Archive for January, 2010
First “Plastic Beach” single released
A couple of days ago, Gorillaz leader Murdoc announced to the world that his cartoon group’s new album Plastic Beach was almost finished.
Well, today we got the official release date as well as the first single.
Plastic Beach will be released on March 9th, and the first single called “Stylo” is currently available on the band’s YouTube channel HERE.
“Stylo” doesn’t hit you over the head with Gorillaz’ trademark ingenuity the same way that “Feel Good Inc.” did way back in 2005 when it swept the country. Instead it opts to lock into a rock-solid funky disco beat that maintains a chill vibe throughout the song while guest vocalists Bobby Womack and Mos Def do most of the emoting. One thing’s for sure though - when it comes to Gorillaz, they rarely have many tracks that sound the same, so even if you can’t totally get into this first single, I’m betting there will be something on the new album that will get your hips shaking.
And like usual, the band has recruited more than its share of guests to appear on Plastic Beach. Some of those guests include Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, and De La Soul. Count me as particularly interested to hear the Snoop collaboration.
The full tracklist is after the jump.
2009 Epitaph Tour Sampler
Epitaph records has recently released their 2009 Epitaph Tour Sampler album, which, is an album worth buying. The album only costs $2.99 on iTunes and is compiled of 14 different songs. The artists on the album include Bring me The Horizon, Escape The Fate, Story of the Year, and The Blood Brothers, just to name a few. So if you’re searching for a good bargain on some music, this album will definitely be what you’re looking for.
The front-man I’m most sick of, U2’s Bono, and Jay-Z, along with producer Swizz Beats, have worked their magic to record a new song to benefit the victims of the recent Haiti earthquake. Details pertaining to the song’s title, release, or even live debut, have not been revealed.
Bono will take part in the “Hope For Haiti” telethon. “Hope For Haiti” is being organized by actor George Clooney and is set to take place in various locations on Friday, January 22nd.
We all know how much Haiti needs any assistance we can muster at this time.
Today, a group of artists working with Music For Relief has issued a compilation of music available to download called Download to Donate for Haiti. You can then donate any amount of money you choose to the charity. No donation is too small.
And to top it off, all the music on the compilation is exclusive and never before released.
Here’s the link: http://www.musicforrelief.org/
The tracklist for the album is:
- Not Alone – Linkin Park
- Mother Maria (featuring Beth Hart) – Slash
- Never Let Me Down (produced by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes) – Kenna
- Heroes – Peter Gabriel
- Still (Acoustic, Vancouver Sessions) – Alanis Morissette
- Resurrection (produced by Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park) – Lupe Fiasco and Kenna
- We Are One – Hoobastank
- The Wind Blows (Skrillex Remix) – The All-American Rejects
- It Must Be Love – Enrique Iglesias
- Typical Situation (Live) – Dave Matthews Band
From the press release:
100% of funds received will go directly to the Haiti efforts. In partnership with the UN Foundation’s Central Emergency Response Fund, Habitat for Humanity, and Dave Matthews BAMA Works Haitian relief efforts, Music for Relief is working to support immediate relief with food, water and emergency medical supplies as well as long-term sustainable housing solutions for the people affected by this catastrophic natural disaster.
This is a magic moment in time, when technology, coupled with generosity, talent, and ingenuity has created a unique opportunity to do something positive through the power of music.
So if you are at all able to donate even a dollar, this is a great charity to donate to and they’ll hook you up with some exclusive music in the process.
-Sam
Greatest Rock Artist Ever…
Submitting for your approval… Mr. David Grohl. 
I know. You are upset. You may be angry. How in the world could I pick Dave Grohl? What about Jagger, McCartney, Lennon, Hendrix, Morrison, Cobain, Page, Plant, Hetfield, Presley, Vedder, and a list that goes on and on? What in the world could I be thinking? The greatest rock artist ever? He wasn’t even the best rocker in Nirvana.
My assertion may strike many as over the top or simply off the mark, but I think if you take a step back and put down your headphones for a few minutes, you may be swayed ever so slightly. Let us take a small trip down memory lane and see just how well Dave Grohl stacks up.
After playing for a short time with the band Scream, Grohl was approaced by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic to join Nirvana. The grunge band had already released one album, Bleach, and were set to record a small little album called Nevermind. Smells Like Teen Spirit spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 6. Grohl played on the seminole grunge album, Nirvana’s In Utero. The tour de force including tracks Heart-Shaped Box, Rape Me, and All Apologies debuted at number one and remained on the charts for 87 weeks.
So at this point in our brief history lesson, Grohl was the dummer for Nirvana. A band whose place in rock history can not be protested. They have been hailed, time and time again, as one of the most influential groups of all time. If Grohl had packed up his drum kit and gone home, like he almost did following the suicide of Kurt Cobain, he would be hailed as a great drummer from one of the breakthrough bands that changed a generation. His name would be mentioned in the same breath as Ringo Starr and John Bonham.
But there was plenty of work to be done. Near the end of Nirvana, Grohl had started working on a solo project. He played all the instruments on his project called Foo Fighters. The album produced some solid singles for a debut, including Big Me and This is a Call, which hit number 2 on the Billboard’s Alternative Charts. Next up for the Foo Fighters was The Color and the Shape which spent 74 weeks in the Billboard Top 200, peaking at number 10. Grohl and his bandmates pushed out classic rock songs like Monkey Wrench, My Hero, Everlong, and Walking After You. So, just to keep a running score - two albums with six songs that most anyone would know the chorus.
As we neared the start of a new decade and new century, the Foo Fighters were firmly established as one of the top rock bands in the world. There Is Nothing Left to Lose, the bands third album, hit number 10 on the Billboard 200 and gave the world the great single Learn to Fly (13 on the Billboard Hot 100). From there the Foos continued to add their amazing calalogue of hits and accomplishments. I don’t want to bore you with every album title and song up to our current date but…
One By One – 2002 – Number 3 on the Billboard 200 – Big Single All My Life
In Your Honor - 2005 – Number 3 on the Billboard 200 – Big Single – Best of You (18 on Billboard Hot 100)
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - 2008 – Number 3 on the Billboard 200 – Big Single – Long Road to Ruin
Throw in a couple of compilation/greatest hits CDs and the Foo Fighters have been all over the charts for well over 15 years. In 2001, Grohl branched out from the Foo Fighters and latched on to another rising rock band, playing drums for the Queens of the Stone Age. And most recently, Grohl and Queens of the Stone Age front man Josh Homme came together with Led Zeppelin stalwart John Paul Jones to form Them Crooked Vultures.
A fun fact about Mr. Grohl’s various groups : On November 23, 2002, Grohl achieved a unique historical milestone by replacing himself on the top of the Billboard Modern Rock chart, when “You Know You’re Right” by Nirvana was replaced by “All My Life” by Foo Fighters. When “All My Life” ended its run, after a one week respite, “No One Knows” by Queens of the Stone Age took the number one spot. Between October 26, 2002 and March 1, 2003 Grohl was in the number one spot on the Modern Rock charts for 17 of 18 successive weeks, as a member of three different groups. If that doesn’t get you to lean his way, I don’t know what will.
Dave Grohl may not be the first artist who comes to mind when you discuss the best of all time. There are a ton of names that are sexier and more popular. But I beg you to take a step back and think of what the last twenty years of rock music would be without this gentleman sharing his love for music with us.
And at this point – I double dog dare you to name somone more deserving of my newly created title of Greatest Rock Artist Ever.
About a year or so ago, Billy Corgan, freshly free from a recording contract, announced that, moving forward, the Smashing Pumpkins would eschew the familiar album format and focus solely on singles.
This plan really began to take shape last September when Corgan announced that the Pumpkins would in fact be releasing a new album, but they would be releasing it for free online, one track at a time. Oh, and it would be a 44-track behemoth of an album called Teargarden by Kaleidyscope.
The first song from this effort, called “A Song for a Son,” was released online in December. Corgan had said that he planned to release a new song approximately once every two weeks, but already that schedule has been thrown off since the second track wasn’t released until today, more than a month later. But, hey, who can complain about free music?
Anyways, the new song is called “Widow Wake My Mind.” You can download it absolutely free over at Stereogum.
The song is quite a change in pace from the first Teargarden track. Whereas “A Song for a Son” was typical Pumpkins gloom, “Widow” is positively sunny and bouncy. It’s an electro-rock paean to finding “a love that shines.” There’s absolutely nothing groundbreaking here, but it’s a decent-enough pop-rock song. And it’s free, so there’s really no reason not to at least check it out.
Moving forward, I’d like to see Teargarden hew closer to “Son” than “Widow,” if only because Billy does melancholy so well. (And hopefully he’ll get on that one track every two weeks plan he laid out)
-Sam
By now I’m sure everybody with access to a television or internet-equipped device has seen the ubiquitous video of 62-year old American Idol contestant Larry Platt showcasing his original rap song, “Pants on the Ground.”
American Idol may be good at churning out lowest common-denominator pop drivel year after year, but at least every once in a while we get something like this out of its first few weeks of audition episodes.
So I watched the video. I laughed. And then I thought nothing more of it. That is, until I found that someone had the insight to dig deep into the song’s subtext and bring out its true meaning with…a “Neil Young” cover. Yup, you heard that right – in all its Harvest-era glory.
And of course I put Neil Young in quotations because it was actually Jimmy Fallon channeling Mr. Young who brought us this great reinterpretation.
Check it out:
Jimmy Fallon – “Pants on the Ground”
See the original “Pants on the Ground” after the jump.
Now and then I’ll stop by to let you know what I think is worth checking out. Here are my rec’s for the week:
Miike Snow – Miike Snow (2009)
Infectious kick-based dance jams never get old, at least not to me. This band not only knows how to craft a song, they explore their progressions and melodies to the fullest and let the listener know to expect more than a simple pop hook or synth riff. You could probably DJ a party, play this record, sit on your ass for an hour and still get everyone moving.
RIYL: Passion Pit, Discovery, Crookers, Phoenix
Lupe Fiasco – Enemy of the State (2009)
‘09 was a tough year to rank mixtapes, but Lupe’s latest effort has to be a contender for the top spot. Featuring beats like the National Anthem (Radiohead), All The Way Turnt Up (Travis Porter ft Sean Teezy & ATL), and Angels (Dirty Money), Lupe once again establishes himself as perhaps the most intelligent and eloquent rapper in the game. The only complaint I have is that it’s only 22 minutes and change long, but then again Lupe is dropping his full length, Lasers, later this month. I guess we can say he succeeded in creating some additional hype for what will surely be one of the year’s best efforts.
RIYL: Jay Electronica, Wiz Khalifa, Mos Def
Motion City Soundtrack – My Dinosaur Life (2010)
MCS is back and once again they waste no time letting you know. My Dinosaur Life is an emotional roller coaster ride that kicks off with inspiration, brings you to the depths of sorrow and picks you right back up again. Singer and songwriter Justin Pierre has established a new sense of maturity in his writing, likely as a result from shedding old habits and becoming clean. If you liked the Motion City Soundtrack you heard on Commit This To Memory, you’ll love this record. It’s a pop-punk blaster, perfect for putting the windows down and taking a mental trip away from it all.
RIYL: Blink-182, The Matches
Vampire Weekend – Contra (2010)
This band brings it. There are so many interesting things going on during this album that one can’t help but think, how the hell did they think to use THAT sound? Vampire Weekend shows that their self-titled debut was only a hint of what they could accomplish and on Contra, they again take traditional song structure and morph it into something much different, but ironically catchier and more rhythmically validating. I’d be shocked if this album didn’t make my 2010 top 10 list.
RIYL: The Strokes, Ra Ra Riot, Harlem Shakes
The American Dollar – Atlas (2010)
I’m not going to lie, there is a reason that The American Dollar hold a special place in my heart: they help me sleep. This isn’t a bad thing – in fact, sleep and music are two of my favorite things, so a combination of the two is naturally awesome. Merely anointing them as my personal Mr. Sandman, though, doesn’t do their work justice. On Atlas, this Brooklyn-based duo take the listener through an enchanting instrumental journey of beautiful piano-based chord progressions, thoughtful melodies and dreamy soundscapes – but with a driving rhythmic force.
RIYL: The Album Leaf, Explosions in the Sky, Hammock
Former Misfits drummer Brian Keats has lost his battle with liver cancer at the age of 46. An active player in the NYC punk scene, and later in LA, Keats only had chance to play one show with the band; one that would turn out to be Glenn Danzig’s last with the outfit.
In honour of Brian’s passing, here’s my personal ultimate playlist of some of the best Danzig-era Misfits songs that no self-respecting punk rock fan should be without:
Vampira
Astro Zombies
Some Kinda Hate
Attitude
Bullet
Horror Business
I Turned Into A Martian
Teenagers From Mars
Angelfuck
Death Comes Ripping
Start out there, then go out and buy all their albums because they’re all really fantastic…yes even the ones with Michael Graves, you purist swine. Embrace one of the finest punk bands to ever grace the planet!
Circle the date on your calendars, kids, for The Gaslight Anthem have announced a June 15th release for their new album entitled ‘American Slang’.
If you don’t yet know of this fantastic punk-rock-blues hybrid beast, I suggest you get off your swollen e-rear end and check them out at their myspace: www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem
I guarantee you’ll love how much soul this band brings to punk. They take the the New Jersey, blue-collar attitude of Springsteen and kick it up a notch with real punk structures and pacing. I recommend checking out their last album ‘The 59 Sound’, as it is one of my favourite records of the past decade and I reckon anyone with an ear for catchy, classic rock tunes will love it.