Monthly Archives: August 2010

This week, instead of trying to distill themes from an entire day’s worth of #musicmonday tweets, I’ll go hour by hour and look for some microthemes. Because I am an alchemist, I will find them. And because I am a windbag, I will stick to the morning hours and leave the afternoon and evening for later columns.

3–4 am (Eastern Time): This hour is pretty much dominated by @MMHero, who was tweetin’ some pretty solid garage rock. I’m a sucker for fuzzy guitars and scratchy vocals, so @MMHero makes me happy. In between that and the usual crush of people selling tickets to shows via the #musicmonday tag, there are a few Norah Jones suggestions and Silverchair. I’ve been writing this column for a few months now, and have concluded that many Twitter users think it’s still the ‘90s despite overwhelming evidence that we are actually living in the future.

4–5 am: More @MMHero, plus a ton of tweets in Indonesian. I think. #Indonesia65 is hashtagged, and August 17 is the 65th anniversary of Indonesian independence. Other than that, I can’t tell you what the Indonesian tweets are talking about, or what they have to do with music. I don’t speak Indonesian. In fact, I just had to look up whether “Indonesian” was in fact a language. I’m actually quite bright, I promise, but once I accidentally said “Puerto Rican” when I meant “Portuguese” because it had been a long day and I was tired and they both start with P and have some Us and Rs in there but even though I knew when I said it that it wasn’t a language I still get nervous sometimes that things I think are languages are not actually.

5–6 am: Nothing happened in this hour. What the heck, Twitter?

6–7 am: Now everything is in Spanish. This is cool; it’s like world travel. Fewer hostels though. There is one dude, @Quinaitor, tweeting a lot of Thor, Thunderer, and In the Realm of Asgard. I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that these are metal bands.

7–8 am: Holy smokes there are a lot of #musicmonday tweets in this hour! Godsmack Guns N Roses Chris Cornell Madonna (it’s her birthday) Elvis (it’s his… erm…deathday?) Muse Imogen Heap The Goo Goo Dolls (confession: I tell people my first real concert was the Beastie Boys but it was actually The Goo Goo Dolls and I still have the tee-shirt) The Pixies Weird Al (who I have also seen live but sort of against my will) Justin Timberlake (who I would TOTALLY see live don’t hate) EIFFEL 65 (ughhhhhhh) The Foo Fighters Sugarloaf My Chemical Romance Drake The Flaming Lips Alicia Keys The Replacements (endorsed) Arcade Fire (surprised it took them this long to show up) Panda Bear (hey hipster) Sleigh Bells (same hipster) Beach House (yup) Don Henley (hipster: gone) Slipknot (hee)…I’m only about halfway through this hour. People on Twitter have very varied taste.

8–9 am: Things are really picking up. Scanning for trends, I’m still seeing a ton of ‘90s music, with some Katy Perry, Drake, and Taylor Swift mixed in. @MMHero is still going strong, and has been joined by @maggie_price, who is also tweeting the heck out of some reliably solid rock music. There’s a little hiccup around 8:25, as far as I’m concerned, where @MMHero is listening to Bob Marley and @maggie_price is listening to Robert Plant. I have left perfectly good coffeeshops to avoid having to listen to those artists, but everyone else in the universe loves them, so I suppose I should forgive these tweeters’ simultaneous lapses (simulapses?) as they can’t possibly know how much I hate reggae and Robert Plant’s voice.

9–10 am: I will give someone a dollar if they can explain to me why there is so much ‘90s alt-rock on #musicmonday.

10–11 am: LOTS of Linkin Park happening here. I really can’t think of anything snarky to say about Linkin Park that I didn’t already say in high school.

I’m spent. Next week (or maybe not…) I’ll delve into the afternoon hours. In the meantime:

My #musicmonday pick: Yeah yeah Scott Pilgrim soundtrack whatever this song is great. Sleazy Bed Track by The Bluetones: http://tinysong.com/hJHQ.

Role #mmodel: @vicbee says “#musicmonday – I’m waiting for my Dad (to the tune of ‘waiting for the man’)” So…@vicbee’s dad is dealing junk?

I guess it was some point at the beginning of this calendar year, then it got exacerbated a bit when Google decided they were going to unceremoniously start pulling blogs for posting ‘unauthorized’ music. That’s when I think the blog became a bit more general in tone and less about what constituted much of the first two years here. My bullshit.

But last Tuesday morning my mom passed away and I’d be wholly remiss if it wasn’t mentioned here in some manner, much the way my dad’s passing in 2006 became the impetus for starting this thing. See, I needed a distraction then. A way to move on. Or just think.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve broken down yet since receiving the all too classic 2:30 am phone call from a dead sleep. All I could mutter was “Oh…” when the woman on the other end of the line placidly told me she had passed. I layed in bed wide awake for an hour dumbstruck until about 3:30 or so when I just gave in and realized sleep wasn’t going to reappear.

I did have forewarning this was to happen though and was planning on a last-minute emergency trip to the hospice in New Jersey. But she beat me to liftoff, almost sparing me a tortured bedside goodbye. I mean, how do you just say ‘goodbye?’

To know my mother you’d realize just how much music informed her life – classical music, mostly. And while our tastes quite often diverged, there were bridges through impasses that we shared, largely by pushing something new (or new, old) in her direction. Later on we found another musical bond among standards whose graceful melodies and timeless wisdom seemed ever ripe and valuable.

So, much like ACDC found a way to move on after the death of Bon Scott and reinvent themselves, perhaps the passing of my mom will get some of this back in the direction it once held and we’ll go about DJing some downloads daily.

I mean, if Google does pull the plug, that’s OK. We’re moving servers soon and we’ve got huge plans for the new year. (Really. You’ll be quite surprised.) I guess I could use the time to focus.

This week though, while we’re still alive and breathing, a tribute to my lovely, if not persnickety, mother and some music middle-grounds we reached.

That I miss already like you can’t imagine.

Chet Baker – You Go To My Head (Mp3)
Chet Baker – The Touch Of Your Lips (Mp3)
Chet Baker – You’re Mine, You (Mp3)
Chet Baker – Everything Depends On You (Mp3)
Chet Baker – Alone Together (Mp3)

Once upon a time in the era of freeform FM (and sometimes AM) radio, upon the very first listen to a freshly minted track spun by this or that DJ whose taste I trusted, I’d become so sonically smitten with a song that I’d be certain to spring for the complete LP, having faith that the 9 or 10 tracks on the balance of the release were just as top notch. Sure, it was a gamble but one that very often paid off.

It happened with The Cars way back when. I played that “Let’s Go” 45 on Elektra non-stop. Tear For Fears too. I think it was “Change” that did it fr me. . . Later on, I’m reminded of the first track off the first Jellyfish LP, “The Man I Used To Be.” That came over the radio one afternoon when I was tooling around the Jersey Shore with my Dad. And if you know that Jellyfish record at all, it foretold a ton about the high caliber of that LP.

Why am I going on about this you ask? Well, it’s because I’ve had this track stuck in my head by Aussies PVT (formerly Pivot) since it made its appearance in my email in-box last week. I mean, I’m ready to spring for the entire release now, I’m that smitten for some reason.

But this being TVD and all, I’m able to say, “Hey PR Firm…this is great. Let’s set up a giveaway and put one of these things into the hands of some very smart TVD reader.” And it was done.

We’ve got PVT’s brand new release (it’s just out this week) “Church With No Magic” on vinyl of course, to award one of you who comments to this post.

Play their video and/or download the track and let us know if you’re sufficiently smitten in the comments, or simply recall a time when you fell for a band off the strength of one track alone where the balance of the record didn’t disappoint. Or something else entirely – you guys are a creative bunch.

We’ll give you a week to tell your tale and close this one out next Friday. And remember to leave us a contact email address so we can let you know you’ve won – ok?

PVT – Window (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

“As a born-and-raised, sixth generation Memphian, Ardent Studios is one of the institutions that makes me quite proud to call it my home. It wasn’t until a fateful day 3 years ago when I met producer, Pete Matthews at the mere age of 20 that Ardent would soon become my second home.

I had just dropped out of college in New Orleans, was homesick, angsty, and felt like I was wasting my time in a classroom when all I could dream, think, or speak about was doing music. As soon as Pete Matthews expressed interest in working together, I dropped everything and went running back to Memphis, with the gracious moral support of my parents and just enough money saved up for a duplex above my 90 year-old grandmother, right in the heart of midtown. Independence had never tasted so bittersweet…I finally had my own place, but didn’t know anyone in the city or a have a clue how to go about getting gigs. But as soon as I stepped through the legendary brick hallways of Ardent Studios and was introduced to the staff by Pete, I felt immediately welcomed and part of something to be truly cherished.

Well…I’ll admit, walking through those hallways covered with golden records and album covers and sitting in the studio with the session players over cigarettes and coffee (Dave Smith, Al Gamble, Steve Potts, Rick Steff) was all a bit daunting at first…to say I was green and timid is an understatement. But after working with Pete Matthews and Nick Redmond in and out of the studio for my first two EP’s and watching the way things work and seeing how graciously everyone treated each other…the potential I began to see in music as a life-long endeavor blossomed. A family of friends, supporters, muses, and motivators is what Ardent became to me and remains to this day.

One of the most unforgettable evenings at Ardent was the night they asked me to play some tunes for their “Ardent Presents” series in the famed Studio A. Intimately captured, and warmly lit, the entire evening was a stirring of songs, storytelling and an amazing, captivated audience. If only every gig could be as tightly connected to the audience as the Ardent Presents series is…everyone truly feels as if they are a part of history in-the-making. Leave it to folks like Rachel Hurley and Jody Stephens to come up with such a stellar way to capture Memphis’ present music scene.

Shooting forward to the present, I have released two EP’s with Pete, with several of them getting placed in indie films and TV pilots, and I have recently released my first full-length album (completely self-produced). If it weren’t for my experience with Ardent Studios and the amazing staff, I honestly don’t think I would possess the industry know-how or the confidence in myself and my craft that allows me to carry on today as a successful musician/songwriter/producer. And for that, I am forever indebted and forever grateful.“
—Grace Askew

Enter to win Grace Askew’s CD “Until They Lay Me Down To Rest” by simply leaving a comment, your name, and a contact email address in the comments to this post. We’ll choose one winner each Friday for that week’s giveaway which ALSO includes the entire Ardent Music catalog. (That’s just 2 artists at this point, but hey, who’s counting?)

To hear more great Ardent Sessions please visit Ardent Presents.

Ty Segall played DC9 last night. “This is the first time we’ve played here.” He told us. He began an Obama at the Circus joke, paused for effect, then delivered a chill punchline, “Now here’s another song.”

The band’s demeanor was laid back but their amps were loud and vicous. They took their time in between songs sipping beers and adjusting pedals. The pace didn’t bother the crowd, who danced and head banged along to the righteous lo-fi garage tunes. Many songs ended perfectly within two minutes. They played a few oldies from the Castleface LP and other singles, as well as new ones off the most recent Goner release, Melted. And! And! A Jabbers cover! Way to get the scumbags moving!

I spoke to Ty briefly after their set. A very friendly and gracious dude! He writes all his songs himself and records in his friend’s studio basement. He had no future releases planned but will work on new songs after this short tour. If you haven’t already, check out the new LP on Goner. It simply rips. And it comes with a free MP3 downloads. Nerds.

Ty Segall – Finger (Mp3)
Ty Segall – Ceasar (Mp3)

Ray Silva (singer) | I was always bugging my mom to use her turntable when I was about eight years old. She finally got tired of me DJing so she got me my own stereo from the swap meet. Something I could beat up and blast in my own room. I played out all the Beatles and Zeppelin I could get my hands on. I liked the live tracks the best, It felt like I traveled through time a little bit.

Will Oraha (guitar) | I remember how much I loved listening to my dad’s records, from the Beatles to Santana and one of my favorites was Thriller. Later on down the road I started to collect my own vinyls but the thing with my vinyls wasn’t so much as to listen to the damn thing, but more so to listen to it as I manually slowed the rotation of the record or sped it up at times. I was extremely fascinated with how warped of a sound I could create. I would go to the extreme from trying to melt the record to scratching certain grooves to make it skip. As far as me and Atlantic Line’s sound? I think that kid that’s still trying to warp the sound that comes out at times.

Noah Alexander (drums) | Growing up in a small town in Indiana didn’t provide much entertainment or offer a ton of creative outlets. The way I coped with the corn field backdrop and the never ending variations of the mullet was to shave my head and dive deep into the straight edge hardcore scene. Collecting seven inch records from the touring bands was my window into the world. It was amazing for this cow-town kid to see these pictures of the California SXE style, learn about the New York Vegan movement, or collect the limed edition colored vinyl of my favorite Florida screamers. The records were full of political and social views that opened my mind, made me question the status quo, and started the dreams of going and seeing these places. The DIY nature of the hardcore scene greatly influence the approach I take when presenting my art, and I am forever grateful for all of those amazing little records.

Henry Pope (Bass) | My first memories of music centered around old Fisher Price record player jettisoned in the corner of a room that my brother and I shared. We had two records. One was a Disney record that had the songs about The Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and It’s a Small World. The other record had a song that we played religiously…we had no idea who it was or what the lyrics really were but, we loved the rhythm and vocal melody. I loved that fact that the song made me happy and made me want to dance. Years later I realized that song was Looking Out My Back Door by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

My teenage years were marked by a collection of punk, hardcore, and breakbeat records…I poured through Maximum Rock and Roll and ordered tons of seven inch and rare imported vinyl. By the time I got to college and my had palette expanded accordingly, I stumbled upon the mother load of vinyl collections. A certain tall slender female had EVERYTHING from Duke and Coltrane to Zappa and the Stones…I spent a hazy Colorado summer behind drawn curtains exploring everything while delving deep into an aural well. Now days, I am addicted to the vinylizer patch in Reason…always hoping to make tracks “sound good”….

Find Atlantic Line at their Official Website | Myspace | Facebook | YouTube

Atlantic Line – Mist (Mp3)
Atlantic Line – Big Brother (Mp3)
Atlantic Line – Collectors (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

Free, complete download of Atlantic Line’s “Exit To Intro” here.

The Posies premiered their first song “Licenses To Hide” off their anticipated new Ryko LP ‘Blood/Candy’ (September 28) on spin.com this week, but we’re the first to have the actual download for your right-clicking. The single features angelic guest vocals from Lisa Lobsinger, lead singer of Reverie Sound Revue and vocalist of Broken Social Scene.

In addition to Lisa Lobsinger’s contribution, Blood/Candy is brimming with cast of guest musicians and “for the first time in their 23-year career,” according to a recent NME.com feature. Kay Hanley of Letters To Cleo lends her voice on the ethereal “The Glitter Prize,” UK punk legend and ex-Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell contributes his pipes on the opening track, “Plastic Paperbacks,” and Paco Loco of Australian Blonde and Paco Loco Trio makes an appearance on “Enewetak.” The band also recruited Grammy-nominated string arranger Phil Peterson, who has played on recent albums for Owl City and Nada Surf.

The Posies begin their international tour in Spain on September 28, the same day their album lands in the U.S. The band will travel across Europe and the United States until the end of 2010. U.S. tour details will be announced soon.

The Posies – Licenses to Hide (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

Why, you can RSVP right here and find the band online right here.

So, see you there?

This is truly world-stopping news: One’s taste in music is linked to one’s personality. It is a fact of science, according to Professor Adrian North of Heriot-Watt University, who undertook a large study examining the relationship between taste in music and personality traits.

BBC News reported on this study here, and you should read the article if only for the description of heavy metal fans as “quite delicate things,” who are neither “suicidally depressed” nor “a danger to themselves and society in general.” Phew!

The article also presents a handy rubric of musical tastes and their corresponding personality traits. I thought it might be fun to look through some #musicmonday tweets and find ones that exemplify these important findings.

First up: Indie. According to the study, people who listen to indie have low self esteem, an abundance of creativity, do not work hard, and are not gentle. (Excuse me, I have to go throw my Vampire Weekend albums into a bonfire now.)

What luck! The first indie #musicmonday message I’ve come across is by Twitter user @party_sloth. Sloth! This is too easy. Partying is often a pretty creative activity, especially if, like mine, your parties involve a lot of Pictionary. And partying is certainly never gentle. @party_sloth tweets that he is “addicted to Menomena – Mines right now.” Addiction is generally contra-indicative of self-confidence, so there you have it. With one tweet and one user name, we see the truth behind Professor North’s study.

Let’s move on to “chart pop” next. Twitter user @bellavalentine2 wants her followers to listen to Eminem and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie,” and adds that “Boys should never, NEVER hit girls.” (No snark: Endorsed. Maybe not the song, I haven’t heard it because I am not, apparently, a “chart pop.”)

The music/personality study says that chart pops have high self esteem, are not creative, are hardworking, outgoing, gentle, and not at ease. Based exclusively on one tweet and a username, I’d say we have conclusive proof that all chart pops are as the study describes. Bellavalentine clearly thinks she’s hot stuff, or she wouldn’t call herself “Bellavalentine,” no? And the “2” at the end indicates someone else had that username first, so there’s your lack of creativity. Her tweet suggests that she is working hard to push her gentle message, and is doing so in an outgoing way. And she’s tweeting about something she doesn’t like in the world, so she’s clearly not at ease. Professor North has done it again!

I think one more tweet from one more genre should provide conclusive evidence that North’s findings are correct. How about the “gentle creatures” listening to rock/heavy metal? (I’d do opera, but not many Twitter folk are #musicmonday-ing the Magic Flute, believe it or not.) Rockers, according to the study, are characterized more by what they don’t have than by what they do: low self-esteem, not hard-working, and not outgoing are hallmarks of the heavy metal type. But they are also creative, gentle, and at ease. They’re manatees, basically, is what this study is saying.

Twitter user @BLOODTREES certainly seems to fit the type! First of all, his username is in all caps, which suggests a low-self esteem need to assert himself. BLOODTREES recommends “Putrid Blood (Thrash Metal from Serbia) http://youtu.be/5hAzO5DzQ9s #metalmonday #musicmonday #metal.” I appreciate the extra hashtags—I would never have guessed that Putrid Blood was in any way a metal song without them. She’s tweeting instead of working, so she must have a poor work ethic, and Twitter is inherently not an outgoing activity. The pieces are certainly falling into place. She’s listening to music from Serbia, which is definitely creative, unless of course she is from Serbia. Blood is associated with menstruation, and menstruation is a feminine, and therefore gentle, trait, so the repeated use of the word “blood” seems to indicate a gentle spirit. As for at ease: Her username has the word “trees,” which reminds me of hammocks, and everyone knows that lying in a hammock is a great way to feel at ease.

Thus proved! Hooray science!

Role #mmodel: @EricGM, describing my Thursday and Friday: “Bouncing Souls ‘Anchors Aweigh’ and ‘Ghosts on the Boardwalk.’ Gaslight Anthem ‘American Slang.’ #musicmonday,” If you’re nice, I’ll tell you about my Gaslight Anthem concert experience.

My #musicmonday pick: Sometimes I’m a manatee and listen to metal. Today: Sin Dios’s Alerta Antifascista. (h/t to the brilliant, profane No Gods No Vegetables for this band and, honestly, any metal I find my manatee brain enjoying.)

I’m reminded of that old Steve Martin line, “…It’s like those French have a different word for everything.”

But in this case it’d be Russia’s Mumiy Troll who in effect are the Russian version of any huge act that you can name over here in the States or the UK. The Moscow foursome are quite simply the biggest band in their home country. Some fun factoids as examples:

Mumiy Troll’s video for Vladividstok 2000 was the first video featured on Russian MTV when it went live in 1998 (i.e. Russia’s “Video Killed the Radio Star.”)

Mumiy Troll was dubbed “the most dangerous band in the world” and banned by the local communist party in their early days.

Mumiy Troll is so big that they coined their own genre – rockapops – which young Russian bands have been emulating for years (not to mention signature hair styles and clothes.)

Ready to jump aboard? Mumiy Troll open a very rare North America tour next Wednesday night (8/11) right here in DC at The Black Cat and we’ve got a pair of tickets to see the band on us.

Check out the video, download the Mp3, and let us know who you think the band most resembles out of our current crop of homegrown heroes in the comments to this post and the most insightful of the bunch wins the pair of tickets. It’s that simple.

We’ll choose our winner next Tuesday (8/10) and remember to leave us a contact email address!

Mumiy Troll – Polar Bear (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett has set aside his big, brash, rock guitar in favor of a more stripped-down Americana feel that’s quite akin to a number of classic country artists (Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams), rockabilly (Gene Vincent, Elvis, Eddie Cochran), and deep-rooted rock bands (The Replacements, The Rolling Stones, X).

His self-titled release Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants hit your local record stores last month, and this month Chris and the band have hit the road to introduce you to these new batch of songs in person.

The tour stops Monday night (8/9) at DC9 and with Chris is special guest Ari Shine, he of today’s ‘First Date.’

We’ve got a pair of tickets to award one of you simply for the asking in the comments to this post. Let us know why they should be bestowed upon you—with a contact email address!—and the most convincing of the bunch gets in free on Chris (and us.)

We’re closing this one first thing Monday morning to give you plenty of time to conjure up some good old fashioned arm twisting. So, let’s hear it, hm?

Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants – Get Along (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

Ari Shine joins Foo Fighters’ Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants this coming Monday night (8/9) at DC9. Watch this space for your chance to see them both and win tickets to Monday’s show.

“My parents had loads of vinyl from the 60s and 70s, mostly by Israeli artists and singer/songwriters from that golden age of music. My dad harmonized beautifully with his favorites and introduced me to Simon and GarfunkeI as well as the Beatles, whose Magical Mystery Tour was so inviting. Who were these masked characters on the cover and where were they taking me? Another early vinyl memory is of staring at the cover of Teaser and the Firecat by Cat Stevens on our living room table. I pondered his lyrics about being followed by a moonshadow and created cartoons in my mind inspired by the drawings on the sleeve. Billy Joel was a family favorite and served as my gateway drug to rock and roll. His new wave era album Glass Houses has one of my favorite pairs of LP photos. The cover features a leather jacket clad Billy raising a rock to the glass house indicated in the title. The back is a shot of his unrepentant image from behind a shattered window. From examining the artwork to putting the stylus in the groove, listening to these records provided me with a full sensory immersion experience. These albums seemed to leap off the turntable. The moments of scratching leading up to when they kicked in were an essential part of the dramatic arc.

By middle school I was playing guitar so I spent most of my free time cutting my teeth to the music of my heroes. I used Eric Clapton’s live version of “Crossroads” from the “Princes Trust Benefit Concert” as a launching pad and traded licks with him for hours. I also made journeys to the public library to borrow records. My local branch had tons of LPs, many by acts I did not recognize. I was fascinated by their quasi-mystical covers and the names on their dusty jackets. Who were Blue Oyster Cult and Earth Wind and Fire? They all sounded equally heavy to me. Then came the rumblings of puberty and I found two records there that blew my rapidly rebelling preteen mind: “Electric” by The Cult and “Appetite For Destruction” by Guns And Roses. The latter I took home to our house with the original Robert Williams artwork which was soon banned.

A couple years later I had a girlfriend a few years older than me with a college radio show. She was a purist who would rarely buy anything but vinyl. I remember walking through the station library while she was on the air. I was intrigued by the white stickers different DJs left on the albums. Their comments seemed like secrets passed down from an invisible musical mentor; older, wiser and willing to share knowledge.

In high school we congregated at friends houses and listened to Sabbath, Zeppelin, and Allman Brothers albums. It was here I was exposed to a heretofore unimagined use for gatefold sleeves. Used record shopping became a new obsession. I remember how excited I was to have found a copy of the rare Captain Beyond debut album, even with its holographic cover mostly ripped off. While heavy rock was the order of the day, it was by no means the only genre on my radar. I first heard Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew and Innervisions by Stevie Wonder on vinyl and marveled at the sonic depth of the classic analogue recordings. Syncopated 70s masterworks like these provided an important counterpoint to the sludgy riffing that was a constant part of my musical diet. Later, it was on LP that I first experienced Sunny Day Real Estate’s debut, Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices, and Urge Overkill’s seminal Touch and Go releases. Of the burgeoning Britpop scene, Pulp’s Different Class LP and the sublime debut by Gene were favorites and two of the first 180 gram pressings I owned.

So much of my musical education is tied in with vinyl that it’s difficult not to feel like I am leaving out some essential moment or memory. As a band member I can think of few things as exciting as having a box of a release on 7 or 12 inch vinyl delivered to the door. Record stores are safehouses for me when touring. I have particular affection for the Mom and Pops that continue to stock new vinyl and have supported the reemergence of the format. I like to imagine people around the world taking chances on records fueled by the same love of discovery.“ —Ari Shine

Find Ari at his Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Myspace

Ari Shine – Not Your Trial (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

Thought these two paired rather nicely...

Thanks to Jeff Wells.

Notoriously I’m out of step in general with my musical tastes. Much like Jesca it seems, and Johnny Ramone before her, I tend to think everything that came earlier on is always better. Always more inspired and genuine than something newly downloadable.

I mean, how can it not be, really? Most everything is revivalist to some degree which inherently arrives without a pedigree. . . unless there’s some taste exhibited. Something new sewn into the fabric. A hint or authenticity bordering on a sense of danger or mystery. A world-weary need to reinvent. To reimagine.

Which Ms. Hoop has in spades.

And notoriously I rarely, if ever, agree with critics. But I am sensing some like minds amidst a number of them out there when it comes to Jesca’s new LP, “Hunting My Dress.”

“She spins a balance between play and poignancy, complexity and catchiness, without breaking a thread.” —The Observer

“In a voice that ranges from gentle, crystalline charm to edgy intensity, she’s in turn playful, bluesy, haunting, and folky. What prevents this all from becoming a mish-mash of textures is Hoop’s single minded passion, which lends a self assured cohesion to her diversity.” 4 STARS —Uncut

“A new sound that is both studied and inspired.” 4 STARS —Q

“Hunting My Dress rejoices in off-the-cuff dreamlike sensuality, pitching and rolling in all sorts of pleasingly unexpected directions.” 4 STARS —Mojo

“Veers between Kate Bush meets Bat For Lashes away-with-the-fairies pop, PJ Harvey ballsy blues-rock, and sultry folk – all done with the kind of slightly off-kilter art-house production you’d expect of Bjork.” —The Telegraph

Yet as I often say here, don’t take my word for it. Hell, in this guise I’m a critic.

We have a copy of Jesca Hoop’s new LP to award one among you who can pick up the thread started here and run with the baton with some well wrung words in the comments to this post. Older music/newer music—where am I wrong or right? How does Jesca fit in among this thread?

We’ll choose one from the insightful bunch next Tuesday, 8/10, and important—remember to leave us a contact email address!

Jesca Hoop -Feast of the Heart (Mp3)
Authorized for download!