Archive for January, 2006
jamie on January 30th, 2006
So, anyone who read Friday’s post may not have been in on the fact that there was indeed a plan for Saturday night- a suprise 30th Birthday party for Rita. The post was a red hearing. I think it worked- and everybody else involved did their part to keep things on the down-low. It was a great time- Happy Birthday Rita!
The rest of my weekend was pretty crazy, but that stuff doesn’t go in the blog, instead, I write about music here- and today, I’ve got new music from the Jack White / Brendan Benson / Greenhornes project, The Raconteurs The single is out today in the UK/Eurpoe, but not scheduled for release stateside until March.The lead single is called Steady As She Goes, and sounds a lot like the White Stripes crossed with Brendan Benson and The Greenhornes (I know, that’s a cheap way of telling it, but I’m short on words and time today- be glad I’m giving it you at all). The B-Side is called Store Bought Bones. I’m not a big fan of either track, but loved My Doorbell from the cherrypick-your-downloads album Get Behind Me Satan, and have been listening to various remixes/mash-ups using the ultra-catchy riffage for that track.
The Eric B. and Rakim Pump Up My Doorbell mash-up from Party Ben is cheesy, but in a good way, and taking a Jay-Z mash attack of the song The Doorbell Encore from Team 9 is interesting too, but by far the best is DJ Riko’s Stand Up And Ring My Doorbell- mashing up the White Stripes with Ludacris.
jamie on January 27th, 2006
I’m so ready for the weekend. Tonight, Fado is having their 10th Anniversary event, which I plan to attend (until I can’t stand up any more). Considering that the average lifespan of a restaurant/bar in Buckhead now days is about five years, having a 10th anniversary is something to celebrate (any excuse to go to Fado, right?).
Saturday morning, Chelsea plays in the FA Cup at 10, but after that, my calendar has this big void. I’ve got an entire Saturday evening free. So, if you have a band or show that you think I’d be interested in, leave me the who, where and when on a comment. Seriously, otherwise I’ll just stay at the pub all day again.
Sunday, It’s back to Fado for more FA cup action, this time to jeer Man U, and cheer Liverpool on in their respective ties. After football, I’m going to have a Coupling marathon (the original BBC version), since I’ve just got all four series on DVD. Cap it off with pizza and Grey’s Anatomy, and call it a weekend.
Friday’s random-ass playlist:
Audio Bullys - I’m In Love
New out in the US this week. The duo that took Nancy Sinatra out of the Kill Bill soundtrack and put her back on the radio comes up with another great single that’s just catchy as hell.
The Magic Numbers - Live on KEXP (from So much Silence)
I just can’t get enough of The Magic Numbers. Kevin at So much Silence was nice enough to chop up the live stream and convert it to mp3 for everyone.
Augustana - Boston (stream)
This track is in my car, it’s on my iPod, it’s in my head most times when there’s nothing else playing.
Sia - Breathe Me (Four Tet remix)
I’m sure everybody’s heard this already, but it MY freakin’ playlist, and I like the whole marimba & percussion thing going on.
Fall Out Boy - Dance Dance
This was catchy enough, without letting RJD2 take a crack at it.
Panic! At The Disco - I Write Sins Not Tragedies
This song has just slowly grown on me, and it’s manic nature fits me so well. I find my self singing I’d chime in with a “Haven’t you people ever heard of closing a goddamn door?!” occasionally, out of nowhere, just to say “goddamn”.
jamie on January 25th, 2006
-a-Cola, of course. Or just some caffeine anyway I can get it. I’ve just listened to three of this week’s new releases, and I’m so completely bored/depressed by them I might need to run laps around the office just to pep up a bit.
Cat Po
jamie on January 24th, 2006
The Feeling are my new guilty pleasure. There’s something in the hook-laden pop-rock of this London band that just gets right to my musical center. BBC News has actually pegged them as #3 on their list of The Sound of 2006 (#1: Corinne Bailey Rae). Their first single Fill My Little World is somewhere between Keane, The Magic Numbers, and Busted. I mean that seriously. It’s the Busted bit that’s so shameful. The Feeling make pop music, and they aren’t worrried what you or I think about that: “Don’t fear the cheese, embrace it” says Guitar/Vocals Dan Gillespie. I heard the next single, Sewn, on Radio1 last week and was instantly addicted. So go ahead, get The Feeling.
jamie on January 23rd, 2006
I completely missed the fact that my last post was number 100. Way to go me. Now for my recounting of the weekend- bear with me:
FRIDAY
First up, old friends Main Street East at Andrews Upstairs. MSE is releasing their song Caroline to radio this week. Go ahead, give it a listen, check out a live show- you'll like it.
After attempting a 30-foot, double somersault with a twist dismount from East Andrews' parking lot (okay, so it was like 8 feet, and I didn't stick the landing…and there was no twist), I spent the rest of the night babling about UK bands with a young Irish lass at Fado. It was refreshing to chat music to someone who actually knew about the artists I was talking about. Get with the program America.
SATURDAY
After watching some unimpressive football matches, drinking a few pints, and a much needed nap, I found myself back at Andrews Upstairs for Obsession Day. This talented atlanta act has a massive fan base, and always draws a good crowd when I see them. Amazingly, even the dance-party-usa kiddies at Andrews weren't upset when the band went well over the 12 AM cut-off time at Andrews. Check out their myspace page for music.
My proclivity for aerial acrobatics continued as I scaled the gate house at an apartment complex at two in the morning so that we could get a friend's car out of the parking lot. While I thought this event went without injury, I was soon to find it not so.
SUNDAY
Sunday started with the exceptionaly disappointing Liverpool loss to Manchester United, followed by a Chelsea draw and a few more pints of Stella Artois. To top things off, drinking and late nights in this crappy mid-January Georgia rain has left me with a bronchial irritaion (read: hacking cough). And my acrobatic feats have left me with a big bruise on my right arm (I told you that I didn't stick that landing- it was more like crash-and-tumble), and somewhere while scaling the wall I banged my legs up pretty good.
Finish the weekend off with Chinese food and Grey's Anatomy at Megan's house, and call it a weekend.
Oh yeah, in my CD player this weekend:
Richard Ashcroft - Keys to the World
Richard Ashcroft's third solo attempt isn't that much different than his last two albums- the same anthemic approach to the song, the same introspecive lyrics- but this one works for me much better. The single Break The Night With Colour is a straightforward anthem. He's not tearing it up in a brekaing single, but it just flows. The album starts off really well, with Why Not Nothing? and Music Is Power giving the album a high-energy feel at the get-go. Break the Night With Colour rounds out the top three, and is followed by the sweetly simple and melodic Words Just Get In The Way. After the fourth track, the album heads downhill, loosing me in a series of tracks that just don't stand out against any other songwriter on the market today. It's only on the strength of the first half of the album that I'd recommend it- in which case, it'd be better to spend half the album price to download the first four tracks. This is the modern state of music sales.
jamie on January 23rd, 2006
Did anyone catch the new series Love Monkey last week? I’m just now getting around to watching last week’s episode- and I’m not really impressed. Tom Cavanagh seems to do a pretty good job of capturing the character form Kyle Smith’s book, but the concept as a television series jsut doesn’t work for me. It’s only the piot episode though, so maybe I’ll give it a chance. What’s with the total John Mayer immitation of a young singer/songwriter prodigy “Wayne”? It is nice to see Ivana Milicevic 
on television again- I’ve had such a star crush on her since her role in Mind of a Married Man.
“…our musical tastes aren’t exactly in synch: she listens to Jewel and weeps, while I prefer music.” - Tom Farrell (Tom Cavanagh)
Speaking of Monkeys, lets do some Arctic Monkeys today:
Live on KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic
(MP3’s on Muzzle of Bees)
Fake Tales of San Francisco (RapidShare)
I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor (RapidShare)
…and a mash-up:
Scumbody Told Me (Arctic Monkeys vs. The Killers)
jamie on January 19th, 2006
I was hanging out at 10 High last night, and these two guys take the stage with a four-piece drum kit and electric guitar. I thought I might be in for a bit of a White Stripes knock-off- until about 30 seconds into the first song that is. Nothing could have been further from what graced my ears last night as Eller played the first set of the night in the cellar-cold of the 10 High. This Georgia-native band shows influences from Jeff Buckley, Athlete and Doves in their distinctly Brit-pop songs. I’d through comparisons to Arctic Monkeys, Starsailor, and Embrace on the table as well. Even with only two on stage, it was still apparent that this sound is meant for MUCH larger venues. In the final song from Eller that night, the influence of Jeff Buckley became amazingly apparent: Eller’s vocal and guitar styling emulate Buckley closely, while adding his own style. After the show, Jonathan Eller handed me a copy of their AOK CD. I haven’t been able to put it down since. The 7-track CD ranges from the ethereal Mother to a latin/jazz influenced Shackles. The untitled 7th track definitely has a very Coldplay feel, and reminds me a lot of Gravity (the embrace version). But don’t think they don’t rock out: Bag Of Bones is a burner, with an incredible drum track (drummer Deke does wonders on a 4-piece kit live). Definitely going on the iPod, this one.
jamie on January 19th, 2006
I was begining to think A Grand Don’t Come For Free would have to get me through 2006, but Annie Mack just let me know that there is new material coming from The Streets this year! Something to be excited for.
If you don’t know The Streets:
Dry Your Eyes (crappy Chris Martin version, but it’s all I could find online)
Fit But You Know It (remix feat. Kano and others)
Otherwise:
Banquet (Bloc Party remix)
- this is a crazy ass apology to Jo Whiley for the theft of a microphone from her studio long ago. It’s this frenzied mix of incredible production and terrible singing (in total Mike Skinner style). Fun for your ears!
jamie on January 16th, 2006
Just saw one of Hilton’s new campaign spots on tv- James Blunt on the soundtrack! Apparently, the campaign is set to use other “emerging artists” in similar spots (the other artists I’ve read are Jason Mraz & Ben Folds - these are “emrging artists”?).
Go to Blunt’s site to download a demo version of Out Of My Mind (I like this “demo” version better than the album version is many ways).
jamie on January 16th, 2006
My weekend was a fucking train wreck…how ’bout yours?
There is nothing slated for release this week (in the US or the UK) worth mentioning. The list of total releases is like twelve long…..seriously. I’ve recently found the Hype Machine though, which is going to save me from having nothing to listen to this week. Hype Machine is an MP3 blog aggregator, taking MP3 links from the best music blogs in the blogosphere, and pushing them all together in a really handy way to listen to them. I’ve been using it to find some of the new music I can’t get off the music services yet. Sure I could search the internets for the tracks, but it’s so much easier to simply search Hype Machine and glean the track from someone else’s hard work? Exactly, I’m a lazy ass.
Some gems from Hype Machine:
Guillemots - Made Up Love Song #43
Zane Lowe’s been playing this track forever, and it’s catchy. I looked around, but couldn’t find it anywhere else. BTW: Guillemots are a type of small bird, something like a pidgeon.
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
Radio1 has been loving Gnarls Barkley, but every time I’ve gone to the website, all I get is a stupid graphic, and no info. Gnarls is rapper Cee-Lo and producer Danger Mouse’s collaborative project, de out sometime this year. Danger Mouse is on a hot streak, after his recent work with Jay-Z, the Gorillaz and his Danger Doom release this year.
Richard Ashcroft - Break The Night With Colour
Richard Ashcroft drops his new album in the UK next week, with a US relase date TBD (I don’t plan on waiting, thank you). This is the first single, and it’s just freakin’ great.
oh, and here’s love in a URL:
Corinne Bailey Rae LIVE on KCRW
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