Lou Reed - "Live Performances 1972 & 1974" DVD Review (XXL Media)

I was excited by this release as Lou Reed – Live Performances 1972 & 1974 is the first live recording from Lou’s Sally Can’t Dance tour to be commercially released. The first video segment shows Lou and his band recorded live at the Paris Olympia on 5/25/74. This segment, which was originally broadcast on French TV, captures the first six songs of Lou’s thirteen song set. The second segment contains four tracks that were recorded in Brussels...

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Flipper (the band): Resurfaces in 2012 and Announces SXSW Show(s) and Upcoming European Tour

After a quiet couple of years, Flipper has resurfaced in 2012! The band is playing a local warm-up show in Oakland on March 2 with East Bay Way & the Killer Smiles which is a precursor to playing SXSW in March and Europe in April. Flipper's last studio disc Love came out in 2009 on MVD Audio. "LOVE, the brand new studio album from the incredible Flipper was recorded with the great Jack Endino at the helm, known for having recorded many of...

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The Doors - "L.A. Woman" 40th Anniversary Edition CD Review (Rhino)

This album is heavy as f*ck and will melt your face off! I always wanted to write a review that says absolutely nothing about the music on the disc (trying Googling “heavy as f*ck” or “melt your face off” and see how many times these phrases have been used in CD reviews). Most reviews that I’ve read of The Doors’ 40th Anniversary edition of L.A. Woman use most of their inches talking about the disc’s original release in 1971. With this disc having...

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

DOWNLOAD: Meat Puppets - Live at City Gardens, Trenton, NJ 5/9/87 (Part 1 and Part 2)In April of 1987, the Meat Puppets released their fifth disc, Mirage. This disc was the band’s first that sounded intentionally geared toward commercial accessibility and Derrick Bostrom has referred to the disc as the Pups “psychedelic epic”. This is a transitional disc for the Pups, which catches them between the blissed-out country-punk of Up on the Sun and...

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Wino & Conny Ochs Stream "Heavy Kingdom" From Forthcoming Collaborative Album (out March 13th)

STREAM: Wino & Conny Ochs - "Heavy Kingdom" (title track from forthcoming album)Earlier this week, the folks at The Obelisk posted the title track, "Heavy Kingdom", from the forthcoming collaborative album from Wino & Conny Ochs. This new LP is confirmed for North American release via Exile On Mainstream Records on March 13th. Wino & Conny Ochs have also confirmed their first full tour in support of Heavy Kingdom, set for performances...

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Quiet Riot Plays B.B. King's on Feb. 1st w/ All Points West (Spread Eagle) and Saviour

I’ve never figured out why there seemed to be a mainstream backlash against Quiet Riot. When Quiet Riot last came though New York (they played the St. George Theatre in Staten Island in 2006), I asked some of my friends who have mainstream musical tastes (i.e. Nickelback and Poison fans) if they wanted to go with me to the show and they gave me looks like I asked them if they wanted to see (i.e.) The Wiggles open for Miley Cyrus. My friends missed...

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The Residents - "Rivers of Hades" CDR Review (Ralph Records)

The Residents’ Rivers of Hades is currently available as a CDR which Ralph is selling through its eBay store. The band describes this release as “music conceived as an aural art piece to accompany the release party of The Residents toy figures recently designed by Steve Cerio. The original music was conceived to utilize two DVD players that were programmed to randomly play abstract bits of music. They would play 5.1 surround audio and each would...

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The Residents - "present THE UGHS!" CD Review (MVD Audio)

To call The Residents “prolific” would be an understatement as the band seems to releases new and archival releases almost monthly. If you follow the band closely though, there are a number of themes that reemerge across the years and most of the band’s recent projects first surfaced on 2009’s Ten Little Piggies compilation (see previous review). The Residents will be releasing a new CD next month, Coochie Brake, which is the second release under...

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Fort Frances - Chicago Alt-Country Trio Plays Pianos on Jan. 28th

Ghosts of California by Fort Frances DOWNLOAD: Fort Frances - "Hard Earned Heart" (from the band's 2011 debut The Atlas) "Wilco is an easy comparison to make here, and it’s an apt one; there are times during The Atlas when David McMillin sounds as if he’s channelled Jeff Tweedy." - - Tympanogram.comWhat initially began as a solo project for singer/songwriter David McMillin gradually transformed into Fort Frances: a three-piece band whose debut...

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

DOWNLOAD: Meat Puppets - Live at Georgia Theater, Athens. GA 11-08-89The Meat Puppets kicked off the tour for Monsters tour in December of 1989 at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and, in a review of the show, the L.A. Times said: “As individual and uncompromising as the band's approach is, it is still difficult to fathom why the Meat Puppets haven't found the larger success of the Replacements, Bob Mould and other contemporaries. There is...

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Town Hall: Brooklyn Indie-Folk Band Cover Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" / New EP Available as Free Download

Sticky Notes & Paper Scraps by Town HallTown Hall "sold me" with their acoustic re-interpretation (and the vocals trade-offs between Stefan Weiner and Phoebe Ryan) of Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" so I gave the band's new EP, "Sticky Notes & Paper Scraps" a spin. This is a mellow "late night" disc that is powered by the two vocalists with instrumentation like mandolin and omnichord carefully woven in beneath the vocals. Most of the songs...

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Il Abanico - LA-to-Brooklyn Post-Rock Band Plays Goodbye Blue Monday on Feb.11th

Crossing Colors EP by Il abanicoLos Angeles-to-Brooklyn post-rock band Il Abanico plays music that sounds like one of the bands from the Teen Beat / Slumberland roster crossed with a heavy Latin influence. Il Abanico is an Indie/Experimental band created in 2010 by Nicolás Losada (guitar) and Juliana Ronderos (Voice). They expose their personalities with innovative melodies, an upbeat rhythm section and unorthodox guitars. Originally from Bogotá,...

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Lou Reed - "Walk on the Wild Side" CD Review (XXL Media)

Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side CD (XXL Media) is a re-release of Lou’s live-in-the-studio performance from Ultrasonic Studios which was recorded on Dec. 26, 1972 in Hempstead, NY. At the time this show was recorded, Lou’s second solo disc, Transformer, had come out the month prior and the songs on this ten track disc are predominately drawn from Transformer and the Velvet Underground’s back catalogue (Lou amusingly refers to one of the Velvet’s...

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Meat Puppets - "Up On the Sun" CD Review (MVD Audio)

DOWNLOAD: Meat Puppets - Live @ McCabe's Guitar Show, Santa Monica, CA 5-3-85 (Up on the Sun tour)In 1985, the Meat Puppets released their third full-length, Up On the Sun, and this disc was the turning point for the band’s sound. There is no sign of the band’s hardcore roots on any of the disc’s twelve tracks as the music continues on the acid-drenched, country-punk path that the band started down on Meat Puppets II. The music on this disc has...

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The Buddies (x-Welcome to Ashley) - Live Video From Bowery Electric, NYC 1/6/12

F*** THE BUDDIES by THE BUDDIESAfter watching a show at Pianos a couple years ago, where the European opening band made their NYC debut to an audience of three (myself and two other bloggers), I'm always impressed when an out-of-town opening band can fill the room. Last Friday night, The Buddies played a strong 40+ minute set of memorable whiskey-drenched songs reminiscent of The Replacements or a "Southern rock" version of The Pogues and the crowd...

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LA Guns (Phil Lewis) Cancel January 29th Show at Bowery Electric

There must be something about NYC that disagrees with the members of L.A. Guns. Last November, the Tracii Guns-led band was scheduled to play a poorly publicized show at Club Rebel. All I can find online about the show is a one line comment: "L.A. Guns (Tracii Guns version) were supposed to headline but had a dispute with the club and walked out."The Phil Lewis / Steve Riley lineup were scheduled to play Bowery Electric on Jan. 29th and the show...

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Automatic Children Will Be Premiering New Songs at Spike Hill on Friday, Feb. 3rd

"The holidays have come and gone. 2012 is well underway, and we have some exciting plans for the new year. We plan to record several new songs by the summer and release them later in the year. Perhaps you’ve heard some of them at our recent CMJ and Bowery Electric shows last fall. We are really looking forward to getting them out there for you as soon as we can. On Friday, February 3rd we will be playing them in a stripped down three-piece format...

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Church of Misery - "Master of Brutality" Reissue CD Review (Metal Blade/Rise Above)

Church Of Misery "Megalomania (Herbert Mullin)" by Metal Blade Records While waiting for the Black Sabbath reunion album, Rise Above/Metal Blade’s reissue of Church of Misery’s full-length debut, Master of Brutality, should be a good holdover. Master of Brutality was Church of Misery’s first full-length and the disc originally came out on Southern Lord in 2001. This new reissue adds three bonus tracks which extends the total running time...

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First Aid Kit Release - "The Lion's Roar" CD Review (Wichita Recordings)

Sweden's First Aid Kit is releasing their sophomore full-length album The Lion's Roar on January 24th, 2012 via Wichita Recordings. Where the bands 2010’s debut, The Big Black and the Blue, was lonely and intimate, The Lion’s Roar is a full band effort that is comparable to the recordings of American folk/country artists like Emmylou Harris and Nanci Griffth. Klara and Johanna Söderberg recorded their new disc in Omaha with producer Mike Mogis...

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School of Seven Bells Post "Lafaye" from Upcoming Disc "Ghostory" (out Feb. 28th on Vagrant)

School of Seven Bells - Lafaye by Vagrant Records School of Seven Bells have just posted the first official single, “Lafaye”, from their upcoming third CD, Ghostory. The track will be available as a single through all digital retailers on Tuesday, January 17th, along with an exclusive b-side titled "Love From A Stone." School Of Seven Bells' third release, Ghostory, comes out February 28 on Vagrant Records/Ghostly International. Recorded in-between...

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Sunn O))) - "ØØ VOID / The Iron Soul of Nothing" CD Review (Southern Lord)

Sunn O)))’s newest release, ØØ VOID, brings back into print the band’s second disc, which was recorded in Hollywood in 2000 with producer (and Goatsnake / Kyuss bassist) Scott Reeder and originally issued on Hydra Head. Like most Southern Lord releases, ØØ VOID is available as a limited edition vinyl pressing (1K on cream colored vinyl / 5K total pressing). There is also a limited 2CD edition of ØØ VOID (1,000 copies) being sold through Southern...

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EULA opens for Mission of Burma at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Jan. 19th

Maurice Narcisse by EULAIn late 2009, New Haven-to-Brooklyn post-punk band EULA was selected by Mission of Burma (through Matador's 'Battle for Burma' competition) to open for MOB at a free show at M.I.T. for Boston's "Mission of Burma Day". EULA has now been tapped to open for Mission of Burma at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Jan. 19th. Tickets are $20 and doors are at 8PM.EULA's most recent release, Maurice Narcisse, came out last May and Paper...

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Margot & The Nuclear So and So's Post "Prozac Rock" from forthcoming "Rot Gut, Domestic" CD (Out 3/20)

Prozac Rock by MargotCloud Margot & The Nuclear So and So's have recently posted the first single from the band's forthcoming studio album Rot Gut, Domestic. The single is currently available via iTunes and Amazon and a limited edition 7-inch is available in the band's webstore. Rot Gut, Domestic was produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, The Walkmen) and comes out on March 20th, 2012 via the band's Mariel Recording Company. Rot Gut,...

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The Coastals (DC Power-Punk) Play National Underground on Thursday, Jan. 12th

The Coastals - Burn White Hot by thecoastals DC power-punk band The Coastals just released their second disc, Burn White Hot, and the band is playing a show this Thursday at National Underground with Greg Burroughs, Neil Davis, and Will McCranie. On this new disc, the band delivers 17 songs about love, anger, addiction, mental illness, class warfare, and mortality, pervaded by the themes of resilience and finding strength in adversity. The...

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WATERS (x-Port O'Brien) Announces Spring Tour / Show at Webster Hall on March 29th

Following winter dates supporting Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, WATERS has announced a lengthy new run of spring tour dates supporting Delta Spirit. The tour will travel throughout the US and into Canada, and launches on March 19th at the Revolution Music Room in Little Rock, AR, before wrapping up on May 11th at The Music Box in Los Angeles, CA. The dates include a March 29th New York show at Webster Hall.WATERS - whose debut LP Out In The Light was...

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Poison Idea - "Darby Crash Rides Again - The Early Years" CD Review (Southern Lord)

"We were going to write some self-righteous diatribe about the 'good old day' - but those days weren't good - we were pissed off then and we are pissed off now - go die. Positive = Boring" - from "Darby Crash Rides Again" 7" inner-sleevePortland hardcore stalwarts Poison Idea are the beast that will never die. While guitarist “Pig Champion” died in 2006 and one-time drummer Steve "Thee Slayer Hippy" Hanford was arrested for a string of pharmacy...

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Van Halen: Download First Three Songs from Show at Cafe Wha?, NYC 1-5-12

DOWNLOAD: Jim Florentine's Comedy Metal Midgets PodcastComedian Jim Florentine just posted live audio of the first three songs from Van Halen's set at Cafe Wha? and there are all kinds of quality live videos posted on YouTube.Cafe Wha? Set List:You Really Got MeRunnin' With the DevilSomebody Get Me a DoctorEverybody Wants SomeShe's the WomanDance The Night AwayIce Cream ManHot for TeacherAin't Talking About LoveJumpVan Halen 2012 North American Tour:2/18/12 - KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY2/20/12 - The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI 2/22/12...

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120 Days (Norwegian Electronic/Dance) Announce Sophomore Disc Out March 6th / New Track "Osaka" Posted as Free Download

120 Days- Osaka by JasiJasi I neve got around to checking out Norwegian electronic/dance band 120 Days when they came through in 2008 (for show at the Merc) but I gave a listen to the first track off the band's sophomore disc (120 Days II) and got pulled in by the band's teutonic New Order meets Kraftwork sound. The band just released the first single from this upcoming disc, "Osaka", as a free download and this track is also the first release...

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