Two weeks back we hit you with a mention of White Rabbits' upcoming new record Milk Famous. Now the band has backed up the first single, "Heavy Metal", with video. The clip cleverly uses looped video to generate a creepy, static-with-movement feel. Very cool - check it out above.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
White Rabbits Drop Video For "Heavy Metal"
Friday, January 20, 2012
Video: Ryan Adams - "Chains Of Love"
On this fine Friday morning, Ryan Adams has brought us a new video for "Chains of Love", and rest assured, this is a video that has it all. An all-girl backing band, Ryan in a motorcycle jacket looking dreamily into space, pyrotechnics, and even....3D. Yeah, we broke out our Ashes and Fire deluxe edition 3D glasses, so what? Stop grumbling, spoilsport, and just watch the damn vid.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
REM - Monster
Often, Monster is cited as REM's response to the grunge movement, and that may have some validity. The return of the "rock" in rock and roll was unquestionably apparent to the band, and they took a step back from the mellowness that they had spent most of the early 90's fostering. But the fact of the matter is that REM was a rock band long before they were producing pop like "Shiny Happy People" or miserable dreck like "Everybody Hurts". Monster's crunch and vitality was in many ways simply a return to the form that had made REM famous during their tenure at IRS records.
That return to form is one piece of the puzzle that makes Monster so great: the songwriting is exceptional, and the arrangements moreso. It is garage rock at its best and most crafty, built on a simple foundation of drums, piano, bass, and guitar. Sure, there's a note more crunch in the guitar, and there are moments where electronica threatens to rear its ugly head, but the dam never breaks, and instead we are left with a selection of songs that are utterly fantastic. But fantastic songs are only one piece of the puzzle.
Let it be noted that we don't particularly love Michael Stipe. He can be whiny, and thrives on the idea of his own oppression. He is the ultimate "emotional" rock star, to a fault. It comes across in his writing, his delivery, and his persona. And yet, on Monster, he absolutely nails it. His lyrical content manages to escape literalism for most of the record, and instead return to the poignant abstraction that made "Stand" and "It's The End Of The World As We Know It" such amazing songs. Moreover, his vocals are in bulletproof form, yielding killer falsettos ("I Don't Sleep I Dream", "Tongue"), bizarre monotones ("Crush With Eyeliner", "King Of Comedy"), straight ahead rock ("Star 69", "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?"), and soulful melancholia ("Strange Currencies").
To try and espouse a band like REM is a fools errand: the band is already installed as one of the seminal foundations of modern rock. Yet it's worth considering that the things they are appreciated for may not be the band's greatest strengths. Monster is what many would call "out of character" for the REM of today, and a shadow of the greatness of their indie years. The fact of the matter is that it embraces both sides of the band's tumultuous public persona, and the result is the best record they ever recorded.
mp3: REM - Tongue
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mp3,
REM
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Spoon - "I Could See The Dude (Demo)"
The cover for the Soft Effects vinyl 10"
We're always stoked when Spoon drops a new track in their "Bonus" section, but this month we were particularly thrilled. Culled from the demo sessions for one of our favorite Spoon records, the Soft Effects EP, the demo for "I Could See The Dude" is a real treat.
Much like the final studio track, the demo is built around a looped guitar riff overlaid on a bass line that manages to craft the song's chord changes all by its lonesome. The vocals are a little more raw, and (like most of Britt Daniel's demos) the beats are clearly canned. At the end of the day, however, this is the clear foundation of one of our favorite Spoon tracks.
Give a listen to the mp3 below, and try not to get too excited about the fact that the end of the track clearly has the guitar lead in for a demo of "Waiting For The Kid To Come Out". Fingers crossed we'll be hearing it soon!
mp3: Spoon - I Could See The Dude (Demo)
Monday, January 9, 2012
White Rabbits Drop New Record, Milk Famous, In March
While it's not produced by Britt Daniel, the band still kept their Spoon association close, and roped in long time band producer Mike McCarthy to produce the record in Austin, Texas. If the lead track ("Heavy Metal", below) is any indication, McCarthy managed to help the band stay true to the sound of It's Frightening, and deliver a record that is a windy maze of synth laden guitar lines and driving, compact beats.
In addition to the new record, the band will be heading out on tour this spring. This is, as anyone who has seen the band on stage knows, fantastic news. Their live show surpasses the greatness of the records to be its own beast, and is an absolutely revelatory experience. The tour includes stops at awesomely intimate venues across the US, including the Independent in San Francisco, The Paradise in Boston, and (alright, not so intimate) Webster Hall in New York. Suffice it to say, White Rabbits deserve a great deal of your attention this spring.
White Rabbits Spring Tour 2012
March 6: Philadelphia, PA / Union Transfer
March 7: Washington D.C. / Black Cat
March 8: Charlottesville, VA / Jefferson Theater
March 9: Raleigh, NC / Lincoln Theatre
March 11: Atlanta, GA / Variety Playhouse
March 12: Birmingham, AL / The Bottletree
March 13: New Orleans, LA / One Eyed Jacks
March 14: Houston, TX / Fitzgeralds
March 19: Denver, CO / Bluebird Theater
March 20: Salt Lake City, UT / Urban Lounge
March 22: Portland, OR / Doug Fir Lounge
March 23: Vancouver, BC / Biltmore Cabaret
March 24: Seattle, WA / Crocodile Cafe
March 26: San Francisco, CA / The Independent
March 28: Los Angeles, CA / El Rey Theatre
March 29: San Diego, CA / The Casbah
March 30: Phoenix, AZ / Crescent Ballroom
March 31: Tucson, AZ / Club Congress
April 3: Lawrence, KS / Jackpot Music Hall
April 4: Columbia, MO / The Blue Note
April 5: St. Louis, MO / Plush
April 6: Madison, WI / High Noon Saloon
April 7: Minneapolis, MN / Triple Rock Social Club
April 8: Chicago, IL / Metro
April 12: New York, NY / Webster Hall
April 13: Northampton, MA / Pearl Street Downtown
April 14: Boston, MA / Paradise Rock Club
mp3: White Rabbits - Heavy Metal
Labels:
album release,
mp3,
new music,
tour,
white rabbits
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Damon Albarn Returns To Africa For Mali Music Follow-Up
Just like Mali Music, the record is an Oxfam benefit, and as such, it would behoove you to purchase an actual copy as opposed to bending the internet to your will. After all, it is the new year, shouldn't you start it off right?
mp3: Kashasa One Two - Lourds
Labels:
album release,
damon albarn,
mp3,
new music,
video
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Suuns Drop New EP
SUUNS at Shea Stadium from the HAD Archive
Comprised of only two tracks and clocking in at just under 13 minutes, the EP is significantly more minimalist than the band's debut. While still embracing an texturally exploratory aesthetic, the record is also extremely careful in it's arrangement. It leaves each tracked instrument the space to be explored on its own in the context of the greater whole. The guitars are singled out and less layered, the beats are given space to grow, and in many cases take on the role of lead instrument.
Without question, the record plays on the band's strengths, and perhaps could do a little more to push in new directions. That being said, an EP is a great context in which to explore, and this record does exactly that. Taking the foundations of the first record and exploring their most stark nooks and crannies is a worthwhile effort, and leaves us eagerly anticipating where the band will go next.
Labels:
commentary,
new music,
suuns
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Plants And Animals Played The Rock Shop - Pictures, Review, Setlist
Over the course of an hour and twenty minutes, the band traversed both of their previous full length records, as well as delivering three tunes from The End Of That, which drops on February 28th. The new material (which included the already released "Lightshow") was surprisingly straight-ahead in it's delivery, and was at times reminiscent of Jonathan Richman, or Dylan at his most melodic. It's unquestionably a new sound for the band, but one that worked extremely well, and left us hankering to hear the rest of the record.
The older material also took on a new life. The addition of a full time basis allowed the band to explore more nooks and crannies of the tunes, and also gave way to some more fleshed out lead guitar. The closest thing the band has had to a hit, "Bye Bye Bye", was radically reworked in a manner that removed a fair degree of its grandiosity, and replaced it with a garage-y feel that placed the emphasis on the melody, rather than the arrangement.
Despite clocking in at over an hour, the set still felt incredibly quick. This is a band who is positively riveting on stage, and gives it their all every time we see them. Moreover, their intricate, syncopated arrangements never seem to get old, and breathe new life into the tunes time and time again. The End Of That is unquestionably one of our most anticipated records of 2012, and last night's show served to remind us of why. If you decided to stay in last night because of the weather, well, we're sorry to say you missed out.
More photos at the HAD Archive
Setlist:
Faerie Dance
Lightshow
Game Shows
Mama Papa
Good Friend
The End Of That
Undone Melody
Bye Bye Bye
Mercy
New Song (Holy Matrimony)
--
New Kind Of Love
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Lissy Trullie - "Madeline"
Lissy Trullie at the DeYoung, from the HAD Archive
It's been a while since we'd heard from Lissy Trullie, so we were delighted when we discovered that she has a new record on tap for 2012. The self titled album, which drops on March 6th, has yet to grace our ears or our inboxes. However, If the lead single "Madeline" (mp3 below) is any indication, it's gonna be a damned good one.
The track manages to channel the spirit of Nico, and set it adrift in layers upon layers of synth textures and loping beats. Combine that with the fact that Trullie's vocals are actually a fair bit better than the Velvet's chanteuse, and the fact that the tune has a nice unconventional composition, and well, we're sold.
The sound is a fair bit more mature than Trullie's debut: Gone are the jangly, garagey guitars, and in their place is a far more crafted and well produced record. The effort is just as polished, but it has more individualism and clarity, and manages to shed a fair degree of the derivative moments of its predecessor. In short, exactly what you'd hope for from a second record.
mp3: Lissy Trullie - Madeline
Labels:
album release,
lissy trullie,
mp3,
new music
Monday, December 5, 2011
Talking Heads Set To Drop Live Video Compilation
In short Talking Heads Chronology is a high quality compilation of the band's live performances, from their very earliest days up until their Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 2002. In Byrne's estimation, they were "very much a live band", and as such, this review is a good estimation of their prowess. We never saw them live in concert, but needless to say, we would have loved to, and if this is the closest we get, well, so be it.
Talking Heads Chronology is available now.
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