Head On The Door

As Metallica headlines KROQ's summer concert I am reminded that there is nothing alternative about alternative rock radio in 2008. While KROQ didn't invent the Modern Rock format Spinner notes that "the station shunned the band for years in favor of alternative bands like Depeche Mode, U2 and the Cure" marking an end of an era. Exactly when that era ended is up to debate, some might argue that was when Metallica headlined Lollapalooza in 1996 almost killing off the travelling festival, but KROQ's reputation and the way it's playlist is shamelessly copied by other alternative stations across the country give this moment a sting.
In the Bay Area we have Live 105 which has had it's own flavor and they downsized their summer concert this year dropping ticket prices to $10.50 (see what they did there?). If they didn't play Red Hot Chili Peppers every hour on the hour I might still listen to the radio.

Video: Bjork "Wanderlust"

Quote Of The Week (thank you Matt)

"If you are loving what Bjork has been doing the past decade this is a single that won't disappoint":

Amazing News Alert

Ladytron's new album Velocifero is streaming at their myspace before you can even buy the first single. Be sure to catch a free download of teaser track "Black Cat" and look for the album out on June 3rd in the US.

Don't Believe The Hype

Anyone catch the Rolling Stone review that argues Accelerate is "one of the best records R.E.M. have ever made"? Bill Wyman wrote an interesting piece that gets to the root of why many musically minded people have tuned out reviews from the rock establishment's publication of choice. Using that statement as a jumping off point Wyman goes through the past decade or so of the magazine's REM album reviews and discovers that as far back as Up, the album where the public first demonstrated they had lost interest in the band, each release has been praised by Rolling Stone as an improvement on their recent output. Different writers opine on each album but the similarity is striking giving the impression that there is a standard "late period REM album" review expected by the editorial staff. While the uniformity of sentiment may simply come from the shortcomings that come with deadlines and the lack of time to differentiate "sort of sounds like that album that was really good" from "where did the memorable songs go" I suspect the source of this groupthink comes from the canonical glow cast over all of REM's work by their couple of albums that are considered among the pinnacles of the American underground rock movement and their implied effect on the musical landscape on the 1990s. Given that even Peter Buck has called some of that praised material the work of "old, miserable has-beens" suggests the critical elite needs a more distanced eye when it comes judging others who also can do no wrong.

Video: Goldfrapp "Happiness"

The second single from Goldfrapp's Seventh Tree is due shortly and the energetic video has been unleashed to the web. Teaming up again with "A&E" director Dougal Wilson the continuous shot video finds Alison in a series of cameos as we focus on a fellow who clearly has too much happiness to contain as he leaps around an increasingly bouncy neighborhood:



: Promotion of Seventh Tree is starting to pick up as Goldfrapp are beginning to tour. They have three US dates scheduled later this month (although if you won't be near Coachella, San Francisco or New York you're out of luck) and are scheduled to play on The Tonight Show on April 22. Stop by their myspace for single details and click here to hear the rejected Rex The Dog mix of "Happiness",

Video: Pet Shop Boys "Integral"

Releasing "Integral" as a single should have been such a great way to close out the Pet Shop Boys celebrated Fundamental era. The most overtly political song the Boys have ever written has been championed as a favorite ever since Popjustice published the album's first review. The combination of catchy and decidedly "up" dance music with lyrics that address the UK's adoption of mandatory identity cards creates a chilling effect demonstrating "what fascistic power sounds like, and in doing so reminds us of why it must be avoided". However, when Disco 4 generated the single release of "Integral" what the general public heard was not the amazing album version but a remixed version of the song that takes a direct route in musically interpreting the evils suggested in the lyrics. While pleasant enough as an extra track the "Immaculate" mix of the song has no business pretending to be the "single" version as it truly takes the wind out of the sails of the song leaving those who haven't the original scratching their heads and wondering what the fuss was about. What a wasted opportunity for the Boys to demonstrate why they are still relevant and creating compelling contemporary music.

That being said the video is fantastic. Actually there are several versions of the video, including some designed to be watched on youtube and on cell phones, but the main video is something special. A white card shows us the world as the song's narrator sees it, pixels containing bits of information, as we visit some of the busiest hubs of London by way of time-lapse photography. Suggesting the rapid pace at which technology and authorities can identify individuals even in massive crowds it finds a good visual representation of what privacy advocates struggle to express. The room of smiling Petheads posing with digital identities as the song proclaims "If you've done nothing wrong you've got nothing to fear/If you've something to hide you shouldn't even be here" is particularly effective reinforcing the rapturous tone of the original that suggests people are willingly giving up the fundamental freedoms of democracy in the name of the war on terror:



: The block images that feature in the video form a type of barcode that must be in greater use in the UK than the US and can be scanned with cell phones that link you to a number of sites that address issues in the song. My research indicates the band made the images available to download as a pdf so fans can create their own videos but this probably requires a copy of Disco 4 in your disc drive and visiting http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/integral but it has never worked for me. There are only a few fan videos on youtube which might mean that I'm not alone in my confusion. Still much respect to the Boys for trying out new ideas on a song that deserves a mass audience.

Flashback: Tricky "Pumpkin" (1995)

Tricky's Maxinquaye is not only one of the high water marks of the trip hop movement but one of the most critically praised albums of the 1990s with honors that include ranking as Spin magazine's 2nd favorite album of 1995 and one of Q magazine's 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. Portishead and Massive Attack had defined the genre in the public eye by the time the album was released but Tricky's vision changed the mixture of the genre's formula suggesting a British hip hop as even the album's biggest rock moment, the NIN-esque "Black Steel", is really just re-imagining a Public Enemy song. While some critics would argue it was the production that really grabbed the ear Martina Topley Bird got plenty of press, along with booklet photo appearances, as the sweet voiced female foil to Tricky's mumbling raps many marked her as a future star which played out when she released a 2003 Mercury Prize nominated solo album.
The album's sixth (and final) single is an odd piece of music. A largely unedited sample of The Smashing Pumpkins Gish era song "Suffer" provides the backing track as Tricky does his usual vocal interplay not with Martina as he does on almost every other track on the album but with a young vocalist Orbital had recently discovered yodelling during a performance art piece. This is the music video debut of Alison Goldfrapp:



: Following the success of Maxinquaye Tricky had a fling with Bjork, put in a memorable appearance as Gary Oldman's henchman in The Fifth Element and released four increasingly disappointing albums in four years before bragging about his record deal on the flopped single "For Real" which was his last before he was dropped by the previously indulgent Island. Tricky did stage a comeback with Blowback and is currently involved in a variety of projects including an album that might be released on April 7 2008 although you would hope to see some promotion at this point if that is true.
Alison Goldfrapp went on to ride a white horse and create amazing music with Will Gregory.

Fun Fact: "Suffer" was produced by Butch Vig who would call on Tricky to remix his band Garbage's own trip hop inspired single "Milk" shortly after the release of "Pumpkin".

Video: Portishead "Machine Gun"

The first shot out from Portishead's upcoming Third album is the single "Machine Gun". An uncompromising piece of minimalist electronic percussion it sounds like something you might hear from Cabaret Voltaire or Nitzer Ebb in the mid 80s making it something bound to put off many of the band's fans who have been waiting for over a decade for a new album. Those claiming to be familiar with the whole album have said this is the oddest moment on it which suggests to me that the band have no interest in being on the mainstream musical radar. Geoff Barrow in particular seems to be an opinionated fellow, try skimming a few of his blog entries to get an idea, that despises most everything mainstream and I suspect releasing this single first is an attempt to separate the group from anything even remotely pop:



: If the video above isn't working then stop by the official site where you can watch it in full screen mode after a quick sign up. Now it should be really interesting to see where the rest of the album takes us.

Quick Notes

• Exciting to hear that Yaz(oo) have reunited and that their forthcoming box set should have previously unheard goodies. It's even better to hear that they will be bringing their tour to North America.
• The clips of Róisín Murphy playing street musician are fantastic. Still hoping for a US release of her album and much thanks to Electronically Yours for passing the clip on.
• Meant to post something about Keyboard Choir who are a group of six dedicated to playing electronic music live. Good mellow stuff.
• SXSW is almost here which means lots of free mp3s from bands playing the event. Click here for a list of the electronic acts.
• Download a track from the new The B-52s album over at Rolling Stone. Read the article to see which Bjork album Kate Pierson loves. Thanks to Arjan for this one.

Video: Freezepop "Brainpower"

Freezepop are more than a novelty act. Honestly. I don't know how anyone could figure that out from their latest single "Brainpower". The most annoying moment on their recent major label debut Future Future Future Perfect the sticker on the CD pegged it as a highlight before any fans had a chance to hear it. Bad idea. As the most "rock" track on the album it also appears in the video game RockBand so it makes sense that their label thought it would have a built in audience. I'm not so sure because an objective listen reveals it to be not near the greatness that is well within the grasp of the band.
Shot in LA as they toured the west coast this past November the video finds the band playing on a public access channel while being pelted by things as suggested by a brat with a magical remote control:



: Stop by their myspace where you can listen to better material from them including the song that inspired this blog's current tagline.

Monster Love

Goldfrapp's Seventh Tree is out today. Decidedly different than anything the duo have done before the disc largely avoids the supernatural beats and all out electropop assault of their past couple of releases instead creating another unique sound which is sure to be imitated. Early favorites of mine are the stunning "A & E", "Caravan Girl", "Happiness" and "Cologne Cerrone Houdini" but make sure to read XO's Middle Eight's essential review and stream the album for yourself at Spinner or their myspace.

Video: Cut Copy "Lights & Music"

There was a time that I distrusted Cut Copy. Maybe it the glowing reviews from sources that I often disagree with, their association with hipster friendly Modular Recordings or the suspicious number of times they were featured itunes but there was something about them I resisted. That all dissipated the moment I gave “Going Nowhere” a proper listen and after receiving the band’s Fabric mix disc for Christmas I’ve been really anticipating any new material. “Lights & Music” does not disappoint. Opening like a dance-punk “Where The Streets Have No Name” the song avoids any obvious path taking over two minutes in the unedited version for the synth stab punctured chorus to lift the song from interesting to flat out amazing. This is one of the best and most exciting songs of the year so far.

The video finds the artfully light band simply performing the song in front of giant video screens creating a hall of mirrors effect that echoes the atmosphere of the song. Not only does it show a synthesizer being actually played rather than the usual showing the guitar player when the synth part is played but it gets bonus points for showing a synth drum being used:



: Visit Cut Copy's myspace while you wait for the Tim Goldsworthy produced In Ghost Colours which is out April in the US.

Late Review: Madonna "Jump" MCD

(The following review was intended for a site that continues to have maintenance issues well over a year after this was written)

Madonna - Jump MCD



Jump (Single Edit)
Jump (Jacques Lu Cont Mix)
Jump (Axwell Remix)
Jump (Junior Sanchez’s Misshapes Mix)
Jump (Extended Album Version)
History


One year after “Hung Up” stormed charts worldwide Madonna has finally released the obvious pick for the immediate follow up single from “Confessions On A Dancefloor” as the album’s fourth track to receive the honor. Lyrically focused on the importance of family and the need to grow by being in new situations “Jump” is an instantly familiar up tempo track that borrows a bass rhythm, synth strings and a few chords from Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls”. Is this just a rip off? No. There is an undeniable similarity that had been acknowledged by co-writer and producer Stuart Price even before the PSB gave the song their blessing but there is much more to “Jump” than a simple recycling of “WEG“. It has it’s own unique melodic ideas and structure that are perfectly capable of standing on their own making the familiar arrangement a tribute rather than a blueprint for Madonna’s song.

Stuart Price’s “Jump” mix, credited under his Jacques Lu Cont alias, marks the sixth song he has remixed from “Confessions” and the fatigue is showing. While effective at times with a sense of tension and menace the mix lacks the impact and vision that Price often brings to the table creating something of a mess instead of dance floor perfection. At first it appears that Axwell‘s mix is a by-the-numbers club reworking, but closer listening reveals just how remarkably assembled the mix is with subtle touches that evolve from the original. The surprise success of the single comes from dance veteran Junior Sanchez who finds a unique approach with multi-pitched vocals edits in the style of 80’s extended mixes while creating a build that only the finest club tracks achieve.

“History” is the first b-side of Madonna‘s “Confessions”-era and it is a disco friendly track that could have fit comfortably on the album. As another Stuart Price production his fingerprints are all over the track but the lyrics are the real star of the song. Apparently Madonna is “so sick and tired of fighting” that she has decided to use the platform of this b-side to present the solution to ending global conflict. If this sounds a tad grandiose and silly to you then this might be a sticking point in enjoying the song but you have to admire Madonna’s willingness to put herself out there and really give her fans something to think about.

Video: Mark Brown Featuring Sarah Cracknell "The Journey Continues"

If you are the type that enjoys pouring over the pop charts of the world you no doubt are already aware that Sarah Cracknell returned to the UK charts this week. This is great news and a cue that I should be paying closer attention as the brightest of the blog world have been talking up the song for months. Dance label boss Mark Brown brought Cracknell in to create "The Journey Continues" in the tradition of pop music that borrows from classical music to build better songs not unlike The Farm's "All Together Now". The catch here is that the source tune is not quite classical cannon but largely based on Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin's "Eliza`s Aria" which has recently featured in a UK television ad campaign making the song more of an "as heard on tv" hit.

The video was shot using digital stills rather than a film or video camera creating a stop motion effect that is largely unmoving. While the effect has been done memorably before in music videos this tale of a floating dancer simply reminds me of an ineffective Sesame Street numbers short. Of course my disinterest might have everything to do with Sarah Cracknell hardly appearing in the clip:



: No word on a US release yet but be sure to stop by Elena Kats-Chernin's myspace to hear the source material.

Ready For The Floor

Just a few short months after it leaked Hot Chip's new album Made In The Dark is out in next week. In celebration myspace is offering an exclusive preview of the entire album:



: As someone on Hot Chip's mailing list (thank you free download!) I had already had been alerted to the exclusive online listening preview of the album at Clash Music earlier in the week. Exclusive just doesn't mean what it used to anymore.

Video: Moby "Alice"

Moby has "tried to take a long 8 hour night out in new york city and condense it into a 65 minute long album" for the forthcoming Last Night. The first single "Alice" reflects that heavily featuring Nigerian rappers 419 Crew in an odd mix of genres that combine a hip hop foundation with Moby singing an ethereal new wave chorus(or at least a repeated verse) with a breakdown that includes a metal guitar solo. Odd but it works.

Working from Moby's suggestion "to see a lot of things exploding" director Andreas Nillson has created a video that brings elderly stock footage and floating heads together with some sort of "National Treasure"-esque conspiracy lite symbols. I'm not sure that I smell a conspiracy but the most puzzling thing about the video is that something this uncommercial got green light because I can't imagine it being shown on vh1 which along with the song's ambiguous sense of genre almost guarantees that no one will hear the it. At least there are blogs and youtube:



: Download the Last Night megamix sampler by clicking here and stop by Moby's myspace for more info on his "love letter to dance music" which is out April 1 in the US.

Video: Goldfrapp "A & E"

What's left to say about the upcoming Goldfrapp single? If you caught the song when it first leaked you already know that it's brilliant and not really like anything else they've done before. If you've missed it then catch up and enjoy the video:



: Seventh Tree is due out at the end of February (no half year delay for the US!) so check out their helpful myspace to hear more from the duo.

2007: Top Songs

1. Tracey Thorn "It's All True"
2. Chemical Brothers "The Salmon Dance"
3. Justice "D.A.N.C.E."
4. Sarah Nixey "The Black Hit Of Space"
5. LCD Soundsystem "North American Scum"
6. Client "Drive"
7. Simian Mobile Disco "Hustler"
8. Róisín Murphy "Let Me Know"
9. Matinee Club "Discotheque Français"
10. Swen Weber "First Stroke"

Video: The Killers "Shadowplay"

The Killers previewed their cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" as they toured this past summer and the youtube clips that spread across the web didn't sell me on the song. Perhaps it was the camera phone sound quality or that the clips suggested that Flowers was borrowing a little too closely from the Pet Shop Boys by starting the cover with a version of "Can't Keep My Eyes Off Of You" but it was surprising with how much I enjoyed the song after it started getting played on the radio. The last Joy Division cover to be an alternative radio hit was Nine Inch Nails take on "Dead Souls". Both are unlikely "single" candidates as Joy Division songs so the idea that two bands that owe little to mimicry of the JD sound (hello Interpol, Editors, She Wants Revenge, etc...) could manage to turn soundtrack contributions into radio hits is quite interesting. NIN dove into the deep end of darkness on their cover with Reznor searching for the heart of Ian Curtis' trademark despair before the studio perfect programming overtook him leaving nothing but numbness. The Killers didn't tinker with the foundation of their choice but go the other way with the vocals as Flowers "doot doot doot"s his way to a brighter place that reveals the pop song beneath the goth trappings of the original. Strange that The Killers would find more about the band Joy Division would become post-Curtis than Reznor's electronic arrangement in their unanticipated route to the soul of the song.
In the grand tradition of music videos of songs featured in films the "Shadowplay" video takes the majority of it's footage from Anton Corbijn's Control with The Killers making appearances on a tv that Ian Curtis is watching. Generally this sort of video doesn't work for me, but this one does:



: "Shadowplay" appears on the soundtrack to Control alongside what is possibly the last new material ever from New Order and can also be found on The Killers Sawdust which has been declared infinitely better than either Hot Fuss or Sam's Town.

What More Can I Say?

• Did anyone else notice that Matinee Club released the "Discotheque Français" single digitally in the US a couple of months ago? Not only have the band finally released something people can actually buy but their long delayed full length Modern Industry is due December 17 on Planet Clique. If that wasn't enough their on-again-off-again "US exclusive" EP has morphed into a "singles and b-sides collection" called The Modern LP that should be out in January on Ninthwave. Now none of these releases are on Europa Recordings or Universal which signed the band back in July so who knows what it all means for the band but at least fans will have a chance to buy the album.
• Did anyone one else notice how completely unamazing Dangerous Muse's cover of "Everyday Is Halloween" is? Of course you did because a quick technorati search reveals that almost no one has said anything about it. The most interesting part of the package is not the dull remixes but the new version of "Give Me Danger" which demonstrates how Sire must be prepping to sell the band to alternative radio. Recently the band posted an explanation of why it was taking so long to finish the record where they pointed out that "until this point, we have been solely responsible for instigating and overseeing all of our own marketing and publicity efforts, booking our own private shows, running our online store (designing, printing, shipping and restocking merchandise)." No wonder established bands like NIN are proudly announcing that they are leaving their labels.
• Did anyone else notice how fantastic amazon's download store is? They had a fairly low key launch a couple of months ago to little press outside a dismissive mention in rolling stone that questioned if people would really want to buy their music from a store that also sells things like power tools. Given the choice between itunes and amazon's higher quality drm-free mp3s who wouldn't take the latter given that they are usually cheaper and use variable pricing so you don't see any "album only" tracks. The biggest drawback about the store right now is that not all the major labels are on board because the letting people buy things in a convenient format thing must be a scary thing for record execs. I'm sure they'll come around soon.
• Did anyone else notice that there are quite a few free "guilt free" downloads floating around this pre-Boxing Day season? For example Arjan just posted a Scissor Sisters mix that should be fantastic by his description but is utterly dreadful. While beggars can''t be choosers (or at least complain too much) I am rather enjoying Tiger Baby's "This Christmas (You’re The One We Want To Be With)" which taps into the melancholy I often associate with the holidays. Find it at their myspace.
• Did anyone else notice that Seal seems to be promoting his new album in all the same places Heidi Klum seems to be on tv? I'm not sure where the connection was when he played the Monday Night Football halftime a couple of weeks ago, but I'm sure there is one.
• Ooh, Zoot Woman have new material coming out and you can download something from it for free. Where does Stuart Price find the time?