Only something that really appeals as an art form to people of my generation, slightly older, is the music video.  A bit pointless in concept the execution these days is pretty much on par, useless “performance” and fashion videos put out by the likes of Rihanna or whoever else is “good” these days.  Better are some artists, creating videos of such quality and concept they’re sometimes better than the songs themselves, or even the artist themselves.  In this issue of Dig, Dug, Damn! you reap the rewards of my deep digging, bringing you what I feel to be the top 25 music videos of all time (in random order).  Then, after, I post some follow-up videos that didn’t make the list (I’m only posting a single video by a band, so some artists would otherwise have multiple entries).  Let’s rock!

Artist: Stabbing Westward Song: Shame

This was one of the most simple decisions on the whole list.  The video has everything from band performance to a virtual breaking of the 4th wall, and the story itself is very devious and fun, tying perfectly into the lyrics.  I love the concept so much, and for when it came out, it’s really ground breaking.  (Directed by Paul Cunningham)

Artist: Michael Jackson Song: Thriller

I’d say something about the video but everything in the world that could be said has already been said, and recently.  (Directed by murderer John Landis)

Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins Song: Tonight, Tonight

This is an obligatory selection, and obviously so.  Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, later of Little Miss Sunshine fame, and based on the classic 1902 film Le Voyage Dans la Lune by Georges Méliès, the video is a technological masterpiece and a simplistic dream come true shot entirely with backdrops and a stationary cameras.  PS: The Smashing Pumpkins are my favorite band ever.

Artist: A-Ha Song: Take On Me

Ripped from the pages of history, this video is every bit successful as it is ambitious, every bit amazing as it is a delight to watch.  The story fit with the song, the animation was excellent, and it should be immediately apparent why this is hailed as one of the best by most every source you can find on the topic.  (Directed by Steve Barron)

Artist: New Order Song: True Faith

An old favorite of mine, New Order are every bit as fresh as ever, and this video was amazing to me as a child.  Honestly, it’s even more intriguing to me now with the strange, almost metaphoric performance art going on all throughout, mostly rhythmically.  If that doesn’t sell you on watching I don’t know what will.  (Directed by Philippe Decouflé)

Artist: Björk Song: Bachelorette

One name: Michel Gondry.  The director of films such as Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep has a way with visuals that is almost like being a puppeteer of humans and a painter of theatrics.  He’s directed many great videos, especially for Björk, and I feel this is the broadest and most impressive of her bunch.  His work appears numerous times on this list.

Artist: Eric Prydz Song: Call On Me

Steve Winwood never sounded so good (probably because he rerecorded his vocals for the Sweedish DJ and producer), and music videos have never been so sexy.  Eric Prydz hit a high note with the song, and director Huse Monfaradi hit all the correct notes with the visual, making something fun, energetic, and envelope pushing.  I mean, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has gone on record about it, that’s how scandalous it is.  Oh, and just so you know, I really like the red head in the black and yellow top (barely shown) and the blond (pink top) PS: The video has a sequel that is also awesome, which is near the very bottom of this post.

Artist: Aphex Twin Song: Windowlicker

One of the longest, funniest, sexiest, scariest, and strangest music videos ever.  And quite offensive too, first harshly mocking rap and hip-hop culture then paying homage to Michael Jackson and David Lee Roth’s “California Girls”.  I don’t recommend watching this for the first time if you’re intoxicated in any way.  Or is it the other way around?  (Directed by Chris Cunningham)

Artist: Weezer Song: Buddy Holly

As if it needs saying, Spike Jonze is a brilliant man.  This video was a favorite in my teens for the retro motif in visuals and lyrics, the fun and boppy nature of it all, and for being such a seamless insertion into, of all things, Happy Days.  The Fonz makes everything cooler.

Artist: The Foo Fighters Song: Everlong

Michel Gondry, again, makes an entry on this list, this time with vanilla flavored musical act The Foo Fighters, in what is one of their best songs and, by far, their best video.  The video makes little to no sense, like, what kind of drugs were they on, why the huge hand, why two men in an implied heterosexual relationship, where did the nunchucks appear from?  The list goes on, but it’s such an awesome video regardless.

Artist: God Lives Underwater Song: From Your Mouth

This is probably the only video on the list that will make you hungry.  I didn’t think about that when I chose it, but now it’s extra earned it’s spot because these things don’t usually inspire the munchies.  I very much enjoy some God Lives Underwater so when the video was released I didn’t need any additional info.  I didn’t know how great it’d be, watching an Asian attack a personal buffet in reverse, then having the band there, just looking cool and stuff.  If I were in a band I’d do a similar gimmick.  (Directed by Roman Coppola)

Artist: Röyksopp Song: Remind Me

It’s kinda scary how well the song and video go together, the main chorus and the beautiful and simplistic dissection of every day life.  Like being reminded, it’s the most basic component of a complex machine or system that becomes glaring, and multiple viewings of this video will prove different each time, different aspects of the animation and the items within standing out, a mathematical equation, almost, proving the lyrics true.  (Directed by H5)

Artist: Toni Basil Song: Hey Mickey

Directed and choreographed by who is in my eyes the original riotgrrrl, Toni Basil herself, the song is infectious and the video is iconic with the plain faced, average bodied cheerleaders and an incredibly upbeat tune for a song that is basically a huge middle finger to the titular Mickey.  I’m not going to lie to you- I find the video sexy, and I find old school Toni one of the most delicious curiosities ever.

Artist: No Doubt Song: New

While it’s not particularly deep or telling, No Doubt’s video for their entry on the Go soundtrack is one of the best “party” atmosphere videos ever.  I do prefer more difficult concepts as a starting point, but it sometimes says something in not being slightly new or different but in taking something as old as dust and improving upon it, breathing a new life into something established.  Gwen Stefani looked awesome as hell here, too.  (Directed by Jake Scott)

Artist: Skinny Puppy Song: Pro-Test

This was a struggle to pick for the list as there are lots of greats out there, but, like the Aphex Twin entry, this takes stereotypes and stands them on their heads, and I’m a huge fan of both stereotypes and standing them on their heads.  The concept is simple, the dance moves are, for all practical purposes, impossible, and message is clear: People dressing differently than you doesn’t mean they don’t have the same, exact interests.  (Directed by William Morrison)

Artist: The Cardigans Song: My Favorite Game

This video puts a smile on my face, and for more reasons than Nina Persson and her many exquisite qualities.  The song is great and the devil may care attitude of the video is refreshing, all others being about caring bunches and tons.  The humor is unexpected, as is the rock, car crashes, and crumpled bodies, and I don’t care who you are or what your name is, those things inspire a chuckle or two.  (Directed by Jonas Akerlund)

Artist: The Prodigy Song: Smack My Bitch Up

Like the last video this one is directed by Jonas Akerlund, but is the much more disturbed older sister with truly no concept of sanity or safety.  It took a a risk with the disgusting nature, first person POV, and quick, manic cuts, but the song matching intensity, vivid colors, and phenomenal twist at the end send this vid to the stratosphere, and does so with a APB out on it and a sexy, sexy partner in the bed with it.

Artist: Pat Benatar Song: Love Is A Battlefield

Another classic video, another I first became acquainted with as a child (I would only ever watch Nickelodeon and MTV) and loved for the story telling aspect mixed with the obvious cheese that comes with being from the year 1984, which creates a teen angst rock opera so irresistible you’ll want to shake your cans at a scummy pimp the next time you see one.  (Directed by Bob Giraldi)

Artist: Fiona Apple Song: Criminal

Scandalous for no reason other than low amounts of brain activity in the general public, what is actually just a sensual and cool video had an unrequested but welcome intensity tacked on it, and though being good a great video does not make, add Fiona herself with the sultry vocals and fantastic song (the whole album is killer) debuting herself to the world, and yes, this video is tops.  PS: I’d like to exhaust her with my sex.  (Directed by Mark Romanek)

Artist: Metronomy Song: A Thing For Me

How did it take so long for this to happen?  Yes, put the lyrics on screen.  Yes, help us keep rhythm.  Yes, make visual jokes with it.  I adore this video, the cute girls in the video, the clever shots, the awesome song, and everything about it.  I’m not too hot on much else the band has done, but like how it takes only 1 thing to tear something down, it sometimes takes only 1 thing to build something up.  (Directed by Megaforce)

Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Song: Maps

A real work of art, director Patrick Daughters did the smartest thing humanly possible for a struggling band, and that is make the most basic video possible while still being visually interesting.  No special effects, no random story, no quick cuts to make the band look as cool as possible, nothing!  It is just 2 dudes and a chick on a stage, playing a song.  They’re not even moving around erratically or trying to be fashionable with their instruments, because it’s always easier to add than it is to take away, and where the simple  nature of the video leaves the song bum rushes in and really paints the canvas here.

Artist: Kissing Tigers Song: So Stay In Love

I would honestly be shocked if anyone reading this has ever seen this video, or even heard of the band for that matter!  Well, they’re an excellent band and the video is endearing and adorable and yes, it’s great.  The reveal at the end is awesome, I think, and while it’s not the first time a band has made a cameo in their video by playing a show at some juncture in the tale, I think this video took a budget and got 5x the quality as another band or director would have.  (Directed by Jeycob Carlson)

Artist: DJ Shadow Song: Six Days

Beautiful, seductive, and trippy, this video is more than just a sampler of director Wong Kar Wai’s prowess.  In fact, this is probably the only video on the list that could be swapped out for another, because the lyrics of the song wrapped in the “Love Is A Battlefield” visuals lends quite well to Pat Benatar.  Really, though, what a gorgoeous and fitting motif for the song, and my how lovely everything looks!  Also, Bruce Lee quotes?  Yes.

Artist: Lisa Loeb Song: Stay (I Missed You)

The face, the body, the glasses!  Yeah, my main girl Lisa may seem like a pop culture blip on many less discerning radars out there, but in reality she is an amazing performer second to her being an amazing song writer.  This video in it’s single shot brilliance feels more like a diary entry than an invitation inside the desolate apartment, but once there the end result is the same- you’re smitten as hell, and happy to be so.  (Directed by Ethan Hawke)

Artist: Jamiroquai Song: Virtual Insanity

“What the h. is wrong with you?!” I ask anyone who doesn’t think this video is as amazing and groundbreaking as it obviously is.  I mean, maybe you don’t like the song, okay, but the technology of the room being walked about is both deceptively simple and stunningly pretty, and at the core of things that’s really what you want in the visual companion to a piece called “Virtual Insanity”.  I know I’m not wrong.  “Ground breaking” is the first two words I’d use, and my third would be “Jealous!”  (Directed by Jonathan Glazer )

Now, without any further ado, the videos that, in spirit, also made the list.

Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins Song: 1979

(Be sure to also check out the sequel video, Perfect)

Artist: The Smashing Pumpkins Song: Ava Adore

Artist: The Hughes Corporation Song: What A Feeling

(This is the sequel to the Eric Prydz video above)

Artist: Yeah Yeah Yeahs Song: Y Control

Artist:  Björk Song: Hyperballad

Artist:  Björk Song: All Is Full Of Love

A lot of people are compiling their lists of favorite albums, bands, movies, television shows or whatever of the decade.  I decided it would be fun to try to get a list together for my favorite albums of the decade.  I was initially optimistic about the list, but I quickly realized how lame the past decade has been.  Anyway, these are my personal albums of the decade.  I’m sure most of you will either hate the bands or albums.   A lot of these are sort of sentimental picks.  Many these albums got me through some tough times.  Others were my introduction into whole new genres.  Some are bands that grew on me and have left a huge impression.  I encourage you all to make your own lists.  I would love to read them.

The List

1. Between the Buried and Me – Colors (2007) link
2. At the Drive-In – Relationship of Command (2000) link
3. The Mars Volta – De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003) link
4. Coheed and Cambria – In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: III (2003) link
5. Circle Takes the Square – As the Roots Undo (2004) link
6. Muse – Absolution (2003) link
7. Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American (2001) link
8. La Dispute – Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair (2008) link
9. Thursday – Full Collapse (2001) link
10. The Mountain Goats – All Hail West Texas (2002) link
11. The Number Twelve Looks Like You – Mongrel (2007) link
12. The Fall of Troy – Manipulator (2007) link
13. Café Tacvba – Cuatro Caminos (2003) link
14. The Postal Service – Give Up (2003) link
15. Three 6 Mafia – The Most Known Unknowns (2005) link
16. Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (2002) link
17. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Hearts of Oak (2003) link
18. The Blood Brothers – Young Machetes (2006) link
19. Rodrigo y Gabriela – Rodrigo y Gabriela (2006) link
20. mewithoutYou – [A-->B] Life (2002) link
21. Tenacious D - Tenacious D (2001) link
22. Paramore – Riot (2007) link
23. Taking Back Sunday – Tell All Your Friends (2002) link
24. The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower – Dissertation, Honey (2003) link
25. System of a Down – Toxicity (2001) link

Honorable Mention

• Alkaline Trio – From Here to Infirmary (2001) link
• Strike Anywhere – Change is a Sound (2001) link
• Blink-182 – Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) link
• NOFX – War on Errorism (2004) link
• Job For a Cowboy – Doom EP (2005) link
• At All Cost – It’s Time to Decide (2006) link
• The Smashing Pumpkins – Machina and the Machines of God (2000) link
• Bloc Party – Silent Alarm (2005) link
• Cursive - Mama, I’m Swollen (2009) link
• See You Next Tuesday – Parasite (2007) link
• Protest the Hero – Kezia (2005) link
• The Darkness – Permission to Land (2003) link

Thank you, Between the Buried and Me.

As the list is not into its final 45, the line of demarcation between Parts Three and Four is that we’re now getting into albums I listened to a shitload of times. I suppose that could be said for Is This It, Night Ripper, and Think Tank from Part Three, but, with the exception of number 38, these albums are all by artists who impacted me this decade, either because the totality of their output this decade moved me, or because they released one album that I wore out.

45. Q And Not U — Different Damage (2002)

44. The Flaming Lips — Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)

Embryonic has been met with such unbridled enthusiasm that, by the time I’m finally able to fully digest it, perhaps that will end up as the Lips’ signature release of this decade for me. When evaluating mature — for lack of a better word — artists this decade, if Mission of Burma’s new album represent the ability to just keep kicking ass without growing stale, and if Wu-Tang and Celtic Frost represent how best to expound upon what made you great in the first place, Yoshimi plainly represents how best to mellow out. Not that this album sounds like it could come from any other artist (well, except for Cat Stevens), but if your a psychedelic band that’s releasing a record that’s only tangentially psych, then it sure helps if that record’s songs are incredibly well-crafted.

43. Deerhoof — The Runners Four (2005)

The fact that Deerhoof’s output this decade was uniformly great, and the fact that such uniform greatness necessitates that a consensus over which of their albums was best cannot be arrived at, was a centerpiece of my list of reasons why decade-end albums lists are stupid. Here’s the thing: I think The Runners Four is clearly their best effort. Maybe it lacks some of the spastic madness that drew so many people to Deerhoof in the first place, but its ambition and scope is unmatched in their discography.

42. The Smashing Pumpkins — MACHINA II / The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music (2000)

Something tells me I’m not going to like Teargarden by Kaleidyscope as much as this.

41. Clipse — Hell Hath No Fury (2006)

Finally, the Thorntons make their first appearance on the list. (This might be the best ever example of an album cover that tells you everything you need to know about the album itself, by the way.) I realize that the point of lists like this is to sing to the high heavens about why all these albums are wonderful, so forgive me for nitpicking about Hell Hath No Fury. I feel compelled to point out the one reason why this clearly isn’t the Clipse’s finest album: There aren’t any really incredible choruses. Yes, it has some of the most insanely original beats around, but none of these songs are ever going to worm their way into your head. Maybe I’m alone in feeling this way, by if you’re going to split hairs amongst multiple masterpieces, things like this matter.

40. High On Fire — Blessed Black Wings (2005)

39. Interpol — Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)

38. Morgan Geist — Unclassics (2004)

37. Baroness — Red Album (2007)

Admittedly, this is an uneven album. (I also admit, now that I’m finally listening to it every day, that Blue Record is clearly superior.) But I got so freaking obsessed with “Rays on Pinion” that it launched me on a two-years-long metal bender that still hasn’t ended. Clearly, that has to count for something.

36. Fugazi — The Argument (2001)

So, Pavement, a band I love dearly, is going to spend the better part of 2010 staging reunion shows. I’m not ruling out the possibility that I’ll go see them somewhere, but if I miss them and they never play together again, I won’t lose any sleep about the fact that I’ve never seen them. The albums are all I ever need. BUT, if Fugazi ever get back together and tour, well, let’s just say I’ll be willing to put a lot of money into ensuring that I see them. Not having seen Fugazi live is one of the biggest holes on my life’s resume. There are only a handful of rock bands ever that have a palpable aura about them, and I sincerely believe that Fugazi is one of them. Part of the reason for that is because, fifteen years into their career, they made an amazing album, and basically just disappeared without any self-serving fanfare.

35. The Exploding Hearts — Guitar Romantic (2003)

I can’t think of anything more terribly ironic than the fact that an album whose songs are so unabashedly happy ended up being associated with what was, at least for me, the saddest thing that happened in music this decade. Long live the Exploding Hearts.

There used to be a Swedish radio station really worth listening to. I grew up listening to tracks like these until the golden days of this radio station were put to an end sometime in 1996. The station is apparently still around namewise but i bet by now it’ll sound like every other commercial radio station out there. I really miss the DJ:s on Bandit 105.5.

The torch appears to have been passed though, to another nice little radio station called Rocket 95.3fM, but i’d still like to take this opportunity to revive the magic of the years leading up to 1996, before the end of Bandit 105.5

I’ve compiled this playlist of as many songs i can remember being played on that station, let me know if I’ve missed a song that really should be in here.

#20091211 – time capsule: 1993-1996 (Bandit 105.5) (82 tracks in total)

(get your player at www.spotify.com)

The Smashing Pumpkins used to be my favorite band. Though I still love all of the albums when I listen to them, particularly “Gish”, I’ve discovered that I don’t listen to the albums that often. I think after I saw them on the final tour for the “Machina” album that I started to lose interest. The band reformed for a reunion tour a couple of years ago sans D’Arcy and James, and they even released a new album. Recently, longtime drummer Jimmy Chamberlain left the band and he’s been replaced. So, if you’re keeping track at home Billy is the only original pumpkin in the band. I doubt that I’ll buy the new music when it comes out, especially since I didn’t pick up the last album. I’m sure that it will be a great album since Billy Corgan is an enormously talented song-writer, but I think I have too much nostalgia for the band that I saw live many times. It’s odd, because The Smashing Pumpkins is the only band that I’ve reacted this way to.

The Smashing Pumpkins “Drown”

Like what you see feel free to email me at tad@creativesquall.com and don’t forget to become a fan on Facebook. Check out the Creative Squall website to see how sketches grow up to be complete ideas.

So, as this year has progressed, it has become increasingly more interesting; between juggling purchasing my first home, new girlfriend, and job, I’ve had little time to update this space, which has been disheartening. BUT, my excitement for spreading the good word on music, film, and TV is still strong, so here we go!

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Simon Reynolds, a writer for the The Guardian, wrote a very perceptive article on the ever-changing status of our music-scape, and why our decade best-of lists may seem a bit fragmented…

“The fragmentation of rock/pop has been going on as long as I can remember, but it seemed to cross a threshold this decade. There was just so much music to be into and check out. No genres faded away, they all just carried on, pumping out product, proliferating offshoot sounds. Nor did musicians, seemingly, cease and desist as they grew older; those that didn’t die kept churning stuff out, jostling alongside younger artists thrusting forward to the light. It’s tempting to compare noughties music to a garden choked with weeds. Except it’s more like a flower bed choked with too many flowers, because so much of the output was good. The problem wasn’t just quantity, it was quantity x quality. Then there was the past too, available like never before, competing for our attention and affection. The cheapness of home studio and digital audio workstation recording, combined with the wealth of history that musicians can draw on and recombine, fuelled a mushrooming of quality music-making. But the result of all this overproduction was that “we” were spread thin across a vast terrain of sound. That’s why, if you look at the end-of-year or end-of-decade polls across the gamut of music magazines, there’s so little overlap. If even a relatively non-diffuse community like Pitchfork could only find its centre around records that came out in the early years of the noughties, it suggests that the culture-wide slide into entropy is speeding up.”

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In a recent interview with Pitchfork, Fleet Foxes singer/guitarist/awesome beard haver, Robin Pecknold, talked about his “boring” new album due in 2010, writers block, and writing film scores. As one of my favorite albums of 2008, I loved this candid response about the recording process:

“…I want the recording to be like two weeks. I want it to be really fast. I want to do all the vocal takes in one go, so even if there are fuck-ups, I want them to be on there. I want there to be guitar mistakes. I want there to be not totally flawless vocals. I want to record it and have that kind of cohesive sound.”

Great news for people that were fans of the cohesive sound of early rock records from the 60’s & 70’s. More recently, The Black Crowes experimented with recording live with their new double-album, performing for a small audience in a barn in upstate New York. It adds an incredible aesthetic to the recording, leaving the listener with a more personal, human experience that resonates with each repeat listen.

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The much maligned Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins recently released a new track from his lofty upcoming 44-track, 11 EP effort Teargarden By Kaleidyscope. The buzz surrounding the new track, “A Song For A Son“, has been quite favorable, considering the Corgan-bashing that has dominated music blogs as of late.  The track finds a downtrodden Corgan speak-singing to the listener, then unfolding from the simple piano/acoustic/voice formula comes a wicked guitar solo reminiscent of the Pumpkins’ early ’90s Gish days.  If the lush sound of this track is any indication of the EP’s direction, it could mean a resurgence for the lone-remaining original Pumpkins’ member.

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Icelandic Sigur Rós frontman, Jónsi Birgisson, is preparing to release his first solo album, Go, on March 23rd. He just released the first track from the album, “Boy Lilikoi“. Being an avid Sigur Rós fan, it feels a bit odd to being hearing Jónsi sing in English. In recent interviews, he has said the new album will be more quiet/simplistic arrangements, but the first track seems quite layered and incorporating a bevy of instruments. First reactions?

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Check back for my year-end lists, which will include my top 10 albums, runners-up, and my biggest disappointments of the year. As always, comments are appreciated!

~Ant

ellos son la sal de la tierra. vierten sus leches y sus vinos y riegan los terruños como pueden, con las primeras energías de la mañana, o con lo que queda. el mundo bebe, inaugura su felicidad; el mundo abunda. recorre arterias la su nueva sangre. cruza el corazón de la materia, roza las plantas de los pies de los hombres que caminan esta tierra por última ocasión; y esta saliva cruza el camino de otras salivas. y tarde o temprano toda se junta en un árbol erigido como el único de su gran especie: la savia sube por la masa leñosa de la albura del tronco de los gimnospermos y de los angiospermos hacia las puntas de las ramas. eres un árbol, dios mío, eres un árbol. y tus frutos son de sombras. y amanecen la noche del cuerpo. y a tu lado me siento hasta que las hojas me arruyan y mesconden de la crueldad del universo.

clic derecho :·: descargar
the smashing pumpkins : crush

With a blog name like Random Ramblings, it is highly appropriate for me to just throw out some completely unrelated musical thoughts that have been floating around my brain lately. So without further ado…

I like all of Coldplay’s albums.  But after listening to songs off “Parachutes” for the first time in a while, I’m thinking it might be good for Chris Martin to be a little bummed out again.  Anyone with me? Maybe Apple can be a little terror. But somehow I don’t think parental issues will conjure up a song as haunting as the lovelorn blues of “Sparks” or “Trouble”.  Just wishing you a teeny tiny bit of sadness, Chris. Not too much, though.

I really like the new Them Crooked Vultures album.  Really good, hard, intelligent, original stuff.  But I think I will always like music that I connect to emotionally more than stuff that I think just rocks.  Each one has its own place/time, but as far as favorites go, the artist that wear their hearts on their sleeves still make the most lasting impression on me.

Somewhere, somehow, is Zack De La Rocha still mad about something?

Anyone else remember listening to Rick Dees’ Top 40 radio show in the late 80’s, and how he would end each show with the song “Two Occasions” by The Deele (featuring Babyface)? If not, it’s the song that goes “I only think of you on two occasions, that’s day and night”.

I think each season should have it’s own official band to sponsor them. Even better, a specific album by a specific band.  My Morning Jacket, “Z” can have late autumn/early winter.  Will have to revisit this thought for the other 3 seasons.

I wish there was some way to know the percentage of a band’s audience that is quirky (or to get right to the point, insane).  I had this thought after listening to “Debaser” by the Pixies for the first time in awhile.  While this is a great song, it is really REALLY odd and strange.  Or maybe the movie that inspired the song is the odd and strange thing. Either way, I wonder if Frank Black has trouble finding the right emotional space for that crazy laughing every time he plays the song live.  To start another Pixies tangent, I really like the song “No. 13 Baby”. But I could probably do without the long outro.

How outraged would the world be if they found out that all this time Stevie Wonder was only pretending to be blind?

Is there a better guitarist of the 2000’s than Jack White? Will have to revisit this in another post. But the solos in “Ball and Biscuit” and “Catch Hell Blues” make a strong case.

Last but not least, there is a great quote by Nick Hornby in his book “Hi-Fidelity”.  The protagonist, a serious music fan, says “What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?”.  Good point.  Was I sentimental before I listened to thousands of sentimental songs, or did they just reinforce that part of my personality that was already there? Did listening to “Mayonnaise” by The Smashing Pumpkins ad nauseum in high school give me a good strong dose of bittersweetness, or was that blessing/curse already residing inside?

I’ll be honest, I have a bias against band reunions. They are, for the most part, the lowest form of selling out, as well as beating a creative dead horse. Whether it’s The Cranberries or The Smashing Pumpkins, there is no doubt that these groups get back together more so to pay off their weening drug addiction (prescription and/or illegal) than having any new credible artistic territory to explore. I must admit though, I am a hypocrite. Where despite their abrupt breakup in 2003, I was definitely going to be the first one in line to see the classic Britpop foursome, Blur reunite live.

Fortunately, they never made it back to the States, so I don’t have to feel hypocritical about anything; now do I…? Nevertheless, to make up for the overpriced ticket I never bought, Blur is releasing a concert film/documentary of their reunion concerts in the UK that happened this past summer. Based on the trailer for “No Distance Left to Run,” this is definitely not your typically bland cash-cow concert film. It actually tells a legitimate story about how a bunch of childhood friends who became the biggest band in Britain (and one of the biggest one-hit-wonders in America tumultuously broke up while recording their last album and how they got back together six years later.

Is that deep enough for you? Probably, if you’re a fan of Blur. With beautifully shot footage of the concert in HD, the film looks like it has the potential to be one of the great Concert Rock Docs up there with The Band in “The Last Waltz” or Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense.” WOOOOO HOOOOO!!

–Charlie Weeks

We at treeswingers think it’s important to be thankful for what we have.  And what we have is great music, so I’ve put together a quick Thanksgiving Mix.  Thanks for reading!

For Thanksgiving, parents get time off work, students get time off school and pretty much everyone returns home for a while.

Radical Face – Welcome Home

Here’s a reminder about who started it all–some dudes with buckles on their hats.

The Shins – Young Pilgrims

Many people have family to be thankful for (also notice the significance of the artist – think sauce).

The Cranberries – Ode to my Family

This one is a stretch, but family gatherings can totally be thought of as conspiracies.  It’s also just a good song.

School of Seven Bells – My Cabal

I never knew if this song was thanking someone sarcastically, but let’s pretend it’s genuine for today.

Third Eye Blind – Thanks a Lot

Time for the toasts…

Sugarcult – Champagne

…even if some of us don’t have the proper glasses to be thankful for.

Death Cab for Cutie – Champagne from a Paper Cup

Here comes the turkey, cooked to golden-brown perfection.

The Stranglers – Golden Brown

This one is more about the artist, since you can’t make pie without smashing pumpkins. (I picked this song because I think way more people should know how good it is)

The Smashing Pumpkins – We Only Come Out at Night

Yaaaawwwn.  Tryptophan…

Passion Pit – Sleepyhead

Hope you enjoyed it.  Here is the whole thing for download.

-charlie

Cortarse el pelo,cantar un poco y mirar mucho por la ventana…y pensar.Pensar en miles de cosas para no pensar en una,curioso.
Pensar en porque ya no se hacen películas como antes y en porque ya no quedan salas de cine de las de toda la vida,en porque una hora puede ser demasiado tarde y no demasiado temprano,en porque algunos se preocupan más de su marca de cámara que de lo que quieren fotografiar,en porque solo 24 horas,en porque no tenemos alas,en porque la gente va por la calle mirando el suelo,en porque a veces solo nos dicen lo que queremos oir,en porque no saltar sin mirar,en porque ayudar a los bancos y no a los que mueren de hambre,en porque todo tiene que tener un nombre,en porque a veces de los días solo cambia el nombre,en porque ahora los zombies de las pelis corren,en porque tanta reunión para buscar soluciones al cambio climático y tan poco actuar,en porque siempre tiene que haber alguien que te diga que no puedes hacerlo,en porque hay gente capaz de pegar a su pareja o a sus hijos,en porque no suenan en los bares las canciones que me gustan,en porque no en lugar de si,en porque todos esos anuncios de tonos y juegos para móviles,en porque los niños quieren ser mayores y los mayores volver a ser niños,en porque Hollywood se gasta el dinero en hacer esos bodrios de remake y destrozar las películas con las que crecí,en porque no pensar un poco más en mi,en porque una persona en el programa Password tiene la palabra “ano” y como pista da “entrada” y sobre todo,en en porque demonios pienso en todo esto cuando debería terminar unos diseños y fotos para mañana…
Mejor será ponerse a ello.

“La mala noticia es que el tiempo vuela.La buena es que tu eres el piloto” -Cashback

Omar García.

Thanks to everybody who commented on my last blog post! I really appreciate you sharing your playlists with everyone and introducing us to some great new music!

As I was responding to your comments, something hit me. You guys have shown us an incredible ammount of support over the last few years. You’ve called your local DJs to request our music. You’ve come to our shows and purchased our CDs. And your votes have caused us to win more contests and get onto more playlists than I could count. Each of you has helped make what we do possible.

Last week was really cool because we had twenty people contribute to our post! But, our anlaytics show that hundreds of people read it. Why is that? I’m not sure. But I feel that it is – at least in some part – due to the fact that so often the creation and delivery of art is a one way street. I want to change that; so I’d like to invite you to take a moment to do three things:

1. Visit atris.wordpress.com (This will be more fun if everyone goes to the same page.)
2. Scroll down to the comment box and introduce yourself. Write a few words about anything you’d like. How did you first hear our music? What city are you from? What are your favorite movies? Pretend we just met at a coffee shop. If you’d like share your blog address, Twitter ID or someplace where we and other people can learn more about you that would be great too!
3. Check the box that says Notify me of follow-up comments via email.

Please don’t do this for us, do this for yourself and for everyone. It takes a certain amount of bravery to put yourself out there; but it’s worth it. We love to get to know people with similar interests, ideas, and opinions. And it’s really cool when group discussions are started. If you have something in common with someone who posts, let him or her know! It makes me feel great to see people responding to my comments, and I love to chime back in to share my thoughts.

Looking forward to meeting you!

-Mason

Idag har jag lyssnat på musik nästan hela dagen och verkligen lyssnat och tänkt på texterna. Några fick mig att rysa och några gjorde mig mållös. Jag tycker det är fascinerande att någon kan åstadkomma det. Ibland flera år senare ibland på andra sidan jorden, att få någon att känna känslan av att bli knuffad baklänges av några ord. Min kung för idag, satt på pedestal är Bob Dylan. vilka texter. hans texter gör det hela vägen. svårt att sätta fingret på en mening utan de är bara genialiska. de flesta av hans texter innehåller mer, ni vet meningar och infall med det där än vad de flesta brukar lyckas med under deras hela karriär. Så jag ska dela med mig av texter jag mer kan sätta fingret på en minnesvärd och andetagstagande mening.

The streets -on the edge on a cliff den fick mig att le sådär litet men härligt när jag förstod den, som när man är lycklig. jag ler på samma sätt när jag ser han med stort h framför mig. det är inte samma känsla men samma leende, sådär äkta. vilken härlig tanke! vad lycklig jag blir
For billions of years since the outset of time
Every single one of your ancestors survived
Every single person on your mum and dad’s sides successfully looked after and passed onto you life
What are the chances of that like?
It comes to me once in a while
And everywhere I tell folk it gets the best smile

The smashing pumpkins -crestfallen en mening där fick mig att tänka till, det får den fortfarande. det ligger så mycket och så stort i den.
your life is not your own

immortal technique -you never know det räcker om man läser texten till denna. behöver inte lyssna på låten i alla fall jag blir mest irriterad av tjejen som sjunger och den är riktigt lång. men en mening tog ett andetag från mig I thank God at least I got to know what love really was
But it hurt me, to see what true love really does jag tror jag blev ledsen och rädd att jag inte kommer träffa någon annan som får mig att känna på riktigt. jag har träffat en kille som fick mig att uppleva en annan dimension om hur man kan tycka om någon. Och den killen verkar inte vilja veta av mig mer. Jag skulle vilja träffa honom igen. känna han nära och att få lägga min hand runt hans nacke och kyssa honom. i alla fall tror jag att anledningen till att denna raden liksom knuffade mig baklänges är att jag insåg att jag kanske aldrig mer får träffa honom. Jag hoppas jag kan säga you never know.

Lyssna på de här låtarna och lova att lyssna på the streets – on the edge on a cliff. den får en sådär härligt lycklig. Jag har hört massor av mera låtar med det där idag men detta är de jag kommer på nu. jag har också endel självklara låtar som jag alltid kommer ihåg sen jag vet inte när. de är ozzy osbournes dreamer. mikael jaksons man in the mirror. danzigs mother.
ja listan kan göras lång.
so long

Ever since I posted P!nk’s “I Don’t Believe You” video a few days back, I’ve been gradually obsessing over B&W music videos, which is something that happens about once a year. As much as I love color, there’s just something about B&W images that elevates the artistic merits of a video and it sort of really puts the focus on whatever subject, vision its creators are dealing with/were going for.  The lack of color somehow makes it more powerful.

Also, we are in November which is one of my fave months of the year and in a weird way, a sort of reflective, melancholic month for me (I’ll have to consult with Freud about that one).  I haven’t seen the sun in almost a week (that’s not a complain) and it has been drizzling on and off for two days which can’t help but add to the mood, which means there was no coincidence that I was drawn to P!nk’s newest video.

On that spirit, I decided to go looking for other B&W music videos–I could only think of a few and thought, well there aren’t many–and I ended up finding a ton of them.  Curious fact: most B&W videos I found were for rap artists.  Who would have thought they had a bit more of an artistic sensibility to color?  LL Cool J, Ghostface, Notorious BIG, even Puff Daddy have done B&W videos.

One I complete forgot about, which is funny since I highlighted as *video of the week* some months ago, was Smashing Pumpkins’ “Stand Inside Your Love” which is an amazing video.  There’s No Doubt’s fun in the high seas ”Hella Good,” K.D Lang’s yearnings on ”Constant Craving,” Madonna’s stylish ”Vogue,” and steamy ”Justify My Love,” Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ body paint shenanigans on ”Give It Away,” Jay Z’s gritty “99 Problems,” and an honorable mention goes to Aha’s “Take On Me” which isn’t completely B&W but the drawing panels sequences are just amazing.

To stay with the melancholic mood of November though, I’m sticking to highlighting only ballads about emotional turmoil.

Smashing Pumpkins “Disarm” proved early on that the band really was trying to convey something other than commercial advertisement for their newest single.  The tone of the song, the larger than life images of a flying Billy, D’Arcy and James, the instruments, the windows, the rooftops…… there was this sense of escape, flying away and also of vanishing into the ether.

Duffy’s “Rockferry” isn’t the most amazing video but it is pretty effective. The song–tittle track of her album–is one hell of a alt-country stormer and Duffy sings it with such force, her voice laced in pain and resentment. She’s leaving, she’s finally walking away from a relationship that has done nothing but bring her pain and though she’s leaving parts of her behind, she’s determine to make a new home for her somewhere else with the parts of her that did survive.  As the camera moves from her stern expression and then lingers on the train tracks, the station, the little shops, the streets, it gives us a sense that even though she’s leaving, she can’t help but look back because amongst all the pain there’s still some bit of love alive in there somewhere.

Amy Winehouse’s ”Back To Black” is a contender for video of the freaking decade, just as much as the album is a contender for album of the decade!  The song is the high point in an album that’s chockfull of them.  Beautifully shot in full gothic imagery, the video depicts a funeral: the death of love and therefore the death of a heart–the heart of Amy.  Friends and family (fans?) wait listlessly around for her to summon the courage to go on.  I know this his highly personal stuff and she wasn’t so much acting as just channeling her feelings, but the look on her face through out, specially the moment she holds her breath as the coffin is placed into the grave, then walks over to toss a single white rose and a handful of soil on top of the coffin? Absolutely brilliant and just devastating.  The whole video is technically flawless from editing to cinematography, and emotionally stirring.  A modern classic.  The director, Phil Griffin, should be making movies.

And speaking of technically flawless, beautifully shot videos and directors that should be making movies, Madonna’s “Oh Father” is arguably her best video ever or at the very least in her top five.  Directed by the master David Fincher during the peak of their collaborative run (“Express Yourself” “Vogue” “Bad Girl”) “Oh Father”  the video packs all the punch of an emotional drama into four minutes of unforgettable black and white exorcism.  For there’s little doubt that Madonna used the song and video to exorcise demons of her past: from her mother’s death, to her strained relationship with her dad, to the ghost of a still fresh abusive relationship, culminating with her making an effort to reconcile her past, present and future and move on.  This is epic stuff.  Her other collaborations with David Fincher may seem to have garnered more recognition through the years–and deservedly so–but “Oh Father” is hands down their highest achievement in the music video medium.  Had it been a movie? It would have won the best picture oscar in 1990.  That’s how good it is. A classic.

Puntaje del Disco: 9

1. I Am One: 9,5
2. Siva: 9
3. Rhinoceros: 9
4. Bury Me: 9
5. Crush: 8,5
6. Suffer: 7,5
7. Snail: 8
8. Tristessa: 7,5
9. Window Paine: 8
10. Daydream: 8,5

De la mano del vocalista Billy Corgan, la exitosa banda alternativa The Smashing Pumpkins se formo en Chicago en 1989, con el único objetivo de hacer la música que ellos quisieran, sin restricciones de ningún tipo.

El nombre de la banda (algo así como “Calabazas Aplastantes”) surgió de una broma de Corgan como el mismo lo explico: “Es un chiste. Cuando aún no tenía banda, y la gente me preguntaba cómo se llamaría, yo les decía The Smashing Pumpkins. Al final, nos quedamos con el nombre.”
El comienzo de su carrera profesional se fue dando como en tantos grupos grabaciones caseras, interés de productores, los primeros singles. Asi en Mayo de 1991 conseguirían la edición  de su primer trabajo Gish, con Butch Vig reconocido productor del ambiente alternativo de bandas como Nirvana y Sonic Youth. El grupo promocionó el álbum con una gira, donde abrieron conciertos de ya reconocidas figuras del mundo de la música como Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction y Guns N’ Roses.

El disco aunque no tubo un éxito estruendoso no paso desapercibido ni para el publico ni para la critica especializada, con temas que vislumbraban que el futuro de los Pumpkins seria prometedor, “I Am One”, “Rhinoceros”, “Bury Me” y “Siva” son canciones que demuestran el potencial del que estamos hablando.

A pesar que en sus inicios fueron catalogado dentro del estilo grunge por haberse formado en la época de apogeo de dicho género. Con la edición de sus siguientes trabajos, además de conseguir conquistar millones de fanáticos, demostrarían que fueron capaces de generar un estilo propio y convertirse desde mi punto de vista en uno de los grupos más trascendentales de los noventa.

F.V.

“God is just out my back door, yet I choose not to visit. I would rather sit alone and scheme on how to be remembered, on what more that I can do here to cement the evidence that I once walked these roads with you. It is a futile exercise. I know it is, and yet I persist.” – BC

Oh boy, here we go. I really wanted to talk about Adore, but due to the fact that I can never seem to hold on to a copy, time is nearly out for this blog, so it’ll have to wait another day. For now, let’s talk about Smashing Pumpkins’ newest album:

Zeitgeist, the band’s newest and seventh album (yes, a band that has been around since the late 80’s has managed to put out only 7 albums so far), was released 2 years ago to “mixed reviews”.

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but “mixed reviews” pretty much describes everything the band did after Mellon Collie. Starting with the actually-quite-good-but-sans-drummer Adore and continuing on through the I-haven’t-heard-them-yet Machina and Machina II, the band insisted on straying farther and farther away from the chunky, multi-layered guitars and amazing drum beats and just overall rock sound that had made them such a fixture on God-forsaken outlets such as the radio and what used to be called “music television” before it became Youtube. Each time the band absolutely refused to put out another epic 28 song double album of genre-defying guitar-heavy art rock, the reviews were “mixed”, meaning some people appreciated the band’s new direction, while probably adding in side-notes about how great it would be if the band would record something a whole lot better, like, say, Siamese Dream. The other side of those reviews would just tell it like it is, that they hated the bleepy bloopy stuff and would they please go back to guitar rock in a hurry because they’re one of the few bands who ever did it right.

Indeed, Zeitgeist is the result of said reviews, and other concerns, like Billy Corgan’s crippling bandophobia and the rest of the band’s interest in “playing the ponies” instead of playing the shows (by “playing the ponies” I mean sweet, sweet heroin) which caused the band to break up for 5 years. After branching off into less-than-stellar solo careers (apparently Corgan’s “super-ground” Zwan’s name comes from the number of people who wanted to hear it, a totally imaginary number), Billy Corgan decided maybe, just maybe, it might be worth it to put out just one more album of drummy guitar music, bringing the band’s total guitar-and-real-drums album output to 4. Not bad for a band just starting out, and apparently not bad for 20 year veterans of alternative rock.

So, Billy Corgan sought out his band, finding only drummer Jimmy Chamberlain suffering from his own solo career. They quickly became roommates (what?) and started writing and recording an album together. Yes, Billy “This Is MY Band” Corgan conceded to having a writing partner for this set of songs, and recording the whole thing the old-fashioned way, which involved playing for weeks on end into the same analogue 24 track recorder they used to record Mellon Collie, probably bleeding out of pores with the exertion (I really doubt Corgan actually shaves his head, I think his recording methods just caused his hair to refuse to keep growing).

The end result is an earnest “Here’s your freaking drummy guitar rock album” from the newly-reformed Smashing Pumpkins duo, a 12 song release made with all the care (and overdubs) that you would expect from a top shelf album, a cohesive, strong release with guitars all over the place, and drums even better than when the band was at the peak of their powers.

The critical reception?

Mixed reviews.

What else did you expect? Fans are impossible to please, and when you’re not exactly known for just tossing out an album every 2 years, you have to expect that your output is going to be put under that much more of a microscope. Sure enough, there are Pumpkins fans who refuse to even listen to the album, much less give it a fair shot as an actual album, and some Pumpkins fans (at least enough to pack a stadium or two) collectively declared “it’s good enough!”

Perhaps my experience is a little different, because this is the first Smashing Pumpkins album I actually paid attention to, because the song “Tarantula” and its crazy-but-fun video are what drew me into actually giving the band a second shot (along with my super-fan friend BBH). My entire experience with the Pumpkins has been a fairly positive one, I guess because, instead of working from their established hits and judging everything else based on the merits of their master work, I’m finding a lot of albums that are better than Zeitgeist couldn’t possibly have been, and I still consider Zeitgeist to be a good album, as far as albums go.

I mean, the album starts off with a real cracker of a rock song (starting with a drum solo, which I sternly approve of) laughably called “Doomsday Clock”, which will unfortunately forever be associated with that terrible Michael Bay Transformers movie. It combines more distorted guitar than I care to even think about, and the tune is catchy enough, and it’s fast-paced and energetic. Then we got through rock music that sort of tapers off on the energy, before introducing a mid-album rock-out in the form of the swing-tastic “Tarantula”, and then in the back of the album, we slow it down but not without the 10 minute “United States” jam, and then end the whole thing with… well, that depends on which version of the album you bought.

I got mine from Target, expecting the “Zeitgeist” title track to be something of a necessity, which it turned out to not be. In total, there were something like 5 retail versions of this album, and then 2 more subsequent re-releases that tried to combine said tracks. It was majorly confusing, but most people knew enough about stealing music from the internet to have a “complete” collection, so no big deal really.

The big highlight, for me, was “Tarantula”. To me, it kind of takes that final rock-out portion to Muse’s “Knights Of Cydonia” and turns it into its own song, with some truly bitchin’ guitar solos all throughout. It really transcends my appreciation for the Pumpkins in general and has become one of my all-time favorite up-tempo rock songs, where it joins “Highway Star”, “Ace Of Spades”, “The Number Of The Beast”, and the afore-mentioned “Knights Of Cydonia” in a special play-list I used to use when I wanted to get somewhere really fast on a bicycle.

Another big highlight for me was the “United States” 10 minute jam, which might be vaguely reminiscent of “Silverfuck” from Siamese Dreams, but is basically an extended session of low-note guitar wankery against a tom-heavy beat while Corgan bellows out a politically-charged song about what I can only assume is the country we both live in. Lyrically, I’m sure the song tries to come off as very, very important, but since Corgan’s whisper-to-a-scream vocals are a thing of the past, the kind of ho-hum way he sings the entire album sort of takes the teeth out of whatever point he was trying to make. Indeed, one of the primal screams from Mellon Collie can scarcely be replaced by the kind of hilarious “OWWWWW” that Corgan throws out at some point in this song, more Michael Jackson than metal, really. Still, the drums and guitars more than make up for it, like with the rest of the album, and at least there’s a good tune in there somewhere.

So this may sound like a “mixed” review, I suppose, but take my word for it, I do enjoy this album. I’m really optimistic about the next project that the Pumpkins (without Chamberlain of course, old habits die hard, and Corgan’s bandophobia dies hardest) have lined up, even if it’s Billy Corgan’s intention to kill the album format. That seems a real shame considering that the man really does know how to put together an album, and that’s something we appreciate here at Album Du Jour.

Anyway, if I can get ahold of a copy of Adore without too much trouble, we may bring up the Pumpkins one more time by year’s end. Until then!

The Silversun Pickups rocked the Gibson Amphitheatre last night at The L.A. Weekly 101 Music Festival. The hometown heroes were stoked to be playing in front of about 8,000 fans. “Hello Los Angeles…we’ve always wanted to say that…can we turn the house lights up so we can see all the people here,” gushed lead singer Brian Aubert.

They deserve every bit of success that’s come their way. Their latest release, Swoon, is right up there with their 2006 debut, Carnavas, and their live show was absolutely amazing. Drummer Christopher Guanlao ranks up their with some of the best drummers in rock even though he owes a more than a passing nod to Jimmy Chamberlin of The Smashing Pumpkins (Incidentally, Chamberlin is my one of my all-time favorite drumers).

I was a little disapointed with The Dandy Warhols but I’m still a fan and I’ve seen their documentary Dig like ten times. I’m willing to give them another shot…I hope they’ll lay off the 420 weed the next time they’re in town.

Here’s “Panic Switch” from Swoon.

Links
http://www.silversunpickups.com/

AFG Must Rock!
www.TheSwaggerSticks.com
YouTube Video

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2fJzcNd7Rw[/youtube]

(Bilde er hentet fra hjemmesiden til The Smashing Pumpkins)

Den kommende plata til The Smashing Pumpkins, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope vil bli utgitt singel etter singel, gratis, senere i oktober.
“The first four songs are speaking a new language to me, rooted in the psychedelic music I love but still sounding quite modern and like the Pumpkins I long to hear,” sier Billy Corgan til Rolling Stone.
Det er 44 låter som utgjør Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, de vil gis vekk en etter en og den første blir tilgjengelig 31. oktober. Plata vil komme ut i fysisk format men ikke som en enkel CD, den vil bli utgitt som 11 EPer med fire sanger på hver.
“I think the size and shape of the traditional album is just morphing into something much more in the moment. Four songs at a time will mean I can give my heart over to the music fully without giving away my now happy life.” sier Corgan.

Kings Of Leon kommer med live DVD. Bandet hadde tre utsolgte kvelder på O2 Arena i London. Konserten som var 30 juni, foran 18 000 fans, vil bli DVD som kommer ut 10. november og på Blu-ray 24. november,  i følge Rolling Stones Magazine. Forundrer meg ikke om det vil ta litt tid før den kommer til Norge(?).
Dette vil du få høre og se på DVDen:
“Notion”
“Be Somebody”
“Taper Jean Girl”
“My Party”
“Molly’s Chambers”
“Red Morning Light”
“Fans”
“California Waiting”
“Milk”
“Closer”
“Crawl”
“Four Kicks”
“Charmer”
“Sex on Fire”
“The Bucket”
“On Call”
“Cold Desert”
“Use Somebody”
“Slow Night, So Long”
“Knocked Up”
“Manhattan”
“Black Thumbnail”

Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) soloalbum Phrazes for the Young kommer ut senere en planlagt. Datoen er nå 2. november. Casablancas har også uttalt til NME at den kommende The Strokes plate vil høres ut som Thin Lizzy møter A-Ha. “I have my own personal wish that it would sound like Thin Lizzy, but if they could peer into the future and kind of have eighties melodies. Like a super-tight late seventies rock band but with A-Ha moments, if that makes sense.” sier han til NME.

Tom Waits live plate Glitter and Doom kommer ut 24. november.  Plata kan forhåndsbestilles på tomwaits.com. Der kan du laste ned de åtte første låtene gratis.

Det er bare tre månder siden The Dead Weather kom med sitt herlige debutalbum Horehound, men bandet avslører nå at halvparten av album nr. 2 er ferdig. Alisson Mosshart sier til Spin at hun vil reise til Whites studio i desember og gjøre ferdig plata og at den sansynligvis vil være ferdig før 2009 er omme. The Dead Weather skal spille i Norge 6. november på Sentrum Scene og da kan du sannsynligvis høre et par nye låter ettersom de har spilt nye låter på konserter tidligere.
Ny video fra The Dead Weather. Sprø sprø video.
The Dead Weather – I cut like a buffalo.

Ellers:

Storåsfestivalen har gått konkurs.

De første artistene til by:Larm er klare, Siri Nilsen, The Megaphonic Thrift og Mhoo.

Marilyn Manson har avlyst konserten i Oslo han skulle ha 8. november.

Song.sky utfordrer Spotify og andre streaming programmer, men den er bare tilgjengelig i England for øyeblikket.

Liam Gallagher joiner Liam Howlett fra The Prodigy i studio.

Depeche Mode vokalist, David Gahan takket Chile når han spilte I Peru, en typisk feil mange artister gjør når de er ute og turneer. Men fy søren å kleint.