Blogs

Today is Hump Day as we all know. One day closer to payday, the weekend, and inevitable inebriation [unless youre in AA, then it would be flagrantly irresponsible]. Therefore, I have compiled a list of songs with matching sentiments we can all probably relate to on some level, and that should hopefully carry you over the precipice of the week and into the abyss of Friday night.  Good luck.

DOWNLOAD:

LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls

(You're best shot at getting laid if you wear more than one polo shirt at a time)

John Mayer - Clarity

(What you hope to have the next day when you realize who's in your bed)

Amy Winehouse - Best Friends, Right?

(A question you'll be asking after a drunken feud over the last slice of pizza at 4am)

PJ Harvey - This Mess We're In (Feat. Thom Yorke)

(A likely dilemma to be had by someone who picked a fight with an off-duty cop)

Tommy Stinson - Meant To Be

(Isn't love in a loud, darkened club with sticky floors grand? Sure is)

The Black Keys - Lonely Boy

(The likely outcome of the night if you're best pick up line is, 'I wanna be on you')

its almost friday..a day when it will be time to make charlie sheen's liver look like a bitch.

Although this might not be anything new to some people, I feel almost horrible that news of such a super-group could pass me by. Thus, I must comment on it for those who might have been in the dark like myself. Monsters Of Folk is the stellar collobrative music baby of Jim James [My Morning Jacket], Conor Oberst & Mike Mogis [Bright Eyes] and M. Ward [She & Him]. The result? Amazing. This has to be one of the nest albums I've ever heard. Through and through, it combines the best elements of each band into a literal folk monster, without overshadowing anyone in particular.

Despite forming in 2004, the group did not truly become effective until 2009 when their self-titled debut was released.  The accolades soon followed. M.O.F [as they are often reffered to as] achieved top ten status across a myriad of categories including Top Rock Albums [#8], Top Independent Albums [#3], and Top Alternative Albums [#6]. Vocals by Ward and James are top notch and compliment each other well despite James more aggressive range capabilities and Ward's more reserved style.

With only a couple of live performances under their belt due to each member's prior band obligations, Monsters Of Folk say they are looking forward to touring with each other once their schedules loosen up.

Can't wait. Til' then, have a listen.

DOWNLOAD:

Monsters Of Folk - Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)

Monsters Of Folk - Say Please

Monsters Of Folk - Baby Boomer

Monsters Of Folk - Temazcal

Monsters Of Folk - Map Of The World

Dear God...let them descend upon my fair city soon!

Academy Award-winning composer [and NIN frontman] Trent Reznor is forging ahead with Atticus Ross in their production of the upcoming Girl With The Dragon Tattoo soundtrack. Although the movie itself is a U.S. remake, it promises to deliver an OST on the same level as Reznor and Ross's work on The Social Network soundtrack and Reznor's own release Ghosts I-IV,  a some-what industrial take on cinematic music and which features vivid, surreal landscape photos--highly enjoyable when viewed together.

The duo is releasing a 6-track sampler ahead of the movie. At times eerie, and at others dreamy, the enigmatic music teases the mind in prepatation for the upcoming thriller.

Grab your download simply by parting with your email. You'll receive updates for the movie and be eligible to pre-order the full soundtrack signed by Reznor & Atticus, along with rare razorblade USB necklaces. Same one wore by Lisbeth in the film. Pretty damn cool.

GO HERE to get your sample on'. Enjoy!

In just a short couple of months, the School Of Seven Bells will be releasing their new album, 'Ghostory' into the audio ether. For their lucky third LP, they have decided to spread the love with a new ethereal tune, titled 'The Night'.

Part Phantogram, part Florence & The Machine, this blend of trippy, indie-dance music is a result of a union between Benjamin Curtis [Secret Machines] and Alejandra & Claudia Deheza [who happen to be identical twins]. While they met touring with their respective groups, they opted out their previous commitments and joined forces to form a group named after a highly secretive South American pickpocket-ing school..Weird!

Snag 'The Night' below along with some past hits .

DOWNLOAD:

School Of Seven Bells - The Night

School Of Seven Bells - Half Asleep

School Of Seven Bells - ILU

School Of Seven Bells - Babelonia

BONUS:

Surfer Blood - Miranda (School Of Seven Bells Remix)

you won't need to be [half] asleep to dream, just listen...

The enigmatic production duo, UNKLE has given new life to Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds. Remixing two of their songs thus far, 'AKA...What A Life!' and 'Let The Lord Shine A Light' has given the material a much darker and dance club feel. Something that UNKLE specializes in.

The series is set to continue for an unspecified number of remixes, but from what I can tell already they are all going to sound amazing.

Because they're are fairly long, only one shall be posted here. However, you can DL the duel-tracks HERE.

DOWNLOAD:

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - AKA... What A Life! (UNKLE Remix)

...Lord, let there be many a remix!

The sexy foursome, Dum Dum Girls made their first-ever television appearence on Jimmy Fallon last night to inject the world with their brand of feminine rock prowess and show us their 'Bedroom Eyes'. Their breakthrough album, 'Only In Dreams' is a follow-up to several earlier EP's including 'He Gets Me High' & 'I Will Be.'

The album channels lead singer Dee Dee's now smoother vocals and the band's classic surfer rock style into a more homogenous sound for this full length record. If you are more into Cali-punk then it might be wise to start with some of their older material and work your way forward. The noticeable progression into a more mainstream niche will make more sense that way.

'Only In Dreams'  is out now on Sub Pop records.

DOWNLOAD:

Dum Dum Girls - Bedroom Eyes

Dum Dum Girls - Catholicked

Dum Dum Girls - Jail La La

Dum Dum Girls - Yours Alone

If you like sexy girls playing with [musical] instruments, this if for you....

Nick Thorburn, or as he is better known, Nick Diamonds, seems to be running on something a lot stronger than 5-hour energy shots. Being involved in a plethora of bands [six to be exact], he is set to release his 4th album for one of his dearest projects, Islands [presumably named for Vancouver Islands, where he grew up].

Having just returned from tour with one of his side projects, Mister Heavenly, which features drummer Joe Plummer [Modest Mouse], and fellow-Canadian and actor/bassist Michael Cera, he was wasted no time in dropping the details for Island's forthcoming 'A Sleep & A Forgetting' [out 2/14 on Anti records].

Nick has been so kind as to give us a sneak-peak of the record with a laid-back loungey track titled 'This Is Not A Song.' And although it certainly is a song, and a very chill one, the beat is something of remincent of Weezer 'Say It Aint So' but done-up with a piano and chill guitar grooves. Have a listen below.

Tracklist

1. In A Dream It Seemed Real

2. This Is Not A Song

3. Never Go Solo

4. No Crying

5. Hallways

6. Can't Feel My Face

7. Lonely Love

8. Oh Maria

9. Cold Again

10. Don't I Love You

11. Same Thing

DOWNLOAD:

Islands - This Is Not A Song

...something to soothe your Monday blues

The Avalanches have not been relevant since the 90's but that doesn't seem to stop them from declaring their expertise on artistic credibility and the meaningfulness [or lack thereof] of product endorsements.

Lets rewind. Several months ago, artist Justin Vernon--aka, Bon Iver--was penned in an interview for The New York Times stating that the awards have no inherent value and that they essentially try to objectively determine that some music is better than other music without truly having a standard set of criteria.

Fast-forward to now. Bon Iver is being nominated for 4 Grammy Awards. That is the most for any artist thus far. That means more than Lady Gaga, Katy Perry or whoever else is the running--frankly, pretty ironic. No word yet on Justin's response to such acclaim as of yet.

But The Avalanches have taken issue with Justin's endorsement of Bushmill's Whiskey campiagn 'Since Way Back' which features other performers such as Chromeo and Fool's Gold [even Elijah Wood]. Bon Iver is also set to create custom art/music for the brand. Well, not everyone is happy.

On Twitter this morning, The Avalanches released their fury in a flurry of messages:

The Avalanches: "a musicians 'art is compromised if he/she desires a grammy. but endorsing a product with proven devastating health risks is ok? a product which kills 100k people/annually in the US alone..man, kids look up to you." #rememberwhenitwascoolNOTtosellout

Justin Vernon: "talk about 'desire.' do you drink whiskey?"

The Avalanches: "actually vodka is more my thing, but this aint no rock n' roll pissing contest. i have seen alcohol destroy many families...including my own. and you are making money off this shit. dont try to justify it."

Justin Vernon: "i'm not. i was asking questions. fucks sake. glad i get to play guitar tonight. literally not upset at you or anything. was kinda into a talk."

The Avalanches: "same here"

Guess we'll have to wait to see what else is said in the war over whiskey...

DOWNLOAD:

Bon Iver - Beth-Rest (Riverside Theater 7.23.2011)

Bon Iver - Skinny Love (Riverside Theater 7.23.2011)

Bon Iver - The Wolves (Act l & ll) (Riverside Theater 7.23.2011)

Well..its on! Lets see what develops.

Metallica & Lou Reed's joint-effort, 'Lulu' is getting the some Academy Award-winning help from Darren Aronofsky [Black Swan, The Wrestler] for their video, 'The View.' Originally, they were supposed to collaborate on a video for 'Iced Honey'--but even if that happened, I'm guessing that still wouldn't have made it sweet enough to swallow. Critics have been fairly harsh on this album so it can use all the help it can get.

This dark, B&W video is exactly what you'd expect from the director. It divides the lumbering monotone vocals of Reed and the loud riffs of Metallica and then reconstructs them into a series of odd and uncertain camera angles that refuse to commit. Although not a super huge fan of this particular musical mash-up, it was worth pointing out as this is only one of the very questionable pairings of our day. Check out the song/video below and decide if Natalie Portman could have made it better.

View the video HERE: 

DOWNLOAD:

Metallica & Lou Reed - The View

Metallica & Lou Reed - Ice Honey

sorry, no Mila Kunis in this one....

Finally, I`m back here!

And it`s good!)

Ya no se a donde moverme, ya no queda lugar. Me has rodeado de piedras blancas, confinando hasta mis pensamientos. Se acabo el espacio donde colocar mis anhelos, yo que solia moverme por el prado montando mi caballo, respirando el aroma del pastizal fresco, miraba nuestra falange,  alegremente chocando, ahora,  el bridon ha muerto y la fragancia se ha impregnado, con tus verdades fragmentadas. Tu voz que solia darme consejo, tu atencion que solia darme todo su silencio, tu aliento que replicaba como campanas, lo has pintando todo de blanco, cuando alguna vez fue como yo; totalmente negro. Te cambiaste el color y no diriges mas la avanzada a mi lado, obedeciendo la voluntad de tu nuevo lord albo. Ya no me puedo mover, pues hasta mi ultimo palmo, ya te pertenece, prefieres servir a un nuevo señor, vendiste nuestro flanco. y ¿por cuanto?.

Seriously..what I would give to be in my home-state again. This year's line-up for SXSW 2012 looks to be one of the best yet. Boasting performers from all over the globe, [and a slew of media and comedy acts to boot] it's no wonder why its one of the biggest and longest festivals of our time.

One of the things that I truly appreciate about this gathering of creative minds and bodies, is the unbelievable list of relatively unknown bands that are invited each year. This incredible opportunity allows them to showcase their talents to a world that might otherwise have no clue who they are. Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is ideally THE place to do it.

Since the event takes place March 9th through the 18th, [with a pretty hefty entrace fee, sadly] it means the list of bands showing up is damn near endless. Forunately, Ive collected what I think is an essential list of newcomers to look out for if you plan on venturing there this year.

Of Monsters And Men:

This Icelandic collective is a mix of folk and pop influences that have been compared to the stylings of Arcade Fire. With both male and females vocals by singer/guitarists Ragnar Thorhallsson and Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir [don't ask me how to pronounce them] I would also venture to say that you can hear some Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros mixed in as well. Their debut album is titled 'My Head Is An Animal.' Check out some tracks below:

Of Monsters And Men - Little Talks

Of Monsters And Men - Dirty Paws

Cashier No. 9:

Having just won best album and video at the North Ireland Music Awards, these guys are feeling pretty good about themselves--as they should. They're most recent LP effort, 'To The Death Of Fun' is anything but what the name suggests. With vocals sounding a lot like Paul Simon [post-Garfunkel] mixed with the januty upbeat style of MGMT its not hard to get into this group. Have a listen:

Cashier No. 9 - Lost At Sea

Cashier No. 9 - Goldstar

Oh Mercy:

Hailing from Australia, they combine the indie sensibilities of Vampire Weekend and the musical timing of Jackie Greene and Bob Dylan. This band has such great range from radio jams to 'cinematic opening credits' themes. Their  newest album, 'Great Barrier Grief' is a full of catchy, on-the-road type songs. Guess they take a lot of roadtrips down under!

Oh Mercy - 'Get You Back'

Oh Mercy - Confessions

...It would appear I have run out of space to add things. More to come!

Is there anyone here who will come to the concert next year 04.07. in Udine?

Please contact me, if you share the idea that:

It would be nice to recognize someone from here,w.a.s.t.e. in the crowded garden of Willa Manin....

I am waiting for my tickets...(un)patiently...

please help by adding your support ------> http://standupfortibet.org/enough/dk-speakup-petition-1/ 

please help by adding your support ------> http://standupfortibet.org/enough/dk-speakup-petition-1/ 

Hey guys, I have a ccMixter account which allows you to record your own original samples and others on the site remix them for you. It's pretty cool and I would appreciate if you guys would "like" my facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ReznorIsTalent/174792065933855

 :) I need to be recognized. Thanks.

Supercollide

Some inedit Radiohead songs from 1986.

- Fragile Friend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3ppiJqoRDc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

- Everybody Knows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIyOCeKkV-4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

- Girl- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3OS_YkO_Io&feature=related

Getting in the spirit of the holidays, giving [and the Old West] are The Killers, who just released a single titled 'The Cowboys' Christmas Ball.' While the video for the song is anything but old-timey, the song itself is very festive and upbeat. Full of bells, twangy country guitars [and robots] the video for the song tells the story of one of the most random holiday parties ever to be seen.

The video could have easily been directed by Les Claypool himself considering all the weird and highly imaginative elements thrown in, but perhaps we will see something similar  from him in the near future. Still got 24 days to go...

This latest diddy along with The Killers five other Christmas related songs are being sold together on iTunes to benefit the charity (RED). In this case, giving also lets you receive.

Have a gander at the video on the ol' interweb HERE.

DOWNLOAD:

The Killers - The Cowboy's Christmas Ball