New Radiohead Album Preorder

FINALLY there's something beyond speculation to report about Radiohead's forthcoming 7th album. They're without a label, but you can click the picture above to visit a website where you can preorder In Rainbows. The digital download of the record will be available as of October 10th, and they're making limited numbers of CD and vinyl packages as people order them. Yes!!!

Cover Of The Week: Pearl Jam does The Who

I've been on a Pearl Jam kick this week since seeing Immagine In Cornice on Tuesday night. This cover of The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" was released on Pearl Jam's vinyl fan club single last year.

Pearl Jam - "Love Reign O'er Me"

Buy Pearl Jam's music here.

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Check out previous Cover Of The Week posts by clicking the "Cover Of The Week" label below or the link on the right side of the page under "Return To Oblivion".

B-Side Of The Week: Pearl Jam

I got to see Pearl Jam's new docu-film Immagine In Cornice last night on the big screen at a theater in Wayne. It was absolutely awesome watching and listening to the band crank through some great music in a movie theater like that. The film is a must-have for any Pearl Jam fan, and luckily for me it was waiting for me in the mail today when I got home from work.

It's hard to find Pearl Jam b-sides that they didn't officially release on their rarities 2CD set, Lost Dogs, but I found one. "Leatherman" was on the "Given To Fly" single back in 1997, and fans might fondly recall certain live shows where the band played the "man trilogy" - "Betterman", "Leatherman" and "Nothingman" - all in a row.

Pearl Jam - "Leatherman"

Buy Pearl Jam's music here.

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Check out the archived B-Side Of The Week posts by clicking the label "B-Side Of The Week" below or the link on the right side of the page under 'Return To Oblivion'.

Matt Nathanson: iTunes Single of the Week

Matt Nathanson's pop-rockin' tune "Car Crash" is the iTunes single of the week for this week. Head on over and grab some free Matt N goodness.

Monday MiniMix: 90's Boston Rock

MiniMix (noun)
Def: a ten to fifteen minute mp3 containing a mix of songs which often share a loosely common theme

The 90's gave music fans a ton of stuff about which to be psyched, and the town of Boston was a hotbed of good tunes. This week we celebrate some of my favorite artists and tunes that came out of Boston in the 90's. These artists weaseled their way into the mainstream in a number of ways, such as having their music featured in TV shows like My So-Called Life, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Melrose Place, along with films like Ten Things I Hate About You and Josie And The Pussycats. Chances are you've heard these folks before and liked them, so take a stroll down memory lane with me.

MiniMix 09-24-07

Check out previous MiniMixes by clicking the label "Monday Morning MiniMix" below.

Radiohead Live Project: B-Sides

The Radiohead Live Project posts from February are still being downloaded regularly, so I thought I'd update the cue with some live versions of Radiohead b-sides.

Radiohead used to record tons of b-sides in their early days. The b-sides that have surfaced in the latter half of their career aren't the kind of songs that the band tends to play live, so these are mostly old songs. Also, they've released so many b-sides that I won't even attempt to call this collection complete. It's merely a smattering of live b-sides and a couple of rarities that I pulled together from my bootleg collection.

Radiohead Live Project
B-Sides

Banana Co. (live)
Bishop's Robes (live)
Faithless The Wonderboy (live)
Fog (live)
Follow Me Around (live)
How Can You Be Sure? (live)
Inside My Head (live)
Killer Cars (live)
Lift (live)
Lozenge Of Love (live)
Maquiladora (live)
Pearly* (live)
Permanent Daylight (live)
Polyethylene (live)
Pop Is Dead (live)
Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong (live)
Talk Show Host (live)
The Trickster (live)
Yes I Am (live)

Download the set here.

Buy Radiohead's music here.
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Radiohead Live Project:

Pablo Honey
The Bends
OK Computer
Kid A
Amnesiac
Hail To The Thief

Cover Of The Week: Matthew Good does the Dead Kennedys

I'm a huge fan of Canadian singer/songwriter Matthew Good, and I'm totally loving his latest release, 2007's Hospital Music. On the record he covers the Dead Kennedys' 2001 tune, "Moon Over Marin", slowing it down into a folky version of its former punk rockin' self. The melancholy in the lyrics takes the forefront in Good's mellow arrangement, which I think allows the song to make an even greater emotional impact on the listener.

Matthew Good - "Moon Over Marin"

Buy Matthew Good's music here.

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Check out previous Cover Of The Week posts by clicking the "Cover Of The Week" label below or the link on the right side of the page under "Return To Oblivion".

B-Side Of The Week: Mark Lanegan

Anyone who reads this blog knows what a fan I am of Mark Lanegan. So this week I thought I'd share a b-side from the sessions for his 2004 solo album, Bubblegum. "Mirrored" is a lot like his previous solo material - mellow, dark, acoustic music that features Lanegan's gravelly, unearthly voice.

Mark Lanegan - "Mirrored"

Buy Mark Lanegan's music here.

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Check out the archived B-Side Of The Week posts by clicking the label "B-Side Of The Week" below. Previous b-sides were from artists such as Radiohead, The Black Crowes, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Ryan Adams, Jeff Buckley, Oasis, Catherine Wheel, Juliana Hatfield, and many more.

MySpace Updates

Every once and a while I troll the MySpace pages of my favorite artists to see if they've posted any exclusive content. Here are three gems I just came across.

From their 2007 release, Sky Blue Sky, here's Wilco performing the bonus track called "The Thanks I Get".

Wilco - "The Thanks I Get"

Matt Nathanson's 2007 record, Some Mad Hope, is getting lots of spins on my CD player. This is an acoustic version of one of the tracks called "Still".

Matt Nathanson - "Still (acoustic)"

The Like are working on a follow up to their debut album, Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?", and played this new song on the radio out in California.

The Like - "Release Me (live acoustic)"

Monday MiniMix

MiniMix (noun)
Def: a ten to fifteen minute mp3 containing a mix of songs which often share a loosely common theme

This week I thought I'd revisit Guns 'n' Roses, or at least the band's guitarists. After putting out Use Your Illusion I & II in 1991, the band toured the world extensively and began its implosion. Over the next couple of years following the band's breakup, the three guitarists, Slash, Izzy Stradlin and Gilby Clarke, made 'solo' records. Izzy and Gilby took on singing duties on their albums, and (thankfully!) Slash hired someone else to sing in his band. In a typically incestuous fashion, Slash played on Gilby's record, Gilby played on Slash's record, and Gilby invited G'n'R singer Axl Rose to sing a song with him. Izzy, who left the band before it ended, didn't involve his former bandmates in the making of his album.

The three records are pretty good rock records - lots of dirty, bluesy guitar riffs, a plethora of solos, and generally cheesy lyrics (but in a good way). I don't find myself listening to them much anymore, but I went back for a listen before making this MiniMix and I have to say, though the records sound a little dated, they're still good listens.

MiniMix 09-17-07

Check out the three records here:

Slash's Snakepit - It's Five O'Clock Somewhere
Gilby Clarke - Pawnshop Guitars
Izzy Stradlin - Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds

Check out previous MiniMixes by clicking the label "Monday Morning MiniMix" below.

Radiohead: Early Demos

I've been thinking a lot about Radiohead, as I often do, probably because I recently finished reading a book about their masterpiece, 1997's OK Computer, called Welcome To The Machine. Over the summer I collected these demos, some of which I'd heard before (Manic Hedgehog) and some that were new to my ears. At any rate, they're a must-have for any collector of Radiohead material.

On A Friday Demos (1988)

Happy Song
To Be A Brilliant Light
Sinking Ship

Download the set here.

1990 Demos

Climbing Up A Bloody Great Hill
Somebody
Mr B
What's That You See?
Everyone Needs Someone To Hate
Upside Down
The Greatest Shindig Of The World
Give It Up
How Can You Be Sure?
Life With The Big F
Keep Strong
Rattlesnake
Burning Bush
Tell Me Bitch
New Generation

Download the set here.

Manic Hedgehog Demos (1991)

I Can't
Nothing Touches Me
Thinking About You
Phillipa Chicken
You

Download the set here.

Buy Radiohead's music here.

The Frames: 11-21-2006 Melkweg

Here's the final installment in my Frames deluge. This show is from the band's most recent tour supporting their latest, The Cost. It's got great song selection and an all-around fantastic performance.

The Frames
11-21-2006
Melkweg

Intro
Turbit
Keepsake
Rise
Finally
God Bless Mom
Falling Slowly
Seven Day Mile
Song For Someone
Revelate
Fake --> No Woman No Cry --> Fake
Sad Songs
True
People Get Ready
---encore break---
Leave (Glen solo)
The Cost
Santa Maria
Star Star
Fitzcarraldo

Download the show here.

Buy The Frames' music here.

The Frames: 09-11-2002 Paradiso

Here's another show from The Frames. This short set was part of a large bill of bands from London at the Paradiso in Amsterdam in 2002. Glen makes a point of telling the audience that The Frames are from Ireland, not London. Though the band only plays five songs, each one is totally rocking, most featuring extended endings.

The Frames
09-11-2002
Paradiso

Intro
Plateau --> Jane Says tease
Lay Me Down
God Bless Mom
What Happens When The Heart Just Stops
Glen talking
Santa Maria

Download the show here.

Buy The Frames' music here.

Cover Of The Week: The Frames do Mic Christopher

Mic Christopher was an Irish singer/songwriter that Frames singer Glen Hansard befriended back in his busking days. He died suddenly at the age of 32 in a weird accident where he slipped and hit his head, causing him to fall into a coma from which he never woke up. The Frames and Damien Rice have dedicated their albums to Christopher. Here's a cover version of Christopher's "Listen Girl" from The Frames' "Headlong" single in 2002.

The Frames - "Listen Girl"

Buy The Frames' music here.

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Check out previous Cover Of The Week posts by clicking the "Cover Of The Week" label below or the link on the right side of the page under "Return To Oblivion".

The Frames: 09-30-2003 Minneapolis

I was out watching the fantastic Leslie Feist perform at the Tower Theater last night, so I didn't get to post anything in the evening. But I'm back on my Frames kick. Here's a brief set from 2003 in Minneapolis. The set contains an early version of "People Get Ready", which is a standout track on their new record, The Cost. Also, the Johnny Cash tease is good stuff.

The Frames
09-30-2003
Minneapolis, MN

People Get Ready
Lay Me Down
What Happens When The Heart Just Stops
God Bless Mom
Your Face
Fake --> Ring Of Fire (Johnny Cash) tease
Star Star

Download the set here.

Buy The Frames' music here.

B-Side Of The Week: The Frames

I promised a lot more Frames stuff and I mean to deliver. This b-side is from the sessions for The Frames' latest, The Cost. The band recorded the album live in the studio to try and capture the legendary-amongst-their-fans energy of their live show. This track could've been right at home on the album, but was relegated to b-side status nonetheless.

The Frames - "No More I Love Yous"

Buy The Frames' music here.

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Check out the archived B-Side Of The Week posts by clicking the label "B-Side Of The Week" below. Previous b-sides were from artists such as Radiohead, The Black Crowes, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Ryan Adams, Jeff Buckley, Oasis, Catherine Wheel, Juliana Hatfield, and many more.

The Frames Rock Webster Hall in NY

I've never managed to see The Frames when they toured through the Philly area, but I love their new record The Cost and singer Glen Hansard's music from the film Once so much that I was determined not to miss them this time around. There was no Philly date on their brief tour of the US in Aug/Sept, so I made the trek up to New York last night to see them play Webster Hall in the East Village.

Needless to say, the trip was sooooo worth it, in spite of the way I'm dragging myself through the work day today. All the stories I'd heard about how fantastic The Frames are live were understatements. They blew me away from the first swinging acoustic chords of set-opener "Rise". I heard just about every song I'd hoped to hear them play, and the encores were a dream. Hansard's co-star in Once, Marketa Irglova, who hadn't been on tour with The Frames this time, was in town for this final show (and for a Letterman taping earlier in the day). She joined Hansard for a chill-inducing run through "Falling Slowly" and "When Your Mind's Made Up". Later on during "Red Chord", the last song of the second encore and perhaps my favorite track from the band's back catalog, she again joined Hansard, sharing the mic with him as they belted out the rousing crescendo of the tune's final chorus. I'm getting chills again just remembering it. Here's the setlist:

Rise
Sad Songs
Lay Me Down
God Bless Mom
Stars Are Underground
A Caution To The Birds
Rent Day Blues --> I Have the Moon (Magnetic Fields cover)
What Happens When the Heart Just Stops
Pavement Tune
Fake
Your Face --> Lilac Wine tease
Revelate
Star Star --> Hotellounge (Be The Death of Me) tease (Deus cover)
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Blue Shoes - Colm: "Because it's Sep 10th, I'd like to dedicate it to the people
who are gonna be lonesome tomorrow." (violin solo)
Falling Slowly (w/ Marketa Irglova on keys and vox)
When Your Mind's Made Up (w/ Mar on keys & vox)
People Get Ready
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Out on the Weekend (Neil Young cover)
Red Chord (w/ Mar on vox)

I'm too exhausted to post a full Frames gig right now, but the rest of this week's posts are going to be heavy on the Irish rockers' music. Here's Glan Hansard and Marketa Irglova's performance of "Falling Slowly" that I recorded last night off TV while in NYC.

Glan Hansard & Marketa Irglova - "Falling Slowly (live on Letterman)"

Buy The Frames' music here.

Updated Cover Tune

I finally found my original single for Elbow's "Not A Job". So I updated the bitrate quality to the usual 320kbps for last week's cover. I only had a measly 160kbps version up earlier.

Monday MiniMix

MiniMix (noun)
Def: a ten to fifteen minute mp3 containing a mix of songs which often share a loosely common theme

This week's mix is a throwback to the 90's. That is, the bands on it proudly wear the sound of the 90's (early Radiohead, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins) on their sleeves.

MiniMix 09-10-07

Check out previous MiniMixes by clicking the label "Monday Morning MiniMix" below.

Cover Of The Week: Elbow does Massive Attack

Elbow is one of those bands that I almost love, but instead I end up just liking. Not "like them like them", but merely "like them" (sorry for the obscure TV reference...).

Anyway, here they are doing a spot-on cover of Massive Attack's magnificent single, "Teardrop". The cover appeared on promo versions of the single for "Not A Job" off of the Cast Of Thousands LP.

Elbow - "Teardrop"

Buy Elbow's music here.

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Check out previous Cover Of The Week posts by clicking the "Cover Of The Week" label below or the link on the right side of the page under "Return To Oblivion".

B-Side Of The Week: Foo Fighters

This week's b-side takes us back to the mid-90's, when Dave Grohl released his first Foo Fighters record. He played all the instruments on the album, and though he wrote many of the tunes long before Kurt Cobain's suicide, there was much speculation in the press as to whether songs like "I'll Stick Around", with it's chorus of "I don't owe you anything!" repeated over and over, was meant for the singer of Grohl's former band. In any event, there were a couple of solid b-sides from the sessions for Foo Fighters, and I find this one to be the most interesting. It starts out quiet and slow, so you might be tempted to turn up the volume when listening. But watch out, because at about 2:45 the rock kicks in big time.

Foo Fighters - "How I Miss You"

Buy Foo Fighters music here.

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Check out the archived B-Side Of The Week posts by clicking the label "B-Side Of The Week" below. Previous b-sides were from artists such as Radiohead, The Black Crowes, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Ryan Adams, Jeff Buckley, Oasis, Catherine Wheel, Juliana Hatfield, and many more.

Monday Morning MiniMix

MiniMix (noun)
Def: a ten to fifteen minute mp3 containing a mix of songs which often share a loosely common theme

Someone wisely suggested that I keep the track list of these Monday MiniMixes secret until they're downloaded. I'll instead try to give some sort of clue as to what the songs are like. This week's minimix is all about pop-rockin' goodness. Enjoy.

MiniMix 09-03-07

Check out previous MiniMixes by clicking the label "Monday Morning MiniMix" below.

Mad Season: 04-29-1995

I'm feeling nostalgic this morning for the good ol' days of the early/mid 90's. You know, when a "super group" was something worth getting excited about.

Mad Season is one of the most famous super groups to come from the late 80's/early '90s Seattle music scene, featuring Layne Staley from Alice In Chains on vocals, Mike McCready from Pearl Jam on guitar, Barrett Martin from Screaming Trees on drums, and John Baker Saunders from The Walkabouts on bass. Mark Lanegan guested on vocals for two tracks on their only album, 1995's Above. If you don't own that album and you're a fan of the music that came out of the Seattle area in the early 90's you need to go to the record store today.

This show was Mad Season' final live performance. I used a couple of sources to put together a high quality reconstruction of the show. Some of these songs were released on the video Live At The Moore Theater in 1995. As far as I know, there is no recording of the missing third track, "Artificial Red", out there for consumption.

Mad Season
Moore Theater
Seattle, WA
04-29-1995

Wake Up
Lifeless Dead
[Artificial Red] (missing)
River Of Deceit
I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier
Long Gone Day (w/ Mark Lanegan)
I'm Above (w/ Mark Lanegan)
I Don't Know Anything
X-Ray Mind
All Alone --> November Hotel

Download the show here.

Buy Mad Season's record here.

The Swell Season: KCRW 2007

If you haven't seen the film Once and you claim to like music then there's something very, very wrong with you. But don't worry, all the remedy you need is contained in the beautiful, moving film. Go see Once now...Go see Once now...Go see Once now...

Now that the plug is done I can get to the music. Glen Hansard (of The Frames) and Marketa Irglova made a gorgeous record, called The Swell Season, together in 2006 prior to the film becoming such a critical and popular darling. Here are the two of them performing songs from the album, most of which appear in the film and on its soundtrack, on KCRW earlier this year.

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
KCRW 2007

- Intro -
Lies
When Your Minds Made Up
This Low
If You Want Me
- Interview -
Falling Slowly
Leave
Once
- Outro -

Download the set here.

Buy The Swell Season here and the soundtrack to Once here.

Jason Isbell: Solo Acoustic Tunes

As part of his promo for his awesome new solo album, Sirens Of The Ditch, Jason Isbell played some acoustic sets in Nashville. Here's a sampling which will hopefully whet your appetite enough to go grab the new record.

Jason Isbell
Solo Acoustic 08-24-07

The Magician
Dress Blues
In A Razor Town
Siren Song

Download the songs here.

Bonus Track: Isbell playing the Drive-By Truckers tune "Easy On Yourself" acoustic for Minnesota Public Radio back in '06.

Buy Jason Isbell's music here.