MUSIC THREAD

Jay-Z American Gangster album

http://link-protector.com/324941/

 

Not news, but I am seriously digging on Pandora right now. If you haven't tried it, you must.

 

pandora is a pretty sweet site. only thing I wish they'd do is allow you to click "no, I don't like this" more often rather than forcing you to hear the song after awhile if you want to stay on that "station"

 

I am watching this over and over again. Well, not watching, but listening to the lyrics.

 

New Saul Williams is taking same approach as new Radiohead. It's either free or $5. Trent Reznor produced, which leads to a new sound. Really good.
If you're unfamiliar with Saul, he's a former beat poet who started turning his poetry into music about six or so years ago. He has his masters from NYU in acting, but poetry is his real gift. He's a great writer.

 

some great stuff on the new Josh Ritter album -- The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter.

 

Pandora is awesome. I learned about so many new, underground bands from that site, as well as caught up with some tunes I hadn't heard since college. And it's free.

www.pandora.com, if anyone hasn't used it yet.

 

It's been a tough couple of weeks to be a musician:

R.I.P.
Lucky Dube [October 18]
Lala Brown [October 19]
Paul Raven [October 20]
Paul Fox [October 21]
Porter Wagoner [October 28]
Robert Goulet [October 30]
Marchel Ivery [October 30]
Witold "Vitek" Kiełtyka [November 2]
Hank Thompson [November 6]

 

Took these not-so-great shots on my camera phone at James Taylor's concert at ARCO Arena tonight.

Absolutely AMAZING performance, including five encore songs over three encore appearances.

 

So I went to see The Hold Steady last night. While I found them to be quite good I left feeling a bit underwhelmed by their performance. I don't read a lot of music press but I've heard so much about how their concerts are supposed to be a religious experience and all that. Maybe I caught them on and off night. Or maybe they're going to be the new Soundgarden for me...a band that makes records I enjoy but fails to deliver on the hype live.
There was a bonus last night: Art Brut was the opening act. I didn't know they were part of the tour. They were great. They're the polar opposite of The Hold Steady in terms of performance mentality. The Hold Steady seems to be about going out and playing earnestly while Art Brut is hopped up on Pixie Stix [heroin in a straw!] schtick. Art Brut will not change your life by any means. But they'll entertain you for a solid hour.

 

Freeway's new album "Free at Last" is one of his best. Jay-Z delivers a strong verse on "Roc-A-Fella Billionaires." The song uses a "Sweet Charity" sample.

 

Just ran across this great site that links old post-punk, alternative, etc. videos on You Tube. Very cool.



http://www.post-punk.com/ppvideos.html