Man Still @ Work

Most folks may have written off Colin Hay (if they ever knew his name) when the wrote of Men At Work as a classic 'one-hit wonder' band, but man every time you come across his acoustic stuff... it is just great. Come on, who doesn't think that 'I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You' off the Garden State Soundtrack is a great song? Go get yourself 'Beautiful World' over at Keep The Coffee Coming.

Jesus Not Too Keen on Tangy Bee Either

I'm not a good blogger yet -- don't know how to do the cool indented quotes from other sites or add links. I'll learn all that. But right now there is news that is too important to format properly. Processing it properly is going to be the tough part.

Sleater-Kinney is disbanding.

After eleven years as a band, Sleater-Kinney have decided to go on indefinite hiatus. The upcoming summer shows will be our last. As of now, there are no plans for future tours or recordings.

We feel lucky to have had the support of many wonderful people over the years. We want to thank everyone who has worked with us, written kind words about us, performed with us, and inspired us. But mostly we want to extend our gratitude to our amazing fans. You have been a part of our story from the beginning. We could not have made our music without your enthusiasm, passion, and loyalty. It is you who have made the entire journey worthwhile.

With love and thanks, Sleater-Kinney http://www.sleater-kinney.com

My rock 'n roll ladies. A great, raw punk band that grew into a great, important rock band. Thank goodness there's a catalog that is extensive and we can listen to forever. Though there's nothing like seeing this band play. [Okay, that one show they opened for Belle & Sebastian was not fabulous, but who the hell put that bill together? A seated venue full of B&S fans?? Not a good fit....]

My first concert with the Toomster. Who knew it would be the first of about 100. So far.

Five shows left -- god bless that DC is one of them.

Jul 29 Mellwood Arts Center, Louisville,KY
Jul 31 Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia,PA
Aug 01 930 Club, Washington,DC
Aug 02 Webster Hall, New York City,NY
Aug 04 Lollapalooza (Grant Park), Chicago,IL

The Way Bowie Was Meant To Be Heard...

In Portuguese. No, I'm serious... sure everyone knows Seu Jorge now after the Life Aquatic, but you have to admit his covers rock.

Get Life On Mars here... (via Salon.com's Audiofile)

At What Point Do You Cave?

I know this is old news - the 'Mats greatest hits album with two new songs. Okay, I own every album. Do I get a frigging 'nother CD (I already got "All for Nothing/Nothing for All" for the B-sides disc)? I'm thinking no....but the chances of me caving are about 58%.

This circumstance raises a more general issue, though. When do you decide that yes, I'm getting this compilation even though I own a bunch of the songs included. Sometimes it's just so cool (the DIY series with a few songs virtually no one had at the time, all the Merge anniversary compilations, the occasional Rhino box set like Left Of The Dial: Dispatches From The '80s Underground) that you need it. You must have it. I'm assuming we're all music lovers and collectors here...

But the greatest hit comps or the album re-release with 2 - 3 new songs? Tough call. I tend not to do it, now that I'm out of my teens and have more to do with my 'disposable' income than get every piece of vinyl The Smiths ever issued (an exercise in futility, by the way).

I'm assuming that the new 'Mats songs are not great. If I'm wrong, let me know.

Hey -- question to pose -- have there ever been one, two or three songs that make a re-purchase worth it? If so, would love to know what's gotten y'all to re-open your wallets. Similarly, is there a compilation with one gem -- a song you can't get anywhere else and just blows you way -- that makes the whole damn disc worth it?

More Proof Jesus Hates Me

Well at least we got the tour out of them...

Pixies abandon new songs

Frank Black calls them 'kind of fakey'

And Bam Thwok. Can't forget Bam Thwok.

Black said that about six months ago he penned a number of songs for the band "in an attempt to convince one of the Pixies to make a Pixies record again. I can't say who she is," Black told Billboard in reference to bassist Kim Deal.

He said while he liked the end result of some of the songs at the same time he wasn't entirely convinced.

"I tried to find my Pixies muse and write a so-called Pixies number but they weren't any good. They sounded a little contrived or something. That's the problem with trying to repeat something you did a long time ago; if you go 'Okay, I'm gonna try to recreate something, tap into some mood I used years ago', even if it's the same songwriter, it's kind of fakey."

"What can I say? Sometimes I wish I could just spit out some Pixies-esque songs, but it doesn't really work that way. You write the songs and they come out the way they come out. They might sound like the Pixies, but these days mostly...not."

I still want to hear those "mostly... not" songs. Badly.
Really, don't care, NEED to hear them.

I ♥ you Pixies... I really do.

Me ♥s The Pipettes

Oh I dig the Pipettes hard core... if you haven't heard them, check out a few of these links:
3 downloadable "Goodies" at a Italian blog I think is called 'Nothing Fails'
A cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" over at Skatterbrain

Keep Music Evil

Don't care about the post, but the picture is hilarious!

Potential iPod Killer?

If anything is going to catch, or even overtake, the iPod then it is going to have to have the sorts of features the MusicGremlin has:

The subscription service is $14.99 a month or 99 cents per song, and you don't even need a PC to use it, either—just access a WiFi network and you can download music directly into the player... You can even communicate with other Gremlins via WiFi and transfer music back and forth between them.

Now that sounds rad. I've long said that the next big hack/device for the iPod is the ability for users to conduct iPod to iPod transfers and a lot of folks have been pushing the whole wireless thing.

The downsides to the MusicGremlin?

...it's a bit thicker. And a lot uglier. Too bad it holds just 8GB of MP3 or WMA files.

But it appears to be on the right track. Somehow I doubt the Apple folks didn't see this sort of thing coming.

Potential iPod Killer?

If anything is going to catch, or even overtake, the iPod then it is going to have to have the sorts of features the MusicGremlin has:

The subscription service is $14.99 a month or 99 cents per song, and you don't even need a PC to use it, either—just access a WiFi network and you can download music directly into the player... You can even communicate with other Gremlins via WiFi and transfer music back and forth between them.

Now that sounds rad. I've long said that the next big hack/device for the iPod is the ability for users to conduct iPod to iPod transfers and a lot of folks have been pushing the whole wireless thing.

The downsides to the MusicGremlin?

...it's a bit thicker. And a lot uglier. Too bad it holds just 8GB of MP3 or WMA files.

But it appears to be on the right track. Somehow I doubt the Apple folks didn't see this sort of thing coming.

What Do All The People Know?

Whomever programs 'Fred' on XM really likes "What Do All The People Know" by the Monroes. Not even a one-hit wonder, but it's a great song. Enjoy!

'Mr. Irreplaceable': Paul Westerberg In Newsweek

Paul Westerberg has a nice little interview in Newsweek, but says somethings about the long dreamt-of Replaments reunion:

Is there a magic number that would get you guys on the road again?
Well, that would be the magic question. No, it's more the willingness. I don't know what it would take for us to actually rehearse these old songs ... Also, in the course of the last six years I've gone from being completely sober to one inch from death to completely sober again. Right now I'm very healthy, but I know secretly, in the back of my mind, that when you go on tour, that's when you tend to weaken when it comes to whatever vices you might have. I know Tommy's aware of that, too. So a little part of the reunion thing is us being afraid of getting back together and falling into our old ways and not making it home.

Yeah, that doesn't sound very encouraging.

Remember Don’t You Know Who I Think I Was?: The Best of The Replacements is out tomorrow (June 13th), but you probably already own all their albums... don't you?

I Am Fuel, You Are Friends has some MP3s and a good photo of the Mats...

Morrissey News

Well we always knew he wasn't a very happy boy, but here's what he has to say about possible Smiths reunion:

"I'm not placed on the Earth to torment ex-musicians. My life is gratifying at the moment musically, so why become part of The Smiths again? What's the point? I feel as if I've worked very hard since the demise of The Smiths and the others haven't, so why hand them attention that they haven't earned? We are not friends, we don't see each other. Why on earth would we be on a stage together?"

Ouch. Guess that settles that...

Peel!

Kingblind has Peel (rip) Sessions for The Smiths, the Breeders and a few others... hmmmm, Smiths Peel Sessions.

Run, don't walk.

The Improbable? Hardly...

So Slate jumps in with an interesting article on the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Do they tell us anything we don't know? No, but they make some comments that I have to say caused me to think a bit. On how the peppers have survived for 23 years (?!? has it really been that long?):

How exactly did these perennially shirtless himbos—pioneers of the most wretched fashion statement in pop history, the tube-sock-sheathed penis—become respected elder statesmen, the most durable rock act this side of U2?

In part, they did it by accident.

HA! That is kind of classic. Of course he lays it on Anthony's limited vocal range which may be true, but the man does a lot with a little (and there are far worse offenders than he).

My favoite line?

...Kiedis' broad, surfer-dude rapping was a novel sound—crude and grating, but novel—and it proved far more popular than the styles of fellow travelers in the L.A. punk-funk scene, such as the ska-infatuated Fishbone. (Many of us have never forgiven the Chili Peppers for reaping the success that rightfully belonged to Fishbone, one of the truly great rock bands of the '80s.)

I say again: HA! Now, in all fairness, Fishbone must bear some of the blame: they have been at best uneven and at worst supremely disappointing since their earliest efforts. They often break my ♥ (and I have always said I would get a Fishbone tattoo if I was gonna ever get a tattoo... that or the Green Lantern logo).

Regardless, I have long loved the Chili Peppers and miss my old 'Positive Mental Octopus' tshirt more and more everyday.