Blog: sonic slang

Lady's Bridge , Richard Hawley 's first disc since the Mercury Prize-nominated Cole's Corner , might not have lived up to the practically unreasonable standard he established over a trifecta of bittersweet pop LPs, but let's be clear: This guy is the real deal. The new disc is a worthy edition to a vibrant artist's canon that brings out more of Hawley's love for rockabilly and doo wop, yet always keeps it fresh and oddly contemporary. Good stuff. Check out this video for "Tonight the Streets are Ours" featuring Hawley as a [...]

Into the Wild , a movie/soundtrack combo that hasn't been getting near the love it deserves, marks Eddie Vedder's first time going it alone for a full disc's worth of tunes. The LP didn't make much of a mark on Billboard (even compared to the weaker, early-2000s output from his day job), but we're still diggin' it. In fact, in the wake of yesterday's head-scratching lament of today's music-for-film genre, we're gonna go ahead and be the first to nominate PJ's front man for this year's gold statue on Oscar day. Check out [...]

We're starting to wonder if Led Zeppelin isn't being entirely truthful with these "will they, won't they" tour rumors. Just when we thought the deal was dead (again), Jimmy Page goes and tells Guitar World how stupid a one-off reunion is: via Rock and Roll Daily : "It's a bit silly not to because there is such massive demand." Regarding the band's lone December 10th concert, "It's a bit selfish to do just one show. If that's it, we probably shouldn't have taken the genie out of [...]

It seems that before the wistful Trading Twilight for Daylight , L.A. foursome Great Northern already had a batch of pitch-perfect indie rock up its sleeve in the Sleepy Eepee disc. Five songs previously available only at shows, the collection has now made its way to iTunes, with a physical release to following in February. Stream "This Is a Problem," a track evoking the late-night longing of great Thrills track without the adolescent bent, right here . Check the full tracklist and all Great Northern's upcoming tour dates after [...]

Gorillaz's previously-reported outtakes disc, D-Sides , is streaming over at MySpace . The set drops in US stores on 11/19 and contains a host of rarities, demos and previously-unreleased material. To check out the D-Sides trailer, join us after the jump.

Those of you chomping at the bit for a new Franz Ferdinand record might want to check out Correcto, who's got a 7-inch in stores and a full-length on the way. Featuring Franz drummer Paul Thompson + former The Royal We vocalist and bassist Danny Saunders and Patrick Doyle as well as Scottish artist Richard Wright, the Glasgow side project's LP is due this February. Several tunes have been added to the band's MySpace page . Check out the video for [...]

Taking a moment to be sincere - Kanye West's mom Donda passed away yesterday, and by all accounts she seemed to be a pretty sweet gal and a wonderful mother who, let's face it, raised a pretty damned talented son. This 2005 clip of Kanye serenading Donda with "Hey Mama" would normally be a tad schmaltzy for SS, but today it feels right. Watch the clip after the jump, then go call your mother. She misses you. [...]

Madonna fans, count your "Lucky Stars." (Ugh, that was awful, sorry.) SS rarely gives any ink to the Material Girl, but when one of her most famous songs ("Like a Prayer") gets covered by a band we actually dig (Lavender Diamond), it makes for a worthwhile post. The song is part of a forthcoming Madonna tribute disc entitled Through the Wilderness: A Tribute to Madonna . We're not sure what that means, or why the cover is a nudie shot from Sex , but seeing how the indie [...]

A curious story popped up from the AP today that was actually lamenting a lack of original music being released for films these days. OK - This is all well and good in theory, but when you back it up by getting misty-eyed over "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing," "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" or (Jesus H!) "My Heart Will Go On," are we really supposed to then turn and curse out albums like the Garden State soundtrack? In the wake of Jay-Z's American Gangster -inspired near-masterpiece, this is [...]