Timber Timbre

Mood. Creepy, gloomy, yearning, mood... it weeps, like basement cinder blocks sweat in summer heat, from the songs of Timber Timbre alias Taylor Kirk.

I don't know who Kirk is trying to sound like, but by making that journey (or effort) he has arrived at a place most musicians never reach. This is music, or mood, that grabs you by the hand, the shoulders or the throat and that all depends on how much this music infects you. I literally sat up straight, my ears pricked up, and all other sound and vision melted away when I first heard Timber Timbre on my mp3 player. Stumbling up against songs like this is one of the best things about loving music... the discovery of a new favourite. But all this emotion would just wash over you if it wasn't for the voice of Kirk. It's the voice that catches, that sticks like black molasses. It demands attention, sounding familiar, mysterious, and enviable all at once. One of my favourites songs from the current self-titled release is "I Get Low". Now it would be very easy for me to say I get high when I listen to the song "I Get Low", but that wouldn't be the truth. I get... umm... I get (why does busy keep popping into my head) I guess I get let loose into a world that Kirk has pulled and twisted from his mind. Maybe I should have said set free, I enjoy a sense of freedom... there's a special freedom that comes from listening to music that moves you.

Only three albums in (2006's Cedar Shakes, 2007's Medicinals and 2009's Timber Timbre) and the promise Toronto's Kirk shows those who bother to listen, easily outshines the bluesy gloom he crafts so well. I've said it before - and I'm sure I wasn't the first - but now I'll say it again: 'the best songs are sad songs'.

i get low [mp3] from Timber Timbre 2009 [BUY]

The Muppets: Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" MP3

After posting the video here, I've got a lot of requests for the mp3 of this song... here it is.

the muppets - bohemian rhapsody [mp3] - This is a sharebee.com link, click through to download from several pages, including megaupload.

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Doveman: The Conformist

Doveman. The name sounds peaceful, it conjures an image of a large, a very large, soft feathered bird softly cooing from the upper ledge of a city building. Perhaps not the best image, or maybe the image you have is closer to a crime fighter a la Batman... Doveman, the Mahatma Gandhi of superheroes. Well, will you look at that, from cooing like a dove to kicking ass Gandhi-style... methinks you should lend an ear to Doveman a.k.a. Thomas Bartlett.

The latest Doveman record is called The Conformist, but it definitely does not conform to the music he has recorded and released to date. This new recording is bolstered vocally by guests such as The National's Matt Berninger, and by Bartlett penning much more accessible melodies, as if he's reaching out instead of turning inward as his earlier music would often seem to do. His recording and touring with The National seems to have rubbed off in the best possible way and I hear this most prominently in the song "The Angel's Share". Even without Berninger adding his voice to the song, the chorus would evoke many of the better, quieter moments of The National.

The Conformist is highly recommended. [BUY]

the angel's share [mp3]

The Muppets: Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"

Get the mp3 right here.

Britt Daniel Solo Show: Noise Pop 2006 MP3s

photo: david topping

This is Britt Daniel's entire SOLO performance at Noise Pop 2006. The sound is great and he aims to please by taking requests.

Swedish American Hall March 29th 2006
1. Advance Cassette
2. Anything You Want
3. The Beast And Dragon, Adored
4. Everything Hits At Once
5. Metal Detektor
6. Telephone My Heart (unsure on title)
7. Me and the Bean*
8. The Delicate Place
9. The Agony of Lafitte
10. I Could See The Dude
11. Don't Make Me A Target
12. I Summon You
13. They Never Got You
14. The Way We Get By
15. Isolation$
16. Sister Jack

Encore:
17. Stay Don't Go
18. Fitted Shirt > Car Radio
19. 10:20AM
20. Monsieur Valentin

* John Clayton cover
$ John Lennon cover

Video: Final Fantasy Performs "Keep The Dog Quiet"

Find more Final Fantasy videos here at IFC.

Spoon: 'Transference' Now Due January 19th

Spoon and it's labels, Merge and Anti, have moved the release of their hotly anticipated seventh album, Transference, up a week from January 26th to the 19th. Does this mean the album will leak a week earlier too? We'll have to wait and see. The first single from the record, "Written in Reverse" will be released digitally, December 1, and as a 7" single January 5. That 7'' record will boast a song not on the album called "Mean Red Spider".

Get more info about tour dates and track listing here.

Here's that single as it sounded September of last year at the Fillmore West:
written in reverse (live)

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Califone: "Funeral Singers" Video

Califone's video for ‘Funeral Singers,’ the single from Califone’s latest album All My Friends Are Funeral Singers (Dead Oceans), contains footage from Califone leader Tim Rutili's first feature length film, All My Friends Are Funeral Singers. Watch out for screenings of the film at film fests early next year.

CALIFONE Tour Dates
December 3 Husky Union Seattle, WA
December 4 Rickshaw Theater Vancouver, BC
December 5 The Mission Theater Portland, OR
December 7 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
December 9 Hammer Museum Los Angeles, CA

Spoon: 'Transference'Track List, Tour Dates, MP3s

One of the best, yes, one of the best, bands out there, Spoon, have a new album on the way and tour dates to go along with it. Transference will be brought to you by Anti (Europe) and Merge (US) in the very early new year, January 26th to be exact. With eleven tracks in total, you've now got eleven reasons to keep on breathing into the New Year (but, I hope you've got better reasons than that... I know I do). No word yet, but I'd guess that early spring will see a comprehensive tour itinerary for the band, likely to cover the North American continent (I hope).

Here's a sneak preview of the third track off of Transference, "The Mystery Zone". Not sure if this is the album version, I stumbled across it last week. Also, here are live versions of "Written In Reverse" and "Who Makes Your Money", the fourth and fifth tracks (if you're keeping track of the tracks) from a show at the Fillmore West, September 22, 2008.

the mystery zone [mp3] Link removed at request of label

who makes your money [mp3] Live
written in reverse [mp3] Live

Tour Dates
12-03 Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre
12-04 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
12-11 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
12-12 La Jolla, CA - RIMAC Arena
12-31 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre
02-14 Glasgow, Scotland - King Tut's
02-15 Manchester, England - Academy 3
02-16 London, England - Electric Ballroom
02-18 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
02-19 Cologne, Germany - Luxor
02-20 Berlin, Germany - Frannz Club

Transference Track List
01 Before Destruction
02 Is Love Forever?
03 The Mystery Zone
04 Who Makes Your Money
05 Written in Reverse
06 I Saw the Light
07 Trouble Comes Running
08 Goodnight Laura
09 Out Go the Lights
10 Got Nuffin
11 Nobody Gets Me But You

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Tom Waits LIVE: Atlanta 2008 + Akron 2006

To me, Tom Waits is the antithesis of The Beach Boys, and I can't stand The Beach Boys. I've been fascinated with Waits ever since stumbling upon an appearance he made on the Dinah Shore Show in the mid to late seventies, and that was one hell of an exciting stumble. I guess that's why I might envy youth, not for their age, but for having so much ahead of them, something like the discovery of Tom Waits, or Bob Dylan. I think that's why I, still, at half a century on this planet, seek out new music, I want to feel that thrill and excitement once again... but I'm a picky son of a bitch. Here's some Tom for you, in the small hope that you are making your own discovery through this post.

I've posted these two shows to encourage you to get out and buy Tom Waits' Glitter and Doom Live CD which will see the light of day on November 23rd. After all, now that you've heard unofficial Live Waits, just imagine how good the official product is... and it is, believe me. Find all you need to know and more by following the link to Tom's web page above.

Fox Theater Atlanta, Georgia July 5, 2008
Intro
Lucinda / Ain’t Going Down To The Well
Down In The Hole
Falling Down
Chocolate Jesus
All The World Is Green
Cemetery Polka
Cause of it All / Til The Money Runs Out
Such A Scream
November
Hold On
Black Market Baby
9th And Hennepin
Lie To Me
Lucky Day
On The Nickel
Lost In The Harbour
Innocent When You Dream
Hoist That Rag
Make It Rain
Dirt In The Ground
Get Behind The Mule
Hang Down Your Head
Jesus Gonna Be Here
Singapore
Encore:
Eyeball Kid
Anywhere I Lay My Head

Civic Theatre, Akron, Ohio August 13 2006
Make It Rain
Shore Leave
Falling Down
Tango Till They're Sore
Tom Traubert's Blues
Eyeball Kid
Murder in the Red Barn
Trampled Rose
Bottom of the World
Til the Money Runs Out
Get Behind The Mule

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Eels: New Video "Little Bird"

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: "Heaven Can Wait" Video

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).

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Phoenix Remixes: "Lisztomania" & "1901" + KEXP MP3s

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).

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Phoenix Live @ KEXP (Thomas Mars, Christian Mazzalai)
lisztomania
1901
playground love (air cover)
armistice

"Lisztomania" Remixes
alex metric remix
holy ghost love paris remix
clasixx remix
der die das remix
yuksek remix
dr rosen rosen remix
25 hours a day remix

"1901" Remixes
teenagers garage band remix
l'aiglon remix (my personal favourite)
immuzikation remix
alan wilkis remix
saycet remix

Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Live 2009

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.

rats [mp3] from Tom's Tales

Nick Cave And More: "Stagger Lee" MP3s

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 1996 album 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.

Stagger Lee MP3s:
nick cave & the bad seeds stagger lee [mp3] 1996
johnny otis the great stack a lee [mp3] 1969

mississippi john hurt stack o' lee blues [mp3] 1928
lloyd price stagger lee [mp3] 1958
stella johnson trial of stagger lee [mp3] 1961
james brown stagger lee [mp3] 1967
john holt stagger lee [mp3] 1972
gomez stagger lee [mp3]
samuel l jackson stack-o-lee [mp3] 2007

BONUS: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Live from The Abattoir Blues Tour
stagger lee [mp3] 2007