Guess who’s back, back again
Wicked’s back. Tell a friend.
Abney Park – Live at the DNA Lounge!
Abney Park is about to play at the amazing DNA lounge in San Francisco. If you aren’t in SF, you should click this link and enjoy! I am so excited to watch this!
http://www.dnalounge.com/webcast/justin.tv.html
Sons of Anarchy – So Music
I’ll admit it. As much as I love Sons of Anarchy, I was looking forward to the music as much as anything else. It took them all of one episode to get me on the Internet looking a song up. I suspect many of you will be here looking for the same thing I heard. Do these lyrics ring a bell?
Dad’s Gonna Kill Me
Dad’s Gonna Kill Me
When I first heard the song I liked it, but I was trying to place the singer. I was bouncing around crazy things in my head like Nick Cave?, Nah can’t be him, but I know that voice. I finally got off my butt and looked it up and I was suddenly jumping out of my seat screaming, ” no way, RICHARD THOMPSON”!!!
Richard Thompson happens to sing the best version of an amazing song. I have listened to him sing this song on youtube a thousand times and I love it more every time I hear it. “Dad’s Gonna Kill Me” was a great choice for the scene, but if you loved that, you gotta listen to Richard Thompson sing “Mingulay Boat Song”.
If you just want to hear “Dad’s Gonna Kill me” by Richard Thompson, just click here. Welcome back Sons of Anarchy, we have missed you.
Eminem – Recovery
Eminem - Recovery
When wickedplaylist.com author Lucy Gray first told me Eminem’s new album Recovery was his best ever I was certainly a little skeptical. 8 Mile was an amazing album and if you didn’t like it, you probably just don’t like the genre. Can I get a “I like everything buy rap and country” up in here?
Needless to say, I was interested in hearing the album based on Lucy’s comments so I transferred it to my DROID to check out. The first time I listened to Recovery it was me and my almost two year old daughter in the kitchen. I plugged the DROID in to the kitchen system and started listening. I was cooking along and my daughter was dancing to the beat. It was a great time. A great time until my wife walked in and heard the lyrics and then, well we decided this album should get a “older than 2” rating.
In the short amount of time I heard Recovery I knew it had some songs I liked. The next attempt to listen to it was during a Sunday afternoon yard work extravaganza. The temperature was a cool 97 degrees and the breeze was absent like a football player with 9 kids. What, you pictured me doing this in a music studio with strippers dancing behind me as I listen to music and artists tossing 100’s at me while chanting “wicked rain”? Yea, sorry, that is only in my head, not in the real world.
Anyway, as I am listening to Recovery, I hear some pretty good stuff. You know, I just heard Pink and now Eminem is sampling some Ozzy “Changes”. At this point, it is already better than his last CD. But then something interesting happens. “Not Afraid” comes on. For me, the entire album changes now. “Not Afraid” and Seduction are pretty good but then we get to stretch of 3 number 1’s in my opinion. The first is No Love featuring Lil Wayne and sampling Haddaway’s “What is Love”. Amazing song and equally amazing sample of “What is Love”, which is a song I remember sitting in my bedroom, listening to radio station recordings, hoping I could find it.
The next song up is “Space Bound”. An ode to love and pain and all the things that come with being vulnerable. The difference here is the phenomenal hook sung by Steve McEwan and Eminem’s usual lyrical prowess. “Love is Evil, spell it backwards and I’ll show you” is just one of his thought provoking and moment of clarity type lyrics.
As much as I liked those two songs, I almost missed the third one in the group because I kept hitting rewind. “Cinderella Man” is a great song with Queen type beat, amazing hook and some really truthful lyrics from Eminem. Not many musicians will basically apologize for their last CD. Eminem does just that with the line, “fuck my last CD that shits in the trash”. This is the kind of lyric I personally expect from Eminem. He has always been truthful in his rhymes even if that truth isn’t the easiest thing to say.
This all comes back to the question, is this Eminem’s best album? Well, best is a pretty subjective term. I mean reviewing and critiquing art is really nothing more than one persons opinion anyway. Short of divulging my cd buys, single buys, current economic climate, and record company hype dollars formula, I will just say this. If Recovery is Eminem’s best album, it isn’t far off. If you like Eminem, you should like Recovery.
What Have you been listening to lately?
I have realized something interesting lately. 8 out of 10 albums that have been in my rotation lately have singers with beards.
I have been listening to a ton of The Avett Brothers lately. They are currently resting comfortably in my list of top 5 bands of all time. They are way to complex to dissect in this quick post, but damn I love them.
I am also looking forward to the new Kings of Leon album. I have been listening to the song “Southland” from it, thanks to our good friend Lucy Gray.
The new Band of Horses album, Infinite Arms, is also very intriguing. It has some really good songs. The last song on it, “Neighbor”, is currently my favorite. Hard not to like a song with the line, “If Bartles and James didn’t need no first names, we could live by our own laws and favor”.
Some really good music coming out lately, check them out. If you aren’t gonna buy an album, buy a ticket, a t-shirt, or maybe even a beer glass.
Kings of Leon – Southbound
I recently heard a bootleg of “Southbound” from Kings of Leon’s new CD. I am here on 7/7/2010 going on record that it is gonna be a major hit.
Train Company
Train Company
The first time I heard Train Company was about 7am one morning while driving in the cold and pouring rain. The windshield wipers and blurry red brake lights in front of me, combined with the silky saxophone whispers jumping from my speakers, reminded me of walking out of a smokey downtown club, flipping up my collar against the cold night air, and strolling down the boulevard to my next haunt. That was a pleasant distraction from rainy Atlanta traffic and an introduction to an interesting new band, Train Company.
Working their way around the Chicago music scene, Train Company is headed by the unique and memorable vocals of John Zozzaro and the perfect accompaniment of Mark Alletag’s sax. Not to be outdone, Train Company is rounded out by Mike DeWitte on Bass and Rob Lejman on drums. Their sound is more of a upbeat rock/jazz infusion with the sax and flute in more of a support role. The sax is used very similar to older O.A.R stuff but that isn’t to say the music from the two bands is similar. Train Company’s sound is more of a quicker burst of energy than the jam type feel of an O.A.R song. This is definitely evident when you notice half of the songs on their self titled debut are under 2 minutes and 50 seconds long.
Their first release from Train Company’s self titled debut is “A New Kind of Home” and it really sets the tone for the beginning of the album. A quick stepping cymbal really sets the pace and continues on through “Lovely Lady” and “Do You Really Wanna Know” but then we slow down a little for one of my favorites from the album, “Clementine”. Every album needs a song about a girl and this one showcases Alletag on the sax and is the perfect lead in to one of Zozzaro’s songs from his days, finding his own sound, in New York. That song, “Forest”, is one of the other songs on Train Company that slows the percussion down a little and really lets the Jazz vibe breathe. Part of the credit for this has to go to Train Company’s producer on this album, Patrick DeWitte. Producers don’t always get mentioned in album reviews, but the quality of this debut, self released album cannot be ignored. Pleased trust me on that, I have heard a lot of shit over the years.
One of the last songs on Train Company is “I’ll Keep Walkin'” and it kinda sums up my impression of this new Chicago band. Not in the way of I’ll keep walkin on by them, but in the way that this group of early 20 somethings has managed to put out a pretty good album, they are going to keep on and there ain’t no stopping them.
Click the link below to hear Train Company’s new single, “A New Kind of Home”.
Bon Iver
The first time I heard Bon Iver, my immediate reaction was, I didn’t care for the voice effects.
That sink in yet? I did however respect the musical tastes of my friend that suggested them so I decided to look them up on youtube. I was stunned when I saw this live version of the song I thought was over produced. I had no idea Bon Iver was three people singing in absolute perfect harmony.
Much Beauty….
Sons of Anarchy – The Culling Music
Click to Buy
The Sons of Anarchy musical department had another solid outing with last nights episode. The first song we heard, when the club was packing up their guns and getting ready for war, was “Someday Never Comes” performed by Billy Valentine and The Forest Rangers. The Forest Rangers are showing up on several of the amazing covers Sons of Anarchy is producing. This cover was very good and a great rendition of the song, but I have to admit I prefer the original version. The original is by Creedence Clearwater Revival and is definitely one of my all-time favorite CCR songs. There is just something about hearing John Fogerty sing it that makes it that much more powerful. The song is also a lesson we all need to learn. Don’t put things off because someday never comes.
I really enjoyed Sons of Anarchy’s use of “Someday Never Comes”. While not exactly an anti-war song, I have always referred to it as the blueprint for writing such a song. It deals with a child losing a parent and the reality that understanding one someday never comes. This song was a perfect fit with the motorcycle club heading off to battle.
The second song, from the episode Culling, to catch my attention was “Hands in the Sky” by Straylight Run. This song was new too me but I did enjoy it. “Hands in the Sky” is a single released in 2005 you can buy on Amazon or Itunes.
Big shot screaming, “Put your hands in the sky,”
He says, “Give it up boy, give it up or your gonna die,
You’ll get a bullet in the back of the neck,
In the back of the neck right between the eyes.”
Big shot screaming, “Put your hands in the sky,”
He says, “Give it up boy, give it up or your gonna die,
You’ll get a bullet in the back of the neck,
In the back of the neck right between the eyes.”
Culling had two more great additions to the growing Sons of Anarchy music catalog.
Devi – Get Free
“A ferocious guitar-driven power trio equally adept at sprawling psychedelic jams and terse, haunting rockers.” – Lucid Culture
Devi’s debut album, Get Free, bursts out of the gate with the exhilarating powerpop gem “Another Day” and closes with a six-minute cover of “The Needle and the Damage Done” that ranges from dreamy to ferociously jamming. This is pure rock fudge played by a contemporary Cream at the top of its game – led by a woman.
“Debra has a compelling voice—a mix of Sheryl Crow and PJ Harvey—while her guitar playing reminds us of the incomparable Jimi Hendrix.” – Metal Hammer (Italy)
Devi is a rock trio from Hoboken NJ, led by a woman NYC blog Lucid Culture calls “one of the great guitar players of our time.” This is “an utterly bad-ass power trio,” says Midwest Record, with “a sense of humor, swagger, blistering guitar chops, looks, and the smarts to fuse niche with mass market.” Italy’s Audiovideofoto adds “something tells us we’re witnessing the birth of a rock star.”
Devi (”Davey”) is Sanskrit for “the Goddess”– nature in all her forms, including sound. The band got its start when Deb saw John Hummel playing drums in a tiny Hoboken NJ bar. John had played with Keith Mannino in Black Market Radio, the heavy rock band led by Peter Cornell (Chris Cornell’s brother), so when original Devi bassist Dan Grennes was hired by Toxic Avenger: The Musical, John and Deb asked Keith to play bass.
“Something tells us we are witnessing the birth of a rock star” – Audiovideofoto (Italy)
The band’s debut album, Get Free, is digitally distributed by Redeye USA and is starting to get airplay on college and AAA radio. After some rave reviews in Italy, Get Free was featured on the iTunes Italy homepage for 2 weeks in June.
Devi roped some talented friends into the Get Free sessions, including keyboardist Rob Clores (Black Crowes, Blues Traveler), jazz clarinetist Perry Robinson, sarod player & singer Wynne Paris (Krishna Das), Michael W. Dean (Bomb), and Wiser Time vocalist Carmen Sclafani.
“Get Free is about the longing for love and the longing for God, and the crazy things we pursue-from sex to drugs to relationships-to try to appease those longings,” says Debra, a Jivamukti yoga practitioner. “All our efforts to escape from being human help us evolve,” she adds, laughing, “whether we like it or not!”
Live, Devi adds album guests like Rob Clores and Wynne Paris to the mix whenever possible, “edging ever closer to the wild psychedelic jam band inside,” says Lucid Culture, adding, “if adrenaline, crescendos and heart-wrenchingly beautiful playing are something you would enjoy, get your ass down there.”
Hopefully this new release is just a first step toward universal recognition for Debra and her fabulous band. – Crusher Magazine
You can download the album’s title track for Free, and check out a stream of the rest of the album below.
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