What Streaming Music Left Behind

From NY Times / Dan Brooks: "It's hard to imagine now, but there once was a time when you could not play any song ever recorded, instantly, from your phone. I call this period adolescence. It lasted approximately 30 years, and it was galvanized by conflict. At that time, music had to be melted onto plastic discs and shipped across the country in trucks ... " Full NY Times piece here, "Streaming Music Has Left Me Adrift". And this is why I peruse the NY Times music section from time to time folks - a lovely piece of prose that puts into words what we indie kids of the nineties have lost with the digital music revolution. A must read. Thank you Dan Brooks. And perfectly illustrated by the genius cartoonist Tom Gauld. Now go caress some vinyl.

PS After I wrote this I noticed that there is a lot of criticism about this piece on the internet. I think his critics are missing the point - it's just an amusing take on some things the author misses about the pre-digital music era. I'm not sure why everyone is taking it so personally and/or seriously. Lighten up, people!

U2's Latest Charity: You

from  CNET / Joan E. Solsman & Share Tibken: "Apple's iTunes scores U2's new album. You score it free. Every iTunes customer -- more than 500 million people, but who's counting? -- get the band's new album free in what CEO Cook calls the largest record release in music history."Full CNET article here.U2 "Songs Of Innocence"iTunes | Artist Site

This is too big of a story to ignore -- U2 and iTunes are literally giving the entire new U2 album away free to anyone with an iTunes account. Not just a single, no email list signup required, no messy zip file downloading from a band site, no recursive bandcamp authorization emails. I completely see the benefit from U2's side - they can launch a massive tour later this year for their fans that didn't have to think twice about obtaining the new album. Also, they're getting press in publications like Forbes, CNET & WSJ that normally wouldn't cover a new U2 release. For iTunes, I guess its just a huge loss leader to get people to the store. Or maybe U2 even paid out some version of the profit that Apple would otherwise collect on such a huge release. Maybe Apple thinks this will bring in those remaining few holdouts that don't yet have an iTunes account, or maybe they just did it so Amazon wouldn't do it. Hmm that last one seems the most likely!

Here's a Wall Street Journal article that reveals some more of the machinations behind this free release. U2, Apple and the Deal Behind Getting ‘Songs of Innocence’ Free of Charge They mention U2's major label, Universal, but not the publisher, I'm curious what deal was struck there to pay the publisher for the mechanical licenses. Is this a new model for album releases? Only a few bands have the market power to pull this off, and persuade their major label, their publisher and an online distributor to go along with it. Regardless of how much money/benefit all parties made off of the deal (per the WSJ article), I'm impressed that these entities so entrenched in the standard music business model were brave enough to try it. I do think this model can work for baby bands, especially those that are unsigned and retain the rights to their publishing, and many smaller bands do give their music away free on their sites or bandcamp, hoping that translates to fans that will buy tickets and merch when they come to town.

A few last thoughts/notes:

• I downloaded the album with surprisingly little hassle--from the front page of the iTunes store, click on the link that says 'Purchased' under the QUICK LINKS menu on the far right side. Then you'll see the album with a little cloud symbol in its top right corner. When you click on that the album will download into your iTunes library. I'm listening to it right now and it's good --better than their last few by a long shot.

• The album liner notes have a nice dedication to Paul McGuinness, their long, longtime manager who they parted ways with last year. That's sweet.

• Anybody else find it ironic that the liner notes are formatted and typed as though they were done on an old-fashioned typewriter font? That's so dissonant with the most high-tech album release of all time that I've got to think its on purpose.

• Since U2 engineered such an impressive feat, can the next thing on their to-do list be to make Tim Cook fix iTunes so that album digital booklets can be viewed within the app? It's so awkward to look at it in a separate Acrobat window. Should be child's play to Apple after pulling this release off.

Festival Couch Surfing - Reading & Leeds This Weekend

Arctic Monkeys

There's a fine festival taking place in L.A. this very weekend, FYF Fest with Phoenix, Interpol, The Strokes, Slowdive (what?), Slint (whaaaat?) . But on the chance that you just had surgery and are laid up in bed, out of funds, hate crowds or can't find a babysitter for the tots, here's a great alternative: watch the British classic Reading & Leeds festival from home this weekend. Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, Jake Bugg and QOTSA? I'm in. No plane ticket or tent required. Here's a handy guide from NME as to set times. Reading & Leeds Festival 2014 - NME's Guide To What To Watch From Home

New Album Coming From Ryan Adams

From NY Times/Dave Itskoff "ITSKOFF: You’re known for being a prolific songwriter, yet your new album, “Ryan Adams,” is your first in three years. What took so long? ADAMS: Some of that time was life, like yardwork, walking the dogs. I made a record with Glyn Johns, and we spent a bunch of money on it too. Then I had to go sit at a dinner table with my manager and the head of Capitol Records and say, “Hey, man, you can’t put this out.” It was about losing my grandmother. It was too sad."

Read the full interview here.

Nice interview with Ryan Adams in the NY Times (his new album comes out Sep 9), although it's clearly sensationalist of them to highlight the weed comment. Ryan mentions that he lost his grandmother which even makes me sad because I read about her in his introduction to "Our Noise", the book about Superchunk and Merge Records. His introduction to that book was so eloquent, heartfelt, and unexpected that it remains lodged in my memory like a shiny penny. Here is an excerpt, which I typed in by hand, (apologies copyright gods) but maybe a few of you will get interested in the book. It's a must for 90's indie rock fans. You know who you are.

Your Noise-My Noise

by Ryan Adams

All my favorite records and your records crackle like summertime crackles like fried eggs stove-side or accidental fireworks backyard heavy in North Carolina on the coast--mid-day it gets so hot even inside, in the cool, the blazing waves of electric orange light pant like a litter of starving dogs just outside the gate--yeah, sometimes you need comics or records to get you through until the dust settles and the damp evening can cool your brains down enough to see past your own stupid face. That was me. Me looking at my first 7-inch record. I was all "what" and "huh," you know ...

Merge 7-inch singles came packaged like candy. They also looked a little like comics, which was good because I liked both and I liked girls so much they scared me so it all seemed like the perfect distraction, at least to me, and surely to my grandmother, who would patiently listen with me on our portable record player in the wood-paneled kitchen while she baked this or that cake or whatever--she liked how much cymbal crashing was going on--somehow overlooking the melodic weirdness or angst, how forgiving and awesome those moments--in fact before I had money for records she would write the checks and mail them for each PO-boxed 7-inch I desired in exchange for however many times the lawn got mowed but I did that anyway so really she funded my habit, embarrassingly.

He goes on it great detail about what receiving these 7" records in the mail meant to a young South Carolina misfit. Eventually he met Mac (of Superchunk) at a show and everafter pestered him with questions about his record label, making 7"s, the record business, etc. It's really a sweet story. And that's all just an introduction to the book that goes on to relate the story of Superchunk and Merge Records and many more stories of music in the 90's. You really should Buy The Book!

The Value Of Vinyl

excerpted from the NY Times/Monte Reel: 

"In an office near the back of his 25,000-square-foot warehouse in São Paulo, Zero Freitas, 62, slipped into a chair, grabbed one of the LPs stacked on a table and examined its track list. He wore wire-rimmed glasses, khaki shorts and a Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt; his gray hair was thin on top but curled along his collar in the back. Studying the song list, he appeared vaguely professorial. In truth, Freitas is a wealthy businessman who, since he was a child, has been unable to stop buying records. “I’ve gone to therapy for 40 years to try to explain this to myself,” he said.

His compulsion to buy records, he says, is tied up in childhood memories: a hi-fi stereo his father bought when Freitas was 5 and the 200 albums the seller threw in as part of the deal. Freitas was an adolescent in December 1964 when he bought his first record, a new release: “Roberto Carlos Sings to the Children,” by a singer who would go on to become one of Brazil’s most popular recording stars. By the time he finished high school, Freitas owned roughly 3,000 records.

After studying music composition in college, he took over the family business, a private bus line that serves the São Paulo suburbs. By age 30, he had about 30,000 records. About 10 years later, his bus company expanded, making him rich. Not long after that, he split up with his wife, and the pace of his buying exploded. “Maybe it’s because I was alone,” Freitas said. “I don’t know.” He soon had a collection in the six figures; his best guess at a current total is several million albums."

Read the full article here, I beg you.

There are many things I could have written about today, but this man touches my heart. I love him more than a little, and if I were not already married, might in fact send him a proposal. He is singlehandedly saving vinyl, an art form that is unique, precious, and captures a moment in time like no other. He is preserving it and making a library (I might say a sanctuary) that people can visit, learn about and either re-live or begin to appreciate this art form. This exact same idea occurred to me several years ago when I saw a documentary about a man in New York with a million records that he couldn't sell. I daydreamed about getting a grant to buy them, and bringing them to a Culver City warehouse and making a library where students of music could have access to this amazing archive. I am so pleased to know that someone wealthy is carrying out my plan in an even grander style than I dreamed of. This is the sort of thing rich people =should= do with their money but rarely do. Hail Zero Freitas, the saviour of vinyl.

Cat Power and the School Of Doodle

From NME.com: "Last week something really exciting happened in the world of music. Musicians Cat Power, Kim Gordon, Yoko Ono and Courtney Love joined with artists such as Marina Abramovic and Pussy Riot and other creative people to support a new revolutionary venture in the form of an educational platform for teenage girls."

Read the rest of this article where Cat Power rips on the current system of education in the U.S.

She also has a solution -- she's helping a lot of other creatives start an online imagination school for girls called The School Of Doodle. You can see their Kickstarter video here, the school is just in the beginning phases but currently being tested by the people it was designed for, teenage girls. I love that the internet can be used for something this awesome. I'm reminded of a wonderful book I just read called "The Diamond Age", a postcyberpunk novel by Neal Stephenson which details a future in which a certain set of teenage girls get creatively educated and basically get set up to take over the world. I know you can leap to a stereotype of a shallow, annoying, frivolous teenage girl but that's not what these girls are like. They're thoughtful, resourceful, strong, caring and resilient. And I think Cat Power and her buddies are on the right track to harness the imagination and determination of teenage girls. I'd rather be with them than against them, that's for sure!

"Sold-out Burger a-Go-Go Fest celebrates girl punk in Santa Ana," I love it!

from the LA Times/Randall Roberts:

"It takes only a couple of dedicated people to build a music scene. If what they do is righteous and resonates, listeners searching for community will gather. If, like Burger Records, what they envision becomes reality, fans will pack clubs to pogo, slam, stage-dive and sing along.

As proved by the scrums of believers dancing at Saturday's sold-out Burger a-Go-Go, a wild, celebratory, festival of girl punk centered on Fullerton's electrifying Burger label and record store, they'll share, support and spread the word. They'll even help revive a dying recording format, the cassette, by buying tapes at five bucks a pop to play in the TEAC deck that Dad never threw away.

Starring a team of underground bands bent on injecting fresh fuel into catchy three- and four-chord power jams, Burger's fest offered a deft, joyous, seamlessly delivered lineup of acts including Shannon and the Clams, the Coathangers, La Sera, the Muffs, Bleached, Dum Dum Girls and Best Coast. Each ripped through quick songs within quick sets on three different stages at the Observatory in Santa Ana and set the dance floors aloft.

That every band on the roster was fronted by a woman seemed both beside the point and exactly the point. Most rock festivals, after all, are default guy-rock gatherings, because fellas with guitars have run the scene, the biz and the studios. So a focus on the female perspective stands to reason."

Read the rest of the article here.

I love love love what Burger Records is doing out of Fullerton - my birthplace by the way! It is easy to find examples of music getting more and more mainstream and commercialized, labels and record stores going under. But this proves that there will ALWAYS be a place for independent thinking that will appeal to music fans. It makes me happy.

Iron & Wine, Laura Marling, The Vaccines

I didn't go to Sundance this year and I think I might skip SXSW as well but thats okay because every week is a music festival when you live in LA! Last night I saw a double bill of Laura Marling and Iron & Wine at the Wiltern. Laura Marling is truly stunning, not just another gal singer-songwriter but a powerful presence and voice reminiscent of Joni Mitchell or an acoustic Patti Smith. Sam Beam of Iron & Wine upped the ante on this new album with a horn section that accompanied him on tour so it was a lot more lively than your average Sam Beam presentation. I ADORE the new Iron & Wine album, by the way. The show finished in plenty of time for me to skip on over to Spaceland and see The Vaccines, who had a ton of energy and a lot of very short songs, all the indie rockers were there and so was Jake Gyllenhaal! Pictures below of the Spaceland festivities. Iron & Wine: official site :: Amazon :: iTunes

Laura Marling: official site :: Amazon :: iTunes

The Vaccines: official site :: Amazon :: iTunes

vaccines

th closeup at vaccines

Coveting … Fresno?

coveting fresno

I rarely find myself dreaming of Fresno (no offense, Bulldogs) but The Miss Alans are playing a reunion show there tonight (20 years, seriously?) and I do wish I was there.

The Miss Alans: Facebook :: Trouser Press bio

Big C Is Golden!

As the Big C Music Supervisor, I'm THRILLED with our show's Golden Globe nomination and Laura Linney's Best Actress WIN in the comedy/musical TV series category.  I've watched hours and hours of footage of Laura Linney acting in our series and she is, honestly, flawless.  To The Big C creator, Darlene Hunt, and the talented producers Jenny Bicks, Michael Engler and Vivian Cannon who brought the show to life, congratulations on your nomination and thank you for making such a rewarding show that I am privileged to work on. The Big C: official site

Tricia's Top 27 CDs of 2010

The 88 - The 88

belleandseabastian

aloeblacc

blackkeys

broadcast 2000

basia bulat

dr dog

extra lens

fitzandthetantrums

folchen

freelance whales

frightenedrabbit2010

gold motel

This year was a little more chaotic than most, but despite that I did manage to find plenty of good music to listen to. I found 27 truly wonderful records, that number might seem random but why pad it out? Listed below in alphabetical order.

gold panda

The 88 - The 88  Amazon :: iTunes Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love Amazon :: iTunes Aloe Blacc - Good Things   Amazon :: iTunes The Black Keys - Brothers   Amazon :: iTunes Broadcast 2000 - Broadcast 2000   Amazon :: iTunes Basia Bulat - Heart Of My Own   Amazon :: iTunes Dr Dog - Shame Shame   Amazon :: iTunes The Extra Lens - Undercard   Amazon :: iTunes Fitz & The Tantrums - Pickin' Up The Pieces   Amazon :: iTunes Fol Chen - Part II: The New December   Amazon :: iTunes Freelance Whales - Weathervanes  Amazon :: iTunes Frightened Rabbit - The Winter Of Mixed Drinks   Amazon :: iTunes Gold Motel - Summer House   Amazon :: iTunes Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner   Amazon :: iTunes Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whatever   Amazon :: iTunes Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can   Amazon :: iTunes Josh Ritter - So Runs The World Away   Amazon :: iTunes Rogue Wave - Permalight   Amazon :: iTunes The School - Loveless Unbeliever   Amazon :: iTunes Sally Seltmann - Heart That's Pounding  Amazon :: iTunes Shout Out Louds - Work   Amazon :: iTunes Adam Haworth Stephens - We Live On Cliffs  Amazon :: iTunes Angus & Julia Stone - Down The Way   Amazon :: iTunes Stornoway - Beachcomber's Windowsill   Amazon :: iTunes Tired Pony - The Place We Ran From   Amazon :: iTunes Vampire Weekend - Contra   Amazon :: iTunes Warpaint - The Fool   Amazon :: iTunes

hold steady

lauramarling2010

josh ritter

roguewave2010

sallyseltmann2010

shoutoutlouds2010

aw stephens

angusjuliastone2010

stornoway2010

the school

tired pony

vampireweekend2010

warpaint

Making Frames Fans

I really couldn't say how many times I've seen The Frames (more than any other band, definitely) but it's never less than brilliant. I always try to bring along someone that hasn't seen them, because it's a guaranteed conversion. I'm proud to say I made two new Frames fans tonight at The Avalon!

The Frames: Official Site :: Live at the Avalon Nov 2011

Matador Me

I am in recovery from a three day orgy of indie rock aka The Lost Weekend, aka Matador at 21. Highlights: Yo La Tengo, Superchunk (featured at the left), Sonic Youth, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Guided By Voices, Cat Power, but it was all soooo divine! Then there was also lounging by the pool with all the Beggars/Matador folks, eating at yummy celebrity chef restaurants, and, well, not so very much sleeping. So I'm in extended nap mode today shh! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Matador Records: Website :: Wikipedia

Top 40 CDs of 2004

01. Mountain Goats ~ We Shall All Be Healed

02. Sonic Youth ~ Sonic Nurse

03. Album Leaf ~ In A Safe Place

04. Autolux ~ Future Perfect

05. Angela McCluskey ~ The Things We Do

06. Jem ~ Finally Woken

07. Elliott Smith ~ From A Basement On The Hill

08. Casey Black ~ Vacations

09. Actionslacks ~ Full Upright Position

10. Earlimart ~ Treble & Tremble

11. Grant Lee Phillips ~ Virginia Creeper

12. Old 97's ~ Drag It Up

13. Blue Nile ~ High

14. Sam Phillips ~ A Boot & A Shoe

15. Lanterna ~ Highways

16. Matthew Sweet ~ Kimi Ga Suki Rafu

17. Will Johnson ~ Vultures Await

18. Patti Smith ~ Trampin'

19. Jim White ~ Drill A Hole In That Substrate & Tell Me

20. Zap Mama ~ Ancestry In Progress

21. Luna ~ Rendezvous

22. Modest Mouse ~ Good News For People Who Love Bad News

23. PJ Harvey ~ Uh Huh Her

24. Joseph Arthur ~ Our Shadows Will Remain

25. Lloyd Cole ~ Music In A Foreign Language

26. Mocean Worker ~ Enter The Mowo

27. Wilco ~ A Ghost Is Born

28. Faithless ~ No Roots

29. Richard Buckner ~ Dents & Shells

30. Standard ~ Wire Post To Wire

31. Helio Sequence ~ Love & Distance

32. Lisa Loeb ~ The Way It Really Is

33. Unkle ~ Never Never Land

34. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds ~ Abattoir Blues

35. Eleni Mandell ~ Afternoon

36. Ulrich Schnauss ~ A Strangely Isolated Place

37. Magnetic Fields ~ I

38. John Cale ~ Hobosapiens

39. Fatboy Slim ~ Palookaville

40. Ratatat ~ Ratatat

Top 30 CDs of 2003

01. My Morning Jacket ~ It Still Moves

02. Yeah Yeah Yeahs ~ Fever To Tell

03. Josh Ritter ~ Hello Starling

04. Dressy Bessy ~ Dressy Bessy

05. Pete Yorn ~ Day I Forgot

06. Liz Phair ~ Liz Phair

07. Folk Implosion ~ The New Folk Implosion

08. Cat Power ~ You Are Free

09. White Stripes ~ Elephant

10. Ben Lee ~ Hey You Yes You

11. Paul Weller ~ Illumination

12. Rainer Maria ~ Long Knives Drawn

13. Kristin Hersh ~ The Grotto

14. Ryan Adams ~ Rock N Roll

15. Some Girls ~ Feel It

16. Centro-Matic ~ Love You Just The Same

17. Lizzie West ~ Holy Road - Freedom Songs

18. Ben Harper ~ Diamonds On The Inside

19. Laika ~ Wherever I Am I Am What Is Missing

20. Magnolia Electric Co ~ The Magnolia Electric Co

21. Sun Kil Moon ~ Ghosts Of The Great Highway

22. Minibar ~ Fly Below The Radar

23. Paul Westerberg ~ Come Feel Me Tremble

24. You Am I ~ Deliverance

25. Death Cab For Cutie ~ Transatlanticism

26. Starlight Mints ~ Built On Squares

27. Johnny Marr & The Healers ~ Boomslang

28. Fountains Of Wayne ~ Welcome Interstate Managers

29. Strokes ~ Room On Fire

30. Showbag ~ The Town We Loved In

... more 2003 recommendations

31. Stereophonics ~ You Gotta Go There To Come Back

32. Neil Young & Crazy Horse ~ Greendale

33. Eleni Mandell ~ Country For True Lovers

34. Mc Honky ~ I Am The Messiah

35. Carla Bozulich ~ Red Headed Stranger

36. Northern State ~ Dying In Stereo

37. Bonnie Prince Billy ~ Master & Everyone

38. Eels ~ Shootenanny

39. Jay Farrar ~ Terroir Blues

40. 88 ~ Kind Of Light

41. Verbena ~ La Musica Negra

42. Brassy ~ Gettin Wise

43. Radiohead ~ Hail To The Thief

44. Scout ~ This Soft Life

45. Few ~ The Few

46. American Analog Set ~ Promise Of Love

47. Twilight Singers ~ Blackberry Belle

48. Holopaw ~ Holopaw

49. Sleepy Jackson ~ Lovers

50. Grandaddy ~ Sumday

51. Postal Service ~ Give Up

52. Elefant ~ Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid

53. Her Space Holiday ~ The Young Machines

54. Rosie Thomas ~ Only With Laughter Can You Win

55. Red Hot Valentines ~ Summer Fling

56. Throwing Muses ~ Throwing Muses

57. Stills ~ Logic Will Break Your Heart

58. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ~ Take Them On On Your Own

59. French ~ Local Information

60. Guided By Voices ~ Earthquake Glue

61. Josh Rouse ~ 1972

62. Jet ~ Get Born

63. Kinky ~ Atlas

64. Mojave 3 ~ Spoon & Rafter

65. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks ~ Pig Lib

66. New Wet Kojak ~ This Is The Glamorous

67. Singapore Sling ~ The Curse Of Singapore Sling

68. Nadine ~ Strange Seasons

69. Jeff Hanson ~ Son

70. Clem Snide ~ Soft Spot

Top 30 CDs of 2002

01. Sleater-Kinney ~ One Beat

02. Mountain Goats ~ All Hail West Texas

03. Desaparecidos ~ Read Music Speak Spanish

04. Beck ~ Sea Change

05. Sonic Youth ~ Murray Street

06. Spoon ~ Kill The Moonlight

07. Paul Westerberg ~ Stereo

08. Damien Rice ~ 0

09. Rhett Miller ~ The Instigator

10. Tanya Donelly ~ Beautysleep

11. Girls Against Boys ~ You Can't Fight What You Can't See

12. Departure Lounge ~ Too Late To Die Young

13. Extra Glenns ~ Martial Arts Weekend

14. Standard ~ August

15. Mountain Goats ~ Tallahassee

16. Flaming Lips ~ Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots

17. Hayden ~ Skyscraper National Park

18. Kasey Chambers ~ Barricades & Brickwalls

19. Coldplay ~ A Rush Of Blood To The Head

20. Paul Oakenfold ~ Bunkka

21. Sigur Ros ~ ( )

22. Kinky ~ Kinky

23. Superdrag ~ Last Call For Vitriol

24. Frank Black ~ Black Letter Days & Devil's Workshop

25. Anna Waronker ~ Anna

26. David Gray ~ A New Day At Midnight

27. Franklin Bruno ~ A Cat May Look At A Queen

28. Rilo Kiley ~ Execution Of All Things

29. Reindeer Section ~ Son Of Evil Reindeer

30. Mia Doi Todd ~ Golden State

2002 CD Recommendations By Month

October 2002 (links lead to official band or label sites)

Apples In Stereo ~ Velocity Of Sound

Black Heart Procession ~ Amore Del Tropico

Garageland ~ Scorpio Righting

J Mascis ~ Free So Free

Mr. Scruff ~ Trouser Jazz

Quails ~ Atmosphere

Rilo Kiley ~ Execution Of All Things

Sigur Ros ~ ( )

September 2002 (links lead to official band or label sites)

Beck ~ Sea Change

Denison Witmer ~ Philadelphia Songs

Doug Martsch ~ Now You Know

Franklin Bruno ~ A Cat May Look At A Queen

Ill Lit ~ WACMusic

John Doe ~ Dim Stars Bright Sky

No Knife ~ Riot For Romance

Paul Weller ~ Illumination

Rhett Miller ~ The Instigator

Ryan Adams ~ Demolition

Sahara Hotnights ~ Jennie Bomb

Soft Boys ~ Nextdoorland

August 2002 (links lead to official band or label sites)

Amy Miles ~ Dirty Stay-Out

Bright Eyes ~ Lifted

Frank Black ~ Black Letter Days

Frank Black ~ Devil's Workshop

Future Bible Heroes ~ Eternal Youth

Paul Oakenfold ~ Bunkka

Reindeer Section ~ Son Of Evil Reindeer

Sleater-Kinney ~ One Beat

Spoon ~ Kill The Moonlight

Standard ~ August

July 2002 (links lead to official band sites)

Beth Orton ~ Daybreaker [ audio, video ]

Mellow and gratifying, Beth's beautiful vocals define modern blues in the 90s.

Booty Olympics ~ Boystyle [ mp3s ]

Three bad-ass girls rock on about boys and break-ups in true Thelma & Louise style.

Duraluxe ~ The Suitcase [ mp3s ]

Orchestral indie-rock with a smidgen of new wave! Grandaddy meets the Flaming Lips.

Flaming Lips ~ Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots [ video ]

They're orchestral, epic, punk, and magical.

Pixies ~ The Pixies

Hear the extremely awesome first recordings of songs you grew to love on later lps.

Superdrag ~ Last Call For Vitriol

Hooks to die for, fuzz-rock guitars, and a hint of classic rock thrown in on this CD.

June 2002 (links lead to official band sites)

Aberdeen ~ Homesick & Happy To Be Here [ mp3s ]

Delicate pop with lilting female vocals and sweet melodies.

Anna Waronker ~ Anna [ video ]

Girls kick ass, and so does Anna from That Dog on her solo self-produced debut.

DJ Shadow ~ The Private Press [ audio ]

The genius of sampling has a divine new record. Not too dancey for me.

Enon ~ High Society [ under construction ]

Sorta like a wacked-out version of the Smiths, with some Japanese-pop influence.

Guided By Voices ~ Universal Truths & Cycles [ mp3s ]

GBV have delivered 19 two-minute pop-punk songs and they all rock.

Hayden ~ Skyscraper National Park [ mp3s ]

He's back and I didn't know he had that jammin' shoe-gazer side to him. Brilliant.

John Vanderslice ~ Life & Death Of An American Four-Tracker [ mp3s ]

Quirky like Ween, heart-breaking like Paul Westerberg.

Jucifer ~ I Name You Destroyer [ mp3s ]

If you like Sleater-Kinney, i.e. growling girl vocals and driving guitar, you'll like this.

Silkworm ~ Italian Platinum

Do they even know how to make a bad record? Emotional stories, ripping guitars.

Sonic Youth ~ Murray Street [ mp3s, video ]

A gentle album featuring mostly Thurston's work, but still well worth it.

Sunday's Best ~ The Californian [ mp3s ]

Tasty tasty tasty, I could eat these rockin' songs up with a spoon! Love this record.

Tommy Keene ~ The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down [ mp3s ]

Classic pop never goes out of style, this record rocks and it makes me smile.

May 2002 (links lead to official band sites)

Breeders ~ Title TK [ mp3s, video ]

The way Kim Deal wraps her vocals around a song is positively sinful. Indulge in it.

Girls vs Boys ~ You Can't Fight What You Can't See [ mp3s ]

Another great record from the indie crew with the intriguing vocals and driving rhythms.

Mary Timony ~ Golden Dove [ mp3s ]

Former Helium leader is back with more unique melancholic beauty.

Polara ~ Jetpack Blues [ mp3s ]

Epic, wonderful songs from this long-time favorite Minneapolis band. Don't miss it.

Soul Hooligan ~ Music Like Dirt [ audio, video ]

These British groovers have soul running thick in their veins and grooves galore.

Ugly Casanova ~ Sharpen Your Teeth [ mp3s ]

A quirky release from a super-group led by Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse.

April 2002 (links lead to official band sites)

764-Hero ~ Nobody Knows This Is Everywhere [ mp3s ]

Swooping, melodic, jammin' rock in the Built To Spill vein.

Acid House Kings ~ Mondays Are Like Tuesdays And ... [ official site ]

If you liked The Cardigans, this is the new Swedish band for you. Melodic, poppy tunes.

Desaparecidos ~ Read Music Speak Spanish [ mp3s ]

Cathartic, wrenching, bitter, raw rock and roll, just the way I like it. Not for the timid.

Go Back Snowball ~ Calling Zero [ official site ]

A wonderful collaboration between Robert Pollard of GBV and Mac from Superchunk.

Imperial Teen ~ On [ mp3s ]

Crashing keyboards, bouncy loud guitars, intriguing vocals, high-energy pop and fun.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion ~ Plastic Fang [ video ]

JSBX delivers another gem filled with nasty, gritty, bluesy rock and roll.

Luna ~ Romantica [ mp3s ]

Gentle songs, loopy irresistable rhythms, surreal lyrics, a fine return after a long layoff.

Paul Westerberg ~ Stereo [ mp3s ]

2 CDs (one quiet, one loud), all new songs that hold up well to the Replacements legend.

Pedro The Lion ~ Control [ mp3s ]

Dark, moody, thoughtful rock that will get under your skin from SF Bay Area favorites.

Saloon ~ This Is What We Call Progress [ mp3s ]

St. Etienne-type vocals, light & lovely pop that sometimes wanders off into blissful noise.

Sarah Shannon ~ Sarah Shannon [ mp3s ]

Former Velocity Girl lead singer makes a beautiful pop record with lush orchestration.

Wilco ~ Yankee Hotel Foxtrot [ official site ]

A genius album of melancholy songs flavored with sweet pop melodies.

Honorable Mention goes to the following records this month which are also well worth your time:

Mirah ~ Advisory Committee [ mp3s ]

Promise Ring ~ Woodwater [ mp3s ]

Radio Four ~ Gotham [ mp3s ]

Robyn Hitchcock ~ Robyn Sings [ official site ]

Schatzi ~ 50 Reasons To Explode [ audio ]

Valet ~ The Glamour Is Contagious [ official site ]

March 2002 (links lead to official band sites)

Eels ~ Souljacker [ audio, video ]

Genius, hilarious, poignant musical compositions with a rockin' band

Departure Lounge ~ Too Late To Die Young [ mp3s ]

Kid Loco-produced, a unique blend of pop, groove, keyboards, wit & delicious vocals

Stratford 4 ~ The Revolt Against Tired Noises [ mp3s ]

From San Francisco, very My Bloody Valentine-influenced, with a bit more of a pop bent

Songs: Ohia ~ Didn't It Rain

More dark tales from Jason Molina in his distinctively slow and heartfelt style

February 2002 (links lead to official band sites)

Tanya Donelly ~ Beautysleep [ audio ]

shimmering melodies and her angelic voice re-create Belly's trademark dreamy pop songs

Kasey Chambers ~ Barricades & Brickwalls [ audio ]

Aussie country girl witha formidable voice and songwriting chops as well

Josh Rouse ~ Under Cold Blue Stars

Josh gets more lush but doesn't lose his folk roots on this slow and lovely third album

ballboy ~ Club Anthems [ mp3s ]

per NME: "a lot like the Wedding Present playing hopscotch with Belle & Sebastian"

Dressy Bessy ~ Sound Go Round [ audio ]

delightful pop with a bite from Tammy Ealom and her Apples In Stereo guitarist boyfriend

The Maroons ~ You're Gonna Ruin Everything [ mp3s ]

irrestible British-sounding debut from John Moen, Stephen Malkmus' current drummer

Damien Jurado ~ I Break Chairs [ mp3s ]

soulful singing about love lost & the indignities of life with aggressive guitar but still folkie

The Mountain Goats ~ All Hail West Texas [ mp3s ]

stark & lo-fi is beautiful when combined with aching vocals and first-class songwriting

Buffalo Daughter ~ I [ audio ]

it's arty and odd and loud, but above all its pop

January 2002 (links lead to official band sites)

Sloan ~ Pretty Together [ audio ]

4 power-pop songwriters from Nova Scotia make one great album

Helio Sequence ~ Young Effectuals [ mp3s ]

has to be heard to be believed, insane electro-psychedelia from Oregon

The Skating Club ~ The Skating Club

mellow indie pop with vocals reminding me of Hayden

Teenage Fanclub ~ Howdy [ audio ]

finally a U.S. release for this fan favorite - their quieter side

Concrete Blonde ~ Group Therapy [ mp3s ]

she still writes fantastic lyrics alongside a gentler version of their classic L.A. sound

Neil Halstead ~ Sleeping On Roads [ mp3s ]

Mojave 3 frontman/former Slowdive founder writes a gorgeous introspective album

Hefner ~ Dead Media [ mp3s ]

they write songs about angels playing drum machines, what could be better?

Extra Glenns ~ Martial Arts Weekend

a terrific collaboration between John/Mountain Goats and Franklin/Nothing Painted Blue

Vermont ~ Calling Albany [ mp3s ]

the lovely second album from a group that is a side project of The Promise Ring

Jim O'Rourke ~ Insignificance

long-time indie rock producer puts his own quirky complex songs on CD

Various Artists ~ Dean Quixote Soundtrack

don't forget the indie-pop soundtrack designed by yours truly

Top 32 CDs of 2001

01. Burning Airlines ~ Identikit Musical and poetic genius J. Robbins (formerly Jawbox) made us a perfect album.

02. Ryan Adams ~ Gold

Classically great singer-songwriter tunes from sexy Whiskeytown frontman

03. Centro-matic ~ Distance & Clime

Lo-fi, but hi-impact, you'll feel it in your heart & soul

04. Beulah ~ The Coast Is Never Clear

Poppy, hummable songs that are still unique and beautifully textured.

05. Pete Yorn ~ Musicforthemorningafter

Classic songwriting in the tradition of Springsteen (with a Smiths influence!)

06. Remy Zero ~ The Golden Hum

A shining home that takes you gracefully through bittersweet ballads and play-it-loud rock

07. Kristin Hersh ~ Sunny Border Blue

An excellent blend of her band sensibility and her solo work

08. Minibar ~ Road Movies

Hooky, soulful songs that are completely addicting

09. Snow Patrol ~ When It's All Over We Still Have To Clear Up

Angelic vocals and clever, thoughtful songs delivered from Scotland

10. Lucinda Williams ~ Essence

Beautiful blues that go straight to your heart

11. Stereophonics ~ Just Enough Education To Perform

Golden singing, rockin' guitar and lovely songwriting combine for wonderful Brit-Pop

12. Death Cab For Cutie ~ The Photo Album

Edgy songs enhanced by startling lyrical insights and creative arrangements

13. Rebecca Gates ~ Ruby Series

Sparkley, trip-hoppy tunes from former Spinanes gal

14. Sigur Rós ~ Ágætis Byrjun

Ethereal, magnificent songs from Iceland that are each like a little pop symphonys

15. Kid Loco ~ Kill Your Darlings

Dance music with soul and the vocals of Tim Keegan

16. Sparklehorse ~ It's A Wonderful Life

Whispery vocals, spooky sounds, lo-fi textures

17. Spoon ~ Girls Can Tell

Heartbreak from Austin with delicious rhythms and deceptively simple guitar

18. Björk ~ Vespertine

Intimate new work from the diva of otherworldly pop

19. Red House Painters ~ Old Ramon

Gorgeous melancholy songs painted with Kozelek's comforting vocals

20. Lloyd Cole ~ The Negatives

Another album of gems from the master of the ideal pop song

21. Natalie Merchant ~ Motherland

It could be her best album ever

22. You Am I ~ Dress Me Slowly

Sweaty, gritty rock 'n roll from Aussie favorites

23. Quasi ~ The Sword Of God

Smart and quirky music by Sleater-Kinney's drummer and her ex-husband Sam

24. Mercury Rev ~ All Is Dream

Haunting soundscapes carved out of musical chaos

25. Built To Spill ~ Ancient Melodies Of The Future

The album title describes it perfectly

26. Creeper Lagoon ~ Take Back The Universe And Give Me Yesterday

Power-pop anthems with some twisted grooves thrown in

27. Preston School Of Industry ~ All This Sounds Gas

Pavement co-founder Spiral Stairs proves Malkmus wasn't the only talented one

28. Scout Niblett ~ Sweetheart Fever

If Cat Power had a younger sister ...

29. The Standard ~ The Standard

Compelling vocals tell sad stories over solid Northwest rock tunes

30. Curve ~ Gift

Massive, dark guitar with some electronic elements and sultry devil vocals

31. The Frames ~ For The Birds

Dublin favorites get a U.S. release for their ethereal, compelling music

32. Trembling Blue Stars ~ Alive To Every Smile

Dance music with an indie rock twist a la St Etienne

Top 30 CDs of 2000

01. PJ Harvey ~ Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

02. Bonfire Madigan ~ Saddle The Bridge

03. Jets To Brazil ~ Four Cornered Night

04. New Wet Kojak ~ Do Things

05. Mirah ~ You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This

06. Sonic Youth ~ NYC Ghosts & Flowers

07. Sleater-Kinney ~ All Hands On The Bad One

08. Modest Mouse ~ The Moon And Antarctica

09. Cursive ~ Domestica

10. Centro-matic ~ All The Falsest Hearts Can Try

11. Yo La Tengo ~ And Then Nothing Turns Itself Inside Out

12. Patti Smith ~ Gung Ho

13. Actionslacks ~ The Scene's Outta Site

14. 764-HERO ~ Weekends Of Sound

15. Starlight Mints ~ The Dream That Stuff Was Made Of

16. Boss Hog ~ Whiteout

17. Versus ~ Hurrah

18. Mayflies USA ~ The Pity List

19. Death Cab For Cutie ~ We Have The Facts And ...

20. Laika ~ Good Looking Blues

21. Czars ~ Before ... But Longer

22. Radiohead ~ Kid A

23. Blonde Redhead ~ Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons

24. Lou Reed ~ Ecstasy

25. Chainsaw Kittens ~ The All American

26. Ass Ponys ~ Some Stupid With A Flare Gun

27. Lifter Puller ~ Fiestas Fiascos

28. Bluebird ~ The Two

29. Eleni Mandell ~ Thrill

30. Eastern Youth ~ May My Scream Reach The Clouds