DEAD MEADOW: 'At Her Open Door'

Where the quartet Dead Meadow typically work in a hazy, shady, stoner world of antique lava lamps and 'Inna Godda Davida' eight-tracks, their song, "At Her Open Door", sways with a near Morrissey sadness and rhythm (can you even imagine Morrissey in the land of the Lizard King?). It has that Smiths-like vibe until the psychedelic guitars pull them further back into their time-warped closet of bell bottoms, GREAT FM radio, and Haight-Ashbury.

It's The Pink Mountaintops meet The Smiths, on this track for sure, otherwise it's Comets On Fire with less noise and more acid.

+ at her open door
courtesy betterPropaganda.com

MP3s from Matador Records...
+ “Good Moanin'”from ‘Shivering King and Others’

Unreleased versions from Matador's monthly Dead Meadow MP3 Series.
+ “Let's Jump In”
+ “Good Moanin'”
+ “The Whirlings (Instrumental Version)”
+ “Everything's Going On (LA Version)”
+ “Sleepy Silver Door”

Namelessnumberheadman: Free tracks!

Namelessnumberheadman are graciously offering 4 tracks to freely download off their site. All covers, they pay tribute to Flaming Lips, Minus Story, Doris Henson, and Sparklehorse.

GO HERE - (warning! these are slow to download)

*thanks to stevie for the tip!

You can find more mp3s here.

M. Ward

TRANSISTOR RADIO

If you're not familiar with The Big Bopper, Fats Domino, or even The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis, listen up as M. Ward is and he pays artists like these, and the sheer inspiring power of independent radio, a most kind tribute on his new disc, Transistor Radio (Merge Records).

'Big Boat' is a rollicking number that sounds as big as the name suggests and as large as the names mentioned above. Though Ward is on an indie label, Merge, he may not fit the profile which is typically indie, but he is a true indie (independent) artist. By that I mean he creates and crafts his art independently of what others may want or expect -- this to me is what indie means. Indie being a term tied more frequently to style of music than the word from which it sprang (independent) -- most often by the lazily literate and the literally lazy (myself included). He's not only 'indie', but an anachronism as well and so, quite possibly, is the song, 'Big Boat', itself; stirring up strains of Hayden gone fishing with Richard Buckner, haunted by the ghosts of Fats and the Killer.

+ Big Boat
MP3 courtesy of betterPropaganda.com

CROOKED FINGERS: Call To Love

Chugging acoustic guitars push Crooked Finger's, "Call to Love", back to an era of good feelin' pop songs and male/female vocals. Another fine example of a throwback, an evocation of those special songs you would hear in your mother's car on the way home from picking up groceries. The kind of song that would make a most subliminal impression and would surface twenty or so years later in the first single off of your fourth album. At least that's the impression I have come to after listening to "Call to Love" and Eric Bachmann's familiar vocal -- a voice that is Neil Diamond-like -- that is to say, Diamond without the bluster, the bombastic overkill. Happily countered on this track by Lara Meyerratken's womanly and creamy singing -- this could be Merge Records label mate, M. Ward, with a lighthearted shot of 'pop', an 'indie' twist, added to his superbly atmospheric songwriting--but it isn't... it's Crooked Fingers.

+ call to love
courtesy of betterPropaganda.com

MUNLY

Jay Munly, accomplished musician, author, and actor makes his home in Denver, Colorado. He also makes a musical home, along with his buddy Slim, in the countryish band Slim Cessna's Auto Club -- as well as performing solo as Munly and the Lee Lewis Harlots.

His music and his voice itself evoke the dark, dank corners of a wild eyed, foaming at the mouth tent revival meeting. A meeting teeming with hollow eyed shut-ins, God fearing zealots, and the physically and mentally feeble. The music may evoke these things, but it also cures all who believe. Do you believe?

MUNLY
"Amen Corner"
"Ragin' Cajun"
"The Leavening Of The Spit-Bread Girls"

SLIM CESSNA'S AUTO CLUB
"Jesus Christ"
"Goddamn Blues Yodel #7"
"Last Song About Satan"
"Pine Box"
"Water Into Wine"
"Mother's Daughter"
"This Is How We Do Things In The Country"
"Cranston"
"Sour Patch Kids"
"Kristin & Billy"
"Limon"
"My Goodness Me"
"Champagne Like A Lady"

CLEM SNIDE: 'End Of Love' - ALBUM REVIEW

Clem Snide's lead singer, Eef Barzelay has a slight voice, the kind of voice that seems distinct on his own songs, but the type that would disappear, would lose it's identity in an unfamiliar framework. This, Clem Snide's fifth album, "End of Love", is a familiar framework for the band, (continuing with their blue tinged indie-country-pop). And yet the most distinctive things about this collection of 11 tracks are the words, the musicianship, and the production; not the voice of its chief member, it's singer/songwriter, and that's a problem. When a band exists solely to present the songs of 'one' -- the 'one' should have a whole lot more in the way of vocal personality to engage the listener. That said, there are some good songs here, some that are worth more than a couple of spins despite Barzelay's lack of vocal character -- funny that a singer/songwriter with an unfogettable name like Eef Barzelay could have such a forgettable voice.

'end of love'

+ fill me with your light
Spinart Records - Release date Feb. 22/05

Gentleman Reg

Gentleman Reg was the solo artist who opened for Antony and the Johnsons' two Drake Hotel shows last Wednesday. His performance was fine, it was enjoyable, the only problem I had was I really think he could have used a band behind him. I am sure that when he gets the chance to play with a band the songs would get that little punch they needed that night.

Reg is another talented musician, from Guelph originally, who is now found on Toronto's Three Gut Records (a label that got it's start in Guelph I believe).

Check out his music...

Darby & Joan (2004) three gut records
+ It's Not Safe
+ Bundle
+ Untouchable

Make Me Pretty (2002) three gut records
+ Statement
+ Give Me The Chance To Fall

Hellbound: A Tribute to the Breeders (NoAloha.com - 2001)
+ Doe (64kbs MP3) - Reg doing a cover of the Breeders 'Doe'.

(thanks to 'P', whoever you are)

Antony & the Johnsons@The Drake Hotel

I caught the early show at The Drake Hotel in Toronto last night. Antony and the Johnsons were making their second appearance in less than a year in the city. At least according to a shouted comment to Antony when he mentioned playing Toronto previously. With the man and woman who made up 'The Johnsons' on this night in their places, Antony made his way to the stage in black wig, black jeans, and some kind of black, torn, and tattered, '1976 Sex Pistols' looking top over a white shirt. The voice, his voice, as many of you know, is larger than life, and so very nearly is Antony himself -- a much larger man than I could or would have imagined. Somehow this incongruity made his vulnerable and emotional singing more powerful, as he began to sing My Lady Story, I was taken aback by the sheer richness of his tone live. He worked his way through about half of the songs on 'I Am A Bird Now' (Secretly Canadian), sprinkling older songs such as Cripple and the Starfish and Lake into the short set. Showing a great sense of humour, at one point he stood from his piano bench and clutching the mic stand began to sway and sing... Oh! wanna dance with somebody/I wanna feel the heat with somebody, saying that it was on the radio on the drive into the city -- then acting out pushing radio buttons and saying over and over, "Something about hockey... something about hockey... something about hockey...', until the radio settled on the Whitney Houston track.

Ably backed by Rob Moose on violin and acoustic guitar, and Julia Kent, from Vancouver, on cello, it was a great show which had the small crowd, in The Drake's intimate Underground setting, on it's feet demanding an encore... for which it was rewarded.

pureLivegigs

So you you like live shows do ya? Then check out this fresh site, pureLivegigs. Just register and that's the only price you pay. You can find Beck's secret L.A. show on the site, check it out.

MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO Launches Official Site

Secretly Canadian artist Magnolia Electric Co. have today launched their official website. The site features a live show archive with three concerts recorded after Songs: Ohia entered the Witness Protection Program and came out as Magnolia Electric Co. Also on site is news of Magnolia's debut full length coming out this April -- offering up eight tracks it is titled, "What Comes After The Blues".

XIU XIU

Xiu Xiu were formed in San Jose, CA, (2002) by Cory McCullough, Yvonne Chen (publisher of the indie zine Zum), Lauren Andrews, and Jamie Stewart. The music is experimental indie-rock and has been since the release of 'Chapel of the Chimes' on Absolutely Kosher which included former band members Sam Mickens and Jherek Bischoff.

Their music can be hard to take at times, for me at least, but some of it really resonates. I especially like the track 'Suha'.

+ suha
+ sad pony guerilla girl
+ clowne towne
+ jennifer lopez
+ i broke up
+ poe poe

JENNIFER GENTLE "I Do Dream You"

This piece first appeared on betterPropaganda.com last week.

The next time I dream that I am trapped in a world of puppets, muppets, and kids show hosts -- with traffic directed by out of work game show assistants and head-on collisions are a matter of fact occurrence. And the clowns, the clowns that call the sewers home are nice clowns... no, really... they are nice clowns -- the next time this happens the dream's soundtrack will be Jennifer Gentle's, "I Do Dream You".

This song is hard to describe, if you've listened to Ween you will hear some similarities -- there are bits of circus, carnival, and maybe something like Peewee's Playhouse lurking here. Here at Better Propaganda under the heading, 'Similar Music', it says Jennifer Gentle has like aspects of the band Low, perhaps... if Low ate a pound of coffee beans and then after donning Teletubbie suits they each inhaled a tank of helium... perhaps then. Or maybe they are referring to both bands working in their own worlds, creating their own space without regard to what is 'in' with the indie kids, but I prefer the smart ass jab about coffee beans, Teletubbies, and helium.

+ I Do Dream You (sub pop)
download courtesy of betterPropaganda

Brian Jonestown Massacre: "Seer"

Warm, fuzzy, and meticulous - like some long lost Jefferson Airplane gem that was stuffed inside a hole in the wall (a hole punched by a 'seer' who knew the song was too far ahead of it's time), Brian Jonestown Massacre's, "Seer", may sound past it's prime in 2005, but that's where you would be wrong. Where are you living? In the Eighties? With the mixing and matching of differents genres by artists like Danger Mouse, with mash-ups and past greats like Billie Holiday popping up on re-mixes... the time is now for everything and everyone. BJM should finally feel at home in the 21st century.

+ Seer
... download courtesy of betterPropaganda.com

free full album downloads of Brian Jonestown Massacre are available on their website

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS

It's the voice -- fluttering like a torn flag against a stormy dramatic sky. The heart of Antony and The Johnsons is the voice quavering with emotion, a beast with three hearts -- one on each sleeve and another in it's diva's throat.

+ hope there's someone
from "I am a Bird Now"
Label: Secretly Canadian

'V' *MIXPACK

the van pelt
My Bouts with Pouncing
variable unit
Break It Down
valsalva
Shelter
vetiver
Farther On
viva voce
Alive With Pleasure
One in Every Crowd
volcano, i'm still excited
In Green

MERGE RECORDS NEWS

Merge Records has announced the release date for Spoon's new disc, "Gimme Fiction". It will hit shelves on May 10th -- start saving yer pennies.

Also from Merge, The Arcade Fire will visit Conan O'Brien tonight, Tuesday, February 1st.