Parasites and Sycophants

Featured::

The Young Friends:: Hella and “Make Out Point”
The Young Friends are Arizona natives Andrew McKee and Brant Stuns who met on MySpace their freshman year in high [...]

singles::Jolie Holland and Booker T – "It’s A Wonderful World"

Wednesday November 7, 2007

Christmas time will soon be here and the holiday season got off to a ‘wonderful’ start yesterday with the digital release of the two-song single by singer/songwriter Jolie Holland and icon Booker T. Jones. In the most heart-felt collaboration of the year, Holland and Jones met to record the classic Louis Armstrong track “It’s A Wonderful World,” in honor of the song’s 40th anniversary.

The two tracks were made available for download today on iTunes and Amazon.com, and can be heard on the USAToday.com podcast.

http://www.jolieholland.com/
http://www.myspace.com/jolieholland
http://www.anti.com/
http://www.bookert.com/

notes::Erasure team up with Cyndi Lauper for "Early Bird"

Wednesday November 7, 2007

Erasure have teamed up with Cyndi Lauper once again. The legendary new wave band have brought Lauper in on vocals for “Early Bird” a bouncy electronic duet between Lauper and Andy Bell available on their recently released Storm Chaser EP. The two previously joined forces to co-headline the True Colors tour this past summer, sharing stages with Margaret Cho and The Gossip among others. Erasure’s Storm Chaser EP hit stores through Mute October 2nd and features eight remix and single versions of recently released tracks in addition to “Early Bird.”

“Early Bird”
Real AudioWindows
http://www.myspace.com/erasureofficial
http://www.mute.com

notes::Great Northern get "Sleepy Eepee" again

Tuesday November 6, 2007

Before Great Northern honed the lush lullabies that made up its arresting debut LP, Trading Twilight for Daylight, the L.A-based foursome constructed a set of songs that laid the early groundwork for the band’s cinematic pop. Previously only available at live shows, the five-track prequel to Twilight, entitled Sleepy Eepee, is being made widely available due in part to the overwhelming demand from fans in non-tour markets. Eenie Meenie Records has just digitally released the EP via iTunes TODAY and plan to follow up with a physical release February 2008.

This Is A Problem.wma

Great Northern tour dates:
w/ Robbers On High Street
11/06 Phoenix. AZ – Modified
11/07 San Diego, CA – Casbah
11/08 Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex
11/09 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
11/10 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
11/12 Seattle, WA – Crocodile Café
11/15 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
11/16 Lawrence, KS – Jackpot Saloon
11/17 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
11/18 Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
http://www.greatnorthernmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/GreatNorthern
http://www.eeniemeenie.com/

notes::Ida charms again with Lovers Prayers

Tuesday November 6, 2007

The last time I saw Ida live was in Charlottesville, Va in the late nineties at a pretty packed downstairs cellar called Tokyo Rose. It was a night of beautiful harmonies and one heartfelt moment after another. The crowd at Tokyo Rose was always pretty lame, because a large pack of folks thought it was ideal to sit indian style at the front of the stage for every show. Some bands would make the people stand up, but Ida didn’t, and even all those jackasses on the floor couldn’t ruin the scene. Several albums since, and years later Ida make another return with seventh album Lovers Prayers on Polyvinyl on January 29th, 2008.

Ida, a New York City band known for their pastoral take on urban life, has moved to the woods. Now, it seems, the woods have moved into their music. Strange buzzing sounds, incandescent acoustic drones, dissonant tone clusters of unknown origin, the distant speak of birds, and unobstructed views of the night sky suffuse the gently strummed guitars, sparse piano notes, and poignant personal narratives of Daniel Littleton, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Karla Schickele.

Ida found an acoustically sublime haven in Levon Helm’s home studio, a perfectly aged, completely wooden (even the nails!) structure located in the Catskill Mountains near Woodstock, NY. Ida came to affectionately refer to it as “The Barn”. After recording a song with Ida, Helm personally invited them to play at the Midnight Ramble, a near mythical concert series he hosts at his home. The “Ramble’s” informal atmosphere seems shockingly incongruous with the high caliber of renowned musicians who wander in (often unadvertised and unannounced) and proceed to tear the roof off the place on any given Saturday night. Playing at the Rambles inspired Ida to go all the way into their new “super woods, super organic, slightly mystical” style by embracing a soulful looseness, and connecting with the simple, joyful experience of playing songs for a small crowd in a sympathetic, intimate, rural setting. On one night, Helm himself sat in for Ida’s drummer who was about to give birth to her first child.

*In addition to the Polyvinyl releases, Simple Machines put out three of Ida’s best albums during the nineties, and Tiger Style put out the majestic Will You Find Me back in 2000. Also, check out Daniel Littleton and Jenny Toomey’s Liquorice, which released an excellent record Listening Cap on 4ad/Simple Machines back in 1995. I remember seeing them play a great show at the Knitting Factory.

Lovers Prayers:1.Lovers Prayers
2.The Weight Of The Straw
3.The Love Below
4.Willow Tree
5.Worried Mind Blues
6.Gravity
7.For Shame Of Doing Wrong
8.First Light
9.Kora
10.Surely Gone
11.The Killers 1964
12.See The Stars
13.First Take
14.Blue Clouds
Ida on video:
Late Blues

What Can I Do

http://idamusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/idamusic
http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/
http://www.simplemachines.net/

news::Chris Stills, NY show & "When The Pain Dies Down"

Tuesday November 6, 2007

Chris Stills will be treating New Yorkers to a live show next week, opening for Caitlin Cary of Whiskeytown, at The Living Room on Thursday November 8th. Check out new track “When The Pain Dies Down,” sounds like a lost cut from a Ryan Adams album, blending plaintive piano and sweeping strings, and providing a moody introduction to the sanguine melodies and ornate instrumentation carried throughout the album.

When The Pain Dies Down.mp3

Chris Stills on ITunes

http://www.chrisstills.com/
http://www.myspace.com/chrisstillsmusic

album review::Zookeeper: Becoming All Things

Tuesday November 6, 2007

With Mineral and The Gloria Record, Chris Simpson made music that was great for a certain time, and as a result many adore those bands. Chris Simpson then went underground for a while. In fact, many thought he would never be seen again, but after a few years of decompression, he has reconstituted himself, making his return with his latest project Zookeeper and their debut long player Becoming All Things. It becomes quickly evident from the time the album is thrown on that this isn’t a record easily categorized in some cliquish subgenre. On the contrary, Becoming All Things is a record for all times, basing itself around good song writing, lots of feeling, and abundant melody. This is a much more straight forward approach by Simpson in terms of song construction and it comes across as well worn and much appreciated. The music has the feel and implied comradary of groups like Golden Smog and Travelling Wilburys, who exist for no other reason than for the enjoyment of making music. While the album has many draws, this particular charm is especially evident on opener “Snow In Berlin,” dressed in full regalia with a sweet harmonica, and “Ballad Of My Friends,” with its celebratory horns. These are both barn burners that thump and hum and make you want to smile. The feelings start to get a little more heartfelt on “Trumpets,” which has a driving rhythm that seems penned for long reflective drives on days when something is burning you on the inside. As far as touching numbers go, Becoming All Things climaxes with the softly stroked acoustic guitar and piano centered “On High,” which is just wonderfully filled with yearning and a floating atmosphere that fades to complete nothingness, only to briefly seep out again. “Boy & The Street Choir” incorporates a more singular feel with spare music also guided by the piano. The keys then take center stage again on vampy instrumental interlude “Al Kooper’s Party Horn,” which is the album’s most flamboyant tune. There is much more to find here on Becoming All Things, but that is all pleasure to be had for the listener who makes the journey. Finally, I can’t imagine i’ll be pulling out any Mineral or Gloria Record albums in the near or far away future for that matter, but at the same time I can’t conceive that i’ll ever want to put Becoming All Things away.

music:
TRUMPETS
BECOMING ALL THINGS

web:
ZOOKEEPER

ZOOKEEPER MYSPACE
BELLECITYPOP!

BELLECITYPOP! MYSPACE

album review::Clipd Beaks:Hoarse Lords

Monday November 5, 2007

With band members split between Oakland and Los Angeles, Clipd Beaks could be a logistical nightmare. However, if their debut full length Hoarse Lords and its’ nine songs are any indication, then the only potential nightmares to worry about are the after effects of this haunting record. Taking chaotic and gloomier aspects of psychedelia drenched over “jam session” type aesthetics with an overall trashy atmosphere, Hoarse Lords comes across as a mood piece that will grant your immediate transfer to other worldly bazaars, whether you wish to go or not. Yes, it is here where the minions join together to meditate at the helm of tunes like the darkly distorted trance like “High On Charms.” Throughout Hoarse Lords, the retracting vigor of the bass and the vastly effected vocals fill out the sonic character of the music, creating a parallel universe where alien worlds are sculpted and sometimes discarded before they are realized.

music:
BLACK GLASS
MANIPULATOR
MELTER

web:
CLIPD BEAKS MYSPACE
LOVEPUMP UNITED
LOVEPUMP UNITED MYSPACE

Amaranta’s Soleil Vert

Monday November 5, 2007

http://www.myspace.com/carolinechristasongs

Do Make Say Think:: "A Tender History in Rust" Video

Monday November 5, 2007

Retread Sessions brought to you by KUT.org and Super!Alright! in Austin, Texas continue the video series with their fourth episode: Do Make Say Think doing A Tender History in Rust. Don’t forget to take in Shearwater & Black Before Red on the Brightcove archive.

http://retreadsessions.com/
http://www.brightcove.tv/
http://superalright.com/

film music::THE GREAT DEBATERS – MUSIC RECORDED FOR THE MOTION PICTURE WITH VINTAGE TRACKS

Monday November 5, 2007

THE GREAT DEBATERS – MUSIC RECORDED FOR THE MOTION PICTURE WITH VINTAGE TRACKS, is due in stores on December 11th, the album features a extraordinary roster of modern artists – including Sharon Jones, Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops – performing pre-1935 blues, folk, jazz, and gospel classics. Directed by and starring Academy Award®-winner Denzel Washington, The Great Debaters is set to open in theatres nationwide on December 25th.

The pre 1935 songs were hand picked by Denzel Washington for the various on camera scenes from over 1000 songs from the period. Recorded largely at Memphis’ world-renowned Ardent Studios, “the muisic centers around Grammy Award-winning blues singer/guitarist Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart and Brooklyn-based soul sensation Sharon Jones, who are featured both as solo performers and in collaboration with The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Among the album’s many highlights is a version of the traditional “Step It Up and Go,” performed by Hart and legendary Hi Rhythm Section guitarist Teenie Hodges (Al Green, Ann Peebles). In addition, Hart unites with traditional African-American string band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, for a series of songs, including a stunning take on Blind Willie Johnson’s “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” and the exciting Mississippi Sheiks hit, ‘Blood In My Eyes For You.”Elsewhere, Jones pairs with Memphis’ acclaimed community choir, Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith, for soaring renditions of such classic spirituals as “We Shall Not Be Moved” and “Up Above My Head.” “THE GREAT DEBATERS – MUSIC RECORDED FOR THE MOTION PICTURE” also features jazz favorites like Duke Ellington’s “Delta Serenade,” performed by the esteemed New York-based big band, David Berger and the Sultans of Swing. The collection is rounded off by period recordings from such luminaries as Marian Anderson, Art Tatum, and the Delmore Brothers.

“The Great Debaters – Music From The Motion Picture” (Atlantic)
1. “My Soul Is A Witness” – Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart & Sharon Jones
2. “That’s What My Baby Likes” – Sharon Jones, Alvin Youngblood Hart & Teenie Hodges
3. “I’ve Got Blood In My Eyes For You” – The Carolina Chocolate Drops & Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart
4. “Step It Up and Go” – Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart & Teenie Hodges
5. “It’s Tight Like That” – Sharon Jones, Alvin Youngblood Hart & Teenie Hodges
6. “Busy Bootin’” – Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart & The Carolina Chocolate Drops
7. “City Of Refuge” – Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart & The Carolina Chocolate Drops
8. “Two Wings” – Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart, Sharon Jones w/Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith
9. “Delta Serenade” – David Berger & The Sultans of Swing
10. “Rock n’ Rye” – David Berger & The Sultans of Swing
11. “Wild About That Thing” – Sharon Jones, Alvin Youngblood Hart, & Teenie Hodges
12. “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” – Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart & The Carolina Chocolate Drops
13. “How Long Before I Change My Clothes” – Alvin ‘Youngblood’ Hart
14. “We Shall Not Be Moved” – Sharon Jones w/Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith
15. “Up Above My Head” – Sharon Jones w/Billy Rivers and the Angelic Voices of Faith
16. “The Shout” – Art Tatum
17. “Scoodle Um Skoo” – Papa Charlie Jackson
18. “I Ain’t Got Nowhere To Travel” – The Delmore Brothers
19. “Begrussung” – Marian Anderson

notes::Bradford Cox’s Atlas Sound release album on February 19th

Sunday November 4, 2007

notes::Bradford Coxs Atlas Sound release album on February 19th On his debut album, Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, Bradford Cox a.k.a. Atlas Sound, of Grant Park – Atlanta, Georgia, and Deerhunter fame, has essentially made a bedroom album mixing and pasting together garage rock and ambient electronic influences previously explored with Deerhunter in a new context, with newly aquired recording techniques, mainly laptop-based, learned with guidance from kranky artist Nudge’s Brian Foote. Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel is a true solo album -sometimes down, sometimes charming and uplifting, but always honest. Bradford Cox is a true sonic alchemist, with the uncanny ability to take seemingly unrelated pieces, beats, sounds, and everything under the sun, and meld them into new and more enticing entities. Atlas Sound show us a world we thought was there, only we’d never seen it until now.

Track Listing:1. A Ghost Story
2. Recent Bedroom
3. River Card
4. Quarantined
5. On Guard
6. Winter Vacation
7. Cold As Ice
8. Scraping Past
9. Small Horror
10. Ready, Set, Glow
11. Bite Marks
12. After Class
13. Ativan
14. Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel

live @ The FADER/AT&T Sideshow