The Buddies (x-Welcome to Ashley) Play Bowery Electric on Friday, Jan. 6th

DOWNLOAD: The Buddies - "All the Beer is Gone" (from F*ck the Buddies)F*** THE BUDDIES by THE BUDDIESI really enjoyed the music of Chicago post-punk band Welcome to Ashley (which sounded something like The Smiths crossed with Urge Overkill) and the band has now morphed into The Buddies (which has been called a "southern rock version of The Clash"...though I'm thinking more of The Pogues or Jason and the Scorchers). The Buddies combines three members...

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This Frontier Needs Heroes Posts New Single "2012"

2012 by thisfrontierneedsheroes This Frontier Needs Heroes’ sophomore release The Future (released last May) was one of my favorite discs of the year. Brother-sister duo Brad and Jessica Lauretti wrapped textured vocal harmonies with a minimalist guitar work and various hazy electronica to create a mood around their rich narrative lyrics. The band has recently posted a new single "2012" (streaming above) which was recorded with Jason from...

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Craig Finn Posts Acoustic Performance of "Jackson" from Forthcoming Solo Disc (out Jan. 24th)

"In July 2011, I went to Austin Texas to make a record. The Hold Steady was on a four month break, and I wanted to try something a little different. Earlier in the year, I had written a bunch of songs that were outside of the norm for The Hold Steady, a little quieter and perhaps more narrative. I also wanted to gain some experience and insight into the process of making a record by working with newpeople.I'm calling this record “Clear Heart Full...

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Camper Van Beethoven Will be Debuting New Material @ Highline Ballroom on Sat., Jan. 14th

DOWNLOAD: Camper Van Beethoven - Live at The Independent, San Francisco, CA 12-28-11Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven's annual year-end California trek is underway and the last night of this run of shows is Dec. 29th in Petaluma. After which, Cracker heads further north to Portland on December 30th for a special one-off with bluegrass jam band Leftover Salmon, where the two bands will perform their highly-lauded 2003 album O Cracker, Where Art...

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Jim Florentine - "Cringe and Purge" CD Review (Metal Blade)

Jim Florentine "Kids" by Metal Blade Records Wikipedia defines cringe comedy as “a comedy genre that uses awkward and embarrassing situations to cause audiences to feel uneasy”. The problem with this definition is that uber-PC folks need to realize that everyday life has a large number of “awkward and embarrassing situations” and Florentine touches on a number of these situations over the course of his new disc. While Jim Florentine is well-known...

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Austrian Death Machine - "Jingle All The Way" CD EP Review (Metal Blade)

Austrian Death Machine "It's Turbo Time" by Metal Blade Records When Austrian Death Machine’s (ADM) first disc came our in 2008, Tim Lambesis describes it as "a tribute to the great Arnold movies. It is a band fronted by Ahhnold with music I wrote and recorded in my free time. But, most importantly, I had so much fun!" Tim and the boys are back with a new three-song EP where the songs are based on Das Ahnold’s 1996 (very painful) holiday movie...

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Holy Grail - "Seasons Bleedings" EP Review (Prosthetic Records)

The two best metal Christmas releases this year came from Holy Grail and Austrian Death Machine.Los Angeles thrashers Holy Grail released a two song, limited edition colored vinyl 7” (“Holy shades of Sub*Pop Batman”), "Seasons Bleedings", and these two songs are also included on a four-track digital EP which was issued under the same name. The vinyl single contains covers of King Diamond’s first solo single “No Presents for Christmas” and Rainbow’s...

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La Coka Nostra Post Free Download - "Malverde Market" - from Forthcoming Second Disc "Masters of the Dark Arts"

DOWNLOAD: La Coka Nostra - "Malverde Market"Hip Hop super-crew, La Coka Nostra (LCN) has re-surfaced in time for the holidays with a new song for free download and video! "Malverde Market" features LCN members Slaine and Ill Bill (Bill also doing double duty as producer of the track) and is a sampling of what is to come for 2012. The group has announced they are working on a new full-length titled Masters Of The Dark Arts to be released next May....

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Neil Young - "Live in Chicago 1992" CD Review (Immortal)

After enjoying Neil Young's acoustic set on the recently released Live on Air / The Lost Tapes CD (see review), I've been more attentive to some of Neil's one-off releases that have been coming out on little European labels. I recently picked up this 2CD set, Live in Chicago 1992, from Amazon.co.uk for ~$15 (inclusive of shipping.This 20-song / 110 minute set captures a tight solo performance by Neil which was recorded on Nov. 17, 1992 for broadcast...

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Chantilly - "Caught Light" CD Review

caught light sampler by chantillyThe holidays seemed like a good time to catch up on some of the discs that slipped through the cracks earlier this year and one of these was the debut disc by Brooklyn singer/songwriter/blogger Chantilly, Caught Light.I got a huge kick over a rant on Chantilly’s blog about the term singer/songwriter: “anytime you mention the words "singer" and "songwriter" in the same sentence, people automatically raise a leery eyebrow...

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Exhumed: NPR Posts Full Set from Maryland Deathfest 2011 as Free Download

DOWNLOAD: Exhumed - Live at Maryland Deathfest, Sonar, Baltimore, MD 6-23-11 I'm pleasantly shocked as I never would have envisioned that I would mention Exhumed and NPR in the same sentence...but NPR has just posted some of the sets from this year's Maryland Deathfest as free downloads. Exhumed released their All Guts, No Glory full-length earlier this year via Relapse Records. The record continues to reap critical acclaim from fans and critics...

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X (the band) - "The Unheard Music" DVD Review (MVD Video)

Earlier this fall, the original lineup of X regrouped for a limited run of shows where they played the entirety of their 1980 debut Los Angeles and screened their little-seen 1986 bio-pic The Unheard Music prior to the show. While similar minded bio-pics like Decline of Western Civilization (1981) achieved cult status, The Unheard Music seemed to slip under the radar of most people at the time of its original release.The Unheard Music was filmed...

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The Smiths: "Please, Please, Please: a Tribute to The Smiths" CD Review (American Laundromat Records)

Sheila Take A Bow (Smiths Cover) by Telekinesis by americanlaundromatrecords Panic (Smiths Cover) by Kitten by americanlaundromatrecords I'm not sure what will happen first: the Age of Quarrel line-up of the Cro-Mags reunite, The Smiths reunite or hell freezes over. It is a funny world though as I can remember listening to a mid-90's interview with Metallica where they were laughing when asked about the possibility of ever playing again...

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Paul McCartney Releases First Single, "My Valentine", From Forthcoming Album

My Valentine - Paul McCartney by PaulMcCartney While many a musician is often asked about the tunes that have influenced their songwriting, it is not a question Paul McCartney ordinarily gets to answer – until now. Paul is about to offer a glimpse into “the songs which inspired the songs” with the upcoming release of a brand new album of those standards he grew up listening to in his childhood—plus two brand new McCartney compositions: the...

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Yes - "In the Present: Live from Lyon" CD Review (Frontiers Records)

One of the challenges in writing a review of a long-running band’s “greatest hits” album is that the band (most often) has an established and well-known sound so the reviewer adds little value. I feel like I’m in that quandary with the latest live album from Yes, In the Present: Live from Lyon, as Yes has already released over a dozen live albums, CDs and DVDs and the set list on this new disc is predominately comprised of Yes’ greatest hits. One...

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Margot & The Nuclear So and So's Announce Fourth Disc, "Rot Gut, Domestic", Due Out on March 20th (Mariel Recording Company)

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's have announced the release of their fourth studio album Rot Gut, Domestic on March 20th, 2012 via their own Mariel Recording Company. Rot Gut, Domestic is the Nukes' rawest take on their evocative, soaring brand of guitar-centric pop. The album follows in the footsteps of the more brazen, rocking songs that comprised 2010's Buzzard (called "masterpieces of controlled tension" by SPIN) and the first four tracks...

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R.E.M. Shutters Fan Club with Low Key 2011 Christmas Single

R.E.M. Fan-Club Holiday Single 2011 by Slicing Up Eyeballs Way back in the pre-Internet dark ages, it used to be the epitome of indie record-geek cool to be a member of R.E.M.’s fan club as the club put out an annual limited-edition Christmas single containing exclusive material. The original fan club releases were vinyl singles which contained (generally) a unique, one-off cover along with a holiday-themed song. The first few singles contained...

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One One Seven: Long Island Modern Rock Band Makes Their NYC Debut with a Show at Arlene's Grocery on Dec. 29th

Long Island's One One Seven started in December 2007 and the band's acoustic-based music and rich vocal harmonies immediately bring up comparisons to bands like The Trews and 90's "modern rock" bands like Matchbox 20 and Hootie & the Blowfish. To date, One One Seven has been giging outside of the City and have shared the stage with acts like Romance on a Rocketship, This Condition, Austin Gibbs, Brian Bonz (from Kevin Devine's Band), Truth In...

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Johnny Thunders - "Who's Been Talking?" Live DVD Review (MVD Video)

With the release of the New York Dolls’ DVD Looking Fine on Television, I went back to check out some of the Dolls/Thunders releases that I’ve missed over the years. These first of the discs that I dropped on was Johnny Thunders Who's Been Talking which is a live DVD of one of Johnny’s last concerts. This show was filmed at Club Citta in Osaka, Japan on April 3, 1991 and this is the last known recorded show that Johnny played as he was found dead...

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Meat Puppets - "Huevos" CD Review (MVD Audio)

DOWNLOAD: Meat Puppets - Live @ Variety Arts Center, Los Angeles, CA 1-22-88Always a prolific band, The Meat Puppets followed the April 1987 release of the very accessible Mirage with Huevos, which came out just six months later. This time out, the band are going for a bluesy, riff-rock power trio sound akin to the James Gang or ZZ Top. In the liner notes for the reissue, Derrick Bostrom said: “At this stage of our career, we weren’t punk enough...

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New York Dolls - "Lookin' Fine on Television" DVD Review (MVD Video)

"The legendary and infamous New York Dolls at their best! Amazing rare live clips and interviews filmed by Bob Gruen and Nadya Beck in the heady days of the band's ascension in the 70s. Footage from early shows in NYC all the way to the TV studios, clubs and swimming pools of Los Angeles. Black and white film was never so colorful! Includes ripping versions of "Personality Crisis," "Who Are the Mystery Girls?" "Babylon" and more. See the incredible...

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Lissie Releases Cover of The Pretenders' "2000 Miles" as Free Download

DOWNLOAD: Lissie - "2000 Miles" (Live - not on Live at Shepard's Bush Empire CD/DVD)Happy holidays!I wanted to share my version of the Pretenders' '2,000 Miles' from a show I did last year in London! I hope it's a nice complement to your holiday season and helps ya to feel festive! I also hope you all have a very happy holiday surrounded by loved ones and delicious food!Love, LissieLinks:Lis...

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The Magnetic Fields Return to Merge for Tenth Disc "Love at the Bottom of the Sea" / Show at Beacon Theater on April 3rd

The Magnetic Fields’ Love at the Bottom of the Sea will be released by Merge Records on March 6. The band’s tenth full-length album is their first release of new material with Merge since 1999’s highly acclaimed 69 Love Songs. The band will celebrate their new album with a North American tour that passes through the SXSW Music Showcase in Austin, Texas.After putting out three synthesizer-free albums, The Magnetic Fields are returning to the signature...

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Meat Puppets- "On My Way" CD Review (MVD Audio)

DOWNLOAD: Meat Puppets - Live @ KCRW Studios, 1-16-86 (contains live versions of many of the songs from On My Way)The Meat Puppets’ Up On the Sun (1985) was a staple of my college radio days and there was a rumor circulating at the time that the popularity of the disc was going to lead to the Pups signing to a major label. At this point in the band’s career, Curt’s songwriting had significantly matured, leaving no trace of the speedballing freaked-out...

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The Fall - "Ersatz GB" CD Review (Cherry Red Records / MVD Audio)

Toward the end of last month, The Fall released their 29th studio disc Erstaz GB (Cherry Red Records / MVD Audio). Longtime champion of the band John Peel said that “The Fall are always identifiably The Fall, but they do seem to evolve” and there is no mistaking Mark E. Smith’s garbled stream-of-conscious, sing/speak vocals on Erstaz GB which are interwoven into a dense layer of frenetic punk riffs, rumbling dirge and crashing heavy metal chords...

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LA Guns Replace “New” Vocalist Dilana as Lead Singer after Two Months / BrooklynRocks Publisher Rejected as Replacement

Only kidding about the later portion of the title but…Tracii has swapped out Jizzy Pearl’s replacement, former Rock Star: Supernova contestant, Dilana Robichaux after just two months with the band. Tracii has had a revolving cast of vocalists over the years but Dilana’s departure has to set the record for the shortest tenure. Dilana’s replacement is Tony West, who played with the band Blacklist Union (never heard of him or the band…but I never...

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Deep Purple - "BBC Sessions 1968 - 1970" CD Review

After getting fairly annoyed / disappointed with the recent series of major label “deluxe reissues” (Nirvana, Pink Floyd, etc.), Deep Purple’s The BBC Sessions 1968/70 is a welcome change - along with being a great addition to the band’s extensive catalog. It isn’t quite fair to call this 2CD set a “deluxe reissue” but about half of these tracks had circulated previously on various compilations and reissues. This is the first time though that ALL...

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