Three solo acoustic shows by Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy are the gems in today's Bittorent Brunch. One of my favorite live recordings, Tweedy at Harper College in 1999, starts things off.
Jeff Tweedy: 1999-03-05, Harper College [flac]*
Jeff Tweedy: 1999-06-15, Chicago [flac]*
Jeff Tweedy: 1997-11-25, Cambridge [flac]*
Uncle Tupelo: 1994-05-01, St. Louis [flac]*
Decemberists: 2004-09-22, Champaign [shn]*
The Music: 2004-12-11, Los Angeles [flac]*
Camper Van Beethoven: 2004-12-20, Colorado Springs [flac]*
Kings of Leon: 2004-06-25, Glastonbury [flac]*
The Darkness: 2004-03-03, Cologne [flac]*
Neil Young: 1971-02-27, London [shn]*
Flaming Lips: 2004-11-18, Late Night with Conan O'Brien [dvd]*
*registration required
Scott at Stereogum names his favorite 14 discs of 2004.
Sin City Sounds offers offbeat holiday tunes on their outdated Advent calendar.
The Morning News lists their top ten 2004 albums, along with mp3 selections.
Sunsquashed has the tracklisting for the upcoming Yo La Tengo compilation.
Make your own Christmas carol.
John Peel's most played songs of 2004.
Boomkat lists their top 50 albums of 2004.
Allmusic's editors list their best albums of 2004.
Pulse of the Twin Cities looks back on their local music scene in 2004.
Looking for a last-minute gift for a sports fan? Here are five recommended books.
The New York Times listens to records with jazzman Wayne Shorter.
Writers of yuletide hits share their experiences with the Independent.
All-star humanitarian Cd's are back in vogue.
NPR's Morning Edition chronicles an immigrant's first American Christmas.
Camper Van Bethoven: 2004-12-07, Hamburg [mp3,ogg,flac]
Camper Van Beethoven: 2004-11-22, London [mp3,ogg,flac]
Decemberists: several tracks [mp3]
Keane: audio & video [mp3,mov,midi]
Audio Is a War: two tracks [mp3]
Yage: several tracks [mp3]
Chromelodeon: several tracks [mp3]
Dead Girls Ruin Everything: two tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Lilac Sky records [mp3]
Various Artists: Cactus Island recordings compilation [zipped mp3]
Various Superheroes: Exciting Christmas Stories [mp3]
A show by the new version of Son Volt headlines today's Bittorrent Brunch.
Son Volt: 2004-12-11, St. Louis [flac]*
Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven: 2004-12-20, Colorado Springs [flac]
Radiohead: 2003-10-06, Atlanta [flac]*
The Walkmen: 2004-08-10, Belle Vernon [flac]*
Steve Earle: 1996-01-17, San Francisco [flac]*
Built to Spill: 2001-09-25, Atlanta [dvd]*
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: 2004-11-08, Manchester [flac]*
The Melvins & Mudhoney: 2004-03-07, Seattle [flac]*
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: 2003-10-11, Livid Festival [flac]*
The Smiths: 1985-10-25, Glasgow [flac]*
*registration required
New West Records is offering a preview of the forthcoming Drive-By Truckers live dvd as well as an e-card from the band (warning: sound).
A Whole Lotta Nothing lists his "best of the net music for 2004."
Reason interviews FCC chairman Michael Powell.
Pitchfork lists their top 50 albums of 2004. How many have you heard? (Indie nerd that I am, I had heard 36 of these in their entirety)
Andy Cirzan offers Santa Soundscapes 2004!
Slate's Fred Kaplan lists the year's best jazz records.
Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot lists 2004's memorable live shows.
LA Weekly lists 5 2004 list-obsessed books. Also in LAW, 13 2004 CD reissues you may not have heard of.
The Broward New Times lists their top ten albums of 2004.
A St. Louis Post reporter is suspended for extracurricular Internet activities (his blog).
Washington's Metro Weekly lists the best and worst music of 2004.
Rex at Fimoculous lists his best albums of 2004.
The Boston Herald writes a puff piece on podcasting.
Virgin Mobile gets viral with Chrismahanukwanzakah.
Kate Bush is working on a new album.
The Hershey Chronicle names their top ten albums of 2004.
The Washington Post reviews John Waters' appearance Tuesday night.
Zumpano: 1987-04-08, Detroit plus b-sides & rarities [mp3]
Sufjan Stevens: unreleased holiday songs [mp3]
Mary Kate O'Neil: several tracks [mp3]
Sorayas: several tracks [mp3]
Early Day Miners: several tracks [mp3]
Stationary Odyssey: downloadable ep [mp3]
Various Artists: Suburban Sprawl's annualHoliday compilation [mp3] (via)
Drekka und Vollmar: two holiday tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from BlueSanct Recording Corporation [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Trailer Records [mp3,real]
Various Artists: tracks and samples from Zeal Records [mp3]
In honor of his birthday yesterday, a 1974 Frank Zappa show highlights today's Bittorrent Brunch.
Frank Zappa: 1974-09-08, Bologna [flac]*
The Shins: 2004-12-11, Los Angeles [flac]*
Green Day: 2001-04-26, New York [flac]*
The Cure: 2004-10-15, Black session [flac]*
Brian Wilson: 2004-02-20, London [flac]*
Neil Young: 1999-10-30, Bridge School Benefit [flac]*
Van Morrison: 1971-09-11, Marin [shn]*
Paul McCartney & Wings: 1976-05-03, Fort Worth [shn]*
Bob Dylan and others: 1975-12-08, New York [dvd]*
Beck: 2003-04-28, London [dvd]*
*registration required
Bloc Party: Peel session [mp3]
Extreme Elvis: holiday songs [mp3]
Señor Tonto: holiday songs [mp3]
Teenage Harlets: audio & video [mp3,mov]
Panty Lions: several tracks [mp3]
The Softies: several tracks [mp3]
Tullycraft: several tracks [mp3]
James Yorkston & the Athletes: two tracks and several samples [mp3]
My Teenage Stride: several demos [mp3]
Vatious Artists: "Lest We Forget" Berkeley compilation tape [mp3]
Recent shows by the Drive-By Truckers, Polyphonic Spree, Guided By Voices and Patty Griffin highlight today's Bittorrent Brunch.
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-12-16, Towson [shn]
Polyphonic Spree: 2004-12-18, Grand Prairie [shn]
Guided By Voices: 2004-11-03, Athens [flac]*
Patty Griffin: 2004-12-03, KGSR [flac]*
Tori Amos: 1998-09-11, KNDD [flac]*
The Clash: 1982-01-24, Tokyo [flac]*
White Stripes: 2002-07-12, Chicago [flac]*
Radiohead: 2000-07-04, Berlin [shn]
Bob Dylan: 1978-11-10, Seattle [flac]*
Thom Yorke: 1996-04-10, Rockville [shn]*
*registration required
The Soundtrack of Our Lives: 2001-06-01, Norwegian Wood [mp3,ogg,shn]
The Soundtrack of Our Lives: 2001-10-13, Hamburg [mp3,ogg,shn]
The Soundtrack of Our Lives: 2004-09-18, ACL Music Festival [mp3,ogg,shn]
The Books: several tracks [mp3]
King of Woolworths: several tracks [mp3,real]
The Animators: several tracks [mp3]
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!: several tracks [mp3]
Bonny Prince Billy & Matt Sweeney: "My Home Is the Sea (live)" [mp3]
Six Organs of Admittance: "Home" [mp3] from School of the Flower
Magnolia Electric Co.: "The Dark Don't Hide Here" [mp3] from Trials and Errors
A vintage Kinks holiday show and two KROQ Acoustic Xmas performances lead off today's Bittorrent Brunch.
The Kinks: 1977-12-24, Kristmas Koncert [shn]*
Keane: 2004-12-11, KROQ Acoustic XMAS [flac]*
Modest Mouse: 2004-12-11, KROQ Acoustic XMAS [flac]*
Modest Mouse: 2003-07-22, Atlanta [flac]*
Death Cab for Cutie: 2004-10-30, Austin [flac]*
Bjork: 2003-07-26, Fuji Rock Festival [dvd]*
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-12-15, Greenville [flac]*
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-12-18, Richmond [flac]*
Drivin' 'n' Cryin': 2004-11-26, Atlanta [flac]*
Radiohead: 1996-10-03, Providence [flac]
*registration required
No Love For Ned offers his annual holiday music show, with additional links to his 2002 and 2003 shows. That's six hours of holiday jingles, brought to you by the man who makes internet radio listenable, No Love For Ned.
Also recommended: SomaFM's Xmas in Frisco.
With the end of year approaching and hardly any music being released, I'll be passing on the one interesting CD release this week, The Adored's debut ep.
The Simpsons' 5th season and Napoleon Dynamite will be in my shopping bag at the end of the day, though, both will make excellent holiday gifts for family and friends, and the Simpsons discs will be a great addition to our DVD library. Is there anything I'm missing?
The Adored: EP [cd]
The 4400 - The Complete First Season [dvd]
De-Lovely [dvd]
Drawing the Line - Portrait of Keith Haring [dvd]
King Arthur (Unrated Widescreen Director's Cut) [dvd]
The Manchurian Candidate (Widescreen Edition) [dvd]
Napoleon Dynamite [dvd]
Shaun of the Dead [dvd]
The Simpsons - The Complete Fifth Season [dvd]
The Simpsons - The Complete First Five Seasons [dvd]
Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Seasons 1-7 [dvd]
Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Seventh Season [dvd]
Surviving Christmas [dvd]
Thunderbirds (Full Screen Edition) [dvd]
Vincent Van Gogh - A Dutchman [dvd]
Arcade Fire: 2004-10-02, CBC Radio 3 [mp3]
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: 2004-07-24, New York [mp3]
Slint: 1989-08-19, Chicago [mp3]
The Get Up Kids: 1999-10-09, Seattle [mp3]
Venetian Snares: several live shows [mp3]
Graham Coxon, Damon Albarn: Peel tribute songs [mp3]
Bob Dylan: "Rough Cuts" (Power Station, 1983) [mp3]
Brittlestar: two tracks [mp3]
The Aluminum Group: several tracks [mp3]
Morning Spy: several tracks [mp3]
Billy Bragg: 2004-03-29, London [mp3,ogg,flac]*
Camper Van Beethoven: 2002-07-19, New York [mp3,ogg,flac]
Camper Van Beethoven: 2002-07-18, New York [mp3,ogg,flac]
Los Lonely Boys: 2004-10-14, Phoenix [flac]
Bad Livers: 1981-08-12, Austin [shn]
Gavin DeGraw: 2004-12-11, Pittston [flac]
Mary Karlzen: several tracks [mp3]
The Slats: several tracks [mp3]
Brian Franklin: several tracks [mp3]
Paul Roub: several tracks [mp3]
MacGregor: 2001-05-18, Edgewater [mp3]
Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers: several tracks [mp3]
Peelander-Z: two tracks [mp3]
David Mead: two outtakes, several live tracks [mp3]
Dawn Landes: several tracks [mp3]
Tim Bluhm: several tracks [mp3]
American Drag: several tracks [mp3]
Antony and the Johnsons: one track and several samples [mp3]
The Heavenly States: two videos [mov]
The Honorary Title: "Bridge and Tunnel" [mp3]
RIP Kevin Coyne... Enjoy the two Kershaw sessions in today's Bittorrent Brunch.
Kevin Coyne: two Kershaw sessions [flac]*
R. Crumb & The Cheap Suit Serenaders: 1984-09-05, Cotati [flac]*
Various Artists: 2004-12-13, 40 Watt Xmas party [flac]*
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-12-11, Charlotte [flac]
The Handsome Family: 2004-1-12, New York [flac]*
Magnetic Fields: 2001-07-01, Roskilde Festival [flac]*
Pixies: 2004-12-04, Camden [flac]*
16 Horsepower: 2000-03-20, Nijmegen [flac]*
PJ Harvey: 1995-10-01, Modern Rock Live [flac]*
Kid Creole & The Coconuts: 1982-10-16, Essen [flac]*
*registration required
Local H: 2004-12-10, Q101 [mp3,ogg,flac]
Rainer: 1983-12-05, KXCI [mp3,ogg,flac]
The Fashion: one track and several clips [mp3]
Oxford Collapse: several tracks [mp3]
The Dudley Corporation: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from The Social Registry Records [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Lovitt Records [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from File-13 Records [mp3]
Loxsly: "Dramatador" live on KVRX [mp3]
Pokett: "Train" [mp3]
The stripped-down demo recordings you can find online are some of my favorite downloads. Today's Bittorrent Brunch features two sets of REM demos and an amazing Jonathan Richman demo recording from 1973. Recent shows by Snow Patrol, Franz Ferdinand and The Delgados are also featured.
REM: Green demos [flac]*
REM: Life's Rich pageant demos (and more) [flac]*
Jonathan Richman: 1973 Living Room Demos [shn]*
Green Day: 2004-12-12, Los Angeles [flac]*
Franz Ferdinand: 2004-12-11, Los Angeles [flac]*
Pearl Jam: 2004-10-01, Reading [flac]
Delgados: 2004-12-13, Paris [flac]*
Snow Patrol: 2004-09-22, Minneapolis [flac]*
Chris Whitley: 1999-05-20, Philadelphia [flac]*
Golden Smog, Minus 5, Uncle Tupelo, Wilco: videos [dvd]*
*registration required
Lotus: 2004-03-06, Richmond [mp3]
Old Crow Medicine Show: several tracks [mp3,wma,real]
minipop: several tracks [mp3]
The Bright Black Morning Light: several tracks [mp3]
Phenomenauts: audio & video [mp3,ogg,mpg]
Queen: rarities [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Oh! Map Records [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Turn Records [mp3]
Wilco: "Don't Fear the Reaper" (Blue Oyster Cult Cover) [mp3]*
Dead Ghosts: "Make Me" [mp3] from Exfoliation
*registration required
Two Pavement shows start today's Bittorrent Brunch, with recent shows by the Drive-By Truckers, the Darkness, and a television appearance by the Pixies rounding things out.
Pavement: 1994-04-21, Missoula [shn]*
Pavement: 1994-04-07, Atlanta [shn]*
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-12-10, Charlotte [flac]*
Death Cab for Cutie: 2004-11-09, Seattle [flac]*
Led Zeppelin: 1980-07-07 [flac]*
Doug Martsch: 2002-03-24, Portland [shn]*
PiL: 1979-06-18, Manchester [shn]*
Sex Pistols: 1978-01-10, Dallas [flac]*
The Darkness: 2004-12-10, London [flac]*
Cat Power: 1999-09-06, Seattle [flac]*
Pixies: 2004-12-14, live on Letterman [mpg]*
*registration required
Radiohead: live & demo tracks [mp3]
Jori Hulkkonen: two live sets [mp3]
50 Foot Wave: several tracks [mp3,wma]
Die Romantik: several tracks [mp3,real]
Magneta Lane: "Cheap Linguistics" [mp3] from their forthcoming 2005 7"
Uncut: "Understanding the New Violence" [mp3] from Those Who Were Hung Hang Here
controller.controller: "History" [mp3] from History
Memphis: "The Second Summer" [mp3] from I Dreamed We Fell Apart
Jake Fairley: "Mosquito" [mp3] from Touch Not the Cat
Hanalei: "Action Drum" & "John Hughes Endings" [mp3] from We Are All Natural Disasters
Grab a couple of Radiohead videos that are the first courses on today's Bittorrent Brunch.
Radiohead: 2003-06-05, New York [dvd]*
Radiohead: 1997-06-28, Glastonbury Festival [mpg]*
Broken Social Scene: 2004-02-12, Rome [flac]*
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: 2004-11-24, Brussels [shn]*
Pedro The Lion: 2004-12-09, Fullerton [shn]*
Guided By Voices: 2004-11-16, Portland [shn]*
Calexico: 2004-11-20, Tempe [shn]*
Jeff Tweedy & Jay Bennett: 1999-07-25, Chicago [shn]*
Cat Power: 1998-11-26, Berne [flac]*
Led Zeppelin: 1973-01-14, Liverpool [flac]
*registration required
Mike Watt: 2004-12-10, Echo Park [mp3,ogg,flac]
Local H: 2004-12-10, Q101 [mp3,ogg,flac]
Ani DiFranco: two live shows and other tracks [mp3]
Morning Theft: several tracks [mp3]
Wckr Spgt: Everybody's Dead (Oh My) [mp3]
Mathematicians: two tracks [mp3]
King Black Acid: two tracks [mp3]
The Drive: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Duna Records [mp3]
Various Artists: Austin City Limits tribute to Townes Van Zandt [mp3]*
*registration required
Indietorrents is a great resource for live shows served in mp3 format. Here's a small sample of the shows available:
Ben Gibbard: 2002-07-13, Seattle [mp3]*
The Postal Service: 2003-05-06, KCRW [mp3]*
James Mercer (of The Shins): 2004-01-07, KBOO [mp3]*
James Mercer (of The Shins): 2004-10-10, Moonshine Festival [mp3]*
The Shins: 2004-02-08, Mission Beach [mp3]*
The Shins: 2002-07-13, Austin [mp3]*
The Decemberists: 2004-09-22, Champaign [mp3]*
The Arcade Fire: 2004-11-27, Minneapolis [mp3]*
Neutral Milk Hotel: 1998-03-04, Carrboro [mp3]*
Desaparecidos: 2001, Omaha [mp3]*
Devendra Banhart: 2004-05-05, KCRW [mp3]*
Pavement: 1999 BBC Evening Session and three Glastonbury tracks [mp3]*
*registration required
Import singles by Morrissey (x2), the Black Keys, the Zutons, the Twilight Singers, and Damien Rice are the gems in this week's record releases, as well as a domestic single by Bonnie Prince Billy. I'll probably put off picking up any of these, though, and concentrate on my holiday shopping tomorrow. Is there anything worth making an extra trip to the record store?
On the DVD front, I'll probably pick up The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set), the first two seasons of Everybody Loves Raymond, and possibly a couple of other presents for friends and family.
This week's interesting releases:
Anouk: Girl [cd]
The Black Keys: Till I Get My Way/Girl Is on My Mind (import single) [cd]
Bonnie Prince Billy: No More Workhorse Blues (single) [cd]
Damien Rice: Blower's Daughter (import single) [cd]
Flunk: Morning Star [cd]
Marah: Let's Cut the Crap & Hook Up Later on Tonight [cd]
Merle Haggard: Unforgettable [cd]
Morrissey: I Have Forgiven Jesus Pt.1 (import single) [cd]
Morrissey: I Have Forgiven Jesus Pt.1 (2 track import single) [cd]
Twilight Singers: Too Tough to Die (import single) [cd]
Various Artists: ABBAlicious [cd]
Zutons: Confusion (import single) [cd]
24 - Seasons 1-3 [dvd]
American Icon (Johnny Cash) [dvd]
Collateral (Widescreen Two-Disc Edition) [dvd]
Everybody Loves Raymond - The Complete First And Second Seasons [dvd]
Everybody Loves Raymond - The Complete Second Season [dvd]
Faith Rewarded: The Historic Season of the 2004 Boston Red Sox [dvd]
Family Guy - The Freakin' Sweet Collection [dvd]
Futurama Volumes 1-4 [dvd]
Godzilla Box Set [dvd]
I, Robot (Widescreen Edition) [dvd]
Joss Stone - Mind, Body & Soul Sessions [dvd]
Julia Child! America's Favorite Chef [dvd]
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) [dvd]
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition Collector's Gift Set) [dvd]
The Lord of the Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy (Special Extended DVD Edition) [dvd]
Lost in Space Seasons 1-2 [dvd]
Mary Poppins (40th Anniversary Edition) [dvd]
M*A*S*H Seasons 1-7 [dvd]
Meet the Parents (Widescreen Special Edition) [dvd]
Newlyweds - Nick & Jessica - The First Season [dvd]
Paris, Texas [dvd]
Piaf [dvd]
The Princess Diaries 2 - Royal Engagement (Widescreen Edition) [dvd]
Rocky Anthology [dvd]
Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete Seasons 1-3 [dvd]
Star Trek The Original Series - The Complete Third Season [dvd]
Modest Mouse: 2001-09-08, Portland [mp3] (thanks)
The Besties: several tracks [mp3]
Gameboyzz Orchestra Project: several tracks [mp3]
The Chap: several tracks [mp3]
Pipas: several tracks [mp3,mp4,real]
Nixon: Cigarettes & Rainy Days ep [mp3]
Year Future: two live tracks [mp3]
Send For Help: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks courtesy of Blue Ghost Publicity [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks courtesy of ArtRocker [mp3]
With the unfortunate demise of Sharing the Groove, several sites have stepped forward to try and fill its shoes. The most promising new site is Purelivegigs, a forum-based bittorrent community that has already seeded many interesting shows in its short life. The first four shows of today's Bittorrent Brunch come from this excellent resource.
The Hives: 2004-12-10, Los Angeles [flac]*
Neil Young: 1999-10-30, Bridge School Benefit (acoustic) [flac]*
PJ Harvey: 2001-09-04, New York [flac]*
The Who: 1989-06-27, New York [flac]*
Pearl Jam: 1992-05-05, Boulder [flac]
Kevin Coyne: 2003-09-13, Germany [flac]*
Stan Ridgway: 2004-12-08, San Francisco [flac]*
Kings of Leon: 2004-06-25, Glastonbury Festival [shn]*
Modest Mouse: 1997-04-27, California [flac]*
Wilco: 2004-07-10, Chicago [flac]*
*registration required
Billy Bragg: 2004-03-28, Southampton [mp3,ogg,flac]
Tracy Chapman: 2000-05-16, Hamburg [mp3]
Converge: several tracks [mp3]
Fancey: two tracks [mp3]
Crimson Spectre: several tracks [mp3]
Dave Douglas: two tracks [mp3]
A Light in the Attic: several tracks [mp3]
Saviours: two tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Council Records [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Purepainsugar Records [mp3]
I am constantly amazed that shows are taped, transferred, encoded and seeded so quickly. Today, Thursday evening shows by the Drive-By Truckers and Muse are available in the Bittorrent Brunch.
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-12-09, Wilmington [shn]
Muse: 2004-12-09, Los Angeles [flac]*
Kings of Leon: 2004-12-10, Friday Night with Jonathon Ross [mpg]*
Flaming Lips: 2000-04-14, Baltimore [shn]
Uncle Tupelo: 1992-12-02, Munich [shn]*
Neil Young: early demos & outtakes, 1965-1967 [shn]*
Public Image Ltd: 1988, Estonia [flac]*
The Black Keys: 2004-10-12, Late Night with Conan O'Brien [mpg]*
Devo: television appearances 1978-1981 [dvd]*
Morrissey: "The Importance of Being Morrissey" documentary [mpg]*
Bad Livers: 1996-10-23, Camp Mather [shn]
Dälek: several tracks [mp3]
Empress: several tracks [mp3]
The Cloud Room: two tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: 365 Days Project (direct download) [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Lucid Records [mp3]
Turing Machine: "Don't Mind if I Don't" [mp3] from Zwei
Mocket: "Spot-For-Best-Vision" [mp3] from Pro Forma
Kissing Tigers: "I Died in a Mall" [mp3] frpm Trebuchet
Devin the Dude: "Anything" [wma] from To Tha X-treme
In honor of Dimebag Darrell, today's Bittorrent Brunch begins with two Pantera shows.
Pantera: 1998-06-09, Buenos Aires [flac]*
Pantera: 1994-05-05, San Antonio [shn]*
Loose Fur: 2000-05-14, Chicago [flac]*
Bloc Party: 2004-11-07, Paris [shn]*
Radiohead: 1995-02-27, 2 Meter sessions [shn]
Wilco: 2004-11-06, Denver [flac]
Paul McCartney: 2004-10-24, Bridge School Benefit [flac]*
Morrissey: 2000-03-28, Santiago [flac]*
Eagles of Death Metal: 2004-12-07, Detroit [flac]*
Red House Painters: 1997-06-14, Hulstfreds Festival [flac]*
*registration required
The Butchies: audio & video [mp3,mp4]
Thirdimension: audio & video [mp3,mov]
Efterklang: several tracks [mp3]
Jetplane Landing: several tracks [mp3,real]
Swervedriver: live compilations of all four albums [mp3]
Smash-Up Derby: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks fromWichita Recordings [mp3,real]
Various Artists: tracks from Parasol Records [mp3]
Various Authors: alphabetical list of downloadable audiobooks [mp3]
Bittorrent downloads of live shows are not always just audio, as the first two offerings of today's Bittorrent Brunch show. With DVD burners and high speed internet becoming even more commonplace, expect more live show videos to be available in the future.
Sonic Youth: 2004-07-15, Portland [dvd]*
Miles Davis: two shows [dvd]*
Miles Davis: 1983-04-25, Brussels [shn]*
North Mississippi Allstars: 2004-10-16, Philadelphia [flac]
Be Good Tanyas: 2002-11-04 [flac]*
GWAR: 1985, Richmond (first show) [flac]
They Might Be Giants: 1999-10-23, New York [flac]
Radiohead: 2003-11-27, London [shn
David Byrne: 2004-06-13, Bonnaroo [flac]]
Los Lonely Boys: 2004-11-19, Madison [mp3,ogg,flac]
Mutual Admiration Society: 2004-08-09, Chicago [shn]
Patti Smith: 2004-10-22, Paris (White session) [mp3]
Godspeed You! Black Emperor: two shows [mp3]
Emma McGlynn & the Monorails: several tracks [mp3]
The Irises: two tracks and several samples [mp3]
Jason Mitchell: two tracks [mp3]
Celesteville: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Radio Vulva [mp3]
The Fiery Furnaces: "Single Again" [mp3] from EP
I am a huge fan of songwriters, and especially love to hear their songs stripped bare and performed acoustically. Today's Bittorrent Brunch offers acoustic performances by Rufus Wainwright, John Lennon and George Harrison, along with several other interesting shows.
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-07-30, Winston-Salem [flac]
Rufus Wainwright: 2004-12-01, KCRW acoustic [flac]*
Gillian Welch: 1999 UK radio session [flac]*
Smog: 2001-12-04, Malmö [wav]*
The Feelies: 1986-03-14, Cambridge [flac]*
REM: 2004-09-15, London [flac]*
John Lennon: Acoustic Masterpieces [flac]*
George Harrison: Acoustic Masterpieces [flac]*
Various Artists: 1999 Bridge School Benefit [shn]*
Bob Dylan: 1990-08-27, Merrillville [shn]*
Los Lobos: 2004-07-25, Grassroots Festival [mp3,ogg,flac]
American Analog Set: two tracks [mp3]
b. fleischmann: audio & video [mp3,mov]
Nina Gordon: audio & video [mp3,wmv,mpeg]
Nina Gordon & Veruca Salt: several tracks [mp3,real,wav]
Mellow Drunk: several tracks [mp3]
The Moaners: "Heart Attack" [mp3] from Dark Snack
Joseph Arthur: "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" (Smiths cover) [mp3] (via)
Depistado: "A Stirstick's Prediction" [mp3] from The Emergency Response
Boxcar Saints: "I Think I'm Done" [mp3]
There are plenty of download-worthy shows in today's Bittorrent Brunch, but I am always partial to Jeff Tweedy solo shows. This performance from January of 2003 is remarkable (as are most of his solo shows).
Jeff Tweedy: 2003-01-08, Chicago [flac]
Wilco: 2003-09-04, Eugene [shn]*
Yo La Tengo: 2004-10-10, Carrboro [flac]
Paul McCartney: 2004-10-24, Bridge School Benefit [shn]*
Beatles: White album sessions [shn]*
Vic Chesnutt: 2002-02-15, Atlanta [flac]*
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings: 1994-05-19, Nashville [shn]
Interpol: 2003-09-17, Toronto [flac]*
The Feelies: 1991-05-02, Chicago [flac]*
Pixies: 2004-12-05, Camden [flac]*
Bauhaus: 1979, live in the studio [shn]*
*registration required
The New York Times reviews Sunday night's Guided By Voices Irving Plaza show.
Keith (of TTIKTDA) waxes poetic about the upcoming Fiery Furnaces singles and b-sides compilation (as well as posting a couple of tracks). After one listen, this EP (titled "EP," of course) ranks with Low's The Great Destroyer as an early 2005 personal favorite.
Our kitten Neko wants the Coconut Palm Cat Tree for Christmas.
Rough Trade lists their top ten 2004 compilations, top ten 2004 reissues and collections, and top 100 2004 albums.
Store a list of wifi hotspots on your iPod with wiPod.
Sloan is offering their tourdates as an RSS feed.
iPodlounge offers its "iPod Year in Review."
Donutmuse lists their top 25 albums of 2004.
Stripwax is "the world's only comic strip record review."
Salon names their top ten books of the year.
Popmatters' Zeth Lundy lists his best music of 2004.
TV shows are tuning out theme songs.
USA Today lists recent and upcoming music DVD's, as well as 2004's best-selling music DVD's.
The Globe and Mail covers Marqui Inc.'s paid blogger marketing scheme.
Wired News previews videocasting, the inevitable followup to podcasting.
Investor's Business Daily has an iPod, a Blackberry and a mini PC on it's Christmas wish list.
The Philadelphia Daily News offers music gift suggestions.
Mozilla releases Thunderbird 1.0PR, its e-mail client.
Has the internet caused the extinction of plagiarism?
Devendra Banhart: 2004-10-15, Copenhagen [mp3]
Cracker: 2003-05-23, Indianapolis (late show) [mp3,ogg,shn]
Silverbullit: 2001, Goteborg [mp3]
Silverbullit: several tracks [mp3]
Amandine: several tracks [mp3]
Diskettes and related bands: several tracks [mp3]
Lederhosen Lucil: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: WFMU's December "On The Download" [mp3]
Various Artists: Blocks Recording Club artists [mp3]
Mark E. Smith: Deeply Vale documentary excerpt [mpg]
Magneta Lane: "The Constant Lover" [mp3] from The Constant Lover ep
A Very Southern Christmas is not your typical collection of holiday yarns. All ten of the short stories are well-written and thought-provoking, but there is not one happy elf or Tiny Tim to be found. The holiday theme is portrayed with all its frazzled edges, and this makes the book welcome when the holidays have become so sanitized and sugared. I'm immensely thankful to my sister for giving me this autographed copy.
iPod Fan Book, by Yasukuni Notomi, is my next book. This book is almost too cute to read, I'd give it an A+ for design without even cracking the spine.
Today's Bittorrent Brunch is filled with singer/songwriters. from Patterson Hood to Rufus Wainwright to Ray Charles. Enjoy.
Patterson Hood: 2004-12-02, Chicago (2 shows) [flac]*
Drive-By Truckers: 2002-03-02, Atlanta [flac]*
Rufus Wainwright: 2004-05-30, Manchester [flac]*
Damien Rice: 2004-12-04, Los Angeles [flac]*
Hope Sandoval: 2002-08-11, Portland [shn]*
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks: 2001-02-05, Paris [shn]*
Bob Dylan: 1998-02-14, Cleveland [flac]*
Echo And The Bunnymen: 1984-08-28, New Orleans [flac]*
Ray Charles: 1995-09-09, New York [flac]*
The Cure: 2000-02-04, The Hotel Konrad Sessions [flac]*
*registration required
This week's album releases are a slim crop, with Morrissey's repackaged You Are the Quarry easily the highlight for me. This new issue includes b-sides from the singles as well as a DVD including live video.
The DVD releases are far more promising. I'll be picking up season two of the Gilmore Girls, The White Stripes - Under Blackpool Lights, and Neil Gaiman's A Short Film About John Bolton.
Anything I'm missing?
This week's interesting CD & DVD relations:
Devendra Banhart: At the Hop (import single) [cd]
Lindsay Lohan: Speak [cd]
Ludacris: Red Light District [cd]
Morrissey: You Are the Quarry (Bonus Dvd) [cd]
Simon & Garfunkel: Old Friends Live on Stage (Deluxe Edition) (2 CD/1 DVD) [cd]
Various Artists: Do They Know It's Xmas (import single) [cd]
Various Artists: Do They Know It's Christmas (two track import single) [cd]
24 - Season Three [dvd]
Abba - Super Troopers [dvd]
The Bourne Supremacy (Widescreen Edition) [dvd]
Buster Keaton Collection [dvd]
Carnivale - The Complete First Season [dvd]
Elephant [dvd]
Eminem - AKA [dvd]
Erasure - The Tank, The Swan, and The Balloon Live [dvd]
The Flintstones - The Complete First and Second Seasons [dvd]
The Flintstones - The Complete Second Season [dvd]
Gilmore Girls - The Complete Second Season [dvd]
Gilmore Girls - The Complete First & Second Seasons [dvd]
The King of Kings - Criterion Collection [dvd]
M - Criterion Collection [dvd]
M*A*S*H - Season Seven (Collector's Edition) [dvd]
Neil Gaiman's A Short Film About John Bolton [dvd]
Rodney Dangerfield - The Ultimate No Respect Collection [dvd]
Star Trek Voyager - The Complete Sixth Season [dvd]
The Ultimate Matrix Collection (The Matrix / Reloaded / Revolutions / Revisited / The Animatrix) [dvd]
The Ultimate Matrix Collection Limited Edition Collector's Set (The Matrix / Reloaded / Revolutions / Revisited / The Animatrix) [dvd]
The White Stripes - Under Blackpool Lights [dvd]
Acid Mothers Temple: 2004-06-18, Philadelphia [mp3,ogg,flac]
Camper Van Beethoven: 2004-11-12, Atlanta [flac]
Cracker: 2003-05-22, Indianapolis [mp3,ogg,shn]
Black Moth Super Rainbow: several tracks [mp3]*
Ugress: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Rednetic Records [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Carbon Records [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from The Agriculture Records [mp3]
Various Artists: "Bootmixed" [mp3]
Khavi Collective Audio Sculptors: Khavi Audio Release 63 [ogg]
*updated since last post
From the Beatles to Interpol, you're sure to find an interesting download in today's Bittorrent Brunch.
Guided By Voices: 1999-03-20, Austin [flac]*
Pearl Jam: 1998-06-23, Englewood [flac]
Gillian Welch: 1997-09-27, Hickory [flac]*
Gilian Welch: 2001-08-19, Lyons [flac]*
Interpol: 2004-12-09, Lyon [flac]*
Beatles: Revolver outtakes [flac]*
Jeff Tweedy: 2003-01-09, Chicago [flac]*
Warren Zevon: two shows, March 1978 [shn]*
The Clash: two 1978 shows [shn]*
Super Furry Animals: 2004-02-04, San Francisco [flac]*
*registration required
Interpol: 2004-11-24, Lille [mp3]
Camper Van Beethoven: 2003-01-19, Madison [mp3,ogg,flac]
Joseph Arthur: 2004-07-20, New York [mp3]
Delays: radio sessions [mp3] (updated since last post)
Neutral Milk Hotel: several shows and rarities [mp3] (updated since last post)
Brazzaville: several tracks [mp3]
Cash Nexus: Melonballer album [mp3]
Von Iva: two tracks [mp3]
The Thermals: several tracks [mp3]
Enon: "Starcastic" [mp3] from Hocus Pocus
Two shows by the Shins headline today's Bittorrent Brunch...
Shins: 2004-11-13, Minneapolis [shn]*
Shins: 2004-02-08, Mission Beach [shn]*
Wilco: 2002-09-02, Seattle [shn]
Rufus Wainwright: 2004-02-13, New York [shn]*
Neil Finn: 2004-03-11, Los Angeles [shn]*
Sahara Hotnights: 2004-07-03, Skellefteå [flac]*
Squarepusher: 2003-08-06, New York [flac]*
The Pogues & Joe Strummer: 1991-11-07, Cologne [flac]*
The Jam: 1981-05-26, New York [shn]*
Miles Davis Septet: three 1973 performances [dvd]*
*registration required
Tishamingo: 2004-11-26, Birmingham [flac]
Local H: 2004-11-26, Lemont [mp3,ogg,flac]
Camper Van Beethoven: 1989-10-27, Philadelphia [mp3,ogg,flac]
Kevn Kinney's Sun Tangled Angel Revival: 2004-03-28, Atlanta [mp3,ogg,flac]
Kevn Kinney's Sun Tangled Angel Revival: 2004-03-21, Atlanta [mp3,ogg,flac]
Hole: 1999 KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas [mp3]
Hole: several live shows [mp3]
Creeper Lagoon, Death Cab for Cutie, Unwound, Crooked Fingers shows [mp3]
Various Artists: excellent "Crazy Christmas" mix [mp3]
Asylum Street Spankers: "Asylum Street Blues (live at KDHX)" [mp3]
A last week show by the Dears and a 1978 television performance bookend today's Bittorrent Brunch.
The Dears: 2004-11-30 & 2004-03-11, Los Angeles [flac]*
They Might Be Giants: 1997-12-03, Newark [shn]
Travis Morrison: 2004-07-06, Orlando [flac]
Sebadoh: 1994 Peel session [flac]*
Tishamingo, Drive By Truckers, & North Mississippi Allstars: 2004-11-26, Birmingham [flac]*
Morrissey: 2002-09-30, Paris [flac]*
Built To Spill: 2003-07-23, Seattle [flac]*
Pavement: 1994-04-23, San Francisco [shn]*
Uncle Tupelo: 1993-11-11, San Francisco [flac]*
Television: 1978-06-09, Roslyn [flac]*
*registration required
Thanks to DJ Martian for collecting best of 2002 and 2003 music lists.
Newsweek calls podcasting "Tivo for your iPod."
USA Today rounds up the year's best R&B, jazz, blues and reggae as well as pop and rock box sets.
Factsheet Five plans to begin publishing again in 2005 after a seven year hiatus.
The Guardian sets ground rules for bands contemplating a reunion.
WhatIfSports is simulating the 2004-2005 NHL season.
Pure Live Gigs and The Traders' Den are live music bittorrent communities trying to fill the void that Sharing the Groove once filled.
Diesel Sweeties has some great t-shirt holiday gift ideas.
Romantic Air offers the specifics on the Pas/Cal and Asobi Seksu holiday single.
Audible Frequency is a unique mp3 blog featuring self-recorded snippets.
The Washington Post profiles author Bernard Malamud.
Athens bands recall tour transportation with Flagpole.
The Oxford American has resurfaced as a quarterly.
Various Artists: vinyl holiday gems from Basichip Digital Oddio (rotated every four days) [mp3]
Pedro The Lion: 2004, Omaha & other tracks [mp3]
Led Zeppelin: live tracks [mp3]
David Bowie: 2002-09-18, BBC [mp3]
David Bowie: 1983-07-13, Montreal [mp3]
Moxie Motive: several tracks [mp3] (thx)
Thanks to the prolific and always interesting Brooklynvegan for the following two tracks:
Final Fantasy: "Peach Plum Pear" (Joanna Newsom cover) [mp3]
Decemberists: "Bandit Queen" (from their forthcoming album) [mp3]
Explosions in the Sky: "Your Hand in Mine (w/strings)" [mp3] from Friday Night Lights
Willie Nelson: "Whatever Happened To Peace on Earth" [mp3]
My Morning Jacket's 2001 Christmas radio show appearance highlights today's Bittorrent Brunch.
My Morning Jacket: 2001-12-25, Louisville (Christmas radio show) [shn]*
Conor Oberst: 2004-11-15, Munich [flac]
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-11-07, Chattanooga [flac]
The Fall: 2004-10-13, Munich [flac]*
OOIOO: 2004-11-06, Hollywood [flac]*
The Frames: 2004-03-27, San Francisco [shn]*
Interpol: 2004-11-19, Paris [flac]*
The Strokes: 2001-07-05, Stockholm [shn]*
Beastie Boys: 1992-05-22, New Jersey [flac]*
Various Artists: Santa's Boots (Christmas Compilation) [flac]*
*registration required
Pinback: 2004-11-28, San Francisco [flac]
Pinback: 2004-11-27, San Francisco [flac]
Kevn Kinney's Sun Tangled Angel Revival: 2004-10-09, Atlanta (Criminal Records) [mp3,ogg,flac]
Kevn Kinney's Sun Tangled Angel Revival: : 2004-10-08, Athens [mp3,ogg,flac]
Mike Watt: 2004-10-23, Brooklyn [mp3,ogg,flac]
Jens Lekman: several "forgotten songs" [mp3]
Eigenradio: "A Singular Christmas" album [mp3]
Various Artists: holiday tracks from Eb & Flo [mp3]
Bearsuit: several tracks (click cover to reveal tracks)[mp3]
With the music year heading to a close, the time has come to reflect on the year's releases and my annual list of favorite albums. This year has been another great harvest of interesting music, and these albums represent what has graced my iPod the most. Included are legal downloads from the discs where available, so please give these artists a chance (if you haven't already).
The Milk-Eyed Mender
Joanna Newsom
Joanna Newsom's Milk-Eyed Mender is my favorite album of the past several years. The classically-trained harpist's sparse arrangements and strong songwriting combine to produce otherworldly music with hints of her bluegrass and folk backgrounds. Her unique and strong voice is the final part of the wonderful puzzle that is her music.
"Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" [mp3]
Blueberry Boat
Fiery Furnaces
The Fiery Furnaces skip the sophomore slump with Blueberry Boat. Wonderfully diverse and quirky, this album challenges the listener.
"Straight Street" [mp3]
"Chris Michaels" [mp3]
A Grand Don't Come For Free
The Streets
Mike Skinner follows up Original Pirate Material with a concept album, and the results are amazing. He takes chances (like the guitar-driven first single, "Fit But You Know It), and always wins.
We Shall All Be Healed
The Mountain Goats
John Darnielle's second studio album offers the best songwriting yet from America's best tunesmith. John Vanderslice's production is a perfect match.
"Palmcorder Yajna" [mp3]
"Your Belgian Things" (live version) [mp3]
"The Young Thousands" (live version) [mp3]
"Slow West Vultures" (live version) [mp3]
"Mole" (live version) [mp3]
"Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into The water, Triumph of" (live version) [mp3]
"Linda Blair Was Born Innocent" (live version) [mp3]
"Cotton" (live version) [mp3]
"Quito" (live version) [mp3]
Let It Die
Feist
Leslie Feist of Broken Social Scene breaks out with a solo album that runs the gamut of genres, but is filled with memorable lyrics and her soft, silky voice.
"Mushaboom" [mp3]
"Gatekeeper" [mp3]
Faded Seaside Glamour
Delays
The best hooks of the year belong to the Delays on this album. The "feel good" album of the year, hands down.
Cat Spectacular
Bearsuit
A friend gave me this album early this year, saying it would change my life. His exact words were that Bearsuit was like "Deerhoof crossed with Belle & Sebastian." My life didn't change, but my wallet did, as I tracked down as much Bearsuit as I could after the first couple of listens to Cat Spectacular.
"Itsuko Got Married" [mp3]
Madvillainy
Madvillain
When MF Doom and Madlib combined for this project, my expectations were high. The resulting album is simply an amazing concept album, filled with Madlib's beats and the gravelly wonder that is MF Doom's rhymes.
"Money Folder" [mp3]
"Curls" [mp3]
Sung Tongs
Animal Collective
Though adventurous and experimental, the Animal Collective has made its most accessible album without compromising its artistic integrity. Combining folk and pop influences with acoustic guitars, this album is stellar.
"Leaf House" [mp3]
Get Away From Me
Nellie McKay
Newcomer Nellie McKay's solo album brims with talent and promise. Her energy and witty songwriting carry the album high, and her willingness to take artistic chances bode well for a successful and interesting career ahead.
"David" (live version) [mp3]
"Manhattan Avenue" (live version) [mp3]
"Sari" (live version) [mp3]
"Ding Dong" (live version) [mp3]
"Baby Watch Your Back" (live version) [mp3]
"Dog Song" (live version) [mp3]
"I Wanna Get Married" (live version) [mp3]
"Change The World" (live version) [mp3]
"It's a Pose" (live version) [mp3]
"Toto Dies" (live version) [mp3]
"Won't U Please B Nice" (live version) [mp3]
"Inner Peace" (live version) [mp3]
"Suitcase Song" (live version) [mp3]
"Work Song" (live version) [mp3]
"Clonie" (live version) [mp3]
"Respectable" (live version) [mp3]
"Really" (live version) [mp3]
Blue Cathedral
Comets on Fire
A bit more polished than the band's last effort, Field Recording From the Sun, but that doesn't stop this record from still being the most rocking album of the year.
"Whiskey River" [mp3]
Acid Mothers Temple: 2004-06-06, Los Angeles [flac]
Kevn Kinney's Sun Tangled Angel Revival: 2004-05-25, Baltimore [mp3,ogg,flac]
The Jim Yoshii Pileup: several tracks [mp3]
The Seldon Plan: two tracks [mp3]
The Lionheart Brothers: several tracks [mp3]
Fojimoto: several tracks [mp3]
Death Cab for Cutie: "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" [mp3] from Maybe This Christmas Tree
Dogs Die in Hot Cars: "I Love You Cause I Have To" [mp3] from Please Describe Yourself
Sons and Daughters: "Johnny Cash" [mp3] from Love the Cup
White Stripes: "Jolene (live)" [mp3] from Under Blackpool Lights: Live
Wilco: 2004-11-20, Tempe [flac]*
Cat Power: 1998-11-23, Germany [ape]*
Bright Eyes: 2004-10-02, Cleveland [shn]*
Interpol: 2004-11-26, Copenhagen [flac]*
Strokes: 2000-12-21, WFMU [shn]*
White Stripes: 2004-08-29, Leeds Festival [mp2]*
Mike Watt: 2004-10-23, Brooklyn [flac]*
Talking Heads: 1976-10-09, New York [flac]*
Miles Davis: 1971-10-26, Brussels [shn]*
Franz Ferdinand: 2004-11-19, Lyon [dvd]*
*registration required