Eels will see their latest record, End Times, on shelves (that's physical and digital) this coming January (that's the 19th, if you wanna mark it on your calendar). I know that's a while to wait, but from hearing the simple, honest beauty of this song, it's well worth it.
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: Tour Dates, New Video
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin have new shows slated for December/January and will be previewing new songs from their forthcoming third album (produced by DCFC's Chris Walla), due out this coming summer on Polyvinyl. (Tour Dates Below)
To keep your hopes up, or to snag a couple of new fans, here's a brand spankin' new video for "Glue Girls" off of their most recent album, Pershing.
TOUR DATES 12/6 - Vestal, NY - Mandela Room/Binghamton University 12/7 - Brooklyn, NY - The Bell House 12/8 - Columbus, OH - The Summit 12/9 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop 1/28 - Chicago, IL - Schubas 1/29 - Urbana, IL - Courtyard Cafe 1/30 - Columbia, MO - Mojo's 1/31 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon
Charlotte Gainsbourg isn't a newcomer to the world of music or video, her latest film is Antichrist with Willem Dafoe. Have you seen it? I like things different and even weird compared to most people, but this film doesn't do it for me. It's been labeled horror, but it's not in the traditional sense. This is the horror which people, in this case a man and woman, can inflict on each other, psychologically and physically. I did, however, like the amazing beauty of several slow motion sequences in the film. Anyway, Gainbourg has a new record coming in January called IRM (Beck Hansen produced and co-wrote the disc) and this video has landed in an effort to pique your interest (I won't bother describing what happens in the video... I know you can figure it out yourselves).
Here are several remixes of "1901" and "Lisztomania" which are the two best tracks from Phoenix's latest release Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. But to start off here's the band's live performance in the KEXP studios from early summer 2009. Okay, now that that's out of the way, you've listened and/or downloaded, let's get that great big ol' glitter ball out of storage and boogie(Jesus, I even feel stupid typing that, much less saying it aloud).
Tom Waits will release a glittering distillation of his 2008 Glitter and Doom tour on Anti Records this November 23rd. Glitter and Doom Live is comprised of performances from many shows on the tour, and a second disc, called Tom Tales gathers many of the strange, twisted, and nearly believable, stories that Mr Waits shares with the adoring fans lucky enough to see him live. I was surprised to learn that his label, Anti, has pushed Ol' Tom into the present by getting an official website up and running. If you visit the site you can download a preview of the album (the first eight tracks are yours, free of charge) by giving up your email address. Here's the track list and, below that, a sample of the second disc, Tom's Tales.
Glitter and Doom Live 01. Lucinda / Ain't Goin Down 02. Singapore 03. Get Behind The Mule 04. Fannin Street 05. Dirt In The Ground 06. Such A Scream 07. Live Circus 08. Goin' Out West 09. Falling Down 10. The Part You Throw Away 11. Trampled Rose 12. Metropolitan Glide 13. I'll Shoot The Moon 14. Green Grass 15. Make It Rain 16. Story 17. Lucky Day
Disc Two: Tom Tales 36 minutes of Tom telling you stories... almost as good as the music.
Nick Cave put his own spin on the oft recorded story about Lee "Stag Lee" Shelton, and called his take "Stagger Lee", on the classic 1996album Murder Ballads. I say "his take" because other recordings have various versions of the name (and details) likely due to the story spreading across the US orally in the late 1800's (Stagolee, Stack O' Lee, Stackerlee, Stackoo Lee, Stack O' Dollars, etc. are some of the examples used by artists over the years). After listening to quite a few versions of this story in song, recorded since the mid 1920's, it sounds to my ears, and others as well, that Cave was heavily influenced by the 1969 version done by Johnny Otis.
Now below are several versions I tracked down beginning with the two mentioned above by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Johnny Otis. The first classic version was recorded by Mississippi John Hurt in 1928, Lloyd Price recorded another classic version in 1958, a version which has been covered by dozens including James Brown. The actor Samuel L Jackson does a fine live reading of the story helped significantly by the backing of a great blues band in the film Black Snake Moan. Obviously, from the picture I've used above and the inclusion of two versions by him and his band, Nick Cave's version is my favourite.
Here is a newspaper clipping I found online about the murder on Christmas eve 1895 of Billy Lyons by Shelton (of course there is no way to verify it's authenticity).
“William Lyons, 25, colored, a levee hand, living at 1410 Morgan Street, was shot in the abdomen yesterday evening at 10 o'clock in the saloon of Bill Curtis, at Eleventh and Morgan Streets, by Lee Shelton, also colored. Both parties, it seems, had been drinking and were feeling in exuberant spirits. Lyons and Shelton were friends and were talking together. The discussion drifted to politics and an argument was started, the conclusion of which was that Lyons snatched Shelton's hat from his head. The latter indignantly demanded its return. Lyons refused, and Shelton withdrew his revolver and shot Lyons in the abdomen. Lyons was taken to the Dispensary, where his wounds were pronounced serious. He was removed to the City Hospital. At the time of the shooting the saloon was crowded with negroes. Shelton is a carriage driver and lives at 911 North Twelfth Street. When his victim fell to the floor Shelton took his hat from the hand of the wounded man and coolly walked away. He was subsequently arrested and locked up at the Chestnut Street Station. Shelton is also known as 'Stag' Lee.”- St Louis Globe-Democrat, December 26, 1895.
Patrick Watson: CMJ 2009, Black Session, Tour Dates
Montreal's (the city of my birth) Patrick Watson, played a showcase set at the recent CMJ Music Festival in NYC. Here is that performance and as a bonus, I've included the band's 2007 Black Session, as well. Also, on November 17th, Patrick Watson will re-releaseJust Another Ordinary Day. Self-released in 2003, in a limited run, this was the first recording with all four members of the band. The shiny vinyl LP version of Wooden Arms will be in stores on November 17th, as well. These two would make a great Christmas gift, don't you think? And these mp3s will be a great gift to yourself, go on splurge. Look further into the Just Another Ordinary Day andWooden Arms details at Secret City Records.
TOUR DATES November 4 - Epicerie Moderne, Lyon November 5 - Victoire 2, Montpellier November 7 - Krakatoa, Bordeaux November 8 - La Nef, Angoulême November 9 - Chabada, Angers November 11 - Bad Bonn, Düdingen November 12 - La Laiterie, Strasbourg November 14 - Festival RDV Sonics, Saint-Lô November 15 - Aeronef, Lille November 17 - Olympic, Nantes November18 - La Cigale, Paris November 19 - La Cartonerie, Reims November 21 - Crossing Border Festival, The Hague November 22 - Crossing Border Festival, Antwerp November 25 - Rote Fabrik, Zürich November 29 - Tivoli - Le Guess Who Festival, Utrecht November 30 - Paradiso, Amsterdam
December 10 – Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC December 12 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Toronto, ON December 16 – Metropolis, Montreal, QC December 30 - Falls Festival, Tasmania December 31 - Falls Festival, Lorne
January 7 - Brisbane Sunset Sounds, Brisbane January 9 - Southbound Festival, Perth January 15 - Grappa’s Cellar, Hong Kong January 17 - Mao’s House Live, Beijing January19 - Esplanade - Theatres On The Bay, Singapore January21 - Astro Hall, Tokyo
French band, Phoenix, made a visit to Chicago based radio program, Sound Opinions, and along with a great interview done by the show's hosts, the quartet played several songs in studio. Guess what? Here they are:
This song by Sonny & The Sunsets has an unmistakable Beach Boys swing, plus more than a little Wilson Brothers nasal twang. It also has the simplicity of a demo (acoustic guitar, hand claps--no more than what you need and no less than what you want), which is a plus in my books. Maybe this is a demo... the perfect demo.
The Harlem Shakes: "Nothing But Change Part II" MP3
The Harlem Shakes have been featured here several times over the past couple of years and still they haven't exploded across the blog-o-sphere as I think they should. They've got great hooks, hell, they've got killer hooks in many of their songs; they've got an idiosyncratic and distinctive vocalist in Lexy Benaim (Benaim can sound like a frenetic, and definitely indie, Frankie Valli); and the band churns out these catchy songs with the passion and skill of the E Street Band. And on this song,"Nothing But Change Part II" , (from Technicolor Health) The Harlem Shakes are the E Street Band... at 78 rpm.
Yes, I am Canadian (I wish that phrase, 'I Am Canadian', didn't stir up memories, for me, of an old beer commercial with jingoistic overtones) and I have found yet another Canadian talent worth sharing with you (the last one being Dark Mean).
Andy Shauf makes his home in western Canada, in the city of Regina, Saskatchewan, where he has nurtured a talent for clear-eyed intimate pop. Darker Days is his latest release, a full length on P is For Panda Records, and it is surprising to me that I've never heard mention of his name or music until now. His songs bear the shadows of his influences (he is a young guy, who appears to me, even younger in photographs) and yet they still manage to sparkle with his own personality.
Vocally Shauf has a charming inflection, a timbre perhaps, which almost recalls a drawl, it also brings to mind singer/songwriter Josh Rouse in it's quieter moments. I can also hear the critically acclaimed Luke Temple in a song like the third track "You Remind Me". Highly recommended.
Darker Days Track List: Your Heart Crushes You Remind Me In Town Gone The Darker Night The Greatest Moments Let's Be Were You In Love With Me How Long Give Me Words
Dark Mean make their home in the medium sized city of Hamilton, Ontario, right around the corner from Toronto on the shore of Lake Ontario. Hamilton isn't striking in a big city way, there are no majestic towers, towering skyscrapers, or hipster-centric shopping areas, but it does impress with a natural rugged physicality that fittingly matches the working heart of the city, the steel mills. Now you may expect this band to blaze forth a molten slab of metal, but you'd be wrong, very wrong, Dark Mean have their roots in indie rock, with branches reaching into alt country and folk.
What they're offering on their EP, Frankencottage, is four songs that all bear a distinct personality offered in differing moods, or shades. I'm especially enjoying "Happy Banjo" and "Lullaby". Both these songs gain strength from that much maligned instrument the banjo. The banjo being the guitar's forgotten brother. Many of us love the guitar, it's like a nice cold glass of milk, or warm milk, whereas the banjo is a glass of curdled milk, the sound is murkier, veiled, much more mysterious. Yes, the banjo has a sunny brightness to it, but there's something else there, it's like watching a scary film about a haunted house and the scariest scene in the movie takes place on the sun drenched front lawn. That's what the banjo can bring to a piece of music... a sunny menace--and, as I said, Dark Mean use the banjo and use it well.
Visit the band's website to find a FREE download of the EP, Frankencottage. What you won't find there, or in the band's music is darkness, or meanness.
The latest release by The Arctic Monkeys, Humbug, takes the young band in a different direction than what you might expect. Working with Queens of the Stone Age leader, Josh Homme, in the producer role, the Brits take a confident step away from their past and come up with something that works for the most part. I can't get enough of a song called "Cornerstone", the only track not attributed to Homme, but to their old producer, James Ford. Any of you familiar with Arctic Monkey singer/songwriter Alex Turner's sideproject, The Last Shadow Puppets, and it's step back into the sound of the '60s, won't be too shocked that his main band have shifted gears a bit... but not so much into the '60s as towards the dry desert throb of Josh Homme's QOTSA.
"Cornerstone" is a lovely song (and my favourite), with the emphasis on melody bolstered by Turner's restrained melancholic vocal. These boys are growing up and looking back, but don't we all?
Now, I know what you want. Yeah, you, sittin' over there all alone in the corner, with a pile of books on the table, a laptop across your lap, and a smudge of ash from that last cigarette across your little finger, or is that newsprint? What you need is some Nick Cave. Some Bad Seeds. I'm here to do the plantin'.
