10 Years After The Flood

It was 10 years ago this month that the flood of 1997 overflowed the Red River of the north and ravished a large percentage of North Dakota, Minnesota and Southern Manitoba. It was the most severe flood of the river since 1826 and it caused the evacuation of residents from many towns and cities alongside the Red. Most devastated by the flood waters was Grand Forks, North Dakota (75% evacuated) and its counterpart, East Grand Forks, Minnesota (100% evacuated), schools and universities were cancelled for the rest of the term as the water spread over 2 miles away from the river. Thousands of houses were flooded as water elevated higher than the dikes that were raised in the city, the river crested at 54.35 feet and because water drained so slowly, especially in low lying areas, many homeowners couldn't visit their properties until later in May.

One of the most memorable images that I remember was the fire that engulfed some downtown buildings in Grand Forks. The image of flames, fire and smoke contrasted with canoes paddling along the water filled streets was both sad and horrifying. In total there was over 2 billion dollars in damages and thousands of people relocated, believe it or not, no one was killed during this disaster.

One cool thing that occurred as a result of the flood was that Minneapolis legends, Soul Asylum played a concert for a joint high school prom for schools in Grand Forks. After The Flood: Live From The Grand Forks Prom, June 28, 1997 was recorded two months after the epic Red River flood in one of two hangars at nearby Grand Forks Air Force Base. Image having a band like Soul Asylum playing your high school prom, sure beats a DJ or some crappy tribute band! On this unique live album, Soul Asylum was at their height of popularity, and they blasted off a great set of hits and interesting cover tunes. Posted below are a few mp3's from the event.

SOUL ASYLUM -
After the Flood: Live At The Grand Forks Prom, June 28, 1997 (2004)

School's Out
The Tracks Of My Tears
Sexual Healing
To Sir With Love
Rhinestone Cowboy

Unforgiving Sounds...

..Of Maow!
As promised here are some cuts from the recently re-released CD from Vancouver's Maow. Historically, this is an interesting recording because Neko Case, the group's drummer and co-vocalist, has enjoyed recent popularity as a solo artist and as an original (and some-time) member of the New Pornographers.

I'm sure Mint records is re-releasing this disc to cash in on Case's (now) fame as I remember seeing this CD in the bargain bins in the late 90's. Supposeably this is re-mastered, but it offers no extra tracks or added insight into the band. Download the whole CD (it's only about 20 minutes long), it's not a bad listen, kind of rockabilly, country punk in an amateurish type of way.

MAOW  

Unforgiving Sounds Of (1996)

1. "Wank" – 1:41
2. "Mean Mean Man" – 0:59
3. "Sucker" – 1:51
4. "Ms. Lefevre" – 1:52
5. "Rock 'N' Roll Boy" – 1:12
6. "Very Missionary" – 1:09
7. "Mommie's Drunk" – 1:32
8. "Woman's Scorn" – 1:30
9. "Showpie" – 1:09
10. "J'ai faim" – 0:39
11. "Man What's Got a Gun" – 1:05
12. "How Does That Grab You?" – 2:01
13. "Party Tonite!" – 0:54
14. "Cat's Meow" – 0:43
15. "One Nite Stand" – 1:01
16. "Catastrophie" – 1:03

MAOW- Unforgiving Sounds Of FLAC. rar

(NEW upload, now FLAC lossless!) 

 

Maow - Ms. Lefevre (featuring Neko Case)

This is the lazy man's way of blog posting. Here's a rare treat, for all you Neko Case fans out there, Vancouver's Maow (featuring Neko on drums and vocals), circa 1996. Despite the fact this video is so goofy and over the top, it's still quite enjoyable (for most of the 1:44) and Neko Case is still hot!

On April 4th, Mint Records re-released Maow's only full length CD, "The Unforgiving Sounds Of Maow". Stay tuned as I'll post some samples of Neko's first album as a vocalist...it's not bad, really!

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

Since everyone in the world has seen this video, I thought I should post it for the YouTube illiterate. This has been viewed over 14 million times and recently was awarded as "the most creative video" during the YouTube awards (I didn't know there was such a thing). I'm not usually a huge fan of music video's, but this one is very cool. This can be best described as synchronized treadmill gymnastics, if this was filmed in one unedited take, this is truly amazing...see for yourself!

Hear About "Traffic and Weather" Now

The date for the highly anticipated release by Fountains Of Wayne is set for April 3, but I have the album in advance. This has spent only about a week on the ol' Pod and I'm going back for repeated listens, this is a good sign, usually it takes me a while to warm up to anything new, but with so much new stuff on the Pod I'm forced into forming quicker opinions. The new Son Volt album, The Search, I talked about last post is outstanding, it gets better and better every listen, ever song has something to offer, I highly recommend you get it!

Traffic and Weather is the first release of new material (2005's Out Of State Plates was a b-side compilation) since 2003's breakout disc, Welcome Interstate Managers. That CD put FOW on the radar of commercial radio and MTV and earned them a couple of Grammy nominations, including "Best new artist", which was kind of bizarre considering this was their third album and Fountains of Wayne have been recording since 1996. This disc has more of the same, a little bit country, a little rock 'n' roll, their sound rings flashes of Beatlesque 60's, riff heavy 70's, New Wave 80's, and a very detailed narrative style that is distinctly their own. This disc is as catchy as hell, infectious even only after a few listens and everyone that I have played this for has started to hum along or bob their head, this is Power-pop at it's best! I just hope there isn't a huge hit like "Stacy's Mom" on this one, I grew to hate this song after it was played at every sporting event, shopping mall and on crappy light-rock radio stations.

If you want to see the "animated" Fountains of Wayne, check out Hey Joel, a short-lived show from 2003, it's now playing on the Teletoon network (in Canada, VH1 in US?), they play themselves and sing little 20 second song narratives between scenes. They provided the theme song and two new songs every episode. Watch it while you can, it's not too bad.

Traffic and Weather (to be released April 3, 2007)
Someone To Love
Yolanda Hayes
Fire In The Canyon
This Better Be Good
I-95
myspace.com/fountainsofwayne (listen to: '92 Suburu)

Jeff or Jay? You Choose..

When Uncle Tupelo broke up 13 years ago it was sad, we were losing a truly great band with two extremely talented songwriters. This loss turned out to be a blessing, as both Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar split to form two separate bands, Wilco and Son Volt. Both bands have explored different musical styles and directions, both bands have undergone many personal changes and both songwriter's have enjoyed successful solo ventures. I own all their albums and CD's, but I'm definitely more of a Wilco completist. I have at least three boxes of Wilco's live recordings, two Wilco books ("The Wilco Book" and "Learning How To Die"), one DVD (I Am Trying To Break Your Heart) and have seen the band 4 times (twice in Minneapolis and twice in Winnipeg).

It's appropriate that Son Volt and Wilco are releasing albums a few months from each other, since I saw both bands live last summer. Wilco at the Burton Cummings Theatre on Canada Day (July 1) and Son Volt at the Winnipeg Folk festival a week later, both excellent shows.

SON VOLT - The Search (released March 6, 2007)
On Son Volt's 5th album, they tone down the driving guitars of 2005's Okemah and the Melody of Riot and have released probably Jeff's most mature work to date. Farrar pulls together a full and powerful sound offering a finer balance of piano, organ, guitar and even horns. I've only listened to this disc once through and my first impression is it may not rock as much as Okemah, and it may take repeated listenings to really appreciate it, but so far I'm not disappointed.

The Picture
Adrenaline And Heresy
Satellite
Automatic Society
( myspace.com/sonvolt - listen to the Search, Circadian Rhythm, Metamphetamine)

WILCO - Sky Blue Sky (to be released May 15, 2007)
A few days ago I read that the upcoming Wilco CD has leaked and has appeared on various blogs and torrent file sharing sites. Worried about being caught out of the loop, I immediately searched and found the complete recording of Sky Blue Sky. There is an uncertainty whether this is the recording that will actually appear on the upcoming disc in May or if it's a preliminary mix. Either way, I've had a quick listen and it's not bad, I've literary only had a chance to listen to this at work today and at home while making dinner. I'll have to sit down and have a listen with the headphones to get a much clearer idea. First impressions: It seems mellower, a couple songs recall earlier Wilco (alt-country-ish), extended guitar solos (similar to Ghost), more keyboards, a little sparser sounding...you be the judge, comments?

Either Way
Sky Blue Sky
Side with Seeds
Shake It Off
(myspace.com/wilco - listen to What Light)

Geez, These Kid's Nowadays!

I love to go out and listen to live music, but it's a special treat when it's one of your kids, and it's a bonus when it's two of your offspring. Last Thursday night at the Academy Bar and Eatery in Winnipeg, my son Jesse performed as the opening act for his friend's band, Locker 369. His group (with band-mates, Leif on drums and keyboards and sister Alex on vocals) played 8 songs to a packed house mainly of school friends and curious relatives. They handled themselves quite well exhibiting a wide range of musical styles with a mixture of originals and covers. Jesse has only about a year's worth of experience performing music live having played at other coffeehouses, the Fork's and the Winnipeg Folk Festival, as part of their Young Performer's Program.

I'll keep you informed of any future gigs, but for now I'm posting part of the show to download and listen to. If you have any comments, please click the highlighted comment button on the bottom, I'll make sure he reads them. If you want to hear the whole show (in better quality WAV form), let me know and I'll make sure you get a copy)

Jesse Miki And Friends
Winnipeg March 1, 2007
Audience recording-setlist
Pathway To the Moon
Wet Ground (Sondre Lerche)
Modern Nature (Sondre Lerche)
Miss Spelled Desire
Wind Cries Mary (Jimi Hendrix)
Locked In The Dark
Johnny, Let Me Go (Sondre Lerche)
Calling For

We Are the Police And We're Back!

Usually I try to avoid watching award shows. I never see the movies, TV shows or listen to the music that is rewarded at these "mainstream" events. If I do tune in to the Academy Awards or the Juno's or even the Grammy's, it's because of that, "hard to turn away from a car crash" mentality again. When I heard the Police were getting back together for the Grammy's I figured I should for the sake of this blog and my own curiosity watch at least the first few minutes. Fortunately, the Police opened the program, It wasn't too disappointing, Sting looked literally pumped in his tight sleeveless t-shirt, Andy Summers has that Paul McCartney-neck thing happening and Stewart Copeland (with his glasses) looked even more intelligent than Sting thinks he is. I love the song Roxanne, (my kid's said, "this is the original?" they have only heard the Moulin Rouge version) but what's with the annoying middle instrumental bit, Sting couldn't remember the second verse? and couldn't he reach up an octave higher during the chorus? Don't get me wrong, I like the Police, well I loved them circa, their first two albums. They got too big, then their music got too commercial and boring and I never felt a love for Sting. Outlandos d'Armour and Regatta de Blanc were excellent albums to me they never topped, this was when they were at their punkiest and best. With the help of MTV and the music video craze, their follow up albums sold massively worldwide, and they became huge and so did Sting's ego.

As expected, the Police announced dates for their first North American tour in 23 years. I saw them on their last tour (Synchronicity tour) at the Winnipeg Arena back in 83 or 84. I remember this show clearly, I worked at the concessions so I could get into the show, I worked only during the warmup band and the intermission, then I was able to escape to see the whole Police set. I remember it being swelteringly hot sitting in the upper deck looking right down onto the band, it felt very surreal, I didn't care for their newer material on vinyl, but it sure sounded great live. This was a concert experience that I will never forget, it probably was the first time (and wouldn't be the last) I saw a band without a friend with me, it was a chance to really savour the moment. This was well before I taped shows, which is too bad because I don't think there's a recording out there for this show. I remember the awful opening act was the Thompson Twins, a band I despised, probably the worst band of the 80's. This gave you an idea of what kind of audience the Police were then attracting, so it was cool they were still able to please an old die-hard like myself.

Tickets for the 2007 tour will probably reach unbelievably high prices and they will only be playing in hockey arenas and football stadiums, but like all major reunion tours, the fans will be a little older (need to sit down) and a lot richer than they were the first time around.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR ITINERARY 2007

28 May GM Place, Vancouver BC
06 Jun Key Arena, Seattle WA
09 Jun Pepsi Center, Denver CO
15 Jun MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas, NV
16 Jun Bonnaroo Festival, Manchester, TN
18 Jun US Airways Arena, Phoenix, AZ
26 Jun American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
30 Jun New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
02 Jul Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO
22 Jul Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
25 Jul Bell Centre, Montreal, PQ
28 Jul Fenway Park, Boston, MA
01 Aug Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
03 Aug Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

additional dates may also include (closer to home), Minneapolis and Edmonton.

POLICE- Grammy Awards, February 11, 2007
Roxanne (live) mp3
Roxanne (live) video (Youtube)

In Case You Missed It The First Time

I've had a few requests to repost the Immaculate Machine show over at Dime from October 14, 2006 in Winnipeg. If you aren't a member of Eztorrent (Dimeadozen.org) and you really, really want a copy of the show, leave a message so I can contact you and I can send one out to you.

Since that tour that took the IM across Canada on the Mint tour (w/New Pornographers & Novillero), they have received much attention from the media and press. Last week on the national CBC afternoon show, Freestyle, they were the featured artist of the week, they played many of their tunes as well as an interview with Brooke to discuss their new French language EP, Les Un Mais Pas Les Autres. This is a collection of songs from Ones & Zeros translated into french.

90's Flashback: Zumpano Does Burt

For Christmas I received two gifts that will hopefully enhance my ability to post more music for sharing. No, it's not drums! I now have an external hard drive with 320 Gig capacity (actually only 298G of real space) to store my music. I've been storing all the albums I've been snatching, and I usually burn then delete live shows that are received in WAV or FLAC format because of it's size. Now I can pick and choose whether I want to keep it on my hard drive without worrying about filling up my drive. The other item is Instant Music, which is capable of recording analog sources such as cassettes and LP's onto the computer via the USB. I also have a stand-alone CD recorder connected to the stereo that works great, but I'm hoping this new toy will help cut back on discs and possibly a quicker method to transfer music straight to the hard drive (but, you have to remember that transferring tape or LP is in real time).

Since I'm hoping to eventually convert most of my concert tapes to CD, I thought I would start with an interesting radio recording that's been collecting dust on my cassette shelf since 1999.

Zumpano formed in 1992 in Vancouver and featured lead vocalist/guitar player Carl Newman. Carl may be familiar to most as the frontman for the New Pornographers who formed in 1997, and for his solo project, A.C. Newman. On this recording, Zumpano performed semi-live in the studio on the now defunct CBC radio show Radiosonic which was a fantastic program that featured interviews, in-studio sessions and live concert recordings. A dream come true for a concert taper geek, like myself. All the concert footage was decent FM quality, it's too bad I recorded most of the shows on cassette. This unique recording is an all-Burt Bacharach special, with Zumpano playing an all-Burt set to the delight of anyone that appreciates the complex time signatures and frequent modulation of Bacharach pop classics. It's clear that Zumpano is a group of very talented musicians that should be further explored if you don't already own their two CD's, Look What The Rookie Did (1995) and Goin' Through Changes (1996), both these discs are highly underrated and should be considered power-pop classics.

I've posted mp3's of the songs, minus the interview portions. If you want the whole session complete with host Leora Kornfeld's lovely voice in FLAC format (that converts to uncompressed WAV), download it from dimeadozen where it's presently posted (need to be a member).

ZUMPANO - CBC Radiosonic, Vancouver, BC- January 26, 1999
Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa
Anyone Who Ever Had A Heart
What the World Needs Now
Always Something There To Remind Me
Little Red Book

WILCO - Moon, Australia or Bridge?

Good news Wilco fans, in case you haven't heard yet the new Wilco album, Sky Blue Sky, is set for release May15th. Currently Jeff Tweedy is on tour through the southern US and Wilco is scheduled to tour Australia in April.

To tide you over until the new record, I'm posting the More Like the Moon EP (..or Australian EP or Bridge EP) from 2002, I saw this posted on one of the many blogs I've bookmarked (I Am Fuel, you Are Friends) and it reminded me, why haven't I downloaded this already? It's available for free download at Wilcoworld and if you want your own CD covers, you can print them off yourself, they've provided you with a choice of three. This disc was originally a bonus disc for the Australian version of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, a year after YHF was released Wilco offered it up at their site for anyone that purchased the album, it's now available to everyone. These songs were recorded during the YHF sessions, so they are alternative versions or unreleased songs. The YHF sessions must have been epic as there have been a few different versions and incarnations of the album floating around. I have a disc of demos and another disc of the engineer's demo mixes, I prefer several of the alternative versions to the released versions, but with every group of unreleased songs comes much filler and duds...looking forward to the new album!

WILCO - More Like The Moon EP
Camera
Handshake Drugs
Woodgrain
Magazine Called Sunset
Bob Dylan's 49th Beard
More Like the Moon

Meet the Smithereens?

Despite the title this is not the debut album of a "new" band called the Smithereens, no it's actually the seventh studio album from the New Jersey based rock band the Smithereens. A quick history lesson; the Smithereens were formed in 1980, had a string of great (near great?) albums in the mid-eighties (Especially For You and Green Thoughts, 11), kind of coasted through the nineties somewhat under the radar and released several best-of/rarities/greatest hits anthologies in the 00's. Personally I didn't think they were still around, but a quick check to their website reveals they are still alive and touring like it's 1986 again. I remember when their first album came out in 1986 and they swung through Winnipeg virtually unknown. The radio DJ of the I can't-remember radio station (it wasn't a College station because we didn't have one!) announced they were playing that night (I think they were just passing through and we're looking for a place to play) and offered some sort of money back guarantee if you didn't like them (I seem to remember the band drew a sparse crowd). The radio station played their single , Blood and Roses and Behind the Wall Of Sleep, and I was hooked, to this day I regret not attending the show.

Meet the Smithereens! is their tribute to the Beatles album from 1964's Meet The Beatles! The Smithereens have rerecorded song-by-song the album in its entirety, and they have maintained the sound and style of the fab 4 right down to the drum and guitar sound circa '64. At first listen this may sound like a tight Beatles cover band, but if you are familiar with the Smithereens sound, you know they have stayed true to their own sound while giving the listeners a fresh interpretation to this classic. The hits are great, while some of the lesser known songs do tend to drag in spots (blame the Beatles) the overall listening experience is enjoyable, though too short (again blame the Beatles). Meet The Beatles was their groundbreaking album as it was their first release in the US and it contains songs written by Lennon and McCartney instead of covers like on their UK debut, With The Beatles.

THE SMITHEREENS- Meet The Smithereens!
All My Loving
I Saw Her Standing There
I Wanna Be Your Man
I Want To Hold Your Hand

The Arcade Fire Previews The Neon Bible

In case you weren't lucky enough to be in Montreal last Saturday night, the Arcade Fire, after a year long hiatus, performed an unannounced show for the band's friends and those who heard about this show only hours before. They played in the basement of a Polish Catholic Church, (with only a small P.A. system) in the Mile End area of Montreal where the band lives, to an enthusiastic hometown crowd. (For a full account of the festivities, read this review) The previous night the Arcade Fire debuted songs from their forthcoming CD, Neon Bible, at an Ottawa High School where member Richard Perry attended. The Arcade Fire are playing a series of "warm-up" shows, including a run of 5 consecutive sold-out dates (in each city!) in London, Montreal and New York, before embarking on a European tour throughout all of March and some of April.

Fortunately, someone recorded the show and if you want to hear the whole concert, head over to Dimeadozen.org. (registered members). I'm posting a few of the brand new songs, beware the sound quality isn't perfect (this is a church basement for Christ's sake!), but it still captures the band's energy that makes them so great to see live and it's a chance to hear them showcase the new material. If you are an Arcade Fire fan, this should get you excited and drooling for their new album (out March), if you're not familiar with their sound, get Funeral NOW!

ARCADE FIRE - January 20, 2007 St. Michel Church, Montreal, Quebec

Black Mirror
Keep The Car Running
My Body Is A Cage
Intervention
The Well And The Lighthouse

New Year, New Music

We are only into the second week of the new year and already there is lots of great new music. I think everyone in the world knows that the Shins are releasing their newest disc Wincing The Night Away, on January 23rd, and they will make a few high profile TV appearances on Saturday Night Live (January 13th) and Late Night With David Letterman (Jan. 23rd). The first date on their current tour will be at the First Avenue in Minneapolis on February 8th, this will be closest they'll come to Winnipeg.

SHINS - Phantom Limb

SONDRE LERCHE - Phantom Punch
The year of the Phantom, you think? Anyone familiar with Sondre's music will be interested to hear him explore his "rock" side a little more. His previous releases, Faces Down and Two-Way Monologue rely heavily on Sondre's smooth vocals, classic pop sounds and lush melodies, while 2006's Duper Sessions was more acoustic and band focused. The songs on Phantom Punch definitely have been punched up both in volume and tempo. This album will surely catch the attention of the masses and Sondre Lerche will get the critical acclaim from North American audiences he truly deserves, trust me on this one.

SONDRE LERCHE - Airport Taxi Reception
SONDRE LERCHE - The Tape
SONDRE LERCHE - Say It All
SONDRE LERCHE - John, Let Me Go (also known as "Johnny Johnny Ooh Ooh")

SUKI BROWNIES - Suki Brownies
I don't know too much about this band, I read their bio on their Myspace site and from I can gather the band is from Lyon, France and their lead singer Suki is actually from England (she has a distinct British accent sometimes when she sings/talks). The songs ranges from Britpop to melodic, piercing guitar rock to a hypnotic electronic sound overlayed with poetic texts. A very interesting listen, I believe they are still indie, so this may be hard to find...impressive debut.

SUKI BROWNIES - A Billion
SUKI BROWNIES - Papa
SUKI BROWNIES - For Me
SUKI BROWNIES - Cregs

Year In Review: Favourite Albums Of 2006

When reviewing the year in music, I wanted to list CD's (albums, tapes, whatever) that received extra attention from myself, which I suppose means enjoyable and repeated listenings, recommendations to friends and a permanent place on my hard-drive or in my CD boxes. In this age of fast internet connection my eyes are wide open to how easy it is to access any new and old music. This past year I listened to more recent music than ever before, I could probably list dozens and dozens of really good CD's that I've heard this past year.

I've made a listing of my top favourites for 2006 in no particular order, some I have already written about in previous blog entries, but all these artists are well worth seeking out. (check out their links, I've linked their Myspace sites so you can sample their music easily) I also wrote random thoughts about the album, just off the top of my head, so it's not exactly a review, just a comment. Of course, I welcome your comments and maybe your top choices for the year, let me know if there is anything I should be listening to.

NEKO CASE - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Never really got into her other albums, maybe because their too-country. Love all her New Pornographers work. On this album, her voice grabs you right from the beginning and sucks you in for a very satisfying listen. Neko is definitely a chick I would love to hang out with!

THE HOLD STEADY - Boys And Girls In America
Heard lots of hype about these guys and they sure live up to it, a rock band that truly rocks! Kind of a vintage Springsteen-ish thing happening...without the sax, but better!

GOLDEN SMOG - Another Fine Day
The mighty Golden Smog's first record in 8 years. Next best thing to a new Jayhawks record. Not their best, but Dan Murphy always saves his best work for GS. Interestingly, Soul Asylum's first album in 8 years is released within a week of Golden Smog's.

SADIES - In Concert Vol 1
I've said too much about the Sadies already (see a previous post), can't wait for Vol 2! A Canadian treasure.

HONEYDOGS - Amydgala
A hugely under-rated band from the Twin Cities that improves and matures each and every release. Saw the Honeydogs in St. Paul, in November 2005 around the time they finished recording this disc. They premiered most of the new material with many guests musicians from the Minneapolis music community in a special intimate show recorded for public radio. This show and this much anticipated release are both highlights for the year.

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - The Life Pursuit
Never really listened to much B & S, but the Life Pursuit was a pleasant surprise. When I put this on, it instantly cheers me up and adds a bounce to my step. A well crafted pop album with extra emphasis on poppy.

MINUS 5 - Minus 5 (aka: The Gun Album)
The busiest man in music today has to be Scott McCaughey and his various projects. He performs solo (including some upcoming gigs with Jeff Tweedy), tours and records with R.E.M and Robyn Hitchcock and The Venus 3. He still fronts my heroes the Young Fresh Fellows who actually played a couple of gigs this year (Seattle and Spain) and he continues to pump out great music with the Minus 5. With special guests on this disc such as Colin Meloy, John Wesley Harding and Wilco, along with M5 regulars John Ramberg, and Peter Buck and Bill Rieflin of R.E.M. Another essential listen.

THE LEMONHEADS - The Lemonheads
In my opinion, this is the comeback album of the year. Sure he released a solo album a few years ago and Evan Dando has pretty much a different Lemonheads line-up every album, it's still the Lemonheads. A slightly more aggressive sound combined with those great hooks Dando is known for, this is their best album since It's A Shame About Ray. Proof that rehab can be a good thing.

BEN KWELLER - Ben Kweller
Remember when self-titled albums were traditionally the debut release? Ben (like the previous 2 other artists) seems to have run out of clever album titles, such as his previous classics, On My Way and Sha Sha. This is Kweller's 3rd full-length solo album, another step forward for the former frontman for Radish (Ben's band when he was 15), he continues to create strong material with maturity well beyond his age. On his latest record, he plays all the instruments himself.

ANGELA DESVEAUX - Wandering Eyes
This debut record was a wonderful surprise that seemed to come out of nowhere, at least for me living outside of Montreal. I love this album, it has this soothing effect on me that makes me want to replay Heartbeat over and over again... Be sure to watch the video I posted about a month ago for the song Wandering Eyes.

Other noteable releases in 2006:
THE DECEMBERISTS - The Crane Wife
Colin Meloy and Co. continue to gain more critical acclaim and mainstream attention, kind of like Death Cab For Cutie did last year. A weird marriage of catchy pop-rock and 70's Prog rock, very interesting.

SOME GIRLS - The Crushing Love
Some Girls was probably suppose to be a one-shot project with one album and a tour. Though not quite as satisfying as 2003's Feel It, this record sounds more like a collaborative band instead of a glorified Juliana Hatfield album with a female band.

JENNY LEWIS and the WATSON TWINS - Rabbit Fur Coat
This Rilo Kiley vocalist amazes with this sometimes eerie, sometimes spiritual, but always stunning performance. I doubted her range and lyrical skills, but I think Jenny legitimately pulls it off just fine.

BICYCLES - The Good, The Bad, And The Cuddly
YO LA TENGO - I'm Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
THE DEARS - Gang Of Losers
BE YOUR OWN PET - Be Your Own Pet
AMY MILLEN - Honey From The Tombs
MAGIC NUMBERS - Those The Brokes

Hey, How 'bout Some Christmas Cheer!

During the holiday season everyone loves listening to the same old Christmas/Holiday tunes, for me A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio always gets me in the mood. Another favourite that always made me laugh is the Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas which I haven't listened to in years because the cassette is buried somewhere in the basement (I think?). When I was growing up, my dad always spun Perry Como's Christmas Album, usually to the groans of my brother, sister and I.

Believe it or not, there is lots of semi-cool holiday related music out there. Please have a listen and if you have other alternative-X-Mas tunes to share with us, let me know. I've lifted some music from other blogs and enjoyment.

Rugburns- I Hate F*cking Christmas
Yo La Tengo- Rock N Roll Santa
AsobiSeksu- Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight)
Velocity Girl- Merry X-Mas I Love you
Michael Stipe- We're Not So Bad [from Olive the Other Reindeer]
REM- Ghost Reindeer In The Sky
Young Fresh Fellows- O Little Town Of Bethlehem

The Pretenders '79 BBC Sessions

I was so excited about the Pretenders re-issue of their first two albums (see last post), that I had to fill my fix by listening to some live Pretenders. I know for a fact I had several live shows with the original line-up burned to disc in one of my many many storage boxes in one of the rooms of my house. I love Christmas..well kind of..I DO love those Christmas oranges, you know the ones, the mandarines from China and Japan that are easy to peel and sweet to eat. Anyways, they come packed in 5 or 9 lb orange coloured boxes that fit CD's quite nicely, so at Christmas time we go through about half a dozen boxes and word got out at work I need more boxes, so my house is now overcrowded with CD filled orange boxes. Right now I have a few more boxes worth of CD's that need storage (to keep from falling on the floor), so I have to go and fill my vitamin C quota for the day.

I eventually found a few of the discs I was looking for and one of the better sounding ones is a disc with BBC sessions recorded in 1979, the year before their first album was released. I have 4 songs from an in-studio session for February of that year, as well as 4 songs from an in-studio in July. I have posted for your listening pleasure a portion (all I have) of the BBC "In Concert" '79 radio broadcast, I don't have the exact date nor the location of this live concert, but it is a pretty good sounding show. In fact it's so good I have to share this!

The Pretenders BBC "In Concert" 1979
The Wait
Stop Your Sobbing
Kid
Cuban Slide
Brass In Pocket
Tattooed Love Boys
Mystery Achievement

Re-issues: Pretenders I and II

Always a popular gift idea is the re-issue of a previously released album that has been re-mastered and re-packaged with a truckload of bonus tracks (+ xtra disc). On Both Pretenders I and II, the first disc is the original remastered album, while disc #2 features demos, unreleased and live tracks. The live cuts especially showcase what a great band the original line-up was, the Pretenders were made up of Chrissie Hynde, the late James Honeyman-Scott, the late Pete Farndon and drummer Martin Chambers

Believe it or not, the first Pretender's album was issued almost 27 years ago in January of 1980. The year previous they had released the singles for Stop Your Sobbing, Kid and Brass In Pocket. If you didn't own the album, these were the songs that you would have identified the Pretenders with. When I first heard the whole album I was completely blown away, the other songs rocked way harder than the radio hits and the range in material from punk to rock, instrumental to ballad is solid! One of the local FM radio stations back in the early 80's played complete albums uninterupted at midnight. Certain nights were designated as "classic album nights" playing such treats as Sticky Fingers, Dark Side Of The Moon, Beggars Banquet, Who's Next, Led Zeppelin IV etc. A fine introduction to some essential stuff for listeners who suffered through the repeated playing of only hit singles. Of course in those days I taped everything including Pretenders I, I listened to that tape for years (I was too cheap to buy the album), even though my radio recorded copy had skips on two of the tracks on side one. Obviously, this upgraded CD will continue to provide me with many more happy listenings.

Pretenders II was the last album with the short-lived original line-up, both Honeyman-Scott and Farnden overdosed after the release of II and musically the group was never the same. I admit Learning to Crawl (3rd album, 1982) was my second favourite Pretenders album and it was a big hit on radio, but the group never regained the same intensity and edge as their previous discs. The Pretenders became known as Chrissie Hynde and her revolving door of backing musicians and I kind of lost interest. I honestly don't think I can name more than 2 or 3 songs the Pretenders have done since 1986 (that's 20 years ago!). For any newer fans of the band these re-issues are a wonderful way to discover the early songs that made them famous. Needless to say, Pretenders II reissue has some fine moments as disc 2 is almost entirely live versions. Still high energy and tight, yet maybe slightly more reserved, the more I listen to II, the more I appreciate how classic this album is!

Pretenders I
Brass In Pocket (demo, much slower version) she says, "Your special" instead of "I'm special" , changes the meaning of the song?
Kid (demo)
Precious (live)
Tatooed Love Boys (live)

Pretenders II
Adultress
Message Of Love (live)