the cure 'reflections' setlist and live recordings

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Over on the other side of the world, The Cure have performed two "Reflections" shows at Sydney Opera House. Part of the Vivid Live Festival, curated by Modular's Steve Pavlovic, the performances on May 31 and June 1 featured The Cure running through first three albums Three Imaginary Boys, Faith and Seventeen Seconds in their entirety.

Estranged keyboardists Lol Tolhurst and Roger O'Donnell returned to the fold as Robert Smith and The Cure cranked out nearly 4-hour sets of the aforementioned albums and encores of other early material. See the full set list for the 5/31 show below, courtesy of slicingupeyeballs.

A few tracks have made it to youtube. Here's a look at "The Hanging Garden":




Youtube user jupiterattraction has uploaded a few audio-only tracks that merit inclusion as well. First is a rather distant recording of "Boys Don't Cry":




And here's a surprisingly clean take of "The Lovecats":




UPDATE:

A few more video clips have been uploaded that are definitely worth sharing — both also from the 5/31 show. First is "Primary":




And what's a Cure show without the Seventeen Seconds masterpiece "A Forest":




Both performances of The Cure "Reflections" were filmed for future DVD release, so look forward to that.


         5/31/11: 1st Set — Three Imaginary Boys

1. 10:15 Saturday Night
2. Accuracy
3. Grinding Halt
4. Another Day
5. Object
6. Subway Song
7. Foxy Lady
8. Meathook
9. So What
10. Fire In Cairo
11. It’s Not You
12. Three Imaginary Boys
    
    2nd Set — Seventeen Seconds
    
    
13. A Reflection
14. Play for Today
15. Secrets
16. In Your House
17. Forever
18. The Final Sound
19. A Forest
20. M
21. At Night
22. Seventeen Seconds
    
    3rd Set — Faith
     
23. The Holy Hour
24. Primary
25. Other Voices
26. All Cats Are Grey
27. The Funeral Party
28. Doubt
29. The Drowning Man
30. Faith
    
    1st Encore
     
31. World War
32. I’m Cold
33. Plastic Passion
34. Boy’s Don’t Cry
35. Killing An Arab
36. Jumping Someone Else’s Train
37. Another Journey By Train
    
    2nd Encore
     
38. Descent
39. Splintered in Her Head
40. Charlotte Sometimes
41. The Hanging Garden
    
    3rd Encore
     
42. Let’s Go to Bed
43. The Walk
44. The Lovecats

trent reznor & karen o's 'immigrant song'

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Trent Reznor's partnership with David Fincher resulted in a Best Original Score Oscar for The Social Network. The two are teaming up again for the Christmas-release thriller The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, based on the novel by the late Stieg Larsson.

So far, we know that Reznor collaborated with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for a haunting cover of the Led Zeppelin classic "Immigrant Song." Check out a clip of the song in this "bootleg" trailer:




As for the origins of the trailer, some believe it was recorded at a screening of The Hangover 2, while others theorize it's a hoax posted by Sony to create viral buzz for the film.

Either way, the track kicks ass.

maiden's 'the trooper' in honor of memorial day

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Confession: before I was an old waver — or even a new waver — I was a headbanger. Prior to my introduction to The Smiths, New Order and The Cure, my musical world revolved around Metallica, Megadeth and Iron Maiden.

It was all my junior high ears knew and understood. I soon developed more sophisticated taste, thanks to more worldly high school friends, but I can't deny my metal roots.

Which brings me to today's post. "The Trooper" is probably my all-time favorite Iron Maiden tune. I still believe that Bruce Dickinson is one of the greatest frontmen in rock history, and his work as a lyricist is underrated.

Listening to "The Trooper" in my childhood bedroom, I could almost feel the fear and desperation of the battlefield. And thinking about such things made me respect those who bravely serve our country that much more.

Corny? A stretch? Maybe...  but it's a good enough reason to play this video. You fire your musket, but I'll run you through...

sondre lerche 'private caller' video

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Norway's Sondre Lerche recently relocated to Brooklyn to start his own record label, Mona Records.  Named for his wife, Norwegian actress and model Mona Fastvold, the fledgling label will release Lerche's 6th album on June 7.

The self-titled album appears to split the difference between his last two efforts, the laid back Heartbeat Radio and the slightly roughed up Phantom Punch.

That pop sensibility shows through in the video for "Private Caller," which premiered yesterday. Sondre is his usual disarming self as women of eras past pine for his attention:



The more introspective and slower burning "Domino" demonstrates Lerche's gift for mood and melody:



I'm looking forward to this one. From what he's released so far, this could be Lerche's best since 2004's Two Way Monologue:

preview digitalism 'I love you dude'

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June 20, Germany dance punk duo Digitalism return with I Love You Dude, the follow up to their 2007 debut Idealism.

It's still big on hooks and driving beats, but there's a bit more of a pop focus. "2 Hearts" could easily be a Klaxons tune, but the video is a bizarre combination of Minority Report and Doctor Who:




The previous video, "Blitz," captured the bliss and energy of a Digitalism live show:




"Forrest Gump" was co-written by Julian Casablancas of The Strokes, but contrary to previous reports Digitalism confirms that it's not Julian singing on the track:




Finally, "Miami Showdown" is a slow groove that owes a debt to Digitalism heroes Daft Punk:




Download "Miami Showdown" free and check out the full tracklist below:

I Love You Dude

1. Stratosphere
2. 2 Hearts
3. Circles
4. Blitz
5. Forrest Gump (feat. Julian Casablancas)
6. ReeperBahn
7. Antibiotics
8. Just Gazin
9. Miami Showdown
10. Encore

tom vek 'world of doubt' video

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Reclusive English multi-instrumentalist Tom Vek returns with Leisure Seizure June 6 via Island Records.

A second video was released this week in advance of the album. "World Of Doubt" is anchored with a thick guitar riff and sees Vek adopt a James Murphy style, almost spoken delivery. The video features hot indie models and their bass-blown hair:




This follows the more upbeat lead single, "A Chore," and its more elaborate Ollie Evans directed video:




If you dig that track, here's a re-edit Vek did apparently just for grins:




The full tracklist for Leisure Seizure:

1. Hold Your Hand
2. Aroused
3. A Chore
4. We Do Nothing
5. World of Doubt
6. Seizemic
7. A.P.O.L.O.G.Y
8. Someone Loves You
9. Close Mic’ed
10. On A Plate
11. You Need to Work Your Heart Out
12. Too Bad

new horrors track 'still life'

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If you've never listened to The Horrors Primary Colours, please do yourself a favor and give it a chance. It took the former garage rockers down a psychedelic, shoegazing trail and produced one of the most pleasantly surprising sophomore efforts in recent memory.

This July, Faris Badwan and The Horrors return with album number three on XL. Entitled Skying and self-produced by the band, it sees them exploring more sonic territory. The first single, "Still Life," was revealed today and incorporates a groovy organic keyboard sound and a few tinny horns for good measure:




Kind of epic.

the japanese popstars featuring robert smith

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Northern Ireland electro trio The Japanese Popstars will release their second album — first on Astralwerks — on June 21. Controlling Your Allegiance is packed with massive beats and big guest appearances in a bid for stardom on the level of festival bangers like The Chemical Brothers, Underworld or Justice.

Much like Crystal Castles before them, The Japanse Popstars recruited The Cure's Robert Smith to lend his signature voice. What began as a blind email (that ended up in Smith's spam folder) resulted in "Take Forever," a melancholy track that echoes the 80's in a fresh way:




Tom Smith of Editors, who have gotten the remix treatment from The Japanese Popstars for "Papillon," contributes vocals to "Joshua." The track starts out deliberate and moody, but when it kicks in at 1:06 there's a definite David Gahan/Depeche Mode vibe:




"Destroy" features Jon Spencer, of Blues Explosion fame, in a haunting track and equally creepy video:




Chicago house icon Green Velvet collaborated on the late night party anthem "Let Go":




And Mercury Prize-nominated Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan helps bring out the softer side of The Japanese Popstars in "Song For Lisa":




There's at least one other guest vocal — "Fight The Night" features the ethereal Morgan Kibby of M83. Count me in. Check the full tracklist for Controlling Your Allegiance:

1. Let Go
2. Catapult
3. Song For Lisa
4. Tomorrow Man
5. Take Forever
6. Fight The Night
7. Building Block
8. Destroy
9. Shells Of Silver
10. Falcon Punch
11. Joshua

arcade fire bonus tracks 'speaking in tongues' & 'culture war'

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The deluxe edition of Arcade Fire's Grammy winning The Suburbs will be released August 2nd. Among its bells and whistles, a DVD of the Spike Jonze short Scenes From The Suburbs, an extended version of "Wasted Hours (A Life That We Can Live)" and the two tracks you can hear below.

The BBC's Zane Lowe debut them on his radio show today, and listenbeforeyoubuy was quick to rip them to the web.

"Speaking In Tongues" is the well publicized collaboration with David Byrne. Perhaps collaboration is the wrong word, as his presence is only really felt near the end:




"Culture War" is as maudlin as you'd expect and Arcade Fire song entitled "Culture War" to be:




I can't believe Arcade Fire was shut out at the Billboard Music Awards last night. Does a Grammy mean nothing to you people?

Just kidding...  I mean look at this list of winners. Makes me feel delightfully out of touch. 

preview peter murphy lp 'ninth'

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Peter Murphy will release his first new album in seven years on June 7. Ninth is a grittier album than most of Murphy's solo work. Perhaps he's come to fully embrace his mythical role as the godfather of goth.

Murphy and label Nettwerk have been systematically leaking tracks from the album, with the latest being the rollicking "Seesaw Sway." Unusual for its backing vocals, it's an interesting turn for the almost 54-year-old:


(via slicingupeyeballs)


Here you can also stream the full album — of which "The Prince & Old Lady Shade" is probably my favorite:

primal scream 'screamadelica live!' dvd

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For the last year, Primal Scream have been touring the globe performing their 1991 classic Screamadelica in full.

To fully celebrate the album's 20 year anniversary, an elaborate limited collector's edition was released in March, and on May 31 a live DVD will hit stores.

Screamadelica Live! will feature performances recorded at London's Olympia, which included accompaniment from a horn section and gospel choir. Bobby Gillespie and company run through the entirety of Screamadelica before an 8-song set of "hits" such as "Burning Wheel" and "Swastika Eyes." See the full track list below.

Primal Scream are still out on the road. No US dates are scheduled, but they do have headlining gigs at many a UK festival including Glastonbury and T in the Park.

For a taste of the live show, and the DVD, check out "Movin' On Up" and "Loaded" via nme:






Screamadelica Live! track list:

1. Movin' On Up
2. Slip Inside This House
3. Don't Fight It, Feel It
4. Damaged
5. I'm Comin' Down
6. Shine Like Stars
7. Inner Flight
8. Higher Than The Sun
9. Loaded
10. Come Together
    
    
11. Accelerator
12. Country Girl
13. Jailbird
14. Burning Wheel
15. Suicide Bomb
16. Shoot Speed / Kill Light
17. Swastika Eyes
18. Rocks

the rapture — aka zombie apocalypse

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As you no doubt already know, the world is scheduled to come to an end in the next 36 hours or so. Save the date — the rapture is set for May 21, 2011.

As for what's in store, some believe the chosen few will vanish into thin air leaving a lawless hell-on-earth behind. Others, like the Centers For Disease Control, aren't ruling out a full-on zombie outbreak. I think they're kidding. But if they're not, according to The Walking Dead you need to shoot them in the head — and Zombieland advises a "double tap" just to be sure.

New York City electropunks The Rapture are no doubt enjoying the unintended attention. In fact, they tweeted their intent to put in a lowball offer on this "new tour bus" should we all live to see the 22nd of May:

And as the band points out on their website, in the event May 22nd never comes, you might want to watch this video for some practical instruction on what to expect. Nothing about zombies though:




As for the band themselves, they've got a couple jams that might be appropriate for the occassion. Minimize this page in your browser just in case so you'll have "Sister Saviour" and "Heaven" at the ready:






Hope to talk to you next week. Godspeed.

new handsome furs 'repatriated'

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Handsome Furs — Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexei Perry — will release Sound Kapital June 28 on Sub Pop. The follow up to 2009's Face Control was written entirely on keyboards to emulate Eastern European industrial, cold war era electronic music.

Today, they've issued another preview track, "Repatriated," and given the first look at Sound Kapital's nswf album art. The song has a nice, aggressive thump with a period appropriate guitar solo...  and as you can see in the widget below, the cover is full frontal:




For another taste of the album, stream and/or download "What About Us":

new track from johnny marr — 'big bang and dig'

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When Johnny Marr split from The Cribs last month, one of the primary reasons given was Marr's desire to focus on scoring films. Well he's done just that, scoring noir crime caper The Big Bang.

Directed by Tony Krantz, starring Antonio Banderas and featuring a cameo from Snoop Dogg, it's not quite as high profile as Marr's recent contributions to Hans Zimmer's Inception soundtrack. In fact, it'll be released straight to DVD May 24.

Regardless, Marr described the soundtrack to spinner as "trippy, heavy, psychedelic and expansive" — a style dictated by the script and the director. Listen to the track "Big Bang and Dig" for an indication of what he means:



Certainly interesting. Not sure I can say the same for the film:

ian curtis dead at 23 — 31 years ago today

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In an unfortunate coincidence, unreleased New Order track "Hellbent" — from the forthcoming collection Total: From Joy Division To New Order — has surfaced on the 31st anniversary of Ian Curtis' death.

On May 18, 1980, Curtis hanged himself in the kitchen of his parents' home in Macclesfield. His body was discovered that morning by his wife, Deborah Woodruff. In his final hours, he had watched Werner Herzog's film Stroszek and listened to Iggy Pop's The Idiot. Curtis and Joy Division were scheduled to embark on their first US tour the following day.

As detailed in the films 24 Hour Party People and Control, Curtis was struggling with depression as a result of his increasingly frequent epileptic seizures and the failing of his marriage following an affair with journalist Annik Honoré.

Joy Division's final live show was May 2, 1980 at Birmingham University's Chamberlain Hall. Here's "A Means To And End" from that performance:




That night was also the only time "Ceremony" was performed live by Joy Division. That version appears on Still, but here's a superior version recorded during a rehearsal in Manchester prior to the show:




Finally, here's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," which is the inscription on Curtis' headstone:

RIP, Ian.

stream 'hellbent' - unreleased new order track

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As mentioned earlier this week, the legendary New Order has another best-of collection on the way, Total: From Joy Division To New Order. Due for release June 6 in the UK on Rhino Records, it's the first commercial release to combine Joy Division and New Order material — see the full tracklist below.

For longtime fans, the only element that piques interest is the inclusion of the previously unreleased New Order song "Hellbent." It'll soon be available to stream on the New Order facebook page, but last night it was aired on the Dan Hegarty radio show on Dublin's RTE 2fm.

As for the song itself, it's most likely an outtake from the Waiting For The Sirens' Call sessions. With the exception of Hooky's signature bass sound, it could easily be a Bad Lieutenant track. It features plenty of latter-day New Order addition Phil Cunningham's guitar, and as these NO fans point out it also features Barney's favorite latter-day New Order lyric "whatcha doin."

That said, I kinda like it. It is New Order, after all:




Here's the full tracklist for Total: From Joy Division To New Order:

1. Transmission (Joy Division FAC 13 7” Single)
2. Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division FAC23 7” Single)
3. Isolation (Joy Division FAC25 12” Album)
4. She’s Lost Control (Joy Division FACUS2 12” Single)
5. Atmosphere (Joy Division SS33002 7” Single)
6. Ceremony (New Order FAC33 7” Single)
7. Temptation (New Order FAC63 7” Single)
8. Blue Monday (New Order FAC73 12” Single)
9. Thieves Like Us (New Order FAC103 12” Single)
10. The Perfect Kiss (New Order FAC123 7” Single)
11. Bizarre Love Triangle (New Order FAC163 7” Single)
12. True Faith (New Order FAC183 7” Single)
13. Fine Time (New Order FAC223 7” Single)
14. World In Motion (New Order FAC293 7” Single)
15. Regret (New Order NUO1 7” Single)
16. Crystal (New Order NUOCD8 CD Single)
17. Krafty (New Order NUOX13 12” Single)
18. Hellbent (Previously unreleased New Order track)

stream boris 'attention please' in full

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Not gonna lie, the only thing I knew about Boris is they're from Japan. I've known of them, thanks to a friend who lost part of an ear at one of their shows, but never really got into them.

Now, thanks to NPR, I have a slightly better understanding of this mysterious import from the far east.

First Listen is offering up a stream of Attention Please, one of four Boris releases this spring. Of the other three, two are Japanese-only releases and the other, Heavy Rocks, is much heavier (go figure) with guest appearances from The Cult's Ian Astbury, among others.

Attention Please showcases the more diverse musical interests outside of Boris' hardcore punk and metal roots. There are elements of shoegaze, glam and even pop on the album, which features the breathy vocals of guitarist Wata.

Stream it here and reference the tracklist below. "Hope" alone makes me wonder what I've been missing all this time:

1. Attention Please
2. Hope
3. Party Boy
4. See You Next Week
5. Tokyo Wonder Land
6. You
7. Aileron
8. Les Paul Custom ‘86
9. Spoon
10. Hand in Hand

As with any cult band, getting in late on Boris is intimidating — and with 19 albums over the last 15 years, getting up to speed is a daunting task. However, Attention Please has certainly gained my attention and enticed me to discover more.

james blake's confounding 'lindisfarne' video

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English dubstep darling James Blake just issued a new video for "Lindisfarne" off his self titled debut. It's actually and edit of "Lindisfarne I" and "Lindisfarne II," which will be released as a single next month

The video depicts a teen coven of some sorts, initiating a new member. Far as I can tell, the initiation consists of drinking spit, getting a hole cut in your shirt and having your face smeared with pastels. Hardly hazing.

Anyway, see if you can make any sense of it:


(via p4k)

preview the self titled debut from cults

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Little more than a year after posting their first demos on bandcamp, New York duo Cults are set to release their self titled debut on Columbia.

Cults are Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin, a couple of 21-year-old San Diegans studying film in New York City. The two began recording music in their spare time and posting it online for friends to hear. What followed was a mass of online buzz and a bidding war for their services.

As for what they do, think of the romantic bedroom pop of Beach House with a little bit of the surf rock influences of the Raveonettes thrown in. The first single, "Abducted," offers a pretty good primer of their sound:




The vintage pop sweetness and surf rock style shows through more on "Most Wanted":




"Oh My God" — which appeared in the Adult Swim 8 Singles 8 Weeks series — offers a nice groove with a shimmering melange of synths, organ and xylophone:




In a not-so-subtle reference to their name, "Go Outside" opens with a sample of cult leader Jim Jones:




Finally, wait for the dramatic payoff of "You Know What I Mean":




Sounds like some nice, low-key summertime jams to me. For a band that is at once under-the-radar and over-hyped, Cults deliver a quite promising debut.

They've got a busy summer themselves, with a host of US tour dates including a stop at Lollapalooza. Not bad, considering last summer they were more or less a total mystery. Nice work, kids.


UPDATE:

Listen to the full album via NPR:



Tracklist:

1. Abducted
2. Go Out­side
3. You Know What I Mean
4. Most Wanted
5. Walk at Night
6. Never Heal Myself
7. Oh My God
8. Never Saw the Point
9. Bad Things
10. Bumper
11. Rave On

unreleased new order on new 'best of' compilation

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If you don't already own New Order's Substance and/or Singles and/or The Best Of, hang on — there's another repackaging on the way.

Total: From Joy Division To New Order will be released June 6 in the UK on Rhino Records. As slicingupeyeballs points out, this is the first commercial release to combine Joy Division and New Order material. It culls the most recognizable Joy Division tracks and pairs them with a selection of a-side New Order singles spanning from "Ceremony" to "Krafty" — see the full tracklist below.

The big news here though, is the inclusion of the previously unreleased New Order song "Hellbent." Speculation is it could be a leftover from the Waiting For The Sirens' Call sessions. 

(UPDATE: Stream "Hellbent" here)

While we all wait to find out, here are a couple of the aforementioned New Order singles, "Fine Time" and "Regret." Who remembers this ridiculous video?






Here's the full tracklist for Total: From Joy Division To New Order:

1. Transmission (Joy Division FAC 13 7” Single)
2. Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division FAC23 7” Single)
3. Isolation (Joy Division FAC25 12” Album)
4. She’s Lost Control (Joy Division FACUS2 12” Single)
5. Atmosphere (Joy Division SS33002 7” Single)
6. Ceremony (New Order FAC33 7” Single)
7. Temptation (New Order FAC63 7” Single)
8. Blue Monday (New Order FAC73 12” Single)
9. Thieves Like Us (New Order FAC103 12” Single)
10. The Perfect Kiss (New Order FAC123 7” Single)
11. Bizarre Love Triangle (New Order FAC163 7” Single)
12. True Faith (New Order FAC183 7” Single)
13. Fine Time (New Order FAC223 7” Single)
14. World In Motion (New Order FAC293 7” Single)
15. Regret (New Order NUO1 7” Single)
16. Crystal (New Order NUOCD8 CD Single)
17. Krafty (New Order NUOX13 12” Single)
18. Hellbent (Previously unreleased New Order track)

new dub album from beta band's steve mason

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Last year, Steve Mason — onetime leader of The Beta Band — released a rather overlooked solo album, Boys Outside. It was closer in songcraft to his Beta Band days than his more experimental work as King Biscuit Time, but it didn't quite have the hooks to demand notice.

On July 25, Mason will release a reworked version entitled Ghosts Outside that he put together with reggae musician and producer Dennis Bovell. It's a pretty radical departure, but from the sound of "Yesterday Dub" it kinda works:


(via qmusic)


Download the track from Domino Records free here.

If you missed the source material, here's the video for "Am I Just A Man" from Boys Outside:




Glad to see Mason is back at work, although I'll always miss The Beta Band. Not only were they visionary, they put on an incredible live show. This hardly captures it, but check out "Dry The Rain" from their final show in 2004 from Shepherds Bush Empire:

stream austra 'feel it break' in full

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Austra is Katie Stelmanis, Dorian Wolf and Maya Postepski, a Canadian electronic trio. But that only starts to tell the story. Stelmanis is also a classically trained pianist, violinist and operatic soprano.

But rather than continue her studies in college, Stelmanis decided to start a band and create her own interpretation of the classical sounds on which she was raised. The result is Feel It Break, Austra's debut album due out May 17 on Domino.

Apt comparisons have been made to The Knife, and Stelmanis' otherworldly delivery can be reminiscent of the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser. But Austra also have a bouyancy unlike most other bands anchored by an etherial female voice. In fact, some of the synth sounds are positively peppy, like early Depeche Mode.

Thanks to NPR, you can stream the album in its entirety and hear what I mean for yourself:




Feel It Break tracklist:

1. Darken Her Horse
2. Lose It
3. The Future
4. Beat and the Pulse
5. Spellwork
6. The Choke
7. Hate Crime
8. The Villain
9. Shoot The Water
10. The Noise
11. The Beast

And while you're here, check out the video for "Lose It." It's loosely about spray tans and cat fights, from what I can tell:

watch jane's addiction corporate gig

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Jane's Addiction will roll out album number four this August. Entitled The Great Escape Artist, it features the same lineup as 2003's Strays — original members Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins with Chris Chaney on bass.

Tuesday night, the guys got together to perform at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco. The eight song set was tight, packed with the hits from Nothing's Shocking and Ritual — with "Just Because" and the new single "End To The Lies" thrown in.

Watch it here, and check out the full set list below:


(via slicingupeyeballs)


Set list:

1. Stop!
2. Ain’t No Right
3. End To The Lies
4. Just Because
5. Ted, Just Admit It
6. Been Caught Stealing
7. Mountain Song
8. Jane Says

preteen zenith — new polyphonic spree project

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Coming up on July 23 at the historic Granada Theater in Dallas, preeminent indie blog gorillavsbear will curate its very own festival. Details are still sketchy, but one thing is for sure — Tim DeLaughter of The Polyphonic Spree will debut his new project.

DeLaughter tells dc9atnight the band is called Preteen Zenith, and will also feature Philip Karnats of The Secret Machines and drummer Jason Garner, formerly of The Paper Chase and The Polyphonic Spree.

If all you know of DeLaughter are the white robes and sing-along choruses of the Spree, he and Karnats were in a band before that called Tripping Daisy. They had a run at college rock stardom in the early 90's with "I Got A Girl," but turned much more experimental with their last two albums, Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb and the self-titled record released after the death of guitarist Wes Berggren.

Who knows if Preteen Zenith will sound anything like Tripping Daisy, but for a refresher, here are some standouts from those final efforts. From Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb, "Waited A Light Year":




And a couple from the underrated Tripping Daisy, "Foot Dance" and "Tragiverse":

Looking forward to it.

cut copy remix miracles club

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Cut Copy, currently doing some dates in their Australian homeland, have a little label on the side, Cutters Records. Its latest release is a 5-song remix EP from Miracles Club, featuring two versions of "Too Cold" and three takes on "Light Of Love" — one of which was "revised" by Cut Copy themselves.

It's not too dissimilar from the original, but it adds just a touch of the depth and grandeur that make Cut Copy so great:


(via onethirtypbm)


You can listen to the whole EP here.

If Miracles Club rings a bell, maybe you're remembering this internet meme of late last year. Try to watch "Church Song" just once..  it's impossible:




Praise be!

jesus and mary chain 'automatic' out on vinyl

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One of the seminal albums of my young waverdom is once again available on vinyl. Jesus And Mary Chain's 1989 album Automatic may be held beneath their first two classics, Psychocandy and Darklands, but it's the one I remember best.

The Reid brothers wanted to move on from their formative sound — so much so, the following album was entitled Honey's Dead, in reference to "Just Like Honey" — fully embracing drum machines and synth bass.

It's understandable Creation-era fans were disallusioned at the time, but listen to "Blues From A Gun" and tell me it's not epic:




And then there was "Head On" - probably better known as covered by The Pixies:




And for those who thought they had lost their edge, here's a live performance of "Gimme Hell":




So yeah, maybe it's not JAMC's masterwork, but Automatic is all right with me.

And just for fun, here's a 1994 MTV Studios performance of "Reverence" from the also underrated and also just re-released on vinyl Honey's Dead:

yuck double a-side single 'milkshake'

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We like those London indie kids Yuck. They've got a curiously fresh take on American college rock of the 90's like Pavement, Dinosaur Jr. and Superchunk.

Their self titled debut was released back in February, and next month Yuck will release a UK only single featuring album cut "Shook Down" and the previously unreleased "Milkshake."

It's billed as a double a-side, probably because prolific band leader Daniel Blumberg doesn't write b-sides. "Milkshake" is a little more chicken fried than most of Yuck's material, but it's still got those winsome harmonies and heartwarmingly strummed guitars:




If you're not familiar with the other a-side, "Shook Down" is a beautiful lament and an album standout. Here's a live performance for Seattle's KEXP during SXSW: