“I Summon You” and “Sister Jack” – new Spoon demos. Via Chomewaves.
“Just Sit Right Back. . .”
Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. For some people, it’s too easy. There’s nothing to do. Before long, what? A life of crime? Debauchery? Or just flat-out ennui? Probably the last. There is always the possibility of a job. Which are in shorter supply. The economy is not what it should be. And there is a capitalists-selling-the-rope-with-which-they-will-be-hanged fervor for jobs to be moved to China. What’s left? A life in entertainment.
Clem Snide tracklisting and news
A GLONO exclusive! We have the tracklisting for Clem Snide’s upcoming album, When We Become, to be released this fall.
A.C. Newman – The Slow Wonder
A.C. Newman – The Slow Wonder (Matador)
A.C. (Carl) Newman follows his fellow New Pornographer Dan Bejar with an excellent solo release that is sure to make many a critic’s year end top ten. Whereas Bejar put out the art album of the year with Destroyer (review), Newman has put out a power pop album that sounds much like Mass Romantic outtakes. Keep in mind; this isn’t a bad thing, as The Slow Wonder contains eleven songs that highlight how tremendous of a songwriter Newman is.
“Miracle Drug” (mp3) is so damn catchy that you fear Newman set you up for disappointment the rest of the way. However, the bouncing “Drink to Me, Babe, Then” (mp3) tops it with perfectly timed symbol crashes and hand claps. Each song stands out as a pop gem and deserves a paragraph of praise. “On the Table,” “Most of Us Prizefighters,” and “Secretarial” are reason enough to play The Slow Wonder over and over again.
Yet, Newman slows the tempo with faultless precision on “Come Crash” and “The Cloud Prayer.” Singing, “Once again, you’re a Godsend” on the former you can’t help but think this translates to the timing of the release of the album. Saving his best for the end Newman incorporates a cello of all instruments to turn “The Town Halo” into a song of the year candidate. And brings the listener to their knees with the tremendous closer “35 in the Shade.”
In what might become the Year of the Pornographer, The Slow Wonder is a half hour of concise and catchy power pop songs. You’ll find it hard to get through the entire album because of hitting repeat after each one.
MP3s via Matador.
Lindsay Lohan: She’s Crafty
Lindsay Lohan fills cups like double D’s. She’s the new Ann-Margaret, a flashing-eyed temptress, with the kind of self-awareness to make the housepets sweat. She’s got timing as an actress, as Freaky Friday and Mean Girls attest. But damn it if her transformation from one-to-ten tweener starlet into certified twenty freak machine is askew from discernable talent and parallel to purity. None of this bodes well for Hilary Duff. For a time quite infamously neck and neck with Lohan – cue kooky “E! News Live” fodder of stage mothers egging opposing cars and hating on their girls’ chinchillas – Duff lately has become the white toast foot patrol to her peer’s fiery salsa Rolls. If Lindsay’s the new Ann-Margaret, Hilary’s this year’s Melissa Joan Hart. It’s the sad ducket truth, even amidst the fog of FCC violations and goody-two-shoesness: We want a lady in the street but a freak in the bed.
Fontaine Toups – When I Wake Up
“When I Wake Up” by the Fontaine Toups. Via Fingertips.
Ani DiFranco – Educated Guess
Ani DiFranco – Educated Guess (Righteous Babe)
Over the last 20 years, singer/songwriter/activist Ani DiFranco has built an impressive career from doing it her own way every chance she got. Her latest, Educated Guess, is a solo album to the fullest extent of the word. There are no other musicians or singers on the album. She recorded and mixed the record entirely by herself. And just like the rest of her 16 official albums, Educated Guess was released on her own label, Righteous Babe Records. The only times she lets others in on the act is with the album’s digital mastering and ambitious multimedia sleeve design (although she did contribute nice sharpie and white-out drawings).
DiFranco’s approach has always been to challenge the established structure and hegemony of the music industry and society at large. The breadth of her independent catalog alone is testament to this, but her lyrics are also often political or social in nature. In “The Interview,” a poem printed in the sleeve booklet, she writes: “how can one talk on / the role of politics in art / when art is / activism / and anyway / both are just a lifelong light / shining through a swinging prism.” Beyond the inclusion of a total of four short poems in the liner notes, Educated Guess also contains four spoken word tracks, all delivered as poetry and accompanied by interesting vocal and instrumental tracks.
Musically, Educated Guess is an inconsistent effort. The spoken word tracks break up rather than tie together the album, and the songs alternate sporadically between full and melodic (“Swim,” “Origami”) and sparse and rambling (“Animal,” “Bodily”). While this pattern showcases the wide array of song structures that DiFranco is able to compose and perform, it doesn’t make for a very involving listen.
Few musicians have released an album so solo so deep into their career, and DiFranco should be noted and credited for doing so. And as long as she continues to challenge us and herself, she will remain a bold inspiration for independent artists everywhere.
Robert Quine Dead
Punk guitar pioneer Robert Quine Dead – “It is with great sadness that we inform fans that Robert Quine has passed away. We will update this site as details on the loss of one of music’s true originals become clear.”
Interview with Chuck D and Hank Shocklee
How Copyright Law Changed Hip Hop – Interview with Chuck D & Hank Shocklee of Public Enemy. Via Techdirt.
Johnny Marr gets back to his roots
Johnny Marr: “There are things that can be done with an acoustic guitar and a voice that I find more interesting and more expressive than standing on stage with four geezers in leather jackets.”