Weekly Clippings
I made some changes to The Square recently and I’ve already seen that some of you have noticed. I added a subscription page that you can find in the top navigation bar. Besides your basic feed catchers, you can also subscribe via Email!
We will be putting up a review of Hot Chip’s new album, Made in the Dark, either today or tomorrow in light of the upcoming U.S. shows in New York City and Los Angeles. If you’re going to the NYC gig, we’ll see you there.
And finally, Cracked.com recently produced one of the best post themes I’ve seen in awhile. The theme, “Six Musicians with Pasts They Hope You’ll Forget”. Those six musicians are, Tori Amos, Alice in Chains, Alanis Morissette, Evanescence, Pantera and Dr. Dre. The two latter artists are the best but for me, Pantera’s past takes the cake. In my awkward junior high days, I was into a good amount of metal groups like Pantera, Sepultura, who I just learned maybe coming out with a new album in 2008 despite the fact that no Cavelera family member is in the band. Chaos A.D. still holds as the best ever Sepultura album in my book. And of course, Metallica. To top off the awkwardness, I was also into Bob Marley. What a confused young boy I was.
As you will read, Pantera’s past includes a lot of hair, a lot of leopard shirts (so far, it’s probably not all that shocking) but wait, then there was this:
“I wanna feel you in my arms
I wanna love you til the emptiness is gone
Take my hand
Tonite could be the nite
Understand my heart is cryin’
Oooooooooh, forever tonite”
And this…
Priceless.
And now for one of my all time favorite Pantera tracks, the song that helped put the movie Tales from the Crypt: Demon Night into my classics category, and one of the greatest heavy metal ballads of all time, “Cemetery Gates” -
Celebrating band name themes
Every year there seems to be a new theme that appears in band names (i.e. wolf, diamonds or just adding a ! to your name). This post involves a classic theme that has been with us since the early days of rock n’ roll, “Black”.
New kids on the block with Black in their title are the Black Kids. These guys come from an unlikely corner of our country – Jacksonville, Florida. They’ve been getting some comparisons to bands like Arcade Fire.
“Hit the Heartbreaks”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
- Check them out on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/blackkid
- Download “Hit the Heartbreaks” and the rest of the FREE EP over at Electrorash(you can also download the EP at their official website, http://www.blackkidsmusic.com/)
- Their debut album is currently in the works and will be released on Vice Records
Black Mountain, just released their latest album yesterday, which has been garnering a lot of critical acclaim (Pitchfork). The album is titled In The Future and includes some really awesome psych/folk/rock moments that bring back some of those late 60’s and early 70’s rock sounds. But of coarse, they’re from British Columbia so they add a little stoner flare to their tracks. One song is 16 minutes long! The new “batch” must have just came in during the recording of that tune.
I just picked it up yesterday so it’s still too early for a decent review but if you dig that rock revival sound that bands like Kings of Leon have been preaching then you’ll be into these guys.
“Angels”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
- Official Website:http://www.blackmountainarmy
- Download “Angels” over at Minnepolis Fucking Rocks
- See them live @ Middle East Upstairs Sunday, Feb. 24th
The final band is a favorite of mine and they were recently resurrected from my external hard drive (cause I still haven’t gotten an 80 gb ipod) when my friend asked one of my favorite questions, “have you heard of this band?”. The Black Keys have been rocking the duo blues rock scene since their debut album in 2002, The Big Come Up. The album I highly recommend getting is their third release, Rubber Factory.
But like any good blues rock band, it’s really their live performance that must be experienced to fully appreciate their sound. I caught them back in 2003 when they opened for Beck. My buddy and I were blown away and I’ve been a fan ever since.
While their last album, Magic Potion, didn’t floor me like Rubber Factory, it doesn’t mean they’ve dropped in quality. Many folks compare The Black Keys to The White Stripes. While both bands may have only two members, The Black Keys are way more bluesy and jam oriented.
“Grown so Ugly”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
- They play here in Boston on May 17th at The Orpheum Theatre.
- Check them out on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theblack
- Download “Grown So Ugly” from the The Culture of Me
Whoa: From nothing special to this?
(Disclaimer: if you didn’t figure this out already, the above image is not an official image and the festival will in fact not hold the Coachella name. It’s just a nice way to introduce the news in my opinion)
As most East Coast music lovers know, there are tons of summer festivals that happen with great line ups every year, yet they just don’t usually happen on the East Coast!! And we all know it’s the coast with the most. Well, at least it’s the coast with the most human beings in the United States. So it would make sense that the concert promoters would have at least one Bannaroo or one Coachella in our back yards. Well, that’s just not the case. Until now.
We now know that there WILL be two, that’s right, two large music festivals on the east coast in summer 2008. And it gets even better. They will be held in the same state. Where else but New Jersey. And it is looking like they may end up on the same weekend, August 8th -10th.
The first group we heard about was C3 Productions and their Vineland, NJ plans that they are calling the Vineland Music Festival (Download the official press release). Now we have another announcement, this time from the same group that put on Bannarroo and Coachella, AEG and Goldenvoice. Their festival is planned to happen at Liberty State Park, right across the pond from the Big Apple.
There are no official line ups for either festival but there are rumors that Radiohead and Jack Johnson will be headlining the Liberty State Park gig. That sounds pretty bogus. At least the Jack Johnson claim does. Radiohead did play Liberty State Park back in August of 2001 and according to Brooklyn Vegan’s readers it was a mind altering experience. And the picture that they have up at Brooklyn Vegan of the Liberty State Park concert setup with the Twin Towers in the background is quite a surreal scene.
So to celebrate the oncoming summer East Coast festivals, we decided to put a little mix together that for one reason or another makes us think big music festivals.
Yeasayer (Purchase music from Amazon) – “Germs”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Caribou (Purchase music from Amazon) – “After Hours”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Marah (Purchase music from Amazon) – “Coughing up Blood”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Black Lips (Purchase music from Amazon) – “Hippy Hippy Hurrah”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Human League (Purchase music from Amazon) – “Party”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Echo and the Bunnymen (Purchase music from Amazon) – “People Are Strange”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
A reaction to recent films and a score
Over the past few weeks I’ve seen some remarkable films. One rockumentary, Heima and two indie drama / thrillers, No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood. I’ve also been listening to the soundtrack for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which was composed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis of the Bad Seeds. The films combined with the audio effects of Cave and Ellis’s masterpiece has caused a deep sense of joy, remorse and sorrow for humanity as a whole.
But I’m not one to see the negative side of things, unlike Mr. Plainview (Daniel Day Lewis’ character in There Will Be Blood). The pure feeling I get when watching the films or listening to the soundtrack, whether it be of remorse or joy, is a true testament to their creators.
In Heima, the film was more than just about the music of Sigur Ros it was about the comfort of being home with friends and family.
In No Country For Old Men we come face to face with a psychotic killer who can’t understand why people think he doesn’t need to kill them when in his mind it was so perfectly clear why they must be killed – to get out of his way.
In There Will Be Blood we also come face to face with a psycho but in this case he’s not as blunt at first about his killer instincts. At first, the audience sees him as a tough guy on top but underneath the tough shell is a kind soul who cares for his son and their future. But in the end, we find out that is all untrue and the reality is something so grotesque and so vulgar that it’s almost impossible to comprehend his thought process. I’m still trying to get that final scene out of my head. To make the audience go from laughing to sheer fright at what just happened is not only a testament to the writers themselves but also to the power of Daniel Day Lewis. So far, this was the best piece of acting I’ve seen in 2008 and that’s a tough thing to say after seeing the breakout performance of Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men.
And finally, the score written by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. When I first got the press kit for the soundtrack, the bio reads, “Cave and Ellis have delivered a soundtrack that retains its captivating power, even without the benefit of the film’s imagery.” After popping it in for the first spin, I was immediately drawn in by the flow of the piano keys, the slow burn of the violin, the rhythmic lines of the cello. I had seen previews and clips of the movie and that was enough for me to be able to visualize every time I listened to this soundtrack the flow of the movie itself.
I’ve never owned a Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds album before and those that are big fans may find it hilarious that my introduction came in the form of a movie soundtrack. But let me tell you, this soundtrack stands very strong on it’s own and I highly recommend those that enjoy listening to classical music or for those just in need of some time to think, grab this one. It is a guaranteed forty four minutes of both aural and imaginative pleasure.
Stream a couple audio clips from the soundtrack to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert For:
“Move On”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
“Cowgirl”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Watch the previews for all four films:
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Heima
Read the reviews and find out where they are playing near your town at RottenTomatoes.com
And if you live in Boston, make sure you check out the new indie film website, www.antiplex.com. It was created by the same guys that put tourfilter together.
And make sure to check out the new Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds album, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! , to be released on Mute Records on March 3rd in the U.K. and on April 8th on Anti in the U.S. Visit their official website, www.nickcaveandthebadseeds.com, and listen to the title track.
Boston Shows: On Sale!
Here is the first installment of my On Sale! weekly post. Of course this post is specifically geared to Bostonians but I will also provide the the full tour date for each band I list so that if you see them playing in your town, and you know they go on sale in Boston on a certain date, then you can be sure they’re going on sale either on or around the same date.
Justice: On sale 1/12 @ 12 pm ET
Buy online: LIVE NATION
Date of Show: Saturday, 3/15
Openers: Busy P, Fancy
Full tour:
03-03 Austin, TX – Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
03-04 Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom
03-06 Orlando, FL – The Club at Firestone
03-09 Baltimore, MD – Sonar
03-10 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
03-11 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
03-12 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
03-15 Boston, MA – Paradise
03-16 Montreal, Quebec – Cepsum
03-17 Toronto, Ontario – The Docks
03-19 Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Hall
03-20 Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre
03-22 Denver, CO – Ogden Theater
03-24 Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
03-25 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore
03-26 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
03-27 San Francisco, CA – Concourse Design Center
03-31 Los Angeles, CA – Mayan Theatre
Hot Chip: On sale 1/12 @ 12 pm ET
Date of Show: Monday, 4/14
Buy Online: LIVE NATION
Opener: Free Blood (never heard of them before but if the Chip brought them onboard, I’m sure they’ worth giving a shot)
Full Tour:
02-02 New York, NY – Highline Ballroom
02-04 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theater
02-14 Leicester, England – Leicester University *
02-15 Leeds, England – Leeds University Union *
02-16 Manchester, England – Manchester University *
02-18 Portsmouth, England – Pyramid Centre *
02-19 Oxford, England – Oxford Academy *
02-20 Norwich, England – Norwich U.E.A. *
02-22 Wolverhampton, England – Wulfrun Hall *
02-23 Preston, England – 53 Degrees *
02-24 Bristol, England – Academy *
02-26 Glasgow, Scotland – ABC *
02-27 Newcastle, England – Newcastle University *
02-28 Brighton, England – Corn Exchange *
02-29 London, England – Brixton Academy *
03-08 Hamburg, Germany – Uebel & Gefahrlich
03-09 Berlin, Germany – Postbahnhof
03-10 Munich, Germany – Elserhalle
03-11 Cologne, Germany – Gloria
03-13 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
03-14 Brussels, Belgium – Botanique
03-15 Lille, France – Grand Mix
03-17 Paris, France – Trabendo
03-18 Rennes, France – Ubu
04-10 Philadelphia, PA – Starlight Ballroom
04-11 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
04-12 New York, NY – Terminal 5
04-14 Boston, MA – Paradise
04-17 Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
04-18 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
04-22 Seattle, WA – Showbox
04-23 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
04-24 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
* w/ Matthew Dear
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks: On sale right now – BUY THEM TODAY ONLINE
Date of Show: 4/3
Opener: John Vanderslice (JV is awesome)
Full Tour:
03-19 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
03-20 Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
03-21 Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
03-22 Indianapolis, IN – Vogue Theater
03-23 Newport, KY – Southgate House
03-25 Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
03-26 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
03-28 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
03-29 Philadelphia, PA – Fillmore
03-31 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
04-02 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
04-03 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
04-04 North Adams, MA – MASS MoCA
Blitzen Trapper: On Sale Right Now – BUY THEM TODAY ONLINE
Date of Show: Thursday, 3/25
Opener: Fleet Foxes, Glorytellers (Fleet Foxes are from Blitzens home state of Oregon and Glorytellers are from our beloved Boston)
02-22 Seattle, WA – University of Washington
02-28 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
02-29 Los Angeles, CA – Troubadour
03-01 San Diego, CA – Casbah
03-02 Phoenix, AZ – Modified
03-04 Denton, TX – Hailey’s
03-05 Houston, TX – Walter’s on Washington
03-06 Hattiesburg, MS – Thirsty Hippo
03-07 Tallahassee, FL – The Beta Bar
03-08 Everglades National Park, FL – Langerado Festival
03-09 Jacksonville, FL – The Eclipse
03-11 Birmingham, AL – BottleTree
03-13 Austin, TX – Yard Dog Gallery (Schubas SXSW party)
03-14 Austin, TX – SXSW
03-15 Austin, TX – SXSW
03-16 Norman, OK – The Opolis
03-17 Columbia, MO – Mojo’s
03-19 Nashville, TN – Exit In
03-20 Atlanta, GA – Drunken Unicorn
03-21 Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern
03-22 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
03-23 Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
03-25 Washington, DC – Black Cat
03-26 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
03-27 Cambridge, MA – Middle East
03-29 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
03-30 Worcester, MA – Clark University
04-01 Montreal, Quebec – La Salla Rossa
04-02 Toronto, Ontario – El Mocambo
04-03 Buffalo, NY – Mohawk Place
04-04 Cleveland, OH – The Grog Shop
04-05 Detroit, MI – The Magic Stick
04-06 Chicago, IL – Schubas
04-08 Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
04-09 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
04-10 Grinnell, IA – Grinnell College
04-11 Omaha, NE – The Slowdown
04-12 Lawrence, KS – Jackpot
04-14 Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
04-15 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
04-17 Vancouver, British Columbia – Media Club
04-18 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
04-19 Portland, OR – Holocene
Hot Chip on BBC Radio 1
If you haven’t already figured out that the Square’s favorite band in the world is Hot Chip, well, you know now.
The boys chugged out a set for BBC Radio’s “Essential Mix” recently and you can stream the whole thing at the BBC site.
Stream (HERE)
Download in MP3 format at 187 Kbps (HERE) – Courtesy of www.newmixes.com
Here is the complete track list:
- Hot Chip – One Pure Thought – EMI
- Noze – You Have to Dance
- Hot Chip – Ready For The Floor (Hot Chip remix) – EMI
- Jill Scott – Golden (Wookie dub mix)
- Grovesnor – Drive Your Car – Greco Roman
- Chic – I Want Your Love (Todd Terje edit)
- Justus Kohncke – Parage – Kompakt
- Snoop Dogg – Sensual Seduction – Geffen
- Romanthony – Bring U Up – Glasgow Underground
- Timbaland – Drop – AV8
- Olga Dancekowski – Matt John – BAR25
- Matthew Dear – Don and Sherri (Hot Chip version) – Ghostly International
- Lanark – Mandinko
- Alex Under – ? – Trapez
- Smith N Hack – Falling Stars
- Undisputed Truth – Law Of The Land – EMI
- Paul Kalkbrenner – Ick Muss Aus Dit Millieu Heraus – B-Pitch Control
- Minilogue – Space – My Best Friend
- Lucio Aquilina – Feelin Plastik – Trapez
- Giorgio Preiozo and Libre – Pongo (extended) – Nets Work International
- Minimow – Where Is My Pill? – Hell Yeah
- The Surgery – More Weed (Sticky) – Social Circles
- Red Robin and Jakob Hilden – Snapdragon – Trapez Limited
- Tiefschwarz – Original (Carl Craig remix) – Souvenier
- Jeff Samuel – I Think They Are Trying To Say Something – Trapez
- Burial – Archangel – Hyperdub
Pre-order the new album, Made in the Dark, from Amazon – (Digipak CD) (LP) (CD + DVD)
And if you’re in the US, like me, go (HERE) for pre-order info.
About Editor
Name: Luke "Kip" Owen
Location: Boston, MA
Contact: kippy[AT]hip2besquare[DOT]net
Twitter: twitter.com/kipdog
Youtube: youtube.com/kipdog
-
-
