As I do every week or so, I get on a Athens, GA kick. Everything from the B-52's to the Olivia Tremor Control. Here are a few videos to put you in the same mood.
Of Montreal - Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse (This is the first single of their new album Hissing Fauna Are You the Destroyer)
Elf Power - All the World is Waiting (from the album Back to the Web)
The Apples in Stereo - Energy (First single from their new album New Magnetic Wonder)
The Masters of the Hemisphere - The New Freemdoom
The B-52's - Rock Lobster (from SNL)
Coming Soon - My reviews of the new Clap Your Hands Say Yeah & The Good, The Bad & The Queen albums.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
What's on tap for 2007?
Here is a list of albums that could see the light in 2007. The list consists of some old familiar names to go along with some of the newer more popular names in modern rock. What albums are you looking forward to?
I wouldn’t expect all of these bands to actually come through and provide us with new music in the upcoming year, but if most of this list becomes a reality, it would be another really good year for music lovers.
Arcade Fire
The Shins
Bloc Party
Doves
The Good the Bad and the Queen
Apples in Stereo
B-52’s
BRMC
Blanche
Kings of Leon
The Cure
Feist
Hives
Interpol
My Bloody Valentine (every year, you have to hope)
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin
Polyphonic Spree
Portishead
Radiohead
The Sea & Cake
Stereophonics
Subways
The Thrills
Travis
Wilco
Also, here is a list of the Onion’s essential 2006 list
http://www.avclub.com/content/node/56969
I wouldn’t expect all of these bands to actually come through and provide us with new music in the upcoming year, but if most of this list becomes a reality, it would be another really good year for music lovers.
Arcade Fire
The Shins
Bloc Party
Doves
The Good the Bad and the Queen
Apples in Stereo
B-52’s
BRMC
Blanche
Kings of Leon
The Cure
Feist
Hives
Interpol
My Bloody Valentine (every year, you have to hope)
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin
Polyphonic Spree
Portishead
Radiohead
The Sea & Cake
Stereophonics
Subways
The Thrills
Travis
Wilco
Also, here is a list of the Onion’s essential 2006 list
http://www.avclub.com/content/node/56969
Thursday, December 14, 2006
2006 Top 20 Albums
The wait is over, my list is complete. It has taken a bit of time, but I am pretty happy with the way this turned out.
1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones
These guys sure do know how to rock. I remember when I first got this album; I immediately sent messages to a lot of my friends telling them that I just heard the best album of the year, by far. Several months later, I was right. From the opening drum beat on the album and Karen O’s powerful voice, you knew that the trio from New York was going to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.
Key Tracks – Gold Lion, Cheated Hearts, Dudley, Warrior, Turn Into
2. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
In my opinion, this was the surprise of the year for me. Not because I dislike the Decemberists, but because of how incredible the album is from start to finish. The band has gotten better with each album, but the jump from last album to the Crane Wife goes from good to great. The band also switched from a small label to major label and that is usually the kiss of death for artsy bands, but Colin Meloy and company didn’t let that get in the way from their best work to date. Oh yeah, their live show for this album was by far the best concert I have seen all year.
Key Tracks – The Crane Wife 1 & 2, The Crane Wife 3, O Valencia
3. Sonic Youth – Rather Ripped
These guys have been around forever and in my opinion, they are still getting better. I have always been a fan of Sonic Youth, but I have also found myself not being a fan of their albums as a whole. For me, it was always one good track followed by a lot of noise. Don’t get me wrong, I like noise rock, but after a while, that is what it was, just noise. Rather Ripped is an incredible piece of work for these “old” rockers. The album flows with beautiful melodies and strong rhythms throughout. Definitely one of my favorite albums and I don’t just mean for this year.
Key Tracks – Incinerate, Jams Run Free, Reena
4. The Strokes – First Impressions of Earth
The critics will bash them with every new album they put out, but I think their songwriting continues to get better with each release. Despite the awful title, the album starts off strong and finishes with a nice kick, just like every other strokes album. However, you do hear Julian Casablancas write one of those ever popular “respect me, I’m an artist” songs, “Ask Me Anything,” which is right dead in the middle of the album. Well, that song sucks, skip it. The rest of the album is the rock you are searching for.
Key Tracks – You Only Live Once, Razorblade, Electricityscape, Fear of Sleep
5. Elf Power – Back to the Web
Is Athens, GA the rock capital of the world? It might be if it continues to produce great bands and albums like this one. From the Elephant 6 collective, Elf Power strips down their normal crazy guitar rock sound and provides the world with a gentler form of the Athens Rock scene. Even with a heavier use of the acoustic guitar and violins, you still know it is an Elf Power record by the great hooks and melodies.
Key Tracks – Come Lie Down With Me (and sing my song), Peel Back the Moon, Beware!, All the World is Waiting
6. Beirut – Gulag Orkestar
The Doors had no bass, the Gypsies had no homes and Beirut had no guitars. Despite the heavy collection of string instruments on this album, there are no guitars, which is not a bad thing. A great Middle Eastern sound with a bit of a Neutral Milk Hotel feel to it and you got the latest hot album from a 19 year old from Albuquerque.
Key tracks – Postcards from Italy, Mount Wroclai (Idle Days), After the Curtain
7. South – Adventures in the Underground Journey to the Stars
Despite the awful name, this is a really good album. In fact, this is the best New Order album to be released since Republic. I still can’t find Bernard Sumner or Peter Hook in the album notes, but I’m telling you, they are there somewhere.
Key Tracks – Shallow, You are One, A Place in Displacement
8. Built to Spill – You in Reverse
The boys from Boise do it again by creating another solid rock and roll album for the masses. The songs tend to run a bit long and Doug Martsch does let his guitar run a bit wild, but this is still their best work since 97’s “Keep It Like A Secret.”
Key Tracks – Going Against Your Mind, Conventional Wisdom, The Wait
9. I’m From Barcelona – Let me Introduce My Friends
Swedish pop music at it’s best. Well, some of it’s best. This is the kind of album you put on and all of a sudden you are in a good mood. You may not make it through the whole album because too much happiness might turn you into a Panda bear or something like that, but still a nice surprise for the year.
Key Tracks – Oversleeping, Collection of Stamps, We’re from Barcelona
10. M. Ward – Post-War
Recommended by a friend and NPR, this album caught me by surprise considering how pretentious and overrated his other albums were, but this one is a solid piece of work. Great guitar playing and solid melodies over a melancholy album make this one of the year’s best.
Key Tracks – Poison Cup, To Go Home, Chinese Translation
11. Mojave 3 – Puzzles Like You
Neil Halsted and company continue to create great music, however this album is slightly different then their previous works. Normally when you come across a pop album, one of the last bands you would think of would be Mojave 3. After all, this was the reincarnate of the Reading, England shoegazing band Slowdive, not really a beach boys pop band, but this album is filled with great pop tunes. They are getting older, but the music continues to be great!
Key Tracks – Truck Driving Man, Breaking the Ice, To Hold Your Tiny Toes
12. Graham Coxon – Love Travels at Illegal Speeds
OK, this guy is becoming a really good solo artist. The former guitar player for one of my favorite bands of all time, Blur, Graham Coxon released his 6th studio solo album in May and in my opinion, this is his best work to date. Graham, do me a favor, put the solo act down and get back and tour with Blur, trust me, it will be FANTASTICAL!!
Key Tracks – Standing On My Own Again, You and I, Tell It Like It Is
13. Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
In all honesty, I want to kick my own ass for liking these Scots. So cheesy, so lame, so trendy, yet so good. The past couple of albums have gotten away from that whole sad bastard genre of music, and this one is no different. Silly lyrics with incredible hooks. I think Jack Black’s character in High Fidelity would reconsider calling this band’s music sad bastard music if he heard this album. However, I do like that sad bastard stuff.
Key Tracks – Another Sunny Day, We Are the Sleepyheads, Funny Little Frog
14. Beck – The Information
I honestly don’t need to write a lot about this album, because what needs to be said about Beck has already been said. Very original and not afraid to challenge his audience is all I have to say. Yeah, I know he is a Scientologist, but if they could all channel their ways into great music, I might not be so critical of space alien spirits being sent down from space into volcanoes, so when the volcanoes erupt, those spirits are spread across the world into all of us. Isn’t that what they believe?
Key Tracks – Strange Apparition, Nausea, No Complaints
15. Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block
If I had heard this album earlier in the year, it would have been much higher on my list. I’m telling you, the Swedes got it! I don’t know what it is, but between these guys and the Barcelona band, they got it. This trio really puts together a full sound for a small group. Their songs range from straight out rock to mellow dance grooves. Think of them as a poppier version of Soundtrack of Our Lives with a hint of Of Montreal, only not as crazy.
Key Tracks – Objects of my affection, Young Folks, Up Against the Wall, Paris 2000
16. Be Your Own Pet – Be Your Own Pet
I will let the band describe themselves with a line from one of their songs, “I’m an independent mother fucker and I’m here to take your money. I’m wicked, rad and I’m here, to steal away your virginity.” Now that is tough and it is coming from a female singer. This band from Nashville is all energy and a lot of fun. Just a pure punk rock album, the way punk rock is supposed to be done.
Key Tracks – Bunk Trunk Skunk, Bicycle Bicycle You Are My Bicycle, Adventure
17. Artic Monkeys – Whatever You Say I Am, That Is What I’m Not
Stupid name for a band and a stupid name for an album, but then again, that is why we listen to the music or never judge a book by its cover. This band swarmed on to the scene with nothing but hype. Being compared to the Clash, well let me tell, the clash they are not. A good modern punk band, yes, they have accomplished that. As a good friend of mine says, “There ain’t no monkeys in the arctic,” he’s right, they are instead from South Yorkshire doing the modern punk movement a good deed by putting this album out.
Key Tracks – A Certain Romance, Dancing Shoes, I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
18. The Flaming Lips – At War With The Mystics
“With all your power, what would you do?” That’s a great question by a band who continues to make quality experimental rock and roll with an inspirational touch. This is the weakest of the last three albums, but it is still a quality piece of work. I know, everybody can say this, but if you get a chance, listen to this album on your walkman, discman or ipod, basically through your headphones, it’s great!
Key Tracks – The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song, Free Radicals, It Over Takes Me
19. Band of Horses – Everything all of the time
One of the indie rock kids “it” albums of the year. Surprisingly, it is pretty good. Generally when I read about an album on the interweb and in magazines and they all say the same thing “amazing” I tend to go away from it. Well, the hype brought me in and it’s pretty good. Not complete, but it does have its moments.
Key Tracks – The first song, Weed Party, Funeral
20. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead – So Divided
This is what happens when you put cocaine, guitars, black t-shirts and two drummers in a band in Austin, TX. ROCK and ROLL!!!
Key Tracks – Stand in Silence, Wasted State of Mind, So Divided
1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones
These guys sure do know how to rock. I remember when I first got this album; I immediately sent messages to a lot of my friends telling them that I just heard the best album of the year, by far. Several months later, I was right. From the opening drum beat on the album and Karen O’s powerful voice, you knew that the trio from New York was going to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.
Key Tracks – Gold Lion, Cheated Hearts, Dudley, Warrior, Turn Into
2. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
In my opinion, this was the surprise of the year for me. Not because I dislike the Decemberists, but because of how incredible the album is from start to finish. The band has gotten better with each album, but the jump from last album to the Crane Wife goes from good to great. The band also switched from a small label to major label and that is usually the kiss of death for artsy bands, but Colin Meloy and company didn’t let that get in the way from their best work to date. Oh yeah, their live show for this album was by far the best concert I have seen all year.
Key Tracks – The Crane Wife 1 & 2, The Crane Wife 3, O Valencia
3. Sonic Youth – Rather Ripped
These guys have been around forever and in my opinion, they are still getting better. I have always been a fan of Sonic Youth, but I have also found myself not being a fan of their albums as a whole. For me, it was always one good track followed by a lot of noise. Don’t get me wrong, I like noise rock, but after a while, that is what it was, just noise. Rather Ripped is an incredible piece of work for these “old” rockers. The album flows with beautiful melodies and strong rhythms throughout. Definitely one of my favorite albums and I don’t just mean for this year.
Key Tracks – Incinerate, Jams Run Free, Reena
4. The Strokes – First Impressions of Earth
The critics will bash them with every new album they put out, but I think their songwriting continues to get better with each release. Despite the awful title, the album starts off strong and finishes with a nice kick, just like every other strokes album. However, you do hear Julian Casablancas write one of those ever popular “respect me, I’m an artist” songs, “Ask Me Anything,” which is right dead in the middle of the album. Well, that song sucks, skip it. The rest of the album is the rock you are searching for.
Key Tracks – You Only Live Once, Razorblade, Electricityscape, Fear of Sleep
5. Elf Power – Back to the Web
Is Athens, GA the rock capital of the world? It might be if it continues to produce great bands and albums like this one. From the Elephant 6 collective, Elf Power strips down their normal crazy guitar rock sound and provides the world with a gentler form of the Athens Rock scene. Even with a heavier use of the acoustic guitar and violins, you still know it is an Elf Power record by the great hooks and melodies.
Key Tracks – Come Lie Down With Me (and sing my song), Peel Back the Moon, Beware!, All the World is Waiting
6. Beirut – Gulag Orkestar
The Doors had no bass, the Gypsies had no homes and Beirut had no guitars. Despite the heavy collection of string instruments on this album, there are no guitars, which is not a bad thing. A great Middle Eastern sound with a bit of a Neutral Milk Hotel feel to it and you got the latest hot album from a 19 year old from Albuquerque.
Key tracks – Postcards from Italy, Mount Wroclai (Idle Days), After the Curtain
7. South – Adventures in the Underground Journey to the Stars
Despite the awful name, this is a really good album. In fact, this is the best New Order album to be released since Republic. I still can’t find Bernard Sumner or Peter Hook in the album notes, but I’m telling you, they are there somewhere.
Key Tracks – Shallow, You are One, A Place in Displacement
8. Built to Spill – You in Reverse
The boys from Boise do it again by creating another solid rock and roll album for the masses. The songs tend to run a bit long and Doug Martsch does let his guitar run a bit wild, but this is still their best work since 97’s “Keep It Like A Secret.”
Key Tracks – Going Against Your Mind, Conventional Wisdom, The Wait
9. I’m From Barcelona – Let me Introduce My Friends
Swedish pop music at it’s best. Well, some of it’s best. This is the kind of album you put on and all of a sudden you are in a good mood. You may not make it through the whole album because too much happiness might turn you into a Panda bear or something like that, but still a nice surprise for the year.
Key Tracks – Oversleeping, Collection of Stamps, We’re from Barcelona
10. M. Ward – Post-War
Recommended by a friend and NPR, this album caught me by surprise considering how pretentious and overrated his other albums were, but this one is a solid piece of work. Great guitar playing and solid melodies over a melancholy album make this one of the year’s best.
Key Tracks – Poison Cup, To Go Home, Chinese Translation
11. Mojave 3 – Puzzles Like You
Neil Halsted and company continue to create great music, however this album is slightly different then their previous works. Normally when you come across a pop album, one of the last bands you would think of would be Mojave 3. After all, this was the reincarnate of the Reading, England shoegazing band Slowdive, not really a beach boys pop band, but this album is filled with great pop tunes. They are getting older, but the music continues to be great!
Key Tracks – Truck Driving Man, Breaking the Ice, To Hold Your Tiny Toes
12. Graham Coxon – Love Travels at Illegal Speeds
OK, this guy is becoming a really good solo artist. The former guitar player for one of my favorite bands of all time, Blur, Graham Coxon released his 6th studio solo album in May and in my opinion, this is his best work to date. Graham, do me a favor, put the solo act down and get back and tour with Blur, trust me, it will be FANTASTICAL!!
Key Tracks – Standing On My Own Again, You and I, Tell It Like It Is
13. Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
In all honesty, I want to kick my own ass for liking these Scots. So cheesy, so lame, so trendy, yet so good. The past couple of albums have gotten away from that whole sad bastard genre of music, and this one is no different. Silly lyrics with incredible hooks. I think Jack Black’s character in High Fidelity would reconsider calling this band’s music sad bastard music if he heard this album. However, I do like that sad bastard stuff.
Key Tracks – Another Sunny Day, We Are the Sleepyheads, Funny Little Frog
14. Beck – The Information
I honestly don’t need to write a lot about this album, because what needs to be said about Beck has already been said. Very original and not afraid to challenge his audience is all I have to say. Yeah, I know he is a Scientologist, but if they could all channel their ways into great music, I might not be so critical of space alien spirits being sent down from space into volcanoes, so when the volcanoes erupt, those spirits are spread across the world into all of us. Isn’t that what they believe?
Key Tracks – Strange Apparition, Nausea, No Complaints
15. Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block
If I had heard this album earlier in the year, it would have been much higher on my list. I’m telling you, the Swedes got it! I don’t know what it is, but between these guys and the Barcelona band, they got it. This trio really puts together a full sound for a small group. Their songs range from straight out rock to mellow dance grooves. Think of them as a poppier version of Soundtrack of Our Lives with a hint of Of Montreal, only not as crazy.
Key Tracks – Objects of my affection, Young Folks, Up Against the Wall, Paris 2000
16. Be Your Own Pet – Be Your Own Pet
I will let the band describe themselves with a line from one of their songs, “I’m an independent mother fucker and I’m here to take your money. I’m wicked, rad and I’m here, to steal away your virginity.” Now that is tough and it is coming from a female singer. This band from Nashville is all energy and a lot of fun. Just a pure punk rock album, the way punk rock is supposed to be done.
Key Tracks – Bunk Trunk Skunk, Bicycle Bicycle You Are My Bicycle, Adventure
17. Artic Monkeys – Whatever You Say I Am, That Is What I’m Not
Stupid name for a band and a stupid name for an album, but then again, that is why we listen to the music or never judge a book by its cover. This band swarmed on to the scene with nothing but hype. Being compared to the Clash, well let me tell, the clash they are not. A good modern punk band, yes, they have accomplished that. As a good friend of mine says, “There ain’t no monkeys in the arctic,” he’s right, they are instead from South Yorkshire doing the modern punk movement a good deed by putting this album out.
Key Tracks – A Certain Romance, Dancing Shoes, I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
18. The Flaming Lips – At War With The Mystics
“With all your power, what would you do?” That’s a great question by a band who continues to make quality experimental rock and roll with an inspirational touch. This is the weakest of the last three albums, but it is still a quality piece of work. I know, everybody can say this, but if you get a chance, listen to this album on your walkman, discman or ipod, basically through your headphones, it’s great!
Key Tracks – The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song, Free Radicals, It Over Takes Me
19. Band of Horses – Everything all of the time
One of the indie rock kids “it” albums of the year. Surprisingly, it is pretty good. Generally when I read about an album on the interweb and in magazines and they all say the same thing “amazing” I tend to go away from it. Well, the hype brought me in and it’s pretty good. Not complete, but it does have its moments.
Key Tracks – The first song, Weed Party, Funeral
20. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead – So Divided
This is what happens when you put cocaine, guitars, black t-shirts and two drummers in a band in Austin, TX. ROCK and ROLL!!!
Key Tracks – Stand in Silence, Wasted State of Mind, So Divided
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Liberace, Pure Genius - Guest Post by Matt Erwin
When I say the word, "Liberace," what do you picture in your head. Pianos, candelabras, gays? Well, all those things are right while at the same time they are so very very wrong. When I say "Liberace," you should think one word. Genius.
The man from West Ellis, Wisconsin was a rockin', albeit glam rockin', bad ass of the first order. Allow me to prove this and in the process, blow your Liberace-biased little minds. He was a rock star for the simple reason that to this day, you will never find a popular performer that can even touch the amount of excess Liberace wrapped himself in. Michael Jackson has an amusement park and a monkey? Good for him. Elton John spends 200 grand on flowers a year? How quaint. Keith Richards gets his blood changed so he doesn't fall out of more trees? Shakin' in my boots. Liberace had diamond buttons on all his suits. Diamond. Buttons. The plastic things that hold your shirts on, his were made of fucking diamonds. He has a Rolls Royce painted with REAL FUCKING GOLD. He put an underwater piano in his pool. For Christ's sake, he owned the worlds largest rhinestone! I don't even know what that is, but Liberace's was the biggest.
Liberace made a living putting on rock concerts without rock music. He flew in like a gay bat out of hell, played some Chopin, made a wise crack about how the girls loved him, and people creamed their shorts. Watch a video of the man some day. Showmanship must have been his mantra. Liberace could entertain anybody anywhere. He makes Bobby Short look like a crack-addicted rapist. The man had charisma!
In conclusion, give Liberace a chance people. He devoted his life to making people enjoy classical music with a pop twist and also to advancing the cause of the outrageous yet closeted homosexual. The least you can do is help to keep that dream alive.
Flight of the Bumblebee
Stage Flying
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZMWZuzdfs8
The man from West Ellis, Wisconsin was a rockin', albeit glam rockin', bad ass of the first order. Allow me to prove this and in the process, blow your Liberace-biased little minds. He was a rock star for the simple reason that to this day, you will never find a popular performer that can even touch the amount of excess Liberace wrapped himself in. Michael Jackson has an amusement park and a monkey? Good for him. Elton John spends 200 grand on flowers a year? How quaint. Keith Richards gets his blood changed so he doesn't fall out of more trees? Shakin' in my boots. Liberace had diamond buttons on all his suits. Diamond. Buttons. The plastic things that hold your shirts on, his were made of fucking diamonds. He has a Rolls Royce painted with REAL FUCKING GOLD. He put an underwater piano in his pool. For Christ's sake, he owned the worlds largest rhinestone! I don't even know what that is, but Liberace's was the biggest.
Liberace made a living putting on rock concerts without rock music. He flew in like a gay bat out of hell, played some Chopin, made a wise crack about how the girls loved him, and people creamed their shorts. Watch a video of the man some day. Showmanship must have been his mantra. Liberace could entertain anybody anywhere. He makes Bobby Short look like a crack-addicted rapist. The man had charisma!
In conclusion, give Liberace a chance people. He devoted his life to making people enjoy classical music with a pop twist and also to advancing the cause of the outrageous yet closeted homosexual. The least you can do is help to keep that dream alive.
Flight of the Bumblebee
Stage Flying
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZMWZuzdfs8
Noel & Gem
Noel & Gem from Oasis did a small club tour to promote their newest compilation album, Stop the Clocks. Here are some songs from their performance in Paris.
PS - Coming soon, the 2006 top 20 albums list.
Listen Up
Slide Away
Wonderwall
Whatever
Strawberry Fields Forever
PS - Coming soon, the 2006 top 20 albums list.
Listen Up
Slide Away
Wonderwall
Whatever
Strawberry Fields Forever
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
FEEL GOOD VIDEOS OF THE DAY!
Grandaddy - Nature Anthem
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cheated Hearts (acoustic)
The Raveonettes - Love in a Trashcan
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cheated Hearts (acoustic)
The Raveonettes - Love in a Trashcan
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Worst band names ever
pretty good check it out.
http://www.progressiveboink.com/archive/worstbandnames.html
bad ass images of the day
http://www.progressiveboink.com/archive/worstbandnames.html
bad ass images of the day
Thursday, August 10, 2006
COMING SOON, THE PAGE TO VENT
As most of you know, I am busy doing something special for the world right now, well maybe not completely special, but doing something for someone and it has me pretty busy.
Since, I am going crazy, I think I am going to use this page to vent or ramble over the next few months.
check back for crazy stuff or attend my concert on Sept. 16.
Since, I am going crazy, I think I am going to use this page to vent or ramble over the next few months.
check back for crazy stuff or attend my concert on Sept. 16.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Lollapalooza 2006
IT’S BACK!!!
After a successful show last year, Lollapalooza will return to the windy city on August 4 – 6. An extra day was added for more rock, can you take it?
To my surprise, last year’s show was great. Sure it had its share of crap bands and boring music, but to see the Pixies play with the Chicago Skyline in the background was pretty cool.
Rumors are going around as to who will be playing this year. Some of the names to reach the internet as a possibility have been the Smashing Pumpkins and Wilco.
For these festivals there is always a new big band, an up and coming band and a band that is reuniting or has recently reunited.
Let’s start our own rumors or say our own prayers. Who would you like to see play grant park this August?
Here are a few of the bands that I would like to see.
The Strokes
Polyphonic Spree
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
The Raveonettes
Broken Social Scene
Bloc Party
Richard Ashcroft
Kings of Leon
and for the reunited: Masters of the Hemisphere, the Smiths & Jane's Addiction (w/ Eric A.)
Friday, February 03, 2006
It's been a long time since I...
rock n' rolled and posted on this "blog"
here are a couple new links and I swear I will post something with some content in the near future.
Ask A Ninja
Pop Quiz
Shameless Promotion
Shouts and Murmurs
What you learn at swim camp
Why Tigers eat their young
Heavy Metal Umlaut
and now for the best thing Canada has to offer other than health care
Broken Social Scene
BSS Video
Cause=Time
Anthems of a 17 year-old girl
Also, I am thinking about putting together a rocking mix with everyone's input. Send me the first 5 songs that pop into your head or the last five songs you heard. We can then see how crazy you are and attempt to put them on a disc and have it flow.
here are a couple new links and I swear I will post something with some content in the near future.
Ask A Ninja
Pop Quiz
Shameless Promotion
Shouts and Murmurs
What you learn at swim camp
Why Tigers eat their young
Heavy Metal Umlaut
and now for the best thing Canada has to offer other than health care
Broken Social Scene
BSS Video
Cause=Time
Anthems of a 17 year-old girl
Also, I am thinking about putting together a rocking mix with everyone's input. Send me the first 5 songs that pop into your head or the last five songs you heard. We can then see how crazy you are and attempt to put them on a disc and have it flow.
Friday, December 30, 2005
THE IPOD MIX CHALLENGE
Putting the "I" back in iPod!
This was sent to me and I thought it was kind of fun in a dorky kind of way, but then again, what do I do that isn't fun in that sort of way? Exactly.
here are the rules.
Concede victory, just this once to your iPod by
making a mix (or, more aptly an 80-minute playlist,
if you desire) of the Top 20 or so tracks in your
iPod by play count.
2 rules to pass your way with this challenge:
1. Only one song per artist, so if your top 20
plays happen to all be Loverboy (that means you, Canada)
you only get to use the most played track. If
there's a tie, pick which one you like best and run
with it.
2. Songs must be in sequence according to play
count, with your #1 track coming last. You can play
with the order only if songs have equal counts.
This is the list that I put together.
1. Meantime - The Futureheads
2. Bohemian Rhapsody - The Flaming Lips
3. So Here We Are - Bloc Party
4. Heavy Lifting - Ambulance Ltd.
5. The Importance of Being Idle - Oasis
6. Sky Stars Falling - Doves
7. Backyards - Broken Social Scene
8. Howl - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
9. Capitalism Stole My Virginity - The (International) Noise Conspiracy
10. Coma Girl - Joe Strummer
11. Feel Good, INC - Gorillaz
12. Moonage Daydream - David Bowie
13. Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels) - The Arcade Fire
14. Whatever Happened - The Strokes
15. Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel
16. Patio Song - Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
17. Slow Night, So Long - Kings of Leon
18. Dakota - Stereophonics
19. In this Home on Ice - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
20. Worlds Apart - ... And You Will Know us by the Trail of the Dead
Not a bad list, but you can tell I got my new iPod this summer as most of the songs are from this year.
How I did this was by plugging in my ipod and highlighting the playlist column on iTunes. I then entered my most played song at 20 and second most played at 19 and so on and so on...
Feel free to share your lists, I would love to see what everyone else has.
This was sent to me and I thought it was kind of fun in a dorky kind of way, but then again, what do I do that isn't fun in that sort of way? Exactly.
here are the rules.
Concede victory, just this once to your iPod by
making a mix (or, more aptly an 80-minute playlist,
if you desire) of the Top 20 or so tracks in your
iPod by play count.
2 rules to pass your way with this challenge:
1. Only one song per artist, so if your top 20
plays happen to all be Loverboy (that means you, Canada)
you only get to use the most played track. If
there's a tie, pick which one you like best and run
with it.
2. Songs must be in sequence according to play
count, with your #1 track coming last. You can play
with the order only if songs have equal counts.
This is the list that I put together.
1. Meantime - The Futureheads
2. Bohemian Rhapsody - The Flaming Lips
3. So Here We Are - Bloc Party
4. Heavy Lifting - Ambulance Ltd.
5. The Importance of Being Idle - Oasis
6. Sky Stars Falling - Doves
7. Backyards - Broken Social Scene
8. Howl - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
9. Capitalism Stole My Virginity - The (International) Noise Conspiracy
10. Coma Girl - Joe Strummer
11. Feel Good, INC - Gorillaz
12. Moonage Daydream - David Bowie
13. Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels) - The Arcade Fire
14. Whatever Happened - The Strokes
15. Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel
16. Patio Song - Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
17. Slow Night, So Long - Kings of Leon
18. Dakota - Stereophonics
19. In this Home on Ice - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
20. Worlds Apart - ... And You Will Know us by the Trail of the Dead
Not a bad list, but you can tell I got my new iPod this summer as most of the songs are from this year.
How I did this was by plugging in my ipod and highlighting the playlist column on iTunes. I then entered my most played song at 20 and second most played at 19 and so on and so on...
Feel free to share your lists, I would love to see what everyone else has.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Top 20 Albums of 2005
Top 20 Albums of 2005
In my opinion, this was a pretty lean year as far as music goes. There were some great albums, but it seems more than ever, mediocrity makes the list.
Here are my picks for the year’s best.
1) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
2) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
3) And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead - Worlds Apart
4) Raveonettes - Pretty In Black
5) Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth
6) Gorillaz - Demon Days
7) Doves - Some Cities
8) Beck - Guero
9) Decemberists - Picaresque
10) Coral - Invisible Invasion
11) Soundtrack of Our Lives - Origin Vol. 1
12) Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
13) Magic Numbers - Magic Numbers
14) Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
15) Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth
16) Feist - Let It Die
17) Sunshine Fix - Green Imagination
18) Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins
19) Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
20) Pernice Brothers - Discover a Lovelier You
In my opinion, this was a pretty lean year as far as music goes. There were some great albums, but it seems more than ever, mediocrity makes the list.
Here are my picks for the year’s best.
1) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
2) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
3) And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead - Worlds Apart
4) Raveonettes - Pretty In Black
5) Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth
6) Gorillaz - Demon Days
7) Doves - Some Cities
8) Beck - Guero
9) Decemberists - Picaresque
10) Coral - Invisible Invasion
11) Soundtrack of Our Lives - Origin Vol. 1
12) Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
13) Magic Numbers - Magic Numbers
14) Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
15) Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth
16) Feist - Let It Die
17) Sunshine Fix - Green Imagination
18) Of Montreal - The Sunlandic Twins
19) Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
20) Pernice Brothers - Discover a Lovelier You
Top 20 Albums from Years Past
For some reason, I cannot find the list for 2003, but here you go. Here were my favorite albums from 2004 and 2002.
If I ever find 2003, I will post it. There were some great albums that year.
--------Best 20 Albums of 2004--------
1) Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
2) Elliott Smith - From A Basement On The Hill
3) The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives
4) The Libertines - The Libertines
5) The Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy
6) Hope Of The States - The Lost Riots
7) The Thrills - Let's Bottle Bohemia
8) Black Keys - Rubber Factory
9) Ambulance Ltd. - Ambulance Ltd.
10) Of Montreal - Satanic Panic In The Attic
11) Beastie Boys - To The 5 Burroughs
12) Elf Power - Walking With The Beggar Boys
13) The Cure - The Cure
14) Ed Harcourt - Strangers
15) Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Origin Vol. 1
16) Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One Is One
17) Graham Coxon - Happiness In Magazines
18) Sunshine Fix - Green Imagination
19) Charlatans Uk - Up At The Lake
20) Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - Shake The Streets
--------Best 20 Albums of 2002--------
1) Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
2) Badly Drawn Boy - Have You Fed The Fish
3) Doves - Last Broadcast
4) Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
5) Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
6) Elf Power - Creatures
7) Super Furry Animals - Rings Around The World
8) Clinic - Walking With Thee
9) Oasis - Heathen Chemistry
10) Badly Drawn Boy - About A Boy
11) The Polyphonic Spree - Beginning Stages Of...
12) Beck - Sea Change
13) South - From Here On In
14) The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Behind The Music
15) The Sunshine Fix - Age Of The Sun
16) David Bowie - Heathen
17) Of Montreal - Aldhils Arboretum
18) The Mooney Suzuki - Electric Sweat
19) Neal Halstead - Sleeping On Roads
20) Richard Ashcroft - Human Conditions
If I ever find 2003, I will post it. There were some great albums that year.
--------Best 20 Albums of 2004--------
1) Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
2) Elliott Smith - From A Basement On The Hill
3) The Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives
4) The Libertines - The Libertines
5) The Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy
6) Hope Of The States - The Lost Riots
7) The Thrills - Let's Bottle Bohemia
8) Black Keys - Rubber Factory
9) Ambulance Ltd. - Ambulance Ltd.
10) Of Montreal - Satanic Panic In The Attic
11) Beastie Boys - To The 5 Burroughs
12) Elf Power - Walking With The Beggar Boys
13) The Cure - The Cure
14) Ed Harcourt - Strangers
15) Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Origin Vol. 1
16) Badly Drawn Boy - One Plus One Is One
17) Graham Coxon - Happiness In Magazines
18) Sunshine Fix - Green Imagination
19) Charlatans Uk - Up At The Lake
20) Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - Shake The Streets
--------Best 20 Albums of 2002--------
1) Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
2) Badly Drawn Boy - Have You Fed The Fish
3) Doves - Last Broadcast
4) Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
5) Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
6) Elf Power - Creatures
7) Super Furry Animals - Rings Around The World
8) Clinic - Walking With Thee
9) Oasis - Heathen Chemistry
10) Badly Drawn Boy - About A Boy
11) The Polyphonic Spree - Beginning Stages Of...
12) Beck - Sea Change
13) South - From Here On In
14) The Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Behind The Music
15) The Sunshine Fix - Age Of The Sun
16) David Bowie - Heathen
17) Of Montreal - Aldhils Arboretum
18) The Mooney Suzuki - Electric Sweat
19) Neal Halstead - Sleeping On Roads
20) Richard Ashcroft - Human Conditions
Monday, December 12, 2005
Name this hot jam and win a prize
The first person to name this hot jam will receive a nice holiday prize.
Yes, this is one hot jam!
Girl, close your eyes
Let that rhythm get into you
Don't try to fight it
There ain't nothin' that you can do
Relax your mind
Lay back and groove with mine
You got to feel the heat
And we can ride the boogie
Share that beat of love
Yes, this is one hot jam!
Girl, close your eyes
Let that rhythm get into you
Don't try to fight it
There ain't nothin' that you can do
Relax your mind
Lay back and groove with mine
You got to feel the heat
And we can ride the boogie
Share that beat of love
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
2 LIVE JEW!!!
This just had to shared with the world
Jewish hip-hop artists rap on Torah, Chanukah
NEW YORK (Reuters) - They have baggy clothing, backward baseball caps, the "bling bling" and racy lyrics. And these days, rappers sometimes wear yarmulkes too.
Hip-hop music, which grew out of black inner cities, isn't typically associated with Jews, but as the genre has grown more popular, some Jewish artists have embraced it as their own, while transcending theological and ethnic differences.
New York-based Hip Hop Hoodios, whose name is a play on the Spanish word for Jews, is a Latino-Jewish group that has recorded in English, Spanish and Hebrew. Their lyrics include such sardonic lines as: "My nose is large, and you know I'm in charge."
A popular 26-year-old Hasidic singer, Matisyahu, raps in a brimmed hat and dark suit over reggae beats. "Torah food for my brain let it rain till I drown, Thunder! Let the blessings come down," he says in "King Without a Crown."
The growing genre has also seen artists like Remedy collaborate with mainstream acts like Wu-Tang Clan.
"It's very much a representation of the cooperative state of Jewish and black relations today," said Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, which is chaired by hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons. "I view cooperation, not conflict, as the defining element."
While some commentators still see rifts between American blacks and Jews, many agree that relations have improved greatly. At the same time, hip-hop has gone mainstream.
Experts said hip-hop can appeal to audiences of diverse backgrounds, including Jews, while still maintaining its authenticity.
"It's impossible to separate this phenomenon from a move by Jews in their late teens to late 30s to explicitly identify themselves as Jews in American popular culture," said Joel Schalit, managing editor of Tikkun magazine, who personally likes two Israeli Hebrew-language artists -- Sagol 59 and HaDag Nahash.
"What might be new is that more artists are emphasizing their Jewishness in their content and marketing."
An example: Chutzpah, comprised of two suburban New York natives and a Los Angeles actor, whose first single from a self-titled CD and accompanying DVD is "Chanukah's Da Bomb."
50 SHEKEL, MESHUGGE KNIGHT
"A lot of people think because 'Chanukah's Da Bomb' is the single, it's for Jewish people," said the group's 44-year-old dreadlocked member, David Scharff. "It's like saying Woody Allen is for Jewish people. It's for everybody."
Formed by music producer Tor Hyams, Chutzpah even enlisted 71-year-old veteran actor George Segal as "Dr. Dreck," its "coordinator."
"The lyrics are quite solid and informative, as well as witty, sharp and funny," Segal said in a phone interview. "That's what makes it work."
Chutzpah treads the line between seriousness and satire. Parody acts in Jewish hip-hop have been common. Among them, 50 Shekel was a takeoff on 50 Cent. M.O.T. was managed by Meshugge Knight, a takeoff on Suge Knight. And 2 Live Jews featured Dr. Dreidle and Ice Berg.
"If you're looking for a tale of 'gangsta' life, Jewish hip-hop might not be the place to start," said Alana Newhouse, arts and culture editor at the Forward newspaper.
"The best Jewish hip-hop artists plumb serious elements of Jewish history, but all are creating a new way to tell the story of Jewish experience."
Beastie Boys are the most commercially successful Jewish rap act, and the only one to achieve mainstream success. But it was only recently that their Jewish backgrounds began to be reflected in their lyrics.
Rabbi Schneier said Jewish hip-hop can resonate with non-Jewish listeners, including many with similar views in other areas.
"Jews view themselves as a minority when it comes to issues of race and changing demographics, and on many questions their responses are identical to those of African-American and Latino respondents," Schneier said. "Hip-hop is a unifying force that resonates with young people."
In the video for "Chanukah's Da Bomb," Chutzpah cruises town in a Volvo with a roof-mounted menorah and raps that Chanukah, "whichever way you spell it," is better than Christmas because it lasts seven days longer.
"Humor (is) one of the only things the Jews had when they were being oppressed for century after century," Hyams said.
"The only difference between us and any other hip-hop group is that they don't say their religions before they say they're a hip-hop group," he continued. "We say it because we're proud of it."
© Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Reuters Ltd.
12/07/2005 08:16
RTR
Jewish hip-hop artists rap on Torah, Chanukah
NEW YORK (Reuters) - They have baggy clothing, backward baseball caps, the "bling bling" and racy lyrics. And these days, rappers sometimes wear yarmulkes too.
Hip-hop music, which grew out of black inner cities, isn't typically associated with Jews, but as the genre has grown more popular, some Jewish artists have embraced it as their own, while transcending theological and ethnic differences.
New York-based Hip Hop Hoodios, whose name is a play on the Spanish word for Jews, is a Latino-Jewish group that has recorded in English, Spanish and Hebrew. Their lyrics include such sardonic lines as: "My nose is large, and you know I'm in charge."
A popular 26-year-old Hasidic singer, Matisyahu, raps in a brimmed hat and dark suit over reggae beats. "Torah food for my brain let it rain till I drown, Thunder! Let the blessings come down," he says in "King Without a Crown."
The growing genre has also seen artists like Remedy collaborate with mainstream acts like Wu-Tang Clan.
"It's very much a representation of the cooperative state of Jewish and black relations today," said Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, which is chaired by hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons. "I view cooperation, not conflict, as the defining element."
While some commentators still see rifts between American blacks and Jews, many agree that relations have improved greatly. At the same time, hip-hop has gone mainstream.
Experts said hip-hop can appeal to audiences of diverse backgrounds, including Jews, while still maintaining its authenticity.
"It's impossible to separate this phenomenon from a move by Jews in their late teens to late 30s to explicitly identify themselves as Jews in American popular culture," said Joel Schalit, managing editor of Tikkun magazine, who personally likes two Israeli Hebrew-language artists -- Sagol 59 and HaDag Nahash.
"What might be new is that more artists are emphasizing their Jewishness in their content and marketing."
An example: Chutzpah, comprised of two suburban New York natives and a Los Angeles actor, whose first single from a self-titled CD and accompanying DVD is "Chanukah's Da Bomb."
50 SHEKEL, MESHUGGE KNIGHT
"A lot of people think because 'Chanukah's Da Bomb' is the single, it's for Jewish people," said the group's 44-year-old dreadlocked member, David Scharff. "It's like saying Woody Allen is for Jewish people. It's for everybody."
Formed by music producer Tor Hyams, Chutzpah even enlisted 71-year-old veteran actor George Segal as "Dr. Dreck," its "coordinator."
"The lyrics are quite solid and informative, as well as witty, sharp and funny," Segal said in a phone interview. "That's what makes it work."
Chutzpah treads the line between seriousness and satire. Parody acts in Jewish hip-hop have been common. Among them, 50 Shekel was a takeoff on 50 Cent. M.O.T. was managed by Meshugge Knight, a takeoff on Suge Knight. And 2 Live Jews featured Dr. Dreidle and Ice Berg.
"If you're looking for a tale of 'gangsta' life, Jewish hip-hop might not be the place to start," said Alana Newhouse, arts and culture editor at the Forward newspaper.
"The best Jewish hip-hop artists plumb serious elements of Jewish history, but all are creating a new way to tell the story of Jewish experience."
Beastie Boys are the most commercially successful Jewish rap act, and the only one to achieve mainstream success. But it was only recently that their Jewish backgrounds began to be reflected in their lyrics.
Rabbi Schneier said Jewish hip-hop can resonate with non-Jewish listeners, including many with similar views in other areas.
"Jews view themselves as a minority when it comes to issues of race and changing demographics, and on many questions their responses are identical to those of African-American and Latino respondents," Schneier said. "Hip-hop is a unifying force that resonates with young people."
In the video for "Chanukah's Da Bomb," Chutzpah cruises town in a Volvo with a roof-mounted menorah and raps that Chanukah, "whichever way you spell it," is better than Christmas because it lasts seven days longer.
"Humor (is) one of the only things the Jews had when they were being oppressed for century after century," Hyams said.
"The only difference between us and any other hip-hop group is that they don't say their religions before they say they're a hip-hop group," he continued. "We say it because we're proud of it."
© Copyright Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of Reuters Ltd.
12/07/2005 08:16
RTR
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)