Gregarius » favorites

favorites (100 unread)

Bitter Bastard's Book of XLR8R Firsts

Posted: May 8th, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

BJ “Bitter” Bastard’s not one for navel-gazing. And he certainly didn’t care to trawl through the annals of this rag’s history to find for you our finest moments of the past 15 years. But we made him do it anyway. One might think that he’d come away with a veritable history of electronic music culture from ’93 ’til the present. He did, but he also surfaced with tired drug references, sore eyes (from staring at the worst fractal graphics ever), and God knows how many disses on Moby and prog house. Here he lays bare 10 monumental firsts in XLR8R’s early years.

Top 10: Atmosphere, Atlas Sound, Presets

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 1:00pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Atmosphere
When Life Hands You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
Rhymesayers
Release Date: Out Now

Richie Hawtin Takes Magic Cube on Tour

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 12:34pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Richie Hawtin must have recently watched The Matrix, because he and his Minus crew have broken their self-imposed 10 weeks of silence by unveiling The Cube.

Hiero Imperium Announces Tour

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 11:27am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

They've pushed releases from indie hip-hop artists for the last decade, created what Rolling Stone deemed "the number three most recognizable band logo in history," and started a streetwear line. Now, the Hiero Imperium crew is set to embark its Freshly Dipped Tour, a lengthy slew of North American dates celebrating 10 years of business for the label.

DeVotchKa & Basia Bulat : Saturday : May 10th : at The Vogue

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 8:10am MDT by Dodge

A really great show is coming to The Vogue this Saturday night...DeVotchKa and Basia Bulat are sure to amaze and delight. Indianapolis, you may feel as if they are unknown to you, but you may be more familiar than you realize. DeVotchKa was responsible for much of the musical greatness behind the movies Everything Is Illuminated and Little Miss Sunshine.

DeVotchKa is also one of the headlining acts at the 2008 Monolith Music Festival at Red Rocks which Hot Freaks! helped currate. Read all about their new album A Mad And Faithful Telling.

DeVotchKa - Transliterator

Basia Bulat is a rising star from Canada. Her debut album, Oh, My Darling, was released in 2007 on Rough Trade Records in the UK and Hardwood Records in Canada. The album was released this past February in the US by Beggars.

Basia Bulat - I Was A Daughter

Pay attention to the show time...show up late and you'll be pissy. Doors @ 6pm - Show @ 7pm - $15

DeVotchKa - You Love Me

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

We Are Scientists : Brain Thrust Mastery Informercial

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 7:50am MDT by Dodge

I've seen We Are Scientists as a three-piece, but not since they've pared down to two. Their show was verbose, to say the least. I don't know what I think about them really. They are quite humorous in-between songs, during their live show, but if you're not there for the comedy routine, they might be pretty annoying. So, as a band, are they forgettable? Maybe/Probably/Yes. As comedians? Not too shabby. You be the judge.

Greg only kinda/sorta likes them, and Greg likes everything. Well, everything with boobs at least. I do know I'd love to make a pointless infomercial/mockery sometime, and I'm envious they did...

Also:

We Are Scientists - After Hours (follow link)

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

New Video : Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings : Tell Me

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 5:45am MDT by Gregory

I have been listening to a lot of Motown greats lately, and the night before last I was lucky enough to see Stevie Wonder at the Barack Obama rally in Indianapolis. So with my inspiration at its peak, this new video for Tell Me by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings falls right into line with my musical tastes, of late.

The video itself isn't anything groundbreaking, but its enjoyable. It uses the treatment made famous by Nirvana, among others, and their In Bloom video...Jones and crew in a 1960s Ed Sullivan-type show. The theme obviously fits well with the 1960s Motown sound that Sharon and Dap's are obviously influenced by. The video gives the viewer a taste of the energy that Sharon brings to the live shows. I highly recommend taking in this band live - they are phenomenal.

100 Day, 100 Nights is out now via Daptone Records. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings will also be one of the featured acts at the 2008 Monolith Music Festival at Red Rocks which Hot Freaks! helped currate.

Also:

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

Calico Horse covers Radiohead

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 4:35am MDT by Dodge

Ever wondered what the words to Radiohead's Idioteque (Kid A, 2000) were, but we just too damn lazy to look them up on this crazy newfangled interwebby thingy? Not me, I spend way too much time in front of this brainwash box, so I think I did that not long after the album came out. You may not be a total nerd like me though. If so, welcome my brothers and sisters. If not, good job, way to have a life. Anyway, it's not that you can't make out what Thom Yorke is singing really, but he does sort of slur through it at times, and maybe you want things to be made blantantly clear.

Calico Horse, a band we talked about at the start of the year and formerly known as The Clock Work Army, has done that for you and in the process created quite a pretty cover of the song too. They've stripped out all the electronic elements, but managed to keep the sort of haunting feeling that Radiohead had going on.

Calico Horse - Idioteque (Radiohead cover)

If you need Radiohead's original, Hype Machine will have you covered.

In case you missed it the first time around:

Calico Horse - Onomonopeia
Calico Horse - Walk In The Clouds

--------------------------------------------------------

MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

Pop Dee-Lite : Madonna : Hard Candy

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 3:40am MDT by Dee

Disclaimer: Yes, I know MOKB is dedicated to indie music. However, Dodge occasionally lets me indulge in major label artists. Since my column is devoted to all-things-pop, and Madonna is the Queen of Pop, I feel it's my duty to weigh in on her new album. (If you are offended by this and prefer more obscure artists who sell seven albums or less in their lifetime, see the majority of Luftmensch's posts.)

Hard Candy has been out for a week now. I considered writing a review after several listens the day it came out. But I needed more time to absorb it and decide how I felt about it. I have even gone so far as to avoid reading any reviews about the album, so as not to taint my own opinion. First off, let's address how easy it is to be critical of the fact that she enlisted A-list hitmakers Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Pharrell. I, too, was skeptical, at first. But looking back through her discography, I was reminded of her collaboration with Babyface and Dallas Austin on Bedtime Stories. And how about William Orbit on Ray of Light? Same thing goes for her choice of Mirwais and Stuart Price on Confessions on a Dancefloor. Maybe they don't all have quite the household name appeal of J.T., Timbaland and Pharrell, but they are all hitmakers in their own right. Whomever Madonna wants, she gets. Bottom line. And while she makes good use of their services, she doesn't relinquish all control. She still firmly holds the reigns and keeps the boys in check.

Moving on, I watched an interview with Madonna over the weekend where she stated that Hard Candy is a workout/sex CD. I can't agree more after putting it to the cubicle vs. workout test. The listening environment makes a huge difference. In regards to sex, this record doesn't exactly have an Al Green vibe to it. But it is Madonna and even though she's almost 50, her album insinuates that she is not in need of the latest in female Viagra products. Candy Shop, 4 Minutes and Give It To Me make that clear (insert your own cougar joke here). She also hasn't moved far from the dancefloor since Confessions. Heartbeat, Beat Goes On and Dance 2night prove Madge isn't about to take down the disco ball and retire to the English countryside for tea and crumpets. As much as I like dancefloor Madonna, my favorite song on Hard Candy is Miles Away. One of the more serious tracks on the CD, it lopes along breezily with a stutter and a stop as she explains that You always love me more when I'm miles away.

It's only fitting that there is a track titled She's Not Me on Hard Candy. That's because there is only one Madonna. I will still be anxiously awaiting whatever she churns out next year or 10 years from now because it's Madonna and she has yet to let me down. (Yes, I even liked American Life.)

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

Don't Stop the Rock: Part 1

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Now that the wall between rock purism and the digital dancefloor has been reduced to mere rubble, a suite of newer, harder, brighter, faster bands are getting down to the business at hand: having a good time. This week, Melbourne's dance-pop mood masters Cut Copy go from bright neon love to hazy ghost colors.

Pon Di Wire: UB40 Row, Booyaka Exhibit, The Mighty Bop in JA

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

The UB40 singer drama continues. After announcing recently that U.K. singer Maxi Priest would assume lead singer duties after the departure of former lead Ali Campbell, now comes word that Ali’s brother Duncan will share the role. Duncan sings seven songs on a new UB40 album, which also features Ali’s final performances with the band.

Permalink for 'XLR8R_News_and_Features/2008/05/06/Reason_Conference_Reveals_Software%e2%80%99s_Secrets'

Reason Conference Reveals Software’s Secrets

Posted: May 6th, 2008, 10:56am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Can you arrange an entire song from a single Roland TR 606 drum kick? Producer James Bernard proved such a thing is possible using Reason Version 4. Is Reason’s new Thor semi-modular synth (pictured above) as “patchable” as its analog cousins?

Show and Photo Recap : Caribou & Fuck Buttons : 05/02/08

Posted: May 6th, 2008, 9:40am MDT by John

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

I'd heard every possible reason why I should love Caribou. Friends, whose opinions I value, constantly asked questions like "Have you even listened to Up In Flames?!" or "Do you really like music?" When I respond positively to both questions, I inevitably get a response along the lines of "You're an idiot." or "I'm not sure if I'm cool being associated with you anymore." Fair enough, I suppose. But it's not that I didn't try. Some things appeal to you and some things don't, right?. That is unless it's Caribou, as my friends would say. Well, being the good friend that I am, I decided I'd wait to completely write them off until I'd had the chance to see them live. I got my chance Friday when the band came to Bloomington's most intimate of venues, the Waldron Arts Center, with Fuck Buttons as support. Attend the show I did and, as a result, I am now on a steady new diet of eating every negative word I'd ever said about Caribou.

The UK's Fuck Buttons kicked off the show that was surprisingly well-attended, given that it was graduation day at IU. Comprised of just two members and a slew of electronics, Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power stood facing each other at either end of a large white table and, without breaks, played the hell out of their keyboards, knobs, and effects pedals. Along with it being a passionate, high-energy performance, an equally intriguing part of the show was realizing that, at one point, Andrew Hung was playing an old school Game Boy - not for Tetris or Super Mario, but to achieve specific noise elements and drum sounds. On top of that, Benjamin John Power used only a tiny Fisher-Price microphone for his vocals, which he somehow converted to create a frightening distortion effect. The highlight of the show, however, was seeing Hung grab a mic and sporadically dance all over the room while chanting like some kind of deranged Indian - all in front of a seated crowd that wasn't sure what to make of what they were watching. Definitely a show worth seeing, especially if you don't mind the sound of your ears being torn in half.

Caribou then followed, inviting the crowd to not only stand closer but to circle around them almost entirely as well. I stood within arms reach of guitarist Ryan Smith and directly behind the bands new touring drummer, Ahmed Gallab, who has stepped in momentarily following their original drummer's unfortunate fall from a ladder and subsequent broken wrist. From where I stood, several feet behind the PA, the vocals coming from Mr. Caribou himself, Dan Snaith, were faintly audible, but otherwise it was about as intimate a set as one could imagine. Smith even joked under his breath, saying, "It feels like we're shooting a Nirvana video." Watching Caribou perform gave me a new appreciation for musical timing. Snaith, already an accomplished drummer in his own right, never missed a beat, but it was Gallab who single-handedly stole the show, ferociously keeping time while accenting the bass and guitar with flashy rhythms and a relentless yet modest energy that had the whole crowd transfixed. What never appealed to me on record - songs like Melody Day, Skunks, and Crayon, - suddenly made sense in a live setting and as the band finished their set, I could only stand and be amazed at how quickly I'd become a fan. The applause warranted an encore and the band returned to play Everytime She Turns Round It's Her Birthday, officially silencing any of my doubts for good. Like some big fireworks show grand finale, all four musicians, including a lucky fan in the front row, grabbed drumsticks, found some percussion and went to town, creating a mess of noise that seemed to shake the building. I decided then and there what needed to be done - go home, swallow my pride, and admit to my friends just how big a fool I'd been.

Caribou - Sundialing
F*ck Buttons - Bright Tomorrow

See all the photos by clicking here!

Caribou in Bloomington on 050208

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

Caribou in Bloomington on 050208

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

F*ck Buttons in Bloomington on 050208

(Show photos by David Hassell)

F*ck Buttons in Bloomington on 050208

(Show photos by David Hassell)

See loads more photos from the show after the jump...

Caribou in Bloomington on 050208

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

Caribou in Bloomington on 050208

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

See the entire photoset at FlickR

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

High Places

Posted: May 6th, 2008, 8:30am MDT by nialler9

No doubt you’ll have seen the Future Days line-up by now. One of the acts due to play alongside Dan Deacon, White Williams, Deerhunter (?) and Jape in Vicar Street on June 14th is Brooklyn duo High Places.

Their Myspace description says they sound like - “Two dads hanging out” but Mary Pearson and Robert Barber are closer to Animal Collective-eerieness than something as testerone-fuelled as the description suggests. Their eMusic only release 03/07 — 09/07 collates their short songs into album format. The songs are full of naivety, clicking sounds and submerged noises. I like.

High Places - Head Spins

Buy 03/07 — 09/07 from eMusic.

Kneejerk RXN : Ersi Arvizu : Friend For Life

Posted: May 6th, 2008, 4:55am MDT by Luftmensch

It's rare, but occasionally I come across a record that defies typical description; a record with a certain IT factor. Maybe it's the people involved or the backstory. Sometimes it's stylistic choices or a complete disregard for the tastes of the day, But whatever IT is, the record simply cannot be adequately served by one of my patented snarky posts. Baby Dee's Safe Inside The Day comes to mind as the most recent example of this, and now, I'd like to add Ersi Arvizu's Friend For Life (available May 6th from the fine folks at ANTI).

If you've never heard of Ms. Arvizu, don't sweat it; it's likely you never would had it not been for Ry Cooder. If you're not familiar with Cooder (and you probably should be), the only thing more shocking than his guitar chops and skills as a producer, is his relative anonymity. Here's a guy who not only introduced The Stones to the open-G tuning and accused Keith Richards of copping riffs, but also played all of Ralph Macchio's guitar parts in Crossroads. Over the years, Cooder has quietly morphed into a full-blown musicologist, and following the success of his Buena Vista Social Club project, has seemingly been given musical carte blanche. If you need proof, look no further than 2007's My Name Is Buddy, which chronicles a worldly cat's (that's not vernacular, Buddy is a real cat) travels in song, story and illustration.

No, this post is not about Ry Cooder, but I thought you should know.

Ersi Arvizu doesn't have a website and she isn't on MySpace (and I doubt she's a fan of MOKB), but she's a veteran of the music biz whose first group, The Sisters (with real-life sisters, Mary and Rosella), hit #3 on the charts with Gee Baby Gee in the 60s. In the mid-70s, she did a stint with War-like East L.A. funk-rockers, El Chicano, until their partying habits lead her to part ways with the band. Subsequent musical endeavors were short-lived and eventually she tried her hand at boxing (her father was a trainer and Ms. Arvizu eventually retired with a 4-0 amateur record) before relocating to Arizona, where she trained young boxers and drove a Fed-Ex truck.

While working on 2005's Chavez Ravine, Cooder was searching for a female voice that captured the East L.A. sound. After extensive research and some amateur sleuthing, he located Ms. Arvizu, in of all places, an East L.A. rehearsal space where she was working on material with a new incarnation of El Chicano.

Her participation on Chavez Ravine ultimately led Ms. Arvizu, Joey Navarro and Cooder (and his usual suspects, including uber-percussionist, Jim Keltner) to Friend For Life, an autobiographical song cycle told in English and Spanish. Also contributing to the record are Mary and Rosella, as well as El Chicano co-founder, Mickey Lespron, and percussionist Johnny Sandoval, whose cousin was Charo's flamenco partner!

Listening to this record is like browsing through a stranger's scrapbook; each washed-out and faded photograph, perfectly capturing experiences that are unfamiliar, yet revealing emotions that are nothing short of universal. A very cool record from a woman who has led a fascinating life. Highly recommended, especially if you think you've heard it all before.

Ersi Arvizu - Windows of Dreams

--------------------------------------------------------

Ersi's ANTI Site | ANTI | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

Portishead: Do Not Disturb

Posted: May 6th, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

It felt absolutely, resolutely endless. Gothic grey streaks and storm clouds splayed for miles across the Bristol, U.K. skyline, comprising the daily view from Portishead’s perch at the top of band member Adrian Utley’s stately, two century-old Georgian house. Camped out in the top two floors of studio space, the band was entrenched in an interminable stretch of music-making, broken occasionally by talking, fiddling with vintage instruments, and drinking tea.

Loading... Tecmo Bowl Returns, Bourne Conspiracy on Xbox

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 2:49pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Tecmo Bowl Returns!
Any way you slice it, Tecmo Bowl, released for the NES in 1989, was and still is one of the best football games ever to grace a home console. And this week, old-school digital gridiron heads were rewarded for 19 years of patience, as Tecmo announced that Tecmo Bowl will be returning this fall to the Nintendo DS in the form of Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff.

Chromeo Readies North American Tour

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 11:59am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

After tearing up the stage at Coachella and collaborating with SoCal art collective Three Legged Legs for a short film, P-Thugg and Dave 1 will hit the road this summer for a round of tour dates that will include several summer festivals and probably a lot of mayhem. The shows begin a fews days before Chromeo's Fancy Footwork: Deluxe Edition hits the stores, so the duo should be in especially high spirits for the performances below.

Yer Roots Er Showin' : Hayes Carll : Trouble In Mind

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 11:15am MDT by Luftmensch

Now that Steve Earle is clean and living in Greenwich Village (not to mention making records with drum machine), it's time we start looking for a new Hardcore Troubadour. Today, we'll be checking out the resume of Houston's Hayes Carll, who throws his hat into the ring with the Lost Highway release, Trouble In Mind.

There are a lot of things to like about Carll's pedigree, not the least of which is that he once resorted to selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door to keep his belly full. A veteran of the hardscrabble Texas honky-tonk circuit, his music has a road weary authenticity that is all too rare in younger artists performing under the Americana banner. As a songwriter, Carll has definitely studied his Dylan (A Lover Like You could be a Blonde On Blonde outtake), but he clearly belongs in the lineage of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, John Prine and the aforementioned elder Earle. Where Carll differs, however, is in his willingness to marry his lyrics to lively, guitar-heavy arrangements, best exemplified by the Stonesy stomp of Bad Liver And A Broken Heart. In this respect, Carll might just be the bastard son of criminally-unknown troubadour (and former Neil Young roadie) Phil Lee. I should also mention that Carll has an acerbic sense of humor, which he uses to great effect in She Left Me For Jesus, a barroom singalong that deserves to be slurred with the same reverence as Take This Job And Shove It or Why Don't We Get Drunk.

Trouble In Mind no doubt benefits from the steady production hand of Brad Jones. His may not be a household name, but in recent years, his credits include records from a diverse and impressive group of artists, including Chuck Prophet, Bobby Bare Jr., Dolly Parton and both Steve and Justin Townes Earle. Will Kimbrough and former Flying Burrito Brother Al Perkins contribute to the guitar onslaught, and even Dan Baird (remember The Georgia Satellites?) gets into act. Throw in a hangdog cover of Tom Waits' I Don't Wanna Grow Up, and as I said, there's just a lot to like here.

Hayes Carll - She Left Me For Jesus

On Tour *w/ The Old 97s :

5/6 Raleigh, North Carolina
5/7 Ashville, North Carolina
5/8 Nashville, Tennessee
5/9 Little Rock, Arkansas
5/10 Fayetteville, Arkansas
5/15 Corpus Christi, Texas
5/16 The Woodlands, Texas
5/16 Helotes, Texas
5/22 Fort Worth, Texas
5/23 Stephensville, Texas
5/24 Austin, Texas
5/30 Houston, Texas*
5/31 Dallas, Texas*
6/1 Tulsa, Oklahoma*
6/3 Omaha, Nebraska*
6/4 Minneapolis, Minnesota*
6/5 Chicago, Illinois*
6/10 Englewood, Colorado*
6/11 Salt Lake City, Utah*
6/13 Vancouver, British Columbia*
6/14 Seattle, Washington*
6/15 Portland, Oregon*
6/17 San Francisco, California*
6/20 San Diego, California*

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

Photo Recap : The Rosebuds + Gentleman Caller + Lynsey Smith : Radio Radio : 043008

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 5:05am MDT by Dodge

The Rosebuds played Indianapolis for the first time last week, and the crowd was full and enthusiastic, to say the least. Local/Bloomington favorites Gentleman Caller supported with an excellent set, full of new material from their upcoming album. Local newcomer Lynsey Smith wowed the crowd with her gorgeous voice.

Some really fun happenings at this show to mention. The Rosebuds' tour photographer, Tim, figured a completely jumbled Rubix Cube, in about 4 minutes, on stage while the band played. To end the set, in typical Rosebud fashion, they pulled everyone up on stage, only to have the bar kick everyone off in the middle of the song. Kelly solved that by simply jumping out into the crowd and taking the party to the masses. MOKB staff photographer, Dave Evans, captured the show as well as some ad hoc promo-style photos pre-show.

Make sure you click the after the jump link here or below and see all the photos from the show.

EDIT: Thanks to Jamie, in the comments, for reminding me of this...Word from Kelly Crisp is the new album is complete and is being mixed. It will be released in August of 2008, and it sounds a whole lot more like Birds Make Good Neighbors versus Night Of The Furies. They weren't ready to play any of the songs live yet unfortunately. I asked Kelly if that sonic change-back was a conscious decision and she said, "Not really, the songs just sort of came out that way."

We recorded our first session at our new studio, The Pop Machine, before the show. What a class place! We recorded four songs and four videos - as I keep saying - we'll be debuting them all in good time, but here is a taste to have you waiting in hopefully eager anticipation...

The Rosebuds - Silence By The Lakeside (live on MOKB/SIRIUS Blog Radio - recorded at The Pop Machine)

New remix album : Download it at the MERGE store for free.

The Rosebuds - Get Up, Get Out (Bon Iver Remix)

Today's Related : Bon Iver/MOKB in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Rosebuds at Radio Radio on 043008

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

Rosebuds at Radio Radio on 043008

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

Gentleman Caller at Radio Radio on 043008

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

Gentleman Caller - Flaming Arrows
Gentleman Caller - The Radio On

Gentleman Caller at Radio Radio on 043008

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

Lynsey Smith at Radio Radio on 043008

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

Lynsey Smith - Airplane

See loads more photos from the show and get a couple more mp3s after the jump...

Rosebuds at Radio Radio on 043008

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

Rosebuds at Radio Radio on 043008

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

Gentleman Caller at Radio Radio on 043008

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

Lynsey Smith at Radio Radio on 043008

(Show photos by Dave Evans)

The Rosebuds - Shake Our Tree
Rosebuds - Push It (Salt N Pepa Cover)

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

My Brightest Diamond covers Roy Orbison

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 2:45am MDT by Dodge

Shara Worden, aka My Brightest Diamond, continues to get better and more interesting with each release. Even more interesting are all the little things she throws out in between releases. Shara is a big Roy Orbison fan, and this cover originally appears on a newly released free compilation for the French music magazine, Les Inrockuptibles. Thanks to her for making it available here to all at MOKB, it's a beauty...

My Brightest Diamond - It's Over (Roy Orbison cover)

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

ESCO: Balancing Multiple Missions

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Welcome to a new dancehall generation. A tidal wave of young Jamaican talent has risen up in the past three years, including vocalists Mavado, Demarco, and Munga Honourable, and producers Stephen McGregor, Daseca, and King Jammy’s sons Jam2 and Baby G. They’re charting dancehall music’s next phase but not limiting their sound, according to fellow new-gen artist, 27-year-old Matthew J.S. Thompson, better known as Esco.

Permalink for 'nialler9/2008/05/04/Unreleased_J_Dilla___%e2%80%98Trucks%e2%80%99'

Unreleased J Dilla - ‘Trucks’

Posted: May 4th, 2008, 6:21am MDT by nialler9

Enclosure: [download]

If you were at the rather brilliant Brasilintime show in the Tivoli on Friday night, you may have heard J. Rocc drop this tune after the main event. Taken from an unreleased J Dilla album which was made for MCA Records, Pay Jay features rhymes by Dilla and production by the likes of Kanye (who posted his cut on his blog last week), ?uestlove, Pete Rock, Waajeed, and Notz. Dilla produces one track ‘Fuck the Police’ which was single way back in 2001.

The tracklisting as found is below. The shelved album is rumoured to be released by Stones Throw later this year. Maybe keep an eye on this site for further info.

‘Trucks’ immediately stands out as it apes Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’ and the fact that it’s A BANGER.

J Dilla - Trucks

1. J. Dilla - Diamonds (Prod. Nottz)
2. J. Dilla - We F’ed Up (Feat. Frank-N-Dank) (Prod. Kanye West)
3. J. Dilla - **** The Police (Prod. J Dilla)
4. J. Dilla - Remember (Feat. Bilal) (Prod. Pete Rock)
5. J. Dilla - Fight Club (Feat. Nottz & Boogieman) (Prod. Waajeed)
6. J. Dilla - Creepin’ On You (Producer unknown)
7. J. Dilla - Trucks (Producer unknown)
8. J. Dilla - No One Knows (Prod. Supa Dave West)
9. J. Dilla - Drive Me Wild (Prod. ?uestlove & Kareem Riggins)
10. J. Dilla - Unknown Track (Prod. Bink Dawg)
11. J. Dilla - Remember Remix (Feat. Bilal) (Producer unknown)

Related: the story of Dilla and Automobile Magazine.

Win This : Two Tickets to see Neil Diamond

Posted: May 3rd, 2008, 10:00am MDT by Dodge

MOKB is taking it back to the old school and giving away two tickets to the upcoming Neil Diamond concert at Conseco Fieldhouse. That's right...Neil Diamond, baby! You best not be laughing suckers, Neil is peeeyamp. Four decades of smooth that has sold more than 125 million records worldwide and yielded 36 Top 40 hits.

On May 6th, Neil will release Home Before Dark, his second collaboration with uber-legend producer Rick Rubin. You may remember his last Rick Rubin collabro...12 Songs?...yeah, that was a good one. Beyond all the classics and favorites, like Sweet Caroline and I’m a Believer, he'll be featuring and performing the new album's tracks this tour.

What do you have to do to win? Well, click "Talk Back To Yo' Mama" at the end of this post and leave us a comment with your contact email and who you think will win the NBA Finals. A winner will be chosen at random early next week.

If you don't win, here is the show's presale Link: Neil Diamond at Conseco Fieldhouse
Password: HELLOAGAIN

Ben Gibbard & Ted Leo - Porcupine Pie (Neil Diamond cover)

See all the tour dates for Neil's 37-city North American tour after the jump...

Neil Diamond North American Tour Dates:

July

19 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center22 - Sioux City, IA - Tyson Events Center
24 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center Omaha
26 - Chicago, IL - United Center
29 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
31 - Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills

August

3 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
5 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
7 - Hartford, CT - XL Center
9 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
12 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
14 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
20 - Albany, NY - Times Union Center
23 - Boston, MA - Fenway Park
25 - Columbus, OH - Value City Arena at The Schottenstein Center
27 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center
29 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center

September

14 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
16 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
18 - Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
20 - Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place
22 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden
24 - Seattle, WA - KeyArena at Seattle Center
26 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
28 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion

October

1 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
2 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
7 - San Diego, CA - San Diego Sports Arena
10 - Phoenix, AZ - Jobing.com Arena
12 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
14 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
16 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
19 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
21 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
24 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
26 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - BankAtlantic Center
28 - Orlando, FL - Amway Arena Orlando
30 - Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

Booka Shade Add Tour Dates

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 2:14pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

They sold out San Francisco and Denver and revealed an upgraded live show at Coachella that included new visuals, tons more synths, and extra lighting, so all doubts as to whether or not Booka Shade are worth catching should be stamped out by now. Arno Kammermeier and Walter Merzinger will continue slaying audiences in North America with more tour dates this summer. Catch them live at one of the shows below.

Bass Reaction: Surefire Expands, Soundbwoy T-Shirts, Chef Caught on Video

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 1:59pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Book your Virgin Air flight now and get to the big show next week, May 9, at London’s Fabric. The “Cool & Deadly” Room One features a live PA from Magnetic Man (Benga, Skream, and Artwork, authors of the smash “Alright, What’s Happening”), plus Tayo, Freq Nasty, and more. Room two is d&b from Fabio, Friction, High Contrast, Commix, and more. Big night!

Kentucky Derby 134 : Horsie Mix

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 8:50am MDT by Dodge

One of my favorite weekends of the year is finally upon us. I look forward to and dread this weekend all at once anymore. It is one of those events I used to go into so blindly, so carelessly, that anything could and likely would happen. I've endured sun poisoning, alcohol poisoning, torrential rains, toliets overflowing with feces, stealing kegs and shoes and anything else left lying around, friends passing out in port-o-pots - only to be found hours later - boobs I wanted to see and boobs I didn't. Every year is different, every year is great. I've left with everything I came in with and I've left barefoot, with nothing I came in with. I've thrown-up up and I've been thrown-up on. I've won big and lost big.

There are so many ways to do the Kentucky Derby. You can play dress up...the big flowery hat or the seersucker suit. You can do it third turn style, with all the debauchery of all four years of college wrapped up into one turn of the track for one day. You can lounge in the backstretch and bet all day, but no matter what, it will always be the infield life for me.

I'm slowly realizing that I'm one of those, "In the old days..." guys. Nothing lives up to "the old days" at The Kentucky Derby. In the old days, a guy paid me $100 to push him around in a shopping cart, for one hour, while he handed out free beer to people in attendance. In the old days, you could sneak in as much alcohol as you needed (well, as much as half the turn needed really) with relative ease. Even if you botched that up, in the old days, beer prices we actually reasonable. In the old days, we arrived at 8am to stake out the best infield spot, on the fence, and we fought all day to defend it. In the old days, only hot chicks showed their boobs (ok, not true).

On an year-to-year basis, I don't know what to expect anymore at The Derby, but in the end, anything is possible and it always is what you make of it. I'm heading down today! I hope you get to do it once in your life, you'll never regret it.

So, the big question...Who's gonna win this bitch?! This year's favorite, Big Brown, has a great name on so many levels. Colonel John isn't quite the colonel we all know and love, but he gets half credit as a fellow Colonel. No, this year we're going with Pyro across-the-board. Take it to the bank.

Our longshot is Cool Coal Man

Why? - A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under
Sparklehorse - Don't Take My Sunshine Away
Does It Offend You, Yeah? - We Are Rockstars (Woodie's I Like Horses Edit)
They Shoot Horses Don't They? - Empty Head
Iron & Wine w/ Calexico - Wild Horses (Live on NPR)
Bowerbirds - Dark Horse (Live on MOKB/SIRIUS Blog Radio)
Rock Plaza Central - I Am An Excellent Steel Horse (Live on MOKB/SIRIUS Blog Radio)

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

Kneejerk RXN : Ladyhawk : Shots

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 2:25am MDT by Luftmensch

Nothing good happens after midnight

I can't help but think about that when I listen to Ladyhawk's new Jagjaguwar release, Shots. This record is just getting warmed up when decent folks are getting their heads down. In the course of nine songs, the Vancouver quartet provides a Zagat guide of the desperate hours between last call and first light. The record doesn't so much draw you in, as it does drag you down with rambling, shaky narratives that chronicle the depraved underbelly of your friends and neighbors.

Its boozy opener, I Don't Always Know What You're Saying, would be a stadium-sized anthem in the hands of most bands, but like many of the uptempo numbers on Shots, it is crushed by a sense of foreboding. Shots is an ominous, and in places, a seemingly impenetrable listen, but it pays off big time if you stick with it. Musically, the band channels Neil Young and Crazy Horse, right down to the wobbly rhythms and extended jams, but when they think no one is paying attention, you'll catch a little Kyuss-flavored stoner rock. Duffy Driediger's fraught delivery recalls Palace-era Will Oldham, and his voice is an ideal vessel for these paeans of self-loathing. No less important is the record's coarse and unpredictable production, which exploits close-miked vocals, copious levels of reverb and plenty of incidental noise; adding to the claustrophobic effect and keeping listeners off balance.

If you're looking for a benchmark, Palace's Viva Last Blues would be a good start; however, I would like to suggest that Ladyhawk has accomplished something greater with this record. Its themes and sonic palette, in conjunction with its druggy menace, make Shots the Tonight's The Night for the generation suckled on Nirvana. Don't believe me? Look no further than the hungover guitar stomp and throat-shredding climax of Ghost Blues. After that, there's nothing to do but crawl into bed and swear you're never, ever going to do that again.

Ladyhawk - I Don't Always Know What You're Saying

On tour
5/2 Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
5/3 Big Orbit's Soundlab - Buffalo, NY
5/4 Higher Ground Showcase Lounge - So. Burlington, VT
5/7 The Middle East - Cambridge, MA
5/8 Iron Horse Music Hall - Northampton, MA
5/9 Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
5/10 Union Hall - Brooklyn, NY
5/11 DC 9 - Washington, D.C.
5/12 The Milestone - Charlotte, SC
5/13 Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC
5/14 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA
5/15 The Pour House - Charleston, NC
5/16 Jinx - Savannah, GA
5/17 The End - Nashville, TN
5/19 Nick - Birmingham, AL
5/20 Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA
5/22 The Conservatory - Oklahoma City, OK
5/23 Emo's Alt. Lounge (inside) - Austin, TX
5/24 Hailey's - Denton, TX
5/27 Modified Arts - Phoenix, AZ
5/28 The Casbah - San Diego, CA
5/29 Spaceland - Los Angeles, CA
5/30 Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
5/31 Towne Lounge - Portland, OR

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

Clothes Captioned: In4mation

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

In4mation creative director Rhandy Tambio counts Johnny Cash, skater Eric Koston, surfer Tom Curren, and Bob Marley among his style icons, an ethos reflected in the Hawaiian brand’s mix of street, surf, and skate with a laidback island flair. In4mation began throwing shakas in 2002, when partners Tambio, Ryan Arakaki, Todd Shimabuku, and Jun Jo started screenprinting tees out of their two Oahu skate shops–one in suburban Miliani, the other in tourist-laden Waikiki Beach.

Adult. Release Horror Film and Soundtrack

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Adult., the Detroit-based couple of Nicola K. and Adam L. Miller, has made some of the darkest (and best) electro tunes of the last decade. Not limited to just music, Nicola K.'s calmly violent photography, the source of the band's captivating cover art, has played quite the role in orchestrating their dark aesthetic of high fashion and Midwestern Gothic.

Cryptacize Splits 7" with WHY?, Tours

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 3:07pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

The members of Bay Area-based trio Cryptacize have already shared the stage with WHY?, and now they'll split a record with the Oakland-based band when Asthmatic Kitty releases the latest 7" in its Unusual Animal series.

Boris Adds U.S. Tour Dates

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 1:22pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

The Japanese behemoth better known as Boris will not be slowing down anytime soon. They’ve released something like three collaborative albums, a live split, and their latest solo record, Smile, in the last year or so. You’d think that after the European tour they’re currently on with New York noise-makers Growing, the band would want to take a break. Maybe hang out in Japan, get a massage and drink some tea or something. But, no, they’re not relaxing anytime soon.

Movement 2008 Lineup Announced

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 12:16pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Though we've seen it bounce between the names DEMF and Movement like a ping-pong ball gone out of control, Detroit's annual electronic music festival has remained consistent in one area–the music.

This year's festival–whose full name is Movement: Detroit's Electronic Music Festival '08–sees another roundup of house, techno, and electronic music artists on the bill, with names as old and familiar as Stacey Pullen and Richie Hawtin and new faces like The Cool Kids (pictured above).

Mantua Festival initial line-up announced

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 7:08am MDT by nialler9

The first line-up for Mantua Festival in Roscommon is out of the bag, and it’s now a three day festival. Here’s the names on the board so far:

Clark (Warp, UK) / Taskforce (MFTC, UK) / Shackleton (Skull Disco, de) / Couds (live) (Nopa, 2nd Drop, FL) / Cotti (Soul Jazz, Bassface, UK ) / Ital Tek (Planet Mu, UK) / Datasette (AI, UK) / Sunken Foal (planet mu) / Filaria (Bugklinik, Acroplane) / Solen (Alphabet Set) / Super Extra Bonus Party (IRL) / Sarsparilla (Alphabet Set) / The Wax Ensemble (BE) / The Infomatics / Cignol / Colz & Grizzle /
Nouveaunoise / Fran Hartnett / Ed Devane / Prince Kong fet Jah Balance / LPX / 16HZ & Joanny Oakley / Vince McMahon / Worries Outernational / p77 / Blue Food.

Last year was really good. This year it takes place from the 1st - 3rd of August.

Tickets on sale now from €80, online via tickets.ie

Duchess Says….

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 5:09am MDT by nialler9

Enclosure: [download]

Where the fuck did that come from?

It’s one of those times you’re listening to your iPod and you’ve no idea where the song came from and how it ended up there. But you like it. Things always come in pairs. An album arrives on your desk from the very band you’ve been listening to that morning. Sweet.

Duchess Says are Canadian. Duchess Says are punky. Duchess Says sound like they stole Soulwax’s synths and Josh Homme’s riffs and threw them from a great height to see which one will smash first. The album Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs is out now.

MP3

Duchess Says - Cut Up

Duchess Says - Black Flag (Juan Maclean remix)

Extra Golden : Obama : Tuesday Primary

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 3:55am MDT by Dodge

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton continue to slug it out for Indiana. I think Obama is about three points up, less than a week from the primary. Absentee balloting is at an all-time high, so that's exciting. I don't think anyone in Indiana expected to be such an important state to the campaign, but it is shaping up that way.

Extra Golden is playing the Pitchfork Music Fest, Bonnaroo and the Forecastle Festival in Louisville, KY this year. Lots of love for the midwest, so you shouldn't miss out on them.

Like Extra Golden, I too am a fan of Obama, but their story and relationship with him is much more personal. In 2006 the Kenyan-American band was preparing to tour the U.S. for the first time. Unfortunately their Kenyan members were being road-blocked left and right in the visa department. It was looking pretty bad. They reached out to Barack, a Kenyan-American junior senator from Illinois. Obama put his pimp hand down, got them the papers they needed and saved the tour. The band wrote Obama as thanks, and the song is featured on their 2007 album Hera Ma Nono. Check into it.

Extra Golden - Obama

MOKB was on hand last weekend when Barack was in town. MOKB staff photographer Dave Evans shot the event. See his photos after the jump...

Barack Obama in Indiana

(photos by Dave Evans)

Barack Obama in Indiana

(photos by Dave Evans)

--------------------------------------------------------

Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s | eMusic | Subscribe To RSS Feed

Gregarius » favorites

Feeds

favorites (100 unread)

Posted: May 8th, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 6:20pm MDT by Dodge

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 1:00pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 12:34pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 11:27am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 8:10am MDT by Dodge

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 7:50am MDT by Dodge

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 5:45am MDT by Gregory

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 4:35am MDT by Dodge

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 3:40am MDT by Dee

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 7th, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 6th, 2008, 10:56am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 6th, 2008, 9:40am MDT by John

Posted: May 6th, 2008, 8:30am MDT by nialler9

Posted: May 6th, 2008, 4:55am MDT by Luftmensch

Posted: May 6th, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 2:49pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 11:59am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 11:15am MDT by Luftmensch

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 5:05am MDT by Dodge

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 2:45am MDT by Dodge

Posted: May 5th, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 4th, 2008, 6:21am MDT by nialler9

Enclosure: [download]

Posted: May 3rd, 2008, 10:00am MDT by Dodge

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 2:14pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 1:59pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 8:50am MDT by Dodge

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 2:25am MDT by Luftmensch

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 2nd, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 3:07pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 1:22pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 12:16pm MDT by XLR8R Magazine

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 7:08am MDT by nialler9

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 5:09am MDT by nialler9

Enclosure: [download]

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 3:55am MDT by Dodge

Posted: May 1st, 2008, 1:00am MDT by XLR8R Magazine