Monday Music Roundup

My pal Jeff Weiss (who runs the finely-wrought and utterly hilarious Passion Of The Weiss blog) also moonlights with the good folks at Stylus Magazine, and you should read his latest opus for them:
Back To The Future vs. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. It’s just as awesome as it sounds.

Weiss pits two of the most excellent ’80s films against each other on several battles: Better Protagonist, Better Villain, Better Historical Time-Travel Interaction, Better Time-Traveling Helper, Better Time-Traveling Vehicle, Better Token Females, Better Musicians, and Better Sequel(s). Finally a serious discussion of these important qualifiers. The overall winner is my pick as well — although it is indeed a tough choice. Thanks to Weiss for navigating these rocky waters for us and helping us make an informed choice.

Here’s what else I am enjoying this week:

Hardcore Days and Softcore Nights
Aqueduct
I completely missed this one when it came around on the 2005 album I Sold Gold (maybe because I don’t watch The O.C.) but when I heard it last week it hooked me instantaneously with its insane, thumping beats and I’ve listened to it since then on repeat. A lot. You will love it — and although the title sounds like it should be the definitive soundtrack to a porn flick, the lyrics are actually tame and a bit cryptic. Aqueduct is the nom-de-mike of David Terry, and he has a new album Or Give Me Death out on Barsuk February 20th. Stream some new tunes here.

Cryin’
Spencer Dickinson
This is a side project featuring Jon Spencer (o, he of the Blues Explosion) and some of the North Mississippi Allstars (Luther & Cody Dickinson). Recorded in 2000, released in Japan only in 2001, this finally made it to the rest of us last summer as the album The Man Who Lived For Love, on the Yep Roc label. One reviewer said this track sounds like “James Brown on a psychedelic bender,” and there’s enough dirty bluesy funk, electric guitars, Memphis horns, and rowling harmonica on this disc to make anyone do a little backporch jig.

Into The Mystic (live)
Van Morrison
This live cut is from the upcoming compilation Van Morrison At the Movies (out tomorrow), which features Van songs used on film soundtracks — and there are a lot. This one is cited as being in Patch Adams, not that anyone would remember the inclusion of most of these songs into the movies referenced (with the exception of the flawless use of “Comfortably Numb” in The Departed). This is a great collection with unreleased versions of Van songs, and a fine place to start if you haven’t previously added anything from the Irish Soulmaster into your collection. There’s something fine in the world when Van Morrison is playing on the radio.

Untitled Demo
Rosewood Thieves
Here’s a sweet little raw bit of material from burgeoning buzz-band The Rosewood Thieves. It’s not at all like the rollicking blues that I’ve previously loved from them, but instead this understated tune is bittersweet and melodic — all acoustic plucking and harmonica. The guys are working on demos right now for their first full-length LP. Unfortunately because of V2 going belly up, they no longer have a label. Once they finish the demos and find a label they’ll be recording at Levon Helm’s studio in Woodstock. Can’t wait to hear the finished product – I think these guys are bursting with talent. [thx for the pic and mp3]

Gimme Shelter (Streetlab remix)
Rolling Stones
Stereogum pointed me in the direction of these Streetlab fellas from Brooklyn, who eloquently remix class songs like this without turning it into something too clubby or dancey. It’s as if your radio that you are listening to ‘Gimme Shelter’ on gets caught up in a tornado, and the music ebbs towards you and then flows back — in and out. Through all of this Mick’s voice comes weaving in. Fantastic. Several other free downloads of their wares are available on the Streetlab MySpace, including a remix of the Smashing Pumpkins song ‘Starla’ that must be experienced.

P.S. – The sun finally came out here this weekend! I went running outside and was going to die (either of sun-soaked happiness or muscular exhaustion, I couldn’t decide which).

Romeo+Juliet Soundtrack: 10 Year re-release & new contest

It’s been ten years since the luminous Claire Danes (who forever holds a special place in my heart as a seemingly parallel representation of me in high school with the dyed red hair –”Crimson Glow”– and the crush on the unattainable Jordan Catalano figure) portrayed Juliet to her Leo DiCaprio Romeo in the controversial Baz Luhrmann remake of the Shakespearean classic.

The soundtrack to the film was fab, full of modern scene-setting tunes like Radiohead, Garbage, Everclear and The Cardigans (sing it with me, “Love me, love me . . .”), as well as that self-improvement / inspirational / quirky Baz Luhrmann spoken word piece about wearing sunscreen and dancing.

They’re doing a ten year re-release of the official soundtrack with 4 bonus tracks and an updated remake of the sunscreen bit, and I have one to give away (oh, and congrats to Peter who just won the last Graham Coxon vinyl contest!).

To enter to win, let’s talk in the comments about different cinematic versions of Shakespearean classics. Favorites? Abominations? Thoughts either way? I mostly just remember giggling over a naked butt scene in my high school English class when we watched the Zeffirelli version of R&J. Yeah, mature, I know.

ROMEO+JULIET soundtrack on MySpace
R+J 2007: http://www.freetowearsunscreen.com

Tunes from the 1996 version:
Talk Show Host – Radiohead

#1 Crush – Garbage

Tim Buckley DVD on the way

From the NME, news of a forthcoming Tim Buckley DVD (and a related previous post here with Jeff Buckley audio).

Tim Buckley performances DVD revealed
A DVD featuring a collection of performances of Tim Buckley is set to be released in May. Featuring rare live performances from various television shows and interview footage spanning his career from 1967 to 1974, ‘My Fleeting House‘ also includes 11 songs and interviews with Lee Underwood, who was Buckley’s guitarist, and Larry Beckett, who co-wrote many of his songs.

Over the course of his career, Buckley (father of the late Jeff Buckley) incorporated jazz, psychedelia, funk, soul, and avant-garde rock into his sound. He died in 1975, aged 28, from a mixture of heroin and alcohol. ‘My Fleeting House’ will be released on May 15.

TRACKLISTING
‘No Man Can Find the War’ (from ‘Inside Pop’)
‘Happy Time’ (from ‘Late Night Line-Up’)
‘Morning Glory’ (from ‘Late Night Line-Up’)
‘Dolphins’ (from ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’)
‘Song to the Siren’ (from ‘The Monkees Show’)
‘Who Do You Love’ (from ‘Greenwich Village’)
‘Happy Time’ (from Dutch TV)
‘Sing a Song for You’ (from Dutch TV)
‘Sally Go Round the Roses’ (from ‘Music Video Live’)
‘Blue Melody’ (from ‘Boboquivari’)
‘Venice Beach (Music Boats by the Bay)’ (from ‘Boboquivari’)
‘I Woke Up’ (from ‘The Show’)
‘Come Here Woman’ (from ‘The Show’)
‘Pleasant Street’ (from ‘the Christian Licorice Store’)
____________________________________________________

Last March I uploaded this Tim Buckley video to YouTube after reading about the moment in Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff & Tim Buckley and subsequently scouting out the video clip online. It has blown me away how many people are still interested in viewing this performance — over 50,000 so far! And some pretty passionate comments, too . . . A magnetic performance.

Springsteen tribute show planned at Carnegie Hall

Bruce Springsteen is set to get the tribute treatment from the musical community on April 5 at Carnegie Hall in New York. If you were lucky enough to click on the ticket sale website on January 31, then you may have already snagged yourself a pair of tickets (in what concert producer Michael Dorf is calling a “premature leak.” Those are always a bit embarassing). Tickets legitimately went on sale Monday (and seem to be sold out) with the proceeds benefitting the Music For Youth program, as with previous tributes to Dylan & Joni Mitchell.

The benefit show will feature appearances from Badly Drawn Boy, Pete Yorn, Steve Earle, Chris Isaak and Josh Ritter, among others. I can’t find any recordings of Isaak ever covering Springsteen (some fan correct me if I am wrong), and same for Ritter (although there is plenty of press likening him to Springsteen’s songwriting). But here’s some hints of what the night may sound like . . .

Thunder Road – Badly Drawn Boy

Dancing In The Dark –> Murray (live) – Pete Yorn

State Trooper (live) – Steve Earle

And if I may, how awesome would it be to see these humble suggestions added to the lineup?

Hungry Heart – Jesse Malin

For You – The Format

No Surrender (live 9/30/05) – Eddie Vedder
(yeah, I’ve posted this before, but it’s one of my absolute favorites)

Wear your heart on your sleeves

This is absolutely the best article I’ve read in many moons. It made me a bit emotional about the power of music, and captured the simple joy of experiencing a full, complete, physical album (instead of the instant gratification of sterile single downloads) and the labor of love inherent in making an actual mix tape.

Wear your heart on your sleeves
In the days before iTunes, when you wanted to impress a girl you lovingly put together a compilation tape from your LPs. Now – thanks to the wondrous choice of digital music – mix tapes and vinyl are dying out. But is some of the mystery and meaning of music also disappearing?
by Sean O’Hagan
The Observer

Excerpt 1: “And, if a cherished record collection contains, on one level, a sketchy map of the human heart, a mix tape is a smaller, more intimate map, and a kind of diary of where you once were, and even who you once were. Last week, I found tapes made by ex-girlfriends, old flatmates, long lost friends. I found a brilliant Latin jazz compilation given to me in 1982 by a guy called Neil Barnes, with whom I went to college, went to gigs, and who went out with one of my friends for a while. The DIY cover is made from a postcard; you can still make out Neil and Jackie’s address on the back. Neil went on to form Leftfield, and record with one of his heroes, John Lydon. But this is a snapshot of another time, when we were both lost in music and had no real idea of where we were going.”

Excerpt 2: “As cultural shifts go, [the iPod] is momentous. We are finally free to listen to whatever we want whenever we want wherever we want. Utterly, blissfully, emptily free of everything but the music, itself ghostly, dismembered, intangible.

It may be late in the day, then, to consider what is being lost in this heady moment of what postmodernists call accelerated culture. Has, for instance, the huge shift in the way we consume music altered the way we hear music? Has it changed the nature of our emotional engagement with, and investment in, music? Does music no longer occupy the space in our increasingly overcrowded lives that it once did despite – or because of – the fact that it is easily attainable, ubiquitous? Is it possible that, in the near future, new music will exist solely in cyberspace?”

You absolutely must spend a few minutes reading this excellent piece today. Highly recommended food for thought, with no real answers but fodder for an impassioned and lengthy discussion I would love to have someday. And the closest that this sentiment can be expressed in a 3 minute punk song –

Spin The Black Circle – Pearl Jam
(live on Monkeywrench Radio, Seattle, 1/31/98)

You’re money, baby, and you don’t even know it

Money Mark is too cool for school. Sometimes called the unofficial fourth member of the Beastie Boys, he’s contributed his funky retro keys to several of their albums (Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty, The In Sound From Way Out). He also looks as though he has just leapt, 1973 secret agent style, out of their Sabotage video, and that’s okay with me.

Mark’s also showcased his talents on several Beck records, Blackalicious and the first Handsome Boy Modeling School. He’s signed to Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records label, and his solo album Brand New By Tomorrow will be coming out 2/27/07. Spinner mag says, “‘Brand New by Tomorrow’ embraces the best elements of Beck, Air and Wings.” And that’s quite a tall (and interesting) order, but an accurate description. This is a funky, eclectic, laid-back summery album that makes me long for warmer days. You can listen to a few more samples on his MySpace.

He’s playing a handful of Australian dates in the coming days with the Beasties, and then I’ll have two opportunities to see Money Mark in San Francisco during Noise Pop. In addition to an opening slot for the always-fantastic Cake on Sunday night (March 4th) at Bimbo’s, Mark’s also got a free show earlier that afternoon (2pm) at Amoeba Records in SF, which may give me a lovely excuse to dig in the stacks there and come home with some goodies.

Pick Up The Pieces – Money Mark
(co-written by Jack Johnson, and featuring notable grooves from Beach Boys bassist Carol Kaye)

Feist: new album news (Reminder) / old album sounds (Monarch)

Ms. Leslie Feist (sometimes Broken-Social-Scenestress, songbird solo artist of late, full-time awesome) announced details today of her follow-up release to the spirited Let it Die (2004) and (my #3 of 2006) Open Season: Remixes and Collabs. Due out May 1 in the US and April 23 most other places, the new album is called The Reminder and sports one of the coolest/elegant/imaginative/understated covers in recent months. Feist likes lines.

A few new tour dates also announced:
Brighton, UK April 16 at Komedia
London April 17 at Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Printemps de Bourges Festival April 19 in France
Berlin April 23 at Hebbel Am Ufer
Paris April 26 at Le Grand Rex

Canadian & East Coast US tour dates forthcoming, as well as summer festivals worldwide.

This gives me a timely reminder to post the next album in my “Before They Were Blogged” featurette. Unless you lived in or around Toronto in 1999, or have been a fan of Feist since when this was commercially available, her first album Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) is a tough one to locate for your distinct listening pleasure. A limited number of these were made, but these songs are a joy to hear. Of course. (thx Mike!)

It’s Cool To Love Your Family
The Onliest
La Sirena
One Year A.D.
Monarch
That’s What I Say, It’s Not What I Mean
Flight #303
Still True
The Mast
New Torch

FEIST’S MONARCH AS A ZIP

That’s why I live in Fulham

Stereophonics‘ Kelly Jones was arrested recently for urinating on the street, in the ongoing saga of classic quotes while intoxicated:

“Last night Kelly, who was celebrating his solo album Only The Names Have Been Changed going in at No 1 on iTunes, saw the funny side when I spoke to him. He told me: “I said to the copper, ‘You telling me you never had a piss in the street?’

[The policeman] said that the people of Camden wouldn’t appreciate me urinating on their streets.

I said, ‘I know that. That’s why I live in Fulham.’


He said, ‘I’m taking you in.’ “

This post is second in a series.

Monday Music Roundup

Wahoo Colts! I had so much fun watching the Superbowl yesterday (although it’s not quite as stirring as my first love of soccer, the true “football”). It was, however, an American cultural event not to be missed, as always — and a fine excuse to eat chips and chili-cheese dip with beer for dinner with friends. Right on.

Undecided (i.e. apathetic) going into the game since neither of my teams were playing, I quickly decided to root for the underdog after the Bears scored that pretty phenomenal opening touchdown. I picked the right team as the Colts controlled the play for almost the entire time, mercilessly pushing forward with steady gains and some great plays. I was a bit apprehensive of the tiny-manness of the halftime show (which is always so over-the-top and odd, even more so with the Polly-Pocket of funk, Prince) . . .

I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
(Prince cover)
Eels
As I watched Prince prance about with his patent-leather heeled boots, his man-handkerchief do-rag thingie, with the drum majors all up in his business (and a Foo Fighters cover?!), I found myself wistfully thinking of Prince songs that I like more than the ones he chose (the show was flashy, but just alright for me, dawg). Now this is an incisive & fantastic song, with a droll twist by E from Eels.

My Favorite Mutiny
The Coup
Bay Area band (straight outta Oakland) that I am leaning towards seeing at Noise Pop, just for something different from my usual fare. I must say, if I go, it will be my first hip-hop show since when I saw Sugarhill Gang in Florence, Italy with a bunch of Italians. And that was a blast. But since then? I’ve been woefully lacking in any good hip-hop concerts. In visiting the MySpace pages of the acts on this bill, I was impressed by all of them, and immediately drawn to the old school samples in this track (a free download -1 of 4- from The Coup’s MySpace page). From their 2006 album Pick A Bigger Weapon (Epitaph), which features musicians as varied as Tom Morello (Audioslave), members of Parliament-Funkadelic, and the formidable Toni! Tony! Toné! (You can tell they mean business because of all! the exclamation points!). I like it.

Game of Pricks
(Guided By Voices cover)
The Broken West
Justin over at Aquarium Drunkard had a special visit by the guys from (Fuel-favorite) Broken West during his Little Radio show last week. In addition to live versions of three hits from their new, absolutely fantastic album I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, they also score props for their fine little cover of GBV (and the original).
Snag the rest of the live mp3s on AD, and check out the Broken West when they head out on tour with The Long Winters this Spring.

Say It All
Sondre Lerche
This one almost slipped by me – Norwegian extraordinaire Sondre Lerche has a new album coming out tomorrow on Astralwerks called Phantom Punch (phantoms are so hot right now), in which he continues to make catchy pop songs with an enjoyable punch. I love the way he always sounds so disaffected while he’s singing, like he’s lying in a bathtub and just can’t be bothered.

Mr. Wilson
Optiganally Yours
I thought the name of this band had something to do with Sesame Street or some other show wherein you learn about octagons and other shapes, but rather Optiganally Yours is another Rob Crow (Pinback) side project, this time focusing on the wonderful mid-’70s musical instrument the Optigan (optical organ) and its funky, weird instrumental loops. This song is kitschy and fabulous, sounding significantly better than any songs I was ever able to make with the plastic instruments of my childhood. From the 1997 album Spotlight On Optiganally Yours, billed as “Mattel Lounge music for all ages.” (thx Clea!)

Pants-Off Dance-Off, Noise Pop Edition

In the great tradition of intelligent, competitive entertainment (such as the shining beacon of light that is Pants-Off Dance-Off, or American Idol, or any other number of quality programs on the telly) I am enlisting the help of you, the reader, to help me decide what shows to see at the upcoming Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco (Feb 27-March 4). There are so many excellent offerings that I am a bit stumped.

On the superb show Pants-Off Dance-Off (that I was unfortunately exposed to one time, and summarily blinded for a week) all the people that you never wanted to see in various states of undress do just that for you. You get the nymphomaniac Ukrainian girl who thinks she is a lot hotter than she is, the nerdy computer programmer geek who thinks he’s hilarious in his undies, or the sassy large lady who wants to broaden your horizons of beauty (and pretty much fails). The viewers vote and America Decides who they want to see take it all off on the website.

There should not be much pants-off dancing in San Francisco for me but the democratic model of you guys voting to help to decide my itinerary suits me well, since I’ll be reporting back on the whole shebang for your enjoyment. Some shows I know for sure that I won’t miss, but there are a few nights (mostly Thursday and Friday) where I could go either way, and that’s where you come in. Please help me navigate the waters of grade-A indie rock — have you seen any of these bands? As George Thorogood wonders, Who do you love?

Incidentally, if you live in the Bay Area (or need a junket), this is also a list of recommendations of where you should consider being in a few weeks’ time — tickets are on sale and a few shows are already close to selling out.

WEDNESDAY Feb 28
* JOSH RITTER (Solo Acoustic) @ SWEDISH AMERICAN HALL
with Will Sheff (Okkervil River)
Doors 7pm/Show 7:30pm

* WILLY MASON @ CAFÉ DU NORD
with The Watson Twins, Ryan Auffenberg, Built for the Sea
8pm/9pm

This means Wednesday (unless I can clone myself) I will have to miss covering the Sebadoh show at GAMH and John Vanderslice/Damien Jurado @ The Independent. Ouch.

THURSDAY Mar 1 (totally undecided)
My options:
* ROKY ERICKSON AND THE EXPLOSIVES @ GAMH
with Howlin Rain, Oranger, Wooden Shjips
7pm/8pm

* FRENCH KICKS @ SLIM’S
with Scissors For Lefty, The Oohlas, Magic Bullets
7pm/8pm

* LYRICS BORN @ THE FILLMORE
with The Coup, Lifesavas
7pm/8pm

* ALEXI MURDOCH @ CAFÉ DU NORD
with Aqueduct, Midnight Movies
7:30pm/8pm

* TRAINWRECK RIDERS, LANGHORNE SLIM (co-headlining) @ RICKSHAW STOP
with Poor Bailey, The Morning Benders
8pm/9pm

FRIDAY Mar 2 (completely undecided)
* VIC CHESNUTT @ SWEDISH AMERICAN HALL
with Zach Rogue, Thao Nguyen, Alela Diane
7pm/7:30pm

* TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS @ GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
with Georgie James, So Many Dynamos, Pony Come Lately
7pm/8pm

* STATE RADIO @ SLIM’S
with The New Amsterdams, Street To Nowhere, The Actual
7pm/8pm

* ANNUALS @ CAFÉ DU NORD
with Simon Dawes, Pilot Speed, Ray Barbee (from the surf movie Sprout soundtrack) And The Mattson 2
8pm/9pm

* JOLIE HOLLAND @ THE FILLMORE
with David Dondero, St. Vincent
8pm/9pm

* AUTOLUX @ THE INDEPENDENT
with Snowden, Malajube, Death of a Party
8:30pm/9pm

* THE DONNAS @ BOTTOM OF THE HILL
with Boyskout
8:30pm/9pm

* THE DANDY WARHOLS @ MEZZANINE
with Audrye Sessions, Elephone, DJ Aaron Axelson
9pm

SATURDAY Mar 3 (pretty set)
* The Art Of Noise Pop [Exhibit & Expo]
1pm to 6pm @ Swedish-American Hall

* SPINTO BAND @ RICKSHAW STOP
with Dios Malos, The Changes, The Old Fashioned Way
8pm/9pm

* CLINIC @ THE INDEPENDENT
with Earlimart, Sea Wolf, The Mumlers
8:30pm/9pm

SUNDAY Mar 4 (pretty set)
* MIDLAKE @ BOTTOM OF THE HILL
with Minipop, Ester Drang
12:30pm/1pm

* Afternoon panel with Indie Night School
3:30-5:30pm @ Swedish-American Hall

* CAKE @ BIMBOS
with Money Mark, The Botticellis, Scrabbel
6:30pm/7:30pm

My head is spinning.