New contest :: Brian Wilson's Lucky Old Sun (vinyl)

Brian Wilson returned last month with a new album, the sunny citrus-bedecked That Lucky Old Sun. In the 4-star Rolling Stone review, David Fricke refers to the music of Wilson and the Beach Boys as "healing."

I paused over that word and rolled it around several times in my head. I've decided that Fricke's simple summation is one of the best descriptors of Brian Wilson projects that I've ever read, and one of the reasons for Wilson's perennial popularity. The sun-dappled melodies, the luminous harmonies -- I'll never grow tired of letting them wash over me, and never realized before how they do heal a little bit of the brutality of life.

NEW CONTEST:
We've got three sweet prizes to give to three readers:
* One limited-edition 180 gram vinyl copy of the new record
* One 7" vinyl single of "Midnight's Another Day"
* One copy of the new album on CD, for the turntable-less

So if you want to enter, please leave me a comment specifying which of the three you'd want (vinyl, 45 single, or CD), and I'd love to hear about your favorite moment in a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson song. Contest will end Wednesday.

In the meantime, you can stream the album here, and be sure to watch the lovely video of Brian's appearance on the fabulous Black Cab Sessions in London (with all five of his band members wedged in there with him!). Listen to how lovely those acoustic harmonies sound whilst zipping around the streets of foggy Londontown:

That Lucky Old Sun (Black Cab Sessions) - Brian Wilson


My favorite collection of Beach Boys songs is still probably the unvarnished purity of those 1967 rehearsals that Justin posted a few years back. The stripped arrangements let their voices shine in a near-celestial way.

The Faint fasciinate (and you can win the vinyl)

[they brought back the Soul Coughing guy from retirement!]

On August 5th, Nebraska dance-punk band The Faint will return with a new self-released album, Fasciinatiion (on their own blank.wav label). They'll be kicking off a tour in support of it, and I'm looking forward to catching them towards the opening end at Denver's Ogden Theatre on Tuesday night, for what is sure to be a rad show.

I've not seen The Faint in concert before but friends who've gone cite the live action as simultaneously a huge amount of fun with perhaps a thread of dark fear running through it (stay out of the daylight!). This is not a bad combination, but hopefully the ratio of fun to fear will be proportionately higher than that time I saw Marilyn Manson in 1995 at now-defunct Edge nightclub in Palo Alto -- still scarred from that one. Anyways . . . I woefully digress.


NEW CONTEST! Thanks to the folks at blank.wav, I have one double gatefold 180-gram vinyl of the new album Fasciinatiion to give away to one lucky winner. Please leave a comment if you'd like to win -- and if you've seen 'em live, tell me what I have in store for me. Posed to death!

Fasciinatiion Track List:
1) Get Seduced
2) The Geeks Were Right
3) Machine in the Ghost
4) Fulcrum and Lever
5) Psycho
6) Mirror Error
7) I Treat You Wrong
8) Forever Growing Centipedes
9) Fish in a Womb
10) A Battle Hymn for Children

The Geeks Were Right - The Faint


And the tour starts tomorrow night, rocking Des Moines:

THE FAINT TOUR DATES
July 27 Des Moines, IA - Peoples Court
July 28 Sioux Falls, SD - Ramkota Annex
July 29 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
July 30 Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
July 31 Boise, ID - Big Easy Boise
Aug 01 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore
Aug 02 Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market
Aug 03 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
Aug 04 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Aug 05 San Francisco, CA - Grand Ballroom
Aug 07 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
Aug 08 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
Aug 09 San Diego, CA - Soma
Aug 11 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
Aug 12 Dallas, TX - Palladium
Aug 14 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
Aug 15 Carrboro, NC - Cats Cradle
Aug 16 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Aug 17 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
Aug 18 New York, NY - Terminal 5
Aug 20 Worcester, MA - Palladium
Aug 21 Toronto, Ontario - Opera House
Aug 22 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
Aug 23 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium

Free M. Ward demos over at Merge Records

The good folks over at Merge are offering free downloads of three demos from M. Ward's third album Transfiguration of Vincent, to celebrate the re-release of the album on 180 gram translucent sky-blue vinyl through Jealous Butcher Records.

Undertaker (demo) - M. Ward
[get the other two here; registration required]

M. Ward is also playing a few solo tour dates later this summer, in addition to the She & Him tour. And speaking of She & Him, if you're totally hanging out in your basement tonight to watch Pete Wentz on MTV, their video for "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" will premiere tonight at 8pm on FNMTV.

RELATED LISTENING: That M. Ward / Jim James / Conor Oberst show is still live, as is the M. Ward demo tape.

The Hold Steady / Stay Positive: "Let's clutch and kiss and sing and shake, tonight let's try to levitate"

"Back then it was beautiful
The boys were sweet and musical
The laser lights looked mystical
. . . Messed up still felt magical"

The more I listen to The Hold Steady, the more I think they might have what it takes to save rock & roll from crushing heartlessness, unoriginal pallor, and detached apathy. You might have noticed that people tend to fall diametrically on one side or the other of the Hold Steady spectrum. My friend Barber once described lead singer Craig Finn as "a crazy inebriated prophet, ear tuned to the roar, shouting out real-life scripture over the ocean of noise of society or a really loud bar band." Yet I have other friends who violently object to the whole concept whenever I broach it. The Hold Steady must be something you either get --and get hard-- or don't. On this new album especially, I find it difficult to understand the latter.

On their fourth studio album Stay Positive (which drops in physical form July 15th) these five guys from Minneapolis stretch their songwriting out down new roads, and as always everything feels pretty epic and massive. Pressed up against gorgeously grand and subversively hopeful songs, Finn weaves complex stories of lust and confusion, of cutting and car crashes, of oracles and angels.

You can get an accurate impression of the feelings contained on Stay Positive from the cover and superb inner album art. Despite the muddy ground and the nauseatingly yellow sky with all the color bled out, there is always the potential for something exciting to happen tonight, for some urgency to swoop down and make you feel alive for forty-five minutes. The feeling of continuity that connects all of the Hold Steady's albums is present here, through serial characters like Holly --who has been in the hospital, shaky but still trying to shake it, and now the girl who won't say hi to him-- and also through recurrent themes that perennially crop up to make a Hold Steady song what it is. The landscape is desolate, but the kids in the songs still yearn.

Stay Positive is also their album of bleeding and miracles -- a fitting dichotomy for a band that plumbs both the gritty violent parts of our psyche as well as the redemption. On one of the album's strongest tracks, Finn calls a girl named Sapphire (who possesses some hallucinogenic visionary abilities) and begs, "I know you said don't call until I'm clean . . . but I'm not drunk, I'm cut. I'm gushing blood, and I need someone to come and pick me up." I find something in the desperation of how Finn wrenches and pleads out that line that reverberates throughout the album. There's talk of crucifixion, visions, and miracles, and later he sings "Don't mention bloodshed, don't tell them it hurts, don't say we saw angels, they'll take us straight to the church." Make no mistake, this is an album of the mud and the blood and the beer, but along with that comes some old-fashioned revival-style hallelujah.

Musically, Stay Positive is as richly dense as anything they've done. I always find a sort of deliverance in the crashing piano cadences and expansive guitar solos of the Hold Steady, even as the lyrics detail another sad night, another desperate move. J Mascis guests stars (playing banjo on "Both Crosses"), as do Ben Nichols of Lucero and Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers (on backing vocals in a few songs). This is an album I am obviously enjoying immensely through the throes of this sweltering summer.

LISTEN: Sequestered In Memphis & Lord I'm Discouraged (stream)


NEW CONTEST: Thanks to the good folks at Vagrant, I have Hold Steady largess to scatter upon ye lucky masses like manna from the heavens.

Three lucky winners will win the Stay Positive CD (with the 3 bonus tracks on it, I think) and two of you will be spinning the black circle with the vinyl LP. The vinyl is 160 gram (black color), gatefold, and will feature one bonus track “Ask Her For The Adderall.”

Please leave me a comment indicating which format you are entering for, and since there are so many good ones to choose from, let's talk about favorite Hold Steady lyrics.


Walk away with these lines from the new album -- they leave you with that ache:

"Girls didn't seem so difficult
Boys didn't seem so typical
It was all warm and white and wonderful
We were all invincible

We were wasps with new wings
Now we're bugs in the jar
We were hot soft and pure
Now we're scratched up in scars."




POSTSCRIPT OF OLD CONTEST BUSINESS: The Joe Strummer prize pack garnered some of the very best comments yet left on Fuel/Friends. From lighting Joe's cigarette (a tale I verified with the cool commenter - oh, to have a lighter just when Joe Strummer fumbles for one outside a Vegas hotel) to talking to him backstage, wracked with nervous anticipation, you gotta go read all the great tales. Because I'm soft, I went with a randomly-selected winner: James from Brooklyn. Congrats! Let me know where to send it.

Neil Halstead and a new vinyl giveway from Brushfire Records

British musician Neil Halstead has produced some lovely, starry-night music in his years of tunes; with Slowdive, with Mojave 3, and solo. The first time I probably heard him was on a surf movie soundtrack, or something that conjures up a sparkling ocean in my mind. It's gorgeous, melancholy, sleepwalking music with a strong support of melody holding it up from slogging around in the dreamland.

This song is the first listen from his forthcoming Oh! Mighty Engine album (out July 29th on Brushfire). He sings, "I just want to live somewhere where the air is sweet and clear," and this sounds like it will be the perfect accompaniment when he does get there.

Paint A Face - Neil Halstead



This song is also the lead-off track on the newest contest item I have for your winning: Brushfire has supplied me with two 12" vinyl samplers left from the festivities of Record Store Day. It features eight songs from their artist roster --

12" TRACKLISTING
Neil Halstead - Paint A Face
Mason Jennings - Something About Your Love
Jack Johnson - What You Thought You Need
Matt Costa - Never Looking Back
Money Mark - Summer Blue
G. Love and Special Sauce - Crumble (from the new album Superhero Brother, out yesterday)
Zach Gill (of ALO) - Beautiful Reason (from unreleased new album Stuff, out July 29)
Christians In Black - Rogue Wave

Not a bad selection, there. I've got two to give away, leave me a comment if you would like to be entered for one of 'em. You can also buy the vinyl here if you don't win it. Neil Halstead will be the opening act for labelmate Jack Johnson in August from Toronto to Salt Lake, and then will be announcing a West Coast headlining tour soon.

Jackie Greene gives up the ghost for Record Store Day in Denver

Any reason is a good reason to comb the stacks and while away the hours in any independent record store. I've always managed to find a way to duck into the corner music store, from Florence to Vancouver, New York to San Diego -- nothing beats the thrill of finding some small musical gem, or even the promise of that possibility.

Saturday is Record Store Day across the country, where your local independent retailers have joined forces to encourage you to stop by and say hello. They miss your smiling face. Really. Even if you've been seduced by the sleek and sexy mistress of iTunes (or its outlaw cousins at Pirate Bay), they'll take you back and love you. Promise.

Locally here in Denver our excellent Twist & Shout is celebrating its 20th anniversary this very weekend, in addition to the Record Store Day festivities.

They're bringing in California troubadour Jackie Greene for an intimate performance, in support of his new album Giving Up The Ghost. Greene plays Saturday night at the Bluebird; an excellent twentysomething blues-americana showman with some serious harmonica chops, his live performances have always impressed me.

Shaken - Jackie Greene (from Giving Up The Ghost)

So Denverites, stop by Twist & Shout this weekend --they have cake! and champagne! and have posted a list of just a few of the cool indie vinyls they'll have in stock for the weekend:

Josh Ritter Live at the 9:30 club
Jason Isbell Live at Twist & Shout
Breeders We're Gonna Rise 7"
Vampire Weekend A-Punk 7"
Stephen Malkmus Cold Son 10"
R.E.M. Supernatural Superserious 7"
Black Keys Strange Times 7"
Built to Spill Don't Cry 7"
Death Cab for Cutie I WIll Possess Your Heart 7"

Plus many labels are giving away special comps and samplers just for Record Store Day: a Brushfire vinyl sampler, Merge 7" vinyl, Sub Pop sampler CD, Matador comp, etc. Check with your local store for what they have lined up. It seems like everyone's got something cool going on.

Let's head out and support local independent music retailers. Each one that shutters and falls by the wayside is a blow to the unique, passionate, knowledgeable music-buying experience.

Monday Music Roundup

Ah, the last day of 2007. We have about four different options for this evening and no one can decide anything. Both my brother and sister are still in town, which adds to the fun myriad of possibilities. Right now I think the frontrunners are either going to Heidi's to drink hot German wine (she just got back from a trip to the Paterland), doing something in Denver with my little brother, or perhaps just the usual NYE tradition of sitting on my porch with that bottle of vodka and a shotgun.

Also, in related holiday news, my sister is the best present buyer ever -- look what finally arrived:Courtesy of Uncommon Goods. Now I just have to figure out what to put in a bowl with a hole in the center (it was, after all, a real record in its past life).

My last five offerings of 2007!

My Own Worst Enemy
George Stanford
With a crisp piano melody that sticks in your head like a Billy Joel or Ben Folds tune, this song just feels like cold January and fresh starts. A couple of trusted ears recommended that I check out this artist from Philadelphia (George Stanford is formerly of the band Townhall). This first track I listened to is rumored to have a dual-meaning about either a girl or his love/hate relationship with his music and songwriting. Either way, it's charming and heartfelt and I've found myself humming it all day. Stanford has an EP currently out on Smash Records.

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Vampire Weekend
I've mentioned before that I worked in a rad international education job for five years, and during that time I got to help dozens of students study abroad in African countries. Two students that I remember took the time to share some African music when they came back, feeding a primal love that runs hot in my veins for the ebullient, earthy percussion common to much of their music. So it's a bit inexplicable that I've resisted listening to hot blog-buzz band Vampire Weekend, which has an oft-cited African undercurrent reminiscent of both Graceland-era Paul Simon (an album I unabashedly love) and mid-80s Peter Gabriel. I finally took a spin, and of course, I find their album absolutely delightful.

[Sean's in the same late-arriving boat as me, but as usual, he's a heck of a lot more eloquent]

Electric Bird
Sia
With swankily gorgeous vocals that boast a hint of '40s glamour mixed with Fiona Apple's dramatic range, Sia is an Australian artist that I have heard a a few scattered places and always enjoyed. This track is from her forthcoming January release, Some People Have Real Problems. I have no idea what is going on with the U.S. album cover so I just close my eyes and listen to the sultry brassiness of this tune instead of pondering the magic marker on the face. It could be the hot trend of 2008.

Baltimore
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Old pal rbally blog is sneakily back after taking too many months on hiatus, and this elates me. Jenning's fifth or sixth post since returning is a screaming live show from former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus, with his new band The Jicks (causing me to wonder what a jick is). Rbally also points me to this new mp3 from the Matador website, a first listen off of Malkmus' forthcoming album Real Emotional Trash, due in March. Still all crunch and fuzz but with elegant melodies and flourishes throughout, and laced with Malkmus' literate lyrics and endearing warble.

Number One
Miss Fairchild
Finally, if you have no idea what to play tonight for your New Year's festivites, and don't have time to make up a mix (like moi), then the fine trio of gents from New England funk/soul band Miss Fairchild still have that 2-part mixtape up for free download on their website. Their mix blends together a wide range of old-school and modern songs (funk, hip hop, soul) with a few get-up-shake-it tracks of their own making, like this dancetastic groove from the Ooh La La Sha Sha EP. Their MySpace says they sound "like Sly Stone remixed by Beck" -- it is thoroughly fresh and modern, but also a lot like something Prince would put on a mix for you. It's a free party in 2 clicks, just waiting to happen. And a bonus for those who snag it: In January when you hit the gym with all the other resolvers, you'll have the best soundtrack on Treadmill Row.


Oh, and this image ran in the paper today in their retrospective article on 2007. It's still my favorite picture of the year, and when I am old, I will think back on the pure joy of The Rockies' amazing 2007 run, and smile.

I Hate CDs: Norton Records 45 RPM singles collection

Since my record player doesn't leave the living room, this is the closest thing to portability that 45s have ever achieved. Norton Records is an independent NYC label run by two musicians (Miriam Linna, one-time drummer for The Cramps, and her husband Billy Miller). They specialize in unearthing raw & authentic music -- like retro punk, rockabilly, garage rock and old R&B -- and releasing it on vinyl.

They've just assembled forty-five 45s from their rad collection, available for the first time ever as a digital release. The quality of this rare, elusive collection of songs is out-of-this world. If you've ever walked into a dusty old record store and wanted to listen to everything in the stacks of obscure 45s to discover a few groups that history forgot, this is your dream.

In addition to groups we know (like an alternate version of the bittersweet perfection in Big Star's "September Gurls" or the original 1975 demo of The Ramones' "I Want To Be Your Boyfriend") there are dozens of songs to explore that you've probably never heard before. My ears loved digging deeper into formats like surf music, rockabilly, '60s teenage doo-wop, and soul-tinged ballads in this fresh and unsullied collection.

The opening notes give us The Dictators wondering, "Who Will Save Rock and Roll?" -- eh, maybe Norton Records will.

Stop It Baby - Roy Loney and The A-Bones
They just don't name bands like that anymore. From the ebullient cool of the opening riff to the "just stop it, baby" groans, this amazing tune makes me want to dance . . . or even go walking down the street for Roy Loney and his A-Bones.

All Kindsa Girls - Real Kids
Like the Ramones but fresher because I've never heard em before.

Hey Mrs. Jones - Long John Hunter
A "down on the corner" skiffle, plaintively asking Mrs. Jones if he can come on, if he can come in. If you know what I mean.

Listen to the kitschy "radio spot" preview they put together
which includes tastes of tracks from Herbie Duncan, Incredible Kings, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Shades of Night, and the original 1975 demo of “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” by The Ramones

Buy the I Hate CDs collection:
* eMusic
* iTunes
* Amazon Digital Store


I Hate CDs:
Norton Records 45 RPM Singles Collection, Vol. 1
TRACKLIST

01. DICTATORS - WHO WILL SAVE ROCK AND ROLL?
02. READYMEN - SHORTNIN’ BREAD
03. LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY - I HATE CD’s
04. BUNKER HILL - THE GIRL CAN’T DANCE
05. HERBIE DUNCAN - HOT LIPS BABY
06. ANDRE WILLIAMS - THE MONKEY SPEAKS HIS MIND
07. INCREDIBLE KINGS - THE LIMP
08. SCREAMING JOE NEAL - ROCK AND ROLL DEACON
09. DALE HAWKINS – NUMBER NINE TRAIN
10. RAMONES - I WANT TO BE YOUR BOYFRIEND
11. DON “PRETTY BOY” COVAY - SWITCHEN IN THE KITCHEN
12. 5.6.7.8’s - HARLEM SHUFFLE
13. DARYL BRITT AND THE BLUE JEANS - LOVER LOVER
14. JACK STARR - CHICKEN
15. MARY WEISS - A CERTAIN GUY
16. SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS - I HEAR VOICES
17. WADE CURTISS AND THE RHYTHM ROCKERS - PUDDY CAT
18. KID THOMAS - ROCKIN’ THIS JOINT TO-NITE
19. SHADES OF NIGHT - FLUCTUATION
20. BIG STAR - SEPTEMBER GURLS
21. TRIUMPHS - SURFSIDE DATE
22. JOHNNY CLARK AND THE FOUR PLAYBOYS - JUNGLE STOMP
23. DOUG SAHM AND THE PHAROAHS - SLOW DOWN
24. REIGN - ZIPPERED UP HEART
25. ESQUERITA - ROCKIN’ THE JOINT
26. HASIL ADKINS - CHICKEN SHAKE
27. SONICS - BUSY BODY
28. DANNY ZELLA AND THE ZELL ROCKS - SAPPHIRE
29. JOHNNY POWERS AND THE A-BONES - NEW SPARK
30. MONACLES - I CAN’T WIN
31. LONG JOHN HUNTER – HEY MRS. JONES
32. REAL KIDS - ALL KINDSA GIRLS
33. RAMONES - JUDY IS A PUNK
34. SCOTTY McKAY - BAD TIMES
35. QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS - ARE YOU FOR REAL?
36. ROY LONEY AND THE A-BONES - STOP IT BABY
37. STUD COLE - THE WITCH
38. ALARM CLOCKS - MARIE
39. CREATIONS - BETTER WATCH OUT
40. SABRES - MY HOT MAMA
41. HENTCHMEN - HOT ROD MILLIE
42. JERRY McCAIN AND HIS UPSTARTS - A CUTIE NAMED JUDY
43. UNKNOWN GROUP - I’VE HAD ENOUGH
44. NEANDERTHALS - TWINKLE TOES
45. LINK WRAY AND THE RAYMEN – VENDETTA

CONTESTS: Brit Box winner, plus some Sex & Drugs & Rock n Roll

The Brit Box competition was fierce and heavy, neck and neck. The randomly-selected winner from all the wonderful entries was a "vklj" who said that Common People changed his life. Here's to hoping the Brit Box is more of the same for you, vklj, and please be in touch with your mailing address.

I have a new contest to launch today. Have you heard the quirky, snarly, danceable-punk Cockney perfection of the Ian Dury song, "Sex & Drugs & Rock and Roll"?

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the entrance of this song and phrase into the lexicon of great English contributions to modern culture, Demon Edsel is issuing a numbered limited edition 7" single on orange vinyl of the song with a "specially colourised version" of the original picture sleeve (wherein he is looking oh so Lou Reed, if you ask me). The b-side to this 7" is "Close To Home," a recording from January 1977 which was only ever issued on an NME cassette in 1981, and has not been re-issued since. Sah-weet!

I have three of these nice little 7"s to give away. Leave me a comment if you would desire the goods.

Sex & Drugs & Rock And Roll - Ian Dury and The Blockheads

STREAM THE LIVE VIDEO:
Real or Windows Media

On the same label, also check out the re-issue of Ian Dury's first album under his own name, New Boots & Panties (two things we can be grateful for in this mad, mad world). The CD reissue is paired with a DVD that captures Ian Dury & The Blockheads live on BBC's Sight and Sound In Concert series, recorded at Queen Mary's College on December 10, 1977. It's a rare performance that has been languishing in the BBC vaults (along with who knows what all else good stuff) for nearly thirty years.

Ian Dury on MySpace

Oasis asks the Lord to please not slow them down, offers you a dandy little vinyl

New contest for the weekend! I am in NYC still this morning, and thankfully the sun finally came out. I think we're going to Central Park and a pass by the Dakota this morning, brunch at "Sarabeth's" and then a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge? I've walked through about 8 or 11 or a million neighborhoods; feet are protesting but I am continuing to have my way with them, regardless of what they want. There's just too much good stuff to see. We also may be on a frozen yogurt quest later since we enjoyed this all-the-rage sour kind yesterday in Greenwich Village and we pretty much just keep talking about it.

My friend's Queens apartment is stocked with many shelves of fabulous books but no turntable, however, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on this sweet 'lil prize pack that I'll put up for today.

CONTEST: I've got two 7" vinyl singles of the new Oasis tune "Lord Don't Slow Me Down" to bestow on someone's collection. The song is from their new forthcoming DVD by the same name, which includes both the feature-length documentary that screened in select theatres last year tracing their 2005 tour (and shenanigans) but also a second disc of straight live concert footage from their epic homecoming show in Manchester.

Listen to the song and watch the little video dealie here:


You can also download the tune on iTunes.

To enter your name to win seven inches of goodness, please leave me a comment, and to amuse me also include a favorite Gallagher brother quote. There's no shortage of obnoxious, ridiculous, hilarious things these boys have said over the years, so you've got lots of options.

As always, make sure I have a way to contact you, and maybe spell out that email addy to avoid spamalot. I'll wrap up this contest sometime after I get back from NYC, so early next week. Lookee what you win:


Oh, and an update: In all this travel excitement, I didn't forget about you guys and that Dylan "I'm Not There" soundtrack CD contest that wrapped Wednesday. There were a total of 97 comments, and I wanted to pick a random pair of winners, so I went up to strangers in the airport and asked them to pick a number between one and 97. Um, a few strange looks later, I got my two numbers, and will be contacting the lucky winners. I will probably do a Dylan covers post at some point in the future, since you guys came up with some amazingly random and interesting-sounding versions.

New contest #1: Black Lips/Yacht 7" from the Fader folks

Okay kids, today is a Two Contest Day. This first one is my favorite kind because it involves vinyl (the record kind, not, like . . . the outfit kind or anything).

As previously mentioned, Fader Magazine is pairing up with the favorite comfort of the South to offer this limited 7" club featuring up-and-coming artists. The last one featured the remix of "Magic Trick" with M. Ward and Jim James (b-side Ladyhawk), and this time around one lucky reader will win him or herself a limited edition 7" containing the following:

Side A: Wild Man - The Black Lips
(cover of The Tamrons' 1967 garage rock tune from Atlanta "flower punk" band)

Side B: No Favors Policy - YACHT
(funky electronica from one-man band project of Jona Bechtolt, formerly half of The Blow)

To win this fine treat, please tell me the story of your record player. In other words, how will you enjoy this prize? I think you should have a record player to win it, but I guess anyone can enter. Your comment won't hold the same oomph though, will it? I will pick a winner on Friday (be sure to leave a way to contact you).

Also, in conjunction with the contest, FADER's gone ahead and put their whole latest issue in pdf for you to peruse. Check it here.

Holding in my hands...

My Pearl Jam fanclub single for 2006 finally arrived in the mail just now, and I have to say that I literally jumped up and clicked my heels together in joy on the walk back inside. Because I am a dork.

I think the cover art is some of the best yet and made me get a little flutter somewhere in my gut. As previously mentioned, the tunes this year are the Who cover "Love Reign O'er Me" (which gives me even more chills with the pure vinyl audio sound) and the Neil Young cover "Rocking In The Free World," with U2 from Melbourne last year.

Love Reign O'er Me - Pearl Jam
Rockin' In The Free World (Neil Young cover) - Pearl Jam w/ U2

This gives me pause to also mention two Pearl-Jam-related items I've been sitting on:
** Vedder will induct R.E.M. into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame on March 12 (link)

** Ed is the ultimate Cubs fanboy (more pics here). Cara saw these and affectionately referred to Vedder as "tiny mofo." I think she means that as a term of endearment.

Monday Music Roundup

I've been sort of jamming with some gal friends in an acoustic mini-band for fun (and no, we didn't name ourselves something dainty and/or involving unicorns or sparkly things). I wail on the djembe and we have a grand time -- sounds very hippie but it's not.

In any case, yesterday afternoon we were talking about how one gal just had her guitar swiped out of her car. The best I could come up with was a consolation which suggested that perhaps said thief thought that Takamine actually read, "Take-mine."

Aaand . . . I crack myself up. I do apologize for that groaner.


On to the tunes for this week (better than the humor?):

F Train Girl
The Attachments
We'll start things off today with an unassuming sonnet to a girl on a train (ah, the elusive ones are the best kinds) that sounds like something that could take me along the tracks, looking out the window at the passing countryside. The Attachments are four young guys from Berkeley (CA) who really just want to pay a bit of homage to the Beach Boys, spoon in bed, and write you haikus (see their MySpace). What could be wrong with that?

City Skies
Dylan In The Movies
I adore getting 7-inches in the mail (sounds dirty. it's not.). Every once in a while amidst the pile of promo CDs, I get an actual vinyl 7" to digest slowly and viscerally, and it truly makes my day to crouch near the record player and watch it spin, hear it crackle. American Laundromat Records is a little label with a 7" series (they also released that fab High School Reunion CD of '80s movie song covers by folks like Matthew Sweet and Frank Black). I've enjoyed the A & B sides of both their releases in this series thus far. Pressed in limited, hand-numbered quantities, this truly wonderful song from Boston's Dylan In The Movies is the b-side from the newest one. The a-side is from John P. Strohm (Blake Babies, Antenna, Lemonheads) and the vinyl is available directly from ALR. It's also on iTunes, which takes some of the fun out of it, but for those who don't have a record player (yet). . .


Young Folks
Peter Bjorn and John
I vigilantly resisted this kitschy song from Swedish sensations Peter Bjorn and John until I heard it out in its natural habitat recently in a loud bar and I found myself irresistibly drawn to it, from the whistles that start things off to the harmonies and the skittery beat that made me shake my hips. I heartily enjoy whistling along to things, and songs like this are in short supply (other than, maybe, Zipadee-doodah and the theme to Andy Griffith). Don't try to resist, just acquiesce to the blogosphere on this one. From their 2006 album Writer's Block (Wichita/V2).


HFXNSHC ("Halifax, Nova Scotia Hardcore")
Sloan
This song is apropos of nothing else off Sloan's recent album Never Hear The End Of It (on Yep Roc), which is a fine double disc that I think you may be hearing more about in the weeks to come from this blog. Its unrelenting thrumming-bass punk rock (squeezed into just over a minute) has been rocking my world these last few days. I'll leave it at that for now, but hot dang. Who saw that one coming from Canadian power poppers?


Storia Di Un Corazon
Jovanotti
I feel like ending with some world music today, an irresistable Latin-tinged duet with Italian Jovanotti and Spaniard Pau Dones (of Jarabe de Palo) with a flirty samba/salsa beat and engaging call-and-response verse swapping. It's from Jovanotti's excellent 2002 album Il Quinto Mondo, and my absolute favorite snippet of it starts around 3:20. I think this may be the next piece I practice to on djembe, but it's also suitable for dancing 'round the house, pretending like you know how to do Latin dances (and no, the Macarena doesn't count).

Graham Coxon (formerly of Blur) vinyl contest

He can't look at your skin, 'cos it's doing him in. But as for me, I've got a sweet Graham Coxon double 7" vinyl for the taking.

It's got "I Can't Look At Your Skin" + "What's He Got" on the a-side and "Time For Heroes" and "Outta My League, Dear" on the b-side. Plus, there's fancy-pants packaging with all the artwork done by Graham himself. It's nice with the lightning bolts and all, but it could use a liger or two -- it's pretty much my favorite animal.

To win, leave me a comment telling me what the hell the lyrics are to Song 2. Actually, just kidding. Leave me any comment, one winner will be chosen randomly. We'll run it one week, through Wed, Feb 7.

I Can't Look At Your Skin - Graham Coxon

M. Ward vinyl rip

Thanks to Kevin, who rocks all sorts of goodness over on his blog So Much Silence, I've added an audio rip of that limited 7" remix from M. Ward and Jim James. Kevin is the master of vinyl ripping, so you get all that snap, crackle, and pop at no added charge. Thanks Kevin!

Head over to the original post for the mp3.

A splash of Southern Comfort with M. Ward

The freezing walk to the mailbox was all made worth it yesterday afternoon by the discovery of a very cool flat package containing a 7" limited-run vinyl from FADER Magazine/blog in a partnership with Southern Comfort. Part of a new series this whole year to release "up-and-coming" artists on limited edition vinyl, the first in the lineup contains:

Side A: Magic Trick (Kansas City Remix) (Thanks Kevin!!)
M. Ward with Jim James

Side B: Soap
Ladyhawk

Post-War (from whence comes the lovely harmonies of "Magic Trick") is an album that sounds all rich and scratchy and warm --an effect which is doubled on a record player-- and I derived great joy from sitting in front of my stereo listening to this small gem. The remix takes out the drums and remixes the vocals a bit more distinctly so the harmonies don't mesh as seamlessly. It also brings forward the bittersweet harmonica line, giving the overall effect of a Kansas City backporch BBQ. You can win your own copy here. Oh, and check the solo M. Ward shows added. San Francisco gets all the fun. Come to Denver, "M."!

Pearl Jam Christmas Singles Collection (It's not the world that's heavy, it's just the things that you save)

There's over a decade of collecting behind this post.

The plan was to hold off for a few more weeks to make this more of a Christmas present but, well, I failed to contain my joy. Today as we decorated our full and lovely Christmas tree that makes the whole house smell fabulous, I pulled out my entire complete collection of vinyl Pearl Jam Christmas singles from the inaugural year (1991) until the 2005 edition to listen to on the old record player. I am expecting the 15th vinyl single for 2006 to grace my mailbox -- well, sometime between now and Valentine's Day. Maybe Easter. Punctuality has never been on the list of reasons to appreciate this divine collection.

But turning these fine specimens over in my hands and reading the labels, looking at the album art, slowly lowering the needle and spinning the black circle gives me a deep happiness every time. The fact that Pearl Jam sends one of these (almost) every year to their fanclub is just awesome. From the earliest one, which started with Beatles-like Christmas greetings and some ramblings, through various live gems and little studio recordings just for the fan club, there is always a fantastic variety from year to year, a small and welcome surprise in the mailbox.

Every once in a while they'll toss in an actual Christmas song (1991, 2002, 2004), and there are some wonderful covers (1992, 1998, and 2000 are favorites). If I had to pick just one song from this bunch for the rest of my life, it would probably be "Angel," which is stunning in its wavering purity, and inspired by a poem called The Eloping Angels: A Caprice. I love it fiercely and thoroughly.

I was going to try and walk you through the rest of my favorites, but as I looked over each record, I realized there is no way I could. I've written this paragraph 4 times and keep deleting it because it's getting too long. So just listen to them all -- I know not of a better way to spread Christmas cheer (than singing these loud, for all to hear).

PEARL JAM CHRISTMAS SINGLES

1991
Let Me Sleep
Ramblings I

1992
Sonic Reducer (Dead Boys cover)
Ramblings II

1993
Angel
Ramblings III (live in Indio, CA 11/5/93)




1995
History Never Repeats (Split Enz cover, live in Auckland with Neil & Tim Finn)
Sonic Reducer (Dead Boys cover, live in New Orleans with Joey Ramone)
Swallow My Pride (Green River cover, live in Las Vegas)
My Way (Elvis cover with Elvis' cousin Terry, live @ The Aladdin in Vegas)


1996
Olympic Platinum (Nick Didia)
Smile (live in Barcelona, 11/21/96)




1997 (joint effort with R.E.M.)
Happy When I'm Crying (written by Jack Irons)
Live For Today - R.E.M.




1998
Soldier of Love (originally recorded by Arthur Alexander, 1962)
Last Kiss (originally recorded by J. Frank Wilson, Ed found a 45 copy at the Fremont Antique Mall)


1999
Strangest Tribe (written by Stone Gossard)
Driftin

2000
Crown of Thorns (Mother Love Bone cover, live 8/22/00 in Vegas)
Can't Help Falling In Love (written by Elvis Presley, live 8/22/00 in Vegas)

2001
Last Soldier (live @ Bridge School 10/21/2001)
Indifference (with Ben Harper, live @ Bridge School 10/21/2001)
Gimme Some Truth (Lennon cover, live @ Groundwork Benefit, Seattle 10/22/2001)
I Just Want To Have Something To Do (Ramones cover)

2002
Don't Believe In Christmas (Sonics cover, soundcheck Seattle Showbox 12/6/02)
Sleepless Nights (Everly Brothers cover, live @ Wiltern Theatre 2/26/02 with Beck)

2003
Reach Down (with Chris Cornell, 10/28/2003 in Santa Barbara)
I Believe In Miracles (Ramones cover, 10/28/2003 in Santa Barbara)


2004
Someday At Christmas (Jackson 5ive cover)
Betterman (with the Walmer High School choir from South Africa)


2005
Little Sister (with Robert Plant, 10/5/05 House of Blues Chicago)
Gone (demo, recorded 9/30/05, Room #1152, Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City)



PEARL JAM CHRISTMAS SINGLES 1991-2005 ZIP


UPDATE: 2006 and 2007

And yes, I actually do own a Pearl Jam stickman Christmas ornament, an internet purchase circa 1995. Rock on.