Phish Returns
This past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, Phish played their first shows in five years at the Hampton Coliseum (aka “the mothership”) in Hampton, Virginia. I was one of the lucky ones who saw them in their very early years, during their first forays outside of the northeast. In 1990 and 1991, Phish stopped through my college in Colorado three times, and I was introduced to the wonder and weirdness that was the live Phish experience (two of these were costume-required Halloween shows, which added to the weirdness).
Since those college years, I’ve seen a healthy pile of shows here in Arizona, Las Vegas, Alpine Valley, and London – and have watched them soar in popularity as one of the premiere live acts of our time. I was saddened when they shut down shop in 2004, possibly for good.
But this weekend, the boys returned for a much anticipated run of shows in Hampton. And what has to be a first for an act of their caliber, they are offering free high quality MP3’s of the shows, released just hours after the last notes of the encores are played. This weekend was Phish weekend, not only for those inside the coliseum, but anyone around the world with a computer, who wished to share in the experience.
I haven’t listened to anything else since I downloaded Friday’s show on Saturday morning. Each morning has been met with a good dose of music geek excitement, as I get the opportunity to listen to the previous night’s Phish show. For this long time fan, it means a lot.
Check out LivePhish.com, where you can download these shows for free (for a limited time).
Phish – Fluffhead (mp3) – their first song on Friday, 3/6.
Phish – 2001 (mp3) – from last night’s show (3/8). I love Phish’s take on Also Sprach Zarathustra. They don’t get any funkier…
The Friday Five: March 06, 2009
If it ain’t broke… don’t fix it. It’s March, the five is still alive and going strong…
For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.
The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!
The Five:
“Nine in the Afternoon” by Panic at the Disco (from Pretty. Odd., 2008)
Spending hours playing Rock Band 2 with my wife has burned this tune into my psyche. In truth, I actually quite like this record, though not as much as the bands debut (before they dropped the “!”). Sure, they borrow heavily from Sgt. Pepper era Beatles, but since when is that so bad?
“Trust” by Prince (from Batman, 1989)
This funky rave-up from the Batman soundtrack provided the background for Jack Nicholson‘s twisted turn as the Joker. Not as heavy on the funk as my personal favorite “Electric Chair” or even “The Future” it still definitely gets the butt wiggling.
“Here in Your Bedroom” (mp3) by Goldfinger (from Goldfinger, 1996)
Excuse me while I dance in my chair; feel free to join in…
“Mama Said Knock You Out” by LL Cool J (from All World, 1996)
“Don’t call it a comeback…” Seriously, what happened to James Todd Smith? I’d say he’s due for a comeback, especially after this.
“Brian Wilson (live)” (mp3) by Barenaked Ladies (from Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits: 1991-2001)
I have to say I was pretty disappointed when I read earlier this week that Steve Page has decided to leave the Barenaked Ladies. Here’s a taste of one of his finer moments with the band.
What’s making you dance in your chair today?
Ick’s Pick (Week IX): Bell X1’s ‘Blue Lights on the Runway’
I narrowed this week’s pick down to two Irish bands. I figured Bono and the boys have succeeded in completely saturating the U.S. media, and it was a good opportunity to shine the spotlight on another quality band from the Emerald Isle: Bell X1.
Before I get started, look down a little further in the post for the embedded media player. Bell X1 has done it right, offering a full embeddable stream of their entire album. So go on down, click play, and come on back.
Bell X1 are a Dublin-based group who started off in the early 90’s as a band called Juniper, which also featured Damien Rice. The “Bell X1” was inspired by the first plane to break the sound barrier (flown by Chuck Yeager way back in 1947).
Blue Lights on the Runway is the band’s 4th studio album since their debut in 2000. I’d picked up their 2005 release Flock due to a couple of great tunes I heard on Sirius: “Rocky Took a Lover” and “Flame”. So when I noticed Blue Lights, their debut on Yep Roc, I had to take a listen.
Glad I did! This album has some great moments…
“The Ribs of a Broken Umbrella” kicks off the album in rocking, synthy, electro-pop style.
“How Your Heart Is Wired” has an electronic-based rhythm that brings to mind Kid A-era Radiohead.
“The Great Defector” will have David Byrne fans double checking their iPod. Vocalist Paul Noonan sounds just like Byrne on this one, particularly when the chorus takes flight with the background vocals.
But it’s the album’s slower moments that really do it for me. “Blow Ins” is one of the best down tempo tunes I’ve heard all year. It takes a look at a subject that fascinates all of us: our mortality: “I am the magpie when all’s shiny and new / I can’t help myself, I pick a pocket or two / And if all time was but a day / We’d show up around midnight and say ‘Hey’… We’re just blow ins / On the storm of time / Yeah, we’re just stopping / For a while”. Noonan’s vocals shine on this one – really a gorgeous tune.
“Light Catches Your Face” and “The Curtains are Twitchin'” are two other quality slower numbers . “Curtains”, the album closer, starts off as a minimalist dirge-like ballad – piano, electric guitar and vocals – and ends up sounding like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band broke into the studio – a cavalcade of dixieland brass bursting through the final moments of a great album.
Links: Official Site
A Nudge in the Right Direction
Editor’s Note: It’s been a busy ‘music news’ day, here is what has my attention…
U2 is following this weeks “No Horizon on the Line” with what Bono describes as a “sister release” titled “Songs of Ascent” later this year. Here’s hoping it’s the pretty sister. [stereogum]
Phish kicks off their reunion tour on Friday and is giving away free high quality downloads of the first three shows. [livephish.com]
Wayne Coyme of The Flaming Lips is not a fan of Arcade Fire. [Rolling Stone]
From the ‘no duh’ file, Daft Punk will be providing the soundtrack to Tron 2.0. [The Yellow Stereo]
Looks like Prince is recycling a few old tracks for his upcoming “LotusFlow3r”, peep the full track list at Prince.org (as it’s already been pulled from Amazon by the Purple Police) [Prince.org]
Finally, our friends at Popdose open the crates and pull out the brilliant remixes of Peter Gabriel‘s “Steam” for White Label Wednesday. [Popdose]
Bonus! I happened to have the underrated “Quiet Steam” version in my collection (which was available on the “Digging in the Dirt” single), now you can add it to your collection…
“Quiet Steam” (mp3) by Peter Gabriel
[audio:03 Quiet Steam.mp3]Sounds from the Old School (Electro Mix-Tape)
I took some time this past weekend to dive into some old school hip hop sites, and uncovered some gems. Don’t even get me started about Original Underground Hip-Hop, where S.O.U.L. posts a staggering amount of old school mixes (two a day since I subscribed). Go over and take a look, you’ll be blown away.
But tonight I have to share a mix I found on DJ Dee-Ville’s blog, Ain’t It Good To You. I’m a little nutty about 80’s electro, particularly artists like Egyptian Lover, the Soulsonic Force, and Man Parrish. So stumbling across an hour and 20 minute long mix dedicated to electro was like strikin’ gold, people. Someone out there has to be feeling this too!
DJ Dee-Ville’s It’s Electro!! Mix (mp3)
Here’s the track listing…
Two great sites to get your old school fix: Ain’t It Good To You and Original Underground Hip-Hop. Have fun…
Now Hear This: Best of the Inbox, Volume I
Editor’s Note: The sheer volume of new music that I get every day is overwhelming at best so in an effort to get the best of it out to you I’ve decided to start the “Now Hear This: Best of the Inbox” series. I’m not sure what the frequency will be yet, but I’ll make every attempt to get a couple of these up a month. Enjoy! – Michael
The Hush Now
Recalling the lush reverb drenched textures of early 90’s shoegaze and retrofitting it with the power pop sensibilities The Hush Now‘s self-titled debut is a solid listen and a must for fans of Guided By Voices. My current favorite track ,the appropriately titled “Subtle Like Bombs”, lulls you in with rich vocal harmonies and mesmerizing guitars only to abruptly end in transition.
Full Album Download: The Hush Now
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
The Deer Tracks
Swedish duo The Deer Tracks brings quirky electronic pop influenced post rock to the table on their latest release Aurora. The single “127sexfyra” bubbles along over various plinking and plucked chimes and horn beds with whispered vocals.
“127sexfyra” (mp3) by The Deer Tracks
Northern Exposure: The Great Outdoors, “Winter”
Canadian folk-rock collective The Great Outdoors have completed their ambitious project to write, record and release an EP for each season. The three preceding EP’s managed to perfectly capture the tone of each respective season and Winter introduces elements of blues and roots music to the mix to a stunning effect. “The Winter’s Touch” plaintive tenor closes the door and invites you in from the cold as Melisa Devost‘s beautiful voice warms your heart. “The Garbage Man Song” rambles along and features some distinctly Tom Waits influenced moments provided courtesy of guest vocalist Nickle City Slim. “No Bells” swings with a bluesy swagger that pays off with an in your face guitar accompaniment that would otherwise seem out of place. “Edison’s Genius” picks up where the previous track leaves off with its blues-tinged delivery but in place of place of guitars is a horn arrangement that recalls Monk‘s “Abide With Me”. The set wraps with “Snowdrop” a slow burn ballad. Check out “The Garbage Man Song” here and you can catch the rest of the release on the bands MySpace page.The Great Outdoors – “The Garbage Man Song” (mp3)
Standing by Peaceful Waters
There’s something about a sunny Sunday morning and the music of John Prine that just seem to go together. Hmm, a weekly Sunday post featuring a Prine tune? I’ll mull that one over.
Some of you may know of my appreciation for John’s 1991 album The Missing Years, a collection of warm & witty tunes featuring the likes of Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, and Bonnie Raitt. The follow-up album four years later came in the form of Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings. While not as strong end to end as its predecessor, it also contains its share of brilliant moments, with the same biting wit of John’s songwriting and the production also handled by then-Heartbreaker Howie Epstein (another talent lost to heroin addiction).
“Lake Marie” is one that certainly crafts an interesting story, and has a chorus that sticks in your head. It tells the story of a lake on the Illinois-Wisconsin border, the makings of a marriage, and oh yeah, a double homicide: “Their faces had been horribly disfigured by some sharp object / Saw it on the news / On the TV news / In a black and white video / You know what blood looks like in a black and white video? / Shadows. Shadows! That’s exactly what it looks like“.
Some lyrics are unmistakably John Prine: “Many years later we found ourselves in Canada / Trying to save our marriage and perhaps catch a few fish / Whatever came first“.
John Prine – Lake Marie
Links: Buy Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings| Official Site | John Prine Shrine (great fan site)
Album art by John Callahan.
The Friday Five: February 27, 2009
For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.
The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!
The Five:
“18 Months” by Kingsbury (from This Place is Coming Down, 2004)
Kingsbury is a brilliant experimental indie rock act out of Orlando, Florida. Intensely personal and emotional it’s hard to imagine that they originate from the “Happiest Place on Earth”. Watch this space for much more on Kingsbury in the coming month.
“Squeeze Me Macaroni” (mp3) by Mr. Bungle (from Mr. Bungle, 1991)
By now the news of Faith No More reuniting has taken every corner of the internet by storm, but I’ll be damned if I would only be more excited if Mike Patton reformed Mr. Bungle.
“Here on Earth/The Opening” (mp3) by Leerone (from Imaginary Biographies, 2007)
I can’t get enough of Leerone‘s quirky piano driven singer-songwriter sharp-tongued pop (which she describes as “The musical equivalent of an ice-cream sundae with a vodka chaser”). She is an incredibly talented artist who goes as far as handwriting every correspondence with humble small-time blog editors (which is deeply appreciated). I expect that we’ll be seeing much more of her in the future.
“O salutaris hostia” by Jan Garbarek & The Hilliard Ensemble (from Officium, 1994)
This record takes the Gregorian Chants that your mother loved in 1994 and added the ‘smooth jazz’ sounds of Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek to a nauseating soothing effect.
“White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes (from Fleet Foxes, 2008)
I still do not care much for this record, but if I had to pick a track to listen to it would be this one. The folk-rock revival sound just does not depart enough from the forefathers enough to entice me to listen more, now where’s my copy of “Horse with No Name”…
What’s bringing the weekend home for you?
Ick’s Picks (Week VIII): JJ Cale’s ‘Roll On’
Pumping out these Ick’s Picks every week is making this year fly by. Week eight already? Can someone please tell me how we’re almost in March?? Thankfully, it is my favorite month: Cactus League baseball, a beer festival, and my anniversary. Oh wait, let me reorder, my wife reads this, you know. March is my favorite month: MY ANNIVERSARY, and yeah, that Spring Training and beer festival thingy is all right too, whatever.
That said, this week’s pick is the new album by JJ Cale. There weren’t any releases this week that had me jumping up and down in excitement, so I decided to take a listen to JJ’s new one, because he’s written some seriously solid tunes: “After Midnight”, “Cocaine”, “Call Me The Breeze”, and “Travelin’ Light”. These were the four JJ Cale songs I was familiar with due to their covers by Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Widepsread Panic, respectively. And after hearing the originals over the years, Cale’s versions were just as solid, and a tad more laid back, which suited my style.
I’ve listened to Roll On this week about five times. It’s a well produced mash-up of roots / acoustic / jazz sounds that are all pleasant to the ear. There’s nothing that absolutely blows me away, though I do have three favorites: the guitar on “Cherry Street”; the undefinable groove of “Fonda-Lina,” whose namesake has “her bosoms hangin’ over the window sill / It’s a story as old as Jesus / Fonda-lina has a void to fill.”; and “Old Friend”, which faces the passing of time from the wise perspective of Cale’s 70 years: “I hear all the old folks are gone / I guess we’re the ones now / That’s the way it goes / those crowded days are behind us now.”
Clapton appears on the title track, and the legendary Jim Keltner plays the drums on some tracks, but other than that, Cale handles pretty much all the instruments by himself. It’s a solid piece of work, and probably an album that I’ll appreciate more as time goes on (like a lot of them seem to be). It would also suit me well to dip into some of Cale’s older records. There a reason he’s been covered so many times over the years.
Buy Roll On.
Links: JJ Cale’s Official Site
Here’s a stellar live version of “Call Me The Breeze”, with JJ and Mr. Clapton (sweet guitar, Eric)…
