This is my last ditched effort my last plea my last grovel can the oracle of waste_central end the torment of not knowing? Will Radiohead ever tour Australia again?..........................
Read more…
Posted by SubSickAlien on December 5, 2008 at 7:18pm
It was a good year for music but not for the music industry. With this uncertainty the music industry is faced with today I'm glad to see musicians continue to make good music. Many of you reading this list will agree or dissagree with some of my picks for this year's best albums and I would like to see what some of you picked for YOUR top albums of 2008, so please do share. If you are wondering why I did not include 'In Rainbows' in this list... well it's because 'In Rainbows' was released on October 10, 2007 and I know that even those without a computer got to listen to it as well... and besides, it was last year's number one if you ask me.Cheers!-SSA[50] Unkle - End TitlesKey Tracks: 'Chemical' & 'Ghosts'[49] Underoath - Lost In The Sound Of SeparationKey Tracks: 'Breathing In A New Mentality' & 'A Fault Line, A Fault Of Mine'[48] Vampire Weekend - Vampire WeekendKey Tracks: 'A-Punk' & 'Mansard Roof'[47] Cold War Kids - Loyalty To LoyaltyKey Tracks: 'Something Is Not Right With Me' & 'Every Valley Is Not A Lake'[46] The Hold Steady - Stay PositveKey Tracks: 'Constructive Summer' & 'Sequestered In Memphis'[45] R.E.M. - AccelerateKey Tracks: 'Living Well Is The Best Revenge' & 'Hollow Man'[44] The Walkmen - You & MeKey Tracks: 'Dónde Está la Playa' & 'In The New Year'[43] The Roots - Rising DownKey Tracks: 'Rising Up' & '75 Bars'[42] Esoteric - The Maniacal ValeKey Tracks: 'Circle' & 'The Order Of Destiny'[41] Primal Scream - Beautiful FutureKey Tracks: 'Can't Go Back' & 'Beautiful Future'[40] The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The LonelyKey Tracks: 'Salute Your Solution' & 'Many Shades Of Black'[39] Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaustKey Tracks: 'Gobbledigook' & 'Inní mér syngur vitleysingur'[38] Okkervil River - The Stand InsKey Tracks: 'Lost Coastlines' & 'Blue Tulip'[37] Conor Oberst - Conor OberstKey Tracks: 'Cape Canaveral' & 'Lenders In The Temple'[36] Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts Vol. I-IVKey Tracks: (Any and all)[35] Gnarls Barkley - The Odd CoupleKey Tracks: 'Who's Gonna Save Your Soul' & 'Would Be Killer'[34] Mates Of State - Re-arrange UsKey Tracks: 'Get Better' & 'The Re-Arranger'[33] Black Mountain - In The FutureKey Tracks: 'Tyrants' & 'Bright Lights'[32] Hot Chip - Made In The DarkKey Tracks: 'Shake A Fist' & 'Ready For The Floor'[31] Mount Eerie - Lost WisdomKey Tracks: "Lost Wisdom' & 'Flaming Home'[30] Santogold - SantogoldKey Tracks: 'You'll Find A Way' & 'Creator Vs Switch'[29] Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb LineKey Tracks: 'Ghost Under Rocks' & 'Too Too Too Fast'[28] Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout SeaKey Tracks: 'What Is Not But Could Be If' & 'San Francisco B.C.'[27] Calexico - Carried To DustKey Tracks: 'Victor Jara's Hands' & 'Writer's Minor Holiday'[26] Girl Talk - Feed The AnimalsKey Tracks: 'Set It Off' & 'Shut The Club Down'[25] Autechre - QuaristiceKey Tracks: 'Perlence' & 'Simmm'[24] Spiritualized - Songs In A&EKey Tracks: 'Soul On Fire' & 'Sweet Talk'[23] The Cure - 4:13 DreamKey Tracks: 'Underneath The Stars' & 'Hungry Ghost'[22] Crystal Castles - Crystal CastlesKey Tracks: 'Crimewave' & 'Magic Spells'[21] Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IIIKey Tracks: 'Mr Carter' & 'A Milli'[20] Fucked Up - The Chemistry Of Common LifeKey Tracks: 'Royal Swan' & 'Golden Seal'[19] Fleet Foxes - Fleet FoxesKey Tracks: 'White Winter Hymnal' & 'Ragged Wood'[18] Cut Copy - In Ghost ColoursKey Tracks: 'Feel The Love' & 'Nobody Lost, Nobody Found'[17] Foals - AntidotesKey Tracks: 'Red Socks Pugie' & 'Cassius'[16] Sun Kil Moon - AprilKey Tracks: 'The Light' & 'Tonight The Sky'[15] The Verve - ForthKey Tracks: 'Rather Be' & 'Noise Epic'[14] Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!Key Tracks: 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!' & 'Midnight Man'[13] Beck - Modern GuiltKey Tracks: 'Orphans' & 'Chemtrails'[12] MGMT - Oracular SpectacularKey Tracks: 'Weekend Wars' & 'Electric Feel'[11] Goldfrapp - Seventh TreeKey Tracks: 'Caravan Girl' & 'A&E'[10] The Bug - London ZooKey Tracks: 'Angry' & 'Insane'[09] No Age - NounsKey Tracks: 'Eraser' & 'Teen Creeps'[08] Elbow - The Seldom Seen KidKey Tracks: 'Grounds For Divorce' & 'On A Day Like This'[07] TV On The Radio - Dear ScienceKey Tracks: 'Halfway Home' & 'Family Tree'[06] She & Him - Volume OneKey Tracks: 'Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?' & 'I Should Have Known Better'[05] Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks The Jicks - Real Emotional TrashKey Tracks: 'Elmo Delmo' & 'Real Emotional Trash'[04] Deerhunter - MicrocastleKey Tracks: 'Agoraphobia' & 'Microcastle'[03] M83 - Saturdays = YouthKey Tracks: 'Couleurs' & 'Graveyard Girl'[02] Portishead - ThirdKey Tracks: 'Hunter' & 'Plastic'[01] Flying Lotus - Los AngelesKey Tracks: 'Comet Course' & 'Riot'Read more…
Op-Ed piece from the New York Times:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/opinion/12krugman.html?ex=1378958400&en=c086f0651fb9c71b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Read more…
Posted by Rob McDougall on August 27, 2008 at 1:00pm
Was just watching some videos posted by Bobby / Kitsune Noir of the Hollywood Bowl.I started to feel really bad towards the end, with the video screen of Thom + Jonny.My whole final year piece at Uni was on live video effects.The reason I felt bad was because I was at the BBC secret gig thing in the spring of this year and found Nigel Godrich at the back of the room at the end.... We were talking about Quartz Composer and all sorts, but stupid me... I felt like I should've asked for a job or left him some details or something!Now I am graduated, unemployed and would kill for somewhere to use my real talents of live video manipulation! C'mon Radiohead!(incase you're reading)I will work for peanuts and the chance to be anywhere near a big screen!
Read more…
So it’s over now. The Toronto gig. The East Coast leg. Which is why making it (and the most out of it) has reached a ‘no matter what’ priority level… as I was watching flight cancellations at JFK for 6 nerve-wrecking hrs, I have long departed the land of reason. THANK YOU ALL for numerous ‘keep safe’ messages in response to my Greyhound Bus blog!! It really isn’t (WASN’T) that bad in my particular case. Exhausting – yes. And COLD. I wasn’t exactly dressed for a spontaneous overnight trip. No sleep. Arrived in Toronto around 9AM, I dropped of the bag at my brother’s… He wanted to drive me downtown, but I figured - YOU HEAR THAT, THOM? - I figured, I was conscious enough for a subway/tram combo. And, while we are at it: in theory (hmmm), I did NOT travel long distance JUST for the gig. I have lots of family here and my parents arrived from overseas… blah-blah-blah. True, I may have blown off this reunion because of the crazy work schedule… (should my family be thanking RH for the pleasure of seeing me…?) But I DID have an unrelated perfectly legitimate reason for being here… ARE WE ALRIGHT ON THIS ONE, THOM? ;-)12:45pm – perhaps 30-35 pit people at Molson closed doors. Was ok. A few people were a bit neurotic at line-watching – which really is a pointless endeavor as those first 80 will invariably get reshuffled through the security checks etc, and will ultimately end up at the rail anyway. I understand: sitting there since 8am and all… I’ve been on the road for 22hrs and had no energy for being neurotic (which would otherwise be the baseline). I settled with a nice group and embraced myself for a 5 hr wait. The rumor spread that the doors open at 5:30pm, earlier than expected. So things were fine, until nature started fucking with us. The sky was getting progressively more intimidating and finally exploded with a storm. Within seconds, it was pouring. Not everyone had umbrellas, newspapers were soaked instantly. A little gift shop 20 ft away sold umbrellas and ponchos – so while holding each other’s stuff and places in line we all made trips there – still, we were drenched. Forget rain, it started HAILING (!) - “fucking special”, indeed! I took pix of a rather miserable bunch under pouring rain → on my page. I was amused at how this whole adventure seemed to be someone’s revenge on too easy a time I had getting to All Points West! Besides, a healthy sense of humor kinda helped us through it - fortunately, it stopped raining before the latter drowned completely ;-). I quite appreciate the Canadian crowd immediately around me (coming from the South of the Border ;-) ) – we chatted about all kinds of things to pass the time. The sound check started around 4pm (right??). Morning Bell, Talk Show Host, Like Spinning Plates... - definitely lifted the spirits triggering a round of applause after each song, as if they could hear us ;-)… Finally at 5:30pm, like a clock, Molson people tightened the line (a couple of hundred people by then?) and set up security stands. I have to say, I admired Canadian organization! For at least half hour prior, they were making sure that every person in line was standing for the pit, picking out and relocating those who were seated elsewhere… I hear stories of some US venues, when after standing in line all fucking day, people are suddenly told that they have to RUN (whoever’s fastest?!?) to an altogether different entrance... Then, everything went into a VERY HECTIC motion; security checks: some go right through, others get stuck – which is why WHERE EXACTLY you are within the first 100 is kinda meaningless. THOSE ON THE WEST COAST: No problems with umbrellas or (at least little) cameras – no matter what the venue ticket says. Everything WAS allowed in. Now, just HOW MANY GODDAMN DOORS AND BARRIERS are there in Molson?! We must have been channeled through a dozen! But –that was it!! A bunch of ecstatic people at the rail, a few feet from the stage. Some RH equipment boxes were piled up – I could read weights, dimensions and a fucking small print on the shipping labels! I took a few snapshots just for the hell of it ;-)Grizzly Bear came on at 7:30pm. “We are just a support band”… They were really sweet. Half way through their gig, I noticed Jonny at the far right end of the stage watching them. I pointed it out to a couple of guys around me, and everyone got so psyched and eager to take pix of jonny that they completely forgot about the Bears. I actually felt bad… Between the songs, I looked back at the crowd behind us; it was raining on the lawn again (most of the seated area at Molson is covered) and the sun was peaking out – and THERE IT F*CKING WAS! – a BRIGHT RAINBOW crossing the sky. It soon doubled. In fact, that rainbow again attracted so much attention that the Bears had every reason to be upset. They seem to have taken it well though. Even announced the aforementioned rainbow for those missing it! All in all, they played a rather short act – 45min or so…Ok, now, I shouldn’t really be describing RH gig itself. I mean, you can go to the Toronto page and find a dozen descriptions and I’m sure they are all correct. And everyone experiences these things through their own personal lens… skin? heart? Afterall, this is not a critical review – neither is it a fine piece of literature. This is just me, spilling over feelings and emotions that end up being so profound that it has taken me days to recover… so… In my opinion, the set-list (I posted a picture of the actual physical entity thrown off stage at the end) was incredible. Not just because the non-obligatory (non In Rainbows) part of it varied wildly from that at APW2 I saw a week earlier, and not only because the two songs I craved almost physically (Climbing Up The Walls and The Wolf…) both made it to the main set (YES!!), but the whole feel and the compound energy was a knockout. The sheer intensity of it. You can’t really swallow Jigsaw ---> Idioteque ---> Climbing up the Walls sequence and expect to retain any level of sanity and a normal pulse rate. The Walls alone with thom screaming into his guitar and the green evil lights breaking into bloody red – I mean, this is OUT THERE, who needs drugs?! Same goes for The Gloaming ---> Wolf at the Door or Airbag ---> Talk Show Host ‘combos’. Curiously, the printed set-list left an option of doing Talk Show Host OR I Might Be Wrong – they picked the former ;-) And the mood of the gig was …odd, unexpected. Idioteque 'delivery' was like I've never seen before. Instead of frantic dancing, thom froze in place, completely MOTIONLESS for that entire segment – which was freaky in its own right! Through the gig, he did not speak, almost AT ALL, till the encores… But his singing was outrageous. Several songs featured vocal outbursts different not just from recorded versions, but from his ‘traditional’ live delivery. And god, there was so much fucking raw power in this – it blew my mind. It really seemed as though he embraced the Toronto audience, he must have gotten something out of it (I sure hope so!) and whatever he felt was expressed through music only, no chatting no talking… I think (and I could be totally off base!) that there was this openness in his singing, the “all in” emotional commitment that does not happen every gig. I cried to Street Spirit.Now, standing at the rail directly in front of jonny was a treat. We all know he’s amazing, but my god, he looks ICONIC, I can’t find a better word to describe it! (Sorry, Jonny, but you MUST have heard this enough times by now to just accept it as a fact of life). Seeing him in action is unbelievable. AND HE SPOKE! (Thom: “Jonny speaks!!”) He thanked Grizzly Bear (he also wore a Grizzly Bear T-shirt /as did Coz/ with a 3-eyed cat on it, and it took me some time to grasp what the heck was wrong with it… I’m slow). How many of us heard jonny say ANYTHING at a gig?!I am also thrilled by what this gig turned into ‘cause of the Morning Bell incident early on when the organ thom was playing began to die. ...he repeatedly tried fixing the plug on the keyboard while singing, motioned to jonny for help (who tried and failed as well), then the roadie ran onto the stage, started messing with the cable on the side… they played the song to the end, but thom’s distress was anything but subtle... seeing it ‘close and personal’ was painful and it freaked ME out big time – as if I was right up there (oh shit… oh, no! what will this do?). Of course, these things do happen, and they can sure handle them (and most of the crowd likely didn’t notice a thing!), but I was relieved that it didn’t color the rest of the gig. Hope not. Isn’t it peculiar how we feel so connected with these guys that we go through the motions and feel for them as we would for our close friends?? ;-)OK... On this note, guys, I will stop. Tons of pix and videos on my page… hope you like the pix, 'cause I was torn between photographing and simply absorbing IT with every cell of my body – so I feel like I stole something from myself… Was it worth it? THANKS to you all.
Read more…
Well I went there, it was yesterday, and it kicked ass !Here's the setlist.15 StepBodysnatchersAll I NeedAirbagNudePyramid SongWeird Fishes/ArpeggiThe Gloaming. (Softly open our mouths in the cold.)Dollars & CentsFaust ArpVideotapeOptimisticJustReckonerEverything In Its Right PlaceFake Plastic TreesJigsaw Falling Into Place-----------------------------------------House Of CardsThere There. (The boney king of nowhere.)Bangers + MashThe National AnthemHow To Disappear Completely-----------------------------------------Super ColliderYou And Whose Army ?Karma Police (dedicated to Bat For Lashes)IdiotequeMind-Fucking-Blowing.A little too bad some songs weren't performed : Where I End And You Begin, A Wolf At The Door, Down Is The New Up, Up On The Ladder and 4 Minute Warning, mainly.And Bat For Lashes rocked as well !
Read more…
so we drove from tampa to atl on the day off and what was a 6 hour drive felt like 15...took forever and was so draining. We made it to atl and to my friend luke's place. Hung out with him and his dog and just rested since we knew we had a GA show the next day that would exhaust us. Day of show we get to venue and are asked to wait at this gate way outside the venue and that if you have a public transportation pass (marta) you get in an hour early. So i had to go drive to get the pass at the bus station, luckily it was close by. Waiting all day was not that bad since the weather was pretty nice and cool...it wasn't until later that it rained and was cold.We had a pretty good time waiting in line, met lotts of nice people including some of the hardcore fans. When it was time to get inside we walked calmly and then we were all put into lines at the gate. We could hear all of soundcheck, which had probably just started around 4:30. They soundchecked maybe 10 songs including talk show host which they hadn't played in some time. Once we were allowed into the venue it was mass hysteria. No one knew where to go or where to run to. The security was just unprepared for us and had no idea where we needed to be. All the while, the band is still soundchecking. Eventually wrist bands were given out and in we went, still with lotts of confusion. We made it front and center and the show was so great. It felt like the band had way more energy that the previous nights in florida, almost like they needed to have this close proximity to the fans in order to really rock out. There were some problems with the LED screens right when it was time for them to start...not sure how they fixed it but the screens seemed to work fine the rest of the night. After the show i saw some good friends, one of whom flew out for this show. She was not disappointed! See you in charlotte!-m
Read more…
The bangers and mash live session video appeared sometime "last night" and I saw it this morning. Bangers and mash was a real favorite of mine and many others from the moment it appeared.... partly due to the name which refers to a hot meal. It's kind of a jazz-music name.... like referring the feel of the song as its title. The recording of bangers n mash published on the In Rainbows disc and record set had a lot of mutations from the original whilst keeping most of the lyrics written for the initial live performances of bangers n mash. The original live versions had overdriven guitars which sounded like the studio and most live Bodysnatchers do today, or how the song "Feeling pulled apart" sounded in a live performance from 2001.Surely can't be beat.But this new one has more detail and more breathing room. It reminds me of Sonic Youth 's "dirty" from 1992. Moreso this live version than the studio one (which has more synth sounds than "dirty"). and thom doing the vocal "moans" during the slow part. A song called "Swimsuit issue" from "dirty" has this kind of feel. The second verse has a completely new guitar part, i just realized. the range of the bangers and mash riff for jonny seems to have been extended fivefold, but i feel that the new ideas are quite fitting; if you're playing one of five parts in a band and you come up with something that seems even better than before then go for it . : ) the cymbals work by phil s. is exemplary --- he makes it sound like there are three drummers instead of two : )
Read more…
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/48769-radiohead-reveal-second-leg-of-north-american-tourRadiohead Reveal Second Leg of North American TourLiars and Grizzly Bear split opening dutiesPeople at my lunch table just can't stop raving about this guy Ray Deohedd. What's his deal, man? Apparently he really turned the record industry on its head last fall when he released some record called Inside a Rainbow or something. But how does just one dude command such adoration from my peer group?I dunno, but this morning somebody mentioned this Ray Deohedd had finally revealed all the dates and venues for the "second leg" of his North American tour, and man, people just lost their shit. Cafeteria milk was spraying out of noses, kids were jumping on tables, somebody got stabbed with a Handi-Snacks cheese-spreader-- and for what? I just don't get it.Then somebody said something about "Liars" and "Grizzly Bear", and-- boom!-- same scene all over again. And do I even need to tell you what happened when the subject of Mr. Deohedd's exclusive performance on the newly-launched Pitchfork.tv came up? Do I?Mr. Deohedd:05-05 West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre *05-06 Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre *05-08 Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre *05-09 Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *05-11 Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge *05-14 St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *05-17 Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion *05-18 Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center *06-06 Dublin, Ireland - Malahide #06-07 Dublin, Ireland - Malahide #06-09 Paris, France - Bercy #06-10 Paris, France - Bercy #06-12 Barcelona, Spain - Parc del Fòrum (Daydream Festival) *#^$06-14 Nimes, France - Arenes #06-15 Nimes, France - Arenes #06-17 Milan, Italy - Civica Arena #06-18 Milan, Italy - Civica Arena #06-20 Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany - Southside Festival06-22 Scheeßel, Germany - Hurricane Festival06-24 London, England - Victoria Park #06-25 London, England - Victoria Park #06-27 Glasgow, Scotland - Glasgow Green #06-29 Manchester, England - Lancashire County Cricket Club #07-01 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Westerpark #07-03 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival07-05 Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter Festival07-06 Arras, France - Main Square Festival07-08 Berlin, Germany - Wuhlheide08-01 Chicago, IL - Grant Park (Lollapalooza)08-03 Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center %08-04 Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center %08-06 Montreal, Quebec - Parc Jean-Drapeau %08-08 Jersey City, NJ - Liberty State Park (All Points West Festival)08-09 Jersey City, NJ - Liberty State Park (All Points West Festival)08-12 Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center %08-13 Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center %08-15 Toronto, Ontario - Molson Amphitheatre %08-19 Vancouver, British Columbia - Thunderbird Stadium *08-20 Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre *08-22 San Francisco, CA - Golden Gate Park (Outside Lands Festival)08-24 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl *08-25 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl *08-27 Chula Vista, CA - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre *08-28 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl *10-04 Tokyo, Japan - Saitama Super Arena10-05 Tokyo, Japan - Saitama Super Arena* with Liars# with Bat for Lashes^ with Low, Clinic, Modeselektor$ with Ensemble Nacional de España de Música Contemporánea, performing pieces by Jonny Greenwood and Radiohead% with Grizzly Bear
Read more…
RADIOHEAD AUGUST 2008 DATES & VENUES CONFIRMED (source: Radiohead MySpace Blog dated April 7, 2008)Dates and venues have been confirmed for the second leg of Radiohead’s upcoming North American tour. They are:August 1 - Lollapalooza - Chicago, ILAugust 3 - Verizon Wireless Music Center - Indianapolis, INAugust 4 - Blossom Music Center - Cleveland, OHAugust 6 - Parc Jean Drapeau - Montreal, QCAugust 8 - All Points West Music & Arts Festival/Liberty State Park - Jersey City, NJAugust 9 - All Points West Music & Arts Festival/Liberty State Park - Jersey City, NJAugust 12 - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJAugust 13 - Tweeter Center For the Performing Arts - Mansfield, MAAugust 15 - Molson Amphitheatre - Toronto, ONAugust 19 - Thunderbird Stadium - Vancouver, BCAugust 20 - White River Amphitheatre - Auburn, WAAugust 22 - Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival @ Golden Gate Park - San Francisco, CAAugust 24 - Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles, CAAugust 25 - Hollywood Bowl - Los Angeles, CAAugust 27 - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre - Chula Vista, CAAugust 28 - Santa Barbara Bowl - Santa Barbara, CAWith the exception of the festivals (Lollapalooza, All Points West, Outside Lands), pre-sale for the above dates will begin April 9 with general on-sale following April 12.Support for the headline dates will be Grizzly Bear August 3-15 and Liars August 19-28 (as well as the first run of U.S. dates in May).You can go to radiohead.com for purchase information.
Read more…
