Nov 17, 2011, 8:04am
100b
I've posted about Len and their 1999 album, You Can't Stop The Bum Rush once before, but in a different-ish context, so I'm calling it ok to repeat a little now. Even though it's now 12 (holy crap) years old, that album still sounds fresh to me. Maybe because it doesn't sound like the late-90s at all; it borrows and mixes tiny bits from all over music history and every genre, which gives it an oddly timeless quality. Len was a Canadian band inspired by early hip-hop, gospel, skater-esque punk-pop ... and Kraftwerk? "The Hard Disk [...]
Oct 5, 2011, 4:02pm 100b
Apparently, there's a wicked case of nostalgia going around. I had no idea until I read Chuck Klosterman's recent Grantland article (which I highly recommend) on the epidemic, but you know what? I'm kind of glad Chuck said something because now I feel less alone. I've been weirdly obsessed with the 90s for ... well, a while now. It started with watching Thirtysomething reruns on tv, and then Northern Exposure on DVD. And the more I was re-exposed to the 90s, the more I've wanted 90s stuff - to the point that I've even got Soul Asylum on [...]
Aug 31, 2011, 7:54am 100b
A while ago , I talked about some changes I wanted to make here. To paraphrase myself: I talked about how I pretty much suck at writing about new bands and how I'd ultimately decided not to do that anymore. But I've been doing this little blog, for whatever reasons, for longer than I'd care to admit. I do wonder from time to time if, honestly, the sensible thing to do is to just pull the plug, but I just love geeking out about music too much - I can't bring myself to do it. This is really my only [...]
Aug 3, 2011, 12:04pm 100b
Who: Little Brothers , who are, apparently, brothers. Whoda thunk? Brothers Michael and Tony Weis team up with their friend Jason Anderson to record in Michael's basement studio and write awesome songs for ... their own amusement? Michael says that they don't tour at the moment and that they do pretty much everything they do on their own. Michael also says that he doesn't imagine that will change anytime soon, but I have to respectfully disagree. I'm hardly an oracle on these matters, but I think these guys have a very promising future ahead of them as a [...]
Aug 3, 2011, 12:04pm 100b
Who: Little Brothers , who are, apparently, brothers. Whoda thunk? Brothers Michael and Tony Weis team up with their friend Jason Anderson to record in Michael's basement studio and write awesome songs for ... their own amusement? Michael says that they don't tour at the moment and that they do pretty much everything they do on their own. Michael also says that he doesn't imagine that will change anytime soon, but I have to respectfully disagree. I'm hardly an oracle on these matters, but I think these guys have a very promising future ahead of them as a [...]
Jul 27, 2011, 2:12pm 100b
Any regular / long-term reader of this blog will know that I'm a really big Ladyfingers (aka Adam Weiner) fan; I've written about a couple of Ladyfingers albums already and love them so much, I never feel like I've managed to do them justice. Adam's a great talent, has a fantastic and utterly unique voice, and makes music I can honestly say I've never heard the likes of before. Now he's teamed up with a whole group of dudes (there's not too much information available about them just yet) to create Low Cut Connie , a [...]
Jul 27, 2011, 2:12pm 100b
Any regular / long-term reader of this blog will know that I'm a really big Ladyfingers (aka Adam Weiner) fan; I've written about a couple of Ladyfingers albums already and love them so much, I never feel like I've managed to do them justice. Adam's a great talent, has a fantastic and utterly unique voice, and makes music I can honestly say I've never heard the likes of before. Now he's teamed up with a whole group of dudes (there's not too much information available about them just yet) to create Low Cut Connie , a [...]
Jun 28, 2011, 4:22pm 100b
When I'm able, I like to watch the UK Top 40 on Monday nights - you know, to keep up with what those crazy kids are listening to these days. If I consider each song on its own, I'm pretty much ok with chart music right now. No one song is so bad that I really hate it*, some are even catchy as hell. On the other hand, I look at the chart as a whole and I'm all, 'Wha' happen?!' Since when is a single sound represented in the charts? And I mean that [...]
Jun 28, 2011, 4:22pm 100b
When I'm able, I like to watch the UK Top 40 on Monday nights - you know, to keep up with what those crazy kids are listening to these days. If I consider each song on its own, I'm pretty much ok with chart music right now. No one song is so bad that I really hate it*, some are even catchy as hell. On the other hand, I look at the chart as a whole and I'm all, 'Wha' happen?!' Since when is a single sound represented in the charts? And I mean that [...]
Jun 20, 2011, 6:38am 100b
If you stop by here frequently - or, heck, even if you stop by infrequently - you may have noticed that I have a difficult time updating regularly. We used to be really good about that, with a rotating schedule that made sure we got new content up pretty damn often. But with just me left of our little team, my partners having moved on to bigger and better ventures, and a dwindling sense of why I'm actually writing this blog, it's been tricky. Don't get me wrong, I love 100b. But there's something I've been thinking in the back [...]
May 25, 2011, 3:18pm 100b
Do you remember The Soup Dragons? If you're from the UK and / or of a certain age (the certain age that means you actually remember buying albums on cassette), you probably do. If not, this band probably passed you by completely. Which would be a shame because, while Hotwired isn't necessarily one of the very best albums ever, it's a classic of my 1990s and can definitely still stand up tall today. Although I only really listened to Hotwired , a little research shows that The Soup Dragons were more than I [...]
Apr 20, 2011, 4:22pm 100b
For many, many years, I've claimed that Pearl Jam's Ten was my first album purchase but it recently occurred to me - holy crap! - have I been lying about that all this time?! Not that my real #1, now that I see my mistake, isn't just as cool. My deception was accidental, I assure you - I promise I was not trying to look cooler than I am. Please. I freely admit I adored New Kids On The Block. The cool ship has sailed. So anyway, I recently [...]
Feb 18, 2011, 12:30pm 100b
Fat Boys - Human Beat Box ( official site , buy at Amazon UK )
Feb 11, 2011, 7:23am 100b
It's no secret that I love Cornershop . Yeah, I say I'm a big fan of a lot of bands, and it's always true, but this is special. Like on equal footing with how I feel about the Beatles. One of those rare, one-in-a-million bands whose music you love so much it almost makes you feel a little sick to your stomach. Me and Cornershop go way back. In fact, I remember the day - like most people, I got into the band via "Brimful of Asha", just as it was turning into a monster single, and [...]
Feb 2, 2011, 5:17pm 100b
Who: Harlan Pepper What: Indie-folk brought up-to-date with a sense of humor, a blend of styles, and a little more 'today' than most. Where: Hamilton, Canada. The Google tells me this is in Ontario. Canadian geography is a mystery to me. Why: Because "Great Lakes" - below and available free from Harlan Pepper's bandcamp page - is totally awesome. Seriously, it's a fantastic track - just all-around great. Good lyrics, nice wordplay going on with the lake names, and [...]
Jan 28, 2011, 5:50pm 100b
Cold War Kids - Out Of The Wilderness ( official site , buy at emusic )
Jan 25, 2011, 5:38pm 100b
Who: Johnny Hawaii What: Laid back surfer pop, brought to us by Bad Panda Records Where: From Marseille, France, not often the origin of Hawaii-infused surfer tunes. Why: Because Johnny Hawaii knows exactly how to bring the sounds of the beach, somehow. With the first few notes of "The Lonely Smurfer", I can close my eyes and seriously feel like I'm on a sandy beach, sun shining, a warm breeze on the air, nothing but the sounds of [...]
Jan 19, 2011, 2:14pm 100b
We got a mail last week about Darren Hayman's January Songs project - you know Darren Hayman: "ex-Hefner, godfather of modern indiepop, one of the best songsmiths of the past 15 years, oh you know the one". Ok, I didn't know any of those things, but I'm sure you do. I've been meaning to listen to some Hefner for a while now, but haven't gotten to it yet. Isn't it funny how you can somehow miss out on something everyone else has been listening to for ages? Anyway, so there's this Darren Hayman guy who everyone already knows [...]
Jan 17, 2011, 3:37pm 100b
You might remember that I was really, really taken with Lost In The Trees when I first heard them back in November . This is just a little update as we've just had news that, because of their 2010 successes, Trekky Records will be re-releasing Lost In The Trees' first EP, 20072s Time Taunts Me . It's a little more than just a re-issue though: "Over the past three years, between extensive touring and multiple releases, Picker found himself returning to the bedroom recordings of Time Taunts Me, fleshing out [...]
James Blake – Live Album
Circo Voador anuncia shows de The Kooks, Foster The People, Friendly Fires, Gogol Bordello e mais
Best of The Deli Philly Poll - Top Performers: Break It Up
The Kills on Letterman (Video)
