CPF 2 NYC 4 CMJ!

Time is tight. Taking the Tuesday morning train up to NYC for CMJ, so most of the music playing in the house these days is stuff I’ve pulled from the shelves or requested from PR pals to help me prepare for the four fabulous days, three fun-filled nights (I return home on Friday) that lie ahead.

Among the bands I am listening to and maybe seeing live…
1. WISELY – S/T (Ella/Oglio)
2. SCISSORS FOR LEFTY – Underhanded Romance (Eenie Meenie Records)
3. T.H. WHITE – The Private Spotlight (Sky Council)
4. KAISER CARTEL – Live From Breakthu Radio (self-released)
Lovely little package – letterpress on craft cardboard, numbered 124 of 300.
5. HOOTS & HELLMOUTH – S/T (MAD Dragon)

Alas, though all of these CDs made initial good impressions, the bands are playing after I depart. Maybe they’ll come down DC way.
6. SLARAFFENLAND – Private Cinema (Hometapes)
7. AS TALL AS LIONS – S/T (Triple Crown)
8. OLIVER FUTURE – Pax Futura (Fireproof Recordings)

Not to be tallied (they were already), but worth mentioning if you're gonna be in town...
FUTURE KINGS of NOWHERE – S/T (307 Knox Records)
“10 Simple Murders” has a bit of a Decemberists vibe, and the whole thing is a simple, you’re-right-there-while-the-band-kicks-it-live thing happening. I have a theatre date with College Girl Tuesday night, or I’d try to catch their show.

Alaser, while I’m in NYC, I won’t be in DC to see one of my most favorite live acts:
9. MATT NATHANSON – Some Mad Hope (Vanguard)

And now for music related to recent Post previews:
10. The LASCIVIOUS BIDDIES – Get Lucky (Eastway)
Fun band – four wacky women (the alliteration is too easy!) who combine pop, caberet and a touch of jazz. Lascivious Biddies
11. OZOMATLI – Don’t Mess with the Dragon (Conchord)
12. FOOLS & HORSES – Pop Filter (self-released)
Two bands, one preview.

13. BROTHER SHAMUS – Manifest (self-released)
an older preview and a CD never tallied.

14. DENISON WITMER – Are You Dreamer? (The Militia Group)
I bought this CD, sound unheard, last year when Tower Records (R.I.P.) was having its Everything Must Go sale. It was probably about two bucks, and I was drawn in by the old-fashioned knitted words on the cover. Turned out to be a sweet, lo-fi collection of fine singer/songwriter pop by a guy from Philly. When I saw he was coming to town, I pitched him as a Post preview and had a brief, nice conversation with him. The record label sent me this duplicate of the CD, plus...
15. DENISON WITMER – Safe Away/Are You A Sleeper (The Militia Group)
A 2-disc set consisting of a new album’s worth of tunes, plus an EP of even quieter versions of songs from the afore-mentioned CD, plus live and bonus tracks. I was sorry to miss Witmer’s show, but I was home with the “Rock of Love” flu.
16. MARLA HANSEN – Wedding Day EP (self-released)
She opened for Witmer and I would have liked to have seen her, too. I may still get a half-chance, since she plays with My Brightest Diamond and they hit the IOTA on November 16th.

17. MATT HAIMOVITZ – After Reading Shakespeare (Oxingale)
18. MATT HAIMOVITZ – J.S. Bach: 6 Suites for Cello Solo (Oxingale)
After previewing this show for the Post, I was able to make it out for the night and was smitten by the sound of a single pure instrument put to stunning use. I don’t buy many CDs at shows, but after hearing the gorgeous opening and closing numbers at the IOTA show, both of them Bach pieces that made my heart happy, I splurged for $30 on this 3-disc set. I’d like to devote a rainy afternoon to listening to the whole thing all the way through, but the ones I’ve heard so far are a balm for the soul.

I also got out of the house to see MARAH -
a wild bunch, in the nicest way, reminiscent of young Stones or the Replacements at their boozy best.

Other recent Post previews:
Nick Lowe and Suzanne Vega (different shows)

PEP (Puffy Envelope Promo) Squad:
19. SHINY TOY GUNS – We Are Pilots (Universal/Motown)
A much better, more diverse album than I would have thought from the track featured on the Razr commercial, where an insufferably hip couple use their sharp (get it?) phones to cut each other’s clothing to shreds on a subway platform (violence is not sexy, OK?)
20. PLAIN WHITE T’S – Every Second Counts (Hollywood)
A while back, Grace and I picked up an EP from these guys, drawn to a song called “All That We Needed.” The featured song on the CD was “Hey There Deliah,” which is tagged on to this full-length as a bonus track. It’s the best thing here, a highlight of the summer passed, a sunbeam of a song, shot through with good feeling. The band is coming to town November 11th, opening for Fall Out Boy at the Patriot Center. I bet they steal the show.
21. COUNTING CROWS – August and Everything After DE (Geffen/UME)
UME gives value for your dollar. Resissue a classic album and nclude a second disc with something extra, in this case a concert recorded in France in 1994.

O/CD Project YTD Total: 760

Struck Dumb by The Rock of Love

I have no moral authority any more to complain when my daughter watches crap TV. While I was fighting a bad head cold last week, I got pulled into VH-1’s “Rock of Love” marathon and spent almost 8 hours watching right through to the end (with some flipping to MSNBC news items and the second episode of “Reaper”). I saw the “Reunion” show, too, but College Girl gave me the wrong time (she saw my facebook posting about RoL and revealed she, too, is a fan) and I saw only the second half.

Still, I’ll always treasure those romantic moments:
“As I was pulling Brandi’s head out of the toilet, she said something that was one of the most touching moments of my life…”
(she told him, “I f*^#ing love you.”)
and
Bret telling the pole dancer, “It’s insanely awesome that you got my name tattooed on your neck.”

You’re better off without him, Jes.

Back to the O/CD tally. There’s a box of CDs old and new that need (?!) to be cataloged, and so we soldier on…

My Own Cash Money:
A return to Ye Olde CD Shoppe:
1. PETE TOWNSHEND – Empty Glass (Atlantic)
By request from Gracie, who’s smitten with the track “Let My Love Open the Door” as heard on commercials for the new Steve Carrell flick, “Dan in Real Life.” It’s funny, and fun, the way the kids pick up on old classics. Another current favorite – “September,” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
2. DAVE MATTHEWS BAND – Remember Two Things (Bama Rags Records)
I have been searching for a particular live version of “Ants Marching,” and alas, it’s not on this CD, either, but it’s a pretty rare 1993, non-RCA DMB set, so I’ll enjoy it for its historic value.
Which reminds me, I also have, from earlier this summer:
3. DAVE MATTHEWS and TIM REYNOLDS – Live at Radio City
A BG (burn gift) for me from Stacy, the supersweet fan for whom I picked up Craig’s List DMB concert tickets when I happened to be in the Albany area (long story).
4. SIGUR ROS – Von (Smekkleysa)
It appears to be an import, all of the info on the 1997 release being in another language (not the one they made up, I hope!) First listen sounded very instrumental/moody. Is it a film soundtrack?
And these great buys from the one-dollar clearance bin:
5. FRANK SINATRA – Songs for Swingin’ Lovers (Capitol)
Totally classic material from the heydays with the amazing Nelson Riddle. Can’t understand why it was only a buck. A mix of heavy hitters – “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “How About You?”- and amusing obscurities – “It Happened in Monterey,” “ You’re Getting to Be a Habit With Me” (which always reminds me of Allen Sherman singing, “You’re Getting to Be a Rabbit with Me.”)
6. VARIOUS ARTISTS – Motown Remixed
I might have this already, but if I do, it’s a great buy that I can pass on to my sister or brother.
7. JUDITH OWENS – Happy This Way (Courgette)
I know this is a duplicate, but this advance promo of Mrs. Harry Shearer’s latest pop/jazz collection will go to the friend who attended and enjoyed her IOTA show with me earlier this year.
8. BACKSTREET BOYS – Shape of My Heart CD single (Jive)
I can’t help myself! Just a buck for “Loneliness is tragical…” and an a capella version of “All I Have to Give.”
9. MARY SUE TWOHY – Songs to Hang on Stars (Azalea City)
Twohy is one of those hard-working local musicians who doubles as a press agent for other HWLM’s and, while she tirelessly sends me material about her charges, she rarely promotes her own cause. So I’ll give it a listen and maybe I can write about one of her upcoming shows.
10. FLY PAN AM – Sedatif en Frequences et Sillons (Constellation)
Another $1 impulse buy, based solely in the striking package green cardstock CD envelope with letterpressed shocking pink graphic of I-know-not-what and French liner notes.

Other recent purchases:
11. VARIOUS ARTISTS – Across the Universe ST (Interscope)
Best Buy was promoting their 2-disc version as an exclusive, and I’m glad I went for it. The “normal” version doesn’t include
Eddie Izzard doing “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite,” one of my favorites from the film, which hubby and I saw Monday night. It was, simply put, audacious and delightful. I was (mis)led into thinking that there was next to no dialogue, with the Beatle lyrics covering all the conversation, but it was much more integrated than that. Hubby is particularly wary of Beatles exploitation, as he was a fanatic Back in the Day, but we were both pleased by the sincere, but not slavishly respectful, use of these modern standards. The casting was terrific (high school girl and I are now rivals for the charming Jim Burgess, who plays Jude) – a triple-threat talented group of bright young things. Julie Taymor’s vision is daringly idiosyncratic and yet approachable by anyone who lived through the times. Accept the fact that people are going to break into songs you think are carved in stone, and enjoy the ride.
12. JOSH RITTER – The Historical Conquests Of… (Sony/BMG)
Best Buy offered this with a 4-track bonus CD, so I had to grab it the first week it was out, despite not knowing a song on it. Ritter is a major talent. I’ve seen him live twice and loved him both times (the first time, we chatted afterwards and he hugged me when I told him I’d named “Hello, Starling” one of my Top Ten albums of 2005. He was so cute in his suit and red sneakers!). I’ll confess, no song grabbed me on the first listen, but I need to revisit. I trust him as an artist who’ll make repeated visits worth my time. My local NPR station is broadcasting live from tonight’s 930 Club show. Maybe that will kick start some of these tracks.
13. VARIOUS ARTISTS – Outlaw Country
Just shy of an hour’s worth of Sirius Radio as hosted by Mojo Nixon. Another Best Buy freebie they just had hanging about. The CD trade-in store offered me 25 cents for it.
14. SAINT ETIENNE – Travel Edition 1990-2005 (Sub Pop)
Has this band really had a 15-year run? Except for that lovely rendition of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” I was never particularly smitten with breathy female voice/throbbing rhythmic pulse bit. Seemed a bit One Trick Pony to me. But the library was having a sale, and this seemed like a good $3 way to support the cause. Now that it’s grooving behind me as I type, I can see the trio had more to offer than I gave them credit for. (no, I’m not re-writing to fix that dangler…)
15. LINKIN PARK – Minutes to Midnight (Warner Bros.)
Another, older, CD trade-in, by request of HS girl, who sometimes needs High Angst Music for her teenage lifestyle. When she plays it in the car, I simply hang on, figuring I need to know what’s happening in the HAM world, but I know it’s not made for me. Though I needn’t hear “What I’ve Done” ever again, I admit that “Bleed It Out” is damn catchy, and any major label band that wants to make snarky comments about Bush is OK in my book.

Free Music Time!
So why does the cover of Bruce’s new CD look like a mug shot?
Borders is offering a free stream of "Radio Nowhere"
so you can hear for yourself how much it sounds like Tommy Tutone’s “867-5309 (Jenny)”

YTD O/CD Tally: 739

A Good Day for Puffy Envelopes

Seven in one blow! I think that was the phrase in the Brave Little Tailor fairy tale (Mickey Mouse did a version, I recall) and that was today’s mail haul. In celebration, I give you my favorite New York City mailbox…


Adding to the delight is the fact that the majority of CDs that appeared are ones I’d either requested or was happy to hear.
1.CLOUD CULT – The Meaning of 8 (Earthology Records)
I read about this band while I was in Minneapolis (local boys continuing to make good) and bought a few of their tracks online and through Sam Goody’s in-store download service (recounted in a previous blog entry). When I saw their name in a PR firm’s roster, down below the publicist’s name, I shot off an email asking for a copy of the CD. The woman never answered my email, so I figured it was a lost cause, but now here comes the CD, and it’s got all the ambitious, sometimes orchestral indie-licious weirdness I liked about the samplings heard so far. The press materials compare Cloud Cult to “chamber folk-pop” like Of Montreal (I can hear that) and the Decemberists (that I don’t), but I prefer to put them on a spectrum that runs from Spoon to the Flaming Lips, between whom they were scheduled at the recent Monolith Festival. Shame about the album cover, though – 4 panel fold-out that looks like a goth kid’s high school art homework.
Aw, pooh! I just checked the band’s web site and see that the October dates in D.C. and during the CMJ fest in NYC have been cancelled.

But here’s another request…
2. MARAH – Sooner or Later in Spain (Yep Roc)
When you’ve got Stephen King and Nick Hornby singing your praises - and obvious influence Bruce Springsteen singing on your albums - you don’t need this little blog piling on, but I’ll admit to
liking this Philly-based quintet, too. Songwriting brothers Dave and Serge Bielanko share a Kinks-ian brotherly spirit, without the obvious frisson, coming close to their stated goal of wanting to their band to sound like “Bob Dylan leading AC/DC” or “Nick Drake fronting the Dead Milkmen.” This double disc package includes a full show, shot in Spain, and a CD of seven live tracks from various other performances, a great way to rev up for the band’s return to Jammin Java on Friday, October 12th.
BTW, that’s going to be a great weekend at the venue. Art rock diva ISSA (a.k.a. Jane Siberry) is splitting the night on Saturday with an early show, followed by unpretentious pop/rockers Ingram Hill.
3. INGRAM HILL – Cold in California (Hollywood Records)
Sent in promotion of that same October 13th show at Jammin Java.
Sunday night is classic power pop from Marshall Crenshaw. (And then it all goes to hell on Monday in “An Evening with Frank Stallone.”)
And then I opened:
4. DEBORAH HARRY – Necessary Evil (Five Seven Music)
This is the official release version of a CD I got in generic advance form awhile back. At the time, it left little impression, but we’re talking about Debbie G-Damn Harry here, an icon of the Best Old Days, so I’ll be glad to give it another spin.
(Oddly, the accompanying press release ends on a dull note. “I had a really great time work[ing] with Super Buddha and all the musicians on the albums,” she concludes. “I hope people are entertained by my new release.” Snores-ville in Quoteland.)
The three remaining CDs were not from bands I knew, but the first two I listened to left fine first impressions:
5. The A-SIDES – Silver Storms (Vagrant)
Another Philly-based quintet, though of more recent vintage than Marah, this band’s pop chops can make a 6-minute song feel half as long, as intriguing twists and turns and bright hooks keep things moving merrily along. There’s little nuggets of psychedelia, ambitious strings, big guitars, and a sense that more goodies will be revealed in subsequent listens. Always fun to make a new discovery, and they’re coming to the Black Cat Backstage on October 30th with The Velvet Teen and Say Hi (To Your Mom).
6. BLACK TIE – Goodbye, Farewell (Socyermom Records)
Hey, what’s that record label? SoccerMom or SockYourMom? Given the melodic, ambient quality of the tunes here, I doubt there’s an implied threat to the suburban sisterhood here. The PR team offers an RIYD: Mogwai, Galaxie 500, Tortoise, but since I’m not well-versed in those bands, I’ll just say I like it for its own sake.
7. MOROS EROS – Jealous Me Was Killed By Curiosity (Victory)
This is the one I haven’t had a chance to explore yet, but the bio promises “dark, raw guitar rock perfumed with extraordinary pop melody.” We shall see…

And I add one more acquisition today, a ditgital delivery sent (by request) as a YouSendIt download since the publicist was out of hard copies:
8. CHIN UP CHIN UP – This Harness Can’t Ride Anything (Suicide Squeeze)
Fun stuff – bouncy, bright, quirky and complex
So, all in all, a good day’s haul.

And while we’re rolling, let me take care of some of the growing pile of CDs that have fallen through the cracks:
9. AIRIEL – The Battle of Sealand (Highwheel Record)
Out August 14th
Airiel released a series of 4-song EP’s, the latest in June of 2005, and this is their first full-length. They deal in flangers, reverb and distortion and are drawing comparisons to the shoegazing likes of Ride, House of Love, and My Bloody Valentine. Here’s a download of "Thinktank"

10. The FUTURE KINGS of NOWHERE – (307 Knox Records)
11. PAGE FRANCE and the FAMILY TELEPHONE – Suicide Squeeze)
12. PORTUGAL the MAN – Church Mouth (Fearless Records)
13. FRANK BLACK – 93-03 (Cooking Vinyl)
Disc one is a chronological anthology of work from his nine solo albums in those years. Disc two consists of live tracks from last fall’s North American tour. I got only one disc.
14.GUY FORSYTH – Unrepentant Schizophrenic Americans (Small and Nimble Records)
Love the actual discs – one looks like an Indian head and the other the back of a buffalo nickel.
15. STUPOHERO – Last Star Shining (Basement Tape Records)
16.The DERAILERS –Under the Inlfuence of Buck (Palo Duro Records)

YTD O/CD Total: 724

Some Days are Like Christmas

Once, back in the days of my LA TV adventures, when I was away from home for three weeks at a clip, I came home to a stack of mail that included over 70 albums. Nowadays, with digital downloads, industry downsizing and my more limited list of outlets, the pickings are slimmer, but it's quality, not quantity, that counts. (That sentence had too many commas, didn't it?)

Still, this past summer's travels made for some nice homecomings...


and sometimes all it takes is one puffy envelope to make me feel lucky:
1. ELVIS COSTELLO - My AIm is True DE (Universal)
Lately, UME has bee offering digital downloads of its collection to writers through its UME Promo Only MPE Player web site where, with an account and a password, you can download full albums. I have availed myself of the service for the following:
2. GARBAGE - Absolute Garbage (Geffen)
31 tracks
3. CRYSTAL METHOD – Vegas DE (Geffen)
20 tracks
4. SOUL ASYLUM – Welcome to the Minority: The A&M Years 1988-1991 (Hip-O Select)
43 tracks
5. JIMI HENDRIX – Live at Monterey (Geffen)
10 tracks
Fine albums all, but I knew I wanted this music.
The time and effort it takes to grab material (one download took almost all night, while I slept) means that I haven't done it for many albums that I *might* have liked. (And when it comes to something like "Rob Zombie Live," I needn't think twice to say no, thanks).
That may make me seem lazy, but there's plenty of other material I still get in disc form that I can grab and go to the car with, so that's an easier way to test drive (literally) new material. And I sniffle just a bit to think of the cool photos, info and packaging that probably went into the Soul Asylum set that I'll never see in solid form.
Which is why I squealed like a kid on Christmas morning to get the Costello disc in its actual mini-box Deluxe Edition version. Besides the debut album in all its glory, there are out-takes, demos, and (on a second disc), a full 1977 concert and soundcheck from same. Groovy!

And there are other wonderful perks to this paying hobby of mine (I can't call it a job at the rate I bring in actual cash).
Like last night, when I saw the wonderful Nick Lowe in concert at the Birchmere and - as a guest of the Yep Roc folks, who hosted dinner and drinks for a few print and radio people - had the chance to meet the musical hero backstage after the show. Here I am with the charming Mr. Lowe...

(photo by James Bailey)

and here's a shot of mine from the show:


Ron Sexsmith opened and while he's obviously a sweet, sensitive and talented man with a lovely voice, his solo set had my mind drifting after a few numbers.

The last time I saw him, at IOTA, he had a full band. I think his quiet, somewhat bittersweet material needs those extra players to keep the energy up and the ear engaged. Lowe, on the other hand, varies his fare from funny to tender, pin-drop quiet to "I Knew the Bride" giddiness. And he sang the one favorite oldie I wasn't sure he'd get to - "Heart" - so I was way happy.
He seemed perfectly pleased to sign both his fine new CD, "At My Age" (I can relate) and a carefully chosen old skool U.K. vinyl picture sleeve for "Cruel to Be Kind" that I had brought along, just in case. So there was whipped cream and a cherry on my sundae, indeed.

YTD O/CD Total: 708

All 'My Own Cash Money' Edition

Lately, I’ve been missing Tower Records something fierce. There is no substitute for meandering through a big, well-stocked music store, idly flipping though the bins and discovering stuff you didn’t even know you needed. Driving past the empty space in the Tysons Corner strip mall where the big store used to be, I felt a pang.

So I made do with a trip to the Thrift Store in Herndon, primarily to drop off some collected charity goods, but they usually have a pretty good selection of used CDs for a quick fix. And if I had only known that today was 50% off the usual $1.50 price each, I would have indulged even more! (They're open again on Saturday...)

1. NATALIE MACMASTER – In My Hands (Rounder)
Autographed by the Celtic fiddlemeister, no less! “To Fred, In Your Hands, Natalie MacMaster” and she’s not lazy about it, either – you can see almost every letter in her fairly long name.
2. VARIOUS ARTISTS – Disco Nights, Vol. 4: Greatest Disco Groups (Rebound)
I probably have most of these songs already, but it’s worth the 75 cents just to hear “Funkytown” on the ride home.
3. L7 – Bricks are Heavy (Slash Reprise)
There were three L7 CDs in the bins, and I stopped myself from grabbing all of them (if I had known they were a mere 75 cents, I wouldn’t have been hesitant at all) but this is the one I knew I wanted – with “Pretend We’re Dead” and “Shitlist.”
4. BT – Ima (Perfecto/Kinetic/Reprise)
2 discs in a single-size case, so they charged me only for one. (Damn, I should have grabbed that Roni Size set as well!) Includes “Nocturnal Transmission” and “Blue Skies,” with vocals from Tori Amos.
5. JULIE ANDREWS – Christmas with…(Legacy)
Still sealed in plastic wrap from Borders, and purchased as a gift for Mom, but I’ll crack it open and see if there’s anything good for this year’s Cool Yule compilation. Like, what is this song, “Patapan”?
6. The RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO – Sound of Christmas (Chess/MCA)
Another head start for the holidays. Bet they do a good job on “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

I don’t usually bother with the thrift store’s cassettes – that way lies madness, all the bins spilling over with the dead medium. And I have boxes myself at home that need to be culled. But then a ROIR label caught my eye. The NYC-based, cassette-only label released some cool rarities Back in the Day, so I allowed myself a quick, cursory browse in that bin. (And yes, I count cassettes in the O/CD total.) The lady behind the counter told me that the tapes were just 25 cents each, so I grabbed a couple in addition to the two ROIRs, but the cashier charged me 50 cents for each. What you lose on the swings, you gain back on the teeter-totter.
7. LOUNGE LIZARDS – Live 79-81 (ROIR)
8. BUSH TETRAS –Better Late Than Never (ROIR)
“Includes all the crucial recordings made from 1980 through 1983. Fifteen songs, including 6 unreleased studio demos, all digitally remastered." And I’m guessing the only one I know well enough to sign along with is “Too Many Creeps.”
9. VARIOUS ARTISTS – I have no effing clue what this is called, nor what the label is!
Japanese language tape still sealed with a yellow tape around it that says “Jin Heng A-V.” Even if I hate the music, the design is so nice, from the J-card and cover wrapper to the label on the tape, I’d be glad to use it for an interview.
10. MISSISSPPI SHEIKS/STRING DAZZLERS 1930’s-40’s
This is for the box I call “Other People’s Mixes,” a collection of CDs and tapes created by other music fans, usually for special occasions or for a special friend and then unceremoniously dumped. Each mix has a story, I bet, and I love to guess what it is as I listen. This one is particularly well made (although it is a normal bias tape). The J-card is a watercolor wash with lovely handwriting and the song titles hint at delicious blues and guitar swing. “Merry Christmas, Nick, Susan & Jessica…Love, Jack & Maggie.” Why did Nick or Susan or Jessica give this little gem away?

And even more of my own cash money…
Later in the day, while Grace took her Japanese lesson (I’ll ask her to translate the cassette cover), I took a bag of CDs I didn’t want anymore to the CD Cellar and came home with two major purchases – the first season of “30 Rock” of DVD and…
11. NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE – Live at the Fillmore East 1970 (Reprise)
Grace did not appreciate hearing the long guitar solo on “Cowgirl In the Sand” on the ride home, but I loved it! This was my most expensive music purchase of the day - $10 – but it was still sealed and it’s an album I’ve been hoping to hear.

Plus a whole lot of cheapies:
12. COUNTING CROWS – A Long December CD single (Geffen)
Three tracks (two of them live) for two bucks, on what appears to be an import single –the price sticker on the back seems to be…12.99 in Deutsch marks?
13. A FINE FRENZY – One Cell in the Sea (Virgin)
$5.99 and I don’t know if I've heard a single song on it, but the name’s been buzzing in my head, probably from “Morning Becomes Eclectic, “ so I’ll take a chance. The same goes for…
14. AU REVOIR SIMONE – The Bird of Music (self-released?)
This one I know I’ve heard promoted on KCRW, but I can’t give you the label info, ‘cause it’s a simple cardboard cover with minimal graphics, a sheet of paper tucked inside with song titles, and the disc itself is a CD-R with hand-writing. I’m listening as I’m typing and I’m liking what I hear – sweet, upbeat female vocals and bouncy, simple melodies. Crisp like a fall apple. This disc, and all the ones that follow here were just a buck each!
15. TOBIAS FROBERG – Somewhere in the City (FireEgg Recordings)
I have this one already, but I hate to see a disc I like in the $1 section. I feel like these musical orphans need to be adopted and sent to a good home. I just played the disc again as I considered what pal to send it to. Some it is a bit twee, but the song “Love and Misery, a duet with Ane Brun” (that’s how it’s titled) brings me close to tears each time I hear it.
16. VARIOUS ARTISTS – Torch: A Six Degrees Collection of Modern Torch Songs (Six Degrees)
The title says it all, and though I recognize only a few artists – Cassandra Wilson, David Holmes, Roy Nathanson with featured guest Elvis Costello - this 2003 sampler will offer some nice surprises, I have no doubt.
17. MY BRIGHEST DIAMOND – Disappear CD single (Asthmatic Kitty Records)
I saw this act open for the Decemberists earlier this year and was mightily impressed. Four versions of the title track – including a string quartet take! – and the song “The Lace Handkerchief.”
18. SARAH BLASKO – What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have (Low Altitude Records)
This really is Night of the Pretty Female Voices! Another bare-bones package – clear plastic sleeve, Xeroxed paper sheet, and another performer I know zilch about, but the name rings a bell. Buying a handful of dollar discs to sample is better than radio ‘cause I get to keep anything I hear and like!
19. ANNIE STELA – There is a Story Here CD single (Capitol)
Stela’s full-length was sent to me earlier this year and I recall liking it, so a 4-track single with demo track is a good investment.
20. SHIT DISCO – Kingdom of Fear (Fierce Panda U.K.)
The guy behind the counter chuckled as he rang this one up – “some name, eh?” he said, probably surprised that the older woman was buying this generic cardboard with the rude stamped title. But as I explained to him, the band is opening for Klaxons at the 930 Club (on October 8th) and I’m thinking of going, so it’s worth the buck to see if I like ‘em.
And finally, a freebie, on the free promo counter with the stickers and postcards and such.
21. VARIOUS ARTISTS – ABH (A Bitter Hello) Summer Sampler (self-released)
Homemade CD-R with 10 tracks from what I’m guessing are local artists, all but one of which list a myspace page on the paper insert. Funny coincidence – one of these bands, the Ruckus, features kids who go to my daughter’s high school!”
Go Hornets!

And Ciao, Luciano. Your voice makes my husband cry. In a good way.

YTD O/CD Total: 703

Weclome Back, My Cheeky Little Monkeys

I’m sitting on the back porch at the upstate NY Lake House (again!) and mom is playing some old time shift VHS tapes of the delightful Craig Ferguson, whose post-Letterman talk show keeps me up way too late on weeknights. This old episode from July features a performance by Army of Me, the D.C- based indie rockers whom I’ve been fond of since back in the days when they were called Cactus Patch. My mother is impressed to hear that leader Vince hugs me when we meet around town, but she says “he’s no Tony Bennett” when they sing a song from the new CD, “Citizen.” It's not my favorite song from the CD (that's “Perfect”) and Vince’s voice doesn’t soar here as it usually does, but I’m proud to see them get the exposure.

Which reminds me – “Perfect” appears on my Summer ’07 mix, so I’m gonna list the full playlist here as an example – to anyone who cares – of what rocks my socks, musically:

Rehab – AMY WINEHOUSE
Chelsea Dagger – The FRATELLIS*
Underdog – SPOON
Numbers with Wings – BONGOS (Cooking Vinyl reissue)
Someone to Love – FOUNTAINS of WAYNE
Dashboard – MODEST MOUSE
No Cars Go – ARCADE FIRE
Impossible Germany – WILCO
Green Eggs and Ham – DYLAN HEARS A WHO
Perfect – ARMY of ME
Young Folks – PETER, BJORN & JOHN
A Case of You – PRINCE
Going to a Town – RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
Munich – EDITORS
Girls Who Play Guitars – MAXIMO PARK
Atlas – BATTLES
DysFUNKtional – ANDY McCLAIN and the TRAILER PARK TROUBADOURS

“He’s so cute!” my mother is still gushing over Craig Ferguson – and I agree.

• Speaking of The Fratellis, I never put up shots that I took when I saw them, last time through upstate NY, when they appeared at the Albany Empire Plaza (home of The Egg theatre). They were good, but not quite great, and I think they missed an opportunity to get the crowd fully going with the singalong vibe they promise on record. Later, while driving home, I heard a broadcast from another outdoor festival, when one of the DJs commented that the sunny outdoor setting can undercut bands who need the sweaty club atmosphere – “no roof, no rock” is how he put it. I think that may be the Fratellis’ issue.


The Lemonheads were also on the bill, but it appears that Evan Dando's day has passed. His hair left more of an impression than his songs...


And now back to the O/CD tally:
1. MINNIE DRIVER – Seastories (Zoe Records)
“Take Russell Crowe and Keanu Reeve’s Dogstar – please!” The editor cut the Rodney Dangerfield homage out of the Post preview I wrote for Driver’s appearance at the Birchmere recently, but the point was, she is a credible actor-turned-rocker (pop department) – and I’m not just saying that because I would love her to star in the movie I wrote about a suburban mom/former punk icon who is lured back into the bizniz by her guitar-god-wannabe teenage son. Also features Ryan Adams and Liz Phair (the CD, not my movie, though I’d be happy to have them contribute, too).

2. JENNY OWEN YOUNGS – Batten the Hatches (Nettwerk)
I interviewed Jenny Owen Youngs for a Post preview and – since I had to scribble my quote notes, having no recorder with me in my NYC hotel room – the phone conversation had a slight lag to it, as if we were speaking over a bad cell connection (which was also happening). But she’s a smart, funny young woman who really bonds with her audience...

and her CD is much more interesting than a featured track called “Fuck Was I” (as in what the…was I thinking?”) would lead you to believe it would be. And her ability to take songs from other genres and turn them into pretty folk rock is uncanny. On the CD, she does it to “Hot in Herre,” with some comic effect, at the concert she did it to Death Cab’s “The District Sleeps Tonight” – with gorgeous harmonies added by her support band.

A gracious, generous performer (“you’re money’s no good here!” she told me when I went to pay for some buttons, stickers and a nifty ipod skin from her merch table; tho’ I insisted she take cash for the autographed CD), she did a hootenanny encore with openers Jeremy Fisher – who is also quite amusing on stage, more so than his moody CD photos infer - and Sanders Bohike (obviously a popular guy, but I missed his set).


And here's a shot of Jeremy Fisher (who had two nights on Ferguson's show, BTW):


Other recent Post Previews:
P.M. Dawn
Planet Arlington World Music Festival
The Pietasters
Rocco DeLuca & the Burden, The Midway State and The Last Goodnight
Slapsticon film festival

Brother Shamus

And back to the O/CD Project:
Advances:
3. VARIOUS ARTISTS – Sowing the Seeds: The 10th Anniversary (Appleseed Recordings)
The record label was founded by former consumer advocate lawyer Jim Musselman 10 years ago, and so became home to the likes of Pete Seeger, Donovan, and David Bromberg. This 2-CD, 37-track album offers “sociopolitically relevant songs” from the roster and nine exclusive tracks - including the first recorded collaboration between Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen.
Out September 11th,
4. VARIOUS ARTISTS - Give Us Your Poor (Appleseed)
Another anniversary release, this compilation offers 17 exclusive tracks and the second recorded collaboration between Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen (maybe the latter is making up for the fact that his “Seeger Sessions” release didn’t actually include any songs that the former wrote) as well as songs from Jon Bon Jovi, Bonnie Raitt and many others.
Out September 25th

My Own Cash Money:
4. ART BRUT – Bang Bang Rock & Roll (emusic download)
The band’s second full-length, “It’s a Bit Complicated,” came out recently but when I went looking for it on emusic, I was distracted by the desire to get the first one, with the wonderful track, “My Little Brother.” A good sense of humor is a rare thing in rock, so let’s hear it for the Brut.
The band will open locally for the Hold Steady at the 930 Club on Novemeber 20th. Great double bill!
5. The SHARP THINGS - Foxes and Hounds (emusic download)
This one was another emusic purchase, made in preparation to see the band perform at the IOTA earlier this month…
6. The SHARP THINGS – A Moveable Feast (Bar-None Records)
…and this one I bought at the show, wanting the 10-piece band to make a little more scratch than the club could offer on a night of limited attendence. The sound is big, the emotion strong and lead singer Perry Serpa is a Real Deal Good Guy in the bizniz, better known as a PR pro from the Good Cop group.



From the last visit to the CD trade-in store:
7. The NARRATOR – Such Triumph (Flameshovel)
I don’t think this is the most recent release, but it was only $3.99 and I had just read about them in CMJ, piquing my interest.
8. KEITH URBAN – Be Here (Capitol)
I’ve been curious about this guy since seeing him on a James Tayor tribute concert show, and then he sealed the deal with a great set at the Live Earth event. Better guitar rock – and sexier – than Bon Jovi.
9. VARIOUS ARTISTS – This is Music (Uncut Magazine)
10. VARIOUS ARTISTS – Swatch Together (George V/Stefano Cecchi Records)
11. WES TUCKER – Tradition (self-released?)
It was only a buck and he was on the short list (ultimately didn’t make it) for a Post preview so I thought I’d get it just for the research value.
12. CHRIS GARNEAU – Music for Tourists (Absolutely Kosher Records)
While I wasn’t overwhelmed by his set opening for Joan as Police Woman,

I thought his quiet piano ballads might play better in studio versions – and again it was only a buck. Listened to the album last night and, while it made for lovely background music for my computer noodling, the songs tended to blur into a new age wash. I suspect there are one or two songs that would hold up on a “Morning Becomes Eclectic” style mix – if you don’t fall asleep looking for them.
13. VARIOUS ARTISTS – This Is Next (Vice Records)
With a line-up including Cold War Kids, Ted Leo, and the Shins, this seemed like some kind of promo label sampler and – even though I had half the songs already – for $4 it was a no-effort-needed ready mix for the car. When I saw it on sale at Target later for more than double that price, I felt I had scored a deal.

Coming to Town:
14. VHS OR BETA – Bring On the Comets (Astralwerks)
Act quickly - They play the Rock N Roll Hotel tomorrow night (September 1st).
15. ROCK PLAZA CENTRAL – Are We Not Horses (Yep Roc)
Playing the Black Cat on September 5th.
16. KIM RICHEY – Chinese Boxes (Vanguard)
Playing at the IOTA September 23rd.
17. JOHNNY IRION – Ex Tempore (Rte 8 Records)
Playing September 25th at Jammin Java.
18. YOU AM I – Convicts (Yep Roc)
Oops, I think this show has come and gone.

YTD Total:682

Fun with Press Releases:
I’ve been getting e-press releases from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment even though my days writing for VIDEO magazine are long gone. I scan them for reminders of things I might want to rent and to enjoy such writing as this, from the MGM Midnight Movies Double Feature collection…

Yeah, I Hate When That Happens Dept:
“Bat People” (1974) – After being bitten by a bat in a cave, a doctor undergoes an accelerating transformation into a man-bat creature, which ruins his vacation and causes considerable distress for his wife.

The Great Lost ‘Friends’ Episode?:
Gorilla At Large (1954) – At the sinister carnival, The Garden of Evil, the main attraction is Goliath, Barker Joey Matthews is about to enter the gorilla act when a man is found bead of a broken neck. Was is Goliath or someone wearing Joey’s gorilla suit?

Bat Attack! and other fun

Last night, a bat got into our summer vacation house and despite our best efforts to guide it outside (turn on all the lights so that the blackness outside the open door beckons), the poor thing kept circling the living room until it seemed exhausted and roosted (is that the word?) in the rafters. Armed with a plastic colander and a Jeff Buckley poster big enough to slide beneath it, creating a portable case for the poor little guy (or gal), I trapped the bat and took it outside, tossing it to freedom.
It was the most exhilarating half-hour of the vacation so far.

A quick hit on the O/CD project.
During my time in NYC, I had a visit with the fine folks at Shore Fire media, who sent me home filled with pizza and good conversation and a bag full of new music:
1. FUTURE CLOUDS & RADAR – S/T (??)
This album was sent to me in a generic advance form earlier this year, and I liked it a lot. I wanted to see the full commercial edition, festooned as it is with grand decorative flourishes that reflect the baroque, multi-instrumental power pop of the music within. Flaming Lips fans, take note.
2.VARIOUS ARTISTS – A Tribute to Joni Mitchell (Nonesuch)
Confession – I bought a copy of this when it first came out, but there was a small pile of sleek advances in slim cases and, since the PR guy told me that they were no longer active on this case, I took one as an extra for the car.
3. CHUCK PROPHET – Soap and Water (Yep Roc)
Coming to the IOTA in November.
4. SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK – Experience…101 (Appleseed Recordings)
5. PIETA BROWN – Remember the Sun (One Little Indian)
Don’t know anything about her, but the cover looked interesting and I respect the label.
6. ANI DiFRANCO – CANON (Righteous Babe)
She’s a class act, a no-backing-down feminist and D.I.Y.-er who speaks out about the political mess we’re in, all while creating strong, emotional tunes. This is a double-disc retrospective, pulled from 18 (!!!) previous albums and I was faced with the choice of an advance or a finished version. I like advances for their cool quotient, but I guessed right in taking the official release. It’s got a booklet full of info and pics and what I thought was just a piece of cardboard to strengthen the cardboard digi-pack and turned out to be a stencil of the Righteous Babe dove logo. How cool is that?
Out September 11th.
7. The AVETT BROTHERS – Introduce Emotionalism (Ramseur Records)
8. BRANDI SHEARER – Close to Dark (Amoeba Records)
After growing up in rural Oregon, she played in clubs in Hungary, then returned to San Francisco, where she settled and recorded her debut CD, produced by Larry Klein (Madeleine Peyroux, Joni Mitchell). Gave a first listen to this in the car on the drive upstate and found it likeable in a Norah Jones-crossed with- Regina Spektor kind of way.
9. OVER The RHINE – The Trumpet Child (Great Speckled Dog/Red Eye)
Notable personalities in folk, rock and blues are named as political figures on the country ballad
"If A Song Could Be President”
Founding Fathers: Lightnin' Hopkins and Patsy Cline
Foreign Ambassador: Emmylou Harris
Senator: Neil Young (even though he's Canadian)
Head of FBI: John Prine
News Anchor: Steve Earle
Out August 21st.
10. NICK LOWE – At My Age (Yep Roc)
I had a generic advance of this CD and wanted to see the finished edition. The front cover – a retro ‘50’s cocktail lounge caricature of the mightly Lowe – is a real charmer, as is the material within and the man who sings it.
11.JEREMY FISHER – Back Porch Spirituals (Thumbuster Music)
12. JEREMY FISHER – Goodbye Blue Monday (Wind-Up Records)
Actually, one of these came in a package delivered to the hotel while I was in NYC. Fisher will be previewed – along with Jenny Owen Youngs – in my next Post preview.
13. JEFF BUCKLEY – Hallelujah/I Know It’s Over (Columbia)
Just before I left the Shore Fire offices, I was presented with this groovy bonus by Maggie, who was taken by my tale of hearing Jeff perform in his very first public appearance at St. Anne’s Church in Brooklyn, at a tribute to his dad, Tim. She said it was from her “shrine,” a collection of recent promo items in conjunction (she had limited copies so I was quite touched) with the “So Real” JB set. She also gave me a cool in-store poster, but this item was really
gor-gee-ous - a 7” lush blue vinyl single. Sweeeet!

YTD O/CD Tally: 664

A Great Time in the Big City, Part One

Now that I'm ensconced on the back porch of the summer house (mom's) in the Adirondacks, the hustle bustle - and tornado! - of our time in New York City seems far, far away.

But it was a lovely time, full of music and high-energy fun, Beard Papa cream puffs, street theatre and such pleasures that only my dear Big Apple has to offer.

Tuesday night, thanks to Chris@girlie, I was able to see Joan as Police Woman at the Bowery Ballroom.
I arrived toward the end of opening act Chris Garneau's set, which was just as well since his quiet-to-the-point-of-ponderous songs were easy on the ears but not exactly riveting. The instrumentation included two women who played cellos and did nifty finger-snaps on one tune.



While I was snapping pics, there was a huge crash right in front of me - one of the folding chairs (the Ballroom had actually arranged floor seating for the night) had collapsed, sending its male occupant smashing to the floor. He was okay, but the venue asked everyone to vacate the chairs during intermission and went back to standing room for Joan as Police Woman's set.

That was fine with me, offering a better chance to get stageside for JaPW's set. And it was a fine show, adding more muscle and power to the songs that sometimes float by on CD. Joan Wasser is an engaging woman full of sweet, easy smiles and a gracious demeanor, quivering with emotion during the bittersweet ballads that make up much of her catalog, feisty when it counts in the more driving numbers. I especially loved her anti-Bush comments and the great version of "Are You Not Furious?"



Her support band - a drummer who also provided the male vocal parts and a way cool, quietly sexy female bassist - was ace.


One final note - Joan has bitchin' shoes...



And back to our regularly scheduled O/CD tally...
I am way behind, so some of these are very old, and I need to lock myself in a room and do some serious catch-up listening.

PEP (Puffy Envelope Promo) Squad
1. The MISSION U.K. – God is a Bullet (Cooking Vinyl)
2. The BONGOS – Drums Along the Hudson (Cooking Vinyl)
Timely reissue of a favorite band from Back in the Day, Jersey boys who ruled the Hoboken scene for a while. "Numbers with Wings" is now on my Summer '07 mix.
3. DIGITALISM – Idealism (Astralwerks)
4. VARIOUS ARTISTS – We All Love Ella (Verve)
5. MR. SMOLIN - The Crumbling Empire of White People (Nomenclature Records)
6. PORCUPINE TREE – Fear of a Blank Planet (Roadrunner)
Coming to the State Theatre in October, I believe.
7. CHRIS LETCHER – Frieze (2Feet/Sheer)
South African songwriter/filmmaker
8. SCOTT MILLER and the COMMONWEALTH – Reconstruction (Sugar Hill)
9. PRIESTBIRD – In Your Time (Kemado Records)
10. CAROLE KING – Love Makes the World deluxe edition (Rockingale)
As much as I love the songs she wrote during the classic Brill Building period, and the music she made during the great singer/somgwriter era, the stuff she's doing now makes me feel old. A little too heavy on the nostalgia tip, with a side of hippy-dippy.
11. SHAKES – Sister Self Doubt EP (IAmSound)
A second copy of the disc.
12. TRUCKEE BROTHERS – Double Happiness (Populuxe)
13. TWO DOLLAR PISTOLS – Here Tomorrow Gone Today (???)
14. HAYSEED DIXIE – Weapons of Grass Destruction (Cooking Vinyl)

YTD Total: 651

Sinking Death's Battleship

I heard about Ingmar Bergman's death via the radio in the ladies room of Uncle Bill's Pancake House in Cape May, New Jersey. Later that day, having lunch on the way home at Snappy's Bar and Grille in Denton, MD, we told High School Girl and her pal a bit about Bergman's work, and they knew about the Death Playing Chess scene - from its parody in the Bill and Ted movie. Grace drew a picture of Death playing chess against Snappy the Turtle, the scary bar mascot, on her placement, titled: "Upon the Passing of Ingmar Bergman."
I think he would have liked it.

And now on to the music...

Seen with my Own Eyes (Thursday, July 26th):
1. GREAT NORTHERN – Trading Twilight for Daylight (Eenie Meenie Records)
I’d never been to the Backstage the Black Cat before, but it’s a great little space for about 100 fans or so to enjoy an intimate show. This CD has been in heavy rotation since I got it some weeks ago, and I missed an earlier opportunity to see the band play live, so I jumped at the chance – even though it was the night before the early AM departure for Cape May – and I was glad I did.
As in my previous experience with Fields, the band surprised me live, with much more volume and energy than the mellow vibe of the CD, but it was quite good. The guitarist had power, the dual female presence (keyboard/vocals and bass) was inspiring, and the addition of a few of the members of Comas at the set’s end made for a party vibe.

(BTW, since I mistakenly counted a different CD twice in the YTD total, I will only count one copy of the Great Northern CD, for which I received a duplicate).

At the club, I scored a freebie:
2. The BEANSTALK LIBRARY – selections from America at Night (self-released?)
At the freebie table, stocked mostly with postcards and flyers of upcoming shows, I found this 3-track homemade disc, with a postcard touting the band’s upcoming show at IOTA, on August 7th.
The band will be celebrating the release of its full-length debut that night.

My Own Cash Money:
3. Tribute to JONI MITCHELL – Various Artists (Nonesuch)
I’d been hoping to get this one as a promo, but took matters into my own hands when Best Buy sent me a 10% off coupon (so it was $13.50). I had to have Prince’s version of “A Case of You,” done in his very best soul-seducer falsetto. The rest of the album is also effective, tho’ a few of the choices are from the later, more obscure JM catalog, and I wish Elvis Costello had chosen to do so something more upbeat than his intense bo-ho reading of “Edith and the Kingpin.”
4. The WHITE STRIPES – Icky Thump (Third Man/Warner)
Another Best Buy discount ($12.70). Wish I could have been there when Meg and Jack rocked the Patriot Center, though I comfort myself with having seen them years ago at the 930 Club, when the buzz was just beginning. Did you see the great etched red vinyl single the pair gave away with issues of NME last month? Gatefold cover, too. JW knows how to appeal to the fetishists among us.
5. PRINCE – Planet Earth (NPG/Columbia)
Didn’t expect to buy this one, but when I saw the lenticular cover winking at me in Target, for a sale price no less ($10), I had no choice. Good first impression, but I can’t cite any songs by name because the purple prankster doesn’t give titles anywhere on the package! Actually, when I load it into iTunes, the songs claim their identity.
6. LIVE FROM GLASTONBURY – Q Magazine
Nice collection of concert tracks from Killers (“Mr. Brightside”), Franz Ferdinand (“Matinee”), Doves, Keane, Zero 7 and more. As such, a chance to find out who can reach the notes outside the studio and who can’t. I love the disc design – graphics of fresh, high, ready to be stomped on grass.
7. VARIOUS ARTISTS – When I Fall in Love: Women of Jazz (Universal)
Another Target cheapie ($2.25!) pulled from the clearance end-caps, where I do much of my best bargain hunting. Bought it in upstate NY while on vacation and it made an excellent companion on the drive from Ossining to Virginia on a Sunday morning with tracks like “A Sunday Kind of Love” (Etta James) and “That Sunday That Summer” (Betty Carter) and choice swinging tracks from the likes of Ella, Billie (spelled Billy on the cover!) and other fine ladies. The only song I had to skip over – “Love Dance” by Diane Schuur, - which had inspid lyrics no proud vocalist could save.
8. SPOON – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new contender for the Next Big Band, a stalwart indie favorite about to smash into the upper tier. Gimme Fiction was a winner, and “I Turn My Camera On” is a track that never ceases to call me back, and now “Underdog” which I trust has nothing to do with the upcoming movie, is coming up as this album’s perpetual favorite. Another sign of the breakthrough – hubby has become smitten, leaving the CD on random repeat with a special fondness for “Cherry Bomb.” Oh, how I wish I had braved the rain for the free show in lower Manhattan during my early July visit to NYC. The Target edition also came with a bonus disc.
9. INTERPOL – Our Love to Admire (Capitol)
Yeah, those bonuses work – this CD came with 3 free iTunes downloads (I passed them on to my brother as part of his birthday gift) and was also a Target sale ($10). While I don’t doubt Interpol’s inherent cool, there’s a chill to the attitude and a sameness to the sound that comes when I listen to the whole CD in one sitting.
10. MEW – And the Glass Handed Kites (Columbia)
This month’s top-of-the-queue selection from yourmusic.com, the automatic monthly $7 online service. I had forgotten it was there, but it came as a pleasant surprise, despite the hideous album design. (Slightly unnerving and just badly done). The music is a bit grand, but the reach rarely exceeds the grasp.

COMING TO TOWN:
This week’s Post preview, to appear Thursday, is a fine triple bill with three up-and-comers:
11. ROCCO DeLUCA and the BURDEN – I Trust You to Kill Me (Ironworks)
12. The MIDWAY STATE – Met a Man On Top of the Hill (Interscope)
13. The LAST GOODNIGHT – Poison Kiss (Capitol)
Out August 28th
All three will appear August 8th at the State Theatre.
14. SAW DOCTORS – The Cure (Shamtown Records)
Coming to the Birchmere on Thursday, August 9th.
15. BIFFY CLYRO – Puzzle (Roadrunner)
New buzz band from Glasgow, Scotland, the geographical location that rivals Austin, Texas for spawning cool new music. The CD comes out on September 18th but the band is opening for Editors at the 930 Club on Tuesday, September 4th.
16. MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE – You’ll Rebel to Anything (Metropolis Records)
Headlining the second stage at the upcoming Projekt Revolution tour, coming to Nissan Pavilion on Sunday, August 19th.
17. MADINA LAKE – From Them, Through Us, To You (Roadrunner)
Also on the Projekt Revolution tour.
18. SUZANNE VEGA – Beauty & Crime (Blue Note)
Playing the Birchmere Tuesday, September 18th.

New Music Advances:
August 4th (usually new albums drop on Tuesdays, but this is what the PR says):
19.COLIN LINDEN – Easin’ Back to Tennessee (True North/Red Eye)
20. STEPHEN FEARING Yellowjacket (True North/Red Eye)
Solo albums from two founding members of BLACKIE & The RODEO KINGS.

August 7th:
21. The WARRIORS – Genuine Sense of Outrage (Victory)
One of the creepiest CD covers in recent memory – a guy with a wolf’s head bursting out of his stomach, Alien-style, and some red goblin-types scurrying about. I gave it the 3-song trial and it was pretty much what a expected – music you might hear as the Death Eaters march on Hogwarts. (I finished the book at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, so I need not fear the spoilers!)
BTW, features a vocal by Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister (I never knew his last name until I just read it in the PR sheet).
22. TESTA ROSA –S/T (Latest Flame)
23. The HOTTEST STATE – soundtrack (Hickory Records/Sony)
New songs by Norah Jones compadre Jesse Harris performed by Willie Nelson, Ms. Jones, Cat Power, Bright Eyes and Feist, among others.

August 14th
24. TURBONEGRO – Retox (Cooking Vinyl)
Norwegian Rockers known for “faux-mo-erotic” lyrics and a sense of gay Spinal Tapian humor.
25. IAN MOORE – To Be Loved (Justice/Yep Roc)
Got two copies of this one, from yet another Austin-based musician. What’s in the water down there?
26. TWO LOONS FOR TEA – Nine Lucid Dreams (Sarathan)

September 25th
27. MIDTOWN DICKENS – Oh Yell! (307 Knox)
28. WAYNE WONDER – Foreva (VP Records)

29. PRENUP – Hell to Pay (Yep Roc)
This trio features Cait O’Riordan, a.k.a the former Pogue and onetime Mrs. Elvis Costello, which is a double dose of meritorious service in my book. The other two players are members of Hothouse Flowers, so you know the whole thing’s gonna kick with a Celtic vibe. Release date still TBA, but due sometime this fall.

Good First Impressions:
30. MARK RONSON – Version (Sony/BMG)
I was chatting with High School Girl and a friend on the day they sat, laptop by laptop, exchanging favorite tunes. We got into a discussion of Amy Winehouse and I mentioned how I wanted to track down the remix CD by her producer. Friend had it! I don’t use peer-to-peer services online but if fate puts me in the direct path of such a gift…call it a Burnt Offering.
31. SUPHALA – Blueprint (Suphala Productions)
This is the Indian/American tabla artist’s third recording, a pleasing blend of traditional and modern sounds, featuring a range if guests like Edie Brickell, Vernon Reid and King Brit. The song titles set the gentle tone: “Music Like a Memory,” “ Seventeen Birds Outside My Window” “I Feel Awake Even Though This is a Dream.” She wrote and produced most of the CD in her Brooklyn basement studio.
32. ANDRE PREVIN – Alone: Ballads for Solo Piano (Decca/Universal)
I put this on during a family dinner on the lake porch and it made a perfect fit – melodic and gentle without slumping into cloying MOR as the old school master plays standards like “It Might as Well Be Spring,” “Night and Day” and “Second Time Around.”

33. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (Artists’ Addiction)
Soundtrack to the critically acclaimed but audience-challenged football series, featuring an exclusive (they say) remix of the Killers’ “Read My Mind” alongside songs from Iron & Wine, Whiskeytown, OutKast, a previously unreleased Jose Gonzalez track and the ever-appealing Spoon’s “I Turn My Camera On”! Here’s a trivia bit – the score for the film that inspired the TV show, and much of the music for the series, comes courtesy of Autin’s latest band-to-watch, Explosions in the Sky.

O/CD YTD Total: 637

Feeding the Band and other Adventures

You know times have changed when NPR Morning Edition mentions the birthday of one of the Arctic Monkeys…(it happened last week).

If you can't play, cook!
1. EILEN JEWELL – Letters from Sinners & Strangers (Signature Sounds)
Jewell’s publicist, an old friend from Back in the Day, sent me this new album, which came out on July 17th, to pitch the singer/songwriter’s upcoming show at the IOTA on August 10th. Turns out that’s the week I’m off duty from the Post, but I was delighted to learn from the initerary that Jewell was playing a free show in the park at Lake George, NY, where I just happened to be this week, visiting family.
I asked my publicist pal to pass on an offer of local hospitality to Eilen (rhymes with hard-wheelin’, as he told it) and her traveling band, so the five of them (singer, three collaborative musicians and a good friend from the area) came for a burger, chops and veggie dog grill last night. The assembled musicians seemed to enjoy having a home-cooked meal on the lake view porch, and I loved supporting the arts in my own small way.
Since it had rained most of the day, the outdoor show was moved into a lakeside bar, where the neon bar signs made a perfect compliment to Jewell’s gentle western swing/folk. My pricey (but bartered) digital camera has been positively wonky lately, but I got a few shots I’m not ashamed of…




I wanted to purchase Eilen's first CD, but she wouldn't let me pay for it...
2. EILEN JEWELL - Boundary County (self-released)

But there are other places I spent My Own Cash Money:
3. FACES – Good Boys…When They’re Asleep (Warner Archives/Rhino)
Sad to say that, as I was preparing for an interview with Ian McLagan for a Post preview, the local Best Boy had nothing at all to offer in the way of Faces or Small Faces music, let alone McLagan’s indie solo output. Sure, they had some Rod Stewart collections, with the Faces listed in small type as an afterthought (how fitting to the tales told of his rising star hurting the band), but only Barnes and Noble had this single CD to bring more balance to the band’s contribution. McLagan played at Jammin’ Java July 9th and did a fine show that covered all aspects of his career from Small Faces ("Itchykoo Park") to his upcoming solo CD. Here are a few shots from the gig:





After talking to the charming guy on the phone, I had to say hello, and my friend Sally took our photo together:


While searching for Faces albums in the rock classics discount section, I found these two collections for less than $4 each.
4. The SHANGRI-LAS – Golden Legends
5. JUDY COLLINS – Golden Legends
And there were some online purchases, too:
6. PAUL McCARTNEY – Memory Almost Full (Hearmusic)
June 18 was Paul’s 65th birthday. May I be so full of spirit, grace and energy when I hit that landmark. I was surprised to see the album offered on emusic, but that seems to be in keeping with his alternative marketing strategy.
7. VARIOUS ARTISTS – Instant Karma (Amnesty International)
High School Girl bought the iTunes version of the album (more extra tracks) as a Father's Day gift for her dad. Some great stuff here from surprising sources (who knew Christina Aguilera could handle "Mother"?!)
8. LULLABY BAXTER – Garden Cities of To-Morrow (Boompa)
College Girl bought this for her dad as a Father's Day present.

Recent Promo Acquisitions:
9. INGRID MICHAELSON – Girls and Boys (Cabin 24 Records)
If you can’t wait for the next Regina Spektor album, this should tide you over nicely. Not quite as out-there quirky as RS, but sweet strong female stuff.
She played at Jammin’ Java on July 17th.
10. ANANDA PROJECT – Fire Flower (Nite Grooves)
11. VARIOUS ARTISTS – NZ CMJ sampler
A second copy of the CMJ-related sampler, sent all the way from New Zealand. Which reminds me...
"FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS" RULE! It's biz-niz, it's biz-niz time, baby!
12. The JUNIOR VARSITY – Cinematographic (Victory)
13. JUNE – Make It Blur (Victory)
14. ERIK FRIEDLANDER – Block Ice and Propane (Skipstone)
15. EMERSON HART - (Manhattan)
16. SILVERSTEIN – Arrivals & Departures (Victory)
17. The CHEMICAL BROTHERS – We Are the Night (Astralwerks)

Advance Music:
18. The LOVE MAKERS – Misery Loves Company (Fuzz)
Out July 24th.
19. CARMEN RASMUSEN – Nothin’ Like the Summer (Lofton Creek)
Out August 14th.
20. VARIOUS ARTISTS – SXSW Live 2007 (Shout! Factory DVD)
Out August 21st.
21. PETER HIMMELMAN – The Pigeons Couldn’t Sleep (Himmasongs Recordings)
Out August 21st
22. MICHAEL McDERMOTT – Noise from Words (One Little Indian)
Out August 28th.
23. The DEADLY SYNDROME – The Ortolan (Dim Mak)
Out September 11th.
24. STEPHEN KELLOGG & The SIXERS – Glassjaw Boxer (Everfine)
I spoke with Kellogg last year (here's the preview) when he had a college gig in the area, and he was totally psyched about the new album (but not in the knee-jerk “this is my best album ever” way that most musicians have).

Coming to Town:
25. WE ARE THE FURY – Venus (East/West)
Opening for Silverchair at the 930 Club on July 24th.
26. SILVERCHAIR – Young Modern (Eleven/ILG)
Like I just said - July 24th.
27. The INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS – Fork in the Road (Sugar Hill)
Playing the Birchmere on Wednesday, July 25th.
28. The ALTERNATE ROUTES – Good and Reckless and True (Vanguard)
Duplicate copy, sent to pitch the band’s July 16th show at the Birchmere, when they opened for Jonny Lang, but they’ll be back headlining Jammin’ Java on August 4th (with a date opening for Squeeze in-between).
29. The SAW DOCTORS – In Concert Live in Galway (Slamtown??DVD)
Playing the Birchmere on August 9th.
30. MIRAH and SPECTRATONE INTERNATIONAL – Share This Place (K Records)
Out July 24th (says the disc) or August 7th (press release);
Playing the Black Cat on July 21st.
31. The PIETASTERS – All Day (Indication/Red Eye)
The Post previewran today; playing at the State Theatre on July 21st and the new CD comes out August 21st.
32. ACUTE – Arms Around a Stranger (Help Records)
Indie rock with horns, soaring falsetto, strings, and some smarts. For reasons I don’t quite understand, the band’s video for “Follow You Home” is getting airplay on MTV Latin America (I don’t feel that vibe.) Produced by Dave Trumfio, who’s worked with Wilco and My Morning Jacket.
Opening for Jesse Malin at Jammin Java on July 21st.
33. DEAD ROCK WEST – Honey and Salt (Populuxe)
July 31st at the IOTA, with John Doe.
34. MIA TYSON – Parking Lots (Black Door)
Opening for at the Birchmere on August 1st.
35. The LAST GOODNIGHT – Poison Kiss (Capitol)
Opening for Rocco Deluca at State Theatre on August 8th.
The CD drops on August 28th.

And more misc...
A promo...
36. ABRA MOORE – On the Way (Sarathan Records)
Fun trivia – the Seattle-based label was founded by Jonathan Kochmer, one of the first 10 employees of Amazon,com and half of the duo Two Loons for Tea. And more – her music has been used in more than 25 movies and TV shows, including Felicity, Dawson’s Creek and Happy Texas. And finally – her last album, recorded for Clive Davis’ J Records was shelved due to creative differences. (What could Kelly Clarkson teach her?) And I forgot – she used to be in Poi Dog Pondering, a greatly underrated band.
A purchase...
37. MAROON 5 – It Won’t Be Soon Before Long (A&M)
Actually Grace paid, but since I hear it whenever she remembers to bring it into the car, I count it. I think this is an able band, but Adam Levine grates on me and I sort of resent when I find myself humming along.
A few more digital additions:
38. BEIRUT – Lon Gisland
As an eMusic member, I can take a chance on lots of stuff I might not otherwise, ‘cause the tracks cost less than 50 cents each. You gotta love a title like “My Family's Role in the World Revolution,” and as a former Queens resident and Stony Brook University student, I can relate to “The Long Island Sound.”
39. AMY WINEHOUSE – Back to Black (Republic)
Posters for this woman are sniped all over London when we were there in January and now she’s starting to buzz in America. Terry thinks she’s got a gimmick, not a true sound, but I like it. “Rehab” still hasn't overstayed its welcome, and I drive my family crazy singing the "no no no" refrain.

Thanks for hanging in. Here's your Free Music Fix:
40. KURT HAGARDORN – Ten Singles (Bladen County Records)
“You Are My Girl”
The comparisons to Ray Davies, Harry Nilsson, Ben Kweller are pretty apt. He'e got a bright pop thing happening.
Out July 24th.
41. AMERICAN CATASTROPHE – S/T (Oxblood Records)
Described as “Nick Cave fronting Sixteen Horsepower,” and came in a classy package - letterpress cardboard with a genuine wax seal with the AC initials on it. You can download “The Well.”
42. SCHOONER – Hold On Too Tight (54 40 or Fight!)
A double dose:
"There's Enough To Do"
"They Always Do!"
43. The TRIALS of DARRYL HUNT soundtrack (Young American)
A mix of cool alt rock (Andrew Bird, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Portastatic, M. Ward), hip-hop diatribes against the justice system (deserved) and music from the score by Paul Brill.
Here you hear Paul Brill’s “Powerlines."

O/CD YTD Total: 604

07/07/07 - Live Earth Day; Welcome Planeteers!

While I bounce between the Sundance and Bravo channels, monitoring the Live Earth coverage (who let the Pussycat Dolls in?!), I will attempt a few updates.

First, here’s the most recent Washington Post preview coverage, from this past week:
Ian McLagan
Old Time Banjo Festival

And from the previous biweekly cycle:
Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra
Devon Sproule, Drew Gibson and Paul Curreri

Minneapolis Rocks, you betcha!

Just got back yesterday from a visit to Minneapolis, where hubby had business and I had fun. And, while I didn’t actually get out to see a live show, I found a cool new (to me) local band that was getting press thanks to a new release and a gig.

Went to the Mall of America, which is certainly big, but not overwhelming so (surprisingly). I was saddened to see that there was only one place to buy music – a rather cluttered Sam Goody, which is as much about electronics gear as it is about CDs. I was looking for a local music section (hah!) and barring that, I had a list of names that had appeared in a newspaper about the city’s best acts. There was a divider card for one of my searches – Cloud Cult – but no CDs.
And then the helpful sales girl took me to a bank of monitors and looked the band up. Two albums appeared, one of which I could have custom burned for me on the spot. Cool idea! She told me that the system is primarily used to make custom mixes – the company itself, based in St. Paul, is called “Mix & Burn” – but that the store could also make copies of CDs that were out of stock and weren’t marked as prohibited (as the one Cloud Cult CD was). You also had the option of having the music downloaded directly into your mp3 device.
One of the wrinkles – some releases didn’t allow a full album purchase price, and my intended purchase being one of them. It would cost almost $25 for the full CD. So I opted for a five-song sampler, grabbing the two songs listed in the paper’s favorable review and a few titles chosen strictly for their appeal, like “The Girl Underground.”
My CD was ready in about five minutes, in generic cover with titles and artist(s) listed for every track, and I picked the name. Second wrinkle – when I loaded it into my iTunes collection, none of the info came through, so I had to type it all in.
1.CLOUD CULT – (sampler from) The Meaning of 8 (Earthology)
And it’s good stuff, too! Reminds me of Flaming Lips and Terry called out a Death Cab influence, too. Wish I could have seen the show they did at 7th Avenue Friday night, but will look for the full CD – online.
Freebies from Sam Goody:
2. THIS WORLD FAIR – 3-track sampler from the S/T release (Rethink)
Stickered with the info that the band was playing the Varsity Theatre – in April.
3. The PHOTO ATLAS – 2-track sampler from (Morning After)
tagged as “the result of unprotected sex between the Faint and At the Drive-In” and “a blazing cross between Fugazi and Gang of Four.”
The power of the press – in this case, an ad for a store with a neat anime graphic T-shirt – brought me to a hipster outlet called Metroland, which was a generally higher-priced fashion outlet, but they had a nice clerance section where I scored a shirt for High School Girl, a vinyl figurine and some very cheap samplers ($1.99):
4.VARIOUS ARTISTS – Destination Lounge: New York City (Revive the Soul)
2 CDs and a DVD. First track: a remix of the Peter Malick Group featuring Norah Jones, and a full array of acts I’ve never heard of.
5. VARIOUS ARTISTS – more pLUSH (Kriztal Entertainment)
Fifteen tracks: “distinctive downtempo works alongside upbeat and straight out party rockers but all the while maintaining the sexy and sophisticated groove you’ve come to expect.”
And finally, from a previous day’s trip to Borders to get a map of the city:
6. VARIOUS ARTISTS – MUSE: The Supermassive Collection (NME magazine)
The British press is losing its mind over this band and its triumphant Wembley Arena show, so the music paper had the band compile a set of tracks it claims it will be playing before the Big Show. Lord Buckley (bookending the 13-track set), Bjork, Flaming Lips, Cold War Kids and more.

O/CD YTD Total: 561

Anyway, while wondering around the city, it's hard not to fall over the city's star musical attraction. Here's the famous First Avenue Club, where Prince filmed much of "Purple Rain":


And here's the huge Target Center across the street where Prince will play on 7/07/07:


And here's the display for Prince's perfume, in the window of the downtown Macy's store, which pumps music out into the street far into the night:


TODAY'S FREE mp3:
"Eucalyptus" by the Deadly Syndrome.

(some of) The Week That Was…

On Wednesday, I was working all day on my upcoming Post previews. The Fairfax Extra will be getting a three-act CD release party featuring Virginia-based performers:
1. PAUL CURRERI – The Velvet Rut (City Savage)
2. DEVON SPROULE – Keep Your Silver Shined (City Salvage)
This one’s my favorite of the three – she has a lovely voice – kinda Rickie Lee Jones – and a folk/jazz style that’s sweet but not too.
3. DREW GIBSON – Letterbox (Cragmont)

Alexandria/Arlington, meantime, will hear about a free concert by a local favorite, Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra, an 8-piece ensemble that plays with a Celtic lilt. Cutting used to be in another favorite local group, Brit-style folk/rock revivalists, The New St. George. Among the members of her new band, some of whom were in the old band, they have over 60 “Wammies” (local area music awards).

And it was a good day lots of puffy envelopes, though I don’t know much about most the artists here, the obvious exception being:
4. BILLY BOB THORNTON – Beautiful Door (New Door Records/Ume)
Includes “Always Countin’” – a song about Obsessive-Compulsive disorder, which will, no doubt, go on my mix CD for sentimental reasons. And Graham Nash sings harmony of three tracks.
Out July 24th
5. ALINA SIMONE – Placelessness (54 40 or Fight)
Out August 21st
Ukranian girl moves to Boston suburb, then to Austin and records with spare guitar, minimum drums and cello. Her voice hearkens back to one of our “back in the day” favorites – Deborah Iyall of Romeo Void – with smatterings of modern Bjork-ittude, but you can’t dance to the songs and the whole affair gets kinda drony.
6. ART IN MANILA - Set the Woods on Fire (Saddle Creek)
CD sticker says it comes out August 28th; press sheet says August 7th. You’ll have to guess when you can pick up this new work by former Azure Ray member Orenda Fink, who formed a new band from the “cream of the crop of her touring crew.”
7. ARIZONA – Fameseeker and the Mono (self-released)
Compared to Deerhoof and Grizzly Bear, this originally NYC-based band is now hunkered down in North Carolina, working on the full-length follow-up to this pleasing 7-song introduction.
Out September 11th
8. ANGEL and the LOVE MONGERS – The Humanist Queen (Rocksnob)
“Have you ever wondered what it might sound like if Jeff Buckley had met John Lennon and they had formed a band with the members of the Cure?” Those are mighty lofty aspirations this PR sheet is tossing about and, though the album is pleasant, I don't hear them. Co-produced and mixed by the (once) legendary (where’s he been?) Mitch Easter.
Out September 4th
9. ANGELA LANSBURY – Legends of Broadway (Masterworks)
This one I ordered ($6.99) through the mymusic auto subscription service. It’s a compilation of all her big Broadway tunes, many of them Sondheim classics, and a reminder of how much of Broadway music has suffered in recent years due to Webber-ization.

Took some bags of unwanted household items to the local thrift store and scored two adorable “Where the Wild Things Are” mini-stuffed toys. In the CD section, some classical collector seems to have recently dumped dozens of well-kept albums, but I held back, having many of my own that I haven’t yet absorbed. (One day, when I am housebound by illness or a rash of bad weather, I am going to give myself an education on all that collected jazz and classical). So, I picked out just a few:
10.GORECKI – Symphony No. 3, et al. (NAXOS)
Still sealed, and marked as a $7.99 Borders purchase – a gift, perhaps, that its recipient didn’t want?
11. GRIEG – Piano Music Vol. 10 (NAXOS)
Terry loves solo piano pieces.
12 .CLAUDE BOLLING & JEAN-PIERRE RAMPAL - Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio
Two guys listed as the performers, two sidemen given credit on the back cover, but it’s an album of trios. No wonder I don’t understand classic music.
This is pop-lite classical, to be sure. The series was a mainstay of Sunday afternoon college dorm hangs, back when we were trying to prove that we had Taste by dipping into non-rock genres. If it wasn’t a discount pressing of Carmina Burana or Chuck Mangione, it was these brunchy classical jazz albums. Second time around, it’s all rather lightweight and yuppified (as I said to Terry, “this is jazz that doesn’t smoke”) but it’s kinda like a happy, friendly dog that you like despite its slurpy eagerness to please.
And for the family singalong:
13. POCAHANTAS – original soundtrack (Walt Disney)
Alan Menken writes catchy melodies, but Stephen Schwartz is not half the lyricist Howard Ashman (R.I.P.) was. “Just Around the River Bend” may be the only real keeper here.

More of my own cash money:
14 .VARIOUS ARTISTS – Sound Response (Warner)
In the clearance bin ($3.78) at Target. Live tracks collected to benefit New Orleans relief. Great cause but not much here to get excited about. I’ll burn off copies of tracks by Green Day, Cold Play, Radiohead, Ben Folds maybe Jason Mraz and Annie Stela but the other half includes stuff I never have to hear again from James Blunt, Staind and other haunters of modern radio.
15. FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE – Traffic and Weather (Virgin)
Actually, I’ve had this one in the house for a long time, since maybe only a week or so after its release. FOW is a band that I buy whenever they have a new album but this one slipped by without my knowing it was coming. At first listen, I worried that it was less clever than prior CDs but the more I listen, the more I’m sucked into their (seemingly) simple (but not!) genius with three-minute pop gems. The title track is a favorite, and “I-95” is, of course, the perfect soundtrack for those drives between DC and NYC.

Other recent promo deliveries:
16. DEBBIE HARRY – Necessary Evil (10th Street Entertainment)
Out August 7th
Most of the tracks here, on first listen, don’t do justice to Harry’s iconic stature and unique voice. But she’s earned the right to another go-round, so I’ll revisit, reconsider, retype (if necessary).
17. PIETASTERS – All Day (Indication Records)
DC underground ska legends, though I confess I don’t know the scene very well. Here’s the pitch- “skankin’ punk rhythms and raucous vocal rumblings slowed down and sticky thick with the sounds of early Motown and Jamaican soul.” Nicely put!
18. A BAND OF BEES – Octopus (Astralwerks)
Back home (Isle of Wight), they’re known just as the Bees, and have a buzz (couldn’t resist) for mixing funk, psychedelia and Northern soul among other styles. This one has harmony-heavy folk bits, too. Reminds me of the happy guys of Gomez.
19. BLACK BEFORE RED – Belgrave to Kings Circle (I Eat Records)
The kind of happy discovery that makes doing what I do such a nice paying hobby (no, it’s not a job). An Austin-based band that combines some fine influences. You might swear you were hearing the Shins, Paul McCartney, the Kinks – that kind of catchy, melodic pop. Terry says they sound too imitative. I say it’s a great start for a young band.

We Report, You Decide.
Listen for yourself and see if you like this:
20. ARKS – The International (Highwheel Records)
Arks is a band from Chicago. PR says the CD a “jumpy, jittery, frenetic post-punk whopper in the vein of Gang of Four,” and says they formed in 2002, in the back room of a Chicago Ukrainian Village apartment (another Ukranian!)
Whattaya think of "Stator/Asymptote"?
Out August 14th.

O/CD YTD Total: 255