The Verve … were back recording together in a London studio last week.
After a summer break, they will return to the studio to complete their next album. The Verve will also return to the live arena in November, playing … 6 shows in the UK.
No Simon Tong, but damn. If they can get close to me I’ll jump in a car to go see them.
The Testors are a long-forgotten gem of the 70’s NYC punk scene. I don’t think anyone who saw them play live would forget them, but their shameful lack of released recordings will cause them to slip under the radar. Luckily for us, Swami Records did a ton of digging and found 2 cd’s worth of recorded Testors material (that’s the Amazon link, Swami also has them, down under CDs) which they released in 2003.
I only got my copy a couple of months ago and my initial reaction still stands: **holy shit**. This is the kind of snarling punk rock that some of my favorite bands are clearly built from. If you’re into bands like The Germs, The Damned, or The Stooges, where the intensity and the passion for noise overrides any musical limitations, then you should run, not walk, to get your hands on this 2-cd set.
“Black Book” is the song I put in the last Nice 6 mix. It’s so damn good I’m serving it up again.
“Madras Prison” is one of the live songs in the collection. The power literally explodes out of the speakers.
Much like Sara Lee, nobody (in my house) doesn’t love Feist (careful there, that link resizes the window). I was a latecomer to her earlier work, but I was there on release day for her latest, “The Reminder“. There’s just something so soulful and honest about her voice that I just can’t help but listen to this album again and again. Sounds silly, I know, but it’s true. I had to literally remove the cd from my car so I would stop playing it. In a year where there has already been some great music (LCD Soundsystem, Peter Bjorn and John) this new Feist album is a front runner for the top of my 2007 Best of List.
Unlike on her last album, Leslie (that’s what I call her, we’re tight bros, it’s also her first name) had a hand in writing all of the songs on ‘The Reminder’, so while we don’t get to hear her take on obscure disco tunes or French torch songs there isn’t a hint of slippage in quality. I love this album.
“I Feel It All” is the one I’m hosting for you today, but I really could have pulled any track off of this album. It’s terrific from 1-13. I know you’ll enjoy it.
And because you know I love you, dear reader, I’ll offer up this live mp3 of Feist singing “Nothin’ In The World Can Stop Me Worryin’ Bout That Girl” which you should recognize as the amazing Kinks song off of the Rushmore soundtrack. It’s a little loose but it’s a lot of fun. Enjoy.
And here are some videos from this album (“1234″ and “My Moon My Man”) :
‘Mirrored‘ by Battles (MySpace link, there) is a one-track pony for me so far. ‘Atlas’ is a towering, 7-minute musical achievement. Disparate bits of song come together to create a triumphant whole, and then the whole thing comes undone. It’s genuinely great. The rest of the album sounds like fusion jazz to me. And I *hate* fusion jazz. I’m sure I just don’t get it, which is fine. ‘Atlas’ is enough for me.
“Atlas” is a great song. I’ll stop flogging it now.
!!! is not a band I had listened to before their latest, ‘Myth Takes‘. I only know about the band because of that song, “Me And Guliani Down By The Schoolyard”, which was a hipster doofus hit back in 2004.
I keep reading the term ‘dance/punk’ when people talk about this band. I’m sure the punk bits come across more in their live shows (which are supposed to be outstanding), but this is all dance album to my ears. And it’s a really good dance album. Even Michelle has given this the nod.
“Must Be The Moon” is the jam. I give it a 86. It’s got a really groovy beat and I can totally dance to it.
It’s a lengthy read but it’s so full of cool insight that it is completely worthwhile. Highly recommended if you’re a fan of the show or just a fan of tv theories.
