G'Day!

Jukebox The Ghost are touring with Via Audio, intersecting with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin in Springfield on June 15th. You'll want to pick up tickets after listening to this pick-me-up 3 or 4 or 5 times. It's Friday - of course it's a Good Day.

Jukebox The Ghost - Good Day (mp3)

Verve Remixed 4

We were big fans of the previous Verve Remixed offerings, and today, Verve Remixed, Vol. 4 hit stores, along with its companion, Verve Unmixed, Vol. 4.

Here's the tracklist, featuring, as expected, some of the usual jazz heavyweights, reimagined in unexpected ways:

1. “Cry Me A River” (Truth & Soul Remix) - Dinah Washington
2. “Gimmie Some” (Mike Mangini Remix) - Nina Simone
3. “There Was A Time” (Kenny Dope Remix) - James Brown
4. “California Soul” (Diplo) - Marlena Shaw (mp3)
5. “Take Care Of Business” (Pilooski Edit) - Nina Simone
6. “Bim Bom” (Psapp Remix) - Astrud Gilberto
7. “Tenderly” (Mocky Remix) - Anita O’ Day
8. “Tea For Two” (Chris Shaw Remix) - Sarah Vaughan
9. “Dilo Como Yo” (Antibalas Remix) - Patato & Totico
10. “Evil Ways” (Karriem Riggins Remix) – Willie Bobo
11. “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” (9th Wonder Remix) – Roy Ayers
12. “I Get A Kick Out Of You” (Cinematic Orchestra) – Ella Fitzgerald

Ed Harcourt (with Magic Numbers) - Revolution of the Heart

Ed Harcourt's new album, Beautiful Lie, will be in stores next Tuesday. Blur's Graham Coxon plays guitar on one track, and on this one, The Magic Numbers help shout out to the people with backing vocals.

Ed Harcourt - Revolution of the Heart (mp3)

Joan Jett with The Remains Of The Ramones - Bad Reputation (Live)

What's tougher than Joan Jett's Bad Reputation?

Joan Jett singing it live with "The Remains of The Ramones" (CJ & Marky)

Joan Jett & The Remains of The Ramones - Bad Reputation (Live)(mp3)

From Bad Reputation.

Hot Cha Cha on being a white boy in 1992.

Hot Cha Cha are from Cleveland, but wait: they don't sound like it. Lead singer Jovana Batkovic, who has a B.A. in acting, was born in Bosnia, left during the war, moved to Germany, and immigrated to Ohio at 17. She hasn't used her native tongue in her singing yet, but she uses languages as a means of creating atmosphere and mood in HCC's songs on their debut EP, Rifle, I Knew You When You Were Just A Pistol. The rest of the all-female band is also well-traveled, and it shows in their brand of spiced-up rhythm-driven new wave/punk.

Hot Cha Cha - It's Hard To Be A White Boy In 1992 (mp3)
Hot Cha Cha - Wir Tanzen (mp3)

(Is it me, or is that chord progression that starts before the middle of Wir Tanzen straight from a Sonic Youth song?)

Arcade Fire Rock For Obama

I posted a couple of videos from Arcade Fire's 2 May performance for Obama's Change Rocks rally a few days ago, and I loved their version of David Bowie's Heroes so much, I needed it on the iPod. I found the audio from dimeadozen.org, via the Us Kids Know live shows forum.

Heroes (David Bowie)(mp3)
Rebellion (Lies)(mp3)

Winterpills, Live WOXY 5-16-2008

I gushed about Winterpills' The Light Divides last February, and if this WOXY Lounge Act performance is an indication, I will be gushing this September, when their next album, not yet titled, will be released.


Setlist:
Handkerchiefs
Broken Arm (mp3)
Bee Sting (new/unreleased) (mp3)
- interview -
Shameful
Gentleman Farmer (new/unreleased) (mp3)

Listen to the entire performance with interview here (mp3).

In January, I made a wish for a Deluxe Edition of Liz Phair's Exile In Guyville, and voila, details in the press release/really long blurb:

LIZ PHAIR CELEBRATES 15th ANNIVERSARY OF 'EXILE IN GUYVILLE' WITH JUNE 24TH REISSUE ON ATO RECORDS

Special Edition Features Four Never-Before-Released B-Sides And Phair’s Exclusive New “Guyville Redux” DVD

Phair Gets Back Into The D.I.Y. Spirit With New Album On ATO Records This Fall

It’s been 15 years since the release of the groundbreaking Exile in Guyville – and Liz Phair is marking the occasion by returning to her roots. Phair recently signed with the independent label ATO Records, which will release a special 15th anniversary edition of her landmark debut album on June 24th and her new studio album in the fall.

Exile in Guyville, which was out of print, will be available on CD, vinyl and – for the first time ever – in digital format. The special reissue package will include four never-before-released songs from the original recording sessions: “Ant in Alaska,” with Phair simply accompanying herself on guitar, “Wild Thing,” wherein she uses the melody and central line of The Troggs’ 1966 #1 hit as a jumping off point for an otherwise all-original song, “Say You,” which features Phair and a full band, and an untitled instrumental with Liz on guitar. Phair has also just completed a new, 60-minute DVD, “Guyville Redux,” for the reissue.

In “Guyville Redux” – which features an introduction by Dave Matthews, founder/co-owner of ATO Records – Liz and the “guys” of Guyville take us back to the making of the album, the male-dominated, Chicago independent music scene of the early 1990’s (which included Urge Overkill, Material Issue, and Smashing Pumpkins), and the Wicker Park neighborhood where it all happened. Phair interviews Gerard Cosloy and Chris Lombardi of Matador Records, which originally released the record, famed indie producer Steve Albini, Ira Glass of NPR’s “This American Life,” John Henderson of the elusive indie label Feel Good All Over, Brad Wood (producer of Exile In Guyville), John Cusack (who founded the Chicago avant-garde theater group New Crime Productions), Urge Overkill, and more.

Conceived as a song-by-song response to the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main Street, Exile in Guyville was released in 1993, and ranked #1 that year on both the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll and Spin magazine’s year-end critics poll. Incredibly influential to this day, its place as a seminal rock album has been reaffirmed by its inclusion in countless historical “best of” lists over the past 15 years, including: “Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” Spin’s “100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005,” Rolling Stone’s “Women in Rock (the 50 essential albums),” Blender’s “Best Indie Rock Albums of All Time,” Pitchfork’s “Top 100 Albums of the 1990’s,” and VH1’s “Greatest Albums Of All Time,” to name but a few. Exile in Guyville is, in the words of Pitchfork, “a certifiable indie roadtrip classic.”

“Exile in Guyville is miles more complex than the porn-star manifesto it was often considered,” says Alan Light (former Editor-in-Chief of Spin, Vibe and Tracks) in an essay penned especially for the reissue. “Phair spoke for the uncertainties facing a new generation of women, struggling to find a balance between sexual confidence and romance, between independence and isolation….Exile in Guyville sat at the center of a culture in transition.”

...

Bonus tracks:

19 Ant in Alaska
20 Wild Thing
21 Say You
22 [Untitled instrumental]

What shall I wish for next??

Magnificently remastered:
Liz Phair - Fuck And Run (Remastered)(mp3)

The Submarines, live on Morning Becomes Eclectic, 5-13-2008

The Submarines played a live set for KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic this morning. Their latest album, Honeysuckle Weeks, was released today, and anyone who listens to this performance must have it immediately. If your sole memory of this band was the song "Peace And Hate" from Declare A New State, you'll be amazed at what Blake Hazard does with her voice on the new songs. She sounds somewhere between Bat For Lashes and Jesca Hoop, and often in a vocal domain all her own.

The Submarines, live on Morning Becomes Eclectic, 5-13-2008:

Swimming Pool (mp3)
Submarine Symphonica (mp3)
The Wake Up Song
The Thorny Thicket
Interview
Brightest Hour
1940 (mp3)
You and Me & The Bourgeoisie
Xavia

Watch the entire performance, with interview:

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - "Tell Me" Video

As posted on their myspace blog earlier today.

Laaawwwwwdy.

Arcade Fire - Heroes (David Bowie) - Live, Greensboro, NC Coliseum parking lot, 1 May 2008

Sponsored by the 2008 Obama campaign.



Also: Keep The Car Running.

The Kills - Live on The Current, 5-11-2008

The Kills played a live acoustic set for Minnesota Public Radio's The Current yesterday. Yeah - acoustic. In the interview, vocalist Hotel said, "we never played acoustically before - it's really weird."

The Kills - Live on MPR's The Current (5-11-2008)(mp3s):

Pull A You
Last Day Magic
Venus In Furs

Listen to the entire performance with interview.

The Kills' most recent album is Midnight Boom. Not just recommended, but urged.

DeFord Bailey

DeFord Bailey was the most influential harmonica player in the first half of the 20th century. Despite such acclaim, DeFord died quietly without recognition of his place in American music history.

- from Deford Bailey: A Legend Lost (PBS.org)

If "haunting" weren't such a music review cliche, I'd have the perfect word to describe these arresting southern solo harmonica pieces. They deserve the noise-cancelling headphones, closed eyes, and a vivid imagination - picture yourself in the hot south with dirty boots on.
Deford Bailey - Old Hen Cackle(mp3)
Deford Bailey - Pan American Blues (mp3)

Download Harmonica Genius DeFord Bailey: Best of Blues, Vol. 1. on emusic or itunes.

Pixies, Live in Spokane 2004

as loud as hell
a ringing bell
behind my smile
it shakes my teeth
and all the while
as vampires feed
i bleed

Pixies - I Bleed (Live in Spokane 4-24-2004) (mp3)
Pixies - Where Is My Mind? (Live in Spokane 4-24-2004) (mp3)

From Pixies Live In Spokane, WA 4.24.04, Disclive #672 of 1000.

The Jealous Girlfriends, Live at the 9:30 Club (12 Apr 08)

The Jealous Girlfriends' electrifying opening performance for Nada Surf at the 9:30 Club is up on the NPR live concerts podcast site. Download it (immediately!!) here (mp3) or subscribe to the NPR live concerts podcast here.

And here are a couple of songs from their new self-titled album:

The Jealous Girlfriends - Something In The Water (mp3)
The Jealous Girlfriends - Machines (mp3)

And here's a video:

Black Francis - The Seus (Infadels Remix)

Black Francis is touring this summer with...

...drumroll...

...the Stone Temple Pilots??!!

'Tis true:

Black Francis with Stone Temple Pilots

6/24/08 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
6/25/08 - Tucson, AZ - Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre
6/27/08 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
6/28/08 - Woodlands, TX - Woodlands Pavilion
6/29/08 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Live
7/2/08 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
7/4/08 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest

But we should be used to curveballs from the man by now, no? Speaking of curveballs:

Black Francis - The Seus (Infadels Remix)(mp3)

Viva Voce in Blue Giant

According to their latest newsletter, Viva Voce...well, on second thought, rather than summing it up, you should know the whole story. Here's the entire thing:

Hi Friends,

Holy cow it's been a while, hasn't it? For tax reasons, I've been keeping a healthy distance from the internet - but with legal permission, it's now time to get reacquainted. Hope you've been well....good to see you again. Hello, hello.

So, on our way to making the next Viva album we found something missing & sought to remedy it the best way we know how. While there is indeed a new Viva Voce album forthcoming,....we had to make a detour, and oh what a detour it is.

To put it simply - as Viva Voce, Anita and I had played so long as a duo that we'd forgotten the joys of a communal music experience.
We caught the bug to play with other folks during our performance of “Breathe” (by Pink Floyd) with The Shins on our last tour with them. What a blast! What had we been missing? In addition, it became increasingly clear that our old way of recording (i.e. playing it all ourselves), wasn’t enabling us to keep up with the new and prolific output. The stage was set.

When it became evident we were turning a new curve, the reach wasn’t a stretch at all. Evan Railton, of Portland’s defunct Swords Project, had been delving further into his solo endeavor, (the experimental Ovian) and was ripe for collaboration. A friend for years, all it took was an email.
Dischord Records alumni Seth Lorinczi moved to Portland from San Fran a few years back and our friendship began before the boxes were taped up. His musical pedigree is unmatched (The Quails, Crime in Choir, Golden Bears, et al.), and it took little coercing to pour the foundation.

As natural as it can be - friends playing music together.
Enter Blue Giant.

http://www.myspace.com/bluegiantland

We now have a debut show and in our traditional fashion, we aren't just having a normal affair. We plan to give the new Blue Giant EP to those who come to our show! Consider it a gesture of goodwill to a town that has consistently lent us their ear as we delve further into our musical growth. Obviously, this is huge for us. It's going to be a big night and here's hoping to see you there. Mark yr calendars:
Friday June 20th.
Blue Giant Debut @ Wonder Ballroom in pdx.
All ages! + extended beer garden for our fellow imbibers
with support: Shaky Hands, Lackthereof (d.Seim of menomena)

For those of you not in the Pacific Northwest, there will be a proper release for the EP in the short future, as well as a forthcoming Blue Giant full length - once we've found the proper partners and outlets. We're in the process of sorting that out now, & any business or press inquiries should drop a line to: amore@amorephonics.com


I'll reiterate here that we're not done with Viva by any means and that there is, in fact, a new LP on the way - this is just where our hearts, heads and fingers are at the moment.

We hope you enjoy the new inspiration.

- Kevin Robinson

I absolutely love the new inspiration, thank you very much. Very classic, very classy rock with an edgy southern flavor. It sounds like this:

Lonely Girl (low bitrate/low quality preview mp3)
Target Heart (low bitrate/low quality preview mp3)

I can't stop listening to Lonely Girl.

Clock Hands Strangle

Clock Hands Strangle's Red Shift/Blue Shiftis a folk rock space exploration of the mind and the heart. On this voyage, the band illuminate the phenomena of expansion, contraction, alienation, reconciliation. They highlight the irony that growth and learning can lead to distance and solitude - how our experience and accumulation of knowledge can ultimately make us feel infinitesimal. And they explore the ways our minds try to make sense of it all.

Don't let Redshift/Blueshift's philosophical density turn you off. As rich as the songwriting is, the music is delightfully infectious. Lines like the one below are nestled in bright acoustic melodies, and the hushed vocal harmonies resonate throughout. There's thought in these songs, but it's as much a musical journey as it is a mental one.

Yeah we were born
The same way that the universe began
And as we form
The tiny galaxies in our mind expand

Clock Hands Strangle - Redshift (mp3)
Clock Hands Strangle - Sing It! (mp3)

The Watson Twins, live on The Current, 5-2-2008

Yesterday, The Watson Twins refreshed our memories on their stunning vocal harmonies, when they played 3 songs from their forthcoming album, Fire Songs, on Minnesota Public Radio's The Current.

The Watson Twins (Live on The Current, 5-2-2008)(mp3s):

Just Like Heaven (The Cure)
How Am I To Be
Sky Open Up

Okkervil River - A Hand To Take Hold Of The Scene (Live In-Studio Video From WOXY)

WOXY.com presents: Okkervil River from Soft City Lights on Vimeo.

Mr. Gnome

You're well-familiar with the soft/loud dichotomy by now, but you might not have heard the feminine/masculine or passive/aggressive ones explored in the way Nicole Barille does on Mr. Gnome's latest album, Deliver This Creature, out next Tuesday. These songs are beautifully bipolar.

Mr. Gnome - Pirates (MP3)
Mr. Gnome - Rabbit (MP3)
Mr. Gnome - Night of the Crickets (MP3)