For almost four years I’ve been looking forward anxiously to the Them Crooked Vultures record. The supergroup features Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal), Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones (yes, that John Paul Jones). It’s only the second time since the first Foo Fighters record that Grohl’s back behind a drum kit (the first being back in 2001 for the amazing Songs For The Deaf by Homme’s QOTSA). Finally here, the band is streaming their self titled debut in it’s entirety prior to its release next Tuesday. Click below and enjoy
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Archive for the 'Music' Category
34 year old drumming genius Jerry Fuchs fell to his death in Brooklyn Saturday night. Jerry was a beloved fixture of both the New York City and Athens, GA music scenes, drumming for LCD Soundsystem, !!!, Turing Machine, MSTRKRFT, The Juan MacLean and Maserati.
Fuchs was on his way to a benefit for The Uniform Project, an organization that helps children in India’s slums. He was apparently stuck in a broken freight elevator and attempted to leap to a fourth floor hallway when a piece of his clothing caught and swung him back into the empty shaft.
LCD frontman James Murphy spoke at a gathering of Fuch’s friends Sunday night, calling him “one of the only people we all knew who was literally great at what he did.” Longtime friend Jon Fine noted, “He could play metal, prog rock with multiple time signatures, aggressive indie disco … His passing puts an enormous hold on the Brooklyn music scene. The world of independent music has sustained a really significant loss.”
Tributes:
30
Oct
Happy Halloween
Some ghostly good tunes for you gallivanting ghouls…
Bessie Smith – Haunted House Blues
Bobby Picket – The Monster Mash
Ryan Adams – Halloween (UK bonus track)
The Pogues – Boys From the County Hell
Volcano Suns – Descent into Hell
22
Oct
Balloon Boy Rock
This is my favorite picture of Falcon Heene, mainly because it’s one of the few where he looks like he has an idea of what a freakin’ creep his father is. Anyway, amid the sheriff’s press conferences implying the family’s too poor to fine, youtube spoofs and the Halloween costumes, Huffington Post columnist David Wild has come up with something NHT can sink its teeth into: a balloon boy playlist. If & when NHT has the track we’ll slip it in there. Suggestions welcome! In a week we’ll revisit and maybe get the whole thing in a zip file.
But first I just have to share the most bizarre songs of all: two tracks Richard Heene recorded to use as theme music for his proposed reality TV shows (courtesy of TMZ). I kid you not.
Richard Heene – The Psyience Detective
Richard Heene – The Contractor
Now for my playlist:
Given To Fly – Pearl Jam
Fly Me Away – Goldfrap
Flying – The Telescopes
A Good Flying Day – The Sadies
I’ll Fly Away – Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch
My Flying Saucer – Billy Bragg & Wilco
Fly Away – The Little Killers
Happy 2B Flying Away – Carolyn Mark
Sunship Balloons – The Flaming Lips
Lost In Space – Aimee Mann
Float On – Modest Mouse
Media Blitz – The Germs
David Wild’s tunes:
WE’RE A HAPPY FAMILY – The Ramones
LEARN TO FLY – Foo Fighters
Family Affair – Sly & The Family Stone
UP, UP AND AWAY — The Fifth Dimension
(I Hate You) Big Daddy – Dewey Cox
DO IT FOR THE KIDS – Velvet Revolver
FAME – David Bowie
I SAW IT ON TV – John Fogerty
Save The Children – Marvin Gaye
SINS OF THE FAMILY – P.F. Sloan
UNREAL REALITY – The Kinks
MR. SPACEMAN – The Byrds
FAMOUS IN A SMALL TOWN – Miranda Lambert
PEOPLE ARE STRANGE – The Doors
PEOPLE ARE CRAZY – Billy Currington
GROWING UP – Bruce Sprinsteen
UNLOVED CHILDREN – Todd Rundgren
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT – The Who
THE LOST CHILDREN – Michael Jackson
JESUS CHILDREN OF AMERICA – Stevie Wonder
Where Do The Children Play – Cat Stevens
The Mountain Goats – The Life Of The World To Come
John Darnielle and Co. are still going strong after 17+ records. While biblical references have been a regular feature of Darnielle’s work he takes it a step further on The Mountain Goats’ latest where every track is named after a Bible verse. Don’t worry though, this is no holier than thou preach and destroy mission but rather a study of the meaning of faith and how it can be used to weather the pressures and trials of modern life. What keeps this record interesting is Darnielle’s recognition of the flipside of the faith card: doubt. He uses the two sides to vividly articulate the difference between how most of us are and how most of us wish we were. And by telling our own stories better than we ever could he reaffirms my belief that he’s one of the best songwriters around.
Click here to order The Life Of The World To Come direct from the MG’s!
The Horrors – Whole New Way single
I stand corrected. I was a bit dismissive of the Horrors’ first LP Strange House. NHT thought it sounded like a campy garage goth parody. But their sophomore effort Primary Colours sees them maturing light years beyond glam shoegaze cliche into a bold new post punk sound far removed from their debut. “Whole New Way” originally appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese release of Primary Colours. They’ve since given it quite the overhaul and will release it as a single on XL Records November 6 backed by my personal favorite from the new record. Enjoy:
The Aliens – Luna
The second LP from these former Beta Band dudes (including founding member Gordon Anderson who left Betas after their debut) features some damn good psychedelic pop. The fact that the rest of the record tends to meander through an everything-AND-the-kitchen-sink kind of feel might put some folks off. NHT thinks it’s way worth wading through what we’ll call fascinating sound collages to get to the tasty bits below:
It’s Robert Mitchum’s birthday today, a perfect excuse to indulge my predilection for cheese both edible and audible. While this collection of rum soaked self deprecation is more goofy fun than a stab at commercial success or artistic integrity Mitchum’s no slouch in the vocal department. His own voice was used whenever a roll called for him to sing, including Rachel and the Stranger, River of No Return and The Night of the Hunter. He discovered the sultry tones of calypso while filming Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison on location in the Caribbean on the island of Tobago, meeting local legends like the Mighty Sparrow and Lord Invader . Mitchum recorded Calypso – Is Like So… in March of 1957.
Check out a couple of tracks:
Here’s the whole record in a zip file Calypso Is Like So zipped (w/ the killer raised eyebrow cover art). This UK reissue includes his country flavored tune from his film Thunder Road called “Ballad of Thunder Road” (which actually cracked the Billboard Top 100, peaking at #69) and its b-side “My Honey’s Lovin’ Arms.”
