Stage Fright Alone Could Scare You To Death

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And I never thought that I’d act this way
The way I act today makes me feel ashamed
And I know that I may have lost my way, may have been led astray
But I’ll make it right some day

Click to Enjoy Scoundrels – Arrogance Blues

I believe that in every relationship debacle there is an opportunity for growth and connection. Of course there is also an opportunity for it to turn into a huge irreconcilable fight. Unfortunately, many of us fall too easily into the latter category. To avoid falling into the pit of relationship despair, several things have to happen. Two of which are: you must learn how to tolerate your own feelings when you’ve hurt someone and you must learn how to tend to the hurt you’ve caused your loved one. –Julie Cohen, MFT

I Just Got Out From A Minor Operation

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Yuck.

Yuck is what you get when you take two dudes from London band Cajun Dance Party, add your sister for supporting female vocals, and then throw in a Japanese female bassist and a drummer from New Jersey.

Daniel Blumberg and Max Bloom, the aforementioned two dudes, met in Israel although both are from London. They connected over an Animal Collective t-shirt. They later found their drummer in Israel, as well, although at the time he was still a college student in New Jersey. They all decided to give up any other plans they may have had to join the London music scene. And they were soon labeled “Revival Grunge.”

“It’s weird that there’s a certain label of bands called ‘grunge revival’ when there’s been guitar bands consistently making amazing music. There hasn’t been a stop or start or anything. There’s just been more attention given to it” explained Max Bloom.

I wanna be well designed
I wanna be well designed
Cause you talk and I just feel so
Cause you talk and I just feel so

Revival grunge? Meaning this is what grunge is now? Hmm. Paul Lester from the Guardian calls it more like a “shoegazey Sonic Youth.” YES. That’s it. Shoegazey Sonic Youth. Or Dinosaur Jr. Or Teenage Fanclub. There you go.

I try to think but I just don’t fuckin’ know

Quite honestly, I think their best track is “Rubber”, which closes out the album and lasts 7 minutes and 14 seconds. Mogwai remixed it and managed to stretch it out to 8 minutes. The self-titled album is interspersed with slow and brooding tracks like “Rubber”, a few faster but oddball love songs, and a few good ones that mix the two, like “The Wall” and “Operation.”

Click to Enjoy Yuck – The Wall

Click to Enjoy Yuck – Operation

Slottsfjel Festival in Norway today, can I get a shout out?! 😉 OK, how about Pitchfork in Chicago on Sunday. Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Seattle, check your venues, because Yuck will be there soon. Full tour list on their MySpace – and yes, they update it!

Blackbird

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While out walking the other day, I had a blackbird hovering over my head. Normally I wouldn’t think anything of it, but 2 years ago I got blindsided and attacked in the back of the head by one. According to what I read, you’re supposed to bark like a dog to scare them off. So I put my knowledge to use and started barking in a loud, gruff bark. It did nothing to scare that bird, but I did embarrass myself in front of a bunch of strangers before I took off in a full sprint. I don’t know what it is with me and birds. I’ve been shit on by them 5 times in my life as well. My mom thinks that they think my hair is a nest. I do have quite the mop. I however, believe it is payback for not cleaning my parakeet’s cage as a child. The guilt still haunts me, as I have this reoccurring dream that the poor thing’s poop is piled up to it’s perch. Guess that’s why now I’m only allowed to have plants as pets.

The male Red-winged Blackbird really is beautiful and after I “out ran” it, and escaped another brutal attack, one of my favorite Beatles’ songs popped into my head. “Blackbird” is such a simple, catchy tune that always makes me tap my foot and break out into a whistle.

(Apparently this kid practices his guitar a little bit more than I ever did)

It’s been covered countless times and I’ve seen it performed live by numerous artists. One of my favorites being “The Dead”. This version is from Milwaukee 7/1/03. Just Weir and his guitar, before the band joins in for a little jam and then into “Foolish Heart”.

Click to play

Even Neil Diamond takes a successful stab at his own version.

Click to play

Of all the times I’ve heard this song, I never knew that actual meaning of the lyrics. I had my own interpretation in my head, but after researching the intended meaning, I’ve come to love the song even more.

According to Wiki, “Blackbird was written when Paul McCartney was just sitting while he had free time on a tour. Then he heard a women screaming and a lot of police cars pulled up. The police had her handcuffed and were beating her. There was a giant crowd. Paul thought the black women committed a huge crime. Turns out all she did was sit in the whites section. Paul was shocked, as there was no segregation in England. He decided to write a song. Notice how all the adjectives are bad: dead, dark, sunken, broken, and black. They describe the unfairness. The verbs show the actions of the black people: fly, singing, free, arise, waiting and see. After all those tragedies the African Americans didn’t use violence. It was the lady’s time to be free and arise from the dark black night. There is also the sound of a foot beating in the background. McCartney insisted they have it but couldn’t do it himself so they actually used a metronome. Why? The footsteps represent the marching of all the African Americans.”

Simple tune it may be, but with some very profound lyrics. Thank you Mr. Blackbird for the near attack and causing me to do a little research and thank you even more to Lennon/McCartney for such a beautiful song!

Laughing My F*ck!ng Head Off!

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LMFAO is just two dudes from Los Angeles, California that like to make music and party! These two dudes go by the name RedFoo (Stefan Kendal Gordy) and SkyBlue (Skyler Husten Gordy). They are actually related. RedFoo is SkyBlu’s uncle. RedFoo is the son of Motown founder Berry Gordy.

Like I said…just two dudes…

LMFAO made 14 songs about partying and then released those 14 songs as an album called Party Rock 2 years ago. On June 21 the duo released an apology album called Sorry for Party Rocking.

It’s a great album, and just yesterday, it became the number one album in the U.S. of A. Here’s another interesting fact about these regular dudes. By reaching No. 1, Stefan claims bragging rights over his older brother (by 11 years), Kennedy. Who is Kennedy? You know him as Rockwell, and if you remember, he peaked at No. 2 with “Somebody’s Watching Me,” in 1984.

How did this become the Number One song? Hard work? Talent? Yes, perhaps that’s true…but the truth is a bit more shocking. Check out the video below.

I’m totally visualizing you hitting the Recommend button on this post. Then I see that I am getting an award for having the best music blog in the country. I’m counting piles of cash on my dining room table. My girlfriend is rubber banding them and stacking them into a giant pyramid that I will climb and proclaim that “all I see is MINE”.

Everyday I’m shufflin’

Let’s listen to the hit single, shall we?

Click the link to start the party. LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem (featuring Lauren Bennet & GoonRock)

It’s dope. It’s catchy as shit. You might have stepped out of your cubicle to get yo Shuffle on. Right?

The official video is super cute. It’s got 110 million views on YouTube, so you have probably already seen it…but just in case.. The premise is that Redfoo and Blu Sky wake up from a party-induced coma to find out the song “Party Rock Anthem” has turned everyone into dancing zombies a-la 28 Days Later. Look out for the gold head robot and your favorite savior for memorable appearances.

  

Eno is enough

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I pride myself on listening to a wide variety of music. I’m also a solid asset to have on your trivia team if music or lyrics are the categories. Still, I have to admit that I’ve missed or glossed over many artists, some of them legends. This is the case with Brian Eno.

Yes, I’ve heard of Roxy Music, and I know about his many collaborations with artists I do know and love. I just never took the time out to listen to any of his work. I’m sure I’ve heard some of it. Maybe I’ve heard a lot and never knew. In the end I have to hang my head in shame and admit there’s a living music legend I not hip to. Until now.

I’m going to pause here to bring up a point. Being unfamiliar with an artist can actually be a benefit when you write for a music blog. I’m about to talk about a new album with no existing context or preconceived notions based on previous works by the artist. That may be good or bad, but it makes me feel pure and innocent in some way.

Brian Eno’s newest recording, Drums Between The Bells, hits stores Monday, July 4th. Some of you will be camping then, or are already camping instead of reading this, and I don’t blame you. We’ll all have to get back to the grind at some point, though, and this album might be a nice segue. It’s atmospheric and dreamy, but there are moments of harshness and experimentation that keep it from floating off into space. Poet Rick Holland wrote all the lyrics, though they are presented (mostly in spoken-word style over the musical background) by a number of guest vocalists. To keep this post shorter and give you more time to light things on fire, I’ll just post a couple tracks I like. It’s up to you to listen to the rest.

Click to play Brian Eno – Pour It Out

Click to play Brian Eno – A Title

Ok, just a couple points I feel I should add. Disc 1 of the album includes the vocals; disc 2 is the same songs in instrumental form. There is some cute wordplay between the two, such as the track “Dow,” which becomes “Nikkei” on the second disc. If you have a large stock portfolio you’re laughing your head off right now.

I also want to bring up that musically this reminds me A LOT of post-rock bands like Sigur Ros or Pacific UV. With the exception of a few more frenetic tracks, this would fit in perfectly with your collection if you are a fan of that genre or shoegaze. It would also be great background listening when you just need to relax a bit. It’s absolutely gorgeous at times, and always a good listen.

I hope you all enjoy your holiday, even if it’s just a long weekend at home.

I guess you call this regression

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I’ve spent this year as a ghost and I’m not sure where home is anymore.

Currently on Warped Tour touting their third full-length album, The Wonder Years is a band of Pennsylvania buddies whose albums progress through a story. This album, Suburbia: I’ve Given You All And Now I’m Nothing is inspired by the rambling poem “America” by Allen Ginsberg, a small snippet of which appears below:

America I’ve given you all and now I’m nothing.
America two dollars and twenty-seven cents January 17, 1956.
I can’t stand my own mind.
America when will we end the human war?
Go fuck yourself with your atom bomb
I don’t feel good don’t bother me.
I won’t write my poem till I’m in my right mind.
America when will you be angelic?
When will you take off your clothes?
When will you look at yourself through the grave?
When will you be worthy of your million Trotskyites?

Their sound is pretty much the same as that of Four Year Strong, and I don’t suppose that is a bad thing. In fact, Alan and Dan from FYS supply guest vocals on track 6, “Summers in PA.” I’m diggin on track 5, “My Life As a Pigeon.” Apparently the cohesive story is supposed to be the band’s complaints about touring, but I still like how some of the complaints can be translated to life.

Click to Enjoy The Wonder Years – My Life As A Pigeon

And with that, I ask you to embrace beardcore. Yes, it is just going to keep happening. We are going to keep subdividing musical genres until everyone gets their identity boxed right up for you. I happily use the term because it was pretty much named for Four Year Strong, a band I will always respect. What the hell, though. We analyze and categorize every goddamn detail of our lives as we try to justify its worth;, we might as well analyze and categorize our art too.

The Wonder Years actually does a very nice job tying this album up and allowing the inspiration from the poem to shine through with more than just an homage in the title. You can find snippets throughout the tracks, song names, and a summation in the final track on the album, “And Now I’m Nothing.”

Click to Enjoy The Wonder Years – And Now I’m Nothing

America this is the impression I get from looking in the television set.
America is this correct?
I’d better get right down to the job.
It’s true I don’t want to join the Army or turn lathes in precision parts
factories, I’m nearsighted and psychopathic anyway.
America I’m putting my queer shoulder to the wheel.

Chilly Primates

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In an interview recently with Alex Turner (main songwriter and frontman) and Matt Helders (drummer) of the band Arctic Monkeys, they mentioned that they are not big fans of the popular folksy sound of Mumford & Sons. “Too many banjos”, I think, the exact quote. It struck me as important, since Mumford have really polarized people. People are very passionate about the love or disdain for Mumford & Sons, never simply offering a “They are OK” comment. I’ve often felt that those who HATE Mumford, do so because of the constant rotation they seem to have on just about every radio station format here in the States. I wonder what people would think of Arctic Monkeys if they were always on the radio. Would the Arctic Monkeys even get light rotation on American radio? Sadly, I think the answer is no.

Post/Psychedelic Rock doesn’t get many rotations on terrestrial radio. I, for one, wish it would. Radio isn’t made for the likes of me. That’s fine though, as the main reason I started this blog was to reach others like me. Maybe to at least convert as many people as possible, to bands NOT on the radio, is a more specific goal.

The latest Arctic Monkeys album was released on June 6th, but the band streamed the entire album from their website before the official release to allow fans to decide wether they wanted to buy it or not. The album title, Suck It And See, is not a fuck you to anyone in particular. I had thought it might be a message to the record label perhaps. The band has stated in interview that it is simply an offer, a suggestion of sorts. Try it, and you might like it.

If a band like Queens of the Stone Age is something you dig, you may find Suck It And See a nice companion album. Josh Homme is someone these chilly monkeys have worked with before. There are two main elements that stand out on Suck It And See: the guitar textures and the rich visual imagery of the lyrical content. On every one of the 12 tracks, these two aspects will leave you pretty satisfied. My favorite track, and the track the band is most excited to play while on tour, is “Brick By Brick”.

Click link to play Arctic Monkeys – Brick By Brick

If you are already a fan of the Arctic Monkeys, you will notice the continued departure from the sound that shot them to stardom. I think the change makes sense. It’s a sound that’s more accessible and sustainable. The album, overall, is well-rounded and consistent, and sure to please any rock music aficionado. It’s more tortoise than hare, to make an analogy. The band has a hard enough time even remembering the words to their old material while on tour, so continuing to evolve their craft makes the most sense!

The band will be in Vegas this year (9/24/2011), that’s not a show I will be missing. Check this link to see if they might be somewhere you are.


Check out the video below for some insights on the new album. Don’t worry, they are not stoned or drunk, that’s just how the sound in every interview I’ve ever seen. (I suppose they could ALWAYS be high…)

  

something old, something new

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The Old

Ok, so I’m not really starting with something that old, but I didn’t get a chance to write this one up when it was released in March:

If you remember 90s hip-hop band Tony! Toni! Tone! you might recognize their frontman, Raphael Saadiq. That group has been disbanded for some time now but Saadiq has been releasing solo albums (and quietly collecting Grammy awards) since. I hadn’t been paying him much attention until 2008, when he released the incredible album The Way I See It. From the opening note I was lost in a re-creation of Smokey Robinson’s Motown. The songwriting and production were a spot-on homage to the sounds of yesteryear. Here’s a track from that album in case you didn’t catch it.

Click to play Raphael Saadiq – 100 Yard Dash

I can’t say enough about that record. Seriously, go buy a copy if you don’t own it. Other than the song with Jay-Z (let’s pretend that one never made the album) I think it’s pure gold.

2011 brought the follow-up album Stone Rollin’. I was very excited to see where Mr. Saadiq went next. Would it be more Motown-styled tunes? Would he go another direction completely? It turns out to be a little of both, or maybe a logical progression in a sense. The album starts out with a song that could easily have been on The Way I See It, but departs a bit from there. It’s a little more playful than its predecessor, yet still delves deeper into soul and R&B. My favorite moments are tunes that call Stevie Wonder to mind, which Saadiq does very well. Here’s one that reminds me of earlier Stevie:

Click to play Raphael Saadiq – Go To Hell

And here’s one that hints more at the later, Innervisions-era feel:

Click to play Raphael Saadiq – The Answer

Overall it’s a very good album. Maybe not as cohesive as the release before it, but a little more daring in some respects. Again, the production is the true star. Pay close attention to the guitar sounds, the washed out drums, the vocals. It’s just great.

The New

I’ll admit I’m not much for more current R&B. I just don’t pay it much attention. But when the new Beyonce album, 4, came my way I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give it a shot.

I’ve enjoyed some of Beyonce’s work in the past, and though I never listened to a full album before I went in knowing the girl is very talented. From that aspect, I was not disappointed in the least. The vocals are fantastic through the record. I could just listen to her sing and be happy. The music, on the other hand, didn’t always strike a chord (ha ha, I’m so punny) with me. I do like the opening track, “1 + 1.” Here it is for you.

Click to play Beyonce – 1 + 1

I can easily hear Aretha singing a song like that. I mean the style, not the vocals. Those are just fine as they are.

The other track that stands out to me is “Run The World (Girls).” Beyonce has a knack for writing female-empowering anthems (?) that make you want to shake your ass. If I know my history, I believe “Independent Woman” and “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” nearly lead to feminist riots that would have destroyed most of western civilization. I may be wrong, though. Anyway, this song falls right in with those:

Click to play Beyonce – Run The World (Girls)

So I can’t say I love the album, but it isn’t bad for someone who doesn’t really listen to the genre. If it’s more up your alley be sure to pick up a copy when it drops this week.

Insert witty title here. [3fer Edition]

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Wild Sweet Orange
http://www.wildsweetmusic.com/

Again I come across a band and album that I love only to discover that they have broken up already. Wild Sweet Orange, from Alabama, released We Have Cause To Be Uneasy in 2008. They announced their breakup September 2010. when did I discover them? March 30th, 2001. It’s a bummer, but that should stop you from becoming a fan. Uneasy is such a great album, that it’s worth the disappointment of knowing that there will be no other albums from this band. Who knows, the purchasing power of the fans of this bloog could resurrect the band with a reuinion tour and a new album. Stranger things have happened.

“House Of Regret” is a beautifully crafted rock song. The song starts off slow, sad and reflective. You can feel the remorse bubble over into anger through the course of the song. I play it at loud volumes, I suggest you do the same.

Click to play Wild Sweet Orange – House Of Regret

Kanye West
http://kanyewest.com/

“I ain’t going to bed no time soon / And when I do, I’m sleeping in my mama’s room!”

This is supposedly a bogus version of Kanye West’s much speculated-about song Mama’s Boyfriend. We had heard a capella versions of it when Kanye was doing rhymes at facebook and twitter headquarters. It was supposed to be on the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Dark Fantasy, or as a Bonus Track. It was not released as either. Word was that the song meant so much to him that he wanted it to be perfect before it was released. Having it released the way it has was really fired Kanye up. Here is the note from the label about it:

The version of the Kanye West recording “Mama’s Boy” that arrived on blog sites earlier this week is entirely bogus and unsanctioned, and violates the artist’s creative intentions. As is often the unfortunate case, an unknown party or parties got a hold of Kanye West’s vocal track and added their own soundbed to it, effectively and falsely releasing it as a Kanye West track from the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy sessions. The result in no way resembles the final song Kanye West intended his fans to hear, and he is deeply disappointed that one of the most personal, meaningful and special songs he has ever written would reach people in this way. Needless to say, measures are being taken to identify and prosecute the persons responsible for leaking this material.

I’m too afraid to put it on my servers. Here is the link to download it from Mediafire. Hurry! won’t be there long!

Glass Candy
http://www.myspace.com/glasscandy

Italo Disco is something I haven’t listened to for a long time. I used to throw some in my sets from time to time, back when I used to DJ regularly. Songs like this always remind me of my old buddy CB4.

Click to play Glass Candy – Feeling Without Touching

Glass Candy is from Portland, Oregon. That voice you hear is vocalist Ida No and the music is produced by Johnny Jewel. The song comes off the EP “Feeling Without Touching.”