43 posts from August 2009

Internet time moves so quickly. If I had mentioned something about Noel Gallagher quitting Oasis on Friday, that would've been accepted. But it's been three days later and now I feel like people are going to say:

That was so yesterday.

When I first heard the news broke (on CNN hourly podcast), I wasn't all that surprise. Noel have always seem to be the guy in charge of Oasis. Without him, there's simply no Oasis. And the guy is a bit of "it's my way, or the highway!" attitude. I'm not just talking about reading about them, I'm talking about an experience with Noel.

Oasis - Slide Away 1 comment

Remember how I told you that I've actually met the band and interviewed Liam Gallagher in Sacramento back in 1994? When I got their autographs, everyone in the band was happy to obliged, all except "the rare Noel Gallagher who refused to sign my copy at first". It was only after their tour manager said that she wasn't going to foot his liquor bill, did Noel reluctantly sign my Definitely Maybe album. If the tour manager wasn't around, I'll bet you to this day, I would say "Noel Gallagher, what a jerk!" whenever I look at my album.

By the way, you can see from the signed cover (audio: Slide Away), Noel and Liam's autographs are quite different. Liam is bold and blocky, while Noel's elegant, almost. The two is very different, but when I met them, they didn't seem all fist-a-cuffs. However, I didn't really see them talking to each other all that much. Liam, Bonehead, and Paul McGuigan were talkative, hanging out in front of their Sacramento gig (and no one knew who they were). Yeah, who's missing in that picture?

Oasis - Falling Down 1 comment

When I reviewed Dig Out Your Soul, late last year, I noted how surprise I was to see that other musicians were allowed to write their own songs. Of course, this was a steady thing, starting with Liam Gallagher's "Little James" song being included on Standing on the Shoulder of Giants. On Dig Out Your Soul about half the album (Liam wrote three of the five songs not written by Noel). Suddenly, Oasis seems to be more like the republic of Oasis, no longer a monarchy. While I think that is a good thing (it keeps everyone happy and they feel like they contributing something to the band), personally, I think it kills Noel Gallagher that his tight grasp over Oasis have slipped.

The best example of how Noel was in control of everything is an interview with Noel on the bonus DVD edition of Stop the Clocks, their "Greatest Hits" compilation. In an interview on the DVD, when asked about the track listing, Noel basically admitted it was entirely hand-picked by him. Supposedly he gave the other band members a chance to throw in their 2-cents, but Liam said, "That's the first time I fookin' seen 'em".

The other videos are the news of Noel leaving Oasis (2009), and Noel admits to leaving Oasis back in 1994/1995 on their first American tour.

Noel Gallagher quits Oasis 2 comments	Noel Quits Oasis in 1994
Noel Gallagher Picks the Tracks	Oasis on Breakup

My favorite quote is, from Liam:

We were finished a long time ago, we're just doing it for the money.

So what do I think? Noel, however rude and jerky he is, I can see them reuniting in the future. I think he just needs to calm down and take a break.

Sondre Lerche – Heartbeat Radio

Last winter I saw Sondre Lerche at an outdoor flea market in Brooklyn, and we were both wearing those dorky yet ridiculously warm fleece-lined hats with ear flaps. He came off looking like a charming, appropriately attired urbanite, whereas I resembled a lost Himalayan Sherpa. Instant inferiority complex.

The keyword of that seemingly pointless anecdote is “charm” – the backbone of Lerche’s fifth album, Heartbeat Radio. As with his taste in hats, he manages to get away with a certain amount of corniness due to sheer charm and enthusiasm. Heartbeat Radio is a sweeping, often times beautiful, work of orchestral pop and a definite mark of Lerche’s growth as a musician. It’s just as appealing as his debut LP, Faces Down, but with an added sophistication and a keener attention to detail. Despite occasional forays into kitsch (check out the ode to one-time mechanic, one-time James Bond actor, George Lazenby, “Just Like Lazenby”), his intentions are true, and he’s bound to win you over.

Unlike his past two albums, Lerche does not attach a specific label to this one. Phantom Punch was his “rock” album, and Duper Sessions was his “jazz” album, but Heartbeat Radio benefits greatly from its lack of categorization. Lerche seems to enjoy the freedom on tracks like “Easy to Persuade,” where he blends guitars, synths, and even a sax to create a sound that eludes any easy classification. Without seeming schizophrenic, the songs on the album jump from genre to genre but all bear the mark of Lerche’s meticulous arrangements and infectious choruses.

Within such a broad spectrum of sounds, Lerche is able to strike a smooth balance between his orchestral grandeur and sincere, often amusing songwriting. On the wry track, “I Guess It’s Gonna Rain Today,” he pokes fun at himself for coming off as a “tired cliché.” It’s that sense of self-awareness and humor that allows me to forgive him –and inwardly swoon over—a song like “Words & Music.” With lyrics worthy of the best 1950’s musical, it wins the title for Lerche’s Cheesiest (and Sweetest) Song, a title previously held by “My Hands Are Shaking” off of the Dan in Real Life OST.

Lerche’s knack for romantic verse is not always sickeningly sweet though. On the buoyant single, “Heartbeat Radio,” things starts off typically with an unassuming acoustic guitar before blooming into a sweeping ode to unrequited love and second guessing. As he croons about “drowning in a sea of reverb” and “sad honkytonk,” the droll lyrics make way for the heartbreakingly delivered line: “my poor heart still beats for you.” All future boyfriends: please take note.

For all its romantic fanfare, Heartbeat Radio is still grounded in a slightly more mature, restrained sound. The two tracks that bookend the album, “Good Luck” and “Good Night,” are infused with all the right bells and whistles, but there’s still that sense of cynical, sometimes campy charm. On anyone else, it would come off as maudlin or overdone, but on Lerche it’s a natural fit.

The Brunettes @ the 7^th St. Entry, Minneapolis 8.26.09

 

OR

 

R.I.P. Twee

 

Wednesday night the Brunettes played to a fairly underage crowd, which is usually the outcome when you mix indie pop with summer break.  Because I am old and cranky, I resented the children and their positive attitudes.  So I drank more to counteract the offenders.  Interestingly, two beers in I discovered a few things worthy of note:  1). It’s possible that one of my legs is longer than the other, or that one of my shoes is more worn down than the other!  2). the “dress over jeans” style of the early 90s is back and popular amongst teenagers born in the early 90s!  3). the Brunettes have so many percussion instruments!

 

It’s true.  Number three is true.  Besides the obvious and boring drums, select members of the band also played the triangle, castanets, wood blocks, glock, and the human hands.  There was a lot of clapping in sync, a few failed attempts at starting a clap-a-long, several rounds of “la la la-ing,” one doll-sized piano, one man in white jeans, two pretty girls with long Chan Marshall hair, and plenty of awkward postmodern chit chat about buttholes and poop (just kidding, I don’t remember).  Yes, friends, it was that kind of show.

 

Now, in theory, I have no problem with those kinds of shows.  I like the triangle.  I like visible discomfort.  I like accents (the Brunettes hail from New Zealand).  What I don’t like is being force-fed high levels of “cute” AND watching in horror as said “cute” manifests itself as an interactive Urban Outfitters window display.  I guess musicians are not aware of the very important Seventeen Magazine life advice that tells us boobs are sexier when covered because it’s a sign of self-control and self-control is sexy (take that, translucent mesh halter top!).  I think these wise words could also apply to bands on cute overload.  Behold the unhealthy levels of precious:

 

- Ridiculously attractive band members.  Question:  if you look like a little porcelain doll, do you train yourself to be talented too, or are some people just blessed with better gifts?  Another question:  how do the beautiful find each other to start bands and stuff?  Craigslist?

 

- Heather Mansfield’s twee voice.  I’m not convinced that singing in boys’ choir range actually constitutes singing.  It’s more like making a long, drawn-out mouth noise.

 

- An overall feeling of meticulous, stylized awareness, like how the Monkees impersonated the Beatles and still had hits.

 

It’s a shame, really, because the songs aren’t rotten.  Sure, they have titles like “Loopy Loopy Love” and “Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth,” but these are no worse than Yo La Tengo’s moppet lingo discography.  Twee is such a flimsy, absentminded genre it’s nearly impossible to find profundity amongst the milkshakes and thick-rimmed glasses.  (Twee is a Sofia Coppola film:  pretty but vacant.)  Strip a twee song of its prettiness and you’re left with the adolescent musings of a dreamer.  Trouble is, we grow up.  Perhaps the most disappointing moment of Wednesday’s show was the realization that cute is no longer enough.  Likewise, we all know that seeking higher standards is totally being an adult, which is frightening to those of us in transitional stages.  This begs the question:  are you ever truly an adult if you’re in a twee band?

 

The seemingly adult Brunettes are Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield, plus a rotating lineup of additional musicians.  They formed in 1998 but didn’t officially release an album until 2002 (Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks).  Since 2002 the band’s issued two full-length albums and two EPs; Structure and Cosmetics is their latest album, released on Sub Pop in 2007.  Currently, the Brunettes are on tour.  Visit their website (via Lil’ Chief Records) or Myspace for more info.

THE CHURCH
thechurchband.com ♥ myspace ♥ twitter 

The first time song I heard from the Australian band, The Church, was "Ripple", which remained my all-time favorite Church song. Of course, even at that time, in 1991, they were well on their second wind from their big "come back" in 1988 with the brilliant "Under the Milkyway". No doubt about it, the band's old, as old as the church they are named after. It's really amazing that in 2010, that the band have existed, in one form or another (they were briefly known as The Refo:mation), in 30 years. 

Although, admittedly, I am not a mega-fan, as I haven't kept up with the band in the mid-90s, I am happy to report that with Untitled #23, their 23^rd album, that Steve Kilbey's songs have not much changed. And that's very comforting to me. Kilbey's voice is so familar and friendly, that Untitled #23 feels like it was written in 1996. 

Some of the things I've noticed is that Kilbey seems to really like medieval themes (for Pete's sake, he sings "Minotaur" in "Sunken Sun"). Another really good example of Kilbey's "past tensed" can be found on my favorite song, "Deadman's Hand":

On our way to crush the revolution
Camp by a lake in the blackened lands
Dealing out love and retribution
Dealing out the deadman's hand

The lyrics are like poetry to me. And, really, who writes lyrics like that anymore? Colin Meloy would be jealous. 

As I have previously mentioned, I have not kept up with the band, but reading quotes online, I got the impression that this might be The Church's best album in a long time. Australia's Rolling Stone gave the album a 5 star review calling it "[a] return to form with a stunningly ambitious album of shimmering rock". 

Not much to add to this, except if you love and remember The Church from the late 80s to the 90s, this latest album will fit comfortably in your discography. You can pick up the album, released in May via Second Motion Records, from amazon. 

PS, too bad I don't live in New South Wales, as that intimate "dinner & acoustic show" sounds deliciously awesome. 

CHURCH myspace  Church - Aquamarine Someone should tell these Portlanders that there is already a band called The Church. Well, they did drop the "the". Still, naming a band after a common word might not be the best move? I know from interviewing so many bands that coming up with a name for your band is possibly the hardest thing in the world. And when you do settle on a name you absolutely love, people might destroy your hard work with a simple "that name sucks".  Ignore that first paragraph, Church's album is called Song Force Crystal and it comes from my favorite silk-screening record label called Tender Loving Empire. I have mentioned before that I think their products are very attractive and reasonably priced (most albums are handmade and under $10).  I'll be honest, I don't really get this really spacey, psyschedelic album. There's a lot of weird noises, "organic" sounds, and electronic farts inserted in their music, which sort of distracts me from their music. When I do like the band, it's when they're doing simple songs like the first part of "Golden Girls", which is mostly (I think) the two brothers, Brandon and Reechard Laws singing over some acoustic plucks. But since they're more focused on the layers of Moog synthesizers and experimental noise, there's plenty of those on the track "Aquamarine".  Where I think the best will be best experience is seeing them play live, I've read they've got quite a "sizable following along the West Coast... with their intense tour ethic". So check them out live if you get a chance: 08/29/09 Missippi Studios Portland, OR  09/04/09 Berbati’s Pan Portland, OR  09/11/09 The Woods Portland, OR  09/19/09 MFNW 2009  Portland, OR  09/23/09 Northern Olympia, Washington  09/24/09 The Silver Moon  Bend, OR  09/25/09 The Crawlspace  La Grande, OR  09/26/09 Visual Arts Collective Boise, ID  09/27/09 Backyard Show Bellevue, ID  09/28/09 Idaho State Pocatello, ID  09/28/09 SHO Salt Lake City, Utah  09/29/09 Flying Goat Boulder, Colorado  09/30/09 Rhinoceropolis Denver, Colorado  10/01/09 Everyday Joe’s Fort Collins, CO 10/02/09 Velour Provo, Utah  10/03/09 Beauty Bar Las Vegas, Nevada  10/04/09 The Smell Los Angeles, CA  10/05/09 Che Cafe San Diego, CA  10/06/09 Dtown Brewery SLObispo, CA  10/07/09 Muddy Waters  S Barbara, CA  10/08/09 Boo Boo’s Record SLObispo, CA  10/09/09 The Crepe Place Santa Cruz, CA  10/10/09 Amnesia San Francisco, CA  10/12/09 North Bay Art Santa Rosa, CA  10/13/09 UC Davis   Davis, CA  10/13/09 Luigi’s   Sacramento, CA  10/14/09 Downtown Eatery Redding, CA  10/15/09 Lil’ Red Lion Eureka, CA  10/16/09 Jambalaya Arcata, CA  10/17/09 Sam Bond’s Garage Eugene, OR 10/18/09 The Space Salem  10/27/09 Portland State Portland, OR  10/30/09 Doug Fir Portland, OR Song Force Crystal is available in CD/digital from TLE and vinyl fromsohitek.com		THE LOW ANTHEM lowanthem.com ♥ myspace  The Low Anthem-Charlie Darwin 2 comments Rhode Island's The Low Anthem seem to have won a few hearts and fans (such as NPR and selling out at popular venues in the UK) with their rootsy, folksy sound. I briefly mentioned them earlier because I thought it was cool that someone was interested in Charles Darwin's 200th. Plus I thought the title, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, was oxymoronic clever.  Their all-things Americana record label, Nonesuch Records, re-issued the album for a second printing, due to their popularity, with new silkscreening artwork.  The Low Anthem - (Don't Tremble) So, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, deceptively starts off quite quiet - starting with the title track and to the almost Garfunkelesque singing on "To Ohio" to distorted guitars on "Ticket Taker". But soon enough, the foot-stomping "The Horizon Is A Beltway" and "Home I'll Never Be", they suddenly turned into a good-time, high-energy Americana jam band. I'm sure those two songs are crowd pleaser when they play live... but unfortunately, most of their songs are very soothing. "(Don't Tremble)" is a perfect example of the soothing gentleness, I mentioned earlier. The vocals aren't too sweet, and the song does come off as sounding kind of like Bob Dylan - complete with harmonica.  Looks like the band is still on tour! 08/30/09 Nixon Park Kennet Square, PA  09/03/09 Gaiety Theatre Dublin  09/04/09 Gaiety Theatre Dublin  09/05/09 Electric Picnic Stradbelly  09/06/09 Deaf Institute Manchester  09/07/09 Oran Mor Glasgow  09/08/09 Cluny 2 Newcastle  09/09/09 Glee Club Birmingham  09/10/09 Bullingdon Arms Oxford  09/11/09 End Of the Road Festival 09/12/09 End Of the Road Festival 09/13/09 Bestival Isle of Wight  09/15/09 La Salumeria Della Musica Milan  09/16/09 Atomic Cafe Munich  09/17/09 El Lokal Zurich  09/18/09 Broftabrik Frankfurt  09/19/09 Gebaude 9 Koln  09/20/09 Lido Berlin  09/21/09 Knust Hamburg  09/23/09 De Duif Amsterdam  09/24/09 Ancienne Belgique Brussles  09/25/09 Doornroosje Nijmegen  09/26/09 La Maroquinerie Paris  10/02/09 Austin City Limits Austin, Texas  10/15/09 Avon Cinema Providence, RI  10/17/09 Chop Suey Seattle, WA  10/18/09 Lola’s Room Portland, OR  10/19/09 The WOW Eugene, OR  10/21/09 Great American SF, CA  10/23/09 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA 10/24/09 Casbah San Diego, California  10/25/09 Plush Tucson, Arizona  10/27/09 House of Blues Houston, Texas  10/28/09 Granada Theater Dallas, Texas  10/29/09 The Parish Austin, Texas  10/30/09 Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, LA  11/02/09 Club Downunder Tallahassee, Florida  11/03/09 The Social Orlando, Florida  11/04/09 Earl East Atlanta, Georgia  11/05/09 Mercy Lounge Nashville, TN  11/06/09 University of NC Asheville, NC  11/07/09 Attucks Theatre Norfolk, Virginia  11/09/09 Cats Cradle Carrboro, NC 11/11/09 Black Cat  Washington DC  11/12/09 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA  11/18/09 The Tabernacle London  11/20/09 Crossing Border The Hague  11/22/09 Crossing Border Antwerp Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is out now, you can buy it on Nonesuch oramazon.
DONOHOE donohoemusic.com ♥ myspace ♥ twitter  Donohoe - St. Francis of Assisi Colin O’Donohoe seems like a very cool, open-minded kind of guy. I mean, look at his debut album, Shi Jing: Ancient Book of Songs, are songs from Asia. This is followed by a Christian-themed album about some of the Saints, while his latest work is middle-eastern themed called Lyrical Sutras.  In keeping with the Christian/Church theme of my own article, Songs of the Saints, as a whole, sounds very world electronica, especially because there's the traditional soaring singing and Italian chants combined with dance music.  My favorite of the saint songs is St Francis of Assisi, who is known as the patron saint of animals and Italy - which would explain the vocals (but does not explain the wika-wika warped sound). In many ways, the mixing of old and new makes for an interesting album.  Songs of the Saints is definitely worth checking out if you're into dancing with the spirits. You can purchase O'Donohoe's albums (and sheet music!) directly on his website.		NICHOLAS HOWARD beliefandhustle.com ♥ myspace  Nicholas Howard - God is in the City 1 comment Nicholas Howard is a soul-singer from New York, who seems to be influenced by many musical styles, based on listening to his album called God is in the City. The album is full of urban soul, blues/jazz, salsa songs with lots of backup singers.  The title track, and opening song, is basically two songs: the first part with a smooth Howard vocals and the second part that turned into gospel dance floor. That second part comes out of nowhere and, I'll have to admit, it surprised me at how much I enjoyed the unexpected.  Also surprising is that I thought the vocals are by a woman. In fact, it's Howard singing in a weird falsetto... he'll sound normal when he slows down to a talk-like singing, like on "Life is a Mystery".  You can purchase God is in the City directly from CD Baby or via amazon.

Here are some news from news.weheartmusic.com for this week.

BICYCLE DIARIES
davidbyrne.com ♥ penguingroup.com

While fans will know David Byrne from his music from Talking Heads in the 80s and his solo work, people rarely know that Byrne is a huge bicycle enthusiast. Byrne's bicycle is his main mode of transportation around his home in New York and when he's out on his world tour (throughout Sydney, Manila, San Francisco, etc). He kept a diary and Penguin Books is publishing his book, Bicycle Diaries, on sale September 21, 2009.

Fan will take note that Byrne is recording and reading his own book for the audio book version, although from his journal, it did not go too well the first week:

Did my second audiobook reading of the Bicycle Diaries NY chapter today. My first attempt, last week, was marred by maybe a combination of nerves and a wonky lower lip, as the braces had just gone in and were scraping the inside of my mouth. (I smashed a guitar into my bottom teeth about a week before the tour ended.) There’s less of that slurring and slushing going on now, and perhaps I am more confident and relaxed as well.

What will make this audio book a treat is that Byrne, always the experimentalist, will be incorporating sound recording he's made from the streets and noise in the book.

Look for Bicycle Diaries in September (preorder information), and you can find out more about Byrne's auctioning of his folding Montague bike for the London Cycling Campaign at Byrne's Journal.

ARTIST MUSIC JOURNALS
soundscreendesign.com

Speaking of books, Soundscreen Designs is releasing the third installment of its ongoing Arist Music Journals series, featuring musician/artist Daniel Higgs, former singer of the post-hardcore Lungfish.

About the series:

Artist Music Journals are an ongoing, monthly, limited edition small book series. Each month, a visual artist or musician is asked to create a 24-page book of artworks, drawing inspiration from their connection to music. The different ways in which each artist chooses to represent their connection to music is what makes this ongoing series unique, intriguing and diverse.

Each book is limited to 1,000 copies, printed on thick stock, offset, box-scored and saddle stitched, and comes packaged in a 10" jacket. The jackets for each edition will be identical, keeping the collection's overall outward design aesthetic consistent. However, there is a distinct letterpressed sticker wrapping the opening of the jacket for each installment featuring a replication of the artist's signature, the volume, installment number, and edition.

Information on how to purchase the book is located here ($17). Special thanks to AAM for sending this in.

PARAGRAPHS
myspace.com/paragraphsband ♥ twitter.com

Paragraphs, or vowels-hating "prgrphs", is very excited to play the 7^th Street show this Friday, August 28^th, with Ice Palace and Wheat (hopefully, we will get that much-delayed Wheat review up soon).

Paragraphs describes themselves as "a Minneapolis trio that plays music featuring a lot of delay pedal, toy Casios", followed by "drummer with a goofy smile".

They have a few other shows coming up, including one with Austin's The Calm Blue Sea.

08/28/09 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN
09/03/09 Big V’s St. Paul, MN
09/19/09 Applefest - Abnet Field La Crescent, MN
10/03/09 Augsburg College Minneapolis, MN

Voxtrot – Berlin, Without Return

Three years ago Voxtrot released two incredibly well-received EPs, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives and Raised By Wolves and immediately garnered a cult-like fanbase. On the adolescent anthem, “Soft and Warm,” Ramesh Srivastava sang, “You are so young, so feel alive, and one day you will live on your own.” It was the exact kind of vibrant optimism that was reflected back on them from their fans, who eagerly anticipated a full album.

It’s been two years since their slightly underwhelming debut LP, and although some of that fanfare has died down, Voxtrot returns with a 7-inch that serves as a striking reminder to why they skyrocketed to blog-fame so quickly. Maybe their songs are best appreciated in small doses, as the brevity of the single is just enough to stir that same sense of excitement that these guys are on to something.

Berlin, Without Return contains two concise songs that start off sparse before they bloom with lush orchestration and urgent lyrics. On the single of the same name, Srivastava skillfully turns adolescent mantras into eerily beautiful choruses as he repeats, “I don’t know you, you don’t know me,” with an army of strings and keyboards driving home the point. It’s Voxtrot doing what they do best: theatrical and urgent pop that goes straight for the heart. They’ve done away with the harder, guitar-centered sound that drove their debut album and returned to the softer, orchestral keys-and-strings combination that was once their signature.

Despite reverting to their old formula, Berlin remains fresh and effortless, thanks to a somewhat altered perspective. The optimism is still there, but it’s more careful this time around, slightly stilted by experience. Second song, “The Dream Lives of Ordinary People,” is plagued by references to nightmares and ghosts, yet there is still something uplifting hidden among the heavy bassline and wordy verses. When Srivastava ends the song with a frenzied epiphany (another classic move), he offers up a healthy dose of reality, but he cushions it with all the charm and idealism that made us fall in love with this band in the first place.

Matisyahu's third studio album, Light, comes out today. The album was two years in the making and was originally scheduled for an early 2008 release, but through various circumstances, like Matisyahu's unrelenting touring schedule and family obligations, the album will finally see the 'light of day' today.

Matisyahu's fans* should already be familiar with these new songs, through various "listening stations" from Matisyahu's touring van, or have heard the songs unveiled on last year's tour dates, but they will finally get to hear it as was meant to be heard via CD and vinyl - available with a free DVD directly from the official website.

Matisyahu - Youth 2 comments Matisyahu - Smash Lies

I don't have his debut album, but comparing Light to Youth, I can speculate that Matisyahu is moving away from reggae. Don't get me wrong, there's still a lot of reggae undertones and dubs, just maybe not the focus. And in the grand scheme of things, I think it's good that he's looking into other influences (take for instance "Smash Lies" which is more hip-hop/rap with techno/dance elements).

Perhaps this has to do with the brilliant Aaron Dugan on guitars, who can be heard clearly on such tracks as "Motivate" and "We Will Walk". From seeing them live at the recent 80/35 Festival, I can tell you that Dugan is a very talented guitarist.

Lyrically, Light is typically Matisyahu, in terms of talking about God, rising up, and freedom. The theme is about obviously about the light. This could mean many things, it's up to your interpretation of it. I speculated it has more to do with religion... Like the fact that Matisyahu can't actually work after sunset because of his beliefs - so light and darkness plays a very important role in his life. My favorite 'light' song is "Darkness Into Light", which features some strange yiddish scattish.

Light is out now at most retailers. Buying it directly seems to include the best package and option at official website.

*I should also mention that as much as his fans are very passionate about Matisyahu's music, Matisyahu often encourages and engage with his fans - as evident by his twitter account.

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Sorry this week's episode is an outtakes show because I was out all all weekend. I'm finally home, chillaxing with pajamapants and going to put on Messenger 2: The Scarecrow on the TV.

I am hoping to put together a semi-regular Britpop Podcast show - please send me name suggestions. I'd like to have the word 'britpop' in the title, but not necessary.

The good news is that we actually have enough material to last for a few weeks (!!), so I don't actually have to do any real work as it's all recorded and processed (I just need to copy and paste it into a 10 minute show).

So, in order of appearance on the first outtakes: Ryan, Goodnight, States, Graeme K, Kate and Lara. Bonus: Devi.

Hopefully next week, we can bring on Raconteurs expert Christopher.

I wanted to show up earlier to check out Romantica and Black Blondie at Red Stag Supperclub, but unfortunately I did not make it down until 7 o'clock and by that time, Heiruspecs was already on stage. Fear not, I am certain that we'll get around to Romantica down the road. 

So some things I noticed: lots of young people, families (with children), skaters, and beer drinker's wristbands. The weather was excellent as were the fried cheese curds. Also, I'm not sure what happened to Mary Lucia, but instead Mark Wheat and Foxy Tann was handling the announcements between each show.

So basically, I was mainly there to see Mark Mallman, which I was glad was the main headliner. He came onstage with a woman bassist, guitarist (I'm told this guy's been in at least 300 bands...), headphoned drummer, and two grown men in "Mallwolf"-ish outfits.

Mallman is a real showman: on stage, I don't know how he can keep beat while making love to his keyboard or playing with his elbow and standing (and not falling) on his seat. His high energy is simply mesmerising to watch.

He has a brand new album called Invincible Criminal released this week, which I don't have a copy. However, I did enjoy the video from his album: 

Mark Mallman - Invincible Criminal

Also, he's giving away his Loneliness in America: Best of 1998 – 2008 album as a completely free download ("for a limited time", so hurry). I know for sure he played "True Love" and "Knockout on 22nd st." at the block party.

Please refer to Andrew's review of Night Shot for more information, you can pick up Invincible Criminal directly from Badman Recordings. Mark Mallman is playing First Avenue on September 5^th, which will give him enough room onstage so he can do even more incredible acrobatics.