TOD performing “The Rest Will Follow” on the David Letterman Show.
SINGLE REVIEW:The Trail of Dead have jumped labels more than any band I’ve ever tracked with each release and quite consistently. Competing with the Poster Children and a few others with a decent stint on a major label ok maybe not as many as the pkids. Their upcoming release is going to be on their own label – Richter Scale Records. Never had the pleasure of meeting …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead (at least not yet) and or since i knew about their sonic existence (thank you Benny of the Highway) they have been one of my favorite heavy and noisy bands of all time. Well at least since 2001. Everything is really fuzzy before that. Conrad and the boys have persistently managed to bake in all the right elements of guitar swagger, big dumb drums and vocal angst. Giving you this huge soundscape of music. I can hear why Hemispheres was influence on this one with SIDE 1 and Side 2 of continuous music. I can’t wait for Tao of the Dead all to obvious album title. I’m still a devoted fan of their music> Their notereity will be there in a black flag kind of way with many a splinter and broken drum set in their path. The pre-release of Summer of Dead souls track is exactly what you can expect. Check it out on Spin.com. I encourage you to go to town if you dig these tracks and get the whole discography or at least parts of it. The new track is great. Feels right and the good payout is that they did not belabor the output. Less vanilla more rock. How’s that for a short review?
Sample some shit: Gargoyle Waiting from S/T …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead (1998) Trance Syndicate Records
Totally Natural from Madonna (1999) Merge Records. Totally out of character for the bands that were on merge at the time but damn wouldn’t it be funny if they returned like spoon did?
Another Morning Stoner from Source Codes & Tags (2002) Interscope. This is the record that put them on the map blah blah blah. Dude the cool kids picked them up.
Most everybody on the planet has Beatles music in some form or another. So why not get a cover version instead by grabbing a tune from The Ultimate Beatles Cover Band. That’s the name of the band. Seriously. Did I go too fast? You can go pay over the top prices on iTunes of course. That’s your problem. I guess there was some scuttlebutt on a early leak but I’m sure it was done on purpose to fire up the intertweebs. You guys fell for it.
Tomorrow Never Knows (mp3) – From Revolver by The Beatles from the record More Beatles Gold by the band – The Ultimate Beatles Cover Band. Did I loose you yet?
I had the pleasure of hosting Wesley Willis(RIP 1963-2003) a few times on his tours. You might even heard or read me tell the story that every time he managed to break my toilet seats but despite that he was a totally sweet human being. He had his moments being a diagnosed schizophrenic and all and it was quite the chore for any band to bring him out. One of those bands was a Chicago band called Today’s My Super Space Out Day. Sort of a short emo band name by today’s standards but actually a really powerful rock trio. Anyway, below is a jam recorded in my living room in Red Bank, NJ one morning after a rock show. Rock Over London Rock over New Jersey. Now give me a head-butt. Miss you Wesley.
“Ziggy killed the band” by Wesley Willis w/Rick Nitz on Acoustic Guitar from TMSSOD. “Henry Rollins” by Wesley from SMD Promotions CD (autographed)
ALBUM REVIEW: Huge change in what I’ll call introverted Elvis Costello for right now on National Ransom. This music is free in form with the subtle blues and that driving rhythmic bass pounding found on earlier Costello. And that is just on the title track! It’s a glorious intro and mix of style with a tip of the hat to New Orleans instrumentation. Great Americana without the “K”. Let him be your DJ for that hip holiday party. The voice is gritty and sounds like thunder in the evening neon lit clubs that are filled with sadness sometimes, broken bottles and those once smoke filled rooms. The haze is lifted. I believe this is progress in awesome string of records. The bar is set high for any solo singer songwriters. He does great with all these players with no fear. T-Bone Burnett and he have put together something amazing and classic.
Check out a track: Five Small Words by Elvis Costello from National Ransom. This has great country blues swing thing going on. [Buy] Little Triggers from This Year’s Model (1978)
ALBUM REVIEW: Working too much. Too tired to write or listen to music most of the time. I am so pathetic but i did just manage to pick-up Phosphene Dream by The Black Angels. It’s killer psych and i am willing to sacrifice my will.
This is music without the need for acid and the hang-over. [Insert pot reference here] All of it is in here though with the audio experience via tremolo and lots of reverb and stereo panning. Better and bigger than Passover but just as trippy with citar riffs and puffy clouds of dust. Psychedelic slow rock for your dreams. I saw them play during the day time at the All Points West fest and was impressed. This music is better suited for a Apocalypse Now type soundtrack as it floats you down a river of chaos. The track “Telephone” is the only odd ball throwback on here in a jonestown massacre kind of way. I swear it’s a Kinks or Zombies cover. All the tracks are great though and worth a careful listen.
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