I'd read about them plenty before. But I don't think I was actually prepared for what they sounded like. I'm not even sure there's a proper adjective around to describe their debut album Thunder Lightning Strike. Demented works for now though. Imagine a children's choir. Now imagine a really talented children's choir. NOW imagine giving them access to all the best musical equipment, boxes and boxes of pixie stix and an endless supply of Mountain Dew. We're halfway there. The Go! Team are an eclecticly mixed group of young musicians from the UK and they make extremely great music to wig out to. But in a good way. For your listening (dis)pleasure:

The Go! Team: The Power Is On

The Go! Team: Get It Together

The Go! Team: Ladyflash

The Go! Team: Friendship Update

I'm in Chicago for a couple days, lamenting my absense from Austin City Limits. But I think I'll manage to get over it seeing as how I got to catch a game yesterday at Wrigley Field. Hey batta batta sa-wiiiiing batter! He can't hit he can't hit he can't. So choice. Anyhoo, I spent some time wandering through the Virgin Megastore they have here and found a copy of the iTunes only(?) Jimmy Eat World e.p. "Stay On My Side Tonight." What a great little slice of J.E.W. heaven, including a great remix of the Futures standout track Drugs Or Me. If you've never seen J.E.W. live, well you should hurry up and rectify that. If you have, you know how explosive they are. For your listening (dis)pleasure:

Jimmy Eat World: Stay On My Side Tonight

Jimmy Eat World: Disintergration

Jimmy Eat World: Drugs Or Me (Styrofoam remix)

I have a confession to make. I've had the debut album by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah laying around my house for a while now. I put it on once about 3 months ago and just wasn't impressed. In fact, I was a little annoyed to be quite honest with you. Every other blogger on the planet had been falling all over themselves raving about how "great" this album was. And I just didn't agree. Until now. I don't know what possesed me to give it another try but I popped it in the car last night and went for a drive. I'm glad I did. CYHSY sound exactly what I imagine music would after drinking an entire bottle of NyQuil and smoking a whole pack of cloves. Loopy. Woozy. Fucking brilliant. "The Skin Of My Yellow Teeth" sounds like a young David Byrne wacked on nitrous backed by New Order. I also love the Beatles/Shins style backing vocals on "Is This Love." I know I'm late for the bandwagon, but I really don't give a fuck. For your listening (dis)pleasure:

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Clap Your Hands!

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Is This Love?

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Gimme Some Salt

Rhino & Atlantic Records recently released the fantastically comprehensive Genesis compilation The Platinum Collection & Video Show. The 3 disc set spans their entire career, including Lamb Lies Down On Broadway with original singer Peter Gabriel up to I Can't Dance with replacement singer/drummer Phil (Disney's been great to me!!!) Collins. Click on the link below to check some pretty cool features for you to preview including a media player, video clips, and access to a listening party. Then go purchase this boxed set and revisit some old memories. Well, actually most of us are too young to remember the good ole Gabriel days, but everyone is sure to remember that wacky video for State Of Confusion. Remember? Thought so. For your listening and viewing (dis)pleasure:



Direct link to media player:

Genesis Media Player

I don't know what all the fuss is about. Really. The Strokes new single Juicebox is a pretty great track; laced with a wicked guitar riff and some (finally!) clear(er) vocals by Julian. Change is always a good thing and I'm glad to them moving out of their comfort zone a little more. If you don't like it upon first spin, listen again. You'll be groovin' in your undies in no time. For your listening (dis)pleasure:

The Strokes: Juicebox

Here's a phenomenal new song by Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals. Please feel free to pass it along!

Ben Harper: Black Rain

You left them swimming for their lives
Down in New Orleans
Can’t afford a gallon of gasoline
With your useless degrees and contrary statistics
This government business is straight up sadistic

Now you don’t fight for us
but expect us to die for you
You have no sympathy for us
but still I cry for you
Now you may kill the revolutionary
but The Revolution you can never bury

Don’t speak to us like we work for you
Selling false hope like some new dope we’re addicted to
I’m not a desperate man but these are desperate times at hand
This generation is beyond your command

And it won’t be long
’til the people flood the streets
To take you down
One and All
a Black Rain is gonna fall

Ok, I know I already posted about my obsessive love for Bright Eyes' album Digital Ash In A Digital Urn a while ago. And now two months on it still can't seem to find it's way off of my stereo. I fucking love this album. But it's that kind of love that will most definetely turn bad. You know what I mean. A year from now I won't even be able to look at the album without cringing, let alone listen to any of my favorite tracks. I will have completely exhausted this album. Know what's even worse? I do this all the time. Walk into this with my eyes wide open; knowing exactly how the scenario will play out. Is this healthy? Probably not. Do I care? Not in the least. For your listening (dis)pleasure, four of the most beautiful songs on the album:

Bright Eyes: Theme To Pinata

Bright Eyes: Arc Of Time

Bright Eyes: I Believe In Symmetry

Bright Eyes: Easy/Lucky/Free

And because it was requested a while ago but I was too chicken shit to post it for her; a Babyshambles track.

Babyshambles: Fuck Forever

Included on the benefit album Warchild, Radiohead opted to give access to this glorious track I Want None Of It. More of a solo joint by Thom & Johnny, IWNOI reads like a companion piece to Amnesiac's Pyramid Song or Hail To The Thief's Sail To The Moon with melancholy piano and haunting string effects. You really should be buying it at their website like I did, but what the hey. For your listening (dis)pleasure, some brand spanking new Radiohead:

Radiohead: I Want None Of This

I know that some of my more astute fellow bloggers love The Raveonettes much more than I do, but nonetheless Sharin Foo & Sune Rose Wagner hold a special place in my heart. I mean, any band with essentially only 2 members who can conjure up the ghost of Jesus & Mary Chain so skillfully is a-ok in my book. While Pretty In Black doesn't quite hit the same high water marks as their sophmore release The Chain Gang Of Love, Foo And Wagner still seem to be able to create stunning minuette's of sonic sound. Aided by Mo Tucker of Velvet Underground fame on drums, Pretty In Black still deserves some of your undidvided attention. For your listening (dis)pleasure:

The Ravonettes: Uncertain Times

The Ravonettes: Seductress Of Bums

It's hard to find subtlty in music nowadays. Everything is fast and in your face; a wall of sound designed to pummel the listener and discourage the best part of interacting with the music: repeat listening. Dublin, Ireland's The Frames are a perfect example of the exact opposite of this. Employing uber-producer Steve Albini to man the boards, For The Birds features melodic, folk-influenced rock songs with clearly discernible instruments including mandolin, piano, violin, brushed drums, and softly strummed guitar, as well as vocals that manage to sound emotive even when they seem hushed. Lead singer/songwriter Glen Hansard along with Albini created a beautiful album that makes use of subtle dynamics and negative space, and gradually builds emotional intensity over the course of a song instead of trying to hook listeners immediately. For your listening (dis)pleasure:

The Frames: Santa Maria

The Frames: Fighting On The Stairs

I got to meet Thom Yorke last year when Radiohead played the Hollywood Bowl. Were decamped at the same hotel as them, and after the show, drunk on Patron, I made my move. Thom was sitting outside with Johnny Greenwood, looking only slightly more uncomfortable than usual. Walking over to his table, I realized I hadn't got a clue as to what I was gonna say to him. I mean really, how do you sum up almost 10 years of adulation and admiration? Was it even possible? Thom started to get up, but I cut him off by the exit. I stuck my hand out and he shook it. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Amazing show tonight.

TY: Thanks. Thanks a lot.

Me: Listen, I just want to thank you for cre4ating such beautiful and amazing music for us all to enjoy.

TY: Wicked! Thanks a lot! Wicked!

As he and Johnny scooted off to the 6th floor where they were staying, I realized that there probably wasn't the perfect thing I could've said to him. But what I did say was decent enough. And he seemed to dig it. Yeah, riiiight. For your listening (dis)pleasure, three of my favorite tracks off of Hail To The Thief:

Radiohead: A Wolf At The Door

Radiohead: Where I End And You Begin

Radiohead: Myxamatosis

Dallas Cowboys, you remember LaDanian Tomlinson, don't you?:



LET'S GO BOLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Going through some past entries I realized that this blog has sort of morphed into a featurette for singer/songwriters. And that's cool. Really. It's what I love. But I also love hip-hop. A lot. What I don't usually love though, is live hip hop. It just doesn't translate well to the stage; it ends up being a bunch of guys yelling the verses instead of rhyming them. Now don't get me wrong. I've been to plenty of shows where this is the opposite. A Tribe Called Quest. De La Soul. Jurassic 5. Dilated Peoples. Souls Of Mischief. The Roots. Positively one of the tightest bands around period, The Roots transform their recorded songs into something quite extrordinary when they hit the stage. They improvise. They tweak. They take the audience on an aural journey through their back catalouge; leaving you scratching your head in awe. For your listening (dis)pleasure, three tracks that I love live from their excellent album Phrenology:

The Roots: Sacrifice

The Roots: Break You Off (feat. Musiq)

The Roots: The Seed 2.0 (feat. Cody Chestnut)


Much love and respect to Blog Vita.

For more hip hop love, visit my man Chris for a new solo joint from Jurassic 5's Chali 2na.

I was first introduced to Alex Lloyd several years ago, when his quiet masterpiece Watching Angels Mend was released. Hailing from Austrailia, Lloyd expertly crafts pop songs in the same vein as Neil Finn, whose wife Sharon actually lent vocal duties to Alex's last album. Uncannily mixing a sound that is both sonically strict with layered guitars, mega-lush choruses, and heavy-hearted melodies,Lloyd's music is perfectly suited for those quiet, contemplative moments. With a bottle of Jack Daniels, natch. For your listening (dis)pleasure, an unreleased gem from Lloyd's last tour. Check out his new album "Alex Lloyd" scheduled for release this October.

Alex Lloyd: Rain

Hey ya'll. Haven't forgetten about my faithful readers (if there are any left that is) I'm just moving into the new digs in Frisco, Texas (outside Dallas). Normal posting will resume this next Wednesday. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Vicar

P.S. I have 2 tix to The Aqualung show Sept. 25th @ Trees Lounge in Dallas. Any takers? $30 for the 2. Email me!