When I recently went to see Unknown Mortal Orchestra play in Chicago, the opening act was their Jagjaguwar label mates Foxygen. I had never heard of them before, however I must say that not only was I duly impressed enough to delve further into their oeuvre, but there were probably more people there to see […]
Song Of The Day – “Most People” by Dawes
Dawes make musical catnip circa 1976 for Mumford-loving, aging boomers who are desperately trying to stay musically relevant, while never ever leaving their musical comfort zone. And along with Fleet Foxes, Dawes have created a sound that is grounded in well-written songs, hummable melodies, plush harmonies and poetic lyrics that are chock full of credibility, […]
Song Of The Day – “Lightning Bolt” by Jake Bugg
Things you need to know about Jake Bugg… 1. He’s not a young Dylan. There was only one young Dylan and he’s not young anymore. 2. He’s not a New Dylan. You can choose everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Elvis Costello to Beck to fill in the blank, none of them were new Dylans, and […]
Today in Rock History – November 30
1963, The Beatles second album With The Beatles became the first million selling album by a group in the UK. 1968, Glen Campbell started a five-week run at number one on the album chart with “Wichita Lineman.” The song was written by Jimmy Webb, who’s inspiration for the lyrics came while driving through Washita County […]
Song Of The Day – “Careers In Combat” by Parquet Courts
I love the Pitchfork Music Festival. It’s my one opportunity per year to feel a little ahead of the curve when it comes to discovering new music. Attending the festival gives me bragging rights about getting the chance to see bands before they make it big. Pitchfork is also the most user friendly of all […]
Song Of The Day – “When My Man Comes Home” by Brittany Howard and Ruby Amanfu
Yesterday I wrote about a single from Jack White’s Third Man Record label by Gibby Haynes of The Butthole Surfers. The record was a recent release in Third Man’s “Blue Series” of 45rpm releases. Over the past few years, Third Man has released interesting one-off singles by the likes of Beck, Tom Jones, Stephen Colbert, […]
Song Of The Day – “The Holy Drinker” by Steven Wilson
If you thought that the progressive rock dinosaurs that dominated the musical landscape of the 1970s were all but extinct today, think again. Sure, bands like Yes and Jethro Tull are still churning out the classics on stages around the world, but in recent years the prog-rock scene has seen a full on rejuvenation starting […]
Song Of The Day – “Answering Machine” by The Replacements
When they were good, they were really great. But when The Replacements were bad, they were truly awful. Seeing The Replacements in concert was always a crap shoot. Whether it was boredom from being on the road, or just youthful blowing off steam, you never really knew what you were going to get when you […]
Song Of The Day – “While I’m Alive” by STRFKR & “Young Turks” by Sexton Blake
Sure, you’d be hard-pressed to forgive them for a band name as over the top as STRFKR (which is short for Starfucker). But props are firmly in order because over the past few years they’ve released three solid albums; chock full of deliciously danceable and tuneful electro pop confections. STRFKR’s roots are in solo projects […]
Song Of The Day – “From The Sun” by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Out of the murky haze of gauze- encased melodies and tranquilized, processed vocals arrives the second album from Unknown Mortal Orchestra, cleverly titled II. UMO is the brain child of Ruban Nielson, formally of the band Mint Chicks, who counts artists as diverse as Captain Beefheart and Sly Stone as major influences. Their muffled sound […]
