The Last Drop

Thao & Mirah, Thao & Mirah  - “Singer-songwriter” has never come to sell me on any musician. In fact, it usually signals a chance for me  to save my cash for something else. Like gum. Or toothpaste. Anything really. Put two together and it only multiplies my antipathy. Much to my surprise, Thao & Mirah are starting to chip away at my well honed diffidence to the term. It doesn’t hurt that they have enlisted the help of my favorite artist of 2011 to date.

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tUnE-yArDs, whokill – Wow. I sat on this draft for over 6 months. And this is probably my favorite album of last year. Well, here’s to cleaning up that old drafts box.

Eccentricity. What’s not to love?! Sure, anyone can come up with a slightly off hand band name, push further into excess with an even odder presentation of the name, and then a crazy sound to boot. Take this for example. But few can pull this off with ease and grace. And subtlety. I know, not quite what one should expect from an album with “kill” in it. But there it is – choice, intention, space – saddling up to experimentation like they belong. And making a good show of it. Yes, I am spending way too much time to say that this will probably be one of my favorite records of the year. So kill me. Read the rest of this entry »

As one of the many who found Sharon Jones, Gabriel Roth and the rest of the Daptones family about 10 years too late, it’s nice to see them get their due proper like in the NYT magazine. AND Amy Wino is only mentioned twice. Doubly great.

Anyway, if you have the extra hour, read the entire 5 pages leisurely.

100 Days, 100 Nights, and more than 100 words

There had been rumors for months on a “Now That’s What I Call” indie album to be released. Seems like it’s finally in the books, set to be released August 21st as This Is Next. As if we weren’t plagued by enough compilations, covers, and collaborations, can we really standardize the independent music genre? If so, will it sell? Vice Records is betting it will.

Track List of This Is Next Volume 1:

01 Bloc Party – “The Prayer”
02 Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Cheated Hearts”
03 Sonic Youth – “Do You Believe in Rapture?”
04 The Shins – “Phantom Limb”
05 Spoon – “The Underdog”
06 Bright Eyes – “Four Winds”
07 Cat Power – “Lived in Bars”
08 Neko Case – “Hold On, Hold On”
09 Of Montreal – “Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse”
10 Deerhoof – “The Perfect Me”
11 The Hold Steady – “Chips Ahoy!”
12 Cold War Kids – “Hang Me Up to Dry”
13 Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – “Colleen”
14 M. Ward – “Chinese Translation”
15 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – “Satan Said Dance”

At first glance, this doesn’t look half bad for a sterile view of mainstream independent tracks. Would have liked to see more females on the list, but I guess girls are only good for a R&B hook to a rap song or high school bubblegum pop i.e. the stuff that actually sells.