Tapes 'n Tapes finally got some Pitchfork love and scored an 8.3 when the famed music site reviewed their album The Loon. This is great news for the band, so three cheers to them!
Remember, Bishop Allen..."...decided to get back to what we do best, putting out music ourselves, and we're very happy with these first fruits. The songs will soon be up on iTunes, but what you really want to do is get one from us, because of the nifty self-mailing sleeve it comes in. Each copy will be hand addressed by Justin Rice and postmarked by an equally addled man in the Williamsburg Post Office, commemorating the day your order shipped and the postage rates in effect that particular day.I just ordered mine, now you should GO BUY your own copy. Want to hear a good reason to get Bishop Allen's February?
This is the second in our monthly series of EPs. If you bought January, you have some idea of the sweetness we can pack into four songs. This trend continues. February is $5, shipping included. And you get the cover with a stamp on it (sometimes three!) if we mail it to you."
The past few nights Yeah Yeah Yeahs played a trio of shows (one at Maxwell's, two at Bowery Ballroom) and I got tickets to the Saturday night show at Bowery. Historically I've not been a huge fan of the band but still really liked Fever To Tell and everything I saw on TV of their live performances made me want to see the band in person myself. Long story short: I'm so glad I got those tickets, the show on Saturday night was superb. From what I could tell, the set was made up of mostly (almost all) new songs. Again, I'm not the best person to tell you what was played when (setlist anyone?) but the new songs sounded marvelous. I can't wait for the new record.
Nine Inch Nails Live @ The Toledo Sports Arena, Toledo, OH - 21 February 2006Filmmaker William E. Jones interviews contemporary fans of The Smiths and Morrissey. It is a fascinating aspect of youth culture in Southern California that most of the audience listening to English pop music of the 1980s is Latino, sons and daughters or grandchildren of immigrants from Mexico. This phenomenon has received attention from the mainstream media, but IS IT REALLY SO STRANGE? is the first documentary that allows the fans themselves to speak at length about their lives, their loves, and their brief encounters with their idol, Morrissey. They show their bedroom shrines, talk about the nostalgic fashion of the scene, and reveal the private passions that compelled them to worship the Irish working class boy from Manchester who became a great pop star and moved to Los Angeles.In related news, Golinko Kordansky Gallery is having "an exhibition of 36 new black and white photographs from an ongoing series by William Jones. The opening reception will be on Friday, February 27th from 6 to 9PM. The artist will talk at the gallery on Saturday, April 3rd at 3PM."
This year, we've decided to get back to what we do best, putting out music ourselves, and we're very happy with these first fruits. The songs will soon be up on iTunes, but what you really want to do is get one from us, because of the nifty self-mailing sleeve it comes in. Each copy will be hand addressed by Justin Rice and postmarked by an equally addled man in the Williamsburg Post Office, commemorating the day your order shipped and the postage rates in effect that particular day.I'm telling you, it's WELL worth the $5 and I already can't wait for the February release. "Corazon" is one of my favorite songs so far this year and the other three songs on the EP are just as fantastic. Matt from YANP has preached about this band on his site a bunch so allow me to lead you to THIS POST of his on Clever Titles where he talks briefly about the band and about the song "Corazon". The other song posted here is a great track from their first album Charm School.
'January' is truly a piece of American history, and we had to fight the Franklin Mint just to put it out ourselves. Of course, like all other essential pieces of Americana, 'January' is limited edition, and as of today, February 10th, we've already sold half of them.
"From Sinking" by Isis which clocks in at 8:24
THEE Kim Novak was in one of my absolute most favorite films of all time. So when I got a message on MySpace from a band by the name of Kim Novak I was intrigued. Little did I know how much I'd be listening to their music over the next five days. The three songs you can download (two of which are posted below) on their MySpace page have been in constant rotation here at EAR FARM headquarters. These songs make me think of songs by some really outstanding bands that I love, bands like The Cure, Interpol, and The Velvet Underground.From France, the four members of Kim novak, haunted by diversified influences such as indie pop, soul music and classic rock, manage to combine a melodic, groovy and electric setlist.Now, I can't say for certain (given that I've never seen them live) but I'm almost positive they're totally selling their band short here. I mean, they could give themselves a little bit more credit in this bio for being a fantastically gifted group - from what I can tell the four people in this band are making just the kind of music needed to battle the likes of all of those damn NME bands we all hear so much about every day.
Psalm 69 by MinistryEasily one of the most anticipated albums from that year, especially after Nine Inch Nails had helped bring industrial metal to the mainstream with the success of the overtly Ministry-worshipping Pretty Hate Machine, Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed & the Way to Suck Eggs represented the high point of Alain Jourgensen and Paul Barker's incarnation as loud-as-hell electro-thrashers. The pump had been primed the previous year with the fierce "Jesus Built My Hot Rod," featuring Gibby Haynes from Butthole Surfers on vocals ranting over a galloping molten explosion of beats and feedback. Presented in a slightly edited version here, it's still the high point of the album, while a reworked version of its B-side, "TV Song" (here called "TV II" and with Jourgensen on vocals instead of Chris Connelly), also makes for some good noise. Throughout, however, Ministry as a unit shows their facility for straightforward, brutal noise crossed with clinical, on-the-money arrangements, whether it's the collage of crowd-riot samples bubbling throughout "N.W.O." or the chantings of Christian praise on the title track. As a role model for any number of nu-metallers down the road, Psalm 69 is often terribly underrated, but where Ministry succeeds while so many failed easily has to do with sheer vitriol only slightly tempered by the overwhelming hugeness of the songs. Consider the massive impact of the drums on "Just One Fix" as they lead into tightly wound, downward-spiral riffing or the hyper-speed clatter of "Hero" and "Corrosion." Jourgensen's rasped lyrical visions of a corrupt America, drug addiction, mindless patriotism, and religious hypocrisy aren't per se revelatory, but anyone who lived through the Bush years -- either father or son -- might find plenty to sympathize with. Secret highlight: "Scarecrow," which takes the massive slow pound of Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" and takes it to a strung-out, harrowing new location.As you probably realize, this is not your typical EAR FARM pick. People who know me might not have guessed that I used to listen to this album. Used to listen to it a lot. In fact, listening to it again these past few days I'm pleasantly surprised to hear all of these songs again, but proceed with caution. This music very well could make your ears bleed and isn't for all tastes, namely some of those who I know are reading this site. If you're still with me though, go listen NOW.
One of my favorite current bands, and the band who scored the #2 spot on EAR FARM's list of Top Albums of 2005 is coming back to NYC!!! 
What??"The idea was born after talking with Garrison a few weeks back about how it would be cool if bloggers would make posts on their friends' blogs about bands that they absolutely loved. I thought that it was a wonderful idea and began to set up this particular theme. It's cool for me to share my favorites because it's what I do when it comes to the music content for the blog. I share my favorites with all of you!So head over to Clever Titles Are So Last Summer and check out the theme week. In fact, today, I'm one of the guest writers. A preview:
So that is what the twelve lovely guest bloggers are doing. They're sharing their favorites. Some will be unexpected, some will showcase how a particular band influenced their life and others will show a band that are just plain awesome. At least with me, the only MP3-based post you'll get is my band of the week (which will be posted on Tuesday, along with Garrison's contribution) and maybe a few news posts."
"I talk about bands I love all the time on my site. In fact, if you read EAR FARM at all you'll probably catch at least one mention each week of the fact that my favorite band ever is The Smiths. Stop me if you think you've heard THIS one before but just about every song they ever made is a song that saved my life. Well, there's just no way I could briefly talk about that band here so I've decided to go for something a bit different. Something I'd not normally consider talking about on my site - two of my favorite songs from the 80's (and the song that paved the way for songs like these to be made) that I love without really knowing much else by the artists who made them. This is odd for me, but the songs are just so perfect I'm not sure anything else they've done would really measure up."Read the rest of my post HERE. Go now.
Peasant writes beautiful, delicate, catchy, folk-pop. Think of songs by The Kinks or Paul Simon or certain songs by The Beatles...from the Peasant bio:"I created Peasant after hearing a John Lennon song called 'working class hero' and deciding I wasn't doing this for myself. I've been writing songs on the guitar since I was 14 but I only got serious about it last summer. I took a trip around the country in my car and played a bunch of shows and open mics, i saw the world from a million different angles and decided that I had to be a musician, and I had to work hard at it. I am now 20 years old and I live in Doylestown, PA. I spend all the time I can writing songs on my guitar and adding other instruments to them in my make-shift studio. Music is first and foremost a passion of mine that I've felt drawn to since I was 7 or 8 years old, singing to myself in the woods outside my family's home in Bucks County, PA. Naturally, I've been into traditional folk styles, from Guthrie to Dylan, and I definitely love the experimental style of the late Beatles."You can continue reading more on Peasant's MySpace site. I've selected the two songs by Peasant I like the most to share here on EAR FARM but overall I'm kinda totally partial to "Icy Deep". I can hear the Beatles ("Blackbird"-ish) influence in the guitar on this song but what I adore is just the overall sound and feel of the song. The delicate melancholy and (great) lyrics really resonate with me, in fact I think this song would be perfect for the next Wes Anderson movie. It's a perfectly short song that makes me want to hear it again as soon as it ends and the other song posted here, "Joanna" is just as good (if not better) and stands out with it's sweet vocals and hush-quiet hand claps. You'll be singing along in whispers in no time.
I get the feeling that People in Planes might be a guilty pleasure for me in the future. What I mean is that their sound (some bits Radiohead, some Supergrass, something their own too) is sure to soon be guided towards making tweens happy and filling arena seats. Just too much money to be made off of bands like this. Heck, they've already got an ultra snazzy website, Joaquin Phoenix directed their video for "If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)", and they just toured with The Bravery. They're playing SxSW (headlining Billboard's showcase there) and just set to go on a US tour in support of their new record that comes out on March 28th. Well, whether they're going places or already there I can't help but like the potential that "If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)" hints at. And it's also important to let the bands with a big huge PR push behind them know that they can also get some burn here at EAR FARM. We're not just about the little guys/gals here. New motto? EAR FARM: as likely to bring you a band only three people know about as to bandwagon the next OC viewer favs. Whatever. Jam on it.
Well, you'll remember I just recently posted about the potential that the new Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy was coming out in March.
"Spiders (Kidsmoke)" by Wilco which clocks in at 10:48
Mother FUCKER.
Time Was Gigantic...When We Were Kids by The Durutti ColumnBrought in to be the guitarist and keyboard player under producer Stephen Street, Vini found himself immediately unhappy at the situation: "I've no wish to criticise him [Street], but the songs that he had written, the chord structures were so banal and unbelievably trite that I said I would only make the album and be part of it if I could rewrite every note of every song from scratch." Amazingly, they agreed, although contractually Street had to keep his writing credits. Vini went through and re-arranged everything, deconstructing every track except single Suedehead. Vini found the experience incredibly enjoyable, even though it required learning a completely different recording discipline to one he was used to. "I enjoyed the challenge of it really. Some of them were so abstract that they barely existed and it was only when the backing track was completed and Morrissey came in and did his lyrics over the top of it and sang that you could tell where the verse and chorus were. Because up until that point the verse could have been the chorus and the chorus could have been the verse. There was no structure. And then I'd adjust the pieces to make them make sense."Okay, back to The Durutti Column. Let me tell you, this music is not really for everyone. Not really for that many people period, which would explain why it's been 'overlooked'. It's avant-garde rock and I think that most folks will quickly tire of the heavy-on-delay guitar noodling that dominates each and every Durutti Column album. Of course, that's just Vini being Vini but surely isn't for all tastes. The thing is, if you can get past the initial annoyance you'll find some really fantastic music. Genius music even. Do you remember the part in 24 Hour Party People when there's nobody in the Hacienda and there's a dude playing guitar on stage...Tony Wilson defends the guys as "a genius"...? Anyway, that's meant to be Vini/The Durutti Column and, in fact, the real Vini Reilly makes a cameo in the film.
Playing air guitar rules. Whether you compete in the US Air Guitar Championships, or just play a little air guitar on the weekends as a hobby, the following story will be of some interest to you. See, there are some scientists in Finland who are trying to blend a new form of synthesizer with the style of movement/dancing/imitation that is air guitar.The Virtual Air Guitar can be mastered in just a few seconds. You simply put on a pair of orange gloves, stand in front of a camera which is attached to a computer and the software reads your hand movements to create music, of a sort.Read the rest HERE and do yourself a favor and check out the video clip linked to within that article to see this technology in action.
There are two basic programs: chords and solo. The chords on offer are perhaps a little basic but even the most musically inept can, within a minute or two, produce the opening riff to Deep Purple's classic Smoke on the Water.
One member of the team behind the project, Aki Kanerva at the Helsinki University of Technology, said the tune was ideal as it was both "easy to play and has the right spirit of rock".
But it is the "solo" function that truly unlocks the guitar's potential. Simply by frantically waggling your hands in a vague imitation of playing a guitar you can do a passable impression of a guitar soloist. Aki's performance saw him playing behind his head and on his back. All he had to do was to keep his little orange gloves within sight of the camera.
First, I noticed this post on Productshop, which said:"On friday, Axl showed up at Stereo with a posse at around 5:30am. When they told him the club was closed, he took out what he called a finished a mix copy of the thirteen track Chinese Democracy album and promised to let them play the entire record. It took all of about three seconds for them to let him in and keep the club open until about eight in the morning.Then I realized I'd need to check this out for myself. I mean, it's been like 14.5 years since Use Your Illusion was released.
With the album slated to drop for the last ten years, who the fuck knows if this sure-to-be-a-let-down of an album will ever hit stores, but new rumors are flying that Chinese Democracy will drop on March 6th."
"Stereo nightclub owners Barry Mullineaux and Mike Satsky were closing up their Chelsea hotspot at 5:30 a.m. the other morning when they encountered elusive GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose at the front door. The braided rocker was with bandmates and a bevy of beauties wanting to keep his 44th birthday bash going. Rose was so eager to get inside the club that he offered the owners a little bribe — an exclusive listening party for his yet-to-be released album, "Chinese Democracy". Axl dispatched his driver to retrieve the unreleased CD and the owners proceeded to play host, bartender and DJ to the posse till 8 a.m."And THIS:
"Rumors have long plagued "Chinese Democracy" -- particularly that it might never be released -- but those were finally quashed a month ago when Rose told Rolling Stone at a KoRn tour announcement party that "Chinese Democracy" was almost good to go."And THIS:
"'Yeah, it's going to happen, I've been made aware it's been heard. I'm really excited, it's been a long time waiting to see what the next step around the corner was going to be for him (Axl Rose)," Slash said. "We know where everybody else is, but we were wondering what he was going to be doing. It's coming out in March and apparently it sounds great.'"And THIS:
"Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash said that the group's long-overdue new album, Chinese Democracy, will arrive in March 2006."And many more...none of which convinced me that this is actually going to happen. We shall see - who wants to bet that the album won't have been worth the wait?
"first there was God, then came the monkey, then came the robot"