A lot of people seem to revere MUSE in much the same way that I worship, prostrate myself, and just generally kiss-ass at the altar of RADIOHEAD. And, of course, the two bands are often spoken of in the same bated breath. A shared flair for melodrama... two falsetto-prone crooners... blah blah blah.
Listening through Muse's back-catalogue in recent days, though, I found the songs below to be the only ones even remotely time-capsule-caliber. Rumor has it that they put on one hell of a live show, but unless their tour bus should happen to break down in front of my house -- and unless they should happen to mount an impromptu performance in my driveway -- that doesn't do a hell of a lot for me. So, drawing solely from their studio work....
Oct 4 2007 8:00P/Terra Vibe/Athens Oct 6 2007 8:00P/Arc de Triumf/Bucharest Oct 7 2007 8:00P/Belgrade Arena/Belgrade, Serbia Oct 9 2007 8:00P/Dom Sportova/Zagreb Oct 10 2007 8:00P/Budapest Arena/Budapest Oct 13 2007 8:00P/Kiev Sports Hall/Kiev Oct 15 2007 8:00P/Ds Luzkiki/Moscow Oct 17 2007 8:00P/Old Ice Hall/Helsinki Oct 19 2007 8:00P/New Arena/St. Petersburg Oct 21 2007 8:00P/Arenan/Stockholm
From the LP SHOWBIZ, 1999 >>> [MP3] "Muscle Museum" [MP3] "Sunburn"
From the LP ORIGIN OF SYMMETRY, 2001 >>> [MP3] "Plug In Baby"
From the LP ABSOLUTION, 2004 >>> [MP3] "Time is Running Out" [MP3] "Sing for Absolution"
From the LP BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS, 2006 >>> [MP3] "Starlight" [MP3] "Exo-Politics"
THE CORAL. They be Brits. Prolific. Whippersnappers. Not to be confused with THE CORAL SEA or THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CATHEDRAL CHORAL SOCIETY. Genre: retro-psychedelia. Genre: retro-folk. Too young to know the '60s except by rumor, yet there it is. Not overly known in the U.S., yet they keep producing music. Ballsy.
Oct 8 2007 7:30P/Rock City/Nottingham, Midlands Oct 9 2007 7:30P/Carling Academy/Bristol, Southwest Oct 11 2007 7:30P/Roundhouse/London, London and South East Oct 12 2007 7:30P/University/Manchester, Northwest Oct 13 2007 7:30P/University Union/Leeds, Northeast Oct 14 2007 7:30P/Carling Academy/Birmingham, Midlands Oct 17 2007 7:30P/Guildhall/Southampton Oct 18 2007 7:30P/University/Sheffield, Northeast Oct 20 2007 7:30P/ABC1/Glasgow, Scotland
From the LP ROOTS & ECHOES, 2007 >>> [MP3] "She's Got a Reason" [MP3] "Jacqueline"
From the LP THE INVISIBLE INVASION, 2005 >>> [MP3] "Late Afternoon" [MP3] "Something Inside of Me"
From the LP MAGIC AND MEDICINE, 2004 >>> [MP3] "Bill McCai" [MP3] "Pass It On"
From their self-titled LP, 2003 >>> [MP3] "Dreaming of You"
From the EP SHADOWS FALL, 2001 >>> [MP3] "The Ballad of Simon Diamond"
EMMA POLLOCK used to be a member of THE DELGADOS. When that group called it quits in 2004, she easily could have fallen into a funk, gotten hooked on heroin, turned to prostitution, contracted syphillis, and ended up slitting her wrists in the rusty tub of a Motel 6.
Sep 26 2007 8:00P/Lemon Tree (supporting King Creosote)/Aberdeen, Scotland Sep 29 2007 8:00P/Queens Hall (King Creosote)/Edinburgh, Scotland Oct 2 2007 8:00P/City Varieties (King Creosote)/Leeds, Northeast Oct 3 2007 8:00P/Boardwalk (King Creosote)/Sheffield, Northeast Oct 4 2007 8:00P/Arts Centre (King Creosote)/Norwich, South Oct 5 2007 8:00P/Academy 2 (King Creosote)/Manchester, Midlands Oct 6 2007 8:00P/Arts Centre (King Creosote)/Pontardawe, Wales Oct 11 2007 8:00P/Edmonton Event Centre (supporting The New Pornographers)/Edmonton, Alberta
Once upon a time, there was a crazy-ass socialist Swede named ANDREAS MAGNUSSON who dreamed of writing and performing short, great songs under the name PINTO. I first met Andreas at an ABBA concert in 1981 in Jonkoping (or was it 1980 in Linkoping?). Either way, there I was, holding my lighter aloft during an especially poignant performance of "Fernando," when I stepped on a half-empty bottle of Absolut, went ass-over-tea-kettle, and nearly succeeded in singeing Andreas' vintage, autographed (by BJORN but not BENNY; FRIDA but not AGNETHA) ABBA concert T. Fortunately, it turns out that all clothing in Sweden is made from flame-retardant sheep and goats, so no harm, no foul.
After Andreas rather sheepishly helped me back to my feet (turns out, it was HIS half-empty bottle of Absolut I'd stepped on), and after we both basked in ABBA's unforgettable, effervescent, and utterly ingenious encore of "Honey Honey," "Money, Money, Money," and "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!," Andreas invited me back to his place for some kringle and lingonberries. "Jag trivas litet flickas och litet flickas trivas jag!" I exclaimed. (In Swedish: "Yes, by all means, let us transport ourselves now together to that place which you suggest!")
Andreas transported us then together to his apartment (in Swedish: utedass) in Gothenburg (in English: "Land of Goats"). The kringle was delicious. The lingonberries: luscious. We discussed our love of ABBA. We agreed that "Super Trouper" was no "Voulez-Vous." Andreas made a sharp, well-reasoned argument that "Dancing Queen" was, in point of fact, written about John Travolta. I admitted that listening to "Chiquitita" made me cry. Every time. Often for hours. And even though we had only just met that night, I felt secure and comfortable enough in Andreas' presence to ask him if he thought that meant I needed to see a psychiatrist. "No, no, of course not," he said, seeming to think the idea itself insane. But then, after just the right amount of pause, he added: "You need electro-shock!" Can you believe that? Such a kidder! We laughed and laughed.
Eventually, Andreas and I got around to talking about our dreams. I told him the one where I'm naked and falling. I told him the one where I'm wearing clothes and falling. I told him the one where my teeth are falling out and I'm falling -- sometimes naked, sometimes in clothes. Andreas told me that it was his dream to write and perform short, great songs that he would provide free to the public under the name Pinto. I laughed. I thought he was being a kidder. "Pinto?!" I said, nearly choking on a lingonberry. "A Pinto's a cheap American car that blows up when you bump it from behind. Also, it means 'penis' in Portuguese. And 'free to the public'? What the hell are you -- some kind of crazy-ass socialist?" Andreas did not laugh. Instead of laughing, Andreas asked me to leave. I wanted to tell him about the dream where I'm half-naked and have half my teeth and my father suddenly shows up wearing pink slippers and a see-through muu muu, but, instead, he asked me to leave.
That was in 1981 (or 1980). First: the ABBA concert in Jonkoping (or Linkoping). Then: Kringle and lingonberries in Andreas' utedass in the "Land of Goats." In the 26 (or 27) years since, many things have happened -- most of them just plain crazy-ass awful. AIDS. Reagan. Bosnia. Darfur. 9/11. Iraq. O.J. Paris, Lindsay, and Britney. And, of course, worst of all: ABBA broke up. "Chiquitita" still makes me cry. I still dream of falling and my father in see-through muu muus. And I've wasted 26 (or 27) years of my life enduring electro-shock treatments that have done nothing to make me satisfied or sane (but have, in point of fact, had a miraculous effect on my back acne).
Then, just the other day, something caught my eye while I was online. It was something involving a woman, a pygmy, and a pony (and I'm still not sure I understand what it was, exactly, they were trying to accomplish in that rather badly-lit barn). Just a few days after that, though, I came across this:
"September 26 is the official release date for the debut CD from Swedish indie-pop act PINTO. The CD is entitled HOOK ME UP. Pinto was formed in 2006 in Gothenburg, Sweden and consists of ANDREAS MAGNUSSON (with a little help from his friends). Pinto plays catchy guitar pop, mainly influenced by American acts like R.E.M., THE SHINS, and MATTHEW SWEET. Many of the songs on HOOK ME UP were previously released as free web singles. The CD will be available in Scandinavia through DEAD FROG; in Europe through CDON; and in the U.S. through CD BABY."
Can you believe that? He wasn't kidding. His dream came true. Which puts me in mind of that most famous of Swedish sayings: "Min fotter luktar penisen och min penisen luktar fotter." (In English: "May your kringle be crisp; your lingonberries sweet; and your sheep and goats free from flame." Amen to that.)
Seeing as this is Sunday (the high holy day of futbol americano), it seems as apt a time as any to release THE GO! TEAMfrom their locker room/pleasure den (where they've been busy cavorting with horny, cocaine-and-Red-Bull-flushed mascots & midgets).
A little of this music goes a really long way, but there's something undeniably fun and frenzied in the sonic collage. Like a swarm of yellow jackets on ecstasy (their stings packing all the punch of butterfly kisses), there's a ticklish joy to be had before the inevitable annoyance sets in.
Sep 27 2007 8:00P/Northumbria University/Newcastle, Northeast Sep 28 2007 8:00P/Liverpool Guild/Liverpool Sep 29 2007 8:00P/Loughborough University/Loughborough, Midlands Oct 1 2007 8:00P/53 Degrees/Preston, Northwest Oct 2 2007 8:00P/Bangor University/Bangor, Wales Oct 4 2007 8:00P/Cardiff University/Cardiff, Wales Oct 5 2007 8:00P/Warwick University/Leamington Spa, Midlands Oct 6 2007 8:00P/Plymouth University/Plymouth, Southwest Oct 7 2007 8:00P/Old Fire Station/Bournemouth Oct 9 2007 8:00P/Astoria/London, London and South East Oct 13 2007 8:00P/Double Door/Chicago
From the LP PROOF OF YOUTH, 2007 >>> [MP3] "Keys to the City" [MP3] "Flashlight Fight" [w/CHUCK D]
From the LP THUNDER, LIGHTNING, STRIKE, 2005 >>> [MP3] "Junior Kickstart" [MP3] "Huddle Formation"
Rumor has it that former BLUR guitarist GRAHAM COXON will be re-joining DAMON ALBARN & Co. to record a new album in the not-too-distant future.
Today, though, we take a look (and listen) at (to) the man's solo output over the years. Personally, I find his early stuff all-but-unlistenable, so we'll just skip ahead to the better (IMO), more mature (also IMO) material of recent years....
SADDLE CREEK regulars THE GOOD LIFE released their latest full-length, HELP WANTED NIGHTS, earlier this month. Of course, this group started off as a TIM KASHER (of CURSIVE)side project, but has gradually developed into its own honest-to-goodness, legitimate "thing." (Perhaps not altogether unlike the BEN GIBBARD/DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE/THE POSTAL SERVICE "thing"). (Or BLAKE SENNETT/RILO KILEY/THE ELECTED, for that matter.)
A few songs tonight from Aussie folk-rockers AUGIE MARCH. The slow-builder "One Crowded Hour" led off my Best of August mix, while "Just Passing Through" looks promising for Best of September. "Song in the Key of Chance," meanwhile, found a place on my mix CD "Indie-licious" on October 3, 2004. That must mean that I liked it (on October 3, 2004, at the very least).
20th Sept 07 Great Scott/Boston, MA 21st Sept 07 Rock N Roll Hotel/Washington, DC 22nd Sept 07 Lee's Place/Toronto, ONT 24th Sept 07 Magic Stick/Detroit, MI 25th Sept 07 Schuba's Tavern/Chicago, IL 26th Sept 07 Varsity Theater/Minneapolis, MN 28th Sept 07 Larimer Lounge/Denver, CO 1st Oct 07 Richards on Richards/Vancouver, BC 2nd Oct 07 Crocodile Cafe/Seattle, WA 3rd Oct 07 Fir Lounge/Portland, OR 5th Oct 07 Slim's/San Francisco, CA 6th Oct 07 DETOUR FESTIVAL - CITY HALL/LOS ANGELES, CA
From the LP MOO, YOU BLOODY CHOIR, 2006 >>> [MP3] "One Crowded Hour" [MP3] "Just Passing Through"
From the LP STRANGE BIRD, 2004 >>> [MP3] "Song in the Key of Chance"
Seems I missed the boat on KT TUNSTALL the first time around. 4+ million of her debut album sold? Mercury Prize and Grammy nominee? "American Idol" and DIDO hater? Huh. I must have been out to lunch. Or on one hell of a bender.
Not this time, though. Ms. Tunstall's second LP, DRASTIC FANTASTIC, receives its U.S. release today. As far as I know, Dido has yet to weigh in on its merits.
KT TUNSTALL on MySPACE. KT TUNSTALL on American TV >>>
Tuesday, September 18, 2007: Live with Regis and Kelly Thursday, September 20, 2007: Jimmy Kimmel Live! Friday, September 21, 2007: The Ellen Degeneres Show Saturday, September 22, 2007: CBS Saturday Early Show
One normally wouldn't expect this determinedly anti-deity blog to suddenly go all hallelujah-happy over a "Lord," but what the hell. It's MARY LOU LORD, not THE Lord. And these pretty, acoustic-guitar-based ditties are worthy of praise.
As was done with the '60s shall now be done with the '80s. Thus, herein lies the first of three '80s mixes to help you get your nostalgic rocks off....
Just left-click[HERE] to download the following....
TRACKLIST >>>
01. INXS/Don't Change 02. Berlin/The Metro 03. Erasure/Oh L'Amour 04. Kim Wilde/Kids in America 05. The Vapors/Turning Japanese 06. Depeche Mode/People Are People 07. Pet Shop Boys/Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money) 08. Eurythmics/Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) 09. Frankie Goes to Hollywood/Relax 10. Animotion/Obsession 11. New Order/Bizarre Love Triangle 12. Total Coelo/I Eat Cannibals 13. Real Life/Send Me an Angel 14. Scandal/The Warrior 15. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark/If You Leave 16. Human League/Don't You Want Me 17. Soft Cell/Tainted Love 18. Men At Work/Who Can It Be Now? 19. The B-52's/Private Idaho 20. Tears For Fears/Shout
THE '60s - V. 1 [HERE] THE '60s - V. 2 [HERE] THE '60s - V. 3 [HERE]
L.A.-based EARLIMART has always been a bit too averse to verse-chorus-verse convention for me to ever feel overly cuddly and comfortable with them. That's probably just the way they wanted it.
I'm not sure I'd say that band leader AARON ESPINOZA has toned down his experimental impulses all that much on new CD MENTOR TORMENTOR, but I'll be damned if "Answers and Questions" doesn't sport a legitimate, buoyant chorus. And things get almost-but-not-quite sprightly on the piano-dotted, ARIANA MURRAY-whispersung "Happy Alone."
Sep 16 2007 8:00P/Treasure Island Music Festival/San Francisco, California Sep 27 2007 8:00P/Doug Fir Lounge/Portland, Oregon Sep 28 2007 8:00P/Crocodile Cafe/Seattle, Washington Sep 29 2007 8:00P/Pit Pub/Vancouver Oct 2 2007 8:00P/400 Bar/Minneapolis, Minnesota Oct 3 2007 8:00P/Schuba’s/Chicago, Illinois Oct 4 2007 8:00P/Grog Shop/Cleveland, Ohio Oct 5 2007 8:00P/El Mocambo/Toronto Oct 6 2007 8:00P/Pop Montreal Music Festival @ Main Hall/Montreal
From the LP MENTOR TORMENTOR, 2007 >>> [MP3] "Answers and Questions" [MP3] "Happy Alone"
From the LP TREBLE & TREMBLE, 2004 >>> [MP3] "The Hidden Track" [MP3] "Sounds"
From the LP EVERYONE DOWN HERE, 2003 >>> [MP3] "The Movies"
From the EP THE AVENUES, 2003 >>> [MP3] "Interloper"
Brooklyn's THE HONORARY TITLE released their sophomore album, SCREAM & LIGHT UP THE SKY, on August 28.
At times, the record sags under the weight of some rather generic alternative/emo trappings, but a few of the tunes manage to separate themselves from the pack. I would nominate the two below, for starters....
VELOCETTE: mystery artist du jour. No websites. No pics. British. Girl singer. Cute voice. SARAH CRACKNELL-esque. NINA PERSSON-esque. "Bitterscene": '80s-twee meets pre-murderous PHIL SPECTOR. "Submarines": airy-fairy (in a good way) dream-pop. "Get Yourself Together": the song they're most known for (apparently).
All selections taken from the 1999 LP FOURFOLD REMEDY, which CD UNIVERSE suggests may have been re-released (someplace or another) on August 28 of this year.
Not to be confused with IDA, IVY, OPERATION IVY, IRENE CARA, or DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS' "Come On Eileen," Sweden'sIRENE will soon be releasing their second full-length record, LONG GONE SINCE LAST SUMMER.
Already, first single "By Your Side" has become Internet-ubiquitous, and lead singer BOBBY's distinctive, lounge-y croon (comparable, to some extent, to his countryman JENS LEKMAN's) is once again on full display (along with some highly pleasant female harmony vocals).
Irene like to keep their songs on the short side (generally less than two-and-a-half minutes each), so if you don't happen to fall in love with the tracks below, at least you will not have wasted much of your day.
For some reason, I was under the impression that THE REAL TUESDAY WELD specialized in twee indie-pop. I'm guessing it was the band name that threw me. Damn the bastards for false advertising.
Head honcho STEPHEN COATES calls this music "antique beat." Damn the bastard for vague labeling.
However the hell you want to pigeonhole things, "Ruth, Roses and Revolvers" has a certain gypsy swagger to it; "Dorothy Parker Blue" casts a woozy, narcotic spell; and "The Ugly and the Beautiful" plays like a last-call-at-a-less-than-respectable-cabaret singalong. Just right for a Sunday night? Depends, I guess, on your mood.
Imagine my surprise (and horror) this past week when I realized that I'd never produced a proper post on PULP, one of my favorite bands of the past dozen years.
In a review I (over)-wrote some years ago on the great 1995 LP DIFFERENT CLASS, I had these things to say, amongst others:
"For better than two decades, whippet-thin singer/lyricist JARVIS COCKER has served as the band’s jigging-jester bedrock. A dandy deviate with a lurid libido, he is the Benny Hill of pop performers -- the sort whose outlandish, unzipped-knickers shenanigans ultimately prove charmingly harmless. On DIFFERENT CLASS, Cocker dips into his patented bag of thematic tricks -- voyeurism, fetishism, illicit trysts -- and, sporting a vocal delivery alternately deadpan and camp theatrical, essays a range of naughty narrators -- whether they’re shouting from the mountains the importance of non-conformity ("Mis-Shapes") or just sitting listlessly in the dark, emitting sordid smoke rings (the unsettlingly sinister "I Spy" and "F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E."). The gorgeous, irony-free "Something Changed" features a soaring synthesizer line; "Disco 2000" appropriates its riff from the LAURA BRANIGAN "classic" "Gloria"; and the record’s sterling centerpiece -- the relentlessly catchy "Common People" -- makes delicious mincemeat of a shallow-souled West End girl slumming her way through an East End summer."
Well, Mr. Cocker no longer looks to be "whippet-thin," and, as far as I know, Pulp has been laid to a permanent, gentle rest. But that's no reason not to take a look back at the "glory days" of one of Britpop's brightest lights of the '90s.
The first two songs below are from Cocker's solo release of 2006. The rest -- except where noted -- are drawn from the Pulp canon. Dig in. Evaluate. Luxuriate.
Once upon a time,RICHARD HAWLEY played guitar with one of my very most favoritest of bands, PULP. He did so for others, as well. ROBBIE WILLIAMS. BETH ORTON. NANCY SINATRA. ALL SAINTS. GWEN STEFANI. Et al., etc.
For years now, though, he's also been doing the solo thing -- releasing album after album of sophisticated lounge-pop that will either make you swoon or grow sleepy. For me, depending on the track, it's sometimes the former, sometimes the latter. The songs below, of course, I find uniformly swoon-worthy. If you disagree, you were probably already in need of a nap.
ZAMBRI is a NYC five-piece led by sisters JESSICA and CRISTI JO. What do they sound like? Maybe t.A.T.u., a bit. EISLEY, ever-so-slightly. TEGAN AND SARA, from certain angles (and if you squint). TORI AMOS, at the fringes. Or maybe a little like all of them. Or like none of them at all. Yes, this is me, being my ever-helpful self. (Indeed, I should be winning awards for this crap. Trophies. Stipends. $10-off coupons to Applebees. Gift-baskets of Chinese-manufactured Matell toys and toothpaste. Anything, really. I am not picky. Merely greedy. And greed, said Gekko, is good.)
Zambri's six-song, self-titled EP is currently available for purchase on their websites. So, off you go. Investigate.
Sep 12 2007 8:00P/Mercury Lounge w/Calvin Harris/New York, New York Sep 14 2007 8:00P/The Lolita Party @ Glasslands Gallery/Brooklyn, New York Sep 28 2007 10:30P/Pianos/New York, New York
Former Mercury Prize nominees HARD-FI are back with their follow-up to 2005's hard-popping STARS OF CCTV. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (released in the UK yesterday, I do believe) seems less catchy than its predecessor on first and second listen(s). Perhaps, like so many sophomore efforts, it's striving to be "deeper" and "more meaningful." Yeah, well, whatever. Still, some highly hummable tracks can be uncovered here....
Americans with an itch to pre-order ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST can go right [HERE] right now.
Queer bunch, THE POLYPHONIC SPREE. They finally retire their Druid/Hare Krishna robes/togas, only to replace them with... what? Why, black military garb, naturally. No doubt going for that artful compromise between Nazi stormtrooper and Kim Jong-il. I must say: These people positively reek of future mass suicide. Kool-Aid, anyone?
Dodgy fashion statements aside, how's about we take a trip down memory lane with TIM DELAUGHTER and his supporting cast of kooky converts....
A lot of people seem to revere MUSE in much the same way that I worship, prostrate myself, and just generally kiss-ass at the altar of RADIOHEAD. And, of course, the two bands are often spoken of in the same bated breath. A shared flair for melodrama... two falsetto-prone crooners... blah blah blah.
THE CORAL
EMMA POLLOCK
VELOCETTE
ZAMBRI
