Now Hear This

Leonard Cohen – Live In London

Leonard Cohen’s playing the Paramount Theater in Oakland tonight and I’m not there. So sad. Particularly after hearing this piece of stone f-ing genius! A terrible thing to say I’m glad Cohen’s’ business manager stole his entire life savings but if he hadn’t LC wouldn’t have embarked on his first tour in over 15 years and thus produce this AMAZING live record. Few would blame him for phoning this in but he delivers classic songs from throughout  his 40 year career with a passion and bravura that’s nothing short of dazzling and the arrangements are fleshed out masterfully by his backing band. Definitely one for my 10 best for ’09.  I stuck the DVD of his performance at the O2 arena last year in my netflix que so I can torture myself even further for missing him tonight. Here’s a taste of what those lucky few there are enjoying:

The Future

Tower Of Song

Live In London is out now on Columbia

Superchunk – Leaves In The Gutter

I was very pleasantly surprised by the first new material in almost 8 years from this  quintessential 90′s DIY indie rock band. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about artists trying new things and challenging themselves creatively but the experimentation and stylistic searching of their last couple of albums didn’t keep me buying. Well that is left behind in a dust of blazing riffs, killer hooks and passionate vocals that were their late 90’s trademark. The five songs on this EP were written over the last couple of years during rehearsals for the odd festival or benefit gig and the band felt the need to clear the decks and start fresh when they record their new full length due this fall.

Knock Knock Knock

Learned To Surf

Leaves In The Gutter came out last Tuesday (on Merge Records, of course). Buy it here.

King Khan & The Shrines – What Is?!

OK, it came out in Germany in ’07, but KK & The Shrines’ third record is finally out in the US. Another sonic blast of low-fi Stax soul-meets-punk and Nuggets-era garage rock featuring several great tracks that didn’t make last year’s KALX chart dominating best of collection The Supreme Genius of…

What Is?! is out in the US April 21st on Vice Records.  King Khan & The Shrines play The Great American Music Hall May 28.

Land Of The Freak

In Your Grave