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Thanks to Bookishly Fabulous for pointing out that Ben Sollee was recently on NPR's "All Things Considered" (July 5, 2008).
It would be seem that Sollee is looking for a fight with Kanye West, who recently disappointed fans at Bonnaroo for being two hours late (performed at 4:30 am). He made national/internet news by blogging about the venue's inability to setup the lighting and Pearl Jam was already an hour late.
This "open letter" song to Kanye West basically tells off West that "you don't need a light show, just good flow".
You can read more about Ben Sollee on our previous W♥M articles.
Other interesting music news: Facebook's a hotbed of celebrity gossips. Lilly Allen and The Chemical Brothers' Ed Simon are back together. Apparently they both changed their facebook status to "in a relationship" and immediately thousand of fans wrote to congratulate them.
Björk seems to be canceling a few concerts, citing throat ailment. I'm not sure why that's so closely followed by the media, but Ex-Whitesnake guitarist is dead. Does anyone even know his name?
The outrageous headline of "Kylie Minogue Saves Fan from Suicide" makes it sound as if Minogue was there on the rooftop talking that person down. The truth is, the fan was listening to his iPod and her song came on and he suddenly didn't want to stab himself. (Lame, right?)
Also, some idiot stole the headstone to Joy Division's Ian Curtis' grave. I hope his ghost haunts him.
The sad news of the collector's mentality of the CD box sets are on its death bed (hint: maybe it's because it's too expensive). The Yahoo story (written by Ed Christman) paints a picture that "Boxed-set sales have fallen off the cliff; they went from something to nothing".
Even at price slashed to about $29.99 (from the regular $49.98), sales continues to decline. At the end of the article, they mentioned that the limited-edition box for Nine Inch Nails' "Ghosts I-IV," ($300) sold really well.
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Links:
weheartmusic.com
This is Mr. Hammonds sophomore album and I've got to say, it's pretty good. Then again, I am biased. Albert Hammond Jr. is my favorite member of the Strokes, or I should say, would seem like less of an a-hole. Don't get me wrong, I like all their albums, but they just don't seem like nice dudes. I don't know, I'm probably wrong. Anyway, I have always liked him and I really loved his 2006 debut album Yours To Keep (which I also wrote about ^.^).
This time around, it does seem like he's having a hard time fixing on a "sound", but that doesn't necessarily mean the album isn't good. Perhaps he's just trying to distance his own sound from his other band. But I wouldn't have found anything wrong with that. Sounding like the Strokes that is. So yeah, I picked the song Lisa and I hope you like it too.
So go ahead and pick up a copy of Como Te Llama today. It's out today
actually. I wanted to do this a couple of days ago, but I've been too busy. So just in time right? Oh, and about a week ago I was at his webpage and it's got this little feature where you can add your picture to the checkerboard background. Well it's pretty much filled up now. I don't know, I thought that was a cute idea. So here is the song I picked and a few links to follow. Commence enjoyment!
Oh yeah! Tour Dates!! go check him out ladies and gents.
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Albert Hammond Jr on MySpace // A. Hammond Jr. dot com
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07/11/08 Traffic Free Festival Torrino
08/30/08 Offset Festival London Album Discography
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Wire have been around for a long time! I'm so very pleased to see that they are still making music, and having listened to their new album, Object 47, I can tell you that they are still amazing after all these years.
Since forming in 1976 in London, this band took their influences of the UK punk scene (Sex Pistols, after all was quite huge from 1975-1978), although I have never really thought of them as pure punk. They reminded me of more art rockers, with a talent for writing very catchy melodies.
Their short, but influential debut album, Pink Flag (1977), seem to have inspired a slew of bands either covering their songs (REM, The Urinals, Minor Threat) or ripping them off (Meanswe@r, Elastica, Clinic). Elastica and Wire eventually settled out of court for "Connection" infringing on "Three Girl Rhumba". Be sure to also check out Line up the Fly article for even more comparison between Elastica and Wire.
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With Object 47 already released in the UK (it looks like July 15th in the US according to amazon), this will be the first studio album in over five years. The album's name comes from this is the 47th release from Wire since their very first Mannequin EP in November 1977.
If you're a fan in the UK, you'll probably already bought the album. Here's a guide to the best songs on the album:
I absolutely thought "One Of Us" was brilliant. The bass instantly will make you move, while the lovable singing of one of us will live to rue the day we met each other will remind you of old school Wire. The song is a free download on their official website.
"Are You Ready?" should make a great object 48, as a single. Let me to try to explain the song to you, it seems to be Colin Newman asking a series of questions, and his guitar answering back.
Are you part of the future, part of the plan?
Are you willing and able to do what you can?
Are you part of the problem, or part of the band?
Are you willing to draw a line in the sand?
Are you true to your friends loyal to your brand?
Are you smoking for China, Iraq or Japan?
Are you searching for something you don't understand?
Do you still hold ambitions of being a man?
The last song is an energetic, driving song, "All Fours". It seems to build up with some excellent drumming here. It is really too bad that it doesn't just keep going on, but it does send the album to a great finish.
So what I have noticed here is that they are more or less sticking with what works here, kind of minimal guitars, bass and drums, and less art/experimental of their early 90s work, after the loss of their drummer, Robert Gotobed.
Speaking of losses, it seems that their longtime guitarist, Bruce Gilbert, was not involved on this album. They look, currently, to be a three-piece band.
Wire's Object 47 was released in the UK yesterday, July 7th, and in the US, July 15th. If you have always loved Wire, then you'll love the new album. They are only doing some music festivals this year, so good luck on finding a good spot to see this legendary band.
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07/12/08 Annabell’s Akron, OH
Discography
07/19/08 Mickey Finn’s Toledo, OH 08/08/08 Southgate House Newport, KY 08/09/08 Beachland Ballroom Cleveland, OH 09/07/08 Benefest Greensburg, PA
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Mr. Gnome (MySpace) is a great name for a band, isn't it? It conjures up pleasant visions of little rolly-polly Santa Clauses in pointy red felt caps sitting in contemplation beneath dew-heavy dandelion blossoms or riding on fox-back through the halls of a sepiatoned forest. But, wait a sec, here....The cover of Mr. Gnome's first full-length album, Deliver This Creature (available now on Ohio-based label El Marko Records), is a rather creepy affair: silhouettes of children running from or supplicating themselves before an eerie rabbit-eared, blade-fingered eidolon against a washed-out sky. Strange, ethereal imagery that is backed up by the opening chords of the album's lead track, "Pirates": a light guitar melody and vaporous vocals floating over a soft but insistent beat--that suddenly explodes with harsh guitar riffs and vocalist's Nicole Barille's unearthly shouts.
Since their inception in 2005, Cleveland, Ohio's Mr. Gnome have released two EPs that have both raked in a lot of acclaim and comparisons to everyone from Massive Attack to Tool, Portishead to Death From Above 1979 and Bjork. The music of Nicole Barille and Sam Meister has been described as Alt-Rock, Metal, Post-Punk, and Progressive Rock. Basically, that means that no one can really pin 'em down--but I think I can. Imagine a somewhat harder, harsher Dead Can Dance--with more grinding, fuzzy guitars and less medeival instrumentation--and you've prettymuch nailed Mr. Gnome's sound. And it is a good sound (which only adds more credence to my belief that Cleveland, OH, is the northeast's equivalent of Athens, GA).
The combination of ethereal elements (almost always delivered via female vocalists) and heavy music is familiar to any who likes artists such as Evanescence, Lacuna Coil, and Within Temptation. Mr. Gnome definitely sounds similar to those bands, and will no doubt appeal to their fans, but one cannot compare Mr. Gnome to them too closely, for Mr. Gnome's songs are a lot more musically adventurous that anything the more "pop"-oriented Evanescence and others have produced. Traditional song structure is scarce on Deliver This Creature, as Mr. Gnome favors songs that come and go following dramatic patterns unique to each song. Whereas opening track "Pirates" is built upon a pretty straightfoward loud-soft-loud-soft formula, later tracks like the beautiful but somewhat chilling "Night of the Crickets" and the aggressive, screaming "I'm Alright" are as complex as many a prog-rock anthem with their dynamic orchestration. Barille and Meister write songs that scamper up and down the musical spectrum from quiet, breathless interludes and introductions to full-on hard-rock blasts of headbanging power. Nicole Barille sounds a lot like Lisa Germano during Mr. Gnome's quieter moments, and every song has a melodic center that carries it through its convolutions and helps to keep listeners centered. Each song may be a miniature, self-contained psychodrama, but one need not be an experienced prog or Dead Can Dance listener to be able to grab onto each song's hook and ride it while the music bucks and dances beneath them.
In fact, I would think that Mr. Gnome would be an excellent album to introduce fans of "ethereal" music to harder, more intricate acts like Porcupine Tree, Canvas Solaris, and perhaps even Tool. Music that can serve as a bridge between two worlds is always interesting, and very marketable, too. So definitely check out Mr. Gnome's debut album, Deliver This Creature, and see them live at the following shows. You can bet I'll be there in the audience at the Greensburg, PA date!
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07/18/08 Uncle Fester’s Bloomington, IN
07/24/08 Ronny’s Bar Chicago, IL 07/25/08 Isabella’s Dubuque, IA 07/26/08 Record Bar Kansas City, MO 07/27/08 Monolith Tulsa, OK 07/28/08 Rubber Gloves Denton, TX 07/29/08 The Mink Houston, TX 07/30/08 Mohawk Austin, TX 07/31/08 Conservatory Oklahoma City 08/01/08 The Replay Lawrence, KS 08/02/08 The Bluebird St. Louis, MO 08/12/08 The Bluebird Bloomington, IN 08/14/08 NYC, New York 08/15/08 Middle East Boston, MA 08/16/08 Portland, ME 08/17/08 Providence, RI 08/18/08 Philadelphia, PA 08/19/08 Ottobar Baltimore City, MD 08/20/08 Charlottesville, VA 08/21/08 Black Cat Washington, DC 08/22/08 31st St. Pub Pittsburgh, PA 08/23/08 Casa Nueva Athens, OH |
The Coke Dares is a three-piece band from Bloomington, Indiana, consisting of Roger (bass), Kenny (singer), and Roger (guitars). Reading their self-written "biography" on their website, I get the impression that these guys have a great time goofing around and being clever (or not so clever) about it.
My first reaction to their new album, Feelin' Up, was "WTF, how can an LP have 32 tracks and be UNDER 30 minutes?!?" You know what? None, and I mean NONE of their songs reaches over 1 minute and 20 seconds.
This was all by design, not it's a one time joke! (their last album, Here We Go With... The Coke Dares from 2004, contains 32 tracks and presumably under 30 minutes too). In trying to figure out how this evolved, apparently they started off as a "classic rock" band, covering Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, etc. At one of their gigs, they suddenly stop at the bridge and said "thank you" and started another song. They continued to do this until they exaggeratedly described the night as playing "at least 230 songs".
Man, I just re-read that last paragraph, it sounds like a secret origin to a super villain.
Some of the songs I noted that I wanted to mention are the three "The Coke Dares Theme" that are played throughout their concert. Each song is very different, but are grouped under that title.
As for the four second song called "Fuck You I Quit"... I wouldn't call that a song! I think you'll find that many of the titles actually tells you all you need to know about the song. Can you guess what "I'm Just Trying to Drink to Get Some Sleep", "I Wish I Could Get As High as Neil Young Does", "Everybody's Got Some Time To Die Unless You're a Zombie", and "Mask Map" (it's big, it's huge, it's a big big big big map) are about?
I think the song that I was going to use was "Emergency Room Blues" by default because it was the longest song on the album. I've decided to use "Ronald McDonald" as it sounds like a monologue at the beginning. Plus Ronald McDonald gives me the creeps.
The truth is, it really doesn't matter how I dress this up, I suspect the band is amazing live, based on the songs on the recording. It's definitely not for everybody, but if you like a mix of improv, DIY, garage, punk rock, with less commitment and a sense of humor... definitely check out Feelin' Up. The album comes out this Tuesday, July 8th on Essay ("SA") and Reibenbach Records.
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07/13/08 Eboli (Salerno/Naples), Italy
Discography
07/18/08 Arezzo Wave - Livorno, Italy 08/09/08 Carpi/Modena, Italy 08/29/08 Burning Man - Black Rock City, Nevada
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Costanza Francavilla, or simply known as Costanza is an Italian singer, has a full length album out on July 8th called Sonic Diary. After putting the album in to listen, I instantly think of electronica and trip hop, but with a dreampop quality, as her singing style is often breathy, sexy, and deamlike.
Looking at the very impressive/see-through press material, it looks like her music's been licensed out to a variety of television shows (CSI, L Word) and movies (.45, starring everyone's favorite Milla Jovovich). It doesn't surprise me, as this type of electronica music (think Moby) works well as background music.
However, I think the one thing people might know her from is her collaboration with British electronic artist, Tricky (and, sure, you might know him from another Jovovich film, The Fifth Element).
Apparently, Costanza who was a fan at one of his show gave Tricky's drummer a three-track demo CD and that was passed onto Tricky, who absolutely loved it. So all the songs on his Vulnerable album in 2003 featured Costanza's vocals with two songs co-written by her ("Stay" and "What is Wrong").
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One of the most bizarre and interesting song from their collaboration is their cover of XTC's "Dear God". I wouldn't go so far as to pronounce their version equal or better than the original grand epic song in three and a half minutes, but I will have to admit that it's "different". I think if I didn't know about XTC, I would really love Tricky and Costanza's version. (Side note: their cover of The Cure's "Love Cats" is better).
Now, if you thought "Dear God" was weird, the very original electronica take on Fugazi's "Promises" and Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down" must be heard to be believed. The way she sings "promises are shit", with her Italian accent, it doesn't sound bad or naughty at all.
Other songs I thought were interesting is the opening song, "Just Another Alien". Not so much a song, but a series of questions that she was probably asked when she was applying to live and work in the USA. The Italian song, "I Tuoi Occhi Sono Pieni Di Sale" (featuring Riccardo Sinigallia) was also interesting, it made me want to learn Italian. I did use babelfish and it tells me that the title translate to something like "Your Eyes Are Full Of [knowledge?]", so I'm assuming it's a personal/love song?
The one song that I think everyone will really enjoy is "Silence". This is such a dreamtronica song, full of child-like and innocent singing on a very lush music background. I feel like the song belongs to a soundtrack to a movie.
Fans of electronica lounge music, made famous by such compilations such as OM: Chilled and Lounge Experience series, should really enjoy this. These songs are perfect for either laying around the house or at a small party, really good for any occasion.
It looks like she'll be playing a few dates in Italy with Marco Messina. If you aren't lucky enough to live in Italy, her album Sonic Diary is out this Tuesday. For convience, you can actually get high quality MP3 from Amazon right now.
PS, Usually we just have one or two releases on Tuesday that I need to do coverage on. So I normally check on Sunday and work on the review that very day or, at the latest, on that Tuesday. I thought I was sitting pretty as I've already taken care of two releases already that was meant for July 7th (Connected) and 8th (Matt Keating), but we still have these that's being release this week: Wire's Object 47, The Coke Dares' Feelin' Up, Son Ambulance's Someone Else's Deja Vu, Patti Smith/Kevin Shield's The Coral Sea, and Costanza's Sonic Diary. If I have missed anything, please accept my apologies and contact me right away.