I've been a huge fan of Blur since I first heard "Girls & Boys" off the album "Parklife." I became an even bigger fan after they released the self-titled disc that included "Song 2." I got the chance to see them live for the accompanying tour, when they stopped in San Diego and took up residence at `Canes in Mission Beach. Yes, the same venue that only holds about 500 people. Here was a band that routinely sells out venues like Wembley or The Budokahn playing in a dingy little beachfront club. And it honestly was one of the best shows I'd ever seen. Anyway, when Damon Albarn took some time off to work on various side projects; well I was a little miffed. How could he produce anything as wonderful as what Blur had already committed to tape? Well, the answer of course was Gorillaz. Their eponymous debut album was in constant roration in my house, car, laptop, and any friend not keeping a close eye on their stereos. And what a kooky idea to have it fronted by a bunch of cartoons, expertly drawn by Jaime Hewlett of "Tank Girl" fame. So, with a new album coming out in June and a new video currently making the rounds online, I have to say I'm quite jazzed to hear what the new disc will sound like. If this is any indication, we're in for a wild ride. This new track, Feel Good, Inc. features De La Soul and is mixed by DJ Dangermouse of The Grey Album fame.

Very, very sweet new video from the animated band, Gorillaz

(link via Chris Diclerico )


Via Said The Gramophone :

2004's Frames release, Burn the Maps, is a tough one. After the intimacy of For the Birds, it's jarring to come up against such an alienating record, one so sparse with its hooks and its catchy. I've heard it compared with Kid A, but I think Amnesiac is a much better touchstone. Electronics have been mixed into the band's folk and rock, but unlike Kid A, where the bleeps seemed the most human thing about it, on Burn the Maps and Amnesiac the electronics are confrontational, splintering, intimidating. (Of course, let's not go overboard: The Frames don't exactly play drill-and-base, they don't even get as noisy as Wilco on Ghost is Born, and everything's always pretty mellifluous.)

The Frames - "Trying".


Sorry, it had to be done:

They've not fed Terri Schiavo for 13 days, but she's
still surviving. And let's just consider that
this whole fiasco boils down to the irony of
religious wingnuts trying to forcefeed a woman
whose coma was caused by her bulimia.

STOP THE PRESS: Sorry, she's just died. Oh well. At least that means we won't have to listen to
jokes like this any more:

Michael Schiavo goes out for dinner after a day at his wife's bedside and orders a steak.
"Very good sir", says the waiter, "and for the vegetable?" "Oh", replies Michael,
"she's not hungry."

Even though the album title is ridiculous ("Make Believe?" Why don't you make believe that you can come up with a better album title than that!) the first single is infectiously great. Reviews have ranged from ho-hum to HOLLA!, but there's no doubt everyone will agree that the video for "Beverly Hills" is the funniest thing since, well since Rivers Cuomo donned a letterman's jacket and sang at Arnolds. Here for your viewing (dis)pleasure:

Beverly Hills(video)

Dodge over at My Old Kentucky Blog loves Pete Yorn almost as much as I do.

Pete Yorn - Life On A Chain
Pete Yorn - Strange Condition
Pete Yorn - For Nancy

Arpeggi, a new song played by Thom Yorke, Johnny Greenwood and the Nazareth Orchestra at the Ether Festival, is available for download, along with versions of Smear and Where The Bluebirds Fly, HERE. (via stereogum & Golden Fiddle )

And now for something completely different: Felix Da Housecat to collaborate with Radiohead?

Lastly, if you've heard one Oasis tune you've, well you've heard `em all. First single off their upcoming whopper of an album.

Oasis - Lyla

So yeah, I'm a Jew. But I also celebrate most Christian holidays, like Easter. My wife is a Christian, although not a very good one. Not that I'm a great Jew either. I think that's why we've never had any quarrels about religion. So being that yesterday was Christ's big day and all, we got together with her side of the family to celebrate, eat lot's of good food and drink an obscene amount of mimosas. Gosh Easter is swell! So after about my 10th cocktail, I got to thining about religion abit, and my mind naturally started to wander towards the divine enigma which is Bono. And you know what I realized? I can't stand the little fucker anymore. The smug looks. The tired poses. The retreaded shit that somehow passes as an "album." What the fuck does this guy possess that still endears him enough to his legion of fans for them to line up a whole DAY before their sold out show at The San Diego Sports Arena...ahem, excuse me, the IpayOne Center, just to get in the front of the GA line? Will someone PLEASE explain this to me? Cause I really would like to know. Mind you, I won't try and hide the fact that, yes I did attempt to procure tix to the SD shows this week, but after being bounced out of the ticketbastard system after 1 minute, well I gave up. How badly did I really want to see U2 shake their tired asses on stage? Not very much apparently. Someone offered me one ticket for $150.00 Not in this fucking lifetime sorry. I'll gladly pay $200 for one ticket to Radiohead anyday of the week but for some reason, paying that much to see U2 is akin to buying the cheap seats for the Ice Capades. So, to sum up: Bono...the soapbox you've been standing on for the last 25 years is starting to splinter. And I hope when it cracks, you get one helluva large piece of wood up your arse.

Anyway, here for your listening (dis)pleasure:

U2 - How to Dismantle, Promo
U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind 2
Belle and Sebastian - Present Books
Q and Not U - Power
Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism

In other news:


CROWDED HOUSE DRUMMER DEAD

After disappearing on Friday, PAUL HESTER, drummer for Eighties pop bands CROWDED HOUSE and SPLIT ENZ, was found hanged in a park near his home in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday. Crowded House was one of Australia's most successful bands in the late Eighties and early Nineties, with hits such as "Don't Dream, It's Over" and "Weather With You." Hester was forty-six years old. Speaking to the Australia Daily Telegraph, Crowded House singer Neil Finn paid tribute to Hester, declaring "I’m devastated, I have lost one of my best mates". Hester lived in Melbourne and is survived by his partner Mardi Sommerfeld and two young daughters.


BRIGHT EYES TOUR "URN"

Singer-songwriter CONOR OBERST's BRIGHT EYES will launch a thirty-date North American tour supporting their "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" album with Saddle Creek labelmates the FAINT on April 28th in Kansas City, Missouri. The jaunt follows the band's supporting tour for the folksy "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning," released simultaneously with the more electronica-tinged "Digital Ash."

04-28 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre#04-29 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre#05-01 Indio, CA - Coachella05-04 San Francisco, CA - Concourse Exhibition Center#05-06 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom#05-07 Seattle, WA - Showbox#05-08 Seattle, WA - Showbox#05-11 Council Bluffs, IA - Mid-America Center#05-12 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue#05-13 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue#05-14 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre#05-15 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre#05-16 Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre#05-18 Toronto, Ontario - The Docks#05-19 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis#05-20 Providence, RI - Lupo's At The Strand#05-21 New York, NY - Webster Hall#05-22 New York, NY - Webster Hall#05-23 New York, NY - Webster Hall#05-24 New York, NY - Webster Hall#05-25 New York, NY - Webster Hall#05-26 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club#05-27 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club#05-30 Atlanta, GA - TBA#06-02 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live#06-03 New Orleans, LA - TwiRoPa#06-04 Austin, TX - Stubb's Barbeque#06-08 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre#06-09 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre#06-10 San Diego, CA - SOMA#

* with R.E.M.# with the Faint


Members of RADIOHEAD debuted new material on stage in LONDON on March 27

Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke played two tracks together at the Royal Festival Hall with the London Sinfonietta. The duo debuted the delicate-sounding ‘Arpeggi’, which featured ocean-themed lyrics, plus played ‘Where Bluebirds Fly’, a b-side of ‘There There’. Both tracks were specially arranged for orchestra by Greenwood.

The appearance was part of Greenwood’s collaboration with the London Sinfonietta for the South Bank’s Ether festival, and saw the guitarist pick a selection of experimental music for the evening. The orchestra performed two compositions by Greenwood, "Smear" plus the world premier of "Piano For Children," along with a series of other short orchestral works.

The event also witnessed a guest collaboration with the Nazareth Orchestra who injected an Arabic influence not only with their own work, but by joining in ‘Where Bluebirds Fly’ with the Radiohead duo. The programme featuring Yorke and Greenwood, is due to be repeated tomorrow at the Royal Festival Hall.

Ok so I couldn't wait until tomorrow to post again. Do you see how much I love all of you? Anyway, check out some cover songs from a host of different artists:

Elliott Smith - Because (Be.mp3 (Beatles cover)
Ben Folds Five - She Don't .mp3 (Flaming Lips cover)
Blur - Oliver's Army .mp3 (Elvis Costello cover)
Fiona Apple - acrosstheuniv.mp3 (Beatles cover)
Foo Fighters - CarryOnMyW.mp3 (Kansas cover)
Janes Addiction - Ripple (G.mp3 (Grateful Dead cover)
radiohead - nobody does it .mp3 (Theme From James Bond cover)
Weezer - Please Let Me Get .mp3 (The Smiths cover)

Thanks to Matt!

I'm feeling hip hop today. Yes, I'm pretty sure that's where this rash is coming from. Enjoy:

The Roots - Live Sessions in NYC
Jurassic 5 - Power in Numbers
N.E.R.D - In Search Of
16 - ATliens - OutKast.mp3
18 - definition - mos def and talib kweli.mp3
12 - Full Clip - gangstarr.mp3
13 - Acknowledge - Masta Ace.mp3
06 - 99,9% - jeru the damaja.mp3
15-talib_kweli-get_em_high_(feat_kanye_west).mp3
06 - Hieroglyphics - Classic.mp3
Blackalicious-Alphabetic Aerobics.mp3
Deltron 3030 - Things You Can Do.mp3
Mos Def - Ms. Fat Booty.mp3

I apologize for not having any witty banter for everyone today. Just a little stressed out blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda. I promise I'll be back tomorrow in fine fighting form! S.W.A.K.

the smiths - best of the smiths vol. 1
jeff buckley - grace
kelis - tasty
tom waits - real gone
radiohead - hail to the thief
rilo kiley - more adventurous
oasis - standing on the shoulder of giants (johnny would be so proud!)
Jar of Flies (Alice In Chains)
Pleasure Victim (Berlin)

and to satiate your immense love for Depeche Mode:

101 Disc 1
101 Disc 2
Behind the Wheel [UK]
Black Celebration
Catching Up with Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode - Little 15 (Live Acoustic).mp3
Construction Time Again
Enjoy the Silence [EP]
Flexible (Pre-Deportation Mix).MP3
Leave in Silence [#1]
Love in Itself [#1]
Master and Servant [UK]
Music for the Masses
Never Let Me Down Again [#1]
The Singles 81-85
The Singles 86-98 Disc 1
The Singles 86-98 Disc 2
Ultra
Violator

Sarah Silverman is a comic godess. Hopefully, the majority of you aren't sctraching your heads right now thinking "Who in the hell is Sarah Silverman," but for those of you who are, please watch a preview of her 1st concert film. You can watch the trailer here. And if you aren't convinced/laughing your ass off after the first joke she utters, well then you need psychological attention. Preferably in an "in-patient" setting.

Props to my brother from another mother over at http://youaintnopicasso.blogspot.com/ for choosing Radiohead's "The Bends" as his #1 album of all time. Mine would be "Kid A' but that's a whole other story in itself. Check out these two superb tracks from "The Bends":

Fake Plastic Trees
Just

Here's some more RH news for you via NME/Kingblind:

RADIOHEAD are working on new material – and guitarist JONNY GREENWOOD has spoken for the first time about a rare live appearance next week in LONDON. As previously reported, new music from members of Radiohead will be played for the first time at the London Ether Festival. Material penned by Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood will form part of The London Sinfonietta at the London Royal Festival Hall (March 27-28). Organisers say the events will feature "two evenings of experimentation, collaboration and cross-genre juxtaposition". New music from Greenwood and Yorke will form part of the show, along with more classical composers and traditional Arabic song. Speaking in The Guardian newspaper, Greenwood explained the challenges of the shows, and how they will influence the next Radiohead record. He said: "I feel embarrassed talking about it. I'm so patchy. I'll be obsessed with a few composers, and know nothing about the rest. I get these enthusiasms which can drive the band crazy, but I just say: ‘Listen, French horns are amazing, we've got to find a way of using them. Or I'll say, ‘It would be great if this song sounded like Penderecki, or Alice Coltrane’. ” And it's childish because none of us can play jazz like Alice Coltrane, and none of us can write the kind of music that Penderecki does. We've only got guitars and a basic knowledge of music, but we reach for these things and miss. That's what's cool about it." Speaking about working with the Sinfonietta, he added: "They're a great orchestra because they're up for radically changing things at the last minute. I cut six minutes out during rehearsals… There's something about classical musicians - they tend to be totally without ego, and so enthusiastic, but also just so talented." However, Greenwood has ruled out working in classical music full-time, saying that his heart remains with Radiohead. He concluded: "Radiohead is always going to be the centre of what I do. Everything starts with songs, and with Thom, and with the excitement you can get in the band when you hear new music, and you know you've got the chance to watch it mutate and change. There's nothing like that, nothing as exciting. We're rehearsing at the moment, and again it's fun. We all want to push forward, and when you have five people who are all like that, you couldn't ask for a better thing." (Via NME)


I wrote about how much I loved The Bravery a while ago, and it was nice to see that Cellophanegirl at Me You, We Two has a lovely acoustic version of "Honest Mistake" up for your previewing pleasure. You can check out her site from thru my links on the left.

The Bravery - Honest Mistake (Acoustic)


THE LA'S RETURN!

The La's have confirmed their first UK dates in over a decade, NME.COM can exclusively reveal. The influential Liverpool band, which now features Lee Mavers, John Power, Jay Lewis and Nick Miniski, will warm-up for their performance at Japanese festival Summer Sonic with three British shows. The dates are:

Sheffield Leadmill (June 13)
Manchester Ritz (14)
London Shepherds Bush Empire (14)

No word yet on any Stateside shows, but nonetheless I'm still extremely spastic about this great piece of news. The La's debut (and only) album remains one of my all-time favorites. You know me and my feelings regarding "pop sensibility." Lee Mavers and Co. crafted a loose, hook laden album and then promptly fell off the face of the earth. Glad to see them back!

Spoon to Tour North America in June

www.pitchfork.com reports:

So before you get all uppity about it, let us just say: We know we just reported Spoon tour dates last Friday. But here's the thing-- those shows, aside from one SXSW date (which already happened) and the Coachella date in April, are all taking place in Europe. Where you, most likely, are not. But you know Spoon loves the native North American-dweller just as much as the next deified indie rock band, which is why they're planning on spending their summer with you and you and you.

Yes, it's true-- Spoon will be marching quickly through the U.S. and Canada for the better part of June in support of their upcoming fifth full-length Gimme Fiction, hitting both coasts before ending up in their hometown of Austin. The Clientele will be along for the ride, and because we're cool like that, we've even reprinted the European dates from last week. Turn your camera on:

04-06 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia *04-08 London, England - Brixton Academy *04-11 Hamburg, Germany - Grosse Freiheit *04-12 Koln, Germany - E-Werk *04-13 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle *04-15 Treviso, Italy - New Age *04-16 Firenze, Italy - Sasch Hall *04-17 Modena, Italy - Vox *04-19 Bordeaux, France - Le Krakatoa *04-20 Nantes, France - Halle de la Trocardiere *04-21 Paris, France - Le Zenith *04-24 Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz *04-25 Madrid, Spain - La Riviera *04-30 Indio, CA - Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival06-01 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse #06-02 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle #06-03 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club #06-04 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts #06-05 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace #06-06 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street #06-07 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club #06-08 New York, NY - Webster Hall #06-09 New York, NY - Webster Hall #06-10 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom #06-11 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre #06-12 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue #06-13 Lawrence, KS - Granada #06-14 Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater #06-16 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom #06-17 Vancouver, British Columbia #06-18 Seattle, WA - Showbox #06-20 San Francisco, CA - TBA #06-21 Los Angeles, CA - TBA #06-22 Tempe, AZ - TBA #06-24 Dallas, TX - TBA #06-25 Austin, TX - TBA #

* with Interpol# with The Clientele

* Pitchfork Review: Spoon: Kill the Moonlight
* Pitchfork News: Spoon Sign Distribution Deal With Matador
* Spoon: http://www.spoontheband.com/
* Merge Records: http://www.mergerecords.com/

Get thee to a record store now:

Brendan Benson
The Alternative to Love
V2
Detroit-based pop singer/songwriter Brendan Benson delivers his third album "The Alternative to Love" this week. Like his previous cult classic "Lapalco," it's a sharp, tightly-constructed collection of classicist guitar-pop, and it proves that Benson is arguably the finest practitioner of power-pop this decade.


Bloc Party
Silent Alarm
V2
One of the most-hyped British bands in recent memory (and that's saying something), Bloc Party lives up to the publicity with "Silent Alarm," an album that's equally arty and passionate.



Queens of the Stone Age
Lullabies to Paralyze
Interscope
Queens of the Stone Age's frontman Josh Homme kicked out his longtime partner Nick Oliveri just as the band was ready to record "Lullabies to Paralyze," their followup to their 2002 breakthrough "Songs for the Deaf." Oliveri may be gone — as is Dave Grohl, who drummed on "Deaf" — but QOTSA is stronger than ever on "Lullabies," a dark, moody masterpiece that towers above all hard rock albums released this year.


Louis XIV
The Best Little Secrets Are Kept
Atlantic
Louis XIV aren't for the faint of heart. More like for the filthy of heart and dirty of mind as they tear their way through their major label debut "The Best Little Secrets Are Kept" like a marauding bands of over-sexed middle school pirates. Plus they're from my hometown of San Diego and that's gotta count for something, right? RIGHT?


Oooo on the TLC tip:

Bright Eyes - Live & Unreleased
Fountains of Wayne - Café de la Danse
Bob Marley - Live at the Apollo, New York, 1979
Superdrag - In the Valley of Dying Stars
Foo Fighters - Live & In Concert
Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
The Killers - Mr. Brightside Maxi Single
The Postal Service - Rare, Extra & Unreleased Tracks
Radiohead - Concert in New Orleans
Whiskeytown - Pneumonia

(links via regnyouth)


From Dodge:

Snoop & Pharell - Drop It Like It's Hot (Remix)

sorry...try this link instead:
http://students.washington.edu/parhumn/snoop%20dogg%20ft.%20pharrell%20&%20jay-z%20-%20drop%20it%20like%20it's%20hot%20(remix).mp3

I....love...this...album.

The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow

Why did it take me so long to get into The Shins?

As obsessed as I am about music, my younger brother Neil is the same way with movies. I swear to all that is Holy he must have over 1,500 dvds. Makes it kind of hard to pick something out to watch after you've shared a fab joint with him, but things could be worse I guess. ANYway, he's got a great eye for detail and has been writing dvd reviews for www.hollywood-elsewhere.com. Go over to http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/discland/2005_03_18_arch.php and check out his most recent reviews. If you don't, I will fight you.

After you're done reading, feel free to link to the following gems that my most talented brother would surely approve of. Enjoy:

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
Husker Du - Metal Circus
The Kinks - Something Else by the Kinks
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Public Enemy - Bring the Noise
The Roots - The Tipping Point
A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
Aphex Twin - Smojphace EP
Jeff Buckley - Rare & Unreleased
Leonard Cohen - As Time Goes By
New Pornographers - Electric Version

(links via the most FAB http://regnyouth.blogspot.com/)

Time is a funny thing. I had the chance to spend some this weekend with "Extraordinary Machine," the un-released album by Fiona Apple that's currently making the rounds online. And you know what? I've changed my mind. This is not a complete album. It's more of a sketch of what could be, if some time and effort had been put into it. Now, I'm no fan of the business side of the music industry but I understand it as a necessary evil. Most times I can be heard cursing executives from every major label for being so completely out of touch with what the buying public wants to hear. But not this time. Sony Music is right. After the brilliance of Apple's last disc "When The Pawn..." this is just such a let down. I don't know what her state of mind was during the sessions for "Extraordinary" but it's quite evident that something's off kilter. I'm not sure if Jon Brion, who is such a unique producer & perfectly molded to understand Fiona's gist, missed something this time around. Now don't get me wrong. There are a handful of tracks that are nothing short of spectacular. "Used To Love," "Get Him Back," Better Version of Me," & the title track are pure Fiona. But the rest of the album comes across like an afterthought. And that's where the disappointment comes in. I'd like to see Fiona and Jon re-visit this album, give it some attention. Hopefully they will, because as of right now, Sony Music has no plans to release this album. And I don't blame them.

God I'm so hungover right now. St.Patty's Day always kicks my ass. Anyway, before I head off to barf up a lung, enjoy Fiona Apple's unreleased disc "Extraordinary Machine." It is so choice.

01 Not About Love.mp3
02 Red, Red, Red.mp3
03 Get Him Back.mp3
04 Better Version of Me.mp3
05 Oh Well.mp3
06 Oh Sailor.mp3
07 Used to Love Him.mp3
09 Waltz.mp3
08 Window.mp3
10 Extraordinary Machine.mp3
11 Please Please Please.mp3

(l inks courtesy of www.geekdreams.com )

For your listening (dis)pleasure, here's Coldplay's recent secret gig at The Troubador in Santa Monica, CA.

01 Square One.mp3
02 In My Place.mp3
03 White Shadows.mp3
04 The Scientist.mp3
05 Daylight.mp3
06 Sparks.mp3
07 A Message.mp3
08 Clocks.mp3
09 What If.mp3
10 Politik.mp3
11 Speed of Sound.mp3
12 Yellow.mp3

Enjoy! Have a green beer for me `cause it's my birthday! Go Vicar! It's ya birfday! We gon' party like it ya birfday! We gonna drink Bacardi like it's ya birfday! And you know we don't give a fuck it's not ya birfday!

But in this case, it really is!

....don't they don't they do my love...

Hot off the Spoon e-mail list:

1 - Spoon has been invited to tape another Austin City Limits performance. We're not sure who to thank...quite an honor. We're on at 3pm this Thursday the 17th and there will be some seats available for SXSW wristband and badge holders starting at 2:30pm. The show tapes at the University of Texas communication building, corner of 26th and Guadalupe in Austin.

2 - We will be doing a SXSW show on Friday night, 1230am at La Zona Rosa. the full lineup for this excellent show:

The Rogers Sisters 7:30
Special Guest 8:30
Radio Four 9:30
Robyn Hitchcock 10:30
John Cale 11:30
Spoon 12:30

Spoon are not the Special Guest this eve, that'd be silly. But we may play under that moniker at another SXSW show this week. Possibly the night before this one.

Seacrest out.

(via stereogum.com)

How appropo: Spoon - Something To Look Forward To



Dodge's downloads for the day. (& I'm swiping `em!) So now it's The Vicar's DL's of the Day:

Black Crows - Wiser Time
Eels - Novacaine For The Soul
Beck - Deadweight
The Strokes - Hard To Explain
Bjork - Isobel
Live performances by many bands on John Peel's Radio 1 show here.
Le Tigre - Deceptacon
Asobi Seksu - Sooner
New Order - Krafty


and lastly, just `cause it's fun to sing-a-long to:

Liam Lynch - United States of Whatever

Go see Dodge over at http://myoldkyhome.blogspot.com/ and donate to the "Team In Training" fund which helps raise $$$ to fight Leukemia! His lovely wife (I'm taking his word on the lovely part) will be running on Saturday April 30th in luverly Tennessee. GO. NOW. DONATE.

Here's the Rolling Stone review for "Lullabies To Paralyze." Now, I have my beefs with Rolling Stone (chiefly that they SUCK BALLS!) but I'm extremely disappointed in how this review turned out. 3 stars? Come ON. Even on a bad day Josh Homme and Queens Of The Stoneage put out hypnotic, melodious, crushing rock tunes. They are rock's true last bastion. Anyway, read on and then click on the link to preview the new album. Don't forget to go out and purchase it though. You don't want Mr. Homme comin' to kick your ass. He's big. :shudder:


Queens of the Stone Age
Lullabies To Paralyze
Originally released: 2005 Interscope Records

"As lead guitarist and singer for one of hard rock's remaining bastions of old-fashioned chops, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme had his work cut out for him on Lullabies to Paralyze. The previous Queens album, 2002's Songs for the Deaf, brought Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl back to the drum pedestal he had abandoned post-Nirvana and elevated the Queens to the platinum mainstream with the breakout radio/MTV hits "No One Knows" and "Go With the Flow."
Grohl's departure was predestined, but few could've predicted Homme's firing of founding bassist Nick Oliveri, a wildman whose telepathic musical connection to Homme defined the band's fury.

Lullabies to Paralyze, the Queens' fourth album, suffers from Oliveri's departure and Grohl's absence. Drummer Joey Castillo lacks Grohl's wallop, and stopgap bassists can't replace Oliveri's melodic dexterity or his ingrained ability to dart around Homme's rigid riffs.
Ever since he first distanced himself from his teenage beginnings as the guitarist for early-Nineties stoner-metal band Kyuss, Homme has been caught between opposing aesthetics: He loves an extended jam (the first QOTSA album, all those Desert Session discs) as well as an extended joke (the fake radio announcements that interrupt Songs for the Deaf; his drumming on the garage-pop side project Eagles of Death Metal). He also admires extreme discipline, whether it's a taut, Teutonic-rock groove, a minimal but devastating guitar riff or a barely disguised pop tune. It's the tension between Homme's conflicting impulses that pressurizes Lullabies to Paralyze's highest points and accounts for its lows.

You've probably already heard "Little Sister," the first great rock single to hit radio in 2005. More like Foo Fighters than anything QOTSA created with Grohl, this compressed wonder -- all buzzing guitar lines, plus an explosive singalong chorus -- announces a further move away from traditional hard rock and toward the art punk of the Strokes and other modern popsters. Homme gets even more wired on "Medication," which streamlines QOTSA's blare to a combustive hum: The band hovers on one chord for most of its two minutes, then abruptly veers in jagged angles to heighten the drama.

A likely kiss-off to Oliveri, "Everybody Knows That You're Insane," winds even tighter. Beginning with a slow-burning slide guitar that soars like Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" layered over the final moments of the Beatles' "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," the skyrocketing intro creates a false sense of serenity before jump-cutting into a nasty blitzkrieg chorus thrash. Stereo guitars drive the song's tense verses as Homme and mates evoke the Buzzcocks with far more finesse than bands like Green Day ever do.

Lullabies falters when Homme returns to the protracted riffage of his past. Its back-to-back monster jams "Someone's in the Wolf" and "The Blood Is Love" occupy nearly fourteen droning minutes that unravel the breathless momentum of the previous eight tracks. Subsequent cuts like the piano-pounding "Broken Box" and the pensive "Long Slow Goodbye" rally somewhat but fail to match the first half's immediate intensity.
A cameo by returning QOTSA contributor Mark Lanegan lacks the spark of previous appearances, and Garbage's Shirley Manson and the Distillers' Brody Dalle are barely audible on the slinky "You Got a Killer Scene." The only outsider who adds something Homme couldn't have played or sung himself is ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, who lends his Texas guitar spice to the White Stripes-ish "Burn the Witch." Now that Homme is calling all the shots, he lacks both a manic foil to his confident cool as well as someone to rein in his inevitable deviations from what he does best: dark-chocolate rock with a soft, gooey center."


queens of the stone age - lullabies to paralyze

Seeing as how I'm a hypocrite & morally bankrupt, I usually have no problemo posting links to entire albums on this here site. Not so today my bretheren! The Vicar has regained some semblance of what it means to be an honest schmo. So, for your listening (dis)pleasure, here are some select tracks off of Beck's upcoming release "Guero." Beck's always been solid in my book, I don't think he's put out a bad album. Really. "Odelay?" Amazing. "Mutations?" Fucking amazing. "Midnite Vultures?" Sorted for E's & Whizz amazing. "Sea Change?" Heartbreakingly amazing. So, it should come as no surprise that this new disc is a potpurri of sorts. He draws heavily from "Odelay" and some of his latter balladeering to great success. Here are a few of my favorite tracks. Enjoy & lemme know what you think. But most importantly, please go out and buy "Guero" when it's released this month.

01_-_Brazilica.mp3

02_-_Guero.mp3

03_-_Go_It_Alone.mp3

06_-_Black_Tambourin..>

08_-_E-Pro.mp3

13_-_Hell_Yeah.mp3

(mad props to Open Dir.)

So I like Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone." Fucking sue me. It's catchy and and riff heavy (same thing?) and has the essential element necessary to be a Top 40 pop gem: it will eventually be forgotten. So when I came across Ted Leo doing a cover of this track I was, for lack of a better word: giddy. And THEN when I heard that he incorporates a couple of bars from The Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Maps" well I damned near spontaneously combusted. For your listening (dis)pleasure:

Ted Leo - "Since U Been Gone/Maps" (via stereogum.com)



I'll prolly lose whatever hipster cred I have left, but I never really got into At The Drive-In. Sorry. Too much effort. But when I heard the first single off of splintered ATDI's The Mars Volta, I decided to give them a chance. The musicianship is stellar no doubt, but the lead sqwaker's voice kinda makes me think of Queensryche. Ok, maybe it's just me. Nevertheless, here's the pretty decent first single off of "Frances The Mute." (via hip/ster/eo)

the mars volta - 02 - the widow


And because I'm so gosh darned excited that my boys Radiohead are back in the studio, here's a link to the Itch e.p. (via totally fuzzy)

Radiohead - Itch (EP)


Lastly, it's Friday and I'm in a good mood.

http://www.thesuperficial.com/image.php?path=/archives/victoria.jpg

http://www.thesuperficial.com/image.php?path=/archives/aj.jpg

i always save the best for last dah-lings.

Eva Mendes: Foto 1, foto 2, foto 3 en foto 4.


***afterthought of the day***

I'm so very very sorry. I just couldn't resist: The Daily Show covers Jacko's pajama party trial.

From ateaseweb.com

Part 1: Thom was on the official site's message board last night, saying they're back to work.

": Have a cookie.

THAT

would be a bad idea

hey weve started work.(speaking of cookies)

no really. "


Part 2: Last week At Ease reported on 'Kid A' at Apple's iTunes store, Thom commented on that as well. Just like the 'The Bends', the album disappeared from the store after only a short period of time. Tchocky made mention of zis leetle beet ov info:

"vee shall make zem PAY for zer mistake. ha ha ha. they vill never get avay viz ziss. vee are verrry verrry precious about are little KID A yu know and also zee others and you mr job jobs are no exception ya?

unbundle zis KID A record anda vee vill unbundle yor face.

H HA HA ha HA ha HA ha ha

(cough)"

Someone needs to have no talent ass clown/ ex-Libertine Pete Doherty committed right away.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,,1430979,00.html

My favorite Canadian besides myself Valerie @ Rock Snob has a link to the new Coldplay jawn "Talk" here:
http://s36.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2V4V6FMLJG9AU2FGQJTA9Z9NNO

**edit: So the link doesn't work, eh? The track is over at Scenestars (much ado to Matt at Y.A.N.P.)

Not that anyone really gives a shizz, but the most boring couple in Hollywoood are giving it another go:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005110501,00.html

Oh for the love of Paul (Hewson)....spare us!
http://www.nme.com/news/111616.htm

Not that any of you would know, but I have an evil twin. Yep. His name is Seth Green. Yes, the same Seth Green that starred in all the Austin Powers flicks as Scott Evil. We look the same (except I'm waaaay more sophisticated and refined) and he made my college years a living hell lemme tell you, but has since made up for it. Click on the link below to watch 2 clips from his outrageously funny new stop-motion show "Robot Chicken" airing on Adult Swim.
http://www.adultswim.com/clips/index.html

Here's a link to the new Eels album. I fell in love with their second disc "Electro-Shock Blues" instantly. How can someone write such beautiful melodies coupled with stark, horrific, and downright depressing lyrics? Case in point: "It's A Motherfucker." Godamnit if that song doesn't make me break down every single time I give it a spin. Anyway, the jury's still out on this new disc. I need some more time with it. Maybe a nice grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup as well. Anyone hungry?

The Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations (thx again Y.A.N.P.)

I hate it when people have better ideas than me. Liza over at Copy, Right? http://copycommaright.blogspot.com/ recently posted about the most excellent (and way old school. I'm talking 1990 people!) Elektra Records compilation "Rubaiyat: Elektra's 40th Anniversary" which was a collection of Elektra artists covering songs by other Elektra artists. Phew. Is there a statute of limitations regarding excessive use of one particular word in a paragraph? If so, I think my fine might be hefty. So I loved this album, which had covers performed by The Pixies, The Sugarcubes, The Cure, and a bunch of other bands beginning with the word "The." Also of note was the track "Mt. Airy Groove" performed by Leaders Of The New School which, if you're a hip-hop head like me, featured Busta Rhymes before he got all "Whoo Haa" on us. (Liza, if you ever read this, I'd get Scott Baio to give you foot massages for eternity if you'd post it.) So my dah-lings, for your listening (dis)pleasure, here are some select tracks that both Liza & I 100% approve of:

The Cure "Hello, I Love You" (The Doors cover)

The Sugarcubes "Motorcycle Mama" (Sailcat cover)

The Pixies "Born in Chicago" (Paul Butterfield Blues Band cover)

For the love of God, please tell me this gay shit isn't true:

http://nme.com/news/111620.htm

Here's some tracks for possible inclusion on the new gay-ly titled disc: Weezer - 5th

Pervs of the world unite! Now you can "montage" all your favorite shitty actresses with big boobies! Link via The Unstoppable Girlie Dervish http://helloangel.blogspot.com/

http://grant.robinson.name/projects/montage-a-google/


I hear it's "cold" over on the East Coast. Whatever that means. "It's always 75 with no melting snow" here in San Diego. But for all of you bearing down for the last long haul of winter, enjoy pee-mail:

http://www.pee-mail.com/


This girl is smoking hot and designs her own line of clothes! I mean, honestly. Are you purposely trying to make everyone fall in love with you? Anyhoo, czech out her site and for an added bonus click on the left side of the homepage for her "livejournal" where she posts pics of her modeling her creations.

http://www.postlapsaria.com/

Dodge has some goodies for all of you. So head on over to http://myoldkyhome.blogspot.com/ lickety-split to download new shizz from Mars Volta, Bright Eyes, The White Stripes, James Brown, & The Killers.
And yes my chum, it does feel good to be a gangsta: The Geto Boys - Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster

Bloc Party - Helicopter