This Is Book’s Music

In the digital area, the fact that albums from anywhere are delayed or not heard in a timely manner seems silly. If you are a fan of hard rock, and more specifically stoner rock, you may have heard about the Swedish band Blowback and told all of your friends about it. Silly friends probably said “but the CD isn’t at Best Buy, and I cannot download them on iTunes.” Meanwhile, you’ve been rocking out with their album, making sure you play them each time you’re in your car or low rider bicycle. Now, your friends don’t have to wait any longer, as Eight Hundred Miles gets a domestic release.

These guys were heavily influenced by the best, taking that Black Sabbath-styled warble, mixing it in with that Allman Brothers Band twin guitar attack, and just bringing it home, perhaps better than some American bands who use a similar formula. Check it out for yourself.

When Atmosphere goes on tour, they create music that you can purchase only at tour stops, and the group will be releasing two EP’s, To All My Friends and Blood Makes The Blade Holy. The To All My Friends tour will feature Blueprint, Grieves, Budo, and DJ Rare Groove, and will begin next week:

09.08 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theatre
09.09 – Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Riverside Theater
09.10 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
09.11 – Covington, KY @ Madison Theater
09.12 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Intersection
09.15 – Bozeman, MT @ Gallatin Co. Fairgrounds
09.16 – Missoula, MT @ Wilma Theater
09.17 – Missoula, MT @ Wilma Theater
09.18 – Spokane, WA @ The Knitting Factory
09.20 – Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
09.21 – Bend, OR @ Midtown
09.22 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theater
09.24 – Chico, CA @ Senator Theater
09.25 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
09.27 – Arcata, CA @ Arcata Center
09.28 – Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento State University
09.29 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
10.01 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
10.02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
10.04 – Rapid City, SD @ Dublin Square
10.05 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Sioux Empire Fair Expo Hall
10.06 – Des Moines, IA @ People’s Court
10.07 – Chicago, IL @ Congress Theater

Until then, here’s a brand new Atmosphere track, “Freefalling”, that you can download for free. Dig In (5.73mb).

Look at them. They’re called Peelander-Z, which is funny in itself. Now listen to them. They call themselves a “Japanese Action Comic Punk Band” and reside in New York. They’re now on Chicken Ranch Records, who will be releasing their new album, P-TV-Z, on September 28th.

From now until what seems like the end of time (well, November), Peelander-Z will be on tour so a lot of people will have an opportunity to see them. Make plans.

08/26 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
08/28 Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East
08/29 Providence, RI @ AS220
08/31 Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah
09/01 Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
09/02 Toronto, ON @ The Silver Dollar Room
09/03 London, ON @ Call The Office
09/04 Montreal, PQ @ Il Motore
09/05 Kingston, ON @ The Mansion
09/23 New York, NY @ Santo’s Party House w/ Guitar Wolf
09/28 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
09/29 Richmond, VA @ The Camel
10/01 Nashville, TN @ Grimey’s In-Store
10/02 Nashville, TN @ Next Big Nashville
10/05 New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
10/07 Austin, TX @ End of an Ear In-Store
10/07 San Marcos, TX @ Triple Crown
10/09 El Paso, TX @ Chalk The Block Festival
10/11 Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
10/12 Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
10/13 Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
10/14 Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn
10/15 Detroit, MI @ Lager House w/ Birthday Suits
10/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club w/ Birthday Suits
10/18 Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
10/19 Sioux Falls, SD @ Nutty’s North w/ Birthday Suits
10/20 Lincoln, NE @ Knickerbockers
10/21 Denver, CO @ Hi – Dive
10/22 Salt Lake City, UT @ Burt’s Tiki Lounge
10/23 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
10/24 Seattle, WA @ Fun House
10/25 Portland, OR @ Berbati’s Pan
10/31 Las Vegas, NV @ Double Down Saloon *
11/02 Albuquerque, NM @ Atomic Cantina *
11/03 El Paso, TX @ Low Brow *
11/05 Dallas, TX @ Double Wide *
11/06 Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest
11/07 Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest
11/09 Pensacola, FL @ Sluggos *
11/10 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum *
11/11 Sarasota, FL @ Paddy Wagon *
11/12 Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds *
11/13 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl *
11/14 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 *
11/16 Charlotte, NC @ Milestone *
11/17 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
11/18 Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar *
11/19 Bordentown, NJ @ Record Collector In-Store
11/20 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East

* = w/ Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re

Last year around this time, you were not able to say what I’m about to say in the second sentence. Grammy-nominated Foreign Exchange will be returning with their third album, Authenticity (+FE Music), which is said to be a deeper exploration into what both Phonte Coleman and Nicolay Rook have wanted in their sound as FE.

The album will be released on CD and MP3, and yes, as double vinyl. I’m very glad FE are choosing to keep the vinyl light alive, so vinyl junkies, so some support when the album goes on sale October 12th.

Sahara Smith has been compared to the likes of Emmylou Harris and Alison Krauss, all before she released her debut album. That album is called Myth Of The Heart (Playing in Traffic), and will no doubt get a lot of critical acclaim not only because it was produced by T Bone Burnett (which may make it a Grammy contender with his name alone) but because the music is that good. I love the sound of “Thousand Secrets”, as it doesn’t sound like one distinct style or era. You’ll hear subtle electronica influences in this with the percussion and clock loops, and the compressed drums that would make it perfect on any trip hop anthem, but this is not about the boom bap, but rather an exploration of earthiness from different places to create the sound that is Sahara Smith.

Or just look at her name. Smith may sound ordinary, but Sahara almost brings to mind exploration and discovery. Discover her as she hits the road next month in support of Myth Of The Heart, including a few in-store performances. Some of these days will also feature Raul Malo

Sept 8 – Austin, TX @ Waterloo Records (In-Store Performance)
Sept 9 – Austin, TX @ Shady Grove
Sept 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall
Sept 16 – New York, NY @ Living Room
Sept 17 – Philadelphia, PA @WXPN Live at Noon/World Café Session
Sept 18 – Boston, MA @ Toad
Sept 23 – Fort Worth, TX @ 8.0 Bar
Sept 29 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s w/ Raul Malo
Oct 2 – Houston, TX @ House Of Blues (Bronze Peacock Room) w/ Raul Malo
Oct 5 – Kansas City, MO @ Knockelhead’s w/ Raul Malo
Oct 6 – St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House w/ Raul Malo
Oct 8 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival
Oct 28 – Austin, TX @ Cactus Café

NeptunePinkFloyd.co.uk reports that electronic music pioneers The ORB have collaborated with guitarist David Gilmour for the group’s forthcoming album, Metallic Spheres, due out in October. According to the article, all artist royalties will be going to helping British hacker Gary McKinnon fight off extradition to the USA. Considering that some of The ORB’s music could be considered hacking to some degree, it would make sense that they would take to McKinnon’s cause.

Also, it would also make sense for them to be working with Gilmour, since they were often called “the Pink Floyd of ambient” by critics, and of course their Live ’93 album featured homage to the 1977 album Animals.

Okay, you’re probably thinking “oh no, John, please don’t turn your website into a typical pop culture rumor mill” and I will not. What I found interesting about this article is that it mentions a common thing between Alicia Keys and Fantasia Barrino, which wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t for the fact that they’re both in the spotlight for alleged affairs. Normally, my interest in this would end because I could care less. The article, however, goes out of their way to suggest that one of these ladies seems to be getting bashed for her actions, while the other seems to be free from any wrongdoing. Not only that, but the article makes an attempt to suggest why this is so.

Click to TheRoot.com to read the full article.

His name is Ducktails. No, he was not born with this name, but close chums will know him as Matthew Mondanile. His bio states that he’s part of a “hypnagogic pop” movement, which may very well be a one-man movement, but still, he’s part of something. What is this “hypnagogic pop” movement? I go back to the bio because I’m too lazy to come up with something like “Ducktails attempts to realize a shared cultural memory and nostalgia through various genres, drone, psych, music concrete, etc.” This is where I come in and say “the keyword here is etc., for that means he’s open to doing more than what was assigned.” See how that works? I take from the bio and add my own thing, it’s a nice blend, not unlike the music of Ducktails. See how that… nevermind.

Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics will be released by Woodsist in the fall, and he’ll be in the middle of a string of shows in support of it. You’ll be able to catch him here:

12 Aug: Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands Gallery &
14 Aug: Brooklyn, NY – Shea Stadium / Underwater Peoples Showcase
22 Aug: Chicago, IL – Neon Marshmalow Festival
25 Aug: New York, NY – Cake Shop *
09 Sept: Abattoir D’amis KRAAK, Ghent, Belgium
10 Sept: Zaal 100, Amsterdam, Holland !
11 Sept: Madame Claude, Berlin, Germany !
12 Sept: Festival of Endless Gratitude, Copenhagen, Denmark !
13 Sept: Voxhall, Aarhus, Denmark !
14 Sept: singsang-studion, Malmö, Sweden !
15 Sept: Utmarken, Göteborg, Sweden !
16 Sept: Stockholm, Sweden !
17 Sept: Turku, Finland !
18 Sept: lal lal lal festival, Helsinki,Finland !
19 Sept: lal lal lal festival, Helsinki, Finland !
20 Sept: The Prince Albert, Brighton, UK!
21 Sept: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK!
22 Sept: Trof NQ, Manchester, UK!
23 Sept: The Nest, London, UK!
24 Sept: The Cube, Bristol, UK!
26 Sept: Athens, Greece !
27 Sept: Arka Onda Istanbul, Turkey!
28 Sept: Milan, Italy!
29 Sept: Geneve, Suisse!
09 Oct: Chapel Hill, NC – Cat’s Cradle &^
12 Oct: Washington, DC – 9:30 Club &^

! with Dolphins Into The Future
& with Deerhunter
^ with Casino Versus Japan
* with Tennisand Family Portrait

Take a look at that equation again: Melvins.

Remix EP

Scion

Put them together, and you have a remix EP Melvins are releasing through Scion. Yes, the car company, or in this case Scion AV, the audio/visual department of the automobile company. The Electric Flower EP features remixes by Doorly, Lovelock, MRK 1 and J Phlip. Since it is 2010 and the industry wants you to believe everyone is pro-digital, you can find this EP at the usual digital merchants. Fortunately for diehard fans, you will be able to find it on both vinyl and CD (phew).

I’m old enough to remember when the first MTV Video Music Awards looked no better than a pricey MTV Basement Tapes. Hell, I’m old enough to remember MTV Basement Tapes. Can I hear it for Liner Notes and IRS’ The Cutting Edge? I received this press release for a dance video being nominated for this year’s VMA’s and it lead me to asking a few questions:

1) Who the hell is Cascada?
2) Why is MTV still doing the VMA’s?

Apparently Cascada came out with an album about a year ago, but while my ears aren’t tuned to the dancefloor, I’ve never heard of her. It is possible that she may be one of hundreds of faceless dance songs that might be on the radio, but I rarely listen to the radio anymore. When I do, I hear the same Train, Creed, Creedence Clearwater Revival and ZZ Top song I heard a few days previous.

The point isn’t about the appeal (or lack of it) of Cascada, more power to her. But I had to do a search and see who else were nominated for an MTV VMA in 2010. Anyone remember when a “Breakthrough Video” meant something? I… don’t know. I’m not taking away the fact that music videos today are at their best today, more than they’ve been in the last ten years. The demise of heavy music video rotation on MTV has made artists and directors more bold and daring, and arguably the videos I’ve posted on this very site in the last year are incredible, moving, and very much breakthrough. How come this wasn’t nominated?:

What’s wrong, it wasn’t Madonna or Lady Gaga?

Or this:

Maybe this:

Oh, how about this:

Or something like this:

I think MTV should stop doing an awards show that has nothing to do with what the network stands for. I’m sure Diddy will show up, no doubt Snooki will be there and maybe a thousand Eminem‘s, but give me a break MTV, you stopped being relevant after the demise of Yo! MTV Raps. You lost the M in your logo but still hold it up with twigs, now you removed the “Music Television” from your logo and yet you go out of your way to tell the world “we care”? What a disgrace to artistry and music in itself. MTV, go home and cook rice. Here’s a video for you. It was relevant then, and despite the new costume it wears almost 30 years later, relevant now.