thank heaven 4 freddie joachim/afta-1 is a true superhero. real talk. both dudes are changing the game. if you’re not hip to either. get yourself familiar asap: hereor here. right those guys rule. but also….. esthero is fuckin great. if you don’t own both the “breath from another” and “wikked lil girls” lps you are truly missin out, champ! our homegirl has a new record due sometime this year. we can’t wait.
back for blood… The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Soundtrack. low and behold a few gems on this soundtrack. watch the movie… or not, but the soundtrack is worth a gander.
Bat For Lashes and Beck- Let’s Get Lost info BFL info Beck purchase
B-side to Crocs “Sleep Forever” single due July 5th via Fat Possum Records. we dig, and that ambition don’t come free. in other news, plastic shoes save lives!!
Crocodiles – Groove is in The Heart / Califonia Girls info purchase
“Sleeping In Our Clothes” is an ultimate nightime track (lullaby) from portland folk collective Musee Mecanique. do yourself a kindness, and get your hands on a copy of Hold This Ghost…
Musee Mecanique – Sleeping In Our Clothes info purchase
b3sci mixtapes: darkchild. for three years between 1998 to 2000, producer rodney “darkchild” jerkins was on total absolute fire. during that period jerkins hit the top 10 of the billboard hot 100 7 times (including 4 No. 1’s). i mean, seriously, “the boy is mine”, “say my name”, “if you had my love”, “angel of mine”……just a crazy run. i’ve always been drawn to darkchild’s production style (dude could put me up on a toni braxton song.) ….the mix of acoustic guitar, the subtle multi-layered rhythms, the keyed countermelodies, and the just killer (and usually pretty interesting) chorus hooks. the guy still puts out big records, in ’08 he had a top 10 hit with the pussycat dolls “when i grow up” and did much of the production on janet jackson’s “discipline” record. right so lets go, darkchild ’99.
b3science reviews our choice top 10 remixes of 2009! so check’em while they’re still hot! and stay tuned tomorrow… as we count down the year’s best 20 albums and thursday as we reveal our favorite40 tracks of the year. check the original posts for a synopsis on the track as well as artist and purchase info.
swede girls liechtenstein provide soundtrack for the next bard college rave party. “survival strategies in a modern world” (breaking face, i’m guessing!) is in stores now.
Since their full-on rock and roll debut with ‘Good Feeling’ in ’96, and their critically acclaimed follow-ups ‘The Man Who’ and ‘The Invisible Band’, Scottish Britpop darlings Travis are yet to achieve similar commercial success in the states. At a favorite show of mine in Chicago October of 2003, frontman Fran Healy told the audience of a recent conversation he had with a radio DJ. He explained that to radio, Travis’ music is described as “disenfranchised”. Fran asked the audience how good it felt to be part of the disenfranchised? The ovation hurt my ears.
Like so many great bands, Travis don’t seem to care much about the rules. They packed the Wiltern in Los Angeles and performed their diverse catalogue to an audience who hung-on to every moment. From their trademark ballads to their bluesy guitar screaming anthems, Fran’s always brilliant pipes and Andy Dunlop’s signature guitar wailing make Travis a uniquely dynamic live spectacle. Highlights from this show include “Side”,”Selfish Jean” and my favorite “Writing To Reach You,” as Fran sings us the question we all really want to ask… what’s a wonderwall anyway???
Without saying, I anticipate many more “disenfranchised” moments with Travis..
two albums enter but only one can be victorious…..
wavves – wavves (2008)
01. rainbow everywhere: ???
02. beach demon: ok, rock and roll. 4/4 beat. but where is the singing?!?!!! wow, if i listen to this song anymore, i think i’ll die. ok, next.
03. to the dregs: oh baby, this sucks!
04. sun open my eyes: i wish i were able to solar eclipse my ears about now
05. gun in the sun: more like gun in my ears!
06. so bored: agree!
07. goth girls: sucks!
08. no hope kids: agree!
09. weed demon:
10. california goths: not another song with the word “goth” in the title. too much nihilism in my area!
11. summer goth: see above
12. beach goth: wow noise!
13. killr punx, scary demons: i want to “scare demons” by “killing the punk” who recorded this piece of piss
14. surf goth: wow!
sam cooke – live at the harlem square club (1963)
01. feel it: i love how amped the crowd is to hear cooke. you can really feel it in the recording. don’t fight it, feel it.
02. chain gang: i love the rawness of the mix….the rattle of drum kit. the urgency of this performance….the looseness of the interplay between cooke and his band and cooke and his audience.
03. cupid: cooke has probably performed this song hundreds of times to thousands of people… but even through the recording it really doesn’t feel that way. cooke wants to sing this song. he wants to sing it you. and nothing else matters to him at the moment than that.
04. it’s allright/for sentimental reasons: hell yes! i love how he sets up the opening few lines of “it’s allright”. don’t hit on your wife or anything like that! just let her know!
05. twistin’ the night away: it’s amazing how happy a song recorded 46 years ago can make you feel.
06. somebody have mercy: amen!
07. bring it on home to me: so awesome. what a vocal. the tension build/resolution dynamic between vocal/band is especially powerful.
08. nothing can change this love: i got into this song through otis redding’s version. i love otis but cooke just kills this.
09. having a party: cooke’s instruction to the audience to continue to party after the show and into the night feels more like a celebration than a valediction.
