As we prepare to feast today I thought I’d post some songs about love and giving a big thanks to the Review Stalker readers, Twitter Followers, music fans and bands. All 3 of you know who you are so a sincere thank you! Finding good songs that are a true thank you was hard. Anyway, It was little over a year ago we went big time with the official RS blog domain. Everybody wants to own their own brand. Right? The unofficial one lived for many years on blogger. Not a huge leap really just more control on this end. I basically just promised myself to put more than 5 cents of my time into it because I spent a lot more time than that listening to all sorts of music anyway and visiting other great music blog sites. Plus it’s always nice to keep one’s ears fresh. So I built a better mouse trap. Anyway, thank you for sending the latest and greatest new music so keep it coming people! Now go get stuffed. I have to go work on my best of 2011 list.
Thanks Giving Playlist:
01) Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) MP3 by Sly & The Family Stone (1970) Nothing says family like a Sly song. Such great music for such song that was written during the middle of the Vietnam war.
02) Very Nervous and Love (Album) MP3 by J. Mascis from Several Shades of Gray (2011) Fantastic mellow J release from this year. It’s going in the consideration pile for best of the best.
03) Thank You Jack White MP3 by The Flaming Lips from the Flight Test EP (2003) Funny personal diary song by Wayne Coyne and the boys giving thanks to Mr. White.
04) Inside of Love MP3 by Nada Surf from Let go (2002) One of the best guitar pop bands of the past two decades. I’m on the hunt for the female fronted version of this band. Any recommendations?
05) We All Love Mother MP3 by Crowder Brothers (1936) From Robert Crumb’s The Stuff That Dreams are Made of A very rare and obscure hillbilly song.
06) True Love Will Find You In The End MP3 by Daniel Johnston from 1990
07) You Don’t Love Me Yet MP3 by Bongwater from Double Bummer CD (1990). Probably one of my favorite covers & around songs all in one. I think I’ve posted it at least 3 times in the history of the RS blog. My daughter just mad my day already by asking to turn this one up. Usually it’s the opposite.
08) Lovenest MP3 by The Wedding Present from Seamonsters (1991) This is my favorite David Gedge release. Maybe because it’s the first one I ever heard. Warning it contains mountain high guitar walls of sound.
09) Don’t Laugh (I Love You) MP3 by Ween from God Ween Satan The Oneness (1991) Quite frankly no music fan should be without this record. It’s a critical element in the lo-fi genre.
10) Love Buzz MP3 by Nirvana Live in Amsterdam 11/25/91. This is a amazing live recording. Totally in their prime in this live set. If you friend the RS blog on the bookface there you will find a link in the notes to download the whole set.
Now go make a list and support your local record store tomorrow on Black Friday. Happy Hunting!
We recently did a bunch posts of women in rock that matter so here’s our favorite Jersey GirlNicole Atkins doing a couple covers and a series of video vignettes from her new record Mondo Amore (Lots of love) for her single “Dark Magic in Your Eyes”. She’s remisicent of a rocking Patti Smith and the country style of Juliana Hatfield but with her own vocal style. When listening to her music and watching her videos you get this sense there’s a lot of demons but not in a evil Courtney Love way but more of a Anais Nin old soul kind of way. If in victorian times there was rock music she’d be the queen of the scene. Which is passion recomposed for 2011.
Sexy Nicole Atkins Photos by Lucia Holm
She’s been at this music thing probably since her birth 32 or so years ago and putting out records, playing and singing on other people’s records. A hardworking musician with a mission slowly building up a following from North Carolina to New York and about to embark on a short tour to make her mark a little deeper in your heart. Lets see kicking it off with Bowery Ballroom show ain’t too shabby.
Here’s a Video of another track called “Vultures” directed by my pal Mandy Bisesti and photographer Lucia Holm (actually I think these Jerzy girls have done all of the videos from Ms. Atkins’s new album). This one seems to have been shot in Monmouth County from the looks of it along the banks of Red Bank, New Jersey — one of my old stomping, rocking and drinking grounds. It’s deep, dark and beautifully shot; really giving the song and the listener a baptism.
Download music and covers: Inside Of Love MP3 Nada Surf cover by Nicole Atkins from Digs Other People’s Song’s – Probably one my favorite Matthew Caws tracks and she builds it beautifully. [Buy] Under The Milky Way MP3 Cover by The Church Also unadulteratedly good. She was 10 when Starfish came out. Must have discovered them when lived in Australia. Cool Enough MP3 from Neptune City (2007 Columbia)
Welcome, here’s the first 7 of my best of lucky 13 albums for 2010. I’m breaking it up so you get a chance to listen to this first batch. Lots of albums will be in a different list all their own like No Age, She & Him II, and Superchunk just to keep you guessing. Although great bands they did not make it to this particular list. Here’s the review stalker guidelines for selecting this years list. Pretty general stuff but anyway. Enjoy! Rule: 1 Don’t stick to any one sub-genre if you can help it although you like what you like. Rule: 2 These are albums not hit songs or singles although a good album has stand-out tracks it needs songs around them that make sense so the record needs to gel from the beginning to end. One song does not an album make unless it’s a amazing song. Rule: 3 Just because a band made great record in the past doesn’t automatically qualify them. Although if it’s kind to your ears for reason you can’t explain put it on the list! Rule: 4 These are not Grammys so don’t make obvious choices mix and shake it up some variety. Not even easy as a guideline unless it’s a specific black metal list. Rule: 5 Listen with your ears on and check out these songs if you’re not familiar with them already. Make a mix and share it with your friends. Then go support the bands you like and buy their music you cheap ass. That’s the point.
The Soft Pack via Kemado Records
13) The Soft Pack – Self Titled
This band used to be called The Muslims and not sure why they changed their name to something more PC. Sort of lame but whatever. My friend Albie turned me on to them and just based on this song alone they made it to my best of list. I don’t know a whole hell of a lot about them other than they know how to compose a good rock song or two. See I’m breaking my own rules already.
Listen: Download MP3: C’Mon [Buy]
The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever
12) The Hold Steady – Heaven Is Whenever
This is their Let it Bleed. This is band knows how to lay it down and are relentless despite the departure of their keyboard player, the rhythm section, the solos are right in the sweet spot, and big rock ideals make every track a keeper. Singing songs about girls and drinking doesn’t get any better than this. Shit there are only four chords anyway.
Listen: The Weekenders MP3 [Buy]
Nada Surf - If I Had a Hi-Fi
11) Nada Surf – If I Had A Hi-Fi
This is a cover Album. Wait what? Yeah and you know what it’s awesome all the way through. Every song sounds like it could be a Nada Surf song. They are songs that have inspired them or they inspired it seems to me. It’s confusing but hot damn they do everything justice. It’s a first here for sure. Here’s our review with all the original versions of the songs(almost).
10) The Black Angels – Phosphene Dream
Psychedelic or Psych or voodoo rock. This record is huge. The sound track for a all out acid war. Picture tar pits burning and people running around naked like a scene out of True Blood. That’s track 1 and it just gets wilder from there. These are images this music conjures up. A little Jim Morrison a little led zeppelin. This stuff is huge and simple at the same time.
Listen: Telephone MP3 [Buy]
The Fall - Your Future Our Clutter
9) The Fall – Your Future Our Clutter
Mark E. Smith is the grand creator of alternative punk among the best of the . A constant artist who keeps moving The Fall’s music even it should not be moved. His place in history was chiseled and yet he chooses to take the same old atonal ingredients using keyboards, drums, and bass bulldoze over his own castle and fill it with more crazy moaning alchemy. Great noise.
Listen: Hot Cake [Buy]
Sweet Apple Love & Desperation
8 ) Sweet Apple – Love & Desperation
Lots of big rock jams on here of the kind pot smoking variety. Another big rock entry on this best of list. Besides the fact it has variable rock star weight this is great. That’s all.
Listen: Flying Up A Mountain MP3 [Buy]
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tattoo
7)Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Beat The Devil’s Tattoo
This is southern black magic. This shit rocks hard and is relentlessly distorted with creepy church organs. I like them so much because they remind of the american version of The Jesus and Mary Chain sometimes. All the guitars sound great and fills a huge space.
Listen: Beat The Devil’s Tattoo MP3 [Buy]
ALBUM REVIEW: It’s becoming quite the indie thing to cover things that inspire you. Used to be old form for labels in 50’s 60’s and 70’s to have their big star play a great song by up and coming artists. Actually I don’t think that practice ever stopped in this case we must behold Mathew Caws as a curator with exceptional taste on If I had a hi-fi. I’d guess he might have wished he wrote the song picks on this record because honestly if you told me hey here is new Nada Surf i would of said great and carried on with my album review. Actually, that is almost what happened but as looked at the liner notes and production credits it dawned on me. Sure the sticker on the cover gave it away that there were few covers like DEpeche F*cking Mode? So expected a couple but Really and entire Cd’s worth? Cool. I have to admit some of these bands I’ve never heard of but acts poptopia bands like The Go-Betweens. Anyway, you can find most of these bands on emusic so if you are hurting for some selects. Start here and then go crazy.
Covers by original Artists from If I had a hi-fi(Mostly): Electrocution by Bill Fox Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode Love Goes On by The Go-Betweens Janine by Arthur Russell 70’s scenster and musician You Were So Warm by The Dwight Twilley Band. I couldn’t find this one but here is I “I Love You So Much” which is just as as good. Love and Anger by Kate Bush from her record The Sensual World. I have to admit I never was a big fan but this song is great. The Agony of Laffitte by Spoon, an Acoustic diddy on a Saddle Creek cd single Bye Bye Beaute By French singer/songwriter intstrumentalist Coralie Clement. I could find this track but found something equally as good. Try “Paris dix heures du soir – Coralie Clément” instead. Question By Moody Blues. her’e a version live from the Isle of Wright Bright Side by The Soft Pack formerly The Muslims. Evolution by Mercromina. This band is from Spain and pretty damn awesome. If you go and scoop up a whole discography blindly from any of these do it for these guys. I Remembered What I Was Going to Say by The Silly Pillows. Try “Music on my Mind” which has a ripping solo.
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