New Music Tuesday 6/8/10

So I guess I should say that these are the new albums out today that I am most interested in, sorry Christina Aguilera I have no intention of talking about your new record. First up is Tokyo Police Club (not to be confused with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, they are way different) and their new album Champ. I have loved everything they have put out so far and fully expect to enjoy this one as well.

Next on the list is Rooney, a quintet from La La Land, and their 3rd full length record, Eureka. So far I have enjoyed their first two pop rock efforts and want to see if their sound has changed at all. In the learn something new everyday department: Rooney got their name from the pricipal in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Ed Rooney.

My most anticipated release out of the bunch is Hot Hot Heat's Future Breeds and I will be running out to pick it up after work is done. This is their fourth full length album and being that they are one of my favorite bands, I am sure that I will like it. I will like it a lot.

Teenage Fanclub has been around for a long time, mostly under the radar in America, but are considered to be a great UK outfit. I have to agree but honestly have not really heard much of their stuff since their biggest album in the States way back in 1991, Bandwagonesque, which SPIN magazine has as one of their 125 greatest albums of the last 25 years...if you are into that sort of thing. When a band hangs around as long as these guys have they are certainly worth looking back into for a listen.

Music News 6/8/10: Bands Pulling Out Of Shows In Israel

The Pixies, Gorillaz and the Klaxons have all pulled themselves out of shows in Israel due to the recent events involving the Gaza strip. It was not officially stated in any of the press releases, but it's

 most certainly a protest of Israel's blockade of humanitarian efforts in which 9 people have already died.

In lighter news: Kings Of Leon debut news songs in Atlantic City. This past Saturday marked the start of KOL's summer tour in which the band played a 90 minute set for a smallish crowd of 2500, in which they played a few of their news songs...so excited for this album!

Snow Patrol have announced that they will be back in the studio this October and expect a new album sometime next year.

Greatest Band In The World? How Should I Friggin' Know.

The Greatest Band In The World is......well it doesn't exist. Sorry U2, even though you have self-proclaimed yourselves this, you are not. Yes your rabid fans will argue that you are, but that's the problem, they are biased as is everyone else about their favorite bands. Oasis once claimed that they were bigger than the Beatles....of course they were, the damn Beatles broke up before one of the Gallagher boys was even born  (William John Paul or Liam was born Sept 21, 1972, hey exactly one year after me!?). So at the time maybe they were, but it was ridiculous to say nonetheless. We all have our own opinions and I am here to tell you that it doesn't matter what you think. No one, and I mean no one can definitively say who is the greatest band in the world because you just can't compare them rationally. Now if you want to say one band is better than another because they sold more records you can, but it still doesn't mean that one is better. I mean Nickleback is total shit and they have sold millions of albums and that's what I am talking about. Oasis and Blur are really great examples. Oasis has sold over 70 million records worldwide while Blur has sold just over 24 million. These two bands will forever be tied together because of their pseudo battle for most of the 90's when their music was compared constantly by the press. Consistently Blur received the better of the reviews while Oasis sold more records, especially in the US and it was once said by a critic that Blur won the battles but not the wars. So does this mean that Oasis was better than Blur? Of course it doesn't, much like the Beatles and The Rolling Stones (we all know the Beatles were better) before them. It's much like a painting in a museum where one person will love the work while another will question what makes it art. There is no right or wrong. The only thing wrong would be to think you know who the best band in the world is and I am certainly not going to claim that I do either. 

Why Do We Care So Much About What Other People Think About The Music We Listen To?

Personally I like to show off how cool I am with awesome mixes of songs that everyone wants a copy of so I can go on and on about my music collection. Yup that about sums me up. For me my music is as important to me as say food, I am crazy about both and need them equally as much because without music I'd probably die much in the way I would if I never ate anything. Sounds ridiculous, I know, but it's true. If I could carry all my music with me everyday so everyone could see what I've got in my collection I would, and I'm not talking about my iPod either (Love my iPod btw, probably one of my favorite things in the whole world). When you were younger the music you listened to defined who you were. If you were into metal you had long hair, wore a lot of black clothing, probably had a silver spiked bracelet and generally hung around with other people just like you. If you listened to the Dead you wore a lot of Tye-dyed shirts, smoked a ton of weed, smelled like Petiole Oil and often wore a burlap poncho. Back in High School that was cool. I wasn't a very memorable kid back then at least not until I wore my concert shirt from Pink Floyd's 1988 world tour to school that is. Immediately I was accepted into another group of kids who liked Floyd and liked to smoke a lot of weed too, even if I had never even taken a puff they assumed I had so I didn't say shit. But as you get older and become responsible (or semi-responsible in my case) you lose the ability to wear your music on your sleeve, so-to-speak, because honestly listening to Marylin Manson isn't going to make you anymore money at the office. This is why, when we have the chance, in the right situations we love to spout out as much musical knowledge as possible because if we didn't no one would know and that sucks. And it's getting worse with the soon-to-be-extinct record stores dropping like flies. I mean I used to be able to go to a record shop and find someone else who wanted to talk music as much as I did. There ain't no-one at iTunes who wants to listen to my bullshit and that's putting it mildly. And NO, commenting on music sites or putting your review of the new Weezer record (it sucks) doesn't count. Yes, going to shows at small venues is great, where you get to rub elbows with other fans like you and because just being there automatically makes you cool. But not everyone goes to shows anymore. Did I answer my question yet? I don't know. What I do know is that music is a profound part of a lot of peoples lives and it means an awful lot to me and that makes me want to share. Do I share to be cool? Yes of course because why else would I, but also because it's no fun to listen to the music you love if you have no one to listen to it with.

Worst Movie With The Best Soundtrack? Tank Girl (1995)

Actually I kind of like this movie but it is definitely a bad one. They certainly couldn't have picked a better Tank Girl than Lori Petty who basically took the look into her real life after filming and I don't believe we have seen much of her in the 15 years since. Based on the comic of the same name, the movie plays out much like an actual comic book would but unfortunately lacked the budget that the material deserved. Now to the important stuff: the soundtrack. After the huge bust out success of The Crow soundtrack the year before, Tank Girl offered up stiff competition with an eclectic mix of tracks from some of 1995's brightest artists. Bjork, Hole, Bush, Portishead, L7, Belly, Veruca Salt and Ice-T (who also acted in the film) and all contributed to the collaboration with outstanding results. But if that wasn't enough: Devo added an updated version of their famous 80's tune Girl U Want, Joan Jett and Paul Westerberg did a remake of a Cole Porter tune called Lets Do It, The Magnificent Bastards (Scott Weilands STP side project) debuted a new tune called Mockingbird Girl and the theater group Stomp joined in with an instrumental to lead off the album. What sticks out to me still is that there is not a throwaway tune in the bunch and all significantly add to the feel of the movie. I remember buying the cd a couple of weeks before seeing the movie and after the first listen wondering who that group Bush was. Their entry was a tune called Bomb, and for me a real standout, so much so that I immediately searched out their first record. It was a mere few months before Bush became a huge hit on MTV and I was excited to get more of a taste for their music since the aforementioned track was so damn good. Not that I was completely disappointed but lets just say the rest of the album sounded completely different and not exactly what I was looking for. You win some, you lose some. The soundtrack also got me into Bjork who I had pretty much ignored up until that point, but when I first heard Army of Me I was astounded. This woman with an amazing voice singing over this music that was loud, angry and unique...just simply one of those wow moments that I look back on and say...wow.  I can certainly think of a lot of great movies with amazing soundtracks where the film and the songs go hand in hand (Apocalypse Now, The Matrix, Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, Titanic...just kidding), but I can not think of another film where the disparity between bad film and great soundtrack is so huge. 

Some of the amazing art of the comic by Jamie Hewlett

How To Destroy Angels: Free EP Download

Trent Reznors new band has just made a 6 song EP available for free download on their website, http://www.howtodestroyangels.com/. I am not sure how long it will be up there for free because they are releasing it on CD on July 6th. Also on the site is their creepy new video for the song The Space In Between, but I will let you judge for yourself below...enjoy! (Sorry to send this again but the video fits now)

Justin Bieber Should Be Deported Or At Least Punched In The Stomach

Wipe that stupid look off your face little boy, this is the US Governent calling and we've decided to send you back to Canada where you belong. Damn Canadians. I mean could anyone possibly be more annoying? Have you heard this kid talk? I just want to take a pair of shears and shave off all his hair, then what would he do...cry I hope. Maybe a good punch in the gut would work as well. Of course then I would be despised by every single girl under the age of 16. Angry mobs of little women with their Tiger Beat Issues in hand, prepping to burn me on a stake in my front yard. Some things are just worth it. What brought me to this point you ask? Rolling Stone Magazines website, that's what. I was looking thru their site the other day perusing the latest music news when I came upon a tab showcasing great music photos. Intrigued I opened it up to find that this kids face was everywhere! I mean do I really need to see a photo of him on the beach in Australia? Is that really a picture of interest for Rolling Stone readers? Next they will have shots of him eating a bowl of Captain Crunch while his Mommy fills his lunchbox with Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches (I love a good PB&J). What this kid really needs is to go to school and be a kid. The last thing we need is another story of a child burned out from all the fame and excess who at 25 has lost it all and is a recovering alcoholic. Actually that might be pretty interesting...nevermind what I just said. Please don't tell my 8 year old daughter that I wrote this.