Think of us as providers of a weekly public service announcement. Whatever we can do to help you steer clear of unnecessary items and edge you closer to the greener grass of the path less traveled, well, that's what we're here for. So this week, we'll wheedle, entice, cajole, whatever's necessary in order to make you put down that Katy Perry Unplugged album and the umpteenth in-concert job by some Beatle guy, and seek out some dubby electro-drone damage, a little screwy jazz mind-bending, an old-school stomp-rock raveup, and to make it all go down easy, a surefire, [...]
[Oct. 31, 2009; International House] [Drawing (I sadly forgot my camera): parallelliott] On Halloween night, Ars Nova Workshop kicked off their Anti-Jazz Series with a performance by Sun Ra Arkestra, which is currently under the direction of Marshall Allen. The motivation behind the concert series is the 1961 review of a Coltrane show that appeared in Down Beat mag. The reviewer called Coltrane's new sound "anarchistic" and claimed that the music was "a horrifying demonstration of what appears to be a growing anti-jazz trend." This anti-jazz, though, is what some of [...]
Top Album Releases: October 2009 Nick's Top Neon Indian: Psychic Chasms Black Heart Procession: Six Califone: All My Friends Are Funeral Singers Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3 The Flaming Lips: Embryonic Monsters Of Folk: Monsters [...]
White Denim just released an excellent new album, Fits and in advance of their CD release show here in Austin, two thirds of the band dropped by for a visit. The guys chose an eclectic and fun hour of tunes and chatted with Joe about their choices, the new album and whatever else came up. Enjoy this on-demand stream of the White Denim guest DJ set. Playlist "You're Fortunate" Keith Jarrett "Dr. Handys Dandy Candy" Jim Ford "Make 1,23 Arthur Russel "Take Me Girl, [...]
This is an ever changing and (hopefully) expanding list of some of the songs I have mentioned before in this blog or simply stuff I have found somewhere on the web that I find interesting, but have no time to write about. All files have been found somewhere in cyberspace (and NONE of them have uploaded by me, so I cannot help you with any requests you might have - just keep returning and something new might pop up), so they will be available until the artists, record labels, fans, whatever decide to remove them. Thanks to a few readers, [...]
I've been spending a lot of time recently combing through Pitchfork's list of the top 500 songs of the decade, but one thing that has annoyed me is that I can't find a site that actually lists all 500 songs on one page. I'm tired of having to scroll through page after page. So, I'm doing it myself. Here's the complete list, republished merely as a reference. Go to www.pitchfork.com to see the full presentation with song reviews, artwork, and audio clips. 500. The Big Pink - "Velvet" 499. N.E.R.D. - "Run to the [...]
olmadı pitchfork, olmadı 500. The Big Pink - Velvet 499. N.E.R.D. - Run to the Sun [Electronic version] 498. Unwound - Scarlette 497. Woods - Rain On 496. Akufen - Deck the House (Herbert's Stop Like This Mix) 495. Weezer - Island in the Sun 494. Blonde Redhead - Equus 493. Goldfrapp - Lovely Head 492. St. Vincent - The Strangers [...]
When the music story of 2009 is written, the year's debutante queen and king will be Lady GaGa and Drake, who have treated Billboard 's Hot 100 as their playground lately. Each is a lock for a Best New Artist Grammy nomination next winter, because each is exactly the sort of not-too-innovative, chart-friendly act the Recording Academy routinely rewards. For both acts, however, the path to the Top 10 has been a bit of a slog. GaGa's on a roll now, but she spent most of 2008 watching her debut "Just Dance" creep up [...]
Left to right: Parker, McCombs(top), Bitney (bottom), Herndon, McEntire While much of the mid-90's musical era was saturated with grunge-wannabes, Chicago's Tortoise gain much attention for issuing album after album of exciting and intriguing instrumental progressive/experimental rock music. Tortoise's influences are countless with their music spanning multiple genres such as punk, jazz, Krautrock, avant-garde, and even electronica. The group's current lineup, of which is all multi-instrumentalists, consists of Dan Bitney, John McEntire, Jeff Parker, Doug McCombs, and John Herndon. Tortoise formed in Chicago in 1990 [...]
Tortoise fue un ícono indiscutido de antagonismo de mediados de los "90, una época que se expresaba bajo un complejo escenario musical, lleno de desencanto, prejuicios y apatía por parte de los grandes referentes de aquel tiempo. Su experimento musical calaría hondo en las raíces de aquel entonces y generaría un sinfín de seguidores -y otros innumerables detractores- en torno a su amalgama de sonidos y estilos sintetizados en un colectivo de alta carga intelectual, proclives a la experimentación sin límites. Un ente que brilló con obras como Millions Now Living Will Never Die (Thrill Jockey, 1996), [...]
An English lesson, circa 1991: "AWWWWWWN-OHHHHHHH-MAAAHHHH- TOHHH-PEEEEEEEYAAAAAHHHH-AAHH- AHH!" It's okay; don't be scared, that was just my old English teacher metamorphosing into a disturbing living embodiment of Mumm-Ra The Ever-Living . Yes, it was a terrifying sight that could easily have scarred a youth in his formative years. But in retrospect, I can see she was trying to use the word in a way that would demonstrate its very essence. And I haven't forgotten it since. Gold Star for my teacher. The Yé-Yé genre is littered with [...]
Hibernation is tricky for tortoises (Google it). But not for Tortoise , evidently. The post-rock elder statesmen emerge from their 5-year slumber (still hating the term 'post-rock', no doubt, but finding that it hasn't gone away - still handy/lazy shorthand for what they do...) with more sly shifts of pace & unexpected angles of attack. [...]
Da Chicago arriva questo supergruppo con membri di Joan Of Arc , Pan America ed Exploding Star Orchestra ed il territorio su cui si muovo è limitrofo ma non esattamente simile a quello delle band originarie: ci troviamo lontani, lontanissimi dalla forma canzone standard e le composizioni deflagrano e sembrano sciogliersi durante l'ascolto. Il fatto che ci si trovi di fronti a solo quattro pezzi per la durata di quasi trenta minuti può suggerire a cosa stiamo andando incontro, ma per fugare ogni dubbio basti avvicinarsi alla prima traccia: "Wrangler For Higher" [...]
Tortoise recently announced a June 23rd release date for Beacons of Ancestorship, their first album in five years. I can't wait to hear it. They're playing some dates in May and a festival date in June, with the major highlight being their performance at Pitchfork Music Festival as part of "a new series...called "Write the Night: Set Lists by Request". You, the audience, vote on which songs all four bands- Built to Spill, the Jesus Lizard, Yo La Tengo, and Tortoise- will play." I really hope I can make it back to Chicago around that [...]
Tortoise recently announced a June 23rd release date for Beacons of Ancestorship, their first album in five years. I can't wait to hear it. They're playing some dates in May and a festival date in June, with the major highlight being their performance at Pitchfork Music Festival as part of "a new series...called "Write the Night: Set Lists by Request". You, the audience, vote on which songs all four bands- Built to Spill, the Jesus Lizard, Yo La Tengo, and Tortoise- will play." I really hope I can make it back to Chicago around that [...]
Siamo a quota quattordici. La metà di questi, sette, a nome Bonnie 'Prince' Billy . E in "Beware" Will Oldham usa proprio questo moniker, oramai preferito ai vari Palace Brothers , Palace Music e al proprio nome. 13 tracce nuove di zecca, per un disco registrato sul finire del 2008 negli Engine Studios di Chicago, sotto la supervisione di Neil Strauch . Ormai diventato personaggio di 'semi-culto' nella scena alternativa americana (e internazionale), Will sembra proprio non lasciarsi trasportare dall'hype che regna sia attorno a lui, sia attorno [...]
Since the release of its latest studio album, It's All Around You , in 2004, Tortoise has been splitting its time between box sets (2006's A Lazarus Taxon ), hanging with Will Oldham (2006's The Brave and the Bold ), and various side-projects (Exploding Star Orchestra, Bumps, Fflashlights, and Powerhouse Sound). By the looks of the recently issued press release announcing the Chicago outfit's latest studio creation, it also appears the quintet has been spending quite a bit of time in the library, searching for the biggest and bestest words to describe its sixth studio [...]
This is an ever changing and (hopefully) expanding list of some of the songs I have mentioned before in this blog or simply stuff I have found somewhere on the web that I find interesting, but have no time to write about. All files have been found somewhere in cyberspace (and NONE of them have uploaded by me, so I cannot help you with any requests you might have - just keep returning and something new might pop up), so they will be available until the artists, record labels, fans, whatever decide to remove them. Thanks to a few readers, [...]
This is an ever changing and (hopefully) expanding list of some of the songs I have mentioned before in this blog or simply stuff I have found somewhere on the web that I find interesting, but have no time to write about. All files have been found somewhere in cyberspace (and NONE of them have uploaded by me, so I cannot help you with any requests you might have - just keep returning and something new might pop up), so they will be available until the artists, record labels, fans, whatever decide to remove them. Thanks to a few readers, [...]
And we're back for 2009. That was a nice few day's break down visiting the in-laws. Now it's over, it's back to blogging! Will Oldham is set to release another record (not long after his last), under his Bonnie 'Prince' Billy guise. It's called Beware , and will be released March 13th in Ireland (16th in the UK, and St Patrick's Day in the States). In addition to Oldham's band (Josh Abrams of Town and Country, Jennifer Hutt, Emmett Kelly of the Cairo Gang, and Michael Zerang), the guest list on Beware includes [...]
Vampire Weekend - Cousins
Bobby B's Top 50 Albums Of The Decade (#25-21)
HOT CHIP TAKE another crack at IT and I’m IN
