Well, what DID you expect from The Vaccines? I tell you what. I am thoroughly impressed with this band. Last week I told you about The Horrors, and this week I've got their sister band. I mean brother band. Literally. Their guitar player is the younger brother of Tom Cowan (bass)from The Horrors. And like The Horrors, The Vaccines was also formed in West London. But VERY recently formed, despite sounding like a fully developed band. I compared The Horrors to [...]
Having played festivals all over the world since releasing their first album Origins in 2006, The Horrors should be ready to rock this year's two weekends at Coachella. Their tour with Florence + The Machine this spring should spark a few new fans as well. Sounding like Depeche Mode and looking like The Cure, the boys in this English band were not even out of the womb when those bands were formed! Not to be confused with any small-town USA metal bands, The Horrors have been [...]
Rakim Mayers, better known by his aka A$AP Rocky is rapper and director. I'll save you the nagging curiosity and say yes, he was named after the second half of the Eric B. & Rakim duo. He was born and raised in Harlem, and released the mixtape LiveLoveA$AP in 2011 with the in-demand producer, Clams Casino . Southern rap. You love it, or you hate it. It's a slow, stoney, carefree drawl of raps and rhymes with beats to match. If you like Drake or Lil' Wayne, or anyone [...]
The adage usually applies to wine, but I'm more of a Scotch drinker so I'll frame it in a more familiar context: like a fine whisky, some things just get better with age. If there were ever an illustration of that statement, it is Leonard Cohen. The man is now 78 years old and has been releasing albums since 1967. Tuesday, however, marks the release of his first album in 8 years, so there's something really special going on. It's not only a chance to hear the first [...]
He started playing piano when he was only five. This was back when he was known as Nick van de Wall and not what we know him as today: Afrojack. Afrojack spent most of his time listening to all kinds of music and it was no surprise that he would start making music instead of just listening to it. At the age of 11, Afrojack discovers Fruity Loops and still uses to this day. In 5 years, Afrojack plays his first gig at a nightclub. In 2006 he jets off to Greece for five months to [...]
Yeah. you might have thought that with Coachella doubling up on their event in 2012, by having the exact same show two weekends in a row, might mean that you had some time to figure out if you could make the show. If you thought that, you would be screwed. I knew better, and waited online to buy my tickets right at 10am when they went for sale. It's probably not good form to brag that we have tickets when you don't. I bet you have been to the festival before. This is our [...]
"Music is an invasion of the ear and mind that brings a conscious awareness of emotion." -Mookie Saint Kele Good afternoon men and women of the Church of MUSIC, In All Capital Letters. We congregate today to reflect on the end of a year and with hope for the next. As the world of nations is to be pervded by musical influence in this new year, so [...]
In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a bit of a slacker to say the least. Between posting here far too infrequently and so many other ways I procrastinate my way through life, I'm not sure how I get anything done. Here's an example that will be worth your time in the end. I heard The Civil Wars on NPR (A Prairie Home Companion, if you must know) earlier in the year and was very impressed. I made a note to pick up their album [...]
Do you know what Mookie and I used to do? We had record store dates. For a week or two, we would collect the names of artists we'd like to check out, and then we would go to Zia. We might try them out at listening stations, we might make tough decisions on which CD to discard, or we might buy them just because of something we heard or because of the album art. Then we might drive around town listening to our new CDs, or in some way, shape or form, [...]
AISHA TYLER ASKS : "Are you, at this point in your life, with everything you've done, and the amount of political work you've put your passion and your energy into, do you feel more or less optimistic than you did, say, when you were first in Rage?" TOM MORELLO REPLIES : "I feel much more optimistic, and that has to do, principally, with fatherhood... The purity, and the innocence that I see in my kids makes me...wanna fight for their world... When I see it reflected in other things, for example... The first [...]
My idea of a perfect government is one guy who sits in a small room at a desk, and the only thing he's allowed to decide is who to nuke. The man is chosen based on some kind of IQ test, and maybe also a physical tournament, like a decathlon. And women are brought to him, maybe ... when he desires them. --Ron Swanson How does Mookie turn a bad day into....well something better? He folds cards for four hours and then someone [...]
in medias res Because if you were here, the two of us would be a venerable force. You and me? Together? We would always make sure they were taken care of. We would make sure we were taken care of too. I know you would make sure of it for me. I absolutely know I would make sure of it for you. I can't do it alone. It's not fair to expect it of me. I don't get credit for what I achieved. It's fine. [...]
And that we did when the Furthur bus rolled into town. The night began with some pre-show "tailgating" in the parking lot, (even though it was a blustery November night in Wisconsin) with stories of first shows, how many shows attended, Jerry shows and post-Jerry shows being shared. Ahh... some things never change and that makes me smile. However, being the wimp that I am, freezing my ass off overtook the nostalgia and I didn't last long in the parking lot and had to move it on in. As Bob and Phil waltzed on [...]
I didn't have anything exciting and new (other than a lame "Love Boat" reference) to write about today, so instead I'd like to play a little game. It's about as simple as a game can be and you may find yourself playing it at home sometime. Just put your music player on random, listen to 3-5 songs, and explain why they're in your library. I call it Shuffle. The general idea is this: we all have vast, ever growing libraries of media. As much as we'd like to go through and get rid of those albums we'll never [...]
rdio.com There are many options for listening to music online, or on your mobile device. Everyone is working to be your music platform of choice. Hypem , Pandora , GrooveShark , and Spotify to name just a few. My favorite online streaming music platform is Rdio . Rdio is a new social music service, founded by Janus Friis with Niklas Zennström, The name, Rdio, is a combination of the words radio and audio, and is [...]
As I dosed off sometime in the middle of the night in a dumpy motel after a long day of traveling and visiting relatives, the sleeping soundtrack my man had put on struck me as a brilliant piece of music. It wasn't until the next morning, when, as if realizing what I had dreamed, I said, "You put on some really great music last night. Who was that?" "Yeah, it was good wasn't it? That's The Low Anthem." Yes. It was good! It was an aromatic mix of Ray LaMontagne and [...]
It seems you either love Tom Waits or hate him. I, for one, am in the love school. I realize his voice can be difficult for some people to get past, but his music is like nothing else in the world. It ranges from jazz to Vaudeville, from sailor shanties to sweet, sweeping ballads. In my opinion he's one of the best songwriters/composers we have around today. He also seems very witty and would probably be a blast to hang out with. Tom, if you happen to be reading this I have a bottle of scotch I'd be happy to [...]
"Comic genius" --GQ "Man Of The Year" issue 2010 Reggie Watts is brilliant. Hilarious and brilliant. I'm not sure if he is more hilarious than brilliant. I think it's 2 parts hilarious one part brilliant. Wait...I think I got that reversed. Reggie Watts is one part comedian and one part musician with two parts awesome. Reggie released his debut comedy cd/dvd 'Why $#!+ So Crazy?' on Comedy Central Records in May 2010. His latest album entitled 'Reggie Watts Live at Third Man Records' [...]
After a diagnosis with Alzheimer's in June 2011, Glen Campbell agreed to record one final album and perform one final tour. His story and the lyrics throughout Ghost On The Canvas have touched me deeply, as I lost my Gramps to Alzheimer's 5 years ago on Nov. 12. There's nothing I can say better than the legend himself, so in Glen's words... Ghost On The Canvas is the last studio record of new songs that I ever plan to make. I've been saying it to my friends and family, [...]
I just started listening to Admiral Fallow's album Boots Met My Face . I see constant pictures and stories in my head while listening, but it has been hard to nail down what it is about these songs that I am reacting to. Known as Brother Louis Collective until last year, Admiral Fallow is a group from Scotland formed in 2007. They recorded this album in 2009, and "Squealing Pigs was released in Scotland early in 2010. The entire album was re-released as Admiral Fallow a year later. Click [...]
in ALL caps music blog
Lana Del Rey - Without You (Kill Paris Remix) [Dubstep]
Download: James Blake Live Album (Unofficial)
My Funny Valentines
Miike Snow - “Paddling Out” Jacques Lu Cont Remix (MP3 Stream)
Iron & Wine and Patty Griffin
