Music Is The Glue Of The World. . .

Oh, Ryan

2010-05-19T19:35:00.000+01:00

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

2010-04-22T15:55:00.005+01:00

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. . .

2010-04-06T21:42:00.001+01:00

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

2010-04-06T21:37:00.001+01:00

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:

<a href="http://evelynevelyn.bandcamp.com/album/evelyn-evelyn">Evelyn Evelyn by Evelyn Evelyn</a>

Out Of Our Minds (OOOM)

2010-04-06T21:31:00.000+01:00

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

2010-04-06T21:23:00.001+01:00

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

2010-03-17T15:38:00.001Z

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

2010-03-14T13:51:00.000Z

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

2010-03-09T19:53:00.000Z

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

2010-03-04T13:36:00.001Z

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

2010-03-02T20:46:00.003Z

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

2010-02-27T11:43:00.003Z

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

2010-02-23T14:47:00.003Z

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

2010-02-10T22:42:00.001Z

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

2010-02-02T20:14:00.001Z

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

2010-01-29T22:30:00.001Z

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

2010-01-27T22:34:00.002Z

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

2010-01-14T21:15:00.003Z

"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. . .

2010-01-13T21:18:00.007Z

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

2010-01-12T20:01:00.004Z

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

2010-01-11T11:03:00.009Z

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. . .

2010-01-01T20:43:00.000Z

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.

Sea Sew

2009-12-31T10:53:00.008Z

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and that you're gearing up to see the new year/new decade in tonight. Since my 2009 post just before Christmas, I've become quite addicted to the 'Sea Sew' album by Lisa Hannigan that I mentioned briefly. There's so much music out there that I need to listen to and when I stumble upon an album as good and as fresh as this, it fills me with happiness. Every little thing about the album makes me smile, especially the cover art (above) and this perfect video for 'I Don't Know', the first song I heard from the album and quite possibly my favorite.

That video was uploaded to Youtube on my Birthday this year, how I've managed to miss out on this album for so long, I don't know. I was never a huge follower of Damien Rice, who Lisa has worked with on two albums, despite having both those albums. So that may explain why I've been slightly out of the loop. Here's an awesome live cut of the same song, filmed in an Irish pub in a very small space next to the bar. I'm going to go and listen to this song on repeat for the rest of the year, see you on the other side. . .Happy New Year.

My Year In Music - 2009

2009-12-22T19:47:00.019Z

Well, everyone seems to be doing either their 'best of 2009' or 'best of the decade' lists at the moment and I think I've got the bug a little. I've been thinking about posting a 2009 type thing on here since mid November, but have been finding it very hard. I did the same thing last year, but for one reason or another never got around to it.

I've heard so much good music this year, but I know there's a lot that I've not yet heard, which makes it hard to make a definitive list. For example I've only just discovered Sea Sew by Lisa Hannigan through the Fuel/Friends 'favorite things of 2009' list. I love blog surfing this time of year, because if you stumble across a list with some of your favourite albums of the year on, then the others on there are ones that should be checked out. Something that has helped me with this is Grooveshark, a place I stumbled upon a few months ago where you can listen to virtually any track you want, whenever you want and for free. Certainly helps the wallet, the ears and the soul.

So what has been enlightening me this year? Here goes. . .

Dead Man's Bones -Dead Man's Bones.

I think that I've probably listened to this album the most out of all the albums I've bought this year. There is something timeless about the music that draws you in and demands your attention. Ever since seeing the 'Name In Stone' video the band posted on the internet earlier in the year, I was hooked. Typically that's the one song that didn't wind up on the album, but I'm hoping for a special vinyl version to be released next year. Here's the video for 'Name In Stone'.

Fanfarlo - Reservoir.

The debut album from UK/Sweden band Fanfarlo is probably my second most listened to album of the year. I got a bit addicted to all the live videos that the band posted on the internet before the album came out, filmed in many different locations, but all showing a warmth and soul that you don't find in music everyday. As much as I love the album, it's still the live videos that I find myself going back to. I really hope to catch them on tour next year.

The band have done a series of 'laptop' sessions , including this awesome cover of 'In The Aeroplane Over The Sea' originally by Neutral Milk.

Brendan Benson - My Old Familiar Friend.

As great as it was to see Brendan Benson with Jack Black in The Raconteurs, I must admit that he was doing that and not releasing another solo album. Now that Jack White is concentrating on other projects (including The Dead Weather, who I saw live earlier this year and were amazing), Brendan has gone back to doing what he does best. This effort may be a little more polished than previous releases thanks to Gil Norton on production duties, but it's probably my favourite album by him.

His touring band consited of Cardinals drummer Brad Pemberton, who can be seen rocking along in this video for 'A Whole Lot Better'.

Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers.

This album reminded me how great the Manics once were and how much I loved their earlier stuff. The album was dedicated to Richey Edwards, their lyricist and guitarist who went missing in 1995, with all the lyrics having been left by him to the band a few weeks before he disappeared. The lyrics make the band seem fresh and relevant again and long for the days when Richey was still around.

The band released this video for 'Jackie Collins Existential Question Time', a fitting tribute to Richey who is till missed my many.

Best of the rest. . .

The Wildhearts - Chutzpah!

Coconut Records - Davy

Our Lady Peace - Burn Burn

Pearl Jam - Backspacer

The Dead Weather - Horehound

Scary Mansion - Make Me Cry

Stinkers of the year.

Chris Cornell - Scream

Rancid - Let The Dominoes Fall

The Return Of Foggy

2009-09-11T10:52:00.005+01:00

Ryan Adams will digitally release two new, unreleased songs today via his website. I really can't wait! Ryan said he was taking a step back from the music business at the beginning of the year and disbanded his band 'The Cardinals'. It now looks like he's delving into his immense archives though and releasing music on his own Pax-AM record label for the fans.

I think this DIY approach will really benefit him as he can do what he wants, when he wants and not have to fight a record label to release anything. He has also re-launched his blog Foggy as a more video based affair, even calling it Foggy TV now. Hopefully we'll still get some of his poetry and random thoughts on there too at some point.

Here's What Ryan has to say about the new venture:

"Thanks for making Pax Am the number one Ryan Adams merch site online. We would hunt anyone else down though.
Did you have a rad summer? Good. If you said no, never worry, Pax Am is here. We are gonna fill your fall and winter up with vinyl, digital singles, and t shirts you don’t need.

Stay tuned for videos, free tracks, and our digi-singles. Subscribers get first dibs on rare vinyl.

Remember, purchasing the buck 49 singles is a way to keep FOGGY TV on the air, but it is not necessary to view the weekly content.

This is my label and my internet disco dream.
Make it real you jerks.
Worship me."

Loving the sound of the rare vinyl! He also has an old school video game blog at the Awl, where he has been showing us and reviewing titles from his retro games arcade consoles. Here's a video homage to Tron that was posted yesterday:

Long Player with D.R. Adams: TRON from The Awl on Vimeo

JA&TLA live at Bush Hall, London

2009-08-10T18:11:00.014+01:00

A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I got to see Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts perform live at Bush Hall in London for the first time. We've wanted to see him live either solo or with his band for ages now, but could never make the gigs when he played in the UK before. The wait was well worth it.

We were staying in Shepherds Bush for the night at the K-West Hotel, an absolutely lovely place to stay with huge, comfortable rooms. It was our second time there, so we knew what to expect and the area. We hadn't been to Bush Hall before though as all the other gigs we've been to in that area have been at Shepherds Bush Empire.

So we set out early to find the venue and get in line for the show. We knew which direction to walk in, but didn't actually see the venue until we were right outside it, at the point where we were wondering to ourselves if we'd missed it. It's not a very obvious building for a music venue on the outside, nothing imposing like some of the bigger music venues we've been to.

We joined the queue and while we were waiting outside to go in, there was a man talking on his mobile phone, kind of pacing up and down on the pavement near us. We didn't pay him much attention, until he approached a taxi that had pulled up, that when we looked closely, we realised had Joseph Arthur and the band in it! This guy opened the door and the band walked past us, into the side entrance of the venue. We were both pretty shocked, with huge grins plastered on our faces.

Just as the heavens opened, the venue also opened it's doors and let us in, after scrutinizing our tickets from longer than necessary. Maybe it's because they were low numbers, maybe we looked a bit dodgy, who knows. They let us in though and we went to see what the venue was like inside.

The last thing we expected was to see a fairly large room, with tables and chairs in the middle! We checked our tickets again and they definitely said 'standing', maybe this was why they spent so long checking them? There was a small stage at the front, the mixing desk one side at the back and a covered piano on the other. The ceiling was gorgeous with lovely chandeliers.

We decided that it was a bit weird in there and to head to the bar and check out the merchandise stall. We picked up a couple of bargain t-shirts from the really friendly French guy who was setting up and went back into the venue with these and our drinks. There were a couple of chairs at the back, so we sat on them and waited for the magic to happen.

Joseph Arthur strolled out on stage soon after to play a solo set before the Lonely Astronauts joined him. He had a new loop station that he's been playing with this tour, so even though they were old songs, they seemed fresh and exciting. Any fears that when you look forward to something too much that you'll be disappointed were thrown straight out the window.

He played five songs, before the band joined him on stage to create an amazing sonic landscape. The stage was very small and for only four people, they made a huge noise. Throughout the gig, I couldn't decide whether I liked him best solo or with the band. I still can't, so I've come to the conclusion that I must love both equally. The band were so tight and happy on stage, which energized the crowd even more. They played classics from his and their records and some awesome new tunes, including the incredible 'Missy Baba', which I really hope makes it onto the next record.

After the band set had finished, Joseph came out for an encore and did a few more solo tunes, even taking requests from the audience to play 'Nuclear Daydream', which was amazing. He was then joined again by the band and finished the night with a second encore and 'You Are Free'.

And then it was all over. We hung around in the venue, while most people filed out, as we knew that the band recorded the gig and would be selling it at the merchandise stall after the gig, but it takes around 10/15 minutes for the cds to be ready. So we were just standing there and the band appear and start walking past us to the merchandise stall. It looked like they were going to be selling the cds themselves!

So we headed to the merchandise stall and a guitar was suddenly passed over to Joseph and we were treated to two amazing acoustic, unplugged songs right there. It was absolutely amazing and really magic. We bought the cd of the gig and got the whole band to sign it after the mini performance and also got Joseph to sign a poster. The whole band were so friendly and down to earth, you could really tell that they cared for their fans. We can't wait to see Joseph wit or without band again. And hopefully soon.

The setlist for the night was:

--- Solo
01 - Leave Us Alone
02 - A Smile That Explodes
03 - Echo Park
04 - Vacancy
05 - All The Old Heroes
--- Band
06 - Spacemen
07 - Even When Yer Blue
08 - Too Much To Hide
09 - In The Sun
10 - When I Was Running Out Of Time
11 - She Says You Lack Imagination
12 - Missy Baba
13 - Famous Friends Along The Coast
--- Solo
14 - Honey And The Moon
15 - Nuclear Daydream
16 - Speed Of Light
--- Band
17 - I Donated Myself To The Mexican Army
18 - Iran
19 - You Are Free
--- Solo (with band joining in)
20 - Slide Away (merch stall)
21 - Black Lexus (merch stall)

I also managed to capture 'Black Lexus' at the merchandise stall, which the band's record label have shared on their Twitter page:

New Turntable :-)

2009-08-10T17:52:00.003+01:00

Let me introduce you to my new Sony PSLX300USB turntable I got from Richer Sounds today. I've been looking around for a new turntable for a while now and finally stumbled across this one last week, which fits into my price range and had great reviews everywhere I looked. My old Aiwa turntable has lasted me for years and years, but it needed to be replaced.

So far I've played 'Heartbreaker' by Ryan Adams and 'Our Shadows Will Remain' by Joseph Arthur on the new turntable and both sound lovely, warm and rich. Just like records should. I'm extremely pleased with the purchase and look forward to trying the USB feature out at some point in the future on some of my rarer LPs.

Now what should I spin next. . .

Dead Man's Bones

2009-08-06T22:27:00.008+01:00

The self titled debut record from Dead Man's Bones will be released on Anti on October 6th in the US. The track listing for the album has recently been confirmed as:

01 Intro
02 Dead Hearts
03 In the Room Where You Sleep
04 Buried in Water
05 My Body's a Zombie for You
06 Pa Pa Power
07 Young & Tragic
08 Paper Ships
09 Lose Your Soul
10 Werewolf Heart
11 Dead Man's Bones
12 Flowers Grow Out of My Grave

But where's 'Name In Stone'? The awesome song that I blogged about when I first heard of the band back in April. So far the band have only released two live cuts, one for 'In The Room Where You Sleep' and the other for 'Name In Stone', both of which were accompanied by pretty awesome videos. Here's the one for 'Name In Stone':

I really hope that the studio cut for 'Name In Stone' surfaces at some point as that song is so hauntingly beautiful.

Transitions

2009-08-06T10:43:00.007+01:00

"There's a million chances and every single one of  them is called hope."

I wish I could create something this real and beautiful.  So many truths, told with such grace and humour, with imagery to stir the soul.  Ryan Adams at his most poignant.

Over It

2009-06-06T13:08:00.002+01:00

This song makes me happy:

Great White Monkey TV

2009-05-06T12:33:00.007+01:00

Ginger (of the Wildhearts) and Laika Dog (featuring Tony of Terrorvision) are currently touring the UK. I'd love to go and see these two awesome bands playing on the same bill, but I'll be in Vassilikos when the tour rolls around my way. Oh, it's a hard life ;-)

Thankfully, to make me feel better, Ginger has started the GWMTV channel on You Tube, documenting the tour each step of the way. You can watch the first installment below and be sure to subscribe to the channel for more shenanigans.

Ginger was in Denmark, recording the new Wildhearts album, 'Chutzpah'. The band blogged about the recording of the album that should hit stores in August daily, in a very entertaining and enlightening way.

He certainly seems to like the internet at the moment as he's also a guest blogger over at the Classic Rock website, where he writes about some of his favorite overlooked bands. It's great to be seeing more of an online presence from him as his Ask Ginger and Ginger Says sections of the Wildhearts website were great back in the day.

I Dumped My Mind

2009-05-04T18:02:00.007+01:00

Scary Mansion are set to release their sophomore album later this year. No details on the album yet, but a couple of tracks have crept onto the internet.

The first is 'I Dumped My Mind', a kind of semi-official release, seeing as it's featured on the Scary Mansion You Tube page:

The second is a demo/alternate version of the song 'No Law'. The video is directed by Andrew Hoepfner of Creaky Boards, who says that the album version will be more punky in feel:

I was completely addicted to the debut album by Scary Mansion and am very much looking forward to the new tunage heading our way.

Let The Dominoes Fall

2009-04-29T19:40:00.004+01:00

Summer officially starts on June 2nd, with the release of 'Let The Dominoes Fall', the seventh studio album from Rancid.

They are a band that I've pretty much always associated with lazy, hot summer days and I'm pretty sure this album will be part of the soundtrack to my summer.

In the lead up to the album, you can view Webisodes here on the making of the album. They will be posted Monday through Thursday, until the release of the record. The first few are just a brief history of the band, the rest should be very tasty indeed.

Use the widget thingie below to listen to and download a free copy of 'Last One To Die', the first single from the new album. . .

Mayo On The Side

2009-04-28T10:56:00.018+01:00

Since Ryan Adams disbanded the Cardinals and married a certain Mandy Moore earlier this year, things have been quiet on the music front.

He's been rubbing mayonnaise on his poorly knee and considered braiding his chest hair (well, according to his Tweets he has).

But, now two of his crazy side projects have re-surfaced with new tunes and new sites. Don't expect your usual Ryan material here, if you're familiar with his other side projects The Shits or DJ Reggie, you'll know what to expect. Let the madness commence. . .

Werewolph

The satanic pizza eating band. All pretty good tunes, with 'Mega Wizards' even sounding like it's Ryan singing it.

Tracklisting:

1. Dead People Unite
2. Evil Weekend
3. Mega Wizards

Head on over to the Werewolph website to hear the tunes.

Sleazy Handshake

The band with the cat with pizza eyes as their mascot. Loving the Egyptian theme of the picture. Tunes sound as sleazy as you'd expect.

Tracklisting:

1. Brain Fart Wind Tunnel
2. Lick Me
3. Mr Smartypants
4. Oops Who Farted
5. Yes

Head on over to the Sleazy Handshake website to hear the tunes.

It's good to hear Ryan kicking back and writing some crazy jams again. Catch up with him at his new website Ryanada.ms.

Name In Stone

2009-04-06T21:38:00.004+01:00

Do actors make good musicians? It certainly seems to have worked for Jason Schwartzman and Zooey Deschanel, but not so well for Scarlett Johansson and Keanu Reeves. Ryan Gosling is the latest actor who it seems to be working well for.

He and Zach Shields make up Dead Man's Bones, who will be releasing their debut album, 'Never Let a Lack of Talent Get You Down', later this year on their own Werewolf Heart label.

This 'live in a cemetery' video for 'Name In Stone' recently surfaced on the internet. It features the duo, as well as the L.A. Inner Mass Choir and The Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir. The song sounds lovely and haunting, with the video adding an extra dimension to the 'feel' of the music.

You can download a free live mp3 of 'In The Room Where You Sleep' here.

All You Did Was Save My Life

2009-04-02T22:59:00.007+01:00

Our Lady Peace will be releasing their seventh studio album in the near future. Our Lady Peace.ne t has been teasing and taunting us for the past month or so with the album cover and recently lyrics for 'All You Did' as well as a small in studio video.

The album, entitled 'Burn Burn', is produced by singer Raine Maida and is said to go back to the sound of their first release, 'Naveed'. I really can't wait to hear the new tunes. This band has played a BIG part in my life over the years and are one of those few bands that can speak to your heart and soul.

I found this video on YouTube tonight. It's from a show the band played in March and is one of the first airings of this song.

One by One

2009-03-30T23:20:00.008+01:00

I'm loving this song by Joseph Arthur so much at the moment. I wanted to post some of the lyrics on here, but couldn't choose just one part, so have posted the whole song.

I first heard the song when it was first streamed on his blog last year and loved it from the first listen. The live versions are absolutely spell binding, here's one that was performed in France last year. Check out audience interaction (it'll raise the hairs on the back of your neck). Really hope he tours the UK soon.

'One by One'

Nights like this get twisted
When the light hits the frame
If you don't wanna be resisted
It's good to feel your pain

Smile when the camera holds you
With its evil knife
Burn your edges and make your mark
With the gift of your life

You always look at me
And then you look away
As I pretend to stay

Mannequins drinking bourbon
On a street with the same name
Little kids singing songs
Before they find out about the flame

One by one they tear stars out of the sky
And one by one throw them back
'cept for now there's a wish behind each
As one by one they turn black

You always look at me
And then you look away
As I pretend to stay

[One by one they turn black]
We are too late
[One by one they turn black]
We are too late
[One by one they turn black]
To go back there now
[One by one they turn black]

I can't hear you darling
Underneath your strange cough
Wearing your skin-tight outfit
Only you could pull off

It's hard to know where you're going
Or even where you stand
When you're running or you're burning out
In the promised land

Roses fill up dusty glasses
Drunk in the lungs of your dreams
Blooming inside cadavers dancing
And zombies coming clean

[One by one they turn black]
We are too late
[One by one they turn black]
We are too late
[One by one they turn black]
To go back there now
[One by one they turn black]

One by one they turn black
One by one they turn black
One by one they turn black
One by one they turn black

(C) Joseph Arthur.

Moon On A Stick. . .

2009-03-26T18:48:00.010Z

Since the return of a certain Stewart Lee to our television screens recently, I've been looking around the web at old Lee & Herring clips from the likes of Fist Of Fun and This Morning With Richard Not Judy. Both classic comedy shows that I grew up with, which are probably partly responsible for my warped sense of humour today.

Richard Herring is currently on tour in the UK and while looking around on You Tube, I came across this hilarious clip of him dealing with a heckler at one of his stand up gigs. It truly is priceless, enjoy. . .

Coconut Records

2008-12-19T18:18:00.009Z

It's been a bit quiet around here I know, but I've got a few questions for you...

Have you heard of Jason Schwatzman?

You may have seen him in films like Rushmore, I Heart Huckabees or The Darjeeling Limited.

But did you know that he was the original drummer in a band called Phantom Planet who are probably best known for their song 'California' as it's the theme for The O.C.

More importantly though, did you know that he's now in a band called Coconut Records?

Well, it's more of a solo project with a band name. The debut album by Coconut Records 'Nighttiming' was released in 2007 and was one of my favorite records that year. Originally it was released as a download only, but when the CD came out and you ordered it from Young Baby Records you even got a one of a kind Polaroid taken by Jason with the album. There were also bonus tracks, which were most of the album in demo or alternate form. Great, independent stuff.

Thankfully this wasn't a one-off. It's just been announced that Coconut Records will be releasing a new album in January, called 'Davy'. First single, 'Microphone' is available as a free download now from Amie Street, where they will donate $1 for each download to the Mr Holland's Opus Foundation, which donates new and refurbished musical instruments to undeserved schools, community music programs and individual students in America. Pretty cool if you ask me.

You can also isten to it here, there's not much to watch though:

Creepy Doll

2008-11-03T19:09:00.006Z

Neil Gaiman is one of my all time favourite authors. His writing style and imagination never fail to draw me into his world whenever I read anything by him. Amercan Gods, Stardust, Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett) are all wonderful books, not to mention the awesome Sandman comic series and so much more, it's so hard to pick a favourite.

Recently he made a guest appearence at a Jonathon Coulton show in Manchester where they performed 'Creepy Doll', a song from Coulton's 'Thing For A Week' album.

Gaiman did a spoken word version of the second verse. The lyrics work really well this way and almost sound like something Gaiman would have written himself. I'm currently reading 'The Graveyard Book', his latest novel and really loving it.

Here's a clip of 'Creepy Doll' with Mr Gaiman...

You can download the annoyingly catchy 'Creepy Doll' here.

Halloweenhead

2008-10-31T17:28:00.004Z

Happy Halloween!

Five Long Years

2008-10-21T14:30:00.004+01:00

It's five years today since we lost Elliott Smith. I wish I could visit Solutions Audio in LA to write on his memorial wall featured in these videos. The wall has recently been repainted due to grafitti obscuring most of the original work and fan notes/writing, including those seen below:

Too Many Bubbles

2008-10-19T21:55:00.007+01:00

The Wildhearts release their 'Live In The Studio - A Film By Tim Smith' DVD tomorrow. Mine turned up in the post early and I'm just watching it at the moment. It captures the awesomeness of The Wildhearts live in a very intimate environment. And it's so funny! The talk and antics between songs very tongue in cheek and hilarious. Check out this clip:

The DVD see's the band playing their 2007 self-titled album in full. As well as the promo videos from that album, including the awesome 'Destroy All Monsters', which is really messed up.

Here's the video for 'The Revolution Will Be Televised' from the DVD:

The DVD can be ordered here and here.

MAdM

2008-10-17T20:23:00.006+01:00

Melissa Auf der Maur released her debut solo album four years ago after working with Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins. Since then not much has been heard from her.

In an interview in 2007 she mentioned that she had finished her second album, which would go hand in hand with a graphic novel and a concept film. The album would be released under the name MAdM, whereas the comic and film would go by Out of Our Minds (OOOM for short). Other than a website with teasers being set up in 2007, not much has happened with these projects, until recently.

A MySpaz page sprung up for MAdM in September and a live date has been announced for November 1st in Montreal. No other details have been anounced as yet.

The trailer for Out of Our Minds looks pretty cool:

It's Thursday...

2008-10-16T20:53:00.000+01:00

I thought it was Friday.

Down In A Hole

2008-10-15T19:05:00.003+01:00

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals cover Alice In Chains:

Unlplugged version of the song by Alice In Chains:

Girl In The War

2008-10-14T22:16:00.005+01:00

Josh Ritter, 'Girl In The War':

Download the song here.

Mako

2008-10-13T20:21:00.006+01:00

Cyclefly were alternative rock act in the late 90's who released two albums. I caught them supporting Bush soon after they'd released their debut album in 1999 and again in 2002 when I saw them headlining. They had such presence and great songs and really didn't release enough music into this world. Thankfully two members of the band have a new project called Mako.

Declan O'Shea (vocals) and Christian Montagne (guitar and bass) formed Mako after a brief project called Hueman (also featuring other members of Cyclefly) following the breakup of Cyclefly in 2003. Hueman did not release any records, but there are still a few songs streaming on their MySpaz page.

Mako, on the other hand, released their debut album this year. Living On Air keeps the great songwriting of O'Shea, but stips down the sound of the previous band withour losing any of the integrity. Check out the video for 'Grace' and get lost in his voice:

Living On Air can be purchased here.

Flight Of The Conchords

2008-10-12T18:59:00.011+01:00

"Formerly New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo"

Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are Flight Of The Conchords, a Grammy award winning folk-comedy-duo who are also stars of their own TV and radio series. They are also sometimes known by their rap aliases, Rhymenocerous & Hiphopopotamus.

I've been a big fan of the TV series since a friend recommended it to me about a year ago. It's so funny and original and works on so many different levels. The show is about Bret and Jemaine trying to make it as a band in New York along with their manager Murray and their only fan, Mel. Each episode has a musical performace in it, which is part of the plot. My favourite one of these would probably be in the episode 'Bowie', where they pay homage to David Bowie:

They released their debut album earlier this year, which features a lot of the songs from the TV and radio shows, all re-recorded with producer Mickey Petralia for the album, which has now been certified Platinum. Their previous EP 'The Distant Future', won a Grammy award in 2007.

To promote the release of the album, the band played an instore performance at Amoeba records in Hollywood back in April. It's about an hour long, but well worth watching if you have time:

Doesn't the Amoeba record store look awesome? I'd love to go there, it looks like a proper record store should, cluttered, loved, full of passion and with lot's of good music. Wish we had one in the UK.

Seeing Things

2008-10-11T19:14:00.015+01:00

Jakob Dylan released 'Seeing Things' earlier this year, his first solo album away from The Wallflowers. The album was produced by super-producer Rick Rubin and is a pretty laid back affair, a long way from the full band sound of The Wallflowers.

Jakob is the youngest of four of four children born to Bob Dylan and ex-wife Sara Dylan. His Dad has cast quite a big shadow on his career, which is one of the reasons I think he's kind of hidden behind The Wallflowers all these years.

The solo effort is a breath of fresh air for both listeners and Dylan alike. He was said to be "weary of the band" and had "creatively bottomed out with what to do with the band". He was asked to open a tour for T Bone Burnett in Sping 2006 where he played alone and acoustic, which is where the idea of a solo album was born. "I liked the isolation of it, the simplicity of what I was doing," says Dylan. "And out of that I started getting songs together".

I absolutely love the mainly acousitc album, in fact it's probably one of my favourite releases of the year. It's a quiet album that demands attenton, certainly not something you can have on as background music. Check out the video for 'Something Good This Way Comes', a song from the album that has such a lovely, warm opening:

You can still stream the album in it's entirety on his MySpaz page.

The Patty Duke Syndrome

2008-10-10T11:16:00.010+01:00

Before the Cardinals and Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams was in a band called The Patty Duke Syndrome. He'd previously perfomed in a few other local bands, but it was with The Patty Duke Syndrome that he released his first record in 1994. It was a split 7" with 'Texas' & 'History' by the band on one side and two songs by GlamourPuss on the flipside. Since then a collection of demos have surfaced on the internet, you can easily find if you look in the right places.

In August this year, someone uploaded two live videos of The Patty Duke Syndrome that were recorded February 4, 1994 at the Brewery in Raleigh, NC. The videos feature a very young Ryan Adams along with Jere McIlwean on bass and Brian Walsby on drums. The sound of the band was quite raw and draws comparism to Husker DU.

'Maybe I':

'Texas':

"Finding Diamonds In The Dirt"

2008-10-09T19:13:00.008+01:00

When I read a blog on MySpaz by Art Alexakis of Everclear last night saying that they were releasing a brand new song for free today I got quite excied. Then I saw the title of the song, 'Jesus Was A Democrat' and my excitement started to wane. Art talks in the blog about the song saying,

"I have been wanting to write this song for a long time, if this song offends you....then dont listen to it. If you do not believe that everclear is the proper forum for political opinons, then you havent been paying attention, I have been writing political songs from the very beginning. But if you do believe that i,like you have the right to speak my mind and respect what I think regardless if you agree or not(which incidentally IS what being an AMERICAN IS ALL ABOUT!!!)....then I urge you to read the lyrics and listen to the song with an open mind."

I agree that the band have been writing political songs from the beginning, but they were written in a subtle way. The lyrics for 'Jesus Was A Democrat' leave no room for interpretation, they're there to get the point across. Musically though, the band are on top form, with the sound more like their gritty earlier work from the 'Sparkle & Fade' and 'So Much For The Afterglow' albums, both of which will always have a place in my record collection and heart.

Maybe the lyrics don't mean too much to me because I'm not caught up in the political situaion in America at the moment, as I live in the UK and am watching it all from a distance. Maybe I'm a bit biased towards the band since Craig Montoya and Greg Eklund left the band in 2003. The orignal three piece had a spark, a creativity and a sound that grew and grew. I'm hoping that Art can continue to grow with the 'new' Everclear and not go stale.

You can download 'Jesus Was A Democrat' for free from here, where you can also view the lyrics in full.

Rocking The Cradle

2008-10-08T10:13:00.011+01:00

I've never been a huge Dead Head, but the new live album from The Grateful Dead sure looks tempting to me, just look at that packaging! It was recorded in Egypt in September 1978, when the band played a three night stand at the Sound & Light Theater, outside Cairo, nestled in the dunes just a short mummy-walk from the Great Pyramid and the mysterious Sphinx.

The band had to set up in 110 degree heat and even managed to max out the local power grid. The final show on September 16th was played during a total lunar eclipse. A live album was orignially going to be put out soon after the dates were played, but upon return to the States they found that due to technical issues pretty much all of the first night and some of the second were unusable. The project got put on the backburner while they completed their Shakedown Street album, which was released in November of the same year. That is until now...

I think that this release appeals to me even more as I fell in love with Egypt this year when I went on holiday there with my girlfriend. I would go back there in a heartbeat and the combination of one of my favourite places on the planet and great music seems irresistable.

My links to the Grateful Dead's music are through Ryan Adams who has played with Phil Lesh (founding member and bass played of the Dead) on many occasions and the Counting Crows who covered 'Friend Of The Devil' for their Films About Ghosts compilation. Both Bob Dylan (who also released a live album called 'Dylan And The Dead' with the band) and Tom Petty have covered the band's songs many times.

The album is released on October 31th and can be pre-ordered here or here.

American Blues Vol.1

2008-10-07T18:53:00.006+01:00

Pete Yorn recently posted a new song on his MySpaz page. 'American Blues Vol.1' is more somber in content than his previous releases, with Yorn seeming a bit wrary and at odds with the world. Lyricaly it's quite a departure from his usual style. He's been in the studio recently with producer Mike Mogis (of Bright Eyes and Saddle Creek records fame) and Frank Black (of The Pixies). The track is apparantly available for download through the MySpaz page, but it doesn't seem to be working for me at the moment.

'Nighcrawler' was the last release by Yorn in 2006 which was preceded by 'muscforthemorningafter' (2001) and 'Day I Forgot' (2003). The three albums make up a kind of trilogy, that are "more of a diary of sorts; a person gaining new life experiences and simply commenting on them in linear." Hopefully a new album next year, which is rumoured to be called American Blues.

Here's the music video for 'Life On A Chain' from 2001's 'musicforthemorningafter' album:

I Started Out With Nothin'. . .

2008-10-06T21:00:00.007+01:00

I think I'm going to have to get the new Seasick Steve album. I caught his performace on Later with Jools Holland the other night and absoluetly love the warm sounding blues that he plays. His voice and guitar sound from 'Walking Man' on that show blew me away. He seems to sing from the heart and with real passion.

After a bit of research and a bit of YouTube watching, I've found out that he plays his own personalised instruments as well as the normal acoustic and electric guitars. The Three String Trance Wonder is a normal guitar, but with only three strings in the wrong positions. And The One Stringed Diddly Bow is a one stringed instrument that he plays with a slide, usually a screwdiver. He has travelled the world extensively and once worked as a recording enginner, carnie, producer and a cowboy.

Here's the performance from Later With Jools of 'Walking Man':

When asked about his nickname, Steve said: "because it's just true: I always get seasick."

Infinity Blues

2008-10-05T21:55:00.007+01:00

I've just preordered my copy of Infinity Blues, the first book to be published by Ryan Adams. Infinity Blues is a collection of poems and short fiction and is according to Adams "the jewel of my life's work."

The preorder includes a signed HARDCOVER edition of Infinity Blues, with a BONUS poetry chapbook by Ryan Adams titled Sad American Mythology. The chapbooks will all be signed and numbered; Sad American Mythology is a limited edition available ONLY here as part of this preorder. The official publication date for the book is April 2009, but these pre-orders will be sent out on or before the 19th December.

I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into this. You can preorder the book here.

“Ryan Adams, one of America’s most consistently interesting singer-songwriters, has written a passionate, arresting, and entertaining book of verse. Fans are going to love it, and newcomers will be pleased and startled by his intensity and originality. The images are vivid and the voice is honest and powerful.”—Stephen King.

Busking For Change

2008-10-04T19:42:00.003+01:00

Since my recent post about Raine Maida busking in 2007 to raise money to build a school in the Congo, he's only been up to it again. This time with his band Our Lady Peace who, along with many other Canadian musicians, took to the street of Toronto on Thursday to raise money for War Child Canada. Students from across Canada were also busking for change on campus.

Busking for change was inspired by Raine's efforts last October. Check out a fan video of 'Clumsy' that was played on Thursday:

Our Lady Peace are in the midst of finishing up their seventh studio album. Here's what it says on their My Spaz page:

"We've gone about this recording process much differently than any album we've made before. For one, we chose not to work with an outside producer. Collaboration has always been essential to art, especially music, but we felt we needed to keep the collaboration between to the 4 of us. We were very curious to see how the music would end up without any outside influence. "Trust ourselves".... that was the mantra. Safe to say the songs we've recorded so far have been some of the most special and rewarding pieces of music the band has ever put to tape."

Donations to Busking For Change - War Child can be made here.

Brooklyn

2008-10-03T18:13:00.013+01:00

Since I seem to have a bit of an obsession with the music scene in Brooklyn of late after blogging about Joseph Arthur, Scary Mansion and Creaky Boards who are all from there, I thought I'd post a pretty cool live video of the song 'Brooklyn' by Jesse Malin, that was recorded at the Mercury Lounge in 2007.

There's a great story at the beginning of the video about Jesse and his 'man with a van' business, where they moved a bed for Barbra Streisand. It's always great to catch Jesse at his solo shows as he's not only a gifted musican, but also a great story teller. Check it out:

'Brooklyn' is featured on Jesse's debut album, which was produced by Ryan Adams.

Jesse is playing a three night stint at the Bowery Electric, NYC this weekend. It's called 'Almost Grown - An evening of songs and stories with Jesse Malin'. I'd love to go to the show, it's been too long since I've caught Jesse live.

You can check out more Jesse goodness at his MySpaz page. I'm off to check out some more music from Brooklyn. Feel free to post a comment if you know of any good Brooklyn based bands I should check out.

Autumn De Wilde

2008-10-02T20:44:00.004+01:00

Autumn De Wilde is a photographer who has photographed album covers for the likes of Elliot Smith, Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins, The White Stripes, Beck and The Raconteurs. Last year she published a book of her photos of the late Elliot Smith, which also included handwritten lyrics and interviews with close friends and family.

She has also directed numerous music videos, including this one for 'Gamma Ray' by Beck, which I've really been enjoying lately, taken from his new album 'Modern Guilt' (which I still need to get):

And this video by The Raconteurs for 'Salute Your Solution':

You can check out more of her work at her official website.

Drever McCusker Woomble

2008-10-01T17:41:00.007+01:00

Roddy Woomble released his debut solo album, 'My Secret Is My Silence' in 2006. The sound was quite a departure from his band Idlewild and ventured into new and different territory where he really pushed himself as a songwriter and musician. I've been a big fan of Idelwild for years now and really loved the album. Here's an awesome live version of the title track from the album:

Since then he has released a new Idlewild album and now a new collaborative effort along with fellow Scotsmen, Kris Drever and John McCusker, 'Before The Ruin' was released in September.

There are a few tracks streaming on the band's website, which sound really nice. Say Woomble of the collaboration "The solo record was the first time I'd really pushed myself in other directions, and that's given me the confidence to take it further: Kris and John each have such a different take on things like melody and lyrics, but we're all working equally on the songs together, so the whole thing feels totally new."

Temporary People

2008-09-30T17:11:00.003+01:00

'Temporary People', the new album from Joseph Arthur And The Lonely Astronauts is unleashed upon the world today. I've yet to receive mine in the post, but am hoping the postman will be dropping by very soon. Joseph Arthur has released four solo EPs this year, the first 'Could We Survive' featured 'King Of The Pavement', my favourite track of the year so far.

It's been hard to resist the 'album premiere' on MySpaz and what I've heard on there sounds really good. After 'Let's Just Be', the first release by The Lonely Astronauts I was worried how the new album would sound as I really couldn't get into that release. It lacked the magic from the Joseph Arthur solo releases that I've been listening to for so long. Thankfully the new record doesn't seem to. There have been two music video's made for the album so far:

The first being for the title track, 'Temporary People':

The second track from the album to have a video made is 'Faith':

'You Are Free', a documentary film by Bryan Johnson will be premiered at the at Pop Montreal on October 2nd. The film documents Joseph Arthur's first show of the 2005 tour at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, "the film is an unforgettable blend of music, art, and drama. "You Are Free" goes beyond merely documenting the performance, it allows the viewer to truly get to know this unique artist. Performances are inter-cut with scenes of Arthur speaking with moving sincerity about his career, his life, and his spiritual journey as a person and a musician. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur demonstrates why he is 'one of the last true artists left in the world' in this immediate and unflinching documentary that blends music, art and drama into an unforgettable movie experience."

You can view the trailer here. I'm really hoping that this will get a DVD release soon.

You can also download the title track from the new album via Stereogum.

Ships In A Bottle

2008-09-29T11:23:00.012+01:00

Butch Walker, the singer-songwriter, producer and former member of the Marvelous3 lost everything in the Malibu wildfires in November 2007. "I lost everything I've ever owned. Every master of every song I've ever recorded, every piece of recording equipment, guitars, drums and things I've collected over the years, cars, motorcycles, every family memorial, heirloom, picture, and document we ever had.... Gone." he was quoted as saying at the time.

I can't imagine what it would be like to lose everything like that, my heart went out to him when I read the news. It's now been almost a year and Butch has picked himself up and got back to doing what he does best - music. His new album 'Sycamore Meadows' comes out in November and the single 'The Weight Of Her' has been released digitally on iTunes, but only for those lucky folks in America as it's not yet in the UK store.

But he has made a video for 'Ships In A Bottle' that gives us UKers a taste of the album. It was filmed in the remains of his house in Malibu before it was torn down. The song itself was written two weeks before the fire that savaged his house and features the lyrics "Just wanna walk away from the ashes, and take the fact that I've been burned", which really pull at the heart strings.

Butch Walker has also released a live album and DVD this year as well as a record from his other band, 1969. He also recently started his own blog.

Brooklyn Is Love

2008-09-28T19:36:00.010+01:00

Creaky Boards are another Brooklyn based band that I’ve been getting into recently, along with Scary Mansion. In fact, both bands have even worked together in the past. Creaky Boards is the name Andrew Hoepfner has given to all of his music since moving to New York City in 2004. They got quite a bit of publicity earlier this year when they accused Coldplay of copying one of their own songs, the aptly named ‘The Songs I Didn’t Write’, by posting the following video on You Tube.

The song does sounds a bit similar at first to “Viva La Vida”, but to my ears sounds a lot better than anything Coldplay have put out since ‘Parachutes’. It may have been a bit of a cheap publicity stunt, but certainly something that has helped spread the word of the ‘Boards. This all happened back in June. I must have been oblivious to it as I only just found out about the band.

The bands new album, 'Brooklyn Is Love', comes out in November and can be pre-orderd through the band's MySpaz site, where there are also a few songs streaming from the album, including the pretty groovy ‘Brooklyn’.

Every Joke Is A Half Truth

2008-09-27T18:24:00.015+01:00

I've been addicted to the Scary Mansion album 'Every Joke Is A Half Truth' for about a month now. They are Brooklyn based Leah Hayes' musical project. I discovered them through a blog post on Foggy when Ryan Adams was talking about her awesome graphic novel 'Funeral Of The Heart'. Much like her graphic novel work, the album is intense and sweeping, creating a very haunting landscape. The vocal and instrumental delivery throughout the album is very unique, which adds to it's charm.

Here's a 'live in the dark' video for 'Go To Hell':

It also turns out that Leah has done the cover and lyric book for the limited edition vinyl of the new (Ryan Adams &) The Cardinals album 'Cardinology', which comes out on October 27th.

Check out the Scary Mansion MySpaz page for more songs (try 'Sorry We Took All Yr Money' first) and buy the album here if you like what you hear.

Eureka!

2008-09-26T19:41:00.007+01:00

The Eureka Machines are one of the support bands from the Wildhearts Eath Vs gig I went to recently. Unfortunately I didn't get to catch all their set as I was waiting in line to get a t-shirt with a blokes beer belly pressed against my back. But what I heard was very good.

Chris Catalyst (also of the other Wildhearts support act that night, The God Damn Whores) is the singer/guitarist/songwriter for the band. Bobby Ball of 'comedy' duo Cannon And Ball once called him 'last of the mohicans'. And Crispian Frigging Mills out of Kula Frigging Shaker once accused him of stealing his minidisc player. Oh, and he writes some irresistibly catchy pop nuggets.

They released their debut album 'Do Or Die' on September 1st. Check out the coolio video for 'Everyone Loves You':

And as usual, check out their MySpaz page for more awesome songs. You can also buy the album from the band here.

Raine Maida - "Works Everytime!"

2008-09-25T11:09:00.011+01:00

I stumbled across this hilarious video of Raine Maida busking in The Hour (a Canadian TV talk show) offices on YouTube today. Raine is the lead singer of Our Lady Peace and released his first solo album last year, 'The Hunters Lullaby', an awesome album that explores much different musical landscapes to his Our Lady Peace work. In this clip he is playing 'Yellow Brick Road' from that album.

I just love how he keeps a straight face during the toilet scene. Classic! The clip relates to the official video that was released for 'Yellow Brick Road', where Raine busked on the streets of Toronto to raise money for War Child Canada’s School Rehabilitation and Revitalization Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He personally made $22,000, enough to build what is now called the Abala School.

Our Lady Peace are currently in the studio finishing up their seventh album. Raine is taking on producing duties this time himself and says of the album:

"There’s no, "Okay, let’s demo up this and demo this and see what we think." It’s like we have an idea, let’s write, finish it, and record it. That’s one of the things I’ve learned over the last five or six years, is really just to try and capture that moment as best you can. And that’s what we’ve done and probably made the best record yet."

I can't wait to hear the new material.

Raine Maida official site.

Listen to to 'The Hunters Lullaby' in full here.

Sorry And The Sinatras

2008-09-24T20:10:00.006+01:00

When I saw The Wildhearts this past weekend in London playing the Earth Vs album in it’s entirety and all the b-sides, I saw a t-shirt at the merch booth for Sorry And The Sinatras. I knew that the new bass player for The Wildhearts was called Scott Sorry, but didn’t know anything about this band. It was especially odd seeing as Sorry And The Sinatras were not supporting The Wildhearts that night, those duties went to The Eureka Machines and The God Damn Whores.

So I checked them out on Myspaz the other day and really liked what I heard. They have a very DIY punk approach to their music, which sounds very raw and enjoyable. Check out a live video for ‘Hated Heart’:

Sorry And The Sinatras played their first show supporting The New York Dolls and will be supporting The Misfits this October. They are currently recording their debut album ‘Highball Roller’, which comes out in early 2009 on Undergroove.

Check out their MySpaz site for some cool DIY demos that you can download. I suggest you start with ‘Riverside’.

Cardinology

2008-09-23T17:18:00.024+01:00

Cardinology, the new album from Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, will be released on the 27th October in the UK. The cover art and tracklisting has been confirmed as:

Born Into A Light
Go Easy
Fix It
Magick
Cobwebs
Let Us Down Easy
Crossed Out Name
Natural Ghost
Sink Ships
Evergreen
Like Yesterday
Stop

The first single from the album will be 'Fix It', which was released digitally to radio stations today. You can listen to a clip of 'Fix It' at the Cardinal Cave.

The Cardinals are touring America and the UK from September 25th. Check out the official site for full dates.

Here's a video of an early demo version of 'Crossed Out Name' that Ryan posted on his blog Foggy earlier this year, as introduced by Wilson & Barnabus.

I absolutely love this song and can't wait to hear the album version. You can also download a live version of 'Crossed Out Name' from the September 4th show in Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, ON. Check out the full set at Archive.org.

Welcome...

2008-09-23T16:45:00.002+01:00