Lately, it seems like creating mashups of Jay-Z tracks is the “in” thing to do. There have been some quality creations, but for the most part I’ve been left bored and uninspired. That was until I heard DJ Moondance’s Jay-Z / Dave Matthews Band mashup The Crash Album.
I’m generally not a fan of hip hop, but I can appreciate talent where it exists. While I may not consider myself a fan of Jay-Z, I respect him for his brilliant career and the way he has shaped the genre. On the other hand, I’ve been a Dave Matthews Band fan since the mid-90’s and will continue to support those guys; they were a huge part of my teenage years and will forever hold sentimental chains around my heart.
When I heard there was a mashup featuring DMB, I was definitely skeptical. It was either going to be a train wreck or a masterpice. Thankfully the latter is the case. From start to finish, it’s evident that DJ Moondance paid meticulous attention to detail. The rhymes and lyrics flow over each song as if they were created from the ground up.
Lead singer Murray Lightburn explains the story behind the song:
Because of my limited drum vocabulary, this is where the song was headed originally. I still like this version very much because of its kind of Coldplay vibe and if it stayed this way, this might’ve been a single and we maybe would’ve gotten played on Mix 96. However, the delicate drums on the final version capture the essence what the song was about. The difference between the two versions captures what the Dears is all about: pop deconstruction.
Regina Spektor has revealed the details on her forthcoming album Far and has debuted the new song “Laughing With” on her official MySpace page.
Far will be released on June 23rd on Sire Records and will feature the following 13 songs:
1. The Calculation
2. Eet
3. Blue Lips
4. Folding Chair
5. Machine
6. Laughing With
7. Human of the Year
8. Two Birds
9. Dance Anthem
10. Genius next door
11. Wallet
12. One more time with feeling
13. Man of a Thousand Faces
Miracle of 86 is one of my all time favorite bands, having seen them in concert more than 30 times. Former lead singer/songwriter and guitarist Kevin Devine has just released his brand new album Brother’s Blood. Highlights include “Carnival,” which would make Ben Gibbard proud, and the gut-wrenching “Brother’s Blood.” Even though I love Kevin’s softer side, the strongest tracks on his albums are where he unleashes the rock fury such as the single “I Could be With Anyone.” And even though “Another Bag of Bones” was previously released on an EP, it remains my favorite song on the entire record.
I still secretly hope Miracle of 86 reunites one day, but the latest offering from Kevin is worth a listen.
Kevin Devine Tour Dates
April 29 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Northstar (all ages)
April 30 – Baltimore, Md. @ Ottobar (all ages)
May 1 – Richmond, Va. @ Alley Katz (all ages)
May 2 – Chapel Hill, N.C. @ Local 506 (18+)
May 3 – West Columbia, S.C. @ New Brookland Tavern (all ages)
May 4 – Orlando, Fla. @ The Social (all ages)
May 5 – Tampa, Fla. @ Orpheum # (all ages)
May 6 – Delray Beach, Fla. @ City Limits # (all ages)
May 8 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Vinyl # (18+)
May 9 – Baton Rouge, La. @ Spanish Moon # (18+)
May 10 – Houston, Texas @ Warehouse Live Studio # (all ages)
May 12 – Austin, Texas @ Stubb’s Jr. # (all ages)
May 13 – Dallas, Texas @ The Loft # (all ages)
May 15 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ The Phix (all ages)
May 16 – San Diego, Calif. @ Voodoo Stage @ House of Blues (all ages)
May 17 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Troubadour (all ages)
May 18 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Bottom of the Hill (all ages)
May 20 – Portland, Ore. @ Hawthorne Theater (all ages)
May 21 – Seattle, Wash. @ Chop Suey (all ages)
May 23 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Kilby Court (all ages)
May 24 – Denver, Colo. @ Marquis Theatre (all ages)
May 26 – Lawrence, Kan. @ Jackpot (18+)
May 27 – Iowa City, Iowa @ The Picador (all ages)
May 28 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Triple Rock Social Club (18+)
May 29 – Chicago, Ill. @ Schubas (18+)
May 30 – East Lansing. Mich. @ Mac’s Bar (all ages)
May 31 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Grog Shop (all ages)
June 2 – Buffalo, N.Y. @ Mohawk Place (all ages)
June 3 – Toronto, Ontario @ El Mocambo (19+)
June 4 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Altar Bar (all ages)
June 5 – Hartford, Conn. @ Webster Underground (all ages)
June 6 – Boston, Mass. @ TT The Bear’s (18+)
June 7 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (16+)
Elvis Costello will be releasing his new record titled Secret, Profane & Sugarcane on June 2. Secret, Profane & Sugarcane will feature ten previously unreleased tracks produced by T Bone Burnett, as well as covers ofJohnny Cash’s “Hidden Shame” & “Boom Chicka Boom” as well as Bing Crosby’s“Changing Partners.”
Tracklisting
1. Down Among the Wine and Spirits
2. Complicated Shadows
3. I Felt the Chill
4. My All Time Doll
5. Hidden Shame
6. She Handed Me a Mirror
7. I Dreamed of My Old Lover
8. How Deep is the Red
9. She Was No Good
10. Sulfur to Sugarcane
11. Red Cotton
12. The Crooked Line
13. Changing Partners
Dears frontman Murray Lightburn explains the story behind “Crisis 1 & 2 – Boy/Boy Version”:
This was the very first completed song written for Missiles, at the stage where I couldn’t bring myself to play it for anyone, not even Natalia. Eventually, Natalia stepped up to the mic to sing the first half. My preferred version is the one that ultimately made it onto the final master only. I like the sound of Natalia’s voice and when most heard the album this song was of note. I don’t think that would have been the case if I sang both halves….
The Dears Missiles is availble now on Dangerbird Records.
I have a pair of tickets to give away for the upcoming Dears / Eulogies / Great Northern tour. To enter, simply email me with your name and the show you want to attend. I will choose a random winner on Sunday, April 26th.
Tour Dates
5/1/2009 – Bell House – Park Slope, NY
5/2/2009 – Valentines – Albany, NY
5/4/2009 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
5/5/2009 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
5/7/2009 – Black Cat – Washington, DC
5/8/2009 – Diesel – Pittsburgh, PA
5/9/2009 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
5/10/2009 – Skully’s – Columbus, OH
5/11/2009 – Magic Stick – Detroit, MI
5/13/2009 – Lakeshore Theatre – Chicago, IL
5/14/2009 – Mojo’s – Columbia, MO
5/16/2009 – Hailey’s – Denton, TX
5/17/2009 – Warehouse – Houston, TX
5/18/2009 – The Parish – Austin, TX
5/21/2009 – Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ
5/22/2009 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
5/23/2009 – Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
5/24/2009 – Independent – San Francisco, CA
5/26/2009 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
5/27/2009 – Crocodile Cafe – Seattle, WA
The Dears are kicking off their tour with Eulogies on May 1 and celebrating by releasing an unreleased b-side once a week. The first track, titled “Halfmast,” is a great track that just missed being included on The Dears latest Missiles, as lead singer Murray Lightburn explains:
“For whatever reason the clock ran out and we just couldn’t fit this onto Missiles. It has this ridiculous long section at the end that features 4(!) simultaneous guitar solos, one of them on a wah-wah pedal. The solos were played by George Donoso III, Robert E. Benvie, Patrick Krief and Murray Lightburn, recorded in the same session, one after the other. The track was inspiredby many things, but notably, the prospect of a black man running for president.”
The Dears w/ Great Northern and Eulogies
5/1/2009 – Bell House – Park Slope, NY
5/2/2009 – Valentines – Albany, NY
5/4/2009 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
5/5/2009 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
5/7/2009 – Black Cat – Washington, DC
5/8/2009 – Diesel – Pittsburgh, PA
5/9/2009 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
5/10/2009 – Skully’s – Columbus, OH
5/11/2009 – Magic Stick – Detroit, MI
5/13/2009 – Lakeshore Theatre – Chicago, IL
5/14/2009 – Mojo’s – Columbia, MO
5/16/2009 – Hailey’s – Denton, TX
5/17/2009 – Warehouse – Houston, TX
5/18/2009 – The Parish – Austin, TX
5/21/2009 – Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ
5/22/2009 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
5/23/2009 – Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
5/24/2009 – Independent – San Francisco, CA
5/26/2009 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
5/27/2009 – Crocodile Cafe – Seattle, WA
Chairlift, that of Apple iPod Nano commerical fame, has just re-released their highly successful album Does You Inspire You on Columbia/Kanine. The reissue includes a complete remaster of the album as well as the bonus tracks “Dixie Gypsy” and “Le Flying Saucer.”
The band has just kicked off their tour with Peter Bjorn and Johnwhich will continue thru the beginning of May before they hit the road with The Killers.
Head on over to http://www.killeropeners.net to download a free track by Chairlift. The re-release of Does You Inspire You is available now.
Dates with Peter Bjorn and John
4/21: Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café
4/22: Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre
4/23: Chicago, IL @ Metro
4/24: Newport, KY @ Southgate House
4/25: Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theatre
4/26: Ottawa, ON @ Capital Music Hall
4/27: Montreal, QC @ Le National
4/28: Boston, MA @ Paradise
4/29: NY, NY @ Webster Hall
4/30: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
05/1: Philadelphia, PA @ World Café
05/2: Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
Dates with The Killers
05/4: St Louis, MI @ Fox Theatre
05/5: Columbia, OH @ Lifestyle Communities Pavillion
05/6: Cleveland, OH @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre at Tower City
05/8: Camden, NJ @ Susguehanna Band Center
05/9: Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
Empire of the Sun is a new collaboration from Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau. The two sparked up a friendship that quickly turned into the creation of the Empire of the Sun and has produced Walking on a Dream, which has been described as a “rare marriage of rock and electronica, immediacy and depth, futurism and tradition, hi-tech production and creative spontaneity, pop melody and the cinematic.”
Don’t let the gaudy cover art fool you, this album wonderful. Fans of MGMT should feel right at home with Empire of the Sun. If you head on to the iTunes Music store, you can download the title track of Walking On a Dream for free this week.
Walking On a Dream is available now on Astralwerks.
Pela is without a doubt my favorite new band in the last 5 or 6 years. After hearing a sampling of some of the new material on the record slated for release sometime this year, I have been salivating for anything and everything Pela. Fortunately for me, there is a really great interview with lead singer / songwriter Billy McCarthy.
Rise Ye Sunken Ships, the title of Pela’s new album, is said to feature a bigger rock & roll sound. One particularly striking note on the record comes from learning that Billy’s brother is in prison and served as inspiration during the writing process:
The album was also written amid personal tragedy for Billy whose brother has been fighting a long battle with schizophrenia which resulted recently in a serious run-in with the law. Although Folsom Prison is merely a Johnny Cash song theme to many, it is a reality for Billy’s family. This is where his brother is serving a life sentence. The album was primarily written during this time of personal and collective darkness. Despite all of this, Billy describes his band as “optimistic” and that they could not write a “morose” album. That is why the album title is so fitting. Billy describes the album as “uplifting” and full of hope. Like a sunken ship rising to the surface so too does this disc rise from its dark context.
Regina Spektor has announced that her forthcoming album will be titled Far. Due on June 23rd on Sire Records, Far will feature production work by four heavy hitters: Jeff Lynne (ELO, The Traveling Wilburys), Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, Eminem), David Kahne (Paul McCartney, The Strokes) and Garret “Jacknife” Lee (Weezer, REM).
No tracklist or artwork are available yet, but once they are you can be sure I will be sharing.
Regina’s last album Begin to Hope was a masterpiece from start to finish and I can’t wait to see what Regina has in store for us next!
Listen to “On the Radio” from Begin to Hope:
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Passion Pit have premiered the video for their new single “The Reeling.” It’s full of happy dancing hipsters, tons of rip & tear effects and it kicks a lot of ass.
“The Reeling” is the first single off of Passion Pit’s debut full length album Manners and relases on 5/19 (Frenchkiss)
I know there are some out there who are skeptical after hearing this song when compared to the Chunk of Change EP but trust me, it is going to be on many top 10 lists come years end, that’s the Fuzzy Lion guarantee.
The legendary Lou Reed will be performing as The Metal Machine Trio for two nights at the Blender Theater at Gramercy on April 23rd and 24th. The show, billed as “A Night of Deep Noise” features Lou on guitar, Ulrich Krieger on tenor sax and “live electronics” and Sarth Calhoun on “live processing” and “fingerboard continuum.”
Samples of the music you can expect to hear are embedded below. As The New York Times said, they are “surprisingly soothing.” Personally, it reminds me of Sigur Ros meets Trent Reznor, which is a good thing.
Lately, it seems like creating mashups of Jay-Z tracks is the “in” thing to do. There have been some quality creations, but for the most part I’ve been left bored and uninspired. That was until I heard DJ Moondance’s Jay-Z / Dave Matthews Band mashup The Crash Album.
