April 21, 2008

Monday Music Roundup

This was a weekend of long-overdue fresh starts and spring cleaning:

Time to retire old Jack, I’d say. And (!!) yesterday afternoon I sat in a coffee shop with a local illustrator/designer and discussed my concepts to redesign this site. He’s making me a nifty new custom header image, and I think I am going to move Fuel/Friends over from Blogger to WordPress. I would welcome any suggestions you may have for redesign, or help with the conversion process if you’re a web-type because I am in the slow class when it comes to this stuff.

Here are some tunes I am enjoying this week after culling the promo CD stack that I am woefully behind in enjoying:

Looks Like We Haven’t Learned A Thing
The Walkup

After meeting in a Lower East Side NYC bar in 2005, The Walkup have been honing their energetic, punchy live show into a full-length studio album of material called Down on Pacific (June 3, Reynolds Recording Co). Their music is angular and hooky with Brit-pop influences and ace drumbeats, perfect for warmer days and summer nights. The album is produced by Gregory Lattimer (Albert Hammond Jr.) and Caleb Shreve (Ra Ra Riot).

Do The Panic
Phantom Planet
Southern California band Phantom Planet‘s retro overtones take bold predominance in several tracks on their newest release Raise The Dead (released last week on the Fueled by Ramen label). This cut is an absolutely infectious reworking of a song originally off their 2004 fanclub-only CD Negatives, all laced with ba-ba-ba (shooby doo)s and exhorations to “come on, come on” over jangly jaunty guitar. You’ll be totally wanting to bust out singing this all day; wait until you’re in the elevator.

How Did We Forget?
El Perro Del Mar

As we recall from high school Spanish class, El Perro Del Mar translates to “the dog of the sea” and sounds like it should be a quartet of jolly Mexican mariachis, but is actually comprised solely of the the lovely platinum blonde Swede Sarah Assbring. This tune sounds like it’s coming to you on a very old radio, wafting in from another room where it’s been playing all along. There is a timeless quality to the music – the coy bittersweetness of the blues, modern Swedish ambience, and moments where it feels like a gentle lullaby. From The Valley To The Stars is due tomorrow on fellow Swedes The Concretes‘ label Licking Fingers. After touring with folks like Jens Lekman and Jose Gonzalez, she has several upcoming dates in May with it-girl Lykke Li.

Evil Urges
My Morning Jacket
This brand new mp3 from My Morning Jacket was unleashed upon the music-web community last Friday via email blast. It’s the title track from the upcoming Evil Urges album (June 10/ATO Records), and the fact that it’s cross-posted on just about every other blog in the world (except maybe this one) shows how hotly anticipated this release will be. Also, judging by the vibe emanating in virutal heatwaves off this track, their evil urges are actually compelling them to wanna gyrate around like Prince and croon in a soulful Motown falsetto. If this sneak peek only whets your appetite, you can also check out the astoundingly cool SXSW set that Jim James did with M. Ward to hear some more new MMJ material, mixed with the old. Sublime.

If You Stay
Richard Julian

Brooklynite Richard Julian hangs out with musical pals like the talented Jesse Harris and plays in Norah Jones’ side project band the Little Willies (who opened for Ryan Adams in NYC that one time). In addition, if you appreciate a recommended drink menu to complement each track on an album, check the liner notes of this one. Developed by an NYC mixologist, the concoctions range from warm beer & weight gain, to absinthe and rye whiskey, to this one — a sugar cube with champagne, laced with Angostura Bitters. The sweet with the bitter, as Julian musically weighs in on whether she should stay or go: “but if you stay there’s a film I’d like to go see / and if you go, i’ll watch one on tv.” It sounds like a nonchalant proposal, but by the end of the song Julian is confessing that he would “weep like a goat” while she packed her things, letting his true colors bleed through. Sunday Morning in Saturday’s Shoes is out now on Manhattan/EMI.

May 14, 2007

Monday Music Roundup

I know that I should try to be less of a punctuation stickler because, well, it annoys most everyone who is NOT as obsessed (same goes with my proper pronunciation of bruschetta, but don’t get me started). However, sometimes you just can’t turn a blind eye. I happened to have a camera in my bag this weekend while waiting at a red light, and wanted to comment on this sign I noticed a few weeks ago – one that taunts me every time I sit at this intersection:

If there’s one thing worse than incorrectly used apostrophes, it’s gotta be inconsistent application of your made-up rule for where they go. If you’re gonna be wrong, can you please have the gusto to do it consistently all the way through your sign? Thank you.

[end rant]

Onto this week’s batch of tunes to cheer up your ear’s (ouch).

Do The 45
Ryan Shaw
I’ve been meaning to get my hands on 26-year-old Ryan Shaw‘s debut album ever since I heard this former church-choirboy from Georgia tear it up at the Boulder AAA radio conference last August. Everyone was buzzing about him and his formidable voice that recalls the confident ’70s funk of Stevie Wonder and some of the fantastic retro doo-wop of guys like Sam Cooke from years past. This is the opening track off a fine, fun disc (This Is Ryan Shaw) that I am finally getting a chance to appreciate. No one makes ‘em like this anymore.

Dynomite Explosion
Mont de Sundua
You may have seen the little mention over on Pitchfork this past week about the unearthed sounds of Jim James‘ pre-My Morning Jacket racket in a band called Mont de Sundua. I am enjoying the off-kilter spacey thump of this track from their album that was recorded back in 1998 and never released. It’s going to be out this year and it sounds as if they were having a lot of fun when they made it. Even if they do look like they are livin’ the thug life in that picture from their MySpace.

To Sing For You (Donovan cover) –> Brand New Colony
Ben Gibbard
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alternate link
NPR streamed the whole acoustic set from Death Cab For Cutie‘s Ben Gibbard at DC’s 930 Club on Thursday night and this was the nice little cover he opened with, sort of laying out the foundation for how he’s gonna be your folky troubadour for the evening. Seriously though, Donovan is an underrated songwriter, and this cover is suited to Gibbard’s voice and truly lovely. It seamlessly runs into the Postal Service song ‘Brand New Colony,’ so you get that as a bonus. My imaginary office boyfriend John Krasinski (Jim Halpert) showed up at some point in the night to play a Wilco cover (?!). First the Shins, now this. Right on John.

From (unreleased, live on Daytrotter)
Dr. Dog
I have been resisting the lazy, hazy sounds from Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog, mostly because I’ve read this book out loud a few too many times and it just struck me as a silly name. Which it is. However, I came across this unreleased track from their excellent Daytrotter set and decided to give them a chance, finally. Man, I am so stubborn. Dr. Dog just finished a tour with Cold War Kids and Elvis Perkins, and their new album We All Belong has been called “one of 2007′s strongest releases, combining tight arrangements with picturesque vocals and a lazy fall afternoon BBQ vibe.”
[bonus: great interview here]

From The Floorboards Up
Paul Weller
This last one is not a blazing hot new release, but this week I was listening to Paul Weller‘s 2005 solo album As Is Now and just marveling at how it sounds better than about 80 percent of the music I “screen” nowadays. Even after thirty years of making music (The Jam, Style Council, then solo), this is a fresh, tight, fantastic release that is “uncluttered and impassioned.” Listen to the ferocity with which Weller growls the lyric on ‘Come On/Let’s Go’: “Sing you little f*ckers, sing like you ain’t got no choice,” or enjoy how this song starts out with that unrelenting riff and ends with an abrupt yank that feels premature. Dude’s a master, and this whole album is worth some of your time.

March 14, 2007

Your ideal prom date: My Morning Jacket

This is such a fantastic idea that I wonder why no one thought of it sooner: A 2-night-stand concert series at the famed 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia — high school prom style.

As My Morning Jacket wrote about the event when it was announced, “The first time we walked thru those hallowed 40 Watt doors we said to ourselves, ‘this place looks perfect for a prom!’ And now the dream will be a reality. The theme is a futuristic/retro under the sea vibe – costumes (tuxes, suits, robots, mermaid and lobster costumes, anything prom/ocean related) are not only encouraged – they are MANDATORY!!! NO ONE will be admitted without proper attire!** There will be cake, balloons, fishnets, classic cars, chaperones, spankings, and a whole lotta shakin goin on – 2007 style upin this bitch ya’ll.”

Think of all the wonderful garb you could bust out of the closet for a night like this, and surely have waaay more fun than your own prom, with a fraction of the heavy petting.

Oh What A Night (Dells cover) – My Morning Jacket

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My Morning Jacket’s Rock ‘n’ Roll High School
From Paste Magazine

For the first night of its March 6-7 “Prom” at Athens’ 40 Watt Club, My Morning Jacket donned some new evening jackets—pastel-colored ones, with matching pants, ruffled shirts and, in keyboardist Bo Koster’s case, a top hat. Oh, and at least for the first few songs, silver plastic pompadour wigs.

Opening with a note-perfect cover of The Dells’ 1956 doo-wop hit “Oh, What A Night”—basically the title track for the two-night stand, dubbed Oh What A Night Under The Sea—the Jacket performed a set heavy on tracks from their latest studio recording Z before a tightly packed room, most dressed in either prom kitsch (poofy-shouldered dresses, ’70s-style tux T-shirts) or nautical attire (two spot-on Captains sans Tennilles, one behind the bar).

Everything about the unusual show screamed “event,” from the boisterous, capacity weeknight crowd to the faces in it: Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, Boston band Apollo Sunshine, which had just visited Paste’s offices earlier in the day, and R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Peter Buck and touring member/Minus 5 frontman Scott McCaughey. (McCaughey explained that R.E.M. had convened in Athens to rehearse for the upcoming Rock Hall of Fame induction.)

At the encore, Jacket frontman Jim James crowned a prom king and queen and had them dance onstage to a deadpan reading of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight,” with lyrics altered to sound more like a high school backseat fumble. Then the band uncorked King Harvest’s obscure (but spot-on) 1973 hit “Dancing In The Moonlight” before powering through three more originals and calling it a night just past 1:30 a.m.

If only our actual prom night had been this wonderful, we might actually have signed up for a Classmates.com account.

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LISTEN: In addition to a stellar setlist of MMJ tunes, both of these sets are laden with retro-slow-dance covers.
March 6th show is here

March 7th show is here
(includes similar goodness to the 6th show, plus covers like Johnny B. Goode and Crimson & Clover)


Fine photos (duly noted) by Kory Johnson and Daniel Peiken, from the MMJ site linked above.

December 15, 2006

We’re gettin’ The Band back together, dude

Via Stereogum, news of a forthcoming tribute album to The Band called Endless Highway (Jan 2007) that I’ve been streaming all morning over at the 429 Records site, enjoying tunes like:

[Stream]
Ophelia – ALO
Look Out Cleveland – Jackie Greene
Rocking Chair – Death Cab For Cutie
Whispering Pines – Jakob Dylan
Life Is A Carnival – Trevor Hall

And you’ll get a version of this one with MMJ (but the album version ain’t got no Vedder)

It Makes No Difference – My Morning Jacket with Ed Vedder
(live in Pistoia, Italy – 9/20/06)

October 1, 2006

A bright & fiery yellow, and blue, blue skies

I absolutely love the colors of Colorado this time of year. There are very few other color combinations that I can recall seeing that are this striking and amazingly beautiful, although the brights of the restored Sistine Chapel come to mind. Here are a few shots from my very own local Sistine Chapel, if you will. It’s hard to capture on film, but it’s like these aspen trees are on fire, most brilliant right before they strip bare for the winter — just to make you appreciate them a bit if you’ve been taking their green selves for granted all summer:





And the soundtrack that was in my head all morning:

Golden” – My Morning Jacket

April 1, 2006

Splashing around in the Live Music Archive

Ahhh, it is so much fun (and so time-consuming!) to just browse around and see what kind of good stuff there is for the listening in the Live Music Archive. It really is a phenomenal resource for music lovers. Late one night recently I spent some time immersed in the archives and I wanted to share with you what I sauntered away with, happily. Oh, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s like the Smithsonian, which I once got lost in during the class trip to Washington D.C. in junior high. It’s easy to wander off.

COLLECTIONS:
All kinds of great KFOG in-studio sessions (Matt Nathanson, Jack Johnson, Cracker, Cowboy Junkies, etc)

Lots of KCRW stuff (Ben Lee, David Gray, My Morning Jacket)

A bunch of Amoeba Records in-stores (Rogue Wave, Michael Franti & Spearhead, etc.)

NEIL HALSTEAD of MOJAVE 3
10/10/04, Moonshine Festival in Laguna Beach
See You On Rooftops
(and note that the cringe-inducing hissing at the beginning stops shortly after the song starts)
**He was also featured on the surf-movie soundtrack Sprout that I posted about a while back

MIKE DOUGHTY
(formerly of Soul Coughing)
June 22, 2002 at the Aladdin Theatre, Portland OR
Grey Ghost (partly because it is a good song, and also because it is written about Jeff Buckley)


ELLIOTT SMITH
Recently added: February 26, 2000, The Empty Bottle in Chicago
Angeles


MATT NATHANSON
Bent > Anna Begins
(one of his great original songs segueing into -!!!- a Counting Crows cover. Really lovely.)
(From his 10/29/04 show at the 9:30 Club, Washington DC).

MY MORNING JACKET
FM Broadcast (= great quality) of the show at The Palace Theater in Louisville on November 23, 2005.
Off The Record

ROGER CLYNE AND THE PEACEMAKERS
My favorite show of theirs to listen to from the Live Music Archive is still the August 19 show at the Gothic Theatre last year: It was my birthday, and my first inauguration to the sweaty, rockin’ goodness that is a Roger Clyne show. Plus, Clyne kissed my hand after the show for a birthday present. The whole show is top notch, and I love how it captures all the audience participation as well.
Banditos

ANIMAL LIBERATION ORCHESTRA (ALO)
Loving Cup (Rolling Stones cover)
From their New Year’s Eve 2005 show, Mountain House, Santa Barbara

SPOON
A great show from last month: 2/2/06, La Zona Rosa, Austin, TX
I Turn My Camera On

RYAN ADAMS
Recent show: February 15, 2006 at the Carling Academy in Glasgow
(excellent setlist & show quality!):
Dear Chicago, an absolutely heartwrenching version of Please Do Not Let Me Go, and Ryan’s banter about receiving text messages from his mom.

G. LOVE AND SPECIAL SAUCE
Some goodness from his January 18, 2006 show at the Belly-Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA:
Cold Beverage > Gold Digger (Cold Beverage is a guilty pleasure of mine. Hidden talent: I can rap ALL the lyrics, stemming from the same SPIN Magazine cassette sampler in 1994 that introduced me to Jeff Buckley, oddly enough)
The Times They Are A Changin’ (yes, a Bob Dylan cover, since Garrett knows how to play the harmonica)
– And, why not: a little Booty Call action

JACK JOHNSON
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing (with a little Just What I Needed thrown in) From August 5, 2005, Dodge Theatre, Phoenix

Soon Forget (Pearl Jam ukulele song)
From June 11, 2005 at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN

Free (with Donovan Frankenreiter)
From May 10, 2005, Palladium, Cologne, Germany

Three Is A Magic Number/3 Rs (a little Schoolhouse Rock love)
From the August 10, 2005 show at the Santa Barbara County Bowl
(Tip: don’t make drunken concertgoers chant counting answers!
Jack: “And the eighteenth letter of the alphabet is . . . “
(no response – crickets from the crowd) -
“Well, that’s kind of a hard one, it’s actually hard…”)

Plus, they have the whole Jack Johnson show at Santa Clara University (my alma mater) from Feb 10, 2002. I thought that was pretty cool, an excellent sound-quality recording.

It’s in the .shn format (like a lot of the stuff on the Live Music Archive), but there are some free converters that you can use to change it into .wav, then mp3 (I use FreeRip).

That should keep you well-stocked for the weekend, muchachos, wherever it takes you! Be good.

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Bio Pic 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.

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