Artist: Ray Davies

Ron Sexsmith's 2013 album, Forever Endeavour BY JORDAN MAINZER With a name like Sexsmith, how can you not be noticed? Singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith has existed just outside of the popular singer-songwriter circle for virtually his entire career. As trends came and went, Sexsmith relentlessly produced Seventies-ish schmaltzy, Davies, Newman, and Nilsson-like pop songs at a remarkably consistent pace and of remarkably consistent quality, perhaps only bested by someone like Guided By Voices' Robert Pollard. From 20022s excellent (and perhaps career best) Cobblestone Runway to his most recent effort,  [...]

Delaware-spawned indie pop journeymen The Spinto Band are on a roll: in only the past nine months the band has rejuvenated a two-decade career with the slick pop of the full-length Shy Pursuit (preview here ), revitalized their own record label and toured extensively. And now the quintet is already back with a new long-player, Cool Cocoon . Picking up right where Shy Pursuit left off, the new collection contains yet more of the band's sparkling brand of well-crafted, classic pop. Cool Cocoon commences with "Shake It Off" (previously reviewed [...]

• Spinto Band - Shake It Off off Cool Cocoon

High on Enon, that is (in case you can't read the print on the capsule) . . . Around the turn of the millennium, the indie band Enon seemed like it just might be in line for a Big Breakthrough. They had a great sound: experimental enough to be fascinating and unpredictable (like Radiohead - not that they sound like them), yet catchy and cool enough to be appealing to a larger audience. Lead singer John Schmersal sometimes sounds like Ray Davies, and in some ways you can hear a Kinks influence, although [...]

• Enon - Window Display

Memory is a funny thing. It the power to twist over time and become the source of our greatest pride or most painful regret. This week, the list obligatory looks at those songs that are simply about remembering. For many of us, memory is the one of the strongest forces in our [...]

Filed under: News , Music Appreciation Getty | Getty If you're a superstitious-type musician, it might be time to lock your doors, avoid black cats and stay away from walking under any ladders. The turn of the year has historically proven to bring with it a slew of bizarre events and weird energy, and the music world is not exempt. For example, a Beatle nearly got killed and was saved by a table lamp, a [...]

The great picture sleeve from the "Father Christmas" single It was only a matter of time before the Kinks' classic "Father Christmas" showed up here on Reselect during the holiday season, as I'm sure you must have known. It's just too good a song, with wit too sly and a melody too rocking, to be kept unposted for too long. The recording of "Father Christmas" began during the recording of the Kinks' 1977 album Sleepwalker , but apparently didn't get completed until they were recording 19782s  Misfits , most [...]

• The Kinks - Father Christmas

Filed under: The Hit List NBC via Getty Images Nicole Westbrook's song "It's Thanksgiving" has drawn plenty of comparisons to Rebecca Black's universally panned "Friday." But the 12-year-old viral video singer has learned one valuable lesson about the music industry: If you record a song about Thanksgiving, it stands a good chance of getting heard -- at least one time of the year -- no matter what the quality. Because while there are plenty of themed [...]

The age of The Kinks being the unacknowledged underdogs of the British Invasion of the mid ‘60s is happily long gone. The ‘90s, and Britpop in particular, lavished Ray Davies and his remarkable band with recognition, status and acclaim that was, frankly, long overdue and entirely righteous. That The Kinks can now be mentioned in conversation alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones with some level of comfort rather than inviting the derision it may have once incurred is a considerable and gratifying victory [...]

As the little monsters finally begin to leave the house again, let's take a moment to look at the songs about that wonderful place that keeps them out of our hair; school. It happens every year; that magical time when the kids head back to school. We all dreaded September as children. [...]

The Kinks - The Kinks At The BBC By Richard Wink When Ray Davies sang ‘Waterloo Sunset’ at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games it made me sad. He looked old, frail and ill at ease amongst the bright young things of British pop. Thankfully he could still just about carry the tune, and the rendition was passable, unlike the waxwork version of ‘national treasure’ Paul McCartney, who during the Opening Ceremony of the Games woefully struggled through ‘Hey Jude’. It got me [...]

One of 3 performances 'not' seen (*cut due to time?) in the US broadcast last night for London Olympic's Closing Ceremonies

by Bill Pearis George Michael at the London Olympics Closing Ceremony While Kate Bush didn't perform in the London Olympics Closing Ceremonies segment that "Running Up That Hill" was used in (that was cut from the U.S. telecast), NBC did cut a few actual live performances from it, including The Who closing out the whole thing with "Baba O'Riley," "See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You" and "My Generation." (Yet they left in Kaiser Chiefs doing "Pinball Wizard"!). The Who [...]

We tend to write about bands that are still at the formative stages of their careers, often still found carving out their sound. Occasionally we notice that what they're cooking up isn't quite ready, yet we allow you to share a sneaky taste as the band step out into the light for the first time. Today's recommendation is a good example of this, but it's not that they aren't ready, or that they aren't accomplished musicians, it is in fact more that we're not convinced they know which path to take with regards to their overall sound. Emerging music is [...]

• Kodaline - Lose Your Mind
• Kodaline - Pray

A steamy Saturday all around: ► Bloomfest , the downtown arts and music event featuring Superhumanoids, the Neighbourhood, Grace Woodroofe, Helena, Robotanists, Light FM, Yellow Alex & the Feelings, Mike Watt & the Missingmen and more, goes off at 3rd and Traction streets in downtown L.A. Above is the video for "Sunlight," the first single from the India-born, Pennsylvania-reared Helena. [Full set times at the end of this post.] ► Ray Davies plays a special show (at the Wiltern backed by L.A. rockers the 88. ► Power-pop stalwarts [...]

Here's another sampling of the fine music out your disposal in the Bay Area this weekend! I think that there's something for everyone this week. Thursday, July 19th Ray Davies, The 88 at The Fillmore The Kinks might have been the most influential band in rock. Sure, The Beatles were popular. But The Kinks created [...]

Incoming: Gary Lucas, Frank Ocean, Peter Case, Trash Talk, Amanda Palmer, Adam Lambert, Al Green, Nick 13, Fountains of Wayne, Bloomfest, Ray Davies, Smokey Robinson, Ringo Starr, the Ettes, the Happy Hollows, more. Above: The uncensored, NSFW video for Amanda Palmer's "Want It Back." You've been warned. The pop provocateur and Kickstarter sensation visits the Roxy Theatre on Thursday; her new album "Theater Is Evil is out Sept. 11. Our staff picks of the week: [...]

RAY DAVIES ( Aladdin Theater , 3017 SE Milwaukie) This city is really, really excited about Ray Davies' appearance. I mean, for chrissakes, Mayor Sam Adams has officially declared Sunday, July 15 to be "Ray Davies Day" in Portland (effectively keeping this city weird). In addition to performing at the Aladdin tonight, Davies will host a reception at the Hollywood Theatre preceding a matinee screening of his film Return to Waterloo , and Holocene will celebrate with a Davies-themed event of their own that will undoubtedly be off the hook. What about his music, though? Well, [...]

Frank Ocean performs Friday at Showbox A great week of shows ahead. Starting on Monday night, we've got the first two night with Codeine at the Triple Door, On Tuesday The Young Evils play a free in-store show at Easy Street Records in Queen Anne, while James Hunter and Jesse Dee  settle in for the first of two nights at Jazz Alley. Wednesday night,  Kid Hops joins Reggae legends Toots and the Maytals at the Showbox, and on Thursday there's the first of many Free Summer [...]

With the wellingtons and Bacardi Breezers of yesterweek interchanged with Jesus sandals and inky viscous brews, Dots & Dashes' sojourn down in Kent was this year pruned to but a day; axed to one solitary hop as it were into the lamentably all too known... Bogged down amid the uncountable oast houses, as we wade through the pollen-swollen air and eloquent enquiries of disconcertingly refined touts the first thing discerned is familiarity. For Hop Farm seems to have all but entirely neglected progression ever since it was [...]

All words and pictures by Jimmy Blake June 29, 2012 “Get your back in to it! It’s going to be a long weekend!” exclaimed Gomez ’s Tom Gray, as the weekend’s second main stage act coaxed the masses to take a break from their couscous. The opening day of Hop Farm 2012 saw the festival’s eclectic blend of new and old working in perfect harmony, allowing punters to do the same as the generations took spells of hugging the security barrier, taking turns to reminisce and revitalize their iPods… sorry, record [...]