THE KNIFE

Talk about preaching to the choir.... Few bands have been more "blogged upon" than the Knife in the past year or so. Of course, their new album, Silent Shout [Mute Records], wasn't officially released in the U.S. till late July '06, but songs from that record, as well as countless remixes, have been buzzing the blogosphere for just about forever now.

I don't really know where this Swedish duo came from (well... Stockholm, apparently). But they've been together seven years now, and it wasn't till sometime in '05 that I first heard of them. (They're brother and sister, actually, so I guess they've been "together" for more than seven years - which sort of automatically makes them more interesting than, say, Roxette. But perhaps still LESS interesting than, say, ABBA.) (Marital dynamics, and all that.)

The first time through Silent Shout, I was especially impressed by just four of its songs - "Marble House," "Forest Families," and the two offered - for a limited time - below. With repeated listens, however, one comes to realize that this is an of-a-piece album; the mood it evokes is as important as the tunes themselves. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I heard something this cool, spooky, and spectral. It's night-driving music. In winter. While contemplating suicide. Or lost love. Or some such.

Go to the Knife's MySpace page [here] to check out some U.S. live performances they have planned for November.

From the LP Silent Shout, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Silent Shout"
[MP3] "Neverland"

From the LP Deep Cuts, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Listen Now"

From the soundtrack to Hannah Med H, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "The Bridge"

BONUS TRACK >>>

[MP3] Stina Nordenstam/"Parliament Square" [The Knife Remix]

SILVERSUN PICKUPS

Don't feel like typing today. Or yesterday. Maybe tomorrow. But wanted to share some music. From Silversun Pickups. Of Los Angeles. USA. Hopefully will feel like typing again soon. Stay with me.

From the LP Carnavas, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Lazy Eye"
[MP3] "Dream at Tempo 119"

From the EP Pikul, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Kissing Families"

COSMIC ROUGH RIDERS

Lead singers leaving (or being left behind) by their bands is hardly a new phenomenon. Think: Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd. Peter Gabriel and Genesis. Tim Fletcher and the Stills (sort of). David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, Gary Cherone, and David Lee Roth (again) with Van Halen.

So it shouldn't have come as a huge shock when Daniel Wylie - lead singer/songwriter for Scottish folk-rockers Cosmic Rough Riders - left the band after their acclaimed first album to pursue his solo aspirations. The Riders' other principal songwriter, Stephen Fleming, quickly stepped into the breach, and the group released their latest disc, Stars Look Different from Down Here, back in July.

There are plenty of people in the world who have never come to grips with the loss of Wylie and long ago gave up on Cosmic Rough Riders. And it's undeniably true that the group's newer material lacks some of the Byrds-ian harmonizing that they were once known for. You can decide for yourself whether this "new" incarnation of a once highly-promising band is worthy of your time and attention.

Visit Cosmic Rough Riders' MySpace page [here].

From the LP Stars Look Different from Down Here, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "When You Come Around"
[MP3] "Don't Get Me Down"

From the LP Enjoy the Melodic Sunshine, 2000 >>>
[MP3] "Revolution (In the Summertime?)"
[MP3] "Baby, You're So Free"

From the LP Deliverance, 1999 >>>
[MP3] "Still a Mother's Son"

SING-SING/LUSH

Friday nights just cry out for carefree, borderline-frivolous pop, and I am here to supply it.

Sing-Sing is led by vocalists Emma Anderson and Lisa O'Neill. Anderson, some may recall, was also part of the '90s shoegaze/pop outfit Lush.

But it's Friday night, the Tigers are playing the White Sox, and that's all I feel like writing. Enjoy the tunes.

From the LP Sing-Sing and I, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Lover"

From the LP The Joy of Sing-Sing, 2002 >>>
[MP3] "Feels Like Summer"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] Lush/"Ladykillers"

[MP3] Lush [w/Jarvis Cocker]/"Ciao!"

[MP3] Lush/"Light from a Dead Star"

GUSTER

If I'd had a blog back in 2004 and had compiled a Top 10 album list for that year, Guster's Keep It Together would have likely made my top five. So it was with much anticipation that I popped their new record, Ganging Up on the Sun, into my CD player and punched PLAY. Alas, beware great expectations....

Way back in 1999, I wrote a review of Guster's then most recent release, Goldfly. At the time, I referred to them as a "bongo-pop band," as they did seem to have an affinity for that particular instrument back in the day. I also made the point that the trio had made whatever reputation it had at the time through its tireless touring and eagerly-received live performances. In reviewing the album, however, I found their sound to be somewhat generic. I compared them to everyone from Counting Crows to Gin Blossoms; Rusted Root to Ben Folds Five. Well, what goes around comes around, I guess, as the Ben Folds reference seems fresh and fitting again on Ganging Up's piano-poppy "Manifest Destiny." And "One Man Wrecking Machine" - one of the new album's true highlights - nonetheless veers uncomfortably close to mid-tempo Fountains of Wayne.

The last point I made in my Goldfly review of yesteryear was that it sometimes takes time for performance-oriented bands to find their feet in the recording studio. Hell, some never do.

But Guster proved with Keep It Together that they could master the recorded form by expanding their sound and slickening it up without selling out to the suits. Production-wise, Ganging Up on the Sun continues in the same expansive, layered vein, but the tunes just aren't as sharp as the ones that appeared on its predecessor. The melodies just aren't as memorable. And the second half of the record drags a bit, pace-wise.

Still, Guster has made great strides in their 14 or so years of existence, and there's every reason to believe that their next album could be an absolute masterpiece. In the meantime, I'll pull Keep It Together off the shelf, shake off the dust, pop it into my CD player, and punch PLAY.

Guster's MySpace page.

[Guster will be performing with members of the Boston Pops on Late Night with Conan O'Brien tonight. Check your local listings.]

From the LP Ganging Up on the Sun, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Satellite"
[MP3] "The New Underground"

From the LP Keep It Together, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Careful"
[MP3] "Amsterdam"

From the LP Goldfly, 1997 >>>
[MP3] "Rocketship"

NEW LONDON FIRE

Okay, now on to Sleep Station singer/songwriter David Debiak's OTHER band - New London Fire. Their debut album, Sing the Body Holographic, was released yesterday on Eyeball Records. You can also purchase it at Amazon.com [here].

New London Fire definitely has a different sound than Sleep Station. It tends to be fuller and perhaps a bit faster. It's electro-pop of a sort - somewhere between the Killers and Keane. They also are clearly not afraid of incorporating borderline-cheesy synth sounds into their mix (check out the "Final Countdown"-ish freakout that serves as coda to the song "Different").

[MP3] "Different"

[MP3] "We Don't Bleed"

SLEEP STATION

Today's post was supposed to be about the New Jersey group New London Fire and their new album (out today) Sing the Body Holographic. First things first, though....

NLF leader David Debiak is also the primary creative force behind Sleep Station - a somewhat... well... "sleepier" sounding outfit than his current side-project. Mr. Debiak has an obvious fondness for concept albums, and this may send some of the less hearty souls amongst you scurrying for the hills. Hell, it would have sent THIS less-than-hearty soul scurrying for the hills but for the happy fact that I heard the man's music before I started reading about his rather esoteric and analytical proclivities.

Now, I fear I'm doing Sleep Station a great injustice by suggesting that their songs are somehow both dull and dense. And the very term "concept album" tends to conjure thoughts of cold, emotionally impenetrable, oft-times tuneless sonic terrains. Thankfully, Sleep Station proves to be the exception to that rule - with songs that are warm, inviting, and gently infectious, much like Debiak's voice.

Up until recently, Sleep Station had been almost impossibly prolific, producing five records in just four years. Lately, though, Debiak (along with his brother Jason) has been focusing on the aforementioned New London Fire. Still, Sleep Station has not been retired entirely, apparently; it's just on a bit of a hiatus.

Finally, Sleep Station is incredibly generous when it comes to sharing their tunes with the masses, so you'll find endless MP3s on their website [here], MySpace page [here], and on their record company's (Eyeball Records) site [here] as well. Dig in.

From the LP After the War, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Caroline, London 1940"

From the LP Hang in There Charlie, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Broke Your Trust"
[MP3] "Fading Out"

From the EP Von Cosel, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "My Last Desire"

From the LP Runaway Elba-1 (v. 3.0), 2002 >>>
[MP3] "Goodbye Elba-1, Part 2"
[MP3] "Silver Hills"
[MP3] "Chicago (Reprise)"

From the LP Anhedonia, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "Happy"

FUNKY NASHVILLE

Oh, how misleading a band name can be. Suffice it to say, the Danish band Funky Nashville doesn't sound anything like you'd expect it to based on that particular, misplaced moniker. Imagine Coldplay calling itself Kamikaze Blitzkrieg. Got the picture?

Thankfully, Funky Nashville's music saves the day and restores all faith. No, they are not funky (or, if they are, they're about as funky as Clay Aiken covering a Lionel Ritchie ditty). And no, they do not sound like a band out of Nashville (Memphis, maybe... but even that would be a stretch).

So... what DO they sound like? Well, they've got the American thing down, to be sure - but it's the American Southwest that comes to the fore. Think Calexico. Maybe a dusting of Ennio Morricone. Think pedal steel & surf guitars. Think mariachi bands playing '60s spy themes.

Maybe this all sounds like a great big mess. Well, it's anything but. In fact, it's rather undeniably beguiling. And leave it to three guys from Denmark to do the Americana thing better than just about any American you could name.

Funky Nashville released their second album, Hitch a Ride, in the U.S. in July on 215 Records. Their first effort, A Good Day to Drive, hit the streets in 2003 and features a peyote-cloaked, spaghetti-western spin on Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive." It also finds them getting about as funky as they're capable of getting on the bass-driven "Witch Queen of New Orleans."

If anything, though, the new record is the far more assured effort of the two and is certainly worthy of your exploration. For starters, you could visit their Myspace page [here]. Just remember: don't judge a book by its cover; and don't judge a band by its name. Because when you're roadtrippin' south on I-169 and hit Tulsa, you might just find yourself making a right turn instead of a left.

From the LP Hitch a Ride, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "Hitch a Ride"
[MP3] "Mexican Stars"

From the LP A Good Day to Drive, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Witch Queen of New Orleans"
[MP3] "I Will Survive"

THE FLINTS

Seeing as tomorrow is some sort of holiday in the great northern nation of Canada, I thought I'd finally get around to posting a couple songs by the Flints. Fact is, I had intended to post on the Flints a long, long time ago, but so many better, more popular blogs had already covered them that I thought: What the hell's the point? Well, I recently re-discovered a couple of their songs on one of my old mix CDs, and it occurred to me that not everybody who stops by here has necessarily heard about these guys.

"These guys," by the way, are Stan Flint and Al Huizenga, a couple of friends from Toronto who craft unabashedly sunny, Beatles-esque pop songs. Five of these songs - including the two below - can be found on their EP There Used to Be a Time. Said EP can be purchased at CDBaby [here].

The Flints' MySpace page is [here].

[MP3] "Laugh With Me"

[MP3] "Girl"

BONUS TRACKS:

In keeping with today's '60s pop vibe, I thought I'd offer up a couple more tracks from the Pipettes' debut CD, We Are the Pipettes, which I have been enjoying to an almost ridiculous extent. (And no, they're not from Canada; they're from the UK, which is close enough.)

[MP3] "Judy"

[MP3] "Tell Me What You Want"

20TH CENTURY SONGS (A LITERAL MIX)

As my July was so damn erratic (in so damn many ways), there will be no Best of July mix for 2006. Alas, alas....

However, here's a rather random mix celebrating the last century that I put together for your listening pleasure.

Please left-click [here] for the songs.

TRACKLIST >>>

01) Salim Nourallah/1978
02) Neutral Milk Hotel/Holland, 1945
03) The Connells/'74-'75
04) The 1900s/Bring the Good Boys Home
05) Ed Harcourt/Born in the '70s
06) Tim Wilson/Past Cure 1974
07) Belle and Sebastian/A Century of Fakers
08) The Indelicates/Julia, We Don't Live in the '60s
09) Pelle Carlberg/Summer of '69
10) Smashing Pumpkins/1979
11) Placebo/20th Century Boy
12) Morrissey/Munich Air Disaster 1953
13) Patti Smith/1959
14) The Hives/Inspection Wise 1999
15) Sleep Station/Caroline, London 1940
16) The Golden Dogs/1985
17) Montt Mardie/1969
18) Matt Pond PA/1985
19) Witch's Hat/Glodyany, 1972
20) New Order/1963 ['95]
21) The Alarm/Spirit of '76

HELLOGOODBYE

Well, I think I'm in the mood for a bit of straightforward power-pop to give me a lift after two-going-on-three nights of humidity-induced sleeplessness.

I don't know a whole hell of a lot about Hellogoodbye. Until recently, I'd never heard of them - despite the fact that they apparently put out a self-titled EP in 2004 and appeared in several episodes of The Real World: Austin (now THAT's your ticket to artistic immortality).

I do know that these four guys from Huntington, CA look and sound ridiculously young (and that they look like they could only POSSIBLY come from Huntington, CA). I also know that they sound a hell of a lot like a hell of a lot of other bands. I think you might agree that "Stuck to You" (below) sounds somewhat strikingly similar to any number of Muse tunes.

Hellogoodbye's debut full-length, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! comes out August 8 on Drive Thru Records. And the fact is: You don't have to be the most original band in the world to produce some catchy-ass songs, and there are moods for this type of music in just about all of us. Obviously, I am in one of those moods right now.

[Also, I am clearly envious of their youth, geographical location, and - one can only assume - their inherent ability at this point to lay or be laid by whoever/whomever they could ever want to lay or be laid by. Bastards.]

[MP3] "Stuck to You"

[MP3] "Baby, It's Fact"

THE YOU

The You is a young, essentially unGoogle-able four-piece from Pittsburgh, PA. I discovered them through the song "I'm Going to Kill Myself," which begins all lo-fi and acoustic-guitar-unassuming but starts to kick in around the 1:10 mark with the simple addition of drums. Then, lo and behold, some piano joins the party, and the singer gets almost giddy on the tough-love-but-too-true closing call-out: "You'll never succeed in this life." Ultimately: a highly charming little ditty.

Charming from a somewhat different angle is "Nothing Goin' On," which has a slightly "spacier," Wilco-ish vibe to it.

Apparently, the You has an album called For the Masses (produced by Brian Deck, who has worked with Iron & Wine and Modest Mouse) coming out sometime in the not-too-distant future. I don't have any specifics to offer on that at the moment, but you can hear more of their stuff on their MySpace page [here]. Also, while there, you'll see that they'll be playing a number of shows in the Pittsburgh area in August.

[MP3] "I'm Going to Kill Myself"

[MP3] "Nothing Goin' On"

CONCRETE BLONDE

I've been battling a broken tooth and 97 degree weather of late, so posting to this blog has taken a bit of a backseat. As a result, maybe we'll keep it brief today with something that might be filed under "nostalgia."

Concrete Blonde is one of those bands that a lot of people were at least somewhat aware of back in the day, but the L.A.-based band never quite managed to break through to the big-time. This, despite the fact that they produced a number of solid songs and probably a couple of pretty solid albums during those years. They also featured the very distinctive pipes of lead singer Johnette Napolitano.

The band officially broke up in 1995 but resurrected themselves - at least temporarily - with 2004's little-heard Mojave. I've heard nothing about any imminent recording projects, but here's a selection of songs I think hold up rather well....

From the LP Bloodletting, 1990 >>>
[MP3] "Joey"
[MP3] "Tomorrow, Wendy"

From the LP Walking in London, 1992 >>>
[MP3] "Someday?"

From the LP Mexican Moon, 1993 >>>
[MP3] "Heal It Up"

From their self-titled LP, 1987 >>>
[MP3] "True"

LD BEGHTOL

& THE NEW CRITICISM

LD & THE NEW CRITICISM

If you're a fan of Stephin Merritt/the Magnetic Fields/the 6ths/et al., you should feel right at home with LD & the New Criticism. For one thing, lead singer/songwriter LD Beghtol sang on Merritt's magnum opus 69 Love Songs - perhaps most memorably on the mega-charming "Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side."

Also like Merritt, Mr. Beghtol is a bit of a whore when it comes to sharing his talents with the planet - spreading himself thrillingly thin with Flare, Moth Wranglers, and the Three Terrors (with Merritt, natch).

Beghtol takes his latest roll in the hay with the rather collegiate-sounding LD & the New Criticism - a fluid group of like-minded, deep-thinking free-spirits forever torn between their twin obsessions of sex and death (I'm guessing). Also (and here I am again guessing): love and lies. War & peace. Paris. Nicole. Mary-Kate. Ashley. Etc. Ad infinitum.

LD & the New Criticism released their first album, Tragic Realism, on Darla Records last November. The sound? Well, Beghtol pegs it as "experimental countrypolitan deathpop." And, yeah, that's pretty much it in a nutshell.

Actually... no.

Experimental? Not all that much in the greater scheme of things (upon hearing these 16 tracks, your grandma will not be scandalized; she'll just not get 90% of the references).

Country? Let's just say: "tinged."

Politan? You bet; this is an urban record. Not "urban" as in "Blood v. Crips/"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" "urban," mind you - but "urban" as in "West Hollywood," "the West Village," and... um... "the Pet Shop Boys' cover of the Village People's 'Go West'" "urban."

Deathpop? Well... that one might be right on the money.

(And no, you don't have to be queer to "get" this stuff; you just have to be as well-read, ironic, and just generally cabaret-centric as your average queer.)

(Whoever that may be.)

Truth be told, listeners WILL hear a lot of the Magnetic Fields in these songs - arch, clever lyrics paired with spare, playful instrumentation. (And yes, that DOES mean "ukulele." And "toy piano." "Glockenspiel." "Finger cymbals." "Etc." "Ad infinitum.").

Considering what a superstar Stephin Merritt is in indie circles, it's shocking to me (shocking, I say!) that LD & the New Criticism haven't been all-the-rage in the music blogs over the past eight months. The elbow-patch-on-tweed-sleeve band name probably hasn't helped a whole hell of a lot. Maybe not so much the "experimental countrypolitan deathpop" thing, either.

But only the most unhip of Middle-American, septuagenarian grandmas would be put off by such obviously "ironic" superficialities. The music's the thing. And LD & friends deliver it to the hilt.

[MP3] LD & the New Criticism/"Unpaid Endorsement"

[MP3] LD & the New Criticism/"Apathy!"

[MP3] LD & the New Criticism/"Always the Last to Know"

BONUS TRACKS >>>

[MP3] Moth Wranglers/"Never Said 'I'm Sorry'"

[MP3] The Magnetic Fields/"The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side"

JOAN

JETT

& THE BLACKHEARTS

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS

I have this memory - which may or may not have much to do with reality - of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" and the Go-Go's' "We Got the Beat" both getting huge radio airplay at around the same time back in '81 or '82. I would have been about 11. For me, at least, it's been all downhill since.

Of course, it couldn't have been a picnic for Joan, either. After all, having a monster hit like "Rock 'n' Roll" often sounds the death knell for even the most promising of young artists. But Joan Jett was anything but a babe-in-the-the-woods even then, having been a member of the jailbait-as-marketing-tool band the Runaways for three years - a band that was (dare we say it) "big in Japan" and producers of the hit song "Cherry Bomb."

Post-"I Love Rock 'n' Roll," Joan Jett and the Blackhearts have released records somewhat sporadically (though 1988's Up Your Alley went platinum on the strength of the Top 10 single "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and 1994's Pure and Simple served as something of a comeback album). And, yet again proving her resiliency, Jett survived the 1987 cinematic debacle Light of Day with Michael J. Fox.

Which finally brings us to 2006 and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' latest CD, Sinner. Peering out from the cover with a bit of kittenish come-hither, the now 45-year-old Jett still looks like she could carve out a man's kidneys with one expertly finessed stiletto. More importantly, the music still packs the hard-rock heft and tough-chick riffs that have always defined her sound with the Blackhearts. So... call it another comeback if you must, but Joan Jett has been making this type of music for a full two/thirds of her life, not to mention inspiring the next generation(s) of riot grrls to strap on guitars and make just as big a racket as the boys ever did or ever could. She empowers them also with her stature as founder and leader of Blackheart Records for the past 25 years and as host of her own Sirius radio show, Joan Jett's Radio Revolution.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are currently on the road with this summer's Warped Tour. Check out their MySpace page [here] for a list of upcoming shows.

[MP3] "A 100 Miles Away"

[MP3] "Everyone Knows"

EASTERLY

The Salem, Oregon band Easterly started out in 2001 with singer/songwriter Noah Hall front-and-center. Since then, however, Hall has made room for five bandmates, most of whom have contributed songs to the greater good of the collective.

Still, Hall's songwriting and voice remain the standout centerpiece(s) for these indie popsters, though their infectious guitars and harmonies play a huge part in the bigger picture. So far, Easterly have been compared to everyone from the Pernice Brothers, Brendan Benson, Grant Lee Buffalo, Teenage Fanclub, and the Posies. Yet, for all that, they have a sound all their own and deserve to be heard well beyond the boundaries of the Pacific Northwest.

Easterly will soon be mastering their second full-length CD, and we'll be updating you on that album's availability as soon the information becomes known. In the meantime, check out a couple of unmastered tracks from the CD below, as well as a number of MP3s from the band's first record on their website's "media" section[here].

You can purchase that CD from Amazon.com or from Not Lame Recordings.

Easterly will be playing Portland, Oregon's Doug Fir Lounge on July 27 at 8 PM along with the acts the Days and Nire. Check out their MySpace page [here] to look up their multiple shows in Salem in August and to hear even more sound samples.

From their self-titled LP, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "Wicked Conversation"
[MP3] "Happiness"

From their forthcoming LP, 2006 >>>
[MP3] "It's No Secret"
[MP3] "Seek Ye First"

THE '60s, VOL. 2

A second serving from the '60s...

Please left-click [here] for the tunes.

TRACKLIST >>>

01 Chubby Checker/The Twist
02 The Ventures/Walk, Don't Run
03 Steppenwolf/Born to Be Wild
04 The Hollies/Bus Stop
05 Ben E. King/Stand By Me
06 The American Breed/Bend Me, Shape Me
07 The Association/Cherish
08 The Lovin' Spoonful/Summer in the City
09 Jan & Dean/Surf City
10 The Beau Brummels/Just a Little
11 We Five/You Were on My Mind
12 The Supremes/My World is Empty Without You
13 Bee Gees/I Started a Joke
14 Sonny & Cher/I Got You Babe
15 Roy Orbison/Oh Pretty Woman
16 The Beach Boys/Good Vibrations
17 The Lemon Pipers/Green Tambourine
18 John Fred & His Playboy Band/Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)
19 The Box Tops/the Letter
20 The Foundations/Build Me Up Buttercup
21 Neil Sedaka/Breaking Up is Hard to Do
22 Shelley Fabares/Johnny Angel
23 The Rascals/Good Lovin'
24 The Spencer Davis Group/Gimme Some Lovin'
25 Otis Redding/(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay
26 The Rolling Stones/Paint It, Black
27 Jefferson Airplane/White Rabbit

FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE

I intended to post this a few days ago, as Fountains of Wayne were scheduled to start airing on the PBS show Soundstage at that time. Still, it's a "check your local listings" thing, since they won't be on in the Detroit area here till tomorrow. Regardless, this gives us a chance to offer up some primo tunes from one of today's great pop outfits...

From the LP Welcome Interstate Managers, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Stacy's Mom"
[MP3] "Valley Winter Song"

From the LP Utopia Parkway, 1999 >>>
[MP3] "Denise"
[MP3] "Prom Theme"

From their self-titled LP, 1996 >>>
[MP3] "Radiation Vibe"
[MP3] "Please Don't Rock Me Tonight"

THE SMITTENS

In writing about the Icicles yesterday - as well as their two upcoming shows in Michigan - I neglected to mention that they'll be playing those shows with the Burlington, Vermont band the Smittens. Well, how better to rectify that situation than to shine a little spotlight in that band's direction as well.

The Smittens describe their music as "fi-curious indiepop" and a "DIY punky bubblegum pop explosion." Indeed. Just listen for yourself....

You can click [here] to purchase the Smittens' latest CD, A Little Revolution. Click [TC's Speakeasy in Ypsilanti and August 5 at the Sazerac Lounge in Grand Rapids. Be there or be square, and all that....

[MP3] "Good Migrations"

[MP3] "Stop the Bombs!"

THE ICICLES

Off-hand, I can't ever remember having posted on an artist from my home state of Michigan before. (Well, I think Madonna might have gotten in there somewhere, but she's British now and doesn't count.)

On the other hand, the Icicles are the genuine Great Lakes article, and I doubt they have any intention of feigning Brit accents and escaping our state any time soon. Not when they seem to be having so much fun where they are right now. Well... judging by their music, at least.

The Icicles play breezy, '60s styled pop - all swirling synths, groovy basslines, girl harmonies, handclaps, and tambourine. The All Girl Summer Fun Band is a logical comparison point. Heavenly as well.

The band's debut LP, A Hundred Patterns, can be purchased for just $10 from Microindie Records [here]. You can also sample some live tracks at their MySpace page [here].

Finally, for those anywhere in the Michigan area in early August, the Icicles will be playing TC's Speakeasy in Ypsilanti on August 4 at 8:00 and the Sazerac Lounge in Grand Rapids on August 5 at 9:00.

[MP3] "Snowman"

[MP3] "I Wanna Know"

KYLE ANDREWS

Chicago native Kyle Andrews just released his debut LP, Amos in Ohio, this past June. However, I first discovered him with the simply irresistible "Sushi," which does indeed sound a bit like Eels' Mark Oliver Everett playing a Japanese sushi bar. You can picture Bill Murray there, too. Drinking Suntory whiskey.

Now Nashville-based, Andrews does wonders with simple instrumentation - some soaring keyboards here; some gentle washes of acoustic guitar there. (I also can't help hearing just a twinge of Jeff Tweedy in his voice as well, which suits me just fine.)

To hear that voice for yourself, you can check out the sound samples on Kyle's MySpace page [here].

The album Amos in Ohio is available from Badman Recording Co. and Amazon.com.

[MP3] "Moon Tea" [from the LP Amos in Ohio]

[MP3] "Connecting the Dots" [from the LP Amos in Ohio]

[MP3] "Sushi"

THOM THOM CLUB

I meant to post this collection of Thom Yorke's previous solo work (both in and out of Radiohead) last Tuesday, when Yorke's solo album, The Eraser, came out. I hope to get back to more regular posting next week...

Left-click [here] for the songs.

TRACKLIST >>>

01) Thom Yorke & the Venus in Furs/2HB [from the film VELVET GOLDMINE]
02) Thom Yorke & the Venus in Furs/Ladytron
03) Thom Yorke & the Venus in Furs/Bitter-Sweet
04) Thom Yorke & PJ Harvey/This Mess We're In
05) Thom Yorke & Bjork/I've Seen It All [from the film DANCER IN THE DARK]
06) Thom Yorke & Drugstore/El President
07) Radiohead/Gagging Order
08) Thom Yorke & UNKLE/Rabbit in Your Headlights
09) Radiohead/I Will [demo]
10) Thom Yorke/Go to Sleep [live/acoustic]
11) Thom Yorke/Follow Me Around [live/acoustic]
12) Radiohead/I Want None of This
13) Thom Yorke/Killer Cars [live/acoustic]
14) Radiohead/Like Spinning Plates [live]
15) Radiohead/True Love Waits [live]
16) Radiohead/Lozenge of Love
17) Radiohead/You Never Wash Up After Yourself
18) Radiohead/Motion Picture Soundtrack [acoustic]
19) Radiohead/How I Made My Millions
20) Thom Yorke & UNKLE/Rabbit in Your Headlights (Underdog Mix)
21) Radiohead/Fog [live]

BEST OF JUNE

A little late in coming, but here are last month's winners (for me, anyway). As always, I hope you'll find a few to agree with me on...

Please left-click [here] for the songs.

TRACKLIST >>>

01) Archie Bronson Outfit/Dead Funny
02) SohoDolls/Pleasures of Soho
03) Sound Team/Born to Please
04) Keane/Let It Slide
05) Tilly and the Wall/You and I Misbehaving
06) Brother and Sisters/One Night
07) Easterly/Wicked Conversation
08) Franz Ferdinand/Well That Was Easy
09) Avocadoclub/Too Much Space to Walk Away
10) Boy Kill Boy/Ivy Parker
11) Elf Power/Come Lie Down With Me (And Sing My Song)
12) Mojave 3/Puzzles Like You
13) Lucky Soul/The Great Unwanted
14) The Veils/Advice for Young Mothers
15) The Sleepy Jackson/This Day
16) The Dears/Whites Only Party
17) Office/Wound Up
18) Girl Alliance/Jaded
19) Pulp/Ansaphone
20) Bishop Allen/Things Are What You Make of Them
21) The Concretes/Song for the Songs
22) The Minor Canon/Good Luck

AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL YOU SOCCER SUCKERS...

And yes, we will be calling it "soccer" here. Don't like that? Tough poop.

Now, rumor has it there's been some kind of rinky-dink tournament being played lately. In Germany, of all places. I mean, is that really a very good idea? Remember the "tournament" the Germans hosted in 1972? I think Steven Spielberg just finished directing a film about it. They had hosted a similar "tournament" in '36. Spielberg got at least TWO movies out of what followed that one. Lesson? Allowing the Germans to host anything more than that mother of all Lowenbrau keggers they put on every October is a dicey proposition at best. Yet here we are again....

To watch SOCCER, of all things! Now, I know that, even as I speak, the very dear-to-my-heart Scatter o' Light and her rabid gaggle of feral fantasy-leaguers are pulling out their red and yellow fabric swatches and preparing to go all hooligan on my ass. But I have to ask them, when it comes to their beloved futbol del mundo: WHERE'S THE DAMN ACTION? I mean, there are more shots fired by Detroit preschoolers with Glock 9s on a day-to-day basis than the U.S. team managed to get on net the ENTIRE tournament. That's entertainment?! Hell, there's more inherent drama in watching George W. Bush try to ride a bike. Or eat a pretzel.

Others, it would seem, disagree. Sometimes, they even go so far as to write SONGS about this so-called "sport." Behold:

[MP3] The Charade/"Dressed in Yellow and Blue"

[MP3] The Lightning Seeds/"Three Lions"

But me, I'm going to stick with the great American pastime of baseball (so called because it long ago passed its time as America's favorite sport). All the same, the sight of Robert Redford hitting that majestic shot into the exploding lightposts in The Natural is still a stirring one. (And, in retrospect - considering Redford's environmental bent - a none-too-subtle indictment of America's electricity industry.) But even the just-recently-deceased former CEO of Enron would have found that scene far more (shall we say) "heart-stoppingly" exciting than the sight of Sylvester Stallone trying to stop Max von Sydow on a penalty kick in 1981's Victory. (You know it's true.)

So, ultimately: Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? Our nation turns its weary ears to you...

[MP3] Randy Newman/"The Final Game" [from The Natural]

(P.S. Not that I've been paying any attention to this crap, but my prediction for the final is that Finland will kick Iceland's ass right back to that freakish, whale song-singing/dead swan-wearing island they came from. Take it to the bank.)

BOURNE AGAIN

Now, you have to understand, I'm not exactly the world's biggest fan of The Bourne Identity. Yes, I thought it was fairly solid for the type of movie that it is (though its Supremacy sequel sucked giant lemon balls). And, true, I do prefer Matt Damon to his dimmer glimmer twin, Ben Affleck. And yes, it's also true that I have an undeniable weakness for plots involving lost identities, e.g. Memento (and even, to a far lesser extent, such over-the-top monuments to absurdity as Face/Off and The Long Kiss Goodnight).

All of which has only a little to do with this first post today. For, you see, it was hearing some of the music from The Bourne Identity in recent commercials for some car brand or another and then, most horribly, NASCAR, that got me thinking about the movie again. Turns out, that music is Paul Oakenfold's "Ready Steady Go," and it appears in the film during various car-chase sequences, if memory serves. Alas, it does not appear on the movie's soundtrack. For that matter, neither does the Moby song that accompanies the closing credits. So, somehow, all THAT gets us to the two tunes below.

(A lot of build-up for not much climax, but we can talk about my sex-life some other time....)

[MP3] Paul Oakenfold/"Ready Steady Go"

[MP3] Moby/"Extreme Ways"

THE PRESS

Atlanta-based band the Press have just released their new single, "The Red Comes Ringin'," on Goodnight Records. The song scared me a little, to be honest, but other, less lily-livered listeners will no doubt find a way to groove and grind to it. (You can decide for yourself by checking it out on their MySpace page [here]).

On the other hand, I did take a decided shine to the single's other track, "I Like to Talk About Myself," and the band had no problem with me offering that up as a download for you here.

They also thought that I might be partial to a song off their last EP, Noxious Saucy Beast. That one's called "The Fattest Pigeon," and they were right: I like it real swell. Perhaps you will, too...

[MP3] "The Fattest Pigeon"

[MP3] "I Like to Talk About Myself"

THE NATIONAL

The New York (by way of Ohio) group the National finally began to garner a bit of mainstream attention with the release of 2005's Alligator. Truth be told, though, they've been putting out solid albums and songs ever since 2001, and we spotlight some of those here today...

From the LP Alligator, 2005 >>>
[MP3] "Mr. November"
[MP3] "Karen"

From the EP Cherry Tree, 2004 >>>
[MP3] "All the Wine"

From the LP Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, 2003 >>>
[MP3] "Available"
[MP3] "Slipping Husband"

From their self-titled LP, 2001 >>>
[MP3] "John's Star"

THE FORMAT

Every now and again, life'll surprise you. Pull the rug right out from under you. Slap you silly. Or sadistically. But, either way, it gets your attention.

Which is a good thing. Because here I've been bitching about how few 2006 record releases have truly impressed me and, all along, I had an absolute gem gathering dust on my bedstand. That record is Dog Problems. And the band is the Format.

So color me somewhat crushed when I ran a search at the Hype Machine, only to discover that I'm only about the 19th or 20th blogger to happen upon these two young Phoenix musicians (Nate Ruess and Sam Means, both in their early 20s). Dog Problems is the band's second full-length effort after their 2002 EP (logically entitled: EP) and the 2003 LP Interventions and Lullabies. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), those recordings were not exactly embraced by the record companies that released them, and Ruess and Means were freed to craft Dog Problems on their own terms. And those terms are exceedingly good.

You can hear a bit of XTC in the Format's sound. Also: Ben Folds and the Flaming Lips. But there's something of the '70s burbling up in there, too. A heaping helping of Harry Nilsson, perhaps? A sliver of Supertramp? Well, why the hell not.

Dog Problems is quite simply the best record I've heard all year - track one through 12. For the love of all that is holy in the world of "indie" music, I hope that you'll give it a listen. The record will be released by Nettwerk on July 11, but you can purchase it [here] in MP3 form (just 79 cents each) or in total (just $7.99). Believe me, you'll want the whole kit 'n' kaboodle on this one.

The Format's MySpace page is [here].

[MP3] "Oceans"

[MP3] "Dog Problems"

[MP3] "Time Bomb"