Phoenix is back! New album out in May.

February 24th, 2009

I have a soft spot for French pop, from Filles in the Garage style ’60s pop to Serge and Françoise to the twee tunes of Tahiti 80. Phoenix, while definitely falling under the French pop umbrella, manage to transcend that label and have delivered some of the best pop music of this decade. The new […]

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Tags: news · video

Rare Weezer falls out of black hole

February 24th, 2009

By the time Weezer’s Make Believe dropped in 2005, so had my faith in Rivers Cuomo, irretrievably. I still enjoy the band’s first two records on occasion, especially Pinkerton, for which I like to credit departed bassist Matt Sharpe, whose absence has been sorely missed. He brought a special level of sincerity, humor, and unpredictability […]

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Tags: mp3

Nick Cave & The Bad Seed get reissue treatment from Mute

February 24th, 2009

Coming in early April, Mute will release the first 4 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds albums, including the classic (and my personal fave) From Her to Eternity. More here. I must admit to being perplexed by reissues. Of course these, like most, are “REMASTERED IN 5.1 SURROUND SOUND.” I kinda preferred From Her to […]

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Tags: link

Cursive “I Couldn’t Love You” stream

February 23rd, 2009

Strangely, Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive stream of Cursive’s “I Couldn’t Love You”, off the band’s forthcoming Mama, I’m Swollen out on Saddle Creek March 10. At first, it sounds more like a song by The Good Life, Tim Kasher’s other band, but the tension brims into uncomfortable emotional weirdness, which is much more indicative […]

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Tags: link · stream · touring

Depeche Mode “Wrong” live at Echo Awards

February 23rd, 2009

Depeche Mode debuted its new single, “Wrong”, at the Echo Awards in Germany this past weekend. It’s sort of a gimmicky Martin Gore composition, but it sounds not unlike Depeche Mode’s recent musical trajectory. Not sure how “live” the drums are in this clip, but Dave Gahan sounds like he’s really singing. May take a […]

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Tags: video

Cut Off Your Hands “Turn Cold” video

February 23rd, 2009

Also heard this over the weekend on Sirius XMU. A small bit of traveling allowed me to listen to the radio a good bit, turning me onto some new bands. Pitchfork describes them as “pop-punk”- the “pop” part I understand, the “punk” part, not so much. Very catchy, upbeat, and lo-fi. Reminds me somewhat of […]

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Tags: video

Faunts “Feel Love Thinking Of” stream

February 23rd, 2009

Maybe, it’s just the dark New Order sequencers, but there’s something about this retro-synth song by Faunts that I am utterly enamored of. Been hearing it lately on Sirius XMU, and Pitchfork reviews the album today. Also, found a remix of this song over at The Music Slut. I’m a sucker for icy synths with […]

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Tags: link · stream