Wait for it and then snatch it up, next week please.me is releasing an EP that will absolutely knock your socks off. I absolutely love this music! It's alternative-poppy music that instantaneously hooked me.
My first comparison would be to Dog's Eye View. They had a song on the Can't Hardly Wait soundtrack that I adored, it is called "Umbrella." When I heard please.me's song "Notes of Wine" I immediately thought of that song.
The Real Tuesday Weld is releasing a record, The London Book of the Dead, on August 28th via Six Degree Records. And who is The Real Tuesday Weld? Stephen Coates.
The label says, "Amongst the whimsy and humor [of the album] are lyrical concerns drifting between such weighty topics as death, religious faith, honesty, drugs, and disease."
"The album's emotional center is actually located at the end of the program: "Bringing the Body Back Home," despite its generally gloomy tone, it's a sweet and ultimately encouraging waltz that arrives at a philosophical conclusion: "Love is the one thing worth living for."
Reading the labels' depiction of just that one track is all I need to want to hear the real thing. Dark humor aside you really can sit down on a black sofa with this one and have yourself a little rock therapy session. It's inventive and despite methods from times past it can definitely be considered "now" music.
Listen: The Real Tuesday Weld - "Last Words" (mp3)
After only 19 seconds I fell in love with this PJ Harvey song. And then it got even better! No, it's not a new advanced released single, it's an older song from 1998, but it's still perfect.
Which is why it is so flipping exciting that her new album, White Chalk, will release on September 24th. I'm truly just so excited, I can't wait to hear it! The piano and her voice and all it's sweetness! See, this is why she has six, and now almost seven, awesome albums!
The track listing: "The Devil" "Dear Darkness" "Grow Grow Grow" "When Under Ether" "White Chalk" "Broken Harp" "Silence" "To Talk To You" "The Piano" "Before Departure" "The Mountain"
Tomorrow "The Mohawk Lodge" will be releasing Wildfires via White Whale Records. Their labels says, "The Mohawk Lodge sheds their dirty folk leanings in favour of blue collar indie soul."
The album was produced by Darryl Neudorf who has also produced music with the New Pornographers and Neko Case. There is quite a range in the music this new album offers. Catchy melodies and a welcomed edginess.
How great does it feel to be back from a vacation at the beach?
Simple. It doesn't.
Staying in Fenwick with Brian's family and Brae was so relaxing and fun. Makes me want to be a freelancer, move to the beach and never have to leave. Though I suppose not being there everyday does make it all the more nice when you visit.
But next year's visit cannot come soon enough.
I took an insane about of photographs and video. Hopefully to create some sort of Fenwick 2007 media disc. Brae went fishing...from the stairs and the deck. He had a red fish that would just NOT stop biting.
Barefoot Truth - "The Ocean" (mp3) Great Big Sea - "Summer" (mp3) The Phoenix Foundation - "Going Fishing" (mp3)
Okay folks, here is your Sunday mix of music that you really just shouldn't miss out on. I mean seriously there are some people on this Earth which such audio deprivation it is borderline third world.
Next week on July 24th, "Hidden in Plain View" will be releasing their album Resolution. A band from Stanhope, New Jersey that signed with Drive-Thru Records.
After recording the album the band split up due to creative differences, which ultimately really stinks. I know getting signed and then releasing an album is a big deal and probably with that comes a lot of tension. But if you can make good music you need to learn to make it for the world. And the world is a melting pot, so the band needs to be adaptable. Creative differences need to build unique and original music, not tear a band apart. My guess is that having two great sets of vocals with guys who have different and yet most excellent ranges...probably caused trouble. Again, that stinks.
It's Friday and I'm on vacation next week. Time at the beach with good people. It's gorgeous out right now. Bright blue skies, 80 degrees and sunshine. My windows are open at work and I'm feeling good.
30 minutes and counting until a blissful week off. I love my job, but it will be nice to sleep in. =o)
Let me introduce you to bella. Mint Records debut No One Will Know hits stores September 18, 2007. The folks at Mint say, "Bella's multi-talented members have become known for their electrifying live shows, switching up their instruments and treating onlookers to spontaneous and wild dance parties."
It's definitely going to lean towards being spunky chic music, but it is fitting my mood perfectly today because it's upbeat and fun. When male vocals spin into the mix it's a blast for everyone. Retro. Fun. Summer. Music.
This has been a pretty jam packed week. Brian and I had our home inspection done yesterday morning and so I was late to work and had very little time at all the night before to save up drafted posts.
But today is not just any Friday. No. It is the Friday before vacation for me!
**runs around, arms over head, squealing with delight**
Charlotte didn't start writing songs and playing music until she spent 2 years in West Africa with the Peace Corps. Yes, I would imagine an experience like that might inspire some insight and require a creative outlet.
She reminds me of a combination between Toby Lightman and Tina Dico who happen to be two of my most favorite female singer/songwriters. Girls on guitars who ever so genuinely pour their hearts into their music. I love it.
Piano, oh those keys, what they do to my ears is beautiful! And Dan Rowe is the man behind that sound. Charlotte met him when she first started doing open mic.
"I went to open mics at the Sidewalk Cafe and soon met producer and fellow-musician, Dan Rowe. Dan and I started working together on my debut album, I Get Stupid. A few weeks before its release, Dan accompanied me on bass at the Village Underground, and has been on stage with me ever since."
Adding a Zoothorn to the mix makes LA's "HEALTH" fit comfortably into the experimental music scene. Three of the four band members, Jacob, Jupiter and John, handle the Zoothorn as well as vocals and guitar while the drums are taken care of by the fourth, Benjamin.
Their debut record was recorded in one of their favorite places. The Smell is an all ages music venue in downtown Los Angeles. "It is open and brick and dirty and dark, but when you sing a church hymnal or hit a drum as hard as you can the sound is beautiful."
Releasing September 18th on the Lovepump United record label, HEALTH's album is definitely fast paced and upbeat club music. Which admittedly is not my scene, but could be yours so give them a listen. Oh the mash-ups that will come from this music. =o)
Today "People Press Play" released their self-titled album courtesy of Morr Music. It's very Frou Frou, airy and sweet with excellent spacey music lingering in the background.
Sara Savery has such an incredible voice, it's so soothing and yet has the range to allow a more deep and passionate sound when the need arises. Anders Remmer, Jesper Skaaning and Thomas Knak make up the rest of the sound with their skill in choosing the right cycles of delicate notes and tones.
The music will speak for itself, so take a listen.
I just wrote up a quick something about "The Clockwork Rebels" on my MOG page. But I wanted to throw a bone this way, too. Because I'm really diggin' they track Workin' Days.
They are from Cardiff, Wales and I really don't know much else about them, but I can tell you one thing. They definitely have potential, this is an awesome demo and I'm very impressed.
Any band who calls themselves Mr. Miyagi is just automatically awesome, don't you think? I mean, you cannot go wrong with that name, especially if you are an 80s child like myself.
It's loud and it's not my favorite music, but it's definitely WAKE YOUR TIRED ASS UP music. And right now I'm in dire need of such a tune. So turn on the black lights!
The Lovetones are such teases, but they do follow through.
The Lovetones had to cancel their US tour due to severe family illness. But their music tempts and teases before going all out and so hopefully this will be the same thing. I'm sorry about whatever is happening in their family, I hope it gets better.
Right now I'm okay with listening to the music recorded rather than live.
Their first album was picked up by Rolling Stone magazine and the buzz began in a positive light. On June 19th they released their third album, Axiom. Tee Pee Records, responsible for launching the third album, said it is "rich with accomplished instrumentation and out-there dreamscapes, soaring melodies and lyrics filled with longing, introspection and extrospection."
There were six of us, on the lawn, center stage pumped and ready to see Def Leppard perform at the Tweeter Center. The place was packed with fans and the energy was undeniable.
Styx opened and I love them. I'm such a sucker for late 70s and 80s music. Styx has amazing guitar players, but James "J.Y." Young and Lawrence Gowan share the keys and so they are my favorites. =o) Oh my gosh "Crystal Ball" is just such an awesome song, I love it! And of course "Come Sail Away" which I don't know how anyone could not like that song. Hehe.
And then the headlining band we all trekked into Camden, New Jersey for...Def Leppard. And my Vivian Campbell, he is so dreamy. He joined Def Leppard in 1992 at the age of 30...and let me just tell you, he is aging well. =o)
But my favorite album is from 1983, pre-Campbell and that is their third album Pyromania. Next favorite would be Retro Active from 1993 and that was Vivian's first album with Def Leppard.
The show was just awesome. I have seen them in concert before, and I really don't think it could ever be less than awesome honestly. They played some tracks they don't normally play and not much of their new material. I think because this fall they are releasing something new and and that promotional tour will carry new material. So this one was for us die hard fans who have been following since well...for me...since I was in diapers. =o)
And of course the crew of people I watched with were also great. Lauren, Dave, Steen, Brian and of course Bri. =o) We had such a great time, the weather was perfect, the seats were great and the night was wonderful!
And this lovely track is Stars, from their new album, which their label, Arts & Crafts, let us get digitally early. But I'm not sharing everything because it's really a MUST purchase come September.
I'd try to go on and on getting you to take a listen...but then I decided to put the track at the beginning of the post. Because at first listen, you'll already be hooked.
So know them. Dan Cuddy, Katie Gentile, Peter Stuart and Peter Walsh...they are The Special Pillow from New Jersey. Their music is blissful and as you listen, it will consume you.
The first thing you will hear when you listen to Feltbattery will be the field recordings. Benjamin Trueblood records sounds of nature as inspiration for his music. He creates multi-layered tracks and loops different sounds straight from the outdoors. These sounds can include anything from birdsongs to a train passing by. I suppose you could say Feltbattery has music that softens the energy of life. ;o)
And what to your wandering eyes should appear...but a miniature sleigh and a Las Meridanzas.
No, I'm not crazy, I know that doesn't make a lick of sense, but it was still fun to type. And so I'm keeping it. **sticks out tongue**
Alex Dupree has been travelling around and moving in and out of towns playing with other bands and running a muck. But in 2007 he came back to the Trapdoor Band and decided to make an album of the journey. It seems as though his head was clouded with a storm and the content of some of the songs is a bit forlorn. The release date for Las Meridanzas is July 17, 2007.
He remains folky, but has added some more rock and so I must say we're leaning towards alt. country here and I think that's a good thing.
Listen: Alex Dupree and the Trapdoor Band - "#182 Runs Late" (mp3) Alex Dupree and the Trapdoor Band - "Las Meridanzas" (mp3)
Man that is pretty harsh, but Annabelle, apparently you broke someone's heart.
This is a brilliantly written and performed song, it makes me so bad that it only lasts a split second! I want to hear more. It's catchy, it grabs you and the lyrics are fan-slippin-tastic. Listen to those keys!
Some Delicious Enemy launched on June 12, 2007 by Nexus Underground. Less than a month later they were invited to play MusicfestNW in Portland, Oregon! This is a huge deal because Saturna will be sharing the stage with acts such as Spoon, Wolf Parade and The Thermals!
They are also charting at #1 on Bagel Radio from San Francisco. Sounds like success to me, but it's not until you hear their music that you know..it doesn't just sound like success; it IS success.
Who are there? Ryan Carroll steps forward with lead vocals and guitar, Eric Block with lead guitars, Matt Badger with drums and Steve Anderson with bass guitar and backup vocals.
"Saturna is an indie rock band that plays fuzzy, dirty, driving, psychedelic bliss pop." You can throw in shoegazing, dreamy and at times some pretty intense rock. They remind me a little bit of Sonic Youth. In short, it would be criminal to overlook this band.
The song getting most of the glory in the blog world is "Pop Rocks," but I'd have to say my favorite track is "Roll Down." I think you will find the entire album is full of possible favorites. Although admittedly I could do without "Just For Thrills" but that's just because lyrically I'm not loving it, the music still sounds fantastic. Don't get me wrong, it's amped and it's hardcore, but angry and bitter, too. Moving on to "Leader of the Western Stars" this song is incredibly beautiful. The vocals are perfect!
The SaveNetRadio Campaign e-mailed yesterday to let everyone know the latest information.
"Late yesterday afternoon, the court DENIED the emergency stay sought on behalf of webcasters, millions of listeners and the artists and music they support.
UNLESS CONGRESS ACTS BY JULY 15th, the new ruinous royalty rates will be going into effect on Sunday, threatening the future of all internet radio.
I have been supporting this campaign from the beginning. There is only so much I can do, but if everyone who reads this decides to also make a call to their representative than perhaps as a united front we will be heard.
Doesn't this song make you want to go to a great vintage store, buy some flare pants, platform shows, skin tight shirt, big gold glasses and a funky wig?
It's a funky instrumental that is sure to get you grooving. Look for this track on their upcoming album.
They're British, they like electrified music and they pull it altogether jazz style.
It has been five years since The Cinematic Orchestra released Everyday. So it was with great anticipation on March 26, 2007 that they launched Ma Fleur, the record was written as the soundtrack to a specially commissioned screenplay for an imagined film (which may or may not yet be made).
Their label, Ninjatune Releases, says "Dealing with themes of loss and love - and in itself representing a kind of absence - "Ma Fleur" is fertile ground for Swinscoe's brand of music-making, for while people have talked about what he does in terms of jazz, the truth is that the basis of his music has always been in raw emotion."
As you know, I'm a Cloud Atlas follower...groupie...avid listener. =o)
They were on the radio last month and this month they've snagged a television spot! According to their network pages they will be on Channel 4 @ 00:45 on 13th July, so for all you lucky guys and dolls in the UK be sure to tune in! It's a big deal, because only twelve bands will be playing and those twelve were picked from thousands of entrants, Cloud Atlas were personally chosen by Rob da Bank of Radio 1 to play at a secret location in London! (Be sure to say congrats to Al if you get a chance while you are there...he just graduated from Cardiff University!!!)
In other fun news, they have finished their EP, None One Is Sad Up Here, and they let me listen!!! Yay! It includes some remixes and there are a few tracks of new material as well. Five songs total and it's a must have EP. To know this is just the start of their recorded career is very exciting.
"Late Nights and Snake Bites" and "Even Astronauts" are the remixed tracks. I didn't think they needed reworking, but I like the percussion changes I hear and it shows a growth process I think from their original demo.
The new tracks are "S is For Sleep", "Better Carry a Candle", and "Cigarettes and Apricots." First of all and right from the surface of it, I love the track names. I'm such a goober when it comes to the basics like a name. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this EP is, I mean, listen to "S is for Sleep" it begins like a lullaby all sweet and light, it picks up pace, the vocals come in and then you're dancing in your seat. No sleeping happening that's for sure. =o) But if you're going to be an insomniac you might as well be listening to good music.
All in all, I think you'll find yourself wanting more since it's a small release. But that's what is so great about Cloud Atlas. Always leaving you wanting. =o)
Chris Bathgate grew up in Pecatonica, IL and started playing music when he was 16. Quite Scientific is released his third album A Cork Tale Wake on June 26th.
He offers an intensity both with his vocals and lyrics. You can tell this just be hearing him talk or seeing what he writes. His MySpace page says,
"i write songs some are simple some are not some are nostaglic some come from dark places some are written from your perspective some from mine some switch back and forth some i play alot some never some were written in stairwells of parking garages some were written at a friends parents cabin some were recorded in your bedroom some in my basement some took a long long time to finish some i knew before i wrote them some i have forgotten some i havent learned yet..."
I know it is a huge run-on sentence and just rambles on, but it made sense to me and I instantly knew I would love his music. I pressed play. Love.
Though I love music and there are times when you need some good hardcore rock music to blare, I'm just not feeling the band Made Out of Babies. I'm not much for the music and I think the cover art for the album is disgusting and awful. I'm sure Coward was meant to be an album to make you get pumped up and be stronger, but it just gives me the creeps.
Too much howling and growling for me. Hope there are a lot of people out there who enjoy this lo-fi grunge.
Listen: Made Out of Babies - "Proud To Drown" (mp3) Made Out of Babies - "Fed" (mp3)
The teasing continues. We heard My Right Versus Yours from the upcoming New Pornographers album, and now they have released another track of temptation.
"Live Earth is a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7/7/07 that will bring together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis."
My family and I spent a good part of the evening watching Live Earth on television. Not only did we get to hear some pretty awesome music from Kelly Clarkson, Dave Matthews Band, Madonna and Bon Jovi (to name a few), but we also learned some interesting facts about Global Warming.
"The mission of the SOS campaign is to empower individuals to change their consumer behaviors and motivate corporations and political leaders to enact decisive measures to combat the climate crisis. The message of SOS is that everyone, everywhere can and must Answer the Call to solve the climate crisis."
Concerts played all day and all night long in eight different cities around the globe. New York, London, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney, and Hamburg all had musicians and stars come out to spread the word about the SOS campaign.
Each venue was designed to maintain a minimum environmental impact, but will showcase the latest state-of-the-art energy efficiency, on-site power generation, and sustainable facilities management practices.
The Live Earth website has a nifty calculator you can check out to see just how much you impact the climate and what you can do to improve any negative impact.
Fanatic has let us know that The Octopus Project has just announced details of a new album and fall tour. The release date from Peek-A-Boo Records is October 9, 2007.
The band's new album (title and artwork to come!), was recorded and co-produced by The Octopus Project and Ryan Hadlock (Blonde Redhead, The Gossip) at Bear Creek Studio in Seattle during February, 2007 and was mixed by Erik Wofford (Voxtrot, Explosions In The Sky). Guest musicians include Stacy Meshbane (Cue) on Violin, Jherick Bischoff (The Dead Science) on upright Bass and Violin, and Nick Smith (Nick and The Six Sick Sticks) on Trombone. It is supposed to be a perfect blend between high-end studio trickery, and lo-fi home experimentation.
Their tour is an extensive one, lasting THREE months from August 17th until November 17th ending in Texas.
So what is this fuss all about People Noise? I knew I'd be on the band wagon for them...(pun so totally intended), and after streaming the album I have to say my feelings haven't changed since my last post.
"People Noise is a name that constitutes sound, and a lot of it." Not sure if I agree with that statement because some of their sounds are very mellow. But yes, when you listen to "Sedation" there is a lot of noise going on.
They've been making music for only a year now, and their debut album, Ordinary Ghosts, is already a hit, since its release on June 12th. But I think we'll see something even better come from them next. So I'm going to keep up with them.
The Tour: 07/05 Atlanta, GA The ISP Space 07/06 Tampa, FL New World Brewery 07/07 Orlando, FL The Back Booth 07/09 Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits 07/10 Tallahassee, FL The Beta Bar 07/11 Deland, FL Cafe Davinci 07/12 Delray Beach, FL City Limits 07/13 Miami, FL Churchill's Pub 07/14 Gainesville, FL The Atlantic 07/15 New Orleans, LA House of Blues (The Parish) 07/16 Montgomery, AL Off the Wagon 07/17 Jackson, MS Swell-o-Venue 07/18 Little Rock, AR Sticky Fingerz Rock-n-Roll Chicken Shack 07/19 Lafayette, LA The Grant Street Dance Hall 07/20 Houston, TX The Meridian Room 07/21 Austin, TX Beauty Bar 07/25 Salina, KS Lucky's Bar 07/26 Kansas City, MO El Torreon Ballroom 07/27 Tulsa, OK DFest 07/28 Oklahoma City, OK The Conservatory 07/29 Aurora, CO Wyatt's Torch Bar 07/30 Boulder, CO The Trilogy Lounge 07/31 Denver, CO 15th Street Tavern
The video for the first single off Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, The Underdog. It was directed by Keven McAllester, features cameos by a host of Austinites, and may just be our favorite video yet.
I got this excerpt from a book written by Pauline Maier. This particular passage is actually included on the government website for The United States Department of State...
"The Declaration of Independence is in fact a curious document. After the Civil War members of Lincoln's party tried to write its principles into the Constitution by enacting the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, which is why issues of racial or age or gender equality are now so often fought out in the courts. But the Declaration of Independence itself is not and has never been legally binding. Its power comes from its capacity to inspire and move the hearts of living Americans, and its meaning lies in what they choose to make of it. It has been at once a cause of controversy, pushing as it does against established habits and conventions, and a unifying national icon, a legacy and a new creation that binds the revolutionaries to descendants who confronted and continue to confront issues the Founders did not know or failed to resolve. On Independence Day, then, Americans celebrate not simply the birth of their nation or the legacy of a few great men. They also commemorate a Declaration of Independence that is their own collective work now and through time. And that, finally, makes sense of the Fourth of July."
And now that the nerd fest is over...hehe, here is some music for you. May not all be patriotic, but the word July or America is probably in the title. And so it's being included.