Welcome to another edition of the Sunday Mixtape, brought to you by Fantastic Weapon. Except it’s not Sunday, it’s Saturday. So what. I’m early. DEAL. Plus, this one’s good.

This week’s theme: PAPER. Benjamins. Dead Presidents. You know, the root of all evils:

DOWNLOADS

50 Cent – Window Shopper
Jay-Z (feat. Jermaine Dupri) – Money Ain’t A Thang
Mickey Avalon – So Rich, So Pretty

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I’m not really sure whether I’m all that into Norah Jones, but Sunday marks her return to Soundcheck. This time, she’s back to promote her upcoming record, “The Fall” which was co-written by the dude from Okkervil River and Ryan Adams, and which you can preview via NPR’s exclusive first listen. Apparently, according to NPR, It’s best to disregard much of the pre-release attention surrounding Norah Jones‘ new album, The Fall The award-winning singer/songwriter performs tracks her new record and chats with Soundcheck about some stuff – like Tom Waits. Watch live performances from the new disc, including the first single, ‘Chasing Pirates.’ Plus, Norah talks to Soundcheck about the inspiration of Tom Waits, collaborating with Ryan Adams, and making ‘The Fall.’ Come back on November 15th to see the full performance.

© c4 for FANTASTIC WEAPON, 2009. | Permalink | No comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: chasing pirates, interviews, music videos, norah jones, soundcheck, the fall, tom waits, upcoming releases

The Academy encourages patrons to use the Blueline, public transportation or taxi services.  Please be safe!
PARTY WEIRDO Saturday, Nov 14, 2009
COST: $10 • ALL AGES*
*= THE VENUE BECOMES 21+ AFTER 10PM!

Not really sure how I missed this one guys, considering the fact that I live like 2 miles away from where this shindig’s gonna go down, and 2 or 3 of my friend’s bands are playing. Better late than never though, hmm? If you don’t have plans, now you do. Unless you’re like me and you don’t have 10 bucks to spend on it. So someone go, support the crew, be stoked that some awesome tunes are gonna be live within walking distance from your house – without the support of the city.

LINEUP:

DEAD MEADOW
RAINBOW ARABIA
GANGI
GENEVA JACUZZI
THE TYDE
POLLYN
60 WATT KID
RESTAVRANT
LIVING SUNS
DJ PUBES
DIETRA KRUSCHEV
DVA DAMAS
MY PET SADDLE
LOWER HEAVENLUMERIANS
LA GHOST
THE YEAR ZERO
GHESTAPO KHAZI
SCOTTY COATS

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The Academy encourages patrons to use the Blueline, public transportation or taxi services.  Please be safe!
PARTY WEIRDO Saturday, Nov 14, 2009
COST: $10 • ALL AGES*
*= THE VENUE BECOMES 21+ AFTER 10PM!

Not really sure how I missed this one guys, considering the fact that I live like 2 miles away from where this shindig’s gonna go down, and 2 or 3 of my friend’s bands are playing. Better late than never though, hmm? If you don’t have plans, now you do. Unless you’re like me and you don’t have 10 bucks to spend on it. So someone go, support the crew, be stoked that some awesome tunes are gonna be live within walking distance from your house – without the support of the city.

LINEUP:

DEAD MEADOW
RAINBOW ARABIA
GANGI
GENEVA JACUZZI
THE TYDE
POLLYN
60 WATT KID
RESTAVRANT
LIVING SUNS
DJ PUBES
DIETRA KRUSCHEV
DVA DAMAS
MY PET SADDLE
LOWER HEAVENLUMERIANS
LA GHOST
THE YEAR ZERO
GHESTAPO KHAZI
SCOTTY COATS

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The search for a new mixtape service (among other things) continues. 8tracks.com works, but it’s not the greatest. Enter mixtape.me, which ALMOST does the job, but I sorta hate the way it looks. Anyway, this playlist isn’t full of Halloween songs – just covers. You know, disguises. Like costumes.

HIGHLIGHTS

• David Yow of Jesus Lizard with Shellac as the Sex Pistols, from a show on Halloween in 1998.
• Hairdresser on Fire featuring the vocal stylings of Durutti Column’s Vini Reilly. Yeah, he’s kind of a shitty singer but it’s still pretty rad.
• Marilyn Manson’s version of Rock N Roll Nigger – you know, that Patti Smith song that isn’t racist.

So there you have it. Happy halloween, and don’t get pissed if I steal your candy. Also, don’t skip out on your girlfriend to go shoot dope and then call her from the hospital after another overdose, cause she’ll probably be out trick or treating. Translation: be fucking safe. Please.

DOWNLOADS

Morrissey – Hairdresser On Fire (Vini Reilly Version)
David Yow & Shellac – Holidays In The Sun (Halloween, 1998)
Sublime – Badfish
Marilyn Manson – Rock ‘n’ Roll Nigger
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Deanna (Oh Happy Day)

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: cover songs, david yow, free downloads, halloween, marilyn manson, morrissey, patti smith, sex pistols, shellac, sublime, vini reilly

Yeasayer have confirmed details about their second album release; the follow-up to their highly acclaimed 2007 debut ‘All Hour Cymbals’. The new record is called Odd Blood and will be released on February 8th of 2010. STOKED. Hope it’s as good as the last one was. Yeasayer are also set to play a special show, headlining New York’s Guggenheim Museum on October 30. “Special Show” huh? Wonder WTF they mean by that.

TRACK LIST:
‘The Children’
‘Ambling Alp’
‘Madder Red’
‘I Remember’
‘ONE’
‘Love Me Girl’
‘Rome’
‘Strange Reunions’
‘Mondegreen’
‘Grizelda’

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: new york, odd blood, upcoming releases, upcoming shows, yeasayer

**Official Press Release**

On November 2 at 11 p.m. ET, Fuse, the national music network, will televise the worldwide premiere of Nirvana Live at Reading, the band’s legendary, never-before-released 1992 Reading concert. The show, marking the first time that Nirvana fans will experience the epochal August 30, 1992 headlining appearance at UK’s Reading Festival, will debut as an hour long broadcast the night before the limited edition 90 minute CD+DVD Deluxe Edition is by Geffen/UMe.

Featuring 25 songs including “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “All Apologies” and “Come As You Are,” Nirvana’s performance at Reading ranked No. 1 in Kerrang Magazine’s “100 Gigs That Shook The World” chart and was voted as “Nirvana’s No. 1 Greatest Moment” by fans in a recent NME poll.

“Fuse is excited to provide Nirvana fans with the first opportunity to witness this historic music event since the concert 17 years ago,” said David Weier, vice president, programming, Fuse. “Not only are we airing a highly anticipated, never-before-seen concert in more than 65 million homes, we are providing Nirvana’s loyal fan base with companion programming for a comprehensive and unique viewing experience.”

Leading up to the premiere of Nirvana Live at Reading, Fuse will air “Loaded: Nirvana,” a half-hour of Nirvana’s greatest music videos at 10 p.m. ET, followed by “Videos That Rocked the World: Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a celebration of the legendary music video which was a breakthrough for music, entertainment, culture and society.

While the show’s centerpiece was a performance of nearly the entire Nevermind tracklist, also noteworthy were early performances of three as yet unrecorded songs which wouldn’t be released until 2 years later on In Utero: “All Apologies,” “Dumb,” and in its first ever public performance, “Tourettes.” The career-spanning setlist also reached back to the band’s 1989 Sub Pop debut album, Bleach, for “Blew,” “About A Girl,” “School,” “Negative Creep” and first single “Love Buzz,” and even further back to the mid-’80s for “Spank Thru.” Other songs from the Reading set would appear in studio form on the Incesticide compilation later in the year: “Aneurysm,” “Been A Son” and “Sliver.” Additionally, the band played a pair of beloved covers by two bands that helped shape the formative Nirvana sound– “The Money Will Roll Right In” by Fang and “D-7″ by The Wipers.

Nirvana Live at Reading will be issued in a limited edition CD+DVD Deluxe Edition as well as DVD-only and CD-only configurations mixed in 5.1 on November 3, 2009, followed by a 2-LP version on November 17, 2009. For more information visit, www.hereisnirvana.com.

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: fuse, nirvana, upcoming releases

82% – “Damn Good Record.”

Ok, so you’ve heard it, I’ve heard it; it’s been all over the blogosphere lately.  The hip thing for the past 3-6 months has been chillwave.  You know what I mean, hopefully: indie pop music of the more “laid-back” variety.   It was absolutely huge this summer, with its hazy undertones and minimalist grooves.  I hadn’t really been interested in a lot of it, mostly because the majority of that particular genre just tends to meander without much purpose or sense of melody.

Surprisingly enough, there is one artist that avoids the ever-so-prevalent trap in indie music of being so avant-garde that it’s incredibly boring.  This is Neon Indian, and his debut album Psychic Chasms.  It’s an undoubtedly strange affair, but deftly balances between too straightforward and too ostentatious.

At times channeling some of Daft Punk’s mellower side – most evident in the all-too-brief “(If I Knew, I’d Tell You)”, which somehow evokes the French duo’s “Veridis Quo” and “Voyager” simultaneously – Psychic Chasms successfully manages to blend elements of funk, disco, lo-fi, and modern electronic sounds.  It sounds delightfully retro and futuristic at the same time.   Opener “(AM)” squelches and beeps its way for 25 bizarre seconds, firing off synth laser beams and overdriven modulation with drums and loops pushed to the back of the mix, then launches immediately into the fuzz-funk of “Deadbeat Summer,” which kind of sounds like a downtempo Van She.  If one listens hard enough, they can certainly catch the mix of European indie-electro; especially in “Ephemeral Artery,” which almost becomes a borderline house groove, but teasingly never gets there.

The most traditionally pop point of the record is likely “Terminally Chill,” which bops along riding a slow dance beat, incorporates bird chirps, and features tastefully reverberated lead and backing vocals.  A close second is lead single “Should Have Taken Acid With You,” whose ambiance sounds exactly like the song would suggest, essentially repeating the same vocal pattern with heavily layered synth washes and a ring modulation mindfuck that sounds like it was created on the Asteroid Belt.  With a good pair of headphones on, it’s positively spellbinding.

That isn’t to say there isn’t a drawback or two.   “Mind, Drips” lumbers at a super-slow tempo, as if it knows where it wants to go, but doesn’t actually arrive at a destination that’s all too memorable aside from the sonic flourishes.  “Psychic Chasms” as a track has some interesting instrumental hooks going on between the verses (and the ending carries a nice twist as well), but could have stood to have its middle cut out by about 30 seconds.  At certain points during the second half of the record, it almost becomes too much; songs start to blend together, which could leave the listening wondering where they were in the record.  This isn’t all bad, as the art of listening to an album as a whole is dying (as we all know).  But call me a stickler: I like knowing which song I’m listening to.

Ultimately, Psychic Chasms should be a crowning achievement for Neon Indian.  Most impressive for a debut album, it keeps a decent pace, has some excellent hooks, and only rarely steps over the dreaded “being weird just to be weird” line.  Album of the Year?  Not quite.  But it’ll definitely shake up some Top 10 lists.

DOWNLOADS

Neon Indian – Terminally Chill
Neon Indian – Should Have Taken Acid With You
Neon Indian – Ephemeral Artery

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: electro, FANTASTIC PICKS, free downloads, neon indian, psychic chasms

I don’t really remember how we found out about this guy, but it’s (kinda) true what they say – that he’s “the funniest man in america” – actually, right now I don’t agree with that at all but if I did this would be my proof:

He has a few records out but a couple years ago he put one called Neil Hamburger Sings Country Winners and it’s basicaly the funniest thing ever. Los Angeles (and other parts of the country),
Neil Hamburger will be performing at Spaceland on November 29th, and he’ll be doing some comedy stuff, also at Spaceland, on October 25th. I’m tired so I’m gonna go to sleep now (yes at 9:45pm on a Saturday) – but dig all this other stuff….

Neil Hamburger – Jugtown

DOWNLOADS

Neil Hamburger – Jugtown
Neil Hamburger – At Least I Was Paid

TOUR DATES

Tue Oct 20 – BELLINGHAM, WA – The Wild Buffalo (Pabst Blue Ribbon tour)
Wed Oct 21 – SEATTLE, WA – Sunset Tavern (Pabst Blue Ribbon tour)
Thu Oct 22 – PORTLAND, OR – Mississippi Studios (Pabst Blue Ribbon tour)
Fri Oct 23 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Hemlock Tavern (Pabst Blue Ribbon tour)
Sun Oct 25 – LOS ANGELES, CA – Spaceland (Pabst Blue Ribbon tour)
Fri Nov 6 – ALLSTON, MA – Great Scott*
Sat Nov 7 – NEW HAVEN, CT – Cafe Nine*
Sun Nov 8 – PROVIDENCE, RI – Jerky’s Live Music Hall*
Mon Nov 9 – BRATTLEBORO, VT – TBA*
Tue Nov 10 – ALBANY, NY – Valentine’s*
Wed Nov 11 – BROOKLYN, NY – Knitting Factory*
Thu Nov 12 – ASBURY PARK, NJ – Asbury Lanes*
Fri Nov 13 – PHILADELPHIA, PA – Johnny Brenda’s*
Sat Nov 14 – CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Southern*
Sun Nov 15 – WASHINGTON, DC – The Black Cat*
Tue Nov 17 -SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Capitol Theatre #
Wed Nov 18 -SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Capitol Theatre #
Fri Nov 20 -DENVER, CO – Paramount Theatre #
Sat Nov 21 -DENVER, CO – Paramount Theatre #
Tue Nov 24 -DALLAS, TX – McFarlin Memorial Auditorium #
Wed Nov 25 -DALLAS, TX – McFarlin Memorial Auditorium #
Fri Nov 27 – HOUSTON, TX – Jones Hall for the Performing Arts #
Sat Nov 28 – SAN ANTONIO, TX – Majestic Theatre #
Tue Dec 1 – EL PASO, TX – Abraham Chavez Theatre #
Thu Dec 3 – PHOENIX, AZ – Orpheum Theatre #
Fri Dec 4 – PHOENIX, AZ – Orpheum Theatre #
Thu Dec 10 – GAINESVILLE, FL – Common Grounds
Sat Jan 9, 2010 – TEMPE, AZ – Yucca Tap Room

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: comedy, free downloads, los angeles, music videos, neil hamburger, spaceland, upcoming shows

I’ve been waiting forever to find the right time to post this. Once someone asked me, “Are there any CURRENT bands that I could go see now that are awesome and rock like Violent Femmes?” I had a really hard time coming up with an answer, and finally settled on Tapes n’ Tapes, but still didn’t feel like it was the right answer. A few months later I heard this fucking fantastic song on the radio, and if someone asked me who was like the femmes that they could go see now, I’d tell ‘em Ezra Furman and the Harpoons. These guys are fucking awesome. Watch:

Am I right or am I right? If you live in LA you can check ‘em out at Spaceland on October 22nd (FINALLY!). They’re touring with BRAKESBRAKESBRAKES and Rachel Goodrich, both ALSO really good. Check out all the tour dates on Ezra Furman’s myspace page.

DOWNLOADS

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons – Take Off Your Sunglasses
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons – I Wanna Be Ignored
Rachel Goodrich – Dope Song
BRAKESBRAKESBRAKES – Crush On You
Violent Femmes – Prove My Love (Demo)

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: brakesbrakesbrakes, ezra furman, free downloads, harpoons, los angeles, rachel goodrich, spaceland, upcoming shows, violent femmes

I’ve been waiting forever to find the right time to post this. Once someone asked me, “Are there any CURRENT bands that I could go see now that are awesome and rock like Violent Femmes?” I had a really hard time coming up with an answer, and finally settled on Tapes n’ Tapes, but still didn’t feel like it was the right answer. A few months later I heard this fucking fantastic song on the radio, and if someone asked me who was like the femmes that they could go see now, I’d tell ‘em Ezra Furman and the Harpoons. These guys are fucking awesome. Watch:

Am I right or am I right? If you live in LA you can check ‘em out at Spaceland on October 22nd (FINALLY!). They’re touring with BRAKESBRAKESBRAKES and Rachel Goodrich, both ALSO really good. Check out all the tour dates on Ezra Furman’s myspace page.

DOWNLOADS

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons – Take Off Your Sunglasses
Ezra Furman & The Harpoons – I Wanna Be Ignored
Rachel Goodrich – Dope Song
BRAKESBRAKESBRAKES – Crush On You
Violent Femmes – Prove My Love (Demo)

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: brakesbrakesbrakes, ezra furman, free downloads, harpoons, los angeles, rachel goodrich, spaceland, upcoming shows, violent femmes

Checkout this clip of Nirvana performing “School” at the 1992 Reading Festival – I guess it was recently made available for fans and comes from the CD+DVD Nirvana Live At Reading which hits stores November 17th. (CD only version arriving on November 3rd.) Nirvana’s performance at the Reading Festival in 1992 was one of the greatest Nirvana shows of all time (not that I’ve actually ever seen them live on anything other than video/tv) – but it was the one where Kurt Cobain came on stage in a hospital gown. Ring any bells? If not, don’t fret – fans can now own a color-corrected video from the original film with audio sourced from the original multi-track masters. Thanks to the guys at totalassault for sending this over.

Songs on Nirvana Live At Reading DVD:
1. Breed
2. Drain You
3. Aneurysm
4. School
5. Sliver
6. In Bloom
7. Come As You Are
8. Lithium
9. About A Girl
10. Tourette’s
11. Polly
12. Lounge Act
13. Smells Like Teen Spirit
14. On A Plain
15. Negative Creep
16. Been A Son
17. All Apologies
18. Blew
19. Dumb
20. Stay Away
21. Spank Thru
22. Love Buzz*
23. The Money Will Roll Right In
24. D-7
25. Territorial Pissings
* not included on CD/LP

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: festivals, kurt cobain, live performances, music videos, nirvana, reading festival, upcoming releases

Mixwit has been dead for some time now, and today I spent like 3 hours trying to make it work on my server – unfortunately, it was to no avail. Enter 8tracks.com. Mixes can only be 8 songs long, they play in random order, and don’t look like tapes at all, but they’ll serve the purpose until I find one as cool as mixwit was – anybody have any suggestions/know how to fix it??!?! Please lemme know!

Anyway, here’s a mix I’ve probably re-distributed 10 thousand times to 20 thousand people, but after spending 3 hours with the other one I don’t really feel like changing the tracks. Plus it’s a good one. Enjoy.

Track List
1. Big Black – The Model
2. Psychic TV – Just Like Arcadia
3. My Bloody Valentine – Drive It All Over Me
4. Os Mutantes – A Minha Menina
5. Half Japanese – 1,000,000 Kisses
6. Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls – Dream Sequence 1
7. A Certain Ratio – Du The Du (Peel Session, 1979)
8. Afrika Bambaataa – Planet Rock

DOWNLOADS

My Bloody Valentine – Drive It All Over Me
Half Japanese – 1,000,000 Kisses
Pauline Murray & the Invisible Girls – Dream Sequence 1

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: free downloads, half japanese, my bloody valentine, pauline murray and the invisible girls

Bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh are hitting the stage as Sublime, just like they did in February – only, now everyone knows about it so FANS will actually get to go. The show is part of Cypress Hill’s Smokeout, and while Sublime might get the most attention, the lineup includes a ton of your favorites. Scheduled to hit the stage on Oct. 23 and 24 are the following:

Slipknot, DEFTONES, Cypress Hill, Sublime, Pennywise, Method Man and Redman, Kottonmouth Kings, the Geto Boys, Goodie Mob, Bad Brains, Hieroglyphics, Living Legends, Devin the Dude, Mix Master Mike, Afrika Bambaata and more. I’m pretty stoked about like 5 of those bands. Ok maybe more than five. The show goes down at the San Manuel Amphitheatre in San Bernadino on October 23rd and 24th and is hosted, appropriately, by Cheech and Chong. Sweet weekend! Buy Tickets from livenation.com

Other links:
guerillaunion.com/smokeout
smokeoutfestival.com
Smokeout on MySpace
Smokeout Festival on Facebook
Smokeout_Fest on Twitter

DOWNLOADS

Afrika Bambaataa – Plantet Rock
Deftones – Pink Maggit

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: afrika bambaayaa, cheech and chong, cypress hill, deftones, festivals, free downloads, reunion shows, smokeout, sublime, upcoming shows

“I’m really high on life right now, but it’s ok cause I can quit whenever I want.” This is just genius quote #1 out of the other 341290834128947 that make up the 30 minutes of Season 3 Episode 3 of Soft Focus. The blurb on the site about the TV show simply says “Ian Svenonius returns to America for another round of conversational jiu-jitsu with some of the shining lights of the US musical underground.” This episode’s sparring partner: Steve Albini. If you don’t know who he is you obviously never read this blog, but I’ll tell you anyway cause I like the way it’s written. Via @VBS.TV:

Steve Albini is responsible for fronting the most caustic and, depending on whether or not you have a sense of humor, either hilarious or upsetting bands of the mid- to late-80s (Big Black), that weird sort of late-80s to 90s spur period (Rapeman), and the 90s proper (Shellac), as well as producing more albums by more bands than we’re sure even he can keep track of. He’s also the only music writer who doesn’t make us want to drive a woodawl under the fingernails on each of our hands. If you haven’t read his notorious breakdown of exactly how major labels (and a lot of so-called indies) rip off their artists, Some Of Your Friends Are Probably Already This Fucked click that link and prepare to have your mind bummed.

Basically, this interview is better than that show on IFC where Lorne Michaels and Paul Simon interview each other and they show some unreleased performance of “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” (anyone know where I can find a video of that????).

But uh, seriously – Ian Svenonius and Steve Albini just shoot the shit about good music and related miscellany – but they manage to obscure it in such a way that if you aren’t really paying attention you’ll probably misunderstand the entire thing. Seriously. Read the comments (i.e. “Im not sure I am a big fan of Ian’s interview style. I don’t really want to hear what Steve Albini has to say about the economy. Im half way through the interview and I dont think he has even said the word “music”… I mean, come on.”)

Shut up, stupid commenting guy.

Dude, I just noticed that they did one with Dead Moon, too.

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: big black, ian svenonius, interviews, make-up, rapeman, rush, shellac, steve albini

Let me preface by saying I have not heard any songs by any of these artists except for the ones posted below. I kinda feel like the rest of them will probably suck, so at the risk of losing esteem for the presented tracks, I think I’ll choose to remain ignorant.

Owl City – Fireflies – This guy sounds exactly like The Postal Service, which I guess is ok, kinda. I just like this song cause it tickles my brain and the lryics are freaking adorable. Like this video. I don’t think it’s the one, but it really should be:

Jason Mraz – I’m Yours – Again with the lyrics! They’re just CUTE – like, so cute that I can’t really figure out how to make fun of this song without using way too much brain power. See look “I’ve been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror / And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer / But my breath fogged up the glass / And so I drew a new face and laughed” I think I actually DID laugh the first time I heard it. (cover by Rome, new singer of Sublime)

Phoenix – 1901 – This band has been ALL OVER THE PLACE lately. They are NOT that terrific, but this song seems to make me happy in traffic so I can kind of forgive them for being another boring, flash-in-the-pan electronic group. Check out an exclusive interview with Phoenix on Soundcheck Risers, and grab a free download of the track ‘Girlfriends’ while you’re there.

DOWNLOADS

Owl City – Fireflies
Jason Mraz – I’m Yours

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: free downloads, jason mraz, music videos, owl city, phoenix, sublime

The Associates released ‘Club Country‘ on April 26th 1982, which appeared on their third album, Sulk. The B side was a non-LP track. The 12 inch version added “Ulcragyceptemol” (added as a bonus to Sulk when it was re-released) and a remixed version of “Club Country”. The single reached the #10 spot on the U.K. singles chart. AND I HADN’T HEARD OF THIS BAND UNTIL LIKE 2 MONTHS AGO. It’s pretty shocking, actually, especially considering how much they resemble early Cure and Factory artists like A Certain Ratio or Happy Mondays. In fact, Michael Dempsey of the Cure is listed as a former member of The Associates (as well as John Murphy of SPK and Death In June, Anne Dudley of Art of Noise, and Steve Goulding of the Mekons. WTF, right????) Anyway, they broke up for a few years in 1990 but regrouped, ending only with the death (by suicide) of Billy MacKenzie in 1997.

I feel a little cheated for being so late on this one, but thank you once again, audioscrobbler, for being spot on with your recommendations.

The Associates – Club Country – Early Version:

The Associates – Club Country – On Top Of the Pops:

The Associates – Club Country – Best version, in my opinion, but it gets cut off at the end:

via @guardian.co.uk

Björk says …

The Associates went there. They didn’t edit their nature out of it. They had pagan qualities. I read a book about Billy MacKenzie, and it said that all the lyrics were composed in the moment, not written down, like a stream of consciousness. For Medulla, I thought about using Billy MacKenzie’s voice, and his father sent me old multitracks, the original tapes, and I wanted to work on it, celebrating voices, maybe do a duet with him. But when it came to it, I was too sacred.

DOWNLOADS

The Associates – Club Country

Buy music from insound.com

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: art of noise, billy mackenzie, death in june, flashback, free downloads, music videos, post-punk, the cure

The Associates released ‘Club Country‘ on April 26th 1982, which appeared on their third album, Sulk. The B side was a non-LP track. The 12 inch version added “Ulcragyceptemol” (added as a bonus to Sulk when it was re-released) and a remixed version of “Club Country”. The single reached the #10 spot on the U.K. singles chart. AND I HADN’T HEARD OF THIS BAND UNTIL LIKE 2 MONTHS AGO. It’s pretty shocking, actually, especially considering how much they resemble early Cure and Factory artists like A Certain Ratio or Happy Mondays. In fact, Michael Dempsey of the Cure is listed as a former member of The Associates (as well as John Murphy of SPK and Death In June, Anne Dudley of Art of Noise, and Steve Goulding of the Mekons. WTF, right????) Anyway, they broke up for a few years in 1990 but regrouped, ending only with the death (by suicide) of Billy MacKenzie in 1997.

I feel a little cheated for being so late on this one, but thank you once again, audioscrobbler, for being spot on with your recommendations.

The Associates – Club Country – Early Version:

The Associates – Club Country – On Top Of the Pops:

The Associates – Club Country – Best version, in my opinion, but it gets cut off at the end:

via @guardian.co.uk

Björk says …

The Associates went there. They didn’t edit their nature out of it. They had pagan qualities. I read a book about Billy MacKenzie, and it said that all the lyrics were composed in the moment, not written down, like a stream of consciousness. For Medulla, I thought about using Billy MacKenzie’s voice, and his father sent me old multitracks, the original tapes, and I wanted to work on it, celebrating voices, maybe do a duet with him. But when it came to it, I was too sacred.

DOWNLOADS

The Associates – Club Country

Buy music from insound.com

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: art of noise, billy mackenzie, death in june, flashback, free downloads, music videos, post-punk, the cure

Yes I know it’s Sunday, so what? Since I haven’t been vibing on any music lately, except for Shellac (obviously), and I can only post the same 5 Shellac songs so many times before someone’ll throw a brick at my head until I can’t lift it anymore, I had to come up with something. So these are my 3 favorite songs written before 1970. At least, they are for right now and probably still will be tomorrow. Did anyone else almost by that video game that used ‘White Rabbit’ in its commercial last year for the sole reason that the song made the game look so rad? Guilty. Enjoy.

The Buckinghams – Kind Of A Drag

The Box Tops – The Letter

Jefferson Airplane – White Rabbit

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: flashback, free downloads, jefferson airplane, music videos, the box tops, the buckinghams

Even though I’d say the readers of this blog are probably not interested in Shakira, the REMIX FAIL post got shit tons of traffic so some of you MUST be interested. Shakira stopped by Soundcheck a couple weeks ago and performed 3 tracks from her new release, “She-Wolf.” The exclusive interviews and performance videos will be live on the soundcheck website on September 28th. Until then, here’s some other stuff:

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cmrpf8btzv Post tags: interviews, latin, music videos, PHOTOS, pop, shakira, soundcheck