With the last Guided By Voices studio album out this month, I decided to pay homage to the band with a track near and dear to my heart. "Unleashed! The Large Hearted Boy" (mp3 link) is not only the namesake for this blog, but also for my domain (which I am undoubtedly master of). First appearing on the band's 1992 Propeller release, I have been in love with it since the first time I heard it. A short, powerpop gem, the song brims with vitality.
This version is taken from the 1994 bootleg Crying Your Knife Away, taped on June 18, 1994 in Columbus Ohio, enjoy.
AC/DShe is an all-female AC/DC cover band with a tribute to Bon Scott on their website.
An Australian rap band will live the next three weeks in a bubble in Melbourne to record their next record. Of course, the event will be televised.
Jim Adkins (of Jimmy Eat World) lists his summer playlist for the New York Times, including Guided By Voices, Maritime and the Velvet Teen among others.
Jack Johnson: 2004-08-27, Berkeley [mp3,ogg,shn]
Cracker: 2003-08-30, Virginia Beach [mp3,ogg,shn]
Phish: 2004 August Coventry shows (link removed) [mp3]
Julie Doiron: several tracks [mp3]
Wckr Spgt: Fortune Came Today 7" [mp3]
Lisa Dewey: several tracks [mp3]
Amy Cooper: several tracks [mp3]
The Decoration: several demos [mp3]
Skyline Rodeo: several tracks [mp3]
Depeche Mode: "Enjoy the Silence" (sixteen mixes) [mp3]
I'll be picking up the new Bjork and the old Mice albums today, but that looks like the extent of my purchases. The Mice release includes the For Almost Ever ep and the Scooter lp on cd for the first time ever. I'll be looking for everything else on my list used or cutout in the next couple of weeks. Am I missing anything?
The Beatnuts - Milk Me [cd]
Black Tape For A Blue Girl - Halo Star [cd]
The Blue Nile - High [cd]
Bjork - Medulla [cd]
Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company (enhanced) [cd]
Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Please Describe Yourself [cd]
Faun Fables - Early Song (reissue) [cd]
Faun Fables - Mother Twilight (reissue) [cd]
Gibby Haynes & His Problem - Gibby Haynes & His Problem [cd]
Green Day - American Idiot (single) [cd]
Daniel Johnston - 1990 (reissue) [cd]
Daniel Johnston - Artistic Vice (reissue) [cd]
Leftover Crack - Fuck World Trade [cd]
The Libertines - Libertines [cd]
Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez - A Manual Dexterity Vol. 1 [cd]
Mastodon - Leviathan [cd]
The Mice - For Almost Ever Scooter [cd]
Jill Scott - Beautifully Human, Words and Sounds, Vol. 2 [cd]
The Six Parts Seven - Everywhere and Right Here [cd]
Trash Can Sinatras - Weightlifting (bonus dvd) [cd]
Wilco - I'm a Wheel (cd-single, import) [cd]
Chris Rock - Never Scared [dvd]
Come Back, Little Sheba [dvd]
Invader ZIM - Progressive Stupidity (Vol. 2) [dvd]
Jesus Christ Superstar (Special Edition) [dvd]
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection - The Essentials [dvd]
The Passion of the Christ (Widescreen Edition) [dvd]
Rocky and Bullwinkle Seasons 1-2 [dvd]
Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends - The Complete Second Season [dvd]
Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete First Season [dvd]
Travis at the Palace [dvd]
Videodrome - Criterion Collection [dvd]
Want to use your iPod with Linux? Here's an unofficial manual.
If you're looking for something different to listen to today, I recommend Radio Free Klezmer, which offers "Jewish jazz and Eastern European party music for the new millennium!"
Speaking of klezmer music, check out the KlezmerShack, a blog devoted to the subject.
A Panel/Public Discussion on Media and Democracy in a Time of War will take place this Tuesday and Wednesday at the University of Georgia, and include two documentaries ("Outfoxed" and "Independent Media in a Time of War").
Folkstreams is building "a national preserve of documentary films about American folk or roots culture." The films are often fascinating and well worth a visit.
Welcome back, Fimoculous. We missed you, Rex.
The Memphis Flyer calls the new Drive-By Truckers album a "road trip through Southern mythology." I call it damn good.
With more and more men entering the nursing field, it was inevitable that Archie McPhee would start selling a male nurse action figure.
Mike Watt is interviewed about his new album and the old days with the Minutemen.
The Wall Street Journal wonders if blogs have jumped the shark.
Epitaph is streaming the new Black Keys record, Rubber Factory, due out September 7th.
The San Bernardino County Sun finally discovers Friendster.
Hank Williams III: 2004-02-27, Spartanburg [mp3,ogg,flac]
Soltero: several tracks [mp3]
Barn Burning: several tracks [mp3]
Paddy Saul: two tracks [mp3]
Choo Choo La Rouge: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Secretly Canadian [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from 3 Beads of Sweat (including 3 Mountain Goats tracks) [mp3]
Otasco: several tracks [mp3]
Kimya Dawson: 2003-03-12, Brooklyn [real]
Saturday Looks Good To Me: "The Girl's Distracted" [mp3]
Director Vincent Gallo gives "the whole truth" to Roger Ebert.
The Associated Press lists highlighted book releases for fall, as does the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Houston Star reviews Rilo Kiley's new record, and gives More Adventurous four stars.
The Belfast Telegraph profiles PJ Harvey.
For everyone who missed the Drive-By Truckers' record release party in Athens the last two nights, here's a bittorrent double VCD of their August 21st show in New Orleans (registration required).
Today's downloads are made available by etree.org. Included are the currently seeded Mergefest shows not mentioned in my earlier post, I'll keep everyone up to date as these shows are seeded.
Jim James, M. Ward & Bright Eyes: 2004-02-28, Providence (bittorrent) [shn]
Wilco: 2004-07-15, London (bittorrent) [flac]
Wilco: 2004-07-07, Gothenborg (bittorrent) [shn]
Radiohead: 1997-07-27, Cary (bittorrent) [shn]
Polyphonic Spree: 2004-08-24, New York (bittorrent) [flac]
Camera Obscura: 2004-07-30, Mergefest (bittorrent, registration required) [flac]
Radar Brothers: 2004-07-30, Mergefest (bittorrent, registration required) [flac]
Portastatic: 2004-07-30, Mergefest (bittorrent, registration required) [flac]
Versus: 2004-07-30, Mergefest (bittorrent, registration required) [flac]
Double Dynamite: 2004-07-30, Mergefest (bittorrent, registration required) [flac]
Crooked Fingers: 2004-07-30, Mergefest (bittorrent, registration required) [flac]
Preview the new William Shatner album, Has Been.
ESPN's Jim Caple goes shopping for authentic Olympic uniforms and paraphernalia in Athens.
NPR examines the latest Bob Dylan tribute album: Is It Rolling, Bob? A Reggae Tribute to Bob Dylan.
The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette talks to five local romance authors about their craft.
The Pixies prevail in slow touring season..
"Chick lit" has turned to black humor, according to Rebecca Caldwell of Toronto's Globe and Mail.
Were the Knights of Templar fairly represented in The DaVinci Code?
Catalpa Boys: audio & video [mp3,mov]
Camper Van Beethoven: 2004-08-22, Sunset Junction Fair [mp3,ogg,flac]
Client: several live shows & unreleased tracks [mp3]
Stan Ridgway: rarities [mp3]
The Blue Nile: b-sides and rarities [real]
Paper Airplane Pilots: several tracks [mp3]
Sludgefeast: audio & video [mp3,real,wmv]
Trashcan Sinatras: audio & video [mp3,mov]
Our Lady of the Highway: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Crypt Records [mp3]
If you will be in London on September 18th and 19th, Adem is organizing Homefires, a two day event at Conway Hall.
The amazing list of performers makes me ponder a trip across the pond:
Saturday 18th September doors 3pm:
Beth Orton
Bert Jansch
Alan Sparhawk (from Low)
Adem (with harp and violin)
Juana Molina (UK debut)
The Memory Band
Willy Mason
Sunday 19th September doors 4pm:
(smog)
Joanna Newsom
Adem (full band)
Micah P. Hinson
meon
Dj's over the two days include:
Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals)
Kieran Hebden (Four tet)
Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne)
Pete Paphides
Adem
with many other guests.
The Guardian reviews the new Dizzee Rascal album, Showtime, saying "though Dizzee's laptop dystopias are no longer shockingly new, they are ceaselessly ingenious."
Nick Lowe's fall US tour will be acoustic.
Mother Jones profiles American folk legend Pete Seeger.
NPR's Noah Adams talks to technology correspondent Xeni Jardin about mp3 blogs on Day to Day. Fluxblog is mentioned as an example.
The Herald examines notable Scottish omissions from the Booker Prize list. The Telegraph also focuses on who missed the cut.
The Independent profiles "the godfather of rock," Jimmy Page.
The Chicago Sun-Times interviews Robbie Fulks.
NPR profiles the Miniboss,a Nintendo cover band.
"Web logs" are "the hottest thing to hit the Internet since Anna Kournikova" according to USA Today.
Spoon: live and demo tracks from the new album [mp3]
Spoon: live audio & video [mp3,mov]
Various Artists: free albums from Comfort Stands Records [mp3]
Decibully: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Marriage Records artists [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Diesel Only artists [mp3]
Björk: "Oceania" video [wmv,avi,mov]
Devendra Banhart: "Sight To Behold," video, 2004-05-14, Jools Holland [real]
Decibully: "Tables Turn" [mp3] from City of Festivals
Volcano, I'm Still Excited: "In Green" [mp3] from self-titled album
Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions was an interesting read, the story of six MIT students under the tutelage of a former math professor who develop and refine a system to beat the casinos at blackjack. As an occasional blackjack player who once was thrown out of a casino for counting cards, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others who have an interest in blackjack or probability and statistics.
The next book in my 52 Books Project will be Carlos Eire's Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy, mostly because a friend lent the book to me yesterday. The subject matter is interesting, though, the Cuban revolution as seen through the eyes of a child.
FontShop shows their Olympic spirit with a free font, Olympukes, that "pokes fun at the seedier side of the Olympics with a font of 52 satire-filled pictograms."
Flagpole reviews the new Drive-By Truckers disc, The Dirty South, and previews The Rock Shows in Athens Friday and Saturday night at the 40 Watt.
"Behind the Music: Deaf to the World, iPod Addict Unplugs," from the New York Observer.
The Winnipeg Sun offers a "completely uninformed guide to the MTV Music Awards."
The Wall Street Journal introduces us to some of the Republican bloggers at the Republican National Convention.
Lambchop is headlining the Lucy's Record Shop ACT NOW! Reunion Concert September 18th at Nashville's Belcourt Theatre.
Paste Magazine chronicles "The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Redneck Warrior Poets of Rock 'n' Roll," the Drive-By Truckers.
Paste also offers Paste Radio, an internet radio stream of artists featured in the magazine.
Thunderstruck collects news about pop culture, music and religion, especially where they intersect.
Theseguys.com offers two Napoleon Dynamite soundboards.
Slobberbone's Brent Best is doing a September solo tour of the UK.
Vanmega has posted an August indie rock mix.
Flagpole interviews Charles Bissell of the Wrens about his solo tours, "I don't want to get up on a stage and do acoustic versions of Wrens songs. Now, Wrens songs are mostly what it will be, but I didn't want to take what I think for me would be the easy way out. You're going to hear duets with myself, where I have my own vocals burned on a CD singing along with me and various instruments."
In Another Charles Bissell interview, from the Baltimore Sun, it's noted that the Wrens' excellent Meadowlands has only sold 30,000 copies. That's a shame for one of last year's best albums...
The Philadelphia Inquirer studies the interaction of music and politics in the US this presidential election year.
Community B has released a vinyl version of We Ragazzi's Wolves With Pretty Lips. A limited edition release, each copy has a hand-printed jacket by drummer Aliana Kalaba.
Modest Mouse: 2004-02-15, Orlando [mp3] (courtesy of Acousticwoodlands)
Low: several tracks, including 1998 Halloween "Misfits Show" [mp3]
Local H: several live shows [mp3,ogg,shn,flac]
Phenomenauts: several shows [ogg]
Meric Long: two tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks courtesy of The WIRE [mp3] (via)
Palomar: "Work Is a State Function" [mp3]
Battles: "IPT2" [mp3]
Neutral Milk Hotel: "Worms in the Wind (live)" [mp3]
Paul Westerberg: "As Far As I Know" [mp3] from his upcoming album, Folker
The same folks that brought us the Free IPod and Free Flat Screens have now added yet another promotion: Free Desktop PC's.
The PC's are a bit underpowered, but would make a decent Linux multimedia server or serviceable donation to a local school or charity. If you'd like to sign up, please use my referral. I'll rotate the referral with people who complete offers under me once my quota is met. Beware: these offers generate a significant amount of spam for the e-mail address that you sign up under.
The Mountain Goats and John Vanderslice announce US October tourdates:
2 - Open End Gallery, Chicago IL
3 - Empty Bottle, Chicago IL
6 - First Unitarian, Philadelphia, PA
7 - Southpaw, Brooklyn NY
8 - Knitting Factory, New York NY
10 - The Middle East, Cambridge, MA
11 - Black Cat, Washington DC
12 - Cat's Cradle, Carrboro, NC
13 - Soapbox Laundrolounge, Wilmington, NC
15 - The Social, Orlando, FL
16 - Cafe Eleven, St Augustine, FL
17 - Club Downunder, Tallahassee FL
18 - The Earl, Atlanta GA
19 - The Village Tavern, Mt. Pleasant, SC
Wckr Spgt has been added to the Live Music Archive at Archive.org. Live shows should be added soon.
Bob Pollard is selling some more autographed albums on eBay.
This guy created homemade Radiohead and Coldplay videos.
A t-shirt with the cartoon from Madvillain's "ALL CAPS" video is already on my Christmas list.
The 2004 Toronto Film Fest will feature 328 films and 100 world premieres.
Jenny Miller's Heck's Kitchen is my favorite blog of the moment, mixing politics, the Olympics and pop culture with healthy doses of interesting photos and witty commentary.
The Norwich Bulletin reviews a recent Loretta Lynn show, saying, "she is the patriarchal queen of country and she isn’t about to give up the throne."
The Minneapolis City pages lists eighteen thoughts concerning the Hives. #1: 1. Pelle Almqvist Is The All-Time Greatest Rock Singer Named Pelle.
The Washington Post reviews the new Steve Earle album, The Revolution Starts Now, saying "it's a good album that could have been great."
Wckr Spgt: Fire in the Hole [mp3]
Las Rubias del Norte: several tracks [mp3]
Haley Bonar: several tracks [mp3]
Charlie Parr: several tracks [mp3]
If Thousands: several tracks [mp3]
Rilo Kiley: "It's a Hit" [mp3]
Joan of Arc: "Fleshy Jeffrey" [mp3]
Libertines: "Never Never" [mp3]
Mooney Suzuki: "Alive & Amplified" [mp3]
Pinback: "Fortress" [mp3]
My pal Brandon not only taped the recent shows at Mergefest (Merge Records' four night 15th birthday party), but he is also seeding them at EZTorrent (registration required). Already available are the following shows (with the rest to follow): Richard Buckner, M. Ward, The Rosebuds, The Essex Green, and Superchunk. He's also seeding the 2003 New Pornographers Atlanta show... Grab them while they're up.
Thanks to referrals from friends and LHB readers, I was able to place an order Friday for a free 20 gig iPod through FreeiPods.com. The order is being processed, and should be released to the vendor (Ecost.com) in the next day or two. Many thanks to all who helped, I'm just hoping the company remains solvent and reputable until everyone who jumped through the hoops is rewarded. I'll be rotating free iPod referral links as my referrals fill their requirements.
I have started the company's other promotion, a free 17" flat screen monitor, LCD television, 27" television or TV/VCR/DVD player at FreeFlatScreens.com. This is a similar promotion, but you need 8 referrals instead of the 5 required for an iPod. I'm giving this a try, fulfilling my offer obligation with the 99 cent Real Rhapsody trial (which I will probably cancel after getting credit). If you are in a particularly giving mode and want to try this promotion, please use my referral code. I'll rotate people who sign up under me once I fulfill my 8 referrals on both the LHB main page and on my individual archives. Thanks again. One warning: after signing up for the Free Flat Screens offer, spam messages started piling up in the mailbox I used to sign up, so use a spamtrap e-mail address or something with a good spam filter.
Addendum: the company has started a Free Desktop PC promotion!
Stephen King expounds upon "Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully - in Ten Minutes" (1988 reprint).
The first rock album for sale in Iran will be a Queen greatest hits package.
The New York Post explores four extremely troubled movie projects, including the film adaptation of The Confederacy of Dunces.
Blogging may make teens better writers.
MTV lists Sahara Hotnights fall US tourdates along with a short profile of the band.
Andy Ihnatako gives Sixapart's Typepad blogging service a positive review for the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Orlando Sentinel reviews the new Steve Earle album, The Revolution Starts Now, calling him "a 21st century Woody Guthrie."
TV Barn recalls the early days of the Food Network.
Amazon's Canadian storefront lists their "50 most essential Canadian books," with Alice Munro's The Love of a Good Woman at the top of the list. The Toronto Globe and Mail explores the list.
The highlight of today's downloads is definitely the radio sessions by Devendra Banhart. If you haven't heard this man's intimate music, download a track or two and give him a chance.
Devendra Banhart: 2002-11-14, WFMU & 2004-05-05, KCRW [mp3]
The Roots: many live shows [mp3]
Prodigy Remixed: Always Outsiders Never Outdone [mp3] (via)
Various Artists: Sounds Familyre 2004 sampler & Br. Danielsen tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Asthmatic Kitty [mp3]
Yo La Tengo: several tracks & samples [mp3]
Franz Ferdinand: remixes, radio spots [mp3,real,windows]
Denison Witmer: "24 Turned 25" [mp3]
Viva Voce: "Alive With Pleasure" [mp3]
Joanna Newsom: Clam Crab Cockle Cowrie [mp3]
With the Drive-By Truckers' The Dirty South released tomorrow, I will probably limit myself to one album purchase and savor the day. Several other releases are enticing, including Beep Beep, GBV's final studio album, Endochine, David Kilgour, and Mike Watt, and I'll probably pick these up some time this week as well.
Holiday music is starting to appear with greater regularity. This week Cyndi Lauper's remastered Christmas disc, Merry Christmas, Have a Nice Life, appears on shelves, as well as Justin Time for Christmas, Vol. 4.
On the DVD front, the highlight for me is Wodehouse Playhouse - The Complete Collection. I am a huge fan of P.G. Wodehouse, and will try to fit this into the media budget in the next several months.The Munsters first season is available, too, and reminds me that people are usually Munsters or Addams Family fans, but rarely both. I'm in the Munster camp, Fred Gwynne was simply adorable as Herman, a perfect casting choice.
Is there anything I'm missing? Anything on the list I should especially search out or avoid? Thanks in advance for the input.
Beep Beep: Business Casual [cd]
Junior Brown: Down Home Chrome [cd]
Jeff Buckley: Grace (remastered three disc set with bonus dvd) [cd]
Clinic: Winchester Cathedral [cd]
Donovan: Beat Cafe [cd]
Drive-By Truckers: The Dirty South [cd]
Dropkick Murphys: Tessie EP [cd]
Steve Earle: The Revolution Starts Now [cd]
Endochine: Day Two [cd]
Faun Fables: Mother Twilight [cd]
Faun Fables: Early Song [cd]
Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music: Platinum Collection [cd]
Four Tet: My Angel Rocks Back and Forth (bonus dvd) [cd]
The Grateful Dead: So Many Roads (1965-1995) (reissue) [cd]
Guided By Voices: Half Smiles of the Decomposed [cd]
Guitar Wolf: Love Rock [cd]
Inouk: No Danger [cd]
Joan of Arc: Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain [cd]
David Kilgour: Frozen Orange [cd]
Justin Time for Christmas, Vol. 4 [cd]
Cyndi Lauper: Merry Christmas, Have a Nice Life (remastered) [cd]
The Mooney Suzuki: Alive and Amplified [cd]
Mouse on Mars: Radical Connector [cd]
Billy Joe Shaver: Billy and the Kid [cd]
Twilight Singers: She Loves You [cd]
Laura Veirs: Carbon Glacier [cd]
Mike Watt: Secondman's Middle Stand [cd]
West Indian Girl: West Indian Girl [cd]
Whirlwind Heat: Flamingo Honey [cd]
The Apple [dvd]
The Apprentice - The Complete First Season [dvd]
Benny Hill Complete and Unadulterated - The Naughty Early Years, Set One (1969-1971) [dvd]
Betty Boop for President [dvd]
Dallas - The Complete First and Second Seasons [dvd]
Democracy University Vol 2 (Noam Chomsky) [dvd]
Farscape - The Complete Season 3 [dvd]
Futurama, Vol. 4 [dvd]
Jane Austen Collection (Sense and Sensibility/Emma/Persuasion/Mansfield Park/Pride and Prejudice/Northanger Abbey) [dvd]
Jim Brown All American [dvd]
Joni Mitchell - Refuge of the Roads [dvd]
The Munsters: Complete First Season [dvd]
NRBQ - One in a Million [dvd]
Purple Rain: 20th Anniversary Collection [dvd]
The Night Stalker/The Night Strangler [dvd]
Roller Boogie [dvd]
Shaolin Soccer [dvd]
Spy Kids Trilogy [dvd]
Under the Cherry Moon [dvd]
Wodehouse Playhouse - The Complete Collection [dvd]
Chromewaves is celebrating the release week of the last Guided By Voices studio album by offering eight covers of the band's songs. My favorite GBV cover, "Shocker In Gloomtown" by the Breeders is included, as are tracks by Portastatic, Delgados, In Vitriol, Salteens, Jimmy Eat World, Superdrag and the Strokes.
Unleash your inner Peggy Hill and join the fun with online Boggle.
Acid Casualties has added Pavement guitar tabs.
NME is streaming the new Libertines album, The Libertines.
A Columbia, Tennessee hair salon also offers a lending library to its customers.
Kelly Willis: Fading Fast EP (out of print, backed by Son Volt on first three tracks, registration required) [mp3]
Mike Watt: 1995-05-06, Chicago [flac]
Del McCoury Band: 2004-06-26, North Plains [mp3,ogg,shn]
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-02-11, KEXP [wma,real]
Drive-By Truckers: 2003-01-31, KEXP [wma,real]
Dot Allison: audio & video [mp3,real]
Various Artists: courtesy of rockstarhelper [mp3]
The Minus 5: "The Girl I Never Met (live)" [mp3]
Kimya Dawson: "Loose Lips" [mp3]
Elliott Smith: "Hooray for Tuesday (live Minders cover)" [mp3]
Smashing Pumpkins: 1998-08-05, Nashville [mp3]
Mike Watt: 1995-10-15, Charlottesville [mp3,ogg,shn]
Sons of Sound: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: Lookout Records artists [mp3]
The Fame: two tracks [mp3]
Low Flying Jets: several tracks [mp3]
The Turn-ons: several tracks [mp3]
A Place To Bury Strangers: several tracks [mp3]
The Flesh: "Death Connection" [mp3]
Human Television: "Saw You Walking By" [mp3]
The Autobiography of Red manages to be both tender and humorous, the kind of book that stays with you long after you've finished. This story of a boy with wings is filled with melodrama and romance, and is much recommended.
The next book is Bringing Down the House, the story of several MIT students who developed mathematical models to win in Vegas. Having been thrown out of a casino once for counting cards, I'm sure to enjoy the subject matter.
Red Herring profiles Sean Michaels, who writes the excellent mp3 blog Said the Gramophone.
The Selfstarter Foundation's August mix cd is indie-tastic.
John Vanderslice has given permission for his shows to be posted to the Live Music Archive. Look for live shows to be posted soon.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch lists fall book releases.
FoxyTunes is an extension to Firefox that will control your media player (iTunes, Winamp, etc.) from the browser.
This French site offers much Will Oldham information, as well as song downloads.
Joan Jett still loves rock and roll.
Listen to San Diego's Pirate 96.9 online, and hear the city's "most notorious unlicensed radio broadcaster."
The Toronto Globe and Mail explores lighter reading for the remainder of summer.
Neil Young and Lynyrd Skynyrd, friends or foes?
The San Francisco Chronicle says PJ Harvey "sang with the passion of a euphoric maenad" in a show review.
The Burning Brides are profiled by the Boston Globe.
Charlotte Martin: 2004-05-12, Boston [mp3,ogg,shn]
Fojimoto: several tracks [mp3,real]
Sleepy Atlantis: several tracks [mp3]
Templo Diez: several tracks [mp3]
Palliard: several tracks [mp3]
Nad Navillus: several tracks [mp3]
Unisex Salon: several tracks [mp3]
The Go Station: two tracks [mp3]
Dreamend: several tracks [mp3]
Come Down: several tracks [mp3]
From the Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania):
Calling 'Free Bird' Fans
Do you ever find yourself humming Lynyrd Skynyrd's famous Southern-fried anthem?
Do you yell for ''Free Bird'' at concerts?
Have you been embarrassed by people who yelled ''Free Bird'' at inappropriate times?
Does 'Free Bird' have a special meaning to you?
In anticipation of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Allentown Fair concert Aug. 31, we're collecting ''Free Bird'' stories. We'd like to hear yours.
Please send to Jodi Duckett, The Morning Call, P.O. Box 1260, Allentown, PA 18105. Or e-mail jodi.duckett@mcall.com or fax Jodi at 610-820-6693.
DEADLINE IS AUG. 23.
Sony's official bootleg site has shows from Pearl Jam, Modest Mouse and Phantom Planet available.
Relish reviews the new Drive-By Truckers album, The Dirty South. "Few albums rock as hard and unfold with as much dynamic impact as The Dirty South. The Truckers don’t wear fancy outfits, they don’t sell millions of discs, but they carry their integrity with honor. There isn’t a better rock ’n’ roll band toiling in the clubs of America. This band matters."
Philly's City Paper lists their "hits (and misses)" in music books this summer.
Heraclitus sayz is a new mp3 blog focusing on lo-fi indie rock.
The Vail Daily News asks two local bookstores for their "top 10 reads."
*sixeyes is linking to legal downloads every day, he caught my attention with his John Vanderslice post.
ClickZ chimes in on blogs, link love and blogging ethics.
The Guided By Voices bulletin board Disarm the Settlers has risen from the ashes.
Manchester Online looks back on 40 years of Manchester pop.
Steve Earle talks to the Alameda Times-Star about his new album, The Revolution Starts Now. "But what it ended up being about, this record, is the war, and war in general. And for me, it is 'The war, stupid,' because, in my belief, this war threatens to guarantee that there's nothing left for our grandchildren."
The Memphis Commercial Appeal profiles Rachel Hurley and her mp3 blog, Scenestars.
"Web logs" are the new classroom bulletin boards, according to the Arizona Republic.
Modest Mouse: 2000-05-19, New York City [mp3]
The Music: 2002-09-28 [mp3]
Atom Orr: several tracks [mp3,wma]
Hinkley: several tracks [mp3]
The Pacific: several tracks [mp3]
Vas Deferens: self-titled EP [mp3]
Bedroom Walls: several tracks [mp3]
The Douglas Fir: several tracks [mp3]
Eagle and Talon: several tracks [mp3]
Inouk: "Search for the Bees" [mp3]
The Delgados are keeping tour diaries.
Reuters reviews a recent "Chicks with Attitude" show.
Mastodon's Bill Kelliher tells the Las Vegas Mercury that his band is similar to Moby Dick. "I mean, Captain Ahab is this crazy dude who gets all of these people together, and they jump on a boat to go in search of Moby Dick. Like, even if they die doing it, they know they've got to fucking try anyway. I think you can look at our band in the same way. We have this white van that we all jump into and sacrifice our lives and our families and our friends back home to go on this quest for the rock."
Tucson Weekly interviews John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants and talks about the band's next project. "We're working on this big DVD project; it's for kids. It's an ABC project, so it's all songs about the alphabet. And it's very multimedia; it's been very exciting to put together, because we've been working with all these animators, and there's a whole puppet component that's very cool."
Flagpole reviews Pylon's farewell show.
Also from Flagpole, an assessment of music in Athens in 2004 (so far).
The Hartford Courant reviews adult film star Jenna Jameson's autobiography. "It's the literary version of her films, accompanied by photos of her at work and as a child - a bizarre juxtaposition."
The Dallas Observer publishes a profile of the Wrens and their excellent 2003 album, The Meadowlands.
Strokes: 2004-08-14, Little Steven's Underground Garage Rock Festival (bittorrent) [mp3]
Jack Johnson: 2002-02-13, KFOG & video [mp3,wmv]
Various Artists: tracks from Some Records [mp3]
Cansecos: three tracks [mp3]
The Mobius Band: several tracks [mp3,real]
Amy Miles: audio & video [mp3,mov]
Jedediah Parish: several tracks [mp3]
The Comas: two tracks [mp3]
Aeon Spoke: several tracks [mp3]
Windsor for the Derby: "The Melody of a Fallen Tree" [mp3]
Note: I posted this a couple of weeks ago, then pulled it. Having since read this Wired News article and still having a case of iPod lust (and a cassette Walkman budget at the moment), am willing to spread the word.
Has anyone signed up for the free iPods? Has anyone received theirs? Here's the skinny: sign up for one of the many trial offers through the site, then refer five friends who sign up for trial offers. Once you have completed your requirements (and it is noted on the site), you can then cancel your free trial.
Here's the link to sign up. Once my requirements are fulfilled, I'll be glad to serve up the referral links of those who sign up under me and complete their required offers. At the moment I'm two referrals away from ordering the iPod... I will keep you posted in the comments section.
The same company is also running a free flat screen monitor or television promotion.
2004-08-20 Update: I just ordered the iPod, and the order is processing. One note: I couldn't complete my order in Firefox, so had to recert to IE to place the order.
An addendum: The company running the promotions for free iPods has also added a Free Desktop PC promotion!
I anticipate a new Drive-By Truckers album the way some people look forward to Christmas or a birthday. Next Tuesday is the official appearance of The Dirty South, the band's latest opus to living in the south. The band's trio of songwriters continue to amaze. Mike Cooley's gritty tunes like "Cottonseed" show his growing strength as a songwriter, Patterson Hood is his usual southern poet self, and Jason Isbell is again the high point of the record. Last year's Decoration Day saw Isbell's debut with the band, and he wrote two poignant songs that remain my favorite from the album, "Outfit," and the title track. This time he pens four songs, with "Danko/Manuel" and "Goddamned Lonely Love" sure to have you singing along after a few plays. His solo album due next spring is one of the albums I'm most looking forward to.
The Dirty South has many topics like tornadoes, Sun Records, underemployment, car racing, even Sheriff Buford Pusser. The songs are entrenched in myth and history, love and war. The Truckers have succeeded in sharing their vision of the south, and it may not be pretty, but it sure is beautiful.
Album links:
Guitarists and songwriters Jason Isbell and Patterson Hood add song-by song commentary on the band's redesigned website.
Downloadable music from The Dirty South:
"Carl Perkins Cadillac" [mp3]
"Never Gonna Change" [mp3]
"Putting People on the Moon" [mp3]
What's that Called?, the website that tracks music in US commercials now has a UK website, so you can find out what that snappy track was in the car ad on both sides of the Atlantic.
Almost a Ghost is "a study in Beckology," giving synopses of every Beck tune, notes on live performances and often lyrics as well.
Being There is a new online magazine dedicated to "music and film culture for the literary minded." Since it is named for both one of my favorite films and albums, I am already a fan (the Coen brothers and Stephin Merritt features were more persuasive, though).
RealNetworks starts a lame blog attacking Apple (not the first time RealNetworks and lame have been in the same sentence).
The Washington Post is lukewarm about the new Drive-By Truckers disc, and especially Patterson Hood. "Hood's tales of woe start to feel like a cliche on the Truckers' sixth effort, 'The Dirty South,' which will reach stores next week. Not only is this 70-minute album bogged down by his predictable songwriting, it continues the southern rock band's trend toward ballads. Fortunately, the Truckers' other two singer-songwriters, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell, make contributions that salvage this rig."
The London News Review takes on Real's anti-Apple blog.
The Tennessean profiles Superdrag frontman John Davis as he goes solo.
The Age profiles Clotilde Dusoulier, who writes the exemplary food blog, Chocolate and Zucchini.
The Daily Trojan visits record stores, big and small, in the Los Angeles area.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer profiles Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer and artist Michel Cartellone.
The Minneapolis City Pages explore the city's early local hip-hop scene.
Caulfield Sisters: audio & video [mp3,mov]
Plastic Heroes: three tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Narnack Records artists [mp3]
Boyskout: several tracks [mp3]
The Dwarves: several tracks [mp3,real]
Starlite Desperation: several tracks [mp3]
Gram Rabbit: several tracks [mp3,real]
Smart Brown Handbag: several tracks [mp3]
Just Guns: demos & samples [mp3]
Michael Yonkers: two tracks [mp3]
Merge Records recently celebrated their 15th anniversary with Mergefest, a series of four nights filled with friends and musicians on the label. One of the highlights was the Superchunk show, the band of label founders Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance.
During the Superchunk show, Lou Barlow joined the band onstage for "Brand New Love," a song Superchunk had covered for The Freed Seed 7" back in 1991. Mac and company amp up the Sebadoh original, adding a raw energy that transforms the song into a pogo party. It was a fitting way to end their set (before they were called out for an encore, it was their party after all).
Happy belated birthday, Merge.
The song comes from Superchunk's Thursday, July 29, 2004 show at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro.
Simply put, Rilo Kiley's More Adventurous album (out today) is my favorite of the year so far. Lyrically, the songs could have been sung by Jerry Lewis (instead of Jenny Lewis) and still had stunning effect. The production is spot on, enhancing the band's talents instead of drowning them out as on past releases. Blake Sennett's guitar has never sounded better, and Jenny Lewis has the voice of an angel with a shot or two of Jack Daniels in her (and that's a very good thing).
Oddio Overplay celebrate their new domain with a downloadable album of theme songs.
Mike Wolf offers up a summer mixtape that definitely deserves to be heard.
No Love For Ned has put together another great show, filled with new and interesting artists.
The Motley Fool chimes in on eBay's investment in Craigslist.
The California Aggie calls Rock Against Bush, Volume 2, "a bunch of boring, cookie-cutter punk songs," only finding the Jawbreaker and Sleater-Kinney tracks "decent."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution publishes an innocuous blogging piece. (warning: onerous registration process)
Modest Mouse's "Good News for People Who Love Bad News" has gone platinum (one million units sold).
The BBC News profiles singer-songwriter Steve Earle.
E! online says the new Rilo Kiley album is "major source of refreshment for anyone feeling parched by the mainstream creative drought."
Cardigans: seven live shows [mp3]
Cex: audio, video [mp3,mp4,wmv]
Mogwai: 2001-04-19, London [shn]
Radiohead: several live tracks [mp3]
U2: 2001-10-30, Providence [mp3]
Daniel J. Harmann: several tracks [mp3]
thebrotherkite: several tracks [mp3]
ThetaCarpal (Pris sideproject): several tracks [mp3]
Unbunny: several tracks [mp3]
Maplewood: two tracks and a video [mp3,mp4] [via]
Of all the music that has been released this year, one song grabs my heart whenever I hear it. "Your Belgian Things," from the Mountain Goats' We Shall All Be Healed is an excellent example that John Darnielle's songwriting gets even better with the passing years. The song both builds and unfolds, and is filled with restrained emotion. This solo acoustic performance is especially poignant.
This version is from the KEXP performance from May 21st of this year.
The sun surely will shine on me tomorrow when I pick up the new Rilo Kiley album, More Adventurous. I always get that "kid in a candy store" feeling when one of my favorite bands releases a record.
I will probably also pick up Graham Smith's (of Kleenex Girl Wonder) new release as well as the Sunshine Fix album.
I missed this last week: Neko Case contributes "If I'm Going To Sink, I Might As Well Go To The Bottom," and Jeff Tweedy adds "Take This Job and Shove It to Touch My Heart, a tribute album to Johnny Paycheck. I'll be looking for this tomorrow as well.
On the dvd front, the Martin Scorsese reissues are appealing, especially as a five film package, but I'll wait to find these used. Margaret Cho is not only my presidential candidate of choice for 2008, but she also releases her latest concert film, Revolution, this week.
Bees: Free The Bees [cd]
Jens Lekman: You Are the Light [cd]
Northern State: All City [cd]
Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous [cd]
Graham Smith: Final Battle [cd]
Streets: Dry Your Eyes 1 [cd]
Streets: Dry Your Eyes 2 [cd]
Sunshine Fix: Green Imagination (with bonus dvd) [cd]
Talking Heads: Best of the Talking Heads (remastered) [cd]
Various Artists: Future Soundtrack for America [cd]
Various Artists: Touch My Heart (Johnny Paycheck tribute) [cd]
After Hours [dvd]
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore [dvd]
Dinner For Five - Season 1 [dvd]
Goodfellas (Two-Disc Special Edition) [dvd]
Margaret Cho - Revolution [dvd]
Martin Scorsese Collection (After Hours/Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore/Goodfellas/Mean Streets/Who's That Knocking At My Door?) [dvd]
Mean Streets (Special Edition) [dvd]
The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour [dvd]
Who's That Knocking at My Door? [dvd]
The New York Times explores Warner's recent communications with mp3 blogs, touting the Secret Machines.
Reuters publishes a short piece on blogs, buzz and copyright, quoting Chiore Sicha, "Film companies and music companies are seeing that 18- to 35-year-olds who are smart and have money and buy everything online are almost entirely our audience. Blogs have this shocking demographic that most magazines would kill for." Rachel Hurley of scenestars is also quoted, "We're not 13 anymore. We don't have time to sit around the house playing records for our friends." Amen, Rachel.
Blender spends a couple of days on tour with the Drive-By Truckers. Patterson Hood's father, David (a noted Muscle Shoals session musician), is also interviewed in the article.
Yewknee has added more summer mixes, and many are downloadable.
The Viktor Vaughn Coloring Page is fun for all ages, but not nearly as much fun as Vaughn's Venomous Villain album, which is brilliant.
Dubyaspeak: keep up with the US president's utterances.
Ruthless lists their "Top Ten Most Ridiculous Black Metal Pics Of All Time."
For your next obscure party, Robot Is Smashed By Punctuality has the mp3's.
Mundane Sounds has posted volume three of their new artist series, stop by and discover some new music.
Epitonic is offering a "music data recorder," their version of Webjay.
Nobublog posts a variety of genres, but always listenable tunes. I stopped by for Superunit, but will be back for the surprises.
The Christian Science Monitor profiles the Paris Review and its new editor, Brigid Hughes.
"How To Use Bittorrent in 5 Easy Steps," thanks to The Saltwater Pizza Blog.
The Fall: 2004-08-12 Peel session [mp3]
Drive-By Truckers: 2003-06-15, Bonnaroo (bittorrent) [flac]
Patterson Hood: 2004-08-14, Nashville (bittorrent) [flac]
Michael Gira: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Off Records artists [mp3]
Wckr Spgt: Live '87-'91 [mp3]
Graham Colton Band: two tracks [mp3]
The Parkas: two tracks [mp3]
Frontier Index: several tracks [mp3]
Rachel Goswell (on tour): "Sleeping & Tooting" [mp3]
Rilo Kiley: 2004-07-30, San Francisco [mp3]
My Morning Jacket: 2004-06-05, Philadelphia [mp3,ogg,flac]
Mogwai: 2003-06-27, Glastonbury [flac]
Placebo: b-side, live & remix tracks [mp3]
White Stripes: Fell In Love With A Girl (acoustic) [mp3]
Black Sand Desert: two live tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: courtesy of John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studio [mp3]
I See Hawks in L.A.: several tracks [mp3]
The Swedes: several tracks [mp3]
The Mice: several tracks [mp3]
Drive-By Truckers will perform "Every Mother's Son" on Sanctuary's Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute, Under the Influence -- A Jam Band Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd, due September 14th.
With the NHL season possibly shortened or lost due to labor issues, the Sports Forecaster has made an abbreviated version of their yearly hockey annual available as a PDF download.
hello, nintendo is a collaborative Nintendo blog.
Acousticwoodlands has been serving up interesting music links and commentary lately.
dios fans now have their own live Directconnect hub.
The Confederacy of Dunces film is no longer in development, according to this Times-Picayune article.
Ultragrrrl appreciates an Ultramaaan, Ben Kweller, in Spin.
British Sea Power: audio & video [mp3,mpg]
Various Artists: tracks from Dim Mak artists [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from the Green Man Festival album [mp3]
Sam and Me: demo tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: albums, audio & video via one times one [flash,mp3,real,windows,mov,real]
War Against Sleep: audio & video [mp3,asf]
Bardo Pond: several tracks [mp3]
Black Forest/Black Sea: several tracks [mp3]
Mouse On Mars: "Mine Is In Yours" [mp3]
Billy Bragg: "No Power Without Accountability" [mp3]
The Paris Review interviews one of my favorite novelists, Haruki Murakami. "Even now, my ideal for writing fiction is to put Dostoevsky and Chandler together in one book. That's my goal." (only partial review online) (via)
Lisa doesn't own an iPod (and doesn't want one).
The Washington Post is posting mp3's.
The Finn brothers (Tim & Neil) talk about their musical sibling rivalry with Stuff.
The Vail Daily News asks two local bookstores for their recommended "top ten reads.".
The Austin Chronicle presents a feature on the 13th Floor Elevators.
The Austin City Limits Music Festival has posted preliminary schedule grids, and my decision-making begins.
The Comic Wire brings us up to speed on what Neil Gaiman's been doing lately.
The Belfast Telegraph interviews Björk. ""I sometimes wonder what they would say if I was from Leeds, but my relationship with England is kind of cute, too. When I was developing as a vocalist, little kids here in Reykjavik would throw rocks at me because they thought I was weird, but English music papers like the NME discovered The Sugarcubes and gave me some credit, so I was never offended by them calling me an elf."
The San Francisco Chronicle profiles Pamela Sue Anderson, the author.
The Independent interviews two members of Liverpool's Ella Guru. "Most of the songs conjure up images away from where you are. You can't write beautiful music when you're somewhere beautiful."
... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead: 2003-03-12, Austin [shn]
Joe Strummer and the Latino Rockabilly War: 1988-06-17, London [mp3]
Big Audio Dynamite: 1984-06-10, Glasgow [mp3]
The Clash: 1982-09-08, Boston [mp3]
The Clash: 1976-09-20, London [mp3]
The Cure: 1992, Monterrey [mp3]
Foo Fighters: 2003-08-28, Pukkelpop [mp3]
Various Artists: many live shows & tracks [mp3]
The Libertines with Mick Jones: two live tracks [mp3]
Lake Trout: two tracks [mp3]
Monkees: clips from the film, Head [wav]
An Honest Tune reviews two nights of "The Rock Show" that Drive-By Truckers put on in Richmond.
Patterson Hood and Will Johnson of Centro-matic hit Workplay in Birmingham tonight, with an expected appearance of the Stroker Ace himself, Mike Cooley. Johnson is selling a tour-only cd containing four-track solo acoustic versions of early Centro-matic tunes.
John Sakamoto gives a shoutout to the Drive-By Truckers (and particularly to Jason Isbell's "Danko/Manuel,") in his weekly Anti-Hit List.
The Red and the Black talks to New West's director of publicity about the new Drive-By Truckers album, The Dirty South.
Four straight DBT-related posts, can you tell I'm excited about the new album release on the 24th and the upcoming tour?
Indy's Luna Records has copies of Tobin Sprout's 2004 Toronto show at the Horseshoe available as a two cd release, 29 songs from an underrated pop master.
The Guardian discusses Groovelily's leveraging of the internet for public relations purposes.
Allison Moorer talks to the Asheville Mountain Xpress. ""If you think about my sound in terms of how it's evolved, it's looser now. It's not so enamored with being country."
Nancy Sinatra's next album (due in September) will feature Morrissey, Jarvis Cocker, Jim O'Rourke, Jon Spencer, Thurston Moore and Calexico.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reviews the new Faces box set, Five Guys Walk Into a Bar....
Carl Newman talks to Atlanta's Creative Loafing. "I think I've always had this total love for the pop song that goes back to when I was a little kid. And I think it's always stayed with me, but through the years, there's always been these really cool bands that are not necessarily pop but I totally loved them -- like the Throwing Muses or the Thinking Fellers Union -- there's tons of 'em that had an influence on me along the way. So I'm always writing pop songs, but there's always these ideas where to go with the pop song, little messed up things to do."
The Austin Chronicle reviews a book that I just added to my wishlist, Where You're At: Notes From the Frontline of a Hip-Hop Planet.
The Houston Press compares US presidential candidates choices of campaign music and offers alternate suggestions.
The Independent fields questions from its readers for Dizzee Rascal.
The Hatfield Valley Advocate reviews Salon columnist Cintra Wilson's debut novel, Colors Insulting To Nature, comparing her to both John Waters and David Sedaris.
"Time to stop laughing: Phoenix prove French can rock," says the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
USA Today lists new and upcoming books about and by popular musicians.
Since Sharing the Groove has regrooved and made a great thing even better (even with the growing pains), here are some hot bittorrent links from the site (registration required):
Guided By Voices: 2004-06-17, Champaign [flac]
Velvet Underground: 1968-10-04, Cleveland [flac]
John Lennon: Lennon Remembers [flac]
Sonic Youth: 2004-08-05, Toronto [flac]
Jay Farrar: 2004-07-31, New Orleans [flac]
Yo La Tengo: 2004-06-05, Austin [flac]
Rufus Wainwright: 2004-07-11, Boston [shn]
Magnetic Fields: 2004-07-01, Detroit [shn]
The Black Keys: 2004-06-11, Bonnaroo [flac]
John Cale: 1979-05-19, Dallas [shn]
With the new Drive-By Truckers album set to drop in two weeks, I've been listening to many live shows by the band and its songwriters. In particular, several Patterson Hood solo shows have caught my ear, since he's been touring extensively supporting his solo album release.
Hood often covers Tom T. Hall's "Mama Bake a Pie (Daddy Kill a Chicken)" in his live performances. To the casual music fan, Tom T. Hall is more known for his love of watermelon wine and old pickup trucks, but the man has the true grace of a storyteller in verse. This song is one of his Vietnam protest efforts, and rings as true today as ever. The Drive-By Truckers also recorded this track for an upcoming Tom T. Hall tribute album this year.
Something Awful lists their top ten worst rock stars.
Junkmedia interviews Kevin Barnes of Of Montreal. "All the bands we put on that four songs cover EP, and we picked our favorite four contemporary bands. It was Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, the Shins, the Z-Twins, which is this really great band from the UK, and Broadcast. That's the stuff I'm really into."
FOXSports lists their top 368 sports cities.
The Hampton Roads Daily Press profiles and interviews Akin Fernandez (registration required), whose music label, , releases the Conet Project cd's. The discs are collections of shortwave code transmissions.
Give your children names that will work in crossword puzzles is the advice of the Cheboygan Tribune.
Flagpole interviews Southern Bitch's Adam Musick. "When you listen to a rock and roll record, you want to enjoy what you're hearing and, on top of that, I wanted it to have a timeless quality in that everything didn't specifically relate to the current state of affairs."
The Muffs: several tracks [mp3]Vue: several tracks [mp3]
The Stratford 4: two tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: many tracks from Alternative Tentacles artists [mp3]
Castle Oldchair: several tracks [mp3]
Minmae: several tracks [mp3]
Minmae: more tracks [mp3]
Franklin Bruno: two tracks [mp3]
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: "In Like the Rose" [mov]
Dead Combo: "You Don't Look So Good" [mp3]
Sparta: "Breaking the Broken" [mp3]
In an effort to clear off my nightstand, I have decided to read The Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse, by Anne Carson. A gift from my wife, the book has been near the bottom of my reading priorities for a couple of years. I'm actually glad to be finally reading this uniquely structured novel.
Welcome to all the readers of Morning News who have come here via the mp3 bloggers roundtable. Join the party, download some music and enjoy the virtual smorgasbord of aural delights.
Looking for a reference book to read on your iPod? Download a text from the iPodLibrary.
Reason examines the return of protest music. Featured are Punkvoter's Rock Against Bush Volume 1 and Volume 2, MoveOn's Future Soundtrack for America, and the Vote For Change tour.
Slate examines Maxim's literary turn.
Air is profiled on NPR's Day to Day.
Filter lists Songs: Ohia's three upcoming vinyl reissues on Secretly Canadian as well as fall tourdates.
The Scotsman reveals what men should read to impress vacationing women.
The Telegraph calls Badly Drawn Boy a "scruffbag with razor sharp wit" in a show review.
The Boston Globe asks, "Can celebrities make kids vote?"
Was Dweezil a weasel? Lisa Loeb's new album gets a short review, I just liked the headline.