Some bloggers get 100 posts in three months, it took me 13. Hey, what can I say? It's a hobby... I would like to do something grand, something spectacular, but that ain't gonna happen. So, why don't I turn you on to some of the best free stuff available on the mighty Internet? Sound good? Good. Deerhoof, Deerhunter, Deer Tick, Deer Tracks, Blitzen Trapper...it's clear that folks in the indie rock scene have an affinity for deer. I have an affinity for eating them, but that is another story. [...]
I have some regrets. Nothing that keeps me up at night, but I missed out on some stuff that I should have experienced. Soooo.... now and then, I am going to share a video of a music act that I regret not seeing. First off, the PIXIES! Top 10 band of all time for me, who are also from my home state of Massachusetts, and emerged while I was in college-in Massachusetts. Can't believe that I never saw them, but thanks to You Tube, I get a taste. So here it goes, Pixies performing, "Where Is My Mind" circa 1988, [...]
So...if you have read "About Me" you know that I am a college professor, father of three, man of the machine, MFer. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but I am halfway through my life and engaging in a "hobby" that appeals more to people half my age than those who fit my age demo. Case in point, I wish I had nickel every time one of my friends looks at one of my mixes and tells me, "I don't know one of these bands." Ahh... the frustration of an early forty something. Call me a frustrated wannabe, middle [...]
Menomena - Mines I don't have time to write a full length review, but I can tell you that Menomena 's new release, Mines , is their best effort to date. The album demonstrates a great deal of growth since their last release, Friend and Foe , in 2007. While Friend and Foe was lauded as an experimental breakthrough, Mines has a depth and presence that was sometimes missing from its predecessor. Highlights from Mines include TAOS , Five Little Rooms , INTIL , [...]
The Happy Hollows I woke up this morning and decided to see what was new on the Daytrotter site , and stumbled upon a set from The Happy Hollows . The Happy Hollows are a buzzy sounding indie rock band that feature the barre chord guitar playing and ear piercing vocals of Sarah Negahdari backed by the tight rhythm section of Charles Mahoney (bass) and Chris Hernandez (drums). The track, Faces , was on Blogophilia 14 , but I have to admit not hearing much else beyond the EP, [...]
Did you hear that Brett Favre is retiring? Not a whole bunch to write, but thought I'd share some MP3s and some links to a couple of cool freebies. Wild Beasts One of the better albums of 2009, Wild Beasts ' Two Dancers featured the popular single, All the Kings Men . They are offering the second single, We Still Got the Taste Dancin' on Our Tongues , on a new freebie EP. [...]
Ugh, Monday... It arrived too soon. The weekend weather was rainy here in Eastern, NC. Suddenly it was Monday, all bright and shiny for the day and back to the grind. I guess it's a good segue to a review of works by The Farewell Circuit , a band that I first came to know through the single, The Inexorable March of Time ( see Blogophilia 20 ), which accounts for my misery (it's Monday, remember) and a very good single from a promising new band. The [...]
Ahhh... back with "The New." This week's promising promotional tracks have me all mellowed out and stuff... Seriously, I am digging these tracks by Isobel Campbell (formerly of Belle & Sebastian) & Mark Lanegan (formerly of... well there are just too many to name) and the Sea of Cortez (liked this so much, I went and bought their 2007 EP on e-music). Give these a whirl and let me know what you think: Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan (from right to left that is...) [...]
Now that I am back for awhile, I can resume reporting on what's happening in my little world of Greenville, NC. This is pretty fluid, so check back when you can. The Spazzatorium is adding shows for this month, and you never know who will show up. Shows scheduled from 7/30-8/19 Friday, July 30 at the Tipsy Teapot (aka "Tipsy") 9:00 pm [...]
I was going through my cycle of blogs and found an interesting link to a site called Eardrums Pop. Eardrums Pop is a net label that encourages collaboration between artists-kind of like the Postal Service project that Ben Gibbard and Jim Tambarello in that many of the artists don't spend time together in studio, but share their contributions electronically. Anyway, there are several free albums available, and a lot of the songs on them are decent. Give it a try! Especially if you are sitting in your office at 4:00 pm; waiting for the 5:00 hour to release you [...]
Humming right along... Of the 21 songs on this edition, 17 are from artists new to the Blogophilia mixes. That's 80 percent! I don't know, but I am always shocked when this happens. Tracks by Wild Nothing and Hey Marseilles stand out among this new crop. I am also happy to see that Cloud Cult, of Montreal, and Crocodiles all have new singles. I can't wait to hear the new albums from each. So, what are you waiting for? Download the mix in zip format (cover art and track listing included) by right clicking on the cover art found below. [...]
"Where you been, man?" "Man, you don't wan-ta know!" Yeah, it's been awhile. I took a bit of a break to visit family and friends in New England and upstate New York. Australia-Cape Cod, and now back in Greenville. It's good to be back, and I am prepared to blog away. So here it goes... I am convinced that the past ten plus years has done more to advance Rock music and its derivatives than in any past decade. On more than one occasion, [...]
Right click/Save As to download mix I love the Sound Opinions Podcast out of Chicago. Recently, the guys from Sound Opinions covered their guilty pleasure songs. Basically, guilty pleasures are songs that you like and are embarrassed to admit liking or perceive to be unpopular with other people. The former situation is the case for me. Below I've listed at least 19 songs (possibly 20-see the note under #20) that I like, but would not cop to liking publicly-until now. Have a look, and if you are up to it, share a few that hold the [...]
Good news came this week to the Blogosphere: Radiohead and of Montreal are set to release new albums. In an interview with BBC 6Music , Radiohead's Ed O'Brien revealed that the band is in studio and looking to release an album sometime this year. He mentioned that the album will be a departure from 20072s In Rainbows , and, "as good as it has ever been." I have no doubt that it will be. Radiohead - These Are My Twisted Words [mp3] [...]
I think I am finally over my jet lag, but still faced with a heap of work-you know, the thing one does to pay the bills. Anyway, it's all good. Summer is here and I am ready to dive head first into some new stuff. One of the nice surprises I found when I returned were several mp3s from the album, Wild Smile , by the Brooklyn band, Suckers. Out June 8, Wild Smile marks the bands first full-length release, [...]
To poorly plagiarize Rick James, "Jet lag is a hell of an experience." I was pretty much out of touch with the world for three weeks while in Australia and it was great. Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, hiking the Outback, and checking out prehistoric caves with Aboriginal art were among the highlights of this experience. Did I mention I get paid to do this? I guess Bob Dylan was wrong about twenty years of school-it can get you more than the day shift. I scouted and mixed this compilation during my jet lagged insomnia from [...]
In Oz and back for Memorial Day weekend. Working on a mix for my return. Keep posted. Cheers...
I am getting ready to leave the country for a few weeks. I am tying up loose ends and scrambling to get everything I need to finish before I leave. That stated, I have been listening to a lot of new things and thought I would provide insight on a couple of albums and share a couple of tracks that have really caught my ear. The first is Together by the New Pornographers . I am not going to write a formal review of the New Pornographers album, but I will tell [...]
Today is the last day to download all volumes of Blogophilia mixes . After today, only the last five volumes will be posted. So get 'em while you can! Cheers...
Some really great demo and out-of-print finds from other sites this week. The first are the demos from Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska sessions . These are excellent recordings available from the Big O blog . Born to Run might be the most recognizable Springsteen album, but Nebraska rivals that album in terms of artistic merit and depth. These demos are great variations on the released tracks along with alternative takes for more popular songs, like Born in the U.S.A. , [...]
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