October 30, 2011

New Black Keys!

The Black Keys have a new album, El Camino, coming out on December 6th. They've just put out this video for "Lonely Boy". Fun video, great song!



And click here for the story of how they found the star of the vid.

And if you haven't seen the album trailer yet, you can see it here.

October 27, 2011

Favourites: L7

Their name comes from that symbol you make with your thumbs and forefingers to refer to someone who's not too hip. You know. a "square". Picture it. L7.

They make some awesome, hard rocking music. You may have heard it in Natural Born Killers.

Here's "Pretend We're Dead"


And "Shitlist"

October 25, 2011

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

So I guess that Oasis broke up.

Yeah, I know that was a long, long time ago. And that brother Liam has already released an album.

But Noel was always the songwriter. And it's all about the songs. Right?

Noel's released his début solo album under the Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds moniker and what I've heard is good. The kind of good that's probably going to grow on me in a big way.

And I guess I'm not alone in this opinion, since the album's gone straight to #1 in the UK. Anyone want to bet whether Oasis is actually going to re-form?

This is the latest, "If I had a Gun",



and "The Death of You and Me".

October 23, 2011

Is there something wrong with my musical tastebuds?

I have a blogger confession. A really big, bad one. One I may not be forgiven for. I guess I'll just rip the band aid off quickly and say it.

I don't like any of the albums that have won the Polaris Prize. No, not Karkwa, not the Arcade Fire, not Patrick Watson, not Caribou, not Final Fantasy, not even Fucked Up.

There. Its out there. I can't take it back now. Wow. That feels so much better.

Now it's not all music prizes that I dislike. I have liked several of the Mercury Prize winners including The xx, Arctic Monkeys, Portishead, Pulp, Gomez, Klaxons and Franz Ferdinand, as well as way to many nominees to list.

I'm not sure what it is about bands that have won that particular prize. Am I alone in this?

October 20, 2011

Tangy new tune from The Ting Tings

Just the other day I was thinking, "Aren't we due for some new Ting Tings?", and then a new tune is released. I don't know if it's as instantly classic as "Shut Up and Let Me Go", "That's Not My Name" and "Great DJ", but we'll see after a few more listens.

October 18, 2011

New Stars video for Dead Hearts

Stars have released a new video from their latest album The Five Ghosts. It's for the tune "Dead Hearts" and it's quite a pretty video, with dead hearts... everywhere.



And they've also got a video for "We Don't Want Your Body" from the same album.



And "Changes". The uncensored version is on Stars' web site if you want to see it in all it's glory.



I just wonder why they haven't released any of my favourite songs from the album as singles. So much for my taste, I guess.

October 16, 2011

Hank's daughter's band on Californication has great taste

"I got something to say, I raped your mother today".  Classic track.  "Last Caress" by Misfits.  I first heard it via Metallica.  Then it was in season four of Californication when Hank's daughter's band, Queens of Dogtown, played it in Marcy's living room.  Cool!  Then they did an acoustic version of "I Remember You" by Skid Row at a gig.  Skid Row!  Do kids today know who Skid Row is?  They did "Would?" by Alice In Chains, too.

Here's the original Misfits version of "Last Caress"


And the Metallica version


And the Queens of Dogtown version


And Queens of Dogtown doing "I Remember You"


And "Would?"



And if you're interested, the singer character on Californication - Pearl - is Zoë Kravitz.  Yeah, that Kravitz, and she sings for a band called Elevator Fight who sound really good.


While I'm at it, why don't I just put in the original Skid Row version of "I Remember You".  That Canadian boy can scream!


And Alice In Chains' "Would?"


Wow.  Who knew what a wormhole I'd end up going down with this post.

October 13, 2011

Favourites: Spoon me

Spoon are a great indie rock band. They've been putting out consistently solid albums since 2000. This track, "The Underdog" from 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, is one of my all time favourites.

October 11, 2011

The Horrible Crowes: I just can't go cheesy with this title

Gaslight Anthem are a cool band. Good, crunchy, straight-ahead rock with a bit of Springsteen and punk thrown in. And they put on an energetic live show. Their singer has a new venture with their guitar tech (if I remember correctly) called The Horrible Crowes. Their album, Elsie, is out now and this is the first single called "Behold the Hurricane". It sounds like a darker and more laid-back affair than Gaslight Anthem, but I like it.



And in other Gaslight Anthem news, they've recently signed to major label Mercury and we can expect a new album from them in 2012.

October 9, 2011

Army Navy take things into their own hands

Here's a cute video from Army Navy. Sometimes, you've just got to take things into your own hands. Did the male lead do this before or after the TV show The Event?



I've really enjoyed the music these guys are putting out. Fun, guitar-based pop music. They put out their self-titled album in 2008 and released The Last Place earlier this year.

Here are videos for "My Thin Sides",



"Saints", and



"Silvery Sleds" for your listening and dancing pleasure.

October 6, 2011

The Twilight Sad have a new album on the way

I was lucky enough to see The Twilight Sad live at the Elmo here in Toronto in 2009. They have a new album coming out in February 2012 called No One Can Ever Know. They're giving away a track from the album called "Kill It In The Morning" in exchange for your email address.



Check out the tune and see what you think. It's much more keyboard focused, but it doesn't sound like they're doing what some bands that embrace keyboards do and let it take the soul out of their music. Bits of it sound a bit like what Nine Inch Nails might sound like if Trent Reznor was Scottish. I like what I'm hearing and look forward to the new album. I think it will add a cool dynamic shift to their live shows, too.

You can also check out the album trailer.


The Twilight Sad - Trailer 2 from FatCat Records on Vimeo.

October 5, 2011

RIP Steve Jobs. Thanks for the iPod!

Today, Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, passed away. Steve had a profound impact on the world of consumer technology. For me, none so great as the iPod and iTunes. It helped re-invigorate my love of music at a time when I wasn't listening to enough music. It changed the way I listen and improved the overall experience. Today, I'm rarely without my iPod and therefore I'm rarely without one of my life's greatest passions. Music.

Thanks, Steve! Rest in peace.

October 4, 2011

Favourites: Turin Brakes

What a great song! "Pain Killer" by Turin Brakes. Don't worry parents, I'm sure it can't be about what people say it's about.

October 2, 2011

Warpaint: Soundtrack to assault

I ride the subway in Toronto to and from work each day. It's usually pretty uneventful. There are certainly some delays, including one I think is complete bullshit. "Smell of smoke at track level." Does that mean the subway driver wanted to have a smoke? That's what I think. And there's the occasional stinking street person or beggar. But overall, it's time to listen to some tunes and read the news.

One day it got a bit more interesting. There was a large group of teenagers at the far end of the car I was on. And then at Jane subway station, a commotion broke out. At first, I thought the teenagers were being goofy and pushing each other as they got off the train. Then I saw the fists swinging. It was pandemonium on the subway platform as these teens thrashed the shit out of each other. This included blood hitting the wall. All the while my iPod played Warpaint for me.

Here are two videos from Warpaint's 2010 début The Fool.

"Warpaint"


"Undertow"