EAR FARM's November '05 mixtape

Some of the songs and artists featured on EAR FARM in November, put together in a nice list so you can download them. Make them into a CD and impress your boss with how much you can get done at work.

1. "Like A Song" by The Sames
2. "Trains and Parades" by Schooner
3. "Governor's Daughter" by The Rosebuds
4. "Cowbell" by Tapes 'n Tapes
5. "Fille Atomique" by Nous Non Plus
6. "Lost in Boredom" by The Art of Shooting
7. "In the Pool" by Susu
8. "Welcome Come In" by Pleasant
9. "Nattmusik for Linnea" by Die Romantik
10. "The Resurrection Song" by Birdmonster
11. "Jeremy Clarkson" by happycasio!

Last month - EAR FARM's October '05 mixtape

Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #8

Futureworld by Trans Am:

I feel like there's always been a real love/hate thing for this album. Back when it first came out (1999) and I couldn't get enough of it, I played it for people and totally got a varied response. Almost like people maybe liked it but felt like they shouldn't, or actually hated it but acted like they liked it because I was so into it. Talk to actual fans of Trans Am and they're bound to tell you they like The Surveillance or their first album better but not me. So who is right? Why aren't people talking about this record? Six years later is as good a time as any to re-examine.

Futureworld is Trans Am finally giving in fully to their not-so-secret love of Krautrock / Kraftwerk. Back when the world was worrying about the Y2K scare and I had just started a "band" and bought myself a nice used Juno 60...back then...Futureworld was honestly EXACTLY what I wanted to hear. Upon listening to the whole album again last night I can tell you it's lost none of its allure. It's still a driving synthesizer based rock album that veers into experimental territory at times but never loses sight of melody.
Opinion - it's Trans Am's best album.
Fact - it's one of my favorite albums of the 90's.

Read what AllMusic had to say about Futureworld.
Read what Pitchfork had to say about Futureworld - even if Brent's being a little liberal with language here, I happen to agree with this bit:

Opening with distorted blasts of saxophone and droning frequencies, Futureworld flat out smokes. Drums relentlessly pummel away while blasts of incinerating keyboard melt neck- snapping basslines. Synthesizers drench the caustic crunch with melody and hooks. The echo of an infinite yellow on black matrix chimes throughout.

Sample two songs from Futureworld:
"Cocaine Computer"
"Television Eyes"
Watch this video to hear the title song in its entirety:
"Futureworld"

Previous Overlooked Albums from the 90's:
#1 - Saturnalia by The Wedding Present
#2 - The Inevitable by Squirrel Nut Zippers
#3 - This is Our Music by Galaxie 500
#4 - Dusk by The The
#5 - Fantasma by Cornelius
#6 - New Wave by The Auteurs
#7 - I, Jonathan by Jonathan Richman

if you'd like...
Pitchfork's top albums of the 90's
1st version of their list

Also, it appears another blog is onto this "Overlooked of the 90's" idea:
Top 30 'Other' Albums of the '90s

happycasio!

That's right, happycasio!
You don't know them yet but that's where EAR FARM comes in. These guys found EAR FARM on MySpace and since then EAR FARM has found their music to be really great foot moving angular post-punkish rock that...wait. That'll conjure images of Artic Monkeys (etc, etc) and the UK music HYPEmachine. No, these guys have managed to take in all the right influences and turn out something that's their own. There's a bit of Blur, Pavement, and The Wedding Present going on in their tunes; or for a slightly very recent comparison, they sound like an English Tapes 'n Tapes (except with some girls in the band of course). I'll be contacting them as soon as this post is finished to get a copy of their EP and, based on the songs on their MySpace site, I expect I'll be listening to it a lot.

A song to download:
happycasio! - "Jeremy Clarkson"
And please go see happycasio! on MySpace and listen to "Crack Attack" and "The Other Side..." - those songs are what you're looking for.

Oh, and here's a recent gig review.

Create Bands

Bored? This ought to entertain you for a few seconds...
Make your own rock band and hear it play music online.

I want my MTV

Bloc Party edition:

"Banquet" (2005 version 2)
"Helicopter" (US release)
"So Here We Are"

all videos from HERE

Want even MORE videos? search "I want my MTV" on this site for past music video related EAR FARM postings.

snip·pets

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are giving fans a chance to design the cover of their new album

Jerry Garcia's Appliances to Be Auctioned

Google GMail File-Sharing Experiment Emerges

Name That Music! Calling All Verbally Inventive And Musically Attuned Individuals For A Music Naming Contest

Ray Davies dips into new songs in New York

The Decemberists rumors and things

Yesterday, Brooklyn Vegan posted a rumor about The Decemberists.
Today, EAR FARM is just sharing a link where you can find a bunch of MP3s of The Decemberists doing covers...like this one:

"Let's Go" (originally by The Feelies) (and featured on The Squid and the Whale [SOUNDTRACK])

Also - more today on Brooklyn Vegan about The Decemberists.

Today's NEW releases

These are interesting but really nothing coming out this week that I want to spend money on. You?

• The Darkness - One Way Ticket To Hell...And Back
• INXS -Switch

The Smiths "Click Track" - unreleased and never heard before!!

Mike Joyce (drummer for The Smiths) "was on BBC Radio 6 (6Music) tonight, and he was plugging the fact he was selling all his rare Smiths stuff on Ebay. As a taster, he played this song, which he called the Click Track, but which Simon Goddard named the Cowbell Track."

Personally I've been waiting a long time to hear this stuff! No further delay:
The Smiths - "Click Track" (unreleased instrumental)

You can see everything that Mike Joyce is selling on EBAY right here!

This news was found (where elese?!) HERE
(picture is of "William, It Was Really Nothing"/"How Soon Is Now?" UK 7" [Rough Trade RT166 lilac reprint])

Brakes news

Rough Trade has posted their Top 100 of 2005 list. Number one? That's right, it's Brakes!!!
You know Brakes right? Well, it's a shame if you don't already own this:
Brakes - Give Blood

Go and see a video:
"Ring A Ding Ding"
Go and listen to a LIVE show:
Brakes live on London Calling

You can darn well expect to see this album on EAR FARM's tops of 2005 list when it's posted Thursday.
WAIT, there's MORE (from their newsletter)!

Brakes will get inside more ears and deeper into those who already know that wude sound of theirs. They aim to take thier live show places it's never been before and to return it to places it only began to infect last time. Expect to see them in the following countries; France, Belgium and Holland in January and lots of other far off places later in the year including America. A trip around the European festival circuit is also there to look forward too. On the record front a new single is planned for the new year and album number 2 is being written as you read.

EAR FARM previously referenced Brakes IN THIS POST

snip·pets

Black Sabbath and the Sex Pistols lead the 2006 class of inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Warner Music Group is coughing up $5 million to settle payola allegations

Stylus talks about the Ben Folds Five song "Army"

Village Voice - The War on Rap: Is it Real?

Pavement songs from Space Ghost Coast to Coast

This site has:
"Songs from Pavement's appearance on Cartoon Network's Space Ghost Coast to Coast program. Most of these have never been released before! All are freshly recorded from the DVD. I bumped up the levels a bit. These should be the highest quality versions available."

Here's one of the songs:
Space Ghost Jam (Full Studio Version)

The rest of the songs from that appearance are HERE as well as some other unreleased Stephen Malkmus goodies. Away with you.

Ch ch ch ch changes

Hello EAR FARM visitors -
Trying out some new looks here in order to keep things looking nice. Soon enough things will look just right but so you know, I just couldn't DEAL with the stupid lame border and template anymore. Look for more changes and betterings soon on here, also - gone now will be links that open in a new window EXCEPT for when EAR FARM links to media content on other sites. Feedback is welcome here in the comments.

- Matt

Concerts I'm going to this week - 28 Nov. '05

Wednesday - Other Passengers @ Mercury Lounge

Thursday - Nous Non Plus CD release @ Mercury Lounge

Then, I'll be heading out to the OC for a few days but those in NYC should go see this show for me:

Friday - Mancino, Die Romantik, and Stephen Strohmeier at Knitting Factory

Now, anybody know of any good shows to see in LA while I'm out there???

UPDATE: This just in from the misters Mancino...
"Die Romantik will be unable to join us as originally billed but fear
not: Stephen Strohmeier will still be on hand and joined by members of
Mancino and Die Romantik."

Weekend Live Music

Sufjan Stevens Live @ The Bluebird Theatre in Denver - 29 July 2005
(photo is from Stereogum)

1. "The 50 States Song"
2. "The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders"
3. "Prarie Fire That Wanders About"
4. "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!"
5. "Sister"
6. "John Wayne Gacy, ,Jr."
7. "Casimir Pulaski Day"
8. "Jacksonville Cheer"
9. "Jacksonville"
10. "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!"
11. "Chicago Cheer"
12. "Chicago"
13. "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!!"
14. "Metropolis Cheer"
15. "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts"
16. "The Star Spangled Banner"
17. "A Good Man is Hard to Find"

All were originally found here.

(sorry guys, had to remove the show to make room on the server)

Past EAR FARM Weekend Live Music has included live songs/sets by Sublime, Spoon, Ween, The Unicorns, My Bloody Valentine, and New Order.

Die Romantik

Die Romantik has a unique sound. In today's world of music that alone should be reason enough to check them out but allow me to convey my thoughts on this band via personal fantasy.

I have this dream of finding the perfect bar somewhere on the lower east side. You walk in through a plain black door and head down a long hallway which ends in a "T". Two choices: turn right and you end up at another door which leads you back outside on the street but turn left and you head down a long dark staircase and into the bar. In this bar the lights are dim, the walls and accents are dark red, the waitresses are deadly attractive and smoking is still allowed. The clientele would be very much at home as extras in a David Lynch film and are all seated at cocktail tables and there is a small stage for a band at the far end of the bar. The band, well the band would have to be Die Romantik.

Look, maybe we sould just listen:
"Jacqueline"
"Ardor Begot Apathy"
"Portrait of Consumption"

A music video you NEED to see:
"Nachtmusik Fur Linnea"

See them at Knitting Factory on December 2nd with Mancino and Stephen Strohmeier.
UPDATE: This just in from the misters Mancino...
"Die Romantik will be unable to join us as originally billed but fear
not: Stephen Strohmeier will still be on hand and joined by members of
Mancino and Die Romantik."


Die Romantik on MySpace

Happy Thanksgiving!

To everyone in the U.S., here's to a Happy Thanksgiving!
Everyone else can just listen and go "huh"?

Adam Sandler - "The Thanksgiving Song" (Real Audio)

Adam Sandler - "The Thanksgiving Song" (mp3)

Watch the video of this song from SNL by going HERE and then clicking on the album They're All Gonna Laugh at You (left side of page in the center on the bottom). Then you'll see the option to watch the video in WMV or QT format.

Also:
go here for The Dead Milkmen - "The Best Thanksgiving Ever"
go here for Arlo Guthrie - "Alice's Restaurant"

I want my MTV - reprise

EAR FARM posted THIS yesterday and one anonymous reader commented:

"Great blog. I like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Sleater-Kinney videos. Although my favorite Sleater-Kinney video is for "Jumpers". I'm trying to find a good download of it online. Can you help me Ear Farm?!"

Yes, yes of course I can help. Thanks for reading and enjoy the video for this great song:

Sleater-Kinney "Jumpers"

Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #7

I, Jonathan by Jonathan Richman:

Any of us who could be considered a music fan (nerd) can surely point to their muse; one person who changed everything with a simple mixtape, or album suggestion. Sure, there are many such interactions in all of our lives but sometimes one person ends up planting a seed in our musical taste that blossoms into a whole personal musical frame of mind. Well, not to beat a dead horse here but, mine was this one girl who got me into The Smiths and then vanished from my life. I got into her car and she had Louder Than Bombs playing and this little gift of music led me to an entire world of music I'd never heard of before (I swear this "Overlooked" feature is not going to always be just some personal 'Six degrees of Smithseparation'). More on topic - that very same girl came back into my life some four years later and this time when I got into her car she was listening to I, Jonathan. As soon as I heard "Velvet Underground" I fell in love with what I was listening to and this album became a big part of my life.

I, Jonathan is a bare bones pop rock record that waxes nostalgic and makes for perfect party music. Sure, a few years after this was released Richman found himself some fame by appearing in a few movies and many people know him from the Modern Lovers but I've found that this particular record (which also happens to be his best in my opinion) is vastly underrated and overlooked. You may be familiar with "I Was Dancing in a Lesbian Bar" but do you know the other songs on here? You should.

TrouserPress says:

Ably assisted on low-tech instruments by various pals and offspring and recording in a California basement, Richman hits peak form on the casually wonderful and all- original I, Jonathan. With infectious enthusiasm, sloppy charm and the topical eclecticism of his best mid- '80s work, Jojo rejoices about such diverse subjects as the superiority of gay nightlife ("I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar"), little fishies (the electric surf instrumental "Grunion Run"), skydiving ("Tandem Jump," complete with sound effects), the changing nature of house parties ("Parties in the U.S.A.") and one rock'n'roll group he admires ("Velvet Underground"). As a bonus, I, Jonathan reprises 1983's wistful reminiscence "That Summer Feeling" (from Jonathan Sings!, itself given a second chance the following year, with the addition of the previously UK-only "The Tag Game" as a bonus track) in a sweetly floating acoustic rendition that gains resonance from the passage of another decade in Richman's life.

A sample in the form of a video? You got it:
"I Was Dancing in a Lesbian Bar" (WMV)

Previous Overlooked Albums from the 90's:
#1 - Saturnalia by The Wedding Present
#2 - The Inevitable by Squirrel Nut Zippers
#3 - This is Our Music by Galaxie 500
#4 - Dusk by The The
#5 - Fantasma by Cornelius
#6 - New Wave by The Auteurs

if you'd like...
Pitchfork's top albums of the 90's
1st version of their list

Tapes 'n Tapes & Mancino news

The bands:
Tapes 'n Tapes
and
Mancino

The scoop (came to EAR FARM via email from the drummer for Mancino):

Yo,
Just for the inside scoop: Tapes 'n Tapes is #26 on CMJ right now. We're working out a killer series of shows for January, with Mancino and Tapes, possibly in NYC, Boston and Provi. Also Tapes 'n Tapes is #1 on the top 10 on http://www.elbo.ws/. I'm sure you don't want to post on TnT again cause of overkill or whatever but, this is not so much for you to post as for you to just know since I know you dig the band.
Later.
J

Okay J, you have underestimated the EAR FARMer. This is GOOD news for all of us, most importantly those in Rhode Island, Boston, and New York and I thought it only right for me to share. I am however very concerned that I'll miss out on this NYC show as I'm out of town January 6-9.
On a related note, you'll notice that there's a new feature on the bottom right side of EAR FARM - it's the elbo.ws chart mentioned in the above email. Jam on it.

iTunes Music Store Cracks Top 10 List of Leading U.S. Music Retailers in Q3 2005

The future is NOW:
In Q3, the top 10 retailers were as follows (note: numbers within parentheses denote retailer unit-sales position in Q3 2004):

1. Wal-Mart (1)
2. Best Buy (2)
3. Target (3)
4. Amazon.com (4)
5. FYE (10)
6. Circuit City (Tied for 5)
7. Apple\iTunes (14)
8. Tower Records (Tied for 7)
9. Sam Goody (Tied for 5)
10. Borders (9)

Billy Harvey

Billy Harvey's site plays out like an advanced lesson in how to make one fantastic Flash based band/music artist web site. It's kind of a bonus that the music isn't half bad either...
At least go and poke around a little bit, SEE the site - BE the site. Oh and check out the video for "Stupid Daniel", I like that song.


ps - none of this will come as a surprise to those who keep up with such things. after all, billyharveymusic.com won an award this year...the 2005 SXSW Web Award for best Music site

snip·pets

Bret Michaels Dodges Bullet

"Ring tones are the new singles,"

Shins, Death Cab Help Seattle Youth Project

Thanksgiving in Vietnam: The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz

How to get ahead in music: Make an ad!

Rapper Wars

Rapper Wars is

"...an exciting online game that you can play from anywhere with your web browser, competing against hundreds of other players from around the world. You can start your own gang by recruiting soldiers, buying weapons, and attacking other players and gangs to steal their money - the more money you get, the more powerful your gang becomes!"

Break in the Road

Break in the Road is this Shockwave thing that has you moving around a virtual city block with a microphone. You can record a variety of city sounds and then go into the music studio and make a song with what you've recorded. Yeah, it's worth checking out if you're into that kind of thing...just wait for that ad at the beginning to go away.

I want my MTV

bands/artists mentioned in the Brakes song "Heard About Your Band" edition:

Liars - "Sexboy"

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Y Control" (you'll need RealPlayer)

Sleater Kinney - "Entertain"

Electrelane videos anywhere??
Anyone?

Today's NEW releases

Galaxie 500 - Peel Sessions

The Muppets - The Muppet Christmas Carol

Sugar - Beaster[reissue]

Talib Kweli - Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free CD


Anything else?

The Wedding Present to tour N. America in '06

Can you believe it?!
The Wedding Present is coming back!

TWP Coming to North America in 2006
All the dates are not confirmed, but an American tour is being scheduled for late February and early March. Stay tuned for more details.

That's from this unofficial site, which happens to be THE place for news on The Weddoes.

While their most recent release, Take Fountain wasn't a smash success, or a masterpiece, it was a very very solid and good record. Check it out and check back here for more info on exact dates when they're announced.

see also - EAR FARM talks about Saturnalia

snip·pets

French Rappers Provide Social Commentary

Morrissey answers fan questions on True to You

New Hip-Hop Dictionary "Flips The Script" On Proper English

If it were up to me...

Legendary bands that haven't released anything worth a damn in one decade since their last masterpiece should have to call it quits. We'll call it the skunk rule of music and if we enact this policy right away we just might be able to save the legacy of YOUR favorite band. Hello...Beastie Boys, REM, Depeche Mode, The Cure, U2, The Rolling Stones (who else?) - 10 years and NOTHING that belongs alongside your albums of the past?

SKUNK'D.

Plug Independant Music Awards

Go and VOTE!!

Pleasant

Pleasant found EAR FARM on MySpace in one way or another because of the previous post on here about Pox World Empire and EAR FARM's MySpace befriending of a few of those bands. Thank goodness for that because Pleasant makes some great music.

I hear a little Pavement, Feelies, and even some Three Imaginary Boys era Cure in their songs - let's listen:

"Welcome Come In"
"Horrible"

more songs of theirs availabe for your ears HERE and HERE

Concerts I'm going to this week - 21 Nov. '05

I have NOTHING on my "calendar" for this week, but I'm in the market. Anyone know of any shows going on in NYC this week that I should check out?
Why is it that good shows are always so tough to come by over the holidays?

The Art of Shooting @ Cake Shop 19 November 2005

The Art of Shooting had their "Tyrants Black Eyes" CD release last night at Cake Shop and if you couldn't make it, you missed out on a great show. There was a nice number of people who showed up to see them and during The Art of Shooting's set it seemed like none of them were having conversations - hey, in this city an almost sure measure of how well received a band at a small club is is to look around and see just how many people are talking to each other during the songs.
The Chrissie Hynde/Siouxsie Sioux mixed with Sonic Youth sound that I heard on their songs online carried over nicely to their live show. Both girls handled their guitars well, the drummer was excellent, and the band as a whole had nice presence and seemed to have a blast. There's just something very RIGHT about The Art of Shooting.

Also, I was glad to see they got a mention in this Drowned in Sound feature about the NY music scene.


I'll be going to see them at their next show, you should too:
16th December 2005 at Union Pool in Brooklyn
with Susu

visit The Art of Shooting on MySpace

Weekend Live Music

New Order Radio 1 & BBC2 session "Saturday Live"/"Rock Around the Clock" - 25 August 1984

For New Order's appearance on BBC2's special Rock Around The Clock, the sound wasn't strictly "good", but the real problem was Bernard Sumner, merrily 'speeding off his nut'. "He was singing badly off-key, and you could see people in the control room wincing." explains associate John Barrett. "You can hear him telling drummer Steve to speed up, even on slow songs like In A Lonely Place. In one song he changed the words to, 'I wish someone would tell me what the fuck we should do.' Typical New Order, highly entertaining."
1. "Sooner Than You Think"
2. "Blue Monday"
3. "Age of Consent"
4. "In a Lonely Place"
5. "Temptation"

New Order Live at the Red Parrot in Perth, Australia - 21 February 1987
(these tracks are in mono)
1. "Blue Monday"
2. "In a Lonely Place"
3. "Elegia"
4. "Sister Ray"

Other randoms:
"Thieves Like Us" - 11 minute version performed at the Hacienda in Manchester, 20 July 1983
"Love Will Tear Us Apart - first performance of this song by New Order at Tower Ballroom in Birmingham, 9 May 1983
"Ceremony" - at the G-MEX in Manchester, 19 July 1986 (Ian McCulloch on vocals)

(all are from here where there are lots of goodies)

Past EAR FARM Weekend Live Music has included live songs/sets by Sublime, Spoon, Ween, The Unicorns, and My Bloody Valentine.

Sony's big fuck up

You guys been following this?
Read all about it on InformationWeek HERE. I neglected to talk about it because I'm very self absorbed and I use only Macs and well...

"EFF has confirmed the presence of XCP on the following titles (each has a data session, easily read on a Macintosh, that includes a file called "VERSION.DAT" that announces what version of XCP it is using). If you have one of these CDs, and you have a Windows PC (Macs are totally immune, as usual), you may have caught the XCP bug."

But then I decided to do the right thing and tell you about it (let you talk about it) when I saw this list of infected discs that BV posted:

Trey Anastasio, Shine (Columbia)
Celine Dion, On ne Change Pas (Epic)
Neil Diamond, 12 Songs (Columbia)
Our Lady Peace, Healthy in Paranoid Times (Columbia)
Chris Botti, To Love Again (Columbia)
Van Zant, Get Right with the Man (Columbia)
Switchfoot, Nothing is Sound (Columbia)
The Coral, The Invisible Invasion (Columbia)
Acceptance, Phantoms (Columbia)
Susie Suh, Susie Suh (Epic)
Amerie, Touch (Columbia)
Life of Agony, Broken Valley (Epic)
Horace Silver Quintet, Silver's Blue (Epic Legacy)
Gerry Mulligan, Jeru (Columbia Legacy)
Dexter Gordon, Manhattan Symphonie (Columbia Legacy)
The Bad Plus, Suspicious Activity (Columbia)
The Dead 60s, The Dead 60s (Epic)
Dion, The Essential Dion (Columbia Legacy)
Natasha Bedingfield, Unwritten (Epic)
Ricky Martin, Life (Columbia) (labeled as XCP, but, oddly, our disc had no protection)

Several other Sony-BMG CDs are protected with a different copy-protection technology, sourced from SunnComm, including:

My Morning Jacket, Z
Santana, All That I Am
Sarah McLachlan, Bloom Remix Album

This is not a complete list. So how do you recognize other XCP-laden CDs in the wild?

Find out and read more HERE. Stupid Sony.

SUSU live this weekend

SUSU is also playing live on Saturday night, got it?

LISTEN:
SUSU - "In The Pool"

The Art of Shooting CD release show

Who?
The Art of Shooting

What?
"Tyrants Black Eyes" EP Release!

When and Where?
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19TH - Cake Shop

What else?
These other bands will be there starting at 9pm
1st: Goes Cube
2nd: Trouble Everyday
3rd: The Art of Shooting
4th: Awesome Color

How much?
$7

LISTEN?
"Lost in Boredom"
"Costume Suit"
also:
The Art of Shooting on MySpace.

snip·pets

Indie Interviews has Rogue Wave doing Nirvana's "On a Plain"

Sufjan's Illinois finally to be released on vinyl

British Sea Power fights with Faust

I want my MTV

Echo & The Bunnymen edition.

(in honor of their concert this weekend at Irving Plaza)
"The Puppet"
"The Killing Moon"
"Seven Seas"
"Lips Like Sugar"


Want even MORE videos? search "I want my MTV" on this site for past music video related EAR FARM postings.

UPDATE: Product Shop NYC saw Echo & the Bunnymen last night at that in-store they played and talks about it/has a few pics

He stumbled his way through "Siberia", "Lips Like Sugar", and "Killing Moon", before ending with a disastrous version of "Sweet Jane". Between songs, he would rant about how New York is shit and responsible for crap disco music, while Liverpool gave you The La's and The Beatles.

Honestly, it was crap. Total Shit. Not even a beautiful mess, just sloppy and lame.......

The Cure returning to the studio / MORE re-releases

The Cure is heading back into the studio:

The Cure plans to hit the studio in January to record its next album, according to a post from frontman Robert Smith on the group's Web site. "We are still on course for a summer release, as it's all in the preparation," he said.

This news item is interesting not because they'll be heading into the studio (to record album #13) but more because of what's finally going to be re-released:

Smith also said that he is close to completing the next phase of the band's expanded reissue series, which will include 1984's "The Top," 1985's "The Head on the Door" and 1987's "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, as well as "The Blue Sunshine," a 1983 album Smith and Siouxsie and the Banshees bassist Steve Severin created under the name the Glove. The sets should be out by next spring.

Excellent! Looking forward to The Glove's Blue Sunshine getting the deluxe re-issue treatment.

read the rest of that article HERE

songs from recent Islands (ex Unicorns) gig posted

There are MP3s from the recent Islands gig at The Echo, Los Angeles, CA - 10/30/2005 posted HERE on the Secret Unicorns Forum.

Islands are playing NYC Knitting Factory's main space on December 6th so GET YOUR TICKETS!

I want my MTV

One song only Silver Jews edition.

"How Can I Love You
If You Won't Lie Down"

I've been trying to find any MORE Silver Jews videos...anyone know where they can be found? This is the first one I've ever seen so maybe they're not out there...

Want even MORE videos? search "I want my MTV" on this site for past music video related EAR FARM postings.

NEW Flaming Lips!

From NME:

The Flaming Lips have offered fans a sneak preview of their new album.

The band have used their page on the site myspace.com to reveal that 'You've Got To Hold On' is available HERE. It's accompanied by a short film.

The track is the first to be heard from the sessions for the follow-up to 2002's 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots'. The new LP is titled 'At War With The Mystics', and is expected in early 2006. The band have contributed new songs to the 'Wedding Crashers' and 'SpongeBob Squarepants' film soundtracks this year, but they are unlikely to appear on the record.

You can also find (from Wedding Crashers) the video for the song "Mr. Ambulance Driver" HERE.

Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #6

New Wave by The Auteurs:

I mentioned before that I was a bit of an obsessed Smiths/Morrissey/British music fan in high school. Given that this was the case, I spent a lot of shopping time searching for British music magazines with which to stay current and in the know - searching for 'the next Smiths'. Now, not to sound too much like an old man, but this was indeed before I had internet access and thus magazines like Q and Select were how I'd learn about bands from the U.K. in those dark ages. One issue in particular became somewhat of a roadmap for my listening at the time.

According to some, the April 1993 issue of Select gave birth to Brit-pop. It featured Brett Anderson from Suede on the cover and also mentioned Saint Etienne, Denim, Pulp and The Auteurs (link to singer Luke Haines' "current" site). I remember very well picking up that issue when it came out at my local Bookstar bookstore and I proceeded to try and find as much of the music talked about in that magazine as I could. Suede and Pulp fast became my two favorite bands of the 90's, Saint Etienne served often as background music for gatherings/parties, Denim never quite lived up to the legacy of Lawrence Hayward's first band, and then there's The Auteurs. As much as I loved and listened to their first two albums, this band just kind of got lost in the fray and has been much overlooked by most people, including myself. Listening to New Wave now it's quite interesting to see how it has aged considerably better than most albums released by the other bands (in the early to mid 90's) on that cover of Select (except Pulp's His 'n' Hers of course).

AllMusic says:

While Brit-pop was still finding its feet and the mark from which to take its bow, Luke Haines' subversively smiley Auteurs were already there, effectively writing a how-to guide that would become the genre's white heat beat for nearly half a decade. Their 1993 debut, New Wave, was a glorious combination of snappy beats, sexy guitar, and retro vocals which sounded as much like the Beatles shot through the Pet Shop Boys as anything else. Little that had come before sounded even half as invigorating as this, but thanks to the Auteurs, almost everything that came after followed the blueprint page by page. Even better, the whole package was a sonic masquerade that cradled a remarkable intelligence and even more perverse wit. From the opening "Show Girl," which sets the scene, to the hazy, paisley thrift store morality epic "Junk Shop Clothes," the band set itself firmly apart from most of the slathering up-and-comers. "Starstruck" drops one fey line after another as it threatens to reignite the forgotten glam era across both guitar and vocals, a process that's repeated, albeit with a little more menace (and cello), on "How Could I Be Wrong." That just leaves the biting punch of "Early Years" to pipe the band down the road to superstardom. Except it didn't. As is so often the fate of true pioneers, the Auteurs were inexplicably shunted aside by the U.K. press in favor of sundry others' simpler sounds while the U.S. relegated these leaders to followers -- assuming it even heard the band at all. It's a sin, and a shame, but one that wasn't without a silver lining, as the Auteurs were ultimately able to follow their creative heart, bypassing the corporate marketing chart completely.

Sample the songs from New Wave on Amazon here - sadly I can't find any MP3s online for download and my attempt to use Megaupload to share a song resulted in a crash which forced me to re-write this entire post. Boo hoo.


1st "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here
2nd "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here
3rd "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here
4th "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here
5th "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here


if you'd like...
Pitchfork's top albums of the 90's
1st version of their list

snip·pets

Guitar Hero video game review

Beastie Boys talk about their recent video project - you can see some of the footage in a video for "Brass Monkey" previously posted on EAR FARM (link dead now) if you click HERE (WMV)

New York Guitar Festival announces new concert season

Morrissey announces tracklisting for "Ringleader of the Tormentors"

Morrissey announced the final tracklisting to his new LP to the site True to You and NME also picked up the story:

1. "I Will See You In Far-off Places"
2. "Dear God Please Help Me"
3. "You Have Killed Me"
4. "The Youngest Was The Most Loved"
5. "In The Future When All's Well"
6. "The Father Who Must Be Killed"
7. "Life Is A Pigsty"
8. "I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now"
9. "On The Streets I Ran"
10. "To Me You Are A Work Of Art"
11. "I Just Want To See The Boy Happy"
12. "At Last I Am Born"

If those track titles don't dig deeply into the well of self-parody I...heck who knows.

Take Cover!!

Pavement doing some cover songs

Butthole Surfers doing REM's "The One I Love"

Today's NEW releases

Lame. Two that were supposed to be released today ended up being pushed back.
(Galaxie 500 - Peel Sessions and Bright Eyes - Motion Sickness)

So I'll have to make do with just this:
Wilco - Kicking Television[Live In Chicago]


Any others that you guys are excited about?
Let me guess...

I want my MTV

My Bloody Valentine edition.

"Only Shallow"
"To Here Knows When"
"Soon"
"Swallow"
"Feed Me With Your Kiss"
"You Made Me Realise"


These videos were found at THIS SITE - go look around.

Want even MORE videos? search "I want my MTV" on this site for past music video related EAR FARM postings.

Oh, and you already got that MBV show I posted on Saturday right?

Concerts I'm going to this week - 14 Nov. '05

It should be noted that nothing in life is guaranteed, not even if you purchase tickets in August for a Bauhaus show in November - sometimes stupid stupid work gets in the way.
That being said, if it's at all possible, these are the shows I hope to attend this week:

Schooner at Black Betty on Tuesday the 14th of November
The Art of Shooting (CD release show) at Cake Shop on Saturday the 19th
Giant Drag at Pianos on Sunday the 20th

snip·pets

good Stylus feature on the art of the B-Side

Kyle at Information Leafblower is on the road with the Super Furry Animals

Interpol release download tracks

Laura at The Modern Age wonders: Are Blog Writers Incapable of Writing in Plain English?

The Art of Shooting

The Art of Shooting is another band that found EAR FARM on MySpace and they're also well worth checking out.
They've got a couple of very good songs you can listen to on their site:
"Lost in Boredom"
"Costume Suit"
Both of these tracks are from their soon to be released EP Tyrant's Black Eyes. How soon til released? Nice of you to ask, there's a CD release show coming up:


SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19TH - Cake Shop
THE ART OF SHOOTING's cd release party!
with pals:
1st: GOES CUBE
2nd: TROUBLE EVERYDAY
3rd: THE ART OF SHOOTING
4th: AWESOME COLOR
9pm sharp, $7

If you're liking all of this thus far, might as well go see The Art of Shooting on MySpace.

SUSU

SUSU found me, I didn't find them. But I'll tell you what, I'm glad they did find EAR FARM because I really like what I've heard so far on their site and on their MySpace page.
There's some Sonic Youth and Pretty Girls Make Graves kinda stuff going on in their music - love the guitar work. If they can bring the intensity they've recorded to the stage I'd imagine they're a great act to see live.

Let's find out, shall we?
LIVE DATES

How about a free sample song of theirs?
SUSU - "In The Pool"

Mancino @ Sin-é - 12 November 2005

Mancino played Sin-é last night and it was fabolous - where were you? Where were you?

I went from Schooner's show at Lit to Sin-é to catch Mancino and got there right before their first song. I'm very glad I didn't miss one second of their set because it was one of their best shows I've seen, and I've seen them a few times. It's a darn shame Kenny wasn't able to make it this time...

As usual, the sound at Sin-é was top notch. Mancino played to a well populated club and seemed very at ease and on top of their game - most importantly, all in attendance responded nicely to their sound and some spontaneous outbursts of dancing ensued. These massive amounts of enjoyment had by so many (including the band) got me wishing I WASN'T going to be missing their next show (which could well be their last for a few months as they take a break to hibernate/write and record) but perhaps you can go see them for me and tell me all about it.

see them:
2nd December 2005 at Knitting Factory Old Office
with Stephen Strohmeier and Die Romantik
Cost: $10

Schooner @ Lit Lounge - 12 November 2005

Schooner played Lit on Saturday. It was a show I was very much looking forward to and Schooner did not disappoint, but sadly Lit did.

Dear Lit Lounge,
You suck ass. Your sound is two notches below amateur and not having someone to work the door, thus causing an out of town band to miss out on collecting the cash they were due, is beyond inexcusable. I hope you found some way to work this out with the band but I very highly doubt that happened.
- EAR FARM

Okay, so that is the truth, but enough about crap.
Schooner was really great live. Some of the polish that's on their CD was missing but that was to be expected and not disappointing. In fact it was pretty cool to hear their songs in more pure/raw form and they held up really well for a band that played Raleigh the night before.

To sum it up in an easy to digest package: I picked up their CD after their show (you can buy it at THIS SITE) and I'm listening to it right now and I'll be going to see them on Tuesday in Brooklyn at Black Betty.

Go HERE and listen to some of their songs and then come on out and support them at their next show.

Weekend Live Music

My Bloody Valentine live at the Olympia in Paris - 17th of March, 1992.

(from here)

1. When You Sleep
2. Only Shallow
3. I Only Said
4. Slow
5. Nothing Much to Lose
6. You Never Should
7. Blown a Wish
8. Honey Power
9. Soon
10. To Here Knows When
11. Feed Me With Your Kiss
12. You Made Me Realize

(sorry guys, had to remove the show to make room on the server. look for more live My Bloody Valentine in the future on EAR FARM)

Mancino LIVE @ Sin-é & EP review

Mancino in tha HOUSE.

Mancino is playing a show tomorrow night at Sin-é with Bebek, Strikes Again!, and The Plastic Constellations. Hot shit innit? Oh My Rockness thought so.

In related news, Buhdge took a listen to Mancino's EP Dear International and this is what they said:

"Unequal but complimentary parts rock and pop, and never taking the easy way out, New York City-based trio Mancino slams home a half-dozen-plus-one's worth of challenging, engaging songs glossed up with an artistic sheen that bristles with pure energy."

Okay, you got me...that is but a small sample of the review. Now, go read the rest!

snip·pets

New Order plays greatest hits shows in London and Manchester

Three rare Bob Dylan 60s recordings to be made available online

tiny/secret club shows for The Strokes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Alanis Morissette

Schooner LIVE in Raleigh, NYC, and elsewhere!

Fair warning to all of my Raleigh and NYC peeps:

Schooner is coming, Schooner is coming!

Yes I know I mentioned it before but let me spell it out a little more clearly for you.

The band: Schooner

The music: "Trains and Parades"

The shows: Raleigh at King's on Friday, Manhattan at Lit on Saturday, Brooklyn at Black Betty next Tuesday...and then there are even MORE in OTHER CITIES.

Go and give your ears the fun they've been missing out on - tell 'em EAR FARM sent you.

Clearlake gigs and new album

Clearlake is releasing a new album finally!

"This might just be the news you've all been waiting for... so much so, it probably deserves its own paragraph. So here it is...

Amber will be released on January 16, 2006!

You heard. Smash open that piggy bank and don't spend too much on Christmas presents. The tracklisting for said masterpiece runs as follows:

No Kind Of Life
Neon
Good Clean Fun
Finally Free
You Can't Have Me
Amber
I Hate It That I Got What I Wanted
Here To Learn
Far Away
Dreamt That You Died
Widescreen
It's Getting Light Outside
45 minutes of joy that mean that the "Album of 2006" polls might as well all be closed before they even begin. Before that, there will be a limited 7" release of Good Clean Fun, backed with a remix by Caribou, released into the wild on 5 December."

Also they are going to be playing live in the UK:

"You can catch the band in action headlining the Brighton Rocks night at the Concorde 2 venue on December 4, followed by some London action at the Borderline on December 7. All the details are on the live page as ever... ticketing details will be added once we have them.

With the album and single approaching, there's now a fair bit of 'Lake action on the Interweb. An news article on the American music site Pitchfork can be read here, and there's also an excellent 30 minute interview with Jason from earlier this year that can be found here; it's a big download but worth the effort!"

Listen to some demos of the new stuff:
It's Getting Light Outside (demo)
Finally Free (demo)
I Hate It That I Got What I Wanted (demo)

Club 27

Juno677 sends the following:
Club27 is a rememberance of the lives of some of the most influential contemporary musicians. Although they achieved musical greatness and, in most cases, global recognition they all died at the age of 27.

The list begins with Robert Johnson, a Mississippi born Bluesman who died in 1938, and includes, amongst others, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, D. Jones, and Kurt Cobain.

Keep reading HERE

The exhibition will be held at:
Supreme Trading, 213 North 8th St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn from November 12th to December 2nd, 2005

Overlooked Albums from the 90's - #5

Fantasma by Cornelius:

I saw Cornelius open for Sebadoh and The Flaming Lips back in the late 90's and I had no idea then who Keigo Oyamada was but as soon as the first song started I was like "aw shit, it's on now". Their live show was really amazing and I ended up buying Fantasma that night. Granted, it's not exactly an album you will listen to over and over again but when it came up on random the other night I immediately stopped the random playing and listened to the whole thing and wondered why more people don't know of it.

Pitchfork gave it a 6.5 and Spin said:

Fantasma, Cornelius's third full-length and debut U.S. album, is an exuberant kaleidoscope of hip-hop, noisecore, film soundtracks, cheesy listening, indie rock, even Sesame Street.... Fantasma is an endearing music-obsessive-comes-of-age tale--from Saturday morning TV to arena rock to bootleg Jean-Jacques Perrey reissues--but once the initial weirdness-buzz wears off, there's not a whole lot to latch onto.

But then, both of those publications tend to suck ass at times. Of course it's all opinion anyway but mine tends toward what AllMusic said about Fantasma:

Cornelius fits right in with the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal aesthetic. He sees no difference between pop and avant-garde, high culture and lowbrow trash -- he throws it all together, coming up with completely unexpected combinations. The thrill of hearing hip-hop loops morph into sheets of My Bloody Valentine guitar noise, then into sweet Beach Boys harmonies, is what makes his American debut Fantasma such a wonder. It's easy to write Cornelius off as a Japanese Beck, particularly since his pop songcraft is as impressive as the busy, multi-layered production, but it's a little patronizing. Cornelius is operating on his own terms, equally influenced by sunny pop ("Chapter 8 -- Seashore and Horizon," boasting harmonies by Apples in Stereo), garagey hard rock, and kitsch (the cartoonish "Magoo Opening"). He assembles the parts in unpredictable ways -- the hard beats of "Mic Check" suddenly give way to floating acoustics; "Chapter 8" literally has a tape recorder stopping and starting the different parts -- which is why Fantasma is so intoxicating. It is one of those rare records where you can't tell what's going to happen next, and it leaves you hungry for more.

To each his own; but maybe yours falls in line with the desire to hear the interesting, the underappreciated, the Japanese...the the - heck, you just go and find out for yourself.

Sample a song by Cornelius (not from this record but it's all I could find) - "Point of view point"


1st "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here
2nd "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here
3rd "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here
4th "Overlooked Album from the 90's" here


if you'd like...
Pitchfork's top albums of the 90's
1st version of their list

British Sea Power vs. The Wurzels

British Sea Power are teaming up with The Wurzels on their next single.
Huh?

Good news for lovers of intimate contact - British Sea Power would like to announce (i) a real cosy Brighton show and (ii) even closer association with The Wurzels of Somerset.

BSP will play at the bonsai-sized Brighton Freebutt on Wednesday 23 November. By that date you will have already had opportunity to acquire the latest addition to the BSP recorded canon - a limited-edition, split seven-inch single, created in alliance with The Wurzels.

Side A : a Wurzels interpretation of BSP composition Remember Me.
Side AA : BSP doing 1976 Wurzels top five hit I Am A Cider Drinker.

The single will be limited to a numbered edition of 1,966 copies - marking the year in which Adge Cutler first set the Wurzels sugar-cart rolling. The single will be available only from the BSP website and the merchandise stall at the band's November tour of Scotland, England, Cornwall and Barrow. The Wurzels will appear as special guests at the BSP show at London Forum on Thursday 24 November. There will be a free copy of the single for every concert-goer who turns with up with their own 1:1 scale model of a combine harvester.

Imagine achieving that feat at the good old Freebutt! Tickets for this incredible, barely human Brighton show are due to go on sale at 10am on Thursday 10 November. Tickets will be available in person in Brighton from Rounder Records and from the website www.ticketweb.co.uk

That came from their email newsletter. We shall see.

I want my MTV

Michel Gondry edition.

(inspired by the fact that Stereogum posted a link to the new White Stripes video directed by Gondry)
(you'll need Quicktime for these)

White Stripes - "Denial Twist"

Björk - "Human Behaviour"

Radiohead - "Knives Out"

Massive Attack - "Protection"

Chemical Brothers - "Star Guitar"


These videos were found at this very comprehensive site - go there for much more info on any Gondry video or to see many more videos by him.

Want even MORE videos? search "I want my MTV" on this site for past music video related EAR FARM postings.

sigur rós 2006 US tour announced

sigur rós announced a 2006 US tour:

we are happy to announce a usa tour in february of next year (3 months away). this time the band will hit the areas they were unable to visit during the autumn tour, such as the south and mid-west, though boston and new york will be visited as well. you can look at the full list of tour dates on the tour page, where we have included the on-sale dates for all gigs (you’ll have to watch out for these dates yourself, as we won’t be putting up on-sale reminders here). the fan pre-sale for this tour will begin in two days, thursday november 10th at 9am eastern time, on klink.is. as ever, klink’s ticket service will do their utmost to get the very best tickets the venue has to offer. please note that the quality of pre-sale seats is determined by how early you order the tickets.

Song-a-Day Podcast

interesting...Song-a-Day Podcast:

My name is Billy Sugarfix. I have a goal to write and record a song a day, at least for the summer, possibly beyond. I have a custom songwriting business in which people send me information and I write and record a song for a birthday, holiday, significant other etc. Some of the songs on the Song A Day blog will be these commissioned gems, but mainly they are little dittys that I compose whilst moving about Carrboro, NC on foot or bicycle. I often persuade people to come back to the house and help me write.

wait, is that creepy? let's revisit

I often persuade people to come back to the house and help me write.

hmmmm...

411-SONG

slacelady sends a link to 411-SONG beta:

How many times have you heard a song and wished you knew who it was or wished you could get it before you forget it?

Now you can, just call (866) 411-SONG, here's how:

Hear a song you love.
Call (866) 411-SONG.
Wait for the beep and hold your cell near the music for just 15 seconds.
We identify the song and send you a text with all the song info (artist and song name) and a link to GET it.

For real? Hmmmm.

John Lennon's solo catalog to debut online

Billboard reports:

John Lennon's solo catalog will be made available digitally for the first time beginning this week with the release of the retrospective "Working Class Hero." The balance of Lennon's solo work will arrive digitally via as-yet-unannounced services on Dec. 5 in the United Kingdom and a day later in North America. A handful of unspecified tracks will also be available for download on mobile devices.

"I am very happy that John's music is now available to a new generation of music fans," says Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. "New technology is something he always embraced and this is something he would have loved. I always say that he would have been very excited by all the opportunities offered by the development of new means of communication."

However, the artist's music will not be sold via Apple's iTunes Music Store, which is embroiled in a lawsuit with Apple Corps Ltd., the Beatles' former record label. The latter company sued the computer giant earlier this year, claiming the iTunes store breaches a 1991 agreement involving the use of the Apple trademark for any works "whose principal content is music and, or performances."

Today's NEW releases

interested to hear Bell Orchestre - "Recording A Tape The Colour Of The Light"

kinda can't wait to hear Neil Diamond - "12 Songs"

worth a mention Kate Bush - "Aerial"

Super Furry Animals @ Webster Hall - 5 Nov '05

My friend Mike went to Webster Hall on Saturday to see Super Furry Animals and was nice enough to take some time to share some thoughts and pictures.

so here are my thoughts on the show:

First off, you should take Webster Hall off of your
much contested Top 10 list simply for the fact that
they start Saturday night shows when its practically
still light outside. We got there at 9:30 and
apparently had already missed over 30 minutes of the
SFA set and the entire Caribou set....for a Saturday
night show. This is Saturday, not Monday. What's the
deeel Webster Hall? Turns out they had to open the
doors back up for the "club" people for the duration
of the evening. lame.

Anyhow, from what I did see, it was spectacular. I
last saw them open for Grandaddy at Irving Plaza a few
years ago and remember being transfixed by the visuals
they have synched up to their songs. Same thing on
Saturday. Their old and new stuff just popped (forgot
how amazing Gruff Rhys is as a singer and guitarist)
and everything was synched to the huge scrim behind
them, lots of fantastic colors, celery-chomping,
oversized Power Ranger helmets, and thankfully an
encore in the neighborhood of 45 minutes. Know thyself.