The Real TK

2009-01-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Great news, Rotary Downs is playing in Cannes! For years, I've been going to MIDEM, this top notch music business conference in the south of France, and it's a fantastic time and excellent business opportunities, but it's always been missing something....the music! There are some showcase sets, and a fair amount of eurotrashy DJ sets, but where's the rock I ask you?

Looks like Rotary Downs is answering prayers in 2009. They're gonna play Monday, night, January 19th, set starts at 8:30. Check the widget below out for some audio samples, or watch the videos for "B/W" and "Djinni Stomp". Their trip is being aided by SonicBids, so here's a link to the Rotary Downs EPK on SonicBids.

2008-09-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

Testing out this new widget for the first time, how you like me now?

testing rotary downs mp3 downsload store, take 1

Take 2:

2008-06-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

Rotary Downs Presents: "A Shriners Guide to Guitar Playing" - or -
"Djinni Stomp: How to Manage Your Time Between Being Chased by Ghosts in the Desert and Smashing Guitars."
Rotary Downs "Djinni Stomp"

Check out the new video for the song "Djinni Stomp", off of Chained to the Chariot. Directed and shot by Jonathan David Evans (who also did the video for "B/W"), this new video stars the gems of the Crescent City's guilded screen Chris Lane and Sarah Fontenelle.

In California for the 4th? Do Not Miss Rotary Downs at the High Sierra Music Festival! See you there!

2008-03-20T23:36:00.000-07:00

SXSWinner: Steel Train | Trampoline
After being told about this record more than a few times, I finally "got" the album last month after listening ten times with one ear but not getting it, so I was primed to see them and catch a "Black Eye." Caught a daytime set at Red Eyed Fly, the club sound was merely average, the stage was miniature but the band's sound is big and getting bigger. Oozing New Jersey in their wifebeater t-shirts, this was honest rock and roll, songs about how the planes hit the towers and people actually died. There's an honesty in realizing one's mortality, but their songs seemed to be a trampoline of positivity after these negative experiences. It struck an honest chord for me, beyond the introspective songs, the honesty of admitting on your SXSW application that you're from Teaneck, NJ (when every other band claims to be from Brooklyn), there are few things that make me more proud than people who are proud to be from the Garden State. Trampoline is a great record, there are a half-dozen great songs on the album. People say Steel Train is a power pop band, not sure about that, but there are catchy tracks like "Kill Monsters in the Rain" and "I Feel Weird" that will get you singing all day long. - TK

2008-03-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

SXSWinner: Dusty Rhodes and the River Band
Sat, March 16, 2008 7:45pm

It is not often that I hit the record button and get a true gem, a moment in time, a man just preachin from his soul. Well, this man, he was a righteous man, and his name appears to me as Dusty Rhodes. Not the wrestler. Check the sermon kick off with "You, Me...and Obama! We will legalize marijuana!" I want to go see this man sermonize one of these Sundays. And the band was the perfect backing band for Dustin Apodaca, his River Band plays the honest, rootsy rock of The Band with a modern Oakley Hall kinda setup, rock and roll with violin and banjo. Sessions for their Side1Dummy record First You Live, first began in 2006 with producer Ikey Owens, keyboardist from The Mars Volta. They put on a great show, this clip was from Dusty and the River Band kicking off the JamBase Showcase at SXSW. - TK

2008-03-09T03:03:00.000-07:00

The Weather Underground | When I was a Soldier (EP)
I cannot stop listening to this band. Number one favorite new find of the year, pyched to see them in Austin this week. They've just got "it" (not that I can define what "it" is, but you know what I mean). The tracks are great, and even better, this band is great live. I'm telling you every song had the right mix of genres old and new, every kid in the band has a different cultural background, the band mixes well together, they really had charisma on stage. They were part Otis Redding, part young Elvis with rock and roll influences from the Who to the Beatles, but it doesn't sound regurgitated like so many wanna be indie rockers. Get into it. - TK
One Track To Start: "When I Was a Soldier"

2008-03-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

Stephen Malkmus | Real Emotional Trash
The beauty of a Malkmus album is that you always know what you're getting: clever rhyming digressions, guitars that meander as much as the lyrics and more than occasional sloppy swells. Nor is there ever a bad song; merely a few that are less good than others. Real Emotional Trash might surprise you, at least a little: It's as psychedelic as he's ever been with the Jicks ("Hopscotch Willie" and "Dragonfly Pie"), and there are even a couple Pavement-esque moments ("Out Of Reaches" and "We Can't Help You") to break up the six- to 10-minute jam sessions ("Real Emotional Trash"). - Dan Shumate

2008-02-12T18:22:00.000-08:00

Invisible Baby
Marco Benevento's debut solo album, Invisible Baby, is full of fancy sounds. Playing with Reed Mathis(Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Tea Leaf Green) and a drumming duo of Matt Chamberlain(Tori Amos) and Andrew Barr(The Slip), Benevento creates some of the coolest and most novel sound landscapes these ears have heard in quite some time. You'd be remiss to miss out on this.

Track Recommendations: "Atari"; "You Must Be A Lion"

2008-01-19T01:20:00.000-08:00

Cat Power | Jukebox
In her own personal Jukebox of favorites, Cat Power pays tribute to her inspirations by covering tunes from James Brown, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Joni Mitchell, Billie Holliday, and in honor of Dylan and Aretha Franklin. Time will tell if Cat Power will continue to rise, but Chan Marshall already ranks with the most memorable female singers of this generation. This record moves beyond the Memphis soul of The Greatest, the band is looser and Dirtier, but they hang back a little more, underplaying so that Chan must stand up taller, and the result is a more confident Cat Power. Out of the darkness, into the light, perhaps. Nick D says she'll break your heart on the country number "Silver Stallion," and she'll turn Sinatra's "New York, New York" into a slinky penthouse jaunt. It's painful and beautiful, makes me nervous and calms at the same time. The lady's legend grows. -TK
Jukebox comes out Tuesday, but your peoples at Rhapsody delivered it to you yesterday. Pow!

2007-11-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

Rotary Downs on Current TV
I'm not usually one to post videos, but then again, I'm not on Current.TV too often! You gotta see this Current video (shot by the legend Thomas Eugene Green) that explains what I've been saying for almost two years, that the Chained to the Chariot album by Rotary Downs embodies the spirit of post-Katrina New Orleans as channeled by my favorite rock and roll outfit from the Big Easy. Give it a view, see if you can spot me. - TK

2007-10-25T00:22:00.000-07:00

Edgar Winter | Roadwork
Instead of a fresh new album, today I'd like you to turn your attention to a gospel/rock classic from 35 years ago that cousin Jerry turned me onto last night. Click this and check out this live record by Edgar Winter's White Trash. It will be a much better experience then you are probably thinking it will be as you read this now. It's somehow timely, in a yacht-rock-meets-gospel-tent kind of way, with it's chorus of "Save the Planet! Who will save my planet?" and the always funky refrains about "shuckin and jivin." It's got to be ok to go back to the 70's for one mo' time, old school, and listen to songs like "Rock n Roll Hoochie Koo" and feel what it was like to play it on stage. They take a tight spin on Otis Redding's "Can't Turn You Loose," what a kickin horn section! You will be impressed with the bassline mingling with the lead guitar work of the inimitable Rick Derringer on "Tobacco Road" and "Back in the USA." Listen all the way through, for there is about the Gospel preachinest "Lovelight" around, soul claps and all. I'd put it up against most Dead versions from Pigpen's era. Take out the White Trash for a spin, get a feel for what Edgar brought to the world beyond just the overplayed classic "Frankenstein." - TK

2007-10-10T06:17:00.000-07:00

Band of Horses | Cease to Begin
At some point, I'm gonna have to stop listening to this record. Or at least switch it up for a while. Cease to Begin picks up where Everything All The Time left off; its dark and morbid, yet simple chorded and jangly and harmonius.
At first, I wasn't floored with the album as a complete piece. Maybe it was the sequencing? Kayceman said be patient, I kept it in the rotation and started to listen to it on random, and it grew like a weed party.

The album is filled with so many internal struggles, "No One's Gonna Love You" is the perfect example of this. You can understand where the struggles come from, as the Horses lost a founding member "looking like a limb torn off" and moved back to South Carolina "wheeling through an endless fall" and tried to figure out where this quick trajectory of success left them "the ever living ghost of what once was." Then its pretty again ("Anything to make you smile...") and then the hook comes at you with "Things start splittin at the seams and now the whole thing comes tumbling down." Yet it's sung with such beautiful harmonies that its a perfect song. The harmonies from this band give me chills, and while they didn't deliver it live last year, the new incarnation is much better, so go check 'em out live. We know you can't have the darkness without the light and when you can mix them together correctly it creates something akin to the sum of the parts being greater than the whole. The rapid fire geetar strumming is sorta like "running the blender in a lightning storm" - kinda like mixing vinegar and baking soda and getting the volcano to erupt. Even the lines about nothing - "run to the general store for nothing specific" resonate so perfectly. They will have their detractors who will claim BoH is trying to be this or that, or the albums are short, but their formula works for me. I'd rather have one short album a year than a shitty record any day. Hey Bridwell&Co, not sure why, but "no one's gonna love you more than I do." - TK

One Track Recommendation: If you do one thing today, listen to "No One's Gonna Love You" three times and try to tell me that is not a great f-ckin song! Song of the Year nomination from me.

2007-09-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

Soulive | Rhapsody Celebrity Mixtape
I wanted to share this interview with you, I sat down with Soulive in the Rhapsody studios to celebrate their release of No Place Like Soul. This was hands down the best, most captivating, most dynamic interview that I have ever done. Since forming in 1999, the trio, now a quartet with singer Toussaint, has developed a reputation as one of the most sought after soul-funk units on the scene. Listen to the band members sing some of their selections and
talk about their musical history, it's a great listen. These fellas eat, drink, sleep, breathe and LIVE their music. Checkout the recommendations from out the mouths of Eric, Neal, Alan and Toussaint. Click + listen to the words and the music. - Ted K

2007-09-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

Two Gallants | Two Gallants
[Two Gallants album is out next Tues, but Rhapsody has it NOW :-)]
When a band puts out a self-titled LP three albums into their career, is that a statement that this is the career-defining record? The one you want people to listen to first? Every one of Two Gallants albums has multiple songs that I could listen to over and over again from "Drive My Car" and "Train That Stole My Man" to "Steady Rollin" to "Age of Assassins", so I was wondering could that authentic 150 year-old poetroubadour sound be duplicated yet again?
So far, I've been listening to the album for three weeks and I've had four different favorite songs, I'll link 'em all below. Tyson's distinctive drum fills are as creative as ever, and all over the album, mixing well with the lyrical gems. Such as on "The Deader,": "The girl I love is oh so far away, I wonder can she hear me as I go through my day." The longing for the lost girl is still there, and the biting sting of Adam's tongue is still there, they're the perfect mix of adoration and scorn. The raw lust is still there, diving right in to the 'steel trap of your thighs' in "Despite What You've Been Told." So is the loss is still there, check out "My Baby's Gone." And I love this caustic one liner from "Reflections of the Marionette": "I don't want to see you fall, I wanna see you fail." Not only will Two Gallants not fail, they'll bring our fair city of SF with them as they climb to the top of the rock and roll pile on. This is one of the best records of 2007, listen now. - TK

2007-09-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

The Society of Rockets | Our Paths Related
I definitely played the Society of Rockets them for you last year, yamember? Man, I could not stop listening to "Out In The Evening" from their first album, Where the Grass Grows Black, all year, it was Best of '06! Well, they are back with another psychedelically bluesy, greasy, Stones-y rock record called Our Paths Related. They describe themselves as utilizing dirt burst guitar, harmonies, rattletraps, sub-stone rumble, sunnnnn organ, theremin, and hallucelluloids, among other things. These are local SF cats who ooze into the record with "Come Ahead Then," a chugging Pink Floyd-esque intro before slamming it into another gear, "Teenage Gears" - just "diggin in the dirt, leavin this world of hurt." It's a white R&B chill down during "Mountain Magic." The horns pop in and out of harmonic dissonance during interludes like "Loose Change". But the best song on the record might just be the burning bluesrock riff meeting the Beach Boys harmonies in "California's Burning." Solid record, Mustard Man. - TK

2007-08-28T09:50:00.001-07:00

I am officially obsessed with the new Rilo Kiley album, Under The Blacklight. After each listen, I come back with a new favorite song, I just can't decide! My first love on this album was "Breakin' Up" - an upbeat melody and tempo but it's totally heartbreaking at the same time. "Are we breakin' up? Did my heart break enough?" My next favorite is "Dejalo" with Latino beats that remind me of Gloria Estefan (in a good way, if that's possible) and great lines like "I got a tail if you wanna chase it." Jenny Lewis's voice is pristine and innocent, devilish and fun. This is a great album to play really loud and dance around your room. Rock it! -SuperD

2007-08-27T00:14:00.000-07:00

Stevie Wonder | 08.27.07 | concord, ca
the legend of legends. the master of music. the godfather of gospelrock. he wrote the songs in the key of life. he's a talking book. if you start to look back, just every band you ever liked was influenced by stevie in some way. from kiedis to kanye, mariah to michael, he's the musician's musician. i am beside myself with fulfillingness that i got to sing his songs with him tonight. hafty said one he heard "love's in need of love today," he knew it was gonna be on. almost three hours straight. practically every song he ran through is a classic. who else could you go see on tour today that has more than thirty top ten hits? [check the charts] the bumpin-est parties you ever went to had stevie funkin up the soundtrack. boogie on reggae woman! sir duke! i wish!

when he dropped into "signed, sealed, delivered" the place just exploded - people of all ages and races were dancing in the aisles. when his all grown up daughter aisha morris came to sit with him for "isn't she lovely," tears were shed - by stevie and anyone who remembers her voice from the original version. he is so tapped in musically, i mean he has no sight and lost his sense of smell in a car accident in 1973, but his hearing and voice are perfect.

everything stevie does is right in rhythm, from instructing the band to counting off the songs to simply the way he talks. he dropped in and out of covered classics like "billie jean" and "heard it through the grapevine" and he had us turn the mother out, p-funk style. a whole lotta rhythm was indeed goin down. you could indeed feel it all over. and if you listen deeper, the lessons are simple, and they're based in love: "his parents give him love and affection, to keep him strong, movin in the right direction." if you ever get the chance, do yourself a favor and tap it to the wisdom of stevland morris for a few hours. it'll set you so right, it's never wrong. - TK

2007-08-24T17:54:00.000-07:00

New Pornographers | Challengers
This Vancouver supergroup's third album, Twin Cinema got me interested in their smileyindiepop sound, I listened to that album a lot back in 2005. The new record, Challengers, has got me hooked, line and many singers. The hooks are there, the harmonies are always gorgeous, and a heaping dose of strings and keyboards hold together the collectively written songs. I've been listening to "All the Old Showstoppers" pretty much non-stop this week. Did you know that Neko Case and Dan Bejar from Destroyer were in the New Pornographers, as well as AC Newman and Todd Fancey? Of course you did. That's why I knew I liked you. - TK

2007-08-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

Bedouin Soundclash | Street Gospels
Bedouin Soundclash bring the most reverent respect of reggae roots to the Warped Tour people, and even if Street Gospels leans on heavier punk influences ("Gunships," "Walls Fall Down"), the opening "Until We Burn in the Sun" starts things off right with a hearty, dub-influenced groove. The production of Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer only makes this Kingston quality stronger. If for only the name, the relaxed "Nico on the Night Train" is another favorite. - Nate C.

2007-08-08T15:48:00.000-07:00

Flight Of The Conchords | The Distant Future
The year's funniest TV show results in 2007's best EP. What makes the Flight of the Conchords so special is that Jemaine and Brett are dead-on with their parodies, but their songs actually stand up on their own. This pairs three of the New Zealand duo's studio creations with three live renditions. The brilliant, Prince-worthy "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room" is here, as is the inquisitive "If You're Into It." The Mick Jagger parody "Business Time" is so painfully true-to-life that it may result in a catastrophic rise in the global divorce rate. - Nick D.

2007-07-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

Endless Highway: A Tribute to the Band
Here's why tribute albums usually suck: Seldom do new artists record better versions of original versions. Most tributes are compiled by indie labels who put their friends' unknown, sucky bands on just to give them exposure. Now here's why this tribute album doesn't suck. Jack Johnson (with ALO) can woo more women than all five members of The Band combined with his perfect rendition of "I Shall Be Released." Jim James & MMJ will make you weep if you listen to "It Makes No Difference." The Band's songs are so stellar that not even Blues Traveler can ruin "Rag Mama Rag." For the first time in his recording career, Jakob Dylan doesn't sound bored on "Whispering Pines." That kid from Gomez with the glasses still sings like Eddie Vedder, as heard "Up on Cripple Creek." Plus, "Acadian Driftwood" is the finest song ever written about the forcible displacement of the Acadian people with Cajun roots from eastern Canada. The Band were storytellers of the highest order, these are the same great stories told by some new faces, give it a whirl. - E. Shea (plus two cents from TK)

2007-06-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Two Gallants | The Scenery of Farewell (EP)
A pithy precursor to Two Gallants' forthcoming third album, this acoustic EP is the duo's first release since the October 2006 onstage incident that led to drummer Tyson Vogel's night in a Houston jail. The opener "Seems Like Home To Me" establishes the album's mournfully exposed spirit, while Adam Stephens' harmonica adds an introspective reflection to their somber formula of heavyhearted poetry and lonesome folk melodies. With less wavering agitation, The Scenery of Farewell hints at the frustration of last fall's tour: "Days get so dark/ I can hardly see/ I've been gone so long/ It seems like home to me" - Sabrina S.

2007-05-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

I'm From Barcelona | Let Me Introduce My Friends
Under the guidance of principal songwriter Emanuel Lundgren, the debut from this coyly-named Swedish pop collective might be the Scandinavian answer to the Broken Social Scene, even if they choose hugely-orchestrated '60s sunshine over eclectic modernism. The set of buoyant, propulsive indie pop has one foot in The Beach Boys' Smile and the other in modern pop treatments from Beck, who seems to have taught Lundgren how to sing. With its big-gang backup vocals and spaced-out harmonies, LMIMF is an impressive introduction to the happiest band around. - Nate C.
One Track Recommendation: We're From Barcelona"

2007-05-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Wilco | Sky Blue Sky
If you prefer songcraft to sonic exploration, you'll fall for Wilco's Sky Blue Sky like you did for Being There. They wrote it in the studio as a band, and like any good album, the magic unfolds with repeated listens. In moments where Wilco settle back into the subtlety of their Americana roots, guitar phenomenon Nels Cline lets loose with something jazzy and proggy, but tasteful. "Either Way" is a simple, sunny song that sets the tone with a warm George Harrison feel. Doubled leads on "Impossible Germany" recall '70s soft-rock obscurities like the cosmic, countrified Krautrock of Sand. - E.Shea

I forgot to mention that Rhapsody got the Premiere stream of the album last Tuesday, I was so busy listening to it that I forgot to blog about it. The Young Wiseman Dan K mentioned that he thought there were riffs on SBS which reminded him of some old Steely Dan riffs. I think there's something to it, give it a stream and tell me what you think. - TK

2007-05-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

ALO | Roses and Clover
Local boys done great! It's so heartwarming to watch the maturation of ALO from California college band to local jam band to scene stalwart, and knowing that they are still on the rise you wonder just how big they can go. In order to keep climbing the heart charts, a band must put out a solid studio album to add to the infectious live show. This new album makes it two in a row for ALO. Roses and Clover sees the SF foursome playfully collaborating with the veteran producer Robert Carranza (Beck, Ozomatli), freely knitting sun-soaked funk and gritty jam with uplifting lyrics, infectious hooks and rootsy rhythms. The album opens with first single "Maria," a summery, groove-heavy testament to love that makes ya feel like I'm ridin in a convertible down the coast. "Plastic Bubble" showcases a campy ukulele while "Lady Loop" bursts with lusty bass licks and oodles of keyboard twists. To quoth the Tan Man, "People just have a tendency to gravitate towards this band. The energy they put out is infectious, and they always seem to be able to maintain their roots while further expanding their fanbase. If ALO was a TV show, they would be 'Cheers'." - SS+TK, w/TW quote

2007-04-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Pela | Anytown Graffiti
Pela's full-length debut abounds with blistering, reverent anthems. Influenced by the sounds of the Pixies, the Hold Steady and Hüsker Dü, as well as the writings of Raymond Carver, these four Brooklyn beatniks craft a kind of pastoral punk, fraught with vigilant instrumentation and zealous lyrics. "The Trouble with River Cities" masterfully weaves yearning guitar and bass melodies, while the anti-war ballad "Cavalry" embraces a rueful awakening amidst an unyielding horn section. - Sabrina Sutherland
A Top 10 Album for 2007. Listen now and later. - TK

2007-04-20T04:20:00.000-07:00

Page McConnell (self-titled)
This is the one I've been waiting for, the one former Phish member's solo album that I wanted to see what would happen next. I wondered where his mindset was at after hearing so little from him in almost three years since Coventry. Page McConnell is not the best album ever, but if you know who he is by name, then I think it'll make you smile. There's some of the shaggy happy-go-lucky Page that sort of makes me harken back to the olden days. At one point in the ten-and-a-half minute epic "Heavy Rotation" it's somewhere deep in the middle of a "Split Open and Melt" jam, there's a "Sneakin' Sally" funk when Page goes "Back to the Basement" for an eight minute instrumental. However, at some other points it's the snoozy (greenberg) that makes you feel like a watered-down "Water in the Sky" (can't bring myself to link to that song). Some classic layering of grand piano on top of organ and the old "top shelf" funky wurlitzer bring you back, but Page shows he's a modern man of the 00's, referencing '18" spinning rims and using some computer type beats and effects in "Complex Wind." Overall, he sounds more melancholy than fired up for his life, but I hear where he's coming from, wondering if he can "weather not the storm, but the calm." Life after Phish continues to go on, and it does the heart good to see Page making music. Verdict: I'm still a Page fan, fifteen years later. - TK

2007-04-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Greyboy Allstars | What Happened to TV?
This may be the Greyboy Allstars' first studio set in a decade, but they still serve up snapping chicken-shack jazz-funk grooves simmered with saucy bits of New Orleans R&B. In spite of sporadic touring during the 00's, they still sound like an old, grizzled touring band that is still tearing up the countryside. Zak Najor and Chris Stillwell are still slammin' as a rhythm section, perfect for Karl D, Robert Walter and Elgin Park to solo over. Ditties like "Deck Shoes, "Left Coast Boogaloo" and "Pigeons Under Water" play like different scenes from the same great party. - Nick D.

2007-04-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

Land of Talk | Applause, Cheer, Boo, Hiss
The first creatures you meet when entering the Land of Talk are fuzzy, buzzed-out indie rock guitars -- the kind that leave music critics scrambling for adjectives with z's in them (hazy? gauzy? zitty? Wait -- that's not right) and then, once we've found them, using them like an uncontrollable tic. Ze guitarz' partners in crime are -- mais oui -- ze drums, keeping the tormented current crackling and rippling. But the talk of the Land, the most magnificent creature is singer/guitarist Elizabeth Powell, who whinnies and wails with Montreal's prettiest, girliest, angstiest je ne sais quoi. - Rachel Devitt
This is chick rock that I can get down with. - TK

2007-04-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

Kings Of Leon | Because Of The Times
The brothers from southern mothers return with a third album that carries nary a hint of their heartland sound. Leaning hard on heady, proggy arrangements pays off with lengthy opener "Knocked Up," a tune that exemplifies drummer Nathan Followill's Harp mag quote about brother Caleb's penchant for transforming inner demons into melodic poetry. "On Call" works the same subtle magic as 2005's "The Bucket." The melody takes its time to burrow into your memory, strengthening its staying power. With echoes of Springsteen, the panoramically soundscaped "Arizona" should have been titled "Nebraska." - Eric Shea

2007-03-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Panda Bear | Person Pitch
What if some of the Beach Boys were on drugs when they made Pet Sounds? Wait a second... OK, pretend Brian Wilson was really mentally imbalanced while -- hang on, that doesn't work either. But you get the point -- Panda Bear (a.k.a. Noah Lennox) is a big fan of the Beach Boys. On Person Pitch, he aspires to be something of a bizarro Boy, emulating and exacerbating their wall of sound and pairing sweet melodies about good times with weird electro-industrial loops. "I'm Not," with its watery Gregorian chant, is especially pretty. - Rachel Devitt
file under: sonic freakout alert. - TK

2007-03-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

Neil Young | Live At Massey Hall 1971
Any true Neil Young fan has already seen that jaw-dropping BBC footage of him performing acoustic on February 23, 1971. This monumental performance (from his second vault offering) predated that one by just over a month. Recorded on January 19, Young test-drives newly written songs like "Tell Me Why," "Old Man" and the ever creepy "A Man Needs A Maid" (with different lyrics bleeding into "Heart Of Gold"), as well as songs that would eventually become Harvest. Other rare gems include "Bad Fog of Loneliness" and "Dance Dance Dance" which was the blueprint for "Love Is A Rose." - Eric Shea

2006-12-30T16:20:00.000-08:00

Rotary Downs | Chained to the Chariot
Here I come in a crumblin' Chrysler. What a great album, from start to finish. I've been hearing about Rotary Downs for years, first from Zack and more recently from J who simply said "Pavement meets Beck. Listen." So I figured they were good, but this album is way beyond good, it's great. I've liked it since I first heard it, it made my top albums of 2006, and I just listened to it five times in a row again because three different songs jumped out at me and I started to listen more to the lyrics and wonder what it would be like to live in Louisiana under "False Protection". Guess when you're living in a sunken city, you got to fight to keep from tumblin' under. Or maybe you should just drop everything and "Sing Like the Sun." I could go on, reminisce about NOLA, the big parades, pretty in the broken sunken city, all the marching bands are polished 'til they glow. Bow down, this is holy ground! Please stop shredding the truth and listen to this album three times straight through, Rotary Downs is intelligent rock music. - TK

Also featured in the IODA Promonet:
Download "Old Museum" (mp3)
from Chained to the Chariot by Rotary Downs (reapandsow, 2006)

Buy at RealPlayer Music Store
Stream fromRhapsody

2006-12-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

Brett Dennen | So Much More
I could not believe how captivating Brett Dennen was when I saw him at the Independent the other night. I mean, the kid has the look of an overgrown Cabbage Patch Kid and sings about love lost and our pathetic government, yet there were 70% screaming girls in the audience. How is that? I think it's because his words are tender and sincere, and his voice is unique. The first track that hits you immediately is the first song, "Ain't No Reason" but as you dig deeper, songs like "I Asked When" are deep with meaning and songs like "One Who Loves You The Most" are loving and sweet, but both styles are well-written. By performing them with Dan "Chops" Lebo and Steve "Best Stash in the Game" Adams, that obviously took them up to another level. As the songs continue to grow on me, there are timeless classics on this record. The So Much More album is making it into my top 15 of the year, when you feel it, you'll know. - TK
"Music fills the space between the guillotines and the prophecies."

tags: JBRhapsody, playlist, Brett Dennen, Rhapsody, folk, ALO, rhaplink

2006-11-21T17:40:00.000-08:00

Arts and Crafts | Label Spotlight
Toronto-based Arts & Crafts is not only one of Canada's most dynamic independent record labels, but also acts as an artist management firm, a design house, and a distribution and production company. This label also gets an award for being most requested among the few indie labels not yet available on Rhapsody. "When is Rhapsody going to have Broken Social Scene?" is a question often asked among my cohesive social scene. Well, you won't find BSS or A&C on any other subscription services, so have a listen to our latest label spotlight featuring Juno-winners Broken Social Scene, baroque pop-star Feist, and set yourself on fire with Stars and other lush rockers from the Arts & Crafts family.

2006-11-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead | So Divided
...Trail of Dead have a lot of hype to live down, from their incendiary live performances to the fact that they are one of the few, if not the only, "rocking" indie rock band on the landscape in 2006; the Austin kids are left holding the torch for a lot of people's expectations. With So Divided, they show they are not afraid of the challenge, admirably taking on Guided By Voices, wriggling around like the Birthday Party and keeping things as heavy as they are accessible throughout. Good stuff, especially the trio of songs that opens the album. - M.McG
One Track Recommendation: "Wasted State of Mind"

2006-11-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

Pavement | Wowee Zowee:
Sordid Sentinels Edition
More than a decade since Pavement released this sprawling, unstoppably creative album, this remastered and 'luxe and deluxe' version arrives, and it has held up very well. The new super-expanded version has a whopping 50 tracks on it! It spotlights Malkmus & Co's once-ignored gift for writing catchy pop hooks ("drowning for your thirst!?" in "Rattled By The Rush") and their ragged appreciation of any (and every) musical style they ever stumbled across. This isn't about your memories of the times; it's about all the new dimensions these songs bring out when you listen to them again. Newly released tracks include all the B-sides from the singles (including the legendary Pacific Trim EP with the classic "Give It A Day" and "I Love Perth" & "Painted Soldiers" from the Steve Lamacq BBC evening session on 3.15.95. Whoo hoo hooo! I'm still dedicated to all my friends. - TK / ND

2006-11-10T19:53:00.000-08:00

Muse | Black Holes And Revelations
Black Holes and Revelations sweeps you into the ever changing vortex of sound. a spooky feeling is created with shredding, freak out jams and dark, evil lyrics, which bursts into glam rock that makes you wanna dance. Muse takes you on board a futuristic brit-pop rock opera with their soaring vocals and swirling gutiars. Get into it! - Deb B. (*the original TSR*)

2006-11-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

Backyard Tire Fire | Skin and Bones (EP)
The sophomore EP from Backyard Tire Fire has enough big guitars and hard-luck yowl from Easy Ed Anderson to demonstrate a love for heavy roots music and make a bid for the title of their generation's Crazy Horse. When "Tired of Being Tired" lumbers out of the speakers with an ominous gait, it has all the foreboding grit and guitar wail as "Down by the River." (Side note, do check out the new live version of "Down By The River" that Neil & Crazy Horse just released from Fillmore East.) The lone appearance of an acoustic guitar, on "Don't Know What to Do," is breezy and refreshing, but the band is at its best on boot stomping numbers like "Downtime" and "Blood on the Strings." Also of note is the live cover of Barry Cowsill (the Bonaduce of the real life Partridge Family) and his ode to scoring on the streets, "Crack Alley." - GK/TK

2006-10-20T23:25:00.000-07:00

Annuals | Be He Me
At the time of Be He Me's release, the Annuals had been declared the latest Internet-bred indie rock sensation, hence hype-fueled comparisons to the Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, etc. The actual similarity? Well, it's that us-versus-them, fists held aloft, DIY spastic/drastic thing -- this music is urgent, earnest and cute. The difference? A little less Talking Heads, a little more Pink Floyd, a little less Muppets, a little more Fraggle Rock (no, we're not sure what that means). Comparisons aside, this is another record of delightfully shambolic orchestral indie rock from the fringes. Jon Pareles from the NYTimes wrote about the band's "joyful eccentricity that could make anyone believe the album's closing assurance, "We'll have it all. We ooh, we can." - GK
One Track Recommendation "Father"

2006-10-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

Primus | They Can't All Be Zingers
Maybe they can't all be zingers, but when it comes to the music of Primus, you can bet they are all wacko alt rock ragers. Led by ace of bass Les Claypool, the influential trio has been funking, punking and spelunking for well over two decades. This greatest hits set begins with Primus' earlier, harder stuff and closes with more recent fare, produced when they started buying into the hype surrounding their weirdness. Some nuggets are left off, unfortunately; this collection could have easily spanned two discs. At least you get "John the Fisherman" and "Tommy the Cat" and of course, "Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver" in all it's glory. - JZ

2006-10-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Cold War Kids | Robbers and Cowards
CWK have been building buzz all year, especially around SF. Finally, an album to listen to, and it's one of those records, you know the more you listen to it, the more you like it. These songs are retro, yet modern, and the songwriting is mature, yet fresh. Robbers & Cowards kicks off with a wicked one-two punch of "We Used to Vacation" and then "Hang Me Up To Dry" - but it's not front loaded, the "Hospital Beds" and "Saint John" are just as catchy, showcasing the emotional lyrical style of Nathan Willett. Even the font and feel of the album cover and booklet exudes authenticity. A buzz band to stick around? We'll see, but this album is a likely candidate for the end of year top picks list. Give it a listen. Repeat. - TK

2006-10-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

The Album Leaf | Into the Blue Again
If for some strange reason you've been listening to raging death metal all day and require the complete and total antithesis to prevent you from killing someone, well we've got an Album Leaf record for you. For his third LP, main man Jimmy LaValle throws some formerly absent vocals onto a few tracks, although for the most part it's business as usual: lithe, languid instrumentals, 72-degree post-rock relaxation music with enough indie smarts to make it more than just the musical equivalent of those videos of fish. How can you not like the track "Always For You"?

2006-09-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Silversun Pickups | Carnavas
Caught a killer SSPU set last night at the Rickshaw. Really loved their set, much better as a headliner than an opener. Don't know too many of the song titles, save for Sammy's "song of last year" called "Kissing Families," but pretty much liked everything they played, love the energy created by yelling in my face mixed with subtle melodies. They were so excited by the headlining slot, they played an extra long encore and even took requests. I think it's easy to make that comparison to the sound of the Smashing Pumpkins on first listen, but the more you listen, the more they grow into their own. Songs like "Lazy Eye" perfectly mix the bass, guitars and vocals and at this time, this is the favorite on the album. Plus, the female bassist Nikki is sublime, so quiet and shy yet dropping nimble bass bombs, she rocks. - TK

2006-09-26T10:57:00.001-07:00

My Morning Jacket | Okonokos
It would not be a lie if I said we had been waiting 318 days for the double live album to come out, since the two MMJ shows at the Fillmore that this CD was recorded at were the best of the year. Wait no longer, Okonokos sounds as good as the shows were last year. Two-Tone Tommy's bass just pops when "It Beats For You," right in sync with Patrick Hallahan's drums, showing this is the best rhythm section in the game today. Bo Koster's bouncing keyboards make "Anytime" a good time. The guitar intro is beautifully pronounced on favorite "Lowdown" but screams while keeping it "Off The Record." Carl Broemel's guitar screams "Lay Low" but he shows another side of his musicianship with a killer sax solo in "Don Dante," I can remember right where I was standing at that point, next to sister Rachel, the stage awash in green leaves. So, yeah, for the memories this music continues to conjure, this is a top 10 record of the year. Everything Jim James touches turns "Golden." - TK

2006-09-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

Up From The Catacombs: The Best Of Jane's Addiction
Dynamic synergy made them one of the most influential metal-funk-rock bands of the '90s. This best-of collection confirms that the whole is certainly greater than the sum of its parts, as Dave Navarro's crunching, psychedelic-tinged guitars seamlessly fuse with Perry Farrell's funky vocals, Stephen Perkins' arresting rhythms and Eric Avery's pulsating bass work. The compilation amasses tracks from their 1988 debut to 2003's Strays. Highlights include the alluringly erratic "Three Days" and a live Lollapalooza version of "Jane Says." - Steph B

2006-09-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

The Black Crowes | Freak 'N' Roll... Into The Fog
I love it when sick local shows get remastered and released as CD/DVD combos! Taken from The Black Crowes' five-night run at our local shrine, the Fillmore Auditorium, in August 2005, Freak 'N' Roll... Into The Fog features the four-piece Left Coast Horns (superb on "Only Halfway To Everywhere") and a pair of backing vocalists augmenting the band's definitive lineup. With jaw-dropping interplay between guitarists Rich Robinson and Mark Ford, sparkling keys from newly departed Ed Hawrysch and an exceptional vocal performance from Chris Robinson, the Crowes make the case for being the greatest rock band of their generation. This double album is two hours of proof. - S.G. Zwickel
One Band Cover: "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"

2006-09-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

Ratatat | Classics
Ratatat is coming to SF! Can you rock it on a Monday night? If so, do yourself a favor and meet me at the Great American on the 18th! Yes, every cool band seems to be a duo right now, but this one will blow your mind. Flavorpill writes, "Brooklyn duo Ratatat garnered well-deserved hype for their eponymous debut album, but no one was sure how they would top those soaring tracks...Fortunately, the boys hitched up their pants and turned the dial to "epic": their latest is a hazy mirage of unabashedly anthemic tunes, with acoustic and slide guitar, cello, and what we swear are harmonizing buzz saws swimming amid dizzying, layered atmospherics." True dat, the record is kinda great, and it's about time these Brooklyn electrohipsters came to the west coast. Let's turn it out on Monday and maybe next time they return on a weekend for a blowout. - TK
One Track Recommendation: "Wildcat" Grrrrrr!

2006-09-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

TV on the Radio | Return to Cookie Mountain
The last two weeks have been the two busiest weeks of the year for new albums. Not sure why TV on the Radio pushed their US release date to this week, but the Return record is eclectic enough to stand out- it's got heavy drums and strange whistle/clap/fuzzbox noises from David Sitek, plus the requisite dual-layered vocal attack of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone. Here's what McGuirk wrote in his Rhapsody review:

Blonde Redhead, Roxy Music, Outkast and god knows what else are on the list of influences you'll find on this second record from these indie rock subversives. Along with Arcade Fire and Animal Collective, TV On the Radio are recording highly avant-garde pop music that threatens to make indie rock worth listening to again. And they're garnering attention from such big shots as David Bowie, who contributes backing vocals on "Province," and Trent Reznor, who took them on tour with Nine Inch Nails. - MMcG

One Track Recommendation: Beach Boys meet Beelzebub on "A Method"

2006-09-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Dr. Dog | Takers and Leavers EP
Dr. Dog was so freakin amazing last Saturday at the Du Nord. The band evokes some kind of bursting feeling inside, whenever I see them perform "Wake Up" it is like an epiphany that just makes me want to hold hands with the shoegaziest of the indie rockers and tell them like the things in your head, they are only what they seem, and embrace them for their ways, for we are only part of a dream. The band's label just loved what S.G. Zwickel wrote about their Takers and Leavers EP in last week's SF Weekly:

"Smug indie rockers, bare-footin' post-hippies, hooked-on-hooks pop junkies — can't they all just get along? Dr. Dog says yeah, they can, and the Philly five-piece offers this six-song EP as the soundtrack to the icebreaker. Like with any first encounter, there's gonna be some initial awkwardness, and in this case it comes in the form of unabashed exuberance. Dr. Dog's hazy, harmonized pop is sunnier than summertime, played with what could be considered lethally low levels of irony. This exuberance, young hipster, is to be savored, not feared. As is the deliciously sticky songwriting, compact but swollen with pithy turnarounds, tiny guitar solos, and surprise crescendos — like a new brand of bubblegum that somehow makes you smarter."

Give it a whirl, if you only have time for one song, and you live where I live, and you love like I love, then stream "California" now! Trust me, you'll like the whole thing, 'extended play' means it's only six songs long, every track tasty in it's own way, Philly-style. - TK

2006-09-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Format | Dog Problems
Not sure why I just heard about this record a month ago, but since I popped it in, it's been in heavy rotation in my world. Pretty much every song is catchy in a Ben Folds-meets-Freddie-Mercury kinda way and worth a few listens (am I becoming a power-pop fan? or is this just good music?) The harmonies and orchestration are sure to win you over, if you can discern them, then the witty lyrics will (I also hate corporate magazines). First grabber is probably "Time Bomb" and I love how it flows into "She Doesn't Get It." In fact, that is one thing I totally love is the sequencing, how songs move from one to the next, also present after "Dead End" into "Snails" too. And who doesn't love songs about happy snails? Snails see the benefits, the beauty in every inch. - TK

2006-09-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Pinback | Nautical Antiques
Through the first half of the '00's, the interlocking guitar lines and harmonized vocals of Pinback quietly became one of the most in-demand indie rock sounds in America, even if this feat was overshadowed by bigger boys like Modest Mouse and Death Cab. This collection of outtakes and rarities probably won't lure any new fans, but existing acolytes will find plenty to enjoy, including an early demo of "Seville" that reveals the band isn't always airtight, and a charming little ditty in "Versailles" based around some piano chords (rare for these guys). -GK

Also Worth Streaming: the 2004 Pinback masterpiece Summer in Abbadon is also now live in Rhapsody. Really such a perfect album all the way through, bookended by "Non-Photo Blue" and "AFK." Find me a better pre-sunrise album and I'll blog that too. - TK

2006-08-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

Ray Lamontagne | Till The Sun Turns Black
Ray LaMontagne's second album effort is a little less cheery than the first, but the guy can surely sing and is no stranger to heavy emotions. As the title suggests, Till the Sun Turns Black is a quintessential "rainy day" album, as the musically understated, achingly beautiful songs cast a long, grey shadow on even the sunniest dispositions. It kicks off with "Be Here Now" - this haunting number should be studied for the meaning in its title, to remind you to not let your soul get lonely. Three More Days" is augmented by a soulful horn section, more Ray Charles than Ray-an Adams. "Three more days, you know I'll be right there by your side!" makes a man long to bring it on home to their girl. The truest lesson of the album is in the second track, "Empty," Ray sadly admits that he "never learned to count my blessings, choosing instead to dwell in my disasters" and you feel for him, for all of those who find it hard let go of the pain. To my brothers whose hearts hurt, look those demons in their eyes, lay bare your chest and tell them they bore you. Take strength where you can, let it fuel the fire inside you. You don't always have to feel this way, take control of those demons and get to the place you need to be. Lesson learned. "Truly, Madly, Deeply," -TK

2006-08-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

Superunloader | in SF Friday, 9/1
Just found out that Superunloader will be at the Connecticut Yankee this Friday (9/1). This show will kill, it's a small room to finally check these guys out, I have been listening to them for a while (they won best rock album in San Deigo for their self-titled record from 1995). They rock hard, a trio in the Zeppelin/70's vein but more diversified through travels in the 80's, with a jam-sex-funk thing goin on too and sounds of harmonica & flute mixed in too. A few tracks to grab ya ear are "Don't Be Denied," "Well Aware" and "Rollin and Tumblin."
Seeya Friday? More show info. - TK

2006-08-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

M. Ward | Post - War
For his fifth solo album, Portland troubadour Matt Ward enlists the help of a full band, including guest appearances by Neko Case and My Morning Jacket's Jim James. The added Rhodes, percussion, backing vocals and other bells and whistles only sweeten the already rich pairing of Ward's nimbly plucked guitar and his electric blanket of a voice. "Post War" is a warm bath of electric keys and hushed vocals, while "Chinese Translation" tells a jaunty tale of man's never-ending quest for love and redemption. This thing shimmers like a full moon on a crystal lake. - GK

2006-08-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

Kaki King | ...Until We Felt Red
Kaki King's delicate acoustic arpeggios exude as much rhythm as they do melody, and you can thank Tortoise's John McEntire for that this time around. He produced King's third outing to give it an organic/kinetic motion. Her beautifully wispy voice carries strong words and memorable melodies, but the attention to the details of texture is what is really key here. "Gay Sons of Lesbian Mothers" injects the most Tortoise-esque influences, flirting with jazzy structures and subtle hits of technology. - E.Shea

2006-08-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

Konono No. 1 | Congotronics 1
I was interviewing Andrew Barr last month for an upcoming "Rhapsody Mix Tape" and he mentioned a few albums I should check out. He studied in Mali back in the 90's, so I always come to him for recommendations from Africa, and this Konono No. 1 is one that I'm totally digging on. A totally unique album, Congotronics is basically traditional Congolese music dominated by thumb piano, or likembe, but with an almost electronic twist. The homemade amps and pickups on the thumb pianos and vocals created some amazingly gorgeous distortion. This is not something you have heard before, and for that reason you should click here and listen for ten minutes at least! - TK

2006-08-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Gov't Mule | High & Mighty (pre-release exclusive!)
This week, Rhapsody has the pre-release exclusive on the new Gov't Mule album. High & Mighty is a stellar evolution of the Mule, and is only available on the Rhap this week. With the usual shredding and gravelly singing of Warren Haynes out front, H&M kicks off with the Mr. title track and features 12 new originals written by Haynes, with the crisp n clean guitar tone and vocal chords that have made Warren a modern legend. Drummer Matt Abts always keepin the right time, and together with bassist Andy Hess, they are a very reliable rhythm section. And the organ is stepped up on this album, as rocker Eric Shea notes: "Danny Louis' Hammond organ grinds so hard you can just imagine hamburger meat spilling out the other end. "Like Flies" and "Streamline Woman" provide the perfect soundtrack for tuning up your '76 Nova." There's even an expansion into dub, check out "Unring the Bell." - TK

2006-08-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

Tom Waits | Real Gone
So, I saw Tom Waits last night. Easily a top 3 show, up there with Prince at The Fillmore and Bowie @ Berkeley Community Theater. The guy's music is unique, diverse and interesting and he has such a stage presence. Most appealing, he is humble in his genius. Check out these lyrics to a song from his latest album, Real Gone, which he performed during his first encore. It's named "Day After Tomorrow" - give it a listen with the song though. It doesn't get much more powerful than this if you ask me:

I got your letter today
And I miss you all so much, here
I can't wait to see you all
And I'm counting the days, dear
I still believe that there's gold
At the end of the world
And I'll come home
To Illinois
On the day after tomorrow

It is so hard
And it's cold here
And I'm tired of taking orders
And I miss old Rockford town
Up by the Wisconsin border
But I miss you won't believe
Shoveling snow and raking leaves
And my plane will touch tomorrow
On the day after tomorrow

I close my eyes
Every night
And I dream that I can hold you
They fill us full of lies
Everyone buys
About what it means to be a soldier
I still don't know how I'm supposed to feel
About all the blood that's been spilled
Look out on the street
Get me back home
On the day after tomorrow

You can't deny
The other side
Don't want to die
Any more than we do
What I'm trying to say,
Is don't they pray
To the same God that we do?
Tell me, how does God choose?
Whose prayers does he refuse?
Who turns the wheel?
And who throws the dice
On the day after tomorrow?

Mmmmmmm...
I'm not fighting
For justice
I am not fighting
For freedom
I am fighting
For my life
And another day
In the world here
I just do what I've been told
You're just the gravel on the road
And the one's that are lucky
One's come home
On the day after tomorrow

And the summer
It too will fade
And with it comes the winter's frost, dear
And I know we too are made
Of all the things that we have lost here
I'll be twenty-one today
I've been saving all my pay
And my plane will touch down
On the day after tomorrow
And my plane it will touch down
On the day after tomorrow

-G$H in Chicago (Attempted Setlist Recreation)

2006-08-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

Comets On Fire | Avatar
San Francisco's normally blistering space rock jam unit pulls in the reins a bit on this, their second full-length record for Sub Pop. The overdriven freakouts are still there, the only difference is that now you can hear it all, even the echoplex (!) and vocals. Good news. Even better, the "slow" songs ("Lucifer's Memory," "Hatched Upon the Age and especially "Sour Smoke") are among their finest songs yet. Comets have been the best the Bay Area has to offer for a long time now, Avatar is just more proof. - Mike McG

2006-07-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

Redd Foxx | Best Of: Comedy Stew (Explicit)
Redd Foxx came to fame as a "blue" comic during a time when shops kept his records hidden behind the counter and had to be requested when the vice cops weren't around (really!). What's surprising now isn't that Foxx can still be off-color; it's how smart and quick-witted his rapid fire one-liners, puns and routines are. - ND
Most Popular Track: "No Shit Folks"

2006-07-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ween easily rocked one of the top three shows of the year on Friday night at the Independent. I had heard about these epic long throwdown east coast shows for so long, but never seemed to get more than the standard show in the west coast city that would most enjoy the brown humor. They went on earlier than any band I've ever seen at the Indy, and proceeded to play for what seemed like six hours of just about every classic in their deep, dark repertoire, literally blowing people outside on probably the hottest night of the year. Seriously, I think they played 35 songs, the place was moist, boozed up and rocked out.

The set started with four acoustic numbers and then the electric mayhem started and just would not quit until we were all drenched and brown. Setlist read something like this playlist (the individual links open the Rhapsody.com web playah): Birthday Boy opener, so apropos for that moment, perfect partners and place. Always great things to yell when seeing Ween, like "getcha punkass back to the dog show" in Chocolate Town, Tried and True, Mutilated Lips, Don't Get 2 Close (2 My Fantasy), Take Me Away, The Grobe, Even if You Don't, Voodoo Lady, Baby Bitch (affectionately yelling "F%*k You, ya stinkin' ass ho") to your favorite lady friends is somehow funny every time and never gets old), Light Me Up, Push th' Little Daisies, The Mollusk (yes, we spoke of the Trinity, gazing with the wandering eye), Roses are Free (toasting getting in the car to cruise the land of the brave and free), Sketches of Winkle, She's Your Baby, Wavin My Dick in the Wind, Mister Richard Smoker, Reggaejunkiejew, Ocean Man, Buckingham Green, Booze Me Up And Get Me High, Spinal Meningitis, Albino Sunburned Girl, Touch My Tooter, Never Squeal, Hey Bulldog (stellar Beatles cover), Gabrielle (one of those great songs from Shinola, never heard it live before, great request by Josh), Dr. Rock (the whole entire place deafening yelling it with the devil horned finger thing).

The quintuple encore of: What Deaner Was Talkin About, The Final Alarm, Big Jilm! (man, we've been singing this one all summer, finally to get it live and stand next to Big Jim, what a highlight! and right on cue into) Bananas and Blow, You Fucked Up and Someday. This was my favorite show on The Farewell Super DeTour, about the only thing Ween didn't play to recognize the moment was "She Wanted To Leave." So go fetch a bottle...seriously, thank you to Ween and High Road and all the super people at the Independent for making this show happen. After what feels like 100 shows there, I think I now have a favorite. I'm not sure why I love that place so much, I can't put my finger on it! -TK

tags: JBRhapsody, playlist, Ween, Winkle, Rhapsody, Shinola, Chocolate, Deaner

2006-07-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

Dirty on Purpose | Hallelujah Sirens
Mr. G (who sits next to me at work) told me about these guys after their last release, and I wrote it off as too indie, as I'm wont to do. But this album is great, really growing on me. It's got the classic My Bloody Valentine meets The Cure feel, yet on the other hand, it's got layers of depth, mixing guitars, vocals with a little horn action (like in the first track "No Radio"). Plus, it's got the sultry vocals of Erika from Au Revoir Simone. Not sure if she's hot, but she sounds it. Easy to digest and be impressed by hearing the catchy "Light Pollution." The screaming, intertwined guitar work of "Monument" is a standout (could be my favorite after my twelfth listen) as well as the ethereal buildup on "Fake Lakes." In short, I'm endorsing repeated listens of this record. It will grow on you. - TK
Stream it now on Rhapsody.com

2006-07-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Umphrey's McGee Rhapsody MixTape
I recorded some pre-show chatter at the Fillmore back in April with Brendan, Joel and Jake, and it is finally cut up and mixed. I really like this style of interview, to talk to musicians about the music they like and intersperse those tracks with the interview. Their recommendations, like UM's style, really runs the gamut, from Huey Lewis' "If This Is It" to Duran Duran's "Save a Prayer" to "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac to the (obviously Jake influenced) "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll" by Blue Oyster Cult and Zappa's "Inca Roads." Check it out, either in Rhapsody or on our new web-based player at rhapsody.com and let me know what you think. I want to do more of these MixTapes. Whaddyathink? - TK

2006-07-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

Phish | Live In Brooklyn
Wow, Phish is back. Sorta, I think they're called GRAB now. Or BRAG. Time flies though, it's already been two summers since the final Phish run, which included this June 17, 2004 show from Brooklyn's Keyspan Park. Although I remember watching it from a movie theater, the guy next to me had his shirt off so it felt like the real thing. Some key career-spanning tracks on here, the obvi fan faves of "Oh Kee Pa->Suzy" and "Mike's->H2->Groove to the Undermind-era fave "Nothing". My favorite the old sentimental number, "The Curtain (With)." Listening without prejudice, there is still some pride at graduating from Phish U. - TK

2006-06-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Secret Machines | Rolling Stone Original
Its rare for the Secret Machines to do anything on a small scale, but these proggish rock avatars packed up their prodigious gear and headed to meet the Real peeps at the Green Screen studios to unleash four exclusive live tracks to an unsuspecting world. I was "Alone, Jealous and Stoned," my jaw dropped as they rocked with relentless perfection. These live tracks are all from their sonically prophetic and musically florid Ten Silver Drops, but then, maybe you should. - Jaan & TK

2006-06-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

Brightblack Morning Light (self-titled)
My Matador friend has been telling me I'd like this album for a while. Perhaps that's why I never gave it a listen? I don't really have an excuse for just now getting around to digging this record, because my man was right on. What threw it over the top was JamBase making it the hot new band of the month for June. The JamBasers write, "The way they tell it, the Brightblack Morning Light is a sacred time of day 'where spirits are allowed access' and 'the truth of the universe is faded into a veil of blue sky.' Prepare yourself for a sound reminscent of children conceived on that field in Woodstock back in '69. But now it's 2006 and this duo takes tripped out to a new dimension." Heady! On their self-titled Matador debut, they ooze slow-burning songs that simmer sleepy guitar effects (a la early Spiritualized) with lazy freak folk (think Vetiver on Oxycontin) as heavy-lidded male/female vocal harmonies slow dance around hushed horns and an old Wurlitzer jazz piano. My favorite, the slow oozer "Star Blanket River Child". - TK/ES/JB

2006-06-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Sergio Mendes | In Person At El Matador
This live performance captures Sergio Mendes at his best. Mendes, who previously concentrated on his lean, propulsive American piano style, had just put his stellar band Brazil 66 together, but he had yet to add elements of pop to their sophisticated Brazilian sound. Fans of Herb Alpert-style easy listening should look elsewhere. This is a superb bossa nova record, live from San Francisco! - ND
TEDitor's Note: This record is keeping me calm and mellow today, I've listened to it three times straight already! One track to groove to on repeat: "Caminho de Casa."

2006-06-16T16:39:00.000-07:00

Ben Folds | "Underground #2"
"...And now it's been ten years, I'm still wonderin who to be..."
Proclaiming that "we can be happy underground," Ben Folds clicks his heels (and his piano keys) and brings us this jubilant new single that mocks pierced and pissed-off punks with an anarchic tinkling of piano jazz pop. This release includes a live version of "Underground" (just add heckler) with "Jackson Cannery" from the Ben Folds Five debut album, now more than a decade old. - Michele K-Tel

2006-06-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

Widespread Panic | Earth to America
Twenty-some years and nine studio albums into a semi-legendary career, Widespread Panic are still finding new ground to break. Earth To America is a signature powerhouse blend of bourbon-soaked boogie, deep country blues and space-shot improvisation. From the string-section grandeur of "Second Skin" to the horn-led disco rock of "Goodpeople" to the barrelhouse piano swing of "Ribs and Whiskey," WSP use studio tricks to maximum effect. Burdened by the demeaning "jam band" moniker, they might never get their due as one of the great American rock 'n' roll acts of this generation. - J. Zwickel

2006-06-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Oakley Hall | Gypsum Strings
This little gem of an album by Oakley Hall came out on Jagjaguwar last week. I got tipped off to it by Garrett on his post on the new Rhapsody staff blog. G says their songs are like "country-ish collective space rollers awash in fiddles, organs, guitars and vocal harmonies." I've been such a lame blogger lately that I've sunk to stealing blog posts from Rhapsody staff members. I guess it's not stealing if I turn music fans like you onto new music. From the picture he posted, they are what Fleetwood Mac would be if they were born 15 years earlier. It's part hippie sitar noodle groove, and half Neil Young-inspired indie rock with striking vocal efforts. In spite of it's underlying folkishness, the album is really quite good, I didn't want to turn it off at any point. I especially enjoyed the wailing guitars on "Lazy Susan." - TK

2006-06-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

Sonic Youth | Rather Ripped
Rhapsody Exclusive Pre-Release Stream!
Sonic Youth celebrate their 25th year together with this blast of sweet noise. It's rather more melodic than "ripped", but with enough guitar chaos to keep it sounding Sonic. The real surprise is from Kim Gordon: her vocals have never sounded so downright lilting and serene. Nothing is missing here except for "fifth member" Jim O'Rourke, and the need to prove themselves as returning masters of the avant-garde. - Michele K-Tel

2006-06-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Brian Jonestown Massacre | Tepid Peppermint Wonderland
I’m not usually a big retrospective/box set fan cuz I like the totality and sometimes conceptual whole of individual albums, but since I just discovered them recently, via the documentary DIG, this album became my introduction to BJM. The movie makes it clear that Anton Newcombe is a mad genius, and a prolific one, at that. Listening to this music, I feel like I have found the ultimate joining of 60’s psychadelia with modern indie garage rock. Every song is a lustrous little adventure...with plenty of depth and mental instability to go around. - Henry M.

2006-05-26T14:27:00.002-07:00

Jerry Joseph | Into the Lovely
For a guy who picks horrible band names (Little Women, Jethro Belt, Jackmormons), you gotta give Jerry Joseph credit for his persistence. On the way to his seventh album, he's battled addiction, broke record labels and little fanfare. Whether or not you're into his post-jam attempts at creating indie rock, one thing's for sure: Joseph is a lifer. Into the Lovely stews crunchy guitar distortion in a Jack Johnson-esque songwriter's sensibility. The production values recall effects-smothered '90s bands like the Verve Pipe. Check out the catchy "Swimming to Phuket." - Eric Shea

2006-05-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

Everything But the Girl | Eden
Once upon a time (1984 to be exact), there was a New Wave duo that was drunk on 1960s bossa nova, folk pop and nightclub jazz. What stopped Everything But the Girl's debut from only being a stylish exercise in nostalgia were Tracie Thorn and Ben Watt's very English, matter-of-fact narrative songs and their utter commitment. "Fascination," "Another Bridge" and "Each & Everyone" remain fan favorites. This is the U.K. version, the U.S release has a different cover and some different (but equally fine) tracks. - ND

2006-05-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

AWOL One | The War Of Art
LA rapper returns with an album that is noticeably more upbeat than its predecessors, which isn't to say that it's giggly. America's political situation rears its ugly head into "The Drums," but AWOL's most effective when he's dealing with everyday life. "Casting Call" chronicles the broken dreams of an aspiring actress, while "Breathe Today" is blunted psychoanalysis. KRS-One guests on "Underground Killz" - Sam C.

2006-05-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

Bobby Previte | Coalition of the Willing
Part sixties groovatron throwback, part Bitches Brew-era freakout, part shredtastic guitar rock, and part orchestral saxaphonics. This album is Previte at his best, limbs moving swiftly in time, ridin deep in the pocket, keeping excessively cool. Charlie Hunter puts down his 8-string guitar and picks up a Fender Telecaster and a Fender Bass for the first time ever on record. Even Stanton Moore and Steven Bernstein make appearances.
Previte is on a west coast tour this week with a slammin' Coalition of the Willing all-star band, featuring Charlie Hunter, Marco Benevento and saxfreak Skerik. Another quality ropeadope release, and they're already giving away an mp3 of the first 20 minutes of the first night of the band's tour. So Ropeadope! See you Saturday at the Independent? - TK

2006-05-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

At the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival earlier this month, I said, "Well my friends, the time has come to raise the roof and have some fun..." Let us go and see Lionel Richie close down the festival on Sunday! Everybody sing, everybody dance! Fiesta, forever! I just had to see this icon of the 80's, just to see what shape that sweet afro was in, just to hear his pop anthems of childhood, and there were more anthems than you'd think. And oh what a feelin, we were dancin on the ceiling! It was Sunday and everyone was at the tail end of a long weekend of music, so he eased us in with "Easy" (like Sunday morning) before busting into funky full band versions of "Brick House" and "Lady (You Bring Me Up)." I don't think my friends who split realized just how deep his career has been, people around me had no idea he was in The Commodores, a funk force to be reckoned with. And when Lionel slowed down, hands were held and you reminded you that your girl was once, twice, "Three Times A Lady." Look, don't get on his case just because of his infamous daughter, or because he cheesed out in the 80's. Who didn't get a little synth-y back then? Believe me, if you were there, you would have waved and asked "Hello! Is it me you're looking for?" You would have admitted that "Stuck On You" provided a feeling down deep in your soul that you just can't lose. So many of these songs were irresistible pop pleasures, it looked like everybody was having a ball! Walking out of the fairgrounds knowing that "everyone you meet, they'll be jammin' in the streets...All Night Long." Oh, what a feeling! Guess I'm on my way...mighty glad I stayed. - TK

2006-05-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

Gnarls Barkley | St. Elsewhere
As the feature presentation flickers into life, the auditorium lights dim and you're instantly submerged in Gnarls Barkley's world of insanity, shadowy genius, depression and hard-earned revelation. St. Elsewhere is the first collaboration between trailblazing singer Cee-Lo and experimental producer-to-the-stars Danger Mouse. Songs such as this summer's soon-to-be overplayed anthem "Crazy" and "Boogie Monster" are steeped in hip-hop, soul and psychedelia, yet the album manages to maintain a distinctly pop flavor and is as addictive as it is inventive. Cee-Lo soars throughout, and Danger Mouse continues to produce idiosyncratic and cinematic hip-hop. Uncanny and unrelenting, St. Elsewhere is a must see. - Jamie Dolling

2006-05-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

The Raconteurs
Seventh son Jacky White is back, this time in the form of The Raconteurs, a pseudo-supergroup with Brendan Benson and two dudes from The Greenhornes. The single, "Steady As She Goes" has been out for a few weeks, but Rhapsody has a pre-release interview with Jack, Brendan and the boys. Even cooler, there's two exclusive video tracks (Steady As She Goes and Intimate Secretary (RealPlayer Required) that RealHomies filmed in NYC. - TK

2006-05-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

Gomez | How We Operate
These hard-to-peg Brits sound more like expat transplants with their mix of easygoing U.S. roots rock. This, their fifth CD, is the first studio release on Dave Matthews' ATO (According To Our) Records label, and the connection definitely shows up with their newfound love for the banjo and the brooding vocals of the title track. Still, "Girlshapedlovedrug" has them revealing their U.K. accents and poppier side with pride. - Michele K-Tel

2006-05-04T01:14:00.000-07:00

John Zorn | Electric Masada - 50th Birthday Edition, Volume 4 Jarring, cerebral, soaring, discordant, strange, abstract, free, deeply grooving, radical. Zorn, as usual, defies easy categorization on this epic album from his own Tzadik label. Masada is the name given to a catalog of arrangements based on Klezmer/Jewish scales written by Zorn in the 80s. The Masada songs have been performed by a plethora of various musical groupings, with or without Zorn's presence. In my opinion, Electric Masada kicks the most ass. The band might actually be my favorite band right now, maybe of all time? Combining jazz fusion, improvisational mastery, celestial-rocking and chilled-out, futuristic sound scapes, this albums takes you through a fleshy spectrum of celebratory musical experience. The band members (Zorn on saxophone; Marc Ribot, guitar; Cyro Baptista, percussion; Jamie Saft, keyboards; Ikue Mori, laptronics; Trevor Dunn, bass; Kenny Wolleson, drums; and special guest Joey Baron, drums) communicate with deep fluidity, letting the music breath in and out, raging then caressing, hammering then soothing. Alternatively spewing hellacious scalding dragon-fire, then icy oceanic sea-breezes. The music tests the listener. At times too manic, too crazy, too much. But, in true tension/release formula, the turbulent, difficult sections only tend to sweeten the fruit of the melodic, loping phrases. Like any great album, subtle musical nuances reveal themselves with each successive listen. Electric Masada picks up were Miles' "Bitches Brew" and "On the Corner" left off. It leaves the listener on the edge of their seat, thrilled, disturbed, intrigued, and ultimately...inspired. - Ethan K.

2006-05-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

Pearl Jam | Pearl Jam
After years of silence (if you don't count the five jillion live albums) the anticipation generated by the new (and self-titled) Pearl Jam record says a lot about the band's stature. Despite their long absence, they still remain one of the most widely-respected bands. And with good reason. On their new disc, Pearl Jam definitely bristles with an energy that has been missing for years. The anger and pure volume doesn't let up for the first four songs, and when Eddie finally does sit down to sing ("Parachutes"), it's a revelation and quite a departure from their usual ballad style. - Mike McG
One Track Recommendation: "Marker in the Sand"

2006-05-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

Birdmonster | Birdmonster EP
After hearing the name Birdmonster about ten times, I dove in and surfed their MySpace and have been listening to this little EP they put out on CD Baby. I hear they have a new joint out but I haven't heard it just yet. Looking forward to seeing them live, even just to hear this Resurrection Song live. Short, catchy, and rocking. - TK

2006-04-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Neil Young | Living With War
Everyone in the Rhapsody office is quite excited to bring the world early streaming access to Neil Young's explosive new album, Living with War. Young recorded this record in just 2 weeks, and every song is a timely diatribe about the war in Iraq and the current bungling administration. The music is classic stripped down Neil, augmented with a trumpet or a choir on certain songs. The lyrics are powerful, chanting "don't need no more lies!" and explicitly asking America to get rid of our blunderful commander-in-chief on the anthemic "Let's Impeach The President."

Let’s impeach the president for lying / And leading our country into war
Abusing all the power that we gave him / And shipping all our money out the door

He’s the man who hired all the criminals
The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors
And bend the facts to fit with their new stories
Of why we have to send our men to war

Let’s impeach the president for spying / On citizens inside their own homes
Breaking every law in the country / By tapping our computers and telephones

What if Al Qaeda blew up the levees?
Would New Orleans have been safer that way?
Sheltered by our government’s protection
Or was someone just not home that day?

Let’s impeach the president / For hijacking our religion and using it to get elected Dividing our country into colors / And still leaving black people neglected

Thank god he’s cracking down on steroids / Since he sold his old baseball team
There’s lot of people looking at big trouble / But of course the president is clean

Please listen closely to Dubya's own statements, the clips on that song and pass this Rhaplink around. Neil goes further than to just bitch, he begs for some American to rise up and lead on "Looking for a Leader," referencing Barack Obama or Colin Powell, "to right what he's done wrong." I'm with Neil when he says "I join the multitudes/I raise my hand in peace/I never bow to the laws of the thought police." If an album like this does not help our generation wake up and do something about the direction of this country, we sit idly by and watch the empire crumble while we fight to spread "democracy" in a desert I never want to visit. - TK

2006-04-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

The Go! Team | Thunder, Lightening, Strike
I've been shuffling over this band in my Creative Zen "play all" for a few months now. Today, however, The Go! Team has made the finals and I have been won over. Ironically, I hit this new favorite jackpot 24 hours too late and missed their performance at the Great American last night. Please tell me that the sold-out crowd danced to this music; standing still for The Go! Team would be like falling asleep at the homecoming football game. The album Thunder, Lightening, Strike is fun, bouncy, triumphant and exciting with each song reminiscent of youthful sunny days, bike rides, soccer games, roller skating parties and early 80's theme songs. Check out the track, "Bottle Rocket"- its a bit groovy, a bit catchy and totally J.J. Fad meets Hawaii 5-0. Track titles such as "Friendship Update" and "Everyone's a VIP to Someone" warm my social worker, camp counselor, best friend-loving heart and the songs themselves are worthy of blasting in the car with the windows down on a sunny afternoon's drive. This album is celebratory and cheerful while also tough and a little obnoxious; this is music that will bring out the Sporty Spice in all of us. Next chance I get to experience them live, I'm throwing on my Kangaroos and cheering for The Go! Team. - Julie B.

2006-04-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

The Real Tuesday Weld | The Return Of The Clerkenwell Kid
(Today, we are featuring my mom's first blog! - TK)
The Real Tuesday Weld (aka Stephen Coates) is a Brit who named himself after the 1950’s actress. He’s combined music from 1930's with ambient electronic sounds. This blend is dark, romantic, whimsical and lyrical. This is a catchy album, many of the tracks keep creeping into my consciousness throughout the day. I have several favorite tracks, but "I Love the Rain" will give you an idea of his style. Let me know what you think! - Francine
(me mum's email is Fran at kartzman dot com if you want to tell her how much you liked the record and how impressed you are that she's an indie rocker at 60 ;-)

2006-04-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

Apollo Sunshine | Katonah
Holy Smokes. Apollo Sunshine's Katonah finally sunk in today for the first time after about 3 listens. It finally connected in that way that makes you wonder, "what the hell was I hearing before" and "how is this not the biggest band in the 'semi-popular music' world right now". The album has so much of what I love in music. The quirky beauty of the best baroque pop (a la The Flaming Lips), harmonies that remind me of Queen, complexity and technical proficiency used in a tasteful way that ADDS to the music (a la Frank Zappa), and emotive vocals and catchy hooks (a la Ben Folds), all with an underlying Beatles influence throughout. All of this wrapped up into one tight trio (now a quartet). And usually all within the same song. Some of the highlights on the album include:

"I Was on the Moon" which features one of the coolest and unique simple chord progressions that would make Lennon proud, it will have you singing and dancing in your chair
"Happening" which just flat out rocks.
"The Egg" is a very cool "Magical Mystery Tour" type Beatles tune, there are twists and turns throughout the song with tons of texture added by backwards guitar, sporadic keyboards parts and a very cool "cannon" vocal part to close the song.
The highlight of the album for me though is the slow and beautiful "power" ballad, "Conscious Pilot", it reminds me of my favorite Weezer song "Only in Dreams", it starts simple and slow like a pretty Ben Folds ballad, with unique and interesting lyrics over mesmerizing arpeggios with backwards guitar adding texture. it slowly grows and builds into this monster at the end that will have you playing some of the meanest air-guitar going, using technical proficiency in a way not to show off, but to add intensity to the climax of this beast of a song.

Anyways, like I said, this album honestly took about 3 listens for me to totally fall head over heels in love with it. If any or all of these influences sound good to you though, give this album a shot as it will likely do the same to you. - G$H

2006-04-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

The Drive-By Truckers | A Blessing And A Curse
There is an air of positivity to this record, which is the Drive-By Truckers' seventh LP already. From the get go of "Feb. 14", Patterson Hood asks to "be my valentine" and at the end, Hood admits learning "that maybe I should find a way to make this world work out for me" on "A World Of Hurt." This record is clear and concise, they say everything they need to in 2006 on 11 tracks, under 50 minutes. The three axes of DBT are definitely more of a blessing than a curse. -TK
One Track Recommendation: Easy on Yourself"

tags: JBRhapsody, playlist, Drive-By Truckers, Rhapsody, southern rock, New West, rhaplink

2006-04-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

Bob Marley | Live in In Gabon, Africa (1980)
Today, another 6 live albums by the Legend of Legend went live in Rhapsody. That takes Bob's total entries on Rhapsody over the 100 mark, this natty legend appears on 104 albums in the Rhapsody system at this point. These new shows are not the most top-quality soundboard ever, but they are live and raw and you can chant down babylon via the internet.
Check 'em out mon:

Live In Connecticut
Live in In Gabon, Africa (1980)
At The Apollo, NYC (1979)
Rastaman Vibration Tour, Philadelphia (1975)
Live in Portland, OR (1978)

Also, a new trick, when you want to start streaming any Rhapsody artist through web-based Rhapsody, just type in this style of URL: http://play.rhapsody.com/bobmarley.
It's easy skankin' from here on in... andit works for any artist, try it! - TK

tags: JBRhapsody, playlist, Bob Marley, bootlegs, Rhapsody, easy skankin, rasta, reggae, rhaplink

2006-04-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

The Black Angels | Passover
It's passover and I'm working, the least I could do is blog about Passover. So I will. The Black Angels hail from Seattle, they have a hot blonde chick playing drums like it's a death march, and probably the coolest looking album cover I've seen all year. About the music, well, it is nothing short of hard and rocking, in a neo-psychedelic-garage-rock kinda way. Get your brain into the chanting, droned-out lyrics and you'll see it goes even deeper. Starting out with "Young Men Dead," this band does not let you forget the world is not a place, and your fucking government thinks it's a good idea to invade other countries when we've got abject poverty, debt, hunger and our own shitstorm at home.

Oh wait, isn't that what Passover is all about? Realizing that although we are free men now, there are others in this world who are enslaved? Saying "next year in Jerusalem" is more of a state of mind, a spiritual ideal, the place we *all* want to be, living in harmony with all the other peoples, not fighting religious wars definding your parents' religion. Is there not a completely obvious parallel between the jews who were enslaved in Egypt and the way some of the Iraqis live right now next door? Is there a religious jew around that can make a case for this war on this holiday? Thanks, Black Angels, for reminding me what it's all about.

On the bright side, I saw that IODA's Promonet has a free MP3 of "Bloodhounds On My Trail," that link should work for you if you still listen to MP3. Either way, think about it for a second, and let this album be a Call to Arms (the song is about a mother who receives a telegram letting her know that her son was just killed fighting in Iraq, The Black Angels are asking you to wake up, wake up, and do something about your government before we are all dragged off to hell. Heavy, but someone's got to talk sense to America. - TK

2006-04-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

Built to Spill | You in Reverse
I would rather wait five years from one of my favorite bands to get a masterpiece than have schlock delivered just to get a product out the door. Chalk up another ten reasons to love and respect Doug Martsch and Built to Spill. You in Reverse is wonderfully underproduced swirling guitar rock from start "Goin' Against Your Mind" to finish ("The Wait"). "Conventional Wisdom" is easily one of the catchiest songs I've heard since "Carry the Zero." As Michelle K-Tel eloquently wrote, "The track ('Conventional Wisdom') is so crisscrossed with guitar solos that it evolves into a mighty indie jam that approximates a modern day "Layla". Don't hesitate, listen now...and later. - TK

2006-04-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hotel Lights | Hotel Lights
Set Hotel Lights frontman Darren Jessee's past as drummer with the Ben Folds Five to one side for a moment and tune into this dreamy, ever-so-slightly world weary set of songs seemingly tailor-made to raise a rueful smirk amid moments of mundane collegiate angst (perhaps best summed up in "Small Town Sh*t"). HL has a bit of a World Party feel to it as well. - Jamie Dolling

2006-04-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

Umphrey's McGee | Safety In Numbers
Always musically proficient, this CD proves that Umphrey's McGee can sound full of spontaneous vigor whether recording songs contained in three-minute doses or jamming for more than a half hour on stage. Their third studio release (of the Cinninger era) features special guest performances from Huey Lewis (sharing his harmonica blues on "Women, Wine and Song") and neo-bop saxophonist Joshua Redman. - Michele K-Tel

2006-04-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

Flaming Lips | At War With The Mystics
More heartfelt flamboyance from the consistently weird, constantly brilliant Flaming Lips. As usual, they disguise mind-blowing observations with seemingly simple lyrics, then hide those inside odd orchestras of electric strings, thumping drums, heavenly voices, things that go bzzzzt, and anything else that happens to be lying around. Prepare to be moved. - Tim Quirk

2006-03-31T10:56:00.000-08:00

Silversun Pickups | Pikul
Long before the era of digitally enabled instant satisfaction, I used to make analog tapes where I would record my favorite song, hit program, and then record the same song again on the other side of the tape. While this didn't make the best use of 90 minutes of blank tape it did allow me to consume my favorite songs faster than if I had to hit the rewind button (who had the time for that?). If I were still at that game today you can bet I'd make just such a tape of Silversun Pickups' "Kissing Families". This is hand down the most infectious song I've heard in 2006 and its a must hear. "Kissing Families" packs a raw and emotional punch layering distorted guitars with rhythmic hooks and abstract lyrics. If you dig Smashing Pumpkins, Pinback or The American Analog Set, then these guys are for you. Check them with the Two Gallants and Street to Nowhere Friday, 3/31 (TONIGHT!) at Bimbo's. Enjoy ~ Cirrities

2006-03-30T10:55:00.000-08:00

Umphrey's McGee | "Women, Wine and Song"
The new single from the forthcoming album Safety in Numbers is live in Rhapsody this week. You can stream it, as well as the B-side of a live version (with horns!). Oh Umph, I can't do withoutcha. Full length of the album should be live in Rhapsody on Tuesday, but go out and buy a physical copy, the artwork is superb! And the music our boys from the midwest make is always shredtastic! - TK

2006-03-29T14:40:00.000-08:00

Street To Nowhere | Charmingly Awkward
I never really had a Weezer power-pop phase, but I may be having one now after all these years. Having recently admitting in public that I secretly enjoy "Sugar, We're Goin Down" (have you seen the YouTube vid?) and now finding myself listening repeatedly to the new Street to Nowhere album, with its catchy choruses that stay in your brain with power chords so that you can feel it and start screamin about it. The album is well-named, it's Charmingly Awkward. You can tell these are young kids, but the sound is outstanding, it is remarkably well-produced for a first album. You gotta hear some of these tracks, they are so catchy, I find myself screamin' out "Screamin" while I'm scheming. It's a new sound coming. So I listened to the CD again, and the more I listened to, the more songs hooked me. The next obvious hook is "Boxcars, Boxcars, Boxcars" with the background plucked violins and rising chorus. After Boxcars, I moved to the clinking glasses and bar-room sing-a-long ending on the ridiculously infectious "Tipsy." Ten bucks says if you listen to Tipsy three times, you'll find yourself humming the "oh hell yeah, all i need is you" chorus. Who are these kids from Oakland? Don't know, but I can't wait to see them open for Two Gallants and Silversun Pickups on Friday at Bimbos! See you there? Oh hell yeah! - TK

2006-03-28T10:14:00.000-08:00

Soul Sides Volume One
A compilation album of sorts from music critic Oliver Wang's popular blog, soul-sides.com, Soul Sides spans nearly 40 years of soul music. The common denominator is the songs' warm soul and relative obscurity. Clarence Reid (aka Blowfly) is stunning on "Masterpiece," and Weldon Irving's gorgeous and fragile "Morning Sunrise" was recently recycled for Jay-Z's "Dear Summer." - Sam C.

2006-03-26T19:49:00.000-08:00

Jack De Johnette and Bill Frisell | The Elephant Sleeps But Still Remembers
Drummer Jack De Johnette and guitarist Bill Frisell, employing a galaxy of pedal loops and effects, both have expansive, often otherworldly playing styles. It's hard to imagine their Golden Beams/Kindred Rhythm meeting coming off any better than it does here, on a set that will please old hippies, young herbalists and adventurous music lovers of all ages. - ND

tags: JBRhapsody, playlist, Bill Frisell, Jack DeJohnette, Rhapsody, old hippies, elephant, otherworldly guitar