TRS-80 New Album + MP3
Winechuggers
This is my last Delicious Berries post, using bands from MusicalFamilyTree.com‘s Indiana indie compilation, and this one might be my favorite. Winechuggers have an easy-going rock feel, like all the Pavement or Sebadoh songs I realy like and none of the ones that I can’t stand. Good stuff, and on the MFT site there are about 100 songs from Winechuggers to sift through — “Long Circuitous Path” is just a little piece of candy. Thanks to Jeb Banner for putting together the site, the compilation, and for playing along in this bands as well. Good luck, Indiana!
So Many Dynamos
Finally! I’ve been sitting on So Many Dynamos for a little while now, trying to wait for their new album before posting about them. These St. Louis fellas have recently spent time as Emperor X’s backing band and extensively touring themselves. All that time on the road and all the shows have helped them find, focus, and refine themselves. The goal: to make you dance. The result: crashing drums, frantic vocals, equally frantic guitars, a horn section, a 30 member choir, carnival instruments, and lots of dancing in the living room.
Hot One
All the Catholics who thought The DaVinci Code was an assault on their religion might as well not even bother with Hot One. The opening track on their self-titled album, “Get Your Priest On!”, doesn’t present the clergy in a particularly flattering light. Social and religious conservatives, war hawks and politicians, parents, the timid and shy — none of these groups really fit the Hot One focus group of vulgar, disgusted and distracted fans of filthy glam rock, with a sarcastic political bent. I was blasting the disc while driving with all the windows down in my Saturn Vue recently, and it felt so right to be so wrong.
Lemonheads
(With all the excitement of Steve Martin in The Jerk upon discovering his new phonebooks…) The new Lemonheads is here! The new Lemonheads is here! My goose has been all up in a gander anticipating the new album. Evan Dando recorded it with reigning punk rock producer Bill Stevenson of The Descendents working the boards (and drums). J. Mascis’ guitar geniusly underscores this track. I know Lemonheads fans were hoping for a return to form. Sounds like they got it…
Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary Podcasts
New Dirty on Purpose Video
Red Bennies
It appears the Red Bennies couldn’t care less. Their website lists shows from back in April. The only trace of live shows on their myspace page are from comments of other bands, posting flyers for recent shows. What gives? Where y’all at? Would somebody from Salt Lake check in and give us an update? Pretty please. I was slimming down my music collection and came across a couple albums I picked up back from my time in their town. They’ve veered away from their thick, noisy, gain-up-hot, Helmet from hell sound (“Provo Cries” and “Tyler”) and honed in on their lo-fi rock ‘n’ roll soul (“I’m Coming Home” & Shake It Off”). Soul-Fi if you will. To put them in a 3hive context for you, they’d align nicely with Cold War Kid’s improvisational reach for rock’s primacy, and Midlake’s recent take on nostalgia but leaning past the 70s to rough up Smokey Robinson a tad. And no, the Red Bennies were NOT thinned from my collection.
Jim Noir
I’m not gonna mince words here. Sam sucks. He’s on vacation and the poor fellow couldn’t get a post up before he left. Jim Noir rules. His songs make you feel like you’re on vacation. His latest album, Tower of Love, conjures, through simple melodies, long lazy, barefoot days spent flying kites, sipping and snacking on favorite treats, watching the sun set, and reading out on the porch against evening breezes. Track down the Fatboy Slim remix of his song “Eanie Meany” if you’re more of a party-all-night-on-the-dancefloor vacationer.