Recommended shows: June 29-July 5

Monday, June 30
- Lucinda Williams at Minnesota Zoo
- RZA at First Avenue

Tuesday, July 1
- Merle Haggard at Mystic Lake Casino

Wednesday, July 2
- Drive-by Truckers at First Avenue

New Releases: Tuesday, July 1

Absolutely nothing of interest. A slow week. Maybe it'll be a good week for leaked albums instead.

Entertainment Weekly's 'The New Classics' - Top 100 Albums since 1983

Entertainment Weekly's most recent issue featured the EW 1000, composed of lists and more lists ranking the best cultural artifacts from the last 25 years. Below is the 'new classic' music list in particular.

I can't help but mention a few of my observations. First, it's clear that the cultural influence or impact of the album (or perhaps purely sales alone) is often weighted more than the actual music itself. And they're trying to represent a broad spectrum of genres. So just take that as a given before scanning down the page. That's the only way to explain the inclusion of Kelly Clarkson at #29, right? Or Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, Coldplay, Christina Aguilera, etc. I'm a big Cat Power fan, but my god, #13? Thrilled to see Prince on top...lovin' In Rainbows at #10, but can't believe it outranks the much more influential and groudbreaking (in musical terms at least) Ok Computer which sits at #62. U2, Madonna and Beyonce (wtf?) are the only others to show up twice. Cheers for Tom Waits at #16. As will always be the case, the choices are occasionally obvious, often questionable but fun nonetheless. Enjoy.

1. Purple Rain Prince and the Revolution (1984)
2. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill (1998)
3. Achtung Baby U2 (1991)
4. The College Dropout Kanye West (2004)
5. Madonna Madonna (1983)
6. American Idiot Green Day (2004)
7. The Blueprint Jay-Z (2001)
8. Graceland Paul Simon (1986)
9. Back to Black Amy Winehouse (2007)
10. In Rainbows Radiohead (2007)
11. MTV Unplugged in New York Nirvana (1994)
12. Stankonia OutKast (2000)
13. You Are Free Cat Power (2003)
14. Disintegration The Cure (1989)
15. The Marshall Mathers LP Eminem (2000)
16. Rain Dogs Tom Waits (1985)
17. Odelay Beck (1996)
18. People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm A Tribe Called Quest (1990)
19. Dangerously in Love Beyoncé (2003)
20. Tidal Fiona Apple (1996)
21. The Emancipation of Mimi Mariah Carey (2005)
22. 3 Feet High and Rising De La Soul (1989)
23. The Soft Bulletin The Flaming Lips (1999)
24. Come On Over Shania Twain (1997)
25. Turn On the Bright Lights Interpol (2002)
26. Time Out of Mind Bob Dylan (1997)
27. Funeral Arcade Fire (2004)
28. Illmatic Nas (1994)
29. Breakaway Kelly Clarkson (2004)
30. Appetite for Destruction Guns N' Roses (1987)
31. FutureSex/LoveSounds Justin Timberlake (2006)
32. Life's Rich Pageant R.E.M. (1985)
33. As I Am Alicia Keys (2007)
34. Is This It The Strokes (2001)
35. Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette (1995)
36. CrazySexyCool TLC (1994)
37. The Moon & Antarctica Modest Mouse (2000)
38. Raising Hell Run-DMC (1986)
39. Sheryl Crow Sheryl Crow (1996)
40. Ready to Die The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
41. Legend Bob Marley and the Wailers (1984)
42. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Wu-Tang Clan (1993)
43. Paul's Boutique Beastie Boys (1989)
44. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road Lucinda Williams (1998)
45. If You're Feeling Sinister Belle and Sebastian (1996)
46. Homogenic Björk (1997)
47. Exile in Guyville Liz Phair (1993)
48. American IV: The Man Comes Around Johnny Cash (2002)
49. A Rush of Blood to the Head Coldplay (2002)
50. Sounds of Silver LCD Soundsystem (2007)
51. The Score Fugees (1996)
52. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Spoon (2007)
53. King of America Elvis Costello (1986)
54. Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 Janet Jackson (1989)
55. It Takes a Nation of Millions... Public Enemy (1988)
56. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco (2002)
57. Harvest Moon Neil Young (1992)
58. Surfer Rosa The Pixies (1988)
59. Ray of Light Madonna (1998)
60. Crooked Rain Crooked Rain Pavement (1994)
61. Paid in Full Eric B. & Rakim (1987)
62. OK Computer Radiohead (1997)
63. The Joshua Tree U2 (1987)
64. Mama's Gun Erykah Badu (2000)
65. Elephant The White Stripes (2003)
66. The Chronic Dr. Dre (1992)
67. Metallica Metallica (1991)
68. Wrecking Ball Emmylou Harris (1995)
69. Give Up The Postal Service (2003)
70. My Life Mary J. Blige (1994)
71. Rock Steady No Doubt (2001)
72. 1984 Van Halen (1984)
73. The Queen is Dead Smiths (1986)
74. Play Moby (1999)
75. Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen (1984)
76. Heartbreaker Ryan Adams (2000)
77. Dummy Portishead (1994)
78. Vs. Pearl Jam (1991)
79. Let It Be The Replacements (1984)
80. Back to Basics Christina Aguilera (2006)
81. The Downward Spiral Nine Inch Nails (1994)
82. Grace Jeff Buckley (1994)
83. Learning to Crawl The Pretenders (1984)
84. Low-Life New Order (1985)
85. Home Dixie Chicks (2002)
86. Loveless My Bloody Valentine (1991)
87. All Eyez on Me 2Pac (1996)
88. So Peter Gabriel (1986)
89. Bachelor No. 2 Aimee Mann (2000)
90. Toxicity System of a Down (2001)
91. Siamese Dream Smashing Pumpkins (1993)
92. The Writing's on the Wall Destiny’s Child (1999)
93. Either/Or Elliott Smith (1997)
94. Synchronicity The Police (1983)
95. Trap Muzik T.I. (2003)
96. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea PJ Harvey (2000)
97. Britney Britney Spears (2001)
98. Transatlanticism Death Cab for Cutie (2003)
99. Live Through This Hole (1994)
100. Faith George Michael (1987)

I had no idea that Amazon sells vinyl records!

Hadn't a clue! So a heads up to you vinyl-lovers out there that Amazon has an impressive vinyl record store, including new releases, reissues, used, etc. As the CD continues to fade in use and popularity, we'll be left with MP3s and vinyl and I'm more than happy with that.

Capsule Review - Microcastle

Deerhunter - Microcastle

JTM Grade: 90%

Bradford Cox is twistedly charismatic, talented, ridulously prolific and a superior blogger. Over the last year or so he's spit out the Pitchfork-adored Deerhunter LP Cryptograms and the even better EP Fluorescent Grey. Then there's Atlas Sound, his solo project, which released their debut full-length earlier in the year. And that's not even mentioning the enormous amount of random solo material via said blog. The mad man is constantly on tour somewhere in the world, having recently finished a European stint with Animal Collective. Spencer Krug has some serious competition as indie rock's top workaholic.

Now comes the highly-anticipated Microcastle. Oddly, there is still no release date but it's sure to see the legal light of day some time in '08. This here is some good tunes, people. Much more focused than Cryptograms' deliberate pacing, or Atlas Sound's noodling tendencies. It's a long lost rock album from the late 60's...and not England, but think New York City...Andy Warhol's NYC by way of Atlanta, GA. This has Velvet Underground vibes all over it. Add in some Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth for good measure and you have yourself a mighty fine cocktail. Not derivative mind you. Microcastle is unmistakably the psych-heavy work of Deerhunter and Bradford Cox, but the emphasis is directly on the 'micro.' Whereas Cryptograms had extended, droning interludes between more proper songs, this set has the immediacy that Fluorescent Grey promised. No beating around the bush, only minimal meandering. Shorter and sweeter, and yet not sweet at all. We have yet another contender for AOTY in what is quickly becoming an impressively complicated race.

I know...when am I going to review some bad music, right? It's a constant and justifiable complaint about amateur music bloggers. They just endlessly rant and rave about all they love and adore, criticism be damned. Truly, I'm a discerning and critical dude and don't like everything I hear by a long shot. To prove it to you, I'm off to find some bad or boring music to tell you about next week. Doesn't sound too fun, does it?

Sigur rós guide to pronunciation

Some guy
"Didn't Sigur Rós come out with a new album recently?"

Me
Yeah, it's fantastic! It's called, ummm...med something...it's in another language, Icelandic maybe or else it's made-up completely, I don't know how to say it...it's the album with some naked guys on the front."

If you find yourself in this dilemma, Sigur Rós can sympathize. They've now published a handy Sigur Rós reference guide to pronunciation, complete with MP3 audio samples so you can even hear the words pronounced. How nice.

Kanye West vents about Bonnaroo controversy on his blog

This thing has been quoted just about everywhere today, so why not one more. It's a fun read, even if it demonstrates an shamefully excessive use of CAPS lock.

I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall... Why???? I understand if people don't like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much, But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I've ever had in my life. This is the most offended I've ever been... this is the maddest I ever will be. I'm typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want.... arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, fag whatever you can think of.... BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! THIS SHOWS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THERE TO LIE ABOUT YOU AND BRING YOU DOWN! LIKE WAYNE SAYS PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME DOWN CAUSE I'M FLYING! I'M FUCKING HURT BY THIS ONE. ALL I CARE ABOUT ARE THE FANS. JUST SAY THIS OUT LOUD IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, "KANYE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT GIVING A GOOD PERFORMANCE." CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THAT ????????? HAS ANYONE EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO AT LEAST DO THE MATH??? BONNAROO SHOULD HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT IN MY DEFENSE BUT SINCE THEY HAVEN'T LET'S BREAK DOWN THE WALLS ON THIS TRUMAN SHOW AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY OCCURRED!!! FOR OVER A MONTH WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON WETHER OR NOT WE COULD EVEN FIT MY STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL. ONE DAY THEY WOULD SAY YES... WE'D SEND THEM OUR SPECS THEN THEY THEY'D SAY OK... THEN THEY WOULD SEND SPECS BACK THAT DIDN'T FIT THE STAGE. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH FUCKING IDIOTS WHO DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY. THEY TRIED 2 GIVE ME A TIME SLOT WERE IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE ... I HAVE A FUCKING LIGHT SHOW DUMB ASS, IT'S NOT CALLED GLOW IN THE DARK FOR NO REASON SQUID BRAINS! MY PEOPLE WORKED OUT A COMPROMISED STAGE PLOT AND A 3AM TIME SLOT AND I AGREED. FAST FOWARD TO THE DAY OF THE SHOW. MY PRODUCTION MANAGER TRIED TO LOAD IN FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE BUT THE FESTIVAL WOULDN'T ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING UNTILL PEARL JAM LEFT THE STAGE. PEARL JAM ENDED ONE HOUR
LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT THAT POINT WE'RE RACING AGAINST THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 4:20AM DON COMES BACK 2 THE BUS AND TELLS ME, " IT WOULD TAKE 45 MORE MINUTES TO PUT ALL YOUR PYRO IN!" I SAY I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . I HIT THE STAGE AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN THROWING SHIT ON THE STAGE AND HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE JANE SCREEN WITH, I GUESS BOTTLES OR SOMETHING AND HAD BROKEN MY FUCKING SCREEN. REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A SHORTY AND WATER WOULD HIT THE TV?????? WHEN I GOT 2 "THROUGH THE WIRE" I STEPPED ON THE FRONT PART OF MY STAGE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH LIQUID ON THE STAGE I COULDN'T MOVE WITHOUT SLIPPING. I HAD TO ADJUST MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE STYLE BECAUSE OF IT. A FEW MORE SONGS IN AND THE SONG WAS ON IT'S WAY UP.. I CUT A FEW SONGS FROM THE SET BECAUSE I WANTED PEOPLE 2 EXPERIENCE STRONGER WHILE THERE WAS STILL SOME DARKNESS TO PERFORM IT IN. I'VE STRUGGLED WITH STRONGER FROM IT'S CONCEPTION. REMEMBER LAST SUMMER WHEN I CANCELED SOME TV APPEARANCES. IT WAS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO PERFORM STRONGER IN THE DAYTIME. ANYONE WHO CAME TO THE GLOW TOUR CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE IT PROPERLY. IT BROKE MY HEART THAT I COULDN'T GIVE THESE FANS STRONGER IN IT'S GREATEST FORM... BY THE TIME I GOT TO STRONGER IT WAS DAYTIME AND IT BROKE MY HEART. I'M SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORMANCE I WANTED TO. I'M SORRY... SOMETIMES I GO 2, 3 DAYS W/O SLEEP WORKING ON MY PERFORMANCE... I HAVE TO ICE MY KNEES AFTER EVERY SHOW AND THEY HURT WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT... HAVING AN EXPENSIVE STAGE CUTS MY PAYDAY IN HALF... CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL!!!

Another concert announcement - Silver Jews at Triple Rock on Oct 8

These concert announcements come in bunches. After mentioning just the other day that the Silver Jews hadn't yet come to Minneapolis in their short history of touring, they are now coming to Minneapolis. The can't-miss show will be on Oct 8th at The Triple Rock, an excellent choice of venue.

Neko Case coming to town Sept 18!!

Dear Diary: JACKPOT!

Although not in time for the New Pornos show this past weekend, the broken ankle must be healing nicely. Neko Case will be coming back to Minneapolis for a show at First Avenue on Thursday, Sept 18. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am. About a week later, we'll get to see her yet again when she plays at ACL fest in Austin. I think that will put us at about 9 times that we will have seen her live, the most of anyone. She's a touring machine, that girl.

NPR Poll - Best Album of 2008 (so far)

A fun little poll at NPR's All Things Considered blog. Here are the results so far...

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Beck lets loose two more tracks from Modern Guilt

Over on iLike, Beck has released two more full-length tracks from the upcoming Modern Guilt. The two tracks, Orphans and Gamma Ray, are excellent little nuggets, too. This is important because of that pesky game of expectations. The caliber of the three tracks released thus far (the other one being Chemtrails) is hinting at a Beck rejuvenation. I haven't been the biggest fan of his most recent works (e.g. The Information, Guero)...passable but not especially memorable; however, my expectations are climbing by the minute as I await Modern Guilt's leak. Interestingly, although the album isn't out officially until July 8, you can hear it on a jukebox across the country starting July 1st. I know I don't exactly frequent bars anymore, but who knew jukeboxes were still a source of amusement? Silly me.

NIN rehearse '1,000,000' for upcoming tour and it kinda kicks ass

Recommended shows: June 22-28

Wednesday, June 25
- Shearwater at The Entry

Thursday, June 26
- Frog Eyes at The Triple Rock

Friday, June 27
- Dosh at First Avenue

Saturday, June 28
- Kid Dakota, The Alarmists, Aviette (CD Release show) at The Triple Rock

New Releases : Tuesday, June 24

- Hercules & Love Affair, S/T
- Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville (Reissue)
- Paul Weller, 22 Dreams
- Saul Williams, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust
- Sigur Rós, með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
- The Wombats, A Guide To Love, Loss and Desperation

Rock the Pavement

Just back from Rock the Garden. We ended up having a great time, but honestly, folks, the event was a mixed bag. The music was good all around but the setup and space configuration was dreadful. Upon arrival, we waited in line for 30 minutes, missing half of Bon Iver's set. Not a good start. I heard him play an especially rousing version of 'Skinny Love' but never saw it. Once through the pointless bottleneck of an entrance, you see the problem immediately. The single stage is setup on a two-lane city street running east-west and there's no shoulder to speak of, so it's narrow. The vendors are packed in on each side, further increasing congestion. The food and beverage lines were absurdly long and criss-crossed back and forth, essentially taking up half of the viewing area for the stage! Remember, we're on a street so it's all on blacktop. You can forget about any 'garden.' Actually, if anything, the sculpture garden and mini-golf course did nothing but awkwardly obstruct the space. To top things off, thanks to some brilliant foresight, when you're facing the stage you're also staring directly into the sun.

There is this alluring grassy knoll off to the side that acts as a natural amphitheater, if only the stage were facing that direction! Instead, once you are able to make your way along a circuitous path up to the hill (it was not easy), you find yourself far off to the side and even behind the stage. The sound from that perspective was muddy and echoed off of the Walker building. Still, it was comfortable and open so we headed up there for Cloud Cult's set. Could have been great, sounded like it had potential, but like I said, the sound from that vantage was iffy at best. This picture from my phone is the best I can do to illustrate the situation.

Next up was The New Pornographers. We ditched the hillside in frustration and made our way back down to the pavement. Now, I'll stop the complaining. From here on out, we started to coast. We ran into some friends, relaxed and took in some great music. Neko and Dan were absent, but AC Newman and company ran through a riveting set nonetheless, moving the crowd to dance as the sun lowered in the sky. The New Pornos saved the night for us. It was only then that it began to feel like a true rock festival. They closed the lively set with an all too fitting cover of E.L.O's 'Don't Bring Me Down.'

Up until that point, the weather had been picture perfect all afternoon, not a cloud in the sky; however, when Andrew Bird began his headlining set, a few ominous clouds rolled in, threatening enough for Bird to halt for 15 minutes mid-set and wait out a passing shower. After just a few cooling sprinkles, he soon came back to triumphantly finish up the night. We left just before the end of his set and strolled through Loring Park listening to his violin plucks, impeccable whistling and adoring words for Minneapolis. Loring Park, you say? Now doesn't that sound like a promising location for a rock festival. Nah, that'd be silly. Sarcasm aside, it turned into a perfect night despite my initial misgivings. Let's just hope they work out the logistical bugs before next time.

Rock The Garden this Saturday

The Minneapolis mini-festival Rock The Garden is finally here. We have our babysitter lined up, the weather is gonna be perfect, Summit will be served and the bands are top notch, albeit a tad on the mellow side. Let's hope the energy is high. This thing has been sold out for months but I haven't a clue what size of crowd to expect. The sculpture garden isn't all that big. We'll have to see. I'll be sure to take some pics and post 'em later this weekend. Hmm...The Current site says no photography, but that can't be true, can it?

In the meantime, here's a quick sampling of the line-up for those of you who may not be familiar with the bands.

Sigur Ros coming to Mpls, but I won't be in town!!!

Damn. Without fail, every single time I head down to Austin, I miss out on a fantastic live act that comes through Minneapolis. It's true that when I'm down in Austin, I'm usually there to see scores of live bands and should be mighty thankful for that. I know this. But still...the inevitability of this pattern drives me nuts! Even more annoying is that the band I miss is typically one I'd sell a kidney to see live. And so, while I'm down in Austin for ACL, Sigur Ros, recently acclaimed by your's truly, has a stop in Minneapolis on Sept 25th for a performance at the Orpheum. Damn.

Dates below, and thanks to Stereogum for rubbing it in my face.
09/17 - New York, NY @ The United Palace
09/18 - New York, NY @ The United Palace
09/19 - Boston, MA @ Bank Of America Pavilion
09/20 - Montreal @ Quai Jacques Cartier
09/22 - Toronto, Massey Hall
09/23 - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
09/24 - Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre
09/25 - Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
09/27 - Denver, CO @ Morrison Red Rocks Amphitheatre
09/28 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Saltair
09/30 - Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
10/01 - San Diego, CA @ Copley Symphony Hall
10/02 - Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre
10/03 - Berkeley, CA @ The Greek Theatre
10/05 - Seattle, WA @ Benaroya Hall
10/06 - Portland, OR @ Arlene Schnitzer Theatre
10/07 - Vancouver, The Chan Centre

Kid Rock PSA : 'Steal Everything'

Girl Talk's new LP now available FOR FREE

If you hadn't heard yet, Girl Talk's new album Feed the Animals is now available online for free* as originally promised by the mash-up maestros. Enjoy.

*pay or don't pay, Radiohead-style

GNR's Chinese Democracy leaks!?

Guns 'N Roses' Chinese Democracy is the modern era's most delayed, mocked and infamous record that never was. Every year it's on the release calendar, and every year it's postponed until the next year. This has been going on since around 1994, people!! At this point, it's nothing more than an Axl Rose solo album and I'd begun to think it was only a fable spread amongst geeky music fans. But no! Apparently, the legend is real and furthermore, as of yesterday, a large portion of Chinese Democracy leaked. It has already been removed from the guilty and now instantly-famous site, but I'm sure it won't take more than a Google search or two to locate an active torrent. I haven't tried to find it yet. You see, I'm torn. It's sad really. One of the great and longstanding jokes of rock is about to die. It's like we're finally seeing Bigfoot, live and in person, guest-hosting on Regis and Kelly. The mystery is gone.

Another Radiohead contest : Vote for best animated video

First came the DJ-friendly contest in which anyone could purchase components (aka 'stems') of the In Rainbows track 'Nude' and upload their very own remix on this site. Over 2200 remixes were submitted, people voted and the top vote-getters were supposedly listened to by the band themselves.

Now comes a contest requiring even more creativity and technical expertise. Some months ago, animators were asked to submit an original animated video set to any track from In Rainbows. Over 1,000 were submitted and 13 finalists chosen. Now we're all asked to watch and vote for the very best on Radiohead's MySpace page. Or for your convenience, I've embedded it right here:

PopMatters interviews David Berman (of Silver Jews)

The new Silver Jews record Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea quietly came out this week, in what is a busy week of new releases. Check out the fantastic cover art! The album showcases yet another great set of songs from wordsmith David Berman. Vibe is more country this go around, and features more vocal partnering with his wife Cassie. As I've found to be typical of the Silver Jews, the songs sneak up on you both yrically and melodically. It's what they call 'a grower.' The lead Jew himself recently talked with PopMatters. Until just the last year or two, the guy never had toured before, but now he's become much more comfortable with it. Still no Twin Cities appearances yet, however.

Gnarls Barkley, Black Crowes, Black Keys among Minnesota State Fair acts

A couple of years ago, the Minnesota State Fair was the unlikely venue for the fantastic pairing of The Flaming Lips and Sonic Youth. Whoever booked that show, should be promoted. Last year, nothing interesting showed up so I figured it was a one-time fluke but now comes news that this year's "Great Minnesota Get-Together" will feature a Gnarls Barkley concert (Aug 27) as well as a Black Crowes/Black Keys line-up (Aug 30). If you're curious, here's the full schedule of varied performers this year at the Grandstand. Beware, tickets look pricey.

Aug 21 - 3 Doors Down, Staind & Hinder (Wow!)
Aug 22 - Brad Paisley w/ Jewel
Aug 23 - The Backstreet Boys (wtf?)
Aug 24 - Buddy Guy w/ local hero Jonny Lang plus Big Head Todd & The Monsters (personal aside: Buddy Guy was my very first concert, and I once worked with Jonny Lang's sister!)

Aug 25 - Dierks Bentley & Miranda Lambert (Who are they?)
Aug 26 - Paramore & Phantom Planet
Aug 27 - Gnarls Barkley
Aug 28 - Mark Schultz (ditto, who is this guy?)
Aug 29 - A Prairie Home Companion w/ Garrison Keillor
Aug 30 - The Black Crowes & The Black Keys
Sept 1 - Ford Motors spokesman and American Patriot Toby Keith

Lollapalooza schedule released, official aftershows announced!

At long last, go here for the Lollapalooza schedule. There's some decisions to be made, but the only true scheduling disaster is Saturday night's Wilco vs. Rage. You'd think the two would have different audiences, but for me, that's a big conflict.

Also exciting is the announcement of aftershows at local Chicago venues during the fest. Tickets for all official aftershows go on sale on June 21. I don't know if I'll have the energy or finances to attend, but if I do, I'm game for Broken Social Scene w/ Yeasayer on Saturday night.

Capsule Review - með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust

Sigur Rós - með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
(trans: with a buzz in our ears we play endlessly)

JTM Grade: 97%

Remember the first time you heard Sigur Rós? I do. That otherworldly voice, singing an invented language (Hopelandic), was an instrument unto itself. It somehow captured the ineffable nature of music. I remember seeing Sigur Rós in concert and falling under a semi-hypnosis state during the performance. It was the musical equivalent to a spiritual experience. Sounds ridiculous, I know.

Ágætis Byrjun (1999) was their second full-length album, but the first that gained universal acclaim and notoriety for the Icelanders. It's a flat-out masterpiece. We can agree on that. Since that time, Sigur Rós have released two fine LPs and a couple other recordings but sadly, I began to take them for granted. They lost their allure. The majesty and beauty was still there but the power was not. I grew impatient with their songs, waiting around for the inevitable climax after 7 minutes of gradual build-up. Yes, it was all very pretty but it wasn’t often that I went back and listened to a Sigur Rós album deliberately.

All that changes with með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. What was old is new again. How best to describe this triumph of an album? In my mind, this is what spring in Iceland must be like, or maybe global warming has settled in and it ain't so bad after all. Whatever freeze/thaw metaphor you choose, the headline here is that Sigur Rós have lifted up the veil. The beautiful dirges remain (and better than ever) but what’s refreshing is a newfound jubilance. I’ll even throw out that terrible word, whimsy. The new and improved Sigur Rós sound downright whimsical. And to think that you could even consider dancing to a Sigur Rós song is nothing short of absurd, but that’s exactly my impulse when I hear the opening track, 'Gobbledigook.' As an added bonus, a majority of the songs clock in at less than 5 minutes, and astonishingly, the final song 'All Alright' is sung in English. I prefer the sacred characteristic of the made-up language, so hopefully that's a one-off stunt. That being said, it speaks volumes about their intentions. Sigur Rós are consciously branching out into new territory here. In fact, they're leaping forward.

I could go on and on, but I think the cover art speaks for itself. The image encapsulates the beauty, the mood and the emotion this music instills. And what music it is.

Bon Iver Take-Away Show; Spoon Daytrotter session

It's a good day for exclusive live performances on the interweb:

First head on over to the excellent Take-Away Shows site for some Bon Iver. Gets me excited for his set as part of the Rock The Garden festival this weekend. The early forecast is looking like mid-80s and sunny!

Next, I recommend you visit Daytrotter for their just-released Spoon session which includes a Paul Simon cover. This just reaffirms Daytrotter's status as one of the best music sites around.

New Releases : Tuesday, June 17

- Coldplay, Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
- Mogwai, Young Team (Deluxe Edition/Reissue)
- My Brightest Diamond, A Thousand Shark's Teeth
- Notwist, The Devil, You + Me
- Silver Jews, Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
- Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer

Recommended shows: June 15-21

Monday, June 16
- Constantines at The Entry

Wednesday, June 18
- The Black Angels at Turf Club

Saturday, June 21
- 'Rock the Garden' at Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
featuring Andrew Bird, The New Pornographers, Cloud Cult & Bon Iver

- Mark Mallman at The Entry

Watching Metallica

They're playing exclusively old classics so far. Harvester of Sorrow! No Remorse! And Justice for All! I can't help but be nostalgic. Some of you know this already, but for those who don't, I'll just confess: I used to be a metalhead in my former life. Now I just want Megadeth to come on stage next.

Bonnaroo weekend

The massive 4-day (& night) festival is probably hitting its stride on this Friday evening. Metallica plays tonight in what you might call a 'comeback' performance, and likely will feature a taste of their widely discussed new material. Not sure if the band is relevant anymore, but maybe I'm underestimating the fellas. Still, this festival is an odd forum. Are hippies and indie kids Metallica's target audience? See for yourself as AT&T Blue Room broadcasts live from Bonnaroo. Metallica is just now going on stage actually.

I know one thing that is certain. Afterwards hippies and hipsters will come together in harmony to see Bonnaroo legends My Morning Jacket finish out the night from midnight to 3am. Let's hope they DO NOT play 'Highly Suspicious.' What other festival routinely ends around 5am each night?! Fantastic. I've never made the trip to Tennessee for this thing but one of these years, I'll have to give it a shot.

The Current's representin' down there this year. Jill Riley is posting on The Current Blog throughout the weekend.

Brother on board

It's official. My brother is now fully committed after buying his ticket to Chicago. I wasn't gonna hold my breath until I saw the receipt, and now I have. No backing out now, bud. He'll be coming up all the way from Austin to meet me in Chicago for some Perry Farrell-endorsed mania at this year's Lollapalooza. I'm thrilled to have a roommate and enthusiastic concert-goer along for the trip. Plus, I can't remember the last time, if ever, that my brother and I went on a trip together. Lookin' forward to it. Oh, and I'm also looking forward to that band Radiohead. Rumor is that they're a decent live act.

Spiritualized and Mogwai coming to town in September

In local concert news, it's been announced that Spiritualized is coming to First Avenue on September 10th. Excellent. The new album Songs in A&E is their best in years, and I've always wanted to see the Spaceman live. I'll also be catching their tour later in the month at ACL.

Bad timing, but while I'm in Austin, Mogwai will be back up here playing First Avenue on the 27th of September. If you want hearing damage, that's the gig for you.

Suggestions from Craig : 5 Bad Ass Songs You Probably Haven't Heard

A friend of mine in Austin sent this e-mail to me this morning. I found it entertaining and musically relevant so why not just post it here? I'm not familiar with any of the songs listed, so if you are, let me know if they are truly 'bad ass.'

Here is an email that started to send about 4 years ago. Occasionally I have run across it and thought that I should go ahead and send it. Other times I have thought it was a silly email and should be discarded as a relic from the past. Also, it was never finished. But still, over the years, I keep thinking about this email for some reason. I keep regretting that I never sent it.

So here it is folks. The legendary (in Craig's mind) email that time almost forgot. Actually, let me qualify this, it isn't really an email. It is just a list, I never got around to writing the surround fluff text, as I have done so nicely in this email. It's called "5 Bad Ass Songs You Probably Haven't Heard"


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1. Montrose - Rock Candy
2. Run DMC - Here We Go 2001
3. Extreme - It's a Monster
4. Tommy Lee - Fame 2002
-------

You will note that I never came up with a fifth item. I would also like to point out in case of the unlikely event that any of you actually listen to any of these songs, I'm not claiming that they are great songs, I am claiming that they are "bad ass."

I am resisting the urge once again to not send this nonsensical email. I hope that the burden of having sent this will be less than that of having not. Now you all must share my curse.

Capsule Review - Viva La Vida

Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends

JTM Grade: 65%

The band all us indie kids love to hate is back with what will surely be the best selling rock album of the 2008. Hatred for this band is well documented in music blogs so I'll try not to dwell on my personal biases concerning Chris Martin and his insufferable band Coldplay. I have an open mind. That's my mantra. I'll also go ahead and admit that I never listened to a second of X&Y and have only heard the best singles from Rush of Blood to the Head. So for me, Viva La Vida is a sophomore album, following a good debut, Parachutes and the dynamic duo of singles 'The Scientist' & 'Clocks.' Has it really been eight years since Parachutes?! Sure took 'em a while for a follow-up. What has that goofy guy been up to?

In case you hadn't heard, Brian Eno produced and his influence is all over these new songs. For the most part, this is a good thing. You could easily mistake several songs as U2. Try 'Cemeteries of London' on for size, Bono. Easy to say that's the Eno effect, but we all know Martin brazenly wears his influences on his sleeve, too. Imitations...err...I mean influences aside, Coldplay is at their anthemic best here as demonstrated on the excellent title track 'Viva La Vida,' which you may have seen in a psychedelic Apple ad. Other highlights include 'Violet Hill' and the Radiohead-lite '42.' And so, as a collection of marvelous stand-alone singles, the album is a surprising success. I can't help but like it. Just about any song you choose could be a hit. Unfortunately, there's more going on here than just a bunch of songs. This thing is beggin' for some artistic cred. Chris Martin is a very passionate, sincere dude and some asshole has turned his self-importance knob up to 11. Honestly, I can do nothing but groan at the idea of a Coldplay concept album so I just prefer not to think of it that way. Did my bias come through?

P.tv talks to David Bryne about his latest building project

You could argue that turning an entire building in NYC into an instrument that you play on an organ pump is completely absurd. But it's also very cool. I'd sure as hell be waiting in line if I had the chance. Everyone knows how I feel about David Byrne. He's pretty much a genius. That being said, the guy must have lots of time on his hands.

New Releases : Tuesday, June 10

- Black Lips, S/T (LP reissue on clear vinyl)
- Joan as Police Woman, To Survive
- My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
- N.E.R.D., Seething Sounds
- Supergrass, Diamond Hoo Ha
- Twilight Sad, Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did

Recommended shows: June 8-14

Wednesday, June 11
- Iron & Wine at First Avenue

Thursday, June 12
- Aimee Mann at Minnesota Zoo
- Gogol Bordello at The Cabooze

Saturday, June 14
- Lightspeed Champion at The Entry

Thom and Jonny informally cover Portishead's 'The Rip'

Radiohead has been soundchecking a version of 'The Rip' during their current summer tour but haven't yet included it on an actual set list. Maybe at Lolla. This also happens to be my favorite track off Portishead's Third album.


Find more videos like this on w.a.s.t.e. central

posting

i'm trying to post from my cell since i'm out of town. John and I saw Retribution Gospel Choir and Mark Kozelek last night @ Varsity. Retribution was fantastic...they played just about every track from their album. Eric Pollard was especially impressive on drums. Kozelek followed by washing us in acoustic sounds and his haunting voice, but alas, it was just too mellow after gettin' revved up by Retribution...he sounded good and all but we couldn't stick it out and left before his set was up. Poor form, I know.

Slew of new albums announced this week, and Coldplay leaks

Just as the release calendar was beginning to look sparse after a strong first half, out comes several announcements from across the indie universe. Keep an eye out on those torrents for...

The Walkmen - You & Me (Aug 19)
Calexico - Carried to Dust (Sept 9)
Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling (Sept 23)
Deerhoof - Offend Maggie (Oct 7)

The high profile leak of the week goes to Coldplay's Viva la Vida. It could be coincidence but only a day later and Coldplay is now streaming the entire new album on iheartmusic.com. Never heard of the site, but cheers to them.

If you fall in the 'I don't give a shit about Coldplay' camp, go find Deerhunter's highly anticipated Microcastle which also leaked earlier in the week. I highly recommend it.

Portishead interview

PopMatters has posted a nice little feature article and interview with Portishead, who returned triumphantly to the music scene this year with their Third LP. And since you asked, yes, the album is incredible. If you're gonna tell me that trip-hop is SO last decade, don't bother. This isn't trip-hop. It's still Portishead (i.e. Beth Gibbons' voice, cinematic, dark as hell), but there's little in the way of hip-hop beats to be found this go-round. I haven't mentioned it before, but Third is easily my pick for AOTY so far, even surpassing the like of Wolf Parade, Nick Cave, Shearwater, etc. To come back after a ten year hiatus and put out material like this is nothing short of amazing.

ACL Fest Schedule released

The schedule for this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival was released this morning. The schedule, not the line-up, is typically the make or break of a festival. Luckily, not too many conflicts for ACL, except for on Saturday evening. First we have The Black Keys vs Iron & Wine. Then the headliner face-off is Robert Plant/Alison Krauss vs Beck. I've been especially excited to see Robert Plant live but it'd be hard to not go for Beck in a festival atmosphere. The rest of the entire schedule works out fine for our preferences. Gettin' excited! How come no Lollapalooza schedule yet?!

Yeasayer plays '2080' on Brooklyn rooftop

It's been exactly a year since I first saw Yeasayer live and first heard the fantastic song that is '2080.' I honestly can't remember the last time a tune stuck with me for this long. Seeing as I can't get enough of it, here's a groovy version recorded by Pitchfork.tv this past winter on a cold Brooklyn rooftop.

Bo Diddley is dead at age 79

Bo Diddley, guitar hero, blues legend and innovator of one of the most recognizable and imitated guitar styles in the history of rock (i.e. the 'Bo Diddley beat'), died today at age 79. The list of his those he influenced would be enormous, but I'll namecheck The Rolling Stones and The Who for starters. In fact, I took this History of Rock 'n Roll class in college and the instructor had us listen to Bo Diddley back-to-back with The Who's 'Magic Bus' and it was astonishing how similar they sounded.

Cobain's ashes MIA

Kurt Cobain's remaining ashes were reportedly stolen from Courtney Love's house in Los Angeles! This is disheartening news. Bizarre and just plain wrong. Can there be a market for this sort of thing? However, I couldn't help but laugh at one insightful NME reader's response to the news: "Does anyone know where Keith Richards was the night of the robbery?"