Wednesday, February 27

RADAR BROS.

RADAR BROS. on MySPACE.

From the LP AUDITORIUM, 2008 >>>
[
MP3] "On Nautilus"
[
MP3] "Warm Rising Sun"

From the LP THE FALLEN LEAF PAGES, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "Papillon"

From the LP AND THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS, 2002 >>>
[
MP3] "Sisters"
[
MP3] "Uncles"

From the LP THE SINGING HATCHET, 1999 >>>
[
MP3] "All the Ghosts"

Tuesday, February 26

PALOALTO

TRAVIS meets MUSE....

PALOALTO on MySPACE.

[MP3] "Some Things Must Go This Way"

[MP3] "What You Are"

[MP3] "Sleeping Citizens"

[MP3] "Hangman"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] RADIOHEAD/"Palo Alto"

Monday, February 25

ROCKY VOTOLATO

ROCKY VOTOLATO on MySPACE.

From the LP THE BRAG AND CUSS, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "Time is a Debt"
[
MP3] "Your Darkest Eyes"

From the LP MAKERS, 2006 >>>
[
MP3] "She Was Only in It for the Rain"
[
MP3] "White Daisy Passing"

From the LP BURNING MY TRAVELS CLEAN, 2002 >>>
[
MP3] "October"

Sunday, February 24

TORI AMOS - PART 2

From the LP TO VENUS AND BACK, 1999 >>>
[
MP3] "1000 Oceans"
[
MP3] "Concertina"

From the LP STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS, 2001 >>>
[
MP3] "I Don't Like Mondays"

From the LP SCARLET'S WALK, 2002 >>>
[
MP3] "A Sorta Fairytale"
[
MP3] "Pancake"

From the LP THE BEEKEEPER, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "Parasol"

From the LP AMERICAN DOLL POSSE, 2007 >>>
[
MP3] "Bouncing Off Clouds"

TORI AMOS - PART 1

[A sudden and unexpected death in the family is preventing me from writing a proper introduction to today's selections. This next week is likely to be somewhat erratic as well, but I'll do my best to keep the music coming....]

From the LP LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, 1991 >>>
[
MP3] "Precious Things"
[
MP3] "Winter"

From the LP UNDER THE PINK, 1994 >>>
[
MP3] "Cornflake Girl"
[
MP3] "Baker Baker"

From the LP BOYS FOR PELE, 1996 >>>
[
MP3] "Caught a Lite Sneeze"
[
MP3] "Marianne"

From the LP FROM THE CHOIRGIRL HOTEL, 1998 >>>
[
MP3] "Spark"
[
MP3] "Raspberry Swirl"

Friday, February 22

BEST OF 2006, VOL. 1

Left-click [HERE] to download the Best of 2006, Vol. 1.

Portal to previous year-end mixes [HERE].

BEST OF 2006, VOL. 1 TRACKLIST >>>

01 midlake/roscoe
02 the detroit cobras/cha cha twist
03 gnarls barkley/crazy
04 head like a kite/noisy at the circus
05 the features/wooden heart
06 nightmare of you/i want to be buried in your backyard
07 clearlake/getting light outside
08 the pipettes/guess who ran away with the milkman?
09 razorlight/in the morning
10 mighty six ninety/have you ever asked yourself
11 new london fire/we don't bleed
12 the cloud room/hey now now
13 paul brill/paris is on
14 the killers/when you were young
15 pilot speed/barely listening
16 stellastarr*/love and longing
17 morrissey/you have killed me
18 the format/the first single
19 division day/dayenu
20 yeah yeah yeahs/turn into
21 the indelicates/we hate the kids [demo]
22 superheroes/what's going on?

ODDS 'N' SODS #5


["The Best of 2006, Part 1" will be up later today, just in case you're jonesing for a semi-contemporary mix CD to wile away/while away your weekend.]

[MP3] R.E.M./"Supernatural Superserious" [From the upcoming LP ACCELERATE -- 01 Apr 08]

[MP3] CLINIC/"High Coin" [From the upcoming LP DO IT! -- 08 Apr 08]

[MP3] MALCOLM MIDDLETON/"Follow Robin Down"

[MP3] PLASTIC BERTRAND/"Major Tom"

[MP3] THERAPY?/"Diane"

[MP3] GUSTER/"Ramona"

Thursday, February 21

HEATHER NOVA

I first heard of the Bermuda-born singer-songwriter HEATHER NOVA around 1994. If memory serves, her song "Walk This World" received airplay on some of the alternative radio stations of the day and even found its way onto MTV. The track appeared on the album OYSTER, which, in retrospect, kind of bridged the distance between SARAH McLACHLAN-styled silky-sweetness and ALANIS MORISSETTE-styled aggro-angst. Also in retrospect -- to these ears, at least -- the LP sounds just a little bit dated today.

If I had to recommend one Heather Nova CD for the uninitiated, I guess I'd have to go with 2001's SOUTH. Seems the most solid of the lot, top-to-bottom. But here's a career-spanning mini-sampler to help you make up your own minds....

HEATHER NOVA on MySPACE.

From the LP RED BIRD, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "Mesmerized"

From the LP STORM, 2003 >>>
[
MP3] "All I Need"

From the LP SOUTH, 2001 >>>
[
MP3] "Heaven Sent"
[
MP3] "Like Lovers Do"

From the LP SIREN, 1998 >>>
[
MP3] "Winterblue"

From the LP OYSTER, 1994 >>>
[
MP3] "Doubled Up"
[VID] "Walk This World"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[
MP3] "Someone New" [w/ESKOBAR]

Wednesday, February 20

GRAND ARCHIVES

Seattle's GRAND ARCHIVES are led by former BAND OF HORSES guitarist MAT BROOKE. Their self-titled debut LP was released by SUB POP yesterday.

GRAND ARCHIVES on MySPACE.

[
MP3] "The Crime Window"

[
MP3] "A Setting Sun"

BIIRDIE

L.A. trio BIIRDIE released their second album, CATHERINE AVENUE, in January. The word "whimsical" gets bandied about with them. Yeah, maybe, I guess. "Who Were You Thinkin' Of" is an irrepressible little singalong. Accusations of infidelity have never sounded so darned perky. "Petals," on the other hand, is just plain pretty -- coming to full, final blossom on the "ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh" outro.

BIIRDIE on MySPACE.

From the LP CATHERINE AVENUE, 2008 >>>
[
MP3] "Who Were You Thinkin' Of"
[
MP3] "Petals"

From the LP MORNING KILLS THE DARK, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "You've Got Darkness"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[
MP3] "We Can't Work It Out" [SATURDAY LOOKS GOOD TO ME cover]

Tuesday, February 19

ADAM GREEN

With his former MOLDY PEACHES partner KIMYA DAWSON currently riding high with the "Juno" soundtrack, ADAM GREEN is back to say, "Hey, what about me, bitches?"

Indeed, his new disc, SIXES & SEVENS, will be released March 18 and offer more two- to three-minute tunes delivered in that beguiling, sly-guy, SCOTT WALKER croon he's been mining for years. Hell, he may even be dialing back on the in-your-face, shock-jock lyrics this time through. A sign that Adam Green is growing up? Heaven forfend!

ADAM GREEN on MySPACE.

From the LP SIXES & SEVENS, 2008 >>>
[
MP3] "Homelife"
[
MP3] "It's a Fine"

From the LP JACKET FULL OF DANGER, 2006 >>>
[
MP3] "Party Line"
[
MP3] "Novotel"

From the LP GEMSTONES, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "Emily"
[
MP3] "Chubby Princess"

From the LP FRIENDS OF MINE, 2003 >>>
[
MP3] "Jessica"

From the LP GARFIELD, 2002 >>>
[
MP3] "Dance With Me" [EP Version]
[
MP3] "Baby's Gonna Die Tonight"

Monday, February 18

AMPLIVE (RADIOHEAD REMIXED)

Oakland DJ/Producer AMPLIVE ran into a bit of a brick wall when he tried to make his RADIOHEAD remix project (RAINYDAYZ REMIXES) available to the public without first getting clearance from the band. It would seem that everything's all good now, seeing as the songs are available [HERE] for your downloading pleasure.

[MP3] "15 Steps" [Amplive "15 Stepz" remix featuring CODANY HOLIDAY]

[
MP3] "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" [Amplive "Weird Fishez" remix]

PETE & THE PIRATES

What to say about Brit quintet PETE & THE PIRATES? That their riffs are recycled and their name sounds like a kids' show on Nickelodeon? Yes, and... yes. But also: They seem to be rather young yet, so no need to damn them for lack of originality just yet....

PETE & THE PIRATES on MySPACE.

[
MP3] [VID] "Mr. Understanding"

[
MP3] "She Doesn't Belong to Me"

THE KILLS

A little context here: I out-and-out hated THE KILLS first two albums. Those would be 2003's KEEP ON YOUR MEAN SIDE and 2005's NO WOW. But the critics ate them up, tripped & stumbled over themselves to compare American girl ALISON "VV" MOSSHART & her Brit boy partner JAMIE "HOTEL" HINCE to THE WHITE STRIPES, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, and PJ HARVEY. Color me dumbfounded. Because all I heard was a loud, tuneless mess -- with none of the energy and excitement that loud, tuneless messes can sometimes be good for.

So now comes record #3. That would be MIDNIGHT BOOM, which will officially see the light of day on March 10. The fact that I like this one (a very little bit) may well signify that the critics are about to turn on this UK-based, garage-blues duo. (After all, receiving even a half-hearted thumbs-up from a blogger willing to dedicate a day to THE CARPENTERS can't possibly be good for an artist's coolness quotient.)

But a half-hearted thumbs-up it is, because it seems that somebody has gone ahead and introduced these folks to the concept of a "hook." Things are still loud and, sometimes, still tuneless. But the bangin' bassline and growly-grrrl vocals on "Cheap and Cheerful" bring to mind THE DETROIT COBRAS and THE GOSSIP. And "Tape Song" has the air of YEAH YEAH YEAHS working their black magic on a certain well-known CURE composition. So... color me content.

THE KILLS on MySPACE.

[
MP3] "Cheap and Cheerful"

[
MP3] "Tape Song" [REMOVED BY REQUEST]

Sunday, February 17

SINEAD O'CONNOR

Not exactly sure how last Sunday's TRACY CHAPMAN turned into this Sunday's SINEAD O'CONNOR, but that's the way it is, so that's the way it goes.

Of course, the two of them did find the limelight at about the same time, and both were defined by early signature songs ("Fast Car" for the former; "Nothing Compares 2 U" for the latter). Sinead calls herself 25% lesbian. As far as I know, Tracy goes the full 100%. Ms. O'Connor tears up pictures of popes yet is an ordained priest. Ms. Chapman had a minister grandfather, attended a Baptist church, and went to an Episcopalian school yet does not consider herself religious. Both of their last names have seven letters.

Six Degrees: Tracy Chapman once had a relationship with Alice Walker who wrote "The Color Purple" which was directed by Steven Spielberg who was also going to direct "Cape Fear" but gave it to Martin Scorsese instead so he could direct "Schindler's List" and Martin Scorsese eventually made "Gangs of New York" with Daniel Day-Lewis who once had a relationship with Sinead O'Connor.

So I guess that's how last Sunday's turned into this Sunday's....

[MP3] [VID] "Nothing Compares 2 U" [1990]

[
MP3] "Mandinka" [1987]

[
MP3] "Three Babies" [1990]

[
MP3] "Haunted" [w/SHANE MACGOWAN] [1995]

[
MP3] "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" [1994]

[
MP3] "Streets of London" [1994]

[
MP3] "I Defeat" [w/JAMES] [1999]

[
MP3] "This is a Rebel Song" [1997]

[
MP3] "The Butcher Boy" [1998]

[
MP3] "Tears From the Moon" [w/CONJURE ONE] [2002]

[
MP3] "House of the Rising Sun" [1994]

Friday, February 15

BEST OF 2003

Left-click [HERE] to download the Best of 2003 mix.

Portal to previous year-end mixes [HERE].

BEST OF 2003 TRACKLIST >>>

01 the strokes/12:51
02 the raveonettes/do you believe her
03 the dandy warhols/you were the last high
04 alpinestars/crystalnight
05 electric six/danger! high voltage
06 goldfrapp/strict machine
07 sort sol/holler high
08 black box recorder/these are the things
09 sparks/suburban homeboy
10 the new pornographers/the laws have changed
11 wood/never ending
12 crowded house/don't dream it's over
13 belle and sebastian/wrapped up in books
14 papas fritas/i believe in fate
15 fleetwood mac/peacekeeper
16 the levellers/what a beautiful day
17 mary chapin carpenter/passionate kisses
18 soul asylum/runaway train
19 belly/now they'll sleep
20 the hidden cameras/boys of melody
21 the gentle waves/evensong
22 sam cooke/wonderful world

ODDS 'N' SODS #4

[Stop back later today for the long-awaited/much-anticipated Best of 2003 mix. Well, okay, maybe not "much-anticipated," but it did take me a hell of a long time to put together, so that's something, at least.]

[
MP3] LYKKE LI/"I'm Good, I'm Gone"

[
MP3] THE WHITSUNDAYS/"Already Gone"

[
MP3] LIZ PHAIR/"Little Digger"

[
MP3] BARENAKED LADIES/"I'll Be That Girl"

[
MP3] THE JAYHAWKS/"Smile"

[
MP3] RICKY WILDE/"I Am an Astronaut" [BY REQUEST]

Thursday, February 14

HAYDEN

About a decade ago, I wrote a review for an obscure little CD called EVERYTHING I LONG FOR. It had a rather elaborate intro (the review, not the CD) (perchance I was transfixed by drink)...

"Everybody knows HAYDEN. Hayden's our neighbor. Hayden takes in our papers, walks our dogs, and waters our lawns when we're away on vacation. Every time we drive by Hayden's, Hayden waves.

But Hayden harbors a heavy heart. Hayden gets angry. Hayden plots complicated, petty revenges that will never see the light of day.

Because Hayden is lazy. Hayden is so beholden to inertia he can barely be bothered to breathe, let alone carry out complicated, petty revenges. Hayden lacks the courage of his convictions. Hayden lacks the convictions to begin with.

And Hayden is horny. Late at night, Hayden downloads Danish porn and watches through binoculars as our underage daughters undress for bed.

But Hayden is harmless. Takes in our papers. Walks. Waters. Waves. Like Norman Bates. Or John Wayne Gacy.

Yes, everybody knows Hayden. Hayden's our neighbor. And sometimes, let's face it: Hayden is us.

*********************************************************
Hayden is Hayden Desser, a twentysomething Canadian whose self-produced debut plants him firmly in the freakish family-tree between VIC CHESNUTT's bastard-slacker stepson and BECK's heavily-medicated second-cousin."

After that, miracle of miracles, I actually wrote for a while about Hayden's music. Which was stripped and insular. Deep, deep, man-child voice singing intimately of dating futility & Denny's breakfasts. But that was ten years ago. Hayden is thirtysomething now and has surely moved out of his parents' basement to bigger & better things. He tends to sing a little less low; his arrangements sometimes feature more than an instrument or two. But he still has issues. He is actively working on his issues. The music helps him with his issues. Almost always, he would rather sing to you than shoot you in the face.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Love, Hayden.

From the LP IN FIELD & TOWN, 2008 >>>
[
MP3] "Worthy of Your Esteem"
[
MP3] "Lonely Security Guard"

From the LP ELK-LAKE SERENADE, 2004 >>>
[
MP3] "Home By Saturday"
[
MP3] "Hollywood Ending"

From the LP SKYSCRAPER NATIONAL PARK, 2001 >>>
[
MP3] "Carried Away"
[
MP3] "I Should Have Been Watching You"

From the LP THE CLOSER I GET, 1998 >>>
[
MP3] "I'll Tell Him Tonight"

From the EP MOVING CAREFUL, 1997 >>>
[
MP3] "Middle of July"

From the LP EVERYTHING I LONG FOR, 1996 >>>
[
MP3] "Tragedy"

Wednesday, February 13

MADRUGADA

Moody Norwegian alternative rockers MADRUGADA released their latest long-player on January 21 -- six months after the death of their guitarist, ROBERT BURAS. If there's a silver-lining to be found here at all, it's that Buras had already completed his work on the album, so the songs necessarily serve as testaments to his life and talents.

MADRUGADA on MySPACE.

From their self-titled LP, 2008 >>>
[
MP3] "What's on Your Mind?"
[
MP3] "Honey Bee"

From the LP THE DEEP END, 2004 >>>
[
MP3] "Subterranean Sunlight"
[
MP3] [VID] "The Kids Are on High Street"

ADELE

The next AMY WINEHOUSE? Musically-speaking, at least? Some would say 19-year-old Londoner ADELE fits the bill.

I have to say: My jury's still out on that one. It's not that I thought BACK TO BLACK was an especially great album; I just thought that it had three or four pretty great tunes on it. "Chasing Pavements" seems to be Adele's calling card, and methinks rightfully so. But is it as good as "Back to Black," "Rehab," or "You Know I'm No Good"? For that matter, is it as good as KATE NASH's "Foundations"? Methinks... my jury's still out.

[MP3] "Tired"

[
MP3] "Chasing Pavements"

[If you're inclined toward Hype Machining or Elbo.wsearching, you might also consider tracking down the track "Cold Shoulder."]

Tuesday, February 12

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM

So LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM has a DVD coming out. LIVE AT THE BASS PERFORMANCE HALL -- billed as "the first live DVD of his 27-year solo career" -- will see a March 25 release. It chronicles a performance in Fort Worth, Texas from January of 2007. But this post isn't really about that.

Rumor has it that Mr. Buckingham may also be releasing a new solo disc later this year. But this post isn't really about that, either.

No, this post is simply a means of showcasing a couple of pretty-good songs from the man's last, little-heard solo album, UNDER THE SKIN -- as well as a couple of pretty-damned-good songs from FLEETWOOD MAC's last, relatively-little-heard album, SAY YOU WILL. Nothing more; nothing less. No muss; no fuss. C'est la vie; que sera, sera.

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM on MySPACE.

From the Lindsey Buckingham LP UNDER THE SKIN, 2006 >>>
[
MP3] "To Try for the Sun"
[
MP3] "Down on Rodeo"

From the Fleetwood Mac LP SAY YOU WILL, 2003 >>>
[
MP3] "Peacekeeper"
[
MP3] "Steal Your Heart Away"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[
MP3] LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM/"Big Love" [live]

[
MP3] FLEETWOOD MAC/"I'm So Afraid" [live]

Sunday, February 10

TRACY CHAPMAN - PART 2

In which we conclude our generous, two-part helping of love & respect for TRACY CHAPMAN....

From the LP NEW BEGINNING, 1995 >>>
[
MP3] "Give Me One Reason"

From the LP TELLING STORIES, 2000 >>>
[
MP3] "Telling Stories"
[
MP3] "It's OK"

From the LP LET IT RAIN, 2002 >>>
[
MP3] "You're the One"
[
MP3] "Broken"

From the LP WHERE YOU LIVE, 2005 >>>
[
MP3] "America"
[
MP3] "Change"