richard hawley brings the cocktail pop

most know richard hawley as the guitarist for the much beloved pulp. in recent years hawley has stepped out on his own delievering albums worth of string-laiden gorgeousness. not much to say for this one but to enjoy.

- the ocean

*bonus*
- it's over love (acoustic)

echo and the bunnymen do dylan!

ok, it is late on thursday night and i wanted to have something posted for the faithful readers for friday so here is the preamble to the song. i sent a buddy of mine this track and i think it is a worthy post. echo and the bunnymen cover it's all over now baby blue and it serves as quite an interesting cover. the layered guitar work adds a great deal to the original, plus the voice of ian mccullough always helps. i'll keep the intro short so just have a listen.

- it's all over now baby blue

classic hip hop from the souls of mischief

the souls of mischief are perhaps the most overlooked group of hip hop's history. in 93 as the craft of hip hop was finding its groove, this group came along and left us with an album called 93 'til infinity. today we have 50 cent and cam'ron (sorry pitchfork but cam'ron is not that great, but nice attempt to shed the snobby image.) bringing in a brand of rap that cannot be called hip hop. hip hop is soulful with creative samples and original beats set to insightful rhymes, and this is excatly what the souls of mischief bring to the world of hip hop. the album 93 'til infinity easily ranks alongside the low end theory or any other classic album. it's a crime more hip hop fans are unaware of this group, so here is my advice: take all your 50 cent, eminem and young jeezy albums and burn them, then go obtain a copy of the souls of mishcief's 93 'til infinity. thank you and enjoy these songs from the aforementioned group and album.

- 93 'til infinity
- live and let live
- let 'em know

big star's underrated cult icon (not alex chilton)

chris bell was the power pop wunderkind (better matt? joking) that helped alex chilton create the catchy mess of the first big star album. with their debut album ironically titled, #1 record, being a bust, bell became suicidal. the next big star album brought a sparser use of bell's songs, due to his increasing depression and reliance on alcohol. throughout the 70's, bell created a host of tracks that were shelved and meant to be used as his first solo outing. unfortunately as bell was on the upswing, and feeling healthier he crashed his car, ending his short life in 1978. in 1992 the lost bell tracks were unearthed, becoming the lovely album titled, i am the cosmos, which features bell at his most poetic and heartfelt lyrically. the title track finds bell in full beatle mode, while you and your sister boasts the title of most underrated love song of all time. the final track here, look up, shows bell's intense spirituality that shines brilliantly. if you like what you hear then look for his album in stores, along with the big star catalogue.


-i am the cosmos
-you and your sister
-look up

andrew bird's on tour

FEBRUARY 2 // Milwaukee, WIMiramar Theatre
FEBRUARY 3 // Urbana, ILCanopy Club
FEBRUARY 4 // Bloomington, INBuskirk-Chumley Theater
FEBRUARY 6 // Louisville, KYLouisville Free Public Library
FEBRUARY 7 // Lexington, KYThe Dame
FEBRUARY 9 // Athens, GA40 Watt Club
FEBRUARY 10 // Tallahassee, FLClub Downunder, FL State Univ.
FEBRUARY 11 // Atlanta, GA Eyedrumbuy advance tickets
FEBRUARY 13 // Oxford, MSProud Larry’s
FEBRUARY 15 // St Louis, MOThe Pageant
FEBRUARY 16 // Ames, IAMaintenance Shop
FEBRUARY 17 // Madison, WIHigh Noon Saloon
FEBRUARY 23 // Minneapolis, MNFine Line Music Cafe
FEBRUARY 24 // Duluth, MNWeber Music Hall @ UMD

andrew bird is migrating around the country, and you should flock to his shows. ok, terrible joke, but bird is something rare in the world of rock and roll; he is an immensely talented musician and singer. don't get me wrong, i love three chord pop songs but the musicianship of his music cannot be denied. here are two songs from weather systems, his ep released in 2003, which features bird playing and singing alongside nora o'connor. enjoy.

-weather systems
-lull

the flaming lips are back

the lips are back with their new album called at war with the mystics. the album has been labeled political, but in a positive fashion. the w.a.n.d. is the new single that leaked recently and shows coyne and the band going old school back to their days before they had a studio budget. guitar fuzz, hand claps and a keyboard sounding like the fiery furnaces, along with coyne's falsetto ranting about a power struggle in the world comprise the w.a.n.d. i'll let you be the judge, but i found it disappointing considering their past discography.

-the w.a.n.d.

how long can man keep his dignity?

this film is one of the saddest pieces of cinema ever created. it makes
dancer in the dark and schindler's list look like a slapstick comedy compared to this tale of post-second world war era rome. the bicycle thief is a film of monumental importance and i can only say that you really have to watch to understand. this is neorealism at its finest and from the opening credits you will care about the characters having known nothing about them. i don't want to mention too much but the church scene is fucking brilliant when the rich scream at antonio to quiet down as they recite prayers about how they suffer for god.

watch this movie!!!! (sorry that sounds preachy)

rainy day music courtesy of hope sandoval

waking to cloudy skies and a steady cold rain makes exiting the warmth of the covers an immense task. there are few things that aide the transition into the waking state. hope sandoval and her music is among them. most of you probably know hope sandoval from the mopey alt. rock vehicle named mazzy star. yes, the band that sang fade into you, or the song at the end of the movie angus. hope sandoval was the voice to a band that brought the shoegazing 90's to a quiet close only to reappear as a solo artist around the turn of the millennium. her solo material can be related to another early 90's group of shoegazers called slowdive. slowdive ended and morphed into mojave 3, leaving the feedback behind for a stripped down folky quality. this is what sandoval's post-mazzy star music sounds like. these two changes also give a clue into what lies behind the wall of noise with all the bands of the same genre. regardless here are three tracks that illustrate the beauty and wonder of sandoval's dream-like warble of a voice.


-suzanne
-on the low
-clear day

the queen of rockabilly

wanda jackson spent the early part of her career as a guitar slinging female elvis. her music, which is much grittier than anything elvis did, exudes immense confidence and attitude. the music coincides with her edgy image that landed jackson in trouble with the conservative crowds she played for when she came on stage in a one-strap dress that left one shoulder exposed. time were different i suppose, but that added to the mystique around her early days. unfortunately jackson became a born-again in the 70's, and guess what? her musical prowess collapsed and jackson settled for making mediocre country records. damn you god! stay out of rock and roll.

here are two tracks from jackson's rockabilly years that sum up why she kicked ass until she found god. enjoy!

- tunnel of love
- i gotta know

serge gainsbourg- he's french bitch

a brief history of serge gainsbourg-
1. played piano jazz in the late 50's.
2. the early 60's started making lush pop music.
3. drank and smoked more than slash.
4. had sex with gorgeous parisian women.
5. bagged brigitte bardot.
6. created music with brigitte bardot.
7. drank and smoked some more.
8. broke up with bb for jane birkin. (bad move)
9. made great music that would prove to be his golden years as a musician.
10. faded from glory drinking and smoking while making raggae music.




enjoy some songs from gainsbourg's peak era in the late 60's

- bonnie & clyde
- ballade de melody nelson
- les sucettes

welcome to the new year! updates will begin regularly on january, 15.

"i know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period.
-god's self-proclaimed messenger, pat robertson

oh, extreme right-wing you are so insane. and also this man and other televangelists should be put on trial for taking the money of southerners who can't think for themselves.