Oct/090
Monday Newsmix: ODB’s son snags a single; plus The Strokes and more
Like father, like son?
It’s so hard to believe that it’s been five years since the untimely death of Wu-Tang member Ol’ Dirty Bastard. (But then, I tend to say that about a lot of things – maybe I’m just getting old, eh?) In fact, it’s been so long since then that now ODB’s own son is ready to take up his father’s mantle.
Barson Jones, AKA Boy Jones, will release his first single before the end of the year, according to reliable sources. The 21-year-old son of ODB, whose real name is Russell Jones, first appeared on stage at age 9 with his father, so he’s had a lot of time to hone his skills. Here’s hoping that the single lives up to its namesake.
Also, the linked article drops another interesting tidbit: ODB’s final posthumous album, A Son Unique, may be seeing a release before the end of the year. A fitting album name, all things considered, isn’t it?
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In other new album news, The Strokes are officially back in the studio. The five-piece indie group have been working on solo projects since the release of their 2006 album, First Impressions of Earth, but now they’ve collected once again to write and cut their long-awaited fourth album.
According to reports, the group have nearly finished writing the album, and frontman Julian Casablancas has compared the new songs to Thin Lizzy, as odd as that sounds. It’s good to hear that the band is taking their time, I suppose, but that description leaves me with a bit of apprehension. Here’s hoping that they can pull it off.
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I guess being behind bars doesn’t bar one from receiving accolades. Rapper T.I., whom you may know from his collaboration with Rihanna on the single “Live Your Life,” received two B.E.T. Hip-Hop Awards this past weekend while serving a year’s prison sentence for possessing illegal weapons. Hey, it is a pretty catchy single…
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So it looks like the new Animal Collective album is actually a five-track, half-hour-long EP. According to the description, it seems like it’ll be a bit harsher than the “springy, summery” Merriweather Post Pavillion. Okay, it’s not a new album, but it IS more AnCo. I’m certainly not complaining.
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As if you needed any further reason to avoid the next Good Charlotte record (other than the fact that it’s another Good Charlotte record), it looks like Pink will perform in some fashion on a song. Blech.
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See the track list for the upcoming Lego Rock Band video game here. Not a bad list, though I want to throttle the guy who thought that Vampire Weekend would be fun to play.
Sep/090
Thursday Newsmix: E Street goes bye-bye, Billy Corgan says hello
Janey said it was time to go, So we closed our eyes and said goodbye to Gypsy Angel Row. Felt so right, Together we moved like spirits in the night.
If you missed Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s world tour this year, then you may need to wait a while longer for your next opportunity. A lot longer. Late yesterday, E Street guitarist Steve Van Zandt revealed that the band will be going on hiatus – perhaps indefinitely.
“[It could be] one year, year and a half, two years off,” Van Zandt stated, later adding, “You never know. This could be our last tour.”
If true, this announcement would mark the possible end of a band that’s been touring together on and off for nearly four decades. But don’t despair too much: after all, the last hiatus lasted “only” four years. I suspect Van Zandt’s just being dramatic.
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The Smashing Pumpkins (now just frontman Billy Corgan and a collection of random dinks) have had a turbulent history, with members coming and going, a full break-up and reformation, a critically panned comeback album, and Corgan’s frequently offensive antics backing it all. This time, however, Corgan aims to get it right for the first time since 2000’s criminally underrated Machina: The Machines of God.
Yesterday, in a long blog post, Corgan outlined the concept for his next album, to be titled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope (a name obviously meant to reference the trippy-quirky-emo name of 1995’s Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness). The album – actually a collection of 11 4-track EPs – will “[harken] back to the original psychedelic roots of [the band]: atmospheric, melodic, heavy, and pretty.” Sounds good to me, but what makes it even better is that all 44 songs will be released for free.
Thank you for listening to your fans for once, Billy. Now please don’t screw this one up.
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NEWSBITES
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R.I.P. Mary Travers, folk singer and one-third of influential ’60s folksters Peter, Paul, and Mary.
Jay-Z is set to break the record previously held by Elvis Presley for the most number-one albums in America for a solo artist. Frankly, I can think of few modern recording artists more deserving. Good show, Jay.
Activision CEO Dan Rosensweig acts like a complete jackass in regards to Courtney Love’s objections over the use of her ex-husband Kurt Cobain’s image in Guitar Hero 5.
Timbaland’s upcoming album, Shock Value 2, will contain a song inspired by teen-vampire-schlock novel Twilight, as well as a guest appearance by, among others, Paramore. The only shock value here is Timby’s shockingly bad taste.
Embryonic, the new album by The Flaming Lips, is streaming over at The Colbert Nation website. It’s in a smallish box on the left hand of the screen.
Spiritualized is set to re-release their amazing 1997 album, Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, on November 16. Premium editions will include bonus CDs with nearly three dozen outtakes, demos, and remixes.
Sep/090
Album Round^UP: Beatles Day!
Every week I meticulously scour the week’s new releases to bring you the best of what’s coming. Note that any comments below are pure opinion based solely upon my impressions of any available previews. (When in doubt, don’t take my word for it – trust your own ears and nothing else!)
Here’s what’s on tap for this week:
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FEATURED ALBUMS – The weekly cream of the crop.
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The Beatles Stereo Box Set
Ah, yes – 9/9/09. Aside from being the tenth anniversary of a beloved video game console, it’s also Beatles Day! But what can I, a humble blogger, say about The Beatles that hasn’t already been said? Nothing at all, really, which is why I’m not going to talk about the music herein. You already know if you love it or hate it. What I will say, however, is that these re-releases chronicling the band’s entire career mark the first time that the Fab Four’s back catalog has been properly mastered in digital format. Everything has been meticulously tweaked, jiggered, finagled, and otherwise reorganized into new stereo mixes befitting of a nice pair of headphones – there’s no “loudness wars” to worry about here. And in addition to the a-la-carte CDs, EMI have also produced full CD boxsets of both the new stereo mixes and the original mono. In other words, no matter who you are, these albums are must-haves. Prepare to experience the Beatles like you never have before.
(Oh, and speaking of video games, The Beatles Rock Band also releases today on Wii, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. I call George.)
Health - Get Color
The noise-rock genre isn’t typically known for its slick production. Everyone from The Jesus and Mary Chain and Sonic Youth to their modern-day successors (Vivian Girls, Japandroids, and so on) have kept their tweaking and twisting minimal in order to preserve the raw, aggressive aspect to their sound. LA-based quartet Health, however, take a slightly different approach, adding slick subtleties to their music that allow it to stand out from the pack of modern imitators in its own way. Get Color is full of these little gems, from the shoegazy, back-in-the-mix vocals to subtle electronic blips and sweeps to the percussion, which is typically muddy yet warm in its own way. The band’s sound still strikes me as a bit unrefined, but there’s very much to love here and I can’t wait to see how they handle the inevitable review quibbles in their follow-up.
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MORE FEATURED ALBUMS – Something about the previews for these albums struck me in a good way.
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Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3 (Jay’s still kickin’ after all these years.)
Lusine – A Certain Distance (Ethereal ambient/IDM. For fans of Ulrich Schnauss.)
Polvo – In Prism (Noise/post-rock. Excellent reunion album.)
Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2 (Hard-hitting hip-hop featuring an impressive list of Wu-Tang guests.)
Taken by Trees – East of Eden (Lovely, relaxing indie-folk. A cut above the rest.)
Visqueen – Message to Garcia (Insanely catchy power-pop featuring Neko Case.)
Vivian Girls – Everything Goes Wrong (Shoegaze-pop. Basically the same as their debut, but that’s okay.)
Yo La Tengo – Popular Songs (Indie/noise-rock. Maintains the edge of their earlier material.)
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THE REST
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16Volt – Porn Songs (Industrial metal. Sounds like latter-day KMFDM.)
A Fine Frenzy – Bomb in a Birdcage (Adult alternative.)
Angelspit – Hideous and Perfect (EBM/industrial.)
BLK JKS – After Robots (African prog-rock. Cool concept that needs to be refined.)
Circulatory System, The – Signal Morning (Experimental/psych-pop.)
Clean, The – Mister Pop (Pop-punk.)
Cruxshadows – Quicksilver [single] (Standard electrogoth/futurepop single.)
Day, Howie – Sound The Alarm (Acoustic pop-rock.)
Delay, Vladislav – Tummaa (Experimental ambient.)
Future of Forestry – Travel II (Warm but bland indie rock.)
Girlyman – Everything’s Easy (Death Cab meets folk – except not as good as that sounds.)
Hawthorne, Mayer – A Strange Arrangement (Decent neo-soul.)
Kellogg, Stephen and the Sixers – The Bear (Indie-folk.)
Lerche, Sondre – Heartbeat Radio (Indie pop-rock.)
N.E.D. – N.E.D. (Alt-rock mini-album with a couple good cuts.)
O’Rourke, Jim – The Visitor (Acoustic singer-songwriter.)
Phish – Joy (I’ve never been a fan, and if you’re not either, then this one won’t convert you.)
Proclaimers, The – Notes & Rhymes (Folk-rock.)
Turner, Frank – Poetry of the Dead (Decent folk-punk.)
Wild Beasts – Two Dancers (Indie rock.)
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