PLAYLIST 19 – Lost Labour’s Love

Its Labour Day weekend folks… Certainly not time to close up the cottage quite yet but the evenings are getting a little cooler and even a little longer. This is the perfect time to curl up with your iPod and enjoy some music. Just let it do the work, its time to take a break from the everyday business of life and the work we do. Today, a custom playlist of music’s finest for just this occasion.

Enjoy your time off. Have a great 'non-labourious' Labour Day!

Finest Worksongs

John Zorn - Work-A-Day World (Anton's Theme)
Tortoise - A Simple Way To Go Faster Than Light That Does Not Work
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - No More Workhorse Blues
Yo La Tengo - Barnaby, Hardly Working
Thurston Moore - Off Work
The Soft Boys - The Pigworker
Talking Heads - A Clean Break (Let's Work)
Otis Rush - Homework
Bob Dylan - Workingman's Blues #2
Ray Davies - Working Man's Café
One Self - Fear the Labour
XTC - Senses Working Overtime (Early Work Tape)
Curtains - Show Me The Way Things Work
Field Music - Working To Work
The Glands - Work It Out
Sufjan Stevens - To The Workers Of The Rock River Valley Region, I Have An Idea Concerning Your Predicament
Palace Music - Work Hard/Play Hard

Possible Radiohead Webcast Tonight

Find more videos like this on w.a.s.t.e. central

UPDATE: Link to show here.

So, if you are like me and you missed out on seeing the most brilliant band on the planet performing on their latest tour this might be your chance. (Just slightly less up close and personal.)

Tune up your Windows Media Players and Quicktime Players and keep checking their website later tonight. (Don't forget about the time difference.)

Posted on Radiohead's Dead Air Space site earlier today.

Thu, 28 August
Santa Barbara

Hello! To celebrate the end of a brilliant tour, we're going to webcast the last show here in America. We'll be playing live in Santa Barbara, at the Bowl. It's one of our favourite places to play; I think we've ended tours there before, once even playing a cover of ' cinnamon girl '. It's not too big, in fact it's very intimate, a small arena with a dirt floor, set in pretty countryside. It should be a special night, for lots of reasons, and we're going to try and share as much of it as we can on the webcast. Nigel, our producer, will be helping out getting it to you, so if it goes wrong....

It's live! Thank you so much to everyone who's come and seen us this year; it has truly been the most special and exciting tour for all of us.

Webcast details to follow...
x

Colin

Your Weekly Download Lowdown

Weary Downloaders Rejoice and Link

I have to admit I was intrigued by the Felice Brothers when they described their sound as how “a barn smells” on their MySpace page. You can’t beat a personal endorsement like that now can you? True Americana at its very root, band members Simone Felice, Ian Felice, James Felice, and Christmas have recorded a wonderful Daytrotter session that you need to download. The perfect soundtrack for lounging on your dusty porch this weekend, cold drink in hand, savouring the last remnants of summer. Think Music From Big Pink updated for the 21st century.

And just as the sun sinks on the horizon you can relish the countrified musings of the Pieta Brown session also on Daytrotter. Ethereal and timeless, these songs are all keepers. The minimal arrangements reveal Pieta’s voice to be a sublime treasure. My highlight? “In My Mind, I Was Talkin' To Loretta”, from her latest album Remember the Sun. Superb.

Lastly two new downloads this week previewing Toronto violin virtuoso, Owen Pallett’s (aka Final Fantasy) two new ep’s coming soon. The first (from Stereogum) a collaboration with Beirut recorded in Quebec last year. The second (from Zoilus) is a preview of a set of covers of songs by Toronto musician Alex Lukashevsky. If you have never heard the music of Owen Pallett before this would be a terrific place to start. For the initiated, something to tide you over until his Heartland project is released.

Mixtapes and the True Nature of Love

As I was putting the finishing touches on a mix cd for a friend today it got me to thinking about just how long that particular ritual will continue. Has it replaced the ubiquitous mixtape? What will lovelorn adolescents and obsessive music types do in a few years when this kind of thing will be nothing but a quaint relic of the past? It was this expression that exposed our souls as much as your favourite new band. With a cd you worked out that perfect playlist to convey your message. With a tape, you were pretty much forced to listen from start to finish. There is no more honourable labour of love than making one of those. Imagine my surprise tonight then as I happened upon this… The exceptionally sweet website Cassette From My Ex which pays tribute to those compilations with featured essays about tapes we’ve held on to over the years. This is compelling stuff to say the least.

There might just be hope for us yet.

Today I Am Two

I would remiss if I did not recognize the lovely Flannery on this her second birthday. Such a big occasion for the cutest little chiquillo in all of Los London! Thank you so much for inviting us to your Mexican themed birthday party yesterday. Pinatas and sombreros abounded and a splendid time was had by all.

PLAYLIST 18 - I am a Deeply Superficial iPod

Today’s playlist is all about I. Not ‘me’ specifically but the programmer of this playlist, my iPod on Smart Playlist mode. Such a bombastic appliance this iPod of mine… I, I, I! A couple shouts and song dedications * this week to blogger pals who wrote some of the best things that all of you need to read and see. (Linked appropriately of course.)

Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I Am A Cinematographer
Robert Wyatt - At Last I Am Free
The Byrds - I Am A Pilgrim
Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos
Guided By Voices - I Am A Scientist [7" Version]
Radiohead - I Am A Wicked Child (for Barbara)
Mogwai - Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home (for Amity)
Wire - I Am the Fly
Wolf Parade - You Are A Runner And I Am My Father's Son (for Serah)
The Microphones - I Am Bored
Damien Jurado - I Am The Mountain
Loney, Dear - I Am The Odd One
Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming Of Places Where Lovers Have Wings
Jim O'Rourke - Therefore, I Am
Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (For Tessa)
Depeche Mode - I Am You

* Kasey Kasem look out!

Decemberists in October

UPDATE: Have a little preview of some these songs here. Thank you Barbara (Allen). ;-)

Valerie Plame Wilson Finally Gets the Amorous Tribute in Song

I was listening to Colin Meloy’s excellent live cd last night Colin Meloy Sings Live and it got me thinking about the whereabouts of that band of his. You know the one. The band whose name references an 1825 revolt over the Imperial Russian succession... Yes that band. The Decemberists (the extra ‘e’ added for clarity) have been a busy bunch of pop music rebels in their own right and a new release is forthcoming. Always great news when new Decemberists music is due and early indications are, this one should be very intriguing.

Although not an official follow up to their last full length, The Crane Wife, the project has been dubbed Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series, and will unfold in three glorious volumes, beginning this October. Curiously it includes a song about outed C.I.A. operative Valerie Plame Wilson, entitled "Valerie Plame," described as being from "the point-of-view of one of Plame's inside contacts upon discovering her true identity. The song in true Meloy tradition is an amorous tribute to the onetime CIA operative." You can buy it on October 14 in Volume I, or you can watch it performed live on Late Night with Conan O’Brien the night of 11/3. (That's Election Eve for my friends living in Canada's basement.)

The other details: Three volumes, all out on vinyl and digitally. The first volume will be out October 14 and will feature "Valerie Plame" and "O New England." Volume II contains "Days Of Elaine / Days Of Elaine (Long)" and "I'm Sticking With You," out November 4. The last installment, which has been titled Volume III (that's three for the non-Anicient Roman readers), comprises "Record Year" and "Raincoat Song." This last one comes out December 2. All three volumes come digitally via Capitol Records, and on 12" vinyl via the band's Y.A.B.B./Jealous Butcher Records.

Pre-order all three here and receive it on limited edition colored vinyl.

Everything That Happens is Happening Now

A little late in reporting this one but news from Midtown Manhattan’s own and Everything is Pop favourite, David Byrne. I’ve reported on this one endlessly but it’s finally official. The new David Byrne, Brian Eno collaboration has hit the tubes. Clever and oh so necessary I suspect record labels will once again be reeling with yet another novel marketing approach.

Good Morning

Today (Monday here in NYC) the rest of the album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is available in three different formats. Small, Large and Extra Large. There is no medium. Just kidding about the sizes - but the three versions part is true, plus there is artwork etc.

You can stream the rest of the songs or just go for what's behind the curtain at:

http://www.everythingthathappens.com/

I hope you like the songs....

David B
Midtown

* Thanks for the picture Jack! ed

Mental Mixtapes and the Art of Deerhoof

Recently I was asked about whom I considered to be my favourite ‘current’ musician or band. I have to admit, I always approach this question with a modicum of abhorrence because I can never supply a definitive response. This is not from a lack of choice mind you, but rather my ‘favourites’ tend to always be in a state of flux. The reasons for this are numerous and affected by variables most unusual; from the books that occupy my bedside table to the present state of weather to the amount (or lack thereof) of caffeine streaming through my body. My list is like some constantly evolving mental mixtape that I am constantly trying to refine. I just can’t seem to get it quite right.

But I do try…

One band that consistently appears on that cerebral compendium is Deerhoof. Without fail the San Francisco/ Oakland/ Tokyo collective appears with something from their ever growing canon of quirky and jagged pop. Word today that they catalogue will be growing yet again. Their new album, entitled Offend Maggie is due October 6 in the UK from ATP Recordings and October 7 in the U.S. from Kill Rock Stars.

I’ve yet to be disappointed by their output and from the preliminary ‘digitalia’ currently making its way through the tubes this one’s gonna be great.

On that note, the band needs your help. They're offering a portion of the proceeds from the digital sales of the album to a charity, and they'd like their fans to help choose which charity gets the money. All noble causes that are near and dear to your hearts, I hope you will participate. They've narrowed it down to five, and they want you to vote once: election reform advocates Why Tuesday?, media watchdog group FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, foreign policy reform proponents Peace Action West, injustice-battling rag Z Magazine, and medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders. Send your choice to deerhoofcharityvote@gmail.com by October 1st. The selected charity will be announced October 7th.

And the news just keeps getting better. Deerhoof plan to hit the road through the fall. They recently added a handful of European dates, with the promise of more to follow shortly.

Deerhoof in Concert

08-31 Vancouver, British Columbia - Stanley Park Singing Exhibition
10-03 Los Angeles - Avalon
10-04 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
10-06 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
10-07 Seattle, WA - Neumo's
10-09 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
10-11 Denver, CO - Bluebird
10-13 Omaha, NE - The Slowdown
10-14 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
10-15 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
10-16 Bloomington, IN - Buskirk Chumley Theater
10-17 Chicago, IL - Metro
10-18 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
10-21 New York, NY- Spiegeltent
10-22 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
10-23 Cambridge, MA - Middle East
10-24 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
10-25 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom
10-26 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
10-28 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
10-29 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle
10-30 Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge
10-31 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
11-01 Orlando, FL - The Social
11-02 Tampa, FL - Crowbar
11-05 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
11-06 Houston, TX - Numbers
11-07 Dallas, TX - Granada
11-08 Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest
11-10 El Paso, TX - Club 101
11-12 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
11-13 Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
12-05 Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
12-06 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
12-08 Rennes, France - Antipode
12-10 Lyon, France - Grrrnd Zero
12-11 Paris, France - Trabendo (Sonic Protest Festival)

(Not) Proud to Be a Canadian

Holy Fuck Deemed "Offensive" by Canadian Government

PromArt is a national arts funding initiative that gives money to Canadian musicians and artists who could use a financial boost when touring; An agreeable arrangement by any measure. But isn’t there always a hitch, a rub, a holy fuck up? This time its literal. Toronto band, Holy Fuck, who used some of the money from the PromArt fund to help finance a tour of England in 2007 have found themselves in the middle of a good old-fashioned government brouhaha- This one more than a little ridiculous too.

Seems the Harper Conservative government has rallied against the distribution of funds from the PromArt initiative, and has even cited Holy Fuck as an example of a band that were “unrepresentative, and at worst, offensive.” Those are the words of Anne Howland, who speaks on behalf of Foreign Affairs Minister David Emerson. Holy Fuck bassist Matt McQuaid has hit back at the claims, pointing out that their portion of the funding “comes in at something less than 0.1 per cent of the whole program.”

McQuaid goes on to site a number of reasons why the band was deserving of PromArt funds, including the fact that their tours are now self funded, and that Holy Fuck has been nominated for the Polaris Prize this year. Regretfully, the PromArt program will wind down by March 31, 2009. A second program, the $9-million Trade Routes program, which helps promote cultural exports abroad, also is to be cut. (Woohoo! Just a font of good news I am today.)

In all seriousness though, I really hope there is a Federal election this year. I can’t wait to voice my opinion on this one. For now maybe those 'Holy Fucksters' should consider calling themselves Shania Dion and re-establish some other government tour funding pronto.

The good news remains: Holy Fuck is undertaking a North American tour in September, full dates listed below including a stop at London’s LOLAFest.

09.05 Detroit, Michigan: Royal Oak Music Theatre
09.10 Quebec City, Quebec: Pavillon Desjardins-Maurice Pollack
09.12 Chicago, Illinois: Subterranean
09.13 Morrison, Colorado: Monolith Festival / Red Rocks
09.17 Montreal, Quebec: Metropolis
09.19 Hamilton, Ontario: Pepper Jack’s
09.20 London, Ontario: LOLAFest - Victoria Park
09.25 Toronto, Ontario: The Phoenix
09.26 Kingston, Ontario: The Grad Club
09.27 Peterborough, Ontario: The Montreal House

By(e) the Numbers – Do They Even Give Out Sales Awards Anymore?

I grew up on an unhealthy diet of domestic music magazines and papers all geared towards fueling my consumption of music in one form or another. They usually featured some gigantic foldout poster of David Lee Roth and advertised the latest double live albums recorded in some Japanese city I had never heard of. They also featured record sales charts. Something, for some reason I could never get enough of. It was not uncommon that records would sell millions of copies and platinum and double platinum RIAA awards were the norm. This was thrilling stuff knowing that six million others were listening to the same things I was. (Thankfully I got over my Elton John obsession and my listening habits changed entirely.)

Flash forward a few years later* and sales charts are quite another beast but still garner great interest for me; the numbers reflective of a time where no one really buys music in a tangible form anymore. Music is now only a downloadable temporary digital commodity. Gatefold sleeves and artist cocaine dependencies are now quaint relics of the past.

Nonetheless, the numbers are still interesting to me and more than a little surprising. From Billboard Magazine this week - Coldplay are still at the top of the heap but this week's big winner was M.I.A. who saw an 88% bump in sales this week for Kala, likely thanks to the prominent placement of "Paper Planes" in Seth Rogen’s Pineapple Express trailer. Ubiquitous Summer Music Festival performers also saw nice sales bumps with MGMT, Radiohead and The Ting Tings all on the upswing. Current favourites Fleet Foxes have now crossed 50K in sales and R.E.M. have still to hit the 500,000 mark with their latest Accelerate.

Highlights from the Billboard 200:

#7 Coldplay - Viva La Vida [69,665 this week, down 7%, 1,467,660 to date]
#27 Beck - Modern Guilt [15,676 this week, down 20%, 148,834 to date]
#50 Weezer - Weezer (Red Album) [10,202 this week, down 6%, 292,984 to date]
#58 Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs [8,905 this week, no change, 361,353 to date]
#62 M.I.A. - Kala [8,582 this week, up 88%, 250,555 to date]
#112 The Hold Steady - Stay Positive [5,657 this week, down 31%, 38,047 to date]
#116 MGMT - Oracular Spectacular [5,409 this week, up 20%, 127,511 to date]
#126 Radiohead - In Rainbows [5,193 this week, up 9%, 590,129 to date]
#132 Jakob Dylan - Seeing Things [4,852 this week, down 21%, 79,026 to date]
#133 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend [4,804 this week, down 7%, 281,317 to date]
#134 The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing [4,754 this week, up 11%, 59,353 to date]
#139 Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust [4,719 this week, down 21%, 73,994 to date]
#140 My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges [4,708 this week, down 13%, 118,072 to date]
#141 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes [4,701 this week, down 14%, 53,941 to date]
#146 Flight Of The Conchords - Flight Of The Conchords [4,550 this week, down 7%, 175,177 to date]
#154 Dr. Dog - Fate [4,343 this week, down 40%, 11,630 to date]
#178 R.E.M. - Accelerate [3,420 this week, down 18%, 312,858 to date]
#179 Black Kids - Partie Traumatic [3,407 this week, down 38%, 8,963 to date]
#200 The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely [3,228 this week, down 1%, 215,196 to date]


I am curious though… These numbers are low. R.E.M. not selling a million copies in the US? Do you still buy music anymore or is it easier just to find it online in one form or another? Is the concept of the album now dead? Sign of the times?

Do you even care?

*Does 25 still mean "a few"?

PLAYLIST 17 - This Is Your iPod. This Is Your iPod on Shuffle

Holiday time is almost over folks and I still have a little time left to let something else do the work. My iPod spit this up yesterday between thunderstorms and guacamole dip.

Like a Fishcoteque Needs a Bicyclette

Otis Redding - Change Gonna Come
Arab Strap - That’s Where We Left Our Love
Tu M’ - What You Say
Max Richter - The Trees
Babils - Dent De Sagesse (Extraction)
Herbert - Fishcoteque
Beck - Inferno
She & Him - This Is Not a Test
Jenn Grant - White Horses
Bob Dylan - Oh Sister
Beach Boys - Surfer Girl
The Who - Happy Jack
The War on Drugs - Barrel of Batteries
Jay Reatard - Haunting You
The Black Angels - Never/ Ever
Santogold - Shove It