It might have taken a little longer than expected , but on February 3rd, Ben Kweller will officially unveil his brand new studio album, Changing Horses , for all to hear. But because we've said basically all there is to say about the 10-track, alt-country effort since we got an early taste of it back at ACL '07, this time around, we'll let BK do the talking: "I've been working on Horses for years...I wrote the first song for it when I was 16. Over time, I've collected these songs [...]
Conor Oberst and the label he founded, Team Love, has taken a novel approach to getting their music to the masses. They've opened up portions of their music library for free download, in part to circumvent music piracy. Every month (or so) they will offer up selections from their library including entire albums, B-sides and live recordings. This approach takes the notion of "pay what you want" and not only turns in on it's ear but kicks it out the door. Normally, most Indie labels will at least offer free [...]
The Watson Twins , long-time friends of MOKB, former school chums, and all-around incredible singers stop by The Laundromatinee's VIBES II performance space location to play us some songs from their 2008 release Fire Songs . They also blend a great cover of Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine in with some of their album songs, which also include a cover of The Cure's Just Like Heaven . The Watson Twins - How Am I To Be/Ain't No Sunshine/Sky Open Up medley [...]
Aubrey Edwards Never have I claimed to be the fastest to get turned on to something, to be the one who discovers the next big thing. I'm far more tortoise than hare in these sorts of matters, but even then there's not really any excuse for taking, oh, seventeen months to get around to writing up Bishop Allen's last album The Broken String - or even longer if you think back to the year-long "one EP a month" series in 2006 from which much of the album is taken. [...]
The Watson Twins, long-time friends of MOKB, former school chums, and all-around incredible singers stop by The Laundromatinee's VIBES II performance space location to play us some songs from their 2008 release "Fire Songs". They also blend a great cover of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" in with some of their album cuts.
What time of year is it? That's right! It is the time to watch every iteration of A Charlie Brown _______ (insert holiday here) and reflect upon the true spirit of the season. Personally, I'm still waiting for one on Festivus. It's the time of year to start worrying about how much of your inner fatkid (no pun intended) you are willing to let out. It's the time for making lists and writing down "What we have to be thankful for?" For this post, we reflect on the holiday season and the recently passed commemoration of Thanksgiving, and [...]
What time of year is it? That's right! It is the time to watch every iteration of A Charlie Brown _______ (insert holiday here) and reflect upon the true spirit of the season. Personally, I'm still waiting for one on Festivus. It's the time of year to start worrying about how much of your inner fatkid (no pun intended) you are willing to let out. It's the time for making lists and writing down "What we have to be thankful for?" For this post, we reflect on the holiday season and the recently passed commemoration of Thanksgiving, and [...]
I'm going to miss Nic Harcourt. He had a way of bringing out the best performances from the artists on his program. The live KCRW versions of " Waitin' For Superman ", " Untitled" and " The Blowers Daughter " are far superior than the originals. By Steve Carney/ Los Angeles Times November 18, 2008 " The new voice of " Morning Becomes Eclectic " will be familiar to fans of KCRW-FM (89.9), if they like their evenings eclectic, also. Jason Bentley , host of [...]
The Cure (original version), 1987: When considering their entire catalog of depressive numbers, The Cure 's ever-euphoric "Just Like Heaven" is easily their most displaced tune. I know, a happy Cure song? If that isn't the non-sequitur of the 80's then I'm not sure what else is. For a band whose name is pretty much synonymous with downer music (god, I love that shit), this song's ironically hopeful message of love and happiness is perfect for their manic depressive fans' playlists. It's an instant mood-lifter that makes you fall [...]
Enjoy yesterday's fab performance of 'How Am I To Be?' in the video below. MP3: Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Melt Your Heart
On Saturday evening, PopWreckoning got a chance to see the Watson Twins play a rare acoustic set at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom. The set was gorgeous, as always. There's something warm and soothing in their lyrics, like a swig of Jameson on the first cold day of the year, and their cover of the Cure 's "Just Like Heaven" is dreamy-one of the best I've ever heard and, given the sheer number of Cure covers out there, that says something. The integrity of each song holds up, even when pared down [...]
With everyone going to or coming from CMJ in New York, the IA region has a ton of shows coming through the area. Not many multiple city stops to tell you about, but plenty of local and one-off shows. Toronto's Born Ruffians is one of the bands making multiple stops. They are on tour with fellow Canadians Plants & Animals . Friday, they take on DC at the Rock & Roll Hotel. For the remainder of the weekend, sBach joins the [...]
In our never-ending quest to dig up some great bands that cost less than a corned beef sandwich at Katz's Deli, we bring you another round of Blips. Blips highlights some great bands that are largely still in their larvae stage, but will soon morph into their beautiful butterfly. In this edition, we have some really cool new music, so take a sec, poke around their various websites, and see what you think of these four up-and-coming musical groups... Boris Garcia [...]
There was a time in my life where Jenny Lewis could do no wrong. I was a late passenger on the Rilo Kiley train, getting on board for their fourth album, More Adventurous . But with that album I found kindred spirits in Lewis's plucky lyrics and the band's insanely catchy hooks, and soon after, plunged headlong into their catalog. I played RK non-stop during the summer of 2005. I was relentless (annoying). In fact, I recently thanked my then-roommate for not throwing me off the balcony after I queued up [...]
The current wave of 'stadium' bands that are not quite large enough to play stadiums yet, all seem to follow a similar pattern. That is, that they generally come charging out of the gate fast enough only to be shot in the leg at the beginning of the next race. In other words, the debut album is usually powerful and promising, while album #2 showcases a band that seems content in simply mailing it in, so to speak. Thankfully there are exceptions to the rule (for me, Muse comes to mind.) Of course it's too early to tell [...]
Quiet down errrrbody, It's way to loud out there. Just need a minute to collect my thoughts. The problem with living in one of the fastest growing cities in North America is unless you live in the sticks, you wake up to construction on a daily. Pounding jackhammers are my morning cup of coffee these days and the constant beeping of reversing cement trucks are my cold shower. My only solitude is putting on the ol headphones and throwing on some relaxing soothers to [...]
We begged for The Watson Twins to come back home in our Take 5 interview with them , and our wish was granted. The Louisville natives will be playing at the KCA-Bomhard Theatre on October 12, 2008. They just recently signed to Vanguard Records (once home to Joan Baez and more recently Yonder Mountain String Band ) and released a new album, Fire Songs , which is just amazing, in June. Tix are just $5 bucks. The Watson Twins- Sky Open Up
I just learned I honored [or got an 'A' in] my Peds rotation. In addition to being excellent practice in delayed gratification -- I finished my Peds rotation 7 weeks ago! -- a good grade means I did well on both my clinical evaluations & on the comprehensive "shelf" exam given nationwide. Don't ask me why the undercover pessimist in me is always surprised when I perform well after at least a decade of straight 'A's, positive feedback, & even some awards sprinkled in there. Maybe it's to minimize any disappointment if I fail. In other [...]
Whether she is rocking out with Rilo Kiley , collaborating with some twins , or doing things on strictly her terms , Jenny Lewis is certainly one productive musician. After last year's Under the Blacklight , a subsequent world tour , and 2006's semi-solo effort Rabbit Fur Coat , featuring The Watson Twins, Ms. Lewis will be returning with yet another solo LP. The psychedelic imagery inducing Acid Tongue , which will hit record shelves on the 23rd of September via Warner Brothers , is loaded with guest spots, including [...]
This one's money. Enjoy. -- Cap SIDE A 1. Band Of Horses - The End's Not Near (The New Year Cover) 2. Thom Yorke - After The Gold Rush (Neil Young Cover) 3. Right Away, Great Captain! - Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard (Paul Simon Cover) 4. Homesick Elephant - Highway To The Danger Zone (Kenny Loggins Cover) 5. David Bazan - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen Cover) 6. Jennifer [...]
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