I know my wife thinks I’m insane for hitting the record shops once (twice?) a week. Definitely there are times when I know I’ve combed over just about everything there is to see. Until I stumble upon a gem, like this four-song Pete Yorn live promo CD from 2001 (for $3.99!).

Yeah, you can buy his double-CD Live from New Jersey. But this sweet little promo – recorded at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, June 14, 2001 – has him briefly covering Springsteen (Dancin’ in the Dark) and the Smiths (Panic). In the immortal words of Champ Kind: “Whammy!”

Do yourselves a favor and grab these. Not sure how long I’ll keep them up.

Pete Yorn: Live, promo CD:

1. Dancin’ in the Dark/Murray
2. For Nancy (‘Cos it Already Is)
3. Strange Condition
4. Panic/Life on a Chain

The anticipation for the release of the new Built to Spill album, You In Reverse, has me dusting off all things Doug Martsch lately. That means a few spins for the Halo Benders’ The Rebels Not In.

The Halo Benders was a side project – though three albums seems like more of a commitment than a side project – for Martsch and K Records owner/artist Calvin Johnson. I can almost guarantee, with 99.98887 percent certainty, that you will never hear more disparate vocal pitches than the pairing of these two, and, yet, it works.

Martsch’s high whine is matched in its extremity on the opposite spectrum by Johnson’s beyond-baritone talky style. It’s not quite anything like Built to Spill, which forced me to concentrate a little bit more when listening.

Speaking of Built to Spill, You In Reverse will be released April 11, but my inside sources (OK, I’m on the BtS mailing list) tell me it will be available digitally Feb. 7. That’s, like, next week. Meanwhile, we continue to wait for an update – for about five years now – to BuilttoSpill.com.

The Halo Benders | Lonesome Sundown
The Halo Benders | Love Travels Faster

View trailer here.
Find an independent retailer to purchase.

Before I write anything about this DVD, I should mention: I like Bloc Party. Silent Alarm was in the top 5 of my favorite albums list of 2005 (I’m sure they’re flattered) and their set at ACL was the first time I’d seen the band live, and I was mightily impressed.

That said, the release of God Bless Bloc Party made me question how vulnerable (gullible?) we are as fans. An LP is never enough. To sate our thirst for more (or is that the record label’s thirst?) we open our wallets for a remix album and DVDs, these stopgap measures to tide us over until a new album is released. (Full disclosure: I was sent a review copy at no cost to me; however, I would have purchased this DVD otherwise.)

God Bless Bloc Party is a two-part DVD: about an hourlong documentary (filmed around June 2005 shows at the El Rey in LA) and about 20 minutes of festival footage from Belfort, France. The live footage from France is fantastic. Multiple camera angles and polished production pretty much tip you off that this DVD was in the works when they filmed the show in July. Matt Tong’s amazing work on the drums is enough to hold my attention.

My beef comes with the so-called documentary portion of the disc. Ideally, a documentary (in its truest sense) has a story to tell, some compelling reason a camera is trained on a band or person. God Bless left me feeling pretty empty. Ask yourself (honestly): Is Bloc Party, one album into its career, a worthy subject for a documentary?

Maybe it’s unfair to compare, but the Wilco movie I Am Trying to Break Your Heart set a standard, in my mind, for music documentaries. This isn’t just a about a band, but there was a story to tell, about Wilco’s struggle within the industry.

God Bless is nothing of the like. This documentary is more or less backstage footage – look, drummer Matt Tong is making a backstage sandwich! – spliced around a live concert. Worse, the guys in Bloc Party look terribly uneasy and/or uninterested at times when the camera is rolling. Scenes of the guys being interviewed by journalists in green rooms and trailers are almost unbearable to watch. (To wit: when a journalist is stumbling, trying to ask singer Kele Okereke about sounding British when he sings; Okereke’s response: “Really? I sound British when I speak as well.” Gulp. Next question.)

Maybe the mistake is in the packaging. Why promote this as a documentary? Just call it what it is: Bloc Party, live in concert. Labeling this a “documentary” feels too self-important (as if titling it God Bless Bloc Party didn’t already), and there’s nothing I gleaned from God Bless that I couldn’t have learned in an in-depth magazine article.

I think the most enlightening words come early in the documentary, when Matt Tong is talking about being “on the other side” – as in, being in the band and not as a fan subjected to the constant blitz of consumerism: “Hopefully, people see beyond the hype, really, and appreciate us for what we are.”

Bloc Party | The Answer
(downloaded from Bloc Party Web site)

Sir Dark Invader vs. The Fanglord is an album I purchased this year, listened to once, then put it off. I rediscovered it this week, and though it wouldn’t have found a spot in my favorite albums of the year, I have been attached to it the past few days.

The collaboration of Richard Buckner and Jon Langford (Waco Brothers, The Mekons) apparently was a one-shot deal, recorded in the apartment of Mekons member Sally Timms. It was released on Langford’s Buried Treasure label.

I’ve been a huge fan of Buckner, but Langford was new to me. The difference in styles is apparent: Buckner’s husky growl vs. Langford’s grainier high-pitched tone. I was skeptical, but I like how Langford takes a bit of the edge off Buckner’s usual somber temperament.

Pick up Sir Dark Invader at eMusic.

Richard Buckner-Jon Langford | Rolling of the Eyes (highly recommended)
Richard Buckner-Jon Langford | Do You Wanna Go Somewhere?

This post is dedicated to my awesome 2-year-old niece Quinn, who astounded me on Christmas with her indie prowess.

My wife and I bought Quinn an iZ toy for Christmas. iZ is a robot that plays music with rhythms and beats that you can change by turning his ears and pressing various buttons. Plus, you can hook an iPod up to iZ then add sound effects to the song selection; sometimes iZ talks, too. Pretty neat. Anyway, we hook the iPod up and play Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, an apropos song for a robot toy, I’d say. To my astonishment, Quinn starts singing along with Wayne Coyne; she calls it the “robots eat me song.” She even gave a little “hey, hey!” right after the line, “she’s a black belt in karate.”

We promptly decided that iZ would be renamed to Yoshimi. So here’s a live version of Yoshimi from the Future Soundtrack for America compilation.

The Flaming Lips | Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (live on BBC)

Did everyone have a good Christmas? (Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish readers; I’m half-Jewish, for those who didn’t know.) Anyway, my wife got me one of these. Sweet! We are an iPod-friendly home.
On with the music … Admittedly, I know nothing about Battle. In fact, I’m not even sure how I came across this band from London. But, I did take notice of their tentative title to their album due for release in 2006: Our First Impressions of Earth Were Before Yours. So, maybe I’m a dummy, but this seems like a direct knock at the Strokes’ album First Impressions of Earth. Even Battle’s Web site says: “… Then it’s all about finishing our record (provisionally titled ‘Our First Impressions Of Earth Were Before Yours’ – pending lawsuits).”

Anyone know anything about this? Nevertheless, here’s a single Battle made available for download on its site.

Battle | Wicked Owl

Had I spent more time with the Shout Out Louds’ Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, I’m almost positive it would have vied for a spot in my favorite albums list.

Howl Howl really feels bipolar: at times desperate and longing, other times joyful and confident. The Comeback … oh, what a song. (Oh, crap! I forgot that on my favorite songs list. Damn!) Lead singer Adam (apparently, he has no last name, like one of those Brazilian soccer players) sings with a strained inflection and with this confused-in-love passion that’s earnest and not at all forced.

And the band is from Sweden; aren’t all of the latest and greatest from Sweden? Well, I recently picked up the Very Loud EP, which contains two songs that weren’t released on Howl Howl. If anyone asks (hint, hint) I may be inclined to rip and provide the band’s mini-performance on The Current.

Shout Out Louds | But Then Again No
Shout Out Louds | Wish I Was Dead, Pt. 2
Shout Out Louds | The Comeback

I must be slipping because this show got past me Monday night:

Funny thing is, Rhythm Room is a well-established joint for blues acts, but they must be expanding their horizons to let in Blowfly, the Original Dirty Rapper. It’s the alter ego of Clarence Reid (check out All Music’s bio here), a successful songwriter/producer in the 70s.

Of course, I had to listen to his music. And it’s, well, hokey … and funky. You can’t possibly resist a song called Booty Bus.

You can pick up his library, including the latest, Fahrenheit 69, at eMusic.

Blowfly | Blowfly for President
Blowfly | Booty Bus
(Might wanna keep the volume down if you’re at work.)