Writing about one of my favorite bands of the late -70's, Axe , whet my appetite to see what was happening today in the world of melodic rock. Now, like some waveriders, that whole concept of "melodic rock," makes my skin crawl a bit, conjuring up ear-wincing images of Europe or Bad English . But that's just on end of the spectrum. Melodic Rock, when done well, can be powerful and dynamic, emotive and moving, while at the same time, pop smart and smooth. As with any genre, there are [...]
Indie-electro trio Union of Knives this week revealed that they had split up, and with the announcement came the now obligatory goodbye statement. Sometimes a band's last words are witty, more often they're as bitter as a lemon marinated in vinegar. We've compiled a dozen of the best break-up speeches by Scottish groups, starting with the most recent. Will the last to leave please switch off the lights? UNION OF KNIVES (January 2010) Craig Grant (singer): [...]
25. Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2 Trailer It's kind of cheating to pick two movies here, but since Tarantino originally conceived of Kill Bill as a single film I think it's fair enough. He ought to be rewarded anyway, for giving us upwards of four hours of his demented tribute to kung-fu, slasher, and spaghetti western classics. 24. Yi Yi From Salon : "Edward Yang's "Yi Yi: A One and a Two ..." may be the greatest [...]
The Boston Phoenix interviews Jane Goodall about her new book, Hope for Animals and Their World . In the book, you introduce us to Old Blue, the last-remaining female South Pacific black robin who "saved" her species. The researcher who studied and rescued her has an approach that seems to reflect your own philosophy, which has been controversial in scientific circles in that it anthropomorphizes animals. That's my favorite story ─ that set me off on this whole track! I met Don Merton a long [...]
Last Sunday night, I was browsing the internet, and all of a sudden, everything came to a halt. It was as if one moment 'made the world stop.' This single moment demanded the instantaneous attention of the every human being in the Westernized world. After experiencing this moment, every human 'came up with an opinion' on the event, and felt obliged to share this opinion with the world [via life stream/social network/ real life interaction]. It was truly one of the greatest live moments in the history of the world because 2009 has given us the [...]
Track Listing 1. (Fuck) Love Me Mummy I Feel Ugly 2. Oh Yeah You Look Quite Nice 3. Who Art You Girls 4. Far Away Download
Filed under: The Chum Bucket Calvin Harris turns a bunch of attractive women into a human synthesizer. That's quite an elaborate pick-up attempt. [ Prefix ] A New Zealand high school decided not to let the Game give a speech to its students. Bummer, he was really looking forward to that 23-hour plane ride. [ Angry Ape ] Now even Paul McCartney is beating the Red Sox. [ Rolling Stone ] "Is Heavy Metal Getting Too Loud?" asks our mother's [...]
I started with dope around fourteen, but I wasn't actually using it. I was handling it. First, I have to tell you the dope back then was handled entirely differently from it is now. People that were dope fiends, you'd never know they were dope fiends, for the simple reason that they didn't nod on no corners, they weren't greasy, and if they stole anything, you would never know. They were clean, their clothes looked good, and they only stole the best. They kept money in their pockets, and nobody talked, nobody said "Oh, listen, there's Teddy who's a dope [...]
"A Song For You" --- Merry Clayton (LimeLinx) "A Song For You" --- Merry Clayton (YSI) ~Appears on the Merry Clayton LP (Ode 1971) Although "A Song For You" was written and originally recorded by singer/songwriter/musician Leon Russell , most soul fans tend to enthusiastically agree that the definitive version was rendered by none other than the late, great Donny Hathaway . While the lyrics themselves are undoubtedly imbued with a degree of poignancy, it was Hathaway 's deeply affecting take on the song that arguably blessed [...]
<p>Some of the highlights of the third day at the Northside Festival included kids in the mosh pit and a Mummy themed party at Bruar Falls. It's Sunday afternoon, and I'm back at Bruar Falls, where a few tatty pieces of toilet roll slowly rotate around the ceiling fan as weary punters order coffee at the bar. I briefly consider some timeworn hair-of-the-dog remedies, but it's going to be a long day. Caffeine and a vegan cupcake suffice. The guys who own Cake Shop on the Lower East Side run Bruar Falls. Both venues are designed to appease sweet-toothed sugar [...]
Hey geeky readers. And by geeky, I mean cool because Vivek and I are mild video game addicts (though neither of us live in our respective mother's basements). I assume because you are reading this post you enjoy both video games and obviously music. Thus, you are clearly meant to watch the trailer for The [...]
HARTFORD, Connecticut. - +INTLCL Media is pleased to announce that Hartford, CT. recording artist BLACASTAN has inked a recording deal with the independent hip hop powerhouse BRICK RECORDS. BLACASTAN is the first artist in years to emerge from the cess pool known as Hartford to sign a record deal. BRICK RECORDS, the legendary independent hip hop record label is the same that once helped launch the careers of 7L & Esoteric, Statik Selektah, MF DOOM, Mr. Lif, Reks, Insight, Termanology, and others saw the potential in BLACASTAN and heard the whispers from the hip hop underground. Many [...]
Part one of a five-part series on influential Portland producers. Most treasured instrument: Pump organ Admired producers: Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois Required listening: Laura Gibson's epic "Shadows on Parade"; Laura Veirs' Saltbreakers. It's hard not to trip walking into the entrance of Tucker Martine's Northeast Portland home. Instead of a chair on the living room rug, there's a drum set. Cords and mic stands clutter the space where some might put a lamp. As the light filters through the curtains onto wires and a lonesome guitar, [...]
Well here we go. The new year is yet to quite take hold or take off, but I promise you that things will kick back into gear this weekend. There are some fine love shows appearing on the calendar, slowly but surely, and eventually 2009 will get going. No rush though. This Toadcast is a bit of a mix. I've got some of this year's favourites, I look back at some of last year's favourites, and I also poke away at a couple of the bands I hope will make their mark in 2009. In that [...]
Ask 100 people what was the spark that caused the bloodshed between police and citizens in the Tompkins Square riots of 1988 and you will probably get 100 different answers. The park had become an open-air homeless shelter and squat. The Avenue A Merchants Association felt that this attracted the wrong element and demanded that the police set a curfew. The police came in on the 31st of July and again on August 6. My favorite comes from Mark Ashwill who was at the time drummer for the band Missing Foundation. This band was known for its haunting tag which [...]
On a Friday night I went with my best friend Broadway to a speak-out held at the Ninth Street entrance of Tompkins Square Park. It seems quaint now but at the time a Tent City had taken over the south western corner of the park, where any number of homeless drug addicts and would-be radicals lurked, gamboled and passed out headlong with scroungy dogs at their feet on the benches. Fires burned in trash cans. The police kept their distance. Broadway talked more than I did, but he urged me to speak to Donna, a pretty [...]
As we continue to roll back the clocks, celebrating the best moments of the last 10 years we've been open for business , our thoughts turn to soundtracks. Once for collectors only, soundtracks now stack up high on the charts, an outcome of the popularity of Hannah Montana , High School Musical , and well, Zach Braff. Take the scene in Braff's movie Garden State where Natalie Portman's character utters what is, depending at how you view the world, the most damning or most celebratory thing that can be said about a pop band: [...]
It's already been five days? Oh, how the time flies when one is having an amazing time. Too bad it's so fucking hard to get a job in the city...I'd move back quicker than you could say, "Pick a coast and stick with it, gunt nosher!" In case you just missed that, I've introduced you all to "gunt nosher," which I will be proudly writing and yelling ad naseum as I attempt to make "gun nosher" the new "douchebag". Let's make it happen, people. I've already submitted it to the Urban Dictionary. Now you people have to do [...]
It's already been five days? Oh, how the time flies when one is having an amazing time. Too bad it's so fucking hard to get a job in the city...I'd move back quicker than you could say, "Pick a coast and stick with it, gunt nosher!" In case you just missed that, I've introduced you all to "gunt nosher," which I will be proudly writing and yelling ad naseum as I attempt to make "gun nosher" the new "douchebag". Let's make it happen, people. I've already submitted it to the Urban Dictionary. Now you people have to do [...]
Cover That Don't Suck
Reuse Recycle Remix - February 8
This Week's Other Releases
