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Lou Reed RIP, Swearin', Midlake, Luscious Jackson, Cut Copy, Parrots   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Monday, October 28, 2013 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

A GREAT LIGHT HAS GONE OUT:

LOU REED, iconic songwriter best known for "Walk On The Wild Side" and co-founder of the Velvet Underground, has died at 71 of liver disease.  The Rolling Stone obituary is also worth reading in its entirety, but if you are going to assert the VU was "the most influential American rock band of all time" -- quite arguably true -- how can you omit the Brian Eno riff that the first Velvet Underground record sold 30,000 copies in the first five years, but everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band.  RS is also right to emphasize that Reed chronicled the seamy underbelly of the 60s in songs like "I'm Waiting For The Man," "Heroin," and the sadomasochistic "Venus In Furs," but two further observations are in order.  First, Reed tackled these subjects without romanticizing them the way that, say, Jim Morrisson did, which partially accounts for why the hippie demographic never really embraced the VU (East Coast/West Coast rivalry also played a part).  Second, from the outset, Reed was equally adept at songs that were pretty when light, like "Sunday Morning," or "Femme Fatale," and beautiful when deeper, as on "I'll Be Your Mirror," the latter two unforgettably rendered by teutonic chenteuse Nico.  Although FM radio would eventually admit latter-day Velvets tracks like "Sweet Jane" and "Rock And Roll" into the classic rock canon, Reed and the VU generally went unrewarded; decades later, he and fellow Velvets Mo Tucker and Doug Yule would speak at the NYPL about how the industry hated them, among other topics. 

The RS obit also names glam as one of the genres it is difficult to imagine without him; that's true as far as it goes; Reed's live Rock N' Roll Animal set, powered by the twin axes of Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter, was a recurring favorite at the Music Works even when I was in college a decade later. But Cameron Crowe was equally correct to argue that during his glam period, "he's trying to be Bowie, but he should just be himself."  It was as himself that Lou Reed had his impact on a slew of bands, including -- but by no means limited to -- The Cars, R.E.M., The Ramones, The Feelies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Cowboy Junkies, and The Jesus & Mary Chain. (Online reax gathered here.) The best of these were influenced as much by Reed's almost-coversational lyrical honesty as by his musical minimalism.  I don't mean to slight Reed's later solo achievements, particularly The Blue Mask, New Sensations, and New York, but RS covers them pretty well.  I would only add I saw Reed on the New York tour and he was rock solid, with The Feelies as the opening act.  BONUS: "The Ostrich," from the pre-Velvets Primitives. DOUBLE BONUS: How Lou Reed inspired anti-communist revolutionaries like Vaclav Havel. TRIPLE BONUS: The PBS American Masters special on Reed. QUAD BONUS: Lou Reed, Live at the Paramount Theater, April 24, 2008.

SWEARIN' advance streams Surfing Strange.

MIDLAKE advance streams Antiphon.

LUSCIOUS JACKSON advance streams Magic Hour.

CUT COPY advance streams Free Your Mind.

KNICKERBOCKERS: "Lies." Someday you're gonna be lonely.

LOS CAMPESINOS! singer Gareth David tells Weekend Edition the tone of the band's new album, No Blues, reflects a step in a more optimistic direction.

BASIA BULAT talks to the HuffPost about recording Tall Tall Shadow.

PETER HOOK relives the troubled legacy of Joy Division and New Order. 

THE ELEPHANT 6 COLLECTIVE gets a history at Paste.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa tops the chart with 32 million -- big enough to dethrone Gravity, if not as big as prior Jackass flicks.Even so, a nice opening against a 15 million budget.  Gravity finally sinks to place with 20.3 million -- but that's an exceptional figure for a film after four weekends.  Currently at 199.8 million domestic, Gravity will become the first to break 200 million in October.  Captain Phillips shows with 11.8 million on a mere 28 percent drop -- but it will need those legs to break 100 million domestic.  Of course,if the competitionremains like No. 4 film The Counselor, which debuted with 8 million and a terrible "D" Cinemascore from audiences, Hanks has a chance.  Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 clings to the bottom of the Top 5 with 6.1 million, continuing to make free money from the lack of competition for the family audience.  Below the fold, the Carrie remake sinks to sixth, though it may get a lift from Halloween this week.  Also, 12 Years A Slave (which I reviewed last week) takes the eighth slot, despite being on only 123 screens.

CHRIS BROWN was arrested on a felony assault charge in Washington D.C. on Sunday for allegedly attacking a man outside the W Hotel.

MARCIA WALLACE, whose four-decade television career included playing the receptionist on “The Bob Newhart Show” and Bart's fourth-grade teacher on “The Simpsons,” has died.

CHRISTINA RICCI married her boyfriend James Heerdegen in NYC on Saturday.

KIM KARDASHIAN will be given away by Bruce Jenner, despite his separation from Kim's mother (who just got ripped by the normally docile Access Hollywood).

JULIANNE HOUGH caught flak for going blackface for her Halloween costume. Orange Is The New Black; blackface not so much.

EGYPT: A complaint against former interim vice president Mohamed el Baradei for "betrayal of trust" was dismissed.

LIBYA: Assailants tried to kill the deputy head of crime prevention in Benghazi and wounded his brother; the two men are cousins of the city's recently assassinated military police chief.

AFGHANISTAN: A news report found that the staff of the US' inspector general for Afghanistan will be unable to visit sites in 80 percent of the country in 2014, so that monitoring of billions of dollars' worth of US-funded reconstruction projects will be delegated to private contractors.

IRAQ: Al Qaeda is once again setting its sights on Anbar province.

SYRIA: Opposition sources said at least 15 Hezbollah fighters were killed in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. Kurdish YPG forces clashed with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, the Al Nusrah Front, and rebels in Raqqah and in Hasakah, and took over the Tal Kawjar crossing on the Iraqi border from ISIS, which had held it for months. ISIS attacks killed at least seven regime soldiers in Hama. A regime colonel of military intelligence died of injuries in Homs.

BABY QUAKER PARROTS are excited for a meal.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: A militant rodent roaming a community college in northern Iowa has become the No. 1 suspect in a vandalized bicycle incident.

A BRACE OF DUCKS wandered into a CVS in Saratoga Springs.

MOUSE vs SCORPION: Who you got?

2387 Reads

The Who, Arcade Fire, King Khan, Primal Scream, Cutout Bin   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Friday, October 25, 2013 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

RECORD TRAFFIC on Wednesday. Thanks, y'all!

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE WHO! Live at the Charlton Athletic Football Ground in London, May 18, 1974.  Your setlist includes: "Substitute," "I'm A Boy," "Tattoo," "Young Man Blues," "Baba O' Riley," "Behind Blue Eyes," "See Me, Feel Me,"  "Magic Bus," "My Generation,"  "Naked Eye," "Let's See Action" and "My Generation Blues."

ARCADE FIRE is advance streaming Reflektor.

BARS OF GOLD advance streams Wheels.

KING KHAN & THE SHRINES stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

PRIMAL SCREAM stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

LISSIE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a session.

COLIN MELOY drops "Do You Remember Walter?" ahead of his Kinks covers LP.

LVL UP drops "Cross The Sea" ahead of a split single.

WE ARE SCIENTISTS: "After Hours," for the weekend.

LED ZEPPELIN: Robert Plant found unreleased material, but there may be an unusual obstacle to its release: John Paul Jones.

THE SADIES talk to Beatroute and the Ottowa Citizen about Internal Sounds. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

THIRD EYE BLIND was ordered to pay 448K to their fmr guitarist.

JONI MITCHELL, ranked by Stereogum

CUTOUT BIN: From Chuck Berry to Roxy Music, from Paul Simon to Twisted Sister, from Nirvana to Steely Dan, plus the Smithereens, King Khan, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo and more  -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

NOW SHOWING:This weekend's wide releases are: Jackass Presents Bad Grandpa, which is currently scoring 67 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; and The Counselor, currently scoring 35 percent. Conventional wisdom is the old man will dethrone Gravity.

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: Irish actor Jamie Dornan is in negotiations to replace Charlie Hunnam as Universal hopes to start production in early November.

KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST will reportedly have a short engagement. Kim's stepdad Bruce Jenner was not invited when Kanye West popped the question to Kim Kardashian.

KATHARINE McPHEE was already separated when snapped kissing her former Smash director Michael Morris. His wife, Mary McCormack, reportedly wants to split.

TORI SPELLING's money troubles are so bad her husband can't afford a vasectomy.

MORENA BACCARIN nd her husband Austin Chick welcomed a baby boy on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

MICHAEL JACKSON tops the new Forbes list of top-earning dead celebs.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER has a teaser trailer online.

EGYPT: Authorities discovered a field hospital in the Sinai thought to be used by Islamist militants. Authorities raised the alert level on the Libya border to prevent the infiltration of militants. An official in Gamaa al-Islamiya said the group will not return to violence and does not necessarily support the return of Mohammed Morsi. Supporters of former president Morsi called for mass protests on Nov. 4, the day Morsi goes to trial.

SYRIA has released 61 female detainees as part of a hostage swap. Regime and Hezbollah forces retook most of Hteitat al-Turkman in Reef Dimashq from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, the Al Nusrah Front, and rebel groups after days of heavy fighting.

IRAQ: Security forces captured eight al Qaeda operatives, including a senior leader, near the Syrian border.

IRAN could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to build a nuclear bomb in as little as a month, according to a new estimate by one of the USA's top nuclear experts.

HIPPO FLATULENCE: Never gets old.

EUROPE GONE WILD: Bison are making a comeback on the Continent.

A VENOMOUS CRUSTACEAN -- the first ever -- was found living in underwater caves.

RACING PIGEONS busted in doping scandal.

2314 Reads

Flaming Lips, Bob Mould, Moonface, Paul Simon, Lion   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Thursday, October 24, 2013 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

OVER 20 MILLION SERVED: Thanks for stopping by, y'all!

THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN yuk it up while "Waiting."

THE FLAMING LIPS advance stream Peace Sword, an EP based on the upcoming Ender's Game movie.

BOB MOULD played the Secret Stage at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival.

MOONFACE: Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade/Sunset Rubdown) advance streams Julia With Blue Jeans On.

PAUL SIMON, Live in Osaka, April 1, 1974.

BILLY JOE ARMSTRONG & NORAH JONES drop “Long Time Gone” ahead of their Everly Brothers tribute LP. Yes, really.

JAMES VINCENT McMORROW is "Cavalier" on the first single from his new LP Post Tropical.

ARETHA FRANKLIN plays "It Won't Be Long," which certainly was not about her career.

CMJ 2013 DISCOVERIES from All Songs Considered and Rolling Stone.

SAVAGES are profiled by Under The Radar.

GUIDED BY VOICES cut ties with drummer Kevin Fennell after he put his kit up on eBay for 55K.

ROD STEWART's cash demands foil a Faces reunion.

KRISTEN STEWART & ROBERT PATTINSON have been secretly hooking up since they broke up?

LINDSAY LOHAN reportedly dismissed her sober coach; she has become a regular at a downtown dive, partying into the wee hours with drunken pals.

PRINCE GEORGE: Christening deets.

LAMAR ODOM claims he has not been blackballed from the Kardashian family.

MINKA KELLY & CHRIS EVANS have broken up after a year of dating.

TOM HARDY has agreed to play Elton John in Rocket Pictures' Rocketman.

ANCHORMAN 2 has another trailer online

SYRIA: The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee warned that al Qaeda is developing a safe haven in Syria along the Iraqi border, where it is planning attacks against the West, much as al Qaeda did in Afghanistan. He said there are now over 10K "committed" al Qaeda members in eastern Syria, more than the number of foreign fighters in Iraq during the US occupation.

PAKISTAN: Despite repeatedly denouncing the CIA’s drone campaign, top officials in Pakistan’s government have for years secretly endorsed the program and routinely received classified briefings on strikes and casualty counts, according to top-secret CIA documents and Pakistani diplomatic memos obtained by The Washington Post.

IRAQ: Al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham killed 14 people in bombings that targeted civilians in Baghdad and Madain.

THE LION WHISPERER gets a good morning hug.

A GIANT OARFISH CARCASS found dead off Catalina Island has been dissected and will be split between several universities for research.

DUNG-HOARDING BEETLE caught galloping.

DOG BITES HORSE, Horse Bites Woman. The horse may have gone mad.

2254 Reads

Noel Harrison RIP, Los Campesinos!, Minor Alps, Shake Dogs   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

BESNARD LAKES drop a NSFW video for "Color Yr Lights In."

LOS CAMPESINOS! advance stream No Blues.

MINOR ALPS: Juliana Hatfield and Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) advance stream Get There.

WORRIERS advance stream their poppunk debut, Cruel Optimist.

ELLIOTT SMITH, Live at the Black Cat, April 17, 1998. Includes covers of John Lennon, The Zombies, and Big Star.

LINDA THOMPSON is joined by ex-husband Richard and son Teddy on her new LP, profiled by Fresh Air.

SUPERCHUNK drops an unpluggedy version of "Breaking Down."

WOODEN SHIPS drop "Back To Land," the title track to their next LP.

CUT COPY drops "We Are Explorers" ahead of  Free Your Mind. A bit too synth-dance for me, but maybe you'll dig it.

SUFJAN STEVENS drops a proto-demo for "Impossible Soul."

NOEL HARRISON, son of the actor Rex Harrison, best known for recording the hit song "The Windmills Of Your Mind" for The Thomas Crown Affair soundtrack, has died at 79.

SLEIGH BELLS: Derek Edward Miller talks to Drowned In Sound about his reawakening from Reign, how working on Bitter Rivals is his most 50/50 split yet with Alexis, and how taking-up boxing can make you feel exactly like Rocky Balboa.

SKY FERREIRA talks to Stereogum about her tumultuous year and long-delayed debut LP.

CASS McCOMBS talks to Stereogum about writing songs, doing press, and his epic new double-LP.

DONNA SUMMER, reconsidered by PopMatters.

KIM KARDASHIAN & KANYE WEST are engaged. Can she beat her previous best of 72 days of marriage?

KATHARINE McPHEE  is dating her former Smash director Michael Morris; both are married.

CASEY KASEM may have but a few months to live.

JENNA JAMESON is adamant she was not whacked out on prescription drugs during a bizarre live TV interview.

AMY POEHLER & TINA FEY inked lucrative deals to host the Golden Globes.

AVATAR is getting three sequels. When does Jar-Jar turn up?

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL: Wes Anderson's next movie has a trailer online.

SAUDI Intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan said Saudi Arabia will make a "major shift" away from the US due to the US' policies towards Syria and Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the 2011 revolt in Bahrain.

SYRIA: Al Qaeda-linked rebels stormed the Christian town of Sadad, which is near several arms depots, and killed nine civilians in the streets. The Syrian National Coalition refused to participate in Geneva talks unless their aim is to remove President Assad from power.

EGYPT: Security forces broke up a protest between supporters and opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood at Cairo University. Prosecutors plan to try four policemen allegedly involved in the deaths of over 35 Islamists in August.

IRAN: You'll be shocked to learn that significant gaps remain between what the Iranians offered and what the six negotiating powers seek in order to reduce fears Iran wants to build nuclear weapons.

SHAKE: Dogs are ready for their slo-mo closeups for a new book. Let's go to the video.

PIGEONS WITH CAMERAS smuggled cigars from Cuba.

BERLIN DOGS need to avoid overdosing on addict feces.

WHEN SHARKS ATTACK: Punch 'em in the eye.

2695 Reads

White Demin, Superchunk, Baseball Project, Cats+Dogs   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

DEAN WAREHAM drops a video for "Love Is Colder Than Death."

WHITE DENIM advance streams Corsicana Lemonade. And there seems to be a tinge of vintage ZZ Top among the garage-psych this time.

WH0RES advance stream Clean. A bit heavy for me, but I suspect Pate bassist Mike Kelly might dig it.

SUPERCHUNK played the Secret Stage at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival.

THE BASEBALL PROJECT, featuring members of R.E.M., Dream Syndicate and the Minus 5, played live at Musicfest Northwest.  

KURT VILE drops "Feel My Pain" from the upcoming A Big World Out There (And I Am Scared) EP.

BAD RELIGION drops “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” from their upcoming Christmas Songs LP. Because of course.

JANIS JOPLIN with BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY play "Summertime" and "I Need a Man to Love" -- in one of their last performances together -- for Twofer Tuesday.

ELLIOTT SMITH: Consequence Of Sound pays the latest tribute to the singer-songwriter who passed 10 years ago this month.

ARCADE FIRE: Wim Butler talks to JAM about Reflektor. (Thx, Chromewaves.)

JULIANNA BARWICK talks to PopMatters about touring Europe, her pop obsessions, and more.

PARAMORE: Hayley Williams talks to Rolling Stone about sexism in the music industry, Sinead vs Miley, and more.

BRITNEY SPEARS is going to incredible lengths to cover up her reported plans to lip-sync her way through her much-hyped Las Vegas residency.

RASHIDA JONES thinks female celebs need to stop acting like wh0res. (Ahem.)

CEE-LO GREEN: Cleared of sexual assault, charged with ecstacy possession, pleads not guilty.

RUSSELL BRAND had sex with a man after trawling gay bars.

KELLY CLARKSON confirmed her marriage via Twitter.

KEANU REEVES did a Reddit Ask Me Almost Anything. Whoa.

EGYPT: Students from Egypt's al-Azhar University continued to protest and call for the reinstatement of former president Morsi.

LIBYAN Prime Minister Zeidan said Libya faces massive security challenges as its army and police forces have been "infiltrated" by persons and forces seeking to prevent its stability.  Al Qaeda eyes Gaddafi's old arsenal.

CATS STEALING DOG BEDS: Let's go to the video.

A GIANT WORM has been eating fish in a British aquarium for years without detection.

ARTHUR "was giving all the hallmarks of being a very stoned dog." Fortunately, he didn't bogart this model's stash.

BIG FISH: While vacationing in Thailand for his birthday, Keith Williams hooked a 134-pound carp, believed to be the biggest ever caught.

 

 

2239 Reads

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