, sorta discussing the pagan/christian war (add in delusion and minus proud Dadness here for detail; his grasp on pre-Christian theology isn't as good as it could be...) and then I came upon this post from the ever-synchronous Kek and everything started to slide together... When did film-makers, producers, directors etc start demanding that people needed TV and films that were about something? When did they suddenly feel the need to explain everything? Nowadays it's like we're slowly retreating, returning to midperiod Hitchcockian values where every little psychological detail is neatly tossed off at the end, just in case we missed it... Actually, that is more or less true in Hitchcock except from The Birds. They don't explain about the birds do they? Wonder why? The film is very explicit about there being no apparent rationale behind the attacks - I seem to remember the characters discussing that vrey issue - which perhaps suggests that Hitchcock regarded the Freudian motifs sufficiently out there to render further explanation uneccessary. Certainly, my experience in A Level teaching suggests that Freud is best experienced intuitively and that the understanding can be clouded slightly by looking too closely... but that might be just because I'm shite at explaining things...actually, this is probably a post in itself: Freudian Themes of Goddess-baiting, Oedipal blindings and the immanent chaos of femininity in The Birds... (to follow) (perhaps - but it sounds like something that has already happened) Anyway... I don't want reality to start intruding too far into my entertainment; the nasty pull of the real has a terrible, analgesic effect on viewing; I can happily spoil an hour and a half's senseless fun with a badly placed "but they'd never do that" or "can the Doctor be so lonely when he simply has to go back before The Time War began..." etc and I can't see how this can be good. I want to shake Rationality off a little but people keep insisting I need it because I'm human. Rationality, the need to know, to understand (I can hear colleagues whining Verstehen behind me, even as I type) is a terrible addiction because it gets you gripped so deep that it's only very rarely that you even think to surface. Before you know it, you're watching Donnie Darko and you're thinking: Is this internally consistent? Can I find the flaw? Where is it? and then, too late, you remember it's a film, an entertainment, a kind of brain-stretch that doesn't require an answer. Rationalisty is a form of Schizophrenia. A nagging auditory hallucination that doesn't seem to want to go away. Who is it that wants us to have all these answers? Why does the guy in Life on Mars have to be in a coma? Why can't he just fart around in the 1970s having the time of his life? I mean, the least mysterious sections of the whole series so far is the mystery is-he-isn't-he elements, the ghost sections, the spooked-out Testcard girl... you wanted to skip those bits too didn't you? The end of Life on Mars lets us come full circle. We always knew it would. The story circle, not the character arc is all in film and TV. Or maybe the arc is a rainbow... The curse of reality permeates through everything, even football matches have to be endlessly explained, as if they could somehow be controlled or manipulated by the ultra-expensive software tactical mapping packages that the major teams seem to use. Reality clings to a game when chance can take everything away because the blandness of USA style batting averages is eating away at the pleasant misunderstanding of belief. We know that Chelsea will win. It is all over. And yet, there is still the lure of the dionysian, the abyss of the FA cup, the beautifully empty myth of the impossible underdog - a myth that every fan clings too as if it were a Pagan Goddess... "it's only 11 vs 11. Anything can happen...." We need more of this ridiculous belief. I know that Yeovil Town will be destroyed by pretty much whoever they play but that doesn't stop the almost certain knowledge that will rise within me, a Warp Spasm that nevertheless makes me believe despite everything. It's as if there's an unknown seat of consciousness, just beyond our measuring devices, an electrical
Suggested Tracks
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Dog Days Are Over (An Optimo (Espacio) Industrial House Mix) Dog Days Are Over (An Optimo (Espacio) Industrial House Mix) gd1970-09-17d1t03 vbr winterpills-brokenarm 2369 www.magazinesubscriber.com.au 2384 thegetupkids-wouldntbelieveit heaven or las vegas edit skywriters The Stills-In The Beginning pms All Along The Watchtower Roslin And Adama The Ghost Deer Tick pms Our Secret Love (Rough Mix) blackbirds bees rthrtha brightness Introduction Being Your Better Self Fear Is Uncertainty The Right Mental Attitude People Thinking Differently Criticism Can Help Live And Laugh You Cant Please Everyone Dont Quit Too Soon Something Can Always Be Done Black Lips-O Katrina! WorldCafeLive12 05 08 01-i like giants2 She's So Funny Wide Eyed Rewind Anathallo-The River Young Ladies Rock and Roll (Will Kill You) WV57 1 edit Creepy Cool Ways Hold It In For The Bonzai Tree U Bought 4 Me The Go From Tactical 08 Madi Diaz-Nothing At All The Tourist Coke (Original Version) download 4591 aleladiane whiteasdiamonds Fear1 This Guitar Says I'm Drunk Insistor Wild Light-Red House The Hounds of War Victoria Used To Did Turn to Sand searchingfortheghostacoustic 3593 2391 4464 3108 2369 3457 Wolf City Warriors juke TheAnalogGirl TheTVIsOn 01 Caffeine 01 Did You See The Words DBT-PuttinPeopleontheMoon Good Day Tora Tora Tora Rattle These Bones I Will Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears The Zero Light Tabitha Calhoun The Go From Tactical Sirens In The Deep Sea Put In Little Gas Music Is Not Music In the Bedroom Fire Bear Lie To Me 359 New York Song Racing Horse Bermuda Triangle pms gangi-animals Anni Rossi Ecology cactuss-wheresmyskeleton cactuss-daddy Elana2007-06-29d1t16 vbr The Pharmacist tsp1998-07-08d1t07 vbr tsp1991-07-21t13 vbr ts2009-01-09.mk4.t05 vbr.mp3 gangi-animals Anni Rossi Ecology cactuss-wheresmyskeleton cactuss-daddy Elana2007-06-29d1t16 vbr The Pharmacist tsp1998-07-08d1t07 vbr tsp1991-07-21t13 vbr ts2009-01-09.mk4.t05 vbr.mp3 cvb2005-02-24b.akg451.d1t03 vbr.mp3 CVB1989-10-25d2t12 vbr CVB1989-10-24d2t04 vbr CVB1988-10-16d2t10 vbr gpn2008-12-28d1t09-Sugar.flac vbr.mp3 BL2008-12-12d2t04-22Times.aud vbr.mp3 JTE2008-03-29-matrix-t08 vbr kgaffney 2008-12-20 t12 vbr cardinals2008-11-10-t16 vbr cardinals2008-11-08-t22 vbr cvb2005-02-24b.akg451.d1t03 vbr.mp3 CVB1989-10-25d2t12 vbr CVB1989-10-24d2t04 vbr CVB1988-10-16d2t10 vbr gpn2008-12-28d1t09-Sugar.flac vbr.mp3 BL2008-12-12d2t04-22Times.aud vbr.mp3 JTE2008-03-29-matrix-t08 vbr kgaffney 2008-12-20 t12 vbr cardinals2008-11-10-t16 vbr cardinals2008-11-08-t22 vbr Blackout Beach Nineteen One God One Dull Star Blackout Beach Astoria Menthol Lite Hilltop Wave of Evil 1982 02 Our Tears Help The Flowers Grow pms dent BLISSOUT Butter bosquebrownwentwalking Cornelius (DaLa Edit) your god is a lion Knocked Up (Kings Of Leon coveR) Heartless Bastards All This Time 02 Searching for the Ghost I Want Some More bondedorole nightwaves the-walkmen-in-the-new-year Hearts On Fire Hellhole Ratrace boatpeople 9jmlpv2k2k 9jmlpv2k2k 9jmlpv2k2k Momus The-Poison-Boyfriend 05 Violets 1987 christmastime jte2008-12-14.sbd.d2t28 CantHardlyWait vbr.mp3 jte2008-12-05-WDVX-t07 vbr justintownesearle2008-06-20-wdvx-t03 vbr Drowning in Garbage tsp2008-12-08.ezra.t20 vbr.mp3 tishamingo2008-11-26d02t05 vbr christmastime jte2008-12-14.sbd.d2t28 CantHardlyWait vbr.mp3 jte2008-12-05-WDVX-t07 vbr justintownesearle2008-06-20-wdvx-t03 vbr Drowning in Garbage tsp2008-12-08.ezra.t20 vbr.mp3 tishamingo2008-11-26d02t05 vbr 1-05 The Last Cocked Hat 1-01 Washington Dreams of the Hippop ted sonsofcain Summer Grof Lady Lawyers My Little Brother In The Countryside mybrightest insideaboy clare pluton Music Is Not Music E. Joseph-Zero.mp3 Hold It In Tora Tora Tora Nothings Bound Midnight Monday and a Telescope Goodbye Space and Time Heavy Heart Used To Did Cry Cry Cry Cry media Western Meadowlark Barcelona Black Book Rhtchck 11-heartfull rl-vl 01Kweens pacuv-ifso Gsamsa young-old cm-chineseartist lp-lovecoffee s59-homethen ps-moveson Tka-Tka intheair2night pca-bts 04-shrinkvio ghp-carpentersmashxmas casperandthecookies kiss me beneath the christmas tree Doc-Oc 02 Ryu The Red Nosed Ninja summercats 07-plasticxtmastrees Cavedogs 3wisemenandababy JaLA-06-snrsdolls ja-05-echopk JA-12-speedoflight ddd 08-ny-song NadaSurf SeeTheseBones RaRaRiot DyingIsFine Shes So Blonde Roboxulla Violent Berries We Are Nations Now! Victoria owen badnews Your Movement Wide Eyed Saltwater Time The Rat The Waves download 'Crystal Stilts' by Crystal Stilts (MP3) download 'Astoria, Menthol Lite, Hilltop, Wave of Evil, 1982' by Blackout Beach (MP3) Hurtin' You Shattered Shine Sex Ads download 'Crooked Legs' by The Acorn (MP3) Come On Santa download 'Everything With You' by The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (MP3) download 'Crystal Stilts' by Crystal Stilts (MP3) download 'Astoria, Menthol Lite, Hilltop, Wave of Evil, 1982' by Blackout Beach (MP3) Hurtin' You Shattered Shine Sex Ads download 'Crooked Legs' by The Acorn (MP3) Come On Santa download 'Everything With You' by The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (MP3) 21 Nothing Matters When Were Dancin Nothing Matters When Wer petrahaden dontstopbelievin TheBalladOfBillyTheKid Ticking DanceInMyPants LongLivePolitzania FireintheSky WhereareAllTheScientists AMatterofTime a sunday smile skeletonman MR2 03 Luminol stainedglasseyes Sad Stories The Ghost Of Mr Minton Waltz #2 (XO) (Elliott Smith cover) Turn Me Off A Considerate Kind Of Home Your Heartache And Mine Finland 03 Libraries 04 Me And Armini Vampires RealScream Spooky 02Idyllwild 022905 01theghostofanunkissedkiss 02moonlightonsnow 03kensingtongardens 04ifihandleyouwithcare 05missingthemoon 02 Twenty Two and the Charm of Gravity 11 The Dream of Billy Kite 07 Glass and the Ghost Children 04 Bullet With Butterfly Wings Handshakes Local Local EarPark Canadian Goolie Get Together cusb-cyl6178d cusb-cyl5619d cusb-cyl3586d cusb-cyl5344d cusb-cyl3295d cusb-cyl6829d cusb-cyl7073d 11985 HarryAYerkesDanceOrchestra-Mystery1920vocalion78rpm 64kb WoodyHerman WhoDatUpDere Cleaned 64kb MidnightMama vbr Collins Arthur-Suicide Blues vbr 11985 EarlFullersRectorNoveltyOrch-GraveyardBlues1918 64kb Hold It In West Won
Artist Biography
There are, almost, three bands named "The Ghost": 1- The Ghost are a postpunk/emo band hailing from Chicago, whose heartfelt and passionate songs have guaranteed them a cult following if not mainstream success. 2002's This Is A Hospital was followed in 2004 by This Pen Is A Weapon, and the band have toured with scene luminaries Hey Mercedes, Rise Against and Sparta. 2- Popular during Britain's Folk Revival of the 1960s, Shirley Collins is pretty much unknown outside of the United Kingdom.
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