Mar 29, 2013

From the Archives: Scud Mountain - The Early Year


The Scud Mountain Boys began simply as the Scuds in western Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley in 1991. Back then the group played loud rock ‘n’ roll in local clubs and had an appreciable number of fans who would frequent their live shows. But after those shows ended, three members—Joe Pernice (vocals, acoustic and electric guitars), Stephen Desaulniers (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, and bass), and Bruce Tull (electric guitar, lap steel, pedal steel)—would retreat to Bruce’s kitchen to unwind. There, late at night, the trio would break out their old country favorites, playing the songs they thought too quiet and too slow for live performances.



The Asteroids Galaxy Tour




Mar 28, 2013

Thad Kopec -Heart of Man - 2012


bandcamp

The album is so appropriately named because Kopec’s heart is so clearly and deeply in the notes and words of his songs that he really connects with the listener, and that’s a hard thing for any musician to do, but also the key to their success. You know you have a great album when it’s hard to pick which songs from it you want to highlight. Honestly, the only way  to fully appreciate the brilliance of this record is to get a copy of it.  It is impressive the depth of talent Kopec displays, considering he writes all his own music, plays most of the instruments, mixes, produces and sings. It probably won’t be too long, we predict, based on his debut, that Kopec will be picked up by a label so that even more people can hear this still under-appreciated talent, some would even say indie music prodigy.

Musical Pearls Rebirth lives on...


Mar 27, 2013

Facts

The first cellular phone measured 9" x 5" and weighed 2.5 lbs. It was developed by Dr. Martin Cooper, who worked for Motorola.

Crossword puzzles became such a hit in the mid-1920s that women’s fashion adopted the motif, printing grids on clothes, shoes, and jewelry.



When Canada's Northwest Territories considered renaming itself in the 1990s, one possibility was "Bob."

 
When Milton Bradley introduced Twister in 1966, critics denounced the game as "sex in a box."

Mar 26, 2013

Pogues @ 30


‘30:30’ is a retrospective that commemorates The Pogues illustrious 30 year career; containing the Irish legend’s biggest hits spanning 1984 to 1996. Included among the tracks is the nation’s favorite Christmas song and 1-million seller ‘Fairytale of New York,’ the top-10 single ‘Irish Rover,’ as well as the classic ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ and fan favorite ‘Fiesta.’

01 – Sally MacLennane
02 – If I Should Fall From Grace With God
03 – Love You ‘Till The End
04 – Fairytale Of New York (feat. Kirsty MacColl)
05 – Dirty Old Town
06 – The Irish Rover (with The Dubliners)
07 – The Body Of An American
08 – A Pair Of Brown Eyes
09 – Streams Of Whiskey
10 – The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn
11 – Fiesta
12 – Boys From The County Hell
13 – Kitty
14 – The Sunnyside Of The Street
15 – Summer In Siam

Sainthill - Dear Victoria



This album is about the passing of Victoria Cuthbert. 

The thoughts of Victoria, her husband John, her adult children Linda and Joe, her teenage daughter Hope, and the family dog Rufus are revealed in these songs…

I was so much lighter than I should have been 
John set me up with a view of the tree 
I wasn't that sad, just a little scared 
At least all my secrets had been shared 

I ran movies and pictures through my head 
Like lightning skies and the kids in bed 
And us staying up in our rented shack 
Watching that sky go from white to black 

I wondered how others fill their last days 
Dream vacations or one last lay? 
I wouldn't do with anything else 
Than tea with John, joking "to my health!" 

Am I going to be a ghost tonight 
Or will I turn into a shooting star 
That my whole family will watch 
From the verandah tonight

Mar 24, 2013

The Smiths - Troy Tate Sessions - 1983


The story of The Troy Tate Sessions is legendary among fans of The Smiths. The Smiths had recorded 14 songs with producer Troy Tate in the summer of 1983, 13 of which were supposed to become their debut album, seemingly titled “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle”. Disagreements arose regarding the sound production, and The Smiths end up going to John Porter, who produced from scratch what is considered the first official Smiths album, the self-titled “The Smiths”. Of course, “The Troy Tate Sessions” exist in various bootleg formats everywhere. To make matters a bit confusing, the early Tate bootlegs seemed too slow, with wrong pitch and rough sound quality. These were corrected in later bootlegs. Then a second batch of Troy Tate recordings appeared. One of the songs recorded is “Accept Yourself”, which ended up being officially released as the B-side to “This Charming Man” in 1983. Now a new set of Troy Tate mixes has surfaced. Basically, they’re much clearer, cleaner versions of what we’ve heard, albeit with some noise issues still apparent. But even cooler is that among the new mixes is a previously unreleased version of “Accept Yourself” featuring Morrissey’s falsetto yelps, and another falsetto vocal overlay close to the end of the track. It’s quite beautiful really. I enjoy the added energy. The thought is that this version comes from the original Troy Tate recordings re-worked by Porter and later scrapped. The recording was made available via someone named ‘Soundsville Paul’ at smithstorrents.co.uk, and then was remastered by ‘Analog Loyalist’ at the blog Extra Track (and a tacky badge). You can hear it below. – David D. Robbins Jr.

Tracklist:
Troy Tate Sessions
01 - Reel Around The Fountain
02 - You´ve Got Everything Now
03 - Miserable Lie
04 - These Things Take Time
05 - Wonderful Woman
06 - Handsome Devil
07 - Suffer Little Children
08 - Pretty Girls Make Graves
09 - Hand In Glove
10 - What Difference Does It Make?
11 - I Don´t Owe You Anything
12 - Jeane

Jason Molina – Autumn Bird Songs - 2012


The first new music from lo-fi hero Jason Molina since 2009 and sadly his last (1st solo music since '06). The mini-album is called 'Autumn Bird Songs' & is an incredibly moving & powerful work. It was recorded soon before Molina took a leave from the industry a few years back. 'Autumn Bird Songs' consists of 8 songs that were specifically written and recorded to and for William Schaff's artwork in the hopes that one day our music-related art book would be finished.

Heart My Heart
The Harvest Law
Enough Of A Stranger
No Hand Was At The Wheel
Owl & Raven
Shore To Shore
First Footing
A Sad Hard Change

Mar 21, 2013

Songs: Ohia - Lioness - RIP - 2013


We are deeply saddened to announce that Jason Andrew Molina passed away in his home in Indianapolis this past Saturday, March 16th of natural causes at age 39. Jason was a world class musician, songwriter & recording artist. He was also a beloved friend. He first caught international attention in 1996 when he began releasing albums under the name Songs: Ohia. In 2003 he started the band Magnolia Electric Co. Between those two bands he released over a dozen critically-acclaimed albums and — starting in 1997 — he toured the world every year until he had to stop in 2009 to deal with severe alcoholism. Jason was incredibly humbled by his fans’ support through the years and said that the two most important words he could ever say are “Thank you.” home


Damien Jurado through twitter:

"I will be gone, but not forever" - Farewell Transmission Jason Molina - tour mate, inspiration and friend - you will be greatly missed."

*****************************************************

Aidan Moffat (Arab Strap) through a series of tweets:

I didn't know what to say earlier, I was letting it sink in, but Jason Molina's death this weekend is heartbreaking ...
... I shared a lot of stages with him – and Travelodges and motels too – from the very first Arab Strap US tour in 1998 onwards ...
... I even helped him make an album once. He was as brilliant a guy as he was a songwriter



Jason Molina, the leader of alternative bands Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co., died Saturday night in Indianapolis from organ failure resulting from alcohol consumption. He was 39.

A perennial road dog and prolific songwriter, Molina had battled what his label called "severe alcoholism" for nearly a decade, a struggle that came to light in 2011 with a note posted on Magnolia Electric Company's website soliciting donations to help the uninsured musician pay his growing medical bills. At the time, Molina had finished two years in and out of rehab facitilies, and was working on a farm in West Virginia, as well as writing new material. Rs

Mar 18, 2013

Lowpines – Give Me A Horse – 2012



Lowpines are from west London, where songs are written in a clutter of guitars, amps and keyboards, in a dusty studio looking out at the trees. Inspired by Sparklehorse, Bonnie Prince Billy, Smog and Eels, these are songs with a quiet defiance, made in a hidden corner of the city.

Thanks Jotien for this fine little discovery

Mar 17, 2013

R.E.M - Unplugged - 2001



On May 21, 2001, ten years and one month after their debut on the show, R.E.M. returned to MTV Unplugged, and to date became only the second artist to have appeared twice. Much had happened to the band in the decade that had passed: five albums released, a second world tour completed, a near-death experience, a manager fired, and a drummer retired.


R.E.M. took to the stage at MTV's TRL Studio, with a backdrop of New York City's Broadway and 45th Avenue, and soaked up the applause as they assumed their positions: Mills on acoustic bass to the left of the stage, Stipe seated at centre, and Buck on acoustic guitar to the right. Hired hands Ken Stringfellow sat behind the synthesizer, Joey Waronker (celebrating his 32nd birthday) behind the drums and percussion on a raised platform behind Stipe, and the bearded Scott McCaughey stood at the xylophone for the opening song, "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)", which was to be R.E.M.'s second single from Reveal. Six songs from said album were performed.

Tracklist:
1. All The Way To Reno
2. Electrolite
3. At My Most Beautiful
4. Sad Professor
5. Daysleeper
6. Beat A Drum
7. I´ll Take The Rain
8. I´ve Been High
9. So. Central Rain
10. The One I Love
11. Losing My Religion
12. Country Feedback
13. Cuyahoga

14. Imitation Of Life
15. La Bamba
16. All The Way To Reno
17. Electrolite
18. At My Most Beautiful
19. Beat A Drum
20. Disappear
21. Find The River
22. Daysleeper
23. The Great Beyond
24. The One I Love
25. So. Central Rain

Mar 13, 2013

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - In Cambridge - 2013


In Cambridge was recorded on April 28, 2010 at the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA, at the tail end of the only Casiotone for the Painfully Alone tour to feature a six-piece band (featuring members of Magical Beautiful & The Dead Science). Drawing heavily from Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's two most beloved albums, Etiquette & Vs. Children, In Cambridge brings fourteen classic songs to life with pianos, organs, horns, guitars, live drums & percussion. In Cambridge is an awesome document of a short-lived live incarnation of Owen Ashworth's often solo, electronic, lo-fi pop songwriting project – featuring the fullest, most bombastic arrangements of these songs that were ever recorded.

Mar 12, 2013

2muchachos - forest is not what it seems - 2012



"forest is not what it seems" LP it’s inspired by the forest. the forest remains a really important and special place. it’s never what it appears to be at first glance; the forest reflects our internal world. it’s embodies what you might call the atmosphere of our subconscious – a state that allows you both to perceive and analyze reality more accurately.

Playlists #2 - 2013


Checkout the playlists over at Dying for Bad Music...

  1. Mark Alexander Mcintyre ~ Nothing Ever Happens Again (Unless We Make It) – (from Situs Totalis Inversus, 2010)url
  2. Smith Casey ~ East Texas Drag – (from The Library of Congress Recordings (1939))url
  3. Daniel Bachman ~ Lost Girl – (from 12/22/12 - 12/28/12 (Tour CDr January 2013))
  4. The Black Twig Pickers ~ I Can't Stay Here By Myself – (from Rough Carpenters, 2013)
  5. Richard Dawson ~ The Bamburgh Beast – (from Magic Bridge, 2012) url
  6. Kallabris ~ So What? – (from A Smile For Brandon, 1990)
  7. gillicuddy ~ Pony – (from ...Plays Guitar, 2012) url
  8. Liam the Younger ~ This Land pt. 1 – (from After the Graveyard, 2007)
  9. Andy Boay ~ Misery Mountain – (from Taste Of Savage : His Pupils Play His Music, 2013)
  10. Micah Blue Smaldone ~ Caroline – (2012)
  11. The Miami ~ Kneebone – (from "Ring Shouts", 2012) url
  12. Lichens ~ Skógi – (from Lítió Fólk, 2012)
  13. Nathan Bowles ~ Charlie's Pontoon – (from A Bottle, A Buckeye, 2012)
  14. Blind Slime ~ Dark Vibrations (In The Sky) – (from Dark Vibrations (In the Sky), 2012) url
  15. Nathan Payne ~ San Francisco Here I Come – (from Slow-Burning Fun, 2009) url
  16. Six Organs of Admittance ~ Hold But Let Go – (from Asleep on the Floodplain, 2011)
  17. Vince Stephen ~ The Order of The Crow – (from Where No Birds Sing, 2012) url
  18. Early UpChurch and the Friendly Quartet ~ Mansions in Heaven – (from Hymns of the Hills)
  19. Joseph Falcon ~ Acadian One-Step – (from Anthology Of American Folk Music, 1952)
  20. Big Lake Trawler ~ Minor Rag – (2002) url
  21. Joseba B. Lenoir ~ Friscora bidean – (from Instroak Vol.2, 2013) url
  22. Coon Creek Girls ~ Pretty Polly – (from The Best of Bluegrass - 80 Years of American Music, 2004)
  23. Matt LeGroulx ~ So Glad – (from Solo Guitar, 2012) url
  24. Least Carpet ~ Wreathed in Mist – (from II, 2012) url
  25. Robin Crutchfield ~ We Find Our Way In – (from The Hidden Folk, 2009)
  26. Sashash Ulz ~ Из тумана (Out Of The Fog) – (from Out Of The Fog, 2012) url
  27. Moongazing Hare ~ King Neutral's Rant – (from The Sunderland Valves, 2013)url
  28. Jason The Swamp ~ Her Face – (from Remember, Resemble EP, 2012) url
  29. Victor Florence ~ Trust – (from Red Wasp, 2012) url
  30. Peter Wilde ~ American Gothic – (from The Horse I Rode in On, 2008)
  31. Roselit Bone ~ Too Long in the Sun – (from Not Very Blue At All, 2013) url
  32. Harris Newman ~ The Pyramids – (from Non-Sequiturs, 2003)
  33. Rag Lore ~ Abstraction al-Ruh – (from Sabah el Mitragyna Reveries, 2013) url
  34. E. Dresch ~ The Tree Song – (from Home Recordings, 2012) url
  35. Golden Brown ~ Cycles – (from High Tide At Gold Beach, 2012) url
  36. Don Bikoff ~ Kindler's Metamorphosis – (from Celestial Explosion, 2013) url
Awesome mix!!!

Mar 11, 2013

Playlists - 2013


I love finding playlist online. Seeing how others place songs in a given order to create a collective feeling from an assortment of flares.
My friends over at GRAN CATEGORIA do it right.
Here's one... 
Enjoy!

Mar 8, 2013

Wonderfuls - salty town - 2013


sadcore

very nice melodies

over very

dark deep vocals


free download 

over @


I can't go on...

Late Nite Howl – 2012


Our very first folk release by a guy that came out from the mexican hardcore-punk scene. 



His name, Pablo Dodero.
Mexican musician, contributor of the ALL MY FRIENDS music festival, father, cool guy, etc.
Pablo gives to us an intimate album of subtle melodies, basking in the narrative as the way to guide the listener into his own late nite thoughts that seamlessly merge the idiosyncrasies that define him... WoW!

http://myrdalmx.tumblr.com


Have a listen, it will bring you to places you have not visited in my moons - excellent record!!!

Mar 7, 2013

Papa M & Unhome ‎7" - Awkward Silence - 2002


From The Archives: Camper Van Beethoven - 2004


This is the expanded 2004 reissue.
Quirky Indie rock interspersed with instrumental tracks that sound like Russian Ska Music. In fact one of the bands from which Camper Van Beethoven evolved was called Estonian Gauchos - if there were gauchos in Estonia I can imagine them producing the sort of music featured here. Remarkable.

David Lowery -lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Jonathan Segel - violin, keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
Chris Molla -guitar, backing vocals
Victor Krummenacher -bass, backing vocals 
Anthony Guess -drums

Tracklist:

"The Day That Lassie Went to the Moon" - 3:14
"Border Ska" - 2:56
"Wasted" - 1:55
"Yanqui Go Home" - 2:41
"Oh No!" - 1:54
"9 of Disks" - 2:36
"Payed Vacation: Greece" - 1:52
"Where The Hell is Bill?" - 2:05
"Wasting All Your Time" - 2:59
"Epigram #5" - 0:09
"At Kuda" - 2:14
"Epigram #2" - 0:21
"Cowboys From Hollywood (Original Version)" - 1:41
"Colonel Enrique Adolfo Bermudez" - 2:09
"Vladivostock" - 2:22
"Skinhead Stomp" - 1:47
"Tina" - 1:37
"Take The Skinheads Bowling" - 2:32
"Mao Reminisces About His Days in Southern China" - 1:59
"I Don't See You" - 2:23
"Balalaika Gap" - 2:13
"Opi Rides Again" - 0:50
"Club Med Sucks" - 3:05
"Ambiguity Song" - 2:30
"Heart (Remix)" - 3:07 (Hidden Track)


Mar 6, 2013

Tall Ships - Everything Touching - 2012


genre: indie rock

In terms of palpable influence, Everything Touching cherry-picks from all over the place: Youthmovies Soundtrack Strategies' post-00s math leanings, Oceansize's cliff-view sprawl, the more swashbuckling strains of Okkervil River and Modest Mouse, M83's downcast glimmer, and Sigur Rós' misty yawn. Not that there's any particular Cornish sound, aside from perhaps Rephlex and Aphex Twin's output, but the way the peninsula county juts out and only shares a single 50-mile border with the next one up, combined with the fact that bands rarely tour there, make it an ideal haven for weird sounds to flourish. No pinning the blame for the county's lack of musical adventurism on Tall Ships at all, but it's kind of a shame that their early relative isolation didn't beget innovation, but a smooth alchemization of other bands' styles. pk

Mar 4, 2013

The Sweets - Hai - 2013


It's been a long, fruitful February dudes. This is our second EP this month, comin' atcha' real smooth from the bowels of our imagination. Hope ya dig. Feel free to hit us up for whatever, yo! Stay sweet! jzsweetstuff@yahoo.com
BandCamp - free dl

Weird. - Desert Love For Lonely Graves - 2013


Equal parts shoegaze and psychedelic rock, weird. will bring you to places of beauty that ultimaetly plunges throughout the album. Excellent release.
free dl @ BC

The Thermals - Born to Kill -2013


"We were halfway through writing the record and I realized that a lot of the songs were about death," says Thermals frontman Hutch Harris of his Portland punk trio's recently completed sixth full-length, Desperate Ground, due April 16 on Saddle Creek. "It was coming together like an action film. All the songs are written from this singular point view: It could be a soldier, it could be a hunter, and it could also be the hunted." But opener and explosive first single "Born ro Kill," Harris says, was originally meant to be a closer and character resolution for Desperate Ground's protagonist. "To me, the whole journey of the record was more about someone learning to deal with the harsh reality around them. I wanted to start with someone who was fighting for freedom and fighting for their family, someone who doesn't enjoy killing but is doing it because it's necessary. Ultimately, that character realizes, "Oh I was born to kill, I was made to do this. It's what I'm good at.' Full Metal Jacket is one of my favorite movies, and [Joker] has two pins: one's a peace sign and there other says 'Born to Kill.'" spin

Mar 3, 2013

From The Archives : Bella - Pretty Mess - 2004


Bella is a Canadian indie pop band from Vancouver, who formed in 2003, and have released two full-length albums. The band signed to Vancouver's Mint Records in 2006 and released the full-length "No One will Know" featuring guest musicians Roddy Bottum (Faith No More), Will Schwartz (Imperial Teen), John Collins (the New Pornographers) and Jason Martin (Starflyer 59). What a group of musicians...


Bella toured extensively in Canada and up & down the West Coast of the US, and its multi-talented members became known for their electrifying live shows, switching up their instruments and treating onlookers to spontaneous and wild dance parties. In their time, Bella shared the stage with bands such as The New Pornographers, The Breeders, Imperial Teen, The Most Serene Republic, Billy Bragg, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Brunettes, The Organ, and Viva Voce.

Mar 2, 2013

Kate Nash - Girl Talk - 2013


London-based singer-songwriter Kate Nash has had a bumpy rise to indie fame. A MySpace discovery in 2005, Nash made her acclaimed debut in 2007 with Made of Bricks. A year later, she had a self-professed breakdown, from which she subsequently recovered. Her followup record, 2010’s My Best Friend Is You, also got rave reviews, but her personal life took several hits between 2011–2012 and Nash wasn’t sure she would ever write again. 

Luckily she did, and her new album, Girl Talk, tucks itself somewhere between Lily Allen and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, full of Nash’s trademark scraped-raw lyricism and catchy choruses. They are fitting influences for Nash, whose feminist ideals have found her recently speaking out against Pussy Riot’s arrest and jailing in Russia and signing on as an ambassador for the charity Because I Am A Girl. CBC

http://www.myignorantyouth.com


Etta - At Last - 2013


Never sounded better...

Watch Etta James "At Last" on PBS. See more from Austin City Limits.