If you didn’t know, Blackalicious of the Quannum crew has a new album coming out Sept. 27: The Craft. The buzz is getting big, and the record label Anti has a new track available. Peep it.
Blackalicious (feat. Lifesavas) | Your Move
Elbow: Get the new album a week early
I’ve said it here before and I’ll say it again: I’m a big Elbow fan. In fact, I was just listening to Asleep in the Back yesterday at work. The group’s new album, Leaders of the Free World, is coming out Sept. 12.
Elbow’s label, V2, is offering the album exclusively a week before the release date through TellJack. Visit TellJack here and you can pre-order the album in digital or CD format and receive the content a week before Sept. 12. Packages include free bonus material, including videos for Station Approach and Forget Myself.
Check out the video for Forget Myself here (via Filter).
Caption winner
After much deliberation, the winner of the Rex Grossman caption contest is … (drum roll, please) … Goose! For his efforts, Goose has won a sourceVictoria EP and T-shirt. But please know, you’re all winners in my book.
I quite enjoyed Goose’s reference to Jim McMahon, who might be the last somewhat decent QB the Bears have had. And if I remember correctly, Goose is a Packers fan, so there was just the right touch of spite and venom in his entry. Goose, e-mail me your mailing address and T-shirt size. Well done.
More contests to come!
Maybe if I lay here long enough they’ll bring Jim McMahon back.
Yet even more Brendan Benson
At this rate, I may surpass Chris as Brendan Benson’s No. 1 fan … no, that’s just not possible. I do have to give a shout-out to Chris for introducing me to him, though.
Anyway, I’ve had a few requests (OK, like two … shut up) for this Metarie EP by Brendan Benson and the Wellfed Boys I found in Los Angeles. There’s five tracks, but I’ll post three: the two versions of Metarie and a sorta tweaked version of Alternative to Love (probably my fave BB track so far). The UK version of Metarie, which seems more melancholy than the original, includes the female vocals of Emma J (per liner notes), which gives it a nice change of pace.
This version of Alternative to Love is a little more sparse than the original. It matters not: The song is aces, my friends.
Brendan Benson | Metarie (Wellfed version)
Brendan Benson | Metarie (UK version)
Brendan Benson | Alternative to Love
Eight days to kickoff
Chris at Gorilla vs. Bear made his obligatory Michigan football post, so I feel it only necessary to hype up my Sun Devils of Arizona State. The Devils are ranked No. 20 in the preseason AP poll after finishing last season 9-3, including an, ahem, uplifting win in the Vitalis Sun Bowl.
The Devils lose Pac-10 record-breaking quarterback Andrew Walter (now with the Raiders), but I have high hopes for Sam Keller, the Sun Bowl MVP in his first collegiate start. WR Derek Hagan (below) is set to become the school’s all-time leading receiver and he’s a preseason Playboy All-American (hey, I read it for the articles!). The ‘D’ is stellar; yes, there is SOME defense in the Pac-10.
The schedule has its hurdles: AT Louisiana State on Sept. 10; home vs. USC on Oct. 1 (Trojans embarrassed us last year 45-7). The good news is we miss Cal on the schedule, and we open with the laughably easy Temple on Sept. 1. But I swear, if U. of Arizona beats us again this year …
The Pharcyde | Devil Music
INXS | Devil Inside
Joan as Police Woman
A guy I met in Los Angeles this past weekend introduced me to Joan as Police Woman (born Joan Wasser). She’s a trained violin player, and incorporates that instrument into an indie setting. More intriguing is her voice: not strained or forced and never setting out to steal the spotlight. It’s somehow complementary to the music but still stands out.
Her bio is impressive, and her work includes an opening slot for Rufus Wainright in Europe this past spring. She also was a violinist/vocalist for the Dambuilders.
Find three songs here off her solo EP, available at CD Baby.
New e-mail
I’ve been blessed with a Gmail account, so I can be reached at somuchsilence@gmail.com.
And if you haven’t already, update bookmarks to www.somuchsilence.com.
Thank you.
The Life and Times
I’ve been skipping around new music so much of late I can’t keep track. And I’ve stumbled on another band that deserves my (and your) attention: The Life and Times, whose new Suburban Hymns is out on DeSoto Records. I know little of the band other than what you can easily find at its bio, like the fact that singer Allen Epley once fronted Shiner. But what drew me was a production credit to J. Robbins, he of Jawbox and Burning Airlines fame.
Epley’s slightly distorted vocals certainly suggest a Burning Airlines influence, but the guitar play colors outside the lines a little more. I really like how active the drums sound, especially under some of the more soaring vocals and guitar lines.
The Life and Times My Last Hostage
The Life and Times Charlotte Street
The Life and Times Coat of Arms (via DeSoto)
Ben Gibbard is right … sort of
So, I’m back from LA. Just drove six hours right into work — even saw a big rig on fire on the side of the highway.
I have no music right now, but I will later because I scored at Amoeba. A few highlights:
- The Jurassic 5 EP on vinyl for 3.99; the original pressing, NOT the reissue.
- The Black Keys’ The Big Come Up on vinyl — WHITE vinyl — for 6.99.
- Brendan Benson’s One Mississippi (finally) and a Metarie EP with a couple of different versions of that song. I thought I had the drop on Chris, president of the Brendan Benson fan club, only to find out he already had it (of course!). But I will post if anyone would like. It also includes sorta different versions of Alternative to Love and You’re Quiet.
- Shout Out Louds CD Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, which I’m liking.
- One 12″ vinyl single that will make for a very special Flashback Friday.
Last note, on the drive outta town, I got to listen to Nic Harcourt and Morning Becomes Eclectic for about an hour. He said that when White Stripes and Greenhornes were in town last week, they recorded a couple sessions in the studio. White Stripes will broadcast on Sept. 6, Greenhornes sometime in October.
As for LA, well, traffic is absolutely awful, even on the weekends. Which made me think of Death Cab’s Why You’d Want to Live Here. I can think of two reasons: the weather and Amoeba.
Flashback Friday: Goin’ Back to Cali.
Well, I’m headed off to LA today for the weekend and figured this would be a perfect time to bust out this vinyl 45 flashback: LL Cool J’s Goin’ Back to Cali.
When you’re talking about greatest rappers of all time, LL’s name has to come up, and I’m speaking strictly pre-Mr. Smith era (though I’d guess LL could take out any young whipper snapper … hello, Canibus). For raw beats and brash lyrics, LL’s Radio and Bigger and Deffer are hard to top. Radio stands atop my hip-hop collection with the likes of Run-DMC’s Tougher than Leather and A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory.
As for Goin’ Back to Cali. (on Walking With a Panther and the Less Than Zero soundtrack), it’s interesting to note the cultural influence the title alone has. If you google the title, you’ll find a lot of links to newspapers that used the headline “Goin’ back to Cali.” for some story relating to the state. I’ll never forget the video, all black and white with LL rollin’ in his ride when he drops the line: “Bikini small / heels tall / she said she likes the ocean.”
The B-side to the 45 single is Jack the Ripper, which I don’t believe appeared on any studio albums (but does show up on multiple Best of Def Jam compilations). It’s classic LL: in your face with a funky James Brown guitar sample and production by Rick Rubin.
LL Cool J | Goin’ Back to Cali.
LL Cool J | Jack the Ripper
(Note: Vinyl to digital conversion completed using Audio Hijack Pro.)
See y’all Tuesday, and get your captions in for the Rex Grossman photo below!