Q: What did Scott Adams name the ill-advised cyborg character in his persistent comic strip, Dilbert? A: Ro-Bert! Ha Ha Ha Ha! That’s a pretty good joke, no? Still, that’s not nearly as good as this thing: a Roots-remixed version of Monsters of Folk’s prettiful ode to fairy tales, “Dear God”. Imaginatively titled “Dear God 2.0”, it’ll be appearing on The Roots’ new album How I Got Over, released on June 22. Also, it seems…
Since I’m here, and not really doing anything else of import (tonight’s checklist in chronological order: have a bit of a sit down; listen to the Ray Foley Show Podcast (while sitting); do nothing else of import), I might as well inform you of this thing: Band of Horses’ new album Infinite Arms (which is released into the great wide open next week) can be streamed in its entirety using this “gidget”: I haven’t listened…
I really hope Niamh doesn’t kill me for that title. But yes, I’ve made no bones about my unfettered enthusiasm for Ham Sandwich – I’ve previously told you how heartswellingly splendid they are on precisely four thousand different occasions. But now there are four thousand and one occasions, because I’m about to do it again. The reason for that is this: they’re building up to the May 14th release of their new single “The Naturist”…
I like to think that I keep my finger on the pulse. I sniff out news, I hunt down obscure albums to review, and I rend asunder songs and feast on their bulbous, nutritious entrails. Also, I mix my metaphors, and I get confused about time zones and stuff, and sometimes I sleep until 4pm in the afternoon. All of that somehow adds up to the reason that I bring this to you today, only…
The legendary Pixies frontman has put his entire solo catalog on his site for free. As he proudly proclaims on the site, The site here has been re-vamped a bit. I am most excited about our new player. It has all of the solo releases at the moment. You can play and listen at your leisure. We are hoping to load other releases (Pixies, b-side compilations, etc.) in the future. Which, I must say, is…
Another week sees another new album streaming before its release date. This time around, the band in question is the beloved Brooklyn indie collective The National and the band’s newest effort, High Violet. The New York Times website is hosting the stream and offers a fascinating bio of the band as well. It’s as stirring as 2007’s Boxer. My initial reaction is that this may well be the band’s defining record. It’s that good. If…
The prog band currently has its newest effort, Year of the Black Rainbow, up on its MySpace page to enjoy. It’s due out tomorrow so if you like it, go get it. I’ve never tried to understand the storyline that has gone since The Second Stage Turbine Blade. I just really think that C&C know how to write a fucking great hook and rock the hell out. If you are able to follow the story,…
The Hold Steady have been really pampering us lately, having offered two three new songs off their new album “Heaven is Whenever” for streaming, as of today. Hopefully they can show other bands a lesson on how proper previewing should be made. The latest track upped for sampling is the nostalgic anthem “Weekenders”, a massive song. Really, the scale of the sound is immense! Definitely like it more than “Hurricane J” or “Rock Problems”. All…
So, if you’re of the age where standing up requires a manly grunt and a sturdy handhold, you may remember a time when the Smashing Pumpkins were an exciting, viable rock band, rather than a withering, sputtering self-parody, and when Jane’s Addiction were quirky artisty-types rather than the embarrassing uncles of the alternative scene. It’s fair to say that Apteka – promising upstarts from Chicago – probably have some fond memories of that time, because…
How have we not posted about this already? The Hold Steady’s new album, Heaven is Whenever, is all set for release in May (the 4th in America, 3rd in Europe), and to set tongues a-waggin’, they’ve been drip-feeding songs from the album around the internet like delicious little morsels of heroin – seemingly innocuous, but so very more-ish. So, to start with, our pretentious chums over at Pitchfork have been kindly streaming “Hurricane J”. Go…
Al Byrne
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