If I was in a record store and flipping through the stacks (in my own little slice of heaven) and I came across something called The White Buffalo EP, I would probably shallowly dismiss it as some kind of Native American folksy music and keep going to the White Stripes or even Whitesnake.
But that would be foolish of me.
Picture instead that the first exposure to this tune is a soundtrack to a low-key little surfing movie called Shelter, with a gorgeous blue wave curling its way around a bronzed and happy surfer dude (or chick). That opens my mind to the sound — and I immediately liked the unique, quavering, urgent voice and the old-school scatting interludes to the vocals, like an old blues song. Give it a shot, I ripped it here from DVD audio:
I don’t know why Jake Smith chooses to call himself The White Buffalo. Maybe it came to him in a dream about a woman dressed in white with a holy pipe. But I have learned that he was born in Oregon, moved to San Francisco, waited tables, and is currently on tour with Ziggy Marley and later with Donavon Frankenreiter, and has that aforementioned EP which is actually thoroughly enjoyable.
Excellent Irish musicians team up for a good cause with the upcoming release of The Cake Sale — a band featuring a loose and expansive collective of musicians and writers who have combined to create a 9-song CD of the same name on Oxfam Records. All profits will go to support Oxfam Ireland’sMake Trade Fair campaign and their overseas program work.
Songs on the album have been written by Dave Geraghtyand Paul Noonan (both of Bell X1), Bono’s favorite Emm Gryner [link], Glen Hansard (of The Frames), Ollie Cole (of Irish band Turn), Damien Rice, Irish indies The Thrills and Australian-born Irish songwriter Matt Lunson [link].
Lead vocalists for the project include Lisa Hannigan (who has worked extensively with Damien Rice and should release a solo album as soon as she is able), Nina Persson (of The Cardigans), Gary Lightbody (of Snow Patrol), the lovely Irish singer Gemma Hayes, Glen Hansard, Josh Ritter, Conor Deasy (The Thrills) and Neil Hannon (of The Divine Comedy). A host of other luminaries fill the roles of musicians.
That’s a top notch compilation lineup if I ever saw one! You can stream audio from all nine of the songs here, or on their MySpace page. Be their friend. Buy their record. It’s a GOOD cause. The Cake Sale was just released in Ireland last week, and apparently those of us not on the Emerald Isle can buy it online through Road Records.
Here’s just one of the great songs: Last Leaf (Lisa Hannigan on vocals) – The Cake Sale (re-upped 11/11/06)
Those who followed the link yesterday to the Ryan Adams site were treated with not another rap, but instead a lovely new song from Ryan called “Hello Gracie.” The guitar melody in this reminds me of another song that I’ve been listening to lately and I can’t put my finger on it. Any ideas?
Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe this tune is the first “serious” effort streaming on his site since “Lovely and Blue” (aka “France”) back in August (dozens of country song snippets with hilarious titles and ‘look who got a website’ notwithstanding):
Will Ferrell never fails to make me laugh, and there is nary a sketch I love him better in than the flabby-belly-baring, hip-shaking, oft-quoted “more cowbell” sketch. The folks over at Geek Speak Weekly have now started The Cowbell Project, where you can look up all the songs that utilize that sublime bit of percussionary goodness. After all, as they say, “these are the songs that took this dark, clanging demon and pounded the essence of rock into your veins and left imprints of the dark master in your subconscious.” Right.
They also name Christopher Walken the Patron Saint of Cowbell, and perhaps most importantly have the audio from the sketch downloadable as an mp3. Now that’s service.
On a slightly more credible musical note, here’s this week’s batch:
“Nothing But The Wheel“ (with Mick Jagger) Peter Wolf Warm and lovely backporch slide-guitar duet from former J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf with Mick Jagger, off Wolf’s 2002 solo album Sleepless (Artemis Records). I love this tune. The album also features Keith Richards, and is a bluesy, rootsy affair laced with harmonica and a visual of a dusty road stretching out before you.
“You Could Have Both“ The Long Blondes Yes, you could have both: Both Blondie and Pulp in one sleek song. The UK hipsters are all abuzz about this Sheffield five-piece (which is neither long nor particularly blonde), recent recipients of the NME Philip Hall Radar Award (previously won by Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs). I have to admit, the opening 30 seconds of this have an addictive drumbeat, and that little “aaaa–aaaaa” vocal trill is straight up Debbie Harry. Interesting, alternating with a little over-the-top. But take a listen. Their debut album Someone To Drive Me Home is available for pre-order in the US.
“Island Life“ Ethan Elkind This is a nice summery acoustic reggae-tinged song that makes me think of warmer days. Ethan Elkind is relocated from San Francisco to the land of perpetual sunshine in Santa Monica, California. This is from his 2006 CD Tales From California, and it makes the perfect soundtrack for those of you who live in places where you can still have an occasional November BBQ (thx jeffro).
“Fill Me Up“ Shawn Colvin You know, for some reason I always kinda thought I didn’t like Shawn Colvin, but this new CD of hers These Four Walls (and the recent concert I attended) have made the think twice. This is the lead-off track to the album — it’s rich and melodic, showcasing her distinctively beautiful voice, and I must admit that I’ve been singing it all day. It sticks in your head unlike anything I’ve heard since Sunny finally came home. The album is her first in 5 years, as well as her first on Nonesuch Records, and it is getting some solidly good/deserved reviews.
“Lovesick Misery“ Sanders Bohlke Hailing from Oxford, Mississippi, Sanders Bohlke (not the guy from Perfect Strangers, that’s Balki) has a relaxed soul sound that makes me think of lazing around in a hammock, perhaps dejectedly. I find this track especially reminiscent of the things I like best about Amos Lee (whose second album finally came in the mail, and I look forward to listening to). This song is a free download from Bohlke’s self-titled album on Ampere Records. There are a few other free mp3s over at his website if you like the sound (thx Bruce).
Links note: I went ahead and signed up with MidPhase this week (thanks for the contributions, you guys rock my socks off!) and hope to be up and running with that in a few days. I am trying FileDen today in the meantime. Please holler if it doesn’t work and I’ll put something else together.
And a PS note: Happy belated birthday (yesterday) to Mr. Ryan Adams. If you care to celebrate with me, you can check out the two killer Ryan & The Cardinals live sets from a few weeks ago that rbally has posted up as part of his alleged swansong (say it ain’t so) from the world of blogging: Part One & Part Two. And those in New York may pay special attention to the tix going on sale this Friday at noon for Ryan’s December shows at Town Hall.
A completely welcome surprise in my mailbox yesterday was a new Christmas album from silver-throated Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan: Wintersong (Arista Records). I didn’t even know she had anything new coming out, so I was excited to pop this baby in the player and hear what Sarah has to offer us this Advent season (even though we just started November).
Does this foray into seasonal bliss sound like it may be a bad idea for McLachlan? As one reviewer wrote, “An album like this could cement [her] as a middle-of-the-road crooner ready for the Andy Williams Christmas Show, but there’s more beneath the surface of Wintersong than just Christmas chestnuts, over-roasting on an open fire.” I completely agree, and absolutely love the elegant, ethereal collection that she has created here with longtime producer Pierre Marchand.
I know that your sentiments on Christmas music can diverge in two very different ways. I have to admit, there are days when I’ll be moseying along in Macy’s and “Here Comes Santa Claus” will come on and I will want to run for shelter. Now that it’s November, I’ll have to make a mental note to avoid the mall as much as possible until January for that very reason.
But there are so many Christmas songs that are quiet and lovely and meaningful, that make me feel like all can be right with this world. Sarah picks those songs. She picks the ones that underscore the stillness, the mystery, and some original compositions with an air of bittersweetness. There is not a single track on here that I want to skip, no gaudy garish upbeat tracks with cracking whips and ho-ho-ho’s that seem out of character to the collection.
First and foremost you must listen to her wrenchingly sad and flawlessly beautiful cover of Joni Mitchell’s “River” (oh, and I’ve decided to plunge into Joni Mitchell, but that’s another post). It could be one of my favorite songs of the year. If a note can break your heart, they way she tackles the line about “I would teach my feet to fly . . . away” could do it for me.
The album opens with a fairly straightforward cover of “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” by Lennon (complete with a chorus of children in the background), and sandwiched in between her lovely arrangements of old standards is a brand-new song that she penned, the title track “Wintersong.” Also a longtime five-star favorite of mine, “Song For A Winter’s Night” (written by Gordon Lightfoot) has previously only been available on her B-Sides, Rarities, & Other Stuff album, and is a wistful & welcome addition to this album.
The songs have a uniqueness in the production and the arrangements that are distinctly McLachlan. Whether it is her new melody to the verses in the minor keys of “Greensleeves/What Child Is This” or the bright banjo plucking (a la Sufjan) in “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” she adds a distinct fingerprint to each song. The album closes with a melancholy and simple version of Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmastime Is Here” (with Diana Krall accompanying Sarah on piano). You can almost see the snowflakes falling.
There is a spare, glistening beauty to this effort, and I can seriously see myself listening to every Christmas for years to come.
I laughed and laughed at this recent piece from What Would Jesus Blog, which walks you through the process of how one would go about making a mix tape for pop culture essayist/music lover Chuck Klosterman, should you ever find yourself needing to do so.
Since I could literally, literally sit for hours and talk about perfect song placement, the tour de force closing track and that achingly perfect little ballad to slide in the middle of any given mix, I loved this “conversation.” I’ve even used some of these little suggestions he has without even knowing that it was divinely approved (like a Back To The Future soundclip for the opening track on a driving mix. Come on! It’s just too perfect).
For example, under the section about choosing Track 4 (“Hit Chuck Klosterman with a not too cheesy novelty song”) –
“Your best bet here would be to foreign language cover of a song that he already knows. For example, ”We’re Not Going To Take It’ is not a smart move, but ‘Nosotros No Lo Tomaremos’ would be genius.”
I just kind of cackled out loud again cutting and pasting that.
Incidentally, it gets even better in the comments when LargeHearted Boy linked to the actual mix tapes that Chuck Klosterman made for him and his readers:
It’s a soundtrack to your reading-time, and I love it. Every author worth his salt should do this. It would make me read a lot more than I already do, that’s for sure and certain.
Hurrah and yee-haw. Forget that other low-quality recording I posted of Trent Reznor’s Bridge School performance a few weeks ago. Delete it from your computer. Done? Now, thanks to an anonymous Polish music fan, I have a great-quality recording of his set.
Visit the original post for new links to mp3s of the songs he scorched through (check out “Something I Can Never Have” and “Piggy,” probably my two favorite re-interpretations).
I would have had these up sooner, but I am still having pain-in-the-arse hosting troubles since EZArchive sucks on something unattractive and sweaty. The hosting alternatives I am looking at are all considerably more expensive than what I had set aside for a year of EZArchive, but seem more reliable. If you regularly visit this site and would like to pitch in a few bucks to make your downloading experience here simple and easy, please consider tossing me a few kopeks through the PayPal donation button on the bottom right of the toolbar, which a reader recently recommended that I add. I feel weird even asking, but it would help me help you and be able to afford a better server. Win-win-win situation.
OH! And hot dang part II: Pearl Jam Bootlegs blog has up stupendous audio from both nights of Pearl Jam, complete with album art and some nice photographs. Looks like whoever took the shots was about fifth row or so. A huge hurrah there too.
As a child I was never immersed into The Clash through the listening habits of my parents (like Carl Barat talks of his parents doing, below). Mine were more into, say, records by Peter Paul and Mary, or some Keith Green — so I think I will always be trying to catch up when it comes to an encyclopedic knowledge of one of punk rock’s most important (and still relevant) groups. Because of this obvious character deficiency, I greatly enjoyed brushing up via this feature in The Observer (UK) as a variety of different rocker-types talk about what their favorite Clash song is and why.
All the Clash singles come down to ‘White Riot’. It was the first single (it’s got ’1977′ on the B-side) and I’ll always remember the day I bought it, which was the day it came out. It was March ’77 and you could really see that the party was already over and we were rushing headlong towards the summer of hate. ‘White Riot’ and ’1977′ really gave off that feeling of paranoia, and the Clash were doing their up-against-the-wall stance in their stencilled suits. It had a great picture sleeve.
It was all about speed, staying out in sexually deviant or heavy-duty black nightclubs and massive creativity. It was also a piss-take of how pathetic white people are at standing up for their rights and having fun, whereas black people know how to do both. Both the Clash and the Pistols were masters of decadence. The essential theme behind punk wasn’t hate; it was complete contempt for the idea of the right to work or the need to do anything. It wasn’t ignorance, it was simply: ‘Fuck it, I don’t care. I just wanna have fun.’ And ‘White Riot’ says it all.
Carl Barât, The Libertines/Dirty Pretty Things: “Tommy Gun“
The Clash were part of the nameless soundtrack to my early life. My mum and dad had these punk compilation tapes they used to play and ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’ and ‘London Calling’ were on them. The band always appealed more than the Sex Pistols – they had more to say. ‘Tommy Gun’ evokes that age. It’s a product of the volatile climate of the late Seventies – all those references to terrorist organisations like Baader-Meinhof and the Red Brigade.
It’s like a punk adaptation of the Beatles’ ‘Revolution’: ‘Tommy gun, you ain’t happy less you got one!’ Fucking great. A mate told me a funny story about the ad lib near the end where Strummer sings: ‘OK, so let’s agree about the price, and make it one jet airliner for 10 prisoners.’ Apparently, he texted it to a mate who couldn’t figure out what the lyrics were and the next morning some heavies from MI5 turned up on his doorstep! That alone proves ‘Tommy Gun’ is as relevant now as it was back then.
My favourite Clash single is ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go’. I thought I’d heard it somewhere before. Listening to (the album) Combat Rock makes me feel like I’m 34 again and spring is in the cocaine.
We had a junior manager called Chris Chappel who was a huge Clash fan. I invited them on to the US tour after Chris convinced our senior manager they would be good. By the end of the tour, they had broken the US. I adore the Clash, as I adored the Sex Pistols. Not really comparable, but they both felt to me like bands who, like the Jam a little later, had travelled a route laid by the Who more than any other band.
The New York Dolls and the Ramones influenced British punk rock, but it was our simultaneous exaltation of rock, and indifference to it, that both bands emulated. So I have a personal pride in the Clash, as I do in the Sex Pistols and the Jam.
The Who recently played at the Brighton Centre and all I could think of while we played was that I had once played with the Clash on the same stage in 1981.
I was at the recording of ‘Bankrobber’. Me and my mate Pete Garner were walking down Granby Road in the middle of Manchester one day and we could hear these drums coming through the walls. Pete was a proper Clash fan and he was convinced it was them. Then Topper Headon walks out on to the street right in front of us!
He invited us downstairs into the studio to see what was going on. Mikey Dread was there and we got chatting. They were dead cool. Joe Strummer was sitting in the corner with a big, wide-brimmed hat on beneath this big grandfather clock, clicking his fingers in time to it. Paul Simonon asked us what our favourite film was and then said [affects authentic west London drawl]: ‘Mine’s Death Race 2000!’ Funny, the things you remember. Afterwards, we showed Johnny Green, their tour manager, the way to the record shop and he bought two copies of ‘London Calling’ – one for each of us. I’ll never forget it.
Bernard Sumner, Joy Division and New Order: “Rock the Casbah“
I was aware of the Clash when punk happened because that was what started us going, although I don’t think Joy Division were punk like that. I think we were something else that came after, that didn’t have a name.
I heard ‘Rock the Casbah’ in New York when we first started going there in the early Eighties after the demise of Joy Division. We were struggling a bit because Ian Curtis’s death meant we couldn’t go in that direction any more; we’d peaked in that sound. Clubs in New York were ‘new wave’, and the music was infinitely better than in England. There was the Peppermint Lounge, Danceteria, Hurrah’s, AM-PM. They weren’t playing commercial dance music but club tracks by English groups. The two absolute classics were ‘Tainted Love’ by Soft Cell and ‘Rock the Casbah’.
‘Rock the Casbah’ broke form. It really cut it in a club and showed me you can make club music that’s not cheesy. Here was a proper group, making proper music, but they were using traditional rock’n'roll instruments to make music that dominated a New York club scene. That was a massive inspiration for me.
Stuart Pearce, England football hero & manager of Manchester City FC: “Complete Control“
When I was 14, I was living with my mum and dad in Kingsbury, north west London. After school, I’d be straight up to the bedroom to get the records on. The walls had posters of all the bands I liked: the Clash, Stranglers, Stiff Little Fingers, Bowie. I had a Lurkers set list and a massive ‘Holidays in the Sun’ Pistols poster. I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do back then – I still don’t now – I was just into music.
Back then, I didn’t want to hear any slow songs or ballads; I just wanted something fast and loud that I could sing along to and jump up and down on the bed with a baseball bat like an idiot. ‘Complete Control’ was the rawest song I had; everything I wanted was on it. I can still remember my old girl coming in and telling me to turn it down.
I’d play ‘White Riot’ before I went out to play, mainly at Forest; that was my musical peak, because I was captain. Brian Clough sort of turned a blind eye to it, really.
This is the leading track on the album Sandinista!. I played it loads. When it came out, I was 18, living at home with my dad. I had a job in a print factory and the lyrics were pretty true to my life: ‘Ring ring it’s 7am, move y’self to go again.’
Most of the time I was so bored with it. I wanted to commit suicide, so the song portrayed that experience correctly. The song’s about the futility of work – it voiced the experience I was going through. Living in a cage, imprisoned with no real future, that song gave me the courage to give up work. I always remember the lyrics because of that.
I loved Chic, and this sounded like ‘Good Times’. It sounded like a punk version of Chic. It’s a rebel song you can dance to.
The album was one of the best, really brave, coming after London Calling, which everyone was saying was a rock masterpiece. Then they come out with this triple album full of disco, psychedelia, country, dub, everything.
It’s an amazing record, great energy, great remixes, a truly wild record with some of Strummer’s greatest lyrics.
The Clash’s first album always sounded a bit rough to me. It was only when I saw the band live on their ‘Out of Control’ tour that I found out how potent they could be. It was 21 October 1977 in Trinity College, Dublin – it was a tribal gathering and it had a seismic impact on the Dublin subculture.
‘White Man in Hammersmith Palais’ was the first song that revealed their political depth. Written after a disappointing reggae gig at the Hammersmith Palais featuring Dillinger, Leroy Smart and Delroy Wilson, it mocks both the gun-toting braggartry of the reggae artists and the shallow, attention-seeking UK punk rockers for missing the real danger: the rise of the neo-Nazi movement.
Steve Jones, Sex Pistols and Indie 103.1 FM, LA: “London Calling“
I loved the Clash. They were formed because of seeing the Pistols, so they were never seen as a threat. The Pistols were number one and the Clash were number two, even if that was perceived to have changed further along the road. I like the way they played because it was the same style as I’m from, the same school of glam. Mick Jones was coming from the same place I was. I went up to Birmingham and played with them. It was all good in my book.
‘London Calling’ was their ‘Anarchy in the UK’. I thought it was a depressing song but significant, because of the lyrics. You know, history gets twisted by those who weren’t there. The Clash, they were there, we were there. I’ve had Mick on the blower for the radio show. And Joe would leave me these weird messages when he was alive, at 5am, saying how I was his fave guitar player. They were great guys. I liked them.
I don’t watch The OC (well, maybe once out of morbid curiousity, plus it’s totally no good anymore since Marissa died, right?) but they have a pretty solid history when it comes to the soundtrack mixes that they put out, and the upcoming #6 is no exception.
This album is a inventive bunch of indie rockers covering indie rockers, including some covers of songs that are barely old enough to drive yet, much less be considered for cover material. I am looking forward to hearing these.
OC Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks Goldspot – “Float On” (Modest Mouse) Rock Kills Kid – “I Turn My Camera On” (Spoon) Lady Sovereign – “Pretty Vacant” (The Sex Pistols) Mates of State – “California” (Phantom Planet) Pinback – “Wasted” (Black Flag) John Paul White – “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” (ELO) Rogue Wave – “Debaser” (The Pixies) Syd Matters – “Hello Sunshine” (Super Furry Animals) Tally Hall – “Smile Like You Mean It” (The Killers) The M’s – “Come Into Our Room” (Clinic) Band Of Horses – “The End’s Not Near” (The New Year) Chris Holmes – “Into Dust” (Mazzy Star)
PREVIEW: Here’s a live version of San Francisco’s Rogue Wave covering “Debaser” on 8/11/06 in Boston:
And speaking of Rogue Wave, that benefit a few weeks ago for drummer Pat Spurgeon was a sold-out home run success, thanks in part to those of you readers who contributed to the fund and the other bloggers who responded to my call to post up a little something about the fundraiser. Every little bit definitely helped.
The band writes, “Thanks to everyone who came out to see us this September, and thanks to all of those who donated to the Pat fund. We have raised a lot of money to help Pat through this difficult time, and you are a huge part of that.
In addition, world famous rock photographer Peter Ellenby photographically documented the night (shown here), and you can purchase copies of his prints here. All proceeds will be donated to Pat.”
Name: Heather Browne Location: Colorado, originally by way of California Giving context to the torrent since 2005.
"I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there's something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It's the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part..."
—Nick Hornby, Songbook
"Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel." —Hunter S. Thompson
Mp3s are for sampling purposes, kinda like when they give you the cheese cube at Costco, knowing that you'll often go home with having bought the whole 7 lb. spiced Brie log. They are left up for a limited time. If you LIKE the music, go and support these artists, buy their schwag, go to their concerts, purchase their CDs/records and tell all your friends. Rock on.
If I was in a record store and flipping through the stacks (in my own little slice of heaven) and I came across something called The White Buffalo EP, I would probably shallowly dismiss it as some kind of Native American folksy music and keep going to the White Stripes or even Whitesnake.
As a child I was never immersed into 
And speaking of 
Name: Heather Browne
