Friday, July 29, 2011

The Shakes





I don't know anything about this band. They're a young soul group from Athens, Alabama. I just saw them raved about over on the Aquarium Drunkard blog and have listened to the 5 songs they have on Reverb Nation over and over again all morning. Not sure how a band this good could be too young to have a record out on some label somewhere, but if this is what they sound like just getting started then they're going to blow a lot of minds.


Saturday, July 23, 2011

The Feelies--Crazy Rhythms & Live at CBGB 1977


I'm sure most people probably have this record already. It's the band's first and most popular record. I just watched The Feelies tear Prospect Park apart. I wish I could post a bootleg of the performance I just watched because it was mind blowing. They even covered "I Wanna Be Your Dog." I was unsure the energy of the record would carry over to the stage (especially since it was recorded 35 years ago) but they seriously destroyed tonight. It was amazing. Check this record out if you don't already have it. If you already do have it, you should go listen to it for a while. Stand out tracks include "Crazy Rhythms," Fa Ce-La," "Raised Eyebrows," and "The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness."


Bonus: Since I couldn't post tonight's show here is one I'm sure would have been better if I was allowed to go to concerts when I was 9 months old...


And a movie clip from an unknown time and place...

Amy Winehouse--Back to Black & The 27 Club

I've always really liked Amy Winehouse. Today she is the newest member of The 27 Club. I'm sad she's gone. RIP.

Other notable musicians who died at 27...
Jimi Hendrix
Brian Jones
D. Boone
Kurt Cobain
Jim Morrison
Janis Joplin
Robert Johnson
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan
Jean-Michel Basquiat (He counts...he was in Gray)

Try. Link removed by request.


Sunday, July 17, 2011

Washed Out--Within & Without

I'm studying for mid-terms and don't have a lot of time to write about this. I'll just say it lives up to the hype and should be acquired via one of the links below at your earliest convenience. It is definitely Ernest Greene's best work yet.


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Eddie Vedder--Ukulele Songs

I was never a big fan of Pearl Jam, so when I picked this up in a record shop in California the other day I did so as kind of a joke. It was a novelty record I thought I'd listen to once or twice out of curiosity and then forget about. Oddly enough, I haven't really listened to anything else for the last week. I never thought I would be this excited about Eddie Vedder playing songs on solo ukulele. I never even thought I would utter a sentence as bizarre as that last one. Somehow it works though. Don't expect the lost Iz Kamakawiwo'ole album (that's not something you wanted anyway, right?) or anything like what Vedder's done with Pearl Jam. This is a pretty original take on ukulele music, and I really like it. I admit the lyrics are decidedly Vedder-esque at times (see "Longing to Belong" and "Can't Keep" for reminders that this is still the singer for Pearl Jam), but for the most part they're often pretty sweet lamentations on being alone when you don't really want to be. Stand out tracks include "Sleeping Alone," "More Than You Know," "Goodbye," and "Sleepless Nights."