This week is a little slow for new music, but I still found a couple of discs to pick up when I hit the record store after work Tuesday:
Black Eyes: Cough [cd]
Miss Kittin: I Com [cd]
Add one of the dvd's mentioned below (I'll pick one at the store), and you have my shopping list.
Other interesting releases this week include several Sony Dylan remasters, live Bjork, and several dvd's that will all eventually find their way into our film library:
Bob Dylan: Another Side of Bob Dylan (remastered) [cd]
Auf Der Maur: Auf Der Mar [cd]
Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde (remastered) [cd]
Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks (remastered) [cd]
Washington Social Club: Catching Looks [cd]
Bjork: Debut Live [cd]
Tommy Keene: Drowning [cd]
Six Organs of Admittance: For Octavio Paz [cd]
Bob Dylan: Highway 61 Revisited (remastered) [cd]
Bob Dylan: Infidels (remastered) [cd]
Bob Dylan: John Wesley Harding (remastered) [cd]
Cougars: Manhandler [cd]
Bob Dylan: Nashville Skyline (remastered) [cd]
Bjork: Post Live [cd]
Bob Dylan: Slow Train Coming (remastered) [cd]
Bob Dylan: Street Legal (remastered) [cd]
The Waterboys: This Is The Sea (Bonus CD) [cd]
Ghost: This Pen Is a Weapon [cd]
Bjork: Vespertine Live [cd]
Liars: We Fenced Other Gardens With the Bones of Our Own [cd]
Coupling - The Complete Third Season [dvd]
J.R.R. Tolkien Animated Films Set (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings/The Return of the King) [dvd]
Run Ronnie Run! [dvd]
Trainspotting - Director's Cut [dvd]
Cheap Trick:Live in Australia [dvd]
John Lee Hooker - Come and See About Me: The Definitive DVD [dvd]
I cobbled my list together after a long and busy holiday weekend, did I miss anything? Which dvd from my list would you choose (or avoid)?
Southern Culture on the Skids: 2004-05-07, Seattle [mp3,ogg,shn]
Hella: 2003-10-14, San Francisco [flac]
Psychedelic Furs: live and unreleased tracks [mp3] (via fellow hockey fan The Suburbs Are Killing Us)
South: covers & b-sides [mp3]
Cop Shoot Cop: several tracks [mp3]
Cure: 2003-03-05, London part 1 part 2 [mp3]
Interpol: live tracks [mp3]
Travis Morrison: several tracks [mp3]
Charles Kamm: several tracks [mp3]
Mogwai: audio,video [mp3,mov]
Beck, featuring Badly Drawn Boy: "Putting It Down" [mp3]
One Little Indian is offering two Sugarcubes dvd's. Sugarcubes: The DVD includes all the promotional videos of the band. Sugarcubes: Live Zabor has fifteen live tracks from 1988 and 1989, as well as interviews with the band. Both discs are region zero, by the way, and can be played in any dvd player.
MoveOn is offering free stickers.
The Daily Scotsman profiles PJ Harvey, whose Uh Huh Her is released June 8th in the United States.
The new issue of Let Them Eat Lead is out, and includes a profile of Neko Case, interview with Tangiers' Josh Reichman, and much more.
"Initially when I broached the subject with him he just pooh-poohed it. He gave me like a Jimmy Stewart, 'Aw shucks, who would want to read that?' I pressed him a little but because I thought it was an important project and he should have all of his work available on the bookshelf in a coherent way instead of the sloppy editions, which have been published over the years." Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth on Charles Schultz and the massive 12 1/2 year project, The Complete Peanuts. The first book in the series, The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952, was published earlier this month.
Oranger: several tracks [mp3]
The Faraway Places: several tracks [mp3]
The Robot Ate Me: several tracks [mp3]
The Bravery: three tracks [mp3]
Say Hi To Your Mom: several tracks [mp3]
Citizens Here and Abroad: two tracks [mp3]
The Broken Family Band: three tracks [mp3]
Capital City: several tracks [mp3,real]
PJ Harvey: videos [mov,mpg,avi]
Pearl Jam: Saturday Night Live videos [mpg]
Reel Radio has archived radio broadcasts going back fifty years. (via Ned via waxy)
"Killers and Stars is simply amazing, a stark, acoustic song cycle that peels back the nerves of the human condition with bristling intensity and wit." The Memphis Commercial Appeal gushes over Patterson Hood's solo album, Killers & Stars, giving it four stars. (registration requires, in cases like these, remember bugmenot.com)
My first post is up at A Million Love Songs, a short piece about "Sugar, Sugar" and why the song is significant for me.
"I love hearing people complain — especially when there’s nothing I can do about it. Back pain or the health system — great, I’m all for it. I want to hear people complain while I do little tasks for them." The Dallas Voice interviews David Sedaris, whose book, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, is released Tuesday.
"'He's happy and I don't just mean happy in a not-suicidal way,' explained one member of Morrissey's entourage who wished to remain anonymous. 'He's like Little Morrissey Sunshine.'" Deadbrain dishes some Morrissey satire.
"While the rest of the DC stood rooted to the spot, Angus duck-walked his way around the stage like a depraved goblin Chuck Berry, dripping rivers of sweat as he methodically, ritually disrobed. We duck-walked with our air guitars around Alex's room, careful not to skip the needle." The Guardian publishes an excerpt from Seb Hunter's Hell Bent for Leather: Confessions of a Heavy Metal Addict.
Thanks to the people who recommended China Mieville's Perdido Street Station as the 24th book of the year in my 52 Books, 52 Weeks project.
Wilco: 2004-05-19, DeKalb, Illinois (registration required) [mp3]
Wilco: 2004-05-20, DeKalb, Illinois (registration required) [mp3]
Prince: three boots plus one remaster [mp3]
Troubled Hubble: three tracks [mp3]
The Lesser Birds of Paradise: several tracks, video [mp3,mpg]
La Pieta: three tracks [mp3]
El Oso: two tracks [mp3]
Break Away: three tracks [mp3]
Rilo Kiley: "Does He Love You" (KCRW) [mp3]
Rilo Kiley: 2004-01-09, Pomona [mov]
The Decemberists have been covering "Your Love" by the Outfield live this spring (mp3 link). It's easy to dismiss indie bands who cover older pop tunes, but the Decemberists manage to make the experience fun for both themselves and the audience, even engendering a singalong.
This recording is taken from the March 22, 2004 Athens, Georgia show. (Thanks to Sharing The Groove, my favorite music resource)
Bloghorrea publishes yet another list of mp3 blogs.
Wear your heart on your sleeve (or lapel).
A Million Love Songs is a collaborative mp3 blog that specializes in pop love tunes. Notable on its roster is fellow Alabamian and pop culture genius Max of lotsofco.
Nellie McKay announces summer tour dates.
Steve Albini talks to Middle Tennessee State University recording industry audio engineers society (Quicktime).
"While I'm generally up for anyone covering anything, and I applaud Carrabba's admiration of the album, the idea of his talentless and tattooed carcass running ham-fisted over these tracks makes me want to scream." Flagpole's Threats and Promises is less than enthralled at the prospect of Dashboard Confessional covering multiple songs from R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People for a limited edition CD/DVD.
"I think U2 tends to strike a note with clergy," Maynard was telling me the other day, fully aware of the bad pun. "One reason is that U2 sort of models a kind of thoughtful fresh engagement with spirituality, and they bring Christian themes to bear on contemporary issues in a way that we're always trying to teach our parishioners to do." The Chicago Sun-Times features Get Up Off Your Knees, collection of 32 sermons inspired by U2 songs, written by Protestant and Roman Catholic clergy and lay people.
Beatles: 1965-08-01, Paris [mp3]
Viva Caramel: two tracks [mp3]
Bloom: four tracks [mp3]
Coffinberry: three tracks [mp3]
The Big Sleep: two tracks [mp3]
7 Year Rabbit Cycle: two tracks [mp3]
Justin Hayward/Moody Blues: rarities [mp3]
Incubus: many live shows, audio & video [mp3,asf,mpg]
The Five Mod Four: several tracks [mp3]
New Radiant Storm King: several tracks [mp3]
The Wrens: "Bus Dance" [mp3]
I love good food as much as good music, and the combination of my favorite things makes The Amateur Gourmet enthralling. The blog, written by a recent law school graduate, reflects a true love of food and the writing combines humor and knowledge. The corny (pun intended) songs offered as a side item are whimsical and fun, you may even find yourself singing along. Grab a seat and answer the "Upper Left Corner" question. You'll be glad you stopped by.
Erasing Clouds gives credit to 20 underrated hip-hop albums.
Listen to Jeff Mangum's 2002 WFMU radio shows (realaudio) and browse the playlists.
John Powers delves into famous writers' first novels for LA Weekly.
Jeffrey Eugenides examines Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
"Armed only with a guitar and his sandpaper drawl, Hood offers a dozen rootsy, folksy arguments for his emergence as the successor-apparent to the thorny crown of Steve Earle," Atlanta's Creative Loafing gushes over Patterson Hood's Killers & Stars.
Thom defines fair use as it pertains to mp3 blogs, and also creates a large list of such blogs. Stop by and join the discussion.
The Boise Weekly espouses reading the book versus seeing the movie.
"The Killers take those two pop staples - a killer [ahem] hook, and reams of frustrated, woe-is-me angst - and staple them together with no small amount of confidence. Singing about jealousy, murder accusations and that ever-reliable subject, the misery of love, they nick Stellastarr*'s pop suss, forthrightly stripping it of all irony and intentional camp." Drowned in Sound is impressed by The Killers' Hot Fuss.
Sleater-Kinney plays Jukebox Jury with Seattle Weekly.
The Broward-PB New Times pays tribute to bad music and the public who (secretly) loves it.
A Bob Hund show has been seeded at Sharing the Groove If you don't know who Bob Hund is, #1: shame on you; #2: start at their website (I want one of their dog smoking the pipe t-shirts, they are very cool).
Beatles: Christmas fan club releases [mp3]
Interpol: 2003-09-17, Toronto (different mirror) [mp3]
Cat Power: 1999, Minneapolis [mp3]
Blanche: 2004-05-12 White Session [mp3]
Blanche: audio & video [mp3,wmv,mov]
Tall Dwarfs: two tracks [mp3]
American Mars: several tracks [mp3]
The Avatars: two tracks [mp3]
Ben Folds: 2004-05-01, West Lafayette [mp3]
Bob Dylan: 1965-12-03 interview (huge) [mpg]
Human League vs. Madonna: "Power of Human" [mp3]
LegalTorrents offers legal downloads of music, books, and movies, distributed via bittorrent.
The East Bay Express presents their ten most radical hip-hop records of all time.
Salon jumps on the mp3 blog train with its "Wednesday Morning Download."
Happy birthday to one of my favorite poets, Theodore Roethke. poem poem poem
Wonder what happened to Joan Jett? She's playing a Charlotte street festival tomorrow night, between Three Dog Night and Creedence Clearwater Revival Revisited.
The Believer magazine is throwing a party June 4th at Chicago's Empty Bottle. The entertainment will include The Mountain Goats and Archer Prewitt.
Largehearted Boy and Close Your Eyes get a mention in a London News Review piece about Napster's European rebirth.
Miles Davis Quintet: 1969-11-03, Paris [mp3]
The Lounge Lizards: 1993-12-10, New York [mp3]
Four Tet: 2004-03-30 [mp3]
Mountain Goats: 2004-05-21, KEXP session [mp3]
Mountain Goats: 2004-04-28, Peel session [mp3]
Mountain Goats: 2004-08-04, XFM session [mp3]
Mountain Goats: 2000-10-19, WFMU [mp3]
Satellites of the Stone Age: Lollapalooza 2003 ep [mp3]
Mount Analog: several tracks [mp3]
Asobi Seksu: several tracks [mp3]
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami, is a novel that deftly explores the human brain's perception of the world. Murakami masterfully melds two distinct storylines, building a thriller that gains speed as you read. Interesting and insightful, I can strongly recommend this book.
Can anyone recommend some science fiction for my next book? Aside from William Gibson's Pattern Recognition (that I read earlier this year), I haven't read any science fiction since high school. Philip K. Dick has been recommended already, but I'm looking for other options. Thanks in advance, I appreciate all the responses.
My wife recently burned her first mix CD, and I was pleasantly surprised that I introduced many of the artists to her. Here is a live rendition of one of the tracks, "No Children," by The Mountain Goats and America's greatest living songwriter, John Darnielle.
When will Harvey Pekar resume his blog?
Some recent Mountain Goats radio appearance bittorrents (registration required):
2004-04-08 - XFM Session
2004-04-28 - Peel Session
2004-04-21 - KEXP In-Studio performance and interview
New Order will return to dance music, according to NME.
No Love For Ned features Viking Moses as the in-studio guest in this week's edition of the fabulous streaming radio show.
"Lerche is basically the indie singer/songwriter version of Frank Sinatra, and things turned out pretty good for that guy. He has that 'I-meant-to-be-talking-but-I-ended-up-singing' croon that is both comforting and musical." The Chicago Maroon reviews a recent Sondre Lerche show.
An academic conference in Nashville will have 190 papers presented featuring Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Kimya Dawson: two tracks [mp3]
Shannon Wright: two tracks [mp3]
Bob Nanna: 2004-05-10, Detroit [mp3]
Ozric Tentacles: 1998-06-05, San Francisco [mp3]
Vulgar Boatmen: several tracks [mp3]
Velma: three tracks [mp3]
Corn Fed: several tracks [mp3]
Ed Harcourt: 2001-10-08, London [video]
Some Girls: "Necessito" [mp3], from Feel It
Norfolk and Western: "Impossible" [mp3] from Dusk in Cold Parlours
I may be scrounging around in the used and bargain bins tomorrow at the record store, since there are no new releases calling my name. I will possibly pick up the Cardigans new record (for the dvd), but I haven't heard a preview yet, any opinions? DVD's look like the bulk of my media purchases this week. Bubba Ho-Tep will be the perfect birthday present for several of my friends (and possibly fill a couple of stockings come the winter holidays), and the Rings trilogy is very tempting since I don't own the first two movies in the series. I know I'm missing something, cue me in, please, on other interesting releases this week.
This week's interesting releases:
Cardigans: Long Gone Before Daylight (with bonus dvd) [cd]
Green Pajamas: Essence of Carol ep [cd]
Holly Golightly: Down Ginas at 3 [cd]
Keane: Hopes & Fears [cd]
Pedro the Lion: Achilles Heel [cd]
Ramones: Best of [cd]
Various Artists: Contemporary Records Story (box set) [cd]
The Lord Of The Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy (Widescreen Edition) [dvd]
Bubba Ho-Tep (Limited Collector's Edition) [dvd]
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Complete Seasons 1-6 [dvd]
Dark Angel - The Complete First Season [dvd]
Edith Piaf - A Passionate Life [dvd]
Northern Exposure - The Complete First Season [dvd]
Slaughterhouse Five [dvd]
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Widescreen Edition) [dvd]
"Our music and shows are as much for hormonal teenagers and housewives with a dancing bug as it is for the downtown party scene." Ms. Matronic of the Scissor Sisters talks to Drowned in Sound.
"But once the initial excitement wore off - along with the novelty of hearing several Smiths songs, including a brutally funky Headmaster Ritual - what was left was an ageing man who looked content to soak up the adulation without giving an awful lot back." The Telegraph reviews Saturday night's Manchester Morrissey show.
The Cardigans are on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic today.
Happy birthday, Bob Dylan.
Travis Morrison lists his top 100 records ever.
Buy "peace pins" and show the world you love instead of hate.
Cure: 1984-11-15, Washington (rename to .mp3) [mp3]
Siouxsie Sioux: live and unreleased tracks, interviews [real]
Siouxsie and the Banshees & The Creatures: rare tracks, interviews [mp3]
Pet Shop Boys: rarities [mp3]
The Sadies: three tracks [mp3]
The Fontaine Toups: two tracks [mp3]
liveone music: various tracks, including Kool Keith [mp3] (via slatch)
The Arcade Fire: several tracks [mp3]
Shannon Wright: "Black Little Stray" [mp3], from Over the Sun
The Sadies: FLASH [mov]
"The whole point of the Mountain Goats has always been the lyrics. The main reason there’s been minimal orchestration has been so there wouldn’t be anything to distract from what I think the whole point is. I think anybody who doesn’t think my new lyrics are the best ones I’ve ever written either likes the old ones for the wrong reasons, or hasn’t listened to the new ones well enough." John Darnielle on the Mountain Goats album, We Shall All Be Healed, in between songs as his musical ear is tested while he plays Jukebox Jury with Seattle Weekly.
Speaking of the Mountain Goats, I unearthed this old Brave New Waves interview (RealAudio).
Frank at Chromewaves is biking next month in the Becel Ride for Heart, a benefit for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. If you would like to support a good cause, sponsor him.
Jim Derogatis lists his ten summer "must-see" Chicago concerts.
Designs on the White House is holding a t-shirt design contest. The categories include:
1. best pro-kerry shirt (positive spin, no mention of bush)
2. best anti-bush shirt (negative spin, must mention bush)
3. best issue shirt - domestic
4. best issue shirt - foreign
5. funniest shirt
6. best retro shirt
7. best get out the vote shirt
8. most stylish
The deadline has been extended to May 31st, so get those designs in and that Dubya out! (thanks, Janelle)
One minor change to the daily downloads: the artist name now links to the artist website, and the description to the right of the colon links to the tracks. The artist is better served, especially if you enjoy the download and need more artist information.
Radiohead: 2003-10-11, Oberhausen [mp3]
The Layaways: several tracks [mp3]
We Are Man Man: two tracks [mp3]
Paul Simon: live shows, live songs, interviews, video [mp3,mpg]
Joel RL Phelps: audio & video [mp3,mov]
Claudio Caridi: Star Trek remixes [mp3]
Rufus: 2004-05-01, Cambridge, MA [mp3]
Assistant: three tracks [mp3] (via hushreality)
Edson: audio& video [mp3]
Bright Eyes: "We Must Sing" (live, 2004-04-30, Late, Late Show) [mp3]
This weekend on GBV Radio I'll be giving Bob Pollard and Tobin Sprout some time off. The recently released Postal Blowfish tribute to Box (aka the Monumental Box Tribute) has been kindly mastered by Jimmy Ether and the five albums will play nonstop until Monday morning. For the uninitiated, Box consists of the bands first four albums: Devil Between My Toes, Sandbox, Self Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia, Same Place The Fly Got Smashed, Propeller (on the vinyl and tribute versions only) plus an album of rarities, King Shit and the Golden Boys.
If any GBV fans are interested in a copy of this, I'll gladly burn you the mp3's for blanks and postage.
"Holy Matrimony Billy" is a short film by Mark Kenneth Woods about a boy named Billy who dreams of growing up and marrying George W. Bush.
"On the whole, The Pros and Cons...'s songs are no-holds-barred silly and touch-your-heart substantial at the same time (that's counter-intuitive perhaps, but true)." Erasing Clouds reviews the new Carolyn Mark record, The Pros and Cons of Collaboration.
Largehearted Boy has a Livejournal syndicated feed, for you LJ users.
The Guardian publishes a couple of Evelyn Waugh's memos to Hollywood concerning the film adaptations of Brideshead Revisited and Scoop.
Happy 45th birthday to Morrissey. The Moz plays his first Manchester show in twelve years tonight as a celebration. (I'll save the "unhappy birthdays" for others)
Wilco's Wednesday Dekalb, Illinois show is available at Sharing The Groove (registration required to download).
Indie Rock Live is back up, and hosting bittorrents of three May Colorado shows: My Morning Jacket, Clinic and Andrew Bird.
"There is epic grandeur in the mode of Terence Malick's films or early Saul Bellow novels here, but on a smaller scale." Newsday reviews E.L. Doctorow's collection of stories, Sweet Land Stories.
Australia's The Age interviews Josh Rouse.
Cowboy Junkies: Chicago, 2000 [mp3]
The Tie Reds: several tracks [mp3]
Tori Amos: remixes [mp3]
The Rosebuds: two tracks [mp3]
Heidi Hazelton: several tracks [mp3]
PAS/CAL: three tracks [mp3]
AgPop: several tracks [mp3]
Kid Icarus: several tracks [mp3]
Electrelane: "On Parade" [mp3], from The Power Out
Music Tapes: "All Tomorrow's Parties" (Velvet Underground cover)" [mp3]
"I used to sit down with an idea and write a song based around it but now what I do is sit down with a chord progression, a melody and freestyle to let my subconscious do the talking." Ben Kweller discusses songwriting, his new album, marriage and photo shoots with wolves in his interview with Suicide Girls.
Happy birthday, Robert Creeley. Read and hear his poetry (RealAudio links).
The Post Punk Kitchen serves up vegetarian recipes with attitude, and makes me wish I lived in Brooklyn (so I could catch every episode in its entirety). FoodTV should dump Emeril and put these guys in prime time!
NPR's All Songs Considered features The Real Tuesday Weld.
"John Gaustad, founder of the William Hill Sports Book prize, says that the best sports books are also about life. This passes that test. It is a humane and affectionate, but sharply perceptive, portrait not only of the game, but of the north of England." The Financial Times reviews Dave Hadfield's, Up and Over: A Trek Through Rugby League Land.
An Ian Curtis film is being planned, and the musical adviser is Moby? What next, Nick Lachey as the Joy Division frontman? (via xrrf)
Guided By Voices will play a free show in New York on August 19th as part of the Hudson River Rocks series.
The Denver Post calls the Shins an inspiration to indie bands.
"Everyone wants me to be this indie rock queen or whatever, but if you look at it from my point of view I'm lifting the normal girl up to goddess status." Liz Phair talks to the Boston Herald.
Radiohead: April, 2004 Australia, two shows (zipped) [shn]
Luna: three tracks [mp3]
The Delays: audio & video [real,mov,windows media]
Spinal Tap: various tracks [mp3,midi,wav,au]
Dido: 2000, Boston [mp3]
The Six Parts Seven: several tracks [mp3]
The Magic Magicians: two tracks [mp3]
Minus the Bear: two tracks [mp3]
Hint Hint: "Natural Collegiate" [mp3]
Robert Creeley: two poems [mp3]
Devendra Banhart: videos [real]
Drive-By Truckers have announced some spring and summer tour dates, along with some solo shows for members Patterson Hood and Jason Isbell.
To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Brian Eno's Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, Doug Hilsinger and Caroleen Beatty have recorded a "heavy-handed interpretation" of the album, endorsed by Eno himself! Compare for yourself, there are mp3 samples of every song on their website, then buy the album if you like what you hear!
Midwestern media mogul (and great guy) Rob Duffy is thinking out loud about music websites and blogs. Join the discussion. Personally, I wish more sites were as focused and informative as Duffy's donewaiting.com.
"With the proliferation of 'reality' programming, I thought this series would pose an interesting challenge to me as a documentarian: to find the balance between history and entertainment and to explore the genre of reality TV for the first time." Director Kristi Jacobson talks about directing three episodes of "Colonial House."
"I've always liked having some sort of format to work within. I like artificial constraints. If there are no constraints, then I make my own up. This time I tried to use no synthesizers, have everything be hand played, use hardly any reverb, and be the only singer." Stephin Merritt explains the concepts behind the new Magnetic Fields record, "i."
A.C. Newman: "Miracle Drug" [mp3]
Ca$inos: "City Lights" [mp3]
Elf Power: "Evil Eye" [mp3]
The Essex Green: "By the Sea" [mp3]
The Essex Green: "The Late Great Cassiopia" [mp3]
Of Montreal: "Rapture Rapes the Muses" [mp3]
Of Montreal: "Disconnect the Dots" [mp3]
Electrelane: Gabriel [mp3]
Jim O'Rourke: "Halfway to a Threeway" [mp3]
Autechre: "Lentic Catachresis" [mp3]
Elf Power: "Never Believe" [mov]
I wanted to love Candyfreak. Occasionally, I'll watch FoodTV's "UnWrapped" and be amazed by the art and technology that goes into my favorite snacks, and I expected a amimilar approach to candymaking in this book. On this note Steve Almond's book does a good job. When Almond sticks to the history and manufacture of candy, the book is enthralling, but when the book strays into memoir, I was disappointed.
My next book is the second Haruki Murakami novel I will read this year, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: A Novel. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was fantastic, and I'm expecting nothing less from this novel.
The year is still young, but that can't stop me from my first "best of" recap.
My three favorite 2004 albums:
Blueberry Boat by the Fiery Furnaces
Milk Man by Deerhoof
We Shall All Be Healed by the Mountain Goats
My three favorite songs of 2004:
"Dance Music" [mp3] by the Mountain Goats
"Dead Dogs Two" [mp3 sample] by cLOUDDEAD
"Giga Dance" [mp3] by Deerhoof
Three pre-2004 albums I'm sorry I missed, but am enjoying this year:
Gallowsbird's Bark by the Fiery Furnaces
Stars at Noon by Sea Ray
The 3-Dimensional In-Popcycle Dream by The Pillbugs
What are your favorites?
My review of Robert Pollard's Fiction Man is up at 75 or Less. For me, Fiction Man is the best Pollard release since his collaboration with Doug Gillard, Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department (including Guided By Voices releases).
"Gothic elements have been woven into a story of delicacy and not a little humour. The result is that literary rarity: a page-turner of real intelligence." The Telegraph reviews Patrick McGrath's Port Mungo.
Heavy Industries is producing indie compilation cd's, then mailing them to you for the price of postage only. Sample the current comp, it's a great way to sample new bands, especially if you are bandwidth-challenged.
WNYC has an excerpt of the upcoming David Sedaris book, "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim." The radio station is also holding a pledge drive, and is offering the book (out June 1st) to patrons pledging $100 or more.
"Sure, maybe part of it is that when you first hear it there's that excitement, the rush of hearing it for the first time. But the hope is that after 50 times there's still something, the potential to find something in it that you haven't heard before. It's not just a question of hearing sounds that are buried in there -- although there might be some of that too -- but something that didn't connect before suddenly connects." Greg Saunier of Deerhoof talks to Suicide Girls about his band's wonderful record, Milk Man.
"It's amazing to hear that the breasts have had to be repaired many times because they're being worn out by too much touching." I've heard of kissing the Blarney Stone in Ireland, but this is what is done in Columbia?
"In other words, the Thermals have recorded a more (eek!) mature album. And after the initial shock of the higher-fidelity version wears off, that maturity emerges to show musicians who are capable of more than just great hooks and snotty vocals." Willamette Week reviews the new Thermals record, Fuckin A.
The SF Bay Guardian delves into the 33 1/3 series of books about seminal albums.
Old 97's: three new tracks [real,windows media]
Pet Shop Boys: 2002-02-10, Norwich [mp3]
Pet Shop Boys: renditions of "Being Boring" [mp3]
Pet Shop Boys: rarities [mp3]
Various Artists: Australian "girl" compilation [mp3]
The Stereo: audio & video [mp3,mov]
World/Inferno Friendship Society: three albums, six singles [mp3]
Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution: one ep [mp3]
Ryan Adams: 2002-12-08, Paris [mp3]
Taggart: several tracks [mp3]
Of Montreal: "Disconnect the Dots" [mov]
Thanks to The Morning News for naming Largehearted Boy "Favorite MP3 Blog: Quantity & Quality" in their 2004 Editors' Awards for Online Excellence. TMN is a site that I admire, always well-written and one of my favorite smartly funny sites on the internet, so their kudos are greatly appreciated.
I'm just happy to share the music I love with the world. My daily downloads are always either bands that I adore or friends' favorites. Largehearted Boy is my way of sharing the musical love that has already been kindly sent my way. Share the karma and pass on the links, together we can build a more interesting musical world...
Chan Marshall has a reputation for choosing covers and breathing her own life into them, and even recorded an album solely of cover songs.
This week's Tuesday Tune is more of a fragment than a complete song. For her 2000 Peel session, John Peel specifically asked Marshall to reprise her cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," to which she added an ethereal longing that even Ronnie Van Zandt could appreciate.
"Songs such as I Have Forgiven Jesus and America Is Not the World acknowledge the power of love in ways that Celine Dion never has or will," USA Today writes an insipid review of the new Morrissey record.
"Hallmark did what Hollywood usually does -- they dummied down rural America," novelist Kent Haruf on the recent Hallmark Hall of Fame adaption of his novel, Plainsong. His new novel, Eventide, was published this month.
"Dylan Days" are held tomorrow through Sunday in Robert Zimmerman's hometown of Duluth, Minnesota.
"Women fall into this trap of using their sexuality as a selling point for their art, and it kind of backfires. They start to panic when they start to get older. ... I'm more capable now. I can sing better and play better and I can present my music with more confidence. I used to be so self-conscious." Juliana Hatfield talks to the Boston Globe about growing older and her new album, In Exile Deo.
Newsweek reviews Michael Chabon's comic representation of The Escapist.
Frank Black's solo album delayed.
"His live band replicated the stuttery, homemade quality of both albums so well that they blended into the background, allowing the main draw to bask in the kind of adulation normally reserved for hat-trick-scoring strikers. Forget Dostoevsky: Skinner has touched a nerve much closer to home." The Telegraph reviews a recent live Streets performance.
50 Foot Wave: 2004-02-27, KEXP [mp3]
Jason Lowenstein: various tracks [mp3]
Swearing at Motorists: several tracks [mp3]
From Monument To Masses: several tracks [mp3]
Japan: 1982-12-08, Budokan [mp3]
David Sylvain: 2001-10-11, Vredenburg [mp3]
David Sylvain: 1995-11-07, Toronto [mp3]
Diamonds: four tracks [mp3]
The Fens: two tracks [mp3]
The Frogs: "One in Six Children Will Flee in Boats" [mp3]
It's a happy shopping day for me tomorrow, with albums by the Streets and Morrissey hitting the street. The Mclusky album is another that will get taken home, but I'm on the fence about several other releases. Sway me, people, and don't forget to tell me what I'm missing. One of the reasons I write this weblog is to be exposed to new music, and comments are appreciated and encouraged.
Even though I have most of her albums, I will probably pick up a couple of copies of Kim Richey greatest hits collection to give to unenlightened friends.
Has anyone heard the Astralwerks Brian Eno remixes? Are they worth picking up?
Definitely on my list:
Morrissey: You Are The Quarry (Gatefold w/ DVD) [cd]
Streets: A Grand Don't Come for Free [cd]
Mclusky: Difference Between Me & You Is That I'm Not on Fire [cd]
Interesting releases that may find their way into the largehearted home:
Cucumbers: All Things To You [cd]
Brian Eno: Another Green World (remastered) [cd]
Minus the Bear: Bands Like It When You Yell Yar at Them [cd]
Kim Richey: Collection [cd]
Mississippi John Hurt: Dc Blues: Library of Congress Recordings (remastered) [cd]
Matt Pond Pa: Emblems [cd]
Auf Der Mar: Followed the Waves / Good News [cd]
Jim Lauderdale: Headed for the Hills [cd]
Brian Eno: Here Come the Warm Jets (remastered) [cd]
The Kicks: Hello Hong Kong [cd]
The Mekons: Honky Tonkin [cd]
Catheters: Howling It Grows & Grows [cd]
Juliana Hatfield: In Exile Deo [cd]
Les Paul: Isle of Golden Dreams: Decca & Capitol Years (box set) [cd]
Chomsky: Let's Get to Second [cd]
Good Life: Lovers Need Lawyers [cd]
The Figgs: Palais [cd]
The Fever: Red Bedroom [cd]
Hazel O'Connor: Singular Connection [cd]
Alanis Morissette: So Called Chaos [cd]
Gomez: Split the Difference [cd]
Brian Eno: Takin Tiger Mountain by Stragedy (remastered) [cd]
Unicorns: Unicorns 2014 [cd]
We Ragazzi: Wolves With Pretty Lips [cd]
Joan of Arc [dvd]
Nova: Life and Death in the War Zone [dvd]
Sex and the City - The Complete Seasons 1-5 & Season 6 Part 1 (6-Pack) [dvd]
The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse - Criterion Collection [dvd]
Tori Amos: Welcome to Sunny Florida (DVD with Bonus CD in Amray Case) [dvd]
The California Aggie interviews Dave Hernandez of the Shins.
"Spinal Tap talked about treading the fine line between stupid and clever: with this album, Mclusky have crucially managed to become more stupid and more clever at the same time." MusicOMH reviews the new McLusky record, The Difference Between You And I Is That I'm Not On Fire.
BBC News Worldwide asks, "Morrissey: why the fuss?"
Morrissey brands Britney Spears "evil." He also calls the sun "hot" and puppies "loveable."
Kraftwerk: 2004-05-01, Coachella [mp3]
White Stripes: 1998-04-11 [mp3]
White Stripes: 2003-04-20, Boston [mp3]
White Stripes: 2002-06-09, Vancouver [mp3]
White Stripes: Peel Session [mp3]
Pixies: 2004-04-13, Minneapolis [mp3] (another mirror)
Tweaker & Various Artists: various tracks [mp3]
Tomahawk: many live shows [mp3,mpg]
Faith No More: many live shows, interviews, b-sides, video [mp3,mpg]
Tweaker: Ruby (featuring Will Oldham) [mp3]
Tweaker: "There Is (featuring Robert Smith)" [mp3]
Newsweek calls Mike Skinner of the Streets "an underdog Everyman-- a British Slim Shady without the snarl." Even though Newsweek likes the album, A Grand Don't Come for Free is still one of my favorite releases this year. Two largehearted thumbs up!
Hush Reality has an mp3 of The Killers covering Morrissey's "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself."
Watch the Datsuns video for "Blacken My Thumb" at Xfm.
Want to be Fuse's next big thing? Send them a song and a short video, and they might produce your music video.
The Guardian purloins one of my favorite blogs' name to title their review of Jenny Uglow's "A Little History of British Gardening."
Happy 31st birthday to Tori Spelling!
The Lucksmiths show off some of their gig posters from over the years.
Adam Green: various live tracks [mp3]
CocoRosie: four tracks [mp3]
Paul McCartney:demos [mp3]
Paul McCartney: rarities [mp3]
Paul McCartney: alternate takes [mp3]
Paul McCartney: even more demos [mp3]
Seagreens: four song demo [mp3]
Underworld: fan remixes [mp3]
Adam Green: video [wmv]
Paul Auster: "King George Blues" [mp3] (via close your eyes)
Rumsfeld vs. Queen [mp3]
Bellybongo is sharing out-of-print releases by Esquivel, Eartha Kitt, and others. (via Senses Working Overtime)
Invention and Technology has a history of the electric guitar: "How We Got from Andrés Segovia to Kurt Cobain."
Drowned in Sound has the new PJ Harvey video, "The Letter."
A Wild Man: "Shift" [mp3]
Big Red Goad: "Tombstone Every Mile" [mp3]
Danny & the Nightmares (featuring Daniel Johnston): Double Bummer [mp3]
Danny & the Nightmares (featuring Daniel Johnston): Return of the Butthole Surfers [mp3]
Rob Crow: "Helicopter" [mp3]
Kids Are Sick: "Headshot" [mp3]
Mumble & Peg: "3rd Person" [mp3]
Brown Whornet: "Kitchen Fire" [mp3]
P.E.E.: "Train Song" [mp3]
Zambonis: "Interior Cruciate Ligament (Kovalev)" [mp3]
(music courtesy of Coolbeans)
"The Namesake," by Jhumpa Lahiri, is an elegantly written novel. The story of Indian immigrants and their straddling national identities, it is at times touching and enlightening. I can also recommend (along with the Pulitzer Prize committee) Lahiri's book of short stories, "Interpreter of Maladies."
Next up is "Candyfreak," by Steve Almond. I love candy, especially good chocolate, so I've been anticipating finally reading this book. All I need now is the right props to get me in the mood. If anyone has any extra See's truffles, Baci, or dark chocolate Dove Promises, their donation will definitely help with my research.
What do Nobel Prize winning novelist Saul Bellow, actress Alfre Woodard and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick have in common? Both will receive honorary degrees at this spring's Boston University commencement.
Atlanta's Creative Loafing compares and contrasts Sloan and Destroyer.
Lawrence.com's Turnpike offers archived Quicktime interviews with Enon, New Pornographers, Spoon, The Shins, Yo La Tengo and others.
"The funny thing is, the writers who best understood the lessons of magical realism were not Latin Americans. They were writers like Toni Morrison or Salman Rushdie. But for us, the influence was too close. It became like a parody or a formula, a recipe that for us wasn't authentic." Newsday interviews University of Alabama alum Edmundo Paz Soldan about his book, "The Matter of Desire."
"I see the topic of censorship as just like this nexus of social, cultural, legalistic perhaps moral issues all rolled into one. It's an exciting topic to me." Peter Blecha, author of "Taboo Tunes: A History of Banned Bands & Censored Songs," talks to the Pioneer Press.
QUESTION: You’re what, 53?
ANSWER: Yeah. Yes I am.
QUESTION: That’s not old.
ANSWER: No it’s not old, but it is old when you’ve been in a van for six hours with a bunch of other guys. It’s very old.
Graham Parker is interviewed by Palm Springs' The Desert Sun.
Lilys: several live shows [mp3]
Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot demos (registration required) [mp3]
Sprites: several tracks [mp3]
The Changes: several tracks [mp3]
Dokaka: several tracks [mp3] (via memepool)
Red Pony: several tracks [mp3]
Stiffed: several tracks [mp3]
Black Sabbath: live tracks, interviews, video [mp3,real]
Metallica: 2004, Big Day Out [mp3]
Deacon Blue: two 2003 shows [mp3]
T. Coraghessan Boyle: audio & video [mp3,wav,mov]
Two albums that amazed me yesterday on my first listen: Madvillain's Madvillainy and the Fiery Furnace's Blueberry Boat. Madvillainy is filled with MF Doom's incredibly descriptive but smooth lyrics and Madlib's obscure and odd (but always impressive) sample-filled production. The Fiery Furnaces' sophomore effort, Blueberry Boat, manages to be even more bluesy than their debut, fleshing out the tracks, making more use of synthesizers and overall a major step forward. Track this one down now that it has leaked.
Have you ever thought of writing songs for an emo band?
No, because there's no crying in rock 'n' roll. (Nikki Sixx in an interview with the Cleveland Free Times)
The Suburbs Are Killing Us not only is a great name for a blog, but also offers daily songs and commentary. The music is refreshingly diverse, this is an mp3 blog worth reading.
With a great lineup sure to tear many indie hearts in two (two stages, many excellent musicians playing concurrently), the Sasquatch Music Festival looks like the place to be Saturday, May 29th.
"If someone has a problem with the way I do this stuff with a band, they can always listen to the record when they get home," Dan Bejar (Destroyer) tells the Raleigh Independent, echoing my own feelings. I am constantly amazed that people go to live shows and expect note-for-note reenactments of albums.
Athens, Georgia's Athfest has set the schedules for their outdoor stages. The festival runs June 17-20, catch The Tom Collins, Camper Van Beethoven and The Sunshine Fix (among others) for free! Athfest's outdoor shows, combined with the plethora of club shows usually offered that weekend, make this our likely destination rather than Birmingham's City Stages, which is held the same weekend. (via The Day Jobs
"It's an interesting time right now. Some people are just not able to be free-thinking, and some people are openly critical of everything that's going on. There's the idea that it's unpatriotic to question what your government is doing, when it seems to me, and to most of the rest of the world, that a healthy skepticism is essential in a democracy." Sloan's Patrick Pentland is interviewed by the Cleveland Free Times.
"At first glance, Fuckin A is a just wad of geeky, repetitive pop punk in sore need of some antihistamine. Lean closer, though, and you'll notice a chaotic splay of soul, thought and emotion wherein Minor Threat drops acid with Robert Pollard and armed revolution swaps spit with drunken heartache." The Denver Westword reviews the excellent Thermals record, Fuckin A.
"We just wanted to ... make a record that was lasting. How long you last depends on how lasting the stuff that you're making is." Nick Stumpf of the French Kicks plots his band's future in a talk with SF Weekly.
If you had the following choice of three shows, which would you attend (this is my dilemna for the coming Sunday): Sondra Lerche; Sloan; Destroyer & Frog Eyes. Destroyer is the only band I've seen of the bunch, but with Dan Bejar not backed by Frog Eyes (my friends who have seen this lineup are split in their opinions).
Various Artists: Daniel Johnston covers [mp3]
Negativland: two tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: Illegal Art's compilation cd [mp3]
Wobbly: many tracks [mp3]
Daniel Johnston: video [mov,real]
Negativland: The Mashin' of the Christ (bittorrent) [mp4,avi,mpeg]
Bush Boys [mov] (via Detritus)
Danny & the Nightmares: "Double Bummer" [mp3]
Fiery Furnaces: "Crystal Clear" [mp3], from Gallowsbird's Bark
Patterson Hood: "Uncle Disney" [real, windows media], from Killers & Stars
Nathalie at Cup of Chicha has started a literary mental health blog, Another. The project is filled with insight into the connection between literature and depression, and is one of the brightest stars I've found online in a very long time. Like many others, I have friends and family who deal with mental illness on a daily basis, and I'll be sure to make them aware of this valuable resource.
"People seem to trust me to make a good sound, whether it's quiet or loud," Kristin Hersh is interviewed by BigYawn.net about her band, 50 Foot Wave, her next solo record and the Pixies reunion.
The Dave Chappelle/Lil Jon soundboard is more fun than its simplicity seemingly offers. (via the always bubble-icious stereogum)
"Not since the now legendary, mid-70's performances in New York's Central Park has Rundgren been more inspired!" Kingblind reviews Todd Rundgren's recent NYC show.
"It's as coherent as a meth-head on Cops explaining where his pants went." The New York Press isn't impressed by Todd Taylor's history pf punk rock, Born to Rock: Heavy Drinkers and Thinkers.
Nerve interviews Ambulance Ltd.
Elijah Wood to sub for vacationing John Peel.
Birmingham's Black & White previews the City Stages music festival. The Decemberists, Drive-By Truckers, Loretta Lynn and My Morning Jacket are all scheduled to play the three day festival in mid-June.
"I asked someone when I was younger to teach me how to play guitar and he said, 'No one ever taught me.' I'm glad that he didn't show me because it's better to teach yourself how to do it because you're more in tune with it." Jack White talks to Suicide Girls about playing guitar, acting and celebrity.
From their debut album, More Parts Per Million:
The Thermals: "No Culture Icons" [mp3]
The Thermals: "No Culture Icons" [mov]
Some live tracks from their upcoming album, Fuckin A, :
The Thermals: "God and Country (live)" [mp3] ***highly recommended
The Thermals: "A Stare Like Yours (live)" [mp3]
The Thermals: "End to Begin (live)" [mp3]
The Thermals: "How We Know (live)" [mp3]
The Thermals: "Remember Today (live)" [mp3}
The Thermals: The Top of the Earth (live)" [mp3]
Take a two hour vacation with this week's edition of No Love For Ned's online radio show. Where else can you go from I Am the World Trade Center to Spain in 120 minutes?
Some streaming Rilo Kiley with Ben Gibbard on guitar (realaudio)is a great way to start a Tuesday (KEXP show from October 15 , 2002)
LegalTorrents offers legal bittorrents of audiobooks, music, e-books and movies.
Spam Aaron and help him with an informal test of Gmail's spam filter. By the way, if anyone has an extra invite, I would love to ditch my Hotmail account. E-mail me if you can help...
"The longer you work in comedy, the less you find funny. You don’t find actual prepared comedy that funny very often. You laugh at actual human behavior more," Tina Fey tells Suicide Girls.
"The unbelievably self-righteous arrogance of this administration churns my stomach more than the thought of eating a week's worth of Apollonia and Neely O'Hara's kitty box," from Miz Uffish, who combines political action, wit and her love for music the way the rest of us make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Beck: 2004-05-01, Coachella [mp3]
Pixies: several live shows [shn]
Chris Robinson: 2004-05-03, Columbus [mp3]
A Perfect Circle: remixes, rarities, live tracks, fan covers, concert video [mp3,avi]
Spleen: various tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: several tracks [mp3] (courtesy of Your Best Guess)
Jay Z vs. Pavement: The Slack Album (bittorrent download) [mp3,ogg,ape]
The Girls: "She's Hysterical" [mp3] (via Punknews)
The Young Fresh Fellows: "I'm Not Bitter" [mp3]
(later on the Minus 5's Down With Wilco)
It's a light week for music releases, I'll definitely be picking up the Parkinson's benefit album but not much else. The album features Neko Case, Dar Williams, Lucy Kaplansky, Alejandro Escovedo and many other alt-country favorites, all singing for a good cause.
There are other releases that intrigue me this month, notably the remastered Miles Davis box sets. Am I missing anything?
Various Artists: Parkinsong 1: 38 Songs of Hope [cd]
Sloan: Action Pact (with extra tracks) [cd]
Miles Davis: Complete in a Silent Way Sessions (extra tracks) (box set) (original recording remastered) [cd]
Miles Davis: Complete Columbia Studio Recordings (extra tracks) (box set) (original recording remastered) [cd]
Miles Davis: Complete Bitches Brew Sessions (extra tracks) (box set) (original recording remastered) [cd]
Vatious Artists: Hallucinations: Psychedelic Pop Nuggets [cd]
Lloyd Cole: Plastic Wood [cd]
Syd Barrett: Radio One Sessions [cd]
Graham Parker: Struck By Lightning [cd]
Trax Records 20th Anniversary Collection (box set) [cd]
Various Artists: Tribute to the Darkness [cd]
Friends - The Series Finale (Limited Edition) [dvd]
The Jetsons - The Complete First Season [dvd]
The Fog of War - Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara [dvd]
The Godfather [dvd]
A Short Film About Love [dvd]
A Short Film About Killing [dvd]
Thee Headcoats + Thee Milkshakes: The Bands of Billy Childish [dvd]
Have you preordered your Morrissey You Are The Quarry cd with bonus DVD yet? I've been singing "First of the Gang to Die" (Morrissey on Craig Kilborn singing this wonderful song, Quicktime link) all day yesterday, in grocery stores and shopping malls to the great dismay (and bewilderment) of passersby.
Morrissey bonus: Kilborn interview (Quicktime link, 2002-09-12)
The Drive-By Truckers' cover of Tom Petty's "Rebel" will appear on next Sunday's episode (May 16th) of "King of the Hill" (Tom Petty and Trace Adkins guest star).
Send this guy an e-mail with "titles, lyrics, directions, and anything else that can be described in words," and he just might write a song for you. (via frankpayne)
The legality of the downloadable music on listen closer may be dubious, but the love for said music is not. Two songs are offered each day, along with interesting and enlightening commentary. Feel the love, folks.
"I just like to do music. If people want to pull it apart and poke at it and say 'I did this before that then fine',” Meat Beat Manifesto's Jack Dangers tells Nerve.
The Star Bar in Atlanta will hold the 13th annual Bubbapalooza festival from May 27th through the 29th.
Also in Atlanta, Kingblind celebrates their first anniversary Wednesday night at the Echo Lounge with the MC5 documentary, a rock poster and photo show, music and lots of free giveaways. Help Morgan celebrate and stop by.
I finished a spring mix cd yesterday. If you've gotten one before, be prepared for another in your mailbox soon.
The Mountain Goats: "No Children," 2004-02-28, Chicago [mov]
Colin Meloy (of the Decemberists) and friends: assorted Robyn Hitchcock covers [mov]
The Danielsen Familie: "Flesh Thang," 2003, Chicago [mov]
Modest Mouse: several live shows [mp3]
U2: 1982-12-06, BBC concert [mp3]
Kaito: several tracks & videos [mp3, wma,real]
Propagandhi: several tracks (mp3,real]
The Frames: Another Love Song album (out of print) [mp3]
Greg Osby: live jazz tracks [mp3]
Allen Ginsberg: "End Vietnam War" [mp3] (courtesy of Protest Records)
Often, collections of essays are uneven. Luckily, in Art and Ardor, the low points are good and the high points are truly wonderful. Cynthia Ozick expresses her love for literature throughout the book, exploring and dissecting such diverse authors like Edith Wharton and John Updike as well as the state of Jewish literature. Some of the essays are a bit dated, but Ozick's arguments are clear and always well-founded.
I promised myself a book of fiction, and have chosen The Namesake: A Novel, by Jhumpa Lahiri as book number twenty-one.
"Maybe my inner rocker is getting an oil change," Sarah Harmer tells Straight.com about her album, All of Our Names.
“Writing is a way of taming the world,” he says, “turning the inchoate, often embarrassing stream into a package.” John Updike talks about his life, writing, and future.
The New York Daily News reviews an odd couple, Morrissey and Loretta Lynn.
The Pioneer Press scans this season's roster of baseball books, pointing out at least one I will definitely read, Tug McGraw's autobiography, "Ya Gotta Believe."
The Daily News of Longview, Washington, chips in with their list of baseball books.
Bardo Pond: 2003-11-22, Philadelphia [mp3,ogg,shn]
Cowboy Junkies: 2001-11-30, Austin [mp3,ogg,shn]
Hayseed Dixie: 2004-04-29, Columbus [mp3,ogg,shn]
Hayseed Dixie: 2004-04-23, Kansas City [mp3,ogg,shn]
Jon Langford: 2000-01-01, Chicago [mp3,ogg,shn]
Mekons: 2004-03-12, New York City [mp3,ogg,shn]
Mike Watt: 1999-07-04, Irvine [mp3,ogg,shn]
Pinback: 2004-04-28, San Diego [mp3,ogg,shn]
Pinback: 2004-04-12, Washington [mp3,ogg,shn]
Pinback: 2003-03-22, Washington [mp3,ogg,shn]
(many thanks to the Live Music Archive for making these shows available)
I am a political biography junkie, and Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, by Joseph J. Ellis was a welcome addition to my collection. The book recounts the political climate of the 1790's, focusing on Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison. The concept seems daunting, but Ellis manages to make this political biography read like fiction. Thank you, Lauren, for recommending this fine book.
Buried in my messenger bag is book number twenty, the out of print Art and Ardor, a book of literary criticism by Cynthia Ozick. I picked this up in a local used bookstore a year ago, and it has been sitting on my nightstand ever since. I should finish this soon, since I've been reading the essays this week during lunch. After this, I'm ready for some fiction. I'll be looking over everyone's previous suggestions and picking something out. As always, feel free to recommend something...
Logh: 2003-12-11, Santiago Alquimista [mp3]
The Silent League: several tracks [mp3] (thanks to Coolfer)
You Am I: BBC 6 performance [mp3]
Parade: download ep [mp3]
Libertines: more Babyshambles sessions [mp3]
Nullsleep: several tracks [mp3]
Johnny Cash: two live tracks [mp3]
The Hong Kong: two tracks [mp3]
Elefant: audio & video [mp3,wma,real]
Placebo: one cover and several remixes [mp3]
Amy Dykes, half of I Am The World Trade Center, has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Well wishes and get well notes can be sent to P.O. Box 829 Athens, GA 30603. Good thoughts, positive energy and prayers can be sent via air mail...
Goodbye to The Rub... thankfully we'll still have Paul writing reviews at 75 or Less and contributing occasionally to done waiting.
Passenger86's interview series has been outstanding so far, with members of The Cars, Devo, and Negativland.
Yesterday on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic: M. Ward (swoon). Today... Snow Patrol invades the studio.
Wondering what the Pixies are playing this tour? Here are setlists of every show, as well as bittorrent download links.
Have I mentioned Patterson Hood's solo album, Killers & Stars? Flagpole talks to him about the record.
My none too shabby friend Kelly needs song suggestions for the opening ceremony for the Relay For Life, "Something upbeat, positive, up-tempo. Perhaps instrumental - maybe something that rocks a bit. The theme from 'Rocky' is just a little corny (to me, at least.) Think sporting event - Olympics - etc. Please give me some ideas - my brain is useless right now. Pretty please." Help out a largehearted friend if you can, and send some suggestions her way.
If (like me) you missed the finale of Friends last night and (unlike me) desperately want to see it, pick up the final episode on DVD, to be released next Tuesday.
Pixies: 2004-04-27, Eugene (zipped) [mp3]
Radiohead: 2004-05-01, Coachella (STG registration required) [flac]
Miles Davis: 1970-10-17, San Francisco [mp3]
MK Ultra: The Dream Is Over [mp3]
MK Ultra: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [mp3]
MK Ultra: MK Ultra [mp3]
The Astroglides: several tracks [mp3]
Queen Adreena: 2002-07-30, BBC Radio 1 [mp3]
Paul Westerberg: "Whatever Makes You Happy" [mp3,mov], from Suicane Gratification
Neko Case: "Furnace Room Lullaby" video [realmedia]
"Alone in his dining room, he makes raw, sparse music about broken relationships, crumbling lives . . . and thawing out Walt Disney (who, incidentally, won't awaken in particularly fine spirits)," the Washington Post reviews Patterson Hood's Killers & Stars.
"The Day the Voices Died," a history of Guided By Voices
Television chef and cookbook author Alton Brown rants about Martha Stewart, his aching heart, and cheese.
"Music is my religion. Creativity is my communion," Zachary Gresham of the Summer Hymns tells the Houston Press.
Sometimes the worst movies have the best soundtracks, so says the Kansas City Pitch.
“As far as musicians, there's a certain mentality that doesn't want to deal with Los Angeles or New York,” Tortoise's Doug McCombs on the band choosing to live in Chicago.
Harvey Pekar discusses regionalism in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
My favorite novelist Michael Chabon co-wrote the screenplay for Spiderman 2?
Sanford Arms: three tracks [mp3]
Captain Beefheart: 1980-11-22, Saturday Night Live audio & video [mp3, real]
Captain Beefheart: video [real]
Eddie From Ohio: over thirty live shows [mp3]
Wendy James: 1993, live in Spain [mp3]
Transvision Vamp: undated Oxford show [mp3]
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: several tracks [mp3]
The Jim Yoshii Pileup: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: Flaming Lips covers [mp3,real]
Radiohead: assorted video [avi,mov,mpg]
In 1985, Wckr Spgt and John Darnielle joined up under the moniker of The Bloody Hawaiians to record the epic album, "The Magnificent Bloody Hawaiians". Long out of print, you can now download the album and enjoy a Mountain Goat when he was just a kid.
note: JD plays drums on the record...
Polaroid is putting the legal squeeze on fellow GBV fan Ben Glover for naming his band Bipolaroid (be sure to check out their song, "King of Cabbages").
Neal Pollack debuts his monthly "Bad Sex" column for Nerve.
Six Organs of Admittance are the in-studio guests on this week's edition of No Love For Ned's weekly online radio show.
Apparently, Virginia is only for lovers that meet certain requirements. Take this site's advice and vacation in Maine instead this year.
Willie Nelson for President!!!
For fellow Axis of Weevil members: the French Kicks and Ambulance Ltd are playing at The Nick in Birmingham tonight in a rare tasty double bill, to be followed Friday night at the same venue by Sebadoh. Looks like I'll be passing up the Walkmen in Nashville tonight in favor of The Nick.
The Rembrandts will always "be there for you."
Radiohead: 2004-05-01, Coachella (save as, then rename to .mp3) [mp3]
Pixies: 2004-05-01, Coachella (save as, then rename to .mp3) [mp3]
Elf Power: 2004-04-29, Atlanta (bittorrent, registration required) [shn]
Beastie Boys: 1998-07-08, Vienna [mp3]
Radiohead: 1992-06-13, BBC Evening Session, videos & interviews [mp3,mpg,real]
Alfie: 2003-09-22, Lamacq Live [mp3]
Syd Barrett: Vinyl Sessions [mp3]
Stone Roses: assorted audio & video [mp3,avi]
Various Artists: many tracks [mp3]
Ratatat: "Seventeen Years" [mp3], from Ratatat
There is plenty of good music to choose from this week, I'm excited about everything I'm picking up. The Magnetic Fields record was much anticipated and doesn't disappoint. A new Morrissey single should be cause for a holiday. Patterson Hood's solo record finally gets officially released, and his website went live just after midnight. Carolyn Mark always makes me feel warm and fuzzy and múm's new record is yet another hit for the band (with me, at least).
On the dvd front, I'm picking up yet another television series season, this time from the Gilmore Girls. Though I'm not a film collector, I'm picking up The Triplets of Belleville, the amazing French animated film that defies categorization and is simply amazing.
Magnetic Fields: I [cd]
Morrissey: Irish Blood English Heart [cd]
Patterson Hood: Killers & Stars [cd]
Carolyn Mark: Pros & Cons of Collaboration [cd]
múm: Summer Make Good [cd]
Gilmore Girls - The Complete First Season [dvd]
The Triplets of Belleville [dvd]
There are some other interesting releases this week, including the Strokes' Reptilla single, Joey Santiago's (of the Pixies) band's new album, and the Broken Spindles' record. These releases didn't make the cut, so I won't be picking them up on their opening day:
The Divine Comedy: Absent Friends [cd]
Eluvium: Accidental Memory in the Case of Death [cd]
Cucumbers: All Things To You [cd]
Of Montreal: Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies [cd]
Beat Happening: Dreamy [cd]
Owen: Ep [cd]
Broken Spindles: Fulfilled: Complete [cd]
Echobelly: Gravity Pulls [cd]
Lovers: Gutter & the Garden [cd]
Beta Band: Heroes to Zeros [cd]
Ween: Live in Chicago (with bonus dvd) [cd]
Ryan Adams: Love Is Hell [cd]
Mission of Burma: Onoffon [cd]
Strokes: Reptilla / Modern Girls & Old Fashioned Men [cd]
Martinis: Smitten [cd]
French Kicks: Trial of the Century [cd]
Fela Kuti: Two Sides of Fela Kuti [cd]
Pixies: Wave of Mutilation: Best of Pixies [cd]
Girl With a Pearl Earring [dvd]
Samurai Jack: Season 1 [dvd]
Abba: In Concert 1979 [dvd]
Fiddlin' Man: Life and Times of Bob Wills [dvd]
Ween: Live in Chicago [dvd]
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: The Videos [dvd]
"The majority of the songs were written on the spot, more or less, filled out with a few older songs that seemed to fit. It built up its own thing, so now seems like the right time to finally throw it out there," Patterson Hood summarizes his solo album for the Raleigh News & Observer.
The release party for Patterson Hood's solo album, Killers & Stars is next Wednesday, May 12th, at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia.
If you had the chance to see either Richard Buckner (whom I have seen several times, but not in several years) or Beans/Ex-Models/Tortoise, which show would you choose, and why?
"The new work, Merritt acknowledges, is 'a variety show tied together by the thinnest conceit'," Stephen Merritt on his album, I, out today.
"Of course I am not a devil, I am not a major devil nor a minor devil, I am a human being," Marianne Faithfull interviewed by the Financial Times.
Franz Ferdinand: 2004-04-22, Paris [mp3]
Interpol: Toronto 2003 [mp3]
Modest Mouse: unreleased & live tracks; Ugly Casanova: 2001-01-18, first live show [mp3]
British Sea Power: three tracks [mp3]
Norfolk & Western: several tracks [mp3]
Laura Veirs: several tracks [mp3]
Andrew Bird: two tracks [mp3]
The Innocence Mission: several tracks [mp3]
Stereolab: videos [mov,mpg,qt]
Devendra Banhart: "The Body Breaks" [mp3], from Rejoicing In The Hands
Blog quote of the week: "Apparently, American Christians are so worried that readers are going to take the arguments of The Da Vinci Code seriously that no less than 10 books are in the works refuting the arguments of the novel. I hate to say this, but if your core system of religious beliefs was rocked by a freaking beach book, then you weren't exactly a pillar of faith to begin with, were you?" If you're not reading lotsofco every day, then it's a good time to start the habit. Max is a pop culture guru with cutting wit, quiet wisdom and exquisite taste (and a great guy as well).
"Clinton hasn't had time to look at all the papers and documents or to think about how his administration fits into history. I fear his book will be aimed more for Vanity Fair than for the historical community," author Douglas Brinkley on President Clinton's soon to be published memoir, My Life.
"The mini is just... slick. It has transitioned the iPod from a music player to a fashion statement," macteens reviews the 4 gig iPod (I'm still holding out for the 40 gig model).
Two wonderful downloads that showed up recently at Sharing The Groove: the "secret" Drive-By Truckers acoustic show Friday night in Atlanta and Deerhoof's 2004-02-28, Eugene, Oregon show.
The Telegraph weighs in on Supergrass's tenth anniversary tour.
Nick Cave: 1998, live at Royal Albert Hall [mp3]
Nick Cave: 2003-06-25, NYC (rename to .mp3) [mp3]
Radiohead: Salamanca, 2002-08-07 [mp3]
The Advantage: eight tracks [mp3]
Supersuckers: audio & video (mp3, mov)
Parts & Labor: audio & video [mp3, mov]
Death From Above: two tracks [mp3]
The Doors: 1968, Los Angeles concert video [realmedia]
Sandie Shaw: "Steven, You Don't Eat Meat?" and several Morrissey interviews [mp3]
The Bronx: "Heart Attack American" [mp3]
The 2004 lineup for the Athens PopFest has been announced:
Wednesday August 4th 2004
Tasty World (afternoon showcase)
Ryan Anderson
Linda Draper
Nerves and Gel
Organ Donor
Half Handed Cloud
Tasty World (night time showcase)
Thank God for Astronauts
Frankenixon
Snoozer
Breezy Porticos
Sisterhood of Convoluted Thinkers
the Smittens
Marshmallow Coast
Thursday August 5th 2004
Tasty World (afternoon showcase)
Calvin Don't Jump
Pipperbago (pipper tkc & winnebago)
the Orchid Pool
Lil Hospital
Fairburn Royals
40 Watt Club (night time showcase)
Red Pony Clock
Astropop 3
Elekibass (TENTATIVE)
Casper & the Cookies
Wee Turtles
Maybellines
Rosebuds
Sunshine Fix
Friday August 6th 2004
Tasty World (afternoon showcase)
XP
Men in Fur
Jen Turrell
My Teenage Stride
Steward
40 Watt Club (night time showcase)
Fairmount Fair (Jimmy & Ian Bumblebear rap band)
Murder Beach
Shumai
Kiddo
Glossary
Snow Faries
Scrabbel
Poison Control Center
Boyracer
Saturday August 7th 2004
Tasty World (afternoon showcase)
Micheal Barrett (6th Great Lake)
Keith John Adams
Hulaboy
Love Letter Band
Birddog
40 Watt Club (night time showcase)
Driver of the Year
Marlboro Chorus
Positions (Charming & Barcelona folks)
Asteroid #4
63 Crayons
Tenki
Bunnygrunt
the Minders
That's an impressive group of bands, we may drive over for the Friday and Saturday shows. Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records will announce ticket information soon.
"Once the Burma beast was let out of the crypt, we couldn't get it back in," Mission of Burma bassist Clint Conley describes the revival of the band and talks about their first studio album in 22 years, "ONOffON" (released next Tuesday).
Ryan at the Catbirdseat has a great May mix. Go for the music, and keep coming back for the music news.
For the grandmother who has everything: subversive crosstitch.
"If it hadn’t been for intelligent readers reviewing it, who understand what fiction is and the business of writing and contemporary ideas, then you’re just left with this stuff in the papers accusing you of exploiting a family,” novelist Andrew O'Hagan tells the Sunday Herald about his latest book, Personality, which draws on the life of Lena Zavaroni.
The Mountain Goats: 2004-04-28, Peel Session
The Mountain Goats: assorted live and miscellaneous tracks [mp3]
REM: 1982-08-24, San Francisco [mp3]
Death Cab For Cutie: live tracks [mp3] (via achtung baby)
The Meters: February, 1975 show [mp3] (via my pal Ronan)
Drive-By Truckers: two older tracks [mp3]
The Benders: several tracks [mp3]
The Hornrinmjobs: "*alice*'s livejournal" [mp3]
The Mountain Goats: "Dance Music" [mp3] (highly recommended)
nevercamehome is a new mp3 blog that posts interesting tracks and then dicusses the offbeat choices. Also notable is the links section with many other mp3 blogs listed.
Tired of all the sites that require registration? Utilize BugMeNot.com.
The dollars and cents of our national pastime chronicled daily: Doug's Business of Baseball Blog.
The CBC archives remember when punk rock came to Canada.
Yo La Tengo: 2004 WFMU all request show [mp3]
Shannon Campbell: many tracks [mp3]
Joanna Newsom: three tracks [mp3]
The Blondes, Inc: several tracks [mp3]
Snowden: several tracks [mp3]
The King of France: several tracks [mp3]
I Married My High School Sweetheart: several tracks [mp3]
French Kicks: "One More Time" [mp3]
Hella: "The Mother Could Be You" [mp3]