Oh, Ryan

This pre-sale got me up at 3am this morning, when I snagged a copy of the new Ryan Adams LP, Orion, his first fully-realized sci-fi metal concept album, through the PAX-AM store over at Ryanada.ms.  The extremely sexy looking clear vinyl ships next week and I really couldn't be more excited, anything new from Ryan always gets me giddy with excitement.  Now just gotta wait for it to get through customs and to me in the UK and give it a spin.

MMTV

It's a known fact these days that MTV doesn't play music videos any more, they're more concerned about the latest celebrity fads and anything non-music related really.  Gone are the days when you could tune into one of the MTV stations and just watch some cool music videos.

MTV Rocks goes some way into making this better and with the likes of Kerrang!, Scuzz and NME stations in the UK, all is not lost.  But it seems even these stations show more adverts than music videos, but I guess they have to pay the bills somehow.  Still, the music videos they do play are all pretty dated, with the stations seemingly churning out the SSDD.

A few years ago I'd watch these stations a lot, channel surfing between them all and usually catching something cool or something new that I'd then check out more by the band/artist.  These days I tend to make my own music television by surfing the internet.  With websites like From The Basement popping up and Tom Green sticking his finger up at the commercial channels and hosting his own online show, it's now wonder that ratings have been dropping for these television stations.

If I were to have my little slot on somewhere like MTV, at this moment in time I think the following videos would be played.  Here's my MMTV (My Music Telly Vision), why not join me for twenty minutes and check out some cool tunes and videos, all ad free and ready to stream. . .

Streaming. . .

Since getting back from an awesome trip to New York a few weeks back, I've not had a chance to post much on here, but that doesn't mean I've not been listening to some great tunes. 

Three albums have been made available to stream online since I last posted.  You can read about them and stream them all below.  Hope everyone is alright out there in the land of the interweb.

Evelyn Evelyn

The debut album from Evelyn Evelyn is now available to buy for $6.66.  The album features Jason Webley and Amanda Palmer as Evelyn Evelyn.  The album has been getting press due to the guest vocals on a song called 'My Space' by Francis Bean Cobain (daughter of Kurt & Courtney) as well as Neil Gaiman (who is engaged to Palmer) and Weird Al Yankovic.

The album itself is a concept album, about sisters are parapagus tripus dibrachius twins, who share three legs, two arms, three lungs, two hearts and a single liver.  As you might expect, the album is a little weird, but well worth a listen.  Check it out below:

Out Of Our Minds (OOOM)

The new album from Melissa Auf der Maur (MAdM) doesn't get a physical release here in the UK until next month, but you can now purchase (and stream) the album as exclusive packages at the xmadmx website.

The album has been in the making for over three years and is part of a multimedia project, consisting of the album, a comic and a film.  The full OOOM and half OOOM packages at xmadmx consist of all three of these, but are a bit on the expensive side.

I originally wrote about the album back in 2008 here, at that time though I wasn't aware of the most exciting aspect of this project.  The album features a duet with Danzig (who has recently announced his first album in six years is coming out this June) on 'Father's Grave'.  This is the first time in his career that he has ever collaborated with anyone on a duet.  And boy was it worth the wait, check out that track, as well as the entire album below:

Women & Country

The new Jakob Dylan comes out in a couple of weeks time, but it hit the net over the Easter weekend.  I wasn't too wowed on my first listen, but having just given it a second virtual spin, I really like the album.

It's got a different feel from his first solo album, in fact it sounds more like early Wallflowers work than his last solo effort.  This could have something to do with a change of producer.  On his first solo LP Jakob had Rick Rubin producing, but for 'Women &Country' he has T Bone Burnett behind the desk, who also produced 'Bringing Down The Horse', the second Wallflowers album.

The record has a range of styles, many new to Jakob, but still manage to keep the same laid back and warm feel that we've come to know from him.  You can stream the album in it's entirety here:

New York, New York

Tomorrow my girlfriend and I are heading off to New York for five nights.  It'll be our first trip to America and we can't wait!

We're celebrating my Birthday out there and as well as all the usual touristy things, we'll be seeing Joseph Arthur at the City Winery and checking out some cool record stores and other places that people have recommended to us.

I'm sure that I'll blabber on about the trip on here when we get back, but for now I'll leave you with the music video for 'New York, New York' by Ryan Adams.

Orion

Ryan Adams will begin the vinyl pressing of his "most legit METAL record" next week, according to his (finally updated) website. 

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a bit Ryan crazy, but I was slightly worried about the metal aspect of this record.  But from listening to the song below (Electrosnake), I actually think it could be pretty good.  I know that I'll be buying a copy and probably end up paying a stupid amount of postage to get it to the UK, but a new LP by Ryan, metal or not, still gets me really excited.  

Here's what Ryan had to say about the album, posting as wolfhunter at the RAA:

"DUDE>.....It's a badass album srsly ruff ruff. Jamie Candiloro ( yes your FAVORITE PRODUCER OF ALL TIME FOLKS ) produced it ( we started it after ET but it's been in the works for about two years for realz. The joke about it never shipping is just that... and that nice man who say's that it doesn't sound good prolly never heard COC Animosity but we aren't all perfect. the art inside is CRAZY awesome!!! I can't tell ya'll anymore than that but it's R.A.D.
As a few people said, RAA style jams, it really wasn't meant to be anything other than a brutally badass thrash/ metal record. ESnake is disco compared to the speed and riff damage on the rest of the tracks and all I can say for the whole thing is two years is a long time to work on a badass album of riffs and this is the one for me. ESNake is the "Sailing"CCRoss song on the record. The rest is like the metal equivalent of "Doin the Neutron Dance" yall. RUFF!
A lot of folks who dig the sadbastardjams will NOT dig. No it isn't "Heartbreaker" because I already did that and frankly there is no reason to jump the grand canyon full of whiskey and misery soaked wet eared lullicakes twice. Besides, I don't have those pearl snaps anymore, they smelled like smoke ; )

Have a badass weekend. The poll already exceeded my numbers for a first pressing so far so that's awesome. Also for non vinyl folks don't sweat it- we will work that out... It's on vinyl because there is all this badass art in der.
Ruff ruff bark like a dog. Love yall.
X"

You can still vote in the poll mentioned above here and listen to Electrosnake below.

ORION . ELECTROSNAKE by ryanadams

In The Sun

 
She & Him debuted the first video from their new album Volume Two today, via Pitchfork.  The new album from Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward is released on March 23rd in the States, which is my Birthday and as long as the BA strikes don't mess with our plans, I'll be picking up a copy in New York on day of release.

The video is directed by Peyton Reed, who also directed Zooey Deschanel in the film Yes Man, alongside Jim Carrey and the excellent Rhys Darby (aka Murray from Flight Of The Conchords).  Watch Zooey sing, dance and hula hoop below!

This Too Shall Pass

OK Go pretty much always make great music videos (you all remember the treadmill one, right?), but I think they've just made their best yet.  The video is for 'This Too Shall Pass' from their new album, 'Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky'.  It's such an amazing video that you won't be able to watch just the once.  Hit the full screen button and sit back and marvel at this:

Help Save BBC 6 Music

The awesome BBC 6 Music is facing closure after a new review from the BBC.  Music fans have flocked to the internet in support of the station, setting up this Facebook group and various petitions, with David Bowie adding weight to the support with this quote:
 

“6Music keeps the spirit of broadcasters like John Peel alive, and for new artists to lose this station would be a great shame.”   

BBC 6 Music is the only station of it's kind in the UK, catering to more 'alternative' bands and genres than the other BBC stations would dare touch.  It's also the home to Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour as well as hosts such as Steve Lamacq, Marc Riley, Bruce Dickinson, Gideon Coe and Jarvis Cocker.

You can show your support for BBC 6 Music by:

• Joining the Facebook group, which has already attracted over 90,000 supporters in a couple of days.
• Signing one of the petitions here or here.
• There's a BBC Consultations survey here that goes directly to the BBC.
• Listen to the station online on the iPlayer, so the powers that be know you're listening.

Hopefully we'll be able to turn this decision around and save the best radio station in the UK.

A View Of Other Windows

I absolutely adore my copy of A View of Other Windows. Such an amazing photography book on the Cardinals, which evokes so many emotions and makes me miss the band even more. The band commentary and introduction by Ryan shed more light on the inner workings of a band that should have never called it a day. Sometimes the photos of the late Chris 'Spacewolf' Feinstein can be a bit too much to bear, but they are a fitting tribute to a talented musician.

Abrams, the publishers of the book, have made this video which showcases the photos from the book.  The video has 'Memory Lane' playing in the background, a bonus track from the Cardinology LP.

I'm going to go and look through it again, to the soundtrack of Cardinology on vinyl.

Change Of Time

I don't think I've written about Josh Ritter on here yet and I can't think for the life of me why not.  He's such a talented singer-songwriter, who consistently puts out great, meaningful records and always looks so happy when playing live.  You don't often see someone on stage, eyes closed with a huge grin on their face, it's a refreshing change.

One of my all time favorite songs, 'Bone Of Song' is by him and pretty much manages to give me goosebumps on every listen.  Here's a live version of the song:

Josh has a new record, 'So Runs The World Away', coming out on May 4th (May The Fourth Be With You ;-), but you'll be able to pick it up on Record Store Day, April 17th on vinyl from your local independent record store.  He's also got his first novel in the works too, which came about while writing the new record.

You can download a free song from the new record, 'Change Of Time' from the official Josh Ritter site, or listen to it here:

Our Tragic Universe

This isn't really music related, but I'm so excited by this book that I just had to post about it on here.  It's called Our Tragic Universe and is by Scarlett Thomas who previously wrote one of my favorite books of the past few years, The End Of Mr. Y.  Here's the blurb from Amazon about the new book:

"If Kelsey Newman's theory about the end of time is true, we are all going to live forever. But for Meg - locked in a dead-end relationship and with a deadline long-gone for a book that she can't write - this thought fills her with dread. Meg is lost in a labyrinth of her own devising. But could there be an important connection between a wild beast living on Dartmoor, a ship in a bottle, the science of time, a knitting pattern for the shape of the universe and the Cottingley Fairies? Or is her life just one long chain of coincidences?"

Her last two books, PopCo and The End Of Mr. Y have left such an impression on me, with their big ideas that really get you thinking and wanting to re-read the books time and time again.  I really can't wait to read this new book (which I believe was originally called Death Of The Author, which may give some clue as to the outcome of the tale), which is out on May 6th and I know I won't be able to get my nose of of it as soon as I get hold of it.

The Haiti Project

Have you got £5 to spare for a good cause? If so, head on over to The Haiti Project where for just a fiver you can help the relief efforts in Haiti and bag yourself 16 excellent tunes in the process.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected in Haiti after the devastating earthquake of 12th January 2010, which measured 7.0 on the Richter scale. There are many ways to help those in need, with charity gigs being set up across the globe, compilations like this one and people helping in any way they can.

I've just downloaded my copy, which has been put together by Round Records and am currently listening to it. The first track is exclusive to this compilation and the first time we get to experience the sonic onslaught of The Sonic Graffiti, a new band from the almighty Ginger that has been put together in LA, also featuring Billy Morrison, Michael Butler and Scott Lipps.

The compilation also features The Wildhearts, Laika Dog, The Eureka Machines, Antiproduct, Jackdaw 4, Sorry & The Sinatras, Ricky Warrick, The Loyalties and Brijitte West (Feat. Jesse Malin). Here's the full tracklisting:

1) The Sonic Graffiti – Mystery Number (Exclusive)

2) Eureka Machines – Being Good Is Ok, But Being Betters Better
3) Electric Six – Newark Airport Boogie
4) Jackdaw 4 – Jesus Wants My Soul Back
5) The Loyalties – Sofa Surfin’ UK (Acoustic)
6) Antiproduct – When We Find Love
7) The Organ Beats – Happy Birthday/Come On Home
8) The Wildhearts – Unbroken
9) Tragedy: All Metal Tribute To The Bee Gees – Nights On Broadway
10) Radio Dead Ones – Take It On Trust
11) Ricky Warwick – Love Owes
12) Brijitte West (Feat. Jesse Malin) – How To Be Good
13) Moi? – This Is All That I Wanted
14) Laika Dog – Piano Song
15) Sorry & The Sinatras – Riverside
16) Children of The Unicorn – Nightshark

All proceeds from the sale of this complation will be donated to the Haiti relief efforts. You can download the album directly from here. You know it makes sense, it's at times like these when music really is the glue of the world.

Crying Like A Man

Having just booked seats to see Joseph Arthur at the City Winery in New York this March (during our first trip to NY/America from the UK), I decided to check out his official site to see what's happening in the world of Arthur.  There's no news on there of the new solo album that's coming out at some point this year, but there was this link to some awesome live videos recorded recently for KEXP at the Tiple Door in Seattle.

During his recent West Coast solo dates he has been joined on stage by Peter Buck of REM and Ben Harper, but the most special thing about these shows has been how he has been supporting the relief efforts in Haiti.  At each show he has been painting live on stage and auctioning the painting off at the end of the show with all proceeds going to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.  Bids have been starting at $500 and a painting has sold every night.

Here's a video of one of these live paintings.  I would have loved to have seen this live, I never expected him to be singing and painting at the same time.  Roll on March and the City Winery show.

I And Love And You

It looks like I missed quite a lot of good music in 2009.  First it was the debut album by Lisa Hannigan, now lately I've been discovering the sounds of The Avett Brothers for the first time.

I can't stop listening to their new album, 'I And Love And You', an album that encompases so many different styles, but still retaining their signature sound.  They are descibed by the San Francisco Chronicle as having the "heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones", which certainly rings true for me.

The Avett Brothers are Scott and Seth Avett, who are joined by Bob Crawford on upright bass and  Joe Kwon on Cello.  The brothers play all other instreuments in the band, live and on record.  The 'I And Love And You' album was peoduced by the amazing Rick Rubin.

I first stumbled upon their music after a video of Seth Avett playing one of his solo songs, released under the guise of Darling or Timothy Seth Avett As Darling.  I HAD to hear more after seeing this video and from there stumbled across The Avett Brothers.  It looks like they have quite a back catalogue to get my teeth into, as well as the solo Darling stuff.  Good times indeed.

The video for 'About Love' by Darling seems to be unavailable at the moment, but here's 'Awaiting The Flood' instead.

Everything Is Energy

 "Everything Is Energy is a band that is born of a man that has been through hell. Which is odd, because they sound like the ocean, flecked with gold dust straight from the angels’ afros."

Everything Is Energy is a band by Chris Shinn, as it says on the cover of their self-titled debut album.  The same Chris Shinn who fronted the "supergroup" Unified Theory, which consisted of members of Blind Melon and Pearl Jam.  Unified Theory were a great band, but when the Everything Is Energy album was released digitally in 2007 I was blown away and it has been in constant rotation in my collection ever since.

Despite touring the album in 2007, the band ran into problems with dodgy management, which has since left their website and MySpace defunct for well over a year.  Thankfully Chris can still be found on Facebook, where he has been hinting of new material coming soon, posting today "Finished ruff demos of two BRAND new tunes. Wow, deadlines DO work. I'm back in Nashville to track with the whole band This weekend".

Here's a picture Chris posted on his Facebook page recently, I would love to have a jukebox with the Everything Is Energy album on it in my town, hell I'd love to actually own a physical copy of the album.  It looks like it must have had a limited release at some point, but I can't find one anywhere.

At some point last year, the band posted a very open statement regarding the state of the band, talking of the management problems they've experienced, which has resulted in them no longer being able to use the name Everything Is Energy, so the new tunes will be released under a new name, but as far as I'm aware, the same personnel.

There's not any official music videos for the band, but I did manage to find this pretty decent live video of 'Real Easy', hopefully we'll be hearing some new tunes from the band soon.

I Liked You Better When. . .

Some awesome pre-orders have started for the new Butch Walker & The Black Widows LP, 'I Liked You Better When You Had No Heart' here.  I love the way that bands are really starting to think of the fans with the packages they do for their albums now, some might be a bit pricey, but for a true fan they're well worth it.

I'm definitely not going for the $25,000 dollar package, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone did.  I seem to remember that happening when Josh Freese did something similar.  But one of the vinyl packages sure is tempting!  Shame that the postage is so pricey to the UK, but I don't think I can resist. . .

In fact I couldn't, I've just pre-ordered it, got to wait til the end of February to hear the full thing now.  I'm still warming to the tracks that came with the purchase, which you can hear here if you'd like.

Butch also did a pretty cool cover of Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me' last year at one of his live shows that got such a great reaction he decided to do a studio version of it.  Here's what happened:

Caballeros

Ethan Johns has produced albums by Ryan Adams, Kings Of Leon, Ben Kweller and Ray LaMontagne, amongst many others. He also runs the Third Crows Music studio and is a multi-instrumentalist, but until last September he'd never stepped out into the spotlight.

During Ray LaMontagne's UK tour last September, Ethan Johns opened the show with just an acoustic guitar, under the guise of Caballeros. Three tracks have surfaced from this support slot, 'Hello Sunshine', 'Long Way Around' and '21st Century Paranoid Blues'.

The tracks are live cuts, but almost sound like studio quality recordings. The only tell-tale sign is the applause at the end. I really like the sound of these tunes, with 'Hello Sunshine' probably being my favorite and really hope we see some materiel from this project at some point this year.

Check out the Caballeros page on the Three Crows Music website to listen to the tunes and for a bit of background information on them.

A View Of Other Windows

I've just pre-ordered the new photography book by Cardinals guitarist Neal Casal, 'A View Of Other Windows', that is released next month. It will feature 200 photographs of the Cardinals, many of them never seen before. It looks like it should be amazing and a fitting tribute to Chris 'Spacewolf' Feinstein, the Cardinals bass player, who passed away last month.

The foreword is by Ryan Adams, with an afterword from Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead. There's apparently band commentary throughout too. I really can't wait to get my hands on this. I'm also hoping for more Pax-AM releases of old Ryan Adams material this year, but his site has been pretty vacant for a while now.

2010 - In Anticipation. . .

I've got a feeling that this post is going to turn more into a list than a proper post as there's so much music that I'm looking forward to this year.  It's only January and already we know that albums by the following will be with us within the next twelve months, as well as many other surprises I hope:

Fionn Regan, Joseph Arthur Frightened Rabbit, Butch Walker, The National, Charlotte Gainsbourg/Beck, Interpol, She & Him, Beach House, Arcade Fire, Jesse Malin, Rob Zombie, Chris Shinn/Everything Is Energy, Alkaline Trio and Caballeros.

Those are the one's that I'm already aware of, who knows what else I'll discover by bands/artists I've never heard of before and the one's I already love.  It's all so exciting!

I'm also hoping for UK tours by Our Lady Peace, Butch Walker, Joseph Arthur and Rob Zombie and for Ryan Adams to release some more tunes on his Pax-AM label, maybe even the vinyl albums he's been hinting at.

I'm sure that all the above and more will be written about here throughout the year.  Hope you like the new lick of paint Ive given the place for the new decade.