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25 Jul 2009 21:56

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Music: Saturday Mixtape: Rising indie stars and old indie pros

  • 1. It’s good to hear when a band you kinda like starts getting attention. Shoegaze + NES band The Depreciation Guild is kinda like that – after a killer free album in 2007, “In Her Gentle Jaws,” one of the members made a name for himself with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and the rest is history. “Dream About Me” is a solid starting points.
    2. Much like The Flaming Lips or The Apples in Stereo, Wheat is a band that works best in full technicolor. The longstanding band’s just-out “White Ink, Black Ink,” especially “Changes Is,” shows that they haven’t lost their spark with time.
    3. Wye Oak’s first album was awesome because it didn’t try to fit into trends. It was just solid. The just-out second album tries a little too hard, but “I Want for Nothing” proves that that isn’t always a bad thing.
    4. This band changes its name more often than any band should – Memory Tapes? Weird Tapes? They’ve been called both, along with Memory Cassette – but either way, “Asleep At a Party,” a fractured, time-worn tune, lives up to both the song’s – and the band’s – name.
    5. Slow-buiding has always been the best way to describe indie icons Low, and “Sunflower” is one of those songs that nails their appeal. A high point for a lengthy career.source

23 Jul 2009 22:24

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Music: ShortFormBand: Psych-rockers Hopewell give us clever answers

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  • Whoa, what is this?

    In our continuing effort to try new things, here’s our latest: Band coverage! This time, Hopewell (whose new album, “Good Good Desperation,” is worth the listen) brings us waves of dreamy guitar soundscapes (and some fun answers). Want to see your band here? E-mail us or bug us on Twitter!

    Listen to them

    Q1: In 15 words or less, describe your sound: Swept river manger up from strangers from the you. Swept river rolled hellfire wires.*
    * – Since this question is any credible musician’s worst nightmare, I put the lyrics to one of our songs into the “cut up machine” and generated a lyrical montage a la William Burroughs. That should do the trick.

    Q2: Name three influences that inspire you, with three words each on why they’re awesome:
    Lou Reed: genius now ornery
    Brooklyn, NY: Such modern history
    Vincent Gallo: Style over substance

    Q3: What’s a recent song you’ve been digging? Write ten words explaining why:
    Dirty Projectors – “Stillness Is The Move”: Makes me happy to see weird music so popular.

    Q4: In 140 characters or less, how do you use social networking to get the word out: Reluctantly we row the internet buzz boat down the stream. Watch this:
    www.facebook.com/wellhope
    www.twitter.com/wellhope
    www.myspace.com/hopewell

    Q5: In 15 words or less, what’s next for you? All Tomorrow’s Parties.source

23 Jul 2009 10:03

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Biz, Music: Billboard gets a brain, finally starts handling their charts right

  • The dark ages Back in the day, Billboard kept its chart data close to its chest, preferring to share it just with music industry folks. It was really A&R folks only: If you wanted to know what was happening on the lower reaches of the chart, it would cost ya an arm and a leg. source
  • The dark ages Back in the day, Billboard kept its chart data close to its chest, preferring to share it just with music industry folks. It was really A&R folks only: If you wanted to know what was happening on the lower reaches of the chart, it would cost ya an arm and a leg.
  • Seeing the light Billboard, apparently realizing what the rest of the music industry already has, has opened up its entire chart history to the public for free. Realizing it’s a huge draw for music sales if used right, they’ve also partnered up with Lala to sell the tunes, too. source
  • The dark ages Back in the day, Billboard kept its chart data close to its chest, preferring to share it just with music industry folks. It was really A&R folks only: If you wanted to know what was happening on the lower reaches of the chart, it would cost ya an arm and a leg.
  • Seeing the light Billboard, apparently realizing what the rest of the music industry already has, has opened up its entire chart history to the public for free. Realizing it’s a huge draw for music sales if used right, they’ve also partnered up with Lala to sell the tunes, too.
  • Brilliant move? It’s entirely possible Billboard could still screw this up, in our humble opinion. They’ve made some big mistakes in the past regarding when and where to charge for their content, and if they make these same mistakes again, music fans won’t be happy. source

22 Jul 2009 20:54

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Music: Conor Oberst ≠ Bright Eyes. In fact, Bright Eyes might just die.

  • I think that’s his line of thinking at this point — closing the chapter on that moniker. I think he feels like Bright Eyes has a certain association, for better or worse. I think he’s trying to distance himself a little bit from what that means to people.
  • Saddle Creek Records President Robb Nansel • On Conor Oberst’s desire to retire the Bright Eyes name once and for all. Nansel says that Oberst plans to record a final album as Bright Eyes for the label (which Oberst co-founded, by the way) next year. But while you’re waiting, don’t forget about the Monsters of Folk, the supergroup he’s co-founding with like-minded indie guys M. Ward and Jim James (along with fellow Bright Eye guy Mike Mogis). They release an album in September. • source

22 Jul 2009 10:17

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Music: Y’all like Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss? So does the White House

Some of country music’s biggest chart-toppers (also on the list: black country icon Charley Pride) showed up at Michelle Obama’s front porch last night. Hoo-doggy! source

21 Jul 2009 10:49

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Music: The new Avett Brothers single is pretty awesome, guys

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  • The Avetts will probably be one of the success stories of 2009, based on the amount of buzz the Americana band’s Rick Rubin-produced “I and Love and You,” out in September, is getting. The title track, which sounds like the kind of song that makes a career, is freely downloadable in MP3 form on Spinner. source

20 Jul 2009 16:28

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Music: Beastie Boy MCA’s suffering from cancer; we made a rap in his honor

  • “My name is Adam Yauch and I am sad to say / I’m the guy with cancer known as MCA / It’s very treatable; it’s centered in a gland / But the Beasties canceled shows and we are very sad” / (enter Mixmaster Mike scratching for four counts) / “And I’m Mike D and I bust on the mike” / “And I’m Ad-Rock and we’re both still alright” / “We got his back until his back is straight / And we can both tour still with MCA”source
 

20 Jul 2009 08:52

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Music: Kurt Cobain pulls a Tupac, releases a new Nirvana album

  • This jerk doesn’t have anything on Girl Talk, but let’s just say that the combination of Rick Astley and Nirvana works far better than it should. And you’ve just been Rickrolled.source

19 Jul 2009 22:33

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Music: Twitter urges American Idol bigwigs to #KeepPaula. Or not.

  • Alert! Alert! There is a chance that Paula Abdul might not return to American Idol, and Twitter is *not* happy about that. Since rumors began swirling that her contract negotiations could go bust, “#keeppaula” has been hovering on and off the trending list. At one point it sat at No. 2, right behind “#indonesiaunite.” Err, is that a good thing or a bad thing? source

19 Jul 2009 14:04

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Music: Tune Test: Trevor Giuliani’s a bit all over the map (in a good way)

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Who: Trevor Giuliani

What: "Subcontrario (In Stereo)"

Release: July 21, 2009

Listen: "Wasting Your Town"

Snap judgment: Trevor's a folk-popster in the vein of Josh Rouse (though with vocals that have a lot in common with early Pedro the Lion). The production, at times simple and expansive, stands out – it never settles on a single sound, most notably on "Van Singing" and "Big Decisions." "Wasting Your Town" is the straightest pop number here, while the percussive "Nubian Forest" has the most surprises.

Physical: Buy the CD

Digital: Buy the MP3s