KINGBLIND: Music, Art & Entertainment

2009-01-06T10:40:00.000-08:00

Apple makes iTunes primarily DRM free

Apple just made this very much official, and announced that some 8 million songs will indeed be DRM free (with a full ten million planned by the end of the quarter). As if that wasn't enough, it's also announced a new pricing structure for tracks, including a new $0.69 tier and a $1.29 one, which music companies will apparently be able to use at their own discretion. And, to keep things realy spicy, the company has also announced that the music store is now finally available over 3G, and not just WiFi.
(via engadget)

2009-01-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton found dead

Ron Asheton, the influential guitarist for legendary punk band the Stooges, was found dead early this morning at his home in Ann Arbor, police said.

Ann Arbor Police Sgt. Brad Hill said the department received a call around midnight with a request to check on Asheton, 60, because the unidentified caller said he had not heard from the guitarist in a few days. Police went to his home and found him deceased.

The death is still under investigation, but foul play is not suspected, Hill said.

The Stooges was founded in 1967 in Ann Arbor by Iggy Pop, Asheton and Ron Asheton�s brother, Scott. It is among the most important rock groups to have emerged from the Detroit area, a place that�s seen more than its share. The band was never a commercial success in its late 1960s and early �70s heyday, but the Stooges� raw guttural sound helped create the template for punk rock, and later became hugely influential in the alternative-rock revolution of the late 1980s and early �90s.

Asheton was not an incredibly gifted player technically, but the dirgy, guttural sounds he created on early Stooges classics like �I Wanna Be Your Dog� were cited by guitarists as varied as Kurt Cobain, Thurston Moore and Jack White � who once called the Stooges� 1969 effort �Fun House� the greatest rock album of all time. In a 2003 list by Rolling Stone magazine, the publication named Asheton the 29th-greatest rock guitarist of all time.

He made the �Stooges' music reek like a puddle of week-old biker sweat. He favored black leather and German iron crosses onstage, and he never let not really knowing how to play get in the way of a big, ugly feedback solo,� the magazine said.

Though the band broke up in the 1970s among a swirl of infighting and drugs, its influence among later generations of rockers helped spurn a series of reunion shows in 2003 � including a legendary August gig at DTE Energy Music Theatre. A near fanatical reception to the reformation spawned a new album, �The Weirdness,� and a second tour in 2007.

The Stooges were among the nominees for this year�s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, with the inductees expected to be announced this month.

In a 2003 interview with the Free Press, Asheton said the Stooges� reunion was very important to him, and that he got great satisfaction from the recognition the band received � even if it was a long time coming.

�When I was a young guy coming up, going to the Grande Ballroom every weekend, I got to see my heroes play. Jeff Beck, the Who, everyone. I didn't want to be a fanboy, but I'd stand there and wait � 'I just want to say hi, this was great.' I saw them walk by me with blank stares like they were zombies. I said to myself, you know, if I ever make it, I've got at least one minute for everybody who wants to say something. So I talk to people, and that's what's exciting now."

Von Bondies guitarist Jason Stollsteimer, 30, is among a younger generation of rock musicians who soaked up Asheton's influence. Asheton's playing was the embodiment of the Michigan rock sound, he said.

"To me, he was the epitome of raw punk," said Stollsteimer. "He wasn't flashy or over the top. It was raw. The riffs he wrote stood the test of time."
Stollsteimer's band opened for the Stooges at their 2003 reunion show at DTE Energy Music Theatre. It was a triumphant comeback that saw the Stooges treated with a level of attention and respect they'd never previously enjoyed.

"He was like a kid ina candy store, just so excited," Stollsteimer recalled of that night. "He wasn't afraid to show it. Some people are too cool, but he was obviously very happy and proud."

2009-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

Apple to include 'celebrity music lessons' on new version of 'GarageBand'?

Rumours abound that an announcement for the music application is about to be made

Apple is rumoured to be releasing a new version of music application 'GarageBand', featuring interactive music lessons given by celebrity musicians.

Apple traditionally updates its Mac program platform (which includes 'GarageBand') every January, and MusicRadar speculates that an announcement will be made about 'GarageBand' during the company's keynote address at the Macworld 2009 conference tomorrow (January 6).

'GarageBand' is available as part of the iLife multimedia suite on all Macs.

9to5mac.com says that the celebrity lessons are to be called 'Mentor'.

The service will reportedly allow users to download music lessons taken by their favourite musicians.

2009-01-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Springsteen Goes Free With Amazon, 'Guitar Hero'

Bruce Springsteen is offering free downloads through Amazon.com and "Guitar Hero" in the run-up to the Jan. 27 release of his next Columbia album, "Working on a Dream."

The third single from that project, "Life Itself," is up as a free track on Amazon.com as of today, along with a new video. Amazon previously made the album track "My Lucky Day" available, while the title cut was initially an iTunes exclusive.

Meanwhile, "My Lucky Day" and "Born To Run" will be free downloads on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii versions of "Guitar Hero: World Tour," beginning on the new album's release date and running through Feb. 4. Afterward, they will cost $2.

As previously reported, Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform Feb. 1 during the Super Bowl XLIII halftime show in Tampa, Fla.

The group has yet to confirm tour plans in support of "Working on a Dream," but headlining appearances at the Bonnaroo festival in mid-June and the U.K.'s Glastonbury festival later that month are strongly rumored.

2009-01-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

Radiohead Snags Kraftwerk For Spring Shows

Radiohead has drafted legendary German electronica act Kraftwerk to support its spring tour of Latin America, which begins March 15-16 in Mexico City. Kraftwerk will also play headlining shows April 25-26 in Wolfsburg, Germany.

However, the group's lineup appears to be in flux. Founding member Florian Schneider, who did not appear onstage with Kraftwerk during its 2008 world tour, has left the group, according to Kraftwerk's official fan Web site.

Lone remaining original member Ralf Hutter told the New Zealand Herald in September that Schneider has spent the last few years "working on other projects; technical things."

Last year, Schneider was replaced onstage by Stefan Pfaffe. The group also includes Fritz Hilpert and Henning Schmitz.

Here are Kraftwerk's tour dates:

March 15-16: Mexico City (Foro Sol)
March 20: Rio de Janeiro (Praca da Apoteose)
March 22: Sao Paulo, Brazil (Chacara Do Jockey)
March 24: Buenos Aires, (Club Ciduad)
March 26-27: Santiago, Chile (San Carlos De Apoquindo)
April 25-26: Wolfsburg, Germany (Altes Heizkraftwerk)

2009-01-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

Pavement: Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition (Album Review)

Fans of the '90s' preeminent lo-fi-literati rockers tend to divide themselves like different gangs from The Warriors � some are fiercely loyal to the clean accessibility of 1994's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, others to '95's more jammy, obtuse Wowee Zowee. But '97's ''mainstream''-friendly Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition, now reissued with 32 extra tracks, is a trove of effortless pleasures, from the pogo-party frolic ''Stereo'' to the rickety, fuzzed-up gem ''Date w/ Ikea.'' Many of the unreleased, B-side, and cover tracks here are less immediate, but no less joyful for the Pavement completist. This is good stuff.. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.

2009-01-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Bands to look forward to in 2009

We have scoured the web to find out what bands/albums the music community at large is looking forward to the most.

Guardian's "Introducing your new favourite bands"

LA City Beat- THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2009

The Daily Record lists musical artists to watch in 2009.

Seattle Weekly previews 10 highly anticipated 2009 albums.

BBC Newsbeat previews the big albums of 2009.

2009-01-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

Prince To Roll Out Three Albums This Year

Prince is planning to release three new albums in 2009 without the assistance of a record label, according to an interview with the Los Angeles Times. A "major retailer" is in talks with the artist to release the music physically, while a new Prince Web site will sell it in digital form.

The two new Prince albums are the tentatively titled "MPLSOUND" and "Lotus Flower." He was also heavily involved in an album titled "Elixir" from his protege, Bria Valente. "We got sick of waiting for Sade to make a new album," he said of that project.

As for "MPLSOUND," recorded at Prince's Paisley Park compound in Minneapolis, the Times describes at "electro-flavored" and full of "trippy, experimental pop songs." Q-Tip guests on one track.

"Lotus Flower" is more guitar-driven, an approach Prince says he came to after touring as the guitarist in singer Tamar Davis' band in 2006. Tracks include "Dreamer," a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson & Clover," "Colonized Mind" and "Wall of Berlin."

Prince's last studio album, "Planet Earth," was first released as a free covermount with the U.K. newspaper the Mail on Sunday in July 2007. It was subsequently issued worldwide by Columbia Records.

2009-01-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

Live Wilco DVD To Precede New Album

Wilco will release its first concert DVD, "Ashes of American Flags," chronicling February 2008 visits to Nashville's Ryman Auditorium and Tulsa, Okla.'s Cain Ballroom.

The project is due in February or March from Nonesuch, just in advance of the next Wilco studio album, which the band is now recording.

"Ashes" was assembled by longtime collaborators Brendan Canty and Christoph Green of Trixie Films, who previously worked on frontman Jeff Tweedy's solo DVD "Sunken Treasure" and the behind-the-scenes film that accompanied certain editions of Wilco's 2007 album "Sky Blue Sky."

According to a newsletter sent to fans, Wilco will play "a handful of gigs" in the southern U.S. in April, to be followed by an extensive tour of Spain in May and then "the usual summer hijinks with a new record and gigs everywhere imaginable."

Tweedy also has three solo shows on tap in Michigan and Illinois later this month.
(via billboard)

2009-01-02T10:40:00.000-08:00

Zooey Deschanel Engaged to Death Cab for Cutie Rocker

Zooey Deschanel is engaged to Ben Gibbard, the front man for Death Cab for Cutie, a source close to the couple said.

Rumors that the Yes Man / Elf actress, 28, was getting married spread after In Touch falsely reported she was engaged to a different musician: Hunter Burgan, a bass guitarist for AFI.

Deschanel and Gibbard, 32, are "so thrilled," the source tells Us. "Zooey was swept off her feet, and Ben is so excited."

2008-12-04T09:04:00.000-08:00

Kingblind.com Top 15 albums of 2008 (Part 3 of 3)

Well folks here it is... Our final top 15 albums of 2008. From writers in 8 countries we have tallied all the votes, crunched the numbers and POW... this is it... broken down into 3 groups (15 to 11. - 10 to 6. then 5 to 1.) Here is our list for the year. ENJOY! Now for the top of the heap, Number 5 to 1!!

Hope you enjoy our selections, See you in January!

1 Tv On the Radio: Dear Science

(Halfway Home- Video)

New York's TV On the Radio used to make difficult music that was easier to admire than to like. However, their fourth album seems to answer the conundrum of how to make experimental music popular. Led by guitarist/production wizkid David Sitek, Dear Science comes laden with awkward drums, avant jazz squawks, the hum of electric pylons and what at one point sounds like the whirr of a recorded hedge trimmer. However, the noises inhabit tunes that are never less than singable. With influences as diverse as The The, afrobeat and the funky guitar sound favoured by Chic and Haircut 100, Dear Science is both visceral and cerebral. Tunde Adebimpe sings everything from pop critique ("Angry young mannequin, American apparently") to old-fashioned sauce ("I'm gonna shake you, I'm gonna make you come"). The driving Spector-Numanesque Halfway Home may be album opener of the year, while the spectacularly lovely Family Tree is, implausibly, an art rock ballad. Career-defining stuff. And our album of the year.

2 White Denim: Exposion

(Shake Shake Shake- Video)

Right off the bat on Exposion, it�s hard to pin White Denim down. The first riff could be one jagged and broken guitar line. Or it could be a breakneck, two-guitar interplay. Or it could be samples of guitar notes cobbled together to make a fractured riff. It�s broken down and crackled enough to be made of busted parts, but based on a string of notes so quick and infectious that it is the perfect hook to pull you into the album. It also sets up an album where things that appear broken or backwards are actually the driving forces. On �Transparency�, you can hear the dry ruffle of the guitarist�s hard strumming almost as clearly as you can hear the chords coming out of the amplifier. �Migration Wind� opens with a cacophony of battling guitar notes and deep-underwater bass lines. �Shake Shake Shake� is almost too fast for its own good, the guitars so full of treble they sound like they might crack. But nothing ever does crack on Exposion. It always manages to just barely hold together. Not only does it keep its jagged pieces knotted together to make a whole, it meshes different sounds throughout the record. The frenetic energy on every track works against the album�s bluesy intentions in a very interesting way, making the emotion on these songs sound more exasperated and desperate than beaten down and sad. The vocals, even at their quietest, are full-throated howls of want and not keening wails of melancholy. And our baying hawkers�the whole band shouts in the background throughout the record�lead us through a rough and beautiful freak show of sounds. There�s the psychedelic pop of �Ieieie�. The atmospheric southern rock of �You Can�t Say�. The pastoral folk into sawdust power-pop of �Heart from All of Us�. From song to song, the band surprises the listener with a new take on a sound that is all theirs. Even when they take a break from the rough speed of most of their songs, they don�t lose any of their boundless energy. �WDA� has the laidback jazzy feel of mid-career Sea and Cake, while �All Truckers Roll� is all country road feel, but both break away from their starts in their own way. The former gets crunchier as it goes, while the latter crumbles from its sweet beginnings into the scratch and fizzle of cymbals and distortion squeaks.
From beginning to end, Exposion threatens chaos, but White Denim know the value of pushing to the edge without going over. The pop sensibility behind all this sprawling, sweaty R&B, mixed with a heavy dose of the roadrunner speed and snarl of garage punk, is what drives the haphazard beauty of this album. At its most out of control, this album exudes an impressive amount of focus, and in the end, White Denim gets to have it both ways. They�re as catchy as any pop band going, but they also handle strange sounds, texture, and off-kilter compositions as well as your favorite noise experimenter. No matter what music you�re into, Exposion probably has something for you.

3 Tabacco: Fucked up Friends

(Backwoods Alter- Video)

Solo debut from the main constituent behind Black Moth Super Rainbow. Features vocals from Aesop Rock. Early version of Fucked Up Friends' audio was featured on Tobacco's limited DVD collaboration with visual artist Beta Carnage. Follows up Black Moth Super Rainbow's 2007 smash hit, Dandelion Gum. On his first solo album, Tobacco explores a darker, starker, and altogether more badass dimension of his complex vision. With his group, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Tobacco distinguishes himself as a master of jagged beats, glowing melodies, and pronounced tension. This time, he works alone, in rural Pennsylvania, away from conventions and interference. And the results? They are magnificent.

4 Calexico: Carried to Dust

(Two Silver Trees- Video)

It's impossible to experience any undue tension or stress while listening to Calexico. Despite time spent in Los Angeles, where they met, founders Joey Burns (vocals, guitar) and John Convertino (drums) produce sounds more reflective of their sun-blasted Tucson environs. Since spinning off Howe Gelb's indomitable Giant Sand and forming their own collective, their songs have always been too hushed, too much like lullabies not to soothe the most savage breast, and Carried to Dust marks their most relaxed and confident effort to date. Burns and Convertino pursue such a mellow, yet expansive muse that they blur the lines between indie rock, imaginary soundtracks, and ethnographic explorations. As with the work of Douglas McCombs (Tortoise) and Sam Beam (Iron & Wine), who contribute to their sixth long-player, this isn't such a bad thing (the duo previously collaborated with Beam on 2005�s In the Reins). What they lack in edge or, God forbid, trendiness, the band makes up for in beauty and creativity. Note, for instance, the cascading keyboard figures of "Two Silver Trees" or the way toy piano and chimes entwine on lovely closer "Contention City." Calexico don't make music to get the party started, but to bring it to a warm and satisfying conclusion.

5 Deerhunter- Microcastle

(Nothing Ever Happened- Video)

Deerhunter wants to stay put. To be locked in windowless rooms. To never age. To sleep. To be dead. In a way, it's ironic that the Atlanta band gets tagged as punk, even when it's attached to prefixes like "psych," "ambient," or "art": Punk music agitates for upheaval, but Deerhunter seeks only stasis. "I had a dream no longer to be free," goes "Agoraphobia," and the line summarizes Microcastle: Deerhunter's latest is a complete fantasy, a shimmering depiction of what it's like to wish fervently for calm, but know it's not coming. The harsh, ambient darkness of 2007's Cryptograms is mostly absent on Microcastle, replaced by blazing gold and orange hues, warmly whirring guitar solos, pepped-up drumming, pop hooks, and gauzy echoes of Motown and krautrock. The bolder sound signals that Deerhunter is now less concerned with the scarring effects of loss, conflict, and the passage of time, and more concerned with the ways to escape those things�even if that escape is fleeting. On "Little Kids," a group of drunken youths symbolically reject aging by lighting an old man on fire. But as the flames rise, so does the sumptuous shoegaze squall and Bradford Cox's soft insistence that those kids will "get older still." Freedom from hurt: Deerhunter realizes it's impossible, but Microcastle shows it's a beautiful idea all the same.

2008-12-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

Kingblind.com Top 15 albums of 2008 (Part 2 of 3)

Well folks here it is... our final top 15 albums of 2008. From writers in 8 countries we have tallied all the votes, crunched the numbers and POW... this is it... broken down into 3 groups (15 to 11. - 10 to 6. then 5 to 1.) Here is our list for the year. ENJOY! Now on to part 2 ( Number 10 - Number 6. )

6 Black Keys: Attack and Release

(Strange Times- Video)

Of all the two-piece rock bands (Dresden Dolls, The White Stripes, The Kills, John & Jehn) out there making a royal racket, The Black Keys are by far the least affected by the last three decades of popular music, and evolution. Even more so than Jack & Meg. Which makes you check the album credits twice and then seek a second opinion--produced by celebrated uber-producer, superstar DJ and one half of Gnarls Barkley, the ubiquitous and really quite modern Danger Mouse?! No, your eyes do not deceive you, but thankfully neither do your ears. He may have brought a discipline and expensive sheen to Attack & Release, the riffing is buffed up real good, but this is essentially the same band that continues to live less of a life and more a Jimi Hendrix Experience. If there is a change it's that for the first time their foot is teased off the accelerator, with "Lies", "Remember When (Side A)" and "Oceans & Streams" loosening their shoulders and playing a more chilled brand of dusty sunset southern blues, adding in keys and new layers of texture (is that really a flute on "Same Old Thing"?!). There's still plenty of chance, on the massive Zeppelin-esque "Strange Times" and "Remember When (Side B)" for instance, to leave a boot mark though. More release than attack this time around, but the key still fits.

7 Crystal Stilts: Alight the night
Crystal Stilts : Dazzled (MP3)

Despite coming from Brooklyn, the hipster mecca that spits out 'now' bands like sunflower seeds in Yankees Stadium, Crystal Stilts somehow manage to distinguish themselves from the crowd. Formed in 2003 by singer Brad Hargett and guitarist JB Townsend, the now-five-piece doesn't fall into the trendy musical trappings of its neighborhood. Instead, the sound on Alight of Night is a swinging, noisy, glammy and overall dark evolution of garage rock. The opener "Dazzled" sways with a foreboding jangle and twang that, when coupled with Hargett's languid and somber bellow, invokes images of a Texas vampire saloon ala From Dusk til Dawn. Hargett's voice in fact looms like a gray, but welcome cloud over the whole record, especially on "Graveyard Orbit," a psych-goth tune littered with traces of Ennio Morricone and the Velvet Underground.
The proceedings aren't overly funereal, though. "Prismatic Room" is an upbeat pop number with melodies that wouldn't be out of place on a Phil Spector production. "The SinKing" is a driving quickie with all the implied sex and swagger of the Gun Club while "Shattered Shine," despite its title, is about as radiant as Psychocandy-era Jesus & Mary Chain. After honing their act in New York's bars and backrooms while opening for inspirations like The Vaselines, the Stilts have fleshed out a classical sound that was first realized on singles and an eponymous EP. Rather than overzealously mine the past and carry their influences on their sleeve, the band simply chooses to ride alongside them�and spill a little blood along the way.

8 Magnetic Fields: Distortion

(California Girls- Video)

Fans of the Jesus and Mary Chain will surely be thrilled with Distortion, which lives up to its title in the first few seconds of the jovial opener, "Three Way." The entire album is awash in a bed of feedback and noise sharp enough to match bandleader/Svengali Stephen Merritt's notoriously wry lyrical jabs. In its willful obfuscation of simple melodies, Distortion recalls MF's earlier, more electronic, more reverb-soaked output. Of course, Merritt's songs could probably work with any arrangement, cacophonous or otherwise. His lyrics and succinct melodies survive the treatment, and his inner Cole Porter remains intact. "California Girls" features regular collaborator Shirley Simms cheerily plotting a battle-axe attack on some of the more blonde and plastic elements of California society (Simms handles vocal duties on about half the tunes here). "Mr. Mistletoe" is an anti-carol with a forlorn Merritt attaching his romantic betrayal to various holiday symbols. "Too Drunk to Dream" is classic Merritt, with an upbeat but down-on-its-luck refrain: "I gotta get too drunk to dream / Because I only dream of you." Drenched in distortion, MF's now-expected acoustic instruments--cello, piano, accordion--create some remarkable textures. Merritt and crew remain full of songs and surprises, and in finding their ability to make a ruckus, have created an inarguably singular offering

9 My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges

(I'm Amazed- Video)

With a title like Evil Urges and the somewhat macabre cover image of an eye in a box, the uninitiated would be forgiven for thinking that Kentucky's My Morning Jacket have morphed into a mediocre metal band. Judge not a book by its cover, nor an album by its artwork. After the psychedelic rock offerings of 2003's It Still Moves and 2001's At Dawn, the band�s fifth release has stepped away from the reverb-heavy noisemaking which originally garnered them widespread critical acclaim. The sound has since been adopted by a whole slew of imitators, including Band Of Horses and Fleet Foxes, but My Morning Jacket are now concentrating on using a more eclectic range of instrumentation. However fans should fear not; the signature duelling guitars are most definitely back. With elements of country, rock, prog, pop, and indeed a good mix of other genres, the album is unrelenting in its diversity of sounds. Slow burner Evil Urges sports Kid A style guitar lines, sparse and wide and peppered with electronic whirrs, while Highly Suspicious has pure pop sensibilities; sounding more than a little like Prince, with singer Jim James descending into falsetto territory. In terms of variety, this album is about as widely based as they come. Complimenting this, the band tip their hats to their roots and with I'm Amazed, which is complete country rock, so much so in fact, it could almost be the work of an artist like Garth Brooks. Evil Urges is a curious package. You are treated to a veritable feast of different musical styles and genres, but often feel a little perplexed by the fare on offer. The sheer amount of choice is befuddling, but somehow, in a strange way, it all works. And it works well.

10 Mars Volta: The Bedlam in Goliath

( Wax Simulacra- Live on Letterman- Video)

No one has ever accused the Mars Volta of subtlety. But even so, the cyclonic caterwaul of Bedlam in Goliath is the band�s fullest starburst to date. Sure, the songs have titles that seem indecipherable, from "Aberinkula" to "Conjugal Burns." The important thing, though, is the molten, guitar-spiraling, drum-thundering core at the heart of the whole endeavor. "Aberinkula" opens the album with an unfettered explosion of clustered guitars and a dense keyboard haze pierced by Cedric Bixler-Zavala�s coarse, pitched yowl. A scouring soprano sax solo cuts across the songs�s midsection, and that vibe spreads throughout Bedlam, but so does the most pervasive melding of herky-jerk rhythms, post-punk speed, uber-funk bass, and chaotic riffage that you�re likely to find in rock & roll. If it�s Bedlam you want, you can�t miss here.

2008-12-02T09:03:00.000-08:00

Kingblind.com Top 15 albums of 2008 (Part 1 of 3)

Well folks here it is... our final top 15 albums of 2008. From writers in 8 countries we have tallied all the votes, crunched the numbers and POW... this is it... broken down into 3 groups (15 to 11. - 10 to 6. then 5 to 1.) Here is our list for the year. ENJOY! Now let�s get things started with our 1st batch, Number 15 to 11.

Number 11- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!

(Dig!! Lazarus Dig!!- Video)

Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! finds Nick Cave back at the helm of his long-term band The Bad Seeds after some impressive soundtrack work--2005's The Assassination of Jesse James--and a busman's holiday in the raw, rocking Grinderman. As the title suggests, Lazarus finds Cave returning to familiar themes of God and redemption, although some of the raw poise and wild-eyed humour that resurfaced in Grinderman remains: take the opening title track, which retells the Biblical story of the resurrection of Lazarus as transposed onto the sleazy, poverty-stricken backdrop of modern-day New York City. Musically, the likes of "Moonland" and "Night of the Lotus Eaters" have a swampy feel, all skittering drums, simmering bass and smoky organ riffs; elsewhere, there are rockers that tie on dissonant guitars without losing their dissonant touch ("Lie Down Here"). Probably the album highlight comes with "We Call Upon the Author", a sprawling, "Sister Ray"-like chugger that shows off Cave's skill for magnificent, sung-shouted narratives: "Now mixamatoid kids roam the streets, we've shunned them from the greasy grind/The poor little things, they look so sad and old as they mount us from behind".

Number 12- Death Cab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs

(I will possess your heart- Video)

Narrow Stairs might be the first album recorded by Death Cab for Cutie since Ben Gibbard's former solo project went unexpectedly stratospheric, but Gibbard hasn't let it go to his head. Oh, OK, maybe a little: lead-off single "I Will Possess Your Heart" is an eight minute jam that speeds off on one long, luminous curve before Gibbard's distinctive vocals swing in, sweet and plaintive as ever. Even when indulging their grander visions, though, Death Cab for Cutie are still familiar as the same band that wrote those fragile, winsome songs back before teen drama The OC came knocking. Never knowingly overstated, built from driving rhythms, flourishes of piano and intricate melodies, Narrow Stairs builds grand, emotionally loaded narratives from small, subtle parts. "Your New Twin Sized Bed" hides a deftly articulated tale of heartbreak and loneliness amidst soothing tangles of guitar, while "You Can Do Better than Me" is a sweet miniature that's part Pet Sounds orchestration, part wistful Dear John. This isn't, as Gibbard would previously hint, a dissonant or especially adventurous album. It proves, however, that Death Cab can extend their scope without diluting the pathos or energy of their music, and it not only sounds great, but bodes well for the future

Number 13- Stereolab: Chemical Chords

(Neon Beanbag- Video)

Being released by the iconic legendary label 4AD, Chemical Chords is a collection of purposefully short, dense, fast pop songs, according to Gane, brimming with Motown-like drums, O'Hagan's finest baroque-pop brass and string arrangements and etched with some of Sadier's most eloquent, mellifluous vocal performances to date, it is, nonetheless, classic Stereolab; like all their best work, a perfect equipoise between an implausibly cool past and a shamelessly exotic future. The eleventh album in an illustrious career, Chemical Chords began life in early-2007 when Tim Gane started messing with a series of about seventy tiny drum loops on top of improvised chord sequences using piano and vibraphone. Building them up from there later slowing the tracks down or speeding them up a totally new way of doing songs for us With typical prolificacy, the band laboured over the summer at their studio, Instant Zero (in Bordeaux, France), helping transform these blueprints into 32 luminous new songs, with keyboardist/technician Joe Watson manning the mixing desk. Half the new repertoire was selected for this album, which, for all the breathless spontaneity of its invention, is arguably the band's tautest, most highly focused work this century.

Number 14- The Hold Steady: Stay Positive

(Stay Positive- Video)

The Hold Steady's ascent and eventual breakthrough with 2006's Boys & Girls in America was never pre-ordained. If anything they did it without the tastemakers' consent. Their shtick is old-fashioned through and through, beginning with Thin Lizzy and ending with Bruce Springsteen, performed by men advanced enough to have experienced those touchstones first or second hand. And look at them--not exactly The Strokes, are they? But it was precisely their enthusiastic unoriginality, the fact that the clich�s were piled on so thick and so fast, that they triumphed. And placed next to that unapologetically feel good record, that Stay Positive sounds so immediately brighter and more muscular is undoubtedly a great sign. Production is really cranked up--see the horns wedged into "Sequestered in Memphis", the REM mandolin texturing of "Both Crosses" and the surprising harpsichord flagrancy of "One for the Cutters". They're clearly determined to not be so easily pegged this time around, though admittedly they never exactly go that far off-piste. "Our songs are sing-along songs," announced Craig Finn semi-helpfully, and though the spirit is right, with such a conversational lyrical style that is rarely the case. It's more about the rock gestures and knowing when to punch the air. And there are instances aplenty, from the Pete Townsend-esque windmill power-chords in "Constructive Summer", to the overblown solo in "Lord I'm Discouraged" that is so "November Rain" it's practically going through Stephanie Seymour's trash (those not watching MTV in the mid-90s, hit Youtube).

Number 15- REM: Accelerate

(Supernatural Superserious- Video)

In the decade since the departure of drummer Bill Berry, R.E.M. could seem at times schizophrenic. Their albums of the era, which veered from the experimentalism of Up and reaffirmation of Reveal to 2004's more diffuse, reflective Around the Sun, often stood in stark contrast to the vibrancy of their live act. But here the alt-rock godfathers have resolved that dichotomy with their most focused and satisfying album in over a decade; a collection that doesn't so much revisit the bracing ethos of the band's '80s coming-of-age, as boil it down to its essence and supercharge it with the energy of their contemporary stage shows. That sensibility is evident from the opening track, "Living Well's the Best Revenge," where Peter Buck's aggressive, distortion-drenched riffs and Michael Stipe's gruff snarl set the tone for "Mansized Wreath," "Horse to Water," and "Supernatural Serious"; rockers that bristle with the abandonment and aggressive energy of a band half their tenure. Yet it's no mere blast-from-the-past. The inclusion of the band's recent touring musicians (Scott McCaughey on second guitar and drummer Bill Rieflin) into the session mix, as well as working out much of the material live onstage in Dublin, has yielded something more sonically akin to R.E.M. 2.2. Stipe's penchant for the lyrically opaque has been largely supplanted by an edgy, articulate passion that variously explores "Houston'"s displaced Katrina refugees, the bluegrass-tinged "Until the Day is Done," and the more typical, quiet self-examination of "Hollow Man," before exploding in the album's unlikely, upbeat elegy "I'm Gonna DJ," where singer and band find renewed hope in not only music, but themselves.

2008-12-01T11:42:00.001-08:00

White Denim- Let's talk about it (Video)

2008-12-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

Kanye West- 808 and Heartbreak (Album Review)

I have this vision of Kanye West sitting in a hotel room, sad-eyed and head down, listening to his lady break up with him. She rattles off a long list of reasons why it's not working, and West storms off in a huff, angry yet devastated.

The next day, he goes straight to the studio and records "808s & Heartbreak," which is out today, just a little more than a year since his last album, "Graduation."

That's probably not how it happened, but on "808s," West holds a serious grudge. He sounds reactionary, ready to exact revenge on anyone who's broken his heart. It is by far the strangest record he's ever made: a willfully sullen and uncompromising electro-pop album from one of hip-hop's biggest stars. Aside from the first two singles ("Love Lockdown," "Heartless"), much of "808s" sounds like a sonic wasteland, with West's digitized voice floating in like a tumbleweed.

It's his first serious attempt to sing more than rap. But he relies so heavily on Auto-Tune, the du jour studio trick that dominates Top 40 urban radio, that you don't get a real sense of his vocal chops. He doesn't sing so much as he allows Auto-Tune to bend his pitch, flattening out all the nuances.

But his vocals are easy to overlook because the production values are so interesting. The songs have a lot going on, yet they sound bone-dry, sometimes industrial and cold. "Say You Will" opens the album on a spartan note, trailing off into three minutes of blips pinging back and forth.

The biggest problem here is West's songwriting. Some of his better lyrics would be clever as one-off rhymes in a rap song, but they're not strong enough to build into full-blown choruses. The shockingly shallow hook of "Amazing" is just West looping the words "so amazing"; not even guest rapper Young Jeezy, sounding like he's just snuffed out his 100th cigarette of the day, gives the song much life. Similarly, Lil Wayne's talent is squandered on "See You in My Nightmares."

After a foreboding cello intro, West hints at inner turmoil on "Welcome to Heartbreak," but it's hard to feel sorry for a guy who seems to have it all. "My friend showed me pictures of his kids/ And all I could show him was pictures of my cribs," he sings.

He's more in his element on the dance track "Paranoid," perhaps because he's back to rapping. He's quick on his feet as he glides over the kind of pulsating '80s synthesizers you might expect from Lupe Fiasco. And West finally gets in some good lines: "You wanna check into the Heartbreak Hotel/ But sorry, we're closed."

At least the brokenhearted star gets in the last word - it's just too bad he decided to sing it.

2008-12-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

Live Earth India Canceled After Terror Attacks

The Live Earth India concert, scheduled to be held in Mumbai on Sunday (Dec. 7), has been called off after terror attacks in India's financial capital killed nearly 200 people.

Jon Bon Jovi, Roger Waters and Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan were to share the stage at the event to raise funds for lighting homes with solar energy in places where people do not have access to electricity.

Islamist gunmen held Mumbai hostage for three days last week using assault rifles and grenades at two luxury hotels and other landmarks, killing close to 200 people, including 22 foreigners.

"We are all shaken up by this event, and even though we believe in the cause of global warming, we have indefinitely postponed the Live Earth concert," said Viraf Sarkari, director of the Wizcraft event management firm, the local organiser.

Many international artists due to perform at the event were bound by advisories issued by their countries asking citizens not to travel to India, making this an "overriding factor" in the decision to cancel the concert, he added.

"We have artists like Jon Bon Jovi and Roger Waters, so we had to take this into account as well," he said.

The statement was issued by Live Earth founder Kevin Wall, former United States vice president Al Gore and R.K. Pachauri, chairman of the United Nations Inter-government Panel for Climate Chang

2008-11-26T03:25:00.000-08:00

Kingblind Thanksgiving Mixed Tape (Mp3's)

Enjoy our collection of Thanksgiving themed tunes, See you next week!

Poi Dog Pondering- Thanksgiving

Adam Sandler - The Thanksgiving Song

Graham Parker - Almost Thanksgiving Day

William S. Burroughs - A Thanksgiving Prayer

Arlo Guthrie - Alice�s Restaurant Thanksgiving Massacre

Loudon Wainwright III - Thanksgiving (live)

DM Stith: "Thanksgiving Moon (demo)"

George Winston - Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T03:00:00.000-08:00

THE JESUS LIZARD TO REUNITE, FOUR SEMINAL ALBUMS REMASTERED AND REISSUED

In what has to rank as one of the most unlikely developments in rock, the awe-inspiring primal force of the Jesus Lizard will return, briefly, in 2009. The original lineup of David Yow, Duane Denison, David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly will reform for a very limited series of live dates in 2009, starting with the All Tomorrow�s Parties event dubbed The Fans Strike Back in Minehead, UK on May 9 and 10 and ending with a final appearance in Chicago in late November. These shows will be the Jesus Lizard�s first since disbanding in 1999 and the first in twelve years to feature the original storied quartet. As anyone who has experienced the Jesus Lizard live can attest, they are one of the most intense and visceral musical assemblies to ever stalk a stage. This fleeting reunion offers an incredible opportunity to either be blown away all over again or to immerse yourself in the sweaty power and driving mayhem for the very first time.

In celebration of this event, Touch and Go Records will reissue four full-length releases from the Jesus Lizard in May 2009. Remastered recordings of Head, Goat, Liar, and Down will be available on both LP and CD, all with expanded packaging and liner notes. Bob Weston is heading up the remastering process with Steve Albini, the original session engineer, sitting in.

Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

2008-11-25T12:40:00.000-08:00

BRODY DALLE RETURNS WITH SPINNERETTE

New York, NY - Brody Dalle, lead singer and songwriter of the
influential punk band The Distillers, is marking the next step in her
career with her new band Spinnerette. The band will release their first
new music, Ghetto Love, a digital EP available only at
www.SpinneretteMusic.com beginning December 11th. The 4 song EP will
include brand new Spinnerette songs all penned by Brody Dalle and
produced by Alain Johannes. On December 16th, the Spinnerette Ghetto
Love EP will also be available on iTunes.

After disbanding The Distillers in 2006, Brody took the last few years
to regroup and start a family with husband Joshua Homme. During this
time, she began focusing on a new direction to take her music and
mapping out the path to calling her own shots for her new project. The 4
new songs on the Ghetto Love EP � �Ghetto Love,� �Valium Knights,�
�Distorting A Code,� �Bury My Heart,� represent the first songs written
by Dalle for Spinnerette and are inspired by the birth of her daughter
and death of her father. They touch upon themes of redemption, salvation
and religion.

�The profound joys and deep sadness in that period couldn�t help but
come out in my art, as with all experiences worth exploring further.
Having such extremes occur in a compacted period ensured that they all
appear in this collection of Spinnerette songs,� Dalle reveals.

Brody has always been the keeper of her own destiny and that spirit is
front and center in this new chapter in her life. Not being one to jump
through hoops for anyone and caring passionately about her art, Brody is
firmly at the helm of releasing her music independently and preserving
complete creative control. �I can�t conform my art to fit someone
else�s expectations. So, in this crazy world of the �music business� -
I�m focused on finding a way to ensure I get to keep doing it for a
living,� adds Dalle.

The fire among Brody Dalle devotees remains ignited as Spinnerette
recently previewed new material at three sold-out shows in Southern
California to captivated audiences of both old and new fans. The blaze
for Dalle has also hit Indie 103 and KROQ in LA, BBC Radio 1 in the UK,
Triple J radio in Australia, and 102.1 The Edge and George
Stroumboulopoulos� radio show in Canada who have all spun new
Spinnerette music for their listeners.

Ghetto Love was recorded at PinkDuck and 11AD studios in Los Angeles.
Additional musicians on the ep include Alain Johannes (Queens of the
Stone Age, Eleven), Tony Bevilacqua (The Distillers), and Jack Irons
(Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers).

2008-11-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

Fountains Of Wayne Get Busy On New Album

It's been a busy year for Fountains Of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger. After nabbing a nomination for best original score for the songs he co-wrote for the Broadway adaptation of Cry-Baby, he was asked by writing partner David Javerbaum to help pen the lyrics for "A Colbert Christmas Special," which began airing this week on Comedy Central.

Now, things are back in motion for Fountains Of Wayne's next record, which Schlesinger hopes to have out in 2009.

"We still have a ways to go, but we have eight songs that are relatively close to complete now. We're looking to regroup after the New Year and do the second batch," Schlesinger said. "I think we're trying some different things on this record, but we're still the same band, to me. It's kind of too early to say what direction it's going to as a whole."

Schlesinger's also in the midst of recording with Ivy, originally his main band but overshadowed in recent years by the success of Fountains Of Wayne. "That one's been slow going for many reasons," he reports. "But we have a record that is halfway done as well. Two other members had babies recently."

Fountains Of Wayne will take to the road this winter for a short acoustic tour, which Schlesinger promises will showcase a handful of new tunes.

Here are Fountains Of Wayne's tour dates:

Jan. 14: Bellingham, Wash. (Walton Theater)
Jan. 15: Seattle (Triple Door)
Jan. 16: Portland, Ore. (Wonder Ballroom)
Jan. 18-19: San Francisco (Cafe Du Nord)
Jan. 21-22: Los Angeles (Largo)
Jan. 23: San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (Coach House)
Jan. 24: San Diego (Anthology)
Feb. 19: Alexandria, Va. (Birchmere)
Feb. 20: Annapolis, Md. (Ramshead)
Feb. 21: Philadelphia (Tin Angel)
Feb. 25-26: New York (Joe's Pub)
Feb. 28: Boston (Paradise Rock Club)
Marc 1: Northampton, Mass. (Iron Horse Music Hall)

2008-11-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

Damon Albarn: 'Blur are reforming for rehearsals'

Damon Albarn has confirmed that Blur will be reuniting next year.

The singer revealed his old band, including guitarist Graham Coxon, will be working together just before a special one-off performance of his opera 'Monkey: Journey To The West' at the BBC Radio Theatre in London this afternoon (November 25).

Before playing his composition that has been specially rearranged for the stripped-down performance, Albarn was asked by the host Janice Long whether Blur will be playing next year.

"Blur are certainly going to rehearse and see if we're into it," he said.

The band's last album was 2003's 'Think Tank', though guitarist Coxon only appeared on one track, having left the group a year earlier.

After the Blur news was confirmed, the live reworking of the 'Monkey' then took place, with the hour-long show featuring a huge string section, plus five male and female singers at the front of the stage.

Albarn sat among the performers for the performance, though apart from briefly directing the lighting took a back seat for most of the gig.

However, towards the end he joined in on a hand-held organ and guitar for a couple of tracks.

The gig will be going out live on BBC Radio 2 on Saturday (November 29) evening.

2008-11-24T12:27:00.001-08:00

Beatles' John Lennon 'forgiven' for 'Jesus' claim

Semi-official Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano has run an article forgiving the late Beatle John Lennon for a controversial statement he made in 1966, when he claimed that his band were "more popular than Jesus".

The article in the newspaper, which normally reports on the comings and goings of the Pope, said that Lennon had just been showing off and praised the band.

The article said that Lennon's comments had been "showing off, bragging by a young English working-class musician who had grown up in the age of Elvis Presley and rock and roll and had enjoyed unexpected success".

The newspaper was marking the 40th anniversary of the band's self-titled album known as 'The White Album'.

Lennon's 1966 comments, made in an interview with the London Evening Standard, had criticised religion.

"Christianity will go," he said. "It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue with that; I'm right and I will be proved right.

"We're more popular than Jesus now. I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me."

2008-11-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

Paul McCartney: 'Beatles and EMI 'stalled' over iTunes plan'

The Beatles' back catalogue isn't set to be available for legal download on iTunes any time soon, as Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that negotiations are "stalled" between Apple Corps and EMI.

McCartney said that despite having been involved in negotiations with the Liverpool legends' label, no satisfactory outcome was likely to come about soon.

"When it's something as big as The Beatles, it's heavy negotiations," he said in a London press conference this afternoon (November 24). "We're [the band members and their estates] very for it, but there are a couple of sticking points.

"It's stalled � there are a couple of sticking points between EMI and The Beatles. No change there then!"

The news on the updated situation follows reports in March that The Beatles and EMI were set to agree on a deal that would see the band's music become available on iTunes.

A deal has, however, been struck that will see a Beatles version of the 'Rock Band' computer game released.

McCartney was speaking as he launched his side project with producer Youth. The pair record under the name The Fireman, so kicked things off at the Fire Station pub in Waterloo, south London.

The pair's album, 'Electric Arguments', is released today (November 24).

2008-11-24T09:03:00.000-08:00

Guns and Roses: Chinese Democracy (Album Review)

In their heyday, Guns N' Roses were remarkable for their ability to ride catastrophe. Following Use Your Illusion I and II, however, in 1991, huge fissures developed in the band, which even they couldn't endure. One by one, the original band members left, most fatefully guitarist Slash, apparently unable to endure the �dictatorial� tendencies of singer Axl Rose

Work on this, their first album proper since then, actually began in the mid-90s. However, it's been made in such fits and starts, with such a liquid line-up (even Brian May dropped in at one point) that it would be a miracle of Sistine proportions if it amounted to anything coherent and consistent.
Such worries are, sadly, not without foundation. Soundwise, Chinese Democracy is all over the place. Tracks actually vary in volume according to their disparate ages, with the likes of �I.R.S.� (around on bootleg for years) quite clearly having been cut and finished years before the track that precedes it.

A similarly tangled story accompanies the music. Chinese Democracy is evidently the work of a man becoming progressively more interested in avant-rock forms: virtually every track on Chinese Democracy starts out sounding like it might amount to something that extends GNR�s parameters in truly unexpected directions (noir-ish ambient, electronic, even brass band on �Madagascar�). However, Rose's experimental hankerings generally give out after about 10 seconds. Oh Slash, where art thou?

Scouring the album for redeeming moments, one could cite the steely, futurist angst of �Shackler's Revenge� and the pianistic �This I Love�, which in making Elton John and Freddie Mercury sound like Chas N' Dave, must at least merit some kind of high camp award. And in �Prostitute� Rose offers a hint of atonement which excites fleeting sympathy. What kind of surreal pass has your life come to, after all, when you get involved in a fistfight with Tommy Hilfiger?
With rumours that the original G N'R are set to reform next year, and mega metal currently in the ascendancy, the insanity looks set to carry on regardless.

Rolling Stone gave this thing 4 stars? Give me a break.. Just because you put lipstick on a pig.. Well, you know the rest.

2008-11-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

Chinese Democracy WTF?
After 14 years of waiting, 14 tracks, 14 studios, 14 million dollars, 12 guitarists, nine producers and one chicken coop, Guns n' Roses' Chinese Democracy is finally hitting the shelves at your local Best Buy store on Sunday.

"Daily Fix" is breaking down the numbers of one of rock's most anticipated albums, including the 305,687,295 Dr. Pepper cans the soda company promises to giveaway in celebration of the release.