Damien Jurado has a new song out, and it is surprisingly groovacious.
"Nothing is the News" by Damien Jurado
(Click that down-arrow on the far right to download the song.)
The new album, Maraqopa, will be released in February.
It's Jurado, so it's going to be automatically awesome. Since it's Jurado and Richard Swift, it's going to be doubly awesome. And if all the tracks are as good as this one, it's going to be my 2012 album of the year.
More info:
http://secretlycanadian.com/blog/2011/11/new-damien-jurado-album-maraqopa-february-21st-download-nothing-is-the-news-mp3/
Speaking of new albums I'm tremendously looking forward to, Chris Staples is working on a new full-length project. But he needs YOUR help. Check out his Kickstarter page and see what goodies you can pick up by funding his new album.
And download Faces, his mellow five-track EP released on Bandcamp back in June.
http://chrisstaples.bandcamp.com/album/faces
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Punk Never Dies, It Just Gets Compilated
IndieVision.com released a fatty punk sampler way back at the beginning of the month called Punk Never Dies, but it has taken me this long to sift through the songs to determine if this compilation is in fact worth your bandwidth. It is, at least for my own ears.
As subjective as punk rock (RAWK) is, tolerances will vary. But there are so many songs (75!) everybody should be able to pick out something they like. There is a lot of new stuff, some stuff from ten years ago, and a couple songs from Lord knows when.
This is a Christian-themed comp, and unfortunately Christian-themed comps of any genre tend to feature low-grade watered-down music. There are a couple songs here I can't bring myself to listen to more than once (and have since deleted), but for the most part the tunes are of good-to-great quality and, generally speaking, good-to-great songs.
The old old-schoolers will appreciate the tracks by Ballydowse, Headnoise, The Altar Billies (featuring that guy from the Altar Boys), and a forgotten but awesome band called Empty Tomb (featuring members from Crux).
The old new-schoolers will appreciate the tracks by MxPx, Dogwood, Craig's Brother, Value Pac (!!), and Watashi Wa.
And the tots will appreciate all those new bands I've never heard of.
Other highlights include Hanover Saints, Man Alive (your favorite Israeli punk band), and a Twotimer demo. PLUS somebody covered "Bombs Over Broadway" just for fun. PLUS somebody covered a Saviour Machine track, possibly also for fun.
You will find a lot of good screamy stuff and some skate and some post and some pop and some things that are not punk in the slightest... and so on. Like I said, something for everybody.
So if you've got a speedy connection and four hours of your life to kill, download Punk Never Dies. You will, at the very least, discover a sweet new band you've never heard of. I'm currently taking mental notes on A Hope For Tomorrow (despite their terrifically generic name) and From The Eyes Of Servants (who are screaming the book of Psalms at me).
http://www.indievisionmusic.com/2011/10/31/punk-never-dies-vol-1/
As subjective as punk rock (RAWK) is, tolerances will vary. But there are so many songs (75!) everybody should be able to pick out something they like. There is a lot of new stuff, some stuff from ten years ago, and a couple songs from Lord knows when.
This is a Christian-themed comp, and unfortunately Christian-themed comps of any genre tend to feature low-grade watered-down music. There are a couple songs here I can't bring myself to listen to more than once (and have since deleted), but for the most part the tunes are of good-to-great quality and, generally speaking, good-to-great songs.
The old old-schoolers will appreciate the tracks by Ballydowse, Headnoise, The Altar Billies (featuring that guy from the Altar Boys), and a forgotten but awesome band called Empty Tomb (featuring members from Crux).
The old new-schoolers will appreciate the tracks by MxPx, Dogwood, Craig's Brother, Value Pac (!!), and Watashi Wa.
And the tots will appreciate all those new bands I've never heard of.
Other highlights include Hanover Saints, Man Alive (your favorite Israeli punk band), and a Twotimer demo. PLUS somebody covered "Bombs Over Broadway" just for fun. PLUS somebody covered a Saviour Machine track, possibly also for fun.
You will find a lot of good screamy stuff and some skate and some post and some pop and some things that are not punk in the slightest... and so on. Like I said, something for everybody.
So if you've got a speedy connection and four hours of your life to kill, download Punk Never Dies. You will, at the very least, discover a sweet new band you've never heard of. I'm currently taking mental notes on A Hope For Tomorrow (despite their terrifically generic name) and From The Eyes Of Servants (who are screaming the book of Psalms at me).
http://www.indievisionmusic.com/2011/10/31/punk-never-dies-vol-1/
Friday, October 28, 2011
That's Just Great
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Scant Thoughts On MWY's Weird Nirvana Cover
Mewithoutyou recently covered "In Bloom" for a Nirvana tribute album.
You can stream that dandy at MWY's website:
http://mewithoutyou.com/?p=213
A lot of tribute albums are ultimately unsatisfying. Bands either try to sound too much like the original artist (and fail because they are not) or they try to do their own thing and butcher everything to crap. And also Nirvana, for whatever reason, is a very finicky band to cover.
Mewithoutyou's take on "In Bloom" is... different. It's like listening to a MWY song but with Cobain lyrics. I didn't like the tune at first but warmed up to it before the song ended. I'm still not crazy about Aaron's post-Brother, Sister ball-less vocal style, but whatever. He can do what he wants.
The band reduces the lyrics to their poetic essence by removing all that distracting guitar-riffic fuzz. Filtering "In Bloom" through a MWY-shaped prism may not yield rainbows, but the results are still interesting.
I will probably never listen to the rest of this particular tribute album (titled Come As You Are, if you're interested), but I'm happy at least one of the songs is listenable.
You can stream that dandy at MWY's website:
http://mewithoutyou.com/?p=213
A lot of tribute albums are ultimately unsatisfying. Bands either try to sound too much like the original artist (and fail because they are not) or they try to do their own thing and butcher everything to crap. And also Nirvana, for whatever reason, is a very finicky band to cover.
Mewithoutyou's take on "In Bloom" is... different. It's like listening to a MWY song but with Cobain lyrics. I didn't like the tune at first but warmed up to it before the song ended. I'm still not crazy about Aaron's post-Brother, Sister ball-less vocal style, but whatever. He can do what he wants.
The band reduces the lyrics to their poetic essence by removing all that distracting guitar-riffic fuzz. Filtering "In Bloom" through a MWY-shaped prism may not yield rainbows, but the results are still interesting.
I will probably never listen to the rest of this particular tribute album (titled Come As You Are, if you're interested), but I'm happy at least one of the songs is listenable.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
That's Super
I woke up today with a sharp headache. I never wake up with sharp headaches. I've woken up with plenty of dull ones, but never one that felt like a tiny black hole was tearing apart the very center of my brain. It turned out rain was a-comin', and as my body adjusted to the relatively rapid drop in air pressure the headache eased.
So that's great. My skull is a painful barometer.
Do you know what's super? Bands that have the word "super" in their name. That's super. Here are the super bands I came up with.
Supertramp
Did you know Supertramp was formed when a Dutch millionaire told Rich Davies to start a band and do whatever he wanted with it? And it would all be funded? So Davies gathered some instrumentalists, formed the band, and produced a crappy prog album. Mr. Dutch Millionaire pulled his funding. Band members left. Nobody liked Supertramp. So Davies re-gathered some other musicians and wrote bouncier poppier music. Eventually Supertramp became world famous. This just goes to show that prog music is an awful thing.
Superchunk
Superchunk has been around for over twenty years, which is kind of awesome. What's more awesome is the fact that their music continues to be quite excellent. Also, every music video needs David Cross in it.
Superdrag
You won't recognize this band until you see the video for "Sucked Out," and then it will all instantly come back to you in a heaping tide of 90s radio rock. Singer John Davis, who is not the lead singer of Korn, decided he would rather be a Christian than an alcoholic and turned to Jesus-inspired rock and roll. I've seen him live before. He's good. Apparently Superdrag reunited in 2007 and released an album in 2009. But I have no idea what they're up to right now.
Supergrass
I have a Supergrass CD. I never listen to it. I really should.
Supertones
First the O.C. Supertones were cool, at least with the youth group kiddies. Then, as people realized ska was lame, they became not cool. They even dropped the Orange County from their name. But now, as the twenty-to-thirty-somethings reconnect with their 90s childhood, the Supertones are becoming cool again, but in an ironic kind of way. I still have at least three Supertones CDs. No, I will never sell them.
Superchick
You may have heard a Superchick song and not even realized it as they have a way of sneaking themselves onto TV and movie soundtracks. I may verbally deny ever rocking out to Superchick, but the gigantic Superchick sticker on my old stereo says otherwise. How embarrassing.
Superfamily
I've only discovered this Norwegian band within the past couple years. I like 'em.
EDIT:
I totally forgot about Super Furry Animals. This is probably because I don't listen to Super Furry Animals.
So that's great. My skull is a painful barometer.
Do you know what's super? Bands that have the word "super" in their name. That's super. Here are the super bands I came up with.
Supertramp
Did you know Supertramp was formed when a Dutch millionaire told Rich Davies to start a band and do whatever he wanted with it? And it would all be funded? So Davies gathered some instrumentalists, formed the band, and produced a crappy prog album. Mr. Dutch Millionaire pulled his funding. Band members left. Nobody liked Supertramp. So Davies re-gathered some other musicians and wrote bouncier poppier music. Eventually Supertramp became world famous. This just goes to show that prog music is an awful thing.
Superchunk
Superchunk has been around for over twenty years, which is kind of awesome. What's more awesome is the fact that their music continues to be quite excellent. Also, every music video needs David Cross in it.
Superdrag
You won't recognize this band until you see the video for "Sucked Out," and then it will all instantly come back to you in a heaping tide of 90s radio rock. Singer John Davis, who is not the lead singer of Korn, decided he would rather be a Christian than an alcoholic and turned to Jesus-inspired rock and roll. I've seen him live before. He's good. Apparently Superdrag reunited in 2007 and released an album in 2009. But I have no idea what they're up to right now.
Supergrass
I have a Supergrass CD. I never listen to it. I really should.
Supertones
First the O.C. Supertones were cool, at least with the youth group kiddies. Then, as people realized ska was lame, they became not cool. They even dropped the Orange County from their name. But now, as the twenty-to-thirty-somethings reconnect with their 90s childhood, the Supertones are becoming cool again, but in an ironic kind of way. I still have at least three Supertones CDs. No, I will never sell them.
Superchick
You may have heard a Superchick song and not even realized it as they have a way of sneaking themselves onto TV and movie soundtracks. I may verbally deny ever rocking out to Superchick, but the gigantic Superchick sticker on my old stereo says otherwise. How embarrassing.
Superfamily
I've only discovered this Norwegian band within the past couple years. I like 'em.
EDIT:
I totally forgot about Super Furry Animals. This is probably because I don't listen to Super Furry Animals.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Mariano Saves, Rodriguez Kills
Monday, just seconds before I dashed out the door for work, I watched Mariano Rivera record his 602nd save. Like, watched it on the TV. I was standing there in my work clothes, my wife was sitting on the couch in complete disinterest, and my child was clinging to my pants trying to get my attention. It was a magical moment.
I understand my wife's apathy, actually. The "save," in my opinion (and hers, but for different reasons) is overrated as a statistic. There are a very specific set of circumstances that must be met before a pitcher can be credited with a save. It's somewhat farcical and mostly unnecessary. The last pitcher pitches his inning or two. If the score is close enough he "saves" the game. Good job. If he blows the lead he may be credited with the loss. Bad job. If the score is not close then he gets nothing at all. Good game butt pat.
But there's no questioning Mariano's dominance. He's not there to close the door. He is there to slam the door. So watching Mr. Rivera do his job Monday was less a celebration of him setting the all-time saves record and more a celebration of Mariano's tremendous pitching career.
I remember when Jeff Reardon set the all-time saves mark in 1992. I was staying the night in a motel in Cooperstown, New York. I was 10-years-old. The next day was super awesome Hall of Fame museum day. But that night, after a long day of traveling, my family and I crashed at the motel and watched whatever game was on the TV. There was Reardon. There were his final pitches. He had won the saves record formerly held by Rollie Fingers. Reardon smiled his big beardy smile. I fell asleep.
Jeff Reardon held the all-time saves record for one season. I have no recollection of what I was doing when Lee Smith became the all-time saves leader in 1993.
I have no recollection of what I was doing when Trevor Hoffman became the all-time saves leader in 2006.
But, by golly, I was standing there in my living room at 4:30 pm Monday, September 19, 2011, when Mariano Rivera became the all-time saves leader. Documented history.
The active player second on the saves list? Francisco Cordero. He's got 323 saves. He is also 36 years old. This record will stick around for a while.
I can tell my child that she was there in front of the TV as well, even if she was wasn't paying any sort of attention to it.
I understand my wife's apathy, actually. The "save," in my opinion (and hers, but for different reasons) is overrated as a statistic. There are a very specific set of circumstances that must be met before a pitcher can be credited with a save. It's somewhat farcical and mostly unnecessary. The last pitcher pitches his inning or two. If the score is close enough he "saves" the game. Good job. If he blows the lead he may be credited with the loss. Bad job. If the score is not close then he gets nothing at all. Good game butt pat.
But there's no questioning Mariano's dominance. He's not there to close the door. He is there to slam the door. So watching Mr. Rivera do his job Monday was less a celebration of him setting the all-time saves record and more a celebration of Mariano's tremendous pitching career.
I remember when Jeff Reardon set the all-time saves mark in 1992. I was staying the night in a motel in Cooperstown, New York. I was 10-years-old. The next day was super awesome Hall of Fame museum day. But that night, after a long day of traveling, my family and I crashed at the motel and watched whatever game was on the TV. There was Reardon. There were his final pitches. He had won the saves record formerly held by Rollie Fingers. Reardon smiled his big beardy smile. I fell asleep.
Jeff Reardon held the all-time saves record for one season. I have no recollection of what I was doing when Lee Smith became the all-time saves leader in 1993.
I have no recollection of what I was doing when Trevor Hoffman became the all-time saves leader in 2006.
But, by golly, I was standing there in my living room at 4:30 pm Monday, September 19, 2011, when Mariano Rivera became the all-time saves leader. Documented history.
The active player second on the saves list? Francisco Cordero. He's got 323 saves. He is also 36 years old. This record will stick around for a while.
I can tell my child that she was there in front of the TV as well, even if she was wasn't paying any sort of attention to it.
-------------------------------------------
Speaking of baseball (and I usually do), I was at a game this past Sunday in Toronto. Blue Jays versus Yankees. I wanted to get a picture of Alex Rodriguez hitting a baseball because I thought that would be pretty cool. I wanted the precise moment the ball came in contact with his bat. And so I chose the pitch I would snap the shot. As the pitcher wound up I steadied my camera, but I was having trouble zooming in and focusing. The pitch was thrown and I snapped my shot late. But holy cow! A-Rod had lost grip of the bat and helicoptered it into the seats. And then I looked back down at my camera and holy cow! I took a picture of this...
Nice.
Everybody in the seats where the bat landed was okay. I think. Actually I hadn't heard anything at all about anybody in the bat-landing area. People might've died. There might still be a baseball bat impaled in the abdomen of a Toronto Blue Jays fan. Who knows?
Yankees lost, 3-0. Mariano Rivera did not record his record-breaking save that day.
Use ample pine tar, please. It will save lives.
Back. Or Front.
Two months.
Hiatus or laziness?
Or distractedness?
Who cares.
Currently I am sitting here sippin' my sippin' whiskey and listening to a handful of recommended tunes via hand-delivered memory stick. This is what I need sometimes, people to tell me the good new stuff.
My new music lag used to be one year. Something new to me would've already been out for one year. That was okay, especially when bands and singers took two years between albums. But now my lag is, like, three or four years. Unacceptable.
Does anybody else want to play the memory stick game? You give me a stick full of songs you think are the best, and I'll empty it and return it full of songs I think are the best, plus new music that's actually three or four years old.
Seriously, drop me a message. We'll do it postal. And I promise not to steal your stick and sell it on eBay.
Hiatus or laziness?
Or distractedness?
Who cares.
Currently I am sitting here sippin' my sippin' whiskey and listening to a handful of recommended tunes via hand-delivered memory stick. This is what I need sometimes, people to tell me the good new stuff.
My new music lag used to be one year. Something new to me would've already been out for one year. That was okay, especially when bands and singers took two years between albums. But now my lag is, like, three or four years. Unacceptable.
Does anybody else want to play the memory stick game? You give me a stick full of songs you think are the best, and I'll empty it and return it full of songs I think are the best, plus new music that's actually three or four years old.
Seriously, drop me a message. We'll do it postal. And I promise not to steal your stick and sell it on eBay.
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