You are currently browsing the monthly archive for October, 2007.
The Filthy Little Angels have gone extra filthy and give us a free special Halloween download album filled with the twisted renditions of Rocky Horror Picture Show songs by various unsigned bands. Dammit Janet, I love it.
I’m so excited I can hardly concentrate. West Memphis 3 lawyers filed a motion to overturn Damien Echols’ conviction yesterday, based on new DNA evidence. Reports are still a little vague and, in some cases, slightly conflicting, but that’s to be expected when this kind of news breaks. Visit the WM3’s official website or blog to read all the news as it comes in. Also, the Echols Defense Team will be holding a press conference tomorrow, which will be broadcast as a live webcast (more information available on the WM3 website), so be sure to tune in for that. This is a massive development and Damien, Jason, and Jessie are going to need all the help they can get for what will hopefully be the final push. If you’ve followed this case at all but haven’t donated yet, now is definitely the time - every tiny little bit will get them that much closer to freedom.
Halloween is by far my favorite holiday - it’s the only one that’s all about fun and no work. No stressful shopping, no huge feast to prepare, no giving thanks. Carving a pumpkin? Awesome. Buying and eating candy? Mmmm. Wearing a costume? Always fun. And - the best part - watching crappy slasher flicks where a quiet and very focused masked man butchers a small town’s delinquent teenagers as a twisted form of revenge for a wrong done to him as a child? Excellent. Halloween is all about enjoying the cheesiest guilty pleasures and there’s nothing better. Happy Halloween, old friends!
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Duran Duran jump on the banned wagon with their video for “Falling Down”, the first single from their new album Red Carpet Massacre. Always a very clever move, because everybody knows that nothing creates a bigger buzz than bannishment. Though these music video veterans are not new to this taboo status, the muddy boobs filled “Girls On Film” suffered a same fate 26 years earlier. In this case the road to shunsville is paved with a shady Betty Ford clinic for gorgeous models. The single, written and produced by Justin Timberlake, though a bit drowned out by all the writhing beautiful people, is a great pop song that sounds fresh, but still has that familiar Duran Duranness.
The Rapture was one of the first modern post-punk disco bands to have commercial success with their jumble of sounds. Though last year’s release Pieces Of The People We Love is excellent, the truly rousing anthems come from their first full-length album Echoes. It was voted album of 2003 by Pitchfork and a day didn’t pass that you didn’t hear one of the songs on the album in some way. Especially “House Of Jealous Lovers” was everywhere, so I haven’t felt the need to listen to it for a while. I’ve heard the first few beats the other day on a BBC show and it brought back the rush of knowing that I was listening to a song of my generation.
There are some bands that make you claim a certain ownership, like no other time could have produced such a sound. I imagine it’s akin to what it must have been like to hear The Stooges’ furious noise or Grandmaster Flash’s mindblowing tricks on his turntables for the first time. It was something for the new generations to call their own, because there was nothing like it at the time. That’s what “House Of Jealous Lovers” means to me. I had never heard such a danceable frenzy of angst, beats and melody. And these guys rock the frick out of a cowbell. Maybe I wasn’t running in the right circles and people had been playing music like that for years, but my ears were aflutter. Even if you think this song is totally played out, I can’t imagine you’re not boogie-stricken from the first screams of this instant classic:
The Rapture - House Of Jealous Lovers
The trouble with emusic, as wonderful as it is, is that about half the albums I get from there are done like drive-by-downloads. I do it quickly while I’m passing through the site but then I totally forget they’re there. Every once in a while I have sort through my bulging downloads folder and dig around to find the good stuff. So that’s what I did this week and I’m glad I did.
I seriously don’t even know when Devendra Banhart’s latest album came out and I definitely don’t remember downloading it, so it was a nice surprise to see it waiting there. Where previous Devendra Banhart albums have been more 70s in a Marc-Bolan-meets-tiny-Spanish-pixie sort of way, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon is a bit more 50s and 60s (there’s still some Marc Bolan there though, it wouldn’t be right if there wasn’t). It’s got some doo-wop, some soul, a little funk - even a touch of reggae - and I find it a little more subtle than his other efforts. Don’t get me wrong, I love those too, but I this is my favorite Devendra release by far. I honestly have no idea what the rest of the music geek world thought of it, I haven’t read a single review of it. So for what it’s worth, I think it’s absolutely stunning - Devendra has always made beautiful and unique music but Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon shows off his amazing talents in a way I don’t feel his other albums have. I’d be surprised if it doesn’t end up on my Best Of 2007 list in a couple months.
Devendra Banhart - So Long Old Bean
Devendra Banhart - Shabop Shalom
Architecture In Helsinki is pretty much the exact opposite of Devendra Banhart. Much more Talking Heads and not so much hippy lovechild. I have to admit, I know absolutely nothing about Architecture In Helsinki other than that I really enjoyed In Case We Die. Sadly, it’s another one I always forget about, so I don’t listen to it that often, but their latest album, Places Like This may make a more long-lasting impression. I wasn’t sure what to expect so I just popped it in my stereo and waited to see what would happen. Oh, boy, it knocked my socks right off my feet. Do you like old-school hip-hop? Or the B-52s? Or, um, Justin Timberlake? The only way I can describe Architecture In Helsinki is as a badass mix of all kinds of funky electronic-ish genres that would be great to dance to but is actually quite odd in the most pleasurable poppy kind of way. So there you go. Check them out if you haven’t already, you’ll love them.
Architecture In Helsinki - Like It Or Not
Architecture In Helsinki - Same Old Innocence
Fellow emusic subscribers who want instant gratification: Download Devendra’s Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon here, and Architecture In Helsinki’s Places Like This here.
As is often the case with me, I just spit into the wind when it comes to New Band Day. I always forget what the rules are. Or, even worse, I just bend and meld them to my will so I get my way. So, today’s rule for what qualifies as a new band is never having released a full-length album. An EP doesn’t count. (Maybe that really is the rule?) Either way, wow, look at that. The 1900s qualify and are our new band today!
We received access to the 1900s new album, Cold & Kind, released ealier this month. I listened to it while catching up on the email that piled up during our 100break. I was wooed by today’s featured song enough to purchased the entire album from emusic and picked up their 2006 EP, Plume Delivery, while I was there. Now I think you should buy it, too.
The 1900s - When I Say Go
Not all of the album sounds like “When I Say Go”, but the harmonies and often throwback late-60s sound will appeal to many. (Think hippies not go-go boots.) Most of it is a very fuzzy and acoustic album that will serve as a source of comfort during happy and sad times. It’s pretty much like fleece. You’re either going to love it or hate it. Those that enjoy them could definitely find themselves in love with this Chicago-based septet.
Listen to more on The 1900s MySpace page.
100b is back, baby! But don’t call it a comeback, we been here for years, rockin our peers and puttin’ suckas in fear… Ahem sorry, I got a little carried away, but you gotta love LL Cool J. Anyway, we’re glad to be back after our much needed two week break, but 2007 has been the year for long gone bands to come back and dust off their banjos after years and years away from the limelight. Here’s a little look at the bands - some more Poptastic than others - that have rediscovered their love of performing together and - in most cases - money up to now. There are many more bands who reunited this year according to the wikipedia, but I’ve only listed the names that ring a bell to me.
First up the Grrrl Bands:
In February, to much surprise All Saints got back together. So much surprise that everyone was wondering why? After years of not so saintly cat fights, tell-all books putting each other down and Elton John-type hissyfits, they all of sudden announced they kissed and made up and hello world they’re back! Sadly nobody believed or bought any of it and the comeback was a big, sad flopsy flop just like 5ive and East 17’s comebacks last year. Yeah, that happened. I actually used to like All Saints’ songs, but I too was utterly indifferent to the whole reformation.
The Spice Girls’ reunion in June stirred way more people, even though most find it hard to not cringe whenever they say the Girls part. There’s massive interest in their big tour, which is gonna start in December and they have a Greatest Hits album out soon featuring three new songs.
Spice Girls - Wannabe
Big in the Nineties:
Rage Against The Machine came together this year for some concerts and are said to have a couple more gigs in store for us. It’s pretty exciting, because nobody explodes on stage like they do and there’s never a dull moment with such an outspoken collective. They’ve only been back together a minute and Ann Coulter already had some venomy things to say about the band, their music, and their fans. Man, she must be a hoot at parties.
Rage Against The Machine - Take The Power Back
The Smashing Pumpkins are also back together. I sort of feel like this is just a consolation prize for Billy Corgan, because all his other musical ventures couldn’t touch the success the Pumpkins had, but at least their back in full nineties glory.
Smashing Pumpkins - Blissed And Gone
In June, The Verve said they’re getting back for the joy of the music. A more cynical person would scoff at this, but in this case I want to believe it enough to love the sentiment and I’m genuinely glad they are giving it another go. They’re touring in November, they’ve already recorded some new songs and you can download a 14 minute free jam session of the band over on NME.com. It’s only available for a week so hurry!
The Verve - History
I always get this old man rock vibe from the newly reunited Crowded House. I’m no fan but I’m sure a lot of people (read: old man rockers) are itching to see their favorite Aussie band rip up the stage with hits like “Don’t Dream It’s Over” once again.
After a four year hiatus The Mighty Mighty Bosstones announced that they were back together earlier this month. They came into the spotlight in 1995 thanks to the popular movie Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone, but they had been together for a decade by then. They’re said to have contributed to the creation of something called ska-core, which is a mix of hardcore punk and ska. I’m sorry I don’t know much else about them, nor have I paid enough attention to the band before to really care about this reunion.
For the Indie kids:
At the beginning of the year James let the world know they are also back together for a comeback tour. I never really liked their biggest hit “Sit Down”, but it’s nice to see those guys are still rockin’.
I’m curious to see what happens for Manchester band Shed Seven now that they got back together. They were never a very popular band outside the UK to begin with so maybe their work will get a bit more airplay, because they’re such sweet, surprisingly poppy, songs.
Shed Seven - She Left Me On Friday
Holy Moses, The Jesus And Mary Chain are back together. I’m never sure what to expect from a comeback, but all I know is that I haven’t been this excited about a reunion since them Pixies took the stage again a few years ago. Themselves influenced by 60’s bands like The Stooges and Velvet Underground and great big walls of sound, this feedback-driven band has spawned a plethora of new bands.
The Jesus And Mary Chain - Surfin’ USA
Ye olde big bands of yore:
The Police have reunited, though this is actually their third reunion since their split in 1986. Their last one was not so long ago, only four years ago to be exact, so what keeps people fascinated by this band? They have produced some wonderful pop songs, but I think the thing that really has people coming back is the mandatory eighties dancing that comes with their songs.
Ah, Genesis. Yep, they have reformed as well. I enjoy the occasional Genesis song on the radio, but I have no strong feelings about this reunion either way. I do wonder what Peter Gabriel looks like now, because he will always look the way he did in the “Sledge Hammer” video to me.
You gotta appreciate the Sex Pistols if not for their legendary status in music history, then for the blatant honesty of the reason they got back together. John Lydon just came out and said that the common cause that got them back together in 1996 was money. Alright I’m biased, but that makes me love him even more. I don’t give a flying monkey butt why these bands get together anyway so you might as well admit that there are huge sums of money involved with these reunions, so fake BFF stories like All Saint’s miraculously rekindled love saga are wasted on me. Anyway, The Sex Pistols are once again ready to spread some of their patented filth and fury and all that comes with it.
Sex Pistols - Submission
The lone (former) kid’s rap group:
Oh my god, Kriss Kross are reuniting too, everybody! Apparently Mac Daddy and Daddy Mac, the once popular underaged rap duo are going to release a comeback album this month. I haven’t really heard anything about this mystery album yet, but it’s still early so let’s give it some time. Even with the wiggity wiggity whack Spice Girls in the same line up this is still the most poptastic band mentioned here. This one makes me smile, after I get over the rush of backward clothing nostalgia, I can’t help but wonder who was petitioning for these guys to get back together? I’m not saying there’s no place for them in this ever growing list of reforming bands in 2007, but it’s totally out of the blue. I only know this one hit from 1992, but I think it still sounds as excellent as when I first heard it at eleven.
Kriss Kross - Jump
Well, that’s it for now, but the year is not over, so I’m sure this list is not done growing. I don’t know what it is about 2007 that caused this wave of reunions, but it’s been overwhelming. There have also been some rumours about a My Bloody Valentines and Smiths comeback. I don’t know what’s gonna happen with My Bloody Valentine, so keep your fingers crossed, but I think it’s safe to say that the latter band at least will sadly not be seen together anytime soon, since Morrissey famously said that he would rather eat his “own testicles than reform The Smiths and that’s saying something for a vegetarian”.
Alrighty, we lied. By accident, of course. One of us got all sick and disgusting during our big break and we didn’t do any of that planning we had, um, planned. So we’re extending our time away for one more week. We’re super-duper sorry, but we promise we’ll be back next week. See you then!
The Decemberists - Apology Song
100b is taking a little break from the internets, but we’ll be back in exactly two weeks. We’re going to get a little rest and, if things go according to plan, come back with some new stuff that’ll knock your socks off. We don’t know what those new things might be yet, but we’ll still be 100bitchin’ either way.
See you all in a couple of weeks!
The Blood Arm - Going To Arizona
