Sunday, December 24, 2006

MySplice.06 - A Mash for Friends (team9 + Stereogum)

team9 have gone and hooked up with the good folk at Stereogum (winner of Spin Magazines best blog no less) and created Mysplice, an albums worth of mash ups as a kind of year in review of our favourite indie tracks of 06. In amongst this lot you'll find Thom Yorke, Hot Chip, Cold War Kids, CSS and Peter, Bjorn and John.
+ Here ya go!

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Army of Anyone - Live from Toledo, Ohio - 12/12/06

Certainly one of the best moments of my life. Seeing again the DeLeo brothers together in action with this great band was surreal. Having the chance to chat with them afterwards made a very special memory to me. Here's what I have to share with you: Live pictures, videos and recording of this great gig! Happy Xmas!!!
+ Complete gig here (pass: onediedsimply.blogspot.com)
+ Check out those exclusive videos that I've recorded!

Friday, December 22, 2006

The Brother Kite - Waiting for the Time to Be Right (2006)

I wonder if Providence's The Brother Kite began crafting their shoegaze-inflected rock sound in 2001. After a split 7" with Vaguely Starshaped on Losing Blueprint Records, The Brother Kite released their first full-length album on Clairecords, a self-titled and self-recorded serving of layered guitars and buoyant melodies. With the success of thebrotherkite, the band was poised to take a bold step, but knew the restrictions of traditional studio recording wouldn't allow for the creative freedom they needed. So they did what any band would do: built their own studio! Waiting For the Time To Be Right is the long-awaited result of this endeavor, a brave new rock album astonishing not only for its depth and maturity, but also for its willingness to stray from the shoegaze sound that defined their previous works. Layered guitar textures remain an important ingredient, but Boutwell's impassioned vocals are now pushed to the forefront, showcasing a Brian Wilson-esque gift for melody hinted at in earlier songs. The result is an album of dynamically orchestrated pop, equal parts Loveless and Smile, Quadrophenia and The Soft Bulletin. With Waiting... The Brother Kite respectfully pays homage to some of rock's great achievements while carving out an innovative spot for themselves in the world of today's independent music.
+ Check it out
+
MySpace website

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Blur - Parklife (1998)

Although the album failed to chart in the US, "Girls & Boys" became a hit there, while Parklife became Blur's first UK #1 album, entering in the pole position upon its release, and staying there for one week. In fact, one of the most significant things that Blur (and the '90s Britpop movement, really) did was reintroduce the importance of the pop single. Blur realize that the A-side is as much an art as the album, and not just from a marketing sense. Pop singles are pop culture, and Parklife spawned four "proper" singles but probably three-quarters of the album could've easily fit in on the radio. Some might say that Parklife isn't for everyone -- too British, too lofty (or boring, to some) a concept, too poppy even. But no other album made me sit up and realize that pop music didn't have to be disposable -- didn't have to be about the MTV flavor of the month -- like this one did. And it still sounds just as good to this 29-year-old's ears as it did to that 18-year-olds ears.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Paul McCartney - The Official Unplugged Bootleg (1991)

Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) is a live unplugged performance by Paul McCartney, recorded and released in 1991. Following the enormity of his world tour recently captured on Tripping the Live Fantastic, McCartney relished the opportunity to strip back his songs and appear on the newly-launched acoustic-only show. Consequently, McCartney was among the first in a long line of artists to release an unplugged album.
Using the same line-up that recently backed him (save for Blair Cunningham who replaced Chris Whitten on drums more late), McCartney used the opportunity to dust off some of his more rare tracks, including three from his 1970 debut album McCartney, alongside some obscure covers amid a helping of familiar Beatles hits.

From the 90's - ARID - At the Close of Every Day (1998)

The Belgian rock group Arid consists of vocalist/guitarist Jasper Steverlinck, guitarist David Du Pré, bassist Filip Ros, and drummer Steven Van Haver. Although released two years earlier in Europe under the title of 'Little things of venom, its critical acclaim won the group a gig opening for Counting Crows on their 2000 European tour, around the time that the album made its U.S. debut.
In this debut album one could truly say that Jeff buckley lives on... It's never a rip-off, but it's impossible to escape from the Jeff Buckley-comparison in the delicate parts and the Freddie Mercury-colour in the louder passages. "At the close of everyday" and "Too late Tonight" shake you all up, then they calm things down with a mysterious ballad "All will wait".
+ Check it out here

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Radiohead back in studio - New Pictures and new songs!

Radiohead is back in studio! Check out other great pictures. And the good news is that sometime in 2007 we will be hearing their highly antecipated new album (unknown title). In the meantime, we are be pleased with several recordings of their new songs performed in the recent US Tour. Here are my favorites so far (thanks to Lders):
+ Down is the new Up
+ Videotape
+ Nude
+ The National Anthem
+ Spooks
+ House of Cards
+ 15 Steps
More information about their 7th new album here and here

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Pearl Jam - Live from Newcastle (11/19/06) - THE gig!

Without any doubts this is by far one of the best performances any PJ fan could ever hope to see. Opening with Alive is crazy! There are a TON of rarities. Insignificance, Brain of J., Red Mosquito, Daughter (War), Leatherman, Down, Undone (only second time played ever), Thumbing My Way, Masters of War, Footsteps, Alone, Ledbetter w/ Little Wing? What a perfect setlist and performance by Pearl Jam. Get this one! Thanks to Pearl Jam Evolution blog.

Main Set: Alive, Life Wasted, Severed Hand, Save You, Insignificance, Unemployable, Brain Of J., Red Mosquito, Given To Fly, Last Exit, Hail Hail, Small Town, Better Man, Daughter/(War), Whipping, Leatherman, Down, Do The Evolution, Undone, Rearviewmirror
Encore 1: Thumbing My Way, Masters Of War, Footsteps, Crown Of Thorns, Alone, Even Flow
Encore 2: Corduroy, f**k' Up, Rockin' In The Free World, Yellow Ledbetter/Little Wing
Pass: onediedsimply.blogspot.com

+ Download the last part here

Monday, December 04, 2006

(MPB) - The COMPLETE Sinatra-Jobim Sessions (1979)

Claus Ogerman, Frank Sinatra and Tom Jobim during the recordings

There is a lot of mystery and lore surrounding this mythological cart, but the story goes like this: All that was ever produced by this collaboration between Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim was a vinyl test pressing and 3,500 8-Tracks. After this Sinatra/Jobim collaboration was cancelled (for reasons unknown to me), a memo was issued by Warner ordering the destruction of all but three copies of the 3,500 8-track tapes that had been manufactured of this release. Warner sent this memo to all the retailers and distributors for all the unsold copies, and they even went so far as attempting to get back all the SOLD copies as well, by issuing a recall! Whether or not their efforts were successful are to this day unknown, but there are fewer than 5 copies of the tape known to exist.

This double LP album, published only in Brazil by producer Roberto Quartin, has never been released before either on vinyl or CD, and contains all the songs played during the recording sessions that Frank Sinatra did with Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Two of these songs, Bonita and Sabiá, were not included in any of the two previous records featuring Sinatra and Jobim, and confer to the "Sinatra-Jobim Sessions" album the status of a historic document, eagerly sought by Sinatra collectors all around the world.
Tracklist
1- Baubles, Bangles and Beads (Robert Wright / George Forrest)
2- I Concentrate on You (Cole Porter)
3- Dindi (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Aloysio de Oliveira / Ray Gilbert)
4- Change Partners (Irving Berlin)
5- Quiet nights of quiet stars (Corcovado) (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Gene Lees)
6- If you never come to me (Inútil paisagem) (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Aloysio de Oliveira / Ray Gilbert)
7- The girl from Ipanema (Garota de Ipanema) (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes / Norman Gimbel)
8- Meditation (Meditação) (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Newton Mendonça / Norman Gimbel)
9- Once I loved (O amor em paz) (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes / Ray Gilbert)
10- How insensitive (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes / Norman Gimbel)
11- Drinking Again (Johnny Mercer / Doris Tauber)

12- One Note Samba (Samba de uma nota só) (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Newton Mendonça / Ray Gilbert)
13- Don't ever go away (Por causa de você) (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Dolores Duran / Ray Gilbert)
14- Wave (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
15- Bonita (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
16- Someone to light up my life (Se todos fossem iguais a você) (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes / Gene Lees)
17- Drinking Water (Agua de Beber) (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes / Norman Gimbel)
18- Sabiá (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Chico Buarque)
19- This Happy Madness (Estrada Branca) (Antonio Carlos Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes / Gene Lees)
20- Triste (Antonio Carlos Jobim)
21- Manhã de Carnaval - A Day in the Life of a Fool (Luiz Bonfá / Antonio Maria / Carl Sigman)

Noel Gallagher in the Media - Exclusive acoustic, documentary, interview and live performance

With a short set list including (It's Good) to be Free, Whatever and Slide Away, Noel Gallagher does this live and Un-Liamed acoustic set for AOL's Interface. Cool, check it out!

Most of you also heard that Oasis not only released a "best-of" collection of their songs (Stop the Clocks), but also an authoritative documentary - Lord Don't Slow Me Down - revealing Oasis as never seen before is also being released this month!

Other good links:

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Alice in Chains - Live from Emerald Theatre - Nov 7th 2006

It was an unforgettable experience for me and to anyone who made to this gig (completely sold out). Certainly one of the most intense experiences of my life. I've been a fan of AiC then since the early 90's and I never had the chance to see them live before... until that day. It was by far one of their best performances, with a HUGE acoustic set which brought the 3000+ fans literally to heaven!

Here are a few pictures and videos that I'd like to share with you.
+ Sea of Sorrow (the first song they played!)
+ Junkhead
+ Damn the River - wsg Vinnie Dombroski (Sponge) a post-grunge Detroit band

+ Nutshell - a masterpiece for me... sorry for the size (150 mbs), but the quality is great!
+ Would

From the 90's - Echobelly - ON (1995)

It's sad that Echobelly didn't crack America... Most critics point to Echobelly's first album, "Everybody's got one" as their defining moment. it was raw, angry, melodic, and trapped volatile lyrical messages in three-minute pop songs. The band's second album, "ON" lost a little bit of the former's bite (particularly in madan's decidedly feminist posturing), but it was still a huge album in many ways. Sonya's got this incredible voice, one that people compared to Morrissey, apparently because she wasn't afraid to hide her lovely British accent. Either way, she's terrific, and her voice combined with the crashing guitars by Glen Johanssen a superb musician stained backdrops for madan's otherworldly vocals. It was a nice marriage that fuled the Echobelly machine.